Names.

Lately, Kai has really been saying the names of people. He spent over a month calling my friend, Jess, Nana. Now, he still knew that Jake's mom is Nana. If shown a picture of real Nana he would tell me that she was Nana, I don't know if he just needed a name for her and decided to call her Nana too maybe. Then suddenly, Friday, he started to call her Jess out of nowhere. He just started to call my niece "Sami." Prior to this, he just kind of referred to both my niece and nephew as a collective "Riley." He had been calling the cats "mew" and recently started calling them cat and now will call them by their names from time to time.

In addition to names, he has learned a ton of new words. The coolest new word debut this week was when we stopped to see if a battery store carried the rechargables that we use (they did not). There was a giant camera advertisement in the outside window and as I was getting Kai out of his car seat he was pointing out the front window telling me "picture, picture, picture" and then he smiled and said "cheese." So stinking cute.

Breakfast.

Kai has never really been a big breakfast fan. I have found though that if I eat my breakfast on the sofa with him while he watches Sesame Street, I can sneak him bites of my food enough that he will eat a slice of toast with nut butter, an egg or a waffle. Not so much cereal. He does not seem to be a fan. Except for Raisin Bran Crunch. If he sees the box he wants to eat it immediately. He prefers it dry and of course mostly only wants the raisins. Anyway, here is a photo of Kai enjoying a waffle with me.

Pictures. Thanks Andy!

Birthday party.

Sunday was Kai's birthday party. We had a great time celebrating with family and some of our friends. Kai seemed to really enjoy being the star of the afternoon. We did not get many pictures but there were so many cameras there I am sure I will see some photos rolling into my inbox any minute now (wink, wink).

Here is what we did manage to get:



And enjoying the last party remnants:

Kai and Daddy trade.

Kai and was very interested in Jake's portion of dinner. Not so much his own.

2.

I cannot believe that Kai is two today. Time has gone unimaginably fast for me this past year, I think even more so than his first year. I was looking back at pictures tonight and the changes that have occurred are truly amazing. Last year at this time he could not walk, he said only a handful of words. He looked so much more like a baby and now I see so much more little boy in him. It is amazing to be able to communicate with him now and he has such an enjoyable personality. Jake and I are truly blessed to have such a fantastic little human in our life. Although I am feeling a little sad about how quickly Kai is growing up, even more than that I am excited about everything the next year holds for us.

Sadly, Kai is sick today. Constantly running nose, dripping eyes that look like random tears and a rough sounding cough. In spite of all of that, he was able to be excited about balloons and gifts. I spent a lot of time cuddling, nursing and wiping his nose and eyes today. As I listen to him occasionally cough or make little sad sick noises over the monitor, I am nostalgic for the time that he spent curled up inside of me leading up to this day two years ago. (This is probably shocking to those that listened to me complain about being sick and tired and uncomfortable.) It was so easy to keep him safe and healthy on the inside. I am grateful that Jake's work schedule kept us from having his birthday party today, I would have felt terrible to have to cancel his big fun afternoon. I think I am going to head up to cuddle my sick two year old and think about how much he has grown and what an amazing little person he has become.

The Learning Tower from our families was a huge hit.
I cannot wait to make some cookies after the chance of him contaminating them has passed.

Sick birthday boy. :(

Mr. Coordination.

Although I grew Kai in my klutzy body, he seems to have come out with serious fine motor skills. He is able to stack a ridiculous number of 4 x 1" cylindrical blocks. Six to be precise. He could probably do seven if he could reach. Maybe next time I will get him a step stool to test the theory. It is incredible. I don't know if it is normal. I should look it up, but for now I will just remain mystified at this feat. Also, he can eat soup with a spoon. Soup with a spoon. That also seems like it should be impossible. He does these things like it is no big deal. I am throwing a party and he is just eating soup from a spoon like it is nothing.

Also, a super cute thing happened this week. We were at our monthly Attachment Parenting International meeting and a girl a little older than Kai took a wooden play spoon and held it out to Kai. She even did an airplane maneuver with it and Kai pretended to eat from the spoon. Very cute. Then he was pushing around a doll stroller with a little baby doll in it, he brought her over to be buckled in and then got a white straw hat with little flowers and a purse out of the dress-up bin. He had the hat on his head and the purse slung over one of the handles of the stroller. I have to remember to out my camera back into my diaper bag so that I can catch a picture next time.

