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!

Happy Birthday, Cate!

Cate's birthday weekend started with a party at daycare on Friday. Erick got to leave work early and go to take pictures of Cate and her friends eating cupcakes

On Saturday, we celebrated at the Navy tailgate with Auntie Jen, Uncle Phil, and some other friends.  Cate was all dressed up and we had MORE cupcakes.  She also tried to tackle a 5-year-old boy playing football a couple times...girls rule!

On Sunday Erick had a half marathon in the morning (he did very well!), so we opened gifts around lunch time.  Cate, of course, tried to chew on several of the packages, but eventually got the hang of opening her gifts.  As would be expected, she liked the box the biggest gift came in more than the gift itself!

I just can't believe how quickly Cate is growing up! She has finally learned to crawl down the steps between the kitchen and the living room...yay!! She also has other new little skills, like closing doors (sometimes with you in the room, or sometimes to keep you out). She gets into and rearranges all the cabinets (well, now Erick has childproofed all but one kitchen cabinet, which we have deemed to be Cate's).  She can even get herself down off the couch or bed, although her landing isn't that steady, so we still provide a little guidance.

Cate has about half a new tooth on the bottom, and one about to break through, so soon the top and bottom will be equal.  She still eats like a champ!

Two Steps!

Two steps could refer to a couple different things - including the area between the kitchen and living room that Cate keeps trying to dive off of - but in this case I am talking about Cate's progress walking.  A day after turning  ten months old, she took two steps on her own (at home and daycare, so we didn't just imagine it!).  Now I am not sure if we can call it walking yet, and she has taken at most three or four steps at at time, but we are getting there!

We, naturally, think she is the smartest baby ever.  Some of you have already seen her engineering mind at work...if you can't reach a book, find something to stand on and go for it!

She is also very adept at signing "more"...whether it be to get more food, read more books, or get more attention.  She also tries to sign water - it's not perfect, but not bad for a baby.  She points A LOT; I guess she hasn't quite figured out it isn't polite to point!




Cate will also eat anything.  She apparently becomes quite distraught at daycare if the other kids are eating something I haven't approved for consumption, and they usually give in and give it to her.  I can't say I blame them, she is quite persistent! And, yes, I do have a brush for this poor child, but her hair is always a mess (just like her mama's!)

Nine (and a half) months!

I have been remiss in posting a blog post, even missing out on the post-vacation post! Cate had her 9 month visit and weighed in at 17lbs 6oz and 26.5 inches.  She is eating more solids everyday...I am still trying to stick to the healthy, age-appropriate foods, but daycare is giving her all the fun stuff like beef ravioli, grilled cheese sandwiches and even cupcakes (my fault, I guess, since I brought them in for the teachers!!).  I don't think Cate has found a food she doesn't like.

Cate stands on her own for at least 10 seconds now, and loves to use a bin we got with hand-me-down clothes to use as her walker.  She cruises around the living room easily - she will definitely be walking in no time!  She still crawls easily up the steps, but we haven't allowed to her to try and master going down stairs.  She has a hard time deciding whether to walk or crawl, and we can't bear to watch her tumble head-over-heels!!

We still spend time in the pool on the weekends - Cate is certainly a water baby! She also likes to try and help Daddy play video games.  She still makes time to help with chores, though...like folding laundry!

For those of you with Facebook, we did enter her in the Gerber photo contest...you have to install a Facebook application, but you can vote daily!

http://apps.facebook.com/gerberphotosearch/entry/32737/cate.aspx

Unrelated to Cate (except for a new place for her to explore), but just as exciting...Erick finished the shower in the extension and it looks great!! 

Cate Can Swim!

Okay, she can't really swim, but she did have her first swim class.  As predicted from her love of baths, she was a natural in the pool.  She'll have four more weeks of class and then, of course, she'll have plenty of swim time at home this summer!

 I missed her 7-month update...on April 26th she was up to 15lbs 12oz.  She gained over a pound in the 3 weeks from her 6-month weigh-in!  She is starting to eat some finger-foods, including puffs and bananas, plus some waffle she steals from the older kids at daycare.

Cate has added "na-na" and and occasional "da-da" (we think?!) to her vocabulary.  She still scoots around the house, not quite wanting to lift her stomach and crawl on her knees.  Her new talent is finding anything she can to push herself up to standing, whether it is stationary or not.  Sometimes she thinks she can let go, which isn't quite the case, yet!

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.

Cate "eating"

I know I am overdue for a post, but here is a video of Cate trying to eat cereal.  I took it with my phone, one-handed, while trying to feed her, so it's not the best quality...but still cute!