4 Month Shots :(

Today Kate got her 4 month shots. It was a little terrible. I started to get emotional when they were giving her the rotavirus vaccine. It's not even a shot! It's just a little syrup they made her drink. But the look on her face was just so sad. I had to laugh to keep from crying when the nurse gave her the actual shots (those needles are huge!). You feel like a really bad mom when you are laughing while your husband holds your child down while she screams. But Kate seems to have since recovered. She spent the evening jumping away in her jumperoo (we were trying to keep her legs moving so they don't get too sore). Then we took a bath, nursed, and she is sound asleep. Maybe she'll even stay asleep. Part of me wants her to sleep, but a tiny part of me wants her to wake up so I can snuggle with her instead of doing my homework. *Sigh*

An Apology for Snuggling

After I got Kate up from her morning nap today, I was nursing her while somewhat frantically trying to read and take notes on Sidney's An Apology for Poetry before my critical theory class this afternoon. This was right after I had finished writing a response paper for the same class, and I felt a little pressured to get everything done. Kate fell asleep while nursing, and I was somewhat relieved because this gave me the opportunity to finish my reading. After I was done, I was about to get Kate up so we could continue on with our day. I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet, much less gotten dressed, done my hair and makeup, or done the laundry. But as I looked down at Kate all cuddled up next to me, I decided to just lay down in bed with her and snuggle. I admired her long eyelashes, squishy nose, and chubby cheeks. And as I stroked her forehead and ran my fingers through her hair, I lamented the fast-approaching moment when she won't want to snuggle with me any longer. I eventually was able to get dressed and get on with my day, but even if I hadn't, it would have been so worth it.

How is it...

that the poop can get everywhere but in the diaper. Though 2011 has just begun, I am going to venture to guess that I just cleaned up the blow-out of the year.

4 Months

Today is Kate's 4 month birthday. What happened to my newborn baby? She is getting so big in every way. She is growing out of her diapers and her clothes. She loves to suck on her hands and play with her feet. She is learning how to make new sounds (she currently seems to be trying to figure out how to blow a raspberry). She is enjoying spending more time with her daddy while mom is in school. She has figured out how to get toys into her mouth. She is trying very hard to sit up, and is working on her sense of balance. She is working on her hand-eye coordination as she tries to grab things. She drools like it's nobody's business.

But more than all these little achievements, I am constantly in awe of her sweet little spirit. She really is a sweet little girl. She is so happy and spends a good deal of her time smiling and cooing at me. When she wakes up in the morning and sees me, she has a huge smile on her face, and seems to just be in love with the fact that it is a new day. I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with the opportunity to be a mother to the most precious little girl. I love every day and every moment I spend with her.

What Kate is loving right now

1. She loves it when we kiss her belly or blow raspberries on her chunky little thighs. It is so adorable, especially because when she laughs she does this funny little chuckling thing (I need to get a video of it). Oh, and I'm pretty sure she has the cutest belly I've ever seen, seriously!
 
2. Playing with her feet. She recently discovered that her body came with two additional toys beside her hands. Pulling her socks off is something that she thinks is very interesting. As if I didn't already have enough problems getting her socks to stay on...

3. She likes to stop nursing, look up at me, and give me a huge smile and then start talking to me. Okay, maybe this is something I'm loving right now. But it is seriously the best. thing. ever.

1st Christmas

Well, I meant to write a post about Kate's first Christmas a little while ago, but seeing as both she and I recently came down with a cold, I'm a little behind schedule. Anyway...

We made a last minute decision to go to California for Christmas, and I'm glad we decided to go. The ride was 15 hours and therefore awful, but we all survived. It was worth it because Kate got to meet so many family members she hadn't had the opportunity to see yet. She met her great-grandparents, grandpa, aunts and uncles, and cousins. She got to go shopping, go out to eat, cheer on her mom and dad during wii tournaments, open presents, help bake Christmas treats, stare at Christmas tree lights (probably her favorite thing), and get loved on by tons of people. Needless to say she was a tad bit overstimulated, but she coped with it well and we all had tons of fun.

Unfortunately, we ended the holidays by catching a cold and are trying to recover before school starts (tomorrow). Quite frankly I am terrified to go back even though I am only taking one class, but I'm hoping everything will work out. I'm not really too worried that I won't have time to do my assignments, because Kate is a really good little munchkin, but I'm worried that I'll have to actually work instead of playing with my adorable kid! She is pretty irresistible, so I don't know how I'm going to do it :)

A Few of Kate's Favorites

Now that Kate has passed the two month mark, she is beginning to show her little personality and it has been so much fun! So I thought I would post a bit about what Kate is up to these days.

Kate has been busy these past few weeks, getting her first shots (I almost cried, too), enjoying her first Thanksgiving feast (via Mom's milk, of course), and sleeping through the night (most nights). Her favorite thing to do right now is to read books, and it's great that she doesn't mind when I read her the same two books every day. When Brett or I read to her she loves to look at the pages and will not stop babbling the entire time. It's as if she is already trying to read the books herself--so cute! Her other favorite thing to do right now is to hang out with her Dad. She seems to get a little bored of hanging out with me all day and loves to see his face whenever it appears. Thanksgiving week was great because Brett had school off and so the three of us got to spend lots of time together. Other favorite activities include playing on her activity gym and talking to us. She loves to have little conversations with me, and if I am unavailable she will often talk to her toys, or the wall, or whatever else is within her sight. Overall, Kate is just a happy little girl. A happy little girl with crazy hair. It is completely untameable and I love it! Everywhere we go at least one person will say, "Look at that hair!"