Katie's 2009 Snow Adventures

My apologies that I've been busy resting (if that's possible) and getting ready for the birth of our son, and thus have been neglecting Katie's blog. Now that our due date is here and we're just playing the waiting game, I'll try to catch up a little!

We had two big snows this year, which were so much fun. John didn't get a snow day either time, but thankfully the second time around, he already had taken a day off and could play with us in the snow.

Big Snow #1, Day 1

We spent the morning cruising and stumbling across our front yard and the yards of other neighbors. It wasn't until that afternoon's eye doctor appointment that I realized that somewhere along the way, Katie had lost one of the brand-new lenses out of her glasses. Whoops! Don't think we're going to find that one.




Big Snow #1, Day 2

The next day the yard was pretty icy, so we stayed in the flat backyard and ran around with Bella. You'll notice Katie's not wearing glasses -- they were off being repaired.

Big Snow #2

This time Daddy got to play with us! It's much more fun when Daddy's here -- he had much more energy and strength than Preggie Mommy to bounce Katie around, pick her up when she fell (she learned quickly how to say "help!"), and lift up to the top of the slide.

Here are a few short video clips. Think Katie's "happy?"

Change of "plans"

Many of you know that I was scheduled for a C-section on my due date this coming Friday. I've decided to cancel the C-section and instead see if this baby will come on its own sometime in the next week. It was a tough decision, esp. since a scheduled C-section would mean (1) I had a definite end date in sight, (2) I could schedule childcare for Katie ahead of time, and (3) the baby would come out "the easy way" (meaning I could wimp out and not have to go through labor and pushing).

However, I've decided that I need to trust the Lord to take care of the logistics and the timing and the pain, and choose what I deem to be the healthier option for me and for our son, even if I feel like I'm less "in control" this way. (Not that I really was ever in control, but the illusion was still there.) So I'm praying that I'll go into labor on my own over the next few days (and I'm definitely interested if any of you have advice on home remedies to induce labor). If our son is still not here by next Thursday, 3/26, they'll admit me to the hospital, break my water and see if I go into labor that way. A C-section would then be a last resort rather than a first one.

I'm standing on this verse: "'Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." -- Proverbs 19:21

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! I'll keep you posted.

Katie Put Her Pee-Pee in the Potty!!

Big milestone today: Katie put her pee-pee in the potty for the first time!

I'm not really sure it was on purpose (I was making her sit on the potty for awhile with a book since she'd been carrying the potty around the first floor), but she did it nonetheless.

Interestingly, she didn't seem particularly impressed by her accomplishment, even with John and I cheering for her afterwards and even though Mommy called both grandmas on speakerphone to brag.

We have 5 days till my due date, so with the impending upheaval, I expect this will be our last potty accomplishment for several months. :-)

Katie Learns Her ABCs

Thanks to Sesame Street, her parents, and a few great singing toys, Katie's new obsession these days is learning her ABCs. Here's a video of us singing them together last weekend:

And here's what Katie's version of the ABCs sounds like without any help from me and with a few horse "neighs" thrown in:

I Love You This Much

A year ago, Katie received a book from our dear friend "Aunt Bev" for her baptism. It's called "I Love You This Much" and Katie has always enjoyed my voice inflections as I read the stanza that repeats between the verses:

I love you best

I love you most

I love you high

I love you low

I love you deep

I love you wide

I love you this much!

It was such a delight last week when she started trying to "read along" with me for the first time! See below.

Katie's First Haircut

I decided last week after some subtle hints from nice relatives and friends (and some outright mocking from some not-so-nice brothers) that it was time for Katie's first haircut. While she has had a natural mullet for most of her life, with bangs too short to need a cut, we were past that stage:



So, off to Cartoon Cuts we went! Katie brought along her stuffed collie (thank you, Aunt Laura!) for moral support, but it was still a little scary for her. She started whining and squirming as soon as I put her in the chair:

But the reason I had chosen Cartoon Cuts for her first haircut is because I had heard that they had ELMO VIDEOS she could watch. Sure enough, once the blue "FBI Warning" came on the screen (how bad is it that she recognizes Sesame Street's FBI Warning?), she immediately stopped whining and started smiling. "Whas dat?"

Ten minutes later, Katie's hair was much shorter and all one length. I think it's pretty cute. Plus they gave us a "First Haircut" certificate and a lock of Katie's baby hair, without me even asking.

Peanut Butter and Snoozing Sandwich

Today at lunchtime I put Katie in her highchair with a peanut butter sandwich and dashed into the other room to do a quick favor for someone online. Suddenly the kitchen became suspiciously quiet, so I tiptoed in to see what was going on. My suspicions were quickly confirmed: