Christmas Eve

Proving yet again that she is afraid of nothing and no one, Katie was a fabulous sport about Santa... Maddie was probably more excited than ever to meet the big guy and tell him her special wish (a doll house). The result? My gorgeous girls and the big guy himself...

Yes, that's a beret. Maddie told me Katie looked like a police officer. I don't disagree...

Merry Christmas wishes to everyone - I think I might be more excited for Christmas day than the kids. Can't wait to see everyone's faces for all the surprises there will be wrapped under the tree.

2011 - 'Twas a good year...

xxoo.S

Remember last Monday?

Remember when I was an actual blogger and posted things in some type of coherent order? And actually within a reasonable amount of time, so as to make my posts kind of timely and in context of actual life?

Yeah. Me neither.

So HALLOWEEN! It was on Monday. Like 5 days ago... So? What are you gonna do about it? That's right, I'm just getting around to posting about it now. AFTER my rant about Blockbuster closing down and the obliteration of an entire era of movie renting for a generation (me) and the subsequent art of living life unplanned + at the last minute (us) and the beauty of purchasing bad-for-you-food in an impulse, yet justifiable setting (REESE BITES).

I had priorities, okay?

So back to the offspring. And their Halloween stuff...

We carved our pumpkins during the chaos of Sunday afternoon football transition (aka just before the 4 o'clock games started). It was all before dinner, but after nap-time convenient like, and featured: 1) a distracted Daddy wielding a sharp knife, 2) a grumpy baby who could have TOTALLY slept for another half hour if it wasn't for her stompy, loud-as-an-elephant-in-high-heels sister, and 3) a 4 year old who was about as INTO pumpkin carving as she has been in the prior 2 years we've been foisting this tradition onto her. Which is to say, NOT AT ALL INTO IT.

Yo - this is gross, y'all.

Monday morning I got Maddie dressed up for school, only to walk back home, guzzle 2 cups of tea, get my darling Kates also dressed up (completely against her will and better judgement) and trek back to the school 15 minutes later for the Kindergarten parade. Which turned out to be possibly my favourite moment thus far in unemployment - and now I know, for the future, take Halloween day off. Because being able to attend shit like that? Is THE Awesome.

Hey Mom! Look! I'm in a parade!

The rest of the afternoon was spent with me trying to convince Maddie that, no, it wasn't time to go trick or treating yet, and no, she didn't need to wear her costume for the ENTIRE day. It wouldn't, like, negate her ability to earn candy later on or anything, if she just took off her princess dress for 5 seconds to eat her pizza. I also tried to get a cute, non-costumed-pic of the girls wearing their Halloween shirts.

It didn't work out so well... 

By the time it was late enough that the girls could actually GO trick or treating, Katie was ready to pass out. She didn't nap so well - still sick from the weekend (teeth + cankers on her tongue (eww) = horrid weekend for her + us) - so she was a bit of a zombie before and during. But zombies are in, right? And yes (because I know you're wondering), Cinderella DID come by our house and THREW UP PRINCESS CRAP ALL OVER our Maddie. If it was plastic and sparkly or light blue, she wore it.

Zombie Butterfly FTW! We are so current.

In the end, we collected enough candy that Maddie actually had to come home and trade in her swanky McDonald's happy meal bucket for another - and since I have her on a strict 2-3 treats per day ration, I expect the candy should last us right until I get the Christmas baking started.

Which means she'll be on a sugar high for approximately 7 weeks.

Saaaa-weeet.

xxoo.S

Pumpkin Patch

I'd love to say that our recent outing to the local pumpkin patch had everything to do with my Project: Happiness October resolutions... (it wasn't - well, I guess not technically, but I'm still counting it, as I'm failing miserably at this month's resolutions and I need to put a gold star up somewhere, y'know?). But the pumpkin patch trip in mid-October is our family tradition. It started waaaaay back when Miss Madds was only a teeny tiny year old, and I picked the coldest, drizzliest day of the month to rouse the Hubs up off the couch and head out to get our pumpkin. It was a grumpy start, but we all had such fun that day, 4 years ago, that it's now the Hubs that is bugging for us to go by the first weekend of October. And a tradition was born...

