KatieBug

Teeth!

2007-08-09T11:02:00.000-04:00

Before... top two teeth were getting really wobbly...

One down .. and one doing some funky beaver-thing...

and finally... ta dumm! No teeth!

Katie's Birthday

2007-05-20T15:51:00.000-04:00

Someone just turned Six!!

Here are some photos from a celebration at home and then the big party Saturday ... enjoy! Click Me

Photos and a little Video

2007-04-23T00:25:00.000-04:00

Photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/84982493@N00/sets/72157600112003029/

My first attempt at a YouTube video - shot with my digital camera during Katie's Spring Show. It's pretty short, but you can see the little nutjob REALLY enjoying being on stage!

You all be well...

TONS of Photos

2007-03-04T20:22:00.000-05:00

After weeks of not hearing from us, here's a feast for the eyes :)

Here's the trick: Click the link and you'll see a window that has all the images in miniature to your right. Click the first miniature picture and it will open up a larger version with my comments underneath. You can add comments, too! Please do, she loves it! To get to the next picture, look for the next miniature photo to the right. These will page you through all the picutres. Ok? Here ya go!

Bunches of Photos

You can use the View Slideshow option but then none of the comments show up.

Enjoy!

Ham? Who, Me?

2006-12-15T20:35:00.000-05:00

Katie-isms

2006-12-15T08:38:00.000-05:00

Katie's version of a Cheap Trick song:
Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, Surrender
But don't give yourself a wedgie...

and her comment after hearing a truck backfire:
"He backfired. I backfired once." and then she giggled herself silly
"that means I tooted!!!"

Reindeer Names

2006-12-04T20:15:00.000-05:00

Katie was telling me the names of the reindeer tonight -
Flixen
Dickson
Gibson
and
Rudolph

BTW, Gibson is one of the monkeys on "Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce" ... giggle!

2006-10-28T22:04:00.000-04:00

Oodles of new pictures :) You just have to go here.. Sheryl's Flickr Page

Mark it as your favorites, because I post pictures there fairly often!

Wow, Time Flies

2006-05-29T00:05:00.000-04:00

So much has been going on in the past few weeks, and the next couple of weeks will be even crazier.

Katie is now 5! Yay! There are some pictures on Flickr

Slideshow of a handful of K pictures + our cats (yes, plural!)

You may recall our beloved Toby died in March, he was my sweet kitty for about 12 years. A couple of weeks later, Katie and I visited the SPCA shelter and she chose Mimi, a very dark tortoiseshell shorthair... and then a week ago, a friend was looking for a home for a very young kitten so we took him in and finally settled on the name "Mickey". The house is now officially a zoo :)

More to say but I'm too sleepy... catch ya soon!

Loveland Castle Day 5/6/06

2006-05-09T09:09:00.000-04:00

Slideshow of photos from Girls Day at the castle. The other lady is Judy, my best friend - she's in teal, I'm in bright blue. Katie is the tiny one :)

She had the best time. Like a pint-sized reporter, she had her notebook and red crayon in hand at all times, stopping to draw pictures of anything interesting she found. I'll have to scan them in and show you, they're adorable :)

I'm Telling!

2006-04-12T08:38:00.000-04:00

Mmm-oooooo-mmmmm!!! Katie's twitching her tail at me!!!!!!!

No pictures...

2006-04-01T11:01:00.000-05:00

for what will be obvious reasons.

Buck naked, except for:
a pair of white tights... over her head, so the legs form lovely long "blonde curls".. or rabbit ears, depending.
a Hello Kitty locket
ONE black ballet shoe
strutting around like a model on a runway

*blink*
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. MAN is she silly!

A couple quick notes

2006-03-25T14:39:00.000-05:00

Last night, I heard Katie singing softly to herself and realized she was singing a Keneally song, "Pride is a Sin". Awesome.

A few days ago, she got dressed before coming to my room in the morning. She was in a horizontal-striped shirt (navy and baby blue), a plaid skirt (pink and purple) and cowgirl boots. I took a picture because I knew my mom would LOVE it ;)

I was awakened this morning from a little nap in the recliner with "See mommy, I made a painting for you." My first thought was "oh honey, that is so cute..." then... wait a minute. Did she say PAINTING? ... kind of. Red lipstick. oh so very red lipstick!

That kid - she's hilarious :)

Ooook...

