Hey, Don't Forget About Me!

Enough with the Katie-free posts! Did you miss me the last couple of days? Here I am in all of my tummy time glory! I also want to remind everybody that my big 2-month birthday is coming up on Sunday. I think I am finally starting to get used to this strange new world...

I Thought We Moved to the SOUTH?

Apparently not, according to this picture of the winter wonderland outside our back deck. We are still awaiting the end of D.C.'s coldest February of recent record. Traci's buddy, Punxsutawney Phil, lied to all of us this year. Early Spring? Brrrrrrrrrr...

Our Angel is a Centerfold

For some reason, Katie's happiest moments are on the changing pad these days. Sometimes, when nothing else is working, we suspect it has magical capabilities!

Cat? Nap

Back by popular demand, we thought we would post a picture of our other child, Geno. Here, after having his way with his stuffed bunny and stuffed jack-toy, G squeezes in a quick nap while his sister does the same. A rare quiet moment in the household...

'Twas the Night Before the 7 Week Birthday...

...and the children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of dairy-free, soy-free breast milk danced in their heads.

Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed

Why is Katie so alert and happy during her tummy time? To Mommy's pure joy, she slept through the night (10PM-6AM) for the very first time! Of course, this may very well be a one-time aberration rather than the beginning of a pattern, but Mommy and Daddy will take what they can get. Now if we could only calm down those "bewitching hours"....

The Clock Strikes Six

Anyone seen our little, sweet Katie? It seems a MONSTER sometimes does away with her in the evenings...usually between 6-10pm. Mommy likes to call these her "bewitching" hours. Given mommy's ancestry and ties to Salem, this might not be far from the truth.

Irish Eyes Are Finally Smiling!

After weeks of hiding behind her daddy's standard grumpmeister frown, Katie finally began smiling this week! Here, mommy manages to actually capture one on film. You can imagine the antics we have to go through at this point to get the smiles to come out and play, but...4 days and counting.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Katie awoke this morning wondering who would be her Valentine. Max? Ryan? Luke? Patrick?
Later, she thought maybe she would be her own Valentine, asking "will I be mine?"
Finally, she decided that she'd leave it up to the first guy to give her the hug she was looking for. As Daddy's work gave him a snow day, he was happy to comply. Sorry boys...

The Hungry Katerpillar

I think Katie's had it with us. She's already laid up on the brown leather couch requesting a psychiatrist! After two weeks of angelic behavior for the professional handlers (i.e., grandparents), she is back to testing us rookies. She's been particularly fussy during the evenings of late. This morning we found out that it is probably due to her amazing appetite and growth. Can you believe she is already 10 lbs., 15 ozs. at 5 1/2 weeks? The pediatrician nearly doubled her reflux medication dosage to account for her newfound pounds. Happy eating, everybody...

They're On a Break

Notice how forlornly Katie stares at Geno... Well, it seems that their friendship has hit a slight snag. Over the past week, Geno has started to show his jealousy in strange and subtle ways. Whenever we have one of Katie's blankets laid out on the floor, G will often eat his treats and food over it so as to create some uncomfortable crumbs. We've also unfortunately found some doggy throw-up at the foot of Katie's crib. And, most strangely of all, Geno now refuses to eat out of his food bowl. We literally have to feed him out of our hands in order to get him to eat. (And we have sooo much time to be doing that right now!) What an attention hound!

St. Katherine?

Katie took a small step toward her future beatification today and attended her first Sunday mass. She was an angel and slept through most of it, but then began screaming at the blessing of the eucharist. She certainly picked her moment! For those wondering, baptism will have to wait until mom and dad can attend a preparation class on 3/14/2007. Only after this class can we schedule a date.

Interesting note...St. Catherine of Alexandria is the patron saint of teachers. Our Katherine was born in Alexandria, VA. Wonder if she will follow in the footsteps of her grandma, aunt, and mother?

Lazy Lounging

Not much to do today. All my grandparents are gone and life is a little calmer without a full house. Here, mom caught a quick shot of me and dad spending some time playing and watching a little TV. Still too cold to go outside. Such is life on a lazy Saturday...

Alone Again

The reinforcements have all left us! After a fun-filled week with Katie, Grandma M. returned to the frozen tundra they call Michigan tonight. Thanks to all the grandparents for their help the last two weeks. Here, Katie gets one last look before her Grandma leaves. She already senses that we have lost our strength in numbers. And then there were only 2 to manipulate...

Katie in Da 'Hood

Yeah, I may look pretty tough in my peach hoodie, but I'm actually quite a softie when it comes to hanging with my grandparents. I've had so much fun with each of them, and I'm going to be so sad when they all leave. I know that Mommy and Daddy have really enjoyed their home-cooking! Please come back soon!

GrandparentPalooza!

After a week with Grammy K, this past weekend marked the first time that all three of Katie's grandparents visited at the same time. Here, Papa T and Grandma M join Grammy K for a quick photo with the KatieKat. The townhouse was crowded, but Katie loved the attention...except in this picture, of course.

Da Bearz Bring Da Tearz!

Katie donned the colors of the old home team and cheered on the Bears in her first Super Bowl. Her daddy couldn't resist dressing her up as his own little, mini-Ditka.

In the first half, she seemed generally interested and watched in amazement as both teams tried to give the game away with turnovers.

Finally, after Grossman's last interception, Katie could take no more and let her emotions get the best of her. We'll work on being a good sport next month...

Peanut Here...Get Your Peanut!

Here, Katie lives up to the name that we called her for Traci's entire 9 months of pregnancy. Peanut. However, you'd hardly know it by the way she's burning through her clothes. She's already through with her newborn and half of her 0-3 mos. sizes, and wore her first 3-6 mos. outfit today. That's one big PEANUT!

What is This New Contraption?

Well, I accomplished another milestone in my short life last night...I took my first food from a bottle! After squirming and wiggling for awhile because I couldn't understand where Mommy was, I finally settled in for dinner with Daddy. It actually wasn't too bad, although I really prefer the old way of eating (if you know what I mean). That darn pesky pediatrician said it would be a good idea for me to get used to a bottle, so of course Mommy and Daddy listened. Oh well, as long as my tummy gets filled...

Grandma Got Run Over By Our Little Katie...

Ahhhhh.....the reinforcements have finally started to arrive. First, Traci's mom, Grammy K, pulled into town on Tuesday. As you can see from the picture, Katie had already exhausted her by the next day. Mom and Dad are very thankful for all that Grammy K has done...dinners, soothing, hanging out with Geno, etc. She's almost making this week too easy for Mom (who won't know what to do when she's alone with the baby again.) Mike's mom, Grandma M, will fly in on Saturday. We can't wait for her arrival!!