Kate's 18 Month Letter

Dearest Katybug,


If I had to describe you in two words right now, it would be "sweet & sassy!"  You are certainly starting to let your personality show off.  I cannot believe that you're a year and a half, but my how things are changing right now.


The biggest changes over the past 3 months involve your ability to communicate.  You're words are starting to take off!  So far, we've heard you say mama, dada, bubba, bye-bye, baby, more (pronounced "mo"), bath, book, papa, dog, moo, and most recently...night-night.  Oh, and I can't forget your new favorite word, "no!"  That one has been overused lately! :)  You are getting much better at "telling" us what you want, as well as showing us when you're not happy by throwing tantrums on the floor (complete with hitting, biting, kicking, hair-pulling, and scratching...yep, I mentioned earlier that you were sassy).  Despite your inevitable entrance into the terrible twos, you have tons of sweetheart moments, as well.  You're very cuddly, and love to snuggle up next to mommy.  I love that you do this!  You also love curling up with your blankie, paci (usually 2 of them....), and you're stuffed pig we call "Peppa" (after the TV show, "Peppa the Pig).  Briona, one of the girls that nanny babysits, got you your pink piggy as a gift and you LOVE it!


You still like to play with girlie things, like necklaces, shoes, purses, and other trinkets.  You're good at organizing and helping clean up by putting things back in the containers where they belong.  You enjoy looking at books...sometimes even right side up!  You have a great time dancing to the "Hot Diggity Dog" song on Mickey Mouse Club, or dancing to the "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" song.  It's so adorable to see you dance!  You definitely got your moves from daddy. :)  "Driving" your Doc McStuffins car and sitting on any type of rocking toy or see-saw makes you very excited.  It's hard to get you off of anything that moves!


One of your favorite pastimes is eating.  You look forward to each meal and snacks in between.  Even though you've been a great eater thus far, you're starting to get more picky.  You aren't really interested in graham crackers or squeezy pouches anymore, but you really love yogurt bites, goldfish, mac and cheese, pizza, hot dogs, peas, carrots, green beans, eggs & sausage, and spaghetti.  At least there are some veggies included in the mix!


You're still taking about 2 naps per day - one in the mid-morning and one in the afternoon.  You wake up around 7:30 each day, sometimes earlier, and are generally in a fairly good mood.  When it's time to go to bed at night, you walk to your crib and reach up!  You're ready to snuggle up with your blankie, paci, & Peppa, say your prayers, and go "night-night."  We don't have any problems putting you to bed.  During the day on Wednesdays through Fridays, you still go to Miss Lori's and love her!  It makes mommy sad because you're not a baby over there anymore, but you still get lots of love and attention from the other kids.  When you're not at Miss Lori's, you're with mommy and daddy.


You've been sick at least once in the past 3 months with a stomach virus.  It's so sad to see you so puny!!  You had all kinds of stomach problems, so mommy and daddy had to stay home from work with you.  Fortunately, it didn't last long.  You're other ongoing battle is with eczema.  We're having to give you daily to twice-daily antihistamines, steroid cream, and Aveeno cream to keep it tolerable.  We also try to put you in socks and pants a lot to keep you from scratching your legs and ankles (the worst part).  You have 12 teeth now, and you put them to good use. :)


Since the weather has been warming up, you've had the opportunity to play outside more.  You LOVE to swing and go down the slide.  You also like to run around and chase after bubba.  We've gone to the pool at the YMCA a few times, but you're very hesitant of the water and loud noises.  You're pretty content sitting on the side and splashing in the shallow water.  I have no doubt that you'll get more comfortable with the water as time goes on....you definitely love bathtime!


The next few months will be busy!  Namely, you will be the flower girl in two different weddings: cousin Chelci's wedding and Uncle Grant's wedding.  We will see how you do, but no matter what, you'll be adorable in your little dresses. :)  We just got to see you in your Easter dress last month, and you looked pretty darn cute in the poofy dress!  We will be making a trip to San Antonio for Chelci's wedding, then up to Kansas City 3 weeks later for Grant's wedding.  We will also be heading back to Red River in early August for our annual summer trip. 


Kate, there are so many exciting times to come.....we just know it!!  Thank you for being our precious gift from God.  We are truly blessed to share our lives with you!


