Swingin', Snuggles, & Shades

I want to document some of the new activities and accessories Kate has been trying out over the past few weeks:

1) Swingin' - Kate sleeps great in her bassinet at night, but during the day it is a different story. She will not sleep laying down! To give me a little relief, we purchased a swing last weekend. The verdict is still out on whether or not it is going to solve the problem, but she has taken a few good naps in it (as you can see below) and, if she's in the right mood, seems to enjoy it and its light up star mobile.

2) Snuggles - I just love this little lamb hooded towel that my friend Kelly got Kate. It makes bath time even more fun.

3) Shades - After her first trip to the beach, I bought Kate her first sunglasses, a pair of Retro Baby Banz! Now she is stylin' and doesn't have to squint when she is outdoors.

Tummy Time

Tummy Time -- It's an activity that we are supposed to work on daily. Thankfully, if she's in the right mood, Kate will do it for short periods of time and actually works really hard at it! We didn't really need a class to show us what to do, but it was an excuse to get out of the house, so Kate and I attended a "Tummy Time Fun" class a few Fridays ago. At first I thought I might have wasted my money because Kate slept through the entire first part of the class and then woke up hungry. 

Watching the action while Miss Kate was sound asleep.
I think she engages in some defensive sleeping when she's put in unfamiliar situations.

After some rest and her meal though, Kate was ready to show off her skills. She ended up being the model student in the class for the younger babies under three months.

Showing those other babies how it's done!

The pediatric physical therapist holding Kate here said her neck was very strong for a six week-old (her age at the time).
I credit it partly to her love of the "Flying V" position (see earlier post) and her desire to constantly look up and out at her surroundings.

Kate has been rolling out of the Tummy Time position from her stomach to her back since she was about four weeks-old. She might have just gotten lucky the first few times, but now you can see that she appears to be getting the hang of it:

  

More practice. Check out that form!

Mid rollover.

All the attention and cheering Steve and I give Kate while she does Tummy Time on her activity mat might be causing just a little jealously in Otter...

He mastered Tummy Time a long time ago!

Cousins!

My cousin David and his family from Washington are here visiting, which has made for some fun times with family. Nici and Aaron hosted a big beach day and BBQ at their house in Newport Beach on Saturday.

Some of the crew!
David, Stacey, Nici, Aimee, Dennis, & Scott

Steve and Aaron.

Sand Mermaid Ella.

Earlier in the week, while Steve was back at work, Kate and I drove down to Newport by ourselves to visit and Kate had her very first trip to the beach! After Nici and I hauled her stroller across the sand and we got a chair and an umbrella set up, she was a happy camper.

Beach Baby.

Of course, no trip to the beach is complete for a girl without a new swimsuit. As we were planning the day, Nici asked if Kate had a bathing suit and I said "No." She said that she would take care of it and boy did she ever. When we got to her house on Tuesday, Nici handed me a "Little Brown Bag" from Bloomingdales. Inside was this adorable light pink suit with tulle netting and pastel flowers across the top. 

Little Surfer Girl.

Kate met a new best friend this week. David's wife, Amy Jo, is a baby whisperer. She loved Kate and Kate really loved her!

After dinner on Tuesday as I was nursing Kate, these two peeked their heads in and asked in the sweetest voices if they could hold her.

Drake, my cousin Dennis' son.

 Kate started crying while he was holding her and without any prompting from the adults in the room,
he started singing the song "Hush, Little Baby" to her.

Poor Em. She wants nothing more than for Kate to play with her.
By the time she got to hold her, Kate was tired and this is what she got!

We sure loved the special times this past week and introducing Kate to more of her family.

Pepperdine Baby Boom

One of the joys of being pregnant was that I got to share the experience with some of my favorite colleagues and friends at Pepperdine. We joked that there was something in the water because six of us all got pregnant around the same time. Two of the new moms (Gretchen and Kristen) were in my cohort of new faculty hires two years ago and the other three teach (Elizabeth and Dorothy) or used to teach (Keli) in the Communication Division with me. Now, all but one of the new Pepperdine babies are here!

