Growing up, getting old and ready for the baby gate

I struggled with what to write about for this week's blog post. Much of what I've been doing this week has focused on negative news and sad stories. Not just the news I've been covering in Wichita, but also news across our nation and around the world.

So, I thought Allie should be the topic of this week's blog post. Someone who's always happy and always smiling...when she's not hungry or sitting with a dirty diaper.

Allie turned eight months old last week and she continues to amaze her mother and I. There's not a day that goes by that I don't laugh at something she does or a new noise or talent she's learned to make or perform. She's now learned to clap, roll her tongue, click her tongue and sleep on her stomach. Little things, I know...but the way she does each of these things makes me smile and forget about all of the other things that could possibly be weighing on my mind.

She's also about to create more work for me. She's about to learn to crawl. That means it's time for daddy to install the baby gate at the top of the stairs that we've had since December. Maybe she'll help me read the installation instructions and hold the drill.