Happy First Birthday K Man

On the K Man's actual birthday we went to a plarail exhibit in Chiba with a friend and her son. It was mass chaos but the kids still had fun. Our birthday dinner was nothing special - leftovers - but he is turning one, so he will not remember. And it was fun to watch Big Sis help K Man open his gifts, although she was a bit disappointed when she learned she could not sleep with the Mickey Mouse he received from Grandma. I have confessed on here before my desire to want to scrapbook for my kids and my family, but I simply do not do it. I am too tired at night and would rather read a book or watch TV. But I do blog and hope one day these can be books for the kids. I would like to finish a one year book for M (I am on month 9) and a one year book for the K Man, but other than that this is the best I can do. I decided to keep a journal for each child and write in it at random times, but try to at least write in it for each birthday. Here is my entry I wrote yesterday for the K Man and a few pictures from his actual birthday. My dear sweet Kei-Kun, You have some nicknames - "The K Man," "Snoop T," "Snoopy," "Buddy," but we mostly call you Kei-kun. Today was your first birthday. Where does the time go? A year ago today at 3:26PM you entered this world, at a whopping 8.5 pounds. You were born at Seibo hospital in Tokyo, Japan. To say you stuck out is a bit of an understatement - you were so much bigger than all the other Japanese babies in the nursery. That's okay. You looked like your Papaw Hill - still do. He would say, "That doesn't make you all bad." Your birth was fairly easy, for labor that is. I was 4cm. dilated by the time the taxi pulled into the hospital around 10AM (thankfully no taxi birth because the contractions in the back seat of the cab with Miyako next to me were not fun). By the time Dr. Sakamoto broke my water, we were half way. Then your Mama got the drugs. Sorry buddy, I just couldn't do it naturally and I didn't really want to. We made it to 10 and Dr. S said we would start pushing at 3PM and have our baby by 3:30. Three big pushes later and there you were at 3:26PM, with four minutes to spare. We were excited to have a boy, especially since Miyako had been praying for a baby brother for 9 months. And we knew you were our "Kei" from the moment we saw you - the "Kyo" from Kyoto. Your first year has been like your birth - fairly easy relatively speaking. You nursed well straight from the womb. You gave Mama longer stretches of sleep by 12 weeks. You weened so easily, in like 4 days, and at 1 year old you sleep 11-12 hours each night with 2 naps a day. You are the textbook perfect baby. Your personality shines. You are a lot like your daddy. You flirt with the old women on the train, and you always give the cutest grins when you are doing something you shouldn't be doing. You laugh, a lot, and are very laid back. Our friends in Tokyo like to hear you cry because they begin to wonder if you ever do. You are so happy. I hope this disposition stays with you because it attracts people. You are social and love to watch your Big Sister. You are such a sweet little boy. At your one year check up you were 20.4 pounds in weight, 28.3 inches in height, 17.51 inches in chest circumference, and 18.4 inches in head circumference. The doctor is slightly concerned about your percentages because you dropped significantly from your 6th month check up to now. She also heard a heart murmur so we are going to see a pediatric cardiologist next week. From what I have been told, this is very typical. But it has scared your mama just a bit. You are so happy and genki. And i am reminded you do not really belong to me, but to the Lord, and He will watch over you. He has ordained all of your days so we will get these things checked, do our part, and trust Him for the rest. You still do not stand up on your own but you want to really bad. You crawl both army style and on all fours. You will walk soon enough. I do not want to rush it or you - could be part of your laid back/easy going nature. You just are not in too big of a hurry, again, like your daddy. When I knew I was pregnant with you, I had wondered how I could love another baby as much as I loved your big sister. It is amazing really because I can! You hold such a special place in my heart. There is plenty of love God has given me for my sweet baby boy. You didn't have this huge 1st birthday party like your sister when we lived in the U.S. We celebrated with Baby D and his family, and the two of you had a lot of fun. You are curry for the first time and enjoyed and savored each and every bite of your birthday cupcake. The party was special because we celebrated YOU, our sweet Kei-kun. I love you baby boy. Happy First Birthday. I look forward to celebrating many many more. All my love, Mama