Archives for May 2003

Katherine started walking with assistance in Nordstrom today. While she had taken a couple steps before with us sitting on the floor, this was the first time that we walked along with her holding her hands. Mom was busy shopping for new summer sleepers and Dad was taking care of Katherine. Katherine wanted out of the Baby Bjorn so Dad held her for a while.

After a while, I decided to see if Katherine wanted to stand on the floor. I put her down and she took a step forward. I was so amazed. I stepped forward to catch up and she stepped forward again. I called to Christine to come watch. Christine took pictures of Katherine holding my hands and walking across Nordstrom.

Katherine is such a determined baby. As proud parents we watched her wobble across the store biting her lower lip. She looked very cute in her Robeez leather doggie shoes gripping the floor.

Katherine and Dad played one other game today at the mall. Dad would hum the song “Pop goes the weasel.” At the end of the song, Dad would bounce Katherine up and down. Katherine loved it. She would kick and smile in anticipation of being bounced.

We went home where she practiced walking again across the kitchen floor. She was exhausted tonight. Between shopping at Babies R Us and walking at Bellevue Square, it was a long but yet satisfying day.

Memorial Day Weekend Concludes

As Christine and I reflect upon the weekend, we had a great time with Katherine. This was the longest consecutive time we’ve spent with her since our parental leaves. She’s really growing up fast and every second we spent with her is so rewarding. Yes, she’s fussy sometimes and doesn’t want to go to sleep. She fights sleep to spend time with us which makes her more cranky.

Katherine can stand with some assistance. This assistance can be her parent’s hands or a stable object like the learning table. It’s very rewarding to watch Katherine try very hard to learn new skills and want to practice them. You can see the determined look on her face in several of the pictures. Christine and I don’t know where she got this from :).

If we hold out our hands she will use them to pull herself up. Once she’s up she can stand for quite a while (several minutes) holding on to us or the learning table. She’s also learned how to sit down from a standing position. She just sits down, cushioned by her diaper.

Katherine Sits Up in Her Crib

I put Katherine down partially asleep. We’ve been trying hard to put her down when she’s drowsy but not asleep. We want her to learn to soothe herself and fall asleep on her own. Sometimes this works and sometimes she ends up crying. This was one of those crying times. I climb the stairs and look in on her. Lo and behold she’s sitting up in her crib. I was so amazed and called Christine over to take a look. Katherine had used the railings to pull herself up to a sitting position.

When Katherine learns a new skill she wants to practice and practice it. Since sitting up in her crib, she’s tried to repeat her performance with no success. She’s ended up tossing herself around her crib trying to sit up.

Giggling Sit Ups

Katherine giggles when Dad does sit ups. I put lean her on my knees and do sit ups. Katherine giggles every time I come up. To her it’s a game of peek-a-boo. To Dad it’s a great excuse to get in some sit ups (maybe Katherine knows this too).

Katherine is Teething Again

Katherine has her first tooth and another one is on the way. The symptoms are she’s drooling up a storm and a bit cranky. These are sure signs that another tooth is on the way.

Steve and I took Katherine to her first baseball game this past Wednesday. Since the Mariners were playing the Yankees (my home team), we took the opportunity to have Katherine try out her new Yankees hat which our friend Kristina had given her. Katherine was a bit puzzled by the hat and moved it to one side of her head (see picture).

We made it to the game and Steve carried Katherine into the ballpark with the Baby Bjorn. She seemed cheerful and loved the walk. As soon as we reached our seats though, she started to cry and every time the crowd roared or the announcer spoke, she would cry even more. The ballpark was clearly too loud even with earplugs and Steve walked Katherine around Safeco while I watched an inning or two of baseball. During the top of the fifth, we decided to leave, and I carried Katherine out of the park holding her in my arms.

If you’ve ever been to Safeco field, you know about the railroad tracks that Burlington Railroad uses. Well, I tripped over the tracks and fell face first holding Katherine who was facing me, squeezing her tight and landing on top of her. I must have broken the fall with my hands and shoulder, because they are still pretty sore. Katherine cried for a minute but seemed fine otherwise as we rushed back to the car.

We took her immediately to Children’s Hospital in Seattle, where the nice nurses, a resident and then a doctor checked her out and pronounced her fine. The pictures of her smiling with her wristband are all before the resident appeared, at which point she cried and cried during her examination. The resident checked her head for any swelling and her body for abrasions or bruising. Then he checked her ears, eyes and limbs as well as listened to her breathing using his stethoscope. I’m not really sure how he heard anything since she was really crying by this point. (This was the first time that we’ve noticed full-blown stranger anxiety.)

We ended up getting home by 11:30P. Katherine was exhausted and we were just thankful that our Seattle adventure was over. Katherine spent the night with us in our room, and we checked her out every several hours per the doctor’s instructions to make sure she was OK.

PS – if that weren’t enough for one day, Katherine’s second tooth started to appear. It’s also on the bottom, but two teeth back from her right bottom front tooth (not a front tooth)!