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Today Kayden went to see the doctor for her 12 month check up. Most importantly, she is healthy! Now for the numbers! She is 30 inches long (75th percentile); weighs 22 pounds (75th percentile); and has a head circumference of 47 centimeters (greater than 95th percentile). So what this boils down to is that she is consistently above average in all areas!! 😉

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At this appointment I expressed my concern that Kayden isn’t crawling. The doctor, very sweetly, told me that it’s basically my fault. Not that anyone deserves blame so to speak, but she isn’t crawling because she hasn’t had to! If she wants something she has more than enough people around to do her bidding. Eli even gets in on it and will give her toys! I admit it, it’s sometimes always easier to just get her the toy rather than listen to her whine for it. The doctor also said that her size has nothing to do with why she isn’t crawling or pulling herself up. I have been instructed to make life hard for her. Toys need to be out of reach and she must be put on her belly frequently throughout the day. Boy was today a hard day!! I followed all my directives and Kayden isn’t happier for it!

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Another thing we talked about was food. The doctor says that it’s time to wean her from formula and the bottle. I probably should have started this earlier, but I told her that I don’t make big changes unless a doctor tells me to. I tried to give her whole milk today straight without any weaning. What a mistake!! She threw a tantrum at both attempts! I guess we’ll start the weaning process tomorrow!

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After a full day of tummy time and feeding ourselves… we hit the beach! Kayden gets bored easily (can’t blame her, she couldn’t reach any of her toys!), so I am learning to find ways to get out of the house without spending money. After her nap this afternoon I loaded up some snacks and we headed down for a long walk at the beach. We stopped and had a snack and then trucked it home.

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We also discussed food food. Kayden has been a great eater from the beginning. She has been eating table food for a long time too. Now it’s time for her to be getting all of her nutrition from people food. This is exciting! No more pureed foods! I also noticed on my handout that she should be feeding herself most of the time. I think it’s time to get a tarp to roll out for feeding time! She had spaghetti tonight and I probably didn’t really need to let her feed herself entirely, but I couldn’t resist! Scotty is on travel so I needed some entertainment!

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Here’s what happens when mommy turns to get the camera to capture the mess…

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And here’s what happens when I turn to pick up the plate off the floor…

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We might have had a day of frustration with tummy time and not being able to reach the toys, but Kayden sure paid mommy back by making a mess of the kitchen and consequently making mommy go through an entire roll of paper towels to clean up the fun!

 

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Kayden Riley, you are the most amazing little girl in the whole world! From the day you arrived, you have filled our lives with joy and hearts with warmth. It’s truly amazing that we have had a whole year with you. You have taught me more about life and what’s really important than you will ever know. I remember our first months together and wondering if life would ever go back to ‘normal’, whatever that was. I thought the lack of sleep might send me right over the edge! Now, I find myself missing you while you sleep. Thank you dear Kayden for making our lives richer. You are the most important thing in our world. We love you always!

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Now on to the festivities! We had such a wonderful day celebrating Kayden’s first birthday. The day started off with a breakfast date. We went to a new place for us and enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Kayden shared some eggs, toast, and home potatoes. My girl sure does love to eat!

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After breakfast we packed up the car and headed to the beach. Kayden had a great time playing in the sand (only tasting the sand once or twice), digging with her shovel, throwing her toys off the towel, and having a picnic lunch.

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… But her most favorite part the day was when daddy burried her!

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After a long day at the beach and a short nap on the car ride home, we hit up Dairy Queen for some ice cream! I was adamant that Kayden would not have sweets until she was at least a year old. I was just as adamant that Kayden would not eat her first cake until her party, which isn’t until Saturday. We decided that ice cream was the best birthday treat that fit in my strict guidelines! She loved daddy’s ice cream sundae and REALLY loved mommy’s chocolate blizzard!

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We had such a fantastic day today celebrating Kayden joining our family! We are so looking forward to Kayden’s birthday party on Saturday when we can celebrate with our family and friends! 🙂

 

 

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Today Scotty and I took Kayden to the beach… twice! We went to breakfast this morning before we hit Costco. Unfortunately, we were an hour early to Costco so we decided to drive the coast and go for an early morning walk on the beach. The sun was out and people were already in the water by 9:00 am! After Costco we changed into our suits and packed up the car and headed back to the sand. It was a beautiful day to bask in the sun and enjoy sunny California! Kayden even took a nap in our new tent! Even after a long day at the beach and on the town… Kayden was such a happy girl this evening. Might have something to do with her big day tomorrow!! Happy almost birthday Kayden!! 🙂

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Well it’s official… Baby Duty has ended for the school year. Maica had the babies today and she took them down to the beach. She has done this before but this time she took the kids alone! She packed the kids up with snacks and toys and somehow managed to bring multiple towels and a huge umbrella! She said all was going great until the umbrella hitched a ride in the wind and took off! Luckily for Maica there was a nice family close by to help her put the umbrella back in the sand. Unfortunately, the nice man set off Kayden and stranger danger set in! It sounds like they had a great, yet exhausting, trip to the beach!! Thank you Maica for always taking such wonderful care of Kayden!

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Sweet dreams kiddos!

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Memorial Day was a weekend-long celebration. On Saturday we went up to Yorba Linda to celebrate Uncle Nicky graduating from college. We are so proud of his perseverance and drive to get his diploma. Way to go Uncle Nicky!! On Sunday Scotty’s sister Kelly came over with her boys- cousins Jake and Ian. The boys were supposed to go surfing, but the extreme winds axed that idea. We decided to take the Spahrs to lunch at Ruby’s on the pier. We were all a little uneasy as the restaurant swayed back and forth due to the high winds! The boys stayed the night and played video games with their Uncle Scotty. Kayden and I had some girl time and we both had an early night. On Sunday we hit the beach! We spent the day with the Spahrs and Eli and family and enjoyed some great weather!

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Such a stud!

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