Dear Kate,
What a tremendous year of joy and love we have to celebrate today. People keep asking me, can you believe it has already been one year? And there are lots of me that can’t believe it. I can so vividly remember being in labor with you, getting ready to go to the hospital and all of the anxiety and worry that I had leading up to that moment. Then you arrived and we had a summer that dreams are made of. You were the easiest most mellow baby and slipped into the mold of our family without a second thought. We had so much quality family time. The big kids played in the backyard in the pool or were riding bikes almost everyday while you just snuggled on my chest. We just enjoyed a low-key lifestyle for 3 months. (It was a little most stressful than this in reality, but this is how I remember it.)
Then, there is this other part of me that feels how an it only be one year? It is difficult to remember what life was like before you. How could I possibly ever think my heart was full without you in it? How could William and Lexi grow into the little people they are without you to teach them patience and about being thoughtful and to show their love towards. Also, coming out of that magical summer, school started for Lexi and I went back to work, Daddy became a full-time (for the most part) stay-at-home Daddy and life and balance got a lot more complicated.
But, here we are, 1 year later and you continue to be the smiley, happy little cherub that I constantly smother in kisses.
Speaking of cherub, you had a HUGE growth spurt over these last 3 months. You weighed in at 23 lbs and 5 oz (the biggest of your siblings at 1), are 30 inches long. All your stats are in the 80-90th percentile. The line graph at the doctor was almost vertical from the trajectory you were on at 9 months. You love to eat and only eat table food now. You can’t stand it if someone is eating and you are not. You’ll whine and beg until you get some of it yourself. Even the sight of food is tempting for you.
You crawl around like a mad woman and pull yourself up on everything (walls, legs, tables, chairs). You will walk when holding onto our fingers but are too chicken to stand unsupported (whenever we try, you sit down immediately). If I were to guess, I think we have another 2-3 months before you walk.
I stopped nursing quickly after your 11 month post and within a week or so you had weaned yourself from a bottle too. It would take you FOREVER to finish one, if you did at all. You would take a couple sips and then get up and play, come take a couple more. Daddy finally said, this is enough and cut them out and you could have cared less. So now, you drink whole milk from a sippy throughout the day, but still pretty regularly before bed. We’ll rock and you’ll drink it and then you lay down in your crib with your bunny and paci and you our lights out.
You have a whole slew of nicknames: Katelyn, Kate, Kate the great, Beetle, Beets, Beetsie, Hoover and Itle. You respond to all of these and I would also say that they are all consistently used.
You have 7 teeth, 4 on top, 3 on the bottom with the 4th one on the bottom quickly making its appearance and 2 on the top that are going to be coming in soon.
Clothes: Size 18 months
Diapers: Size 4 (close to 5s)
Shoes: never wears them, but maybe a size 4?
Likes:
- Food, fruit especially, avocado, cheese, popsicles, freezes, ice cream
- bath
- being carried around
- naps
- stroller rides
- being tickled
- watching the kids play through the window
- knocking down William and Lexi’s block towers or magnatile creations
- climbing all over Mama
Dislikes:
- Cheerios
- ritz crackers
- getting your diaper changed
- sitting still (books)
- grass
- life jackets
- growing teeth
Itsy Bitsy, Beets, We love everything about you and how you make our family perfect. I’m so excited to watch you grow over this next year.
Love,
Mama
Peanut Smiles 