2006-01-24T19:51:00.000-05:00

Katie saw a bright star in the sky. "Look, Mommy, a new baby Jesus is being borned!"

WHAT did you say?

2006-01-23T14:18:00.000-05:00

The other day, Katie was fiddling with something and it wasn't doing what she wanted. She let loose with the "F" word. It was kinda like that scene in "A Christmas Story" - she said it, everything went to slow-mo, and she looked at me like "ooooo I'm in for it now." I didn't make a big deal of it, just reminded her that we don't use that word in our house, and then we had fun making up words to use instead like "oh pickle pants!" or "oh bouncy boogers".

The next day we were in Target - basically just to get out of the house, and I remembered something I'd forgotten to get in the other section. I said "We need to go back to , dagnabbit!"

Her face was one of horror. "MOMMY. You said a BAD WORD." Now I froze - "what on earth did I say?" She whispered "dagnabbit - it's a bad word mommy". I grinned, "no honey, I think it's ok to say that word. "

She gave me a look and said in a low voice, "only if nobody else is around."

*glares in the general direction of Indianapolis

Ok, so it was funny. But still ;)

Dentist Day!

2006-01-23T10:15:00.000-05:00

The girlie did GREAT at the dentist this morning for her checkup. It's so funny to hear her giggle as they "tickle" her teeth. Since she stopped using the pacifier, they said in about 6-12 months her front teeth should come back closer together (re: overbite) and bring back her beautiful smile. They also advised limiting sugary sweets to around mealtimes and then brushing right after to get the "sugar bugs" out.

I love this office, they are SO awesome with kids. She always wants to stay longer and play :)

So yay, Katie, for being such a brave and well-behaved gal!

Hypothesis: There is a timewarp in my bedroom

2006-01-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

I was IMing with my pal Bobby (he of New Orleans-Katrina fame) when I got a hankerin' to go to Trader Joe's for chocolate truffles. Mission: Get Katie and I dressed and out the door. After repeated failure to get her upstairs voluntarily, I flung her over one shoulder and carried her up.

Once there she decides to build a Katie. She takes off her ballet outfit and lays it VERY S-L-O-W-L-Y on the hope chest, as if it's her dancing. This takes at least one eon. Now she's buck naked. I step into the bathroom for a minute and hear lots of WHEEEEE! (thud)s. At one point, I hear a WHEEE thud "OW... I need to practice my landings." This gets my attention. I come out, she's got a pillow case around her neck, "soaring" off the bed to the floor.

Now I'm dressed, her turn. Katie, please put on your panties. She picks up a toy rake.
Katie, those aren't panties! Are you SURE???? and she giggles
Katie, don't touch ANYTHING that isn't panties! (she picks up a necklace)
KATIE! PUT ON PANTIES!
I open the drawer, pull out a pair and hand them to her. She puts them on her head. I'm ready!
(imagine very scrawny, buck naked child with pink floral panties on her head. How can you be mad?)
They don't go on your head, silly nugget! She starts running repeatedly into the wall yelling "I can't see! I can't see!"
So she pulls them off to try again. Now she sticks one foot in, and runs around in circles yelling WHEEEEE with her panties hanging off one ankle. KATIE!!
Now she puts in her second foot and hops around with them around her ankles.
*Mom takes a deep breath. "Ok, I admit. You're FUNNY. Now put on your clothes, ya loony!"
Now they're up to her knees and she's doing a little ducky walk.
*sigh*
I'd like to get out of the house TODAY!
Phew. Panties are finally on the body parts for which they were designed.
She does more happy spins around the room.
Finally I wrestle on a purple top and a cute little skirt that flares. She likes skirts that floosh when she spins.
Phew.
We make it back down the stairs and I pick up the laptop - time elapsed since I last talked to Bobby? 15 measly minutes ! It had to be at LEAST 1000 years!
Yet on the main floor of the house, only 15 minutes has passed!
Therefore, there is a timewarp in my bedroom and I don't mean the dance.
Q.E.D.

Age 4 1/2 going on 24

2005-12-31T09:15:00.000-05:00

Click once to enlarge.

Katie's Prayer

2005-12-26T00:29:00.000-05:00

Mom, I can't go to sleep yet because I didn't say a prayer to God and I didn't do one yesterday.

