About Our Katie » July 2007 Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Thu, Jul 26, 2007 11:00 AM
Although I haven't been "bragging" about it here, for weeks bedtime had been a bollocks in our house. Steve and I were getting next to no Katie-free downtime in the evenings. Katie wasn't getting enough rest, and neither were we, since most nights she'd end up in our bed or one of us would end up in hers. Rapidly falling off the end of our ropes, we stumbled on a solution.

Last weekend, Steve was pushing Katie on our neighbors' swingset. He was telling our neighbor about our nighttime traumas, and she shared a story about how they finally resolved the very same dilemma with one of their children when he was three.

Steve told me the story, and he also told me Katie was listening intently the whole time he and our neighbor were talking. I actually thought the strategy would work with Katie, but I know my husband well enough to know that he could NEVER execute on it. So I did the next best thing: I turned it into a cautionary bedtime tale for Katie. It goes like this...

"You know our neighbor, Johnny. He's nine years old now, and he's a big boy. When it's time for bed, he puts on his PJs, gets into bed, and goes to sleep... But it wasn't always like that.

"You see, back when Johnny was three [Katie says, "I bree!" here], he was giving his parents a terrible time at bedtime. He wouldn't get into his big-boy bed, and when he did, he wouldn't stay there. He was crying. He was carrying on. He was wandering the halls, and sleeping on the floor. [I don't know if Johnny really did all those things, but that's what KATIE has been doing, so that's what I say!]

"Johnny's mommy and daddy were at their wit's end. Finally, they called Johnny's pediatrician [Katie says, "I hab a pee-a-trit-an, too!" here]. And do you know what the pediatrician told his mommy and daddy to do?

[I pause here for dramatic effect.]

"The pediatrician told them, 'You need to lock Johnny in his room so he understands that bedtime means bedtime.' And that's JUST what they did.

"On the first night, Johnny screamed and screamed and screamed and finally passed out. On the second night, he screamed and screamed again, and finally passed out again. And on the third night, Johnny started to scream, but then he realized he should just get in his bed and go to sleep like a big boy.

"And that's just what he did. And he's been doing it ever since.

"Now, do you want to get in your big-girl bed and go to sleep, or do you want me to lock you in your room?"

Apparently she prefers the former, as she's gone to bed by 8:15 the last two nights and STAYED there all night long. I'm convinced it's the story that has put her on the straight and narrow; she has asked me to repeat the tale at least 50 times ("Tell 'bout Johnny 'gain!") and seems to have taken it to heart. And I'm sure it doesn't hurt that Johnny is a real person whom Katie adores and looks up to.

At any rate, I called our neighbor to thank her for the tip and to tell her not to be alarmed if Katie gives her and her husband a sideways glance the next time she sees them. :-)

Comments:
KYGran: What does 'bollocks' mean? It wasn't in my Webster's.

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Tue, Jul 24, 2007 10:00 PM
There's a long-running joke in our house about how far in advance Steve prepares for trips. Despite being a seasoned traveler, he has his own "packing methodology" that involves pre-pre-staging, pre-staging, staging, and finally--mercifully--the actual packing.

I didn't think anyone could plan further ahead than Steve, but Katie Nebbly is proving me wrong. This morning, she sprang from bed and began folding sweatpants and placing them in her red Minnie Mouse suitcase.

"I packing my duitcase bor Blorida, Mommy!" she announced, as she threw in a swim diaper for good measure. "I pack lure duitcase, too... K? K, k, k... and Daddy duitcase, too... K, k, k?"

Trouble is, we aren't leaving for Florida until SEPTEMBER. (There's a homeowners' association meeting that month, giving us a good excuse for an off-peak getaway.) I'm afraid that by the time our real departure date arrives, she's going to have her entire wardrobe packed away!

Meanwhile, ever since we (stupidly) told her about the trip, she asks me to "talk 'bout Blorida" every night at bedtime. "Talk[ing] 'bout Blorida" consists of outlining all the steps involved in air travel--including the security checkpoint, which is NOT one of Katie's favorite things.

"I don't need put my Hello Kitty backpack in 'curity," she told me tonight. "No 'curity for my duitcase, too." I explained to her that yes, all of our bags and even her flip-flops and her stroller would have to go on the belt. "No," she shook her head. "No 'curity."

One hopes that by September she'll be convinced otherwise. So, on this matter, perhaps the long lead time is a good thing. :-)

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Mon, Jul 16, 2007 9:00 AM
On Saturday, Steve and I took Katie to Celebrity Kids for her annual portraits. The good news is, we got four adorable pictures. The bad news is, Katie was HORRENDOUS through most of the session:

1) Katie demonstrated a frightening mastery of knowing where NOT to stand and how NOT to move. I can't tell you how many shots we got of her running or her turning away from the camera.

2) The young photographer tried to elicit a smile by shouting "Boogies!" While that didn't produce a grin, it DID give her the idea to start picking her nose and licking her finger (always a nice "pose").

3) Katie wore two dresses during the session. When she first sat down, she inadvertently showed her panties. When we told her to close her legs and hide her underwear, she spread them nice and wide--rendering those photos unusable.

4) After a half hour of this, Steve and I were about to kill Katie and each other. Hoping Katie would behave better for a third party, I spontaneously said, "C'mon, Daddy, let's wait outside while Katie and Miss Louise do more pictures." A few minutes passed before Katie made her way to the door, asked us back in, and then led us to the giant backdrop. She guided Steve to a seated position on the right side and me to one at the left. I was SO hoping she was about to sit in the middle and behave. Instead, she proceeded to exit the room, leaving US alone with Miss Louise. Sigh.

