"Guh"

Lately, I will sometimes ask Katelynn to identify an object in a book and she will reply with "GUH!" At first I thought I could not understand what she was trying to say. Then I figured out she was, in fact, saying "guh". I was perplexed and found it a bit annoying, because I knew she could identify many of the items. I thought she was just being stubborn.

Then I realized that KK might be pulling my leg. To test if she had created her own little joke on mommy, I turned the tables on her. She pointed to something in a book and asked me what it was. I replied "GUH!" She cracked up laughing and said "Noooooo mommy!"

Apparently, I have a little comedian on my hands...

Temporary

The other night, Katelynn woke up crying in the middle of the night. She wanted to be rocked back to sleep. I was so exhausted. I really just wanted to be horizontal in my own bed. But mommy duty called.

I wrapped her up in her soft blankie and sat down in the rocking chair. She immediately closed her eyes and began to return to dreamland. Despite my exhaustion, something led me to just take in the moment. I stroked her angelic sleeping face and admired her silky skin and cute little features. I was a little overwhelmed with sadness that this is all temporary... she will be running out the door on her own with friends much too soon. She will no longer want to be cuddled and stroked and soothed in the middle of the night.

That is inevitable... there is nothing I can do. But what I can do is continue to savor those special moments...

The Izzy Shirt

In April, a big group of friends and family participated in the March of Dimes Walk for Babies in support of my little preemie neice, Isabelle (hopefully breaking out of NICU soon) and in memory of her twin sister, Lily. (More information here on Izzy!) My brother Griff and sister-in-law Jen had adorable pink shirts made up that say "Izzy's Angel" on the front. There is information about both Isabelle and Lily on the back.

A youth extra-small was even reserved for Katelynn so that she could be part of the team. But grouchy KK would have absolutely nothing to do with the pink Izzy's Angel shirt. Never mind that thirty + people around her were wearing them!

Fast forward a month. I was wearing my Izzy's Angel shirt one morning and she demanded to put hers on. I had no idea she even remembered it. Then she told Gene that he should wear his "so that we could match." She has continually discussed her t-shirt all day long and the fact that she and mommy match. She named it her "Izzy shirt". She got beans on it at lunch so she took it off. Then she kept asking when it would be clean so she could wear it again. After her nap she decided it was still worthy to be worn even with bean stains.

I find it pretty hilarious in light of the grumpy girl on walk day that wanted nothing to do with it. Looks like it might be her favorite shirt now.

W

George W. Bush is temporarily officing in the same building as my hubby's company, Hanover Property Company. W. has been making the rounds to visit the various offices and spent about 20 minutes at Hanover. His professional photographer was with him and took these great shots of Gene and our 43rd president. Gene, one of the most even keel people in the world, might actually look a little giddy in these shots!

I propped a print up on our CD chest at home. KK saw it a few days ago and asked me who was in the picture with daddy. I explained to her that it was Mr. George W. Bush, the former president of our country. She asked me to repeat his name several times. Last night she exclaimed to Gene: "Daddy, it's you and Mr. Bush in the picture!" Her memory recall with names is astonishing at times!

Summer's Almost Here!

We have had a few afternoons hot enough to warrant the use of the sprinkler, and I can taste summer on the horizon! Despite the sweltering Texas heat, I love the relaxed pace of the summer months and spending time at the pool/ in the sprinkler with my little water bug. She is happy, happy, happy in the water and I can't wait to hit the pool with her.

The pool was enjoyable when she was a baby- one of the few times she was giggling instead of crying! It was even more fun last year as she moved into the toddler years. Now it will be awesome - she can climb around on all the structures and go down the little slides by herself.

Fridays this summer... look for us at the local pools!

Slippers

One day not long ago, KK looked all the way to the top corner of my closet and saw a wondrous sight... fuzzy cow and gorilla slippers! My brother spent one Christmas many years ago working at a silly slipper kiosk and as a result I ended up with these gems. Gene and I enjoy them quite a bit in the dead of winter!

When Katelynn saw them, she got sooooo excited as only a two-year old can. She walked all around the house in them and - somehow - even trudged upstairs wearing them. The slippers now live in her bedroom and sometimes even spend the night in bed with her. KK has her own unique toddler style as you can see from the picture!

Breathing Treatments

A couple of weeks ago I took KK to the doc for a persistent cough that wouldn't go away. Her Nanna noticed that she sounded like she was wheezing too. The doctor informed me that she probably had a viral infection in her lungs... hopefully not asthma. The remedy for this nasty condition is a little machine called a nebulizer that makes a very big noise. It delivers a drug called abuterol into her lungs in a vapor form, via a lovely plastic mask.

Her first treatment was in the office and it was pure misery. I had to restrain Katelynn on my lap while she screamed and cried and fought to get the mask off her face. I just wanted to cry when Doc told me she needed the treatment 3x per day!

KK has done much better at home though. It is not her favorite thing but she has accepted it as part of life. She likes to be in control and do it all on her own. I don't even have to sit next to her anymore. We turn Caillou up to level 10 on the TV and she has to keep the mask on until one Caillou story is over (about 7 minutes). She gets a lollipop afterward which has been a pretty big incentive.

Her cough and wheezing are all gone, and tomorrow we return for a follow-up. I will be perfectly happy to give the nebulizer back to the Doctor's office!

KK's Stash

Katelynn's tricycle has a little "trunk" in the back and she loves to stash things there. I don't remember to check it on a regular basis which can be very, very bad. In the past I have found things like old sippy cups with curdled milk....eeeewwwwww....

Tonight I was straightening up and checked out the trunk again. Nothing disgusting tonight, but the random assortment of contents made me chuckle so I thought I should list them for posterity's sake!

• 2 rocks (from outside)
• Rubber ducky (from the bath tub)
• Wind up toy (gift from Nanna)
• Pacifier (one of many!)
• Halloween bracelet (another gift from Nanna)

The Mommy Tub

Katelynn has discovered that mommy's tub is very big and can hold lots and lots and lots of bubbles. Over the course of several baths, she has completely used up my bottle of bubble bath. She collects lots of big cups and buckets from around the house to bring with her...the bigger the better. The mommy tub keeps her entertained for long enough that I can clean the bathroom or fold all the laundry. However, large floods sometimes ensue if I don't react quickly enough! As you can see from the pictures, she is a happy girl when she is in the water and the bubbles.

Baby Monster

Many kids have a lovie. Katelynn tends to flit from one stuffed animal to another. Other than her beloved blankets, she has not developed a lot of attachments. She does, however, really love her "Baby Monster." Baby Monster is a small puppet purchased from the dollar section at Target, around Halloween. I find it hilarious that she has developed such affection for this one-eyed orange little guy, and even given him his own special name!