Dear Kate,

As I think about the movie, Zootopia, where the sloth is writing down the information, and Momma is the bunny driving everyone else nuts.  I start your first true post.

I'm happy to say that you finally have two very small, barely showing teeth.  That Momma has been prophesying since you were three months old.  But thankfully, they are barely popping up out of the skin, so it doesn't ruin your toothless grin.  I'm sad to say, that Momma has not given you a haircut.  And that you at 8 months old have a beautiful rattail curl in the back.  (I am not typing that. - Momma)  Even though my wife doesn't remember the 80s, that is where it came from.

Obviously you have changed considerably since the last post.  You are able to pick yourself up and cruise around furniture.  Plus not only that, you can crawl all the way around the house.  This weekend for the first time, you crawled up steps for the first time.  Right during the Florida Fellowship Meeting, you watched Henry Mizell a minute, and then as if you were a pro followed suit, copying him.

You also are enjoying lots of different types of food, from fun things like bananas and applesauce to green peas and squash.  You are also capable of picking up small items and eating them.  You do this on the floor and at your tray.  We are happy to say that you at least enjoy everything we have fed you so far.  Which is really helpful, since your other siblings hate, hate green peas.  Hopefully you'll continue to learn to eat more solid foods, because squash is cheaper than lots of cans of formula.

Kate, you mostly seem to be a happy baby.  That when I come in from work, your eyes light up and you smile really big.  And when I lead singing, you always swing around to look for me and smile. You seem to have a good time playing with your brother and two sisters.  And they also like getting attention from you.

We can't complain, except when it comes to sleeping.  Lately you have been disruptive when it comes to my quality of sleep.  You seem to want to eat late at night, and then also, multiple times during the night - at 2 and 4 am.  It makes it very difficult to get some good sleep, hearing you cry.

To wrap things up, is sleep a character quality?  (No! -Momma) Kate, you are in a family with lots of different crazy people.  You have the OCD.  You have the Ninja fighting, nerf shooting, kill all the aliens type.  You have the bossy mother hen.  You have the talking know it all.  Kate, I feel for you, as I am the only normal one in two families, you as being the only normal one are going to need lots of patience.  Patience is something you have to continually grow and improve.  Cause you can be patient with nothing else is going on.  The key is being patient when there is multiple things going on at the same time, and things are not how you want it to be.  But by being patient and understanding you can overcome problems and struggles in life.  Life in general is not easy.  You typically go from one valley to the next.  When one shoe falls, the other one comes right behind it.  Kate, I hope you are patient with your siblings.  They can be a great support and help in time, but you have to realize that you have three of them that are very strong willed, hard headed, with lots of their own ideas.

Kate, we love you very much, and sometime are saddened by how quickly you are growing up.  But we are thankful for your smiles and your affectionate nature.

Love you, Katydid.
Love, Daddy.