Week Fifty-One

I can't believe it's only one more week until my baby is 1!  Bryon and I were talking the other day about how traditionally first birthdays were a big deal because it was somewhat rare for a baby to live that long.  However, I think that our celebration for Kai's first birthday will be a celebration of both child and parents surviving the first year :)

It's been a really fun week, complete with our first family vacation.  For the long weekend we drove 3 hours north to Kaslo, BC where we stayed in a cute little cabin on Lake Kootenay.  We all loved it and had a wonderful and relaxing weekend there, rowing, swimming in the hotsprings, eating yummy food, exploring, and best of all napping!  See, when Kai was a baby I never took the "sleep when your baby sleeps" advice to heart, but this weekend I fully took advantage of it and let me tell you, it was wonderful!

New things in the life of Kai include: 

- Standing without the aid of another object or person.

- Becoming more and more of a little problem solver.  For example, when I pulled the plug on his bath the other night, he looked around, found a small bath toy and quickly stuck it in the drain before all of the water was gone.  And, it actually worked!

- Becoming more of a mimic, whether with sounds or actions.  Whenever we hear a dog barking, he gets a very serious look on his face and says "ruff ruff".  And, when I was cleaning up a spill on the floor the other day, he got down beside me on his hands and knees and started eagerly wiping the floor with his hands.

- Now knows where his nose and our noses are!  I've never worked with him on body parts before, but the other night I pointed to his nose a few times and said "this is your nose".  Then I asked him "where is your nose?" and he immediately pointed to it!  Then we moved on to learn "mommy's nose" and he caught on quickly to that one too. 

It's funny how the little things are such a big deal, but they really are.  I loved each new thing he learns, well, most of them anyways!

Here are the pictures, and they're completely out of order but it's late and I'm tired so here they are anyways.

Enjoying a dip at Ainsworth Hotsprings.  Kai loved it, and entertained all the other swimmers for a good half hour.

Out for a morning row with daddy.

Waiting to take the ferry across Lake Kootenay.

Enjoying the swing and beautiful view despite the cloudy weather.

"Our" beach.  We've already decided to return in the summer so that we can take full advantage of it!

Oh Canada!

Learning to rock climb.

I asked Kai for a kiss and he kissed this rock instead!

Cabin sweet cabin.

Out for an evening row.

Kai thought he might like to go for a swim.

But, quickly decided that wasn't such a good idea!

We stopped in beautiful Nelson for lunch on our way home.

Enjoying his favorite breakfast - blueberry pancakes!



Week Fifty

When I was pregnant with Kai, a friend gave me a book entitled Secrets of the Baby Whisperer.  In it, the author claims that every baby is one of, or a combination of, five types of baby - Angel baby, Textbook baby, Spirited baby, Grumpy baby and Touchy baby.  After reading the descriptions of each baby, our little Kai almost exactly fits the description of a "Spirited baby".  This has been one of those weeks when his spiritedness has been front and center in our lives.  I think the only things that are getting me through this week are prayer, my wonderful and patient husband, and good friends who have provided us with lots of fun play dates. 

I love my baby dearly, and I love his spirited nature.  I wouldn't trade it for the world, but it's lucky he has the cutest smile and laugh, lots of slobbery kisses and hugs to balance out those other moments :)
In other news, Kai has started to stand on his own this week.  It was so exciting to be playing with him, and then just see him suddenly stand up in the middle of the room.  He looked so happy and proud of himself, and I was so happy and proud too.  I'm not holding my breath to see him walking anytime soon though.  He seems awfully content to motor around with his monkey-style crawl.  And, the older kids at church love to crawl around monkey-style with him too.  It's like his crazy exuberance inspires them to try it too.  So cute!

Here's the munchkin.  He's developed quite the overhead pass.

Awww, how can I resist this face?!

 

Father-son hike up the Mickinnick trail on Sunday afternoon. 

