Kai at 1 year

Our Kai bug went and turned a year old on June 28.  Of course I was sad when Collins and Brooks turned a year but this one has been so much harder, knowing he's our last baby.  This age is so much fun though!

At 1 year, Kai weighs 19lbs (20%) and is 28in tall (25%).  He grew 2 inches since his 9 month appointment so he finally made it on the height chart.  His head is in the 95% range. Which explains why he's always falling over.

 Just like Brooks, Kai hates whole milk.  Not warm, not cold, not in any sippy cup or bottle.  Not even chocolate milk! I'm not too stressed about it though, we make sure he eats plenty of yogurt and cheese. I nursed him longer than the other 2 because he was waking up at 5:30am and I'm just not ready for my kids to be awake at that time.  So he'd nurse and go back to sleep.  He stopped nursing completely about a week after his first birthday when we learned that he'd drink strawberry pediasure. We're slowly adding more whole milk to it in hopes of getting him on just whole milk.  But he's sleeping through the night from 7pm-6am.  Hallelujah!  

I'm shocked that he still only has 3 bottom teeth! It looks like the top 4 are on the way.  He's wearing a size 3 shoe although I can't get any to stay on his fat feet! Also in a size 3 diaper and 9-12 month clothes. 

The first night of not nursing him before bedtime, I was standing by his crib singing to him and he pointed to his rocking chair like "yeah right, mom.  You've still got to at least rock me!" I cherish that he still loves being rocked for a little bit before we put him in his crib.  He always points to the chair if we don't try skipping the rocking  He's got the finger pointing down.  There was one day that I didn't know what he wanted and he flapped his arms like a bird to get me to walk and flapped and pointed until we landed at a box of cookies.  He is so smart! If we just close the baby gate without actually locking it, he can get it open. He will notice if it's open and make a mad dash for the stairs.  Brooks was 14 months when we moved into this house but I'm realizing I need to baby proof more than I had to with him! Kai's into everything!!! The bottom cabinets have safe stuff inside them so he has a hay day pulling out trash bags from one cabinet, the kid plates/cups from another, tupperware, etc.  Our kitchen usually looks like a tornado just went through it.

I don't remember Collins and Brooks being this vocal either.  There was one day that we heard him say "hi" so good that we thought it was Brooks! It sounds like he says "up" and he'll say "huh" for hot and "mmmm" if you ask him if something is good.  I know those don't count as words but he's trying!

We laugh at how much his stomach sticks out. He's a bottomless pit! He's not much of a vegetable fan anymore so I sneak those in with other foods and he eats 1 squeeze pouch that contains vegetables, a day.  He loves all other food though, especially fruit. He didn't devour his birthday cake which surprises me because he loves sweets.  He once ate about 7 donut holes during one of Brooks' baseball games and was pissed at me when I wouldn't give him more.  The kids are always sharing food with him so he basically eats all day long. 

He started walking soon after he turned 11 months.  It just clicked one day and he was off. He always wants to be outside, likes the pool and bath but not water in his face.  He can follow simple commands like "get your cup."  He still won't really sit through a book.  He just wants to turn the pages and close the book. Collins room is his favorite.  He whines anytime I walk away from him.  Climbs everything and doesn't like sitting in a shopping cart very long.

We just had a simple birthday party for him with mostly family.  He loooves balloons so I made sure to have lots of those and then we had a pool and sprinkler going in the backyard since it was 95 degrees outside! 

We love you so much Kai and have enjoyed every second of this past year with you. 

Check out his 1 year photo session auntie Amy took of him.  I can't even narrow them down so go look at them all here

Kai at 11 months

 

The last month of  having a baby. Waaah!  I just wanted to get a couple 11 month milestones in:

 

He's taken 3 steps! Of course I was making dinner and nana Jana witnessed them first.  Really kid? I watch you 24/7 and you do that when I'm not looking?!

 

 

 

He had a rough 10 days of illness.  Started with high fevers which led to a virus rash and then he had a cough that made it really hard for him to sleep.  Of course known of it earned him antibiotics so we just had to wait it all out.  I know fevers are a good sign but I sure did rush him in when it spiked to 103.8.  I think he weighed 18 pounds 5 ounces when I took him in for his sickness.   

 

 

Once he was feeling better, he gave me 4 straight nights of sleeping through the night.  But then a tooth started popping through and ended that streak.  Someday, right?

 

 

 

 

I'm ready to start the weaning process.  He's still nursing 3-4 times so I need to start dropping 1 and introducing whole milk. 

 

He get's excited when he hears us say "Alexa!" and starts dancing with both hands in the air when music comes on.

 

 

 

 

He waves at the right times.  We'll be driving in the golf cart and pass someone and he waves to them. 

