6 Months!

It's hard to believe, but Kate is already six months old!  We can't believe how much she's changed over the last six months.  We'll take her in next week for her six month check up, but we weighed and measured her at home--unofficially she's tipping the scales at 14.4 lbs, and 28 inches.  We'll see how those numbers compare to the doctor's next week.

It wouldn't be a monthly birthday without Kate's picture--here are her six month photos...

We decided to celebrate Kate's big day by giving her food for the first time.  We've decided to try a different approach to food than the regular cereal, puree progression.  Instead, we're going to try self-feeding, where Kate basically gets table food from the start.  The idea is that she learns to feed herself, and all the motor skills that go with it, and does so at her own pace, without having to switch from pureed food to food with different textures.  Hopefully, this will lead her to be a good eater without picky tendencies.  And don't worry, she's closely monitored and everything is portioned so she won't choke.  She'll continue to get milk feedings so she's getting what she needs nutritionally, and we'll supplement with food.  We know they won't be fully onboard with this at daycare, but it's been fun to watch her play and learn over the last few days.

We did start with cereal, but it didn't go all that well....we'll keep trying :-)

-- First bite --

-- What the hell is this stuff?? --

-- I don't think I like it... --

-- Yep, I know I don't like it --

-- I had to take a little break after the cereal to recharge...so I did some playing --

-- I'll just snack on this plastic apple instead --

-- And now it's on to broccoli and asparagus --

-- Look!  This is easy to pick up! --

-- And it's gross!!!  What a mean trick! --

-- Maybe I'll give it another try... --

-- Well, it's still a no --

-- And this asparagus stuff?  SICK --

-- I'm better off snacking on this plastic tray instead --

Day #2 was a little more successful.  We know that Kate doesn't have the skills yet to actually eat anything--she has to learn to use her tongue to move the food to the back of her mouth to swallow it, and of course, she doesn't have any teeth yet to chew with--but right now, it's more about learning and experimenting.  On her second day, Kate had cereal, broccoli and asparagus again, but also got to try some apple, banana, and avocado.  Part of the idea is to include Kate in the social experience of eating, so when Brandon and I sit down to a meal, so does she, and she eats the same foods.  We had pizza for lunch which isn't quite acceptable for day two of solid food, so she got some more veggies.  But she looked like she was having fun exploring textures and tastes a bit, so it was a small victory :-)

-- Ah broccoli, we meet again --

-- Hmmm, Mommy likes this stuff --

-- Playing with my food is fun--why is everything so slippery and hard to pick up? --

-- I'm starting to get the hang of this! --

-- Yum yum yum --

We'll keep taking pictures as our journey into the world of food continues!

Watch Me Go!

Kate's been working hard at the whole crawling thing, and she just about has it down!  The only thing holding her up is her arms--she hasn't quite figured out what they're supposed to do.  This means that she's gotten pretty good at the face plant.  However, she makes up for her arm confusion but straightening out her legs and doing a picture perfect downward facing dog--for those of you that aren't familiar, that's one of the most basic yoga poses out there.  She'd make any yoga instructor proud!

Busy, Busy, Busy

April has turned out to be a very busy month for us!  We've had lots of changes and firsts.  Kate continues to work towards crawling, and she is mastering sitting up and playing.  She loves to hang out in the kitchen with me and play with measuring cups and spoons.  Sometimes, they even make it upstairs to her room for her to play with.

-- Some of my favorite toys --

-- Copper supervising my play --

My new job has allowed me to go onto a compressed work schedule, which means that I work 9 hour days and get every other Friday off.  I used to work a similar schedule, but have been unable to do so for the last two years.  Brandon and I talked about whether it would be better to continue to work 8 hour days so Kate was at school less, or to have her stay there one extra hour a day so she got one full extra day at home.  And the extra day at home won out.  We've been adjusting to the new schedule, and so far, we've been able to take advantage of one Friday together.  Kate and I went to a mom-to-mom sale--basically, a huge baby and kid focused consignment sale.  And man, did we come home with a lot of stuff!  Then we had lunch with Brandon and went for a walk, and later that evening we all went to a going away party.  It was a very nice start to the weekend for us, and I felt so very lucky to have an extra day with Miss Kate.

