Fun in the Sun

Katelyn and Dave spent last weekend in Baytown with Nana and family (I had a work obligation).  Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, she played with cousin Cassidy, enjoyed time in the water, rode in the wagon, and then slept for 12 hours when she got home.  Nice!

Kicking in the water, of course!

What are they thinking about??

On an unrelated note, Katelyn is boycotting vegetables.  I don't know why.   Even when I give her squash, she gives me a bewildered look as if to say, "Have you lost your mind?  Why would I want to eat that?"  She doesn't care for beef, either.  Preferred foods are chicken and fruit.  I can't blame her.  Those are my favorites, too!

8 Months Old

Dave had his wisdom teeth out last Friday, so Katelyn and I have spent a lot of quality time together the past few days.  Here she is watching the rain:

The scrape on the top of her head is from the DVD player. She had pulled up on something and was a little over-zealous in attempting to walk unassisted. Lesson learned? I don't think so. After she stopped crying, she pulled herself right back up and tried again.

Eating a MumMum. If we're not careful, Baylor will snatch these right out of her hand. Who knew a vegetable-flavored wafer could be so good?

Katelyn's love of Target makes me laugh (and swell with pride!). I'll take her with me on errands to several stores, but she grins and kicks her legs in excitement when we walk into Target. It's so funny because she rarely acts like that in other stores. My little shopping buddy. :)

In the past week we've made major progress on sleeping through the night!! We seemed to have turned a corner right after she turned 8 months old. Some nights are better than others, but lately ALL nights have been a major improvement. Part of our bedtime routine is me singing to her. As I'm rocking her and singing, she becomes uncharacteristically still and has the sweetest, most peaceful smile on her face. Sometimes she will join me with soft "la la la" sounds.  Love. It.  Seriously one of my most treasured moments so far as a parent.

Visiting Family

Katelyn has had a busy two weeks.  First, we went to Baytown to visit Dave's family.  Here are a few pictures:

with Mary Ruth

 Playing in a big tub of toys

with Sue and MawMaw

 with Sue

The next weekend, Katelyn and I went to Denton to visit my family.  Here are some pictures:

Cousins Annabelle and Katelyn

 A few random updates:

• Katelyn loves chicken (does my heart proud!).
• Lately, her favorite thing to chew on is leather.
• Amoxicillin comes with unpleasant side effects.
• Katelyn and I sat in on Dad's handbell practice at church and she was mesmerized.  She particularly liked the big, low octave bells, and who can blame her?  They're big, shiny, and make noise.
• When I say "high five!", she slaps my hand five... ten... fifteen times...
• People have been asking me if she is always a happy baby.  Yes, except for normal things like fighting sleep and crying at times, Katelyn is a very happy baby.  She seems to enjoy every minute of soaking in her surroundings, especially if it's a new environment or activity.
• She "talks" with her legs.  When she watches Baylor run, she kicks her legs in excitement.  If I'm holding her and she wants me to walk faster, she kicks her legs against me as if to say, "Giddy Up, Mama!"  When she wants more of her bottle, she kicks and rubs her feet together before ever making a sound.  Her legs are ALWAYS moving and communicating emotion.  As you can imagine, it's nearly impossible to keep socks and/or shoes on this active girl!  Someday we'll put a soccer ball in front of her and see what happens. :)