ktg: 15 months

I know, I know, this post is almost a month late. But since her appointments and updates only come every three months right now instead of every  month, it's as if I'm just a week or so behind. That sounds way better. 

Plus, the major reason for the delay was insurance. Coverage started Sunday, September 1. Monday was a holiday, so you better believe her appointment was first thing Tuesday morning. 

Kate did great (obviously, her name is Kate the Great!) and she's growing like a weed. A seriously short-legged chubby weed (which is reminiscent of her mother's growth for the first 14 years of her life...hope she is willing to embrace the cankles). 

Kate is hilarious. And dramatic. And smart. And sassy. And kind of a diva. She keeps us entertained all day long (and sometimes into the night). 

She is learning new things every day and wants to do everything herself. Each morning as we wait for the bus to get Leah, Kate pushes her stroller in circles in the driveway. She pauses intermittently to put her sunglasses on and take them off, but other than that she's on the go. 

Meal times with her are a big circus. She's kind of a picky eater, but is learning that I don't really care. She eats what we eat, or she doesn't eat. And there have been many a meal that she simply doesn't eat. (I feel okay about it because she's got some reserves in a few places if she gets hungry.) If she doesn't want to eat something, she lines it up across the edge of the table, just off of her high chair tray. Or she throws it on the ground - whatever she is in the mood for. She does love tomatoes, corn and yogurt. As for purchasing the food that she may or may not eat, she's hit and miss. Sometimes she's great in the cart. Other times she's that child that is squealing in the store and throwing things out of the cart.

Kate is really great at following directions...when she wants to. She gets her shoes out (and sometimes her jacket, even though it's 90 degrees with crazy humidity) every time we leave and puts them away first thing when we get home. 

She loves to dance and has some pretty incredible moves. She twirls, bounces, rocks and grooves everywhere she goes - she just can't help herself! She is constantly trying to climb on things and often has her leg out in an arabesque. Her new favorite is to walk backward with a twinkle in her eye like she is doing the most mischievous thing and plop herself in somebody's lap. When this happens she usually has a book in her hand she wants us to read to her. But 7 seconds later, she changes her mind...sadly still no attention span for books. But we're trying.

She has incredible fine motor skills and honestly is fascinated with how things work. She would much rather stack, twist, turn, empty, fill and inspect one toy for an hour than read a book any day. I think she might grow up to be an engineer.

She is in charge of opening and closing the garage door and she takes her responsibility very seriously. If something in the house is open, she closes it (even if I'm using whatever it is that's open, like the fridge). If a door is open, she walks through it (even into rooms she knows she is not allowed). She love sneaking into my bedroom and getting all sorts of little trinkets out of Ryan's nightstand and messing with the Vaseline in mine.

She just sprouted her 7th tooth (she had six on her actual 15 month mark). 

She sleeps from 7:30-7:30 usually and takes two naps a day, averaging about 4-5 hours total. And before she goes to bed, I put her blanket on my shoulder and she nestles in and rests her head for a few minutes before I lay her down. It's probably one of my favorite moments of each day.

She tolerates the tub for about 5-10 minutes and then she's done. She did learn to love swimming pools this summer. Hooray!

She isn't speaking as much as Leah was at this age. She knows a duck quacks and a dog pants and she mimics a lot of words and sounds. Her constant words at this point are: mama, dada, ball, box, sock, hi, bye, stinky, yuck, yes and backpack. We've heard her say a few words like yellow and grandma, but not on a regular basis. Her go-to word is no. She usually says it loudly, multiple times in a row, with confidence, while shaking her head and waving her arms. NO NO NO NO NO! She knows quite a few body parts (eyes, nose, mouth, toes, feet, fingers, arms, belly, head, hair and teeth for sure). She sticks out her tummy and slaps it all dramatically when you ask her where her tummy is. She closes her eyes with a slight flutter when asked where her eyes are and she wiggles her fingers and toes to let you know where they are located.

She would rather die a slow and painful death than keep any sort of hair accessory in her hair. But I am relentless and she is learning. Still no headbands, but we're breaking her down with pigtails and bows. However, when she does pull the elastics and accessories out of her hair, she is very obedient and hands them right to me. Sometimes holding them in her hand for an entire car ride to do so. 

She is my little helper around the house. She loads the washer and dryer, puts her toys away, tries to feed Leah her treats and unloads the dishwasher (usually when I'm loading it). 

