Toad Turns One

I don't know if it is because I am getting older or because Kelton is my final baby, but this year has gone by too quickly. I have tried to soak in every moment of his life knowing that this will be the last time that we experience this.

I remember holding him as a newborn and getting ready to lay him down for bed. More times that I can count, I would stop and hold him just a little longer. I knew that there would come a day that he wouldn't want me to hold him anymore. Although we have not hit that day yet, thank heavens, his first birthday approached much sooner than I had expected.

It was such a bittersweet day. I am sad that he is growing so fast, however I am so excited with the milestones that he is hitting. He has learned to crawl down the stairs quite quickly, get himself off the couch safely, take his first steps. He races to the shower whenever he hears the water run and sits in the shower for as long as I will let him. Half the time he gets sits there fully clothed. Since the discovery of table food, he daily indulges himself on whatever he can get his hands on.

He has been such a big bundle of joy to our family and has completed us in a way that I didn't think could happen. As hard as it is to watch him grow and change, I feel so grateful that we were blessed with one more little child. He has been a joy and a pleasure and I couldn't love him more. He struggled a bit in getting here and has had a rough start but he is strong and strong willed. This year for his birthday, we went to McDonald's and had dinner. He was so excited to have his very first Happy Meal. He gobbled that up in a snap! He KNEW that the presents were for him and snapped at Kaeson in a way to say Back Off Bro. He was thrilled to get the Alphabet Train from Grandma and Grandpa Franco. Grandma and Grandpa Griner surprised him with a Teddy Ruxpin. That has been the family favorite by far. He and Kaeson fall asleep together listening to its soothing stories.

I did a simple birthday cake for him this year. Knowing that the cake would be destroyed, I didn't want to put hours into making an over the top cake like I did for the other two this year. Once the cake was put in front of him, he threw a complete fit until he was given access to it. He must have eaten half of the cake himself. I don't think that I have ever seen anyone so completely and totally happy.

I was surprised to take him to his one year checkup to find out his stats! He has been all over the charts with weight and height. Having so many illnesses his first year of life was not easy. However over the past 3 months, he has finally gotten to where he needs to be! He tipped the scales at an ounce shy of 20 pounds! That is incredible and he is our heaviest child at one. He was however just barely 28 inches tall. That makes him the shortest of the boys at age one (not quite 5th percentile Kaeson was 50th.) So, appropriately for the time of year, he is our short, chubby pumpkin.

Happy Birthday Little Kelty! I love you!