Just a quick post - I keep meaning to make a list of Katie's words, but she's learning them faster than I can write them down! Woohoo! So here goes, as of Feb. 23, 2012, age 15 months:
Milk (with sign)
Bo-bo (rainbow)
Lambie
Mee-mees (Sleep, w/sign)
Ball (sometimes w/sign)
Bird (w/sign)
Dog (w/sign)
Dada (sometimes w/sign)
Mama
Mum-mum (rice snack)
Airplane (w/sign - and VROOOOM for jets and BRRRRRR for prop planes! amazing! Yeah, we live near two airports. LOL.)
Oink (for pig)
Bear
Uh-oh!
No-no! (she says this before she does something naughty.)
Poo (w/sign)
Pants
Shoes (w/sign)
Watermelon (muh-muh-muh-muh)
Pee-pee
Baby
Bye-bye (with wave)
Bath (w/sign)
Cheese
Eat (in progress)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Stupendous things about Katie, part 1
Today I was thinking of some of the wonderful and unexpected things about Katie. Some are probably pretty ordinary, but for me, well...I wasn't expecting them. More to come, I'm sure!
1) Katie couldn't care less if her diaper is wet.
I guess the irony here is that we use cloth diapers, which are said to lead to earlier potty training because the baby can feel the wetness (vs. a disposable). Well, I suppose Katie can feel it, but she just doesn't care. I usually change her every 90 minutes or so, but a couple of times we've been on a family outing and lost track of time. Once her diaper was so wet it leaked through her sweatpants and onto the ergo carrier! But she was happy as a clam. Who knew?
2) Katie couldn't care less what temperature her bottle is.
Funnily enough, I still warm her bottle a little in the morning to "take the chill off." She hates waiting for it! Yesterday I just gave it to her straight from the fridge, and she was completely fine. We are so lucky, it makes things so much easier not to have to warm bottles.
3) Katie loves going down the slide - even the twisty slide - by herself.
When I was little, I used to be DEATHLY afraid of the twisty slide. I mean, for years and years! I remember finally getting up the nerve and doing it. I remember the adrenaline pumping through my veins! But Katie is great about it. Cutest thing ever!
4) Katie is unafraid of strange doggies.
Katie's grandma - my mom - is so afraid of dogs that when she goes out for walks, she brings an umbrella to scare dogs away. It makes such a great mental picture, my mom fighting off a strange dog with an umbrella. I know it sounds cruel, but I almost wish a dog would approach her, just so she could see how incredibly useless an umbrella would be in that situation. But anyway - not Katie! Bold as brass.
5) Katie does not mind itchy clothing, itchy tags, bunched up sleeves, etc.
I am constantly fussing with Katie's clothing to make sure that none of the above are bothering her. Why? Because these things drive Anthony and me crazy! Apparently Katie did not inherit the "itchy things" gene. Lucky girl!
6) Katie loves broccoli!
This might not be that weird, except that for my entire childhood, I hated broccoli. I hated it so much that I would have voted for George Bush, Sr., who hated broccoli too, had I not been underage. And a liberal. ;)
More to come!
1) Katie couldn't care less if her diaper is wet.
I guess the irony here is that we use cloth diapers, which are said to lead to earlier potty training because the baby can feel the wetness (vs. a disposable). Well, I suppose Katie can feel it, but she just doesn't care. I usually change her every 90 minutes or so, but a couple of times we've been on a family outing and lost track of time. Once her diaper was so wet it leaked through her sweatpants and onto the ergo carrier! But she was happy as a clam. Who knew?
2) Katie couldn't care less what temperature her bottle is.
Funnily enough, I still warm her bottle a little in the morning to "take the chill off." She hates waiting for it! Yesterday I just gave it to her straight from the fridge, and she was completely fine. We are so lucky, it makes things so much easier not to have to warm bottles.
3) Katie loves going down the slide - even the twisty slide - by herself.
When I was little, I used to be DEATHLY afraid of the twisty slide. I mean, for years and years! I remember finally getting up the nerve and doing it. I remember the adrenaline pumping through my veins! But Katie is great about it. Cutest thing ever!
