Dear Kai,

You are almost one!  I can't even believe how fast this year has gone.  Every time I think about the fact that I only have 17 more years until we boot you out of the house I get a little teary.

Quickly, you are turning into one spirited little individual.  You ability to walk is coming on slowly but surely and I think, is giving you more confidence and more desire to get into anything you aren't supposed to.  You are still using a little push toy to walk or holding onto our hands, but your father and I are seeing you let go of a toy or the couch a little more often so you are getting those little balancing moments a few times each day.

As for personality, there is not a shortage!  You are starting to yell way more often (you get those rants from daddy).  You are yelling/babbling things like "adadadada" (I think means dada), "tat" (I think is cat), "amamamam" (mama), "noou?" (combined with a very demonstrative hand clap means more...I think this is you doing a sign...I have been trying to teach you that one, but I'm not terribly consistent with it, so I can't tell for sure for sure.)

They told me at baby school yesterday you started trying to steal the other kid's bottles.  For shame!  I don't send a bottle with you because, amazingly enough, we are still nursing and I'm very low on our stash.  But that is coming to a close!  My doc said I shouldn't supplement any cow's milk quite yet, so no bottles until 10/10, sorry my love.  I think you are going to want other people to share with you as you grow, but I don't know if you will be so ready to share with them.  When I hand you a little snack, you grab it out of my hand like, "This is mine! And by the way, MOM, if that is your real name, why didn't I get this 10 minutes ago???"  Maybe sharing won't be so much your problem as just over eating.  I don't think you will be terribly chunky though, because you like to move!  Sometimes to get your energy out, I just put you on the floor and follow you around the house while you crawl/army shuffle.  You get the biggest kick out of it.  Stewie pretty much hates these sessions but you are determined to get that fluffer! 

We are getting ready to put your jumperoo away, but you can't figure out the walker one with wheels. You just keep going backwards then you get stuck and just honk the horn till I come save you.  presh.

Some stats:

Weight as of today- 24.8 lbs

didn't get your height measured today...you went to the doc b/c you tore this little piece of skin in your mouth while you were playing.  Lots of blood=sad mama.  But you are napping now, so evidently you aren't hurting too bad!

Clothes size- 18 months!  

Sleep- through the night consistently, but you wake up anywhere in the 5-6am range.  Please push that back! Naps are good usually a short one in the morning while we are on a walk, and then an afternoon marathon of 3-3.5 hours! Baby school is the BEST.

Favorite toy-Push popper thing, has a button and the little balls pop up and down inside or books to pull off the shelf, or pretend cell phone.

Favorite food- You tried spaghetti for the first time a few days ago, and you couldn't get enough!  You can plow through a whole banana easily, and you love mum mums or wagon wheels.

Conversations with Kai

This happened yesterday in the car.

Me: Kai, say, mama.

K: Dada.

Me: say, dada.

K: Dada.

Me: good job!  Say, ball.

K: Dada.

Me: Kai, say, dog.

K: Dada.

Me: Awesome.  I feed you 3/4 of the time, change your diapers 3/4 of the time, read to you, cuddle with you, teach you cool stuff, and talk about you most of the time I'm away from you, but you just keep talking about daddy.  See where that gets you!

Mom Vs. Hand Washing

Okay, the title of this doesn't mean I'm going AGAINST hand washing with a baby, or in general for that matter.  Seriously, ew.  It does however mean that when you have a baby things like this are increasingly difficult!  Not for me to help the baby wash his hands but simply for me!

Imagine: mmmmmm...Kerbey Lane pancakes...  mid lunch/brunch with cute baby next to you starting to get a little fussy.  I'm going to try to fix this... It's time to change the diaper.  I get up and head to the bathroom (Luckily for me, they have a changing table!  What a thought people!  Firebowl and Starbucks I still hate you sometimes for not having changing tables.  I left a very strongly worded comment card at Firebowl when they told me to go change my kiddo's diaper at Chipotle the other day.  Whaaaaaa?)

Steps off soap box.

Finish up changing diaper, and now it's time to get clean!  But wait, I still have to hold my baby b/c he can't stand yet, and I can't leave him on the table b/c he would fall off and then need stitches or worse.

So this is how it goes, and I only learned this from watching another mom... Put one hand under faucet get wet, get soap on that hand, use same hand to squish it around, rinse, get a paper towel, and dry...Switch baby to other hip (the one he slides off of slowly, EVERY TIME) and repeat.  By the time I finish, baby has slid all the way down to my knee and I waddle back over to paper towels to dry off and set baby back up on proper hip.  (found out I have slight scoliosis, by the way, who knew?!)

That is how I wash my hands. It's the little things.

Mom vs. Parking Lot

I went to HEB the other day and I got the BEST Parking spot EVER (for a mom).  When you become a mom with a little one in tow your parking priorities change.  Big time.  I stopped looking for places that are the closest to the store and now I look for places that are next to the cart returns.  Being next to the cart return can make or break your shopping trip.  You can grab a cart easily, put it away easily, AND if it is on the correct side of your car you get ample space to open up that car door nice and wide and not ding anybody!  You do risk getting dinged by unruly cart returners, but you gotta take what you can get, am I right?

UPDATE: I'm not doing so great on giving up soda.  blerg.