It's Vacation Time!!

We are so excited to be leaving on our first family vacation!  We are looking forward to some much needed relaxation - basically doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and hanging out with Cate.

Cate is well on her way to walking...she is still testing the limits of trying to stand on her own.  In a derailment of my baby proofing plans, she can climb up steps and now quite easily joins me in the kitchen when I am cooking.  On the upside, soon she will be unloading the dishwasher for me! She already "helps" me with the cloth diaper laundry and adjusts the volume on our receiver (always louder, somehow)...

 

This past week she weighed in at 16lbs 9oz...unfortunately, the reason we know that is because we had to see the doctor (aka, my boss) because she had a fever and had to take antibiotics for a slight ear infection.  Hopefully we won't have ear issues on the plane!  

Cate is one happy baby!!

8 months old!

Yesterday our little Cate turned 8 months old!

Last weekend we enjoyed a nice three days off.  Cate took her first dip in our pool, although it was a little chilly.  We also took an outing to a "local" (45 minutes away) cloth diaper store for their grand opening.  Hey, at least Erick got to eat at a good restaurant while were there! He was a good sport, though, and acted enthused as I talked about the different diapers!

Cate finally will do a "real" crawl with her tummy off the floor (when she feels like it).  She is also working on her standing skills.  She has had more than one bruise on her forehead where she thinks she can let go for a little longer than she really can.  She has started to move very slowly between pieces of furniture (or mom and dad).  She is also clapping and even waving! We think MAYBE she said mama one time (and Erick insists when she cried at night she was saying it, but I am doubtful!).  Unfortunately, one "skill" she has acquired is biting, especially Erick and I.  She doesn't seem to understand the concept of "no", yet, but we keep trying!  She has only bitten one of her teachers so far.

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!

Happy Easter!

The three of us made our way to the early service today at church.  After one loud "ahhhh" during the moment of silence, Cate fell asleep for the rest of the service.  We were sitting near one of the four communion stations, so a quarter of the church got to ooo and ahh over her.

                                                                                                                

Last weekend Cate started saying "ba-ba"...and I think she sneaks an occasional "da" in there.  She also managed to maneuver herself into the sitting position.

This week she really started to stand while supporting herself.  She may not be crawling, but she'll be walking in no time.

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 can...

Sit all by herself! And give kisses, and almost crawl....

Okay, so I am way overdue with a post...missed her turning 5 months old, and now we are almost to 6 months (I can't believe it!).  On Sunday, she really started being able to sit up by herself.  She doesn't pull herself up yet, but she can sit forever once you get her in that position.

She can definitely move several inches in the forward position...maybe not quite crawling, but we are guessing it will  happen this week.  She also loves to give Erick and I big wet kisses.  She will lean in with this loving little look and slobber all over us.

Cate has tried out rice cereal, avocado (loved it!), peas (fussy - won't do that again for a while!) and now sweet potatoes.

 

Everyone who sees Cate continues to just love her.  This morning when I dropped off Cate at daycare, a teacher from the classroom next door came running in and said where is little Cate?  She said the first time she saw Cate she fell in love with her because she is so interactive and interested in everything.  What can I say, we think she is perfect too :)

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!