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Katherine has discovered that some outfits include pockets. I looked over and she was grabbing some of her bagel out of her pocket. She took a bite and put it back until she was ready for her next bite. It was pretty cute.

I know it is not time for my usual long monthly post but there are just so many fun things that Katherine is doing and so many pictures that do not really make up enough material for a post on their own so they are all combining to make one long post.

The biggest milestone for the week does not have a picture to go with it. Isn’t that just the way it is? Tonight Katherine’s dinner was 100% big people food and 95% self fed. She ate green beans, lentil soup (not really soupy though), rice with cheese, ravioli, grapes and cottage cheese. Mommy helped her to feed herself the cottage cheese with a spoon. For those of you following our eating struggles, this is huge!

Every day I am amazed at how much fun it is to be the mommy of a toddler. At least most of the time, there are some frustrating moments as well, but they are a learning experience for both of us.

Bubbles - Katherine loves them. It is even one of her new words. This week she has been adding about one new word to her vocabulary each day. They include: bubbu (bubbles), baga (bagel), chesh (cheese), tee (teeth), beees (beans), buhd (bird), and woof (duh! it’s woof, like a dog). So, I thought I would be a lazy mom when I saw this bubble maker at Target. It had pictures of kids Katherine’s age making bubbles all by themselves. No mommy sick and tired of blowing bubbles. You put the liquid in the reservoir and the toddler pulls the handle causing the bubble wand to raise in front of a fan. Great idea!?!? No, it stank. I could barely get it to work and Katherine just held the handle down constantly so the bubble wand did not get any more bubble juice on it. Oh well, it has been returned.

Bag Lady - Katherine loves to carry any kind of bag around. She carries her toy purse and beach bag, her diaper bag, mommy’s purse, her lunch bog, the Easter basket, grocery bags . . . You name it, if it has a strap, she finds it and throws it over her shoulder. She will be a great shopper some day. Watch out daddy.

Trouble - I don’t think I already posted this picture. You see Hooligan is eating her food off of the carpet with an empty bowl beside it. Hmmm that is odd. I bet you can guess what happened. Katherine dumped the bowl of food on the floor. She has been told many times not to do this so guess why she is not in this picture. She is in time out.

Dress up - The other morning I was getting ready and Katherine came around the corner looking like this. She had grabbed one of my shirts out of the laundry (clean thank goodness) and tried to put it on. Her head got stuck in the arm hole instead of the head hole. She has also tried to put on mommy’s shoes. She cannot dress herself yet, but she is getting much better at helping to dress and undress herself.

OCD? - Katherine has a certain place for a few certain toys. I shared before how the Little People parrot and bunny always end up in Katherine’s kitchen cabinet. Now the Little People flamingo and x-ray fish always get put on the kitchen table. At the end of the day we put all the Little People in a basket but somehow these always make it back to their homes. I wish she was this particular about all of her toys and that their homes would be in the toy baskets.

Kisses - Today I was laying on the floor playing with Katherine. All of a sudden she came over and gave me a huge, slobbery kiss. She kept doing it over and over. I am sure it helped that we were really praising her and making a big deal of it. Then she laid on the floor and got to laughing so hard. I would tickle her and then pretend I was going to tickle her. It was so funny.

New Hair Do - Memorial Day we went to the Dallas Arboretum for a children’s concert with Sara Hickman. It was a wet day! The concert was moved indoors but we had our picnic on the lawn. It was more wet than we realized and Katherine and her cousins got quite dirty (nothing a little Biz bleach couldn’t take care of). As we were finishing our lunch, it started to pour and we all got wet. Sam and I decided to give Katherine a new hair do - a mohawk. What do you think?

 

Warning! This post does not include a picture of Katherine!!!!

This has been a great holiday weekend and it is not even over yet! It started Thursday night with a double date with our friends Jesse and Amy (La Villa Gringa Blog). We were supposed to go to Jazz Under the Stars at the Dallas Museum of Art for a picnic and evening of culture. BUT…it was pouring down rain. We both had the kids at their grandma’s house so we had to still go on a double date. We went to an Austrian restaurant in downtown Plano. I didn’t even pay attention to the name of it. It was very good. I spent a month in Vienna between my junior and senior years in college taking an Easter European literature class so I love find a good schnitzl. This one was good. Sam enjoyed a yummy sausage. It was a great evening of mature, uninterrupted conversation.

Friday Sam took the day off of work. It was only supposed to be an afternoon off, but Katherine (and therefore mom and dad) slept in. We have been going to bed way too late this week (try after 1 am every night!) so we took advantage and slept in. By the time we were up and going, Sam decided to work on his conference details from home. We dropped Katherine off at Nanna’s house again and went to the Science museum to see the Body World’s exhibit and the Museum of Nature and Science (formerly the Science Place). This is the last weekend it is here in Dallas. We really enjoyed it and recommend it if you have not gone. It was a little weird, but I thought it was very well done and very informational. Though it was sad, I think my favorite part was the pregnant woman and fetus’s because it was such an obvious argument that a fetus is a living being and therefore should not be aborted. The whole exhibit was a testament to an amazing Creator! I also like seeing the heart and different diseased or damaged hearts since my dad had just had heart surgery this month.

