Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
things I don't want to forget...
this post is going to be BORING for everyone but me, and maybe people who REALLY REALLY love us. don't say I didn't warn you. I have a list of things that I want to write down that cate said/did that is not getting written down. if I just sit here and type it out it will actually get done and be recorded. so, really this post is for me more than anything. :) Although, if you decide to skip most of it, make sure you read the story at the bottom from this weekend (starts at "Almost done".) Pretty dang funny.
before I start the list, anna was SO CUTE this morning. I can't believe how much she was "talking" laying in bed next to me. it was crazy! then cate came in with us - it was so fun cuddling with the two girls in bed, esp with anna so animated. also, anna can really hold her head up now - it's amazing. I really feel like she perfected that ability overnight. sunday we started noticing her holding it up for long periods of time...and now she's a champ. so cute, but it sure does make her seem older. not so floppy anymore. kind of sad, but of course happy too.
okay, here is my list of stuff I need to remember. promise the next post will have pictures and maybe more current material! :)
- setting the stage: cate and I went to the dry cleaners last march to get some stuff cleaned, including her car seat cover. 7 or 8 months later she and I are driving to music class...there's a dry cleaners near there, a totally different dry cleaners, mind you. as we pull up to the plaza cate says, "there's the dry cleaners where they clean my car seat." it was so crazy that she knew it was a dry cleaners!!!
- setting the stage: there is never any parking in our lot anymore because of this new apartment complex next to us - it's really frustrating, those residents park in our lot all the time, we can't ever find spots, etc. okay, here's the real story - cate and I were, again, on our way to music class. I needed to pick up stamps at the post office. we were on a very tight schedule. we get to the post office and it's closed b/c their credit card machine was broken. I was so annoyed - hello, doesn't cash work anymore? okay, so I really did remain calm but I said, "oh cate, that is so frustrating...I don't know why they're closed. what are we going to do? this is so frustrating." so, we go back to the car and we're on the road and cate says, "you get mad at everything, mom." WHAT?!?! so, I think she's going to talk about the post office but instead she says, "there aren't any parking spots, and they don't have passes." it was SOOOOO FUNNY. moral of the story - I'm working at not getting "mad at everything." :)
- Oh that story reminds me...cate always asks us, "Are you a little bit frustrated?" or "Is that a little bit frustrating?" It's the cutest thing. Although, the other night I was calling her Silly Sally over and over, b/c it makes her mad, which is funny. Then Cate said, "I'm a little bit frustrated with Mom."
- This goes WAY back...Cate's 1st successful potty experience was November 30, 2006. Meant to put that in the baby book. Hasn't happened yet. Funny enough she didn't actually get potty trained until January 2008! :)
- The Maynards always have chinese food for Xmas Eve, a tradition we've continued. This past christmas after we were done with dinner we were reading our fortunes. Cate picks up her fortune from her cookie and reads it as follows: "Watched Winnie the Pooh, that was my job, and I got a little sister." Pretty good fortune for a 3 year old! :)
- November 2007: Cate has the hiccups. she comes in and says "I don't want to do the hiccups."
- November 2007: Thumper is one of her favorite stuffed animals and Debbie is her baby doll. "Thumper doesn't poop. His bum doesn't work. Debbie's bum doesn't work either."
- November 2007: Anne is visiting, and we're watching Project Runway. Cate has seen probably about 5 minutes of it. Suddenly she says, "I want to be like a perfect model." WHAT THE?!?! Then she starts doing a catwalk, seriously one foot in front of the other, back and forth across the apartment. Wow, she picked up on that pretty quick! Anne and I must have been discussing who was going to win b/c Cate at one point turns to Nate and says, "Who's gonna win, Dad?" So funny. By the way, Nate does a pretty mean catwalk himself. ;)
- November 2007: We were trying to decide where to go out for dinner with Anne. Nate asks Cate, "Where's your favorite place to eat?" Cate replies, "On the table." (as opposed to the highchair, of course!)
- Cate had me listening to Christmas songs as early as the beginning of November. I don't even know how she knew what they are. It was fun, though. At night we only let her listen to "sleepy songs" - if we put in music she really likes she's stay up. Kurt Bestor became the Christmas music option at night - sleepy christmas music. We were in the car and I just wanted to listen to Kurt Bestor, calm. Cate says, "Not sleepy christmas songs! With singing!" I was never allowed to listen to Christmas songs without words in the car.
ALMOST DONE...
This weekend my Aunt Barbara spent a night with us. When we got to the apartment, I had to go out and get more bags out of the car, so Cate gave Barb the grand tour of the place. It went down something like this:
Cate and Barb enter Cate's room.
C: "This is where I sleep" pointing to her big girl bed
B: "Is this where Anna sleeps?" pointing to the crib
C: "No, Anna sleeps in here." Takes Barbara to our room, shows her the Pack N Play.
C: "That's where Mommy sleeps, and Daddy sleeps out here" taking her out to show Barb the couch.
UH-OH. The secret's out! Jane and Nate are sleeping in separate rooms! Oh no! Should we get them in counseling?!?!
B: "Why does your Daddy sleep out here?"
C: "Because Anna wakes him up."
PHEW. The REAL truth comes out. No worries, everyone. Nate and I are JUST fine and very happy - he just needs sleep while he finishes up the dissertation. Promise! :)
