My parents came up to visit over Labor Day weekend and we had a great time checking out local kid-friendly destinations, including the Please Touch Museum (we went twice - "museum" is an understatement - it's an experience!) and the Chanticleer gardens.
My dad took terrific pictures of Katie and me at Chanticleer, then created a neat video using audio of my mom and me singing to her at dinnertime. We have other great pictures and video I'll try to post soon, but until then, enjoy!
September 22, 2009
August 27, 2009
Katie turns one!
Our apologies for the long delay in posting. It has been a crazy summer! We'll scan in Katie's 11- and 12-month portraits as soon as we can, but until then, we wanted to share photos from Katie's first birthday party.
The biggest part of planning for Katie's party was building a deck on the back of our house. We ended up having to jump through a lot of hoops to build a simple deck, but we were thrilled and relieved that it was finished four days before the party. It was a great, shady place for the adults to gather and chat and the kids to dance and play.
Katie had five little guests and their families at the party, plus our closest neighbors. From left to right below (lined up for the birthday parade): Andy and Brian, Katie, Benjamin, Lachlan and Luisa.
After leading the parade around the yard, Katie tried her first birthday cake. At first, she didn't know what to do with it.
Even after she figured it out, she was pretty tentative with it, just tasting the icing...
...and sharing it with Mommy and Daddy.
Birthday cake is fun!
We finished with a pinata, and after everyone left, we opened all of the wonderful presents Katie received. Opening presents is fun, too!
Thanks to everyone for a wonderful first birthday!
Click on the image below for lots and lots of pictures from Katie's birthday party.
The biggest part of planning for Katie's party was building a deck on the back of our house. We ended up having to jump through a lot of hoops to build a simple deck, but we were thrilled and relieved that it was finished four days before the party. It was a great, shady place for the adults to gather and chat and the kids to dance and play.
Katie had five little guests and their families at the party, plus our closest neighbors. From left to right below (lined up for the birthday parade): Andy and Brian, Katie, Benjamin, Lachlan and Luisa.
After leading the parade around the yard, Katie tried her first birthday cake. At first, she didn't know what to do with it.
Even after she figured it out, she was pretty tentative with it, just tasting the icing...
...and sharing it with Mommy and Daddy.
Birthday cake is fun!
We finished with a pinata, and after everyone left, we opened all of the wonderful presents Katie received. Opening presents is fun, too!
Thanks to everyone for a wonderful first birthday!
Click on the image below for lots and lots of pictures from Katie's birthday party.
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| Katie's First Birthday |
July 1, 2009
Katie takes on the AIG baby
We have always loved the AIG commercial featuring the baby cracking up over ripped paper. Tonight we discovered how to push Katie's giggling to that level -- juggling. We discovered pretty quickly that she laughed even harder when Sriyesh (intentionally) dropped the toys/balls ... or so he claims. Enjoy!
June 24, 2009
Crawling away with our hearts
Katie took the next step, so to speak, Father's Day weekend when she began crawling. She had been pushing herself backwards for several weeks, and frequently was able to go a couple of crawls before flattening, but she had never actually gotten her arms and legs working together until she crawled across the bathroom to splash in the dog bowl.
At first, she was a little cautious, preferring to sit and play. Then her curiosity got the better of her. We're now in the process of babyproofing because she likes checking everything out. She's also starting to follow us from room to room, a great cure for separation anxiety!
Check out this video to see Katie in action. You'll also see my (Anne's) singing debut on the Web. Katie loves it when I sing to her, so I'm more than happy to oblige, however silly the song may be.
At first, she was a little cautious, preferring to sit and play. Then her curiosity got the better of her. We're now in the process of babyproofing because she likes checking everything out. She's also starting to follow us from room to room, a great cure for separation anxiety!
Check out this video to see Katie in action. You'll also see my (Anne's) singing debut on the Web. Katie loves it when I sing to her, so I'm more than happy to oblige, however silly the song may be.
June 13, 2009
Finally, a tooth!
I read a poll the other day that suggested that just 11 percent of babies cut their first tooth after their 9-month birthday. Count Katie among that group, but the good news is that she now has one -- her bottom left front tooth -- and I swear there are more on the way.
The first tooth came in just in time for Katie's 10-month pics. By the way, at 10 months she was 19 lbs, 6 oz. and a little over 30 inches. That's about the 50th and 95th percentiles, respectively.
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We bought Sophie the Giraffe as a teether, but Katie prefers to squeak her, which drives Simon nuts. To be honest, there's not much separating Sophie from a dog toy (besides about $15).
Katie also was excited to show off her new ability to get into the crawling stance.
In fact, the only thing that kept her off her hands and knees was the pesky dress she was wearing for half of the photo shoot.
Finally, this one just makes us laugh.
There were lots more good pictures this time. Click on the link below to see them all.
The first tooth came in just in time for Katie's 10-month pics. By the way, at 10 months she was 19 lbs, 6 oz. and a little over 30 inches. That's about the 50th and 95th percentiles, respectively.
We bought Sophie the Giraffe as a teether, but Katie prefers to squeak her, which drives Simon nuts. To be honest, there's not much separating Sophie from a dog toy (besides about $15).
Katie also was excited to show off her new ability to get into the crawling stance.
Finally, this one just makes us laugh.
There were lots more good pictures this time. Click on the link below to see them all.
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| Katie 10-Month Photo Shoot |
May 30, 2009
Family portraits at 9 months
Since we were in NC for Katie's 9-month birthday and had the rare opportunity to spend time with her great-uncle and great-aunt from India, we decided to do things a little differently this time, pairing her 9-month pictures with family portraits.
