Long overdue update

So, I should have posted an update about a million times over the past few weeks, as Cate has had a lot going on in her life. Of course, that is exactly why I have not gotten any updates posted. A quick overview:

Cate at 4 weeks old: On June 27th, Cate was baptised at Word of Life Lutheran Church here in Lincoln. Both sets of grandparents, my sister Rachel, and Chaz's sister Della and her family were able to attend. Rachel and Cate's cousin Kirstin agreed to serve as Cate's godparents. We feel so blessed to have Cate welcomed so lovingly by our Lincoln church-home.




However, my sister Rachel did not leave. Hurricane Alex hit south Texas where she lives, closing the airport. So, Rachel stayed around an extra week.

Cate at 5 weeks old: Less than a week later, we headed out on Cate's first road trip to Concordia, KS. First, Cate had the chance to meet her "twin" cousin (Chaz's sister had a baby girl the same day we did). We too were thrilled to see the entire Clair family. Cate also had the chance to meet Great-Grandma Waneta Steimel. In these photos, Cate is in the white and red outfit and her "twin" cousin Maggie is in all red.

Then, we had the joy of having a blessing ceremony for both Cate and Maggie at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in KS. I am so glad that we were able to introduce Cate to both of her parent's religious traditions and we are so lucky that she has received so many prayers.


Finally, Cate (and my sister Rachel, who joined us in Kansas - still stranded due to Hurricane Alex, see above), got to enjoy their first experience shooting off fireworks for the Fourth of July with the Strait and Clair cousins. Despite a day-long rainstorm, the rain cleared long enough that evening for a beautiful show.

Cate at 6 weeks old: A few days after returning from Kansas, Chaz took off for Chicago, IL to attend Maggie's baptism (Cate and I weren't ready for the 10 hour car trip each way, so we stayed behind). We enjoyed a few crazy mommy/kiddo days (including an awesome visit from a group of my former speech-team students), and were so glad when Chaz came home.

Finally, yesterday Cate and I went to Children's hospital in Omaha to have Cate's hips sonogram ed for Hip Dysplasia (sp?) (or hip-dislocations). The radiologist said the balls of her hip joints were perfect, but that the sockets were a bit too shallow (normal = 60; Cate = 55). We go back to Omaha next Tue to meet with the orthopedist to decide what that means. On our trip, we got a chance to hang out with two of my favorite people, Abbie & Ryan Syrek, and Cate was thrilled to meet mommy's old friends.

Okay, today at 6.5 weeks she weighed 10 lbs at the mom's group I go to. Not an official weight, but it is a clear indication that she is growing like crazy!

I'll update more soon.