(Side note:  Proof that we live in a small town - while I was running errands today with Kai, a lady said to me, "Oh, isn't that Kai?  Wasn't he hiking the Mickinnick trail with his dad on Sunday?".  It turns out she's the woman who took the picture below!)

Is it just me, or does it look like he could just topple over the edge?!

On the way back down - slightly wet and tired by this point but they were both troopers.

Battle wounds from the big hike.

This is what Bryon refers to as "the family quiver".

 



Week Forty-Nine

What a fun age this is.  Kai is so interactive, "talkative", and fun these days.  Plus, he's generally pretty easy-going and is getting better and better at playing on his own.  For the past while he's been getting really upset if whoever is hanging out with him leaves his sight, meaning you practically couldn't even go around the corner, or behind the fridge door without tears ensuing.  But, he's become a lot better at taking "disappearances" in stride, as well as entertaining himself when necessary.

This week he got in on a lot of excitement, helping Bryon celebrate his 28th birthday as well as helping Bryon and I celebrate our 4th anniversary (see previous post).  He also had a lot of fun just living life and enjoying some of his favorite activities (see below).

Hiking to Snow Creek Falls

Kai's new love...his "Hee Hee" blanket (previously owned and named by yours truly)

His other love...much to his father's delight!  Kai could play with this, or any ball, for hours on end.  He loves rolling them, throwing them and playing goalie in soccer games with daddy. Last night we were at a friend's house and although there were many, many very interesting and exciting toys, Kai spent the whole evening finding and playing with three different balls.

 

He's perfected the art of climbing the stairs while holding onto the ball.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Our family is carrot cupcake form. 

Sadly, Bryon was sick, but Kai and I quite enjoyed our cupcakes and Bryon's too :)

"I'm sorry Kai, but..."

Thursday was our 4th anniversary, and the first anniversary we've celebrated with Kai in our lives.  Traditionally (can you say that when you've only celebrated three other anniversaries?), we've celebrated by going on a trip of some sort.  Year one: The Big Island.  Year two: Waikiki.  Year three: Whistler.  And this year we have plans to go to Kaslo, B.C. and stay in a cabin on Kootenay Lake.  However, this isn't happening until the middle of October so secretly, Bryon and I both decided to surprise each other on the actual day, get a babysitter and take our spouse out!  Thankfully, Bryon is completely incapable of keeping a secret from me and decided to tell me of his plans early, which meant we could cancel my plan and carry on with his.  Ahh, but things never go as planned these days it seems! 

Sadly, on his birthday (the day before our anniversary) Bryon got sick and was still feeling under the weather the next day.  I called up our friends, who were going to babysit Kai, and canceled for the evening.  However, when Bryon got home from work that evening, he reported that he was feeling completely better and wanted to at least take me out for dinner.  This meant taking Kai as well...Kai who had just spent the last hour happily sitting in his high chair eating his dinner.  When we arrived at the restaurant, he seemed perfectly content to be placed in a high chair once again but the bliss wore off in a mere 20 minutes .  Half way through our appetizer he began to squeal in a high-pitched tone...not an angry squeal, just an, "I'm bored, what else can I do to entertain myself?" squeal.  At home this doesn't normally bother me, but in a restaurant I become self conscious that it's bothering everyone else around us.  The squeal suddenly turned in to full out screaming when he accidently hit his head on the table while bouncing around in his chair.  Needless to say, he was done and we took our meal to go.  I was slightly depressed and disheartened because I'd sworn to myself that I would never be one of "those" parents who would have the misbehaving child in a restaurant.  Oh how the mighty have fallen :)  

Anyways, as we sat at home eating our mahi-mahi and ribs, Bryon said, "I"m sorry Kai, but this is the first and the last anniversary you'll be spending with us!" 

Oh wait, Kai's coming to Kaslo with us.

Happy Anniversary Bryon!  I love you.  Here's to a great four years, take-out and Kaibo too :)