Katie's great-aunt (back left) became great friends with Katie almost immediately. She has some experience -- five daughters, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild who's just a few weeks younger than Katie.
And here's Katie with Achi and Thatha. She's their one and only little princess.
We were so glad her uncle Priyesh was able to be there for the portraits too.
In Mt. Airy, we caught up with Anne's parents, Nana and Dick, two days before they took off on their voyage to Alaska by land and sea.
Dick's current adventure photographing wildlife is probably easier than getting a wiggly baby to sit still for the camera, but we were very pleased with the way all the pictures came out.
Of course, we also took a few pictures of Katie by herself.
Click the image below to see lots more 9-month photos.
Katie's great-aunt (back left) became great friends with Katie almost immediately. She has some experience -- five daughters, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild who's just a few weeks younger than Katie.
And here's Katie with Achi and Thatha. She's their one and only little princess.
We were so glad her uncle Priyesh was able to be there for the portraits too.
In Mt. Airy, we caught up with Anne's parents, Nana and Dick, two days before they took off on their voyage to Alaska by land and sea.
Dick's current adventure photographing wildlife is probably easier than getting a wiggly baby to sit still for the camera, but we were very pleased with the way all the pictures came out.
Of course, we also took a few pictures of Katie by herself.
Click the image below to see lots more 9-month photos.
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| Katie at 9 Months |
May 25, 2009
Katie's Indian Dresses
Katie's family members in India and Australia have been so generous, recently giving her three beautiful dresses and lovely jewelry.
When we were in Eden last week, Katie modeled everything. She tried on the first outfit with a beautiful ruby necklace.
After a little while, she noticed the embroidery and stopped to check it out.
Can you imagine her humming, "I feel pretty..."?
The second dress is an off-the-shoulder number that's ready for prom. One of the neat things about these outfits is they have lots of room to be let out as Katie grows, but this one probably won't still fit in 16 years.
Kate was pretty worn out by the time we reached the third dress, but still cute!
Thank you so much to everyone for these beautiful clothes and jewelry! Click on the image below for more pictures of Katie in her new outfits.
When we were in Eden last week, Katie modeled everything. She tried on the first outfit with a beautiful ruby necklace.
After a little while, she noticed the embroidery and stopped to check it out.
Can you imagine her humming, "I feel pretty..."?
The second dress is an off-the-shoulder number that's ready for prom. One of the neat things about these outfits is they have lots of room to be let out as Katie grows, but this one probably won't still fit in 16 years.
Kate was pretty worn out by the time we reached the third dress, but still cute!
You can also see her sweet gold chain.
Thank you so much to everyone for these beautiful clothes and jewelry! Click on the image below for more pictures of Katie in her new outfits.
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| Katie's Indian Dresses |
May 18, 2009
More videos of Katie
One of the games that Katie likes to play is "Where's Katie?", which is her own special version of peekaboo. Sometimes she'll even initiate the game spontaneously. This video of Katie playing is from 2/16/09, when she was 6 months old.
One of the pure joys of parenthood is hearing Katie laugh. Katie will laugh when she's happy, when she hears us laugh, or when Anne employs the patented belly tickle. Katie especially loves Anne's high-pitched sound effects. This video of Katie laughing is from 4/22/09, when she was 8 months old.
We hope you enjoy the videos!
One of the pure joys of parenthood is hearing Katie laugh. Katie will laugh when she's happy, when she hears us laugh, or when Anne employs the patented belly tickle. Katie especially loves Anne's high-pitched sound effects. This video of Katie laughing is from 4/22/09, when she was 8 months old.
We hope you enjoy the videos!
Katie and the Dragon Puppet
As Katie becomes more active, nothing demonstrates her outgoing personality like seeing her in person. Failing that, some of her videos are pretty cute too. We're a little behind, but here's a video of Katie playing with her new Exersaucer during Christmastime. Her personality was still forming (as it is now), but you can see glimpses of the little person she is becoming.
The video was taken on Dec. 30, 2008, when Katie was 4 1/2 months old. Daddy makes a cameo appearance as the Dragon Puppet. Katie plays the role of herself, aka "The Mauler".
The video is a bit long, but it is pretty funny. At least Daddy thinks so. Enjoy!
The video was taken on Dec. 30, 2008, when Katie was 4 1/2 months old. Daddy makes a cameo appearance as the Dragon Puppet. Katie plays the role of herself, aka "The Mauler".
The video is a bit long, but it is pretty funny. At least Daddy thinks so. Enjoy!
May 9, 2009
Our little fish
Katie was born under Michael Phelps' star, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that she's a natural in the water. She loves to kick in the bathtub. This footage is from March 1, when she was six and a half months old.
On Saturday, we had our first parent-child swimming class. Katie was the youngest child in the class by about a year, so I was a little nervous it would be over her head, so to speak. I was wrong! She objected when we first went into the water, but I think that was because it wasn't as warm as her bathwater. After that, she was great.
Katie was terrific at floating and even kicked (to be expected, really) when she was floating on her tummy. Her teacher was impressed!
She didn't even make a peep when I dipped her under the water.
And when we practiced falling in, swimming back to the side and climbing out, she immediately wanted to fall back in again!
We ended a lovely morning with a Mother's Day balloon.
Click on the picture below to see more pictures from Katie at eight months.
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| Katie at 8 months |
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