 

Changing his diaper makes me sweat.

I'm so not ready for my baby to turn a year.  Love you!

Kai at 10 months

 

Time is going so fast! I think I have a theme picked out for his party, but i'm in denial that he's turning one soon.

He says mama!!! It was actually heard for the first time on April 15 by Collins. We were in the car and she goes, “did you hear that mom?! He said mama!” And sure enough, he did it again. I swear I’ve heard him say “hi” and “duh” for done. Counts, right?

 

 

I'm not for sure  how much he weighs.  Our scale is saying he weighs 19lbs but it doesn't calculate ounces.  I never took him in to get his blood drawn to see if anything is contributing to his small size.  I'm not too concerned so it's on the back burner for now.  We don't have another well visit until he's a year so hopefully we continue to stay healthy and won't need to go in before that. 

He’s wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes and got a new pair of size 2 shoes. I can’t find Brooks’ old shoes and he wasn’t walking in the summer time so I’m trying to figure out a good, summer shoe for Kai. One that stays on! I keep saying he’s going to walk any day now. He could if he’d just try. But as soon as we stand him up without holding on to something, he slowly goes down to a sit. I’ve seen him stand alone for about 6 seconds. His knees would really like for him to walk. They get so red from crawling on the cement. Doesn’t seem to phase him, he is so happy outside.

Despite only having 2 teeth, he loves food and eats everything.   He shovels it in by the fist full and usually has an empty plate in about 1 min. The only thing I can think of that he isn't a huge fan of is green beans.  He nurses before each nap, before bed and once in the middle of the night.  Between sports and playing outside, he hasn't been going to bed till 7-7:30pm and wakes up for the day around 6:45am.  We've had our ups and downs are far as sleeping this month.  There were a couple nights he'd wake up around midnight and cry for almost 2 hours because I refused to feed him at that time.  I'd go in there every 15 min or so and rub his back for a couple seconds until he finally just exhausted himself.  Then there are nights he doesn't wake up to eat until 5:30am which is kind of nice because I just stay awake and have a good hour to myself before anyone wakes up.  He's been taking longer morning naps (1.5-2 hours) and then a shorter afternoon nap (1 hour).  You just never know what your gonna get from him with his sleeping.

 

 

He almost always happy but I've been getting glimpses of his toddlerhood.  He does this fake cry and throws his head back when you tell him no, go to change his diaper, or try to get him in his car seat.  He knows exactly what cupboards don't have child locks on them and goes straight for them. Forget toys, he'd rather chew on shoes, teepee the bathroom and get into toilets. I've found his hand in a toilet twice now. Vomit!!!! I'm scared folks, he's gonna be trouble. 

 

  He’s pretty good about crawling into the playroom and playing on his own. Your probably thinking I’m crazy for letting him play alone but I have 2 kids that need me all.the.time so I’m going a different route with this kid and hoping he’s better at playing independently. I peek on him often, he good.

Kai bug, you are still the sweetest. Always laying your head on my shoulder and wanting to be held. If we’re out and about during nap time, you almost instantly fall asleep when I put you in the carrier. I adore your open mouth kisses, dimples and smile.  So many people comment on how happy you are. You give anyone a smile and then shyly, hide your face.  We love you so much baby boy. 

 

Kai at 9 months

Wasn't I just doing his 8 month post? Time is flying! He weighed in at 17lbs (10%) and was 26 in long.  Which put him in under the 2% tile on the growth chart.  Our pediatrician was confident that he's just going to be smaller due to genes but wants us to go ahead and do some blood work.  We aren't concerned either and I'm sure he'll hit a growth spurt at some point.  I haven't even decided if I want to go through with the blood work because if something came back abnormal, I wouldn't want to do a steroid shot.  No, I don't want him to be a really short boy but I also don't like the side effects of a steroid. So we haven't crossed that bridge yet.  I'm just soaking up his happy, healthy, tiny little self.

He is on the go! Crawling up on all 4's, pulling up on everything, get's back down safely from standing up and can walk along furniture.  He'll occasionally let go of things and can stand alone for a couple seconds.  I see walking in our near future. Now that he's crawling all around the house, he hasn't been as attached to me.  Since we don't have gates yet and the toy room is right by our stairs, I have to keep a close eye on him.  And because of all the tiny toys his siblings have.  So.many.small.toys.  He's pretty much over all the baby toys and is in heaven in the toy room.  He pulls up on the toy kitchen and wants to be involved in whatever his siblings are playing with. 

