19 Months-Kai

Missed the milestone, 18 months.  (Or at least I think I did.)

I love the way he giggles when you tickle around his collarbone and the inside of his thigh.  It's a wonderous belly laugh.

I love how his face lights up when he sees his siblings.  He is quick to run to them and give them a hug too.  While it is easy to doubt your sanity when you have four clustered pretty close together in age, seeing them love each other is one of the true joys of being a parent to these four.  They are not so much older that they are too busy for him but not too young to really "get" what it means to be siblings.

Kai is really interested in Bo.  He often pets him (pat, pat) and will deliberately interact with him by sitting down beside the dog on the floor.  If Bo is sitting at the patio doors wanting out or in, Kai will come get a grown up and show them that Bo needs out.  He also loves balls and climbing.  He is a dare devil who is always trying to figure out how to climb higher and who doesn't have much fear.  The bath and water are also still favorites of his.  He rarely gets out of the bath without a tantrum because he is not ready to get out.

At his check up this week, the short genes have apparently caught up with him.  The kiddo who was in the 75% for height is now back into the 35% which seems much more likely given who his parents are.  He is also in the 25% for weight, weighing in at not quite 24 1/2 pounds; he is just not a chunky guy at all.  He only has seven teeth.

He is definitely getting to be more of a two year old.  When he's mad, he's mad.  When he is mad, it is almost always over being told he can't do something.  When he is doing something questionable, he looks to see if a grown up is looking.  When he likes a food, he likes it.  When he has decided he doesn't want that food anymore, he is so over it.  He likes to eat eggs, yogurt, cheese, and raisins.  (Nothing you want your toddler eating in great quantities.)  He was also quite fond of graham crackers but that love affair appears to be waning.

Kai is still kind of a man of few words.  He babbles constantly.  He has said about 15-20 words (Bo, dog, woof, no, owie, Nay Nay for Conleigh, Kenson, Papa, Mama, hello, bye bye, more, ball, and all done) but may only say one word during any given day.  And some of those words that he has previously said, he hasn't used in months.  He understands lots of things and it's fun watching him understand more and more, to be able to tell him to go get his shoes and see him pull open the right dresser drawer or to ask "where's your head?" and have him point at his head.

The hair is still in question.  It's much thicker in back and he doesn't have much hair across his forehead.  In the sun, it is decidely redder.  But inside it often looks dirty blonde.  His blue blue eyes often get compliments.