SAHM, I am

Today was my last day working at Shoe Show, Inc. One month ago, I turned in my letter of resignation as a Store Planner for Shoe Show in order to stay home with you, Katy, full-time.

"They" say that having a baby changes everything, and it most certainly does. I never thought that I could be content with the idea of staying home, full-time. However, after my three months of maternity leave was complete in May, it was oh, so hard to hand you over to somebody else to care for you, watch you grow up and get to experience all of those firsts! All of the arguments for me to stay home or go to work, came down to the simple fact that nobody- nobody!- is going to raise your child the way you would. You, Katy, are too precious to us to let somebody else raise you!

Now that I will be home with you, Katy, I'll get to experience those firsts with you. I'll get to be the one reading you the stories, feeding you and taking care of you. While it isn't easy work, and it can be frustrating, monotonous and repetitive, I truly believe that it is best for our whole family that I stay home to take care of you, Katy.

The decision for me to stay home doesn't make sense for a lot of reasons- one main reason being financial. When I was working outside of the home, I felt like I was doing too many things and none of them very well- mother, wife, worker. With me staying home, we are now venturing out into the unknown, having faith that this is truly God's path for our lives and we just need to trust Him to provide for our needs.

I am so excited to be able to stay home with you, Katy! I love seeing your baby smiles and hearing those sweet baby giggles. I love watching you learn and I love discovering the world through your eyes. I'm excited to start this new chapter of our lives!

Rice is Good!

You are your mother's daughter, Katy. I say this because anybody who knows me, knows that I LOVE, LOVE rice. I've even been known to steal rice off of Daddy's dinner plate.

In an attempt to introduce you to multigrain cereal, we are trying to introduce you to a variety of grains, separately. Therefore, we tried barley cereal, this weekend. The first attempt on Friday went okay. The second and third attempts were a no go! You just ended up making faces, spitting it out and making raspberries (so that I ended up wearing the barley cereal and not much got into you!).

So, today, I gave in and fed you plain old rice cereal and you were back to opening your mouth like a baby bird, wanting more. Rice is good...

Baby Cannot Live by Sweet Potatoes, Alone

Today, you let it be known that you did not want to eat anything except sweet potatoes, Katy. I tried feeding you barley cereal- no go- cereal in MY face. I tried feeding you bananas- no go- raspberries and drool. I tried feeding you applesauce- no go- gagging, scrunchie face. So, I succumbed and just fed you sweet potatoes... for both lunch and dinner... Now, I understand how other kids just eat hot dogs or nuggets.... sigh... You sure are sweet, baby girl, and you are kind of shaped like a potato, SOOOoo, maybe we'll just start calling your our little "Sweet Potato." :-)

Adventures in Baby Food Making

"Yay! Mommy's making baby food!" (Katy was "supervising")

"Hey, why are you taking a picture of that and not FEEDING me any of those sweet potatoes??!"

Yesterday, I made my first batches of baby food for the freezer. Up until this point, I've only made baby food as needed and/or used jarred baby food.

We bought some peaches, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans and squash at the grocery store. I tackled the sweet potatoes and peaches, yesterday. I pulled out the trusty Magic Bullet, pureed the fruit and veggie (separately) with a bit of water until smooth, poured into ice cube trays and stuck them in the freezer. After the cubes were frozen, I put them in labeled baggies.

It makes me feel good to be able to feed you this way, Katy. Next up on the menu, peas, green beans and squash... and eventually we'll get around to doing some meats and protein.

Bottles and Such

There is one milestone- holding your own bottle- that you have not yet met, Katy. You've been very advanced in most other areas (I know, I know, every parent says this!), but I believe we are going to pass on this one, and I'm okay with that. Since you are a breastfed baby there is no need for you to hold your own bottle. While at daycare, they feed you from a glass bottle. These glass bottles tend to be heavier than the plastic ones, so it's harder and heavier for you to hold. Oh well!

You do hold your sippy cup pretty well, though...!

That's a Wrap!

Snoozin' in the Mei Tai

Our good friends, the Batys, loaned us a handmade Mei Tai made by another mutual friend at Kinetic Church. A Mei Tai (other than being a drink), is a quicker, easier form of wrapping your baby. After a rough night, you finally fell asleep in the Mei Tai, allowing me to get a couple of things done around the house.

