Happy 2013!

....and I'm back! Things have been very busy around here. The fall/winter months and holidays are my favorite time of the year and always end up coming and going too quickly. So let's recap.



Oct was a hot month which was a bummer because sweating and being in a pumpkin patch at the same time doesn't feel right. Kate was Dorothy from the Wiz of Oz for Halloween and some of her little friends were the rest of the gang (lion, tin man and scarecrow). Super cute but she is still too young to appreciate my hard work. That meaning I made her costume. Well I actually just assembled a little blue dress with some scissors and a hot glue gun and painted some shoes with red glitter...but still. Next year she might be Boo from Monsters, Inc. which will take more than some hot glue if I'm going to make it. So maybe I should hold off until she knows how hard it is. Pssh...right.

Oct was also a big month since little miss started walking! It was probably a week or so before Halloween that she finally started taking some steps. She'd been standing for awhile...probably getting her game plan down. So when she started walking she really took off. A lot of people have commented on how well she walks for not walking for very long. I suppose they are right when I think about it but I don't really have anyone to compare her to. My little super star...she'll probably be a professional athlete.

November is always fun for me since its my birthday month...as well as the start of the holiday eating frenzy. This year was my 30th which wasn't really celebrated too crazy and that's ok. If I survive the year, then my 31st can be a big celebration. I really don't feel any older, slower or weaker so I got that going for me. Hopefully that lasts longer than I anticipate it will. We finally were able to get out the cute sweaters (this is back in Nov). So our play date activities at the parks, walks and zoo became more and more comfortable. Thanksgiving was great as always since I love to eat good food. We hosted here at the house and everyone came when they could. Kate loved turkey day food of course!

December came and I immediately put up my tree and started decorating. Last year Christmas came and went so fast I didn't get to enjoy it. This year I made a point to immerse myself in it...lights up, Christmas music channel on all the time, etc. I had my cards out somewhat early and I made Christmas cookies and treats...which is sort of a big deal. I think we watched Polar Express 6 times.  Kate had a fun month with all of the celebrations and activities. Her gifts from Santa were all musical and book related and she even got a year membership to the Museum for Youth!

We went in for Kate's 15 month...this was after her two colds with a double ear infection right in the middle...ugh. Her stats:

height: I can't remember and I can't find her sheet...maybe 30in? She's in the +95% anyway
weight: 23.12 I think...- 50%ish

Sensory play!

So I didn't post about this last month but I did a little DIY project down in the basement. This was something I had been thinking about and planning for a couple months and all of a sudden I kicked it in gear because I decided I wanted to have it done and ready for the birthday party. It was a little stressful adding the project tasks on top of normal party planning to do's but I managed to get it done in time! Woo!

Say hello to Kate's new activity area! This was practically dead space, a long hallway leading to an exterior door that no one uses. Since it's a hallway, it would typically be a little cramped for an adult but for a 1 year old it's perfect!

I wanted to create a space that could be updated with age appropriate activities so this magnetic chalkboard is actually a little too advanced still...since she is only interested in eating the chalk, not learning how to write with it...but the magnetic letters and shapes are very popular! I used a leftover sheet of drywall and painted it first with the magnetic paint then the black chalkboard paint. The border is just a thick natural rope nailed into the wall...easy peasy.

Next I added a felt board. Leftover piece of drywall and glued/screwed/attached a large felt piece. No border, just very simple. Here are some of Kate's 'felt friends'...green frog, goldfish, yellow sun, blue flower, etc.

On the other side I screwed just a plain wooden board (painted with high gloss) into the wall. This is going to be a blank space for all kinds of fun learning activities. Right now I have paint in ziplock baggies duct taped to the board. Must be very interesting because for some reason every time she goes in, she stops here and smushes the paint for a bit before she moves on... :) Some other ideas for this space is touchy-feely on poster board (i.e. This feels...smooth, rough, prickly, etc), All Things (insert color here), shapes, Things that begin with (insert letter here), etc. 

Here's the sensory board...this was fun to make! Simply a 2x4' peg board, purchased at your local home improvement store, and a bunch of cool stuff! I screwed the board into the wall with anchors with the intention of taking it down and changing it up at some point.  It's also important to note that I left a couple inches of space in between the board and the wall because I secured some of the items with zip ties.  Anyway, some of the cool stuff on there: an old mouse purchased from Goodwill, a loofah, laces to learn how to tie shoes!, fake grass patch, mirror, feather duster, crazy looking sponge thing, push on night light. I'd say this sensory board gets the most attention so far.