On Wednesday, July 16th, Elizabeth, who teaches journalism and is the adviser of the Graphic newspaper at Pepperdine, came over for some lunch with her cute family of four.

Go Waves! Pepperdine Class of 2036!
Harper Grace (12 weeks old) & Kate Marie (5 weeks old)
(We didn't pose them, they did this on their own.)

New big sister Sadie and the dads enjoyed some pool time while the moms and babies caught up.

Pepperdine Girls Rule!

This past Wednesday, Dorothy, who teaches in the area of Organizational Communication came to meet Kate and have brunch with her little boy.

Dorothy (34 weeks pregnant) with soon-to-be big brother, Sam.

Sam was way more interested in Otter than baby Kate.

Of course, Dorothy bought Kate more cute clothes that I had to document.

Sunday Funday

After a lazy Saturday spent at home, we tried to make the most of Sunday and Steve's last day of leave from work.

We met Aunt Rachel, Uncle Derek, and Shane and Ella at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Inside the museum we walked through the African and North American Mammals Exhibits and the Dino Lab where you can see paleontologists hard at work on fossilized dinosaur bones.

Kate was clearly not that into the African Mammals Exhibit. We tried out her stroller without her carseat attached for the first time at the museum. When we had her seat turned outward, not facing us, it was a little too much for her.

Our favorite part of the museum was the outdoor Butterfly Pavilion where you can get up close and personal with hundreds butterflies. Unfortunately, strollers weren't allowed inside, so Steve and I had to take turns going in and waiting outside with Miss Kate (who was still asleep!).

Butterfly Princess Ella.

Say Cheese!
Photographer Shane bought his camera along to capture the day.

Before heading home we wandered around the Exposition Park Rose Garden.

It was actually my first visit to these spots too.

Such a handsome guy.

Once we made it back to our place it was time for some swimming and pizza.

The three non-swimmers.

 Thanks for a fun day Smith family!

Picture Perfect?

I have taken a few formal photos of Kate and plan to take more in order to improve on what we have. She is a temperamental model. Wardrobe, hair, general attitude, and naps are all factors for a successful shoot. This, of course, holds true for both the model and the model's assistant, Theresa. Here are some of the efforts so far:

Two Weeks Old:

Sleeping Beauty

I'm not sure about this dad! 

5 Weeks Old:

Otter refusing to be left out.

Summertime Fun!

We are soaking up the perfect July weather in Santa Monica and our time together.

Here's some of what Kate has been up to:

1.) Going to the "gym"

We just tried it out and Kate seems to really like this activity mat that my friend Courtney got her. If she is in the right mood she will work hard at tummy time on it!

2.) Visiting the jungle via her Rain Forrest Bouncer

This thing is still a bit overwhelming with all of its bright lights and music, but she likes it in small doses.

3.) Enjoying more visits with special friends and family

On Friday, my longtime friend, Kristy (we have been friends since 4th grade), and her handsome boys, Dylan and Gavin, drove from Alta Loma (where I grew up) for lunch and some fun in the pool.

Us with our babies!

On Saturday, Kate met my cousin Aimee and her Great Aunt Diane for the first time.

While grandma and their mom got to know Kate, Kevin and Emily had fun posing for pictures in Steve's "portrait studio" and spending time with Otter.

Proofing their shots!

Aimee, it looks like they are ready for a dog to me!

So much love! 

4.) Learning about sleep

Last week Kate and I attempted our first outing together without Steve. He dropped us off at the Pump Station, a baby store here in Santa Monica, for a class on developing healthy sleep habits for babies ages 0-3 months. I learned a lot and Kate, well, she mostly slept through the class!

Practicing what we learned in class.

Note: Kate at 5 1/2 weeks old, has slept for a 5 hour stretch of time three nights in a row. We sure hope this sleep habit continues.

 5.) Admiring her new clothes and jewelry

Summer outfits from Kristy and her family.

So many cute options from Brad, Kelly, Adam & Annie Hartwick

A very special gift from the McGowan family and Great Uncle Skip and Aunt Diane that tender-hearted Kevin picked out.

And, while Kate has been busy with all of this, we still spend a lot of time watching in amusement as she sleeps and wakes up.

Oh, this girl!