before I start the list, anna was SO CUTE this morning. I can't believe how much she was "talking" laying in bed next to me. it was crazy! then cate came in with us - it was so fun cuddling with the two girls in bed, esp with anna so animated. also, anna can really hold her head up now - it's amazing. I really feel like she perfected that ability overnight. sunday we started noticing her holding it up for long periods of time...and now she's a champ. so cute, but it sure does make her seem older. not so floppy anymore. kind of sad, but of course happy too.
okay, here is my list of stuff I need to remember. promise the next post will have pictures and maybe more current material! :)
- setting the stage: cate and I went to the dry cleaners last march to get some stuff cleaned, including her car seat cover. 7 or 8 months later she and I are driving to music class...there's a dry cleaners near there, a totally different dry cleaners, mind you. as we pull up to the plaza cate says, "there's the dry cleaners where they clean my car seat." it was so crazy that she knew it was a dry cleaners!!!
- setting the stage: there is never any parking in our lot anymore because of this new apartment complex next to us - it's really frustrating, those residents park in our lot all the time, we can't ever find spots, etc. okay, here's the real story - cate and I were, again, on our way to music class. I needed to pick up stamps at the post office. we were on a very tight schedule. we get to the post office and it's closed b/c their credit card machine was broken. I was so annoyed - hello, doesn't cash work anymore? okay, so I really did remain calm but I said, "oh cate, that is so frustrating...I don't know why they're closed. what are we going to do? this is so frustrating." so, we go back to the car and we're on the road and cate says, "you get mad at everything, mom." WHAT?!?! so, I think she's going to talk about the post office but instead she says, "there aren't any parking spots, and they don't have passes." it was SOOOOO FUNNY. moral of the story - I'm working at not getting "mad at everything." :)
- Oh that story reminds me...cate always asks us, "Are you a little bit frustrated?" or "Is that a little bit frustrating?" It's the cutest thing. Although, the other night I was calling her Silly Sally over and over, b/c it makes her mad, which is funny. Then Cate said, "I'm a little bit frustrated with Mom."
- This goes WAY back...Cate's 1st successful potty experience was November 30, 2006. Meant to put that in the baby book. Hasn't happened yet. Funny enough she didn't actually get potty trained until January 2008! :)
- The Maynards always have chinese food for Xmas Eve, a tradition we've continued. This past christmas after we were done with dinner we were reading our fortunes. Cate picks up her fortune from her cookie and reads it as follows: "Watched Winnie the Pooh, that was my job, and I got a little sister." Pretty good fortune for a 3 year old! :)
- November 2007: Cate has the hiccups. she comes in and says "I don't want to do the hiccups."
- November 2007: Thumper is one of her favorite stuffed animals and Debbie is her baby doll. "Thumper doesn't poop. His bum doesn't work. Debbie's bum doesn't work either."
- November 2007: Anne is visiting, and we're watching Project Runway. Cate has seen probably about 5 minutes of it. Suddenly she says, "I want to be like a perfect model." WHAT THE?!?! Then she starts doing a catwalk, seriously one foot in front of the other, back and forth across the apartment. Wow, she picked up on that pretty quick! Anne and I must have been discussing who was going to win b/c Cate at one point turns to Nate and says, "Who's gonna win, Dad?" So funny. By the way, Nate does a pretty mean catwalk himself. ;)
- November 2007: We were trying to decide where to go out for dinner with Anne. Nate asks Cate, "Where's your favorite place to eat?" Cate replies, "On the table." (as opposed to the highchair, of course!)
- Cate had me listening to Christmas songs as early as the beginning of November. I don't even know how she knew what they are. It was fun, though. At night we only let her listen to "sleepy songs" - if we put in music she really likes she's stay up. Kurt Bestor became the Christmas music option at night - sleepy christmas music. We were in the car and I just wanted to listen to Kurt Bestor, calm. Cate says, "Not sleepy christmas songs! With singing!" I was never allowed to listen to Christmas songs without words in the car.
ALMOST DONE...
This weekend my Aunt Barbara spent a night with us. When we got to the apartment, I had to go out and get more bags out of the car, so Cate gave Barb the grand tour of the place. It went down something like this:
Cate and Barb enter Cate's room.
C: "This is where I sleep" pointing to her big girl bed
B: "Is this where Anna sleeps?" pointing to the crib
C: "No, Anna sleeps in here." Takes Barbara to our room, shows her the Pack N Play.
C: "That's where Mommy sleeps, and Daddy sleeps out here" taking her out to show Barb the couch.
UH-OH. The secret's out! Jane and Nate are sleeping in separate rooms! Oh no! Should we get them in counseling?!?!
B: "Why does your Daddy sleep out here?"
C: "Because Anna wakes him up."
PHEW. The REAL truth comes out. No worries, everyone. Nate and I are JUST fine and very happy - he just needs sleep while he finishes up the dissertation. Promise! :)
Saturday, February 09, 2008
funny cate...
Cate's gotten a bit pickier with her food the last few months. Pretty frustrating at dinner time. She's been GREAT the last 2 weeks. Last night she helped me make margherita pizza, which she has gobbled up in the past. Of course when the pizza was in front of her she took EVERYTHING off the top and just ate the crust. I kept asking her to please eat some of the cheese, cheese she ate tons of before it was cooked! After yet another plea to eat some cheese Cate simply said, "Stop whining, Mom."