Finally the reading nook. Ok technically yes, that is a dog bed but who's to say it's not a baby love seat?  There's nothing that says it is supposed to be used as a dog bed...aside from the tag that I removed. Kate doesn't care...she told me so. Besides it's pretty comfy and fits perfectly. The shelves are actually plastic rain gutters (thank you pinterest). Very easy install...cut to size with a coping saw (look it up) and screwed directly into wall with power drill and drywall screws. End caps to finish. Voila!

BEFORE  Eww gross!

AFTER Ooh cool!

Happy Biiiirthday dear Kaaaate!

Oh wow my baby is 1...this is a milestone I have been looking forward to for...well for this past year. Not that I have been wanting her to grow up quickly, but I feel that reaching the 1st birthday is a great accomplishment for all of us!

We have been parents for 1 full year and even though it has only been a little over 365 days...it seems like we have been doing this for years. I eat, sleep and breathe for Kate and can't imagine my days without her...not that I don't have a sense of self because I do enjoy taking time for me...but she is my life and I am not ashamed to say that. I have been blessed with the opportunity to spend every day with her...which are full of the usual breakfast, lunch, dinner, naps, diaper changes and everything else in between. Sometimes it feels monotonous and then she will do something silly to change it up a bit.

Her new BFF Mickey Mouse!

We had two birthday parties for the princess...both were great successes. The first was a smaller, more intimate family party and the second was an all out celebration of little friends! We have formed quite the circle of mom friends and baby friends throughout the year due to my two moms groups I am a part of. Kate is very popular within her group and everyone loves to hang out with her!  The first party was nice and peaceful but will be a great memory not only because of it being her 1st birthday but because Bryan's cousin Chris from NY flew out to celebrate with us! Tio Chris has a special place in Kate's heart!

Mama made baby girl blueberry Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast on her bday!

Her stats from her 12 mo doc appt: all within the 75% ish range

Weight: 22.6 lbs

Height: 30 inches

Head: smart

There has been no walking yet...not even a solo step but the cruising is at an all time high and her maximum speed of crawling is like 50 mph. She can stand unassisted and can even stand up by herself straight from the floor without having to pull up on something. We think walking is in the very near future but think that she is so content with crawling that she doesn't really see the point of walking right now...smart girl.

Face first in the mega cupcake!

Side note: We asked for books instead of toys for her birthday which was a great idea. Instead of everyone spending money on a bunch of toys taking up space and maybe or maybe not being played with, she now has a TON of books that will be of great use over and over again.

Silly girl opening presents in her new Cardinals jersey!

11 mo toddler!

In her big girl car seat with lamby

So I suppose she's not a toddler yet since technically that title is for children at least 1 yr old but she sure acts like one sometimes! She's no longer my tiny baby who stays where I put her and silently observes her surroundings. She crawls, cruises and stands all by herself!  She is very vocal both when she wants something and when she's 'talking'...the sounds she's making are definitely capable of forming words...I think I've heard the sound of almost every letter in the alphabet...except for maybe J and L...and V.

At the splash pad with her boyfriend Eli

Within this past month she had a double ear infection which wasn't too fun. Fevers in babies are always scary but she definitely scared me! Once the antibiotic kicked in she was back to her usual self but I had a sick baby for a few days. Not fun!

Playing a duet with her friend Grace at Arizona Museum for Youth

Only 4 more weeks to go and my little baby turns 1. No more speaking in months when it comes to age.  No more getting in free to places like Arizona Museum for Youth (babies under 1)... I am a little nervous about entering the toddler years. I've heard great things and also not so great things.  I'm sure there will be difficult times but I know there will be amazing memories.

10 mo old baby!

Kate and her bff

Kate has made it into the double digits...another month has gone by and now here we are, only two months away from her 1st birthday! Since last September, my life has completely changed 110% for the better and it's all that little babys fault ;o) Almost everything I do on a daily basis involves her and I love it! She's such a smiley, low maintenance kind of girl and we have so much fun together!

Coming through the tunnel at the children's play area at Fiesta Mall (side note: I walked this mall the day I went into labor to start inducing labor...it worked!)

No walking yet (I'm fine with that!), but she is crawling all over and pulling herself up easily on everything. We've upped bath time from every other night to every night. Poor girl is crawling around on the dirty floors I try so desperately to keep clean! (Trevor gives me no help) She also started to take little steps to grab a toy using the couch or tables to get around instead of getting down to crawl over. I installed one gate so far to help keep her contained while I'm doing stuff in the kitchen...but since they are the screw in the wall kind of gates I need to think about where the next one needs to go. She is attracted to the stairs so that is something to keep in mind! I don't leave her alone right now anyway when she plays...so there's always a watchful eye on her.

