Katelyn 11 Months

My beautiful girl at 11 months -- just 1 month before the big 1-year-old mark! We are absolutely in love with the little girl she is turning into and I can see more and more personality shining through every day. Here are the updates from 11 months:

• She is more attached to Mommy and Daddy than other people - she wants us to hold her more than others. 
• She's still got some major baby rolls going- so cute!
• Katelyn is practically walking - not officially but she is super fast at "cruising" around furniture and moving from piece to piece. She also crawls like a champ - on all fours as opposed to Kennedy's "slither"
• FINALLY is sleeping through the night more often than not! About 1/2 of the nights a week I go in one time... but only once. 
• Eats like a champ-- there isn't really a food that she won't eat! Cheese, deli meat, all fruits and veggies we give her (if only her sister could take note?)
• Loves baths for the most part
• Wears 12 month clothes and is even ready for 18 month pants-- She is extremely tall so her legs don't fit in those 12 month pants very well!
• Completed an entire round of swimming lessons! At first she wasn't too sure about the water, and she was fairly subdued and clung to me, but as the sessions went on, she became really comfortable with the water! Now she loves splashing and kicking while floating on her back very well :)
• Wears size 3 diapers, though I'm pretty sure we are close to size 4
• HATES having her diaper changed and her face wiped after eating. These are necessary hygiene steps, Baby Kate!

1 more month to the "toddler" years!! Crazy how time flies --

xoxo

Katelyn 10 Months

So... as much as I like to pretend I am on top of things, I clearly am not. I let these monthly updates go a little bit more than planned! However I did jot down key milestones on a sheet of paper so I can reference and give a real update for 10 months. She is just a peach!

At 10 months, Katelyn:

• LOVES books. Sits at her bookshelf and pulls them all down and looks at them, and it appears she's reading them to herself. She is engrossed! She can entertain herself in front of books for 10 minutes (which is a really long attention span at this age!)
• Wakes usually 1-2 times a night to eat, but every so often sleeps through the night :)
• Wears 12 month onesies and clothes- she is long and lean!
• Is getting fuller, curlier hair. It seems more relaxed than Kennedy's and it'll be interesting to see if she gets the same crazy curls or if it continues to be less curly and more wavy.
• Does not like the carseat- she fusses every time we put her in it! It takes her a few minutes to calm down and then she's okay
• Loves baths with Mommy
• Favorite foods = sweet potato, avocado, grapes, bananas, deli turkey, scrambled eggs, black beans
• HATES having her face wiped 
• Makes lots of "t" and "k" sounds, and says "mama" a lot. I am pretty sure "mama" was her first word
• Pulls up on furniture all the time - I swear she will be walking in no time!
• Says "pup" for puppy - in reference to Callie! Another first word
• Waves "hello" !! It is super sweet how she interacts so well with us.

She is still the sweetest soul and happiest all the time. She is such a blessing in our lives! We love you Baby Kate. :)

9 Months for Katelyn

As you can tell I am getting these posts in just under the wire. Katelyn is 9 months now and we've been loving every minute!! I think we've seen real growth this month - she is doing so much that makes me think this baby stage is not going to last much longer!! In less than 3 months she will be considered a toddler and that is crazy.

At 9 months, Baby Kate:

• Weighs 18 lb 4 oz, and measures 28.75". This is quite long (99th percentile) and a little above average for weight (60th percentile). Long and lean still!
• Is busting out of her 9 month clothes! Her length really requires 12 month clothes. I can't believe how many we've put away.
• Loves baths, and started swimming lessons! She loves splashing in the water and is entranced by it. She is also really good at floating on her back (with help) and kicking her legs. She doesn't like getting her shoulders wet at first, but really who does?
• Pulls up on furniture and can creep around holding onto furniture. As long as she's holding on she can walk! 
• Sleeps pretty well-- has started sleeping through the night a little bit. She had 3 nights in one week with no wake-ups. However, she's usually waking up 1-2 times a night.
• Loves watching her big sister Kennedy who makes her laugh a lot. Kennedy jumps and sings and dances, and Katelyn laughs really loud. It's so fun to see them together.
• Plays independently more than ever. She explores her toys, does puzzles, puts things in her mouth, and LOVES books.
• Feeds herself many foods- her favorites are deli meat, cheese, and mashed potatoes (which we mix with another mashed vegetable and she feeds herself from her tray). 
• Doesn't love the carseat at first. She is expressing her frustration or anger for things much more than before- it's always very short-lived, but she's communicating her feelings very clearly.
• Has curls growing now! Her hair has filled in a lot more and she's getting the curls, like like Kennedy.