This morning Cate and I were teaching Dad how to make her bed (she has new bedding). At the end she said, "That just makes sense." Where do they get these phrases?!?!
Just now I told Cate I was going to go take a shower, so she'd know where I was. She says, "Okay, Mom. Let me know when you need me, okay?" I just said, "Okay" and laughed. Then while I'm in the shower she pokes her head in and says, "Are you alright, Mommy?" "Yes, Cate. I'm alright. Thank you!" "Okay." I guess she was worried I didn't know what I was doing.

This morning Cate and I were teaching Dad how to make her bed (she has new bedding). At the end she said, "That just makes sense." Where do they get these phrases?!?!
Just now I told Cate I was going to go take a shower, so she'd know where I was. She says, "Okay, Mom. Let me know when you need me, okay?" I just said, "Okay" and laughed. Then while I'm in the shower she pokes her head in and says, "Are you alright, Mommy?" "Yes, Cate. I'm alright. Thank you!" "Okay." I guess she was worried I didn't know what I was doing.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Quiet Day at Home
The last 8 weeks have been so nice...just relaxing at home with the girls most days. I need to start exercising again and freelance work is starting to pick up, but I still feel calm and happy with these two cuties. Today was a nice quiet day - Anna's slept a lot.

Cate & I spent the morning making valentine's cards. I took WAY too many pictures of that process, but here's my favorite.

