Measurements

Kai's 9 month dr. appt. today revealed he has grown 3 inches since the beginning of April (from 26 to 29 inches). That officially explains the long legs in the pic from the last post that left us baffled! I made the nurse re-measure him because at 29 inches he's at the 90% on the growth charts for term babies his age. Amazing! What is happening to our little squirt! He's still about 18 lbs., which is the 10% on the growth charts. The dr. thought now that he's spurted UP, he'll probably start spurting OUT. I'll be watching for an EXTRA hungry baby! Everything else at the visit looked good. We will start venturing out more in our finger foods and be ready any minute for a post on CRAWLING....he's soooo close! Thursday we'll be leaving on a jet plane to SD. I'm not looking forward to keeping the little guy as quiet as possible for the flight. But it's only about an hour....could be worst (like oversees....). Until then.......

Kai is 9 months!

So.... it has been awhile. No really good excuses.
Kai is 9 months old tomorrow! The words tingle as they leave my mouth...it can't be possible. He's about 18 lbs., starting to feed himself Cheerios puffs, and on the VERGE of crawling! Literally, this kid is going to make his move any moment! He's been babbling more and more....and I just know a "ma-ma" is going to come out soon enough! Although I am being sure to throw in a da-da when we're going over sounds and animals daily...especially when Derrick is around!! hehehehe (Kidding babe!)

Here's some pics from the last week or two:



This one made us laugh.....look at those long legs! He looks like he could be waist height standing alone!



A happy camper in his walker....especially with just the diaper!



Lunch with Nana Leslie this past weekend. Even Kai knew that there was amazing food....he chewed on his spoon the entire time we were there! Yummy!



Mom and Kai sporting our big brim hats at the park! His is obviously much more stylish than mine. We found a spot where we could enjoy GREEN, SOFT grass....something we're totally lacking at our house.



Kai thought the green stuff tasted pretty good as well.

Truly inspiring

I started following "Confessions of a CF Husband" blog months ago (cfhusband.blogspot.com) after a friend mentioned an inspirational and God-glorifying story. It's a husband's story of he and his wife, Tricia [who has CF (Cystic Fibrosis)] and their little girl, Gwyneth. Check it out. I was checking their most recent posts tonight and ran across their "Fathers Day video." The video is re-posted from when their daughter, Gwyneth was born 15+ weeks premature. It was his "most treasured Father moment thus far." I sobbed. I watched it again. I sobbed some more. The video spurred so many heartfelt memories of my own time in the NICU with Kai. Nate and Tricia's story is very different from ours,I know. But the anxiety, fear, and unknowns of your firstborn baby being handed to you by nurses hours after their birth with monitors, IV lines, and breathing tubes all hooked to their tiny bodies will never leave my mind nor become any "less" scary...no matter whose baby it is. Nate and Tricia's story is not only truly inspiring because of the tremendous courage they have shown in the trials God has brought before them, but also everything I have seen or read on their blog is glorifying God's name incredibly through it all. I can only image the daily struggle and pain they must feel. Yet, they are reliant and faithful to their Creator. Truly inspiring.

More than a gift?

It's hard to know how to make a day like Fathers Day really, REALLY special. I racked my brain for gifts "Kai" could give Daddy that he would always remember from his FIRST Fathers Day. Not something terribly expensive, but sentimental. Well, I "over-thought" the whole thing and ended up with nothing!

So anyway, we ended up with a home-made "Little Shredder" picture frame and some new shorts. It was my attempt to be crafty last minute. These are some of the candid moments I was trying to capture for the frame using one of Derrick's old skateboards.





Long and short of things, the day was spent simply enjoying each other, no agenda. It was the best gift "we" could give....a hug and an "I love you daddy."

New Backpack

Derrick and I have been procrastinating on buying a backpack for Kai in the last few weeks.....MORE BABY GEAR! It's like---where do you put it all after awhile!? We knew fully well that Kai would love it and we would use it quite frequently this summer! So we broke down and ordered a deal online.

Kai "took" to it right away. He loved being UPRIGHT to see everything that was going on, especially when Scout was out running along with us (he kept a watchful eye on her). And, he really enjoyed walking at eye level with either Derrick or I (depending on who was doing the heavy lifting!). We got many smiles this way...however none on camera!

Although as you can see, after a long hike on the mountain behind our house, he was plum tired. Funny watching him try to figure out where to lay his head when he could no longer keep those eyelids open! Too cute.

A Saturday

Nothing quite like a warm cup of Dark Canyon Coffee (a Black Hills specialty)to GRAB AT and REACH FOR on a Saturday morning with my dad! Then, to relax in a warm bath while MOM and DAD pour water all over me to keep me warm while I chew my foam alphabet letters. Then finally, out of the house to the park where I lay in the shady grass (although it's slightly pokey)and conspire how to get THE GRASS in my mouth without my mom seeing. Concluded by a short nap in the car on the way home while my puppy, Scout is breathing in my face (yucko)! What a day.

Good Friends

My best friend from high school was recently passing through Colorado with her fiance. It's our first encounter since Derrick and I's wedding 3 1/2 years ago. Seems unreal to have been apart for so long. They met Kai and Scout and saw our life now! We visited Garden of the Gods and took these pics. I was reminded what a blessing deep friendships are: the realness they have, the fulfillment they bring, and the enjoyment of others. Thanks for stopping by Kelly and Steph!

A cute new outfit

Sometimes with new outfits we have to be intentional about an outing just to make sure as many people see it as possible! The hat gets most of the attention!