This year Katie did more than snooze in the baby carrier... she was all, "LOOKIT THIS STUFF! ZZZZOMG THIS! AND THIS! AND DID YOU KNOW THERE WAS A SANDBOX!?!?"

She would not.stop.moving from the moment we got there.

"Bowling" game with Daddy

Umm... dangerous spot for my toddler to be watching her big sister "bowling". 

There was a train. It was good fun.

She wanted to be just like her big sister - whatelseisnew.

Dirt. Yay, dirt.

Don't forget about the corn maze. Madds led us through to the end without one wrong turn. Methinks she's smart like Mommy.

Of course there was a tractor to drive...

And oh yeah, the pumpkin...

We had a great time and had great weather for it - so thank you Mother Nature, for letting us enjoy 2+ hours out in the crisp fall sun!

xxoo.S

First day of school

It only took me a month to write about it - not because it was traumatic in any way - life, as it does, has gotten in the way a lot, and this blog seems to be the biggest sufferer. Whatevs, no more apologies - back to the topic at hand...

Maddie's first day of junior kindergarten was August 4th. The school on our street offers both regular and "modified" school calendars - since we had heard so many great things about the modified program, we chose to enroll her in that schedule - which means we lucked out with getting the most amazing teacher for Miss Madds. She's young. She's stylish (bonus points from Maddie for all her cool belts and scarves and shoes). And she's so lovely and patient and everything you think a Kindergarten teacher should be.

So yes, kindergarten is a big shiny bright spot in our rather grey, grumpified life right now. Maddie loves it. She's learning, she's making friends, she misses it on the weekends. Pretty much the best case result for the whole "sending your child to school for the first time" scenario. Lucky = us.

How adorably cute is my firstborn on her first day?

And how adorably cute embarrassing is this exchange between us - right before we walked her to school for the very first time:

Me: So - when we get to the gate, you will go in with the other kids to line up for school. Mommy and Daddy will say bye to you at the gate.

Maddie: {silence}

Me: But that doesn't mean we won't be thinking about you the whole time you're at school. We'll miss you while you're there and we'll be there to pick you up as soon as you're done.

Maddie: Mommy, you won't be sad that I'm gone. Don't cry, okay Mommy?

Me: Umm.... well, I might be a bit sad. But it's a happy sad. I won't cry Maddie. I mean..... well, I'll try not to cry, okay? I will miss you though. Such a big girl, going to school. It's a big step. Mommy is very proud of you, boo.

Maddie: Mommy, I'll be right back, okay? You don't have to miss me. And don't cry, okay Mommy?

For all those friends that knew me, way back when, whoever thought I'd be counseled by a three year old not to shed emotional tears - yes?? Jeebus...


xxoo.S

12 Months

Dear Katie,

Oh my Lady Katharine. My Katiebear. My Kates. We made it - one year. I was worried you know, about how I'd handle two. I was worried there wasn't enough of me to go around I was worried that somehow our little family dynamic would be changed and upset by the addition of another.

What the hell was I worried about? It's like we were waiting for you!

You, my little grumpy little troll baby from the get-go.

You, my aggressive little miss who has scratched the shit out of both yourself and everyone within your reach.

You, who has managed to wrap everyone in the house around your teeny tiny little finger (including Seamus, who clearly has a soft spot for your cheeky little self).

You, who melts my heart with every belly laugh you give me. You make me work hard for those. The toughest sell I've had to dance for. So when I manage to garner a giggle, it's a triumph.

I couldn't have had two more different girls if I tried. Of course, you're just as clever, charming and gorgeous as your sister. But that's where the similarities end.

Where she is more cautious, you charge in, bull-like in your temperament. Headstrong you both are, yes, but you, are now, and will (likely) always be the louder, more insistent bull in the house (says the alpha bull - yes, I'll concede, you win my dear).

