Christmas continued

Here are some of the Christmas in Baytown pictures I promised.  Unfortunately, a lot of them came out very blurry, so I've taken some additional pictures of Katelyn playing with some toys she got in Baytown.

Michael and Leah with Cassidy and Katelyn, who are wearing the cute Christmas shirts Leah made!

Katelyn's First Christmas

First stop: Baytown for Christmas with Dave's family. Christmas lights, gingerbread houses, presents, and lots of fun!

Katelyn loved Santa Joey!

(Note: I have more Baytown pictures I'd like to post, but I'm having computer issues and can't get them off my camera just yet.  Stay tuned!)


Next stop: Denton for Christmas with my family. So many new people for Katelyn to meet!  Her near-perfect behavior amazed me. There was a LOT going on and about 25 new faces, yet she let anyone hold her and love on her. 

Garner clan... and Katelyn appears to be looking at the camera AND smiling!

Cousins Jillian, Annabelle, Olivia, Pierson, Jane, and Katelyn

Granddad and Katelyn

It became evident that Katelyn and Annabelle (my niece) have a special bond. Even amidst a swarm of people and lots of activity, Katelyn and Annabelle paused for sweet cousin moments, where they would give little hugs and look at each other adoringly.  Precious.

 

Katelyn also LOVES the piano.  Every time she played a note, she looked up at me and gave me the biggest grin.  And I'm not sure how she did it, but she manuevered her left arm to play individual notes.  Imagine playing a single key with your elbow.  I tried it.  It's tricky.

Christmas break was also productive for Katelyn.  She mastered eating cereal in the mornings (something she hadn't been cooperating with at daycare), had her first two teeth cut through, and developed a taste for squash.

Happy New Year, everybody!

A friend of ours, Hayley Hill, took some family pictures for us. The weather didn't quite cooperate that day and we were VERY cold!  Even so, Hayley did a great job!

Katelyn spent last weekend with Nana and came home with some cute new Christmas clothes. The snowman jacket is my favorite!

 

She can now sit up on her own-- for a limited time.  Once she realizes her independence, she kicks her legs in excitement and then falls over.  But she's gradually falling at decreasing intervals, so that's good.  I'm VERY much looking forward to her being able to sit upright in a shopping cart!

Katelyn's first Thanksgiving went well.  We traveled to Mississippi to visit the Taylor family, and quite honestly, I was dreading the 10 hour drive with a baby.  But Katelyn surprised us and, for the most part, did VERY well in the car!  We spent some quality time with Papa and family and she started crawling for the first time on Thanksgiving Day.  Watch out, world!

Here is she playing with a toy in the car.  It was a little too big to grip with one hand, so she is cleverly using her left foot to assist.  Flexible little problem solver!

Katelyn has had a nasty cough that wasn't getting better and her breathing just didn't sound right, so I took her to the doctor.  Since allergies and asthma run pretty rampant in our family, the doctor prescribed a nebulizer since she'll need it eventually anyway.  The challenge is getting Katelyn to sit still long enough to successfully take a treatment, but there's a significant improvement in her breathing.

Katelyn at the doctor.  I had to take this photo quickly because our little goat was determined to eat the paper.

We've also started adding rice cereal to her milk.  She immediately took to eating from a spoon, which didn't surprise me since this baby loves to put things in her mouth.  I expected it to help her sleep through the night... so far, no luck.  Maybe someday (yawn).

A few updates...

1. Hello, teething!  She. Chews. On. Everything.  Sometimes I wonder if our sweet little girl is part goat.

2. She can hold her bottle on her own.  She does the same with her pacifier and is clear about when she does and does not want assistance.

3. Last night she watched Praise Baby very intently.  For the first time, she really studied what was on the screen.  And with the exception of her legs kicking to the music, she even laid still for the duration of several songs! 

4. She is fascinated by water.  Bath water that splashes when she kicks, water running from the faucet, Baylor lapping up water from her bowl... it's all very interesting!

5. I think Katelyn and Baylor find each other equally interesting.  Baylor curiously licks Katelyn's face, and Katelyn wonders why she does it.  Baylor has her moments (like eating a sock Katelyn somehow kicked over the crib), but for the most part she is the perfect dog to have around a baby. 

I love our little family. :)

4 Months Old

Katelyn is now 4 months old!  She is becoming a more content, happy, and lively baby.  As one stranger commented, "God may not have given her a complete arm, but He sure gave her an extra dose of personality and cuteness!"  I would have to agree.  Her eyes sparkle with curiosity and excitement about everything around her, and if she sees something of particular interest, she'll stop squirming long enough to study it intensely.

Last weekend Katelyn met her Great-Grandma Do and Aunt Kathie.  Love my sweet family!

Four Generations

Grandma, Aunt Kathie, Mom, and Katelyn

I realize now that I'm a little behind on blogging, so back up another week to Halloween.  Dave's work had a costume contest.  When we went to the store to see what costumes were available for Katelyn, Dave was quickly distracted by an adult gorilla suit.  Who knew my husband had long dreamed of owning a gorilla suit?!  Long story short, we left Target with the gorilla suit and an infant banana costume.  I'm hoping Katelyn inherits our sense of humor.  :)

Katelyn Sounds