Reminicing...

So I've been thinking a lot lately about how big Kate is getting and how fast time goes. I can't believe she's already big enough to be crawling around the house and standing up on furniture. Not to mention throwing little tantrums when I lay her down when she doesn't want to be laying down or pick her up when she doesn't want to be picked up. But also the laughs and giggles she shares with you while you're playing with her. I was looking at some pictures from when she was first born and thought I'd share some. Some of my friends shared their birth story on their blogs so here is my long story short... I went into labor on my due date-just barely...it was midnight and just turned April 25th. I layed awake all night and finally went to the hospital at 6:30 AM. They kept me for a labor check but they sent me home because I didn't dialate anymore in the hour I was there. (with a shot of morphine to help with the pain) I finally went back to the hospital at 3:30 that afternoon. (So that was that pain they were talking about when they said you should come to the hospital!) I couldn't walk or talk I was in so much pain! Here is where the long story is cut short- Kate was born at 5:30 AM the next morning, April 26th, after 29 hours of labor and 30 minutes of pushing. What a long 29 hours! She was the most beautiful thing we'd ever seen! She weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 19 inches long. I'm not good with sharing my feelings on the blog...but all you moms out there know exactly what I was feeling when I saw her, held her, kissed her, and soothed her. She is such a blessing in our lives. I love her so much!! Here are lots of pics as I stroll down memory lane...

Kate is standing!

Kate keeps letting go of things when she stands up and I've been trying to get a picture. Tonight my dad watched Kate while I went out to dinner (actually Chuck E. Cheese's!!) with my brother and sister-in-law and he got a picture! She loves to stand up, crawl and get into EVERYTHING! I love to watch her explore. My favorite thing is to watch her dig in her toy box (an old diaper box) and pick out just the right toy to play with. I can see her thinking and deciding which one to pick! Here she is standing up like a big girl!

Christmas tree time!

Kate and I went with my family to pick out their Christmas tree. It was her first time in the snow! She had a great time!

Random pics

A random collection of pictures of Miss Kate Elizabeth...
Playing in the bathroom while I was getting her bath ready.

She's dancing with Daddy here. He was dancing to some music so she started watching him and dancing too. (bouncing up and down)





We gave Kate her baby's 1st Christmas ornament and she really liked it...even the way it tasted!

Dustin and I loved visiting with the Jones' over Thanksgiving. Here is a picture I forgot to add when I added the others.


This is me and Dustin before a wedding in the beginning of December. We don't have too many pictures of just the two of us anymore. Anyone that knew us when we were dating in high school knows we had lots and lots of pictures back then! We used to have whole albums (yes plural) full of pictures of just the two of us!

Kate's Christmas pictures

Here are a few of the pictures of Kate from her Christmas photo shoot!

Kate's new favorite things

These are two of Kate's favorite new things to do: crawl and stand. She started pulling herself up to a stand about a week ago and will not stop! She even started having trouble napping because her crib is such a fun place to play now. She loves to play and is so much fun!

"Mom, you're going to do WHAAAATTTT??"


"I'm worried about this idea..."


"Why are you touching me?"


"Owwww that hurt!!! What in the world was that?!?"


"NOOOOOO not again!"


"Yeah, you're right Mom, I do look beautiful with MY EARS PIERCED!"

Erica and I decided to get our babies' ears pierced yesterday. They were such big girls. They just cried for a minute then they were okay! And they look adorable!

Best friends

Kate was sooo excited to see her BFF Brooklyn. Justin, Erica and Brooklyn came to PA for Thanksgiving to visit family. We were so excited to see them. Kate hasn't seen her friend since they were about 3 weeks old! Here they are both happy to see each other.


But then things changed...They got a little too excited about each other. Brooklyn got Kate in the face...


So Kate retaliates.



All in all it was a good day! They had a great time playing together! We can't wait to go to Michigan to visit them sometime.

Just a few new pics

Daddy, Kate & Bud (the dog)

Kate hanging out in the bathtub

Kate has this new pose she does all the time! She gets up on her toes in her push-up position then lifts her left leg off the floor.

Here are some new pics of Kate. I finally got my camera back so new pictures galore! Plus, Kate and Dustin are both napping so I have lots of time! I love living with my brother because I always have someone around to hang out with! But this also means I don't have as much time to blog :( We are loving living here. Dustin starts a new job for the holidays on Monday. I might sub for a month, too for some extra money on the days Dustin doesn't work. It's so nice having family around. Dustin and I have taken advantage of this several times now and have gone out without Kate. We are going on a date tonight as a matter of fact...well probably a double date with Justin and Melissa which is also lots of fun. I need to take some pictures of all of us and of the pretty scenery.(I just love taking pictures of Kate all the time!) The leaves are very pretty around here! I'll post more pics soon!

Kate enjoying a cracker



Kate with her cousin Leslee


Kate with her cousin Sara


Kate with her Aunt Sharon


I love Kate's profile


Kate's new cheesy smile.


Kate is trying on a Steeler's future cheerleader hat at the store. I thought she looked really cute!