11 Months

 Kate started this month off with her top two teeth coming in at the same time.  For a week she suffered the pain of teething.  Kate's bottom two teeth didn't seem to bother her as they made there way up but her top teeth were killer and she was the grumpiest she has ever been.  It was not only rough for Kate but me as well as she wanted to be held constantly and was sleep deprived.  We were both exhausted by the end of the week and were happy when the teeth made their appearance so we could get back to our normal, happy selves.

Kate spent a lot of time with her cousin, Noah, this month.  She loved it!!  Noah not so much.  Noah isn't too good at sharing and Kate just destroys everything in her path.  They weren't a good match but Kate loved following him around the house and wanted to do everything he was doing.  I think Kate wished she had an older sibling after the fun she had with Noah.  The day after Noah left she sat at the bottom of the stairs waiting for him to come down.  It was pretty sad to watch her and know he wouldn't be coming down to play.  Kate loves to be social.  After seeing her love hanging out with Noah it has made me think we need to find some little friends for her to play with.  She is at the age where she wants to interact with other babies.

Two of Kate's cousins were born in November.  Baby Tate was born on November 7.  He lives in Missouri so we haven't met him yet.  We love Facetiming to see his cute face and Kate likes to put her mouth on the phone to give Tate kisses.  Baby Lily was born on November 16.  We met Lily this past week.  Kate wasn't too happy when I would hold Lily but she seemed to like her when she was in her bassinet.  She would try and touch her hands and face.  I think Kate thought Lily was like one of her stuffed animals or baby and wished she could have hugged and squeezed Lily like she does with her toys.  It might not be easy but we are going to have to teach her to be soft with the new babies.  We are so excited about these two little spirits who have joined the Nielson family.  Kate is going to have so much fun with these cousins in the years to come! 

I cannot believe this girl is going to be turning 1 in less than two weeks.  
This year has flown by so fast.  It is amazing how much a baby learns and changes in a year.
 I love spending my days with Kate and seeing what new things she learns!

Happy Halloween 

from the cutest ladybug around!

 

 

 

10 Months

Time is flying by.  

Every month seems to go by faster with my baby Kate.

This past month seems like a blur and I am not even sure what new things Kate did or learned.

One new thing is for sure, when it comes to eating Kate wants to do it herself.  She has become little miss independent.  If I try and feed her she usually refuses but if I put the food into her hand she will put it right into her mouth.  She is becoming more picky by the day it seems.  She is not into the baby food these days and is not to fond of anything besides cheese, yogurt and crackers/bread.  She is good at trying new foods but will take a few bites and then brushes the rest off her tray.

Kate is still a speedy crawler.  I keep thinking she is going to start walking but with how good she gets around with crawling it might be a couple more weeks.  She has no problem with standing up onto things.  She even stands on her tiptoes, like a little ballerina, when trying to open cupboards.  It is pretty cute.  Kate does a little bit of walking around furniture but if she needs to get somewhere fast, she sits down and crawls. 

I feel like Kate has the most energy of any little baby.  She literally does not sit still.  You should see her at church.  All the other babies her age or older sit so nice on their parents laps but not Kate.  She goes back and forth between Nate, my mom and I every 30 seconds.  It is exhausting.  If she is on the ground she is getting into everyone's bags to see what fun treasures they have.  People even comment on how much energy she has.  It is almost like she is on a sugar high 24/7.  It is nice living at home so I can get a break every so often.  I thought I would get past the "sleeping when baby sleeps" phase by 10 months but I still need a nap when Kate naps. 

With all this energy comes a lot of fun, too.  Sometimes it is hard see it because I would love some quiet, cuddle time with Kate but I really wouldn't change it for anything.  Kate has so much energy and excitement for life.  Her joy for life comes through her laughs, smiles, exploring new things and baby talk.  When I hear or see those things I cannot help but be happy.  The thing that brings her the most joy right now is her family.  The life and light that comes to her face when she sees someone she loves is heartwarming.  It is one of the best feelings I have felt.  Through her face I know she loves me and it melts my heart.  Kate is a great example to me of her joy for life and I am trying each day to rub some of her joy onto myself.  I hope she always has this joy and excitement for living!

9 Months

Kate is almost 10 months but I better report on her being 9 months.  She went to her 9 month check-up and came away in the 1% for height and weight.  She didn't even gain a pound in two months.  We blame it on the Cuoio genetics and the fact she doesn't stop moving.  Kate doesn't know how to sit still and who knows if she ever will:) She is busy, busy, busy.  It is exhausting but it is fun to see her explore and learn new things.

Kate has started to really enjoy some of her toys.  She has a small baby that she smothers with hugs and kisses.  She lights up when we give it to her.  She also has a lamb stuff animal she loves.  She pretty much does the same thing to it as she does the baby doll.  She often cuddles up to it when she is falling asleep.  It is pretty cute to see her love her toys.  Now we if could just teach her to do those same things to her parents.  Kate doesn't like to be cuddled and it makes me a little sad cause I would love it if we could just sit and cuddle on the couch but just like her dad, her cuddle limit is about 5 seconds and then she is on the move again.  I am hoping when is a little older she will learn to relax and cuddle with me.  Of course she shows me in a million other ways that she loves and needs me.  I am pretty good at making her laugh and when I get home from being away from her, her face lights up with excitement to see me.  It is amazing how my baby can make me feel like a million bucks just from her face expressions and the noises she makes.  

