A little late, but...

Happy 20 month birthday and 4 month anniversary of being a family! A note from Kate....

It's been a while since we posted but, hey -- I'm a busy girl. Check out what I've been up to and you'll understand.

I'm a big girl now -- my car seat is turned around and I'm reading my own books while mama shuttles me to and from story time. I still let her read to me at home, though....
Yeah -- It's bath time! I love, love, LOVE taking a bath and laugh when water gets dumped on my head. This makes Mama and Papa very happy because it's easy for them to wash my hair....

Do you like my Frank Zappa look?

Papa says this look is much better for a pretty little girl like me.

This is the face I make when I really like something. In this case, it was a cocktail shrimp. I didn't like the cocktail sauce though -- YUCKY!

And here is the face I make when I don't like something or don't get my way. I'm still cute, though, aren't I???

Here I am at playing with my friend, Taylor. Taylor held on to that chicken leg ALL DAY LONG. When I talk more, I'm going to give her the nickname "Chickenbone." Nice, huh?

Here I am, reading to myself again. Mama was sleeping, so I decided to read the teddy bear book to myself. It's a good read -- highly recommended.
Well, once I realized that Mama was awake and taking pictures, I thought I'd offer up an impish smile. Truth be known, I'm planning my day and thinking of all the things I can get in to. Mama has no idea what's coming her way!

Check out the hat. It's only one of my accessories for the day. The other, if you look closely, is the big bandage I'm sporting on my left pinky finger. That's right, folks, I know my right from my left.

Oh, you're wondering about the finger? Mama thought she was too fast for me and shut the door before I could get into the room. She was wrong. I was partially in the room -- well, if you count my finger in the door. This was on 2/26 at 5:30 pm.

We went to the emergency room where they took x-rays (NOT FUN) while my finger was bleeding. Luckily, nothing was broken, but my finger was split wide open. I got four stitches and woke up EVERYONE in the E.R. I also made the doctor work for his money that night, since I wriggled and screamed during the stitches so badly that it took him several tries to make them stay. I cried so hard that it took three people to hold me down while the doctor did the stitches. I'm pretty sure Mama cried more than me, though.

So, back to accessorizing. For a kid with so many outfits, I don't have a lot of shoes (that fit me, anyway). I've got little feet, so the infant shoes that fit aren't the kind I can really walk in. But I had this stylin' outfit on (thank you, Ms. Marelisa!) and I remembered Mama's cute red sandals. I didn't think they would fit, but they did match, so I had to try....
Nope, they didn't fit, but they make good purses, don't they? And a girl always needs a matching purse or two, you know....

Here I am the morning after my emergency room visit:I was a very good girl and waited about twelve hours after this picture was taken to unravel the entire thing. Mama and Papa rewrapped it later. I made it abundantly clear that I did not like that.
Here is a close-up of my injury. The doctor will tell us on Friday whether I need to see an orthopedist:

I heard Mama tell someone that the stitches are coming out on Friday. Doesn't she know I don't like people messing with me, especially doctors? If she thinks I'm going to take this quietly, she's got another thing coming.

Oops -- I forgot to show you the hat I made during story time. It was right before Valentine's Day. I wore it while I made Papa's Valentine's Day card. Cute, huh?

Here are a few more things you are probably dying to know about me:

• I weigh 21 pounds now -- that's up 3 pounds since coming home from China. I'm still wearing 6 - 12 month clothing, but it fits much better than before. My height is still the same: 31.25 inches.
• I can say Mama, Papa, Pu-uh-up (for Puppy), Oop (for Oops), and I've been heard saying: "bye," "mine," "ni hao" (Chinese for "hello"), "book," and "baaa-buh" (for baby).
• I can point to my head, nose, eyes, ears, mouth, feet and toes. I'll show you my belly if you ask, as well as wiggle my toes.
• I dance all the time, swaying back and forth while I purse my lips grooving to the music.
• When we watched the Olympics, I'd always stop what I was doing to watch and clap for the figure skaters. Curling, luge and downhill skiing just didn't have the same effect.
• Seeing puppies or birds always makes me shriek with delight. Always.
• I love going on the toddler swing and want to go higher and higher.
• I also like to step up onto anything that seems like a balance beam. I'm practicing balancing on one foot. Mama has the insurance card handy for our next ER trip.
• Although I'm a swing / balance beam daredevil, I DEFINITELY do NOT LIKE getting my hands dirty. I try to avoid touching the ground AT ALL COSTS and will just keep saying "Mama" over and over again until she comes to pick me up. Yes, I can get up by myself, but a girl shouldn't have to dirty her hands, should she?
• I'm known as a picky eater now. What can I say? I like what I like. Here's what I'm usually willing to eat: bran cereal, oatmeal, crackers of any variety, tuna fish salad, cheese, tofu stir-fry, peanut butter, mashed potatoes, bananas, pineapple, shrimp, fish, broccoli sometimes, graham crackers, cheerios, and goldfish crackers. If I could, I'd probably eat goldfish, cheerios and whole wheat crackers all day.
• I've started to drink a little water, mostly because sometimes it's the only thing Mama offers. Mostly, I drink soy milk. The regular milk was making my tummy feel funny. I really like Rice Milk and Soy Milk, though.
• My FAVORITE toy is my stuffed puppy, "Seemer." Every morning I give him hugs and kisses. I talk to him and he understands me perfectly. I snuggle with him several times throughout the day and think he is as awesome as I am.

Well, that's it for now. I'd love to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment on our blog. Until next time, here's milk in your eye!

~Kate