Little Learner

I'll start slow, and save the best for last... ok, I am weening nursing, have been for over a week now. She's doing well, she LOVES whole milk! So I only nurse about twice over the course of 24 hours. Sometimes she still wakes up once in the night, not sure how to keep her down all night more consistently. But, so we're almost done nursing, yay!

Her hair is growing Growing! Getting thicker and a little bit longer, and I love it! Can't wait til i can do more with it! And it's lightening up a tiny bit, we'll see if she ends up blonde or brunette.

We used to blow in her face when she was much younger, she gasps & giggles... and she's got a few toys that blow air... plus Aunt Alethea has one that she likes to play with, all that blowing in her face, she loves! Well, Diella went in front of the air conditioner the other day (one we have low, in the bottom of a window by the floor, that she can reach)... and with all that air blowing, she loves to stand there and gasp & smile... we like to watch it, its silly!

One funny thing she likes to do is get this metal cookie sheet out from a cupboard (we still havent baby proofed any of them... practically seems too late now)... but she puts it on the floor & stands on it! I laugh and say, "are you surfin Diella?" My little surfer girl!

Another difficult thing to explain wihtout seeing or hearing it, but i'll try... I grab her around her mid-section with my fingers on her tummy, and i repeatedly press on it, so that when she talks, and 'holds the note' so to speak, its like "a-a-a-a-a-a" can you hear it? So now when i start doing that to her tummy, she automatically will hold the note, so that sound comes out. We both think its funny!

Big News. Diella has fallen in love! Ya know Leap, the frog? Well she's had him since she was born, but just discovered him this week! She Loves when he sings the alphabet song! She'll bring him to me, set him on my lap & just look at me with these hopeful eyes... so I tell him hello, give him a hug & a kiss & then squeeze him (so the song starts)... she smiles, starts dancing to the music, and i hand him to her & she gives Him a huge hug & takes him away, dancing... i say, 'Diella, do you love him!?" she just smiiiiiles! So cute!

ok, and the most awesome thing yesterday!... Usually when she's done nursing, I take her hands and move them in the sign for "All done" and i say "All done!" ... she smiles & leaves... then yesterday, when she was finished, I said All done... and she did the sign!!! On her own!!! It was the coolest thing, and i was so proud! She remembered the sign, and did it without me showing her! She's learning! So fun to watch her Learn and Understand!!! LOVE IT!!

~Kat

Quick Bloggage...

Saturday was the first time Diella said (and meant) dada! Now she says it all the time! She asks for him regularly and almost sounds like Hi Dada! So cute!

Lately, during bathtime, I throw a few toys in there, like Opie her Hippo that squirts water, and Mrs. Duck, classic yellow rubber ducky of course... and while she's taking a bath & they're minding their own business, floating on the water, Diella bends down and is bobbing for them! Of course she cant actually bite one, the slippery things, but she always comes up lookin hilarious with all those soap bubbles on her mouth! Hehe

And there's this new game she and I like to play... i put a toy, usually a link or something, in my mouth and offer it to her, and she takes it with her mouth! Then she, with it in her mouth, offers it back to me & i receive it back, the game continues til we've giggled ourselves to death! Fun!

Today, dada said "Diella, go get your quack quack" ... and she began to look around the floor of toys and my mouth dropped open as i watched... she went right to it, said quack quack, picked it up and showed it to daddy! I love to see how she's more and more comprehending things and making connections between what she's learning... its pretty incredible!

~Kat

My Funny Lady

Holy mizokus! this is gonna be hard to explain, but i'll give it a shot... (and i got it on my camera phone, but dont think i can transfer that to internet?) ... she hummed these two little notes, like the first one high, then drop down... i thot it was adorable! so i did it too, then she did again, and we kept going back and forth, same two notes... it was awesome! like she's already learning how to sing! and she did the same two every time, it was incredible! then she'd walk away, still humming same to notes over and over! So cute!...

oh but the other day, this is so sick.. we were in TJ Maxx and i was letting her walk around (of course i was two steps behind her... you just cant keep this girl sittin still)... and i must have blinked (how dare i!)... cuz a few minutes later, when Jake had picked her up & put her on his shoulders, i noticed something in her mouth... and when i scooped it out, i found that it was one'a those lil Ritz cheese cracker sandwich bite thingy's... gross! i didnt give her that! she musta found it on the floor!!! i practically gagged! Jake said, eh, she's fine, i stuck worse in my mouth as a kid... and i giggled, i mean, i knew she'd be fine, it was just discusting!...

