Birthday parties and family fun: July 16 - 22, 2011

Mommy has been remiss in helping me with my blog this week.  She seems to be tired a lot and mentioned that my newest "gift" of not sleeping through the night, in conjunction with the fact that my Baby Sister (who should arrive in just about 4 weeks!) seems to be "up" all night is not helping.  I'm not sure why she's complaining...my whole night time "vigil" allows her to cuddle and snuggle with me more, so she should really appreciate it...right?!

In any case, this past week was a busy, busy week.  My cousin, Tyson, turned two this week and we got to go to his birthday party!  I got to wear my new "princess" outfit and I had a really good time.  There were a lot of kids there and I got to play with them and eat some cupcakes!  It was really, really fun.

My cousin Tyson...He's TWO!

Look at my princess dress!

Yeah...those were some DELICIOUS cupcakes!

In other news, swimming lessons continued, but this past week, Daddy took me.  I REALLY love the water and am even a fan of putting my face in!  Sadly, still no pictures, but next week, BOTH my Mommy and Daddy plan to go so, maybe we'll get a few then!

I had a lot of fun playing with my Sissy this week.  She helped me play dress up...

...and I even got to look collegiate in the T-shirt she gave me for my birthday that has her school name on it.  I'm ready to go to Western!

I've taken a great fascination to all things electronic as well.  I'm a big fan of the TV remote (Daddy says it's his?!?!) and of all things cell phone.  I even tried texting by myself this week...

Kaetlyn uses Mommy's phone to "text"...

I've also become quite adept at blowing kisses and like to shower them on anyone and everyone! 

Well, that's about all the news from here.  I'm off to romp around!  See you next week :)

Climbing stairs, ARC picnic at the zoo, transition week two: July 9 - 15, 2011

We have a new "amenity" in our house called a "gate."  I have to tell you, I'm not extremely fond of this new amenity.  It prevents great fun that I have become very, very fond of...climbing the stairs.  My Daddy installed this "gate" because I have decided that climbing the stairs is about the most fun a baby can have.  I LOVE to go up, up, up and then wander around upstairs.  When I met with Ms. Colleen this week, she helped me work on learning to go back down too!  I'm not as proficient at that as I am at the up part, but I'm getting there!  At this point, I can scurry up those stairs as often as my parents will let me (which is not often enough)!  SO, now I'm scheming to determine how I can get through this gate obstacle that thwarts my fun...

Scheming about gate-removal techniques...

We have been having some relatively nice weather here in Seattle the past two weeks.  Mommy says, "SUMMER!  FINALLY!" and Daddy mows the lawn a lot.  But, we did get to go to the ZOO this past weekend for a picnic thrown by our local ARC organization.  I had a BLAST at the zoo, playing with lots of friends, including my BFF Kayla, and two new friends I met, Cody and Amelie.

Talkin' to my BFF Kayla

Pretty Kayla at the zoo

Pretty Amelie

Cutie Cody!

Talkin' with my friends...

This was my first full week in my new classroom at school.  I definitely did a little better this week than last week.  I can't see my Ms. Audrey from my new classroom, which makes me sad, but also helps me not to think I'm supposed to be with her all day long!  I've learned that Mrs. Linda, my new teacher, is really quite snuggly and Miss Patti, the other teacher in my room, is really nice.  Mrs. Linda sent Mommy and Daddy some pictures of my week:

Demonstrating my new skill...blowing kisses!

Look at this neat "house" we can play with in my classroom!

The caterpillar tunnel on our playground...

Playing with my friend Isabella.

I also started swimming lessons this week!  I absolutely LOVE the pool.  Mommy couldn't get pictures because she was running back and forth to each side of the pool to help me sit and wait my turn, but we're going to try to get some in the next couple of weeks!

Also, we finally got some pictures back from my one-year photo shoot with Ms. Nathania.  Mommy thought we should share a few here.

Sissy and Me :)

Mommy and Daddy helping me walk by the water.

My family

Baby in a basket :)

Until next week...I hope you have a great one!

Family, Friends, Cousins, Weddings and Classroom Transitions at School: July 2-July 8, 2011

What a wonderful time we had in NY at my Mom's cousin, Saralyn's wedding!  We got to see so many wonderful people and play and swim and...oh boy, I tell you, it was a FANTASTIC trip.  AND...I was sooo good.  Not only was I good on the plane rides, I was pretty much fantastic all around!  We had a rough start the first day because I was so tired, but after that, it was pretty much smooth sailing!

