NUBY NO SPILL DESIGNER SERIES CUP

Nuby No Spill Designer Series Cup:

Before anything else, let me just say that we love this cup.

First off, this cup taught Kai how to use a straw. He couldn't until we tried this cup! Second, it helped wean him off the bottle. He hasn't missed the bottle one bit since we introduced this sippy cup. It's also helped train him to hold cups upright. And my favorite feature of all? The little straw cover that flips up to protect it from germs :) We have taken this sippy cup everywhere. Road trips, the zoo, restaurants, and Kai just loves it, as you can see in the photos. And of course it's BPA free. Plus it has the cutest prints on it! So we give it a two thumbs up! You can buy it at your local Walmart or here.

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KAI'S CAKESMASH

For my newfound determination to document everything about Kai's first year, here's his one year update:

Loves: dogs, ceiling fans (he smiles and giggles at them), long walks, cottage cheese, bbq chicken, and his sippy cup (he finally figured out how to use a straw!), walking and being clapped for

Hates: being held up in the air (he will scream and scream), laying on his back and having his diaper changed

Kaibear-

You are ONE! It really has been the best and most fun year of our lives, thanks to you. You are taking 3-7 steps and it's so cute. You always look so proud and happy when we clap for you as you walk. You want to eat whatever mommy and daddy are eating. You giggle at ceiling fans and absolutely love dogs. You screech very loudly the second we set you in your high chair and in between bites. Sometimes you also screech VERY loudly in stores if you get bored. You have the biggest most beautiful blue eyes and gold in the middle, just like daddy. Everyone still stops and comments on how cute you are. You still get called a girl a lot, and I think that's mostly because of your thick long hair :) We don't dare cut it yet though. You suck your top lip non stop like this:

You are a night owl like your mama and stay up until 9:30 or 10:30 most nights, but you sleep in until 8:30 or 9:30 which is nice. You're still in size 3 diapers and 12 month clothing. Sometimes you get really independent and want to feed yourself with the spoon. You love our new sectional couch and think it's a jungle gym, playing on it and giggling as you fall backwards and jump around. If we don't put you up on it you get sad. You're perfect, and we can't wait for another year with you. We love you more than we could ever express! 

There's something so rediculously cute about a baby smashing and eating their first cake. So obviously, I had to do a little photo shoot. I hung up a big white sheet, put the cake in front, of Kai, and let him go to town. I actually made a healthy whole wheat no sugar cake, and he still loved it. You can find the recipe here. (but the frosting had sugar...)

 He seemed so hesitant at first. It was so funny! 

 Finally getting into it!

Cake coma

Andd as soon as he started crawling for the uncovered part of the couch I had to hurry and grab him!

 The next day we took Kai out for his first zoo trip! The Salt Lake City zoo isnt the best but we still had a fun family outing together :)

And the next day at church, Kai was the most dapper little guy you ever did see.

We love this boy so much it hurts!

PREGNANCY ROUND 2

It seems like just yesterday I was writing updates about my pregnancy with Kai. And now he is a one year old, and I'm pregnant again...it's so surreal and so amazing at the same time. If someone would have told me on the day that Kai was born that I would be 17 weeks pregnant with the next one in exactly one year, I would have laughed and said yeah right! Life is always full of surprises, and I guess that's what makes it so fun :)

So here we go again...bump pictures! I haven't really taken any since I just recently started showing and we've been so dang busy. I'm working 6 days this week and starting a new job. We've also got Kai's birthday party on Friday. I may or may not go AWOL...so here's a pregnancy update before I disappear into the busy-ness of real life! So weird writing these pregnancy updates again...

How far along? 17 weeks 5 days!

Baby’s size: A little bell pepper :)

Total weight gain: 14 lbs

Maternity clothes? Bought some v-necks from Target and just wear a different color of them every day....sweetness. Oh and Pink Blush maternity dresses are the cutest. (as seen in my pictures)

Best moment this week: Celebrating Kai's first birthday, watching him do his cakesmash

Miss Anything? Not really...but I have been wanting lots of sushi!

Movement: Pretty sure I felt some very very tiny and sweet kicks. Awww! I've missed this feeling! Can I be pregnant forever?

Food cravings: I crave almost anything I lay my eyes on...help.

Anything making you queasy or sick: sometimes chicken just seems so gross to me

Gender: we know what the gender is!! So excited to announce it this week!!

Symptoms: Just feel like I ran a marathon every single day...this baby is wearing me out! 

Looking forward to: Next week when I don't work 6 days!

Can I just gush one more time about how much I love and adore this little boy of mine? I'm trying to soak up every second I can with him before the next baby comes along. I have loved our one on one time with him and he deserves all of the love and attention in the world. Love you Kai! Muah! 

KAI IS A BIG BROTHER

We. are. having. another. baby. Another.

Oh my gosh! It still doesn't seem real. It still seems too good to be true.

It wasn't exactly planned, but it's the happiest surprise we could have imagined. I remember feeling super exhausted, and I was late, so I took a pregnancy test, feeling silly and thinking I was being a little presumptuous. Well, lo and behold those little 2 blue stripes boldly appeared, and I smiled the kind of smile of a girl who's heart is pretty dang happy.

Had to document the occasion visually, of course!

I decided to wait a few days to tell  Kolby so I could plan out a cute way to do it. I went to Target and found a shirt that said "No. 1 best bro," and had Kai wear it one day when we picked Kolby up from work. He didn't notice. We went to Costco and I said "what do you think of Kai's shirt?" He said, "It's cute!" He obviously didn't get it. I said "Look closer at his shirt!" Finally he actually read it and shouted "What?! You're preggers?!!"  We hugged and a few people in Costco looked at us.

 

(ps cant believe how different he looks in this pic, just a few months ago!) 

I'm already 17 weeks, and time has flown by pretty fast. I haven't had too many symptoms, just extreme fatigue, way worse than last time around. It's been rough taking care of Kai, since some days I couldn't get off the couch and fell asleep while he sweetly played with his toys. He's been very patient with me. My appetite is also crazzzy. With Kai, I wasn't ever too hungry, but this time around I can eat and eat and eat...and eat more. I've already put on 10 pounds!

Most of you probably thought I was eating too many donuts as of late, since in all my pics I post I've had a little belly. And yes admittedly some of that is indeed from eating too many sweets, but I'm gonna go ahead and milk the "I'm pregnant so I look bigger" excuse for all its worth. 

Anyways, we truly couldn't be more excited to add another bundle of joy to or family. We feel so lucky and so blessed. 

Here's to another amazing journey of pregnancy! 

(a much easier one, I might add, since I'm in the U.S. this time around and speak the same language as the doctors ). 

KAI TURNS ONE

I biked home from the doctor's office in Japan where I had biked day after day, hoping to finally hear the words "you're pregnant!" I was smiling more than I had ever smiled before, and there was something new in me....not just a baby, but a whole new light and joy that could be felt in every cell of my body. I felt so special.

I had just received that news I had been waiting for forever...the doctor did an ultrasound and confirmed I was pregnant. It felt too good to be true, and I was on cloud 9. It was almost Christmas day, and I decided to wait and tell Kolby on Christmas morning. 

The next few days, I thought about my baby 24/7. I felt like I had this amazing secret and couldn't wait to share it with the world. I googled everything I could about how to be as healthy as possible while pregnant. 

Christmas morning, I wrapped up the ultrasound pictures with some cute onesies, and had Kolby open it last. He didn't seem to get it at first and just saw the baby clothes. When I excitedly pointed out the ultrasound, he said "You're pregnant?" When I answered yes, tears streamed down his face as we hugged and reveled in that moment that we had hoped and dreamed for for a very long time.

When we found out he was a boy 3 months later, we both pumped our fists in the air, because it was exactly what we had been hoping for. We talked endlessly throughout my pregnancy about what he would look like, what kind of personality he would have, how we would be as parents. Being pregnant with Kai was so special and so much fun, because it was the first time and everything was new and exciting and we were so anxious to meet this little boy we had created. 

My pregnancy with him was a dream, and I had surprisingly never felt better or stronger in my entire life. 

 

Finally, after what seemed like years, it came time to meet him. We were so excited we could hardly stand it. The whole giving birth in Japan thing was pretty crazy, and you can read Kai's birth story here

Here was our first full glance at him, and of course it was love at first sight.

The next month was heaven. We were in heaven having this perfect little boy around. It felt like a dream we never wanted to wake up from.

Now that little newborn has graced us with his presence for one entire year, and we feel like the luckiest parents around.

 

Our baby is one! We have a one year old. Can I just say he's 12 months old? and then 13 months old? Saying it in terms of months seems so much less grown up.

How can time be so cruel? It feels like I didn't get enough time with my sweet baby boy. Now he's a toddler, almost walking and getting into everything and anything he shouldn't :) Today as Kolby and I sat on the couch talking and reminiscing, I told him that I want to re-live the last year over and over. I want to re-live the first time I heard his little cry and knew he was ok, the first time I kissed his sweet little forehead, the first time he smiled at me, the first time he opened his mouth to kiss me...it all seems like a blur of moments that were there and gone. 

I even want to re-live the months I was pregnant.

I may or may not have cried a few times today...especially while looking at pictures of newborn Kai, and while holding him in my arms feeding him his bottle and gazing at him just like I've done everyday for the past 12 months. He's so perfect, and our lives with him have been a dream. I know it sounds gushy, but it's truly how I feel.

Kaiboy, thank you for making all of our dreams come true, and for making us happier than we ever imagined. We love you always and forever.

We're excited to take him to the zoo tomorrow, and have a party next Friday with family and friends.

Happy first Birthday Kai!

BABY FEVER

When did life become so busy? Every time it's new month, I look at the calendar and gasp. It's August already? It can't be! Fall is just around the corner and I have mixed emotions about that. Cinnamon pumpkin muffins, scarves and boots, red leaves, and long drives on the Alpine loop are some of my favorite things...but so are summer hikes, pool days, and outdoor concerts. 

Plus there's the whole my baby turns ONE thing this month. I'm kind of in denial about August 21st. I keep having flashbacks of that first week with him in the hospital, holding him for hours, marveling at how tiny he was, snapping a photo any time he yawned, moved, or breathed...the quiet late night feedings...

and gosh I miss it. Terribly. 

I mean just look at at that little face. (I still can't get over how Hawaiian/Asian he looked as a newborn. Apparently he was trying to fit in with the other babies in the Japanese hospital!)

Guess that means it's time for another one right?  :)

Sometimes I wonder how people ever stop having babies. Seriously though! I cannot think about or imagine the last and final time I have a baby, knowing it's the last time I will hold a sweet tiny little body that came from me, and smell that perfect newborn baby smell, and experience the sweet bond that nursing brings. I feel like once I have my last baby, there will be this huge hole in me that won't ever be filled. Maybe it gets filled in later when you see your children marry and have their own children? I don't know, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. It's too painful to think about! For now, I'm going to cherish every single moment with my little ones. I'm so excited to have more sweet little babies.

This motherhood thing rocksss.

SPLASH PAD FUN

What a crazy weekend. First off, we are moving AGAIN. This will be the FOURTH time in 7 months. Let's just say I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. But we are finally settling down in a cute apartment in the perfect location. It's been our dream apartment for a while and we're pretty dang excited.

I think what made the weekend so insanely hard is the fact that I worked Saturday and Sunday. Sunday was a 14 hour shift #nurselife, so I was pretty dead, to say the least. Kolby had to do 99% of the packing by himself, while watching a crazy-crawling-everywhere baby. Good man right there. 

Thankfully, we were able to have a little fun on Saturday before I headed into work and took Kai to the Springville splash pad. Oh my goshh! This place is amazing. It's like Disneyland with water, and no long lines, and it's free. What more could you ask for? They had a wide shallow river that stretched pretty far with nice grassy areas to sit and picnic. There was even a super fun playground and park if you wanted to go dry off and swing or do a climbing wall. 

I couldn't stop snapping pics since Kai looked more adorable than ever in his baby swimsuit, happily splashing in the water and yelling in excitement. Nothing makes me happier than seeing him happy.

 So here's the onslaught of photos...they never end, and I'm not even sorry about it.

Sometimes he would get scared of the shooting water...

 ...so then he would do this. So sweet.

Gosh these two! They kill me. Love them too much.

Hope everyone had a more restful weekend than us!