Around One Year

Katie loved playing in the water that first summer!  While Melly was leery of any splashing, Katie seemed not to notice getting water in her face, even putting her face in deliberately.  She loved music too, and would get very angry at her musical toys if they did not play.

Oh that temper!  She developed an earsplitting screech that she used constantly to express her displeasure with everything!  In the journal I describe her as stubborn and willful.  She was twisting and fighting with me when I tried to dress or change her.  She began having a hard time going back to sleep after waking in the night, refusing to lay down and self soothe.  Grandma didn't help matters when she snuck down to rock-a-bye her in the middle of the night, inadvertently teaching her to expect to get her way at any hour.

Still loving the swing, she learned to twist herself up (like on a tire swing) and then let go, spinning around and around.  She did the same thing on the floor too, sitting on her bottom and turning herself around and around with her feet.  Katie and Melanie were both devoted pacifier suckers, and around this time Katie started insisting on having one to hold onto as well as the one she sucked.  I had tried to teach Katie the same baby signs Melanie had used so well, but she had only ever used "more" and "all done", and about this time she refused to use even those anymore.

That fall I gave up my job at the day care since it was too far away for us living in the Cities and I needed something closer to full time.  I started working 30 hrs a week and Katie went to a home day care, which she enjoyed, but was always in a hurry to leave when I came to get her and couldn't stand for me to visit with the provider for even a few minutes!