15 Months Old!

Dear Doodle Bug,

Today you are 15 months old! You are becoming more awesome and more challenging everyday. 

This past month, you have really started to test your boundaries. You have been saying "uh oh" for a while now, but you finally learned to use it in context...except you purposefully cause the "uh oh's."  You'll push your cup off the table..uh oh! You throw your toys...uh oh!  You also started hitting. Where do babies get this??? It's not like you've ever seen people being hit. I tell you no, and you just laugh and laugh. What am I going to do with you! 

Even though you are pushing boundaries, you have become so much more cuddly and loving this past month. You love to hug my neck and give me kisses. It melts my heart more than anything when you come up to me and give me a hug or kiss that I didn't prompt. You will also actually sit in our laps for more than a half a second. You really love just sitting next to us on the couch. 

You are also quite the little comedian.  You do silly stuff all the time to try and make us laugh.  You love laughing at yourself as well.  You think you are soo funny, and you are.  You really just love to laugh. 

You have proven several times this month that you are MORE than capable of walking. You've walked across the living room a couple of times with no problem, not even a waver.  But, you still prefer crawling. I guess you'll walk when you are good and ready! I don't know where you get that stubborn streak (Papa)! 

We are going to the beach today to celebrate your Papa's 29th birthday...your first time! We are going to have a blast! I love you so much Sweet Baby!


Love,
Momma

14 Months Old

Dear Kenley,
Today you are 14 months old! 

This month you have continued to amaze me with your ability to pick up on things. You learn so quickly. We really have to watch what we say and do around you :)

You still don't want to walk.  You can walk. You will walk between your Dad and me if you we prompt you, but you still prefer crawling. You learned to climb on to and off of the couch recently. You think this is really cool. We accidentally learned you can also go down stairs now! You are kind of a little climber. We can no longer use strategically place objects to box you into an area. You can pretty much climb your way out of anything. Luckily, you haven't figured out how to crawl over gates or out of your crib yet!

This past month, your Grandpa Dan moved out of his house in Beaverton in to a house 7 blocks away from you! While we were helping him pack, we found all kinds of cool stuff. Like the dress in the picture above. It was made by your Grandma Signe and used to be Aunt Rachel's! It's still a little big on you, but it was still really cute!

Your Nana is coming to visit you this next month, which means you will be very spoiled! We'll have a good time doing all kinds of stuff when she's here!

 We're going to have so much fun this summer kid! You're the funnest and I love you to pieces!!!!!


Love,
Momma

13 Months Old!

Dear Baby K,

Holy crap! Where did the last month go????

Anyway, today you are 13 months old. In the past couple of weeks, sometimes when I look at you, you look so old! I think it’s most when I put your hair up in pigtails. It just makes you look so grown up (but a very cute grown up!).

Pure joy is balloons from the Dollar Store!

You are definitely in toddler mode these days. You are very into “testing your boundaries.” You love to throw all the food off your tray and smack the TV screen (which nearly gives your Dad an anxiety attack!). You are starting to mimic everything we do. When you dance, you have started to dance like your Dad. And anyone that has ever seen your Dad dance will understand my concern! Your mimicking has made teaching you pretty easy these days. In just a couple of days, we taught you to sign for milk, more, baby, and all done. I’ve tried my hardest to teach you water, but for some reason you refuse. You prefer the point and grunt method when it comes to asking for water!

I love Italian food...just like my Mommy

I continue to be amazed at how outgoing you are. Your Dad and I are both introverts, but not you! You love people. You like almost everyone you come in contact with. You don’t seem to be scared of anyone. Your Grandpa takes you to the coffee shop every Friday, and I think it’s the people watching that keeps you so entertained.

Mom attempting a self portrait

Although some days you barely eat anything, you still are pretty adventurous when it comes to eating. You still love Lebanese food, last night you ate BBQ Chicken pizza, and you love sour things. Pickles and lemons! You won’t eat an orange, but give you a lemon….

You are one skinny little squirt! All of your 12 month pants are just the right length, but you swim in them around the waist! I never thought my 10 pound 1 ounce newborn would end up being a string bean!

Eating a flower I picked at the park

You aren’t walking yet, but you must be the world’s fastest crawler! You speed up and down your playroom! You will cruise around furniture, but if we try to get you to walk while we’re holding your hands, you instantly drop to your knees and speed away crawling.

I can’t believe how fast you are learning things these days. I can’t wait to see what this next month holds!

Love you,

Momma

12 Months Old!

Dear Kenley,

Yesterday, you turned 1 year old! It’s really amazing how fast this year has gone. I have had so much fun being your Mommy. You are such a fun, sweet, and loving baby girl.

The cake....after

Here are a few things that you have started doing lately that are just too sweet!

• If you hear clapping anywhere, you stop and clap along. You get a huge smile on your face and just clap away!

• You love animals more than anything. Most every animal is “dog,” which was your first word (other than mama and dada). You point out dogs on walks, in books, anywhere. You’re starting to figure out and say “cat” as well, but mostly everything is still “dog.”

• You are really into stuffed animals and dolls lately. You pick them up and rock them and pat them on the back. It is too precious! You look like a little Mommy when you do this.
• You are always the most social child. I can hardly get you to sit in my lap at the library for story time anymore. They only read for about 6 actual minutes (and the rest of the time is playtime), but you can hardly wait to visit with the other kids.

• 

We had your birthday party at Grandpa’s house, and you had a blast. You visited with all your guests, had yummy cake, and opened soooo many gifts! You’d been getting gifts all week from all your family too! So many toys!