With Love,


Mommy & Daddy

Ian's 3 & 1/2 Year Letter

Dear Ian,

Happy 3.5 years, son!  As I write this, I'm alone at home while you and Kate are in Norman with Nanny and Papa for Spring Break.  Daddy is in Texas, heading back from a fishing trip with Jeremy and the other groomsman.  It's been a relaxing few days, but I miss my babies!

You are definitely a toddler now...look like one, act like one, talk like one, and play like one!  You're still tall and slender, wearing 3-4T shirts and pants (3T pants are a little long, but you're almost too thin for 4T). You're wearing size 8 shoes, and you're pretty good at getting your shoes, socks, and pants on all by yourself!  You're mostly potty-trained now, although we still have a few accidents.  If you have an accident, you go to your room and change your undies and pants all by yourself.  Sometimes, the undies are even on the right way! :) We're still working on going #2 in the potty regularly, but it will come...

You play hard!  You still love Disney Cars, Disney Planes, your construction stuff blocks, Lego Duplo blocks, and your train set.  Our house is constantly covered in cars...everywhere!  You also like to play with Playdough and color.  You've started getting more intentional with your artwork, and even drew a recent pic of Caesar that I thought was pretty impressive for your age!  You're able to write your name pretty well, and you're starting to identify letters and sounds.  You also love to wear your new superhero PJs.  The Batman and Superman jammies have capes, and the Spiderman jammies have "webs" under the arms.  Your newest fav movie is Disney "Frozen."  It just came out this past Tuesday, so daddy ran out to get it on release day. You still go to Discovery Place from 7:45-11am on Mondays and Tuesdays, then Miss Lori's on Wednesday mornings, and Thursdays and Fridays from 10:30-5pm.  Your closet friend at Miss Lori's is Chase, and we hear you talk about him a lot.  You are very social and never seem to have any reservations about talking to anyone.

Your favorite foods haven't changed...goldfish and fruit snacks.  You are a pretty picky eater and only eat if it's your idea, or if you're really hungry.  You definitely still favor mac and cheese and Spaghettios.  On Tuesdays, after school, daddy takes you and Kate to Chick-Fil-A and you love "Chick-Fil-A Tuesdays."  Daddy says that the same moms are there most weeks, so you have a little group of friends that you play with. You still love chocolate milk, white milk, and apple juice.  You're newest craze is Ninja Turtle or Spongebob Go-Gurt tubes, as well as "squeezy pouches" (applesauce, fruit/veggie mix....mainly want these because Kate gets them).

 I can't even begin to cover everything you say now.  Your vocab is too expansive!  You're inquisitive, though, and will ask if you don't know the meaning of a word or phrase.  You tend to get a little obsessed with not-so-nice words, and use them more often than you should.  These usually cause you to get in trouble if you continue to repeat them.  We think that you learn them from older friends at Miss Lori's.  It's hard to shield you from things like that, but we've been trying to teach you that they're not nice.  On the other note, you're very sweet and tend to say very kind and loving words to mommy, daddy, and Kate.

Kate is your little sidekick!  She gets so excited when you're around, and you do the same...unless she's interfering with your toys.  She's starting to get pretty sassy and will definitely stand up for herself.  Just yesterday, mommy was FaceTiming with you both at nanny's house, and Kate did NOT like for you to see mommy, so she kept pushing you out of the way.  Funny kiddo....you two are going to have a lot of stories in the future!  You still enjoy church and you're in the 3-year-old class.  You like playing with JJ, and you always want to know if she'll be there.

Bathtime is one of your favorite times of the day.  You love to paint and "shave" with your playsets.  You always want a toasty towel when you get out and say, "Mommy, is that a warm towel?" (we use a little towel warmer).  You don't always take naps, but have quiet time in the afternoon in your bed.  You ALWAYS want the iPad.  We had to block Power Rangers because you were trying to mimic them by kicking and fighting.  Santa brought you a LeapFrog for Christmas, hoping to take the place of the iPad, but you still always want the iPad.

In January, we went to Red River and you "tried" skiing for the first time.  You did NOT like it!  You did not like the boots or the skis.  After about 5 min, you were done!  Hudson lasted a lot longer.  You did LOVE sledding, however, so we spent a lot of time playing with the sled.

We love you so much, Ian!  You bring so much joy to our lives, and you surprise us daily with your intelligence and inquisitive nature.  Here's to a fun summer!!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Kate's 15 Month Letter

Dear Kate,


Well, you're 15 months old!  When I sat down to type this, I didn't think I would have much to add since the last post...wrong!  You've learned and changed so much in just 3 short months.  Let's see...where to begin...


