Happy 1st Birthday!!

I’m late, but she’s still one! I can’t believe it’s been a year since the day my life changed beyond what I could have ever imagined. What a year it’s been. Kenleigh has taught me so much. Things I couldn’t put down on paper. She’s just amazing. I’ve changed because of her in so many ways. I relate to people differently and so much more deeply. Anyway, the last year in our household has been a blast. I watch in amazement as she shows me something new every day. I laugh because she’s hilarious and I cry when she cries. Sometimes just inside but I’m crying none-the-less. I think it’s taken me this entire year to learn that people at my work don’t care to watch yet another video of Kenleigh eating, walking, sleeping, talking, laughing, etc. I can’t count the number of videos on my phone I’ve walked around the office to show my co-workers. They’ve all been so patient! I think even Zach is ready to kill me. Although, he’d never say it. I can’t imagine how he loves hearing me reminisce on a daily basis. “Hey Zach, do you remember when….we used to have Kenleigh sleeping in the bassinet next to our bed and I fed her 4+ times a night because I didn’t know differently…we used to comb her hair in a mow hawk because it was only an inch high…the first time we fed her solid baby food…her first laugh...oh do you remember the first video we made of the day she cried actual tears….” Yes, he remembers it all just like I do. I could go on and on. I could vocalize it non-stop. I LOVE talking about the many events in this last year. Kenleigh is so smart (like all our kids of course). She says, Mama, Dada, Nana, Hi, Uh-Oh, Baby, No (as she shakes her head no, it’s cute), More, and Shit (I’m convinced – Zach, not so much. It’s denial though I think). She waves hello and bye-bye, she gives kisses and loves, she blows kisses, she gives high fives, she started walking about a week before her birthday…ish. She still loves her baths but hates getting washed. Makes it so much fun! She still isn’t the greatest eater. Right now she’s going through a stage where she’ll eat something one day and wants nothing to do with it the next. At her one year check-up she weighed 18.12 pounds (20th percentile) and was 29.2 inches (60th percentile). She’s completely off her bottle and formula. That part was easy considering she hardly drank a bottle to begin with. A few ounces here and there weren’t missed. She transitioned to her sippy cup really well! She, by far, favors her daddy still. This has been a source of contention in our household. I’ve always been happy she loves her daddy but I’m not going to lie it makes me really sad to see her react to him so excitedly when he comes home but she doesn’t for me. I’m learning though that she really does love me. She’ll just be a daddy’s girl. I’m ok with that. I’m lucky to have such an awesome husband that makes such a great dad! She’s super independent. Not a fan of being held or carried around. Lately when we’ve gone grocery shopping she thinks she needs to walk. This has been a problem and I’m not sure how to get around it. It’s fine if she wants to walk but she wants to go where SHE wants to go and not where I need her to go. She still loves doing anything outside. Although, back to her independence…we love taking walks around the neighborhood but can’t figure out how to keep her happy in the stroller. We’ve let her walk on her own but it takes her FOREVER to get from one point to the next. She also wants to pick up every rock along the way. That’s daddy’s fault because he keeps giving her the fun rocks to play with. She also thinks she can walk down the stairs like an adult…also daddy’s fault. He holds her hand and lets her walk down going forward. Now she won’t turn around and go the right way AND NOW she wants to walk down forward without holding our hands. A couple nights ago she had a break down until we let go of her hand. Of course her first step she flipped forward and fell off the stair face first and had a cow. Luckily we were there to catch her. She’s definitely feisty! I look forward to so many more years of watching her become her own little person, watching her learn, and learning with her!