End of Summer

Well, it looks like summer's over. Dad's first day at work was yesterday and mom and Katie are going to have some adjustment now, being by ourselves again.










Ladybug Musical Toy says "Don't worry Katie I can pretend to eat your toes; laugh into your tummy; help you rollover and laugh when you jump, just like dad does."









And the days will fly by (thank you 2 hour naps, don't ever leave me!) and he'll be home before you know it. Now we have fun getting up earlier, eating breakfast (very messy...today we started oatmeal, yum yum!)

Mom and Katie went to strollercize twice already this week on the quest towards being fit and fun again. It's also on Friday so we're hoping that three times a week is a reasonable goal.

Dad is flying to Penticton this weekend to support a friend doing Ultraman Canada. Should be interesting. I'm predicting a fair amount of grandma and grandpa time this weekend. Yay!
Hope you have a great day!

PS...the sleep thing is going well. 5 out of the past 7 days Katie has slept from about 8pm until about 7am. One night she woke and was back to sleep in 10 minutes. Another night she woke and it took a LONG hour for her to go to sleep again, but I'm hoping we (she) learned a lot in that hour (Sleep at Night = GOOD).

Little Jumper

Hello Hello! Happy Monday...well, late Monday...probably Tuesday by the time anyone reads this. We are good. Just hanging out on our last few days with Ben home.
Katie has been having fun in her new Jolly Jumper and we have evidence. The movies are both about a minute long. While not quite as acrobatic as Those _____ Girls...(still have to ask if I can post their video) she's learning fast!






Seriously, for that second clip, I wish I had some Irish dancing costume for her...the way she kicks her legs with arms at her sides...that's the first thing I think of!

Good night!

4 Months Old!

Today, Katie is 4 months old. Wow. It's amazing how time flies! It really feels like yesterday that she was born and at the same time like she's been a part of our life forever. This week her head/neck control has improved significantly...perhaps due to more Bumbo and Jolly Jumper time? We're still working on rolling over...she has forgotten how to try and we're reminding her.

There's a chill in the air and fall seems very near with Ben heading back to work on Wednesday. To make the most of our time left we arranged for babysitters on Thursday and went for lunch and ice cream. Yum yum.

Today we are using babysitters again (always Grandmas and Grandpas...Though Andrea and Sheldon will babysit soon I think!) and going to a movie. We've decided to see just how bad "Superbad" is. A light, fun movie...not Oscar worthy I'm sure!

We've also discovered that while cute, this particular outfit makes her look a bit like a boy, even with it's pink stripes.

And in other September news...in the spirit of Back to School...mom has cut her hair. Nice to have different hair...I was definitely bored with the long.



Here's a pic of Grandparents Ken and Cheryl waking Katie up from a nap. Sleepy girl!


Hope you are having a great Sunday!

KD Go for a Run (Katie and Dad)

This is Dad's account of his first run with his daughter.

Katie: Dad you said we were going to go for a run before I go to bed...better get off that couch.
Dad: Yeah, Yeah, right away.
Katie: Mom..
Dad: OK, OK lets go...I will go get your ride.

Dad and Katie head off in the chariot destined to reach Snow Valley ski hill.. about a 5km run.

Dad: So monkey how's Dad's pace so far?
Katie: ahguguhhhhbahh.
Dad: Good.
Dad: Huff, huff, so, huff, sweetie Dad has to go back to work next week. What will you guys do while I'm at work?
Katie:I don't know about Mom but I plan to sleep, eat, play, poop, and repeat. Ah...Dad watch out for that lamp post.
Dad: Thanks..Dad is still getting adjusted to pushing/running with a smart car.
Katie: It's not that big.
Dad: It's good I have a two car garage.
Katie: Less talky more runny.
Dad: Yes dear.
Katie: Ahgggaaahhh, ahghhbbbbbbahhhhhblah.
Dad: Oh, Dad gets some music to run to.

The two runners head through Lendrum, Malmo, and reach the hill at 119th Street.

Katie: Just remember Big Guy it is a lot easier on the way down than on the way up.
Dad: Huff, Huff, Huff,
Katie: Here we go Dad we will be at the top before you know it.
Dad: Huff, Huff, ..
Katie: You still there.
Dad: Huff, yeah.

Dad and Katie make it to the top.

Dad: Great job sweetie, sweetie
Katie: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Katie falls asleep from such a tough workout and Dad runs home in silence. We make it home in time for a bath and an 8:00 pm bedtime. Dad now has two women that he can run with..what a lucky guy. Dad will also has realized that he will miss Katie and Heather terribly when he goes back to work, but will work really hard to bring minimal work home so that he has more time to hang out and run with his girls.

4 Month Checkup

We survived our 4 month check up at the Paediatrician's on Tuesday...Katie's a healthy happy baby (duh!). Very well proportioned at 16.5 pounds and 27 inches long (two more inches in this car seat!). Dr. says we can start feeding her cereal (iron fortified for babies...not Fruit Loops silly!) starting with Rice, then either Barley or Oats, and then either Oats of Barley (the other one), and finally Wheat. For a week each so we can check for any weird reactions.
Here's a picture of her learning that spoons are a good thing!
And a snapshot of her very first breakfast (a teaspoon of cereal mixed with milk, followed by a normal milk feed).
And her very first lunch...We're entering messy-ville!
I think she likes eating, but still has a lot to learn!

