Ode to a One Year Old

This post is about Grayden. Not because he's my first and only child so that's what all my posts are about, but because today is his first birthday. Also, he is playing so nicely by himself right now that I actually have the time to type.

I know it's been said, but here goes: one whole year? It's unbelievable. Tonight I am going to make him a cake and let him blow out a candle and unwrap a new book, and he'll have no idea what's going on. But what I'll be thinking while he eats his cake is that the next time we celebrate his birthday he'll be two, and if it goes by even half as fast as his first year then he's practically two already!

Grayden is a very good kid. He's happy and social and loves to learn, he soaks up everything we tell him. His best words are banana and hi and Dada, and mama when he wants more food, but he also copies so many sounds of words we say I think he'll be adding to that list soon. He signs the words "all done" and "more", and he throws his hands up in the air when you say touchdown. He is in the stage between walking and crawling, where he'll walk until he falls and then crawl the rest of the way. He has about the same amount of hair he had one year ago. He has six teeth when I last counted a couple months ago. He just learned to go downstairs, a good thing since we have 17 in our house. He will sit and look at books and babble to himself, but he loves when we read to him even more. Balls are his favorite toys, any type of ball, and he loves to lift them high above his head and then throw them to you. He loves blowing bubbles in the water at bath time, sleeps at least 12 hours at night and two naps during the day, which makes his mother very happy. He'll do almost anything if I bribe him with going outside, he's an outdoors man. He unfortunately has absolutely zero interest in watching television. He thinks most noises are music and he dances and bobs his head to anything from the prelude music at church to the ice cream truck to a cell phone ring to the beeping of the microwave. He thinks he is the most adorable thing on the planet, and mostly, we agree.

April 2009:




April 2010:




Nate feels the need to give Grayden a mohawk when he puts sunscreen on him. Every time.

Happy Birthday, Little Dude.

April pictures say 1000 words

But I may add a few, just for fun.

First shiner.

Lots of driving.

Road trip at midnight.
(Does this look like a child who is awake five hours past bedtime? DOES IT?)

Muscle man

Huge, huge, trouble.

Also, we're moving to Las Vegas in May. Nate's new company is sending him to manage the work they're doing on this:

http://www.thesmithcenter.com/


Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Today is Bananas

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

It's official. I always said that I wouldn't count any word as Grayden's first word until he said it on demand, three days in a row. Even Dada, which he says frequently, doesn't really count. But the past few days all I have to do is hold up that yellow fruit and he says NANA or NANANA (while grinning and kicking his feet and waving his hands). I can't say I'm surprised that it was food that motivated him.

Still in Utah

And we're having a great time. Seeing lots of friends and family, eating far too much, and going to sporting events such as last night's BYU basketball game.

It was like Grayden had died and gone to heaven.

I've since decided that the short attention span we all think babies have is a crock. My nine-month-old sat for over half an hour barely moving, watching the players warm up and the cheerleaders cheer and the loudspeaker boom and the crowd yell. He barely blinked. The only time he looked away was to hold his hand out for some popcorn, and as soon as a small piece was safely in his hand his eyes went straight back to the court before it even got to his mouth. I wish I had a video, it was laugh-out-loud funny.

Once the first half hour was over, he spent the next 2.5 hours in total bliss, looking around, clapping his hands, stomping his feet, watching the game, flirting with the people behind us, and mooching every last bit of food he could get his hands on. Popcorn, pizza, red vines, snow cones. He really had the time of his life. You never would have guessed it was two hours after his bedtime when we finally left the game, he was still in such high spirits. Possibly a sugar high, but still.

And we also won. So it was a good night all around.

Ticketless...times four.

I've never gotten a speeding ticket. That doesn't make me special, I'm sure there are many people in the world who can claim the same thing. However......I have now been pulled over while speeding FOUR times and have never been given a ticket. Without crying. What is my secret??

Honestly, no clue. But since it keeps happening I want to document my experiences. Maybe y'all will learn something you can apply in those stomach-sickening siren-induced moments.

The first time I got pulled over was right by the Provo temple. The officer told me he had been following me since the marriott center. Um, okay, I totally didn't see him behind me until I turned at the MTC to drive up the south side of the temple. Anyway, he said it "looked like I had been going too fast, and a pedestrian (not in a crosswalk, mind you) had been about to cross the street in front of my car and I didn't stop for him. Did I miss the part in driver's ed where you are supposed to throw on your breaks in the middle of the road for some punk student who is sauntering across the road into oncoming traffic? The truth is, I hadn't seen anyone even trying to cross the street, and I told him so with my most innocent look on my face. He asked me how fast I was going. I said 35, even though I really had no idea.....what did he expect me to say? "I was flying, man! Must've been going 55!" I'm no dummy. So then he stuck his head into my car through the open window.....yep, you heard me correctly....and said, "Are you listening to loud music?" I had turned the radio down a little when he pulled me over, not to be sneaky but I figured it was nice manners since he was going to talk to me, so it was at a nice quiet level. I said "no". He said,"Well, um, okay then, just be careful driving through campus. OK! Later! That was my first escape.