The first night, I spent playing with cousins at Jodi's house.  In particular, I hung out with my cousin, Luke, who, as you can see, has even redder hair than I do!  (No one's really sure where all this red hair comes from!)

Me and cousin Luke!

The next day, we went to a really nice park called Taughannock Falls for a pre-wedding picnic thrown by Saralyn's new husband, Tom's family.  The park was on a really pretty lake and though it was hot, there were lots of places to play in the shade with my wonderful family...

At the picnic with Uncle Kevin at Taughannock Falls - aren't I lady-like?

Two girls named Kaety and Katie - I love her...she's funny! :)

Though the Falls, themselves, weren't right on the park where we were playing, we did stop and take some photographs of all of us at the Falls on the way back to the hotel. 

Daddy, Mommy, me and BSG (she's in Mommy's tummy!) at Taughannock Falls

The next day, we went to visit my Great Aunt Val.  She's been a little ill for a year or so, but she still has lots of smiles, especially for ME!  She seems to be doing really well.  She is in a place called "hospicare" and the people there are fantastic.  The place is beautiful and she has lots of views of a pond and geese and birds of all kinds, plus many many pretty flowers.  Mommy was really happy to see her and get a chance to give her a big hug.  I just wanted to jump up and down on her lap!

Great Aunt Val and me - LOVE HER!

We played in the hotel in between visits with family.  I got to play in Mommy and Daddy's big bed and got an opportunity to go swimming!  I LOOOOVE the pool!

Mommy and I play kissy face in the hotel...



Out for an evening swim...

When the day finally came for Saralyn & Tom's wedding, it was really, really beautiful, but REALLY hot.  This Seattle gal isn't used to all that sun and humidity!  (Mommy thought it was fantastic :))

Saralyn & Tom - wedding of the DECADE!

At the wedding and the reception, I had the opportunity to meet some exceptional people who are friends and family of my Mommy's.  I had a fantastic time and was extremely good for both the ceremony AND the reception!

Funny Phoebe!

Hangin' w/ my Grammy at the reception...

Grampy and me...

It was a LONG, LONG night for a baby!

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and so, the day after the wedding, we got back on planes to head back to Seattle.  We made a few stops (in Philadelphia and Chicago) and until the very last leg of the trip, I was a tip-top traveller.  (The last leg of the trip, Mommy made the mistake of giving me creamed spinach - a food that has milk in it.  Clearly she wasn't thinking.  As you can imagine, there was a lot of green coloring of blankets and burp cloths before we got off the plane.  Fortunately, I didn't get any on the seats of the nice people at United!)  I very much enjoyed the stops and playing in between flights and I have to say, I really don't mind air travel that much...

Airplane watching in Philadelphia - on July 4th!

Did someone say "Philly Cheesesteak?!"



Day one of my transition to Mrs. Linda's classroom...



When we got back to Seattle, I started my transition from the infant classroom to the toddler classroom at school.  It was a little bit of a hard week, as I couldn't understand why they kept taking me away from my Ms. Audrey.  Fortunately, my new teachers, Ms. Patti and Mrs. Linda are really nice and I'm slowly learning it's ok to be in a new room.  I'm really thankful that my friend Peyton is transitioning with me into the same classroom.  It makes it a little easier to have that familiarity.



Day two of my transition to Mrs. Linda's classroom...

Though I was transitioning, I still got to spend part of my days with Ms. Audrey.  By the end of the week, she had me blowing kisses to her and everyone around me.  AND she fixed my hair like a big, big girl...in a PONYTAIL!  When it dried, it started to fall out in back, but Mommy and Daddy didn't even recognize me when they picked me up at school because I looked so much older!  All in all, it was a really good week and I'm learning to like my new classroom and hoping I still get to spend time with Ms. Audrey sometimes! 

Blowing kisses with my big-girl hairdo!

Have a great week!



At 13 months: Remodeling, Driving Around, Photo Shoots and Flying! - June 25-July 1, 2011



Yay for me...I'm 13 months!



