Webcam "Best Of" Gallery

Kate is far too mobile to keep a camera pinned on her, but we posted a "Best Of" gallery from when the webcam was running. We'll post an announcement if and when the webcam is turned back on. Look how tiny she is in these pictures! My oh my how our baby has grown!

All Hail Queen Kate...

...Lover of Hangers and Ruler of Bedtime Distractions!

Mall Trip With Mimi

This past Wednesday Mimi (a/k/a Kate's great grandmother) joined me and Kate for a visit to Aventura Mall. We went to Aventura because it's one of the better decorated malls (for the holidays) and they have fun things for kids to do, like a train ride and an indoor playground.

Kate had a blast. After a quick bite at Cheesecake Factory we headed to the train. The train was great because, although it is for small children, adults can squeeze in to ride it too. Kate and I rode in the engine and rang the bell. It was a quick trip, but Kate enjoyed every minute of her journey through the little Christmas village. Between the festive village and all of the decorations, Kate was in a state of amazement. She was pointing to everything she saw.

Then we headed of to Macy's to do a little shopping. Mimi bought Kate three adorable outfits and the best looking stuffed holiday Grover I've ever seen. He's almost as big as Kate. And she loved the watch that came with him. I put it on the tightest notch and slipped it onto her wrist. She kept waving her hand around to show off.

After shopping we had to of course do another train ride. This time it was even better because we rode in the caboose. It had a much better view.

Our last stop was to the indoor playground. Kate was, as always, thrilled to be playing among other kids. She watched them and followed them and even tried to steal their shoes (the playground is a "no shoes" zone). Kate and I took a few trips down the small slide together. She totally dug it. She wanted to climb up the slide to do it again and again.

And after such a busy day at the mall we were pooped. I didn't even bother to put Kate's shoes on for the stroller ride back to the car. And after only a few minutes on the road she was fast asleep.

Extras

You know how you can never get those rolls of film developed until every picture in the camera has been taken. Well here's a hodgepodge of pictures taken following Kate's first birthday. They include Kate's first taste of ice cream, her favorite pastime of exploring, getting a ride in a highchair and lots of eating and drinking.

Kate's Blog in "The New Yorker" Magazine

Kate's site is mentioned in "Bringing Up Baby" by Caitlin Flanagan in the November 15th issue of The New Yorker magazine. The full text of the article is not available on the web site, so you'll need to head out to your bookstore to get a copy in print before the week is up. If you do get a chance to read the article, we'd love to hear your feedback -- let us know what you think!

Shortcuts to parts of the site mentioned in the article: Our first 3 months guide to what worked for us Restaurant Floppy Seat Hear baby Kate cry Video of her cooing on the changing table Pictures of Ken assembling the changing table The color of Kate's walls Gerber Lil' Dippers Evenflo Portable Fun Ultrasaucer Ocean Wonders Aquarium Bouncer Playskool Step Start Walk 'n Ride LeapStart Learning Table Our Lucky Charm -- the Sassy Deluxe Curved Back and Side Sleeper

Note: A link to Kate's registry is no longer available. BabiesRUs terminates online registries on the baby's first birthday. Kate turned a year old on October 7.

Eating With A Fork

While out at a restaurant, Kate decided she wanted to be like mom and dad and eat with a fork. Kate's meal for the evening was ziti in a light butter sauce complemented by toasted oat rings. The only way she would eat her pasta was if we put it on the end of a fork so she could feed herself. This was just too cute! Dad took the pictures with his camera phone so they are a little blurry.

A Very Happy Halloween

Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Kevin all joined us this year to go trick-or-treating and answer the door for other trick-or-treaters. Kate dressed up as a ballerina. We picked this costume because it was the most comfortable and least fussy. She's been in a stage where she wants to take off her clothes. Luckily it was perfect for Kate -- it fit well, looked adorable and didn't bother her one bit to the point where she wanted it off.

View Kate's Halloween Pictures

Kate enjoyed answering the door as much as she enjoyed traveling from door to door for treats. Each time the doorbell rang she would squeal and run for the door. Grandma and grandpa were surprised at how quickly Kate would toddle around. It seemed as if she had turned from wobbly walker to proficient walker overnight.

We only hit about a dozen homes but that was plenty since we had on and off rain showers all night. Kate loved looking at the decorations and the other kids scurrying around the streets. We even stopped to take a quick picture with our neighbor Joey, who was camped out in her driveway handing out treats.

At one point when it started to rain we took cover in a neighbor's garage with a bunch of other trick-or-treaters. Kate of course made new friends. She LOVES other kids. There's a picture of her holding the hand of a little girl she had just met. She also enjoyed looking at all of faces on their plastic pumpkins. After the rain let up we headed home to play some more before bath and bed.

I'm not sure who had a better time this Halloween. Kate had fun trick-or-treating and answering the door, and we all had fun watching her have fun. Needless to say, we can't wait to do it all over again next year!