Progress Report

Here is a picture of Mommy and me on Monday morning, right before Mommy left for her substitute job. I forgot how crazy mornings are around here when Mommy works! We are both glad this job is only for one week.

Monday, yesterday, and today I have been staying with Miss Toni. She is so nice to me, but I'm still having a hard time being away from Mommy. Yesterday when Mommy came to pick me up, Miss Toni was pushing me around her house in a stroller. That seemed to be the only thing that would calm me down. Mommy and Daddy say we are so blessed to have a childcare provider who will do whatever it takes to meet my needs!

Playing at the Park

Friday night we met the Ortiz family at a local park. It is the perfect sized park for little babies and toddlers.

I was so excited about this trip because Mommy and Daddy put me in a playground baby swing for the first time! If you look closely, you can see the wind whipping through my hair.

Daddy took me on a ride in the real big girl swing, too!

I was also excited about this trip because I love the Ortiz family! Every time we get together with them I have so much fun. Uncle Oscar is always super sweet to me (see pic below), Aunt Tara knows just what toys I like to play with, and Preston and Ian are great play partners.

Unfortunately, our fun was cut short by mosquitos (you can kind of see Mommy's wrist and tricep bites here) and bedtime. I'm looking forward to my next park outing, though!

Movie Monday

Telling Bailey Like It Is

Pulling Up

Sunday Best

No, your eyes do not deceive you. This is a repeat Sunday outfit!

Mommy was really hoping she could get me into this dress one more time before I outgrew it, and today was the perfect opportunity since it was so unseasonably warm.

She also couldn't resist trying this smocked bonnet out on me. It was a gift from one of my great-great-aunts. As you can tell, I wasn't really wanting to cooperate with this cutie thing.

It's a good thing Mommy takes pictures of me before we go to church. Due to an unfortunate accident with a dirty diaper, this is what I was wearing by the time I made it to the nursery...

It's another good thing that Mommy carries a change of clothes in my diaper bag.

It was Mommy's week to be in the nursery, so I started out doing great. In fact, I almost made it through the whole service without a meltdown. But, right before service was over I noticed that Mommy was holding another baby and giving him a bottle. Can you believe it?! Aunt Tara offered to walk around with me so that I would not have to witness such a travesty.

And speaking of travesties, Mommy informed me of another one today. She is going to be substituting in a first grade class all week long!

This is how I feel about that news.
On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I will stay with the lady who kept me last school year. Daddy will hang out with me on Thursday. Auntie will be my pal on Friday.

I am going to miss Mommy so much. She says she is going to miss me, too!

You don't have to worry, though. She helped me schedule blog posts in advance for this whole week.

Mimi and Poppy's

Last night I went to dinner at Mimi and Poppy's. When I arrived, Mimi showed me this awesome toy box she bought.
It will hold all of the toys and books I play with at Mimi and Poppy's house. It is also the perfect height for me to practice my pulling up skills!

"You mean all of this is for me?"

(Mimi is rolling up my pants because I don't have enough waist or booty to hold them up!)

Show Us Your Life: Desserts

The Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life topic this week is desserts. Mommy rocks at these! She says she could bake desserts every single day...and then eat every single bite all by herself.

She is the go-to women for desserts in our family, with the most requested dessert being carrot cake.

Here is her recipe:

For the Cake
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups grated carrots
1 (8-oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
½ cup chopped pecans

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into a large bowl. Add the sugar, oil, and eggs, mixing well. Stir in the carrots, pineapple, and pecans. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the layers test done.

For the Frosting
¾ cup butter, softened
12 oz cream cheese, softened
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ (1-pound) packages confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ cup chopped pecans
Zest of 1 orange

Cream the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in a mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar gradually, beating well after each addition. Stir in the pecans and orange zest. May add a small amount of orange juice to achieve desired spreading consistency.

To assemble: Spread the frosting between each layer and over the top and side of the cake.

Again, Mommy apologizes for not having pictures of this tasty treat. I will try to remind her to get that camera out when she makes it for Grandma's birthday next month.

Oh noooo!

I just sat down to write about my trip to the Farmers Market with Mommy and Daddy. When I went to pull the pictures off my memory card, though, they were gone!

Mommy and I are so sad because we finally took a really great picture together.

Daddy said he would see if he can salvage anything when he gets home. I sure hope he can!

Baby Bookworms

Yesterday, Mommy and I went back to the library for Baby Bookworm story time. It was even more fun than last time!

The librarian read 3 nursery rhyme books to us, and then she pulled out the most wonderful toys ever! There were rubber duckies, juggling scarves, ribbon streamers, and the crawling tunnel.

The duckies capture my interest first. I loved chomping on them.

There was a big Mama ducky and 3 little baby duckies. I told Mommy she needs to add these to my bath toy collection.

After I played with the ducky for a while I crawled over to the tunnel. Mommy though I was just going to sit at the opening again...

but I suprised her!

I saw another baby on the other end of the tunnel and I crawled through it to get to him. Mommy was so proud of me!

