Little Einstein Hard at Work

Just look at that concentration! Now that she is old enough to sit up and look around, Kate fully engages with her world whenever she can. She is often found picking up and investigating anything and everything before calmly inserting all objects into her mouth. When we go out for our walks, she loves to grab for leaves, grass, and Geno's tail. We are just lucky she can't really move, as Daddy has not started baby-proofing yet...

Ain't Nuthin' But a Good, Ol' Hound Dog

As our beloved Geno gets on his years, you can see more signs of his aging. For one, just look at that grey snout! For another, he now likes to take at least 1-2 lay-down breaks on his walks, especially now that we are in the "dog days" of summer. He'll be walking along as usual and then just suddenly stop and drop onto a nice, shady piece of grass. After looking around, panting, laying completely down, and rolling around a bit, he suddenly gets up again and seems to say, "Break over. Let's go!" Katie uses these breaks to check out her surroundings and practice new squeals and squeaks.

Y tu mamá también

Traci took me to a pot-luck lunch hosted by her weekly mom's group this afternoon. 25 kids + parents + quaint little two-bedroom home = CHAOS! The little ones were rolling, flailing, and swinging around everywhere. And the group in this shot was only the contingent that stuck around long enough for photos. Sadly, Katie didn't make the group photo. She was too busy bouncing in the hosts' Jumperoo.

Shutter Bug

I pulled the Nikon N65 out the other day and had some fun with my favorite subject matter. The early morning light and Katie's cheerful early morning demeanor produced a nice set of portraits. They came out better in print with a matte finish, but be sure and check out Katie's new spread by clicking on the Photo Album to the right...

Please Don't Cry, Buddy

Katie had her buddy Connor (1 month) over for the first time today. He had so much fun during his visit that he only started to cry when his mom buckled him up to leave. We think there will be many playdates in the future.

Katie's Mom thinks Connor has magical powers because Katie miraculously ate all of her solids and went down for a nap with no fuss while he was here. Perhaps she was showing off? Anyway, he is definitely welcome again for a visit anytime.

Ball Hog

Katie's been working on scooping up grounders with her mom. Notice the textbook form in cradling them into her body and keeping her chest and shoulders square in case of a bad hop. Is it just me that notices these things?

Getting warmer...

Can you feel it? Can you feel that slightly warm thaw in the air? More and more, we actually find Geno sitting in the vicinity of Kate... Could he actually be acknowledging her presence? Or does he just crave human affection so much that he has turned to the munchkin? You'll have to ask the hound!

El-uhhh-va-tion!

Being fellow crazed U2/Bono fans, Mom and friend Kristina had to try a neighborhood joint, Elevation (get it?) Burger, to see what all the hype was about. Of course, Katie, Patrick (3), and Ryan (13 months) came along for the ride. Elevation turned out to be a cross between the healthy burger craze of In-N-Out Burger and the greasy goodness of Five Guys. Everybody was really happy with the place, as you can see in the picture. Five thumbs up here!

Things Are Looking Up

All in all, I had a pretty good weekend. Dad is back from Denver, which is great since mom's mind is still at Hogwarts. My toes still taste good. I'm starting to practice saying my "Gs" (i.e., a-goo). Mid 80s, low humidity. Bonds is still #2. Tigers have the best record in baseball. Cubs are in the race. ND football is around the corner...wait a minute, are these my thoughts or daddy's?

Mugglecuddy

If anyone is looking for my wife, she'll be in this position for the next 759 pages. The last installment of the Harry Potter series arrived on our doorstep around 12 noon today (pre-ordered months ago, of course) and Katie and I really haven't seen her since. Kidding, of course, but Traci does plan to make short work of the long awaited book whenever she can step away from her mommy duties.

Hey, Ben, what page are you on?

Grasshopper

We introduced Katie to grass today...

As you can surmise from the photo, she seemed to really enjoy it. She had an easier time sitting up unassisted and was thrilled to have something to pull at besides her parents' hair.

Enjoy the weekend, everybody. The weather is supposed to be fantastic out east!

Daddy, We Miss You Thiiiiiis Much...

We can't wait to see you tomorrow!

A Slow Crawl

Katie wants to become mobile so badly (as long as she doesn't have to roll over, that is). Here she assumes the crawl position over Mommy's leg, but obviously cannot get anywhere. When she's in this position, she pushes her legs as hard as she can and sometimes topples over onto her face. Nobody ever said that learning new skills was easy.

