I forgot to mention she has 10 teeth...hence the weaning ; )

I decided I needed to document some fun Kerrigan facts for posterity's sake.

At 12 months Kerrigan...

Is 21 lbs (front facing seat here we come) and wearing 12-18 month clothes, although occasionally I try to squeeze her into my favorite 6-12 month clothes : ) Her hair is finally long enough to sport pigtails, which she is debuting for the first time today!

...Loves to play games. Among her favorites are the thank you game (you hand stuff back and forth, saying thank you to each other), giving high fives and pounds (fist bump), Lego's (essentially the same as thank you, but with me stacking Lego's, then she takes them apart), playing tag around the ottoman and of course throwing stuff on the floor so I get to pick it up!

....Sleeps usually 11-13 hours a night. She also takes either 2 1.5 hr naps or 1 3 hr nap. BEAUTIFUL!!!

...Hates shopping (how did that happen), when I am on the computer and snuggling unless she is really tired- boo!

...Loves meeting new people. Also loves Dr. Pepper...please don't report me, it is always in small doses. Loves to be independent! Loves babies and pictures of babies. Also, loves playing with other kids, we still working on how to be soft with them. Loves animals, but is afraid of them at the same time. Has a crush on Braden, and often prefers Megan over me (some of our friends we spend alot of time with).

...Is officially walking all over the place. Yesterday she walked around her Grandma's kitchen for 15 minutes without falling down! She is also starting to run...well, more like a power walk, but very quick for such a beginner! You should see her face when she is walking, she thinks she is pretty hot stuff!

....Is talking NONSTOP!!! Her vocabulary includes hi (pronounced hiiiiiiiiiii), bum (I dunno where it came from), ohhhhhh, Bob (for Braden), mama, dada, cookie, ya (for yes), out, this and that, pretty (if prompted), go (when she is walking or someone says, "ready, set...") and di (drink). My favorite is when she is whining I say, "Can you ask me in a nice voice?" and she changes to a really high pitched "nice voice" babble...soooo funny!

Also, she says "day do" for thank you. Almost every time someone hands her something she says it. However, she struggles with the concept, and also uses thank you in place of please and here you go (when handing something to someone). BASICALLY she is a child prodigy : )

...Eating almost exclusively table foods. We are SLOWLY beginning the weaning process, and she still has Gerber fruits and veggies. Other than that, she basically eats what I eat. Just recently she has started to become a picky little eater, which I could live without. If she doesn't like something, she makes the goofiest face and either throws it across the room or spits it out, which is extra fun considering we have all carpet in our apartment! Foods she loves are pizza, chicken nuggets, Taco Bell chicken soft tacos and cookies (sometimes I trick her into eating something by calling it a cookie, is that bad?).

Basically, we adore her...who wouldn't?!?!?!?!

What a Year Can Do...

One year ago (plus 3 days, I am running a little late : ), we received this blessing :

Now, just 368 short days later we have a rambunctious, ball of energy whose favorite past times include running and unrolling toilet paper in the bathroom.

How does a tiny 5 lb newborn grow so quickly? I am glad you asked!

I have put together a little visual presentation to demonstrate this phenomenon to you. I tried to include momentous firsts, such as eating solids, sitting, meeting Carter...you know, the important stuff!

(side note: I was not going to put this many pictures on. I had every intention of cutting out many of them. However, I uploaded them backwards, and it took me so long to fix- didn't want everyone to view K's life Benjamin Button style- I decided to leave them all on. I realize in doing so I am breaking my own blogging rule, and opening myself up to Jared's ridicule. I have accepted this, and so should you! : )

1 hr

2 days (look how tiny she is, now she barely fits in the dang thing!)

3 days (exactly a year ago today)

1 week

2 weeks

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months (you are 1/2 way there)

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

1 YEAR OLD!!!

Happy birthday, sweet girl! It has been the best year of my life, I can't wait to see what many many many more years bring!

I will have to post pictures of her actual birthday later, it is a CRAZY week. Just a little tidbit to leave you wanting more: I made coordinating tutus and shirts for the 2 birthday K's (Kate and Kerrigan) and they looked GOOOOOOD!

One year ago today...

Exactly one year ago I wrote this post, demanding my unborn child make her debut to this world SOON!!!!