I AM 13 MONTHS OLD!  My parents cannot believe that it's already been a month since I turned one, but it has!  I had an INCREDIBLY busy week this past week.  We had lots of visitors and lots of fun and ended the week in a completely different state than we started...but more on that later.

 As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm becoming a kitchen aficionado.  In fact, I'm so comfortable in the kitchen, I've spent several days this week trying to help Mommy remodel her cabinet space...


Step 1:  Remove all items from cabinet; commence banging and yelling at items.



Step 2:  Reach deep within cabinets; it's handy to use one's legs to propel one deep into the depths of the cabinet.

Step 3:  Sometimes you have to really get into the cabinet and be one with it to do remodeling...

Step 4:  Show Mommy when it's empty.  Look how helpful I can be!

In addition to cabinet remodeling, I was extremely helpful with getting the furniture into BSG's room.  Mommy and Daddy had to buy all new furniture for BSG, since I'm still using mine, and don't intend to give it up anytime soon.  The most fun part of this "remodel" was the boxes in which the furniture came.  We're talking HUGE boxes.  I wanted to build a big fort, but instead, I just played inside with my Mommy (I told you they were big boxes...)!

THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!

Mommy and Me inside BSG's dresser box...

Later the day of putting BSG's room together, I went on a grand adventure in my car from my Aunties Liz and Jacqui.  Mommy took me to get the mail in my fancy car!  I absolutely LOVE my car, as I'm sure I've previously mentioned, but it's even more fun when we use it outdoors.  After getting the mail, we can go for a walk around the cul-de-sac, or go frolicking in the backyard.  There's so much to DO in this car.  And when it stops moving, I just jump up and down and scooch back and forth, talking to it until it magically starts moving again.  Mommy says I'm funny. :)

On the way back from the mailbox...

You can't tell, but I'm doing the "move the car along" bounce in this shot as we explore the back yard.

The day after our big box adventure, Mommy and Daddy took me back to the park (that's three weekends in a row...WHOO HOO!) for my 1-year pictures with Ms. Nathania.  She's been the one taking my pictures every few months since I was 12 hours old!  I'm sure Mommy will let me share some of them with you when we get them back in a few weeks, but Mommy did manage to snap the picture below of Daddy and me on a park bench waiting for Nathania to switch out camera lenses.  Have I mentioned I love the park?! :)

That afternoon when we got home, I was so ready to go-go-go that I did something Mommy NEVER thought would happen this early...I climbed the WHOLE staircase - all 20 stairs!  It took me about 3 minutes, but I went all the way from the bottom to the top and then all over upstairs (looking for BSG's big box, which was nowhere to be found :( ).  I then went back to the stairs to see if I could go back down, but it looked pretty far, so I asked Mommy to carry me.  (She thought that was very wise!)  Unfortunately, she was so unprepared for the event, there was no video or pictures taken.  We'll try to capture that in the next few weeks!

We had lots of visitors this week too.  Auntie Rachel came over to babysit me so Mommy and Daddy could go out to dinner for their birthdays at a "big people" restaurant.  And then the next day, Mommy's second cousin once-removed, Bron, and his wife, Hannah, came to visit for dinner (they live in New York!).  Unfortunately, I was in the process of coming down with a cold, so I wasn't as entertaining as I sometimes am, but they said they'd forgive me.  Also, Mommy AGAIN forgot to get pictures, so we'll have to have everyone come back!

And now for the big news...this week ended with us in a different state!  We flew overnight to New York.  I haven't been here since I was 3 months old!  Mommy's cousin, Saralyn, is getting married to the nicest guy and so we came to see her and lots of other family and friends.  I really enjoyed the flight...as you can see...

...but after an overnight flight, I was VERY happy to get off the plane!

I got to visit with lots of family and friends the very first day, and spend some time with my friend, Emma, who is chromosomally enhanced much like myself.  I haven't seen Emma since she was born the very second day of her life...she's gotten a LOT bigger and she is SO sweet.  (I also think her older her twin sisters are VERY sassy & funny!)

Daddy and Ms. Emma

Kaety and Emma-bean

Conversing with my friend Emma, while Ms. Amanda holds me and Emma's Mommy, Rhiannon holds her.

I'll write more about the adventures of my trip and all the wonderful people I get to see as well as my first impressions of my new classroom and my transition week into Mrs. Linda's room...Have a GREAT week!