This may also just be a side-effect of your enthusiastic adoration of your older sister. Anything Maddie does, you want to do. Whatever she's eating, you (loudly) insist on sharing. You watch her so closely, wanting to play with whatever she has, whatever she's doing - it's been fun to watch how much sisters can teach each other (already). Patience. Sharing. Learning-absorbing-emulating.

And because of this, you do so many things earlier. Call it second-child syndrome - or is it because you just insist on it? You eat whatever we eat at meals - forget the baby food - that's been passe for a while now. You're climbing stairs. You're taking baths in the big tub. You roam around the backyard and play with whatever you can possibly get your hands on.

You are a one year old going on twelve. The attitude. The opinionated little grunts and screeches. The faces you make when you don't like something (or when you do - the beam is ear-to-ear).

And yet... you are still such my baby. More of a Mumma-suck than I could ever imagine. I love that you love me so much. Only I can snuggle you to happiness when you have your grump on. And when it's time for bed I'm the first one you come looking for, tugging at my leg and give me the "eat eat" sign (yes, this means a bottle in our world).

Ah, the communication - it's amazing how quickly it grows once it starts. Your first word was "tickle tickle" (which is so hilariously random) - but to that repertoire you're added "Dada" (for Daddy), "Mama" (for Mommy), "Duh-Duh" (for doggie), "Ah Dun" (for all done - and this was early! Food, the great motivator), "Hai!" (for hi, duh!), "Dat!" (for that - as in, "what's that?" or "lookit that!"), and "Nuh nuh nuh" (that one's no - every baby's fave). You also know the signs for "more", "eat", "water" and "all done". Oh, and you high five like it's no one's business. (That's kind of a requirement for our house, much to Daddy's dismay)

I can't believe a year has gone by. And soon I head back to work, and you off to daycare. And with that a whole load of new experiences for you to have, without me always by your side. I hate to think of this time ending, and yet, I know you'll be ruling the roost over there within a week, so I don't worry about you. Too much, anyways.

We love you so much my little Katiebear. Your strong-will. Your sloppy open mouth kisses. Your outraged shrieks when dinner isn't on the table fast enough.

All of it. All of you.

Love.

Love,

Mommy

Eleven Months

Dear Katiebear,

I know I say it every month, but holy crap, you are ELEVEN months old. That's almost a year. Which means Mumma is very behind on party planning. And also means our gorgeous vacation-style life of me being on mat leave and getting to spend every minute with you will soon be coming to an end. Let's not think about that right now...

Instead, let's talk about what a little lady you are becoming. Oh. My. Word. You are a master crawler and a bit of a curious cat. You like getting into almost anything you can. You LOVE to play with your sister's toys (she may not love this however), you love playing with Seamus' toys (who is far more willing to share, but ew, gross Katie, GROSS) and you love to climb things (like the stairs, any chance you get, usually while I'm making dinner, and giving me heart attacks - stop that too, okay?).

Along with crawling, you also love walking behind pretty much anything you can push. The little pushcarts we have specifically for this purpose. Or your piano. Or Maddie's shopping cart. Or even your exersaucer (which isn't on wheels, and therefore is a bit of a feat in itself - you little tank!).

Your newest trick is to be standing at your piano, look at me with a devilish grin, and then just "let go". While you stand there, wobbling and wavering for about 5-10 seconds (before you eventually lose your balance and have to go down to your knees), you look at me with this utter self-satisfactory grin on your face, as if to say, "Look Ma! No hands!". It makes me laugh. Every single time. Oh, you are going to be walking soon I think.

Your other trick that makes me laugh to no end is what I call your "puppy dog trick". You've learned to carry things around (like a random Little Person or the Wii remote cover), it's easier to just pop it into your mouth and crawl that way. And then you look up at me, give your head a little shake, as if to say (again), "Look Ma! No hands!" and then you belly laugh. Usually in response to me laughing. Because dude - you're not a dog! Stop carrying things around in your mouth! But also? Too funny.