k then yesterday i was vacuuming, (i've only done it like one other time with her around, jake usually does it when we're not close by).... and she would like hide behind the chair, with curious eyes, not scared or crying or whining or anything, just unsure... then she would go into the kitchen, but peek her head around the corner so she could still see what that loud noice was... but i think she still trusted it cuz i was right there.. it was cute!..

then yesterday i took her outside to play, and she loves to put rocks in her mouth (she's finally stopped eating dirt & grass, but still has a thing for rocks?)... so i took her in the middle of the grass with a ball, so there were no rocks around... and we played for a bit, the cats are outside, they love to join us... so Diella starts wakling away, and i just smile & watch her (we live where there's NO other houses, NO cars, etc. so no danger anywhere really)... and she just starts taking a walk, down the dirt road, all 3 cats began to follow her, so the 4 of them trotted down the road, blissfully... (cuz usually its the 5 of us, i'll take D for a walk & the cats follow) but it was like D thot she was grown up enough to go on her own now, it was adorable, i just sat & watched for a few minutes until i joined them. Well, there's more, but of course i cant think of it now... hope you enjoyed! Be back soon!

like her matching outfit in this pic? hehehe

Alethea, i made you paragraphs! (sorry capital letters is still too much for me ;)

~Kat

Mama!!!

Diella says Mama!!! She's been doing it for about a week, but i'm really kinda picky about counting things as official until i think she knows what she's saying (or doing) and is doing it on purpose. and now i know she IS meaning mama when she says it! she mostly says it when she's whining, like bottom lip comes out Meh Meh.... but sometimes its when she's happy too :) Mamama. I LOVE IT! She said it from her crib this morning when she woke up, heard it on the monitor, like she was asking for me, yay!

ok, she's been clapping for a long time, and it was always when other people were clapping, which she still does, but NOW she does it when i say Yay or Good Girl, even if i'm not clapping! so its fun to know that she understands what i'm saying and not just playing copy cat, smarty pants! :)

she can finally go down the stairs! my mom and i tried to teach her a while back, but she wasnt catching on, fully.... and i really didnt even see it happen, we were at Aaron's and i heard them say she was climbing up the stairs (which is fine, we let her... jus sometimes worry that she may fall Down them cuz she cant get down em on her own yet)... but when i get in there, she's already on the floor level again, and i asked Jen sittin there, "she got down on her own? how many stairs was she up?" jen said about 6 stairs and yup, on her own! yay! so now less worrying about her falling down them :)

oh and Diella discovered her tongue the other day... she'll stick it out & move it around, playing with it... its funny! luckily she doesnt do it alot, but i've gotta snap a pic of it one'a these times...

um, ok so who knows how fearless my lil munchkin is? she is not afraid of anything, like the dogs in our family, they're big, not Huge dogs, but not little dogs... and yesterday Emma, adult golden retreiver, came up to diella, face to face, practically nose to nose, and she just stared right back, no flinching, no evident fear anywhere, she cracks me up! i'd be like woah, dog get outta my face! ....

Diella has been sleeping much better! through the night almost always now! i LOVE it!!! Finally!!! ....

there are a few words i think she's trying to say... like Kitty, when the cats are around, sometimes when she pets em, it sorta sounds like she's saying kitty, like Kih-E.... and anytime she hands me something i say thank you, and so once in a while when i give her something, sounds like she's tryin to say thank you... like akoo, sorta.... we'll work on both of those :) ...

and Diella is good at helping me get her dressed, like i put shirt over her head, she pulls it down, and i get her lil hands in the holes, she extends her arm through... i love it!...

and i had such a crazy weekend, i left her with Jake on Friday night, with dad in law all day Saturday, then in the nursery during church sunday morning and with her uncle sunday evening for a few hours (had a TONNA church activities i was part of all 3 days).... and i said to jake that i feel bad leaving her so much those 3 days (even tho she does great with other people).. and he said, she needs that, to be independent... and i was like, you're right, thank you ... i was glad he helped me realize that... that she doesnt need me all the time, and she does well! so why worry? yay, revelation for me!

~Kat

Feeeeets!