Baby Shower for Baby Smith

Tiffanie and her baby bump (and my lack of one ;-P)

Mama-to-be with all of her gifts

Last Saturday, I went to the baby shower for my good friend, Tiffanie Smith. Tiffanie and I have worked together through several companies and we have known each other for over three years. We have bonded over FL real estate (ugh!), our jobs and our design backgrounds. Now, we will each have a baby, nine months apart! Tiffanie and her hubby, Ryan, just moved to CT, but perhaps our babies can grow up to be friends, too!

JUST Teething??!

Today, started out with a howl, a wail and no sleep. Katy, you woke up at 2AM, nursed, dozed a bit and then you (Daddy and I, too!) were up ever since. Nothing would console you. We got you ready for the day and after an hour car ride to calm you down (you napped while I drove- yay!), I took you to King's Keep. You refused to nurse/eat while there. I left for work only to be called back mid-morning because you were being "Crazy Girl" (aka, crying, not napping and just wanting to be held).

After a sleepless night and lots and lots of wailing and howling (since about two Am, this morning!), I decided to take you to the doctor's to get everything checked out. Call me paranoid first-time parent, but you refused to nurse, you were running a low-grade fever (101.1 degrees F), you didn't want to suck your thumb (which you LOVE to do!), you hadn't slept/napped since the wee hours of the morning and you were tugging at your ears.

So, we had a 1:15PM appointment at Suburban Pediatrics with Dr. Greenlee. She checked everything out and NOTHING to report! All she could come up with was teething.... all that for JUST teething??!!!

Baby Van Gogh

Baby Van Gogh, August 26, 2010

With two artistic parents, Katy, you were bound to have some creativity in those genes of yours! You made a hand print lobster, a footprint flip-flop and a thumbprint fishy at daycare, this week. Of course, we thought it was pretty cute!

27th Week Birthday

27 Weeks, August 22, 2010

Today, you are 27 weeks old, Katy!

You are babbling and mimicking sounds more and more, on a regular basis. You love to talk to the wall, the table, the lamp, the other little kiddies at daycare- whoever will listen. You even talk louder if the person you are talking to walks away or leaves the room.

On a regular basis, you are getting up on all fours and rocking back and fourth. You even did a little two-step "crawling" the other night while reaching for my hair clip. I wouldn't call what you do full-on crawling but you are oh, so close!! Every night, we put an object of interest in front of you in the hopes that you will try to reach, crawl, scoot towards it.

Tonight, you just started putting out your hand and opening and closing it. It kind of looks like a backwards wave, or "gimme."

You didn't sleep terribly well, this week- at daycare or at home. That means that Daddy and I didn't get much sleep, either. You had a bit of a stuffy nose but no other symptoms of a cold. We aren't sure if it's a side effect of teething, or not. Last night, though, you did sleep through the night- heaven!

We introduced you to yogurt, this week (separate blog post). You seem to enjoy it. This coming week, we plan to start you on carrots.

We spent all of last weekend trying to childproof the house. We already had the outlet covers and door knob covers in place. This time, we did all of the cabinet doors, medicine cabinet, etc. I'm sure there are things that you will find, Katy, when we aren't looking, but for now, we're off to a good start.

Happy Baby

Smile in Action!

Tag! You're It!

There is something about tags that just fascinates you, Katy. You like to flick the tag with your hands and see if it makes a sound. It doesn't matter if the tag is on your bib, on your blanket, your seat- whatever- you just love to study it, touch it and "read" it.

Sleepless in Concord, NC...

I had thought that sleepless nights were a thing of the past as you got older, Katy. I stand corrected. Last night, you were up too many times to count. We aren't really sure WHY you kept waking up, though. You were a little congested (enter in your favorite instrument, the nose plunger at which you scream your head off and get yourself all worked up!) but other than that you didn't feel hot, you didn't have any bumps or bruises of note. Sigh, off to work we go (sleepy, tired and a little foggy)....

On the Move!

Katy is on the MOVE!

Well Hydrated Baby

"Did you have your eight glasses of water, today?"

Who needs expensive toys when you have a water bottle to play with?! Katy, you seem to really like playing with water bottles. A water bottle helped to entertain you on the plane a couple of weeks ago when we flew to Philly (thank goodness!). Ever since, you have been fascinated with them; always grabbing for Daddy's or mine. You seem to like the fact that the bottle reflects light and makes a sound when you shake it!