 Kate has a few games she plays to entertain herself.  She loves to open and close the door.  Of course she cannot open and close the door all the way but she will swing the door back and forth for quite some time.  She also loves the door stops on the walls.  She flings and flings it none stop.  She loves the noise it puts off.  Peek-a-boo is another game she loves and she could play it for hours.  Hiding behind the couch or around a corner and popping out makes her laugh with excitement.  I love hearing her laugh and it always puts me in a good mood. 

We are sad the weather is getting cooler.  Kate loves to be outdoors and being outside always puts her in a good mood when she is a little grumpy.  It is going to get harder and harder to take her out with it being cold and especially when it is windy.  She doesn't do well with wind and being cold is never fun.  We will for sure be counting down the days to spring and summer.

8 Months!

 Kate has had an exciting month!  

She has hit some big milestones!

First off, Kate has become mobile.  At the end of July she started crawling.  Crawling has led to getting into everything, following me around the house, pulling on my leg and pulling herself up.  Next thing we know she will be walking.  We hope it takes a couple months for her to figure it out but she gets stronger and smarter every day so who knows it maybe next month.  Kate loves being able to move but with it has come bumps and bruises.  Falling down has not stopped her though.  It just seems to make her try harder.  She is a pretty determined baby and I am amazed at what she has learned and figured out this past month.  Having a mover on our hands has made life a little more crazy. 

Kate has become very talkative this past month.  When she is playing by herself she goes off babbling like she is talking about what she is doing.  It is the cutest thing.  She is also a big talker when she is sitting in her highchair.  Her favorite word is ba-ba but she is starting to say mama!  Hearing my name melts my heart even if she might not know she is saying my name. 

 

Kate got her 1st tooth this past month.  It is not easy to see since it hasn't grown all the way in but it has cut through her gum.  She has handled teething pretty well.  She hasn't gotten a fever and she hasn't been too grumpy.  She does chew on everything whether it be shoes, bar stools, toys, my arm, or books.  If she can get to it, it goes into her mouth.

I sure love this big, hazel eyed baby of mine!

Home Again, Home Again

We are once again Pocatellians.

Nate interviewed with two law firms in Pocatello back in February and March but it wasn't until June that we found out we would be coming back home.

We had mix emotions moving back but we knew it was the right decision to accept the job.

We will miss Boise.  We will miss friends, our ward, the amazing parks, shopping, restaurants, Kate's pediatrician, and the North End.  We really loved Boise and maybe one day we will move back.

Nate had his first day of work this past Monday!  He is working at the law firm Merrill and Merrill.  Even though Nate has only worked a couple of days it seems like this firm is the perfect fit for him.  Nate did not want to work at a big firm and work ridiculously long hours where he would never see his family.  Merrill and Merrill is a pretty small firm and they do not work long hours unless you want to.  I think this firm will allow Nate to learn the ropes of being an attorney without becoming overly stressed that a big firm would bring all while enjoying life and his family!  It is pretty perfect in our eyes! We are excited for this next phase of life as we enter the "real world."

7 months

My little sunshine turned 7 months last week.

It was a rough week.  It was my first time being sick as a mom.  I will just say, a mom should never have to be sick when she has a baby or children.  It was not easy taking care of what seemed to be a more than normal fussy baby with a sore throat, body aches and exhaustion.  I am hoping I get a very long break until I am sick again.

 Kate had her 6 month check-up last week, even though she is 7 months.

She weighed 13lb 12oz and 24 1/2 long.  About the 5th% for both.  She might be little for her age but the proportion of her weight to her length is perfect.  She is a healthy 7 month old with chubby cheeks and rolls on her legs. 

 At 7 months, Kate loves to be outside. We spent a couple of days at the pool and a day at Eagle Island playing on the beach.  Kate is so content outside so whenever she becomes too grumpy to handle we head outside to enjoy the warm weather.  She loves riding in the stroller, laying on a blanket looking around at the cars going by, at the leaves on the trees, and enjoys picking at the grass.  She could spend all day every day outside.

Kate loves her momma.  I am her favorite and I hope it stays that way forever.   Her eyes follow me around the room.  She gets very interested in what I am doing so I talk her through things like me unloading the dishwasher, doing my hair or me making dinner.  I love when I can make her laugh or when I peek around the corner and a huge smile appears on her face.  It makes me feel like a million bucks when I get a huge grin from her.

Kate loves to put everything in her mouth.  I know this is the way babies learn but it can be hard to watch her put a dirty shoe in her mouth.  Luckily she hasn't gotten sick from the dirty things that end up in her mouth.  She is becoming quite the mover.  The time has come to baby proof.   Kate can get to anything within rolling and reaching distance.  Kate also loves food.  Her favorites are bananas, watermelon and squash but she also eats applesauce, carrots, sweet potatoes and oatmeal.  She dislikes green beans and the baby food meats, which look and smell gross.  I would say Kate has mastered sitting up.  She can sit for long periods of time and when she gets sick of sitting she leans forward to get onto her stomach.  Every once in a while she tumbles over but I don't worry about her falling over face first anymore.

Kate is a good little shopper.  She can now sit in the shopping cart and loves it.  She is pretty dang cute sitting in the cart holding onto the bars.  We get stopped by all sorts of people.  They love to comment on her big eyes with her long eyelashes.  If Kate isn't too shy she will give a smile and then they really can't believe how cute and adorable she is!  I always agree with them:) 

 Happy 7 months pretty girl!