So when Diella was born, even the first few days, she was not a huge fan of people touching her feet. Since then, she hasnt really seemed to mind, but recently, she loves those little guys! She'll play with em, she'll shove em in my face so I'll play with em, she loves when i bite em... and then just now, she was on my lap in front of the piano... so she plays it for a second then starts wiggling, i thot maybe she wanted down, but she was gettin her feet out, to play with piano with them! for real, she's using her heels to play! it was hilarious! maybe we'll work on it more & more each day and she'll become one'a those weird talent people, playin piano with the feets... ha! did i tell you how she has this goal to pick up things that are heavier than her? well, i'm kinda joking, but she loves to try and pick things up off the ground, like things you'd think would be too heavy for her... i swear its like she' s just trying to prove how strong she is... she was walking around with a adult size basketball the other day, and will pick up her Bumbo, and a half full gallon of water... she's muscle baby! oh and she likes to share! sometimes she'll hand it to you and walk away, but other times she hand it to you , and then hold her hand out for you to give it right back, like, 'ya, you cant have that, i was just showing you' heheh

~Kat

Diella & Daddy!

Jake was reading this and said, what about the things she does with daddy? He was feeling left out... and he's right... i need to include him more in this! the other night, Diella was sitting with daddy, watching TV (she doesnt pay very close attention to TV all that often, so its special when she's snuggling with dada)... and as i look at her face, it just defined contentment... you could tell she was in heaven, spending quality time with her favorite guy! then last night, i was holding her on the couch, jake next to us with laptop on his lap & she kept staring at him... he would look over, smile, say her name, give her kiss, continue his work.. then she reached for him, and not just one little arm, she like thrusted toward him like Daddy, i''m coming!!! i asked him how that feels, cuz i think thats one'a the best feelings, when you know they WANT you... only you at that moment! he of course agreed how incredible that feels! there are times when he can get her to laugh and i cant... like "zerbitting" on her belly, its no fun when momma does it, only dad! and when i get her up from her second nap each day, its usually daddy came home while she was down... then i pick her up and whisper, "guess who's here" ... and you can see the look on her face say, really? daddy!? then we enter the room he's in and every time, an immediate "Hi" and smile! Jake used to think she didnt love him, or that she barely knew him... oh she knows him and Loves him so much & so obviously! and he can tell, too! but to prove that theory wrong, when D was still in my tummy, she would move every time she heard his voice, she recognized daddy from day one! even the nurses said to Jake, "did you see her perk up when you talked?" they love each other so much, Daddy & D!

~Kat

Niw Shtuff!

I could not believe this, cuz it came outta the blue! but i was giving Diella her bath, and i always make a big deal out of ducks when we see pix of em, and i say Duck! Quack Quack! and when i did that in the tub (with her rubber ducky) she said, Ka Ka" !!!! i was like what? did you say quack quack? she goes Ka ka"!!!! she says QUACK!!! woo hoo! and she ALMOST says mama, like she's finally doing the M sound, and of course i been tryin to get her to say mama since she was BORN, but the other day it was like "momomom" ... i didnt wanna get too excited, but she's done it quite a few times since then! like this morning, i said, "Diella, say ma ma ma" she goes "Hi" and walks away, and with her back turned, she goes "momomom" .... hehe grrr!

i was sitting on the porch with her, and she goes inside... and shuts the door! like shuts me outside! so i slowly push it back open and like smile & gasp, and she cracks up and does it again! so over & over we did it, it was fun!

there's this Veggie Tales song, "Stand Up" ... (theres a million of em, and we play em all the time, and we know em ALL)... but THIS one, Every Single Time i sing this little line from it, she IMMEDIATELY dances, side to side... no matter where we are, the changing table, the floor, standing up, in the car, etc... that's her favorite! the one she recognizes right away! this other dancing thing she's been doing... oh my gosh, hilarious, gotta get it on video... like when she's excited, she'll spin in a circle, like kinda pivot on one foot all the way around, then keep going... it may not sound funny, but it IS! you gotta see this! and when she gets SO sleepy, she gets fricken hyper! like walkin so much she falls over. and she'll lay her head on my lap or chest, & then pick it right back up & then put it right back down, like over & over & at a pretty fast rate... also funny to see!

while we were outside today, this girl got so dirty, i love it! i mean, i dont want her to be all 'boy-ee' ... but dont want her to be afraid to get dirty either, go girl, have fun, get dirty! did i mention she starting playing peek-a-boo on her own with the blanket? jus did it all of a sudden one day! well this other game with the blanket we love, like i put it on her and say "Diella, hello? where'd you go? i cant find you!" and she pulls it off her head and pops out with this big smile! love that game, gotta give it a name!

