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!

7 months...the heat is coming!

Arizona can be one of the best places to live weather-wise and also one of the worst places to live weather-wise. We are creeping up on 'the worst' time with temps almost at 90 at midday (it's barely April). That doesn't seem like much compared to what it is going to be like (triple digits at 10am!) but we can already tell a difference. A/C on in the car and now A/C turned on in the house! A couple years ago I would have just dressed more appropriately and maybe turned on another fan or two and waited it out until I couldn't bear it anymore...but now I have a baby, who can't voice to me if she's too hot, to think about...so I need to err on the side of caution and assume she is hot. It doesn't help that she has the hottest room in the house, a detail I overlooked when choosing her bedroom, so on went the A/C. Looks like we are going to be spending the majority of our time in the dungeon (basement) this summer. Her 3rd tooth is threatening to poke through. It's the top right (front) and she's drooling like a faucet...she's always been a big drooler but I can tell she is producing more since she's having difficulty swallowing it all sometimes. (chokes on her own spit often!) He sleeping schedule is a little out of whack too. She doesn't seem to be in pain (from what I can tell) but I'm sure its bothersome to say the least! I noticed her top gums looking redder than usual but over the past week the right one has been evolving and is now in the white pod (or blister) stage. Last time that happened to the bottom gums, she had teeth popping through within the week! We leave on our much anticipated Mexico (Isla Mujeres) trip to celebrate the marriage of Kate's Aunt Maria and Uncle Gerard! Very exciting and a little nerve wracking thinking about the flight and all the stuff I need to pack for her. This will be her first flight, first time out of AZ and first time traveling internationally...all in one! Hopefully we can put at least one other stamp in her little passport book before it expires in 5 years. No crawling yet but she's thinking about it. She can't get her knees under her by herself, but with a little help she will start to rock back and forth a little...until her knees give out and she's flat on her tummy again. She does manage to lift her little butt up every so often but that's as far as she'll go all by herself. She's also managed to master the 'mmm' and 'ahh' sounds but it doesn't seem to come on purpose, more a repetitive/babbling sound. Although sometimes I like to think she's saying mama :) Along with that she's started to make an exaggerated chewing motion. Not sure if she is mimicking us when we eat, or if it's the feeling of her bottom teeth on her top gums...but whatever it is, it's super cute!

Kate playing with her 'lamby' that she got from the Easter Bunny.

LOL the flash on my camera always seems to be too bright! I get a lot of closed and half closed eyes!

6 mos!!

My baby is 6 months old...half a year has gone by and it seems so long ago. You know I never quite understood fully when people would tell me how fast this would go. I have to admit I would always just nod like I totally got it...but I didn't get it. I didn't understand that all of a sudden my baby will be 6 months old, grabbing at everything in sight, eating grown up foods (pureed x10), developing her own personality and basically communicating to me through sounds and eye contact. I feel like shes actually speaking to me and I can somehow understand her. So what have I been doing for half a year? Watching my little baby grow and learn and become this little person! She has a great, go with the flow kind of personality. A very low maintenance kinda girl who loves to smile :)

 Major milestones: EARRINGS! She now looks like a girl, no question, but a little grown up! She did a great job at her docs (who did the piercing) and only cried for a couple of minutes. Since then she hasn't tugged or touched her new accessories which is a great thing. We chose little pearls by the way...a classic look for our classy girl.

Vocals: Babbling is now gurgling. Playing and making noises with her spit is a new discovery. No words yet (at least on purpose) but the 'm' and 'ahh' sounds are there. :) Solids: Solids are a major and important part of our day! Kate loves to eat!!! What an understatement but hopefully this levels out a bit as she gets older...moderation is the key! ;) She gets so pumped when I put her in her high chair (a gift from her great grandma Mcguire!) because she knows she's about to get some yummy, yummy, yummy food! Favorites so far; brown rice cereal, sweet potatoes, peas, pears and carrots. She is ALWAYS a member of the clean plate club! Speaking of clean plate club...her stats are 18.2 lbs (90%) and 28 in (off the charts!). I'm thinking volleyball, basketball...or golf is always in the picture.

5 months!!...is almost half a YEAR!

Kate's 5 month birthday is today. 5 months ago today I was in the hospital recovering from a crazy short labor and trying to wrap my mind around what just happened to us. We had a baby. Thats what happened. I still get warm fuzzies whenever I think about the whole experience. What a great memory that is. B and I were just talking about how that moment will never be the same again. Sure the next baby will still be a great memory I'm sure, but the first one will always be very special. Now my baby is 5 months and all grown up ::sniff::...well not really.

Important milestones: She is doing great with sitting up by herself. She has very strong neck and back muscles and I contribute that to her sleeping on her tummy (shh dont tell my ped and dont call CPS on me please). On the flip side, she seems to have no interest in rolling over and tends to do the superman whenever she is placed on her tummy to play. So I'm not sure if crawling or scooting is in our near future. TEETH! I updated the last post with her two bottom teeth popping through and they are continuing to show their very white and very sharp faces (if they had faces). We are still nursing and haven't had any major issues with biting so that's all good...for me at least. She is still drooling like crazy, we go through about 5 bibs a day, and everything she gets her hands on ends up in her mouth. Vocals...still have a screamer. Although now her screaming has turned more into shrieking and usually happens when she's in a great mood and excited about something. It seems to have replaced her giggle...so hopefully this is just a phase. Babbling is also new. She was 'talking' before but now she is using her tongue more and blowing bubbles with her spit. Socialization: We have a couple mommy groups that we belong to and have gone out several times to meet up. She is a very good girl when we are in public and has made a couple little friends so far. Everyone just loves her!