Kate - 9 Months Old

Kate is 9 months old today! This morning was the first morning it was "chilly" so I forced her into a sweater and took her outside for a formal photo shoot. :-) There are lots of pictures so be sure to click on the link below to see the full album.

Kate, at 9 months old you are crawling all over the place. You can just about pull up to standing. You love your big sister Maddy and your doggie Zack. You've been a little grumpy lately but I think that's because you are teething. Within five minutes of getting dressed everything is soggy with drool. Even bibs can't absorb that much drool. :-)

Speaking of teeth, you love to eat. Your favorites this month are Cheerios, peaches, and you still love green beans. You are not a fan of pureed meats, like chicken or turkey (but honestly I am not either, so why should you have to eat them). Mommy and Daddy are very fortunate because you love to sleep. You like sleeping with your head in the corner of the crib, on your belly, with your lovey under your arm. It's precious.

You babble a lot, probably to keep up with Maddy. You say "mama" and "dada". You melt Daddy's heart when he comes home from work and you say "hi dada."  Keep that up and eventually Daddy will buy you a car. :-)

We can't believe that in 3 months you will be 1 years old! Save the date everyone, on December 28th we going to have a party. And yes, it will probably be over the top for a one year old, but hey I am the mama and it's my right!


Click on picture below to see full web album.

Click on picture to see weblink of our Picasa Album.

Chess

I don't even know how to begin to explain this photo. Let's just say it started this morning, the girl's spent last night with Mimi and Poppi so after church David and I went to pick them up. On the drive David asked me if he could teach me chess so we could play together. I'll admit my first reaction (albeit a silent reaction) was NO, I've got too much other stuff I need to do and want to do before playing chess. But before blurting that out I stopped and thought, "would it be so bad if I learned how to play chess?" David enjoys chess, it's something we could do together, and if I say yes to this, one day when I ask him to go shopping or to a chick flick he can't possibly say no because I learned how to play chess with him... OK maybe that last reason isn't the best reason but we've all done things for our loved ones that we don't really want to do. It's called compromise and balance.

So you are probably thinking what does this have to do with Maddy playing chess. Well I'll tell you. When we got home this afternoon from picking up the girl's David started looking in our closets for a chess set. He found one (oh joy, I thought to myself, I didn't think he'd find it) and he set it up on our kitchen table in anticipation of teaching me after the girl's bedtime. In the meantime Maddy comes in and gets interested in what Daddy is doing. "Daddy can I play checkers with you?", says Maddy. David responds "it's not checkers Maddy, it's chess." In my head I am thinking "this is great maybe I won't have to play now, maybe teaching Maddy will be enough", I know that sounds terrible but I have so little free time and I have lots of reading and other little projects that I want to finish before learning something new. 

David proceeds to teach Maddy chess and of course she's hooked because there is a knight and a queen involved. I listened to them "play" chess for 30 minutes. Maddy was amazing and David was a great teacher. So she now knows more about chess than I do. Guess that means I really will have to learn how to play because I try to make it a habit to always know more than Maddy. Plus like I said earlier, it's about balance. In the end David and I like to play other games together so I am sure I'll like chess too, and from the looks of it chess is going to be a family game. :-)

Cheetos and the art of sharing

Maddy: Mommy can I please have some baby Cheetos?

Me: Maddy these are baby Cheetos just for Kate, would you like big girl Cheetos with your lunch?

Maddy: I think Kate can share. See Mommy, (picking up the can and pointing to the label) it says right here. "Baby Cheetos can be shared with big girls like Maddy."

Me: Oh OK, I guess I didn't read the label. Here a few for you and a few for Kate.

Maddy: It's okay Mommy, just be careful next time.

So that's been my day today. The refrigerator is still very dark and very empty, but there is hope. The part came in and they will repair it tomorrow. Yea!  Plus I spent 30 minutes on the phone today with Whirlpool and they are sending us $100 to reimburse us for food (and ice for coolers). Double Yea!!!

What we did on Tuesday....

Tuesday started out like this....

Yes, that's my dark and very empty refrigerator/freezer you are looking at. On Monday we woke up to find that our NEW refrigerator had stopped working and I had just gone to the grocery store two days earlier! Ugggh. So on Tuesday the girls and I started our day waiting for the repair man, who wasn't able to fix it and said it will probably be late this week maybe Monday before he'll have the part. It's under warranty but I am beginning to wonder why they don't just give me a new one....That discussion is for a different post, once I convince my lawyer (David) to write a letter to the manufacturer....but as David tells us "you people don't know when you need a lawyer and when you don't." So he probably won't take my case. :-) Anyway...

The good news is that Aunt Kimmy is now off during the week so she can play with us... So in celebration of her new schedule we loaded up the van and headed out on a impromptu trip to Madison. Not before a stop at Georgia Bobs for chicken salad sandwiches (Mimi, in my opinion, your chicken salad is still the best).


