Mom, Still think they're blue?

Here's a newer photo pf Katie. Her eyes are definitely changing color.

Playing with Photoshop

I've been playing with photoshop, here's what I've done so far-

A Message for Kakie from Craig and Katie

In honor of today's momentous sporting event, I was ordered to share the following happy baby image.
And also to point out that she is NOT happy as a Steeler's fan...


I would like to add though, that she knows where her TRUE loyalty lies....
As a side note, Mom, she's eating "spaghetti" in these photos-- Pastina with tomatoes, cheese, and garlic/italian seasoning. It's a hit.

Bits of news on the Peanut

Katie is still a very inquisitive little girl. She has now started to try and climb out of her crib! My 6 month old?!?! I'll have to get a picture of her little escape artist tricks up here to share. She looks so mischevious.

She continues to LOVE every food we put near her. The biggest hit is the Cauliflower-Tomato Gratin. She screams bloody murder if we don't shovel it in fast enough. She's also eating Barley and Oatmeal cereal (no more rice, that stuff is HORRIBLE tasting), carrots, green beans, yams, acorn and butternut squash, a Pea-Potato-Leek puree (also makes an amazing soup for grownups), applesauce, nectarines, and a little bit of banana.

Coming up this week I think we'll try pears, parsnips, and spinach.

Other than that, she has started creeping, mostly backwards-- but she's getting around. So the baby-proofing has begun, we've barred off the fish tanks and electrical cords and picked up some gates-- all ready to install this weekend!

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day 2008!

Just a quick joke...
"What kind o' socks does a pirate wear? - Arrrrgyle!"

Family Pics and 6 Months Old!

We finally got some family photos taken and YAY, they turned out really well. I am posting a few here, but if you click on the link and use my name, you can see many more.

Click here for more pictures
The JC Penneys here converted to digital equipment and we were one of the "learning experiences" so there are lots of odd editing things they did with the pictures, but the photos themselves are just great.

Katie's doing well, we started feeding her "solids" on Friday-- so far rice cereal is ok, green beans are better with a little milk mixed in and avocado is a BIG hit-- the jury is still out on the barley cereal. She is pretty darn cute when she's eating. Very very excited!

My Mom was here to visit on Sunday and helped me make up a bunch of foods for the peanut to try-- we made butternut and acorn squash, yams, carrots, green beans and nectarines-- not as hard as I had figured, but I was very glad for the help! Frozen cubes of food are now stacked to the gills in the freezer just waiting on their turn to be used as a body paint by the munchkin.

YUM. Thanks DadaI can soooo do this myself, just give me that spoon.

This food on a spoon stuff isn't too bad!

Katie is 6 months old! Wow. Aunt Kim came over for dinner last night and helped her celebrate with a new noisy toy (that she is LOVING) and her first taste of avocado!

And just one last photo of random Katie cuteness (this kid is very photogenic... it sure isn't my genes on that one- I always look lousy in photos)

North Carolina Trip

Just a few random pictures from the trip to North Carolina for Craig's Uncle Don's retirement party.

Katie tried out swimming, As you can see, it was a hit! (of course, the lake was warm as bath water)




Katie got to visit with Aunt Maggie (and she wonderfully gave me a break from baby lugging for a few minutes!)
Katie's first birthday party-- well, she was a guest at L.'s party. She was not a huge fan of the hat though...

Little Brother

Little brother and his wife are here for a few days... have new pictures, but will be a bit til I post them... I am busy trying to prevent him from teaching her any more....

In the realm of the creepy...

This guy used to be in my department. Til he flunked out... he was always creepy and very very very weird. Turns out, none of us even knew HOW screwed up he really was. So glad he's long gone
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,406584,00.html

Frog Jumping

We took Katie to the Boys Club Frog Jumping contest the first weekend in August. She didn't win, but she was absolutely the cutest thing there!


MMMM.... He looks tasty, can I eat him?

I wish I worked for Google....

Maternity Benefitsup to 18 weeks off at approximately 100% pay
•
Parental Leave (for non-primary caregivers)up to 7 weeks off at approximately 100% pay
•
Take-Out Benefit To help make things easier, new moms and dads are able to expense up to $500 for take-out meals during the first 3 months that they are home with their new baby.



PLUS~ Free lunch/dinner, on site child care, and a billion other things....
blah.