We all love our Baby Kate! I wonder how long we'll call her Baby Kate... even when she's a teenager?!

Here are a couple pics from her baptism, which was a lovely day-

Baby Kate is 8! (Months)

Tonight I was nursing this sweet little child to sleep and she was crying because her teeth hurt her, and it made me so sad. She is truly the sweetest, happiest girl and to hear her crying in pain just makes my heart hurt. She is typically as smiley as she is in this picture, if not more. She has a completely tender soul.

At 8 months, Baby Kate:

• Is tall! Wears 9-12 month onesies and clothes. Her jammies are 9 months but she is quickly getting too long for them-- tall girl!
• Sleeps a LOT better. She's started a routine of waking up just one time around 4am every night. It's pretty neat how consistent it is, and so much easier on Mama.
• Can pull herself up on things with a little help - and loves to stand while holding on to things. She can't stand without help yet, and she's not cruising on her own, but my guess is in another month we will just watch her go!
• Is growing more hair every day and it definitely has curls like her sister's. We will see if we get another crazy-curly girl (I hope so!)
• Loves the bath and everything calm -- soft music, soft lights, soft reading
• Is enjoying a ton of foods! We didn't do much puree with Kate- she went right to the solids. She prefers to feed herself so we have introduced all sorts of fruits, veggies, and even deli meats! She loves turkey and ham, and tonight she has a spaghetti dish with ground beef. She is really quite good at chewing even though she only has 2 bottom teeth ;)
• Wears size 3 diapers. It makes me laugh how little their diaper size changes in 2 years-- Kennedy is still wearing size 4!
• Is almost ready to switch out of her carseat carrier and into the next size, which is a rear-facing carseat. It will be crazy to be done with those carriers -- I can't believe how fast it went!
• Loves Callie- constantly wants to pull on her fur to give her love and kisses. She's also been around a few big dogs and loves them as well.
• Goes to bed a lot earlier- she needs to beauty rest! She goes to bed around 6:30 and sleeps for about 12 hours with 1 wake-up. She's also still taking 2 naps a day-- a decent size morning and afternoon nap. She still prefers napping with her Mama in the big bed.
• Soothes everyone else's soul. Everyone she encounters is immediately enchanted with this little personality. We can't believe how much closer we are to having another 1 year old in the house and are truly loving every day with our little Kate.

Baby Kate Update - 7 Months

7 months came and went for Baby Kate!

She continues to be the sweetest, calmest baby in all the land. One of the directors at the backup daycare she goes to recently told us that the entire center is happier and calmer when she is there, the teachers are happy and the babies are happy because of the calming effect she has on everyone! I just hope this continues into the toddler years and I love thinking about her as an older kid being that calming presence that helps everyone smile when she enters the room. I can just picture it now.

At 7 months, Baby Kate:

• Started to scoot/crawl! She is still fairly slow and only goes a little ways, but she definitely can get around on her tummy!
• LOVES Squigz, which are these rubber suction cup toys that are Kennedy's but she loves to scoot over to them every morning and chew on them. I think they help her with teething.
• Sleeps okay, but gets up a lot in the middle of the night. We're averaging 2-4 times/night for feedings which is certainly not ideal, but she is quick and goes back to sleep well if I feed her. :/
• Wears 6-9 month onesies and 9 month clothes for the most part, even some 12 month pants. She has long legs and definitely has chunky rolly legs, even though I'm pretty sure they are just baby legs and she will be petite like her sister when she's older.
• Is getting more hair! She took longer to get some serious hair but now it's growing (and she's got little curls on the ends when it's wet!)
• Loves baths and warm water. Also went swimming at Williston for the first time and really enjoyed it
• LOVES music. When I sing she turns her head towards me and smiles or laughs, and she really enjoys songs at ECFE. 
• Imitates us a lot. If we dance, she dances. If we smile, she smiles. She's super engaging with whoever is holding her and pulls herself in for kisses often.
• Is very dainty with her hands. She waves them back and forth in a very delicate manner, with her fingers pressed against each other and her palms rigid. It's super cute.
• Likes some solid foods but prefers to feed herself. She's enjoyed beans, puffs, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, yogurt melts, squash, banana, carrots, peas, and avocado so far.
• Loves to stand and does it pretty well. She can hold onto our hands and walk forward a few steps, but is still quite wobbly. But prefers to look at the world from standing position.

She is truly a light in our lives and we are so lucky and blessed that she's ours. 