The Dr. also said it's time to Ferberize... that is, train her to sleep through the night. She is really not a bad sleeper now, so I'm thinking that it shouldn't be too hard. I think it could be a late night though for the next three nights while we train her! (Dr. says it'll be three tough nights now, or three tough weeks next year...take your pick)

He also said that running with her in the Chariot is now a go, so we've gone on a couple of runs already...lots of fun! Definitely a different kind of run...it's hard pushing weight in front of you!

And the other fun thing he said we could do is get a Jolly Jumper for her. Yay! So we got one and put her in it pretty quick...She's not quite bouncing yet, but did have a positive reaction. Sorry the pic isn't great...sun in behind. And, in case anyone was wondering, I did rip and re-knit the green hat to make it bigger. Now we get to wear this cute hat all winter long! Yay! But it's not winter yet! And to remind you, I'll show some pictures of the Garden Harvest...We've done well I think:Ben with his Zucchini...and a couple of lovely tomatoes (Ben's gloved hand for scale).After goofing around in the garden (and showering, thank goodness!) we headed off to my mom and dad's for a garden party...well a BBQ. With cousins and relatives from my mom's side of the family. The best picture I have from the party is this one:
And Beth did a wonderful job with her first time holding Katie. Katie definitely approved. And see William, back there in the gazebo? I think he looks so pleased because he'd been locking people out of the gazebo so he could have the appetizers all to himself. What a Monkey!
I have (I think) more pictures from the BBQ...or other things, but there's time for that later.

Have a good night, we're hoping we do!

Puppy Talk

A note about videos:
The film you are about to see, and others like it, may cause concern from viewers, regarding potential cruelty towards the film subjects. Rest assured that no harm comes to the actress. The screaming that occurs near the end of such films is merely the result of the following events:

1. See baby perform cute activity.
2. Get baby to do it again because it is so cute.
3. Try once more to ensure that act is suitable for filming.
4. Grab camera.
5. Film cute activity while subject becomes increasingly tired of performing.
6. Insist that cuteness continue.
7. Actress throws temper tantrum which prompts quick end of shoot.
8. Evidence of temper tantrum always leaked to media and fans due to producer not having proper editing skills.

So there you have it. No babies are ever harmed and rest assured lots of hugs, kisses and diaper changes take place immediately after filming. We appreciate your viewership and hope you continue to support independent actress Miss Katie and baby filmmaker extrordinaire, yours truly. Thank you and enjoy the following film.

Tiny Bouncer

Picnic etc

Happy Weekend!We've had a good weekend...Katie seems pleased doesn't she?
Friday we made pizza from scratch and had a picnic in the kitchen, since Katie was there already. Very fun!Then we went to Starbucks to have coffee (decaf) with Grandpa Ken and Grandma Cheryl. Again, Katie seemed quite happy to be doing something fun.
She was laughing at somebody...was is Grandma?
Yes, I think so!
With the weather getting a bit cooler (Fall is on the way I think!), the knitter in me panicked about Katie not having enough toques and winter hats, so I whipped one up. (in an evening and a bit of a day...essentially started one night and done the next day...don't ask how many actual hours, I don't count!). The bonnet turned out very cute...I love the colour. The fit though...may be a bit on the small side...it JUST fits...and therefore won't do much to keep her cool through the fall and winter. So I think I might actually rip it and do another one but in the bigger size. It's SO CUTE it's worth doing again, don't you agree?
The hat came in handy when we walked (a-la-Chariot) to Great Uncle Joe and Great Auntie Joan's place...a hello/goodbye party for my cousin David and girlfriend Jodi (see their blog from Europe...FourWheelRide.. on the sidebar) who are heading off to Vancouver for school very shortly.
We didn't actually manage to get a picture of the two of them (even when they stole the camera overnight!) (ok, I forgot it...mommybrain strikes again!) But we do have evidence of visiting Grandma Mary and G Auntie Joan. Katie didn't actually sleep too well last night and may have a wee bit of a cold today. So we cancelled exciting dinner plans and stayed home instead. Mom and dad decided to teach Katie how to play cards. At first she had trouble deciding which cards to play,But then got the hang of it and beat dad three times (ok, helped mom beat dad. Three. Times.). Notice the game is Skip-Bo? If you haven't played it, it's loads of fun, and not as much like gambling (coughPokercough) which the responsible parent in me agrees she's a little young to play. So, that was the weekend. How was yours?

PS...Comments...are they working? I've tried to change the settings so that you don't need a gmail/blogger account to leave a comment but I'm not sure it's working. Please feel free to email us and say hi, or let me know if you have a problem commenting. Thanks!

Those __________ Girls!