4) Katie is unafraid of strange doggies.
Katie's grandma - my mom - is so afraid of dogs that when she goes out for walks, she brings an umbrella to scare dogs away. It makes such a great mental picture, my mom fighting off a strange dog with an umbrella. I know it sounds cruel, but I almost wish a dog would approach her, just so she could see how incredibly useless an umbrella would be in that situation. But anyway - not Katie! Bold as brass.
5) Katie does not mind itchy clothing, itchy tags, bunched up sleeves, etc.
I am constantly fussing with Katie's clothing to make sure that none of the above are bothering her. Why? Because these things drive Anthony and me crazy! Apparently Katie did not inherit the "itchy things" gene. Lucky girl!
6) Katie loves broccoli!
This might not be that weird, except that for my entire childhood, I hated broccoli. I hated it so much that I would have voted for George Bush, Sr., who hated broccoli too, had I not been underage. And a liberal. ;)
More to come!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Traveshamockery
Aughhhhhh!! I just ran across a cute craft idea turned bad.
It was a framed quotation titled "Jane Austen printables." The quote reads, "I never wish to be parted from you from this day on." I would have ignored it except for the fact that it simply didn't sound like Jane Austen. "I never wish..." means that you never do the act of wishing; for example, "I never wish ill upon any other person." This quote is trying to say that the person wishes never to be parted, etc. One of the things I treasure most about Austen's work is the precise way she crafted her sentences. There is no WAY she would have written that! So I googled it...was it perhaps from a lesser-known, early work that I haven't read?
NOPE! It was from the 2005 movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I deliberately avoided this movie for two reasons: 1) Keira Knightley is an appallingly bad actress and 2) no Colin Firth. Colin Firth is the dreamiest, sexiest, most knee-weakening Mr. Darcy possible. I refuse to watch Pride and Prejudice without Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. End of story.
But now, it seems I have a third reason to NEVER EVER see this film. When I googled the quote, I ended up at imdb, where they have a whole collection of "memorable quotes" from this title. They had the travesty mentioned above, plus they had dumbed down another pivotal scene: where Elizabeth accuses Mr. Darcy of ending Mr. Bingley's courtship of her sister Jane. The screenwriter had the gall to sum up Jane's perceived indifference in the following sentence: "That's because she's shy!"
GAH! I can't go on. I just can't. All of Jane Austen's clever wordsmithing, reduced to "because she's shy." BLEEEHHHHHHHH! No wonder the whole world thinks Americans are dumb as sh*t.
p.s. I know I may have made some grammatical errors in this post. I'm not saying I'm perfect; I'm saying Jane Austen is. :)
It was a framed quotation titled "Jane Austen printables." The quote reads, "I never wish to be parted from you from this day on." I would have ignored it except for the fact that it simply didn't sound like Jane Austen. "I never wish..." means that you never do the act of wishing; for example, "I never wish ill upon any other person." This quote is trying to say that the person wishes never to be parted, etc. One of the things I treasure most about Austen's work is the precise way she crafted her sentences. There is no WAY she would have written that! So I googled it...was it perhaps from a lesser-known, early work that I haven't read?
NOPE! It was from the 2005 movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I deliberately avoided this movie for two reasons: 1) Keira Knightley is an appallingly bad actress and 2) no Colin Firth. Colin Firth is the dreamiest, sexiest, most knee-weakening Mr. Darcy possible. I refuse to watch Pride and Prejudice without Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. End of story.
But now, it seems I have a third reason to NEVER EVER see this film. When I googled the quote, I ended up at imdb, where they have a whole collection of "memorable quotes" from this title. They had the travesty mentioned above, plus they had dumbed down another pivotal scene: where Elizabeth accuses Mr. Darcy of ending Mr. Bingley's courtship of her sister Jane. The screenwriter had the gall to sum up Jane's perceived indifference in the following sentence: "That's because she's shy!"