Since you turned 1 year old, you have enjoyed your 2nd Christmas!  Daddy and I were excited to watch you this year because last year, you were less than a month old.  We just knew that you would be a little more "into it" this time.  We spent some time in Enid before Christmas and through Christmas Eve night.  You had fun seeing family at Grandma Donna and Grandpa Chuck's house, as well as Great-Grandpa Frank and Great-Grandma Leta's house.  Your favorite things to do were to play with the wrapping paper and try to grab Ian's toys...haha...he didn't like that very much!  You also liked to touch all of the "pretties" on the Christmas tree.  The Sunday before Christmas Eve, we met Nanny and Papa at Eischen's in Okarche to exchange gifts and have some famous fried chicken.  Mommy is 32 years old and had yet to go to Eischen's!  You can check it off of your bucket list already. :)  On Christmas Eve night, we drove back to Wichita in some really heavy fog.  It was so dense that mommy made a wrong turn onto I-35 and had to drive 20 minutes out of the way to turn around!!  It was a bit scary, but you and Ian were sleeping soundly in your car seats.  When we got home, you went right to bed.  The next morning, you had a blast with your giant (yes, giant...7 feet!) stuffed caterpillar, Klip Klop Princess Stable, and Little People Princess Castle.  It was fun to watch you and Ian play and enjoy our special family time. 


The biggest milestone since the last letter is that you're walking!!  You had been cruising for a while, but confidently took your first independent steps at 14 & 1/2 months.  You have been on the go ever since!!  You love go walk all over the house & chase after brother. You're also starting to get the hang of stairs.  Going up is no problem, but we're learning to come down properly.  You seem to be pretty good at understanding, so when we say, "Lie on your tummy, Kate," you do exactly that.  Lately, you love "driving" the little push car around the basement.  You haven't really figured out how to go forward, but you're an excellent backwards driver.  Ian thinks it's funny and says, "Mommy, look!  Kate's going backwards!"  You could care less...you're driving all over the place.


You're definitely a girl, that's for sure!  Your favorite things to play with are baby dolls, your Minnie Mouse Kitchen Set, your picnic basket, your tea set, and necklaces.  You got some pretty beaded necklaces (cheap!) for Valentine's Day, and you LOVE to put them all on and wear them around the house.  If mommy tries to take them off for anything...bed, bath, etc., you throw a tantrum.  You also like to look at books, as well as play with anything that Ian's playing with at the time.  Ian is NOT a fan of your interventions, but it's so cute to see you wanting to play with your big brother.  You also seem to like to organize.  You'll pick up all of the pieces of something, just to put them back in the box.  Then, you'll dump them out and repeat.  The other day, you took some pieces from Ian's Tinker Toys set, all identical, and put them in his cars box....one by one.  You would open the lid, put a Tinker Toy in the car box, then close it and go get another one.  You did this until all of the identical pieces were gone.  Today, you took all of the unmatched socks that mommy was organizing, put them all in a basket, and got upset if anyone tried to touch them.  Hmmm....I wonder what all of this means?!


You're quite the little "talker" now.  You say a few words...mama, dada, bubba, hi, bye bye, bath ("ba"), ball, and "uh oh."  You have a variety of squeals and shrieks, both pleasant and not so pleasant, to let us know what you want and don't want.  You will point at something and let out a shriek!  If we recognize the correct thing that you want, you smile, coo, and nod.  If it's the wrong thing, you swing your arm and squeal again.  You're pretty sassy when you want to be.  If Ian's interfering with something you're doing, you scream and take a swipe at him with your little hand.  You're definitely learning to stand up for yourself!


It is obvious that you're in the right family because you love to eat!  Haha!  You will eat pretty much anything and shovel it in your mouth at 90 miles per hour!  Your favorite foods are macaroni and cheese, bananas, squeezy pouches (i.e. fruit/veggie baby food), graham crackers, and anything that you can "collect" and carry around in your snack cup.  You love to drink milk and still have a warm bottle ("baba") in the morning when you wake up early--it puts you back to sleep. :)  You have 4 teeth on top and 4 teeth on bottom now, and you're not afraid to use them.  When the last few teeth came in, you were really fussy.  It turned out that you had a double ear infection, so you had your first round of antibiotics.  Ian hadn't had an ear infection before, so we may have waited longer than we should have to take you to the doctor.  Fortunately, you felt a lot better within another day or two.


