Future Reader

K. really likes to pull all of the books off her bookshelf (at least the ones she can reach). When I walked in her room, though, I found her sitting in the pile and actually looking through a book!

Grumpy Grumper

"Seriously, Mom, can ya put that camera away and stop following me around? I'm not going to smile even if you take 60 pictures, so you can just forget it. Oh, you've taken 60 pictures already today? Tough luck on that. I guess you'll just have to put a non-smile photo on the blog."

New Ride

As you may or may not have guessed from the previous post, K. has a new ride! She's very excited about the new vehicle and has spent much time already admiring the seat (oh, the curses of being rear-facing). Eventually she'll get to look at the rest of the van, and she'll even get to drive it when she--and it--is sixteen.

New Fun

"Mom and Dad got something fun for me this past weekend; we'll have to get a picture of it in the next couple of days so you can see it. It's as exciting as this yellow ball I'm holding, but much, much larger."

Spender or Saver

Do you think that K. will be a spender or saver when she gets older?

Putting a coin into her piggy bank:

Removing coins from her piggy bank (probably to buy some cute new shoes):

More Crafty Crafty

Mom's been busy making things for K. and sewing things for K. Today, I completed some fancy things to hang her hair ribbons on:

The close up and far-away versions
And last time I went on a long trip with K. without having B. along, I realized that she throws toys on the ground, then is unhappy that she doesn't have toys. I couldn't find a good solution to this problem, so I made one. It's a pad that ties on to her car seat harness. I can attach toys to it (see second photo):
Here's the pad with toys. The fabric I used is some that my grandma (K's great-grandma) passed along to me:
Stay tuned for photos of the other project I finished today!

Wednesday Updates

After two weeks of not really being home, K. and I have enjoyed some time playing at home. She's been opening and closing the doors of her new kitchen and pulling up on everything in sight. We were at a friend's house yesterday and we played a little inside after taking a walk. K. cruised along the couch several times! She also played one of her current favorite games, which involves taking an object, setting it down on one side of her, picking it up, and putting it down on the other side, then moving it to the first side, back to the second, and so on.

I also see evidence of some problem solving going on in her cute little head. If she's holding a toy in one hand and I hold out a toy toward that same hand, she will transfer the toy she's holding to the other hand in order to take the new toy from me. Today: toy mover, tomorrow: nuclear physicist.

Worth Crusing For

K. has been pulling up on furniture and what not for a while now. I have seen her think about crusing (mostly when she's pulled up to furniture, not when she's pulled up to the what nots) but she hasn't really tried it--until she found something worth walking toward...

She's Cookin' Now

K. was given a new kitchen set from a friend who was done with it--we're so excited! She's too young for "imaginative play" in which she actually pretends to cook, but she loves to pull up on the counter space. She has put several of her toys in the sink.
K. also loves the abundance of doors to open and close--oven, refrigerator, microwave: could life be any better?
I can't wait until she helps me with the real cooking!

Bedtime Story

Dad reading Kate a story before bed. Is there anything sweeter?

New Friend

As promised, here is a photo of K. with her newest (read: born most recently) friend, as well as Aunt J. and our good friend L., with whom we grew up. It was a delight to see L. again, and to meet her new little one (who is adorable!)

On the Deck

K. spent some time this Saturday playing on the deck that Dad helped Grandma and Grandpa L. build two summers ago. Grandma washed it off and brought a rug and some toys out. K. had a good time enjoying the fresh air and scenery.

New Park, New Adventures

Just up the street from Grandma and Grandpa L.'s house is a huge park with sports fields, a pavilion, a dog park, and a playground. K. tried out the infant swings with Grandma on Friday, then the three of us went together on Saturday. K. likes to swing, but as Grandma was pushing her I decided to climb on the playground equipment, and K. thought it was hilarious! She started laughing when I started climbing up the side (a kind laugh, not a mean laugh) and laughed every time I was on a new part of the playground. It was so cute, and Grandma and I couldn't stop laughing either!

K. and Mom at the park

Sippy No More

K. hasn't really taken to drinking from sippy cups--she will, but not a lot. Grandma J. decided to set up a bottle with a straw and see if that enticed her to drink (note: Aunt J. drank from a straw from a very young age, so this is not new territory for Grandma J.). Anyway, K. really liked it, and significantly increased her water consumption--a great thing for staying hydrated in the summer. Here she is enjoying her new "straw jar."

Eleven Excellent Months

K. is eleven months old (actually yesterday, but who's counting. Okay, I'm counting). We're visiting Grandma and Grandpa L. as Mom attends a conference. K. had so much fun playing with everyone today, and they're all worn out.

Yesterday, a friend that J. grew up with came over and visited. She has a little one who is exactly 10 months younger than K., and he's adorable. As soon as I get those photos I'll post them.

As a real treat, Aunt J. was able to come and spend the day with K. also, which was so much fun. She also gave K. a couple of really cool books--thanks, Aunt J.! This photo was taken at the end of a long day, so we're all tired (though only one of us is sucking her thumb).

Wanna Share?

"Oh, did you want a toy too? Here you go."

Safety First

I think that K. is pretty safety conscious. If she ever finds that the gate at the top of the stairs is open, she will be sure to close it*

*note: we do not leave K. unattended at the top of the stairs, nor do we actually allow her to be unsecured with the gate open. Safety personnel were on hand during the filming of this video. Kids, don't try this at home.

Mama Babble

Here is some video of K's miscellaneous babbling. In this one, she shows off her "mama" sounds:

Time With Friends

K. had some friends over today for her midday play time, and she had a great time!

K. hanging out with the D. boys. B. (photo below) is exactly a week older than K., and S. (above) is his older brother.

All three playing together with the little kitchen:

Hanging out with their moms:

Pork Chop for Our Pork Chop

Our little pork chop has become quite the carnivore. We're continually giving her new foods to try (though waiting the requisite three days between, just in case of a reaction) and K. has surprised and delighted us with her openness to new foods. (This means, of course, that if we have another child, he or she will be the pickiest eater known to man.) We gave K. a pork chop (cut into small bits) the other day and she absolutely devoured it! She would pick it out from among the other bits of food on her tray, and complained when she ran out. Another food that she ate (which surprised me, since it's quite flavorful), is bratwurst! No, we didn't give her very much because I can't imagine that it's good for you (though it does have fewer calories than I thought it might), but she ate every last morsel of it on her plate.

In Action

Here is K. pulling up to standing. Ironically, this ottoman that she is using is the same one that I learned to pull up on, though it had a different covering on it at the time:

Stormy Night

K. has been through thunderstorms before, but Friday night was her first really big storm. Things looked (and sounded) bad enough that I had to get her at about 10:30 p.m. and she, the dogs, and I spent some time in the half bath downstairs (B. was just outside the door watching and listening).

We have a hand-crank radio that we used, though kept wishing we could check the TV or internet to see if more storms were coming or see what the dopplar radar looked like. I realized that I know where all of our emergency items are located (flashlights, lighter for oil lamp, radio, bottled water etc.) but that they're scattered about the house. I'm going to make an emergency kit with some necessities. Yes, I know I'm pretty obsessive about things, so it might surprise you that I don't have one already, but that is exactly why I don't have one already--I've been tempted to make kits for any possible combination of disasters, though are we really going to get a hurricane? Here?

But I learned of one other important item that I'll need in my kit--when I grabbed K. from her room I didn't bring her diaper bag, and so I spent a rather unpleasant amount of time in a small space with her, the dogs, and a gift in her diaper. Icky!