Pictures from Kaitlin's birthday Monday

Here is a photo diary from Kaitlin's bday on Monday. And I forgot to mention a very special Happy Birthday to the original Aug 25 birthday boy - my dad. Happy Birthday dad!

"What is going on? Why are you in here with the camera?"

"I'm still pretty sleepy."

"I LOVE MY BUNNY!!!!"

This is Kaitlin's new favorite game. She takes the lotion out of Scott's bathroom drawer and takes it and hands it to you. Or she puts it in another drawer somewhere. The lotion belongs ANYWHERE but the bathroom drawer.

On our way to "Meet the Teacher" for Mother's Day Out (with her doggie of course).

Ruling the roost at MDO.

Wrecking shop at the Tubes with me and her dad.

Playing with her new toy from the P's.

Capping off the evening with a relaxing swing!

Happy Birthday - from Daddy

Kaitlin Rose -

As your very special 1st birthday comes to a close, I wanted to tell you how much fun I had skipping out on work and spending the afternoon today with you and mommy. Going to the Tubes was a blast and I can't get over how you seem to get more and more brave with each passing day. Today, you ran head-long into the padded stairs leading up to the tube and never even thought about slowing down. Then you were just as eager to head back down the steps, even if it meant falling down a few times -- I pray you will continue to attack life with such a mindset.

I also enjoyed sharing a few meatballs from my Firehouse sub sandwich during our dinner -- even if it was at 4pm!!! I didn't even mind ordering a scoop of birthday cake (vs. my traditional coffee flavored) ice-cream from the Marble Slab. It was fun to share a few bites with you and watch how excited you got after tasting it. Coming home and taking you "side-side" (this is how she says "outside") for a walk around the block and then in the back-yard to play with your outside toys was a hoot. Closing out the day with a few minutes of swinging in the front yard on your new tree-swing you got for your birthday was the cherry on top of the sundae. It was a special treat to be able to spend your birthday afternoon with you.

Your daddy loves you very much.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

This past week I've been thinking alot about how much we've learned in the year since our baby girl was born, and how differently I view everyday things. Here are just a few of the things that have changed in our lives since Kaitlin came into our family exactly one year ago today.

I've learned:

• That you will survive those first few weeks, even if it's simply by living minute to minute.
• That "mother's instinct" isn't just a saying. I know what to do when others don't, even though I have no idea how I know.
• That I can do just about everything with one hand. Cook dinner, put on makeup, walk Buddy, you name it and I can probably do it while holding Kaitlin on my hip.
• That I will never be free from worry.
• That I get excited every single time I've been away and it's time to go home to her. I can only describe the feeling as something similar to how you felt when you had a crush on someone in high school and you got to see them in between classes. That same kind of emotion overtakes me every time I come home.
• That even though we don't get to sleep in past 7:30 anymore, I'm not tired when I see her shining face smiling at me from her crib.
• That before I exercised by running miles and miles. Now I do lots of slow walking, bending, lifting and carrying, and that still counts as a workout!
• That the trashy magazines I used to greedily devour the instant they hit my mailbox now sit untouched for weeks, and even then they are only "read" by Kaitlin and then torn to shreds.
• That even though I'm no longer pregnant or nursing, I still watch what I eat because Kaitlin always wants a bite and I should be setting a good example for a curious eater.
• That you shouldn't rush them to crawl, walk or talk, because once they start, they don't stop.
• That I will do and say silly things in public just to get a laugh from her.
• That I can read the same book to her every single night and not get bored because I see how much she enjoys it.
• That I am the world to her, and she to me.
• That even though it's her birthday, she gave me the best gift of all the day she was born.

Happy birthday sweet, sweet baby!

Kaitlin's 1st Birthday Party

While her official birthday isn't until Monday, we threw Kaitlin's party this weekend and let me say that our house was the place to be! Kaitlin was very blessed to have over 30 of her close friends and family in attendance, including several other of her "baby" friends. Kaitlin turned out to be a very gracious hostess, as she was more than willing to let the other kids play with her toys. For those who could not attend, the theme of the party was ladybugs, including the cakes (which Summer made and decorated herself), red & black balloons and streamers. Kaitlin wore a ladybug dress which she changed out of and into a ladybug onesie for the cake event. We set out cards for people to sign for her next 9 birthdays, which we have sealed and will give to her as the next birthday arises. Despite all of her mom's best efforts on the cake, Kaitlin was not a huge fan of her personal chocolate birthday cake, which is SHOCKING if you know Summer very well (she loves chocolate!). Kaitlin also got many wonderful gifts, including a handmade cradle (made by her Papa) with handmade bedding in it (made by my cousin Jamie). We had a blast opening up all of the gifts after the party slowed down and are very thankful for the kind gesture. Saturday was a very special day and we are so thankful that so many of you turned out to share it with us. Here are a couple pics of the event, with more posted on Shutterfly (Link).

Best Friends Part II

I've written before about what good friends Bud and Kaitlin are, but it seems like their friendship grows everyday. There are several games they like to play. First and foremost, she LOVES to chase him around with her walker, and after she zooms past him and he starts to come after her, she squeals with delight. It really is the cutest thing ever. Another "subgame" that usually follows the chase is when I'm sitting in the armchair in the living room and she gets tired and comes and tries to crawl in my lap, but that's also where I pet Bud, so he comes over too, and she just screams and starts jumping up and down trying to get in my lap before he gets there. And then when I pick her up she pets him, yelling "Bud, BUD!" Friday, I got to watch a new game though, which might beat both of those. We have a short wall in between our living room and kitchen, probably about 2 feet tall. It's right about mouth level to Kaitlin right now, and she likes to stand on the kitchen side and I kneel on the living room side and we crouch down and see who can scare each other more when we pop up - kind of like peekaboo. The girl loves to be scared! Anyways, Friday, Kaitlin and I were playing in the living room, reading stories, when she noticed Bud sitting on the other side of the wall by the backdoor. She immediately crawled over and stood up by the wall and started trying to "scare" him. She did it about 10 times, until I ruined the game by letting him out. That was the reason he was standing there in the first place and he wasn't too amused with how long he had to wait, but I bet he'd do it again for his best friend. I love watching them and only wish Chunky were here to play too.

First Steps!!

Kaitlin allegedly took her first steps on August 4th, 2008 during story-book hour at the Irving library. As the story goes, she was sitting down calmly listening to a story being read. Then she stood up, turned around and took three steps towards Elizabeth. However, as Summer and I were not in attendance (we were at work), no one can be certain as to exactly what events took place. So, you can mark you calendars for her first step as occurring on August 5th, 2008, when she took FOUR steps to me from her walker. Summer was actually able to shoot some video tonight of Kaitlin walking to me, but it really doesn't do it justice. She can take anywhere between 3-5 honest-to-goodness steps now!