You're daily schedule involves getting up around 7:30-8:30am (waking up at 6:30am for a bottle then going back to sleep).  You will have breakfast and play, then you'll typically take a morning nap.  After lunch and more play, you'll take an afternoon nap.  When you awake, you're usually up until bedtime.   You are at home with mommy and daddy most of the days, but you go to Lori Chrisman's house Wednesdays from 8:30am-11:30am and Thursdays & Fridays, from 10:30am-5pm.  You love Miss Lori and she loves you! 


Bath time is one of your favorite times.  You enjoy the bubbles, bath activities (i.e. paints, colors, shaving cream, etc.), and playing with Ian.  After your bath, you love to run around the house naked (well....mommy makes sure you have a diaper on now...I learned my lesson).  You're so happy to be "free" and have a final burst of energy before bedtime.  When you go to bed, you want your paci, blankie, and "baby" (doll).


Kate, it has been so fun watching you grow and change.  I just wish it would slow down! 


We love you!
Love,
Mommy and

Kate's 1 Year Letter

**I had this written before her 1st Birthday on 11/29/13, but didn't get around to posting it until now.**

Dear Kate,

I just cannot believe that you’re already 1 year old!  It simply amazes me how fast time flies.  I really try my hardest to cherish every moment I have with you because I know they’re passing so quickly.  I also cannot begin to tell you how much joy and happiness you’ve brought to our family.  It’s amazing how God allowed our ability to love to grow exponentially when you joined our family.  Not only are you a blessing to daddy and I, but Ian also adores you! 

You have continued to grow so much, in every way, since the last letter I wrote.  Size-wise-, you are now 19 lbs 1 oz. (17%) and 28 1/4 inches long (23%).  You’re wearing 9 month clothes, but are about to move to 12 months…in PJs, at least.  You are finally able to wear some of the little size 3 shoes. You’re just so petite!  I honestly don’t know where that came from!  I love dressing you in cute dresses, hair bows, and leg warmers (with ruffles :).   Your straight, dark-blonde hair is getting longer, so I can finally clip a little bow in now.  You have bright blue eyes, and daddy and I CONSTANTLY have people tell us what a beautiful baby you are!  (We agree! :)

You’ve been crawling for a while now, and sometimes, pulled up on your knees.  In the last 2 weeks, you’ve started  standing up next to the couch, fireplace, bathtub, activity toy, etc.  It’s so cute because you give us the BIGGEST smile when you stand!  You’re so proud of yourself, and we are too!  You love to crawl around with a “baby” (i.e. baby doll or stuffed animal).  You give us a huge grin when we show you one of your babies.   You love playing in the bath with Ian, and like throwing toys on the floor with a smile.  It’s cute for now, but at Ian’s age, it’s not cute any longer. :)

You’re vocab is expanding, as well!  If you pick up a ball, you will say, “ball,” and when you leave, you’ll wave your hand and say, “bye-bye.”  We’ve also thought that you’ve said “hi,” but it’s less obvious.  When we sing “Patty Cake,” you start clapping your hands.  You’ve started standing your ground with Ian.  If he takes a toy that you’re playing with, you squeal and try to get it back.  You love playing with Ian though.  When you see him, you get a huge grin on your face.

You started sleeping through the night in mid-October (10 & ½ months).  Mommy had been nursing you 1-2 times per night, but you really didn’t need it given your good appetite.  We had to give in and let you “cry it out” for a few nights.  It worked!  Ever since then, you sleep from about 8:45pm to 8:45am, with a feeding about 5:30-6:30am.  During the day, you take 1-2 naps: morning and afternoon.  You do pretty good at putting yourself asleep, as long as you have your paci, blankie, and a “baby” in the crib.

You have a great appetite and will pretty much eat anything!  We don’t think you even chew/gum the food because it goes down so fast!  You really like any type of fruit, especially bananas, Gerber raviolis, graham crackers, and oatmeal or rice cereal.  You also like avocados, mixed veggies, and beans.  You’re getting better at drinking through a sippy cup.  At your daycare, you recently had a taste of cow’s milk and apparently did fine!

