We just love this kid!

Our "little" Katelyn Grace is now 11 months old! I just can't get over how much she is changing lately. Toddling all over the place, playing independently, smiling and kissing willy-nilly, and just getting to be so much fun to have around!

Daddy is very proud of his hairstyling handiwork after Katelyn's bath. Above, Kate models her wavy front 'do...Below, her sweeping locks (this is her good side, the other side just sort of cascades all over her ear and is getting a little out of hand!)

Kate and her Nana Fo are good buds. Here, a rare moment where Katelyn just sort of relaxed and laid back for a good cuddle before Nana headed for home...

Kate finally started showing interest in her rocking chair. This was Nana's rocking chair originally, then it was Mommy's, and now it's Kate's pretty pink rocker! She enjoyed sitting for about a minute, then tried climbing down pretty successfully. Trying to get back up was not as easy, she couldn't figure out why it kept sliding away from her when she'd lift her leg up and rest it on the seat!

Kate's a bit chatty after her baths with Daddy...

It's Fall!

More exploring...

Hey little fishy...

Aunt Kimberly (4 weeks from popping!) doing her best at holding Kate to keep her out of trouble...

And Grandmom teaching Kate how to ride the big tractor...

Miss Independence...

Now that Katelyn is walking full time, she takes off any chance she gets. Here she was exploring the farm; below she takes a stroll down the hall in her PJ's.

Kate's furry friends...

While at the field hockey game, Kate found herself a big doggie to play with. There was another dog she met earlier that had her giggling nonstop...unfortunately, these moments often pass and I'm too busy laughing myself that I don't grab the camera in time to capture it. If you listen closely, you can hear her little laugh and squeals at the dog's tail-wagging.

Uncle Tyler visits...

Uncle Tyler came to visit over the weekend while he was in Baltimore for work. Heather was able to stop by and play with Kate before bed for a little while too. It took a little time to warm up to them again, but as you can see, by the end of the night, they were all buds again!

First field hockey game...

Mommy finally introduced Kate to her favorite sport at Towson's field hockey game. She had fun toddling around the sidelines, but when that final buzzer went off, she was on a tear across that soft turf, and there was no stopping her! Guess now that she's walking, she doesn't need us anymore!

Shake your groove thang!

This video speaks for itself...

Walk beside me and be my friend...

Such a cute pair, I can't even stand it!

Checking her email over lunch...

Don't worry everyone, it's my old, non-working laptop! But Katelyn loves electronics, and is always very interested when Mommy and Daddy use the new, working computer. So this was our solution...until Mommy noticed a key was suddenly missing from the keyboard, and Kate was being much too quiet off by herself in the corner. We saved the key from her throat, but isn't she the cutest secretary you've ever seen?!

All smiles!

Games we play...

Kate is a HUGE fan of peek-a-boo, and she loves to use our furniture as her hiding place. 

  

And here Kate "plays ball" with Daddy, and we're noticing a tendency to use her left hand when picking up and throwing the ball...interesting! (by the way, sorry for the dark/grainy-ness of this video, and it is a pathetic display of her skills, she really is usually quite good, just not when I finally get the darn camera!)

Sacked out!

This kid is so active during the day, her naps have been pretty long. This is a typical display of her energy after a long day walking, crawling, and being generally destructive!

New toy!

When Nana Fo visits, toys are sure to follow... last weekend she came, bearing some of my old toys, including this awesome horsey! The upkeep on this guy is surely less than the real thing, so we're all for it! Kate enjoys riding, but she hasn't quite learned how to mount/dismount, so she needs some more practice.

Little Leah...

Is this little gal adorable or what?!? This is our beautiful niece Leah Elizabeth. They got some pretty awesome family portraits done by a friend of theirs (Laurie Heath Studios - http://www.laurieheathstudio.com/blog/Lauriesblog.html) and she did an amazing job. I can't believe it's taken me so long to get a picture of this little nugget on our site, but isn't she precious!

Mealtimes are quite amusing these days...

Is she a snake...or a baby?

Told ya she was an animal - see her tail!

Family reunion...

We promise you, Katelyn NEVER falls asleep with things going on around her anymore. Not in our arms, not on our shoulder. I keep saying that, but I swear, she rarely even quiets down, usually our clue she is tired, is her becoming more frantic (more than usual anyway!)...But somewhere out of the blue, twice in one week, she fell asleep in somebody's arms, oblivious to the commotion, like when she was a newborn. First was with a babysitter at home, and the other was here at the Calloway family gathering in Baltimore last weekend. Great Aunt Deneen cuddled and played with Kate for a long time, as you see in the first picture, happily smiling and babbling away. Then minutes later, we looked over and noticed Katelyn sinking deeper into her arms! Then...she was out. And Daddy got a cuddle in before our ride home.

Kate is unfazed by the big scary dragon staring her down as she plots her next move...

Katelyn's first football game!

Towson played at the Naval Academy in Annapolis last weekend, which was a pretty big deal. It was awesome to see the battallion march onto the field before the game, despite the outcome not going our way. A fun day nonetheless... Unfortunately, a cloudy, decent temperature day turned into a very sunny, VERY warm day, and the temperature only rose as we walked into the stands to our seats, with a whole bunch of sweaty people. Besides realizing how much hotter we'd be holding a squirmy baby on our laps the whole game, Katelyn and Aunt Kimberly did not look well (Kim's due in October - heat is not fun when very pregnant!). We slipped under a tent for basically the whole game, and it made it SO much more bearable for all. Katelyn could walk around (yes, walk, she's much more consistent in her attempts these days!) and Kimberly could prop her feet up. Every other kid we saw spent at least part of the game asleep on a shoulder, in someone's arms, in a stroller or sling...our spunky little Kate? NOT A CHANCE!

Check out this sweaty little one with the cute pink cheeks!

Katelyn making her way around the tent on her own two feet, with no assistance, very focused on her task. 

Goofin' around with her Uncle Josh...

More bath pics...

So when Mommy gives Kate a bath, she's not all that excited about it. It's more of a Daddy thing in our house, and that's fine by me! However, with our varied schedules of late, it became necessary for SOMEONE to wash this dirty little kid after her feeding frenzies! So I tried a new approach...better for Katelyn's mood and Mommy's back - the kitchen sink! She had fun splashing around and brushing her own teeth, while I got down to the business of scrubbing the broccoli and bananas off her hands, chin...belly. It's a funny sight to watch her eat, but it sure does require a lot of work afterwards!