GAH! I can't go on. I just can't. All of Jane Austen's clever wordsmithing, reduced to "because she's shy." BLEEEHHHHHHHH! No wonder the whole world thinks Americans are dumb as sh*t.
p.s. I know I may have made some grammatical errors in this post. I'm not saying I'm perfect; I'm saying Jane Austen is. :)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Soy vey...
I think we need a new pediatrician.
Today we went in for Katie's 15 month well-check. She is doing great on height and weight, and the Dr. is impressed with her 12 word vocabulary. We talked about nutrition, fluoride, and why she's still drinking formula instead of cow's milk. (No real reason, I just thought it'd be a bit more nutritious, fortified with iron & minerals & such. But expensive!)
Then he started listening to her heart. He listened for a few seconds and then looked at me, puzzled, and said "What kind of formula did you say you're giving her?"
Panic! A thousand scenarios flashed through my mind...too much iron? Not enough iron? What's wrong with her heart?!?! Too much calcium? Not enough vitamin D? omg!!!!!!! What's WRONG!?!?!?!
Turns out, NOTHING is wrong with her heart! He just chose that inopportune moment to talk about the fact that she might be sensitive to soy. GAAAAAAAH! Don't do that to a mommy! (Or a daddy - Anthony said he freaked out too!)
As a side note, I've already hand-picked our new pediatrician, but she's not currently accepting new patients. Of course. My plan is to sort of cyber-stalk her Kaiser profile until I see an opening. Not a strong plan, I admit, but I haven't got any other ideas. Open to suggestions!
Today we went in for Katie's 15 month well-check. She is doing great on height and weight, and the Dr. is impressed with her 12 word vocabulary. We talked about nutrition, fluoride, and why she's still drinking formula instead of cow's milk. (No real reason, I just thought it'd be a bit more nutritious, fortified with iron & minerals & such. But expensive!)
Then he started listening to her heart. He listened for a few seconds and then looked at me, puzzled, and said "What kind of formula did you say you're giving her?"
Panic! A thousand scenarios flashed through my mind...too much iron? Not enough iron? What's wrong with her heart?!?! Too much calcium? Not enough vitamin D? omg!!!!!!! What's WRONG!?!?!?!
Turns out, NOTHING is wrong with her heart! He just chose that inopportune moment to talk about the fact that she might be sensitive to soy. GAAAAAAAH! Don't do that to a mommy! (Or a daddy - Anthony said he freaked out too!)
As a side note, I've already hand-picked our new pediatrician, but she's not currently accepting new patients. Of course. My plan is to sort of cyber-stalk her Kaiser profile until I see an opening. Not a strong plan, I admit, but I haven't got any other ideas. Open to suggestions!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Happy 15 months, Katie!
My little girl is 15 months old today!!
One great thing about Katie is, she can make anything into a toy. This is very easy on the budget, as we really don't have to buy her expensive toys. The not-so-great thing is, she WILL make anything into a toy. Anything you happen to leave on the floor, or within 4 inches of the edge of any table or countertop, she will claim as her own. Today it happens to be the plastic insert from the bottom of a reusable shopping bag, and a baby spoon with yesterday's dinner still clinging to it. (EW! bad mommy!)
Another great thing about Katie is, she loves to put things into drawers. Someday she's going to be a kick-ass organizer! The not-so-great thing about it right now is, we're never sure which drawer she's chosen when she puts things away. I find things in the weirdest places! In addition to putting things into drawers, Katie also loves to take things OUT of drawers. Which is why all my potentially dangerous cooking and baking tools now live in a jumbled heap in a bag on the floor of the pantry.
But I'm not complaining. Did I mention how much I love my little girl? And how incredibly adorable she is? And how much I actually love having a messy kitchen with empty drawers (which are always open, btw) and toys everywhere? I know, I must be crazy, but I love it. Three cheers for motherhood!
One great thing about Katie is, she can make anything into a toy. This is very easy on the budget, as we really don't have to buy her expensive toys. The not-so-great thing is, she WILL make anything into a toy. Anything you happen to leave on the floor, or within 4 inches of the edge of any table or countertop, she will claim as her own. Today it happens to be the plastic insert from the bottom of a reusable shopping bag, and a baby spoon with yesterday's dinner still clinging to it. (EW! bad mommy!)