Speaking of Leah, she is the only one who gets consistent kisses from Kate. Sometimes when Ryan and I ask for them, Kate does her classic NO shenanigans. But if we say, "Kisses for Leah!?" she opens her mouth wide with an aaaaah sound and gives them freely. It kind of melts my heart. On the other hand, every time she walks by Leah, she does so with a bit of a grimace - she's been smacked a few too many times and knows what is inevitably coming.

Kate is my buddy and I'm so happy I get to hang out with her all day every day. She makes me laugh and she makes me crazy and I love every bit of her 15 (almost 16) month self.

Official stats:

Height: 30 inches (28th%)

Weight: 21 lbs. 15 oz. (28th%)

Size 18 month clothes

Size 3 diapers

Size 4 shoes (loves, loves, loves shoes)

twenty

The year is 1998. The place is the choral room at Skyline High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. My good friend Haylie and I are arguing. It goes something like this:

"Oh yah? Well, my dad's wings are bigger than your dad's."

"Well, my dad can fly higher than yours can."

"Mine can fly faster!"

"Yah? Well my dad's robe is brighter than your dad's. And he sings more angelically."

I know, we were really going at it.

Wait, that's not how you fought with your friends in high school? Huh. Well, that's how Haylie and I coped. My dad had passed away five years earlier and hers just earlier that year. Our heavenly "my dad" quarrels were how we buoyed one another up and helped each other feel a little less alone. How we brought a little bit of laughter into something that might otherwise just make us sad.

Fast forward a few years...to today. Because today it has been twenty years since my dad has been in my life, at least physically. I've done a lot of pondering over the years as to how his absence so early on has affected me and my life. And I can, without hesitation, say the effect has been large. 

I think about him every time one of my friends argues with or says something contrary about their own dads. I think about him each time I watch someone dance with their own dad at their wedding. Or when they talk about how much their kids just love their grandpa. I think about him every time BYU plays (and am a little grateful he's not around every time they lose). I think about him when I drive by a golf course or see the blue leather chair in my brother's house or see an infomercial or visit Lake Merwin. When I hear the word "cardiac" or smell the hand sanitizer in a hospital. I think about him each time I sing the song Mairzy Dotes or call my girls sweet cheeks. And I thought about him a lot this summer when I stayed at my aunt's house and she showed me old photos and told me old stories. 

And sometimes I feel a little sad. Sometimes I feel a little lonely. Sometimes I feel a little empty and wonder what if. 

But then I remember that just because he's gone, doesn't mean my life is empty. In fact, my life is really quite full. It's just been filled with different things than it otherwise would have been. Twenty years of experiences, people, places, thoughts, hopes and dreams altered just a little because of how that experience changed me. Because it did change me, but it doesn’t define me. I do think about it, but I don’t dwell on it. I do miss him, but I still feel his love.

I often think of this quote by Elder Richard G. Scott. He says, “The challenges you face, the growth experiences you encounter, are intended to be temporary scenes played out on the stage of a life of continuing peace and happiness. Sadness, heartache, and disappointment are events in life. It is not intended that they be the substance of life. I do not minimize how hard some of these events can be… but they should not be allowed to become the confining focus of everything you do. Your life can and should be wondrously rewarding. …That perspective keeps challenges confined to their proper place – stepping stones to further growth and attainment.”

And I think he hit it spot on. That Thursday morning twenty years ago permanently changed my perspective on many things in life. But I think it also gave me an advantage. Because really, my dad’s wings are bigger than your dad’s.

August in an instant

As predicted, August was slower. It was harder. It was lonelier. 

But slow can be a very good thing. 

Hard makes you appreciate the easy, the comfortable, the known. 

And lonely makes you think. About your friends, your family, your goals and your priorities. 

So although August was slower, harder and lonelier, it definitely wasn't empty. It was just a different kind of full.

two weeks of color

Leah's kindergarten class spent the first two weeks of school reviewing colors (among many other things). But to help some of the kids be more exited about and feel a part of kindergarten, they were supposed to dress in certain colors each day. 

The final day was "favorite color day" and either Leah has a LOT of favorite colors or her body just couldn't give me a clear answer that morning...so we went with the rainbow. She seemed pleased. 

Is this not the smiliest and most colorful collage you've ever seen?!

And, since we took almost all of the pictures while we were waiting for the bus, I'll take a minute to show off her fancy new bus vest. We zip this sweet contraption on her in the morning and it hooks her right into the bus, no too-small-baby-seat needed. Hip hip! (I'll admit, I did have to try 47 times the first morning to get it right...and still ended up putting it on backward. And we tried 46 times the next day. But a few weeks later, we've got it down.)

antique tractor show

When it comes to tractors, we usually like the green and yellow variety. 

