Cate - 9 Months

This sweet baby is a speed demon!  Nine-month-old Cate is a crawling machine.  She gets those chubby little hands and feet slapping at the ground at a pretty alarming rate.  By the way - the phrase "pitter patter of little feet" is a misnomer in my book.  I much prefer the slapping hands of crawling kiddos.  But I digress...


Nana taught Cate a new song - Pat A Cake. It is so sweet to watch her clapping along.  She claps anytime we celebrate.  All you have to do is say, "Yeah Cate!" and she gives herself a round of applause.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but clapping babies might be the cutest thing ever.




This sweet girl is really working hard to communicate with us.  She has learned to sign "more" and uses it regularly when we get out the puffs.  She would eat an entire container in one sitting if we would let her.  Occasionally she signs "all done" by raising her hands above her head and shaking them.  Looks very similar to waving bye-bye, but we know what she means.  She has started shaking her head "no".  This isn't just a funny thing she does (although it is pretty hilarious).  She actually shakes her head to answer questions.  "Cate, do you want more?"  Shakes head.  "Cate, do you like green beans?"  Shakes head.  "Cate, are your ready to go night-night?" You get the picture.


Miss Priss even said her first word - Bubba.  With the love between the two of them, I am not at all surprised.  He gets her biggest smiles, loudest laughs and sweetest kisses.  I pray they are always this close.  She also said her second word - Peppa (as in Pig).  Tanner bought her a little Peppa Pig plush toy a few months ago.  She plays with it quite a bit, but I never would have dreamed she would call that toy by name before me.  But I'm not bitter...



Cate enjoys cruising along the couch and gets just about anywhere she wants to go.  She is walking with assistance, but usually wants to cruise or crawl because it's faster.  She has started thinking about trying to stand unassisted.  A few times, I've been helping her stand and she will let go of my hands and sit down slowly.  I'm afraid my brave little bug is going to walk before I'm ready.  She's not nearly as cautious as her brother.


I had originally planned to take a picture of her lying next to her giraffe each month.  She may not be laying down, but she was kind enough to show me how she is bigger than her giraffe.  :)  And if you look closely, you can catch a glimpse of those adorable chunky legs.  LOVE!



Numbered Day

I came to the computer today to try to catch up on blogging while Cate napped and Cooper was helping Daddy outside.  But my mind is elsewhere.  There are just days that catch up off guard.  Those seemingly ordinary days that we expect to come and go like all the rest.  But they don't.  Some days are so profound you don't even realize it in the moment, but looking back they are monumental.  They are the days that teach us more about ourselves, our family and the God who created us all than we would ever dare to want to know.

Yesterday was a monumental day.  It is a day that I hope we look back on very soon and say, "Remember when....."  I pray that we are all better for it.  I pray that we all recognize our frailty.  Know that time is short and number our days.

I will forever consider yesterday a blessed numbered day.  And my Gran is probably cooler than yours. Just sayin'.


"Teach me to number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom."  Psalm 90:12









 











 







Cate - 8 months

As of now, our little Cate-bug has 2 teeth!  They are the sweetest little pearls you've ever seen! She has mastered crawling and enjoys going on little adventures throughout the house.  She really seems to enjoy playing in her room.  Cooper loves to play in there, too.  They read books or he acts silly trying to make her laugh.  It's so fun seeing the two of them together!


Cate has learned the signs for more, all done and milk.  She can't actually sign them yet, but she recognizes the signs and knows what they mean.  If she is in her high and want more of whatever it is she has been munching on, she smiles when you sign "more".  Same reaction if she is acting like she is finished with a meal.  The reaction is a little more dramatic for "milk".  She knows that means she gets to nurse.  She gets a huge grin on her face, waves her arms and dives for momma.  :)


We had our first ear infection false alarm.  Turns out the fever was just teething.  Apparently the fact that she kept pulling at her ear didn't mean it hurt.  She just realized she has ears and wants to check them out.  When we took her to the after hours clinic, we realized that we had hit another milestones: 20 pounds!  My little baby weighs 20 pounds.  Cooper didn't hit this milestone until after his first birthday.  Seems she is, quite literally, growing like a weed.

She also had first case of actually being sick.  She would be pretty happy until her fever spiked.  I could tell by her mood that it was back up.  After a trip to the pediatrician for a fever of up to 104.3, we discovered it was just a virus.  She was pretty pitiful for about 5 days. Glad her Nana was around to take such good care of her.  Two trips to the doctor in a month and nothing to show for it.  Glad it was nothing serious, but this medical momma is feeling like a bit of an over-protective first timer.....

Latest trick - curling her tongue


Cate has learned how to pull herself up to standing.  Between that and crawling, taking her picture lying next to her giraffe is a thing of the past! She loves to pull up and stand at our big ottoman in the living room.  This much preferred to her previous habit of crawling up to the ottoman and pulling the stuffing out from underneath the fabric.  Sneaky little toot!


Little Miss Cate-Cate is happy as a clam most of the time.  We are having so much fun watching her grow and seeing her ornery little personality develop.  She has the most loving brother who is so sweet with her.  I never imagined how much joy it would bring to see them play and laugh together.  Best.  Thing. Ever.