Dear God,
I want you take care of the whole world. Please help me be a grown up and so I can understand better. Please watch over us while we sleep.
Love,
Katie

Amen

Just some stuff

2005-12-03T09:15:00.000-05:00

After watching a cartoon where a little brother stuffed his pockets with dirt, slime, a rotten egg, etc. ... "that was the GROSSEST thing, ever"

After eating a few mini-powdered donuts for breakfast, I asked her if she had a sweet tooth. She said "I have a BIG sweet tooth. I have a WHOLE MOUTH full of sweet tooths"

Regarding our new car: "We have a Toyota, but it's not a toy." It's a little RAV4 and she loves it - she can reach the window buttons and has a great time with that (rolls eyes). It's 22 degrees! Stop that! ;) It also does donuts on a DIME, baby! Whee!

It's dark by 5:30 so when I pick her up we take various routes to look at Christmas lights. Lots of "oooohs" and "aaaaahs" and "that's SO BEAUTIFUL" coming from the back seat. We play Christmas cd's and sing along. Lovely!

Our pal Judy is coming up today. We'll carry up the decorations and get this place looking festive! I'll get some pictures and upload them :) and next week, thanks to the wonderful Granmudder and Granfadder, we'll have a piano! We're both really excited!

oh - and how could I forget. She was doing this little bottom-shaking thing and announces: "My bottom is doing the cha-cha! See?" (shakey shakey shakey)

A new song by Katie...

2005-11-28T07:45:00.000-05:00

Overheard while she was strumming the guitar this morning:

When I get a little shy, I just make a little friend.
When I'm feeling so calm, I'se make this pork (I swear she said pork!)
When I make a time I see
Each time I feel tonight...
(discordant notes)

(gradually increase tempo)
When I'm feeling calm, and I just make a little fun
When I make a little fun that makes me feel good inside
When I feel all good then I make a little fun
When I make a little fun
When I don't have die
(loud chords and I couldn't hear next line)
(softer....)
I just need to try again...
(a capella)
I just have to try...

When I feel a little alone
When I feel like this
I feel like this, I feel like this (faster, crescendo)
(pause for effect, then softly)
I feel like this...

Then she decided she wanted to be a cat. Meow!

Saturday

2005-11-19T22:12:00.000-05:00

Katie had fun at the car dealer today - she spent most of the time sitting in a giant SUV. I was talking with a salesman and the lights would be flashing, etc. Many asked if she came with the car but I was pretty firm that she'd be going home with me :) We didn't buy anything today, but we both gave the cute little RAV4 - Red only, please - a big thumbs up.

After dinner and a little finger painting, she decided she didn't want to sleep in bed tonight. She wants to sleep downstairs. So I pulled out one of the recliners, loaded it up with pillows and blankets, and now she's having a great time staying up late, nibbling apple slices and watching some tv.

We may not go out and do crazy stuff, but I like to think we're making other memories that are fun and long-lasting :)

Oh my.

2005-11-13T21:58:00.000-05:00

Katie was hesitant to go to school Thursday, but when we got there her little friend Tanner ran over, grabbed her by the hand, and off they ran together. Adorable.

Friday morning, Katie informs me as I strap her into her carseat, that she is in love with Caleb. And that when they're not together, he is always in her heart. Her little face was so sincere. Then she adds, "but Caleb doesn't like to kiss." *blink*

Saturday morning I took her to her favorite playland place, and she met a boy named Drew (considerably older than she is, I might add) - and THEY held hands during the puppet show.

*shakes head. She's FOUR. I'm gonna be in SO much trouble about 10 years from now!

Baffling

2005-11-04T08:01:00.000-05:00

Why will she eat a pile of spaghetti and meatballs, but won't eat spaghetti sauce with meat in it?

Why does she insist on wearing her panties backwards? Does she really LIKE wedgies?

Why won't she eat anything with the word "bean" in it?

Why does she move super-sonically slow on "regular" days and is up, dressed, ready to go before 8 a.m. on dance day?

(yawn, stretch) She woke me up at 6:22 this morning. UGH!

Oh my funny girl. I love her THIS MUCH!

Trick or Treat!

2005-11-01T10:56:00.000-05:00

Goodness Gracious

2005-10-03T08:27:00.000-04:00

What a week it's been. We had oodles of fun with our friend Antal.

