Kaitlin's First Birthday

I've decided to do one MEGA post about Kaitlin's first birthday rather than break it up into three parts. Call me crazy. Grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine if you are reading this tonight) and stay a while.

Kaitlin's first birthday. I've been anticipating it for the last several months. I knew it would come, obviously we all grow older, but it is still shocking that the time is already here. What is it that they say? The days are long but the years are short. Something like that. I've always liked that quote and I am finding it quite fitting at the moment. 

I'm not sure if Kaitlin enjoyed her first birthday or not. I don't think she actually knew what was going on, but she did know that there were a lot of people staying at her house and playing with her 24/7. She knew that she had to keep putting on fancy dresses even though the temperature soared near 90* for a whole weekend. She knew that she was getting A LOT of extra attention - and she loved it!

Both sets of her grandparents came down to visit and help us celebrate. The day before her birthday we held a very, very small party at our local park. We had our family and a few friends gather at the park with bagels and cupcakes and we let the kids run around and play. It was a hot and humid day - Kaitlin's dress managed to stay on for an hour and then we stripped her down to her diaper because of the heat. Her dress was cute but not very cooling! Little Miss was so excited to have Grammie and Pop-pop and Grandma and Grandpa in town that she didn't take her morning nap, which made for a very cranky birthday girl. Add in the uncomfortable weather and she wasn't in the best of moods. She held out for most of the party but there were a few crying spells here and there. (Not to mention a choking episode or two. Suddenly after five months of amazing chewing skills she decides to shove ALL of her food in her mouth at once and try and swallow. I had her bent over my knee slapping her back to get it out. Just about damn near gave me a heart attack. Oh yeah, and she decided to do that four times in one day. Lord help me.) But overall a good time was had by all and we might have even lost a pound or two sweating in the heat!

  

Sunday marked the big day - her FIRST birthday! We had been waiting to get her baptized until our parents were in town and it just so happened that it fell on her birthday. So off we went to the church to get Kaitlin baptized. My parents and I went ahead to attend the service (the baptism was to take place afterwards) while Brian and his parents got her all dressed up. We met them after the service and found out that they didn't even have us on the list for that days baptism!! They quickly changed a few things around and squeezed us in, thankfully. There were four baptisms that day and Kaitlin was by far the oldest baby there. We all had to stand at the front facing the crowd while the minister baptized each one of them. We were second in line but that was far too long for Kaitlin to be held. Now that she is a walking/running machine she doen't like being held unless she wants to be held (which is pretty much never). We were definitely that family trying desperately to hold onto their toddler as she tried to jump out of my arms. Many cries and tears followed. The minister didn't even try to hold her to present her to the congregation, he let me take care of that. We let her walk around a little bit in front of us during the last two baptisms and we only had to chase her around a little. Thankfully the whole process only took about twenty minutes and as soon as it was over we bolted. Of course, it doesn't help that this all took place during Kaitlin's normal lunch and nap time. Are you starting to get an idea of how critical naps are to our little one's temperament??

After Kaitlin's nap we let her open presents! She took a very long nap and woke up in a little bit of a mood. She had been sweating during her nap too so she woke up looking a little crazy. She did very well during presents and loved playing with her new toys, looking at new books and admiring her new clothes. After all of the presents were opened we took her for a spin in her new wagon!

I wanted to do a Cake Smash session with her on her actual birthday, but with everything that we had been through earlier that day I knew it probably wouldn't go well. We had a couple of cupcakes left over from the party so we gave her those to try after she finished her dinner. 

Let's just say she is NOT a cake person.

(Want to see more pictures of Kaitlin HATING cake? Check out our not-so-perfect cake smash session)

Overall Kaitlin's first birthday was really, really nice. Sure, there was a bit more crying and more tears than I had anticipated, but it was so special to have our families there to help us celebrate. Kaitlin is turning into more and more of a toddler, and less of a baby, every single day. While it is so exciting to watch her grow and transform into a little person it is also super sad. While I don't wish to have the newborn days back, it would be nice to be able to hold onto these "baby" days for a little bit longer. 