So yes - not only are you curious and bombing around all over the place, you're also developing a great sense of humour. Doing your "jokes" and whatever it takes to get a laugh. We have another clown on our hands and that suits me just fine. Because you know what? Funny is good. Always.

You love our kitchen dance parties, where I turn up the music and you take turns with your sister getting twirled around to the latest on the radio. You love playing outside - crawling all over the grass and trying to get to wherever your sister is playing (usually on the slide or a swing and you want to be right there in the action). You love watching her at ballet or swimming - your eyes shine while I see you picking her out of the crowd of kids and you track her every movement.

As for eating - well, you pretty much eat whatever we're having for dinner, along with a kicker of some kind of baby food. You still have no teeth and I have no idea when they'll finally get here (I gave up watching for them, as I spent 5 long months doing that with your sister and it just wasn't worth it, they'll get here when they get here) ... but it means you are still a bit limited in diet. Not that we haven't given you steak (which you loved - medium rare of course) - but I'd so love for you to have some teeth so I could feel like you could actually chew/bite something. So, yeah, work on that, would ya?

What else is there to say? You are my funny, jokester, crazy brave/scary inquisitive baby who is a big mom-suck. And I'm not going to lie - I love that you light up like crazy when I walk in the room. I love you too my dear - very, very much. And I can't wait to see the little person you grow into - already so clever and funny - so like your sister and so different at the same time.

Happy eleven months, our little Katiebear.

Love,
Mommy

Where do I even begin?

I hate when I have to do a massive catch-up post after being away for so long (away from here, not away on holiday - because, oy, that wouldn't be something I'd whine about). It's annoying and boring. But, I do have that OCD drive to actually "document our lives" and all ... so here goes:

THIS is why I've been so quiet of late. We are living through renovation hell. Notice, if you will, the two different wall colours going on. The grey on the right is the "new" paint colour. The horrible peach/beige on the left is old, and going (eventually - it's hard to make progress when you're painting in one hour segments). The basic builder's oak railing? Currently sanded within an inch of it's life and awaiting the next step - which is a dark stain on the handrail and white paint on the spindles. Our stairway has been a debacle for going on 30+ days. I think the hubs is ready to kill me - and yet, I don't see him grabbing any sandpaper to help get the job done, so he can bite me.

Add to that, our basement is currently being framed and there's hardwood going in on the main floor any day now. Yes, we decided to make almost every floor of our home unlivable whilst on mat leave, home with 2 kids. We are SO smart. Just promise me, when all is said and done, and I post my after pics you'll tell me how lovely everything looks and how worth it, it was. Because that's the mantra that just keeps running through my head right now to keep my sanity in check.

In other news...

• Maddie had her kindergarten orientation where she met her teacher and got a goody bag and pretty much proved to me that she was growing up whether I liked it or not so I decided to try and embrace it and stopped referring to her as "my toddler". Her therapist 20 years from now thanks me for this concession.

She wasn't the only red-head in her kindergarten class - but she was the cutest!

• Our dog Seamus has decided, with all the banging of the renos and the chaos that comes with a crawling baby, he would rather try his luck elsewhere ... so his new trick is to BOLT out the front door whenever someone opens it. Which, when you're hosting various workers and tradespeople in your home, is often. Which also means, my neighbours are now well-acquainted with my pj wardrobe (yes, I'm wearing pj's while strangers traipse in and out of my house - who gets dressed before noon on mat leave? am I right??), and Seamus may have given me about 8 heart attacks just last week by crossing the road during the 9am school rush. Dog for sale.. anyone want a dog?

Puppy dog eyes don't work with me - Imma gonna kick his ass.

• We got blessed with gorgeous weather this weekend - which meant outdoor play. Katie is a master crawler now and just bombs all over the yard looking for more dog toys to chew on. Mmmmm, orange road hockey ball covered in dirt - you are so delicious! I love our backyard in the summer. It's not big, but we've kitted it out enough that it's fun for the kiddies. And now... more photos...