Katelyn @ 6 Months! A Little Late

Yes yes yes, I am late on this post. But I can absolutely recap Kate at 6 months because I wrote things down! Because I keep track of her milestones it's fairly easy for me to write out the update posts when I go back to the calendar and read everything. So… at 6 months, Katelyn:

• Weighed 17 lb 3 oz and measured 27.5 inches tall, which is about 75th for weight and 99th for height. 
• Started to say "Dadadada" more regularly which is really just a noise :) and Kennedy will say to me, "Baby Kate says Dada!" and she also says Callie's name which is "Lalalala"
• LOVES the bath and hanging out in the water
• Sleeps on her tummy, and is sleeping better now that she can roll on her tummy and stay that way pretty well. She sleeps in a sleep sack but not swaddled, even though she loves the Aden and Anais blankets very much.
• Loves her sister's baby taggie (which was really her baby taggie at birth but was quickly taken over by her sister). We'll be getting her a surprise for Christmas.
• Loves music! Grandma Gail often sings her to sleep and any time we sing she smiles huge. She loves her two friends Evan and Chloe at ECFE class, plays with them and interacts well, and especially loves the songs we sing there.
• Enjoys the jumperoo but is showing more interest in being free on her tummy on the floor so she can scoot. She is able to scoot in a 360 degree circle pretty easily to get to the toys she wants to play with or face the people she wants to see. 
• Loves to be held, and is extremely engaging with her people. She has the sweetest smile and a beautiful soul -- her eyes look deep inside!
• Rarely cries. She's extremely laid back and happy in most situation and if she cries it's because she's very tired or hungry or wants to be held.
• Started solid foods! They went okay-- she started with oatmeal and then pureed peas which went alright. She still sticks her tongue out a LOT and bites the spoon so it's hard to feed her a lot. She shows a lot more interest in nursing so we won't push solids yet.
• Shows a lot of interest in Callie, her puppy and when I say puppy, she sometimes will look over at Callie. She is recognizing some of the things we say.
• Loves BYOB yoga at Blooma! She giggles out loud a lot during the routines and everyone else in the room is delighted. She loves lunges and the airplane song and the ride on my legs. Any sort of movement and closeness is fantastic in Baby Kate's eyes.
• Falls asleep easily in her carseat so still takes some naps in there.
• Wears 6-12 month onesies and 6-9 month clothes. Her legs are so long that we've definitely packed away all 3 month clothes!
• Loves her big sister and often looks to her for guidance about a situation. We can just see her watching Kennedy a lot of the time and if Kennedy is calm, she is calm. She takes cues from her sister about many situations which is so neat to see. 

We love you Baby Kate! Happy 1/2 Birthday for the first time!!!

Katelyn at 5 Months Old

Katelyn had some great milestones at 5 months! She's been a blast to watch change and grow every day. At 5 months, Katelyn:

• Switched mostly to 6-month clothes and 6-9 month onesies! She's long and lean, and we don't want anything feeling too tight. 
• Loves bath time
• LOVES her jumperoo-- spends so much time kicking and moving her legs, I tend to think she'll be an early walker! Even in the Baby Bjorn she kicks so much.
• Is great at tummy time. In her new class the teacher even commented how content she is doing tummy time.
• Started a new class! We are excited to have her in ECFE with some other babes her age, where she can observe them, learn and grow, play with some new (to us) toys and work on development in a safe space. We love ECFE.
• Rolls over! She rolled over from back to front first, but now rolls front to back as well. She's strong and loves to be moving.
• Went to her first session of backup daycare. She did great -- she wasn't sad, and she loves the hanging mobiles they have - loves grabbing for things, the mirror, and playing with all of the colorful toys she can reach!
• Sleeps through the night at least a couple nights a week, and the other nights she's only up 1 time. Her wake up is usually between 4-6am, then I feed her and put her back down until 7 or 7:30. Clearly she is #winning compared to her sister at this age.
• Is generally a pretty chill, laid-back personality. It's so fun to see how she is just content and doesn't freak out about anything. She will even lay in her carseat (where she still sleeps) and entertain herself, coo, until we come get her even 5 minutes after she wakes.
• Loves her big sister and is able to giggle quite loud when she is entertained by her. She also reaches for her face, loves pulling on her hair, and they are starting to really interact well.
• Loves our puppy Callie. She will follow her with her gaze all around the room and reach for her when she gets close. She is so excited by her!
• Spends lots of time in the Bumbo and does very well sitting up, and seems to really enjoy it.