Another great thing about Katie is, she loves to put things into drawers. Someday she's going to be a kick-ass organizer! The not-so-great thing about it right now is, we're never sure which drawer she's chosen when she puts things away. I find things in the weirdest places! In addition to putting things into drawers, Katie also loves to take things OUT of drawers. Which is why all my potentially dangerous cooking and baking tools now live in a jumbled heap in a bag on the floor of the pantry.
But I'm not complaining. Did I mention how much I love my little girl? And how incredibly adorable she is? And how much I actually love having a messy kitchen with empty drawers (which are always open, btw) and toys everywhere? I know, I must be crazy, but I love it. Three cheers for motherhood!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Naptime thoughts
Ahh, naptime. The most cherished time of the day. As much as I adore my little Katie, I need some mommy downtime. Running after a toddler is incredibly tiring! Over the weekend we got some new advice from our sleep expert. Katie refused her second nap three times in eight days - meaning she just sat in her crib and alternately talked/whined/cried/babbled. The sleep expert said she's ready to drop one of her naps. GAAH! So yesterday was the first day of One Nap Only. I tried putting Katie down an hour later than usual, as the sleep expert suggested. Poor Katie was so tired by the time 10:00 rolled around, so I put her down then. She took 30 minutes to fall asleep, had a crappy 2-part nap and woke up at 11:45. YIKES! There are a lot of hours between 11:45 and bedtime! Katie was so tired by dinnertime, poor girl. She was rubbing her eyes by 4 and her little eyes were puffy by 5, but she managed to pull through. She fell asleep after only 2 minutes in her crib when we put her down! Good job, little sweetheart!
Today, though, it's like a miracle! She slept all night with only one brief wake-up at 4:45. She woke up at 6:45 but "snoozed" until 7. I put her down at 10:15 and she was asleep within a minute. AND - she is still down and it has officially been 2 hours!!! WOOOHOOOO, go Katie go!!! I am so happy for her. She needs to take a nice long nap, it is so good for her. None of this half-an-hour stuff. I really hope this good nap will help her stay happy and awake until bedtime!
Today it is raining, so I think we'll go to the mall. I am going to try feeding Katie her lunch as soon as she wakes up, and then we'll go to the mall afterwards. That way I can sneak in another solid food feeding around 4 for snack time.
She's up, gotta run!
Today, though, it's like a miracle! She slept all night with only one brief wake-up at 4:45. She woke up at 6:45 but "snoozed" until 7. I put her down at 10:15 and she was asleep within a minute. AND - she is still down and it has officially been 2 hours!!! WOOOHOOOO, go Katie go!!! I am so happy for her. She needs to take a nice long nap, it is so good for her. None of this half-an-hour stuff. I really hope this good nap will help her stay happy and awake until bedtime!
Today it is raining, so I think we'll go to the mall. I am going to try feeding Katie her lunch as soon as she wakes up, and then we'll go to the mall afterwards. That way I can sneak in another solid food feeding around 4 for snack time.
She's up, gotta run!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Where is my Carl cutter?
Woe is me!!! I have been looking for my Carl cutter for MONTHS now. As a paper crafter, it is simply indispensable. I don't get a chance to do paper crafts much anymore since Katie was born, but whenever I have to cut a straight line I *need* my cutter!! I don't think I can explain how painful it is to even consider cutting a straight line with a SCISSORS!!! lol!!! Not to mention how difficult it is to get a perfectly straight line.
Today I was thinking about making a very simple garland for Valentine's day, out of some red and pink paper strips. I'd love to cut said strips about 1/2 - 3/4 inches wide. Do you know how perfectly and quickly I could do that with my trusty paper cutter? It would take about 1 minute to do ALL of them. WHERE ARE YOU, CUTTER??? The last time I remember using it was when I made those cute little boxes to hold tea bags at my baby shower. So, September 2010!! I have checked the garage, the office, the guest bedroom, our bedroom closet, the den, the kitchen, the dining room hutch, the laundry room...where can it be????