But when it comes to antique tractors, we are no respectors. We like all of the colors. 

(Including pink.) 

We like 'em big. 

We like 'em small. 

We like the not-so-well known ones...and the really famous ones. 

We even like taking rides behind them. 

And then, after we're done admiring all of the vintage tractors, we like to pet the modern animals. 

A lot. 

For a long time.  

Perfect way to spend a humid Saturday afternoon.         

kindness

I really like the idea of introducing a family theme each year as school begins; something that everyone in the family can benefit from and work on. 

This year, I decided on "Kindness Begins With Me" and based it off a children's song from our church of the same name:

I want to be kind to everyone, for that is right you see. 
So I say to myself, "Remember this: Kindness begins with me."

I really like the simplicity of this song. Something someone as little as Kate can understand, but important enough for even Ryan and I to remember throughout the year.

It got really fancy at our kitchen table for theme dinner that night. Um no, not really. I just whipped out that fabulous bunting that can be used for everything, printed out our theme and called it good. 

Here's to a kind year!!

chicago, the first

We headed to Chicago today for what is the first of hopefully many trips there now that we are so close. We did visit two years ago on our way to New Hampshire (here and here) and I knew then that I wanted to come back!

This particular trip we went to see people, not things, so it was short and successful. 

Part one took us to the Navy Pier to hang out with Mike again. He was in training there for his new job while his family had moved to California without him. Wish they had been with us!! We walked around the pier to see part of the air show (seriously every time these boys heard a plane, they stopped dead in their tracks and looked skyward). Then we ate lunch on the pier and walked around the city a bit. It was a busy day in Chicago, but great weather and lots of fun. 

After we said our goodbyes to Mike, we headed north to Lincoln Park Zoo to meet up with the F family, who we met two years ago. We were excited to see A and E again and could not wait to meet miss O who was born just about 2 months before Katers. 

We leisurely walked around the zoo and amazingly felt completely normal since there were two silly Rett girls, two crazy one year olds and one big sister who just knew how to deal with it all! 

Honestly, I was so amazed watching A. She is closer in age to Leah than E is and she just played with her! Lots of little kids interact with Leah, ask her questions, try to include her, etc. and it's fabulous. But it really is hard to just play with her! And A was a pro. They twirled and chased and danced and giggled and it made my heart soar. These siblings are something else. 

One of my favorite moments of the day was in the gorilla house when we took a minute to sit and relax and the dads switched girls to chat for a bit. Just about died. 

I just love the F family and can't wait to see them more often now that we are a bit closer!

After a delicious pizza dinner, we headed to our car to make the drive home. But of course we stopped at Trader Joe's first. Because, how could you not!?

Chicago, we'll be back. 

Kindergarten: take 2

They say when the corn is taller than you, it's time for school to start. Well, I checked:

And in the words of Curly McLain, "The corn is as high as an elephant's eye, and it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky." So...it's time for school to start.

And let me tell you, the Laytons were READY. Leah was ready and mom was ready. We debated for months as to whether we should have Miss Ribbons repeat kindergarten or send her on to first grade. We took into account the academic ratings of both her previous and new schools, the rigor of her  day-to-day, the fact that everyone is new in kindergarten (not just Leah), and more. And we decided on kindergarten. I'll be honest, even after the decision was made formal, I still had my hesitations. How do you explain to your daughter that she is repeating a grade for no fault of her own!? We basically told her that kindergarten in Iowa is a little different than in New Hampshire, so we needed to do it in both places! 

And so far, I'm extremely pleased with our decision. She has a fabulous team full of teachers, aides, counselors, therapists and peers who already love her to pieces and are striving for her best and that makes it easy to send her off on the bus each morning. 

This summer was a marathon. I know we had a lot of help from family and friends, but not being in our own space, then being in our own unfamiliar space and taking care of all of Leah and Kate's needs 24/7 begins to wear on a person! Sometimes I wish I was one of those moms who cried alligator tears when her children head back to school, but I'm not. I know that Leah loves it and I love that she is getting help and services that I simply can't provide as a one man show. I only have so many tricks up my sleeve and it seems Leah tires of them pretty quickly each summer.

So, just like Curly McLain, "I've got a wonderful feeling" about kindergarten take two.

  

first visitor!

And the award for our first visitor goes to:

Mike Holbrook!!

Thanks for taking time away from your training to come and see us in our new habitat. Hopefully the tractors, tug of war and tiny tuckies were enough to bring you back (with your family next time!).