I have failed miserably at brushing his teeth and reading books before bed.  I should really get on those things.  My first-time parent self would have been appalled.  Bedtime is about 7pm and he's still unpredictable the rest of the night.  For the most part, he wakes up to eat around 3am and then is up about 6:15.  If he eats earlier then 3am, I can usually convince him to eat again and go back to sleep till 7-7:30.  If he's not hungry yet, he isn't going back to sleep.  He takes a 1 hour morning nap at 9am and a 1.5 hour nap at 1pm. 

He's down to nursing 5 times (1 being in the middle of the night).  Soon after he wakes up, around 11am, 3pm and at bedtime.  He's hardly had any bottles this past month cause I'm lazy and hate to pump.  He'll take a bottle just fine and eats 6-7oz  Eating 3 meals of table foods and sometimes a little morning and afternoon snack.  If he sees someone eating, they better be sharing.  He's a bottomless pit and cries when mealtime is over.  Drinks water at mealtimes.

Despite not loving going to other people when mommy is in sight, you loved the Easter bunny.  Kept touching his face and smiling.

Kai Anders, you must have taken it literally when I told you to stay my baby.  Your little but your siblings will make sure your tough.  I look forward to seeing your adorable smile every morning and miss you as soon as you asleep at night.  We love you so much baby.

Collins at 5

Collins turned five on November 21st.  For insurance reasons, we couldn't get her in for a well visit until February.  So, here's a long overdue post.

She's 42in tall (25%) and weighs 36.6lbs (10%). I feel like she's finally catching up to other kids her age in the height department. She's wearing 5t clothes and a size 10 shoe.  It's fun and sad that I can shop for her in the girls section at Target, not just the toddler area. 

 She's not the best eater but I wouldn't say she's picky either.  Generally she'll eat what we are eating for dinner, or at least eat the required bites to get dessert.  Hamburger is still a negative for her so we modify her dinner a tad if we are having beef.  She eats most vegetables, preferably raw ones (carrots, bell peppers, broccoli), has a strong love for candy and chips and isn't a big morning breakfast eater but loves breakfast food for dinner. 

She sleeps from about 8pm-7:30am

Preschool has been so good for her this year.  Not that it wasn't last year, but she's always asking if she has school the next day.  I'm not sure if it's because she's really bonded with 2 girls this year (Laney and Stella), or because her teachers are fantastic.  Whatever the reason, it makes me happy that she loves it so much.  She hasn't grasped reading yet but always wants to practice writing words. Poop is one of the words she can write on her own.  We're so proud. Haha!  She knows the majority of her letters by looking at them and can tell you the letter when you make it's sound.  Her and I were driving to dance one day and she asked "can we practice math at the stoplight?" Like I can say no to that! She can do basic addition (2+2, 5+4, etc)

 A baby doll isn't always in her arms like they used to be. Maybe that's because she has a real life baby doll now.  You can often times find her playing babies in her room though.  Usually she can rope Brooks into playing house with her too.  She's gotten a tad bit bossy (only to Brooks) and is learning to test our boundaries. I guess I'm glad she's coming out of her shell so she doesn't get walked all over by other kids. I'm seeing little glimpse's into our drama filled future.  She's still a rule follower and breaks into tears if she gets in trouble.

Likes- LOL dolls, hatchimals, coloring, Youtube, workbooks, slime, cheese dip, babies, dancing on stage and music. 

Dislikes- when her brother doesn't listen to her, heights

 

I got an email for kindergarten round up and I couldn't get through it without crying.  Sometimes I think I'm ready for her to be in school more but it breaks my heart to think that she'll be in school more then she'll be at home.  And we'll do things during the day without her.  Waaaahhhhhhh. 

 Collins Cates, you are beautiful on the inside and out, smart, funny, caring, helpful and the best sister and daughter EVER! We love you so so much.  

Kai at 7 and 8 months

7 months

 

8 months

 

I don't think he's had a well visit since 6 months.  We did go in at 7 months for a weight check and he was 15lbs 8oz.  I honestly have no idea how he's still so little.  He's a bottomless pit!

About 7 months, we pretty much stopped with the baby food and went the baby lead weaning route.  That basically means we just give him pretty big chunks of food and let him feed himself.  I did it with the other two kiddos as well and it's much easier to just feed him what we are eating then spoon feed him.  He's ate a wide variety of foods.  Pretty regular foods for him are: peanut butter toast, banana, blueberries, avocado, eggs, yogurt, green beans, cooked carrots, lunch meat, shredded cheese and so much more.  He drinks water from a straw sippy cup at meals. At 7 months, it was almost clock work that he'd nurse at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, eat 1-2 meals and take 3 naps.

