Jean Skirt

There are going to be a lot of memorable outfits in my life as a little girl. I wore my first jean skirt today and I loved playing with the fringe on the bottom. I felt bare without anything on my legs but it was quite freeing at the same time. Thank you Auntie Michelle for my most favorite new skirt!

Mommy talked with daddy last night. He's working so hard and is doing just fine. His company will be quite busy in the month of April. He was able to check my blog but his upcoming access will be a bit uncertain. I'll keep writing so when he has the chance to check he can get caught up on our daily lives here in Cali. We love you daddy!

Tummy Time

When I went to the doctor last week she said that I need to practice my tummy time. When I would try to twist and turn over my shoulder wouldn't follow. What you may not know is that mommy has been neglecting this exercise because I dislike it so much. I guess I'll have to follow doctor's orders but I don't have to like it!

When Pop and Gram were watching me when mommy and daddy were in Las Vegas, Pop learned this first hand. One of the first things he told mommy when she called to check in was "Katie really doesn't like to be on her stomach". Amazingly enough, I stayed composed enough to get this picture before I broke down.

Minus One

Mommy has had some requests to include her in one of my photos. This is my family, minus my most special daddy. We love to cuddle! I have my 'I love daddy' t-shirt on but you can't really see it. Mommy did her best to take a picture of everyone just by holding her arm out. We're lucky we all got in the frame.

I've just started petting Max when he's close enough to me and I watch him run around the house. I keep an eye out for him no matter what room I'm in. He loves his 'sister' so much. He lets mommy know when I'm whining, as though she can't hear me, and he checks in on me no matter where I happen to be.

My Bumbo

When mommy and daddy's friends, Trey and Ashley, were visiting last summer, their son Drew had a Bumbo seat. It's for little kids like me that can hold up their head and would really like to sit alone but don't quite have the strength and balance to do so yet. It can also be used for me to sit up for my first solid meals. I'm so excited about my chair and Max loves it too!

Mommy and I have had fun playing with my toys while I sit up in my Bumbo. I hope to be able to sit by myself soon and mommy plans to videotape it so we can send that to daddy. He's only able to check my blog once in a while so we need to also send pictures and videos through the mail. We hope to get some to him for his birthday in April.

Smiley Girl

I'm finally getting back to my smiley self after the last couple of days. Mommy loves to see when I'm so happy waking up from my naps. Amazingly enough, I have kept sleeping all the way through the night. Mommy has been so pleasantly surprised about this turn of events. I tend to go to sleep at 7pm and get up around 7am. The only downside is my extremely wet diaper in the morning.

Daddy called tonight! He had called a couple of times and missed us but this time mommy was able to talk with him. They talked only for a short time and the phone kept cutting out so daddy wasn't able to talk for long. Just enough time to catch up and send each other their love. Hopefully next time I'll be awake for the call.

Road Trip

I've had an eventful couple of days, let's see if I can recap...

I had my four month checkup Friday morning. I'm growing so fast! I am 14lbs 11oz and 25 inches long. I didn't really enjoy all the poking and especially didn't enjoy getting my temperature taken. Then, I had to get some shots in my leg. I seemed to have more of a reaction than I did at two months with a slight fever and irritability.

Mommy, Max and I decided that, although I wasn't at my best, that we would go visit Auntie Laurye in LA. We packed up the car and headed down the freeway for our road trip. We did some shopping and had some late lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. The next morning we met Auntie L's friend Susie and her son Hudson for brunch and then hit some antique malls. We had such fun girl time. Unfortunately, Max had to spend the majority of his time in the apartment, although he really enjoyed the long ride in the car.

I was not quite myself, was really cranky and mommy was rethinking the idea of even coming to LA. The worst part was that we missed some calls that daddy made to us. We ended up coming home Saturday night instead of Sunday which was our original plan. I really needed to be back in my own crib and in my regular routine. As you can see, in the picture, I enjoyed some time in the backyard today looking at the pretty flowers. I'm slowly but surely getting back to my smiley, sweet self.

13 Hours

I slept for 13 hours straight last night! After I woke up all I wanted to do is stare at the bumper pad on my crib. You would think that mommy must have gotten a great night's sleep but you would be wrong. She said that she was still waking up all night wondering why I was still asleep. I have a case of the sniffles and I can't decide whether I'm warding off a seasonal cold or still just adjusting to my surrounding allergens. Either way, it has made me extra sleepy.

Mommy is still adjusting to sleeping without the daddy next to her and Max has decided to completely take over the queen size bed in the guest bedroom. The covers are more and more out of place every morning. Apparently, sharing the bed with mommy wasn't enough space for him to stretch out.

Digital Cammies

I was thinking of daddy today in his digital cammies coming home from work to give me big kisses. In his honor, I thought I would wear the cammie onesie that Pop got me. Since, recently a lot of people have thought I am a boy, I decided to also accessorize with my pink bow.