Lori Chrisman is your babysitter.  She watches you and Ian on Wednesday mornings during daddy’s meeting, and Thursdays and Fridays from 10:30am-5:00pm.  You love Miss Lori, and she loves you!!  All of the kids think you’re pretty darn cute, as well!  On Tuesday  nights, mommy and daddy trade off date nights with Jim and Jessica Lucas.  You love to go over to their house and play with baby Neely, who is just 10 days older than you.  You girls are so cute together!  She gets called “Nee Nee Bees” and we call you “Katybug.”  For Halloween, she was a bee and you were a ladybug….so adorable!!

This year, your first birthday is on a Friday…Black Friday , to be exact.  You were born a week after Thanksgiving last year, but your birthday is the day after Thanksgiving this year.  We’re celebrating with Nanny, Papa, and Daddy’s side of the family at the lake Texoma cabins.  We had your “official” birthday party on 12/3/13 in Enid.  We had the party early because lots of family members were in town for mommy’s cousin, Jill’s, wedding.  The theme was “Ladybugs” since we call you “Katybug.”  You were quite the adorable little lady!  You wore black and white polka dots with a red tutu.  You LOVED your first taste of cake and ended up covered in black and red frosting.  You received several nice gifts, including a new activity walker, a personalized chair, a Minnie Mouse kitchen, a nursery, a lantern toy, a ZooPal certificate, a Care Bear, clothes, Minnie Mouse doll, and money for your college fund.  Several friends and family came to help you celebrate!

Katybug, we love you so incredibly much.  This year just FLEW by!  Daddy and I continue to pray that you’ll be happy and healthy for years to come.  You bring us so much joy.

Happy 1^st Birthday, sweetheart!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

 

Ian's 3 Year Letter

Dear Ian,

I'm writing this letter the night before your 3rd birthday.  Three years ago, on 9/22, I was checked into Wesley Hospital to be induced.  I had no idea what to expect or how my life was about to be changed forever!  As our first child, your arrival introduced daddy and I to a whole new world of love and excitement.  I frequently think of the first time we saw you...our perfect little boy!

Wow, I know that it will be impossible to document everything that you've done in the 6 months since my last letter.  You have grown up so much!  Daddy and I were just talking the other daddy about how much you look like a little boy now, especially after you've had a haircut.  You're in 3T shirts and 2T shorts, mainly because you're tall and thin.  You still have your amazing smile, and fortunately, you share it a lot!

You are incredibly energetic and keep us busy all of the time.  You're really started using your imagination so much more lately.  We always see you playing with your cars and trains....thinking up different stories and adventures, while each one has a part.  You love to play with daddy on the bed.  He lifts up the covers and you go into the "cave."  You like to get the play food and dishes out to make "soup" and other tasty selections.  Then, you share them with mommy.  Outside, you love to run, kick, swing, and play in your playhouse.  You also enjoyed swimming this summer, including jumping off of the diving board several times.  We got you a "Puddle Jumper," and that really allowed you to be independent. Often, you ask if you can color or draw with chalk on the driveway, race, and play games.

By far, your most favorite things to eat are goldfish crackers and fruit snacks.  You could literately eat those all day if we would let you!  Breakfast usually consists of a breakfast bar and yogurt, lunch is either Spaghettios or PB&J, and supper is usually chicken, cheese tacos, hot dogs, pizza, or mac and cheese. Your food is often paired with on of your favorite drinks: milk or apple juice.  Like mommy, you have a sweet tooth and get excited over goodies like cake and ice cream...and chocolate milk!

You still love to play with the Disney "Cars" toys, and your favorite car is  Lightening McQueen car with a broken spoiler.  You call him "bad Lightening Queen."  I don't know what it is about that specific car, but you love it.  Your Chuggington trains still get a lot of attention, as well as your farm toys and...the iPad.  The iPad captures a lot of your attention.  You love to watch "movies" (i.e. TV shows like Disney Jr., PBS Kids, or Netflix shows) and play games (i.e. Angry Birds, flash cards, painting/drawing, Mickey Mouse Road Ralley, and puzzles).  Lately, you go get your blankie and pillow, crawl on the couch, and play with the iPad.  You also always want to take it in your room for nap and bedtime.  We have to try hard to restrict the time you spend playing on it, otherwise you'd play on it all day!

I can't even begin to comment on all of the things you say now.  It's easy to have pretty long conversations with you...at least when you're still enough to talk to us (usually in the car :).  You really like to invite us to play with you.  I hear, "Mommy, do you want to play ---- with me?" (i.e. cars, trains, etc.) all of the time.  Sometimes you'll say, "Daddy, does that sound like a plan?," and at bedtime, you'll ask "Mommy or Daddy, will you lay with me?"

