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Sat, Dec 24, 2005 9:00 PM
I feel like it's been a million years since I've written an update. And, a million and one things have happened! I'm sure I won't remember them all, but I'll do my best...

For starters, we had a great visit with Gran, Grandpa, Greatma, and Greatpa last weekend. Katie really enjoyed her time with them--especially playing with Greatpa's cane.

We've also taken her to several Christmas functions--including a fondue party at my boss's house, the Tiny Tots holiday celebration at Elbow Lane, and Christmas Eve at the home of our neighbors, the Walshes. Katie has enjoyed all of them and does seem to be caught up in the holiday frenzy.

Even so, she continues to be very leery of Santa. In fact, when Danielle brought her an adorable red stocking purse--to carry to her class party, of course--Katie was downright scared of it. She still won't touch it and acts as if it's possessed by the bearded man himself! On an up note, at least she has warmed up to our singing/dancing Santa toy.

Over the last week or so, her development seems to be taking off in leaps and bounds. To wit:

* During her extended stay, Gran taught Katie how to sign a two-word phrase ("more milk"). And, by the time she returned to Louisville, Gran had also gotten her to do a three-word phrase ("more milk please"). She is now signing "please" regularly, which I'm hoping will translate easily into regular speech, too.

* Gran also had Katie saying more words than ever, including "yellow" and "help."

* Katie is still a puzzle fanatic--and whiz. For Christmas, Greatma and Greatpa gave her five puzzles, each with about 10 or 12 pieces. When she was opening them, I jokingly said we'd have to dump all five SETS of pieces into one pile to make it challenging. A week later, she's mastering each puzzle so quickly that I really *am* combining two sets to make it worth her while.

* She is also becoming quite good at identifying animals (and even doing some sounds). Gran said one day, Katie was looking at two books at once. (She does that a lot, for some reason.) On the cover of one was a white polar bear. Inside the other book was a photo of a grizzly bear. Gran said Katie was emphatically grunting and pointing at one bear, then the other--one bear, then the other. Gran told her, "Yes, Katie, that's a white bear and that's a brown bear."

* Gran also saw Katie "reading" to one of her plush dolls. She said Katie positioned the toy so it could "see" the story. She even made sure the page of the book was squarely in front of its face. Cute little bugger...

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Tue, Dec 13, 2005 8:15 AM
Yesterday Katie was in the best mood. She seemed very happy to arrive at school and was in a fabulous mood when I picked her up. She came home, played hard, and passed out right at 8. Hooray!

This week we're gearing up for some very special guests. On Thursday morning, Gran, Grandpa, Greatma, and Greatpa all arrive from Louisville. They'll be here until Sunday (with Gran staying on through Wednesday of next week). Katie is going to bask in all that attention! :-)

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Sat, Dec 10, 2005 10:45 PM
Although I don't see how this could be possible, Steve is convinced that Katie is running on holiday adrenaline. One thing's for sure: lately she's been like a jackrabbit on speed. That kid has ENDLESS energy and curiosity.

She hasn't been sleeping nearly as much during the day and, even at night, she doesn't want to go to bed promptly at 8 anymore (sigh). Between her bath and lights out, I've been bringing her downstairs for a last hurrah with the grownups. She does this oh-so-sneaky act where she plays very quietly by herself and keeps her head down--presumably hoping we'll "forget" she's there and let her stay up longer. HA!

In other news:

* At the risk of disappointing Aunt Mimi, we've concluded that "mi-mi" is actually Katie-speak for "milk." Likewise, she says her own versions of "hot" ("haaaaaaaaa...TUH!") and "cold" ("coh"). "Coat" and "snow" are also emerging (gee, I wonder why?!). Of course, "Da-da," "Ma-ma," "go" and "uh-oh" remain conversational favorites.

* Steve continues with his important life lessons. He has taught her how to toast (Italian-style, of course: "Salute!"). After tapping glasses of milk and iced tea (she doesn't have that down quite yet), they chug their drinks and give a loud "Ahhhhhh!" (she's an ace at the drinking and noise-making). Also, he recently extolled the "virtues" of licking one's finger, dipping it into a tub of Parmesan, and then licking off the cheese. (That's a dangerous thing to teach a girl who's been referred to as "The Human String Cheese.")

* Not to harp on food, but if there's a support group for kids addicted to yogurt, Katie needs to join. That girl would eat a container of Yo-Baby organic yogurt for every meal and snack if we let her. First thing EVERY morning, she barks until she gets her container with a straw through the top. (That's her Gran's super-effective technique for maximizing self-sufficiency while minimizing mess!)

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Tue, Dec 6, 2005 4:45 PM
I just read a Parenting magazine article about feeding your baby. The last sentence: "Wait until your child's at least 2 before feeding him eggs, and at least 3 before giving him seafood or nut products."

All I can say is... WHOOPS! ;-)

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Fri, Dec 2, 2005 9:30 PM
There's some serious teething going on. You could measure Katie's drool in GALLONS. We're seeing traces of "Sybil" again. And, her sleeping patterns are wacky.

Two days in a row, she's napped a grand total of an hour and 45 minutes. And, last night at 10, she woke up screaming and in pain--or so we thought. You see, her pain was miraculously relieved when I brought her into our room to snuggle on our bed. Lying between us, she smiled and giggled as though she'd just won the bedtime lotto. (Fortunately, after about 20 minutes of hanging out in our bed, she went back to her crib without a fuss.)

Tomorrow Allie is coming over to build and decorate gingerbread houses--our annual tradition since 1997. I could be wrong, but I predict that this year, Katie will want to be a part of the action, too! (Now THAT will be interesting...)

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Thu, Dec 1, 2005 8:00 PM
Nay Nay reported that Katie did a new trick today at lunch. Her entree was one of her favorites--a Morningstar Farms veggie corndog. After she demolished the 'dog, she began to use the wooden stick as a makeshift utensil. Nay Nay said Katie was "spearing" raisins with the stick and then bringing the raisins to her mouth.

P.S. Katie Hulme, when I told Steve about your Hershey syrup comment, he got this look of shock and said, "How does she know I do that?!" LOL

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