This Week in Mommyhood

I love this stage. Cati is beyond fun and enjoyable. Sure, she still cries but it lacks the urgency of infancy. My time with her feels more precious and fleeting than ever before. There are moments where I look at her and still can't believe she's mine and I played a pivotal role in her creation. How can someone so sweet, innocent, and tender come from someone like me? Having Cati helps me recapture the innocence of childhood; a time before awareness of things like skepticism, cynicism, and maliciousness. She truly the greatest gift.

Here are the fun developments of the past week or so:

Mama!!!!!!!!!! She's finally saying mama to my face! I've been told she says mama when I'm not around but this week she's actually said it so I could hear. This is huge! She used to say mama when she first started speaking but then she got hooked on saying dada. Now the mama-dad playing field is even as Cati enjoys saying both. I adore the sound of mama coming out of her mouth. It makes my heart leap for joy.

Stinky hands. Somewhere along the lines Cati learned that waving your hand infront of your nose went with smelly. Now every time I say "fof" or she smells something unpleasant she does the hand motion.

No no no. One day I said "no" and did the index finger pointed-waving motion and Cati was hooked. So in addition to shaking her head she also has a hand motion in her no saying arsenal.

Doctors are scary. Cati had her 15-month appointment this week and, while she was good with the nurse, she was terrified of the doctor. There was confusion as to height and weight but I'm going with 23 lbs and 31" of baby to love. Cati is growing beautifully and the sad truth is that she is becoming more and more of a "big" girl with each passing day. This picture was taken before the horror of the pediatrician started and is, by far, my favorite picture of her from this past week:

Break out the backpack. We put a deposit in for school for Cati. She'll be going to a preschool that's literally within walking distance from the house. I still haven't determined when she's going to start but the point is that a school has been selected. The rest will be figured out in the fall if I start school. The best part is that one of her classmates is the daughter of one my close friends.

Another week come and gone. Here's hoping for another week of remembering the good and forgetting the bad!