18 Months

Miss Kate is no longer a 'baby' anymore.  She is a toddler on wheels, ready to take on the world.  Phew!  This little girl is a ball of energy, and I can't keep up with her.  Whether it's unloading an entire bag of cotton balls, unraveling rolls of toliet paper, emptying craft drawers, de-loading the bookshelf, digging through the trash etc. etc, she has a very busy agenda. You can hold this kid in mid air and she will still be moving her legs in attempt to get somewhere.  There is not a moment in life she wants to miss.   Because of this energy, I mainly see the back side of her as she runs one way or the next with those cute chubby feet.

Kate loves babies and is always trying to take 'care' of them, whether they are dolls or real.  I have to be careful when our friends bring little babies because Kate will instantly be drawn to them and will want to 'help' them.  She likes to pile her dolls in the stroller and take them for 'walks' around the house.  It's cute to watch her give them kisses and talk to them with her gibberish.  Purses and jewelry are another favorite and she will drape them all over her body as she attends to the dolls.  I just love watching her play.  She can't grow up anymore, I won't let her.

Lately she has been learning a lot of new words.  She still uses a lot of her baby 'gibberish' to talk to us, but some words or brief sentences are starting to form.  It's fun to be able to communicate with her, though this is definitely a work in progress.   She can get pretty frustrated if I don't understand her message.  With her still learning words, the conversations can be quite entertaining.  I just crack up when she will look at me and start talking with all kinds a facial expressions to try and get the message across.  Oh is this kid expressive!  She enjoys being the comedian of the family.

Kate has gained quite a few nick names in the past while, with 'Kate-Kate',  and 'Hunny Badger' being the most common. The name 'Hunny Badger' came from my brother, Dave.  While we were in Richmond, he noticed her fearless disposition. Apparently Honey Badgers are animals that don't fear anything and just push on through whatever is in their way. Because of this,  I will now frequently get calls from the family asking what the 'Hunny Badger' is up to for the day.    (I am in for a ride if this fearless attitude continues.)

One of my favorite things about Kate is her kisses and smiles.  This kid knows how to 'charm' an audience and does it well.  She is a pleaser.  A few months ago we noticed she loved to squint her eyes and give a big smile when she was in an especially silly mood.  My sister noticed that this 'smile' looked very similar to one of my dads smiles.  Because of this, her 'smile' has now been named the "Pops Face," after my dad.  Now, every time you say "Pops Face,"  Kate will quickly stop whatever she is doing, squint her eyes, lift her chin and give your a silly grin.  I must say it's pretty entertaining and she definitely knows how to 'milk it' for all it's worth.

Oh Kate, we adore you! 

All dressed up, ready to roll.

The classic 'Pops Face.'