"Aargh....Ahoy, Mateys!"

Me thinks that Katy likes the Muppets... just like Daddy ;-P

Tall Drink of Water (cont.)

Tonight, you finally got the hang of drinking from a sippy cup, Katy! We've offered you a sippy cup each night after dinner but you mostly just chew on the spout. Tonight, though, you were gulping the water and you were able to tilt the cup up so that you drank all three ounces that I had originally poured into the cup! Yay, Katy!

Go, Go, Go Yogurt!

"Hmmm... I kind of like yogurt..."

"Hey, gimme more of that yummy yogurt!"

After discussing it with the doctor, today, we decided to introduce you to yogurt, Katy. I had some coupons for some free YoBaby Meals Yogurt so we tried you on apple and sweet potato puree yogurt. Katy, you LOVED it! You kept opening your mouth for more and you were all smiles while eating. You ate about half of the container (about two ounces), tonight, for dinner.

Katy, you have strong taste preferences. You do not seem to like peas and bananas (no fault of my own- Daddy can confirm this dislike of bananas). You tend to like sweeter things- such as sweet potatoes- you LOVE sweet potatoes! You still like avocados, though.

Six Months Old Birthday

Katy Grace, 6 months old, August 18, 2010

Sleepy-bye-baby

Daddy sneaks some kisses!

On the move!

"Oh boy, did I just (almost) crawl?!"

Happy Baby!

"Splish, Splash, Katy was taking a bath!!"

Fascinated with any toy that moves and makes noises

"Warden, please sir- let me out of here- I don't want to take a nap!"

Katy succumbs to the dreaded "N".... NAP!

Today, you are exactly six months old, Katy!! Happy Half Birthday! I can't believe you are already half a year old! We'll be planning your first birthday, before we know it! It seems like you've always been apart of our lives, Katy, and we're so glad! They always say that having a baby changes everything and it most certainly does. We love watching you grow and develop, Katy. Your baby smiles and cute little giggles seem to make the stresses of the world go away. It's amazing what lengths we'll go to, to make sure you are safe, happy and healthy.

Your big accomplishment for the week is the fact that you got up on all fours and started rocking back and forth- pre-cursor to crawling (separate blog post). Daddy and I need to lower your crib and really start taking baby-proofing the house a lot more seriously! You are (soon-to-be) on the move!

You are starting to vocalize your happiness and displeasure, more and more. The other night, we needed to take a toy away from you so we could start getting you ready for bed. You did not like that, Katy, and you let us know! Of course, the opposite is true when you show pure joy in the simple things in life!

Lunch Date with Daddy

Katy is, "Working 9-5..." ;-P

After your doctor's appointment, today, we visited Daddy at work. Daddy recently moved offices, so we got to see his new digs. You were smiley and giggly throughout our short visit. As always, you were a big hit with Daddy's co-workers.

Six Month Well Baby Doctor's Visit

A little light reading about shots while waiting for Dr. Greg, August 18, 2010

Katy, today, you went to your six month well baby doctor's visit with Dr. Greg Guerriero at Suburban Pediatrics. You weigh 17 pounds, 12 ounces and measure 27" long. This puts you in the 90th percentile for both weight and height- Daddy and I are still scratching our heads as to where you got that tall gene??! Dr. Greg says you are healthy and, I quote, "...leaps and bounds ahead of most six months old, developmentally." You had four booster shots, today and you took them like a champ. You didn't much like them, and you did cry, but not for long.

Everything Dr. Greg told us you should be doing in the next couple of months, you already do. For example, he said that it's okay to introduce a sippy cup, now- check. You should be babbling and "talking." You will start to put together sounds such as "Mama, Dada"- check. Your back muscles will start to get stronger and you will be able to sit by yourself and stand with support- check. You might even start to scoot- check! Leaps and bounds, baby!

According to the doctor, if we can mush it, mash it and puree it (with in reason, of course), it's okay to start feeding it to you. It's a good time to introduce meats and proteins into your diet (besides breast milk). We can even start to feed you puddings and yogurt, should we choose to do so.