Skype with Nana.

We have had several video calls with Jake's mom using Skype. Kai really likes these calls, and especially likes to show her things. He had even tried to share snacks with her. We had a video call was last night and Kai insisted that Jake take the computer upstairs to the playroom and he spent time playing and showing his nana trains, cars and stuffed animals. It was pretty fantastically cute. Due to the Skype calls, I think that Kai has gotten a little confused about conversations with Nana. The last time I was on the phone with her, I put her on speaker so that she and Kai could talk more easily. Kai took the phone from me and started to walk around the upstairs pointing things out to her. The wall, the closet, he was very sure that she could see it all. In spite of the confusion on Kai's part about how phones work now, I am so glad that it is 2009(!) and Kai is able to see his Nana on a regular basis even though she is far away. Yay technology!

Greetings from Florida.

Over the weekend we got a couple of pictures in the mail from my grandparents. They were of my grandfather enjoying their Florida in December weather. Weather reports from my grandpa during the winter to those of us in the colder parts of the country are a favorite pass time of his. This is the first time that we have received photographic evidence of the lovely weather with which they are bestowed. So, in these photos, my grandpa is in his swimming trunks sitting by the pool and actually in the pool...photos dated 12/28. Meanwhile, here in Wisconsin, we have had record snow fall and many days of sub-zero temperatures. After I looked at the pictures, rolled my eyes and sighed heavily, I showed them to Kai. Kai studied them very intently, walked around with them for awhile, then came over, looked up at me and said, pointing to my grandfather, "Ho, ho." Translation...Kai thinks that my grandpa is Santa Claus. After I stopped laughing I called him immediately to let him know that although he is warm, he is old enough to be mistaken for Santa.

Cook cook.

Kai and I did some dessert baking this afternoon to take to my sister's house this evening. Actually, I was hoping to get the baking done while he was napping, but Jake accidentally woke him up a bit early, so I still had some work to do. He was thrilled just to see that the stand mixer was out. He was laughing and telling me 'cook-cook." He got out a pan and put it on the base of the stand mixer and told me, "In there." He was ready for business. I was not. I had to bribe him with watching Thomas the Train movie until I was ready to get started on frosting. After I alerted him that it was time, he ran into the kitchen and climbed up the stairs next to the counter where the only easily accessed outlet in the kitchen is located. (This is an issue that will need resolution soon.) He was so excited to be able to turn the mixer on, and when the butter was nice and fluffy and the vanilla mixed in and it was time to add powdered sugar. Then, Kai threw the switch for the beater to high and powdered sugar went just about everywhere. After a quick clean up we were back to work and Kai was in a state of crazy anticipation waiting to taste the frosting. He would put a finger out and reach to the mixer while I was adding more sugar super slowly and I would tell him it wasn't ready. When it finally was, he was quite pleased with our results. After several small tastes, I decided that he and Jake should share in cleaning the beater and delivered him to the living room. Overall...super fun sugary time.

Making the necessary adjustments to the mixer in preparation.

Standing back to admire his skill at turning on the mixer.

Deciding that it is time to crank up the speed and get the frosting fluffy.

Testing.

Another how-cute-is-my-child moment caught.
Thank goodness.

Sharing the beater with Daddy.

More Christmas fun.

On Sunday, we went to Jake's uncle's home to celebrate Christmas with his dad, his grandparents and all of his uncles and their families. We haven't seen his uncles and aunts since before Kai was born, so it was super nice to have the opportunity to see them again. Kai had a fantastic time attempting to keep up with his Uncle Sam, Aunt Becky and his numerous cousins. Kai received a Wisconsin Badgers tee shirt and hat from his Grandpa Jeff and Grandma Laura which he loved in the way he loved the jammies from Christmas eve...they had to be put on immediately. Immediately. He was annoyed that I had to take the time to unbutton and remove the shirt that he had been dressed in that morning. The hat still makes a daily appearance. Today he was pretty sure that it was the appropriate hat to wear out in the elements. Fortunately, I convinced him easily that it would not be warm enough. I fear this may be a discussion that we have over and over throughout the winter.

Kai shows his Aunt Becky his new toy...

...and shares his new hat.

Kai sitting on Uncle Sam's lap surrounded by cousins.