Final 2007 Katy update!

Ok, so I know it has been a LONG time since a post. I had wanted to post an update when Katy turned 15mnths on Nov. 18th. She had a checkup with her pediatrician, and definitely impressed her doctor with her communication skills! Katy finally broke the 20lb barrier, weighing in at 20lbs, 8oz and measuring 30" tall.

On Nov. 21st we celebrated Benji's 34th birthday. The next day was Thanksgiving and the start of a 4-day weekend, in which I had all sorts of plans for what I would accomplish, not the least being Katy's 15mnth update here for her loyal fan club. Unfortunately, I ended up sick with a nasty cold, and finally had to give in to it and just rest & recover. We were nearing departure day for St. Pete's Beach (where Katy's Greatgrandmother and Benji's Aunt & Uncle live). We visited them in December last year, and Katy and I went sick and passed it along to them, so we were on strict instructions to present healthy this time around!! Thankfully, by about a week later, I was feeling much better, and Benji & Katy didn't catch it. But it did put me WAY behind schedule, between trying to get ahead at my new part-time job as our church's Kids Community Admin Assistant and making sure Christmas cards were in the mail and our house was ready to host Christmas upon our return on Dec. 21st. We managed to get it all done, but my hopes of blogging were not to be realized!

Hopefully, while I was unable to post news here online, you have all received our Christmas card & letter. A couple were returned with incorrect addresses, so if you didn't get one, I'm sorry!! Send me your current address and I will send one on... later is better than never, right??

We were away from Dec. 6th to 21st... in St Pete's Beach until the 11th, and then we drove to Fort Lauderdale to join my family for a 10 day cruise to the Southern Caribbean. We had a wonderful holiday, and Katy especially thoroughly enjoyed every single bit of it. She turned 16mnths while we were cruising. It was a great time to be with family, as both Benji's relatives and my family got to watch Katy go from taking just a few steps to getting pretty good at walking (ship swaying at all... this 1yr old has great sea legs!!).
The video clip is the day there was a definite big step made... our last full day in St Pete's Beach, Dec. 10th... suddenly Katy was more confident and taking off on her own, and even stood up all by herself, without pulling up on anything. This progress continued daily on the cruise, so by the time we returned home, we had a toddler on our hands. Katy now no longer crawls at all! And while I don't have an official 16mnth weigh-in... I checked her on our scale when we returned home, and it looks like she is up around 23lbs!! That would be a good 2lbs in one month, which is crazy... somebody apparently took full advantage of all the food on our cruise!!

Katy continues to astonish everybody with her verbal and signing skills, and her obvious comprehension demonstrated by her ability to respond appropriately to questions or directions. She can put two words together, such as "Hi Daddy!", or "My Mommy". She even has a few Spanish words, such as "Hola!" and "mas" (more). Just in the two weeks we were gone, we daily heard more and more vocabulary. Katy also LOVES music and dancing, and is extremely entertaining to watch. She really enjoys playing with stacking cups, "bubble" and "wa-wa" (bubbles & water), and loves going to the park or playing in the sand.

I will post more about our vacation in future posts, as well as some more videos and pictures. I have already posted photo albums on Facebook from our cruise and Christmas. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and Happy New Year!