Birthday Cake

I am going to write a few posts for Kaitlin's first birthday (Birthday Party! Baptism! Presents!) but wanted to share this photo quickly. I am going to do a full cake smash photo session with her tomorrow but we wanted to give her a little taste of sugary goodness on her actual birthday. We had a couple of cupcakes left over from her party so we let her go to town on them.

Apparently she hasn't inherited a sweet tooth from her father and I. Her reaction to the cupcakes was a mix of fear, disgust and hatred. I should probably be happy that she didn't immediately inhale an entire cupcake, at least we don't have to worry about sugar-highs just yet :)

My First Mother's Day

This time last year I was still pregnant and eating as many of these birthday cupcakes as I could. This year I got to celebrate my very first Mother's Day. It wasn't fancy, it wasn't elaborate but it was just perfect. We've had a pretty good streak of awesome weather here in Houston and today did not disappoint. I got to sleep in while Brian took care of Kaitlin (all the way until 7:30am! I felt like a new woman!)

When Kaitlin got up from her nap she and her dad presented me with my Mother's Day and birthday presents! I absolutely love them and can't wait to hang them on my wall!

We spent the rest of the day lounging by the (baby) pool, riding bikes and playing in the park. OK, so most of the day was still centered around Kaitlin - but it was pretty great none the less. Brian and I were able to sneak out during the afternoon and go to one of our local beer gardens for a quick drink. It was nice to steal some time away just the two of us on this very special day!

wish i had remembered to brush my hair before snapping this photo...but i'm glad we got it, none the less

I am so very grateful for this little person that made me a mother. She has opened my eyes and allowed me to love more than I ever thought was possible. I learn something new about her - and myself - every day. Being a mother isn't easy; in fact it's probably the hardest and most challenging job I have ever had, but it certainly is the best job in the whole world. It's loud and messy and happy and sad and smelly and smiley and so very, very exciting. And I couldn't have done any of it without my own mom - by learning from her (when I didn't even realize it) and for her unending support in raising this little one. So many wonderful things I am thankful for each and every day, but maybe just a little bit more, today.

Watch Me Grow - Week Fifty One

Happy Mother's Day!

Week 51 brought a big new development for Kaitlin - she learned how to stand up on her own, without holding onto anything. This has been huge for her walking, she no longer crawls at all - maybe only once or twice a day at the most. Now that she can stand up whenever and wherever she wants, she is all about the walking!! She walks around and around and around - around in circles if she has to. I think her favorite thing to do is walk around the yard or the living room, usually in circles, holding onto her Paddington Bear and/or a graham cracker. Man, she loves graham crackers.

Grammie and Pop-pop came to visit us this week and she has had a great time getting to know them again. The last time she saw them was almost six months ago!! It took her a little while to warm up, but now she is happy as a clam hanging out with them. And why wouldn't she? They take her on walks, bring her to the park and spoil her with lots of presents.

We will have a few more visitors at the end of the week, just in time for her first birthday. One week from today she will be one!

Watch Me Grow - Week Fifty

And the final countdown begins...two weeks until Kaitlin turns one. Are you sick of hearing me talk about it yet? *Update - by the time I had a chance to finish this post it is closer to a week and a half until her birthday...11 days to be exact*

Walking is now her number one mode of transportation, she walks way more than she crawls. I feel like over night she went from walking a little bit here and there, to full on walking all of the time. She is so much steadier on her feet, though she still falls a lot (mostly because she doesn't look where she's going). She also LOVES to carry things around while she walks, which is fun but doesn't help her much when she falls down. Usually she ends up face planting into the hardwood floor which doesn't feel great. With all this walking has come a lot of bumps, bruises and even a few bloody lips. If that's the extent of her injuries though I'll be happy!

Another new development over the last week or so has been her attachment to her lovey. Her attachment to the monkey got so intense that we had to start putting it away so that she could concentrate on walking, playing on the playground, pretty much do anything normal! I have started leaving it in her crib - or at the very least upstairs - to try and separate her from it a little bit. I know - what kind of mom am I?! I introduce a lovey to her in hopes that she get's attached to it so it can bring her comfort, and then once she is attached I take it away???!!! Not to worry - she has found a few other toys that she has become super attached to lately. She is also obsessed with a Paddington Bear stuffed animal that she has and her My First Purse that her great grandparents bought for her. As I mentioned above, in general she just loves to carry stuff around with her, I think it's probably pretty exciting as she has never been able to hold a toy and move around at the same time. 