Our day at Newport KY - we played on the riverfront and explored the aquarium (Thursday 9/22)

My company picnic was at the Zoo - we ate lunch then ran amok. Thank you Dad for putting the wagon together, it was put to good use! (Saturday 9/24)

Sunday, 9/25, the plan was to drive up to Jackson Michigan, meet a couple friends from the internet and Antal's cousin would pick him up and take him on up into MI to visit the rest of his family. Unfortunately, a wreck with a silver minivan changed those plans. Luckily - thankfully - angels were watching out for us because neither Katie nor Antal got a scratch.

Katie and Antal rode in a police car to the hospital, following the amubulance that took me in. I wound up with a badly bruised chest and a broken ankle that required some surgery to put back together.

And so as not to leave on a sour note, some general cuteness.

With the exception of that accident-thing, we thoroughly enjoyed Antal's visit. He was such a treat and we have lots of good memories :)

Wowzers

2005-09-21T22:42:00.000-04:00

Our friend Antal is visiting (YAY!) and in one his gifts to Katie were some beads with letters on them. We were goofing around with them and she left the room for a minute. I set out the letters S-U-N. She came back in the room and I asked her if she could guess what that word said.

She looked at the letters and without any hesitation or question in her voice said "sun".

Ya coulda knocked me over.

I started to spell another word but by then she'd bounced on to something else.

I know I'm her mom - but is she pretty darn cool or what?

Little Sweetie Pie

2005-09-17T19:36:00.000-04:00

Today has been a fairly quiet day. I felt SO bad last night, I couldn't hold my head up any longer. I had a headache, congestion, runny nose, scratchy throat and dry itchy eyes... Allergy time! Katie and I both fell asleep around 9:30 - and slept til 7:30! YAY! Though most of the day I felt like I could sleep another couple hours. Phew.

Katie wanted me to read the usual 3 stories before bed, but I just couldn't. :( I told her Mama was just feeling too sick. So she got up and said "I'm gonna get you something to make you feel better." I cringed but she just went over to the dresser and back. She handed me a Halls cough drop. "Here Mama, this medicine will make you better." She was right, it helped a lot - but I think it was mostly that sweet face.

She's such a tiny thing - the smallest in her class - but she has the biggest heart.

Now if I could just convince her that it's ok to nap on weekends...

I'm Going to a Campground!

2005-09-14T03:22:00.000-04:00

Mom and Dad were trying out a campground up near Waynesville and invited Katie and I out for dinner and a 'venture. Katie was SO excited she started jumping up and down "I'M GOING TO A CAMPGROUND! I'M GOING TO A CAMPGROUND!" and later in the van... "Mom? What's a campground?" LOL!

Wow, is that a dazzling smile or what.

It was loads of fun!

Dancing Day & Driving Grandmothers Crazy

2005-09-10T10:36:00.000-04:00

Friday is Dance Lesson day. I love that they come directly to the daycare. And even though I'm at work, I can often still watch via the webcam.

This week, I laid out her leotards and ballet shoes and she chose her own outfit. She was VERY excited because she knew she was going to look beautiful - and I agree!

I like this one because they're in step, but someone's left is right is wrong :)

and I imagine the instruction was to have a seat...

I just love this little smile!

Two Quick Stories

2005-08-28T22:12:00.000-04:00

Miss K decided that we needed to make paper airplanes today. The only problem with that is that I don't really know how to fold one. I used to. I guess that brain cell got replaced with something else vitally important like lyrics to a Queen song or something. She was very frustrated that they weren't flying properly and I told her that I just make terrible airplanes.

A little later, she came up to me and patted my knee. "Mommy, you said your airplanes were terrible. I think they're the best airplanes ever." I melted.

Then at bedtime, we'd played hard and had a bath, brushed teeth etc. and were winding down with a story. Instead of Junior being scared, I accidently said he was "squared". I started laughing and said "I felt round - or maybe oval-ish". She said "I feel sort of.. rectangle-ish" and let loose a belly-laugh that would melt stone.

She's the coolest kid, I swear.

How to Raise a Geekette

2005-08-20T09:36:00.000-04:00

I'm SO proud. I splurged and got the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD today (yay finally getting my money back from the attorney). I got Katie psyched up for it and put in IV. As soon as it was over, she says "Let's watch the next one, Mama!" I'm so proud! My little geekette!

--- Update ---
Just after the scene in V where Vader says "Luke, I am your father" and later steps off a ship... Katie says with great disgust "He is the WORST FATHER EVER".

Later at bedtime she told me "When Vader told Luke he was his father? That was VERY upsetting to me!" So I had to tell her how VI ends so she'd calm down and go to sleep. Bless her heart. She IS SO COOL!