I still had 10 days left until my due date, but I was BEYOND ready to meet her!

My feet looked like this (had to include this picture because it cracks me up...unpainted toenails-yuck, purple- double yuck and so swollen even loose socks leave ridges- YUUUUCK!):

The rest of me looked like this:

Little did I know that in a mere 4 days, Kerrigan would perform her first act of obedience (to me) and defiance (to the Dr. who said I would go late) .

Little did I know that 3 days later, I be holding this in my arms.

Exactly one year ago, I had no idea how much my life was about to change!

*Sidenote: I am absolutely BAWLING looking at all her newborn pictures...ahhhh! *

While We Wait For Daddy to Come Home...

...we find many ways to entertain ourselves.

We practice our facial expressions- some cute, others...interesting. Nonetheless, learning expressiveness : ) Someday my future son-in-law will thank me for this game when he realizes he has the ability to know what she is thinking by just looking at her face!

We invent new games. There is the stand and cheer game, test chunkiness of limbs by sticking them in random small places game, stick the clip on our noses game and (my personal favorite) the push buttons on the t.v. so Mom only gets to see 1/4 of her show game! Yay : )

I can tell what you are thinking, "does Lindsey EVER clothe her child?" Let me answer that question with a collage o' K.

Yes, I do dress her. However, as previously mentioned, spit up is still making a frequent appearance in our home. So instead of having to change her 4 or 5 times a day, if we are at home we go diaper for the first little bit after meals. Easier on the washing machine and my patience : ) Her happiest time is right after her nap and meal...so diaper pictures happen more than I would prefer.

She is so much fun- I love hanging out with my little bud!!!

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!

Seriously, do I have a child old enough to do this? :

*only click on the video if you are willing to not hold our annoying "my kid is the greatest kid in the world" parent voices!!!!*

Or, possibly this? :

That is correct, we got us a walker. It is definitely a work in progress, but she is sooooo close! The first video is her first steps on Wednesday (well, not first...probably steps 5,6 and 7), and the second one is from tonight when I had some backup to help film the momentus event.

As you can tell by our embarrassing voices, we are not at all proud of our little peanut : )

She turns 1 in exactly two weeks...I am fairly certain I will not meet the occasion gracefully!

Where did the last year go...SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!

Getting Old

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a friend about clothing choice, during which I was informed that the reason I didn't feel the need to dress more "adult" was because I was already old (those weren't the exact words, just the basic concept).


The initial response was shock and disbelief. I thought of all the people who have told me I look too young to be married, not to mention all the comments and looks I got while pregnant. Then I realized I really hadn't heard that in awhile...almost year to be more specific.



Since then I have looked at myself a little closer every time I pass a mirror. Have I really aged that much in the past year? What could have caused such an abrupt end to my youthful appearance?


I am starting to see now what I think my subconscious has been hiding from me, fearing I would be unable to deal with it.


My once carefully styled hair is now quickly thrown into a ponytail, and bits of food somehow get entangled in it, occasionally going undetected for hours at a time.


My wardrobe, which used to be a priority, has taken the backseat and is now looking fairly pathetic.


My rule of never leaving the house without makeup has been broken on numerous occasions.


Bags under my eyes have formed from the nights I lie awake in bed.


The places of my body that were once thin and tight have been replaced by bulges and literally fallen victim to gravity.




What is the cause of all this?


I believe it has a LITTLE something to do with this:



Motherhood is such a unique experience. My outer appearance has definitely changed as I have taken on this new role. I have most assuredly aged.


However, I see something everyone else may not see.


I see the messy haired, nude faced woman in a t-shirt and jeans who would rather help her child practice walking than spend that extra 30 minutes in front of the mirror.


The bags under my eyes remind me of the nights I lie awake thinking of ways to be a better mother and wife. I see the late nights I spend silently praying for peace as I think of raising my children in this world.


The joy I have discovered as I have found my true place in the world as a mother has translated into "smile" wrinkles around my mouth and eyes.


The new shape of my body links me to all women who have sacrificed tight buns and abs to become a mother.


So to the world, I may just look haggard. Luckily, while looking more closely at myself these past couple of weeks than I ever have, I have discovered a new sort of beauty.


I can honestly say I have never felt so beautiful.