Balancing Act

She's 1 day past 3 months old and surprised us with a nice treat on a Friday afternoon...

First the good then the bad. On Saturday morning, Yogi's sister and brother-in-law tried to hold her but little did we know, Katie turned on the 'recognition' switch and would not have it. Every time they took her, she cried. Suppose it didn't help that she was cranky and tired.

That same night, we had dinner at my parents'. We left her there for 15-20 minutes so I can drop Yogi off at home then come back. Poor little girl, cried the whole time we were gone and freaked out her grandparents as they were starting to think she was in pain. Once I got back, peace was restored instantly. My Dad wouldn't believe Katie could recognize and prefer Mommy at just 3 months old so I tossed Katie back to him and almost instantly the lips went straight to a frown then the huffing and puffing to the full blown scream. Again, it was near her bedtime so probably throwing a fit at anyone who did not smell like Mommy. It's a nice Mommy feeling but she's going to grow out of this right?

Katie visiting cousin Tyrus for a belly time session.

Some of you have read me contemplating on Facebook whether or not I should cut Katie's infamous hair. I suppose it can stick around a little longer. We're gonna try to keep her warm with bennies soon anyways.

3 Months

Our cutie pie turned 3 months today! Best of all she's sleeping plenty at night. We can't believe how much she has grown in just 3 months and can't begin to imagine how much new life she still has in her.

Is it just Katie or are all babies loving the morning sun? She's the happiest first thing in the AM greeting us with huge smiles from ear to ear. Sometimes she even chuckles during her diaper change - suppose it can come as a huge relief after so many hours. She also started a good habit of talking back which is music to our ears...for NOW anyway. I can see this habit wearing out on us very soon.

Over the weekend, we visited Apple Hill for the first time and enjoyed it thoroughly. Fall is our favorite time of year and there were plenty of scenic sights to spoil us with.

Too many apples in the basket or on the hill rather.

Wonder how many apples do they eat daily?

Hanging out with Daddy watching a not so exciting Mavs vs. Rockets game.

Katie has a long month ahead of her as she learns to nail her flips and turns, control her head solidly, and start eating cereal. We can't wait! There's really no light at the end of this tunnel in raising a child but boy are there plenty of excitement to keep us going. Yogi and I could have never thought how the smallest things can fill our day with so much joy. You definitely need to be a parent to understand and we're glad plenty of you are or will be =o)

Change is Good

Wow, what a week! Yogi was extremely busy having to go into the office all five days while I was busy figuring out remedies to Katie’s new found ways.

All of a sudden, Katie decided to stop eating and started to push away her bottle at every attempt we try to feed her. Obviously she had to eat and gave in when she’s extremely hungry, tired or being rocked. My Mom babysat her last week and called me frantically to come over when Katie refused to eat after 4+hrs. Even Yogi had a taste of the same when he tried feeding her over the weekend but once he mastered the tricks, Katie calmed and gave in to sucking again. We’re going to try her with my Mom again tomorrow and see how it goes. We also figured she doesn’t like being held in the cradle position unless she’s ready for a nap or hungry. Otherwise, putting her in that position gives her a head start at kicking and screaming. The quick fix is to hold her up right and all is quiet and well again. No doubt, Katie is definitely getting her preferences down and knows exactly how to tell us. I've learned, it doesn't always matter what leads her to these new 'preferences', anything that can calm her down is what really matters.

Despite the new challenges, Katie has sharpened her senses. She’s growing to be a tentative listener. She’s been babbling a lot more and stares at our lips when she hears voices. Lately, she even looks at the foods and drinks that go into our mouths. She’s learning those ‘monkey see’ moves so she can be the ‘monkey do’ soon.

It helps when we continue to broaden her horizon with something new almost every day. We've been keeping busy with lunch dates, made the rounds at my workplace, and visited Yogi's family over the weekend in SF to celebrate November birthdays and the Exploratorium. Today, we broke her into Happy Hour for the first time. Yogi commented that our lives seem to be back to our active ways before Katie but really this is just a phrase when she's able to tolerate all this adventure. Tomorrow is a brand new day...

Little Katie making the cutest yawn ever!...with a little dance afterwards for good luck :oD


Nonetheless, watching her grow (even with the challenges) is the greatest reward as a parent. It gives us a sense of accomplishment that something we created can be smart to live and learn. I’m so going to miss it when I go to back to work in less than 2 months!

Katie's Meat Market

This year has got to be one of the busier years for Labor and Delivery rooms in the area. Come to think of it, most of them are boys (that we know of). Let’s checkout Katie’s bachelor list...

We finally met Corey for the first time at Alisa and Ed's Babyshower this past weekend. He is exceptionally adorable and well behaved.

We also attended Titus's Godfather's birthday party this weekend and saw the little guy move like magic. One second he's in a corner playing with a truck and the next second he's across the room nibbling on something he found off the carpet. He's loving his independence.

Gabrielle likes to take advantage of the great outdoors with his older sister Noelle.

This chunky Ryan is extremely lay back giving big smiles to anyone who comes close. He enjoys observing his older brother get out of trouble.

This pretty boy, Christine is also all smiles. He enjoys hanging out on his swing and watching his older sister play with Elmo.

And Katie’s cousin Tyrus is obviously not in her market but he will be tagging along on Katie's dates as her bodyguard. He's in a cute sushi chef/sumo wrestler costume above...hehe...

From last year, there's...

Elijah sporting his lion costume for this year's Halloween.

Jayden having a blast with Uncle Yogi on a rainy day.

And Jaden wondering why he got stuck with an insect costume when everyone was sailing as pirates.

I'd say Katie has a tough of choice with all these cuties. We'll see if one of them grows on her from now till she's 30!...haha...