Madison is only about an hour away from my house. If you are local and haven't been to Madison you need to go. If you are out of state and come visit, we need to take you there. It's a great small town with several antique stores, boutiques, beautiful antebellum homes, and gelato. More about the gelato later.

Antiquing is nothing new for Maddy and Kate. They have both been doing it since they were literally 4 weeks old. Over the last few months I have learned that putting Maddy in the smaller stroller and backpacking Kate is the best way to navigate antique malls. Both girls are contained and shop owners are usually more friendly when they see the small stroller versus my huge BOB stroller.
We shopped for a while and found a few things. Eventually Kate needed to eat and Maddy had been so good that it was finally time for her treat. We found a neat candy store that served gelato. Maddy and Kimmy had strawberry and I tried the candy corn flavor. Yummy! After Kate finished her bottle she got to taste gelato for the first time. She loved it.
After the sugar rush had worn off we headed back to Macon and were back in time for dinner. It was a great way to spend a Tuesday. Wonder what next Tuesday will bring?

Sunday Night Breakfast

I think we started a new tradition in our house tonight. It's called "Sunday Night Breakfast". I realize that having breakfast for dinner is not a "new idea" but I never realized how much both David and Maddy love having breakfast for dinner. I have a couple of recipes for fun breakfast casseroles, pancakes, french toast, etc, but I never make them. Why don't I make them? Because on weekdays it's hard enough to get coffee and toast made, Saturday mornings David makes breakfast for the girls while I sleep in, and Sunday we are always in a rush to make it to church. So Sunday night is the perfect time to make breakfast! We are all home, relaxed, and I have enough patience to allow Maddy to help. And to make breakfast for dinner even better we eat in our jammies!

Here are some pictures from our first "Sunday Night Breakfast". Maddy helped me make blueberry muffins, eggs, bacon, and fruit salad. David entertained Kate and as you can see, she wasn't amused.

So close....

Kate is so close to pulling up and standing. She (like her sister) is fascinated with this Santa snow globe. If you place the snow globe on the ottoman she tries to pull up. She gets on her knees, waves at the snow globe, and then just sits on her knees. Very cute. I went to get the video camera to capture the moment only to realize the batteries are dead... so once they are charged I will post a video of Kate and the snow globe.

Ladder Climbing

When we went to this park 5 months ago Maddy couldn't climb up this ladder without help. We went back to the park today and she immediately climbed the ladder with no help. She's growing up too fast.

Ya' think I would learn!?!?

Ya' think I would learn that no matter where you put Zack's water bowl, Kate is going to find it. As evidenced in the picture below. That red bowl in the background is Zack's empty water bowl. That little pumpkin with the smiley face is soaking wet head to toe and loving every minute of it. Oh well, at least Kate got a head start on the mopping today.

Hungry Day

I think today is going to be a "hungry day." It's only 9:30am and Maddy has already eaten 2 waffles, a yogurt, an apple, and half of my peanut butter toast. She washed it all down with a big glass of milk. We call that a "hungry day" around here.

I knew it was going to be a hungry day when Maddy walked into our room at 7am and asked for bacon, eggs, and pancakes for breakfast. And after breakfast she was already talking about lunch. Good thing I am headed to the grocery store because my beautiful little princess is more like teenage boy today. :-)

Times I wish I had my camera....

About a year ago I got a new camera after an unfortunate accident between Maddy and my cute little Canon camera that took beautiful pictures and fit in my diaper bag. I say unfortunate because it was bitter sweet, I really loved that camera but I also had my eye on a "big boy digital Nikon." David being the electronic and gadget guru of our house intervened and we ended up with what I have now, a great Nikon (not the best), but it does everything I need it to do. I LOVE this camera...it's amazing but I struggle with when to take it with me and when to leave it at home. Case in point, this week there were several times I wish I had my camera, but I didn't so I had to use my camera phone...

Like last night, we went to Griffin and ate at the Dwarf House (the original Chick Fil A). Maddy loved the little door and of course loved her chicken nuggets.

Thursday afternoon in Atlanta. We went to Ikea and Atlantic Station, where Mimi and Maddy rode the train.

Thursday afternoon Aunt Kimmy and Maddy enjoying the bean bag chairs at Z Gallery.

And last Friday, Maddy enjoying her hibachi chicken and sushi.

For those of you wondering where Kate was for all these moments, she was either in a high chair or a stroller looking at the rest of like we're crazy. So there's only so many pictures you can take of Kate with that look on her face. :-)

While I am glad I had my phone to take these pictures I have decided that pretty much anytime I go anywhere (except for Kroger or WalMart) I am taking my camera. Yes, I may look like a weirdo taking pictures of Maddy measuring furniture at Ikea but those are memories. Memories that most of you would like to see.