Oh well, as things go, my boss is pretty cool too--- but that whole 18 weeks paid leave thing, well, that would have been nice.

PCR song has a friend!

As part of my boss's continuing efforts to keep us a happy bunch of lab rats... he introduced us to this song today!

(but he won't get us the robot darn it!)



IN case you've been longing to hear the PCR song again.-- Click here!

Away at a conference

Craig, Katie and I are off in Philly for a conference this week. I have EXTREMELY limited email... and no way to upload pictures at all. (seriously... I had to wait in line 15 minutes to get 10 minutes of computer time--- its like being back in 1992!)

stay tuned for pictures when we get back!

Katie is still cute as ever, so it will SOOOOOOO be worth the wait!

Katie's Baptism

Just a few moments to post some pictures from the baby girl's baptism. She was an angel all day (ok... a NOISY angel, but an angel all the same)

Enjoy!

I think we finally caught that grin today!

Weekend in Review

One tired kiddo... she had a BUSY weekend! All sorts of cleaning and errands to get ready for her buddies welcome party! (Plus some very crazed kicking on her gym!)

Another weekend come and gone. The baby girl is 13 weeks tomorrow. Where has the time gone???? We had the baby shower for Sam (and his Mom and Dad) today. Sam's nursery has a bee theme-- hence this cake. (Old-fashioned chocolate layer cake with buttercream frosting and yellow cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting-- all with royal icing piped flowers and bees)

Just a cute pic of the kiddo doing what she does best, being adorable (well... she's pretty good at that and filling diapers too)

And one more attempt at capturing that beautiful toothless grin!

Maybe she'll be a gardener when she grows up?

Hrm... or is it "landscape architecht" these days... who knows! Our other guess is perhaps lighting design cause my goodness does this kiddo love light fixtures. Screaming fits can be ended by allowing her to look at the dining room "chandelier". hahah... she's a riot.

OK, on to the photos.

The munchkin was into visit me at work and I sat out on the lawn with her because it was a nice day... she reached off the edge of her blanket and ripped up a handful of grass...

Look what I got!

Do you think I can eat this?

Grass is not so yummy!

Sam and Katie!

Katie got a brand new buddy a couple of weeks early this weekend. On Saturday, Sam was born! I got a couple pictures when we went in to meet Sam and his parents at the hospital.

Have you ever seen 2 prouder Daddies?

Or 2 happier ones?

A big congrats to the new parents! Sam is so teeny--- he makes Katie look like such a bruiser! But he's just perfect and I am so glad you guys will be doing this whole parent thing along side us! (And I can't wait to see him at the shower this weekend!)

PS- Cody, you'd better watch out-- that's now 3 little boys vying for Katie!

Updates for the Month

Yes, time has flown-- and no blog posts--- sorry Mom! (hope these pictures help make it up!)

I had my first Mother's Day (which I spent sleeping and in the car) and my make-up mother's day which was wonderful. I even finally got my birthday lemon bars!!

Katie is 12 weeks old now... and on Tuesday she weighed in at 11 lbs! Where did that all come from????? She is doing wonderfully in every way. She smiles pretty often these days-- and though I've not had much luck capturing it on camera, she really just lights up.

Here are a couple pictures of the last few weeks with the kiddo!

Ellie was up to visit from Florida for Memorial Day --- we caught up for lunch! It was so great to see her-- I wish she still lived in Harrisburg so we could get out more often!

The peanut can push her self up pretty well these days... and from the way she's squirming those arms and legs.... I am sure she'll be mobile before we know it! (uhoh.... )Just an attempt to capture the grin!

Pictures from the Wedding

Craig's cousin Ryan's Wedding at the Ritz on Amelia Island. It was a BEAUTIFUL sunny afternoon... so we had to get some new pictures as a family (and of the little princess too!)

After the wedding we plopped the Tadpole down on the aisle of rose petals for some pictures-- and in some of the 9 million Craig took, she is not crying or grimacing and in some she had her eyes open and even smiled!
See! Like in this one... my favorite of the batch!
Isn't she the cutest thing ever?!?! Here we are assuming she was channeling a little Marilyn Monroe for the camera-- the breeze off the ocean caught her dress.
Katie dancing with her Daddy.
Katie with her Uncle Greg (her godfather) and her Aunt Maggie.