Funny things Cate has said recently:
- At dinner Cate says to Nate: "You're a good boy." She said this with complete seriousness.
- My friend Lindsay stopped by yesterday with her 10-mo old son Seth. Cate didn't want him playing with ANY of her stuff. Near the end of the visit Cate says to Lindsay, "You need to go home now." Nice. While pointing at innocent and well-behave Seth, "That boy is too crazy." Double nice.
- Cate wanted me to help her do something the other day that I had told her she could do by herself. She followed me into the other room and said, "Pull up my pants!" I said, "You can do it, Cate!" to which she responded, "I don't have time for this." I wonder where she got that from...
- Yesterday she told me, "Making messes is my favorite thing! So! So! So!"
- As I was typing this post Cate came walking in the room with the phone. She says, "Mommy, she wants to talk to you." she hands me the phone - and sure enough there's someone on the other end! Luckily it was Aunt Barbara and not a client! :) Apparently Cate turned the phone on, but she never said anything...just brought it to me. So funny. That is the first time she's ever answered it, so I guess she's still figuring out the finer points.
- Cate to mom: "My belly is so big! Just like yours, mommy!" Give me a break, kid! It's only been 8 weeks!
- The other afternoon Cate and I went out to the park, but none of her friends were there, which kinda bummed her out. But we stayed out and played anyway. Then her friend Hannah came out...Cate ran towards her exclaiming, "Oh Hannah!! I know you would come!!" It was quite the reunion and so cute.
Anna is smiling back at us so much now! And starting to really try to make noises. It's SO STINKIN' CUTE. Newborns are the best.

Cate & I spent the morning making valentine's cards. I took WAY too many pictures of that process, but here's my favorite.

Funny things Cate has said recently:
- At dinner Cate says to Nate: "You're a good boy." She said this with complete seriousness.
- My friend Lindsay stopped by yesterday with her 10-mo old son Seth. Cate didn't want him playing with ANY of her stuff. Near the end of the visit Cate says to Lindsay, "You need to go home now." Nice. While pointing at innocent and well-behave Seth, "That boy is too crazy." Double nice.
- Cate wanted me to help her do something the other day that I had told her she could do by herself. She followed me into the other room and said, "Pull up my pants!" I said, "You can do it, Cate!" to which she responded, "I don't have time for this." I wonder where she got that from...
- Yesterday she told me, "Making messes is my favorite thing! So! So! So!"
- As I was typing this post Cate came walking in the room with the phone. She says, "Mommy, she wants to talk to you." she hands me the phone - and sure enough there's someone on the other end! Luckily it was Aunt Barbara and not a client! :) Apparently Cate turned the phone on, but she never said anything...just brought it to me. So funny. That is the first time she's ever answered it, so I guess she's still figuring out the finer points.
- Cate to mom: "My belly is so big! Just like yours, mommy!" Give me a break, kid! It's only been 8 weeks!
- The other afternoon Cate and I went out to the park, but none of her friends were there, which kinda bummed her out. But we stayed out and played anyway. Then her friend Hannah came out...Cate ran towards her exclaiming, "Oh Hannah!! I know you would come!!" It was quite the reunion and so cute.
Anna is smiling back at us so much now! And starting to really try to make noises. It's SO STINKIN' CUTE. Newborns are the best.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
anna louisa
Sunday, January 20, 2008
cute anna
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Who are these girls?
The situation: Nate watching a college football game. Cate walks in, looks at the TV and sees a shot of the cheerleaders on the sidelines. In a very cute, innocent, excited little voice she says...
"Look! It's Daddy's ballerinas!!"

That's right folks, these girls are Daddy's ballerinas. In-ter-es-ting...
(note - I am in no way pledging allegiance to USC...they simply have a monopoly on all decent football cheerleading pictures on Google images...seriously, I even tried searching specifically for UCSD, Stanford, UofU...USC kept popping up...what the?)
"Look! It's Daddy's ballerinas!!"

That's right folks, these girls are Daddy's ballerinas. In-ter-es-ting...
(note - I am in no way pledging allegiance to USC...they simply have a monopoly on all decent football cheerleading pictures on Google images...seriously, I even tried searching specifically for UCSD, Stanford, UofU...USC kept popping up...what the?)
Friday, January 18, 2008
Milestones...
Anna Louisa turned 1 month old on Wednesday! That went so fast...just can't believe it. She's started the month out with a healthy report from the doctor (50th percentile for height and weight and all looks good!), a few smiles here and there, and lots of cute cooing noises. :) As you can see from the picture, her first month of growing really wore her out.