She's Insane, you know.

2005-08-16T20:11:00.000-04:00

She's buck-naked, with a roll of wrapping paper between her legs like riding a stick horse. But that's not all. No, that would be normal. She also has a hula hoop that she's holding like a giant steering wheel with the roll of wrapping paper sticking forward. AND THEN she has a kazoo in her mouth.

That's my girl. If you're gonna be weird, do it with style.

Christmas 2004

2005-08-15T12:37:00.000-04:00

My parents and the Kate-ster. I think my Daddy's handsome :)

Busy Sunday!

2005-08-14T23:35:00.000-04:00

We had a little treat today - my parents came to visit! They came up straight after church. When they pulled in, I had the garage door open, the van in the driveway, and was pulling stuff out. Mom pulled off her jacket and launched right in - she's been DYING to clear the junk out for years :) I gave Dad a list of 2 things to start with and added on as the day went by. But I've jumped ahead.

I saw them pull up and Katie was coming out the door. I said "Katie, look who it is!" and she went running to them for hugs. THAT was adorable. Then she had to show them her favorite stuff - especially her GROWN UP girl's booster seat. Meanwhile, Mom is getting things situated and off we went.

Dad's first job was to put the wagon together. He asked me for 3 tools. I went in the house and came out with a screwdriver - "Phillips or Straight?" He looked at me funny and gave me the list of 3 again - not a screwdriver in the bunch. Damn. I could actually FIND the screwdrivers ;) Off I went again, in search of the toolbox. I got downstairs and couldn't remember all 3, so I brought the whole damn box up. Turns out I still didn't have any pliers but I don't have any idea where they might be so he did his best.

Now the cute part - Katie insisted on helping him. I used to be the same way - if Dad had the hood of the car up, I was there, in the way.. I mean, helping :) Katie was doing the same thing and I took a couple of pictures! They got it all finished and went for a walk. Then Katie took her bears for a walk, and then they had a picnic under the tree. It amused her for quite some time.

At some point, the cat managed to escape so there was a 3 person kitty hunt which ended a chuckling grandfather, one annoyed and slightly wet cat, a water hose, a mulch-covered woman, and a child insisting that we be careful and assuring said cat that he would be alright. Toby had an exciting adventure!

End of day tally: Wagon - done. Front drain spouts - rerouted. 3/4 of the garage is now CLEAN, NEAT and organized. WOOO! The garbage men are going to hate me on Friday because there is 4x the usual amount of trash! Stuff I plan to donate or sell in a yardsale are in one place, lawn stuff is in another, all the tools are hung back up, and the lawn mower cleaned up and put away. Two tables were moved to the basement and now Katie has her castle and farm set up. Three more things to move down from her bedroom and she'll have a whole Little People Village down there! She LOVES IT. Gosh she's cute. Oh, and I did the usual 4 loads of laundry and all the dishes. I rock.

I finally called it a day when my feets couldn't take no more. We came in and tried to degrime ourselves, then made burgers and veggies. Katie made her own tiny hamburger, it was adorable. But she didn't really care for getting her fingers slimy. LOL. She entertained everyone by doing summersaults and dance moves.

After dinner, they headed back home and Katie and I went to the basement to fold clothes, watch videos, and tinker with her playroom a bit more. Finally at 9:30 I herded her to the tub and then to bed. She conked out like a little light :)

Thanks Mom and Dad, for the extra hands and energy to get all that done! It feels good!

Whoops!

2005-08-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

Doug just told me I had comments set to Blogger accounts only - sorry! It's now open, anyone can comment.

Friday is Fun Day!

2005-08-13T09:51:00.000-04:00

My pal at work and I decided to have a little treat for the kids and ourselves. We picked them up from daycare and trundled off to a nearby "playland". This place is awesome. There's a room full of dolls (and houses, castles, boats, pirates, etc.). A room full of costumes for dress up. A mock grocery store and cafe. Outside there's a "dinosaur dig", slides, a pond to fish (magnetic), and loads of sprinklers and water hoses. They played their little hearts out!