Today we went sailing on Lake Texoma with our community group. It was an almost perfect day to go sailing. There were clouds so it was not too hot and we did not have to worry about getting badly sunburned. There was a lot of wind so we were able to sail very quickly (almost 7.5 knots for those who know anything about nautical speeds). We docked in a cove to have lunch and a few brave souls went swimming in the cold lake. There were a few sprinkles but the major rain held off until we returned to the dock. Katherine and the other young kids stayed back at the lakehouse with a babysitter.

The rest of the weekend continues to have fun plans. Sam’s parents will be in town for dinner on Sunday and there is a childrens concert at the arboretum.

A new take on the common playground is the sprayground. Basically, a bunch of sprinklers spraying water and kids playing in it. A new one opened in our area last summer but we never went because Katherine was not yet sitting or mobile. This week we met some friends there for the first time. It was a blast. Katherine really enjoyed it. She went right out there to explore and then would come back to grab my legs. Then she would explore a little more and then run back to mommy. I have a feeling that we will be going there often this summer.  

We had our dear Gary, Alysha and their boys Ethan and Caleb over for lunch on Saturday. I met Alysha ten years ago when we went on a mission trip to Russia together and I met Gary about 8 years ago. That was long before there was a “Gary and Alysha”. They started dating not long after Sam and I. We were all in the same marriage equipping class at church and they were married a little over 2 months after us. Ethan came quickly and we told them we would catch them on the next round of kids. Sure enough we did. Katherine and Caleb are 2 months apart. We always enjoy getting together and spending quality time with one another. It is harder to do with three toddlers in tow. We have decided that at this stage we should not go out to eat but hang out at one of our houses. So, they came over. The men grilled burgers. the kids played in the yard and the women talked. Hooligan just barked, tied to a tree out of range of the kids.

My sweet little toddler is 15 months old today. I can’t believe it. Katherine, you are such a blast! This month we have had so much fun as you are able to do more and the weather has been so great and we are able to be outside and do fun things.

You are gaining independence. Sometimes I really like it and sometimes it gets you into trouble. Monday I let you walk out to the car after Mother’s Day Out (while holding my hand of course). About half way there, you decided that you wanted to go the other direction. When I kept holding your hand, you sat down on the pavement and would not move. No more independence for Katherine. I had to pick you up and take you to the car. Of course you fought getting in the car seat as well. Very frustrating. The good side of the independence is that you are now very comfortable with being left at Mother’s Day Out, the church nursery or a friends house.  

With your independence, you are also becoming an explorer. When we were at a Sunday school class picnic, you were quite comfortable with wandering to the playground and not looking back to see where mommy or daddy were. You loved the gravel and made a “dirt angel” by laying down face first and waving your arms and legs. Needless to say, you needed a bath when you got home.

Your independence also shows itself in ways that we have to discipline. Your friend Ben came over one night and you did not want to share your activity table. Look at the look on your face as you try to take it away. We have started to have to discipline you more which is not fun. Today you have gone to time out 4 times, 3 of them for throwing food from the high chair. Each meal has ended when you dropped food to Hooligan and you were taken to time out. We even moved the pack and play into the den so that it was easier to quickly exercise discipline. Another time out was for dumping Hooligan’s food on the den carpet. Notice that our main problems involve food and the dog.

Your communication is improving daily. You babble all the time. I know that you are saying a lot more than we are giving you credit for because we don’t understand all of your words. One morning you tapped daddy on the chest and said “dada, dada” That was the most clearly you have said your daddy’s name. When I was getting ready, you brought me a sneaker and said “shuuus, shuuus”. You are able to do a few more signs, but have to be coached. I am ready for you to do them on your own. You have been able to point to people’s noses for quite some time. Now you can also identify (most of the time) people’s eyes, mouth and ears. You can also sometimes point to your own nose and ears.

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You are getting a lot better at feeding yourself. I still would like for you to eat more table food and less baby food, but overall I am happy with your expanding food preferences. New favorites are what I call “Bean Medely” which consists of black beans, peas and edamame (soy beans). You also like Mexican rice and finally are eating dairy products - cottage cheese and yo baby yogurt. You still do not like meat unless it is a part of a pureed casserole and you do not like to drink mild or eat cheese. You like to try to feed yourself with a spoon. It gets really messy so I don’t always let you try it. You are surprisingly successful at getting food into your mouth. You are still nursing though we are more scheduled. You nurse between 2-4 times a day.

We went to the Dr. today for your check up. You graduated up to the standing scale. You looked so grown up and yet such the baby standing nekid on the scale.