Before you were born, I don’t think I could have ever imagined how much that I love you. You make me laugh and smile all day long. I can’t wait to see you grow this next year (but please don’t grow too fast!)

Love,
Momma

11 Months Old!

Dear Crazy, Funny, Sweet, Beautiful Girl,

Today your are 11 months old. You are nearly a toddler. I just can't believe it.


This month we got to go to Atlanta to visit with your Nana, Uncle Jake, Nanny, Poppy, Aunt Micki, Uncle Waylon, and cousins Lucas and Trace. Even though you were battling the end of a cold, you were a trooper on the plane rides to and from Atlanta. You are a pretty laid back kid. You had such a great time playing with Bailey the dog and Macy the cat. You adore your family. You let your Aunt Micki cuddle with you for like a whole 15 minutes! You never do that for me! As much as I wished it was me cuddling with you, I am so happy to see you bond with your family.

Checking out the cocktail menu

This month you have started to learn so much. You are starting to use the signs that we've been working on for a couple of months. You sign for more and milk so far. It's really fun to see things start to connect in that amazing little brain of yours! You will sit for long periods of time and just look through your books. You especially like the touch and feel books. You feel them with your finger and then you lick them! I guess you're are using all your senses!

Working on her equations

You are pretty much done with baby food. You eat most anything we give you. This months favorites have been meatloaf, green beans (well, when Nana makes them with butter!), lasagna, and Lebanese food. My hope is that you will continue to be such an adventurous eater!

You continue to be one silly baby! Actually, I think you get sillier every day. You love to crawl around and growl and show your teeth (of which you have 8!). You dance anytime music plays. You try to mimic people singing. Everything is a drum to you. If you have a spoon in your hand, you drum. If you have a toy, you drum with it. I guess you are following in your Papa's footsteps!


Being your Mom is the best! You're the best! I love you kid!


Love,
Momma

10 Months Old!

Dear Beautiful Girl,


Today you are 10 month old! You've moved into the double digit months...you're getting so old!


This month you have really been enjoying your new found mobility. You love crawling around and getting into everything. I think all those months you couldn't crawl, you were making mental notes of all the cool stuff you wanted to get into when you did start to crawl!

Speaking of crawling...I sometimes think you think you're a dog. You love to to carry your toys around in your mouth while you're crawling. It's pretty funny.

Your new thing is to point at everything. You love to point at me or your Dad and have us point back at you and touch finger tips. You crack up when we do that! You laugh so much more this last month. You are ticklish now and love it when we tickle you.

You are starting to eat "real" food. So far, you are pretty fond of turkey meatballs, turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes, sausage, ham, green beans, cheddar cheese, cheddar bunnies, and zucchini bread. Oh, and blueberries, you really love blueberries!


You continue to get more silly everyday. You make me laugh all day long. You are quite the entertaining little one. You love to chase after the cats, sing songs, and clap.

We've been hanging out with a lot of other kids recently. You love story time at the library and baby gym. You love watching other kids play...especially if they are older.

I really cannot believe you are 10 months old, but, on the other hand, I can't remember what it was like without you. It's like you've been in my life forever.

Love,
Momma

9 Months Old!

Dear Kenley,

Today you are 9 freaking months old! I swear you turned like 6 months old 2 weeks ago, I must have blinked.

Showing off your chompers! You have 6 teeth! 2 on bottom and 4 on top.

It's been an exciting month. You had your first Christmas...several times. You had Christmas in Kentucky, Christmas in Oregon with Grandpa and Aunt Rachel, and Christmas with Mom and Dad. As was expected, you really liked the paper and the boxes, although you think all your toys are pretty cool now.

Having Christmas at Grandpa's house

It was exciting at Nanny and Poppy's house in Kentucky. I love this picture because it makes you look like an infant, not a little kid.

You've been threatening to crawl for nearly a month and half, and last night, you finally crawled! Your Papa and I were so excited! You're a pretty funny kid that way. You seem like you just decide OK I'll crawl now...like you've been holding out because you wanted to do it on your own time. I don't know where you get that stubborn streak!

You started swim lessons a week ago. You seem to really love the water. You get that from me :) We learned that they didn't plan on having you go under water, because apparently they don't like to upset the babies. So, I chatted with the instructor and had her teach me the "proper" way to get you underwater. I dunked you like 4 times. You could not have cared less! That's my little fish!

You've become quite the little chatterbox this month. You say babababa, mamama, dadada, nanana. I swear you said banana the other day. Probably just a ba and a nana smooshed together, but I thought it was funny. And of course it's because you are a genius baby!

I feel like you are going to musically inclined, like your Papa (though I did have a brief affair with a clarinet in the 5th grade!). You got a drum and a xylophone for Christmas and you love them. But the funniest is when I catch you drumming on the table like your Dad. Tonight when we were out for sushi, you were drumming on the table with chopsticks!


You've finally started to eat! For a while there, I thought you'd drink only milk for the rest of your life! You really love squash and pears. You're not so fond of carrots. You are coming around to green things! You had chicken for first time tonight. You seemed to like it, even though it was pureed beyond recognition!

Right after you were born, I was scared that I would be bad at being a stay at home Mom. I was afraid I would be lonely and bored and not teach you enough. I could not have been more wrong. There's never a dull moment with you kiddo...and I LOVE IT! Oh, and I love you too!!!!

Love,
Momma