So Cute, Its Not Fair

Honestly, is it really fair? Our little Kate is as cute as can be, and she has amazing parents too!

A couple of days ago, Devoted Wife and I noticed evidence that Kate had listened to her pediatrician and had started to put on a few ounces. She was starting to develop the trademark chubby cheeks that have adorned most babies in my family. So before she completely lost the "newborn look", we decided to put our ancient digital camera to the test (yes, "ancient" is a relative term when speaking of digital imaging) . . . it was time for the obligatory baby photo shoot. We dressed her up, put a bow on her head, and propped her up into all sorts of uncomfortable positions so we could take a few shots. As I've said before, what good are kids if you can't derive some personal amusement out of them?

She, of course, tried to foil our plan by immediately going to sleep. So a number of our best shots are of her sleeping. One of my favorites:

My mom headed back home on Friday morning, leaving Devoted Wife and I alone with Kate. Initially, we weren't sure if that was legal, as neither DW nor I had been certified in baby care. But the Baby Police haven't come to haul us away yet, and we seem to be doing OK so far. We learned that Kate loves walks, at least as long as you keep the stroller moving. Hitting the bumps only seems to help keep her content, so I aimed for every rock and crack in the sidewalk I could find. When we stopped and sat on a park bench, she impatiently advised us to keep moving. We of course immediately obliged. Now I'm starting to see who's really in charge here.

She is becoming quite demanding. Sometimes she'll cry even though her diaper is clean, she's just eaten her fill and there is no real reason to cry, except that she just wants to be held. We've discovered that we can sometimes fool her by putting her in the vibrating swing -- the rocking and vibrations work for a while until she opens her eyes and realizes that she's been snookered.

The strong winds in the area have combined with the dry weather to produce red flag fire conditions. We're right between a couple of fires, and while there is no immediate danger the fires are close enough to make us cautious. I'll post later tonight or tomorrow with more information about the fires.

Thanks to all who have called or emailed with well wishes about Kate's arrival. We're hoping to see you all soon and introduce you to the new shot caller in our family.