Another Milestone!

I'm sooo getting more of my way now. Having learnt the word 'please', I'm getting all sorts of action! A chocolate santa for breakfast (once), lots of 'pick-up' time, candy canes off the Christmas tree and so on.

Stringing two words together now is my latest 'thing'/milestone. 'Yes Please' seems to be the biggest hit, 'Up Please' works a treat and I'm cool with 'One More' too. 'Bye-bye Dada' gets me a huge smile and yet why 'Peas Please' gets a giggle, I don't know!

Christmas is over now and the one we had at home was apparently 'very casual, very quiet and cruisie'. I love my presents - though opening them got spun out over 3 days! Cool though, I've given them all heaps of time - except the new pool...no sun! Thanks so much to everyone who introduced me to the world of presents. I got the hang of it VERY quickly! Mum says sorry to everyone for the absence of Christmas cards this year...they ended up in the too-hard/ran-out-time basket. We'll make up for it next Christmas...with luck!

Okay - that's it for now.
See you next year!
From the 19 month old...

PS: to see my updated online photo album: CLICK HERE

I'm 18 Months Old Now!

Hi everyone!
I've just turned 18 months old and I've pretty much sussed out life now. I've only got Mum and Dada to myself for just a few weeks more though, because before I'm 20 months old, I'll have a brother or sister! Mum can't wait!!

Right now, life's all about dolls, my teddy and blankets. If I can't find a blanket, a tea-towel will do and since I haven't got a cot or a buggy for them, drawers and baskets will do too.

Music is such a cool part of my life now and I've got several 'moves' - I'm even getting the hang of the bird dance! I'm into Twinkle Twinkle little star too, which has actions and the moon? It's like WOW!

Mum's given up on keeping track of all the words I know for things too now - and has even thrown away new sign language, because of it. The thing I love doing the most at the moment is saying 'Hello?' to everyone - and I get the best reactions to this at the supermarket. Dad reckons I say it like everyone's my long lost friend and I'm sooo happy to see them. Bye-bye is also a big favourite and gets lots of smiles everywhere!

I'm now into pretend play big time - not just with the doll, but for eating, drinking, washing my hands too. Though Mum wished I'd just pretend to pick flowers instead of picking all the red petunias though - and soon too, strawberries. Sadly though, I get all rashy after eating tomatoes and strawberries, so much to my frustration, they're off my menu. Watermelon and apricots arent' though - and I've discovered corn on the cob...it's fantastic!

It's been a great few months... I've got 12 teeth now; I run everywhere; I'm understood most of the time when I express what I want; water and bubbles keep me happy for ages and I'm big time into aeroplanes too! I got to go on several recently for a trip down to family and friends in the South Island...and sometimes even aeroplane food into my mouth when I feel like it - not that Mum or Dad have done that with me...!

Okay - next update will be about Christmas time.
Meanwhile though, see my updated photo website!
Bye! Love Katelyn...18 months old.

Gym Class Rocks!

It pays to climb and make your Mum nervous! I now get to go to gym classes for a real 'burn out', once a week. The funny thing is though, Mum reckons she's just as knackered as I am, after our 45 minute class! It's a cool class though. There's a music and movement session that starts and ends the session, with loads of 'circuits' in between.

I'm 15 months old here and life's got more freedom than ever now that the weather's warmed up. I've learnt that if I get my 'acket' (jacket), or 'at' (hat) and 'ooze' (shoes), and take it to Mum - she gets the message that I'm wanting out! Easy as!!

I'm into knowing exactly where the biscuits are (at my house and the nana's houses); I can spoonfeed myself breakfast and dinner, I love drawing (have only done it once on the wall...so far), and thoroughly enjoy being outside. I love feeding the chooks, and peas, grapes and eggs are my all time favourite foods. The chooks by the way, have been banished to a lockup - and 4/5 times I get home safely without breaking an egg (we get 4-5-6 a day, so I'm allowed to practice...well, sometimes).

Chook Chook Chook!

Mum's cranky. The chooks hatched from my great-grandad McKinnon eggs have out-smarted Mum & Dad. They have found their way to our house, from 'their home' 300m away. First, they did my Grandad Gibson's head in as they attacked his garden and now that we have them, they're back in the bad books!

But I love them! I can't see what Mum's fussing about - it's not like they've dug up the daffodils, or taken off with a gumboot. I guess maybe, it's got something to do with the amount of time Mum's washing down the concrete and grabbing me away from some seriously interesting goo on the lawn... Now though, she's taken to throwing water at them! Apparently that'll scare them from around our house.

Meanwhile though, at 14.5 months old, I'm all into ducks, cows, dogs and chooks. So much so that when Mum sings Old MacDonald I'm giving the 'sound' I want for the 'next verse' she swings into - just so she knows what animal I want Old MacD to have addressed next. Such is life...at least when I'm not climbing and freaking Mum out that I'll be the next kid off to hospital with broken bones, that is!!

By the way...I'm going to be getting a little brother or sister after Christmas! Maybe end of January/beginning of February. Then, I suppose, I'll start hearing the word "Gentle..." in my sleep, forever.

A Year Old Now

Mum & Dad have survived a whole year with me now - and some... Right now, I'm 13.5 months old (although the picture here was taken on my birthday).