My beauty

She still has 8 teeth and no sign of any more but she's been drooling like crazy for the past few weeks. I've started to put bibs back on her because she'll soak right through her top in 10 minutes. I'm not sure what the drooling is about.  Her 8 teeth are coming in nicely. Pretty straight and bright white. I've been trying to brush them with little success. She will let me do the bottom ones but protests at the top ones which are the important ones. I've also noticed a couple tiny 'chips'. The top left and bottom very left ones. I don't think she's old enough for the dentist so the next time I go I'll just ask him. It's either got to be from her 'grinding' phase or chewing on one of the millions of things that go in her mouth during the day.

Having fun with her friends on our 'splash pad'

I've been thinking about her birthday party and have decided that the invitations need to go out this week! I need to make sure I give everyone plenty of time to put it into their calendars. I mean it's pretty much the most important day of this year!

9 mos and a mobile baby!

Cheerio goatee!

Before each new blog post, I typically read the previous one to think about what has happened in the last month and to also take note of which milestones Kate has defeated. I can say that in at least the past two months, Kate has been on fast forward as far as firsts go! It was very funny (and a little shocking) to read in last months blog that Kate was not yet crawling...since then, she has learned to crawl, speed crawl (crawling very quickly especially to the dog dish!) AND pull herself up to a standing position on everything possible...tables, chairs, walls, cabinets, crib, moving and non moving objects...my legs are a favorite. Although she has yet to pull up on Trevor since he won't stay still long enough to let her. I can't believe in such a short amount of time, that she is completely mobile and threatening to stand on her own and possibly walk! Did I mention she climbed up the basement stairs?! All by herself, up she went...obviously she was supervised but still. Time to get the gates out! I really hope we are a long way away from walking but who knows! We all know she has the leg strength for it!

Which brings me to the next topic: STATS. Her doc appt was the usual "well she certainly is thriving!" (talking about her thicky thick appearance). She weighed in at 20.12lbs and 28.5 inches tall. Last month our scale read about 20 lbs so maybe she's leveling off?? She received 2 shots but has a few more to catch up to according to the 'recommended shot schedule'.

Kate has also received her first haircut at Mama's Beauty Salon...a very reputable salon located in the upstairs bathroom with a good pair of tweezerman hair scissors. The haircut only included her bangs but it still counts! I didn't want to do it but I just felt so bad with her bangs constantly in her eyes. So I snipped and saved all the little pieces in a baggie, labeled and dated. I wonder if my next kid will get all of this sentimental attention?

The temp is heating up but I don't think Kate has noticed since I'm blasting the A/C everywhere she goes...goodbye reasonable electric bill...but we are in triple digits so it's warranted. Next month, Kate will be in double digits!! Yikes!

Playing a duet on her piano with the peanuts boy...

Who's that baby in the mirror?!  

8 mos and many new things!

Well only a month has gone by since the last blog post but it seems like a whole bunch of new things have happened! The trip to Isla was amazing and a great success. The flights there and back were nothing to be feared as far as Kate was concerned! What a perfect little traveler! She was chill when she was supposed to be, slept when it was the right time and played when it was expected. Such a good baby :) The island was gorgeous and the wedding events were all so much fun! We had a great time catching up with the family and showing Kate off as much as we could. It wasn't too hard since she was so popular anyway!

 Another big event was Kate's Baptism last Sunday. The ceremony was held at The All Saints Catholic Newman Center in Tempe with a light reception back at the house. She wore a gown that was worn by her daddy and also all of the Brink cousins during their Baptism...total heirloom!

We have some major milestones to talk about: TEETH: Last month she had her two bottom teeth still growing strong and one of her top front teeth trying to poke through which makes almost 3 right? Well, as of today, we have 7 teeth! What happened?! I have no idea... Her top right tooth broke through within a day or so of writing last months blog. Then I didn't really check her mouth again until our trip to Isla...which is where I discovered that a bottom side tooth had already broken through! Since then, the other bottom side tooth broke through...along with her OTHER top front tooth, as well as one of the top side teeth. Holy moly!

 VOCALS: Last month it was 'Mama'...or mamamamamamama...now it's 'Dada' or dadadadadadada. She seems to 'cry' Mama when she's desperate to be held and then dada for everything else that's happy and cheery. Interesting. Movement: No crawling yet...well there's backwards crawling-ish but thats about it. She does real well with going from a sitting position to tummy very quickly. She's also started 'dancing' which is the cutest thing. When she's sitting or standing in her exersaucer, she will bob her head and juggle her tummy back and forth. Very cute but I have yet to catch it on video.

 We don't have a doc appt until next month, but we did weigh her on our home scale the other day and she was about 20lbs. Still thicky girl...especially in the bottom half of her body! I've already started thinking about her 1st birthday a little. I know it's far out still but it will be here before I know it...just like her turning 8 mos. Soon she'll be in the double digits and her bday will be right around the corner! Now if we can just survive the summer...

flash on my camera is so bright, poor girl can never keep her eyes open!