oh, she LOVES to watch people jump... other kids, me... whatever.. she thinks its hilarious! like the other day, she wasnt eating very well (well, she still isnt really... she's got ear ache, boo).. but every time she took a bite, i would jump up & down and say YAY! cuz she got so excited she would take another bite, it worked... and was funny :) ...

she's been saying Hi alot, and now she does it when you put the phone up to her ear, whether or not theres someone on the other line saying it back... love that! (she & Ariaria must have planned this... see? they got on the PHONE and decided to both do it!) ...

since she's not been feeling well, she wants to be held alot, so if i'm sitting down, she'll crawl up me and wrap around my neck, and as i hold her, her legs keep going, like she's trying to get even closer! and i'm like, honey, i'm already holding you honey, you cant get up anymore" she almost fell off the other side last night, trying to continue crawling up me... hehe...

um, she's been trying lots of new foods... likes mandarin oranges, green grapes, etc. yea... she's not the best chewer tho... i gave her chic peas, she liked em, but chokes... i wanna get her on 'bigger people' foods, but she tries to swallow too soon :-/ ...

and i'm really glad she knows her name cuz i call her everything BUT Diella... like Bizook, and Doopie, and Biju, and Honey Pot Nugget Face Head... did i say that in another blog? oh well... there ya have it folks! hope you enjoyed! Now all you have to do is come see her for yourself!!! :-D

~Kat

More Silly Little Things...

ok, so when i feed Diella her puffs snacks, i usually put one in each hand and then one in her mouth, then she eats all 3 and we continue the cycle... she also takes her own bottle (like her water bottle, all the time)... so the other day i go into the living room to hand her her water bottle, but she's gotta toy in each hand, so i'm extending my arm towards her, offering the water, and waiting for her to drop the toys to grab it... but she just stands there with her mouth open, like "yeah, i want some" so i extend my arm more, and she moves her mouth closer... like "mom, not droppin these toys, gimmie the water" ... it was funny to me! (not sure how the explanation of the eating puffs thing played into that, but ok!

#2, just wanted to mention that Diella can get off the couch by herself... she lays on her belly and goes feet first to the floor... but i love when people freak about when she's about to, cuz they think she's gonna fall... but really, she's just a fricken genius! and

#3, um, when she sneezes, she thinks its funny, she laughs... and i think THAT's funny, so Ha! Enjoy your day! :-D

~Kat

Apple Blossom

those pictures on the side are taken from Apple Blossom, a festival that Winchester puts on every year... its HUGE! my sis, her husband & kids, and my parents came to visit during this weekend. We had watched the parade, and saw Jerry Rice, Fantasia Barrino, some elephants and lots more! We had lotsa fun and had just got done eating at Chilies. As we walked to the car to go home, Jake says to Jeff, 'go out for a pass' and throws him this cloth cover of Diella's that was balled up... Jeff catches it and Jake says "Jerry Rice woulda been proud" ... just then Jerry Rice walks by, on his way into Chilies, and totally heard what Jake had just said. They just smiled and nodded to each other and kept walking. One of those ironic moments you never really expect to happen for real. Then my sis freaks out, but whispering, 'you guys, serisously, thats Jerry Rice! Like from Dancing With the Stars, and football and everything, oh my gosh!' and i sarcastically shrill "oh'm'god yea! lets go get his autograph, Eeee!" .... i'm such a jerk.... it was funny tho, him walkin by just then... crazy.

go to my myspace page to see more pictures from that day! (actually go to my myspace page to see any pictures of anything from half my life & all of Diella's!) hehe

myspace.com/katherine_inaweofyou

~Kat

My Goofy Girl

ok, few things, but i'm gonna fly through em, cuz i'm ready for bed! (but dont have the patience to put these things off til tomorrow, when they're already in my head)... today, we were outside and one of our cats, Honey, walked over to Diella and sprawled out in front of her and the two acted as best friends! its just Honey doesnt usually do that with kids, and Diella sometimes has a hard time being gentle, so it was a big deal to me, but it was sweet!

