Katelyn is growing so quickly ... everyday I am thankful to God for just what an amazing daughter He has given me! Over the last month or so a lot has happened. Katie celebrated her 1st Christmas ... we have the most adorable pictures, received her 1st shots (like a champ!), and has developed a whole bunch of new skills.
Our little girl is now weighing 18 pounds at about 27 inches long. She is SO strong! On Christmas day she sat under the tree surrounded by presents (all for her) long enough for Joe to take a multitude of pictures. She loves standing while holding onto my fingers, and has even tried to take a few steps. Her newest efforts have been directed toward rolling from her back to her belly all by herself. She can do it with just the slightest bit of help ... sometimes going from her back to her side and sometimes from her side to her belly alone - but putting those 2 moves together is the current challenge. It is so incredible to watch her try so hard with such persistence. I know she will accomplish great things in life with her determination.
She sleeps through the night and has been doing so successfully since month 2 ... what an incredible and unexpected blessing! Katelyn also has begun giggling - the second most beautiful sound in the world (the 1st being her heartbeat). The 1st time she laughed for a prolonged amount of time was on the evening of December 11th. I was in the process of unpacking from a week long trip to visit my family while she was laying on the bed. Barkley jumped up on the bed, and just as I was beginning to get frustrated about to shoo him off ... Kate laughed at HER puppy! It was adorable - and I am happy she finds him hilarious. Her laughter has saved Barkley from many a reprimand since.
It seems that Barkley is also quite fond of Katelyn. He has learned that she has toys and they are not his ... to date, he has not destroyed a single one of her toys! Shocking really, since all of his toys are destroyed within days of receiving them. The other day Kate was sitting in her bouncy seat while Barkley and I were playing a game of fetch. This was a well established game and he was pretty into it ... without prompting he fetched the ball and instead of coming back to me he walked over to Katie and dropped the ball at HER feet! It was so sweet ... he even used his nose to nudge it closer to her. It seems Barkley wanted Katie to play fetch with him - I think they're going to be good friends. I even let her start petting him just a few days ago. He licks her fingers as she rubs them across his face and into his mouth. Of course, this immediately led to my wiping her hands with a wipe before she could put them into her own mouth!
I have realized that I will always love Katelyn more than she'll ever know. When she sleeps soundly during the evening hours I miss her ... checking on her about every 30-45 minutes. I stare at her pictures on the wall, I look at my Cesarean incision, and I pinch myself just to make sure I am not dreaming. She is MY baby and I love her! What is more incredible is that I have discovered that this same love is what my mom has for me. It's a beautiful thing ... the relationship between mother and daughter - a precious gift from God indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment