Life As Always: Dear Kiley... Twelve Months

Dear Kiley,

The days are long, but the years are short my sweet girl.

It seems like just yesterday that I stared in wonder at you for the very first time. Now here we are, celebrating your first birthday.

I still stare in wonder at you every single day. The past year has been an incredible adventure, and now that you're in our lives I can hardly imagine our family before you were a part of it.

We started out the month (and the new year) with a ski trip to White Pass. You were quite the little trooper, letting us bundle you up like a pink marshmallow and carry you around the slopes. You just nestled in and enjoyed the ride, often snoozing away...

You seemed to enjoy the snowshoe hike around a frozen lake, and were very well-behaved.

Even when you were awake, the cold didn't seem to bother you at all.

We attended a couple different birthday parties this month, including one for your Baby BFF, Jane, who is just 10 days older than you.

You sure do like party balloons!

For your first birthday party, we had a super fun celebration at home with family and some of our closest friends.

You weren't quite sure what to think about your birthday cake...

Our friend group has really changed a lot over the years, and these days we are overwhelmed by babies!

We attempted to get a photo of you on your birthday with all of your little friends... it was only moderately successful.

Although you were feeling a little under the weather, you were still excited to check out some of your birthday gifts.

As you will learn soon enough, winters in the Pacific Northwest tend to be cold, dark, gray and wet. This one has been no different, which means we've spent a lot of time recently holed up in the house. But even though we've been stuck indoors, it's been fun to watch you grow and discover the world around you.

We had fun playing dress up while getting you ready for our ski trip.

You are quite the little monkey!

You love climbing up onto things and are pulling up onto everything.

You still like sitting in boxes and baskets.

And you love sitting in your big brother Ryder's special chair.

For whatever reason, you are absolutely obsessed with the dishwasher. Whenever you hear or see it open, you make a beeline for the kitchen and climb right in.

You can climb all the way to the top of the stairs!

If we forget to close the gate, it's not long before we find that you've quickly crawled partway up on your own. And when we close the gate, it makes you absolutely furious!

You've also begun throwing "fits" when you don't get what you want by dropping your head to the floor in dramatic rage.

You love following your big brother around everywhere, and always want to be right in the middle of whatever's happening.

The Bounce, Ride and Stride elephant that Ryder got for his first Christmas has become one of your very favorite toys.

You can climb on all by yourself, and Ryder likes give you rides all around downstairs.

We continue to love to make fun of your crazy, fuzzy, goofy hair.

Just like me, you absolutely LOVE macaroni and cheese.

You're getting better and better at feeding yourself finger foods.

Every once in a while, the sun comes out. When it does, we quickly bundle you up and go outside, which you love.

This month you went on the swings for the first time, and you were over the moon with joy! I'll never forget your sweet squeals of delight.

You love bath time, and putting you in the tub with your brother is always a nice distraction from your typical bedtime fussiness.

We always try to read to you before bed each night.

You're finally starting to sleep better, my sweet angel.

You go to bed anywhere between seven and eight o'clock each night following a bath, book, and a bottle. I rock you to sleep in your room, and then transfer you into your crib, where you sleep through the night for about 11 hours, occasionally waking up once in the wee hours for another bottle.

I love our nighttime cuddles.

Your physical developments are progressing so rapidly I can hardly keep up.

At your one year checkup you weighed 20 pounds, 10 ounces (63rd percentile) and you were 28.74" tall (31st percentile). Your head size remains in the 95th percentile, probably because you're so smart. You can stand briefly on your own, and will walk short distances while holding someones hands for support. You high-five, clap, and wave to say bye bye. You love throwing and kicking balls.

We ran out of breast milk the week before your birthday, and you had no problems with the transition to whole cow's milk. Surprisingly you're not very interested in your pacifier anymore, so that won't be a difficult habit to break.

You have five teeth — two on the bottom and three on the top. We're still waiting for one of the middle top teeth to come in, and in the meantime you look a little bit like a baby hillbilly.

We received your American passport this month, so now you can officially travel outside the United States. Your daddy is a dual British and American citizen, so we're also working on getting you and Ryder your British citizenship. It's been a long process, but hopefully when it's all said and done the two of you will be dual citizens as well. We're hoping to plan a trip to England sometime soon so that you can meet all of your British relatives across the pond.

I can't believe that you are one year old.

Being a mommy to you and your brother is the most incredible thing I have ever done. It has changed and challenged me in ways that I never thought possible, but each new challenge is worth every amazing award.

I can't wait to see what adventures the years ahead hold for us.