Your weekly schedule has changed, once again.  Now, you go to Discovery Place from 7:45-11am on Mondays and Tuesdays, then you go to Lori Chrisman's house from 8:30-11:30am on Wednesdays, and 10:30am-5pm on Thursdays and Fridays.  You love your friends at Discovery Place (namely we hear about Liam), and you enjoy going to Miss Lori's house as well. 

Kate is your biggest fan!  She loves to watch you and laugh at you, and you enjoy making her laugh.  Every morning, you want Kate to wake up so she can come in the living room with you.  You always want to know where she is and what she's doing.  She's starting to crawl around now, and you like to have her sit with you and play; however, you're not a big fan of her taking your toys (even though she doesn't know what she's doing).  You really like to be able to see her in the car, and you get concerned if you can't see her.  If you haven't seen her for a while, like when you're at school, you are excited to see her and say, "Hi Kate!"

In the past few weeks, we've started potty training.  Actually, you did pretty well at first, but you're still wearing pull-ups when we are away from home, and a diaper at night.  If you have one of those on, you don't tell us when you have to go potty.  When you wear your big boy undies, and we're at home with the potty close by, you're good about going.
 
You have lots of little friends, including Brennan and Zoey Lucas, JJ Shinkle, Joshua and Paige Nelson, Paige Gibbs, and Cecilia Monaghan.  For your birthday party this year, we had a double party with Zoey Lucas (her birthday is 9/24).  We rented a moonwalk castle, had carnival games, hot dogs, and popcorn.  You had a "Cars" cake (of course), and Zoey had a "Hello Kitty" cake.  It was a lot of fun!


This evening, we asked you about your favorites.  My goal is to do this each year on your birthday.


Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Toy: Cars
Favorite Fruit: Apples
Favorite TV Show: "Bob the Builder" (this is fairly new)
Favorite Lunch: "Beggios" (spaghettios)
Favorite Outfit: Race car shirt
Favorite Game: Tag Jr.
Favorite Snack: Goldfish
Favorite Animal: Elephant
Favorite Song: ABCs, Apples & Bananas
Favorite Book: Chuggington
Best Friend: Brennan
Favorite Thing to do Outside: Play
Favorite Drink: Juice
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite Thing to Take to Bed: Blankie
Favorite Breakfast: Yogurt
What you want for your birthday dinner: Pizza
What you want to be when you grow up: "a giant" (first answer), then "daddy" :)

I'm excited to see how your answers change over the years!

We love you sooooo incredibly much, Ian!  You bring us so much joy, love, and excitement.
Happy 3rd Birthday!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Kate's 9 Month Letter

Dear Kate,

I can’t believe that you’re 9 months old!  There are so many changes that happen too incredibly fast the first year.  I was just reading your 6 month letter, and I realize that you’ve come a long way just in 3 months!

You continue to be quite a bit smaller than Ian was at your age.  Last week, I started putting you in 6-9 month sleepers.  We finally retired a few of the 0-3 month pants that we were using as “capris” (hey…that’s one great thing about being a girl J).  I love dressing you up in sweet little dresses and headbands.  You are just a doll baby!

You are a big fan of pretty much any food item!  You’ve eaten peas, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, apples, bananas, pears, peaches, mixed fruits and veggies, and some meat baby foods without any complaints!  You also love both oatmeal and rice cereal.  You’re schedule usually involves oatmeal for breakfast, 2-3 bottles during the day, another type of baby food for dinner, and rice cereal and nursing before bed.  You have mastered feeding yourself puffs, Mum-Mums, and yogurt bites.  Only about 30% of them end up on the floor now (as opposed to 80% J).  I can’t really tell if you have a favorite because you like everything!  I definitely think you belong in our family!

In the last month, you finally started rolling over…both ways.  It was pretty interesting because one day you weren’t rolling, then the next day you’re rolling all over the place!  You were actually sitting up pretty well before you even figured out rolling.  Now, you get up on your hands and knees and rock.  I think that crawling is coming soon!  I’m a little nervous with all of Ian’s trinkets covering the floor!  We will have to keep a good eye on you.  You generally seem pretty content sitting on a blanket with a pile of toys.  You like anything that makes sound, lights up, or is soft and cuddly.  You always grin and hug any type of doll or stuffed animal…it’s so cute!  You jabber away sometimes, but other times you're content just looking around.  We've heard you say and repeat "dada" quite a bit.  Daddy says that's your first word, but Aunt Carrie says it's normal for a baby to say "dada" first...haha.