Now his schedule is more like:

6:15am- wake up and hang with daddy :)

7am-nurse

8am- breakfast

8:30-9:30-nap

11pm-nurse

11:45pm-lunch

12:30-2-nap

3pm-nurse

5pm-dinner

7pm- nurse or bottle and goes to bed

His sleeping is so unpredictable.  He'll finally nap 1-2 hours at each nap but he also wakes up 1-2 times at night.  Sometimes at 1am, sometimes not till 4am, sometimes twice. I just never know what the nights going to hold.  It's frustrating because he was such a good night time sleeper early on but because he's low on his growth chart, I feel like he needs the middle of the night feeding.  One feeding anyway, 2 is just ridiculous.  I'm just too tired to sleep train (again). One of my favorite things is when we get him out of his crib, he'll wrap his arms around us and rest his chin on our shoulder like he's giving us a big hug. Well played kid, well played.

We're finally starting to get out of the 3-6 month clothes.  I think he wears a size 1 shoe but socks and shoes don't stand a chance.  He always pulls them off and chews on his socks.  His socks are usually soaking wet by the time we get anywhere from him chewing on them in the car.  He's in a size 3 diaper. 

He's been learning SO many new things.  He army crawls (2/20), gets up on all 4's and is making the first steps to crawl, can pull to a stand (2/24) waves (2/14), can go from laying down to sitting up (3/4) and his first word? Dada (3/1). Once he gets the crawling down, I'm certain he'll be walking soon after.  He's constantly pulling up on things and always wants to be standing up.  I think he hates the car seat so much because he hates sitting still.  He has no chill.  Always wants to be held but doesn't actually want to sit and hang.  He's gotten way better in the car, rarely crying now.

His personality is really developing.  He's very chatty in the mornings before his siblings wake up, does a fake laugh when he hears people laugh and has a hilarious new face where he squints his eyes and clinches his fists.  He does it more and more the more you laugh.  He's generally a happy baby, although he thinks he needs me to hold him anytime he sees me.  He gets shy and hides his face when people talk to him but doesn't mind other people holding him, as long as I don't make eye contact with him.  Can you tell he's a mommy's boy

 

 

Bath time is his favorite.  Be basically jumps out of my arms trying to get in there.    He also likes going on walks, swinging, cellphones, the remote and watching his brother and sister. 

 

Kai, I'm in denial that your going to be one before long. I'm positive that you know how much your loved because someone is ALWAYS touching or holding you.  You will probably never know what personal space is.  We just can't help that your so dang cute and love you oh so much. 

Day 3 (park day 2) at Disney World

On our third day we woke up and immediately started celebrating our birthday girl.  Collins turned 5 on our trip and I hope it'll be a birthday she never forgets.  We celebrated her birthday before our trip but I packed a couple presents to surprise her with in the morning.  One of her presents was a new princess dress for her to wear that day for lunch with the princesses and  later in the week for her makeover (if your doing a makeover, bring your own dress.  They are crazy expensive at the park). She put her birthday dress, mickey ears and pin on, nobody was going to miss that it was her birthday!

 

 

 

We spent out 2nd park day at Epcot.  It ended up being our least favorite park but it had it's perks for the birthday girl.  We ate brunch with almost all the princesses at Akershus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Met Ana and Elsa!!

 

 

 

 

And met plenty of other characters too

 

 

 

  

 

It was a rainy morning so we found  a spot inside a Innoventions which was like a Crayola place.  We found an empty corner and kind of camped out while the kids had a blast doing art stuff.  We checked out the aquarium for a little bit and the boys did their fast pass for Test Track.  Our fast passes were really spread out this day so it was hard to justify leaving the park just to turn around and come back.

 

 I think they purposely put the Frozen ride and princesses at Epcot to draw the younger crowd.  I highly recommend getting park hopper passes just so you don't have to spend an entire day here.  It's more for the older crowd. The Frozen ride was one of my favorites though so don't skip this park entirely.  I noticed the seats were wet when we sat down so I scrambled to find something to cover sleeping Kai. And known of us were prepared for a drop in the ride.  Brooks face is priceless

 

 

I think the prior days caught up to us this day and we left the park right before dinner.  Some of the group stayed and toured the different countries but our family headed back with Harper and my sister who had started to get a nasty stomach bug.  Collins was happy to have Harper with us and we ate dinner at the hotel and then they all picked a dessert.  We sang Happy birthday for about the 10th time before calling it a night pretty early.  Our birthday girl said she had a great birthday even if she didn't get to ride many rides this day.  So many characters and staff sang happy birthday to her or wished her a happy birthday.  I don't think it will be a birthday she ever forgets!

 

 

 

Fast Passes: Frozen for some and Test Track for some, Spaceship Earth (in the ball) and Soarin

Dining Service- Akershus