Whew, it's been one busy month...hence the lack of a post for more than 30 days! And, I had to stop a couple of times because I'm even exhausted just recalling all of the things going on this month! In fact, I'm going to have to do a couple of posts to make up for it! Everyone tells you that time begins to race out of control when you have little ones, but I am finding it very hard to believe that Kate was born almost 7 months ago! Holy Cow, I have to start thinking about her first birthday...okay, maybe not yet, but soon!For all of those who thought I'd be bored staying home...you were wrong! I couldn't enjoy being home any more. Of course, there are days when I struggle with my new role and this month I did take on some projects from the hospital. It felt good to be working again, but I'm not ready to sign Kate up for daycare. I enjoy her so much I just couldn't imagine it. And, I love hanging out with my other mommy friends. With the economy spinning out of control, it does make me worry a bit that perhaps I should go back to work full time, but we should be okay, especially if I can continue picking up freelance work.
Working with a baby at home is no easy task, though. It definitely is a lot harder than I thought it'd be, but we managed. Thank goodness for long naps and early bed times.
This Month's Milestones:
Kate has tried a lot of new food this month: bananas, carrots, avocados, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and pears. Kate likes everything except avocados. We'll try those again next month along with peas, zucchini and broccoli!
Crawl meter: Kate is getting REALLY close. She went from not so interested at the beginning of the month to up on knees and scootching backwards at the end of the month. Boy, is it frustrating, too. She gets very upset when the toy she is trying to reach moves further away!
Sitting up: Kate's a pro. She can sit up for long periods of time, catches herself and once this month moved from a belly position to sitting up...but I think she's already forgotten how to do that.
Rolling: Kate loves to roll around, but rolls mostly in her crib of all places. She sleeps mostly on her side and stomach these days and looks especially cute with her bum in the air in her Seminole PJs (thanks Mel Beare--they are way cute!).
Waving: Oh, we are so facinated with our hands. Kate does the princess wave and just stares at her hands in awe. She finally did an intentional wave "hello" to mommy at the end of the month!
Family Visits:
Along with the project work keeping us busy, we've also had a number of visits. First Aunt Betty, Uncle Ken and Keith came down over Labor Day. Kate enjoyed her first visit to Magic Kingdom (special shout out to cousin Ryan who treated us to Disney for a day)! Kate really enjoyed watching the parade (and so did mommy). Then, off to Epcot. While it was too soon for the Food & Wine festival, it didn't keep mommy from partaking in some delicious wine from "around the world."
Aunt Kari and Uncle Joe and the gang also visited this month. Kate enjoyed her third trip to the
beach--this time Cocoa Beach on the East Coast. What a BEAUTIFUL day! And then Kate spent a couple of days at Disney's fantastic pools: Wilderness Lodge and Saratoga Springs. I even got over my "germophobe" issue and put Kate in the water. She really liked it! Cousins Belle, Joey, Bryan and Sammy all really liked to play with Kate and had a great time. Nobody punched anybody and they all were very well behaved. Though, I have to admit, I'm quite happy with just one baby...I don't think I'm ready for the Big Leagues... I really admire my brother and sister in law for how great they are with 4 little ones!We also spent some good quality time at Grandma and Papa Paul's and had great visits from Grandma Sandy and Auntie Jen as well as Papa Ron and Nana Vicki.
First Play Date:
We also hosted our first play date/party at the house this month. Kate invited seven of her pals over for lunch and playtime. I met these mommies through the Breastfeeding Friendship Network at Florida Hospital Altamonte and am so happy we are continuing to play together. The kids are all within 3 months of each other and are soo cute. Don't believe me? Check out the pictures! And, kudos to all of those magazines and photographers who make lining up babies look so easy. Kate absolutely loves watching other babies and especially older babies/kids. No, we are not ready to add to our clan, but I'll keep Kate active in several play groups so she is never lonely.
The Little Gym:
We started going to The Little Gym on Mondays at noon. Kate LOVES it. She likes to flip and practice crawling and watch all of the other little ones. It's a great social activity, but also helps strengthen Kate's little muscles and develop. She seems to be learning quickly!
Whew! Like I said, a busy, busy month. With October upon us, it's time to get the house spooked up and plan Kate's first Halloween. Then Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it and I try not to think about it all at once or else I just might get overwhelmed or emotional... Kate's first holiday season. Oh, the fun is just beginning. :-)
Hugs to you all. Congrats for reaching the end of this extremely LONG post!!
