Yesterday was a long, busy day in Katie World. We started the day off with her eye doctor, and got news I wasn't quite ready for yet: She needs glasses immediately. I knew the day would come, but 11 1/2 months seems awfully young to be wearing glasses. I have to admit I struggled a bit through the day as the news settled in. So I spent a few hours last night on the site "Babies With Glasses" and was comforted to read stories from other moms in similar situations. Of particular interest to me was the photo gallery of babies with glasses. It was hard for me to imagine until then what exactly a baby with glasses would look like. We'll be getting the glasses later this week and I'll post a photo then.
Until then, here are some fun photos of Katie enjoying the tiny couch in the doctor's waiting room.
Afterwards we caught the last 15 minutes of Mommy's last Bible study of the year. Community Bible Study has been such a blessing to me this year. Katie and I have been in a "small" group of 23 nursing moms and their babies. When we started, Katie was 3 1/2 months old and would sit quietly in her car seat while we had our discussion about Genesis. Those days are ancient history!! Now she climbs all over the other babies and their toys. It's been fun to see all the babies grow up this year. So it's sad to say our goodbyes.
We went home for a few hours of "quiet" time (Katie napping, playing, eating, and getting her patch time in; Mommy watching her, working and doing laundry; both of us walking the dog), and then Katie's good friend (aka potential husband) Kai came over with his mommy. I didn't get any good photos of them together yesterday, but here's one of them playing together last week:
Daddy came home shortly after Kai left, and Katie got to try two new things: grown-up lasagna and her new walking toy. She couldn't get enough of the lasagna, and neither could her clothes. Needless to say, we carried her straight to the bathtub after dinner was over.
Then we pulled out her new walking toy, a hand-me-down from my friend Betsy (thank you, Betsy!). In no time flat, she was running across the living room with it. Here's the video.
After cheering her on, John stepped outside to finish mowing the lawn (can I tell you again how much I LOVE having John home before sunset?!!). I took Katie over to watch, and Katie enjoyed waving HI! to her Daddy. See video below.
Finally we started settling down for the night, but not until we enjoyed our favorite Tuesday night family pasttime: American Idol (A.I.). John and I are cheering for David Cook, but Katie enjoys cheering for everyone. She has always been fascinated by American Idol -- see this former blog post and this video taken last week:
Katie was more than ready for bed by her 9 pm bedtime!
When John left his last job on Tuesday, Katie and I weren't crying -- we were celebrating! John has a 10 minute commute now and works for an employer renowned for its high employee morale. So when we found out that Daddy's coworkers were throwing him a goodbye party after work on Tuesday, Katie and I made sure that we were there (and besides, us ladies are happy for any excuse to par-tay!).
Needless to say, Katie was a hit with all of Daddy's coworkers. They thought it particularly funny when Katie used a pool table as her modeling runway.
Our family returned from the beach yesterday after spending four days enjoying family time before John started his new job today. (Side note: Hooray!!! We're so excited that his commute is now only 10 minutes instead of an hour plus! He was home by 4:45 pm today and had a great first day.)
Katie had been to the beach before, but more as a passive observer than as an active explorer. She first visited the Boardwalk at 11 days old, but never woke up (not that she was very alert at that point anyway) or got out of her stroller:
When she was 2 1/2 months old, our family spent a week at the beach, and Katie finally made it off the Boardwalk. She still slept most of the time, but did wake up to enjoy the breeze and sound of the waves:
In November, at 5 1/2 months, we travelled to Sarasota, FL, where Katie again slept away most of her time at the beach.
Last Thursday, at 10 1/2 months, we decided Katie was old enough to roam the beach a bit. My mom had warned me that most babies don't like sand at first, but Katie had no problem with it, as you'll see.
First we put Katie in a bathing suit for the first time and lathered her with sunblock:Then off to the beach we went. I had a few toys for her to play with on the blanket, and she enjoyed that for awhile.
Next she tried to eat sand. Not a surprise, since she tries to eat everything else she finds on the ground. But sand apparently is not as tasty as dirt, dog hair, or leaves. She didn't try it again (at least for awhile).In fact, sand became a fun toy for Katie!
Then Daddy showed her the ocean. Here's a fun minute-long video of Katie enjoying herself on the beach:
Friday was another beautiful day, so we returned to the beach. Katie enjoyed the Clementine I had brought along for a snack, though her desperation to eat it was soon apparent.
It got a bit chilly as the afternoon progressed, so Katie and I bundled up in Daddy's fleece together.
Yesterday we gathered at John's parents' house for lunch before going to a lacrosse game (which our team won big -- hooray!). While John's parents watched Katie, we had special guests at lunch and the game: John's friend Eric and his two daughters, ages 5 and 3. John and Eric are HUGE lacrosse fans and this was the girls' first game, which was very exciting for them. (I doubt Katie will have to wait till age 3 to go to a lacrosse game -- in fact, she may go next week.)