To provide an update from the last letter, we learned that you did have eczema.  This was the cause for all of the scratching.  Dr. Hund gave us some 2.5% hydrocortisone cream and a daily ritual (bath with no soap and cream applied within 3 minutes of bath), and it seemed to clear everything up.  I think you’ve pretty much grown out of it because you don’t have any trace of the skin patches now.  Speaking of baths, you love them!  Lately, you’ve been sitting in the whale tub while Ian is with you in the big tub.  He loves taking a bath with you and vice versa!  You like to bang toys and splash.  You’re starting to get fussy when I take you out because you’re having so much fun in there!

You still aren’t the best sleeper.  I shouldn’t complain too much because you usually get at least one 5-6 hour stretch in every night.  Mommy just needs to learn to go to bed earlier, so I can take advantage of it!  You’re going to bed around 8-8:30pm, waking at 11pm or 1-2am, then again at 5:30-6am.  I typically have to nurse you to get you to go back to sleep.  Dr. Hund said that if you go right back to sleep after eating, then it’s probably what you need!  I’m not too bothered by it because I enjoy my one-on-one time with you (and I can go right back to bed).  You usually have a morning nap and an afternoon nap.  Sometimes, you’ll take a really short (30-60 min) evening nap before bed, especially if you’re really fussy.  You have two teeth on the bottom now, and it was pretty rough getting them in.  You were fussy and had a temperature around the time you were teething so I’m sure we’ll get to visit those times again when more teeth start making their way to the surface.

Lori Chrisman is still watching you on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, and all day on Wednesdays.  She treats you just like her own child!  You are the only baby at her house, so that makes you really popular with the kids.  Ian is going to start joining you next week when he changes to morning-only preschool.  You will like having your “bubba” around.

You’ve been really busy this summer!  Daddy got to celebrate his first Father’s Day with both you and Ian.  You had your first trip to Colorado to see Grandpa Dick and Nana’s house, you went back to Red River, you’ve been to Tulsa, Norman, and Enid.  You’ve also been swimming several times this summer and love to be in the water! You seem to like being in the floatie things, but also like to be held in the water.  We have a lot of fun events coming up in the next year too!  You were asked by Chelci and Jeremy to be the flower girl in their wedding next June.  I can’t wait to see you all dressed up! 

Well, now that you’re 9 months old, “Let the birthday planning begin!!”  The theme of your 1^st birthday will be “Ladybugs” since we call you Katy Bug.  We’re going to have the party at the Oakwood Activity Center in Enid.  Aunt Carrie is making your invites.  All of the rest is still up in the air!  Mommy is excited to start planning!  Your birthday this year will be the day after Thanksgiving (i.e. Black Friday) and we will be at Lake Texoma with Nanny and Papa, so we’re having your party a few weeks earlier.  We’ll probably do something special on your actual birthday, too.

We love you so much, angel!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

My Angel

She's almost 9 months....our beautiful little angel.  Thank you, Jenny, for your amazing ability to capture such special moments!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Okay, so maybe I don't really remember this, but I have a box of my old baby clothes that I used to use for my dolls.  Most of them aren't in very good condition, but I found one that looked pretty decent.  I thought that it would be special to snap some pics of Kate in this little dress/bonnet duo.  Pretty adorable, if I say so myself!

Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse

Enid has a really awesome learning center called Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse.  We went there last weekend, with my cousin's wife and daughter (Avadelle and Haley) and her sister and her kids.  They have so many fun, unique things for kids to do!  Ian really enjoyed playing with the giant Lite Brite...(remember those fun toys?)  He also liked looking at at all of the animals.  

In my opinion, one of the greatest parts of Leonardo's is their AMAZING outdoor play area, called Adventure Quest.  It is the WORLD'S LARGEST, community-built outdoor play area!  Check out the full view at their website: www.leonardos.org.      Here are some pics from our day!   