J's 2 oldest girls are 6 and 3 and Katie is 4. They mesh together so nicely. They shared, they took turns, there wasn't one pout all night! We left only when they started turning out the lights. It's nearly an hour drive but she stayed awake on the drive back singing to Heywood Banks songs :) We got home, took a warm bath, and she was asleep as soon as we laid down. Happy exhaustion :) I stayed up a couple more hours then I passed out, too :)

Fever :(

2005-08-10T04:16:00.000-04:00

Busy evening. Katie came home from daycare and curled up with her blanket in the recliner. This is NOT my bouncy girl. :(

I checked her temp - 102.6 so we'll be staying home tomorrow (today?). Ya know daycare laws - must be fever-free for 24 hours.

She WILLINGLY took the Ibuprofen (again, I'm telling you, scarily compliant!) and zonked straight out at 9 p.m. Hoping she feels better tomorrow...

Hula Hoops and Hershey Bars

2005-08-07T15:50:00.000-04:00

This was our shopping list this morning :) We have adult-sized hula hoops which frustrate the little 31 lb. girlie to no end, so I found some that are just HER size, thinking that would improve the odds.

She's determined to learn how to hula but it eludes her so far, which leads to screaming, sobbing and dramatic proclamations like "I'm just a BAD KID!' which leave me pretty bewildered. I had her try just twirling it on her arm, which she couldn't do perfectly the first time but she can do it well enough to be encouraged to keep trying.

How do you teach patience and perseverance to a 4 year old?

Then to make matters worse, she's gotten it into her head that Halloween is tonight/sometime soon. Sigh.

I think someone needs a nap - and so does the kid! ;)

Dancing Day

2005-08-05T10:11:00.000-04:00

I remembered (yay! the brain cells worked!) that Katie's feet were too tight in her tap shoes, so we went shopping last night. Black shiny leotard with matching skirt, white leather ballet shoes, a pink leotard with glitter and attached skirt, new tap shoes, and new "school" shoes. She was ecstatic.

As soon as she was able, she was in the black dance outfit and flitting around the house. She wanted to sleep in them AND wear them to dance this morning. Such a funny little bird.

Every other day this week she's whined and drug her feet about going to school. This morning at 8:15 she was dressed and ready to go, racing me to the car. I think someone was motivated ;)

Bobbie Day!

2005-08-04T22:23:00.000-04:00

Wednesday was Bobbie Day. Bobbie has been Katie's babysitter since she was just a few weeks old. Bobbie is terrific and we adore her. She picked Katie up from daycare and they had SUCH an adventure! First they went shopping for a new swimsuit and then over to Bobbie's grandmother's house to swim. Later they went to McDonald's for dinner and then called to see if she could go to the movies. They saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

Bobbie said that Katie was real quiet in the car on the way home and said "I wish home was closer, I'm tired." They got in around 9:20 and after saying goodbye, we went right up to bed for stories. She was zonked out cold by 10 and didn't get up til after 7 the next day! Yay Bobbie for wearing her little booty out :)

BTW: the new bathing suit is a leopard-print bikini. *giggle*

Some Serious Talk

2005-08-03T11:42:00.000-04:00

Perhaps she's just at "that age", but Miss K has been a lot obstinate this week. Doesn't want to go to school, doesn't want to talk on the phone, eat dinner, take a bath.. blah blah blah.

This weekend was a little out of the ordinary, in that we had some "Daddy time" for 3 days in a row. Maybe she's had trouble adjusting back, I'm not sure. But this morning we were eating breakfast and she told me that she misses Daddy. I said "I miss him sometimes, too, but we're much happier living in different houses. We're not so grumpy this way."

She got a real serious look on her face. "Are you mad at Daddy, is that why you were grumpy together?" I told her no, just some times adults figure out that they aren't best friends after all and they don't belong together... but that it doesn't apply to children and she will always belong to both me AND Daddy. I told her we're very lucky - she has two parents that love her very much and she has TWO homes full of love.

She processed that for a minute and for the rest of the morning was relatively easy to get along with.

When she's acting up, it's easy to start losing my patience - but I know her, and there is usually a really good reason for it. Gosh I love that little girl.

Weekend News

2005-07-31T20:20:00.000-04:00

It's been a week since the cat incident - btw, Katie has informed us she doesn't want to talk about the cat any more. That made me laugh :) Her wounds are healing nicely. The scabs on her face and arm have fallen off, now I'm hoping those pink lines aren't permanent :( The deeper gashes in her scalp are STILL scabbed and look deep. I'm trying to Neosporin them but slimy hair "isn't her favorite."

