15 weeks

it only took her fourteen weeks, six days, 12 hours, and 16 minutes, but she found it. and she loves it. oh, how she loves it. the paci has been left in the dust. she's so all about the thumb.

she's also so all about the daddy. he's been able to induce several lengthy bouts of giggles. there's pretty much nothing better than watching the two of them together.

we're so all about her, the sweet little lamb.

a hair-y situation

boy do we have one.

jared may officially be a better parent than i am. he feels very protective of our little cupcate and doesn't like for me to direct attention to the little one's sit. i, however, feel the need to record this moment in time for posterity. so that we can tell her about it later in life since she will have no memory of it. i can hear us now. it will go something like this: "hey, beautiful daughter, there was this one time when you lost all of the hair on the left side and crown of your head. but you still had hair on the back, front, and right side. it was really odd and highly entertaining. dad thought you looked like one of the last of the mohicans.
mom thought you looked like sonya tayeh of so you think you can dance fame.
you were still the cutest baby we'd ever seen."

it is true.

Miscellany

i really wasn't prepared for how having a baby would completely heighten the senses. i am so tuned in for the sound of her cry that sometimes i think i hear it when she's not even around. like when i'm in a meeting in a conference room at work. i'll think, "is that cate crying in the hall?" it completely weirds me out when i am driving in my car, looking in my rear view and her precious little face is not reflected back at me in her car seat mirror. i am jolted every single time it happens. isn't it funny that someone who has only been around for 3 months is such a integral part of my scene?

at no time are the senses as heightened as during a dirty diaper "event." first you see her tiny head become very still as her eyes widen, jaw clenches, and face reddens. she holds one hand in a fist with other placed over the top, like the world's smallest martial artist, and squeezes them tightly. her neck begins to stretch and wiggle simultaneously with the overwhelming effort she's exerting. next you hear the unmistakable warning rumble deep within the tiny belly followed by what sounds like an ice cream cone falling onto hot summer cement--spppllllatttt. and oh the smells you smell. that's all we'll say about that. then there's the intense adrenaline rush you feel during your flight to the changing pad in attempt to avoid fighting stains on her clothes (and possibly yours) should the poop containment system fail. as far as touch and taste go, you might do both if you don't time the diaper removal and replacement exactly right. all together now, "eeeeeeewwwwwwww."

if you know a new mom who isn't opposed to reading materials featuring the frequent appearance of the f word and repeated references to the villainy (in her opinion, for our republican readers) of former president george w. bush, gift her with anne lamott's book operating instructions: a journal of my son's first year. my friend ashley gave it to me this week and i am so sad when i have to put it down. she's alternately breathtakingly honest and completely hilarious about some of the really hard parts of parenting a newborn. every time i read one of her memoirs, i am challenged to pay attention to the smallest of moments. she reminds me that God is indeed in the details. she also reminds me how blessed we are by cate's "tribe." the people who will surround her with love and support for the rest of her life. thank you for being a tribe member.

i also wanted to extend a couple of invitations.
1. this blog will be, in essence, cate's baby book. if you have photos, memories or stories you would like to share, i would love for you to serve as a guest blogger. you can email me at julibuchanan@hotmail.com and i'll post it for you.
2. better yet, if you read this blog regularly, consider becoming a follower. it's easy. just click on the button to the right of this post that says, "Follow." If you already have a gmail, hotmail or yahoo email account, you can enter it. If you don't just click on "Don't have any of these? Create a new Google Account" at the bottom of the screen and follow the instructions to get set up. as a follower, you will be able to post anytime you choose. if you need assistance, i am happy to help.

cate's favorite song right now is "old mccater had a farm." every time i sing the "e-i-e-i" part i have a deep-seated hope that's she'll join in on the "o." all in good time.

three months

happy birthday, dear catherine gray-ace. happy birthday to you!


i dressed her in my very favorite newborn size sleep-n-play for her 3 month pics because she is too long to wear it much longer. if you couldn't tell, it is pink leopard print with tiny kitten faces on the feet. it is monogrammed with "i'm purrrrfect." get it? leopard print, kittens, purr?

thank goodness i also bought it in the next larger size. hee hee! if she's wearing one when she leaves for college, we may have a problem.


i asked j what he wanted us to remember about baby cate at 3 months. he said he wanted to remember that she threw her biggest fit so far today. she screamed so loudly for so long that she made herself choke a little bit. she subsequently drank her first ice cold bottle on her 3 month birthday. she didn't complain.

i would like to remember something more pleasant. for the past 2 days instead of waking up to a crying baby, we've been roused gently by tiny, dulcet coos. it is so sweet to listen to her babbling away happily, patiently waiting for the first bottle of the morning. when we finally peeked over the side of the crib, she greeted us with the widest smile you've ever seen. talk about melting hearts.

she broke out a new trick this week. when she's done with tummy time, she can flip herself onto her back. she flips so quickly she startles herself.

i know i say this in every post, but we are so very thankful she was born 3 months ago!

12 weeks

Some highlights from the last 2 weeks:

a picnic in the park with ashley, charlie and olivia. cate loves her friends from olton.
a super fun visit from the ohio grands. little c got lots of love from grandpa and grandma. they even kept her overnight so the padres could get some extra sleep. and guess what, i survived! they brought j's mother goose book with them for a bedtime story.
cate was totally engrossed in the experience. i am glad she can't understand the words yet though. the full mother goose version of little bo peep is seriously disturbing. i wish i didn't know what happened to those lost sheep. yikes!
grandpa is doing his best to indoctrinate what he hopes will be a future yankee fan.
cate hung out with her sweet cousin wyatt. she l-o-v-e-d him. who wouldn't?
cate gained 1 pound and 3 ounces in one week after switching to formula. woo hoo!
she also had her first real deal holyfield laugh this week. who knew tar balls were so funny?
she gets cuter every single day.