Check-up

Since Kate will start at daycare next week, we moved up her two-month check-up time to when she was only six weeks.  She was able to then receive her first round of vaccinations before going to daycare.  The check-up went well!  Kate now weighs 10 lbs., 7 oz. and is 23 inches long.  That means she has gained over 2 lbs since leaving the hospital and has grown 2 inches!  All other aspects of Kate's development are right on track.  We are seeing her beautiful smiles daily now and are enjoying sleeping longer at night.  For the past week, she has done a 7-8 hour stretch for us.  We are hoping this is becoming a routine for her because we are easily getting used to it.  We started her on a medicine for acid reflux this week to see if that is what is causing her to cough while drinking a bottle.  Other than coughing, she is a great eater and is slowly increasing the amount she drinks and time between feedings.  We love our beautiful Baby Kate and are glad to have this first round of shots behind us!

Kate's been napping in her crib to get used to sleeping in there!  We think we'll move her soon to sleeping there at night.

Dad

Dad had to pick up the slack around the house this weekend, as I wasn't feeling well.  He allowed me to take an uninterrupted nap in the basement!  Thank you, Dad!  Here are two pictures of how Dad likes his girls best---cuddly and sleepy. :)  It's the best way to survive these cold winter days.

Kate:  January 2014

Audrey:  December 2011

Smiles

Kate has begun to turn her mouth up when being talked to.  It's not quite a full smile yet, but it's fun to see the beginnings.  When I was taking her picture today, I almost captured one!  She's not centered in the picture, but I had to share.  Happy Wednesday!

Here is a picture of a girl who definitely knows how to smile.  Can you see her ponytail?  It's two perfect little curls at the top of her head.

Happy 1 Month, Kate!

It's hard to believe that Kate turned one month old today.  It already seems as if she's been a part of our family for a long time.  We know we are biased, but we think she is such a beautiful baby girl!  In this month, we have learned many things about "Baby Kate".  She is a great eater, and we have been blessed again with a baby who does not spit up.  She has also been a very good sleeper for us at night, usually doing a 5-6 hour stretch, eating, and then doing two more 3-4 hour stretches with eating in between.  We have seen Kate's ability to focus on objects grow within the past week, as she is now more content to stare at objects, faces, and toys.  She isn't afraid to let us know when she is hungry, tired, or just a little upset by using her loud cries.  We think she learned in my stomach she needed to be loud to compete with her older sister! :)

We love our Baby Kate and are so blessed to have this beautiful girl a part of our family.

December 16, 2013

January 16, 2014--One Month Old

I love the funny faces that babies make!

Here is Audrey at one month old, wearing the same outfit!

Baths

Kate loves to take baths, and she sits so contently in the tub throughout the process.  She stares at us with her beautiful eyes and takes everything in.  As the bath ends and she gets unwrapped, she then gets a little upset at the cold.  It's been fun to give her baths when she's such a cooperative baby throughout the process.  The only thing we have to watch out for is her going to the bathroom in those brief seconds she's without a diaper.  It's happened twice, and today it was all over me.  Audrey seemed shocked when she was told Kate peed on me! :)

What a beautiful girl!

Audrey was playing with her toys, in a dry tub, throughout the process.  I promise I had combed her hair in the morning, but it became a little messy when we were crawling through a homemade tent!  (Audrey just looked at this picture on the computer and said, "What do I have on my head?")

Tummy Time

The blog's loyal followers will remember how much Audrey loved tummy time as a baby:

We have been working on it with Kate each day, and she seems to have similar feelings to what Audrey did.  Like Audrey, she has a strong neck but does not enjoy being on her tummy!  This time around, though, Kate is lucky enough to have a cheerleader there to help her along.  Lucky girl!

Sunglasses and pajamas are the perfect combination for tummy time!

"Go Kate, go!"

"Stop crying, Baby Kate."

Neglected Cats

After finally getting adjusted to life with Audrey, our two cats, Mila and Belle, have been forced to adjust to new noises and activity levels again.  Belle is a more laid-back, flexible cat, but Mila is not.  She takes after her human dad. :)  After feeling very neglected these last three weeks, she decided to rest in the one place we visit most frequently right now--the diaper changing table.  She hoped that she would receive more attention there.  It was a perfect resting spot for her until she was found by Audrey! 

Poor Audrey

Our "big sister" has been battling an illness for the past five days.  On Wednesday, she developed a fever that peaked at 104.7 on Friday.  As of this morning, her fever has broken, and she is now on an antibiotic.  She was such a trooper, though, and did not complain much about being under the weather!  The best part of our trip to the doctor was sitting in the restroom for an hour trying to get a urine sample from a two-year-old who had just gone before they asked for a sample.  Needless to say, we had to collect it at home after the fact!

Audrey was given her first pair of high heels from a neighbor down the street who had outgrown them.  She loves to wear these shoes and has to shuffle right now because they are a little too big!

Diaper Changes

Right now, Kate does not like getting her diaper changed!  She will go from a calm, content girl to a screaming child within a matter of seconds.   We've tried a few different tricks to make the experience more pleasant for her, but so far, nothing consistently works.  We're thinking this will just be a phase that passes; otherwise, she may end up potty-trained before Audrey! :)

This is before her diaper gets changed.

This is after.

Happy New Year!

Needless to say, we had a quiet New Year's Eve at home.  Jeremy went back to work last night, so it was just the girls at home.  Kate went to bed early and woke only to eat.  Audrey slept through the night, of course.  Jeremy and I are both very excited to get to that point with Kate, too!  :)  We hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year's Eve, and we wish you health, happiness, and love in the new year.  Here are a few pictures of our beautiful girls!

This is Audrey yelling "Go Hawks!" during the bowl game today.  Her enthusiasm didn't help the outcome of the game.

Kate is looking at Audrey and wondering if her hair will look like that someday, too!