We asked the doctor about the fact that your right eye is bigger than the left. He said that at this stage, it isn't anything to worry about. The difference in eye size could be due to the fact that the soft spot on the top of your head is still soft, and not yet full developed (won't be until about two years old).

You were very social and very talkative with the doctor, today. You kept trying to grab for his instruments, making it a bit tricky to listen to your heart and reflexes. All in all, a very good report and a happy, healthy six month old!

Rock-A-Bye Baby (cont.)

Tonight, you consistently got up on all fours, lifted your tummy off the ground and rocked back and forth! On your marks, get set, CRAWL!!!!!!!!

Bath time Revisited

March 6, 2010

August 15, 2010

Splish, Splash, Katy was taking a bath! Look how big you've gotten since your first bath, Katy!

Fashionista

Vogue- Strike a Pose!

Earlier in the week, we borrowed two big tubs of clothes for you, Katy, from our friends, the Batys (THANK YOU!). The tubs were filled with lots of bigger sized clothing and shoes. Today, I dressed you in a cute, little denim skirt and flower top. You looked so "grown up" in your new outfit. When you got to your classroom at King's Keep, the teachers all commented on how cute you looked and you just lapped up the attention. I believe we have a fashionista on our hands!!

Wild Thang

You have a bit of a "wild" streak in you, Katy. You love when we "toss" you in the air! You giggle and giggle when we play "Super Katy." We turn your bib around backwards and "fly" you on our knees as we lay on our backs on the floor. Tonight, you let it be known that you wanted more "Super Katy" when we stopped. As soon as we started up again, you were all smiles and giggles.

25 Weeks Birthday

25 Weeks Old, August 12, 2010

Family Portrait, August 8, 2020

Smooshie Face!

Today you are 25 weeks old, Katy!

You are sitting up and using your core muscles. You can move yourself from a side/back position into a sitting pose. You still wobble a little, Katy, but you are starting to really get the hang of sitting upright by yourself, without support!

After a week of being spoiled by your Grandparents Jones, you are back at King's Keep. You've been napping slightly better so we are happy with that. All of the little kiddies in your class are growing up!

You continue to be a good eater, regularly eating all of your rice cereal, fruit and veggies, each day. We continue to offer you a sippy cup of water each evening to get you used to the concept of drinking from a cup. For now, you mostly like to chew on the spout.

After what seems to be weeks of drooling and teething, we can finally see a little white bump in your mouth where your first tooth is starting to come in. Putting everything you can get your little hands and chomping on it still seems to be the game du jour.

Currently, you seem very interested in patterns and bright colors. You will stop what you are playing with in order to look at Daddy's bright shirt or Mommy's patterned blouse. Maybe we have a little artist on our hands? ;-P

Or, maybe you will follow in the steps of your Grandpa Jones and be an engineer? More than once your grandparents caught you eyeing the lamp electrical cords! You seem very inquisitive and interested in learning how things work and move. You will study a toy for a long (in baby time) and try to "figure" it out. Grandma and Grandpa Jones got you some new toys, last week and you managed to figure out how to stop the spinning top and move the dial on your Busy box after just a few demonstrations.

Tuesday night, I went to our friends house, the Batys, to pick up two large tubs of clothes for you, Katy! Your wardrobe is set! Little girls certainly have the clothes!

You are starting to understand that if something is partially hidden, it isn't necessarily "gone." If a toy drops, you look down and try to find it. If a toy is hidden by a blanket, you know to look under the blanket for the toy.

In preparation for when you are fully mobile (and we are in trouble!) we got a child safety lock for the kitchen sink cabinet. We already had the outlet plugs and door covers in place before you were born. The gate at the top of the stairs is ready to go for when we need it. Sometimes, though, all of the child safety locks frustrate me when trying to quickly open a cabinet or door!

Rock-A-Bye Baby

Today, while playing on the big bed you got up on all fours and rocked, Katy. You didn't move but you were in a crawling position!

Silly Daddy

To date, Katy, your favorite toy is Daddy. You may have lots of books, play things, activity centers, exersaucers, etc., but Daddy can always get you to laugh. It doesn't matter if he's singing silly (Muppet) songs to you or coming toward you saying "Watermelon" in a funny voice, Daddy makes you laugh and giggle!