Come baaaaack, Carl cutter! I miss you so much!!!
Today I was thinking about making a very simple garland for Valentine's day, out of some red and pink paper strips. I'd love to cut said strips about 1/2 - 3/4 inches wide. Do you know how perfectly and quickly I could do that with my trusty paper cutter? It would take about 1 minute to do ALL of them. WHERE ARE YOU, CUTTER??? The last time I remember using it was when I made those cute little boxes to hold tea bags at my baby shower. So, September 2010!! I have checked the garage, the office, the guest bedroom, our bedroom closet, the den, the kitchen, the dining room hutch, the laundry room...where can it be????
Come baaaaack, Carl cutter! I miss you so much!!!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Parenting books
Before Katie was born, I read lots of parenting books. Some were useful, some were not. But for the most part, I was able to take one or two good things away from each book.
Since Katie's birth, it has become apparent that some of those "good" ideas were actually crap! Or at least, didn't work out at all for our family. One amusing good-idea-gone-bad was Baby-Led Weaning. The premise is to wait until your child demonstrates an interest in food (after 6 months of course), and then let her just feed herself. No baby purees, just let her eat soft pieces of real food. Well, the book said not to be intimidated by her gagging on things, but HELLO? She gagged on everything. And although I believed them when they said that gagging isn't the same as choking, and that it's perfectly normal and expected, I couldn't handle watching. It looked so unpleasant for her! Anthony and I are real softies when it comes to Katie's comfort. So we gave up Baby-Led Weaning and just spoon-fed her. What makes me kind of annoyed is that the book made it sound like spoon-feeding your baby is tantamount to stuffing food in her face against her will. Well, Katie actually likes eating from a spoon, and will open her mouth and lean forward if we aren't fast enough reloading it!
Now that she's older, of course, we let her experiment with lots of finger food. And of course, adorably, she's most interested in whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating. So I share my food with her whenever it seems reasonable (not too spicy, or salty). Go Katie go!
Since Katie's birth, it has become apparent that some of those "good" ideas were actually crap! Or at least, didn't work out at all for our family. One amusing good-idea-gone-bad was Baby-Led Weaning. The premise is to wait until your child demonstrates an interest in food (after 6 months of course), and then let her just feed herself. No baby purees, just let her eat soft pieces of real food. Well, the book said not to be intimidated by her gagging on things, but HELLO? She gagged on everything. And although I believed them when they said that gagging isn't the same as choking, and that it's perfectly normal and expected, I couldn't handle watching. It looked so unpleasant for her! Anthony and I are real softies when it comes to Katie's comfort. So we gave up Baby-Led Weaning and just spoon-fed her. What makes me kind of annoyed is that the book made it sound like spoon-feeding your baby is tantamount to stuffing food in her face against her will. Well, Katie actually likes eating from a spoon, and will open her mouth and lean forward if we aren't fast enough reloading it!
Now that she's older, of course, we let her experiment with lots of finger food. And of course, adorably, she's most interested in whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating. So I share my food with her whenever it seems reasonable (not too spicy, or salty). Go Katie go!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Thoughts on blogging
It seems that perfectionism has reared its ugly head again. There is so much I want to write about on this blog that I'm having a hard time getting started! I want to produce clear, insightful, meaningful, interesting posts on a huge variety of topics. I'm starting to realize, however, that it may be a while before I'm able to do so. Writing is an art and it takes lots of practice. So maybe it would be better to just jump in where I am, Flylady-style. (If you're not familiar with Flylady, check out her website.)
I'm thinking about writing something every weekday. I know that sounds like too much pressure, but the idea is to get into a "creative habit." (I read this in The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp.) Katie is still taking two naps a day; I could commit 10 or 15 minutes of nap time to writing.
And...it looks like that's all the time I have today!
I'm thinking about writing something every weekday. I know that sounds like too much pressure, but the idea is to get into a "creative habit." (I read this in The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp.) Katie is still taking two naps a day; I could commit 10 or 15 minutes of nap time to writing.
And...it looks like that's all the time I have today!
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