Kate and her Daddy had a great adventure Saturday, which included nearly a mile of bike riding and swimming at the hotel pool with her cousins Arthur and William. She slept REALLY well Saturday night, once I got her to hold still long enough to fall asleep :) I'm so glad she got to see her cousins for awhile!

Sunday was Girl's Day. We went to the beauty shop and got haircuts - Katie's first official haircut, besides the trims I've been giving her. She looks STUNNING. It's still pretty long, just layered to bring out the curl and frames her face nicely. I got her a little makeup kit - she LOVES sparkly makeup. Such a girlie! :) We also had lunch at her favorite Chinese restaurant and came home to play in the sprinkler/pool for a few hours with our neighbor friends. I'm hoping she sleeps well again tonight, too - I know I sure want to!

I'll post some pictures when we're not all sweaty/icky from being outside all day! And you all ARE allowed to leave comments, ya know! It would tickle her to know you read her story.

Boo Boo City

2005-07-26T16:03:00.000-04:00

We're trying to make sure Katie gets to sleep over at Daddy's about once a month, if his gig and work scheduled permit. Last weekend was their 2nd adventure. She was pretty excited about staying over and likes packing up some toys etc. It's also cool because it gives him a chance to take her up to visit his family. There are TONS of little cousins just her age to play with and she loves visiting her Grandma's.

Remember last weekend, Katie's elbow got split at my parents' house? Well, the record continues (eek!). Let's try to stop that one at 2, shall we!? Doug is going to write about the whole story, but from the sounds of it Katie took a tumble and then a mama cat jumped on her (probably thinking the baby kitten was in danger). My poor girlie was all cut up and bleeding, so her Daddy took her to the Emergency room where they cleaned her up and started her on antibiotics. So yay to Daddy for taking such good care of the girl!

I had learned earlier this year that cat bites are one of the worst bites you can get, germ-wise, and can lead to some horrendous infections. A guy I work with nearly lost his hand earlier this month over a cat bite - so as soon as I heard that, my heart sank! This happened Saturday night and as of Tuesday morning, she was showing no signs of infection or problems. There's one gash coming straight from the outside corner of her eye and goes well up onto her forehead - that was the one that scared me most, when I think how close she came to loosing an eye. Shiver.

By the way, the last picture here was taken last night. Nothing can hold down that lovely little spirit, can it :)

Mama's Helper

2005-07-21T15:09:00.000-04:00

The day started with a phone call at 6 a.m. Server problem in Texas. Long story short, was online 3 hours before ever making it to work. Yikes. So poor Katie - after watching me tink around on my laptop most the evening before, and then wholeheartedly concentrating on work this morning (laptop and cell phone kept busy), she was really neglected :( But what an angel she was! She kept very quiet, watched some shows, ate her breakfast, and got herself dressed (Where did my baby go?!)

I had to give my manager an update call on the cell as I drove her to daycare so we didn't even get to do our usual talking/singing this morning. When we got to daycare, she seemed a little glum. I thought - this is absurd.

"Katie, can you look me in the eyes for a minute?" She slowly raised her head, like she was in trouble.

"Now this is very important, so please use your listening ears, ok?" (don't ya love stupid phrases like that).

"Sweetheart, you have been an absolute princess this morning, being so good and helping mommy do her work while you played quietly with your toys. Let's make tonight Girls Night. No computer, no phone, just you and me."

Her little face lit up like a 1000 watt bulb. "And if you'd like, we could go to your favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner tonight. And if it's not too hot or rainy after that, we can go to the park and you can ride your bike. Just Katie and Mommy time tonight."

She was quite bouncy by the time we got in the door. We got our big cuddles and hugs and smooches and I was on my way - a few minutes later than I might have liked, but TOO BAD. So I'm looking forward to our Girls Night! We'll be at the "tree" place, come join us!

Dentist Day!

2005-07-20T12:40:00.000-04:00

Katie had an appointment at our lovely dentist's office. This was her 3rd visit. The first time, they found a big cavity so we went back soon after to get it filled. This was just a checkup. She is SUCH a trooper. Very excited, a teensy bit anxious, but they are so cool there she just goes along with the flow.

Verdict: No cavities! And now she has very shiny white teeth "like a princess".

And - as soon as she tells them she doesn't put her paci's in her mouth anymore, she can have a t-shirt. They're saving it in a drawer for her but she should hurry before they're all gone. That was intriguing - but not strong enough to outweigh the Power of the Paci. We'll work on that :)

This morning's fascination is with butterflies and unicorns. Because they can both fly.

