are you there guys? it's me, kat.

anyone get that title? :) so, i've been absent. a ton has been going on and that kind of overwhelms me. overwhelmed = writer's block.

-arden crawls like a pro on her knees now. she just did one day and has continued doing so.

-pulling herself up is still a fun activity for her. she tries to do it on everything. the wall, my legs, things hanging from our coat hooks :) as i'm writing this she is playing with the chair from her baby swing. it converts to a toddler rocker. and she's trying to climb on the lamp now, oops...

-baby-proofing is a work in progress.

-her snaggle-tooth is totally out, and it's adorable :)

-she recognizes her name and will turn to us when we call her. she also recognizes some words and signs. she definitely knows what milk is, and we think she understands eat and more.

-anna and i have been taking sign classes for a few months. i have a niece that's deaf. i've been wanting to do classes again for a long time (i did them when i was around 13-15). aside from doing signs with arden, anna and i want to be able to communicate with my niece. baby signs don't work for conversing with a 14 yr old :)

-our sign language instructor has a background in nannying. i'm going to have her help me one day a week for 4 hours. this will give me a chance to do more around the house without interruptions, go out for errands, and/or have some quality alone time. i'm really excited.

-she's pooping on her potty. we bought a boon. when we hear her start grunting, we whip off the diaper and plop her down. it's really cute to see her sitting there with her onesie pulled up around her chest, grunting away. we aren't necessarily trying to potty train her now. this started as a little bit of a selfish act :) her diapers can get so messy. cleaning out a potty is much easier than cleaning out a cloth diaper. of course we want to encourage her to use the potty and there is no harm in starting early. she doesn't dislike using it, and loves to climb on it. it's definitely more of a play thing for her right now, and that's just fine.

-sleep is once again messed up. i think it's due to teething. it sucks that we get her on a good schedule only for it to go to hell again. whatever. i don't need sleep. right?

-now for the most recent, exciting news :) arden has learned how to clap. it's freakin' adorable! the best moment was yesterday morning. i was nursing her in bed, trying to get a few extra z's, as she's eating, she starts clapping :) loved it. finally, i get some appreciation for all the good milk i've been giving her! haha.

i can't guarantee my next post will be any sooner than this one was. i do have a new phone now that enables me to post on the go. so maybe you'll hear from me in less than a month :) we have been busy enjoying the good weather. play-dates, walks, swings and sandboxes, bbqs, vacations. and it doesn't look like things will slow down anytime soon. i'm cool with that :) i hope all of you are enjoying yourselves too.