Summertime

Since my last post right before 7 months, Max has started full-on crawling (including up the steps into the kitchen) and cruising! A couple days before he turned 9 months he really started standing unsupported and in the past week he has started standing from sitting without holding on to anything. He'll be walking in no time (Cate walked at 10 months).  Max grabs any movable object close to his height (including other older kids at daycare) and use it as his walking support. He also climbs on to anything he can - chairs, shelves, tables...he's not picky!

At 9 1/2 months, Max weighed in at 21 pounds, 3 ounces (60%), 27 inches (10%...maybe this is off?!) and head circumference greater than the 97%. He has a healthy appetite and has tried all kinds of food, pureed and plain ole finger food like Cheerios, avocado, peas, green beans, broccoli, pasta and even sweet potato fries! I am trying to get him to start using a sippy cup (and apparently lounge in chairs like he owns the place!). He is saying da-da, and sometimes ba-ba, ma-ma, and na-na. I think his fourth teeth on both the top and bottom are finally pushing through, so he won't be lopsided anymore!

Cate is still enjoying her gym time and we even went for a little extra time and took Max on Mother's Day. This summer she is doing tumbling only - she wasn't really enjoying the dance part of the spring class. She loves the balance beam!

Cate got all 3s (out of 3!) on this "report card" for the spring. Summer is more of a camp (vs school) type atmosphere for daycare, so more play, water time, etc. Cate will let the teachers fix her hair all fancy, but mommy and daddy aren't allowed! She has been so good using the potty. She still won't go number 2 at school, but otherwise she is great during the day and we are going on over a week with no  nighttime accidents (knock on wood). That is especially important since this is how each night starts...and sometimes it ends, too!

Cate is already listening to pop music - her favorite songs are Walk the dinosaur by Was Not Was and My Songs Know what you Did in the Dark by Fall Out Boy (not that I expect most readers of this to know those songs, but I look forward to telling her her first two favorite songs in 10 years!). The latter song was performed live on tv the other day and she made me rewind it 5 times so she could dance to it. When they played one song at the baseball game, Cate wanted to know why they didn't play her other song! We think she is going to be a little drummer when she grows up! One Saturday we went to Old Town and our little rockstar got to play on some drums!















The pool is open and Cate loves it again. Max has only been in  a few times so he's still getting his sea legs! Besides swimming, we are trying to go to as many baseball games as possible, although the heat may hold us back some this summer.  Erick is trying to get all of the Opening Day players to sign an authentic Nationals jersey for Max. They have "Signature Sundays" every home weekend, but you have to show up to find out who is signing!

 We are lucky to have such a happy little family  and Cate and Max get along so well! We have been enjoying visits from family and friends and look forward to some more this summer!

One last post...

for Cate as an only child! I am seriously overdue in writing a post. We have been super busy getting everything ready for Baby Boy Messing, and, of course, having fun with Cate! Cate has also been helping get ready for baby brother...she helped Erick put the crib together and helps me clean all his stuff! Erick has done most of the work, though, and the nursery looks great!!

Cate's going to be the coolest big sister ever!! She has even started giving my big ole belly hugs and kisses!

Cate has been enjoying a swim class through the county and swimming at our own pool this summer. She loves to splash around and jump in the pool. As with all of her other cleaning habits, she also enjoys grabbing a brush and scrubbing the side of the pool. No matter how many times she says "close eyes, close mouth, under-aqua" she does not enjoy going underwater at all!!

We have been to several baseball games this summer. Cate enjoys wearing her Nationals hat (and sunglasses, of course), but isn't a huge fan of the the yelling and clapping, yet! We have also been taking walks around the neighborhood and to the park a couple times.

Cate is finishing up her last week in the "Toddler" classroom at daycare, and moves into the "Twos" classroom after Labor Day. The teachers love her - she always wants to clean up, even if we are just getting there in the morning when she is cleaning and hasn't even played with the toys.  She really likes her current teachers, too, but has missed having some of her friends in the same class since they moved up at the beginning of the summer and I know she will be happy to be back with them.

Cate is starting to do some potty training - she will actually run in and use her little toilet for "pee-pee", especially before a shower.  She should make some progress once she is in the next class because they will work on it at daycare then, too.

Recently Cate learned how to jump and loves to jump up and down. She can identify probably a little over half  of the alphabet, is great with colors, and can count to five by herself. She always seems like she is learning new words.  She knows most farm animals, pets, and some jungle animals like monkeys (because she acts like one, of course!!) and elephants.

 

In between all of this, we have gotten to spend some time with friends and family, including my high school friend and her two kids who just loved Cate.  The little boy kept saying he wanted to squeeze her cute little cheeks...who doesn't?!

Easter and Baseball

Two posts in one month...I am on a roll!

Easter weekend was eventful. Cate started with a Easter Egg Hunt on Friday at daycare, another in the neighborhood on Saturday, and a third at church on Sunday. She was the youngest by a year and a half in the neighborhood, and the older kids let her get the easy eggs - some even gave them some of theirs. At the end we had a pizza party where the older kids were shocked to see Cate wanted the black olive pizza!

By Sunday, Cate was an expert at egg hunting. The church had the kids divided into three and younger, but Cate was much more efficient than the other kids. If she picked up an egg that was too hard to open or didn't have the  right candy in it, it was quickly tossed over her shoulder! At the end, they had a little petting zoo of ducklings, a lamb, a baby goat, and a rabbit. Both days Cate crashed and took nice long naps.

Cate may be a little too good at this egg thing...later in the week I had hard boiled eggs in my lunchbox to eat (ones we never got around to dying...maybe next year!). She proceeded to get them out of my bag and tried to open them. Instead, I gave her plastic eggs but she became distraught there wasn't anything in them!

Finally, we had the Nats Home Opener, our little family tradition. Cate pretty much went crazy for the entire game, running around - up and down aisles before the game, and through the concession area during. We got away with two tantrums, two housekeeping requests, and one encounter with a very clean glass wall. Cate learns her lesson, though - later she pointed to the wall then rubbed her head with a little frown on her face. It was a great game, with a win in 10 innings (sorry, Bill!).

Cate also had her requisite doctor's visit. Apparently drinking the ridiculous amount of milk she does has paid off...she weighed in at 23lbs, 9oz (35%), 31.5" (50%), and a 19" head circumference (95%). I am not convinced the height was right (50%, really?!!), but we have no doubt about the head size!

Six months old!

I can't believe our little Cate is already half a year old!! She is up to 14lbs 11oz now.  She isn't quite crawling yet, although she can scoot on her belly wherever she wants to go, so I am not sure at what point we can start saying it is actually a crawl.

Cate go to go to her first baseball game on Thursday (the Nationals lost, of course!).  She actually slept most of the game, and we splurged on some club level seats to keep her in out of the cold and rain.  She is looking forward to many more (warmer) games this season.

 

She has moved up to a small solid meal at daycare, and one in the evening. We just finished her peaches trial, and I think we might start bananas now (all of this is quite thrilling, I know).  Her teeth keep us guessing...last week two top teeth were definitely visible, but now they have retracted some and only one bottom tooth is visible.