Bedtime

2005-07-19T12:13:00.000-04:00

The bedtime ritual varies a bit, but basically it's clean up, go potty, brush teeth, say prayers, read a story or make up some, then sleepy time. I'll often lay next to her and pat her back. Some people believe you should just tell the kids to go to bed - and maybe I will when she's older - but for now, I really love those times. Housework can wait. If something on tv is THAT important, I'd figure out how to record it. Right now, she is my focus and I like it that way.

Anywhoo, we're laying there the other night. She's very still, I hear her breathing regularly and I'm thinking ahhhh.. she's asleep. Now I'll go start laundry and ...
"Mommy?"
"Yes sweetie?"
"Peter Piker picked a peckled pepper"
"Yes dear.. now get some rest"
"Night, Mommy"
"Goodnight honey"

I love her brains. :)

Painting

2005-07-16T21:13:00.000-04:00

It's really bedtime, but she napped twice today - once at my Dad's, once in the van on the way home - so I understand that she's not terribly tired. So at 9, she wanted to do "art supplies."

I got out some paper, a bowl of water, 2 paintbrushes, some paints and LOTS of paper towels.

She's progressed from painting with the paintbrushes to fingertips. She brought me one paper - a big blob of multi-colors in the middle, with tons of dots around it. I said, "tell me about your picture, sweetie - what's that in the middle?"

"It's a rainbow situation. It's WERY colorful."

Oops - so is the floor! Time to mop!

Grandfadder-time

2005-07-16T20:24:00.000-04:00

Katie and I went to visit my dad this weekend. We headed down Friday after having lunch with my pal Julie and her oldest daughter, who is 6. It was girls day! We went to Katie's favorite restaurant - Chinese. The girls ate a very healthy wunch, as K calls it.

My mom has been in Central America for a week on a mission trip. We've been saying prayers every night for Grandmudder and her friends, that they'd be safe and have a meaningful trip. My dad visited his sister for a few days but then was solo for a few days. I figured he was either lonely or enjoying the quiet - in either case, I felt it my duty to change it ;) So K and I trundled off to Louisville for an overnight visit with Grandfadder.

They had a GREAT time. She told him lots of stories and had a fabulous time playing in the fountain. He has a tiny little recirculating fountain on the deck and it had rocks in it. If you know Katie, you know she LOVES rocks. She lined them all up on the deck rail, wiped them all off, then put them all back in the water. So they'd be clean. *raises one eyebrow.

It was too rainy to ride her bike, so she colored nicely and busily played with the assorted dolls, bears, and Ellie the Elephant. She rarely sits still, the little Energizer bunny. I watched them through the window for awhile, my wonderful dad and my precious daughter. I wish I could capture those moments to replay them forever, it was so sweet.

My brother came over this morning and we were out on the deck playing ball. She likes her Uncle Wob. "He's funny", she says. Katie was going after the ball and hit her arm on the windowsill. Her little elbow hit RIGHT on the corner ledge of the brick and split open. Blood everywhere. A look of horror on her face as it registered that it SERIOUSLY hurt. We got it all washed up and put some medicine and a "ban-baid" on it, but not before some serious tears were shed. She even asked for her Daddy. Lots of snuggles til she felt better. She went into the living room to watch some tv and passed out on the couch from the exhaustion. My poor little love. It didn't look bad enough for stitches, but certainly was deep. Bad brick, bad! Once she woke up, she went right back to playing. She's such a trooper.

Our drive home was uneventful. I stopped about halfway coz I was starting to nod off. We had ice cream at McDonald's and had to run through a hard rain back to the van - THAT woke me up. She loves the puddles and tipped her head back, letting the rain fall on her face. Isn't it fun to see things through her eyes? Most of us would grumble, but she reminds me to splash and enjoy it :)

I learn so much more from her than I can teach her. But I'm trying! Our elbow-episode gave me a good chance to talk about blood - how it travels through the body and what it does. She's so smart, just slurps up information. I love her brain :)

Even when it does weird stuff like this, the other night. She was just about asleep when she said "Mommy?" "yes dear?" "Peter Piker picked a peck of pepples." "alright honey, goodnight" "nite mommy"

KatieBug's Blog

2005-07-16T18:43:00.000-04:00

This little bloggy is for family and friends to keep up with the great and fabulous KatieBug!

The image here was made by our friend Zissy
Isn't it adorable?!