This past month has been a big month of changes for Cate. Thankfully she is adjusting to everything very well. I was a little anxious for her, but she really is doing so great. Okay, here are the changes: 1) Baby sister born 1 week before Christmas and the day before her 3rd birthday. 2) Cate starts going to Primary (for those of you who don't know what that is...Primary is where the 3-12 year olds go during Sunday School time at church). No more nursery for our big girl! 3) Cate gets potty trained. She's doing awesome at it, by the way! 4) Cate gets a big girl bed. 5) First haircut! Yup, she's NEVER had scissors touch her hair until yesterday...and the only reason it even happened now is because her ends were pretty dry. Just a trim and a little layering to keep those curls bouncing!
Seriously, that is a LOT for a little 3 year old to deal with...but like I said, she's been great. Here she is with our friend Brittany, who cut Cate's hair.


Cate with her new bed...she's saying "I'm a big girl" here. :)

Anna's political savvy has started young...

...but her taste in adventure flicks is a little scary. Conan the Barbarian? Really, Anna?

Cate's sense of style is very fine tuned...jeepers. When we took Anna to the doctor this week, I got Cate dressed, did her hair, she was looking pretty cute. We get out to the car and I look at her...she's moved her headband down so it goes across her forehead and she's wearing the craziest rainbow baseball cap ever. It was really funny. And I realized the other day the quantity of Cate laundry has decreased lately...only because she just wants to wear her nightgowns and summer dresses ALL THE TIME ("so I can spin, mommy"). Anyway, here's a sampling...

I've been meaning to compare baby pictures between Anna and Cate. With each day Anna looks less and less like Cate. She definitely has her own look about her. Here they both are on Christmas morning the year they were born...1 week old. First Cate...

Here's Anna. Funny to notice...Cate has a hat and is laying on a blanket, to protect her from that very dangerous floor. Poor second child...parents totally unconcerned for her health and safety ;)

And here they both are around 2 weeks old...Cate on left, Anna right.

Kind of hard to tell in these pictures...I'll try to get a good comparison shot in the next few weeks. :)

This past month has been a big month of changes for Cate. Thankfully she is adjusting to everything very well. I was a little anxious for her, but she really is doing so great. Okay, here are the changes: 1) Baby sister born 1 week before Christmas and the day before her 3rd birthday. 2) Cate starts going to Primary (for those of you who don't know what that is...Primary is where the 3-12 year olds go during Sunday School time at church). No more nursery for our big girl! 3) Cate gets potty trained. She's doing awesome at it, by the way! 4) Cate gets a big girl bed. 5) First haircut! Yup, she's NEVER had scissors touch her hair until yesterday...and the only reason it even happened now is because her ends were pretty dry. Just a trim and a little layering to keep those curls bouncing!
Seriously, that is a LOT for a little 3 year old to deal with...but like I said, she's been great. Here she is with our friend Brittany, who cut Cate's hair.


Cate with her new bed...she's saying "I'm a big girl" here. :)

Anna's political savvy has started young...

...but her taste in adventure flicks is a little scary. Conan the Barbarian? Really, Anna?

Cate's sense of style is very fine tuned...jeepers. When we took Anna to the doctor this week, I got Cate dressed, did her hair, she was looking pretty cute. We get out to the car and I look at her...she's moved her headband down so it goes across her forehead and she's wearing the craziest rainbow baseball cap ever. It was really funny. And I realized the other day the quantity of Cate laundry has decreased lately...only because she just wants to wear her nightgowns and summer dresses ALL THE TIME ("so I can spin, mommy"). Anyway, here's a sampling...

I've been meaning to compare baby pictures between Anna and Cate. With each day Anna looks less and less like Cate. She definitely has her own look about her. Here they both are on Christmas morning the year they were born...1 week old. First Cate...

Here's Anna. Funny to notice...Cate has a hat and is laying on a blanket, to protect her from that very dangerous floor. Poor second child...parents totally unconcerned for her health and safety ;)

And here they both are around 2 weeks old...Cate on left, Anna right.

