Kendall's First Year Checkup

Kendall finally had her 1st year checkup (even though she is now over the 13 month mark). We had it scheduled closer to her 1st birthday, but our pediatrician's kid got sick and so we had to reschedule. Stats: Kendall weight is 25 lbs. 11 oz (93%), height is 32 in (97%) and head is 18.5 in (87%). Not a big surprise to anyone…she is a big girl. However, she is very proportional. She is wearing 3T shirts and 2T pants/shorts. The shirts fit her good, but the pants are always too long. Kevin ended up taking her to the appointment, and these type of appointments are never fun. She got 4 shots in her chunky thighs and then had a couple of vials of blood taken. L a lot of tears were shed (some of them might have been Kevin’s). Dr. Tsang said she is right on target for her abilities. Kendall is also a thumb sucker, which I admit is pretty cute! The way she curls her pointer finger around her nose as she sucks her thumb. But Dr. Tsang says we probably need to cut that habit sooner than later or it might be a challenge to ever get the thumb out. So here are the ins and outs of Kendall’s world right now.

SHE LOVES BOOKS! When we are at home in the evenings or on the weekends, she will go get a book out of her room, bring it to Kevin or I, turn around to plop in our lap, stick the thumb in her mouth, and bounce up in down in delight as we start to read her a book. We could read a book to her 50 times and she would NOT get bored. Her favorite books are “Are You My Mother,” “The Tooth Book,” “I Love You, Goodnight,” and “Pet Store.” Sometimes Kevin and I even have to stoop so low as to hide the books because if you aren’t reading to her she gets MAD! A couple of weeks ago, I had conferences which means I don’t have to be in to work until noon on Thursday. I loved my morning because after I was pretty much ready to go, I got to have both Parker and Kendall in my lap and we read books for 45 minutes. I love that they like their books.

Kendall is a talker (she is just trying to keep up with her brother)! She says: mama, dada, ray-ray (Reagan’s nickname), book, Nigh-nigh (blankey) baby, ball, Bo-Bo (cousin), bye-bye, uh-oh, and she has a noise she makes for Parker just not sure how to type it.

Typically week day for Kendall is to wake up around 6:30 as Kevin takes the kiddos to Tammy’s. Sometimes she takes a nap right when we gets there (not quite ready to wake up yet), but most of the time she makes it until after lunch. Either Kevin or I pick up the kids around 4:30. She expects something to drink and a snack right when we walk in the door. We usually eat around 6. After dinner, we might get some play time in before she heads for a bath. After a book or two, she is in bed around 6:45. Most night she talks to herself for a while in her crib (up to 2 hours – never cries). On the weekends, she will sleep as late as 9:00. It is hard to tell sometimes when she gets up because she never cries. She will just sit in her crib and look at books. I honestly don’t remember the last time she cried in her crib – she loves her “alone” time. Even when she sleeps until 9, she will be back in bed right after lunch and sleep for up to 4 hours. 3 hours is very normal.

Kendall is on the go and walks around everywhere. We are still waiting for the time when her arms aren’t up by her head when she walks (like a monkey),  but her balance is really good! She is good at climbing the stairs too. She is still working on going down, but she does a pretty good job. Mom and Dad are just still a little nervous about it. She likes to carry her Nigh-nigh around. She has three blankets she prefers. All three are just regular cotton material, but they are extra large blankets. We have some other blankets that are the same material, but much smaller and they just will not do! It is a good thing she likes three – we get a good rotation going with washing them.

She is more of an indoor kid than Parker was. She does like to be outside, but she still isn’t 100% certain of grass. She prefers to stay on the sidewalks. As far as toys and what she likes to play with…I’m still not sure! She still plays with Parker’s cars (chewing on them and throwing them around) and she has a baby doll that she plays with too. Grandma Chris and Grandpa Tom got her a crib with a high chair and sink attached for her birthday for her baby and she does like to play “mom.” The high chair is a little difficult for her to get her baby in and out of, but DO NOT try to help her. She gets frustrated with doing it herself, but she gets even more mad when you try to help her. Little Miss Independent! She hasn’t shown a lot of interest in TV, but she still loves music. Anything with a good beat and she is bobbing her head up and down.

Kendall makes it known what she wants. She points and does the typical baby grunt until she gets what she wants. Kendall still really likes food and trying new things, but at the same time is getting kinda picky. She used to love chicken nuggets, but lately it is not her thing. She loves the meals that I cook – lasagna, casseroles, spaghetti, etc. But when it comes to lunch – pbj, toast, things like that – she doesn’t want it. Give me the meat! Her favorite food by a landslide is Cheese Puffs. She can’t get enough of those. A close second is green beans. What a weirdo!

Kevin and I both think Kendall is going to be a funny girl. She just has a personality that makes you smile and her face is always so warm. She just always makes me grin. We love her so much and she makes our family complete!