Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Behold 7-month-old Kate!

Well, almost seven months...in three days. Hold on to your hats, a LOT of pictures are coming your way at the respective speed of your browser.

So since it has been far too long since I last posted pictures, we'll start with a recap.

Kate has been eating solids--and anything else she can get her hands on, for that matter--for about 2 months now. And growing as a result. (I know, whoda thunk it??) She now weighs just over 19 lbs and is about 27 1/2 inches tall/long.

Our ward Christmas party was right during nap time, but this candy cane was all she needed to be content. Santa was an hour late, and we never made it to a mall, so no Santa pictures for her first Christmas. I'm not too broken up about it.

Oh, this may be the first picture of my short, dark hair. But I guarantee it won't be my last weird face picture. Let's just focus on Kate here, people.

Ahh, you've gotta love the camera timer pictures. This one turned out ok; It was about our 5th attempt. I love how Kate and Zeus are staring at each other.

First Christmas morning shots! Mike's family has a tradition that they have to wait on the stairs until 7 am and they have to get a picture in their Santa hats. Kate looks awesome in hers.

Ryan and Kate were working on her balancing blocks skill. We heard it's a nine month skill, so obviously she's very advanced here folks. ;)

Zeus is, by far, Kate's favorite toy. Makes finding him a new home all the more difficult, but also makes doing it before she can remember all the more important. We'll get you a dog when you're older, Sweetheart.

How can you not fall in love with that face??

Other new skills Kate has acquired include sitting up, rolling from back to front, supporting herself while standing, grabbing at everything, speaking sonnets...at least, that's what I think she's saying. Mostly it just sound like "da, da, da" which we all know in baby means, "Mama, Mama, Mama."

I couldn't decide which of the following shots to include, because I love them all...so you get all three!

Kate loves to stand and kneel at this mirror/stage she got for Christmas from her great-grandparents. That's "great" as in wonderful, of course. I especially love her messy morning faux hawk.

Kate seems to be teething, although I can't see anything yet. She is constantly feeling her bottom gums with her tongue and has been sucking her binkie like this...can you see the bottom edge on the inside of her lip? Another give away was the screaming in the middle of the night that was only soothed with baby Orajel.

Kate is such a joy in our lives. We don't even know how we comprehended happiness before there was Kate. She is growing and changing every single day. I feel so blessed to be at home with her so I don't have to miss a second of it...and so that I can excitedly tell Mike about all of her new tricks when he gets home from work or school. "Tanks, Papa" for working so hard to give us such a great life.

So there's the update you've all been salivating for. You can get back to your normal lives now. Go on.

13 comments:

mikemetcalf said...

That beautiful smile is all the thanks I'll ever need! Thanks for sharing these great little glimpses of our little bundle of love with the world! I haven't even seen those pics you had taken of her today. I love the ones where she's standing in her crib, she's a supermodel. (By the way, those Christmas lights probably need to come down soon, as she's getting less stationary all the time.) :)

Natalie said...

She - is - BEAUTIFUL. I can't even get over it. And so active! My favorite detail of the photos was her big fat cheeser at herself in the mirror. Second favorite detail is the Christmas lights on the crib! How fun is that?

Anonymous said...

Lydia, I love your blog (I had some catching up to do!) I love your captions, your sense of humor, your "real-ness," I love the pictures of that sweet little doll baby, and I love you,L too. (All of you!) Thanks, Lydia, for being such a wonderful Mommy to that precious little girl.

I have to admit I was stunned to learn about your decision to part with Zeus - I really didn't see that coming. But I am in awe of how you and Mike are handling his adoption. I think it is incredibly unselfish of you and will probably work out best for everyone, including that handsome dog. The family sounds ideal - I'm so happy about that. I loved the pictures you posted of Zeus. I actually found myself getting choked up looking at them - he has a way of getting into your heart, you know. I know that this must've been a very difficult decision, but I also know you will have very happy memories of your time with him - and he will go on to make more fun memories with his new family who will love and care for him just as you have.

Anonymous said...

Love those photos...and comments!
What fun to see how Kate is enjoying her Christmas present, and what an adorable "great" granddaughter we have. We feel so blessed to have the three of you in our lives...Mike, Lydia and Kate. How wonderful you are!

Anonymous said...

Kate is growing so fast! She is adorable, Lyd. I was reading Juliana's comment and she is totally right about your blog. You are so real. It is refreshing to read. It was also great to talk to you on Saturday. Next time I come up, we are getting together NO EXCEPTIONS. Even if I have to hunt you down and kidnap you. But don't worry. After I tie you up and throw you in the trunk I will lovingly place Kate in her carseat. And we'll all go play. :)

Thanks for the update. I was wanting to see that cute face. (Your's and Kate's) I bet it was a difficult decision to part with Zeuss. We had the same situation with our dog. But it was a great decision and we get to see her every once in awhile. It sounds like you are a fantastic mommy. It doesn't surprise me. Take care and I hope to see you soon. (Even though you don't call me enough, I still love you, unconditionally and forever.)

Emily and Clay said...

Wow! She is so darn cute. She really is growing so fast. Kate looks like a big girl standing in her crib holding onto the side!!!! She is adorable.

I love Mike's family tradition. I don't know that I could have always waited till 7 am!

Jenny said...

Thanks for having us over to play with Kate and say goodbye to Zeus. (MY boys loved all of Kate's Christmas presents, too.)
I cannot get over how fast Kate is growing up...then I look at Brennan and think, WAIT! He's my last. Slow down, world. Kate is such a darling, beautiful girl. Her personality is shining through and it's fun to watch her become her own little person.
p.s. The Xmas lights in her crib is such a fun thing for her to look at! If she is teething that much however, it is probably a good idea to take 'em down...she'll start chewing on the crib rail if she hasn't already.
(Brennan's crib rail is covered in tiny tooth marks). :)

VTS said...

Those pictures totally melted my heart! You have such a wonderful little family. I hadn't checked your blog in a while and was excited to read quite a few posts.
It's been too long since I've seen you. In think the girls should plan on getting some soup one night very soon. How does that sound?
Love the blog! Love the updates!

Mindy said...

LOVED all those pictures! And your captions are so cute. You are so clever. We love that Katie-Kate so much!
Thanks for having us over to say goodbye to Zeus. We'll miss being able to see him sometimes.

Lacey said...

She is such a doll! It is crazy how fast they grow and learn! Thanks so much for coming to my shower. I had a great time and sure love ya.

Shanna said...

Love it! Little Kate is great! I showed your blog to the Feigs and they gasped when they saw Kate..."She is sooo cute!" That's a direct quote from Mimi. They say "Hello!" We also looked at pictures the other day, ones of me, you and sarah. I'm glad that you gained so much from your nanny experience, especially your own personal testimony of prophets.

You know how much I love and appreciate you! I love ya.

Michelle said...

Oh Man, that Kate is one GORGEOUS girl! What a doll. I especially liked the pics of her in the white jacket standing up in her crib, she looks so lovely and happy! Oh, and the pics of her looking in the mirror (cute face she's making). Ah, and the picture of her with the Santa hat on - hilarious! I need to put that up on my fridge so I can have a little laugh when I need it! What a good sport she is! I am gushing now and I'd better stop. I am missing her!

Blaine said...

Your little girl is so cute! And I love her name too - such a classic. I can't wait for the day when I can dress up a little girl (actually I can wait for a little bit longer! George is a lot of fun but he is crazy!) It's really cool that you have a blog - it's good to catch up! (Lindsay Skidmore Hickman)