We are having the best time and it's fun to think she's been with us almost half a year! We love you so much Baby Kate!!

Baby Kate = 4 Months

Since Baby Kate is more of a laid back kind of babe, I guess I'm a more laid back kind of mama on these updates. Sheesh. She better not hold it against me when she's older (when they're teenagers they probably won't even care about these!) I did write the things down the last couple weeks so in fact the updates are true from when she turned 4 months. And here we are a week from 5 months. I hope that one comes quicker than this one!

At 4 months, Katelyn:

• Loves being upright - the Bumbo and the Jumperoo
• Wakes at 3 or 4am most nights to eat and then moves into bed with us. (Sometimes makes it longer)
• Still really loves her carseat
• Has not yet rolled over, but is getting closer!
• Has really found her voice! When she is happy she talks and coos, when we tickle her, she laughs quite loud! When she is distressed she sqwaks quite loud - it's her obvious way of saying feed me or put me to sleep!
• Naps 3 times per day. A solid morning and afternoon nap, and a short evening nap.
• Takes her pacifier very sporadically. I go days without giving it to her. She likes it but doesn't LOVE it or NEED it like her big sister (still does).
• Plays with her hands a lot - is always putting them together. Also plays with her toes sometimes, but more frequently hands.
• Loves baths, but not cold water. When I dipped her toes in the lake, she cried loudly!
• Wears size 2 diapers, 3-6 month onesies and clothes
• Is tall! She was 97th percentile for height and 60th for weight (14 lbs 14 oz).
• Has super chunky baby legs. So cute I want to squeeze them all the time.
• Grabs hair with her fingers (especially a certain big sister's curly locks)
• Is generally extremely happy and good-natured. She's just the sweetest little girl in the world! So content, happy, loving, and calm. I am in love with her personality and her soul.

Katelyn @ 3 Months

Our sweet little sister is growing and growing (and sleeping! and smiling!) We are having tons of fun with her. At 3 months, Katelyn:

• Wears 3-6 month onesies she's long!) and 3 month clothes. I can't believe I've put away newborn clothes once again!
• Still sleeps in her carseat at night… in her room. BUT she fairly consistently sleeps 7-8 hours for her first stretch! I have been able to sleep until 6:45 a couple nights before she wakes up to eat-- that is amazing for this age.
• Is cuddly and snuggly, wants to be held and talked to, and wants to make eye contact. Is very happy with the people close to her.
• Takes 3 decent naps during the day - her evening one is short. But this is super normal
• Holds her head up well but still isn't quite as strong for tummy time/rolling over. She hates tummy time.
• Loves baths with Mommy
• Likes the swing okay, but prefers being upright in the Bumbo
• LOVES the trees - could stare at them all day! 
• Is the most content little girl I have met. She seriously doesn't make a peep unless she needs something, except she is the biggest conversationalist ever! I can't believe how much she coos and talks to you, back and forth like a real conversation too. It's the sweetest thing.
• Smiles with her entire face. She scrunches her nose up and gives the biggest smile - so humbling and sweet.
• Likes car rides for the most part
• Loves her big sister and curly mop in her face (most of the time)

We LOVE you so much, Baby Kate!!

Katelyn at 2 Months

I'm definitely still behind on writing these! But not on documenting the amazing things that our little Katelyn is doing. We had the best month during her second month, and she even slept 7 hours one night followed by 8 hours the next! This is something her big sister didn't do for almost a year. She also smiles at us as you can see in the picture below :)

At 2 months, Katelyn:

• Just switched to size 1 diapers, wears newborn clothes and 0-3 month onesies, but also some 3 month outfits.
• Sleeps well at night, waking once or twice (and then moving to bed with me which is so sweet!)
• Started smiling and loves conversing with us - "talks" up a storm with her eyes very focused on us and speaks with a little "birdie voice"
• Gets over-stimulated easily by loud noises and bright light. She is a calmer girl and needs her quiet time, especially to fall asleep. She's super alert and doesn't sleep just anywhere like Kennedy or most newborns do.
• Stretches her body so much in the morning, this cute little body stretch from the tops of her fingers to the bottoms of her toes. So sweet!
• Loves looking at the light, the patterns the blinds make, etc.
• Doesn't like the bouncer or swing or boppy as much as Kennedy. Prefers to be held almost all of the time! 
• Sleeps 9pm-9am with average 2 wake-ups
• Measured 60th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height. Long and lean!
• Gets wavy hair with tiny beginnings of a curl when she bathes - and she loves the bath!

We are just loving up on our little sister sooo much!!!