5) Her grand finale--slamming against and pulling at the giant cloth backdrop--was terribly embarrassing. It also ended the session, and not a moment too soon.

When you see the four photos we got, you'll never believe she was so difficult. But believe me: SHE WAS. ("Terrible Twos," my rear; it's the third year that's going to test us. She's off to one heck of a start.)

* * *

Katie woke up happy and excited for her birthday yesterday. At 7 a.m., she ran into our bedroom asking for cake. I had baked it the night before but still needed to ice it. So Katie helped with that, spreading it with her own knife and then helping distribute the sprinkles.

Later in the morning, Steve and I took her to Wegmans. While I was shopping, he lost track of her for a moment and found her in the party supplies aisle. She selected a set of eight SpongeBob plates and eight SpongeBob hats for her "party." (As far as I know, she's never watched that show, so I thought it was an interesting choice.)

I was going to make lunch at home, but then Katie asked to go to Chuck E. Cheese. So Daddy, Dee, Gran, Katie, and I all headed there for pizza. Katie and Steve had a ball with the rides and games. They even made an appearance on the CEC TV screen, both of them dancing around and being "dilly."

After that, we had her cake and she opened her gifts. She also got a lot of cute cards, many with "munnnny in dere." So far, her favorite gift seems to be the Fisher-Price digital camera that Gran-Paw Frank sent her from Arizona. She LOVES having her own camera; she snaps shots and then gleefully reviews them in the tiny window. She also seems to relish giving photographic direction ("Moob cloh-ter," she kept telling Gran and me). The only problem is that she keeps hitting the camera's "Delete" button (I think she likes the sound it makes), so her photos never last too long. One can only hope that having her own camera will make her more amenable to posing for other people (like me!).

* * *

Today is Katie's birthday celebration at Elbow Lane. My cousin Kelly is in town for a visit, so last night she and Gran and I made 24 mini-cupcakes and 20 little baggies of toddler snack mix (raisins, Cheerios, Goldfish, and M&Ms) for Katie to bring to school.

Comments:
Katie H.: Can you say

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Thu, Jul 12, 2007 12:30 PM
The professional proofs are now posted online at www.ndening.com. Just click "Wedding Photography," then "Proof Pages," then "Steph and Ryan." You'll have to enter your email address to view the photos. (You can also order copies online.)

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Tue, Jul 10, 2007 10:00 PM
Thanks for the digital pics, Aunt Peggy!

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Mon, Jul 9, 2007 10:15 AM
We're back from Uncle Murph and AUNT Nepf's wedding in upstate New York. The drive back yesterday was grueling, but the wedding and related festivities were lots of fun.

All weekend, Katie was in show-off mode with attention from so many people--not only Mommy and Daddy and Dee and Chadd, but also Gran and Paw-Paw, Aunt Peggy and Aunt Lynda, Uncle Murph and Aunt Nepf, and many other well-wishers who'd traveled from Kentucky.

The reception confirmed that Katie is a raging party animal. She had a ball dancing until way past her bedtime! That's the good news. The bad news is, she wasn't exactly a model flower girl. She LOOKED cute. But by the time the outdoor ceremony started, she had missed her lunch and her nap and was in no mood to cooperate. Steve became an impromptu member of the wedding party when he had to carry her down the aisle. Then, during the exchange of vows, she wandered off behind the officiant toward a very steep hill. Luckily, she had enough sense to stop and walk back up.

I didn't take many photos, but I will post what I have. I'll add more if/when other people share theirs with me. Also, the wedding photographer is supposed to post all the pics by Wednesday, so hopefully I can include a link to that, as well!

Comments:
Aunt Nepf: oops...

Aunt Nepf: www.ndening.com look under

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Mon, Jul 2, 2007 10:30 PM
From store shelves to human bodies, Katie is all about differentiating gender these days.

For instance, she has several lip balms (more on that in a bit!), and she deems any black, old-school ChapStick as "bor man" and the brightly colored, fruit-flavored tubes as "bor girls." In the diaper aisle at BJ's tonight, she emphatically informed me that "I luse duh printess Pull-Ups"--and that the blue boxes are "bor duh boys." (She still naps and sleeps in Pull-Ups.)

Lately she is also fond of raising her shirt and announcing, "I hab lil' boobies. Daddy hab lil' boobies, too." Then her eyes widen and she drops the bomb: "Mommy hab biiiiiiiig boobies," which makes Katie the first, last, and only person to ever make THAT proclamation.

Along with making constant comments about what's "bor boys" versus "bor girls," Katie has also become even more interested in girly stuff--i.e., cosmetics and accessories. Of course, you don't have to be a genius to figure out that this particular development has more than a little to do with the addition of Danielle--and her chock-full-of-enticing-cosmetics vanity, plus her Imelda-would-be-jealous shoe collection--to our household. :-)

At any rate, Katie now wants to wear "lipdick" (lip balm) all the time and has recently started asking for "nail paints," too. She insists on taking her "purtz" everywhere. And whenever she puts on a different pair of shoes, she does a little sideways glance down, admiring them as she struts across the room. (Sometime I have to get THAT on video.)

Comments:
Sarah: She's really going to be Dee's

KYGran: Susan, Do you still like those makeup

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