Bye-Bye, Binky

Yesterday we said bye-bye to Kate's binkies. I was a little emotional. I had made the decision awhile ago that we would kick the binky habit by the time Kate was 1, but it was still hard to come to terms with the fact that my baby was growing up. But yesterday morning I mustered up the courage, told Kate that she was a big girl and that she was "all done" with binkies, and had her throw them in the trash. Kate really only gets her binky when she sleeps, so I was pretty nervous when her first nap came around. But you know what? She did fine. She got her little lovie blanket and went right to sleep. Afternoon nap comes around. She did just fine again. Maybe I was more hooked on the binky than she was? Well, bedtime came around and that was much harder. But to be fair, she had a hard time the night before with her binky, so hard nights happen. But I definitely think the binky would have helped. However, after a lot of tears and frustration she finally went to bed. And stayed asleep all night long. Sans binky. When I went into her room to spy on her she looked like a little sleeping angel. Success! Really, this whole transition is going very smoothly, seeing as it is the first time I have really ever had to wean her from something. And while I missed the binky a little at first, it sure is nice to have one less thing to worry about!

Ok, I normally am not a fan of binky in mouth pictures. But in honor of the end of the binky, I think this picture is adorable. It's of Kate's 1st time on the boat.

(More) Birthday Fun

I figured there were so many pictures in the last post that videos would be overkill. Actually, all of these videos in this post is probably overkill. But hey, she's my baby and it was her big day. So here are all the videos I took.

This video is actually from before her birthday. It is of her opening her first present, a jogging stroller from her G.G.

Showing off her awesome skillz

Blowing out candles

Daintily eating her cake

Opening a present. (Yes, we used Christmas wrapping paper.)

Playing with a present

What? You think I went overboard with the videos? Just wait 'til her sweet sixteen ;)

Birthday Fun

Kate's birthday was really low key. But I think she liked it that way, because she seems to be a low key kid. So after her morning nap we took her to the duck pond at BYU and had a picnic. She loved the ducks. But when we first got there she kept insisting that ducks say "woof". Hahahahaha. After being at the pond for a little while she began saying "duhduhduh" to mean "duck".

Making mischief

Playing with Daddy

Ducks are so fun!

After the duck pond and another nap we ran some errands and came home for cake. I made Kate a banana cake, and since I had extra time while she was napping I decided to get fancy and decorate it.

Just call me "Cake Boss"

Watching Kate eat the cake was adorable. Instead of the typical one year old cake smash, she decided to daintily pick off little pieces of her cake. With help from me and Brett, the piece eventually got smaller and smaller, until she very suddenly gave up her dainty side and shoved the whole thing in her mouth.

Daddy eating cake is hilarious

Kate shared a bite of her cake with Deacon...and then whacked him in the face.

The whole cake ordeal took so long that we didn't even have time to do presents. I guess that is what's wonderful about first birthdays. You really aren't under any pressure! So we did presents the following morning. Kate had fun opening and playing with her new toys.

Overall, Kate's birthday was fun, relaxing, and full of smiles. And while I do wish I could have held a big bash with all our family and friends, it was also fun to just be together as a family and reflect on that wonderful day 1 year ago when our little family went from 2 to 3. Or 3 to 4 if you count Deacon :)

1 Year

Kate is 1 year old!

I would now like to congratulate myself. I can't keep a plant alive for more than a week. But I can keep a kid alive for a whole year. Win!

I don't even know what to write. I am overcome with emotion right now. That is probably because we just got back from Kate's 1 year doctor's appointment. The appointment went fine. Going to the lab to get her blood drawn did not. It is seriously heart-wrenching to listen to your child scream "all done!!" while the phlebotomist struggles to keep her foot from dripping blood all over the floor. Yeah, cue mom emotions.

The last year has been amazing. Incredible. Heart-wrenching. Joyful. Tearful. Messy. Filled with laughter. With smiles. With giggles and chuckles. Exhausting. Exciting. Anxious. A little fearful. Very prayerful.

And I am so grateful for every moment of every day. Every diaper change. Every nursing session. Every time she wouldn't fall asleep. Every time she would. Every snuggle. Every smile. Every tear. Every milestone. Every. Single. Thing.

I have been reflecting a lot on the meaning of birthdays. More than anything, I am grateful that Kate had the opportunity to come to Earth. To receive a body.

Kate, I need you to know how amazing that is. You made a decision before you were ever born into this world. You chose to follow the plan of your Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. You chose the plan of happiness. You chose the plan of salvation. Remember that.

 

 

I'll end the post with this picture. It shows how big you have become, but how little you still are. It reminds me that no matter how big you get, you will always be my Baby Kate. And I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be your mommy.

The Cute Factor

In just a few days my baby will be 1. And while she has been cute since the moment she came into this world, recently she is just becoming so sweet. She is entering that stage (I refuse to say the word "toddler") where she takes her cuteness to a whole new level. Here are some random things she has been doing lately that just melt my heart.