Watching Daddy get the pool ready

Katie's first pool experience. Unlike Maddie, there were no tears - and we call her a grump!?

What IS it with babies + sunglasses?

SO flippin' cute!

xxoo.S

Content

Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age...or maybe it was the two glasses of wine with dinner - but I had the urge to share: I am content. More than that - right now, in this exact moment in this sliver of time, I'm feel lucky. Fortunate. Just...happy.

Is that really effing annoying to write? Are you reading this rolling your eyes and snorting with disdain? If so, I'm sorry... because there's more...


We spent the weekend building a playset. This big cedar swingset / fort / slide / picnic table. It is, in a word, effing AWESOME. And fits so perfectly in the back corner of our backyard it's almost hard to imagine that it was never there.

Except for the sore arms. And backs. And just pure body exhaustion that comes from two full days of hard graft. But it's a good tired. A "job-well-done" kind of tired.

And I can already foresee hours upon hours of happy playtime for my girls. And that? Is one of the reasons I'm so content.

And thank you to Gramma and Grandpa Vallier for visiting this weekend and helping us get the monstrosity up. We couldn't have done it without your help.

My girls are happy.

And so am I.

Happy Sunday,

xxoo.S

Hippity Hop

Easter came for two little girls this year. While Katie (obviously) didn't participate in the egg hunt this year - she loved watching Maddie (her favourite past-time anyways) and I had visions for next year's Easter already. Maddie got her "little Rapunzel" she so desperately pined for this past month. Katie got a new ball for the backyard and some Crayola baby markers to call her own.

The Easter Bunny even set a tea party to create more ambiance! What a clever bunny!

 My childhood dollhouse has a little balcony on one side - from which "little Rapunzel" hung her hair all morning.

Matching dresses and white cardis - I love Easter. Also - say hi to a random Seamus pic - we took several "family" pictures before I thought about including the poor little scruff.

Hope your weekend was just as enjoyable!

xxoo.S

Well, she hit that milestone

We (myself and the girls) spent the past week away visiting family in Kingston. As Maddie would say, "We visit lots of people's houses!" - yes, it was a busy visit, as it so often is, but luckily the kids didn't get totally wrang-y - as so often happens when we're sleeping at different houses, off schedule and such.

And... while we were away - although Katie didn't start the massive milestone of crawling, she did pop out her first "word"! (Yes, she's been saying da-da-da and ba-ba-ba and the rare ma-ma-ma - but really? I don't know if these really count).

This was clear. It was definitive. It was... "NO!" (in the face of being licked to death by my mom's overly zealous dog) - accompanied by a head shake and push away.

Well, we knew she was going to have some strong opinions, of course her first word is no.

(So was mine.)

I haven't heard a "NO" since (maybe that means she's been happy?) - but then I shared the "tickle tickle" game with her (a made-up game I play with Madds - tickling up her leg to a different body part each time, while you say, "tickle tickle tickle...... belly! [or whatever place you end up]" - yes, that does sound weird trying to explain it). Anyhoodle - she thought the game was bloody hilarious and belly-laughed her way through it. And now? Randomly, out of nowhere, she'll just start saying "tickle tickle". Yes, it's very mumbly and she sticks her tongue out whilst doing it (damn, I gotta get video of it because it's really the cutest thing ever) - but it's clear and she gets a massive grin if you say back to her, "tickle tickle!".

Yes, she's a flipping genius.


Of course she is. Was there any doubt?

xxoo.S

Nine Months

Dear Katie,

Oh, what a month my little Katiebear. It's been stressful to say the very least.

We spent the month trying to fatten you up as much as possible - on strict doctor's orders. You moved from solely breastfeeding to solely bottle-feeding (you dealt with this far better than I did). And you moved away from jarred foods into the table-food arena of eating. This proved a bit challenging, because as much as you dislike the purees, your gummy chewing abilities still have a ways to go before we're offering you steak and the like.

