Baby Cate Update

At 15 months, Cate is built more like a Weeble Wobble and less like a toddler -- she's 30-1/2" tall (50th percentile) and weighs 23 lbs, 8 oz. (60th percentile). She has finally cut the fourth upper tooth, one on bottom (making it 3 in front) and 3 molars - 2 upper, 1 bottom. She's still cutting teeth, either that or we're not feeding her enough so she is constantly drooling and putting her hands in her mouth hoping they will turn to food.

She loves, loves, loves bananas -- probably her favorite food. Other favorite foods include applesauce, grapes, pears, strawberries (sometimes), bread (any flavor - wheat, garlic toast, banana bread...), Cheerios, yogurt, chicken, salmon, cheese, eggs (hard boiled and scrambled), hamburgers/meatloaf, stuffing (see bread reference)...she isn't too big on veggies yet, which is perplexing to me as Elizabeth gobbled them up as quickly as we could put them on the tray... She insists on feeding herself.

She has THE BEST belly laugh (doesn't hurt that she has the belly to accompany said laugh)! Practically anything Elizabeth does can bring on this laugh. Reid can get it out of her, too...as can Uncle Sean, and Chuck Scatterday... When she is really ticked with something she will wrinkle up her little nose -- it's too cute!

She loves the freedom of trotting around of the floor after West Lib games. John Wolosinczuk taught her how to give high 5. She loves to wave hi and bye-bye (mostly well after the fact...or on Skype). She can blow kisses (when she feels like it). She can identify her nose. She loves shoes (and sort-of says shoe as she walks around with them saying 'sh sh sh'.) She loves to "read" -- taking books and turning the pages. She can identify her belly button (will flash you her shirt like a co-ed at Mardi Gras collecting beads) -- sticks her finger in her belly button (it's quite the crevice) and says, "Ticka ticka ticka." That is super cute!!! She cannot stand to have her face or hands wiped. She loves bath time, especially with Elizabeth. She still cries a bit - especially when she is being wrestled down for Sleepy Time Down South (a familiar theme in this house, I know...) She's a climber (another theme around here)...and dancing. (If she is eating something that she loves, she also dances in her seat.) She also likes to pretend cook in the kitchen, get pulled in the wagon Santa brought her, and drop food from her tray for Kennedy. She would climb the stairs all day if we'd let her. She loves to blow the whistle on my key chain, and I swear she might be a better ref than a handful of the stripes West Lib has had this season! She still doesn't sleep through the night, much to my demise...

He hair is looking like it's going to curl, at least in the back. Like her big sister, she's a 'sweat head' - I can feel the heat rising from her head when she is tired...and when she goes to sleep, her hair gets soaking wet (along with my arm as I'm holding her.)

She brings us all so much joy (when she's not screaming...)

Cate - 10 Months!

Just as I was about to write that with the maturity that 10 months has brought and Cate doesn't seem as cranky all the time, the crying commences. Good times.

10 months has just seemed to fly by -- it won't be too long before I'm planning her first birthday party. (Oh, who are we kidding? I have the first draft of the invitations -- which are going to be darrrrrliiiing -- on my scrapbook table. Too bad I haven't done any scrapbooking since Rikki & Doug's wedding albums last Christmas :-( But, the invites are in a near completion mode...just need to change out the color on one thing and take a pic of Cate in her Halloween costume. Then they'll be good to go!)

Cate officially has 3 teeth - two lower and the upper right. We're anxiously awaiting the upper left as she has been in a bit of pain with the teething...and drooling like a St. Bernard. Not to mention the WORST diaper rash that has plagued her for weeks. Just when we think it's getting better...it will flare up again. Knock on wood, she seems to be sleeping for longer stretches at night, but that is not to be confused with sleeping through the night and letting Mommy get much sleep as a result.

She is in full cruise mode. She loves to be on her feet and moving around. At daycare this week, she really started taking off with a pushing-type walker. She is quick, too, so it won't be too long before we are having to take turns running after her.

In the past month, she weened herself off of baby food. Won't eat it. She had started refusing some baby food at 9 months, but there were times we could still do a meal or so of the gooey stuff. She also prefers to self-feed, so Kennedy is often the benefactor of Cate's misses. She is eating a good variety of fruits, veggies, and other items. She especially loves sweet potatoes, vanilla wafers (which she insists on shoving the entire cookie in her mouth at once), squash, pasta, turkey, and lima beans.

The water continues to be fun time. She squirms a TON in the bathtub. She loves taking baths with her big sister. Elizabeth says "Cate is a wild woman in the bath!"

Here is her latest quilt picture. Click on the image for it to be larger.

Crap That Annoys Me...

