Katie Quirks

Our little Katie Beth is such a quirky little thing. We think she could act in a wordless comedy and everyone would buy it. Her tiny little frame and silly faces and movements make for constant entertainment.

Over the last several weeks, I've thought to myself, "I hope I never forget that...", so this is my attempt at cataloging the Katie Quirks that I haven't already lost to a bad memory:

*Moments before she wakes up, she uses her pointer finger to stroke the silky part of her lovey. It's a sure sign she's about to wake up.

*When Katie Beth knows she is disobeying or is embarrassed, she shuffle steps. She takes tiny, exaggerated steps while she disobeys. If it is a strategy, it's a brilliant one. It is very hard to discipline such a silly shuffle stepper!

*Katie Beth is still shy and unassuming. She just started using words at the beginning of July and finally, last week, realized she could express her wants and needs using words.

*She is the cutest when she says the princesses' names! Cinderella is our favorite because she sort of loses the name in all of her funky tongue maneuvering: "Reh-lalalalala."

*She is still obsessed with Froggy. It's been weeks since he was at our house, but Kate plays the Froggy Game often: she brings me an empty container and we have to pretend Froggy is in there. When she sings her princess book, she often replaces the words with "Froggy". She tells us she wants to have a Froggy party and wants to be Froggy for Halloween. Let's not forget that when Froggy actually stayed with us, she was terrified of the thing...

*She is understated. If you watch Katie Beth, you'll notice she's always joyful, always attacking life with abandon, and always wholly in the moment. But she's so quiet and understated about it that it is often easy to overlook. It's really comical to watch a child her size quietly but aggressively attack a bowl full of food.

*Her favorite playtime activities: putting baby to bed, reading, playing with her doll house, and playing with Big Sister (who currently plays "Walk the Dog" in which Kate willingly gets on all 4s and acts like Avery has her on a leash all over the house).

*Kit sings herself to sleep by humming a monotone sound before sleeping. Still one of my favorite noises ever!

*Kate decided about a month ago that she was done wearing diapers and will not leave them on. We played at potty training until this week, when she started using the restroom on her own and calling, "Mommy! Poh-ee!" I'd verify that she had, in fact, stopped her play and gone to the bathroom, and then would give her a treat. The child seems to be training herself. We're still at about 2 accidents a day, but Kate loves her big girl panties and will not wear a diaper or Pull Up if we're at home.

Jordan and I - several times a week - watch Kate doing something and look at each other in wonder. How did we end up with this kid? We feel like the luckiest family ever!

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