So strong!

So, Kate is so strong that she can stand with help. Her little legs don't buckle under her or anything; as long as Dan or I am holding her up, she can stand. And she's only two and a half months!



Ok, so her legs do buckle under her if she stands too long, but what do you expect? She's only two and a half months! :)

More Kate updates

We went on a walk tonight after Dan got home (Kate got a lot of walking in today; she and I went on a walk this afternoon, too!) and since the sun was going down and it was just a bit chilly, we decided to have Kate to wear this adorable bunny hat that she has. She, however, doesn't like it very much, as evidenced by these pictures.






I think she was happy to have it, though, since it was a bit chilly, and after we came home from our walk, she was just sleeping as peacefully as can be!

A Lifesaver

So, Kate has been doing much better sleeping in her bassinet at night (she didn't like it when she was first born, so she's been sleeping with us for the entire time. We liked co-sleeping with her, but Dan was always so worried about rolling over on her that it was hard for him to get a good night's sleep). So, we transitioned her to her bassinet, and so far, our bedtime routine seems to be going well. We change her, put her PJs on, I nurse her, and then as she's drowsy, I rock her for a bit while singing to her. I put her in the bassinet just as she's about to fall asleep, but still slightly awake, so that she can learn to fall asleep by herself. (I keep my hand on her stomach for about five minutes as I lay in my bed so that she still knows I'm there--obviously the bassinet is right by our bed.) So, we've been very thankful that she seems to have taken to the bassinet so well at night.

BUT, naptimes are a different story. She doesn't seem to like to sleep unless being held by someone (usually me!), which can make it hard to get my work done. (As a weird side note, she'll sleep in her infant carseat carrier for HOURS when we're out in public, but for some reason that doesn't work at home. Maybe it's the background noise in restaurants that she likes, and it lulls her to sleep? Anyway...)

So we had heard great things about this Fisher Price swing with regards to getting babies to sleep, so we headed to Babies R Us last night to check it out. We put her in it at the store (no use in paying $$ for a swing she hates!) and she LOVED it. Right away, she was so fascinated with the mobile, and pretty soon the rocking motion was lulling her to sleep. So, needless to say, we purchased it (using a lot of the gift cards I got at my showers, which was helpful!)

We tried it out this morning, and voila! I was able to get a substantial amount of work done, since she slept in there from 7:30 until 9:15. Yay! Of course, she then woke up to eat, and now is sleeping peacefully on my chest (I don't mind; I love cuddling with her!) I don't have a problem editing while holding her; it's just when I have to work on my magazines' websites that it's a problem; it's hard to do html coding one-handed! Luckily, I got that all done this morning while she was sleeping in her swing, and now we can just cuddle while I work.



I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to work from home AND spend so much quality time with Kate! (Whenever she's awake, I'm not working; we're doing stuff like reading, playing on her activity mat, or taking walks). And, when I do have to go in to the office (usually about two mornings a week, for about 3 hours at a time), I can bring her in and she just sleeps, or Tracy can watch her, which I'm so grateful for. It really is the ideal situation!

Kate's first bath

I know, some people would say that we're bad parents--Kate is two months old, and we just gave her her first bath tonight. Oh well; like I always say, it's not like she's out working construction every day and getting all sweaty, right? Anyway, she loved her bath. We put her in the whale tub Tracy gave us (the whale tub itself was in our bathtub, so that I could sit in the empty bathtub close by her, but without getting wet myself), and she just started smiling right away. She kicked and splashed around a bit; she was so happy. But she was NOT happy to get out! Even though we dried her off with a really soft towel, put lavender and chamomile lotion on her, and put her in this adorable Winnie the Pooh robe and booties, she was having none of it! Well, until I fed her, that is; eating always calms her down and soothes her! :)


A little hesitant at first; not really sure what to make of it!


What is this, exactly?


So happy!


She loves this!








"I want to get back in the bath!"


So mad!!


She always does this lip thing when she gets mad; Dan and I say, "Oh, the lip is coming out!" and we know that's a sign that a meltdown is imminent.

Yet more pictures

Kate and I had a great day today. We went into the office from about 8:30-10:45, and I got some work done while she slept. Then we came home, ate lunch, and took a nap together. After getting up, we went on a nice long walk; it was so nice out today! Kate looked fascinated by all the sights and sounds on our walk, although she did fall asleep halfway through. Now we're just waiting for Dan to get home so we can have dinner. All in all, it was a nice, relaxing (yet productive) day spent with my little girl! :)

Two months!

I can't believe Kate is already two months old! Here are some shots of her playing on her rainforest mat; she's really started to like it, now that she can kick and hit the stuff. She gets SO excited when I make a big deal out of her hitting the rattle or something; I'll say, "Yay! Kate made a noise!" and she just grins like she just won the Nobel Prize. She looks so intent on hitting the rattle every time; this is serious business!



The beginnings of a frown, when she can't hit the rattle despite her best efforts...


...and a smile when she finally does.


"Leave me alone, mom, I'm concentrating!"

Yesterday, we had her two month checkup with her pediatrician, which meant that she had to get her shots. I cried to see her cry; it was terrible! She was so happy throughout the whole visit; smiling and cooing at the doctor. And then the nurses came in and gave her three shots in the thigh, and her eyes opened up so wide and she just screamed. So of course that set me off; I had tears in my eyes and I just kept saying, "I'm sorry, baby, I'm so sorry." Dan looked really upset, too, to see her in such distress. We gave her some Tylenol afterward, although she was pretty fussy all night, at least until we went to bed.

Luckily, she seems fine today; we went to lunch with Tracy, and Kate was her usual smiling self! As a side note, today is the 10th anniversary of the day I met Dan, and I told Kate that this morning, although she didn't seem too impressed, even though if I hadn't let Angie convince me to go to that party (I really didn't want to go), this cute, adorable little imp wouldn't even be here! ;)






What a happy girl!


I LOVE this picture of her.


"All right, this picture taking is starting to get old. I'll just indulge you with a half-smile..."


"Ok, mom, seriously, you've gotta stop with the pictures. I'm just in my carseat; nothing to see here. Move along, folks."

Shower pictures

I had an amazing shower thrown for Kate and me on March 27. My aunts Tracy & Chris put so much into it; it was beautiful! It was held at the Jovian Taphaus in Madison, and we had the best time. The colors were pink and green, and it was such a perfect "welcome to the world" party for little Kate. She was so good, too; she slept almost the whole time!









Nana and Kate


What a stretcher!


The two grandmas






Four generations












Rori helping me open gifts


My good friends, from L-R, Liz, Melinda, Nikki and Meghan (who is expecting in September)














My goddaughter and my daughter :)


I loved the table decorations and flowers


Rori loves Kate so much; it's so sweet
\



Me with the two hostesses


Katrina, Rori, Kirsti, and Karissa


What a gorgeous cake!