And one last, kind of odd, development is Kaitlin's sense of urgency.  When she decides that she has/wants to do something, sometimes she has to do it RIGHT NOW. She will "hypervenilate" ie, breathe really fast several times, when trying to do something (eat, throw a toy, play with her favorite toys). It is really strange and I can't figure out where she learned how to do it. She will also react in a similar way when we are getting ready for naps and bed time. We usually go around the room and say "goodnight" to various objects and pictures on the wall. Well recently she began pointing to a couple of bears on her bookshelf and the birds on the wall decal and breathing really fast and making a noise that sounds like "quick, quick, QUICK MOM I HAVE TO POINT TO THESE GUYS AND GO AND SAY HELLO AND GIVE THEM A KISS!! HURRYYYYY!!!"

Needless to say I am hoping this development is just a phase :)

What We're Lovin' - Month Ten and Eleven

Here is a quick round up of a few things we (mostly Kaitlin) is loving. Hope you find some inspiration for your little one and that they love them too!

Mini Orchestra Shaker

Quite a few months ago a good friend of mine brought these out to play during one of our play dates. Almost immediately Kaitlin went ga-ga for them. She already loves rattles of any kind and to make as much noise as possible, so these were a perfect fit. There are four different sounds, one for each shaker, and are all (reasonably) easy to listen to. Some of the toys she has that make noise make my ears want to bleed, but these are totally fine to listen to as she furiously shakes them as fast as she can. Over and over and over again. I keep one in my diaper bag, one in the car and two around the house for her shaking pleasure.

Water Table

A couple months ago we were at a friends house and they had a super fun water table that Kaitlin fell in love with. She had so much fun playing with it and splashing around (and chewing on all the toys that came with it) I knew she would have to have her own. I'm not one to rush out and buy Kaitlin a million toys (well, I try not to be) but I knew she would love having one and that it would last her for a couple of years as she grows into it. The next day I went to Toys R US and picked this guy up for $45. And that $45 was well spent. She is obsessed. I'm not even kidding. From her high chair she can see out the back door onto the porch right where the water table is kept. During breakfast she starts pointing and yelling at the door, motioning that she wants to play with the water table. I usually have to turn her chair around so that she can't see it, but immediately after I take her out she goes over to the door and starts banging on it trying to get out so she can play. Luckily it's getting warmer out in the mornings so I can let her play with it pretty early if she wants. And pretty much all she does now is chew/throw all the little toys that came with it and splashes her hands in the water. She has just learned to reach towards the funnel and will drop in the little toys if we lift her up (she's not quite tall enough to reach on her own). There are a bunch of other ways to play with the water table and it is sure to keep her entertained for many summers to come.

Monkey Lovey

When I started working and began leaving Kaitlin with a babysitter for the first time (I know, I know) she was so upset that I wanted to see if she would take to a special lovey or stuffed animal to make her feel comfortable and secure while I was away. She always had an odd connection to this little monkey lovey that my best friend bought for her, so I thought I would give that a try first. I was always afraid to give Kaitlin a lovey or security blanket in her crib because I thought it would make her stay even more awake since she had something to distract her and to play with. Turns out, if she doesn't want to sleep then she won't, no matter if there is a distraction there or not. I have actually found that since introducing the lovey she has been taking slightly better naps (though that could be a random coincidence, I've come to believe that nothing about naps makes sense or is necessarily for a reason). It didn't take her long to become attached to the little guy and now she takes it EVERYWHERE with her. I'm sure I've just created a bit of a monster (and need to immediately buy at least one more should something, ahem, happen to the monkey) I think it is great that she has become attached to it. She walks around with it everywhere, tries to crawl with it - which is quite a site to see when she is tripping all over it - and definitely has to have it with her at nap and bed time. Monkey has even been in the wash a few times and is still super soft just like he was when brand new.