The second time was also on campus, driving under the bridge walkways towards the Wilk. I actually had to pull into that little drop-off drive thru area and the cop pulled up behind me. He asked me if I knew the speed limit. I said it was 35, and I had been going 39. He said the limit was 30. Oops. I honestly had thought it was 35. I told him so. He asked if I was a student.....and here's the part I'm ashamed of. I said I used to be, but I wasn't currently because I was leaving for my mission soon. True? Yes. But pulling the mission card is still shameful, especially when I knew he wouldn't give me a ticket if I mentioned that. And I was right. He smiled and asked me where I was going and what language, etc. Shame, Shame. He wished me luck and reminded me the speed limit was 30, and I was off. Number two.

The third time was driving from Phoenix to Utah. I was alone, but it was after I got married, and I can't remember why Nate wasn't with me. I was getting close to my destination, and I was getting antsy. So, yes, I was probably going ten over. I was driving my Altima, that only had plates on the back because in AZ that's okay. I guess it's against the law in Utah, though, because I got pulled over about 30 minutes south of Springville and when the cop came to my window he said he had pulled me over because when he saw me coming I didn't have plates on the front of my car......here's where I wanted to say, "And when you got behind me and saw that I did have plates and they are AZ plates and I am therefore breaking no law you still decided to stop me? Bored much?" But instead I laughed kindly and said, oh, I didn't know that law was different in Utah. Bat, bat. He told me I looked like I had been going pretty fast, what was my speed? AGAIN, officers of the law, I appreciate what you do for society, but seriously, if you don't use your little blow dryer speed checker and can't prove someone's speed, chances are we are not going to deliver up any self-incriminating information! Now, here's where I was kind of lucky....my Altima had a digital speedometer that reset itself every so often, and when he asked me what my speed had been it hadn't reset itself yet so it said 81. I pointed to it. :) He said, 81? Why the big hurry? I smiled and with a guily little laugh told him I had been driving almost ten hours and was almost home. He smiled back and said it's not worth getting in an accident and never getting home, to which I gave an understanding side-smile and nod and agreed I should go slower. Mandy, 3. Cops, 0.

And finally, I was pulled over most recently on Monday while driving to Utah, just a few miles before reaching St. George. My parents were in the car behind us because we were going to be meeting for lunch. Even at age 27, it's no fun getting pulled over right in front of Mom and Dad. The officer said I was going 84 in a 75. Then he asked if I had been aware of my speed. I replied with a resigned look on my face (I was positive I was getting a ticket), "Yeah, I was aware, I wasn't really trying to go super fast, but......(trailing off)" Then when he got my license he asked if that was still my address. Well, it's not, and it hasn't been in almost four years, and I was so nervous I mumbled something like," Uh, we still live in Phoenix, but um, not there, eh, we don't live there anymore, but, uh, cause we moved, and I just......(trailing off again). He said he was going back to "run my information". He was gone for a long time. Nate was enjoying mocking me and saying now I can't gloat that I've never gotten a ticket. (He has gotten several). But, when the officer came back he gave me my paperwork and said, "There is a lot of traffic on the road today, be really careful and watch your speed, there's lots of cars on the road." I said we would...but then, because I was still nervous and shocked I kept talking! "We were just following my parents to St. George." He replied, "Well, they weren't going 84." And I laughed nervously and tried to joke.."they totally were! (Then I caught myself and gained some composure. Shut up, Mandy.) No, I understand completely, we'll slow it down." And he was gone. I give the credit for that one to Nate's BYU hat, maybe the guy was a cougar fan, because I had totally lost my cool.

So, that's it. My dad is a retired police officer and always taught me that if you are kind and apologetic you have better chances. His advice seems to work. Here's to number five, whenever that may be.

I surrender.

I totally give up on trying to make my blog cute. Surely there's a blog award for the world's ugliest blog?

I don't often think about how computer illiterate I am. Thank you, blog, for reminding me. So, until I get the strenth to try it again, it's a froofy-pink-and-salmon-colored-cork-board-valentine-nightmare at the Kolbaba blogspot.

Maybe I'll give it a go around the next big holiday.

UPDATE: After a loving and supportive pep talk by my husband, and a (ahem) mostly loving and supportive comment from a .....friend.......I'm being forced to spend some more time on this wretched thing. For those of you who missed the chance to see the horror before it was (hopefully) fixed, thank your lucky stars.

February so far.

It's the second of February, so with that as the title of this post, nobody can be expecting much. I just have some funny pictures of my kid to share.

HAPPY VAMPIRE BABY

SAD VAMPIRE BABY

Dirty baby. We let him loose outside and he had the time of his life. I won't even tell you the things he tried to put in his mouth........

Let's hope the following picture is no indication. That is my son's grubby hand, and stuck to it is a bird feather. Yum!

Also, my sister-in-law gave me some soynut butter, so I can give Gray PB and J sandwiches without the actual PB. (Allergies run in Nate's family). It's wonderful to be able to make him a meal so quickly.