There is a long, long list of crap that annoys me, and I'll save you from the list in its entirety...here's just a taste of the ABCs that are me (you may want to give my darling husband your condolences the next time you see him):

1. The word "satchel" - unless, of course, you are referring to Satchel Paige
2. All of the Ohio and PA drivers that are dyslexic...thinking that the left-hand lane is the "slow lane"
3. Babies that used to sleep through the night. Yes, Cate, that would be YOU in which I'm referencing...
4. Delayed planes...22 hours from the point that I read the email (email was sent at 12:29 am stating my 11:15 am flight was "modified due to a flight cancellation/delay") to get to Anaheim -- via the airport I least preferred to fly into, LAX...ridiculousness...
5. Jet lag
6. Not being able to back up on a TV -- the DVR age has spoiled me, and there are many times when I'm watching TV in bed that I unsuccessfully attempt to back up my bedroom TV. Bummer!
7. Email issues...currently, I'm able to receive, but not send work-related emails...
8. Cheap tequilla
9. Dog hairs - everywhere (although I will save you, Kennedy, from Reid's ongoing threats to shave you!)
10. Bad coffee. It's not that difficult to make. Get some quality beans, grind them, add water, voila.
11. M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E...have a magical day! And here is the photographic evidence to support this case:

Seriously? A 3-fingered-Cousin-It-hand coming out of the wall in the bathroom? That's just plain creepy!

Trust me, this is NOT what you want to see when you finally get into your hotel room after a 22-hour commute...

And this headboard...don't EVEN get me started on this! All disoriented, at 4 AM PDT (7 AM EDT), my first night in Anaheim, I wake up in a slight panic thinking I have overslept some major event...I wake up and make the HUGE mistake of hitting the lamp on my bedside table. And if the chimes of "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" isn't enough to make your ears bleed, you have to watch out for the cheesy fireworks on the headboard which could make you lose your lunch...



Now these two fixtures...that's just tacky!

Just remembered that I needed to add to my list. (See item number 10 -- reliving these pictures from Disneyland made me remember...)







Do you have to put this crap everywhere...especially stuff that I'm about to put in my mouth???

Okay, this one doesn't so much as annoy me, but it is perplexing. "Digestive Biscuits"... mmmm... tasty... I think...

But is this the truly squeaky-clean message that Walt intended when he created Disneyland? Eat this - crap that??? Bizarre...







In general, all of the Mickey Mouse images EVERYWHERE. The carpet, the plates, the bathroom tiles, etc. every freakin' where you turn...

For the life of me I cannot fathom the people that go there on their honeymoons. Seriously!

I does pain me to admit that I do look forward to the day when we take Elizabeth & Cate there -- although my bank account doesn't.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful to/for/about:

• Safe travels this week to & from Atlanta...and especially a score on a better timed one-way flight home (otherwise my plane wouldn't have yet departed).
• A warm welcome from my puppy...my Sweet Babboo...and my darling daughter (in order that I saw them!)
• Elizabeth who was quoted as saying at dinner tonight, "Ice cream will make me healthy." She so tickles me!
• My Sweet Babboo remembering to throw out the jack-o-lantern this week with the trash...it was quite rotten when I left for my trip, but I wasn't gonna touch it!
• Sesame Street for 40 wonderful years! What great educational fun for both young and old! (And for the free Google Sesame Street t-shirts that will be coming my way for a Christmas purchase or two for Elizabeth & Alex! Love a bonus gift!
  
• Elizabeth's teachers - she's doing so well writing some of her letters. (Darn us for giving her such a long name...some day she will have all of those letters licked...and in their proper order!)
• For all of our Veterans...and those who are currently serving our country. (Please pray for my friend Robbie Godfrey who departs for Afghanistan tomorrow - God speed, Robbie!)

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful to/for/about:

• A sweet sleeping girl next to me -- yes, even if she is cramping my style here in the recliner. (She started running a fever last night -- and it has continued throughout the day. We think it is yet another ear infection, but hope not...have a call into the pediatrician for tomorrow morning, in case she still has the fever and complains about her ears hurting.)
• My faboo hubby -- I'm quite the lucky girl!
  
• Early cheers for West Liberty as they celebrate University Week next week!
• My sweet baby girl, Kennedy, who doesn't even whimper when she gets moved around in the bed every night...and usually never fails to be my foot warmer!
• Photoshop -- just love playing around on Photoshop...currently working on Alex's 2nd birthday party invites (in addition to various stuff for work...)

Funny Elizabeth story from yesterday evening. Reid had a Board of Governor's meeting last night, so I took Elizabeth out to eat. She enjoys getting to go to a restaurant - especially when it is one-on-one. On the drive out to The Highlands (that would be the area with Cabella's for those of you who are only a little bit familiar with Wheeling) Elizabeth started singing. At one point she went into singing one of her favorite Sesame Street songs:

"A firefighter wears a hat
And drives a fire engine
A special coat that's water-proof
A ladder to climb up to the roof
A hose that sprays the water around
We are heroes in your town."