I'm getting used to mommy having the camera around every corner and am enjoying getting my picture taken. We have a video camera ready for footage of big events in my little life. Mommy's ready for the first time I sit by myself and when those pearly whites pop through. That way we can share these milestones with daddy.

Day at the Beach

Mommy, Max and I spent some time at the beach today. As you can see, we're still trying to get rid of the gray weather but we had fun anyway. We took a walk down the along the beach but couldn't go onto the sand because Maxie's not allowed. It's great that mommy's able to spend time with us during the day... all thanks to daddy's hard work and love for us.

Max seemed to get a lot more attention than I did. All sorts of other puppies wanted to be close to him and people wanted to give him all kinds of rubs. I suppose I'll let it slide this time because I know he is pretty cute and irresistible.

May Gray? June Gloom?

It was a dreary day today so mommy and I stayed home and cuddled under the covers. I have been told that there is a thing called May Gray followed by June Gloom here in southern California. Although I'm not old enough to have seen this phenomenon, it's just gray all day, every day. I think we are getting a preview of the gloom today. I'm so spoiled with our usual sunny weather.

I guess we'll need to have a more productive day tomorrow. Looks like we're running out of some essentials in the house, namely my formula. Maybe mommy will also take Maxie and I for a walk by the beach or by the lake on base.

Sunday Best

Today I spent my first morning in the nursery at church. I put on my Sunday best, an outfit I got from my aunt Linda. I even match my favorite toy bear (also from aunt Linda). Mommy had a hard time leaving me and had some tears in her eyes but it was nice for her to have some time to spend in church without worrying about me. I was a good little girl, when mommy came back in I was relaxing in a rocker, just as content as could be.

Mommy and I took Miss Jan out for dinner tonight. She is always so sweet to watch my 'brother' and will help us out with anything. It's nice to know that we have so many people we can count on, especially while the daddy's gone. It makes things easier for mommy and that makes me smile.

St. Patrick's Day & 4 Months Old

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I enjoyed some time outside today and blended into the scenery with my green shirt. Then mommy and I went to National University to have a quick lunch date with Miss Natori. She is our friend that took over mommy's old job. I slept through our date but was told that we had a good time catching up.

Today I am four months old. I am fourteen pounds (double my birthweight), quite strong and sweet. I have been weighing the pros and cons of this age and I have come up with the following...

Pros... If I cry mommy still comes running, I'm carried everywhere, bottles are ready at a moment's notice, I'm enjoying my toys more and my smile can melt away any frustration mommy or daddy may have.

Cons... No matter how I try, I can't sit or stand up, without much notice I spit up, I'm taken places when I might rather just hang out at the house, I have a set bedtime and another round of immunizations.

Daddy Called

We heard from daddy today! He's doing good and mommy told him that we all miss him like crazy. I hope to hear from him often but know that he's quite busy. I was excited to hear that he loves my blog so I'll be sure to keep it updated. I tried to talk with him through my blue phone. Since I wasn't able to hear him I eventually decided it might be better as a teether.

Mommy and I met up with friends at the mall this afternoon. I found the cutest sweater that will go perfectly with my Easter dress. Then, we met some more friends from the company at Pat & Oscars. It was nice to be around other girls that are sad that their daddy's are gone. It made me feel better. I was promised some pepperoni pizza but ended up with the same old formula. Maybe next time.

Care Packages

Today mommy and I went to get all sorts of goodies for daddy's care packages. We picked up some Peeps, one of daddy's favorites. They sat on the front seat of the car and they started to melt so we decided that it may not be the best thing to send to the desert. Needless to say, mommy was forced to eat them.

I made my first visit to the post office. We were able to pick up some free boxes and get some extra custom forms so our next visit is that much quicker. It's amazing how supportive and helpful people are when they know you're sending treats to Iraq.

Max is seeming a bit down today so I let him give me some big kisses to help make him feel better. It was a temporary fix, mommy says that he'll feel better when he realizes that he can sleep in the bed with her for the next seven months.

Deployment Day

This was the day daddy left. Mommy and I spent time with him throughout the night in his office and had to kiss him goodbye at 4:00am. I was awake for most of the time and, if I don't say so myself, was quite a well-behaved baby. No crying, just talking and smiles. Even though mommy thought I was up for the day, I fell asleep in the car on the way home and slept until 10:00.

You'll see that I woke up my usual sweet self with smiles from ear to ear. After I got my morning bottle and a clean pair of britches I realized that last night was not just a dream but that this was the beginning of a long deployment away from the daddy. Thus, the second picture. I miss him so much already! He is my hero and is a great leader of his Marines. As they say... Semper Fidelis.

Max and I have big plans for keeping mommy busy for the next seven months. A lot of visits with family and support from friends. Please keep us all in your prayers. I plan to pray for daddy every night, although mommy says she can't understand what I'm saying. Don't know why because it makes perfect sense to me!