and the day started out so well...

Sigh. So much to do and Baby Girl is refusing to take a nap. Crabb-y. But earlier today I did get a video of her in a good mood. Enjoy & be glad you don't have a screaming baby in the next room.

http://media.putfile.com/the-football-is-so-funny

leaps and bounds

Kate started to crawl almost 2 weeks ago, and over the past few days she has realized that she can pull herself up onto her feet by holding onto her crib rails, a table, or any other object that she can find that is stable enough. In some ways I hope she will be walking soon, but in many ways I am not ready for it! She is already able to get into all kinds of things she shouldn't because she can crawl to them, but when she starts walking....that will make my life crazy.

Look at me!

On Saturday we went to Sakura for dinner - it's a teppan yaki place and they cooked our dinner right in front of us. Kate enjoyed the fire and loud noises and especially liked the onion volcano!

Eating pears at Sakura.

Yesterday we went to the mall, and Kate got to play with the big kids in the romper area. She liked standing with the help of the gila monster!

Gila monster fun!

We are off to visit family and friends in Oregon this week, and hope to update you from the road. Have a great Memorial Day!

mealtime is so much fun!

At least Kate thinks so. For me it's a bit of a mess, but it's always entertaining. I am no longer guaranteed super funny faces when she tries new foods, but she rewards me with some once in awhile.

Avocado!

Avocado everywhere!

What, you don't want some, too?

Today is her last Little Movers class. We're off to that soon...so I will sign off for this morning. Ciao!

it's almost 10pm and...

...the AC just turned on. Again. Guess it's about that time of year. It was only 97 today (we hit century+ over the weekend, so 90s are good), but it's still 80 outside. It's so nice outside at this time of night. If we had deck furniture, we could sit outside sipping cocktails.

Yesterday was my first "official" Mother's Day, as everyone put it. The masses were divided last year as to whether I was truly a mother yet, but this year there was no denying it. The best part about Mother's Day for me? Sleeping in!! Tim got up to feed Kate breakfast, and I slept until almost 9am. I don't remember the last time I did that. The rest of the day was just swimming, sipping Pacifico in the pool, and watching Battlestar Galactica. Damn, I am hooked on that show! We must have watched 4 hours yesterday.

Last week Kate decided to start crawling, and yesterday she decided to start babbling. She'd been doing the 'aaaaaahhhhh' thing for a few weeks, but yesterday she started saying babababa. She even said mama twice, although I can't count it because I don't think she knew what she was saying. She is also starting to sign 'eat', which is so fun to see. Smart kid, if I do say so myself. Oh yeah, and today she decided to grab the crib rails and try to stand up. She's going to do a sommersault tomorrow, I'm certain.

zoo animals and party animals

Yesterday was Taylor's 1st birthday party. Kate's been a party girl lately, attending a few birthday parties for her friends. Lots of fun!


Taylor in the flowers.

Vanessa looking cool.

Jack, Matthew, Vanessa, Kate and new mama Nicole.

This morning we went to the zoo before it got too hot. The kids had a good time (or at least the moms did!). I'm not sure Kate knew what was going on, but it was fun trying to get her to look at the giraffes, the monkeys, the ducks and the fish.

Matthew, Kate & Katy.

Catch!

Kate wonders if ducks taste good.

and we have a crawler

Life will never be the same. I can no longer leave Kate alone in a room on the floor. She will (slowly) inch her way over to anything that she is not supposed to touch, and try to stuff it in her mouth. She has been trying to crawl for ages, but I think today we will mark the milestone.

http://media.putfile.com/and-we-have-a-crawler

http://media.putfile.com/I-want-to-lick-the-camera

Yesterday I had her in the saucer, and she even bounced her way over to a nearby chair (okay, she only moved it a couple of inches, but still) and grabbed a spool of ribbon and began unwinding it like a roll of toilet paper. Oh, the things I have ahead of me!

ooh, look, a tassle!

I'm not doing anything, Mom.

Look at all the stuff I'm not supposed to touch!



We have had a busy week: random errands, Little Movers and Shakers, pool time, a birthday party this afternoon, and lots of prep for our upcoming trip to Oregon. Tim's been on nights, so he was able to come to class today, which was fun. Kate loves spending time with her Daddy! And now she is awake and ready for second lunch...

party girl

Today we went to Katy's 2nd birthday party. Kate was the youngest (as usual), and it was fun to see her interact a little with the 2 year olds. Mostly, she played by herself, but she was interested in what the big girls were doing.

Megan in the house.

Katy & Megan at the table.

Matthew & Katy.

Kate got to get all dressed up for the party. She even got to wear a birthday hat!

Overall we had a great time! Happy Birthday, Katy!

what's the worst that could happen?

Kate in tears after falling over backwards.

What has your child done that has caused you much grief? My friend Katie just shared how her baby daughter fell off the couch and onto her head (she's fine), and what a traumatic experience it was. I can't really remember what horrible things happened to me when I was younger, except catching a fly ball with my face when I was about 9. That was fun. Kate is only 7 months old, so she doesn't have much time to have contributed to the list. Probably the worst that has happened to her so far was last week at Little Movers and Shakers: she was riding the pony (like the blue dog) and she fell off while I was right next to her. She started screaming and everyone stared at me. Me: winner of the Mom of the Year award! Kate was fine, she was just surprised, I think. She has also let go of my hands while "walking" and fallen down, fallen over backwards and smacked the floor while trying to sit upright, choked on some water when I was holding her in the pool (I didn't realize babies wouldn't make some loud indication that their chins were dangerously close to the water level, oops), and gagged on part of an olive that she bit off while I was letting her suck on it. And I know that ain't nothin' compared to what is probably in store for us. Tim and his brothers did some crazy things when they were little, but I'll have to get the stories again when he gets home, as I probably wouldn't do them justice. What about you? What has your child done that has freaked you or your child out?

look at those rolls!

Today was Little Movers and Shakers day - it's a class we go to at a local rec center, and Kate loves spending time with the other babies in the class. It's also an opportunity for her to play with toys we don't own. Today she got to ride a blue dog, and she seemed to enjoy it!


She also gets to walk alongside the other kids, and this is usually her favorite part.

















Aunt Jess was able to come with us today and take photos and video:

http://media.putfile.com/look-at-those-rolls

http://media.putfile.com/bubbles-70

Afterwards, Steph and Katy came over to enjoy some time in the pool. They love their pool animals!

where have all the simple toys gone?

Was I bored as a child? I must have been, because all of my toys didn't require batteries. I don't really remember my toddler years. Maybe that's why - no batteries. I went to Babies R Us last weekend to find baby gifts for friends, and thought I should get something for Kate, too, since I was there. I hate that now I can't go to Target or some other such store and not buy something for Baby Girl. Sigh. Anyway...I was looking for something simple for her to play with. She's only 7 months old and frankly she has plenty of toys. But something simple wouldn't be too bad, right? Then I remembered a toy that I used to have - it was a red plastic box with holes cut out in different shapes. You had these little shaped plastic blocks that you would try to put into the box, and then once you got them all in, you opened up the box and took the blocks out and started all over again. Did Babies R Us have this toy? Not exactly. They did, however, have one that required batteries, and was supposed to be the same sort of thing. Batteries? For a box? What the hell? Needless to say, I didn't buy that toy. I did get her the ring/donut toy where you put all the colored rings on the post. They still sell that one, and it doesn't require batteries. She loves it.

By the way, for all you moms of girls, check out this website for great hair clips - they are expensive but well-made, and they do stay in for the most part.

https://www.hairclippy.com/shop_bows.asp