Cate's First Christmas Part 5: a few random pics

(Above) Yes, Daddy bought Cate her own first set of clubs. We think he's hoping for the future "Tiger Woods" of the LPGA:) Or at the very least a golfing partner.

(Below) Loved playing the piano. She's finally getting a little hair...definitely a little:)

(Below) Hanging out with Aunt Laurie.

(Below) Always a smile.

(Below) Aunt Laurie's bib from her first Christmas... yes, Gramma saves everything!

Cate's Christmas Part 4

This is a bit long but will give you a good idea of how funny and playful Cate is. She even cracks herself up. She is trying to climb up on the aerobed, and it sounds like she's trying to climb a mountain. You can also see how persistent she is; never one to quit or get discouraged. Near the end when she's looking at the dog, you may hear her panting...that's her "this is what a doggy sounds like" noise which she tends to do whenever she sees a dog. She had us laughing so hard:)

Cate's First Christmas Part 3

Moving on to Christmas morning: it's true, in case you've forgotten, babies really do like the paper and boxes best. She did like her Stride and Ride Lion from Grandpa and Gramma. She can really go until she crashes into the furniture. And she loves pushing the lion's nose to make music.

Cate's First Christmas Part 2

Of course we took Cate to Trinity Lutheran Church,where she was baptized, for her first Christmas Eve service. We went to the 4PM children's white gift service, and she did a great job taking up her little box of chocolate pudding wrapped in white paper (with a little help from Mommy, of course). She also watched in wide-eyed wonder as the children's choir performed and was entertained by little Liam McKernan (Lindsay's good friend Tara's 2 year old) who was sitting in the pew in front of her. They even shared cheerios during the sermon. Liam also lives in Maine and was back in Ashland for Christmas to visit relatives too, so I guess they have a common bond:) These pictures show Cate all dressed up for church in the dress and shoes Gramma got her. Later she's putting out cookies and milk for Santa wearing her red Christmas pj's. (That's not Uncle Zach snitching the cookies, is it???)

Cate's First Christmas 2008 Part 1

What a wonderful Christmas with Cate and all the family. I have lots of pictures and will share them over several new posts. Let's start with Cate's arrival and her fascination with my Christmas cards. Before she arrived, I had a beautiful Lenox bowl filled with cards but that quickly got replaced with a child friendly basket. She spent many, many minutes (perhaps hours) taking the cards out of the basket, handing them out, and putting them back in the basket. When that didn't provide enough entertainment, dumping them on the floor and putting the basket on her head bumped the fun level up a notch. Sometimes she even stopped to "read" a card. She found it all very amusing. Thank you to everyone who sent the Pappases a Christmas card this year and contributed to Cate's entertainment:)

Dec. 16: Cate is 11 months old

As soon as Lindsay sends me some pictures I'll be able to show you our big (relatively speaking) girl. She still fits into some 6-9 months clothes so you know she's not that big. But she's sure learning lots of new things. She answers "moo" to "How does a cow go?" and "pluck, pluck" to "How does a chicken go?" Her first word is now officially "Da!" for dog. Do you see a pattern emerging? She's definitely her mother's daughter. To heck with Ma Ma and Da Da as long as she knows her animals:)
She also waves bye, puts her arms up for "How big is Cate?" and will give her mommy and daddy a high five. We're working on blowing kisses to Gramma and Grandpa over the web cam.
She's also standing, pivoting, and taking as many as 6 steps by herself. Most of all she laughs, chuckles, dances, and is a very happy baby.
We can't wait to have everyone home for Christmas. I notice Cate has the most presents...hmmm. I bet Auntie Laurie will have something to say about that!
I'll be back later with some updated pictures.