Anyway, the 3-year-old and Katie had much fun with each other. Here are a few photos, and I've posted many more fun ones here.
And in case you were wondering about Katie's onesie, it's a gift from Eric's wife and it says: "Eat. Sleep. Lacrosse." That's pretty much the motto of Katie's daddy every spring! :-)
Katie turns 10 months tomorrow, and as I mentioned earlier this week, she's a true delight. Even though she's been sick practically this whole winter (including a viral infection this past week), she rarely complains or fusses. She has a cheerful disposition and is quick to smile.
Here's a photo I took yesterday after Katie climbed up her first step. Time to put up the baby gate! But in the meantime, she's pretty proud of herself (and Daddy and I are proud of her too).
Here's also a funny video of a typical evening at our house -- Katie pulling up on the coffeetable, then deciding she wants to be with Mommy and maneuvering to try to get closer to me. In this video, Bella the dog also makes her first video appearance on this blog.
Do you know that feeling of utter contentment? Those days when you just can't stop smiling? Today's one of those days. I'd love to say it's because of something profound, but really it's simply because Katie is an pure delight.
Often I'm too busy with my "to do" list to really sit with Katie and enjoy her for long periods of time. It's easy to be counting the minutes until she'll nap so I can get something else done. But when I do that, I miss the little joys.
Katie's almost ten months, and is on the cusp of doing so many exciting things. No longer is she content to be a passive observer. She seeks adventure at every turn --What new thing can I explore? Can I reach that ledge, or is it too high for me to pull up on? How close can I get to the dog / dog food / wires / (fill in the blank) before Mommy notices and pulls me away?
Today we borrowed a Fisher Price Learning Table from friends whose baby isn't yet pulling up on things. Katie LOVES it. (I wish it wasn't $70!) She pulls up on it, and then every time a song plays, she bounces at the knees and wiggles her tushy in order to dance to the music. If she happens to be sitting when she hears music, she claps and claps. This week, she's been doing this with every toy she has that plays music. It's so much fun to see her become interested in music, especially since John and I love music as well.
If I put Katie in front of a mirror, she will pose and mug as if she was Madonna in the "Vogue" video. She will squint her eyes and grin, pointing her chin toward the mirror. She will clap. She will grab hold of the mirror and talk to it, or even lick it.
Again, it'd be easy to miss these moments of fun if I was distracted with other things. But when I focus on "being in the moment" and spending time with Katie as I would spend time with any other friend, I find myself really loving being a mom.
We had spent the July 4 weekend at John's parents' vacation home in West Virginia and were driving home. I had been hoping for a proposal that weekend, but after an emotional few days (long story) I had given up on it happening that trip.
On our way home, John got off at my parents' highway exit. When I asked why, John said that he wanted to sing worship songs by the lake nearby. We had spent several dates at that lake, and we were both emotionally frazzled, so it sounded like a nice idea to me... although I have to admit, I started wondering whether "this was it" since the idea seemed so out of the blue.
We found our way in the dark to a hill by the lake, and John pulled his guitar out of the case. Strangely, this evening he had trouble coming up with the chords for the worship songs he played every week in church.
After two or three songs, John started playing chords that I recognized, but not from a worship song. We both love the movie "The Wedding Singer," especially the song that Adam Sandler sings to Drew Barrymore at the end, "Grow Old With You." I had told John at one point how much I'd love it if he'd learn that song and sing it to me someday, and in my mind I had thought (but not verbalized) that it would be a great way to propose. It seems John had thought so too. And when John started playing the chords, I was pretty sure I knew what was coming.
I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
All I wanna do is grow old with you
I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you
I'll miss you, kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold
Need you, feed you
Even let you hold the remote control
So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed when you've had too much to drink
I could be the man who grows old with you
I wanna grow old with you
(Below is the clip from "The Wedding Singer". John sings it better but unfortunately I wasn't quick enough on the draw to videotape his proposal.)
When John finished singing the song, he pulled a box out of his pocket, opened it, and asked me to marry him (we were sitting on the ground so taking a knee would have seemed ridiculous). I remember thinking to myself, "Say something witty or profound, because you'll be telling this story for the rest of your life" (my mom had answered my dad with the very romantic, "Are you sure?"). But the best I could do was stutter out, "Of course!" and throw my arms around the man whom I would never have to let go of in this lifetime.
Before leaving the lake, we took these photos:
Then we drove the five minutes to my parents' house so my mom and I could jump around the den together and we could call all of our immediate family members.
Happy fifth anniversary to the man I will love forever!
Then off to the beach we went. I had a few toys for her to play with on the blanket, and she enjoyed that for awhile.
In fact, sand became a fun toy for Katie!
Here's a fun minute-long video of Katie enjoying herself on the beach:
Anyway, the 3-year-old and Katie had much fun with each other. Here are a few photos, and I've posted many more fun ones 
