Kathryn is 4 months old and this is only my second post. Pitiful showing by mom, if you ask me.  Every day I plan to post and every day the time passes without it happening. The excuses are lame so I won't even bother listing them.  I finally have a few minutes of peace outside the house with an internet connection (okay, Starbucks - passing some time until my scheduled haircut).

Kathryn's 4 month stats:

Weight: 16 lbs 8 oz (90%)

Height: 25 inches (95%)

Head Circumference: 16 1/2 inches (75%)

I'm not sure how that compares to Steven when he was her age. I'll have to check his blog because i'm sure i posted about it.

Kathryn continues to be an absolute delight. She smiles and squeals and is pretty much always happy.  I have to say her cutest face is probably when she's about to get mad. She warns you by sticking her lower lip out as far as possible. She has made this face literally since the day she was born.  It always makes us laugh. I know she'll use it to her advantage as long as possible. I wonder how well it will work when she's 16 and wants the car keys from Daddy.

She is happiest when she's sitting up and looking around at the world. She loves her Bumbo Seat, the seat i swore i would never use because it couldn't possibly be good for a 4 month old to be sitting up. Well, i'll eat my words. She loves it.  She is now starting to spend some time in her exersaucer and learning how to play with the toys on it. Steven has enjoyed showing them to her.  She is super-close to rolling over, she'll get up on her side, but really...there's a lot of weight to roll over so i'm not surprised it hasn't happened yet.  She is extremely close to sitting up. i know that she'll beat Steven's milestone on that one, he didn't sit up until he was 5 1/2 months old.

Steven is an excellent big brother. If anything, the worst part is keeping him from smothering her with hugs and kisses. I hesitate to complain except that when he was fighting a cold last week, keeping him away from her was a near impossibility. Thankfully she didn't catch his cold. Yet. he has never asked when she is leaving and after so many nightmare stories i have heard, i am grateful. There are disadvantages about the 4 year age difference, like the fact that i have forgotten so much about taking care of a baby, and the whole starting from scratch with diapers part, but a definite advantage is that Steven is able to do alot of things independently and grasps the concepts of a baby sister easier than he might at a younger age.

I am flying out tomorrow to meet Andrew in Las Vegas for a quick weekend together. We are going to see U2 so i can check it off my bucket list and then we will just relax and fit in some gambling if we feel like it.  It is the first overnight trip away from Kathryn and i can feel the anxiety starting already. I am leaving Steven and Kathryn with my Mom so I know they will be in good hands. But i'm still nervous. It will be good practice for the 5 day trip we're taking in January. I know time away is important and necessary but its still hard. I know i will miss both of them immensely, even though i will enjoy the break.

We are headed up to the mountains for about 2 weeks in November for Thanksgiving. We're excited to introduce Kathryn to the place we love.  And its funny...she'll be 5 1/2 months when she goes up there for the first time. The same age as Steven was when we took him up for his first visit. Although Steven's visit was a little easier as it was July. This trip will be a little more challenging as it is sure to be quite chilly in November. When i get back from Vegas i have to go buy winter clothes for Kathryn so she will be warm enough.

I am so fortunate to have a flexible schedule that has allowed me to spend more time with Kathryn than a normal working parents schedule would allow. I take her to Sues house 4 days a week right now, but three out of those four days she doesn't go over there until after her first nap, around 11. I have really enjoyed my time with her and the balance between working and parenting has helped me stay sane.

And here is where i promise to post more often. We'll see if i honor that promise...

So we did this for Steven when he was little (www.stevenconnell.net) and it became a pretty nice way to not only keep the family up to date on his activities but also to create a journal for him to have when he's grown up. I know how second (and third) children normally get shafted in the documentation of their youth so i have vowed to try to not let that happen with kathryn. Thus, a blog is born.

As i sit writing this, Kathryn is napping upstairs in her crib.  She is 5 weeks 2 days old. In some ways it seems she has been a part of our lives for ever and in others i look at her and say "how can you already be 5 weeks old?" I can't believe how the time has flown and i really can't believe that i am the mother of TWO.

She is overall an incredibly good baby and it seems we have been blessed twice.  When steven came along and started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks, I always said that God must have known that i need my sleep and gave me a sleepy baby and he must still believe that because Kathryn, or "KPC" or "Baby K" is a sleeper just like her brother.  She is already sleeping through the night and sleeps the majority of the day away, waking pretty much just to eat.  We are following our sleep bible again (Health Sleep Habits, Happy Child) and i just have to say that IT WORKS.  Of course, i still worry that she's not going to sleep at night when it's 5:00 and she's sleeping (like she is right now) but she always proves me wrong  and sleeps like a champ (lets hope that happens again tonight!).

Steven had adjusted pretty well to being a big brother. He always says how much he loves his baby sister and loves to give her hugs and kisses and hold her.  The first few weeks he acted out toward us, but i would much rather him do that than take it out on her, like the horror stories that you hear about hitting, biting, throwing out of beds, etc.  Of course, she is easy right now and not taking his toys or causing him any trouble.  I'm sure things will get more interesting as she gets older.

As for her stats...she was born weighing 8 lbs 15 oz and was 9 lbs 9 oz at her one month check up.  She hasn't quite put on 1 pound but has grown 2 inches to 22.5 inches long, the size of an average 3 month old.  The doctor says her sleep habits are that of an average 2 month old, so i guess she's overachieving all around. Now that she's on 100% formula (the breast feeding story is one for another day....) she seems to be chunking up pretty fast so i'll be interested to see what she weighs at her 2 month check up.

Normally i'd post about all the exciting things that are happening but at this age, there isn't much.  She is getting good neck strength and getting pretty good at holding up her bobble head.  She's not a huge fan of tummy time, but we do a little bit every day.  She is tracking well with her eyes and loves watching the ceiling fan in the living room.  She turns her head when she hears a new voice in the room. We expect to get a smile any day now as she's beginning to focus on us. I can't wait for those first smiles and laughs. they are the best ever!

That's all for now...i'm going to enjoy the peace and quiet of our house while andrew and steven are at the grocery store and Baby K is resting.