Quick Kate Update

I guess this could technically be a "13 month" post, although I am not really sure that I will continue monthly posts for Kate's second year.  However, a lot has changed in the last 3 or so weeks, so I wanted to do a quick update on what's going on.  Kate is a lot more active, and is pretty much walking 100% of the time.  She still is a little wobbly when she is tired, and has trouble going over the lips between the rooms in our house, but other than that she is good to go.  She is a lot better with shoes and outside after lots of practice.  I am most amazed by how much more she understands now.  According to my wonder weeks app she is going through the "programs" leap, and I have never noticed such a difference after a "leap" before.  It's as if she can comprehend things on a whole different level (which essentially she can).  She just "gets" things now, she is a lot more aware of what we are doing, and which cues mean something is going to happen.  She brings me her towel when she wants a bath, she gets excited and dances if we say we're going to music class, she brings me her shoes if I say we're going to go on a walk, and she loves to bring us books to read.  Just a lot of new things like that going on.  She still loves music, and will dance to anything with a beat.  We have started going to a toddler music class and she has a blast.  She loves to read and to be read to, and definitely has specific books that are her favorites - anything with animals in them.  She still loves animals in general, and has a new fondness for birds - she points at them constantly on walks.  Her newest animal sound is "moo" for a cow.  She has just recently started mimicking us more, and is starting to try and sound out words that we say.  She is very interested in learning names for things, and is picking up new signs.  Her new favorite game is to point out features on our faces (nose, eyes, lips, teeth), she has gotten the hang of saying "eyes" and loves to point and say it.  She is starting to become a little bit of a daredevil, she likes to run and jump into the dog bed and to jump off of her little chair (onto a blanket she puts in front).  She has also started walking around with blankets or tea towels over her head, which has caused her to run into things multiple times.  Our general routine hasn't really changed much in the past month, and she still sleeps really well.  Kate is going to start daycare in December so I am looking forward to that transition, and I hope she will enjoy it as much as we think she will.

Halloween

We have officially entered the stage of Kate's "seconds", meaning her second Halloween was last night.  We didn't do much, we didn't even officially trick or treat, but we dressed Kate in her costume and walked the dogs.  We didn't feel the need to go to any houses because we didn't really want her to have the candy, and we don't want the candy, but she had fun seeing all the other kids walking around. It is safe to say she really had no idea what was going on, but she loved her costume and the fact that the dogs were dressed up.  She definitely made the cutest duck I have ever seen, but I might be a little biased.

Her costume "head" would not stay up with her hair in a pony tail so I thought maybe I could braid it.  I was 1. shocked she stayed still long enough for me to do it (she was eating) and 2. that it was long enough!  But here's proof, she's really not a baby anymore.