You seem to really like when Daddy sings Muppet songs to you. Such as, Ernie's, 'I dance myself to sleep,' Cookie Monster's, 'C is for Cookie'. I kid you not- you really, really do like the Muppets. You may look like me, Baby Girl, but you are definitely your Daddy's Muppet Loving daughter!

Tall Drink of Water (Katy drinks from a Sippy Cup)

Katy drinks from a Sippy Cup, August 7, 2010

For the first time, today, we gave you a sippy cup, Katy. I've been wanting to try you out on a sippy cup for little while, now, and I've been doing a little research on what cups to try you out on, first. A lot of reviews said that Nuk was a good brand to try first because the spout is soft like a bottle nipple. We found one at a consignment sale, this morning. So, we bought it, brought it home and sterilized it and filled it with 2 ozs. of water (first time drinking water). We handed the cup to you and you immediately grabbed for it and stuck it in your mouth- you knew exactly what to do!

Housekeeping and Disclaimer

Just a little housekeeping business to take care of. From this point on, if you'd like to leave comments on this blog (and we love positive feedback!), please register to become a follower of "All Things Katy."

Disclaimer- This blog is meant to be a casual chronicle of Katy's life for friends and family around the world to be able to keep up with how Katy is doing- nothing written, mentioned or referred to in this blog is meant to be anything other than the truth/what works for us with Katy and her growth and development. Thank you!

24 Weeks Birthday

24 Weeks, August 1 2010

Katy's new Lumpy Rocking Horse (only we would find AND want one of these!).

Katy's reaction to feeding her apples (what kid DOESN'T like apples??!).

"I love to eat!"

Daddy sporting the Moby Wrap and a (finally!) sleeping Katy (plus getting in a little Xbox time! :-)!

"Bang, Bang on the drum!"

Today you are 24 weeks old, Katy. My, how time flies!

You got to spend the whole week at home, basking in the loving, undivided attention of your Grandma and Grandpa Jones. So far, you have been a very good girl for them eating all of your bottles, most of your food and taking nice, long naps! They've been having fun playing with you, listening to you giggle and entertain them.

You finally said, "Dada," much to Daddy's delight. You still don't necessarily identify "Mama" or "Dada" to either Daddy or I, but you at least say them out loud, a lot and that makes us happy.

We introduced you to apples, this week (separate blog post). At first, you didn't really seem to care for them but Grandma reported that you seemed to like them, yesterday. I guess it just took some getting used to. So far, no outward allergic reactions to apples.

We consigned some of the items we no longer need/you outgrew at the Charlotte Tot Trade, this week. We were able to go to the consignor's pre-sale, last night. We even found a Lumpy riding toy for you! You made out like a bandit in the toy department, thanks to your grandparents! :-)

We've caught you peering around corners to watch a person leaving the room and you now understand to look at the floor when an item drops. You've vocalized your "request" for more attention on various occasions and you've come to anticipate results.

You are more playful and love to explore. You play to learn- searching and exploring each toy and item placed in front of you. You now play Peek-A-Boo on your own. Grandma says, "Katy, play Peek-A-Boo" and you know to hide your eyes and then "pop" out. You smile and smile playing this game!

Say, "Dada!"

After some coaxing from Daddy, you finally said, "Dada," this weekend, Katy. Daddy had left the room when you decided to call out to him, "Dada!" Of course, he came hurrying back to cuddle you!

Grandma and Grandpa Jones Come to Visit!

Grandma and Grandpa Jones take care of Katy, August 2010

Yesterday, Grandma and Grandpa Jones rolled into town. They came for a week-long visit and some quality Katy-time!

Today, you were very good for them- eating all of your bottles, food and taking nice long naps for the grandparents. You played and read and giggled for your grandparents. You kept them very entertained, Katy!

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Yesterday, we introduced you to apples, Katy. We've waited to feed you apples, carrots, pears, and peaches because I am allergic to all of these foods and studies have found that if one parent has an allergy, the child is 50% more likely to have an allergy to the same food. I thought for sure that you would gobble it right up since apples are sweet and you LOVE sweet but instead, you kept giving us the "I'm-not-so-sure-about-this" face along with sticking out your tongue and pushing the spoon away. This morning, I mixed apples with your rice cereal and you seemed to eat it a little bit better but you still made faces. So far, no allergic reactions, though. We'll keep trying...