However - we learned that you LOVE avocado when mixed with a bit of tomato and cream - guacamole for beginners. You also love broccoli, little hunks of overcooked carrot, pasta (any kind of pasta - avec beurre svp), salmon, yogurt and RASPBERRIES. Oh, how you love raspberries. Then again, they are the best fruit imaginable - so I totally get it.

Daddy and I did the unimaginable and left the country for 4 whole days this month. Grandma & Grandpa V and Bucky came up to take care of you and your sister. Apparently you were a sweetheart, taking your bottles like a pro, sleeping far better than you ever do for us, and enjoying the attention lavished upon you. It was so hard to leave - if it wasn't a free trip to Mexico in the final throes of winter, I'm not sure I would have gone. Again, I took it much harder than you did. You independent little thing.

This month also brought about your obsession with walking. Any chance you get, you'll grip onto my fingers and just start motoring towards whatever/whoever tickles your fancy. You've gotten quite good and can even stand for a second or two unassisted before starting to topple. I keep encouraging you to use the little push-walker, but you have absolutely no interest as of yet.

That being said - crawling is still a non-issue. You are starting to roll and scoot a bit more - but crawling seems like it may never happen. My back needs a break from all the assisted walking though - so we'll be "working on" your crawling this month...

Because - oh the frustration! You know when you want something. And to watch the frustration in your face when you flail and "air swim" to try and get there - oh it's comical and yet endearing, because you, my love, have a Temper. Yes, mastering the ability to craw would make everyone much happier I think.

You have also started "talking" so much more. We hear "da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da" all day long. I get the odd ma-ma-ma-ma -- usually when you're annoyed or grumpy or upset about something. "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba" has started to come out often too - I'm not sure if you mean bottle just yet, or just making sounds - but it's amazing to watch the words starting to form. You are going to be a chatterbox just like your sister - I'd bet the farm on that.

You're also learning sign language and you're already signing "all done" and "more" quite well - not consistently, but definitely when you want to get your point across. And you love the baby signing classes - you flirt with the teacher and try to "kiss" the little boy sitting next to you - I wish we had more baby classes to take you to, as you so love being around little ones your age.

Oh my Katiebear - you are turning into such a little girl - still so much baby, and yet I can see your personality poking through more and more and more.

I can't wait to see what this month brings - you are our sunshine - filling up the days with brightness.

Now, just learn to sleep, would you? Please?

Love,
Mommy

Wordless Wednesday - Sisterly Love

Now that's a precious moment...

xxoo.S

Seven Months

Dear Katie,

What to say this month? Your personality is getting stronger and louder and more growly (yes, growl-y)... I think we're going to have our hands full with you. Is it possible there's a stronger, more stubborn, more opinionated person in this household than me? I think, perhaps, yes...

Having been on solids for over a month there's still nothing that makes you crazy happy - no little bird with her mouth wide open here. Most meals are spent with you fussing or groaning or (yes) growling your way through it. You are (marginally) happier if you have your own spoon to play with - and you shut the hell up if we give you something in the mesh feeder or a cookie or some other self-feeding/gnawing item. What with all this behaviour and your tendency to grab desperately at anything on my plate or within reaching distance while on my lap, my conclusion is this: I think you're D.O.N.E. with the baby food. Trust me kid - I can't wait I can just throw some things on your tray and let you go to town --- but I'm pretty sure you need to be eating the pureed stuff a bit longer. We'll see - I recently acquired a baby food mill and with that means you can start eating (or getting a taste of) what we're eating. Mmmmmmm!

I'd love to say that all this eating and nursing every couple of hours means you're busting out of your clothes - but nope. You're tiny. Alarmingly so, in fact - and so we will have another appointment with the doctor next week to check your weight again and see if you've managed to get back on the growth charts you so recently fell off of. That being said - you don't LOOK small. You're still roly poly and have chunkamonk thighs - but the scale says what the scale says...