The weather was cool enough the other day to try on a pair of her jeans...I say very cute, don't you think?
We thought Katie was cute enough to take out in public, so we went to the mall and did a fab job sitting in the Bjorn while mom got shoes (excuse the flash and red eye)
And the day after that we dressed up for bouncing in a pretty pink dress.
Yesterday, we had a lovely dinner over at Joanne and Chad's and Claire and Gracie's. This is mom and Katie and Joanne's friend (H?)Ellen holding Claire.The funniest thing lately is that Katie is making different talking noises...more like Claire and Grace, or as we say "Those "insert last name here" Girls". We'll get a video up soon. And Those ___ Girls have the coolest bouncy jumpers. If I get permission from J and C, I'll post the little video...It's SO neat to watch them bounce. I wish I had one in adult size! Have a good Friday!

Thursday and 16

Hello!

I don't have any pictures right now because the camera's *over there* and I'm too lazy to get up and get it and download pictures right now.

Not much going on...we all walked over to Southgate this morning for something to do and the Bay has some good sales on. So Ben bought some nice stuff for work and we bought clothes for Katie too. Can't beat a pair of twill pants for 2 bucks. Seriously, they were 60% off the last ticketed price...Can you believe that? I wish my clothes were that cheap!

While Ben went for a run last night Katie and I walked for about 45 min in the Chariot. Nice walk...stopped by the pool (Confederation) and asked about swim lessons for her (parent and tot) and we could start in October (they are closed in Sept for annual cleanup). I'll have to see what Kinsmen offers and if they start in September we go there instead. Who knows.

I'm Very excited to start going to the drop-in strollercise class at Kinsmen. The Ped. said we had to wait until at least 4 months...I'll double check at our appointment next week but as soon as we can I'm there!

Speaking of 4 months...we're not quite there yet, but Katie is 16 weeks old today! Wow! It's really getting to be that I can't believe how much bigger and older she is and to marvel at what a short and at the same time long time we've had with her. Life is so great with her I wouldn't change a thing.

Hope you're having a good day, I promise pictures next time when I'm not feeling so lazy! =)

Important Day and Cuteness

Hello! We've got lots of pictures today! is for Katie! (followed by a Random Super Cute Outfit)Our weekend was pretty busy...We tried a new way of doing tummy time, over a pillow, which is supposed to make Katie's arms work a bit harder...I think she likes it. The cute outfit helps...this is the best part of it: We wore this out to coffee with Grandma Cheryl, Auntie Patty, cousin Georgina and Coreen...nice to visit with people. We also did a bit of goofing around with the camera later:And even found the black and white setting! Fun!And we practiced sitting in the Bumbo...we're getting much better at that! (Sitting in front of the mirror is double the fun!)
The big thing this weekend (and the "Important Day" referred to in the title of this post) was Katie's Baptism at St. Joe's church on campus. We had the church full of family and friends to welcome her into the Faith. And Katie did really well...didn't seem to mind the water at all! She did get a little tired after and fall asleep right in dad's arms. As cute as it was, we don't have any pictures of any of it because we were busy. But as soon as we get some from others, we'll post the pictures. We do have a few before shots...(The gown is a family Christening gown...vintage!)


We also had a party to go to on Sunday for Auntie Diane's Big Birthday...it was a lovely garden party. Didn't take a lot of pictures (should have taken more!) but I do have this nice one with Auntie Elaine.And we decided Katie was ready for the next step in her excersaucer toy...she seems to like it, but might need to get a bit stronger before we leave her in there for longer than a few minutes. But, boy-o-boy, is it going to be fun! Yesterday , decided to have Katie weighed because we keep telling people she's something over 15 pounds, but really, it's been a couple of weeks since we last weighed her so who knows. Well, she's officially 16 pounds 6 ounces...Over twice her weight at birth! Good girl! We must all be doing something right! To celebrate, we took her to Kinsmen for her First Swim Ever. I think it was maybe more fun for her dad and I...not that she wasn't having fun, but I think she was pretty...unsure of what this whole "pool/swimming" thing was all about. It did tire her out though...

Canmore Part III - Everything Else

I'll try to make this the last post about Canmore...it's been dragged on too long, I know! Lots of the time in Canmore involved trying to protect Katie from the elements...Grandparents were happy to oblige by covering her in blankets (Katie's mesmerized by the mountains):
And lending her hats to keep warm and protect from the sun.
Ben, Sheldon, Uncle Terry and Auntie Diane were our representatives in the "Spread-Yur-Tarp-Fur-A-Good-Spot-By-The-Stage" contest. This involves us lining up by about 6am (well, Grandparents Dan and Mary and the Van did) and sitting in the early morning cold to get a good spot.
While this was going on, Katie just spent time in the van.

And you know what...there's seriously too many pictures to put words to each, and in keeping with the goal of finishing the canmore posts, I present a quick summary and pictures. We had fun...Katie was great...she liked the music and she slept a lot, was surrounded by tarps and strange people and survived rain and hail (of which I don't have a god picture because it was raining and hailing). We had a great time and really wished you were all there. =)
The End