Pool Princess

It has been crazy hot here lately so in an effort to cool off a little, we took Kaitlin to the pool yesterday. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time there this summer. On Saturday, Kaitlin and I went for a walk at 8:00am and it was already 82°. Sunday afternoon, Keven looked at the thermometer on our patio and it said 100.3 - and it's in the shade! So, here are some pictures from Kaitlin's first visit to the pool. She wasn't very smiley, but she did seem to enjoy herself.

Kaitlin Plays the Piano

Kaitlin loves to play the piano with Daddy! She will sit in his lap and watch him play and when he stops she will lean forward and "play" herself. Of course, her playing the piano is really just banging, but it is music to us ;) Here are some pictures.

Kaitlin's 9-month Checkup

We just got home from Kaitlin's 9-month checkup and she got a clean bill of heatlh. She weighed in at 15 lbs, 6 oz and is 27 ½ inches long. The doctor wants us to bring her in for a weight check next month because her weight was a little lower than expected, but didn't seem to concerned since Kaitlin has had an ear infection. She also said it's normal for growth to level off when babies start moving.

One is the Loneliest Number

Well, my girls have left me for the weekend for some family time in Illinois, which means I get to let loose and be crazy... that's right... the lid to the piano got opened all the way. In the midst of the wildness that was my weekend, here is a moment of me reflecting on my temporary bachelorhood (on our 6th anniversary, nonetheless).



But, my main mission is to upload some videos while I have a little free time. Here is Kaitlin on her rocking horse. This is no new pony. It is the same rocking horse Daddy and Uncle Kenny rode when they were little.



Here is our little Army of One. She isn't crawling yet, but you can see that she will stop at nothing to get to her duck.



I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day!

Milk!

We've been working very hard to teach Kaitlin sign language. We started with a few basic signs (milk, eat, and more) and she has been making the sign for milk for about a month now, but she would only make the sign while she was taking a bottle. Yesterday, she used the sign to communicate for the first time! We are so proud of her!

Mother's Day

I enjoyed a wonderful first Mother's Day yesterday. We all slept in a little and then went to church. We just started a new sermon series at church entitled "Speak" about the words we use and the impact they can have. It really made me think about what a big responsibility it is to be a mom and how I influence Kaitlin by the things I say. Rusty shared a story about two different people at a baseball game; one old man who was cussing and putting down the players and 12-year-old boy who was yelling encouraging words to the players even when they messed up. When he told the story I thought that the boy must have learned that from his parents encouraging him. So, my prayer for this week is that my words and actions towards Kaitlin will lift her up and provide a foundation for her to show love to others.

After church we went to eat brunch at Amsterdam Cafe which was just wonderful! And Keven and Kaitlin gave me a beautiful gift for Mother's Day. We made yummy crab legs for dinner and went for a family thing (aka walk). We can't say "walk" in our house because Harley knows what it means, so we call walks "things". Here is a picture of Kaitlin giving me nose kisses while we waited for a table at Amsterdam.



















Here is a picture of the beautiful gift Keven and Kaitlin gave me. Keven went to a lot of trouble to get everything just right.














The name plates say "Mommy 1978" and "Kaitlin 2008"

Lake Martin

On Saturday, we went up to Lake Martin for an end-of-the-year cookout with our tailgating crew. It was lots of fun and Kaitlin enjoyed playing with the Bertus' daughter Emily (3). They were both very curious about each other! We also got to visit with my friend Margie, who lives nearby, and see her beautiful house for the first time. Kaitlin really took to Margie and started waving across the room to her. She has tried to wave a few times before, but this was the first time she did it really well. Yesterday, she was waving to herself in the mirror. It was very cute! Here is a picture of Kaitlin and Emily.

Uh-Oh!

Kaitlin is getting closer to crawling everyday! If she sees something she wants, she will get to it whether it's by rolling or pulling herself on her tummy. I was able to get some fun pictures of Kaitlin getting up on her hands and knees today while she was watching Baby Signing Time. They were all so cute I couldn't decide which ones to post!

See Me Grow - Part 6

Finally! New pictures of Kaitlin and Harley. It's been a while since our last installment of "See Me Grow" so when Harley sat down next to Kaitlin the other day it seemed like the perfect chance to get some recent shots. She loves it when Harley licks her hands and she likes to play with his tags.

CityFest 2008

We took Kaitlin to Auburn CityFest last weekend (April 26). CityFest is a festival with crafts, food, inflatables and other activities for kids. Kaitlin wasn't quite old enough to enjoy the inflatables, but she had a great time shopping and people watching. She even got her picture taken with Aubie! We had a fun time and Kaitlin was so tired that she fell asleep in my arms walking to the car.