In other, happier news - you added a new skill this month. SITTING. You love to sit and pay with an assortment of toys around you. Rarely falling backwards anymore - I still put the pillow behind you just in case - but you'll sit without toppling for an hour at a time. This also means you're within licking distance of the dog - luckily you and Seamus are developing a lovely little bond - you protest his "kisses" far less than the washcloth cleaning your face after a meal.

The sleep - well, it's still up and down. We've done a bit of sleep training this month, because the hour long routine of rocking/walking/patting of the bum was getting a bit - tiresome - to say the least. And so you've cried far more than you or I or Daddy would like. It's not been fun. And you are STUBBORN. You fight sleep. You hate to see someone leave your room. You protest it all. LOUDLY. Oh Katie - please just learn to love sleep like the rest of us do. Because damn... I need to buy shares in cover up for the dark circles beneath my eyes.

We're going to be starting baby sign language class. I loved this with your sister and I think it would be a nice change for us to go to a class where there's other babies, instead of being carted around to 3 year old classes/groups. And you're already so interested whenever I'm signing to you - such a smart girl...

That is you my Kates - strong willed (already), stubborn (already), but still an absolute sweetheart that loves to flirt with Daddy, throws her arms up in the air and grunt/smile/grunt whenever I walk in the room, and smile while reachreachreaching for Maddie whenever she's near.

Just making yourself known... I get it. And love you for it.

Love,
Mommy

PS - the eye colour? Is still kind of changing - sometimes it's grey, often it's hazel, and sometimes (thankfully rarely) it's a light brown... Don't think it's decided just yet. But blue? Not even on the radar anymore...

She survived

Katiebear that is - she survived. Go Hubs at keeping daughter #2 alive and well and (relatively) happy for 24 hours! And a big shout out to the MIL for playing wingman and helping out - I know he couldn't have done it without you!

The highs? When she was happy, she was very very happy... she played, she smiled, she flirted. The lows? She refused every.single.bottle. Apparently they tried hot, they tried cold, they tried cold with ice. It was served in 4 different types of bottles (including the "just like breast!" Tommee Tippee bottle I picked up the day before I left - guess what Tommee? You're not just like breast and Katie HATES you!).

The kid hates bottles. This is definitely a "chalk one up for the parenting fail" column ... we were lazy in early months and she's stubborn.

Instead she ate A LOT of cereal. Cereal all day. Cereal before naps. Cereal at 12:30am when she woke up looking for some comfort.

And how did she repay all these efforts? By sleeping thru until 7am. Yay them. They got more sleep than I did. Stupid hard uncomfortable hotel mattress...

And so experiment in MommaFreedom worked. You can in fact leave a 6 month old with 2 very capable adults for full 24 hours. She will survive and you don't (necessarily) have to drink your way through coping with the guilt.

But the cosmos tasted oh so good...

xxoo.S

PS - I'd post a recap of my weekend with the ladies - but really, all you need is a nutshell: Spa=relaxation. Shopping=FUN. Drinking/Laughing/Primping in hotel room=hilarious. Dinner in private room=delicious and fancyschmancy. Dancing=lame as fuck (not because we're old, but because the DJ was horrible).

But didn't we all look purty?

Six Months

Dear Katie,

This post is exactly a week late - sorry about that... but you see, that's what happens when your six month birthday falls 2 days before Christmas. While we're all sick. And it's Maddie's last day of daycare for the year. And I have an Open House to make food for.

But enough with the excuses already...

You, my dearest chubby monkey Katiebear, are six months old. SIX! That's halfway to a year and it's all happened so quickly - where did my darling little grumpy troll go? Although you still let out a good ol' grooooooannnn every once in a while, for the most part the grumpiness is far behind us.

Left in it's place is a happy, content, thoughtful little baby. You smile your dimpled little cheek at anyone who pauses and says hello. Never are you happier than sitting in someone's lap while you watch all the action - specifically your sister as she bops around playing and chatting.

You're still pretty stingy with your giggles though missy - how hard are you going to make us work for it??

