development.

kj seems to be growing & learning something new everyday!  the day she turned eight weeks was the first time she definitely locked eyes on her own hand and then moved it in a controlled fashion directly to her mouth.  ever since, she has been practicing this trick of getting hand to mouth, and from there it's a little random whether a thumb gets sucked, or a finger, or a whole fist.  only occasionally will she gag herself with a finger or such & look completely puzzled about why such a thing is happening!  still a little work to go, but she's on her way.

 

 

along with control of her arms, she's also gaining a lot of stability & strength in her neck, back, and legs.  she loves to bear weight on her own legs & look around the room.  nj will regularly prop her up in the sitting position on the couch for reading time or just to hang out together.  she generally needs some help with all these things, but check out how strong she looks in her new seat yesterday!

 

yes, her hair also seems to have taken on some super-human strength.  this is post-bathtime with daddy in charge. :)

daddy moments.

a few of daddy's favorite moments of late...

kj appreciating the hand that (occasionally) feeds her

 

kj & daddy fell asleep while hugging each other

 

daddy not only watches sports & reads SI to kj, but also makes sure she is familiar with bevo

 

daddy enjoyed laughing his head off at this scene

too fun.

we have been thoroughly enjoying kj's smiles these days!  this is one of our new favorite photos.  tickle-time!

catching the rays.

anywhere we can in mn!

 

  

 

true confessions.

i must confess that i eat chocolate cake for breakfast on my birthday every chance i get.

of course also please notice that i did take my multi-vitamin.  so that's good, right?

three-oh.

three-oh...

...the temperature i saw on the thermometer today!

...the number of minutes i intended to walk today -- turned longer when the trail took me somewhere unexpected. =P

...the maximum [cloth] diaper changes possible before we have to do laundry.

...the minimum number of minutes it takes to prepare to leave the house with an infant in tow.

...the number of hours left before the olympics take hold of our lives.

...the approximate number of bites of chocolate cake i enjoyed today.

...the number of years God's granted me in this sweet life thus far!  yeah!

and look how i have been loved by my two favorites!  happiness abounds.

timing.

how many people does it take to get a cute picture of the baby on our cellphones?  we figure the more adoring fans, the better! ;)  and, of course, timing is everything...

changing.

for some reason, one of kj's favorite places to be is on her changing pad.  almost every time, she's squealing with delight & chatting with us & smiling at us.  we imagine her happy place is about more than just wet to dry -- perhaps she likes the one-on-one attention, perhaps it's just the right distance for focusing on our faces, maybe it's a tribute to cloth diapers, maybe it's the soothing green wall...  it's ok if we can't explain it.  we're just happy when she's happy.  and her smiles & conversations are just too fun.

other changes are going on around here, as well.

from lean & long to little rolls on each of her pretty limbs:

from sleeping smiles to waking smiles:

 

from focusing 6in in front of her face to tracking at much longer distances:

from seven pounds of strength & alertness to ten pounds of strength & alertness:

and through it all, one thing remains the same: we just adore our beautiful little kate.  (can you tell? ;)

sleep is a gift.

we are convinced of this truth every single morning these days.  sleep is a gift, sometimes given by mom & dad to each other, sometimes granted by the little one to her parents, sometimes encouraged by mom for babe.  and all are thankful for it when(ever) it comes.  i admit that i have always loved to sleep (nj can & will attest to this!), but these days i thank the Lord even more when i get the sweet chance to climb into our soft & downy bed.  and nj has never been fonder of the "it's nappy nappy time!" song than now.  ahh, the power & gift of sleep.  thanks be to God for heavy eyelids at just the right timing, day or night!

the animal in her.

poor kj, (amongst many others) we have resorted to many animal-inspired nicknames around here... for example:

my little red-headed woodpecker (derived from her hunger cues)

the mousey around the house (she's a squeaker!)

little miss piggy (congested noses are awful) -- side note: dad says he refuses to call her this -- what a good daddy!

katie-bear (during outings)

here's to hoping that she becomes an animal-lover as she grows up, and takes these nicknames as compliments rather than re-assigning them in her parents' direction! =P