I spent a good 10 minutes crawling in the tunnel, and then I discovered this scarf.

It's a good thing the librarian cleans all of the toys after each Baby Bookworm session.

I can't wait to go back in 2 weeks!

Pack and Play

This morning I played in my Pack and Play for the very first time! When I was an itty bitty baby I slept in the PNP in Mommy and Daddy's room, but I never knew you could play with toys inside of it.

I had a blast in there for about 10 minutes...then I was ready to get out.

Mommy says this will be a safe, doggy-free place for me to play when she is working with hot food in the kitchen.

Yay!

I would like to say "welcome" to the newest members of Team Pink!

Do you remember these two?

Well, they found out today that they are having a girl!! I am so excited that I will have another bow head for a friend!

In fact, Mommy and I are off to make Baby Girl Headley's first bow right now...

Happy Fall, Y'all!

I sure did love the first day of fall! I enjoyed the cool weather by taking Mommy and Daddy for a walk this evening. When we came back home, Daddy opened up lots of windows to let the lovely air blow through the house. It was marvelous...until Daddy tried to give me green beans for dinner. Shouldn't I have had pumpkin or squash in honor of this glorious day?

Here is a picture of me chilling with Daddy in the ISP studio. We were back there today so Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle Dan could film the next set of video annoucements for our church. I'll ask Daddy if I can post one of the videos when he finishes the editing!

Different Kind of Day

Today was a hodge-podge kind of day. You know...a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

I spent the morning with Daddy while Mommy went to a substitute teacher orientation. Daddy played with me, got me dressed, put me down for my nap (that I didn't want to take), and took me to Target and a computer store.

Then, we went up to the church to meet Mommy. She had some office work to do I (literally) hung out with her in the Moby while she ran copies and sent out letters.

Mommy and I came home in the mid-afternoon. She tried to put me down for a nap, but I still didn't want to take one. So, we just played together for the rest of the afternoon.

My nap mini-strike was starting to catch up with me in the early evening, so Mommy took me outside to play in the grass. I love grass!

Since I wasn't really into naps today, I was awake from 10:00 in the morning until I went to bed a little after 7:00 in the evening. I have never, ever been awake for that amount of time. Mommy and Daddy were amazed at my ability to fight off sleep!

Sunday Best

This morning I wore one of my best colors to church...brown. I know that's not really a color that comes to mind when you think of baby clothes, but it sure does look good on me! This little cutie dress came from Grandma and Grandpa.

Can you tell I wasn't in such a great mood? Mommy thinks it's partly because I was up a lot more than usual last night and partly because that silly tooth is still trying to come in. Whatever the reason, I was a real Kate-a-saurus this morning.

I was only in the nursery for about 30 minutes before I decided to scream my cutie little head off. Mommy said she could hear be from quite a distance! As soon as I was in her arms, though, I calmed down.

After Mommy cuddled and walked with me for a while she thought I would be okay to go back in the nursery without her. Boy, was she wrong! As soon as she walked away I started up Scream Fest 2. So, needless to say, Mommy spent another Sunday in the nursery with me.

You will be glad to know that I was a brand new baby after a good afternoon nap! Mommy, I promise I will love the nursery one day. Then you'll be sad that I am happy without you!

Playing with Daddy

Daddy is so funny! Every time I play with him he makes me laugh and laugh and laugh. I think Mommy is a little bit jealous that she doesn't have the same funny factor.

Here I am laughing at Daddy this afternoon.

Moving Day

Auntie moved in with us today! That means I got a new puppy to laugh at, Mommy's wardrobe doubled, and Daddy has a new partner in comedic crime. It's a win-win-win situation!

Here are a few pictures of me working hard to help Auntie move in all of her stuff.

"Let's see...I think I'll try on the red ones first."

"Yep. Looks sturdy, guys!"

"Don't worry about the last load. I'll get it."

"Welcome home, Auntie. Welcome home."

Show Us Your Life-Dinner Recipes

This week the Show Us Your Life topic on Kelly's Korner is dinner recipes.

Currently, my favorite dinner recipe is for Butternut Squash and Applesauce Puree.

2 ounces pureed butternut squash

2 ounces applesauce

Mix in glass bowl. Serve with spoon. Save some on chin for later.

I thought this recipe was so delicious at dinner tonight, but Mommy says most of my readers would probably disagree. So, I decided to share one of Mommy and Daddy's favorite recipes. It is from a Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade collection.

Chicken Ravioli with Ancho Cream Sauce

2 packages (9 ounces each) refrigerated chicken and roasted garlic ravioli

1 jar (16 ounces) Alfredo sauce

1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 and 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook ravioli according to package directions. Drain well; return to hot pot. Cover; keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine Alfredo sauce, tomatoes, chile powder, and poultry seasoning. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; reduce heat to low.

Toss warm ravioli with sauce. Remove from heat. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.

I apologize for not having a picture of these recipes. Mommy has never had a reason to take pictures of the food she cooks!