You hit a big milestone this month, starting solids! After noticing your increased interest in anything I may be eating, I started thinking we should start soon. Then after a lunch out at Kelsey's early this month, wherein you grabbed pieces of salad off my plate and tried to shove them in your mouth - well, let's just say I stopped and grabbed some rice cereal on the way home. You're already up to two meals a day - and so far everything gets eaten, but nothing has been a clear winner. Butternut squash seems to be your favourite thus far - but with all the preparations for Christmas, I haven't really had a chance to make a lot of food for you yet - we'll see what you think about cauliflower or turnip later this week... yum!

Another milestone you accomplished this month is rolling - as of December 20th in fact - you can now roll from your belly to your back whenever you damn well please. Interestingly though, after mastering this skill, you've since abandoned all interest in it. Fickle little thing...

Sleep is still a relatively non-issue. You stopped wanting (or allowing) to be swaddled this month... and so you sleep in a mixture of back and belly - depends on you, depends on me, depends on what position you get yourself into throughout the night. Lately you've been awakening far more at night, but I'm trying to just attribute that to the ridiculous cold that is making it's way through our house and not because you have decided to no longer enjoy sleeping in 8 hour stretches... oh lordy, please don't be changing that up, because that? That, was niiiiiiiice...

Other stuff you do now that you didn't do a month ago:

• Bang things off other things. 
• Reach out and grab stuff - pretty much anything within reach while sitting in your bumbo at the table. 
• Get really annoyed if I take something away from you or move it out of reach (like my coffee cup - lady, it's hot - trust me you don't want it). 
• Say "da-da-da-da-da" all the time and (just recently) "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma". I'm not getting too excited, I'm sure you don't really mean me, but still - love hearing the first sounds!

We've started sign language with you - milk, more, please, sleep and eat - you watch me so intently, I love that you look like you know exactly what I'm trying to teach you. And already you are doing the milk sign, or are you just flexing your fist? I'm not sure - but we'll lean towards genius prodigy and say, you're signing already!

Sitting up is the next step - you love trying to keep your balance and playing toys with your sister. I expect the novelty of having a younger sibling is going to wear off shortly once you're able to really get in there and take the toys away from her. I say - go to it - she needs a lesson (or 500) in sharing anyways. And when all else fails - just pull her hair!

 Love you my clingy little spidermonkey. My grunty little troll. My smiley, dimply little Katiebear.

Love,
Mommy

PS - I think the jury's in on your eye colour - from dark blue on the outer rings, to a bit of green and then light brown closest to your pupil. I think you, my darling, officially have hazel eyes. And yes, they're gorgeous.

PPS - Ugh - I realize just how idiotic my pics look as I MIS-SPELLED "month". L-a-m-e.

I could blame it on the Hubs and my mom being in the room and distracting me with all their "She's gonna fall!" exclamations (not like I haven't been doing this every month for the past six).

Or I could blame it on being sick and tired and rushed and trying so hard just to get the photo DONE already.

Or I'm a just a jackass.

I did have it spelled correctly in the first pic, before she kicked them all over the place... really. Honest, I did.

Resemblance

This was supposed to be a Wordless Wednesday post - wherein I posted a bunch of baby pics and sat back and relished in the feeling of proving once and for all that at least one of my daughters actually looks like me... and well... well, here you go...

 The Hubs - looking all smiley and baby-like...

 My ladybugs - also looking all smiley and baby-like

And then there's me...

(can you hear the sad "womp womp" trombone sound?)

xxoo.S

At least she's not crying...

We broke our record of crying for Santa this year. Instead Maddie just went mute and stared at him in horror at every attempt he made to chat with her. But she did give him a high five and managed to hold back the tears while sitting on his lap.

Katie remained oblivious the entire time - just stared at me like, "Dude - when are you going to get me out of this dress? I'm over the dress, okay?"

If you're wondering about the look on Maddie's face, this is the absolute closest we could get to a smile out of her. I think Tyra would be proud - she's clearly smizing for the camera!

xxoo.S