Can I Tell You a Secret?

Maggie learned a new game - Secret.  It's not as bad as it sounds.  We cuddle and lean into each others ears to whisper silly secrets.  I started the most recent session.  "You have beautiful eyes," I whispered.  "Ooh!  Good One!" she replied with a dreamy look on her face.  Then it was her turn and she starred at my face intently as she thought.  Finally, her secret to me:  "You have big teeth!" 

Most Annoying House on the Block

Have I told you that people walking their dog past our house actually cross the street before they get to our yard?  We live on a corner lot and our two (moron) dogs are the scourge of the neighborhood when they are out in our fenced backyard.  Steve isn't so bad; but any bike, person, scooter, dog, truck, or turtle that Payton sees on the other side of the fence sets of doggie-DEFCON 1 and she runs the length of the fence barking her face off.  Steve only gets involved if there is a dog on the other side of the fence, but his involvement in this activity adds a level of intimidation that Payton can only dream to convey on her own. 

As if this were not enough reason to avoid our house as if it were quarantined, we seem to have added an early morning dog alarm to the property.  Catie. 

Catie likes to crawl around the deck in the morning while Mama eats breakfast outdoors (disclaimer: the deck has the worlds best railing and gate, thanks to my dad, so no chance of getting stuck or falling through).  Today Payton and Steve were down in the yard, and having spied a dog at least two blocks away Payton was at her worst.  Catie was watching her, amused, and started calling out "Dag!  Dag!"  All of a sudden her adorable dog-calls changed to all out ear piercing shrieks of joy, high-pitch and high-volume, echoing through the entire neighborhood.  I turn to see that a man is walking his two dogs, across the street of course, and Catie is now literally standing and shaking the railing.  Although I can tell she's just excited, the sound she's making is going to make someone call DCFS, so I scoop her up and take her inside to chill-out.  Maggie then jumps off her chair and to try and calm down (boss around) the dogs by stating, "Dogs!  You two stop that or I'm going to STRANGLE you!"  Howdy neighbor!

Catie's First Birthday

OK, so finally.  First, let's start with an update on Catie's stats:

Height:  29.25 inches (50%)
Weight:  20 pounds 10 ounces (25-50%)
Head Circumference:  48 cm (97%)

Catie is changing so much every day it really does blow my mind how fast a year goes by.  She's got seven teeth now, is constantly cruising the furniture, loves to climb upstairs and get into trouble, and is babbling up a storm.  We're pretty sure she has "words" (and I use that term loosely) for Doggy, Mama, Daddy, Cheese, Granny and Thank You.  And Maggie swears up and down that she can say "Maggie" as well.

Her birthday was celebrated just as it should be - with all her amazing family around her.  First in Iowa, where we took her out to dinner with Daddy's side of the family and second, at an at-home barbecue with Mama's side of the family.  She didn't seem to know what was going on in either event, but she was a happy girl.  She got a few gifts - a Weeblos playset, a stuffed pony, and her very own suitcase to match her big sister's.  All gifts were quickly confiscated to test their play-ability by chief examiner Maggie.  The Weeblos are particularly playable.

I miss my baby, but I am so proud of my one-year-old!

New Home Remedy

For the past three years our number one pain killer has been a kiss from Mama.  Any little boo boo requires a kiss to make it all better.  This is very sweet, unless the boo boo is on a butt, or a foot, or some equally undesirable location.  So I guess it's a good thing that this particular home remedy has evolved.  Now, instead of a kiss, all one has to do to feel better is to rub the hurt finger/foot/butt on some part of Mommy.  The frequent (daily) cries of "Mama, I hurt myself" that emanate from my highly uncoordinated child are immediately followed by said child rubbing up against me.  I'm a giant good-health crystal or something.  Rub the Mommy and feel instantly better.

Wrestlemania!

Why, oh why, is my baby trying to tackle me? Post bath little baby Catie was feeling awfully randy, and while I sat on the floor attempting to reconstruct a freshly laundered (previously potty-ed) car seat she decided that Mommy...must...die. She started from a seated position, diving face first toward my shoulder with her teeth gnashed and uttering a non-specific "AAAHHHHH!" I narrowly escaped and retaliated by laughing and blowing raspberries on her neck. She was momentarily defeated. Her next move was to amble behind me and throw her arms around my neck while hoisting herself into a kneeling position half-way up my spine. Ha! But I was too quick for her, I whipped her around and smooched her all over and she was once again defeated. She rolled out of my lap onto the floor but immediately gathered her senses and came at me in a full-frontal assault, throwing her standing body onto me and opening her mouth wide to "kiss" me on the lips. I rolled backwards from the sheer force of 20 pounds of lethal baby fat slamming into my unprotected torso. I tried to block, but I just wasn't fast enough! She KISSED ME! And then... she called for back-up. Big sister Maggie "The Menace" came to help finish me off. While Catie "The Kisser" crawled back and forth over my chest, The Menace alternated between sitting on my pelvis, jumping up and down, and pushing her stinky fingers in my face. Clearly I was destined to lose this fight. I admitted defeat... and enjoyed it all.


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July Pictures

Busy, busy, busy...

I can't believe it's been so long since my last post, the past few weeks have flown by.  It's hard to imagine, on the heels of a heat wave, but summer is going to be over before we know it.  I hardly know what to write about, so much fun stuff has happened over the past month.  Maybe I'll just give you a little list, then I can move forward without this overwhelming sense of responsibility to my three or four readers out there (yes, that means you).

Fourth of July at home with the in-laws, complete with local Parade.  Maggie even got a haircut in preparation for the event.  Wanna know a good way to get a kid to want to get a haircut?  Take her to the salon at Wal-mart... it's a whole store full of bribes.  The parade was cute, although SWELTERING.  We foolishly chose to sit on the sunny side of the street.  Parade participants were handing out ice-pops, so that combined with the ice cream and snow cone and popsicle that the girls had kept them cool.  Catie was super impressed by the horses and tried to crawl after them, reaching her chubby little arms out to them and yelling after them.  Those must have been the biggest dogs she's ever seen!

Baby shower in Iowa.  We got to see the mucho-preggers Auntie Jordan, who I am pretty sure Maggie thinks is actually Princess Aurora or Cinderella or something (she's blonde, she's pretty, and she's not a wrinkly old lady like Mama).  Maggie was very impressed by Auntie Jordan's house, which is currently chock full of not-yet-played with toys awaiting the arrival of baby.  Maggie showed her Aunt and Uncle how to use them, just so they wouldn't look stupid in front of the new baby.  Another highlight was the camper at Auntie Nana's farm.  It's like the ultimate playhouse I suppose - far more proportional to a three-year-old than to an adult.  Catie's favorite part was a loose meat sandwich at Maid-Rite.  That's my little chow-hound.

Beauty and the Beast at Broadway in Chicago.  You could just see the pride sparkling off of Maggie as she walked down the sidewalk in downtown Chicago.  She got to go to a big-girl show, and eat at a big-girl restaurant, and wear a big-girl dress.  Aside from asking questions throughout the entire performance, she did great at the theatre.  We'll definitely be taking her to see more.

We also had the completion of swim classes, the beginning of T-ball, a freak storm that had us without Internet for a week (argh!), couple trips to the "fun" pool, harvest time at Granny's garden (which means lots-o-canning and freezing), making a few new dresses for the girls, and of course, last but not least....

CATIE'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!  This one deserves it's very own post, so check back later to read all my gushing and mushiness about seeing my baby... MY BABY... turn one year old.