More teeth, more words, more signs....more, more, more!

Oh my. I'm getting worse at posting, not better! In my defense, we had just a few things going on....a trip to Detroit (Kate continues to be a fantastic flier...though the last 40 minutes was a bit rough), a surprise bday party for our dear friend Faith (see, 30 isn't so bad!), Mother's Day, an anniversary (8 years, really?), a visit from Grandma and Aunt Jen, tickets to Jersey Boys (awesome, by the way), a visit to see family in Jacksonville (rain, rain go away!) and now finally a weekend off. Whew! During our week of rain, I discovered Kate totally LOVES to play in it (and what kid doesn't, really).

So, in all that time, Kate's learned to say a few more things. Or, as Kate says it, "mooore". She really sounds funny, you just have to take my word for it. Or, perhaps we'll catch it on video. She has some other charming phrases these days (okay, maybe not full phrases, but strung together it sounds like a phrase).

First, there's "mooo" and "Boooo." She says "boo" for both "peek-a-boo" and for our cat Boo Kitty. Well, that's how it started, but now she calls our cat, Casper, "Boo" and pretty much any cat. I think she's forgotten how to say cat, but she can still sign cat when I say cat. Hmm, strange how the mind works, right? Another favorite is bubble. She learned how to say "Pooh" just in time to meet Pooh bear at Animal Kingdom, yesterday. Everytime she sees Elmo she says, "Mo." And, her all time favorite is Ba Ba Ba Ba....though it is soon to be replaced with puthaputhaputaputhaputha. And, my personal favorite is "gooooo." She says "wuh, wuh" whenever she sees a dog or a picture of a dog. Of course, she says mama (usually when she's p.o'd about something) and dadada whenever she see's or hears her favorite fellow.

Over the holiday weekend, she learned how to say "papa" and pointed at her Papa Ron. She also learned "me" and "you." She still is signing like crazy, though asking for Baby Signing Time a little less these days (probably because I've had her busier than a bumble bee this week). I'm amazed on a regular basis at how fast she is learning and how well she can communicate. For instance, we were driving in the car yesterday and the song "Five Little Monkeys" came on. She started knocking her head. So cute!

Grow, Grow, Grow!
She also is growing like a weed in the summertime. The shoes I thought would last until August are almost too small, already. Her feet look huge (she's wearing size 5 for crying out loud!). I guess the rest of her will soon follow. She's already sprung up a little bit, but the big spurt hasn't hit, yet.

While she hasn't sprouted up, there is plenty of activity inside her mouth. In the last four weeks, Kate has cut five teeth. That's right, four molars and an eye tooth (left front). Insane. She is chewing like crazy...loves to put anything and everything in her mouth to see how it feels on her teeth and gums. Her favorite is her finger. She's bitten herself a few times, but apparently the risk is worth it because she's not stopped sticking her fingers in her mouth (or everything else for that matter). Overall, she is such a trooper and she never once had a fever or stayed up all night. She does moan a bit in her sleep, but doesn't wake up howling or anything crazy like that.

Catch Me if You Can!
Her mobility is out of this world. She's starting to try jumping. She spins a little. She runs like crazy. She's an expert backwards walker (especially when she's scooting backwards to find my lap to sit in). She loves to climb on and over just about anything. She can climb onto the patio furniture, but not the living room couch, yet (thank goodness). She can almost get on and off of her Little Tikes picnic bench all by herself. Our new favorite game is hide-n-seek followed by the chase.

A Trip to the Animal Kingdom.
Yesterday, I took Kate to Animal Kingdom to see the Nemo musical and to meet Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. Big hit. She watched the entire Nemo show...I think it was 30 minutes at least. She adored the characters...though, she freaked out a bit when they tried to touch or hug her!

Change is Coming...
In two weeks, our crazy month of activities will begin. We'll be swimming two days a week as well as keeping up with The Little Gym once a week. These activities all occur in the morning, when Kate normally naps, so we'll see how she does switching to the "big girl" schedule of just one nap a day. I honestly don't know how the heck I'm going to cope. I no longer can have my leisurely shower at 9:30 a.m. and will be waking with the rest of the world at 6:00 a.m. so I can shower (maybe exercise, too?) before she awakes. Ick. Wish me luck!

There is so much more to share, but I know I've probably written too much as it is. Are your eyes blurring up from reading this tiny print on the computer, yet? Anyway, I get bleary-eyed every time I think of Kate and how much fun we are having. She is the light of my life and we are so blessed to have this time together. I know she'll continue to make me proud and bleary-eyed for many years to come. I only hope I'm able to make her proud of me, too.