Kate's 6 Month Letter

Dear Katy Bug,

We finally gave in to a nickname...Aunt Heddie called you Katy Bug before you were born, but we resisted for a long time.  Now, we just think it fits you!  You're small, feminine, sweet, and beautiful...just like a little ladybug! :)

You've been growing and changing daily.  You're in 3-6 month clothes, but still wearing some 0-3 month onesies.  I have no idea how you turned out so petite with parents like us.  Maybe it will catch up with you!  It's so much fun to dress you up in all of the various, cute clothes...complete with it headbands and bows.  Daddy's not a big fan of the accessories, but boys just don't understand, do they?!  You started eating rice cereal at 5 months 5 days old.  Mommy was hoping that it would help you sleep a little longer at night, but it didn't really seem to make much of a difference.  You weren't too sure about the rice cereal at first, but you're learning.  This past Monday, you tried your first baby food....sweet potatoes (per Ian's request).  You really seemed to like them!  It is always fun to try the different foods.  I wonder what your favorite will be?

We've been giving you lots of tummy time lately in effort to help you learn to roll over.  You still haven't really done it yet!  I guess you're just content where you're at...although you prefer your back to your tummy.  You just found your feet, so you bring them up to your hands now.  Maybe you'll figure out how to roll soon.

Sleep hasn't been your forte.  Some nights are pretty good...waking up one time around 2-3am after going to be around 9-9:30pm and waking at 6:30am.  Other nights, you'll wake up around 1am and again at 5:30am.  Mama is tired after nights like these!  I know they won't last forever, so I don't mind too much.  I like spending quality time with you. :)  Lately, you've been really fussy.  I keep thinking you're teething, but haven't seen any of those pearly whites poke through yet.  You also have a habit of scratching your head...especially when you're tired or fussy.  We have to cut your nails daily and keep your head moisturized in case it's itching that's causing you to scratch.  I think it's probably eczema-related, but not positive.  We keep you swaddled with your hands down, or we put little mitts on your hands to keep you from doing too much damage.  Your normal schedule is to wake up around 8-8:30am, eat around 9:30am, play, nap, eat around 1:30-2pm, play, nap, "dinner" (rice cereal) around 6pm, play, short nap, then bedtime around 9:00pm.

You still love bath time!  Ian likes to share his toys by putting them in your little tub.  You love to kick and splash!  You're also really enjoying your exersaucer and jumperoo!  You talk and babble to all of us.  You love playing/chewing on Sophie the Giraffe, your Little Einstein music player, and the plastic links.  I think that you also like to participate in reading time with Ian.  You like to help turn the pages. :)

Lori Chrisman has been watching you when mommy and daddy are at work, and you seem to really like her!  She watches you from 2-5pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, then 8:30am-5pm on Wednesdays.  Ian joins you there on Tuesdays.

In the past 2 months, we haven't done much traveling except to Oklahoma to visit family.  You went to Chelci's graduation and Muskogee/Coweta to see the Herringshaws and Scott, Ashley, and Hudson.  Mommy enjoyed spending Mother's Day with you!

We love you sweet girl!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Moore Tornado

Such devastation! This is a pic that my friend, Ashtin Taylor, sent me. She works at a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market pharmacy in Moore. She was not at work on 5/20/13 when the tornado hit, but this is the view outside of her store. It represent the tragic loss of many homes and lives. My prayers are with all of those affected, and all of the caring volunteers.
Sent from my iPhone

All Fenced In!

 

 

We have been toying with the idea if getting a fence ever since we bought our house. After we got the playhouse, I realized that it wasn't as fun as I had hoped because I was having to follow Ian around everywhere to ensure he didn't run to the front (and the street)! We decided to go for it, and we are really happy with the results! It was just completed on Tuesday, and we've been outside every evening since then. Tonight, we babysat the Lucas kids, and everyone had a blast being able to run free.  Well...except the babies, but they enjoyed being outside and watching the crazy, older kiddos. :)

 

 

Enid Trip

Yesterday, the kids and I made a quick trip to Enid.  Jason works from 11am-11:30pm on Sundays, so I thought it would be nice to get out of the house.  It was a beautiful day, and it's a pretty quick drive!  Every trip to Enid involves "making the rounds" to see everyone.  My dad and stepmom were out of town, so we spent the time with my mom & stepdad and my grandparents.  Here are a few pics from our trip!



                                  

       

Canola field near Enid...so pretty!!

Kate loved watching the trains with Great Grandpa Frank!

Some of my favorite girls

Grandpa was so excited to show Ian his trains!

Ian loved spending time with his Great Grandpa Frank

Grandma Donna with her little froggy