She waves hello and goodbye. She waves to me when I first come into her room in the morning and say "hi". Today she waved to Brett as he was running out the door to go to school. I don't know how to describe how cute it is, but sometimes when I see her happily waving my heart feels like it might burst from joy.

She escapes from me during every single diaper change. There is nothing cuter than a naked baby butt crawling in the opposite direction from you.

She swats at flies (specifically the one living in our kitchen that I can't seem to kill). She saw me doing it, and so now whenever she sees the fly she waves her arms madly (and seems very proud of herself).

She follows simple directions. Seriously, as I'm making this list I'm not sure why I find all these things about Kate so stinkin' cute. But when I say, "Can I have your binky please?" and she hands me her binky, it is just adorable. Writing it down just doesn't do it justice. I guess I'll have to start taking more videos. She will also follow other directions like "sit down" and "no touch" (okay, she doesn't really listen when I say no touch, but I know she knows what I mean!)

When you ask her what the dog says, she tries to say "woof". It sounds more like "fffff" or sometimes "ooofff". But really, could anything be more sweet? Nope. She will also sometimes say "mmmmm" when you ask her what the cow says. Not quite as adorable as "woof," but it's close.

If you ask her, "Where is Kate's tongue?" she sticks her tongue out at you. Haha. That's right, some people teach their kids body parts like eyes, nose, and ears. I started with her tongue. Might as well take advantage of her sticking out her tongue at me while it's still cute, right? She also likes to point out my tongue by trying to grab it. Not as cute, but she still gets away with it for now.

She still sometimes sleeps on her belly with her butt sticking straight up in the air. It looks horribly uncomfortable, but is also the cutest thing ever.

This picture was horribly difficult to take without waking her up. But at least you can kind of see how cute it is. 

Looking back at what I have written, it is becoming more and more apparent that my baby really is becoming a toddler. But I still have one more day to live in denial before it's official...

Look at that dimple! Whenever we went out when she was littler people would comment on her hair. Now they comment on her dimple.

Word Explosion

So about two weeks ago when I blogged about Kate's first word, I was honestly a little skeptical. I kept asking myself if it was really her first word, or if I was just being an overexcited first-time mom when really it was just a fluke. Well, I have a verdict. Yes, I am an overexcited first-time mom. And yes, it was really her first word.

After she first said "dog" she continued saying it all the time. She typically leaves off the "g" so it just sounds like "dah," but she was emphatically yelling this anytime Deacon did anything. Seriously, if she saw him she'd yell "dah!" If he barked, "dah!" If he shook his head a little bit, "dah!!" Pretty sure it was the cutest thing ever.

Then she started to add more words. She has been saying "mama" and "dada" for a while, but never with any real purpose. She now says "dada" all the time. When she hears Brett pull up in the car and then sees him come through the door she says "dada!" This morning when I went to get her out of her crib she yelled "dada!" I thought she was just confused, but I was wrong. She absolutely had meant to say "dada". As soon as I got her out of her crib and put her on the floor she crawled off towards the bathroom, pushed open the door, and found Brett (which brought more gleeful cries of "dada" and a look of great accomplishment on her face). She also will now look at me and say "mama," but this is typically only when she is cranky and wants to nurse or have me hold her. So she'll say "dada" just because she's happy to see Brett, but "mama" is typically said while she's whining. Brett is lucky guy :)

She has also added "all done" to her vocabulary. She loves to say this all the time recently, and has gotten better at pronouncing it the last few days. It now sounds like "ahl dun" instead of "ah duh". She likes to say this when she is finished eating, when she is done nursing, and recently, when she is trying to get out of taking a nap she will stand in her crib and cry "all done" when I come into the room. Haha, nice try.

She is also working on other words that she can't pronounce very well yet. Her word for nurse is "na-na". Yesterday she started trying to say diaper "di" or "di-di". She has been repeating this more today. She also tries to say the "f" sound sometimes but has a hard time with it. It is still cute to hear her as she practices "fa-fa-fa". She will often practice this when she hears me say "phone". 

But I think my favorite word she has learned has to be "Deacon". The first time she said this Brett's jaw dropped, it was hilarious. We both didn't really believe she had said it, but she has started repeating it a lot. This morning she looked at Deacon and said, "deekan dah" (deacon dog). It melted my heart. Her little voice is just so sweet.

I really can't believe how much she has learned in just less than two weeks. Communication has been a special thing for both of us. She seems to love being able to share her thoughts and discoveries with me. And since she has started talking, the frustration we were both experiencing a few weeks ago has definitely improved. She still has some grumpy moments (due to teething I think) but overall she has gone back to being a happy little girl, which makes me so happy!!

And as a side-note, she waved hello to me for the first time this morning. It was adorable. I'll have to see if I can get her to wave to other people now.