You weighed 17 pounds 8 ounces meaning you gained 14 ounces in the last 3 months! You are still in the under 3% for weight. We had a time with measuring your height. Apparently a mistake was made last time because your measurement was a quarter inch less than at a year. They even called in a second nurse to make sure they were doing it right. So, you are now 29 1/4 inches long which is 15%. We talked a long time about how you are so small. Dr. H does not think I should worry about it because you started out small and you are hitting all of your developmental milestones right on time. You are being compared to all kids in America and since you are still nursing, you will be smaller than those who were fed formula and now love whole milk (which you do not like at all). We are to continue to try to get as much protein and fat into you so tonight I made you a yummy chicken, squash, onion and apple casserole. I even added ground flaxseed for extra protein. I hope you like it.

Almost every night we take a family walk. It is our favorite time of the day and it helps keep all of us, especially Hooligan, in a good mood.

Tonight we got caught in the rain. It started with just a sprinkle, but by the time we got home it was pretty much pouring. Katherine did not seem to mind it at all. I think she thought it was quite fun.

I ran ahead with Hooligan so I could grab the camera.

I love spring and I love our membership at the Arboretum. Kathy and I took the kids for a trip before she has baby girl this month. We thought it was a cool day, but it ended up pretty hot.

It was a lot of fun this trip since the kids are now both walking. They had a lot of fun exploring. They wanted to touch the flowers, play in the dirt, look at the fountain and for Katherine, not be in her stroller.

This was the first trip where I took Katherine to play in the frog fountains. She was not so sure about it.

When we got back into the car, the kids kept holding hands. It was so sweet. Luckily for Sammy, I know he is a good kid from a great family.

I love to get a good bargain. I am not ashamed to buy my kids clothes and toys at consignment and garage sales. I am quite proud of the great deals I find. A church down the road has a huge annual garage sal. I stopped in, mainly looking for some outdoor toys. I came out with a few other good finds. I found the Little Tikes Garden. It has been discontinued but you can buy it on ebay for $45-55 plus $20 shipping. Christy paid $15. it was supposed to be an outside toy but every time I would let the dog out, Katherine would cry if I di dnot let her go play with it. So, it now lives in our den sometimes and outside sometimes. There was a great kitchen set which I did not buy because I did not want it in the den and now I have the garden in the den.

I love to get a good bargain. I am not ashamed to buy my kids clothes and toys at consignment and garage sales. I am quite proud of the great deals I find. A church down the road has a huge annual garage sal. I stopped in, mainly looking for some outdoor toys. I came out with a few other good finds. I found the Little Tikes Garden. It has been discontinued but you can buy it on ebay for $45-55 plus $20 shipping. Christy paid $15. it was supposed to be an outside toy but every time I would let the dog out, Katherine would cry if I di dnot let her go play with it. So, it now lives in our den sometimes and outside sometimes. There was a great kitchen set which I did not buy because I did not want it in the den and now I have the garden in the den.I love to get a good bargain. I am not ashamed to buy my kids clothes and toys at consignment and garage sales. I am quite proud of the great deals I find. A church down the road has a huge annual garage sale. I stopped in, mainly looking for some outdoor toys. I came out with a few other good finds. I found the Little Tikes Garden. It has been discontinued but you can buy it on ebay for $45-55 plus $20 shipping. Christy paid $15. It was supposed to be an outside toy but every time I would let the dog out, Katherine would cry if I did not let her go play with it. So, it now lives in our den sometimes and outside sometimes. There was a great kitchen set which I did not buy because I di dnot want it in the den and now I have the garden in the den.Another great purchase was the baby doll stroller. I bought it for only $2. Katherine loves to push it around the house. Sometimes it is empty, sometimes she puts her baby doll in it and today I saw her strolling around her train! Hmmm. I don’t know what she was thinking on that one.

Strolling the train???

That’s better, strolling a baby doll

My other great purchase was the Fisher Price Little People Zoo. I paid $6 and I think it retails for over $20. It was missing 2 fences but had a few extra animals. She loves her animals from the zoo train so I knew this would be a hit. She loves her Little People just like her mama did. Nana still has our little people. Nana, we need to find those and dig them out of a closet before too long.

She carefully put all the animals and people in the zoo cages. I did not have the heart to tell her that they were all in the wrong places. Then she decided that they all needed to dogpile. One would fall off and she would carefully put it on top again.

Our best new “toy” is a bike trailer. Sam and I had talked about getting one, but I felt we did not ride bikes often enough to name it worth the expense. Well I was talking to a neighbor who has a 5 and 8 year old and told her that if they were getting rid of any outdoor toys or big items to run them by us before they sell them or donate them. She asked if we wanted a bike trailer. At REI they sell anywhere between $350 and $700. On Craig’s list they ran $75-$150. How much did we get our bike trailer for? FREE! 

Last week at church the nursery workers lined all the kids up in this special feeding table for snack time. We were working in the room next door so I gave my camera to the nursery worker to take a shot for me (that is why it is fuzzy). I think they look so cute and so funny all lined up in the table. There are literally holes in the table where seats are dropped in so they can feed all the kids at once. The Mother’s Day Out program uses it.