When she was done singing I asked her who she knows that is a firefighter. She thought about my question for a second and proudly exclaimed, "Papi's a firefighter!"

"Right!" I said.

"And Big Bird..." replied Elizabeth.

Sorry to burst your philanthropic bubble, Papi, but Big Bird is yellow...and that is Elizabeth's favorite!!!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful to/for/about:

• That my Mom's MRI was negative - woo hoo! No surgery for Sue Baby!!!
  
• That the Lady Toppers are such good gals - they were great with Elizabeth when we had them over for dinner on Monday. E gave them all (I swear I think it was all of them) a tour of the house. It's easily done, mind you, when, "This is MY playroom. This is MY kitchen. This is MY dining room. This is MY bathroom. This is MY crib. This is MY bedroom. (Girls would ask if that was her "big-girl's bed" in HER bedroom - E would say, "No that's Grandma's bed.") This is MY bedroom." (The girls would say that was an awfully big bed for HER bedroom and E would say, "Well, that's Mommy & Daddy's bed.") Thankfully the girls went along with the tour...and E didn't take them to the 3rd floor...or surprisingly the basement.
• Reid - who brought me flowers...so sweet!
• Pat White - for being the greatest player to ever wear the Mountaineer uniform in my lifetime! What a privilege it has been to watch him play for WVU!
• My scrapbook space...plugging along on the next installment of Elizabeth's scrapbook...not to mention E's rockin' birthday party invites!
  
• Kennedy - who keeps my feet warm when they get cold - without a whimper! She's the sweetest little puppy ever!
• Elizabeth - who just continually cracks me up. You must hear her read "The Monster at the End of this Book: Starring Lovable, Furry, Old Grover" to herself. It's priceless! In addition to, at times, testing the waters to call me "Jennie" then saying "Is that your name, Mommy?"...she's taken to sometimes calling Reid "Sweetness."
• The ability to work from home! I get soooo much done...
  

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for/to/about:

• A smarty-smart gal named Elizabeth who was officially moved up to the 3 year old room (yes, 3 months early!) this week. She is cuddling next to me right now forcing me to type with the use of only my right hand (depending on how thankful I am today, this one hand typing might make the inaugural "Frankly my dear...Friday" blog post.)
  
• That Elizabeth is almost excited about her Halloween costume as I am. "I be Wonder Woman [for] Halloween! Chhhh! Chhhh! Chhhh!" (fighting off bullets with her indestructible bracelets)
• That my Sweetness gets me...and didn't bat an eye at my need to turn away from the Sox at the moment. For this and so many other reasons that I will get to in just a second (this one handed thing is already wearing on me) I am such a lucky girl!!!
• That I have a new dishwasher in my old house!
  
• That I have such an awesome mom...not just that she cleaned my house when she was here earlier this week (and no, Jake, she isn't my "new dishwasher"!). She's just fun to be around...and did I mention that she cleaned my house?
  
• That West Liberty hosted Dick Morris on Tuesday. I found him quite interesting - even though we don't quite see eye-to-eye on several major issues.
• That my Obama signs finally came in the mail today...can you believe that I was getting impatient???
• Facebook - just having fun this week with several blast-from-the-past connections!
• How would it be a Thankful Thursday if I didn't mention my original "Sweet Baby Girl," Kennedy? Happiness is a warm puppy!
  

Kennedy update

Kennedy has received a clean bill of health! Yeah!!!

The "thing" was an epulis. You can read more about what in the heck an epulis is here: http://www.petplace.com/dogs/epulis/page1.aspx. Hers would be the "fibromatous" kind. She could potentially get another one...but all is well!

Woo Hoo!

Kennedy's ordeal...

The last time Reid & I were at Mom & Daddy's, Reid noticed this "thing" in Kennedy's mouth. We got her to the doctor as soon as we could.

Reid poked fun of me because, although the doctor said that Kennedy was in good health (dropped a few pounds even!), I focused on other things he said. He said that she had a slight heart murmur...and that she would need her teeth cleaned (especially since they would have to put her under anesthesia to remove the "thing"), and he called the "thing" (and I quote) "interesting." (It was attached only to the gum, not also connected to a tooth.)

You don't like hearing the word "interesting" to describe some abnormal growth.

Still Reid continued to poke fun at me. I continued to remind him Kennedy had been in my life longer than he had. (It didn't stop the poking.)

On Tuesday, the "interesting" thing was removed with great success. The doctor said once he was able to get Kennedy asleep and to get a better look at this "interesting" thing, it was an easy removal. She only got two stitches as a result. She got her teeth cleaned, too, and they are sparkling! We still have to await the results of whether or not this "interesting" thing is benign or not...but all is looking up!