-- Copper is pooped after an extra day of play...hooray for compressed work schedules! --

Because she's really starting to move around, it's so much fun to watch Kate play.  When she's held for too long she gets squirmy and wants to be free to move around.  She loves to play on the floor and to chase after Copper, although she is still slow enough that he always gets away.  She also loves to play in the Exersaucer that her cousins lent her, and she's been having fun with a certain present from Papa John too.

-- Remember the Dora balloon that Papa John got for me?  I'm still playing with her at home --

-- And guess what?  She's still kicking, one week later... --

-- Dora is one tough cookie!  She's still hanging around (just a little closer to the ground) two weeks after Papa John got her for me...and I still love to play with her! --

On April 15, Kate moved from the 6 week room at daycare into the 6 month to 12 month room.  It was kind of a bittersweet day for us.  We're so happy to watch Kate grow and thrive, but everything seems like it happens so fast!  It feels like we were just getting ready to take her for her first day at the CDC, and she's already moving rooms.  We really liked the girls who took care of her in Room 7, where she started, but we were able to have a sit down with her new teachers to ask questions and get comfortable with them.  They seem very nice, and we know that Kate will enjoy the room.  But my, what a change!  Most of the babies in Kate's old room were fairly stationary.  She was the oldest, and the most mobile.  Not so anymore!  These kiddos are moving around like crazy!  The teachers went over some of the skills and functions we can expect to see Kate learn while she's in the room, and it blew our minds!  This is such a fun time as she's growing and changing so much, and she learns so fast.  

We've started doing some baby sign language at home.  They use this at school, mostly for mealtimes, and we've decided to use it at home too.  For those of you that aren't familiar, we'll basically teach Kate signs for simple things, like milk, more, bath, etc., so that she can communicate with us before she can talk.  In theory, this should cut down on tantrums and frustrations by helping her to tell us what she wants or needs.  We know it will take a while for her to sign back to us (six months might seem a little young, but the reading I've done says six to seven months is the prime time to start...just don't expect any signs back for a while), but we've started signing to her like crazy, particularly doing the signs for daddy, milk, more, and bath. 

It didn't take Kate long to pick up something new from all of her new classmates--a virus.  Our little bug came down with a fever, cough and stuffy nose on her third day in Room 1.  When I went to pick her up, she was sleeping, which tipped us off that something was wrong.  And sure enough, she had a fever.  So we kept her home the next day to take her to the doctor.  We decided that I would keep her in the morning while Brandon went to work, then he would come home in the afternoon so I could go in for a meeting that I had to attend.  We were supposed to get some bad weather as a front moved through--the meteorologists had been calling for strong storms.  Instead, it just rained and rained and rained.  They ended up evacuating my building at work, canceling the meeting, and shutting down the whole base.  So we really got a free afternoon to spend together as a family.  Kate's fever had gone away, and she was smiley and giggly for us (until it was time for bed...then she seemed pretty miserable), and we really enjoyed the day.

-- Napping on the couch before my doctor's appointment.  Being sick stinks. --

-- Home sick with Mama...but I feel good enough to play. --

-- I even feel good enough to crawl around some. --

-- And to smile! --

-- Daddy got to come home from work because his office was about to float away...this was his parking lot at work --

-- I learned a new game while I was home sick--Copper and I played tug! --

Here are some other pictures from April....

-- This is what happens when Daddy puts you on his shoulders, but he doesn't give you enough time to digest your dinner first....you spit up on his head! --

-- I love to play peek-a-boo! --

-- Peek! --

-- And Copper still loves to nap --

-- Papa Ronnie and Vickie got me this giant bug for Easter. --

-- It's as big as I am, but it's soft and snuggly and I like to play with it! --

Anniversary Party

On April 5 we dropped Copper off at his foster mom's house for the weekend, and prepared to go to Iowa to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa Jay's 65th wedding anniversary.  Saturday morning we hit the road at about 10:00 am, and had a fairly uneventful drive (except for when I dropped my cell phone in the rest stop parking lot and we had to go back and get it--but it was right where it fell!).  We stayed at Aunt Lisa and Uncle Bouck's house along with the Notz family, and Kate had a blast hanging out with her cousins.  Papa Ronnie and Vickie even came to visit, and Papa John brought Kate a gift--a Dora balloon--that will make several more appearances on the blog :-).  We also discovered that Kate loves, loves, LOVES to take baths in the big bathtub.  I've never seen her little legs so busy kicking and splashing, and she doesn't even mind when water gets in her face.  I think they'll be some swimming lessons in her future!

