cute Kate

The other night she picked up the phone. . .
K: Hello neighborhood. Where are you? Mom, talk to neighborhood?
Mom: Um, it's kind of hard to talk to a whole neighborhood. But, ok.

We call Josh everyday after naps to inquire when he might be returning home. Kate has caught on swiftly that HE is in charge of dinner these days.

K: Hi, Daddy!
D: Hi, Kate! How are you?
K: I'm fine. I want hamberhers!
D: You want hamburgers? What about pork chops?
K: Hamberhers, daddy!
D: Well, ask mom if she wants hamburgers.
K: Mom, want hamberhers?
M: NO, yuck, that doesn't sound good to me.
K: I ask her. Mom say no.

Her other fav thing to request is sgetti.

Papa taught her a joke about laughing animals.

M: What does the laughing sheep say, Kate?
K: Baa-haa.
M: What does the laughing horse say?
K: Neigh-hay
M: (Things she's clever & asks a new question) What does the laughing owl say?
K: I don't know dat.

The most hilarious thing is that she actually thinks this is funny. She'll probably be the only grandchild to get her Papa's jokes (he's an infamous punner).

She is also trying on the "terrible two's" on for size a bit early by being contradictory when the mood strikes.
Mom (this morning at breakfast): You're too distracted, Kate. You need to eat.
Kate: I NOT dis-tact (fumbles over new word but is convinced that whatever it is, she is NOT it)-ed.

Of course, most hilarious is when she is contradictory about positive qualities.
Mom: You're so cute.
Kate: I NOT so cute.
Mom: Well, not any more!

Mom: You're my daughter.
Kate: I NOT my daughter.
Mom (happy that this one doesn't have to be a fight): You're right!

Due to my "condition," I spend a lot of time on the chouch. Kate likes to cuddle with me and watch. She's pretty willing to watch whatever I'm watching (news, Dancing with the Stars, some show on PBS). The other night we watched a Nature show about animals in the Alps. We had a lot of fun identifying the animals we knew (cows, birds, dogs), but she had a hard time learning "deer." At first, when she heard them call the baby red deer a "calf" she assumed they must be cows. Then, she settled that they looked like giraffes because the baby calf (star of the show) was all spotty. Several times she mentioned that the calf was "too toot" (too cute) or "adorable." Typed words fail to communicate how adorable it is when Kate actually says it.

We watched a little bit of Dancing with the Stars the other night & she is very into dancing. If Josh is around she'll get him to dance with her -- very sweet. But, the other night it was just she and I, so she figured that we could dance in the chouch. We were lying side by side & she asked me to hold her hand. Then she started kicking her legs back & forth, and ta-tarn, we were dancing!

Sorry, no pictures. Maybe someone will take a few at the Fall Festival next weekend and you'll get to see her in her adorable bunny costume.

Oh, a few comments about the other cute one growing these days. The baby is now the size of a small strawberry and has FINGERPRINTS! How amazing!

ob -- 8 week

Hello. . .greetings from pregnancy. Although my last word to you was on a pretty cheerful note, about 6 weeks I began to descend into yuckiness. Not as bad as last time, but not very pleasant. Each day would hold any number of ups & downs. I was predominately VERY tired, and had nausea around mealtimes & difficulty digesting. I feel uncomfortable and as though I need to lay down after meal times to avoid throwing up. I've had a couple of great days (which never happened last time), and so have been trying to see the bright sides. This week, Monday was great, Tuesday was horrible. The nausea seemed to have racheted up to *all the time*. I haven't been throwing up as much (once or twice a week, instead of once or twice a day), and have been eating normal & healthy meals. Unfortunately, I've still lost weight -- approx 8 lbs at my lowest & I've gained 3 or so back. Baby making must take more calories than I realize. I've tried to keep a lot of protein by my side in the form of Kashi Granola bars and they seem to work very well. Typically, the days I go to school, I'm able to perform the tasks required of me, and then on my break days (Wednesday & Saturday), I crash all day long.
Kate has been so sweet! She's quickly learning mommy is "resting, lay down, and sick" a lot. She eats in her high chair alone these days, while mommy rests on the couch, so she knows that if mommy gets up to clean her up, she's really done -- none of this changing your mind business! She loves to be with me, whether its in the bed or on the couch, and some of our most precious times have occurred when daddy isn't home yet and she brings her notebook & pencil to do some drawing with mom on the 'chouch,' as she calls it. Daddy has been the real star of the show. He's already taken over all of the grocery shopping, meal planning, and preparation. I'm convinced that my better eating habits this time 'round are due to him! If I don't have to think about, touch, or smell the food before I eat -- I have a much greater chance of eating more of it!
Today I went for my first OB appointment. Thankfully, I felt pretty good while I was there. I met this new doctor for the first time today & he was really nice. This new doc has an infinitely smaller practice than the last one I was with, and everything felt more personal. He actually did an ultra sound from which I have pics & a dvd recording (how nice!), especially since Josh wasn't able to come w/ me to the appointment. He was EXTREMELEY open to VBAC & didn't seem to have a problem w/natural childbirth. So, I'm happy. Also, his office is literally a 2 minute walk to the hospital through a skywalk -- how cool is that? That doesn't really make him a better doctor, but I really want to walk through that skywalk one time. :-)