Kind of hard to tell in these pictures...I'll try to get a good comparison shot in the next few weeks. :)
Monday, January 07, 2008
Fun with the girls...
Here's a happy shot of Anna. :)

The week Anna was born we had tickets to a local production of the Nutcracker...it was a morning showing for school groups, so they shortened the performance. It was perfect. We got front row seats and Cate was in HEAVEN. Every time new dancers came on the stage she'd say "More ballerinas!" She paid attention the entire show and applauded and everything. It was so stinkin' cute. My mom stayed with Anna so Nate and I were able to go with Cate - it was such a fun morning.

The day Nate's parents left, Cate was playing quietly in her room. She always does this, so I didn't think twice, but Herm thought she might be up to something so he went to check on her. The next thing we know Cate's crying. Sure enough, she had found Pat's makeup bag and was applying her "face" when Grandpa caught her red-handed. Cate isn't normally caught in such situations...guess nobody's perfect! She really does like wearing makeup, which I discovered at Halloween. Anyway, it was pretty dang funny, even though Cate was quite sad.

If Anna had a Native American name it would be "Crazy Hair." When this kid's hair is clean it seriously goes crazy - as you can see. It also looks much lighter when it's clean and all grease-free. This picture kind of makes it look red, but it's just the lighting...she definitely doesn't have any red in her hair. But just wanted to show off the porcupinish quality of her locks...

The week Anna was born we had tickets to a local production of the Nutcracker...it was a morning showing for school groups, so they shortened the performance. It was perfect. We got front row seats and Cate was in HEAVEN. Every time new dancers came on the stage she'd say "More ballerinas!" She paid attention the entire show and applauded and everything. It was so stinkin' cute. My mom stayed with Anna so Nate and I were able to go with Cate - it was such a fun morning.

The day Nate's parents left, Cate was playing quietly in her room. She always does this, so I didn't think twice, but Herm thought she might be up to something so he went to check on her. The next thing we know Cate's crying. Sure enough, she had found Pat's makeup bag and was applying her "face" when Grandpa caught her red-handed. Cate isn't normally caught in such situations...guess nobody's perfect! She really does like wearing makeup, which I discovered at Halloween. Anyway, it was pretty dang funny, even though Cate was quite sad.

If Anna had a Native American name it would be "Crazy Hair." When this kid's hair is clean it seriously goes crazy - as you can see. It also looks much lighter when it's clean and all grease-free. This picture kind of makes it look red, but it's just the lighting...she definitely doesn't have any red in her hair. But just wanted to show off the porcupinish quality of her locks...
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
FUNNY cate videos...and a few pics
While Pat & Herm were in town, Cate & I went with them one afternoon to see the seals in La Jolla. I had to find parking, so the three of them got a head start. When I got down there, Herm was far out on the sea wall that protects the seal beach...i.e. the spot where you get WET if a good wave comes through. I thought to myself, Herm's crazy to be out there. I started to head out on the wall, which was super crowded...as I got closer to the end (where the waves hit) I heard a little girl crying...I thought, that's gotta be cate and she probably just got nailed by a wave. Then I heard a guy saying to his girlfriend, "That little girl got soaked!" Uh-oh. This is how I found them...

On the way back to the car we came across some people feeding pigeons. Herm, who was carrying Cate, got a pretzel so he and Cate could feed the birds...thinking, most likely, this would cheer up wet and inconsolable Cate. Two pigeons jumped up on his arm, at which point Cate freaked out. It was so funny...What a trip to the beach! Fortunately it only took about 10 minutes before Cate could calm down enough to look back on the experience and laugh, or at least not sob.
We had a great time with Nate's parents. So sad to see them leave! Today was the first real day without help around, and it went well...but I didn't even try to get anything done. :)


I have tons of other pictures to post, but I'm going to do that later...I'm tired. :)


On the way back to the car we came across some people feeding pigeons. Herm, who was carrying Cate, got a pretzel so he and Cate could feed the birds...thinking, most likely, this would cheer up wet and inconsolable Cate. Two pigeons jumped up on his arm, at which point Cate freaked out. It was so funny...What a trip to the beach! Fortunately it only took about 10 minutes before Cate could calm down enough to look back on the experience and laugh, or at least not sob.
We had a great time with Nate's parents. So sad to see them leave! Today was the first real day without help around, and it went well...but I didn't even try to get anything done. :)


I have tons of other pictures to post, but I'm going to do that later...I'm tired. :)

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