Priorities

Today we arrived in Albuquerque to visit Allison's parents.  As is typical with all grandkids, Katelyn's attention left us and went to Grandma and (especially) Grandpa.  While I kept my eye on her, she was definitely not interested in Daddy.  We began opening presents, and she was quite entranced with all of the musical things around (a clock that plays Christmas carols, music boxes, etc.) and had turned her attention to her new Mrs. Potatohead, or so I thought.  In my stocking were some of my very favorites, chocolate covered raisins. 

Suddenly, I had a daughter again. 

Merry Christmas!

Words and other breakthroughs

Katelyn is beginning to be a wordy little girl.  Lately it seems like she says a new word every day.  Recent additions to her vocabulary include such gems as apple, ball, snow, blue, boom (for fireworks), light, banana, star, shoe, shirt, cookie, kitty, leaf, and flower (which she pronounces "flowf").  Most of her pronunciation is less than perfect, but she does make herself pretty clear.  She also knows the letter "b."  She thinks all the other letters are also "b," but she's emphatic when she comes across the real thing.  And she knows that cows say "moo."

This week she has begun attempting to use utensils.  This is a very exciting breakthrough for me, as I was beginning to wonder if she would be eating with her fingers forever.  Earlier this week we had grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch, and she used a spoon to eat about half her soup.  Then tonight we had baked potatoes, and she actually used a fork to eat most of hers.  There were some very proud (and somewhat relieved) parents at the dinner table tonight!

Right now, Katelyn's favorite things are stuffed animals, puzzles, clothes, cars, balls, and Christmas decorations.  She is completely enamored with the tree and the lights outside on the house.  She often carries various stuffed animals around the house, including a purple and orange snake.  Whenever she plays with it, she hisses.  It's pretty darn cute.  She's just generally cute, and happy, and sweet, and most of the time, an absolute delight.  We are blessed.

Enchanting Moments

Life is filled with enchanting little moments that often slip by before we even notice them.  I live a very full and sometimes crazy life, but I am so thankful for the ability to enjoy those sweet little memories before they are gone forever.  If I do forget the wonder of the little things in life, Katelyn is there to remind me.  She is learning new and exciting things every day, as she grows to be a little girl in this big crazy world.  Her sense of wonder and delight in the silliest little things is irresistibly charming.

We had a good day today.  It wasn't particularly remarkable.  In fact, we both slept through a good part of the afternoon.  Then we ran errands, ate dinner, and watched part of a movie until it was time for Katelyn to take a bath and go to bed.  Little things.  But in the company of a little person I love more every day, it was a day full of enchanting moments.  Like when I asked her if she wanted a cookie and she said, "Yes!"  Or when she laughed and applauded when I sang a silly song.  Or when I told her it was time to take a bath and she said, "Bath!" and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth, then splashed and laughed in the tub.  And especially when she sighed and snuggled up against me to look at the stars on her ceiling right before bed.  Every day I am reminded that my sweet little girl is a precious gift from God, as with each enchanting moment, she steals just a little more of my heart.

Jesus Loves Me

Just had to share something short and sweet...

Ever since we started a bedtime routine with Katelyn about a year ago, we have been singing "Jesus Loves Me" as a bedtime song, and Greg and I sign the chorus.  Last night, for the first time, Katelyn made the sign for "Jesus," and tonight she added "Bible." Love it!

Right now she is playing with the dogs.  Lucy licks her in (yes, "in") the mouth, and Rusty lets her pull up and pet him. Actually, she sort of slaps at him, but he seems to enjoy it. Then she cries when we put them to bed.

We have such a sweet and precious little girl!

The First Word

How time flies! We apparently no longer have too much of it on our hands. Katelyn will be a year old in just a week! She can pull up, cruise along walls and furniture, and crawl up stairs. She's not showing any interest in walking yet but whenever she decides to do it, I'm sure she will figure it out.

Continuing in her quest to charm and delight everyone she meets, Katelyn now waves "bye bye," and even says a short "buh" sound along with it. Hopefully we will post video of that soon. She loves to "talk." Although we can't really figure out much that she's saying yet, it's fun to guess. Sometimes she sounds like an Ewok.

Katelyn loves music. She has figured out how to turn on the stereo, and enjoys bouncing along with any song she can manage to play. She does seem to prefer instrumental music to singing, but she likes it all. Possibly even more than music, she loves books. Her current favorite is "Bard's Notebook," which came with the Baby Einstein World of Words DVD we recently bought for her because she was beginning to lose interest in Baby Beethoven. She now sits and turns the pages of her Bard book, points at the words and pictures, and babbles incoherently. I'm not sure, but I think she's pretending to read. She also likes it when we read to her. The other day, she was playing with a book, and I asked her to give it to me if she wanted me to read it. She smiled and handed it over, then beamed while I read it.

Now that the weather is warmer and the days are longer, walks are becoming a favorite activity. Whether she is riding in her stroller or strapped in the backpack on Daddy's back, Katelyn likes looking around and chattering about whatever she sees. She especially likes it when we walk with the dogs, because she likes to watch them. When she sees or hears the dogs, she gets very excited and starts exclaiming, "Doggie! Doggie!" Yes, that's right. You heard it here, folks. Katelyn's first word is "doggie."

Buh for now!

Mayhem

This week, Katelyn figured out she can crawl. I think our days of messy piles on the floor are over, especially since paper is one of her favorite things. She also had fun playing with a two pound hand weight for a little while, so maybe she's looking to tone up those adorable chubby baby arms. I did take the weight away before she could drop it and hurt herself, so any powerlifting dreams she may have had will have to stay on the back burner for awhile.

I find myself amazed again at how much babies learn in a short period of time. Eight months ago, Katelyn was still having trouble learning how to nurse. Now she crawls, laughs, plays with toys, pulls up onto her knees, and keeps up an almost constant stream of unintelligible chatter. She finds her Baby Beethoven DVD to be completely enthralling, so I guess that means she's some sort of genius. Or that she just likes music and colorful pictures. She's a happy, silly little thing, always ready with a smile, raspberry, or occasional giggle. She saves most of her outright belly laughs for Grandpa, which he thinks is just fine. People keep stopping us in stores and restaurants to say how cute she is, which is definitely gratifying for her proud parents.

Katelyn is not perfect. She can throw a raging fit, she occasionally decides she doesn't want to sleep, and she is showing signs of being a picky eater with a stubborn will (no surprises there). We have taken to calling her "Mayhem" after the Allstate commercial when she is in a particularly destructive and maniacal mood. But she is sweet and entertaining, and we are blessed to have her in our lives. We're just going to have to keep the floor clean and our attention sharp from now on.