Baby Legs on the Cheap!

Check out these new leg warmers Mommy and I picked up at Target the other day. These are great for protecting my knees now that I'm crawling all over the place.

Mommy really loves the BabyLeg brand of leg warmers, but those things cost about $12 each. We found these Target brand (Circo? Just One Year?...we don't remember) look alikes for only $3! Three dollars, people! Even a baby knows that's a good deal.

Playdates

One of the many perks of Mommy staying home with me is that we get to go on fun playdates. We've had 4 playdates in the last month and I loved each one!

Here are a few playdate highlights:

I had fun "sharing" with Ian. Mommy was suprised that I was already most interested in the toys someone else was using.

Preston entertained me with a few drum solos.

I loved Ian and Preston's car jumper!

Baby Adalyn and Robin came to see me at my house. Adalyn was only 5 weeks old! I really liked looking at her...but Mommy decided not to let me get too close after I pulled her hair.

Mommy and I have gone to Cooper and Kelly's house to play twice. Cooper doesn't even mind when I put his toys in my mouth!


I'm looking forward to lots more play dates this year!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today was Daddy's 2*th birthday! I woke him up bright and early with the "Happy Birthday" song and the present I made for him. A few weeks ago, Mommy and I were very sneaky and made a Shutterfly photo book for Daddy's birthday. I've been hiding it in my nursery since it came in the mail...it was sooo hard to wait to give it to Daddy.

Here are a few pictures and captions from the book.

Daddy and Katelyn: A Love Story.

You loved me from the moment you laid eyes on me.

You quickly learned how to wrap me up and calm me down.

You let me chillax with you.


You cuddle with me in the morning.

You cry with me.

You gaze with me.

You tell me you love me.

You will always be my daddy...

and I will always be your baby girl.

Happy birthday, Daddy! I love you so much.

PS

Today is also Poppy's birthday. Can you believe they were born on the same day (of different years, of course)?

Happy birthday, Poppy! I love you, too.

Daddy's Little Helper

Daddy needed some help at work today, so I decided to lend him a hand.

Daddy had better watch out! I'm the next tech guru at The Lighthouse. I even copied and pasted a FaceBook page into a Word document once. He has no idea how I did that!

After I showed Daddy a shortcut to access his media files, I thought he could use a little help with is djembe skills.

I loved helping Daddy, but couldn't stay too long because a nap was calling my name.

And now, a message from Mommy...

Every night I pray over Katie Bug as I put her to bed. Tonight I was walking back and forth with her in the nursery and thanking the Father for gracing us with her. Just as the words "thank you so much for this little girl in my arms" escaped my lips, Katelyn looked into my eyes and gave me one of her big, open-mouthed kisses.

I can assure you that my eyes were not dry, but my heart was full.

Thank you, Father, for Katelyn. I cannot say it enough...but I will spend the rest of my life trying.

{Mommy hands keyboard back to The Bug}

Sunday Best

Today, I wore pants to the Sunday morning service for the very first time! Since it was so rainy and cool this morning, Mommy decided to dress me in one of my cutie pant outfits. She was so excited that I would be able to wear it once since it is sized at 3-6 months. Once she put it on, though, she realized that I will probably have plenty more chances to wear it!

Here's a pic of me taking my nap right before we left for churh. Every Sunday, Mommy gets me dressed right before my nap time. That way, as soon as I wake up we can hop in the car and head to church. Daddy has to be there super early, so we meet him there.



Since I am over last week's runny nose, I was back in the nursery this morning. It was lots of fun...for about 45 minutes. Then, I decided I needed Mommy. She hung out with me in the nursery for the rest of the service.

Toys? I don't need no stinkin' toys!

Between the 4 baby showers that were held in my honor, the 4 grandparents who like to spoil me, the 2 sets of friends who gave Mommy and Daddy a gift almost every week of Mommy's pregnancy, and the 1 Auntie who loves me so much [insert deep breath here]...I have a lot of toys.

I currently have a stash of toys in my nursery, the family room, and Auntie's soon-to-be bedroom. There are also toys for "older Katie Bug" in the living room and on the top shelf in my closet.

Today, though, I was feeling a bit improvisational.

This morning I fashioned a toy out of a baby hanger. It made the most glorious sound when slapped on the carpet! Mommy was able to catch the tail end of my hanger activity. You may notice a few red splotches on my face. Those were from bopping myself with the hanger toy. I would also like you to note how my face lights up when Daddy walks into the room!

Later in the day I was introduced to the Katie Cabinet. The Katie Cabinet is a spot in the kitchen Mommy and Daddy made just for me. It has lots of things that are safe for me to play with during meal preperation times. I spent a good half hour removing and enjoying everything within arms' reach out of that thing. It was sooo much fun!

Poppy's New Camera

My Poppy got a new camera today! Daddy thinks it is awesome, and is so excited that Poppy said he could borrow it any time.

Here are a few pictures Daddy and Poppy took of me today. They had a lot of fun practicing with the camera.