Monkey scream from tracy lynn on Vimeo.

Playtex Lil' Gripper Straw Cup

Now that we are approaching Kaitlin's first birthday it was time for me to introduce other ways of drinking liquids other than a bottle. At first I gave her a sippy cup which she took to pretty quick, even though it took her two months to figure out how to drink from it. Then I remembered that our pediatrician said she didn't want her to use bottles or sippy cups after age one. The bottle is going to be a tough one to break but I figured we could easily swap out the sippy cup for a straw cup. Poor thing was a bit confused after months of being told to "lift the cup UP to get water!" to then be told "leave the cup DOWN or you won't get any water!" She still tips it upward quite a bit but she is getting more and more used to it. The reason I love these cups is because they are easy to drink out of but are a bit spill proof (ie the water doesn't come pouring out of the straw when it's knocked over), they are cheap (I definitely get these for much less at my local Kroger) and you can slide the cap piece over the straw to keep it water tight when you're on the go (making it a perfect cup to put in your diaper bag or stroller).

A reader recently asked me about Kaitlin's favorite books. I thought it might be fun to share a few of her favorites, and a few of mine. She doesn't really sit still long enough to read a long (or normal size) book, but there are a few that she will make an exception for.

1. As mentioned before, she is obsessed with the Indestructibles books. Baby Faces and Baby Babble are by far her favorites.

2. Peekaboo Farm by Emily Bolam is Kaitlin's current favorite book, hand picked by her. She loves to find the farm animals behind the flaps and she especially loves finding the "baby" (a reflective mirror) on the last page.

3. But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boyton - Kaitlin will sit through about half of this book so far, but I think its quite cute and it rhymes which makes it easy to read to her even if she isn't sitting with me. We have a couple of books by this author and I personally love them, time will tell if Kaitlin likes them as much as I do!

4. Each Peach Pear Plum - Kaitlin doesn't sit still for this one but I think it's brilliant. It incorporates tons of children's stories characters, so I think it will be great in another year or two when we can then read more stories about the characters in the book.

5. On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman - I love the story in this book. Kaitlin doesn't sit still for it but I still always try and read it to her. I think it's such a sweet book and has a cute message. It makes me a little teary :)

6. My First London Bus by Marion Billet - Kaitlin loves to turn the wheels on this book and she helps point out the birds and other objects in the story. It's not too long so she generally stays put for the whole story.

7. Bright Baby First Words Books - we actually have two of these books (this one and this one) and she loves them both. They are big and colorful and she likes to turn the board pages, over and over again. She is starting to point to certain objects that she recognizes and some that she just likes. I keep one in her bedroom and one downstairs and we play with both of them several times a day.

Watch Me Grow - Week 49 (and a half)

I can't believe there are only three weeks (well, more like two and a half) until Kaitlin turns one year old. It is really hard for me to wrap my head around!

Week forty nine brought a few exciting developments - including clapping, a ton of walking and even a new tooth! I had been teaching Kaitlin to clap for a few weeks now. I alway showed her how and would sing "Pat-a-cake" over and over again. And then one day, like so many other things, she just started randomly doing it on her own! And now she claps for EVERYTHING! And loves to look at you when she's doing it almost as if she's saying, "Look! I'm doing a good job!" She is also giving high-fives, which is super cute. She has stopped waving but I'm sure it's just because she is focusing on these new arm movements and gestures.

She also has started walking a lot more than before. She used to only take a few steps at a time, and then be done. OR have to be enticed to walk towards something (mom, dad or a favorite toy). Now she will walk long distances (across the room!) and does it regularly. I would say she now splits her time evenly between walking and crawling, but I think once she learns how to stand on her own (without using a piece of furniture, wall or person to help her) she will start walking full time. 

And, with much less anticipation and pain as previous ones, she got her eighth tooth! I didn't even notice that it was coming in until it actually popped through the gums. But that would probably explain some of her skipped naps lately (I thought those were due to the walking milestone that she was reaching). So that completes the first eight teeth that babies normally get first. Next it's on to molars and incisors, which I have heard make the first eight look like a walk in the park! Hopefully we have some time before those ones start to come in.