#2, she got up on this stool we have, it was folded up, but securely propped up between two things, well, she's become quite the climber and got up on the stair of it... so i wondered how she was gonna get back down... so did she... so i let her try and figure it out for a while, a few times she reached for me going, 'mom, help me down?' ... so after a few minutes, i gave in, and more "showed" her how to get down, rather than doing it for her... she'll get the hang of it sooner or later...

#3, the first time she hugged me including a pat on the back, oh i melted! now she does it all the time, i absolutley LOVE it! and sometimes when she gives me a long hug, i go, "Mmmmm" and she does it back :) Love it!

#4, oh i just put my oversized sunglasses on her today, and she giggled everytime cuz she looked so Poshe in em! and the other day, she clapped with the people on the TV clapped! i was proud of her for that!

and #5, sometimes when she's standing or walking, her little arms stiffen and go straight down and then kinda bounce, seems like she's proud of herself almost... other times its when she's dancing or just excited... but the other day, when my family was in town, she was doing this, and her right arm, all stiffened up, she kept keeping behind herself... its hard to describe, she would keep it back there while she kept walking, like it was stuck, my mom & i were crackin up... i called her the Shark... like she had a fin on the back... it was funny... had to be there i guess... ok, so this blog wasnt too exciting.... i gotta get some video on here! just not sure how i'm gonna do it yet...

~Kat

Went Swimming!

My brother-in-law, Ben, lives "next door" and had a gianormous heated pool! We went over the other day, just for a quick dip... Diella has only been in a pool one other time, about 7 months ago. I havent bought 'swimmers' diapers yet, so the diaper was hilariously HUGE of course! This picture says, "ok, mom! Here's yours! I'm ready, let's go!" We both had fun! She wasnt too scared, did ok with her face going in little by little. Jake used to be a lifeguard and taught every age, even babies, how to swim, so we're eager to do some more lessons! hehe

Mischief

The other day, Diella and I had so much fun! From about 5 o clock til her bedtime, we just played and laughed! We played the game with the blanket over her head and mommy cant find her, then she pops out... I ate her toes, which she thinks is hilarious... and then I was in the kitchen doin dishes and she got into this one cupboard (I didnt mind much cuz it only has things in there like sandwich bags, tin foil, saran wrap, coffee filters, etc... ) and i look over, she's grabbed this roll of rubber grip stuff and takes it into the other room like its her best friend... i giggle, wait a few minutes, then put it back... few minutes later, i look down again, she's now begun to pull out each sandwich bag from the box, lol... so i dry off my wet hands, fix it, say 'no thank you, Diella' and continue the dishes... few minutes later, once again, i glance over, and she's gotten a hold of the tin foil wrap, pulling it off the roll, longer & longer! As i try to fight the smile from coming to my face, she holds it up to me like "look mommy!" with a huge smile on HER face... so of course i cant help but laugh! crazy how they know when they're about to get into trouble and know JUST how to get out of it too...

few more things... she used to do this gasping thing when she got excited, it was hilarious! then she didnt for a long time, and now she's started again! i love it, its like she breathes in air until she cant anymore, you gotta hear it! ...

yesterday i was doing my make up or something and she got really quiet , which usually means she's doing something she shouldnt be... when i get into that room, she's at the TOP of the stairs! she can clib those old wooden, scary stairs like its her Job! no harm done, tho, little dare devil!...

um, she's starting to nod her head 'yes' and shake her head 'no' ... this month she and I spent our first overnight without each other (i was helping on a youth convention), she did way better without me than i did without her, but the reunion was SO SWEET! ...

lately, she wraps her arms around me So tight & squeezes! it's this feeling that i Know she loves me so much! ... but sometimes when she's not happy about something, she lays on her back on the floor, its like a tantrum, only a very calm one... its like she's quietly protesting... like, "ok, i'm NOT for this, so i'm gonna lay on the floor" ... but then she's over it in seconds, hilarious... well, there's many more things even in these past few days, so i'll post again soon!

~Kat

Birthday is around the corner!

i've been meaning to make one of these for some time now, and i finally did! sorry it took me so long... let's just do real quick update, since i have 3 kids waking up from their naps right now... Diella's birthday is coming up in about 5 weeks, and we cant wait! She is so not my little baby, she's my big girl! She's growing up so fast and is so much fun! She's been walking for 2 months already! And she says Hi all the time! My favorite thing is when I go to her crib once she's woken up and she just gives me the hugest smile, and her face just lights up, and then i get the biggest hug & kiss! This girl is what makes every day worth waking up! I will add more soon, including pictures!