-- Spending some time with Max --

-- Hooray for cousins! --

-- Snuggling with Daddy --

Sunday morning we got up and got dressed for the party.  There was such a wonderful turnout!  It really was a testament to how many people have been touched by the Rubels.  We had a great time catching up with everyone, and Kate's feet (and bottom) didn't touch the floor all day--she just got passed from one person to the next!  But she was a trooper, and she loved all of the activity that was going on around her.

-- Happy anniversary! --

-- We got to spend more time with the Notz family! --

-- Taking a spin around the dance floor with Mommy --

-- Everyone is dancing! --

-- Max and Uncle Erik --

-- We're getting down! --

After the party Brandon did a bit more visiting while I put our tired baby to bed.  Monday morning we packed up and headed out--it was just a short trip, but it was so much fun!

Easter Sunday

Even though the first day of spring has passed, and Phil, that silly groundhog, predicted a quick end to winter, Mother Nature has been keeping us guessing out here in southwest Illinois.  Nice sunny, warm, spring-like days have been few and far between, although they seem to happen just when you think that you might hurt someone if you have to bundle up in a hat, scarf and winter coat to shovel the driveway one more time (see previous entry on our big snowstorm).  Thankfully, we were blessed with one of those beautiful springy days for Easter Sunday.  It ended up being in the mid-60s with lots of sunshine and a light breeze, and boy, did it feel heavenly.  It would have been the perfect day for an Easter egg hunt, and we saw plenty going on in the neighborhood while we were taking a walk with Copper and Kate.

We began our Easter by relaxing at home.  It turns out that the Easter bunny did come and bring a basket for Kate, but he left it with Mommy, who forgot to give it to her.  So she'll get it a day late.  But since baskets shouldn't be the main focus of the day (and she's too little to be impressed or remember anyway), it ended up just fine.  Brandon and I decided that we wanted to go to church.  We had been talking about it for a while, and I figured Easter Sunday would be a good day to blend in with all the other folks who aren't regulars.  So we got Kate dressed in a cute navy and white dress (we were color coordinated of course) and drove about seven minutes to the Lutheran church nearby.  Brandon had never been to Lutheran church, and it had been a long, long time since I'd gone, so it was a bit of a new experience for both of us.  There were some things we liked and some things we didn't, but all in all it was a very nice experience.  We may need to try out a few more churches before settling on one to belong to, but we've started the process.

After church we took a walk to enjoy the beautiful weather.  Kate snoozed in the stroller and Copper sniffed every mailbox, street sign, fence post and bush that we passed.  We passed a man and his grandson walking three Irish wolfhounds.  They were HUGE.  Copper wisely avoided barking at them or drawing any attention to himself...they could have squashed him!  Once we returned from our walk, Copper slept on the couch, Brandon and Kate watched basketball and played, and I worked on Easter dinner.  We had ham, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, roasted asparagus, and spinach salad.  We knew that we'd have more food than two of us could handle, so we called in Josh to be our reinforcements.  He helped us put a pretty healthy dent in everything, and we had a nice time eating and catching up.

-- I've got a ruffly butt --

-- Mommy and me --

-- Wearing my "first Easter" onesie --

-- Just relaxing with my lamb --

-- Sitting like a big girl --

-- I like smiling.  Smiling's my favorite --

-- With Daddy on Easter Sunday --

-- In my Easter dress --

-- After church --

Snow Storm

Remember that old saying about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb?  Well, we're still waiting for the lamb to make an appearance.  In fact, on the 24th of March, we were hit with the most snow we've gotten in the three years that we've lived here--over 8 inches (and it probably ended up being more like 10, but we didn't measure once it stopped snowing).  Despite the meteorologists warnings (they seem to be out to frighten the greatest number of people possible about the weather) we were a little skeptical that we'd actually even get snow, but for once, they were right.

We had a lovely day all cozy and warm in the house, watching the snow come down.  The snow came up to Copper's belly and he wasn't a big fan of going outside in it--but he sure was funny to watch.