A Hard Day's Night

Katie's had a pretty tough day today...she not only got re-tested at the physical therapist's office, but her daddy also left for a week-long business trip. The good news - she passed her PT test with flying colors, excelling in everything except rolling over. The therapist was especially impressed with her ability to sit unsupported and her fine motor skills (manipulating small things in her hands). Now we don't have to go back!

The bad news - all of us, Geno included, already miss Daddy. We're counting down the hours until he returns.

A message to Daddy...carrots=good!!

Con Man

This weekend, the whole family went out to friends Brian and Maureen's place to officially welcome their new son, Connor, into the world. Katie wanted to make sure that he was adjusting well to his new surroundings outside the womb. Much to our surprise, he already looked like he owned the place. Here, Connor practices his future retirement plans for West Palm Beach!

The Kat in the Hat

Mommy's hat lay atop the table beside me

it tempted, no, forced me to try it for size;

I drooled at the intertwined N and the D

and wondered, as leprechauns danced in my eyes;

My joy turned to sorrow as I glimpsed at my daddy

as his thoughts of tuition brought tears and loud cries.

Swing, Katie, Katie, Saaa-wing!

Katie and Mom met their buddies Max (1 year next week!) and Asa at one of the coolest playgrounds they have ever seen. Not only did it have the lounge chair swings as modeled by Katie and Max above, but it also had a free running carousel, a huge kiddie maze, and water guns for the older kids! Kate wasn't as thrilled as Mom...she fell asleep while being pushed in her first-ever solo swing.

Already a Bully

Katie finally met her new friend Connor (12 days old) for the first time today. (Congratulations Brian and Maureen!) Connor is extremely handsome and active, but that didn't stop Katie from bullying him around. Not long after we set the two little ones down on Connor's blanket, Katie accidentally smacked him in the face twice. She also ungraciously spit up on his cute blankie. That's OK - Connor will undoubtedly get her back someday.

I Am Not a Boy

Mommy got a good chuckle out of our noon-time walk with Geno today. More than one person remarked on how "handsome" her little "boy" was. Can't a little girl be a basketball fan anymore?

Look Ma, One Hand!

Kate's been getting very comfortable with her tripod sitting lately. She only spills over on her face or back every once in a while (bad Mommy!). Now she's daring enough to pick up her arms off the floor for a second or two. Her arm raises are too quick for me to catch with the camera, but here she is starting to lift the right arm. Pretty soon she'll be sitting on her own.

Six Months and Growing...

While we were away, Katie turned the ripe, old age of 6 months! She spent her 6-month birthday celebrating with the rest of America (since it was the Fourth of July) and hanging with her new buddy, Zeke. Don't worry, Geno, you'll always be her favorite pooch!

Today was Katie's 6-month check-up and vaccination appointment. Unfortunately, she was still pretty tired from her travels and didn't really enjoy the poking and prodding that comes with such a check-up. We did get her newest measurements -- weight = 16 lbs., 6 oz. (50th percentile); height = 27 inches (90th); and head circumference = 17 1/4 inches (75th). She's still destined to be a brainy WNBA player!

Talkin 'Bout My Generations...

We're back! The holiday trip to Pennsylvania was a success. Despite Katie's refusal to sleep with all the new sights and sounds, we had a great time visiting with Papa, Grammy, family, and friends. Katie met her great grandmother on Friday, so we couldn't resist taking a picture of the four generations (not including the stuffed bear behind them).

Although she misses her grandparents already, Katie is glad to be home. She's catching up on sleep and seems to be having no trouble falling back into the hometown routine.

To Be Continued...

We're off on vacation until Sunday, so please excuse the absence of any blog updates. We will have lots to update you on upon our return.

To our family and friends, we wish you a very happy 4th of July...stay safe!

Cubbie Girls

Tonight, we took Katie to her first Cubs game! She did great, and seemed genuinely thrilled to take in the long lines at the turnstiles, batting practice, and a full 2.5 innings. The people next to us praised her as the best Cubs fan they had ever seen (it didn't hurt that the Cubs were up 5-0 under her watch) and promised that she would see a Cubs World Series title in her lifetime.

Be sure and check out the photo album to the right to get the whole experience...

That's More Like It!

Dad - the non-push-over of the parental units - successfully gets Katie to eat her green beans. We're relieved that she will at least eat something that's green and good for her.

Maybe tomorrow she'll try a hot dog and nachos...we're off to Katie's first-ever baseball game. Our beloved Cubs are in town to play the Nationals! Stay tuned for pictures....