I'm full on walking now, having got that sussed within two weeks of my birthday. Mum doesn't even bother too much with taking the buggy to town now!

I've learnt several new words now - eyes, boo, go, dirty, teddy, raisins, rascal, car, nana, dinna (dinner), na (no), 'acta' (tractor), 'atch' (catch), 'ohwl' (bowl), 'ook (look) and the run-together sound of 'ereooah' (here you are). 'Naana' (banana) is usually the first word of the day, after I've moo'ed at the bulls and gone 'uck-uck' to the chooks.

I apparently put my Mum in an awkward position up the street last week though with one word... As we're walking along the path, we come across two 50'ish year old guys who were leaning on a wall talking to each other. I stopped and called out 'Dad-da!' The guys looked a little startled and Mum fumbled out the line 'sorry - new word' before whisking me off!!

Reading books is a hit now. I ask for the 'quack quack' and the 'giddy-up' book heaps. Mum thinks she even reads them in her sleep! Going outside is something I wish I could do all the time. Daycare's cool though, I go there a couple of times a week and I'm going back to playcentre on Friday's too. So, plenty to do!

Life's a whole lot busier now!

Life has just got a whole lot busier. Now that I can almost walk, I've thrown everything from the unsecured bag of icing sugar, to the contents of the plastics cupboard to the floor. I can stand on my own for up to maybe 10 seconds and walk around whatever's possible. I'm into riding around in the wheelbarrow, standing at the piano and giving it 'what for', through to just loving being outside.

My dad says that I'm very busy, very happy and that there's just so much to do everyday! I just want to do everything - anything! When Mum rakes up the grass and piles it on me while I'm in the wheelbarrow - or when shifting dirt up the drive way, I just love it!

In the bath the other day, I learnt how to wash my own tummy. The next day, Mum didn't give any action signs for doing the same thing - just talked it through and all was cool - I knew what to do. Brushing my own hair's almost a go'er... When Mum muttered something about 'where are your socks', I figured out the deal, found them, held them up to her and knew to say 'ta?'.

Mum's work's just got a whole lot busier and Godmother Kate, who normally looks after me is 'down south', so I've soooo enjoyed a couple of Day Care sessions too. There's just soo much to do! Music, things to climb all over - and even a trampoline at one of them! I'm done with afternoon sleeps though, but its okay...I'm into sleeping 13 hours at night now, so I make up for it. Next up ...watch this space! I'll be back when I'm a 1 year old... Just two weeks away! Til then, doh...I've lost my sock - where is it?! Some babies have 'cuddlies' - leave a sock lying around instead and I'm cool with that - it'll do great!

PS: See my Flickr site...it's been updated

It's All Good Fun

Life is such good fun. My mum has this thing about underestimation... She's come to the conclusion that she has sooo underestimated what little people like me can do. So, finally, I've been given a little more rope, scope and hope.

One great realisation is that Mum's learnt that I really only need to be shown something once and then I've usually got the hang of it. Like playing the piano. I know you play the middle, the lower and higher end. I know you can play black and white keys. I know that turning the page in a book is also part of it. I got lucky one day and was able to copy what I'd seen!

The biggest stunner for Mum and Dad recently, was a kiss. I planted one on Mum one morning in bed and she told me to 'give Dad a kiss' - so I did! I've learnt to baby sign a bit too. Especially the sign for more and drink.

My greatest moments at the moment, are when I'm flipped backwards, upside down and do anything that has now endeared me to start going to Baby Gym! Am I walking? Watch this space...word is out that I'll be walking within the next few weeks. Am I talking? (Ba)nana, Dad-dad, Mum and Ta. Okay - that's me! 10 months, 3 weeks old.

I'm on the way to turning into a ONE YEAR old soon! I already eat how that age does - I'm soooo not into mush, it's nothing like what Mum and Dad eat! Mind you, everything I touch is still worth taste-testing. I 've grossed Mum out twice so far...I've eaten a dead fly and a dead moth. If Mum doesn't want me to eat them, then she shouldn't mess around with the 'I should vacuum' lines, but just do it!

The latest buzz in my life right now is my new house. The grass is green as green and spongey! It's soooo good to crawl on. I crawl from one end of the section to the other and from one end of the house to the other... and yes...almost scull a cup of water afterwards. I'm into waving, pointing, playing ta, peek-a-boo, kissing and pushing buttons on toys to make them play music. I love water, saying Daddad and going Mmmm when I get something I love to eat, which is stuff like yoghurt, fruit, and meat and gravy.

I got to be able to celebrate the first really official Children's Day in NZ too - big time. All my (antenatal) classmates got the invite to come out and party with me, last weekend. We had mums, dads and babies sleeping everywhere, including inside tents! Mind you, I got dumped in my portacot in Mum & Dads room, and my classmate Anya got my bed, while her parents parked up on my cousin Sam's sofa that we've inherited for a bit. Hmmm! And Anya didn't even sleep much! Okay...one day I'll think that's funny.

I've update my profile here, so check out my stats from Plunket. Also, my photo site is up to date too. Sorry for the delay. Fill out the blogarithm on the right and then you'll get an email alert everytime we update this. It'll save you checking and checking - and then giving up. Though Mum promises to be better at this - she's into blogging more now, with her work stuff, so her blogging headspace is stacks better. Okay...til next time - bye!!