Its really hard to believe that Kye Parker is a little man and no longer my little itty bitty baby. Ok who am I kidding I still treat him like he is my little baby, but he is now one year old! The past few months have been a lot of fun. As a family we had a great summer together. Since Mark and I were both off all summer we got into a routine at home of doing things around the house, taking long walks with Kye Parker, going swimming, etc. We enjoyed spending time as a family! In April, Kye Parker got to go to the Zoo for the first time in St. Louis which he loved.
We had about 15 adults, one baby and 15 cameras, it was a day to never forget! We brought him recently to the Brookfield Zoo. He loved looking at the monkeys in the monkey house! He got to go to Grants Farm for the first time too. Having Crimson at home has made Kye Parker love all animals. I think he thinks they are all big dogs, but thats ok. At Grants farm he got to feed the baby goats and the llamas and he loved it! This was actually the last day Kye Parker got to spend time with his Great Grandma Richey (June 13th 2009). Great Grandma Richey passed away June 29th 2009.
In May Auntee Jamie and Uncle Max came to visit us in Joliet and we went to Starved Rock. It was a day of hiking that was an amazing experience. Kye Parker was carried on our backs in a hiking carrier as we walked mile after mile. We got to see a few water falls and gorgeous scenery. Kye Parker loved the hiking carrier. He was so comfortable he was able to take a nap as we hiked!
This summer Mark and I brought Kye parker to Chicago for a mini vacation. It happened to fall over Fathers Day weekend in June. This was our first vacation as a family. We stayed at the Swissotel, and went to the Billy Goat, Navy Pier (Kye Parker got to see his first firework display), Oak street beach, Randolph Fest, and Millineum Park.
Millineum Park was a big hit! Kye Parker crawled around in the water looking at the big face waterfalls. He would play in the water as it sprayed out of the peoples mouths. This place is always packed. We went back Fathers Day morning and nobody was there. It was pretty much just us and the waterfall faces. Mark and Kye Parker played in the water. It was a Fathers Day Mark will never forget! 
Kye Parker experienced his first boat ride this summer. We went to Lake Carlyle with Chris and Julie Gianino over 4th of July weekend. We slept in cabins, sat by the fire at night, watched fireworks, went boating, and watched the rain fall.
It rained a lot all weekend, but it was a great time. Mark took Kye Parker for nature walks in the rain. He carried him in his hiker carrier. Mark said Kye Parker fell asleep listening to the rain fall. Kye Parker was very cautious during his first boat ride ever. He seemed a little nervous but he never cried.
We had a chance to do a few end of the summer adventures in July. We met a lot of the Peterson clan at the Arlington Race Track. Kye Parker loves to hang out with all his cousins on this side of the family. Kye Parker is the "baby" cousin since he is the youngest little one right now of 13 grand children.
All the kids made forts using chairs and blankets at the track. They brought Kye Parker into their little hut and he loved it. He really enjoyed watching the races and stareing at the big horses. A few days later in July we made a trip to Nobelsville, Indiana to visit Marks brother Tim and his family. We had a great time on the river boating and watching Mark and Tim ski. On the way there we stopped at a daily farm. Kye Parker loved the jumpee they had outside for him to play on. He also got to see a baby calf right after it was born. 
With ample time to observe my little guy this summer, I have noticed many things:
*Kye Parker hates to have his hands dirty.
At his first Birthday we forced him to touch his cake and afterwards he kept putting his hands in the air for us to wash them off. *Kye Parker loves shoes.
He loves his shoes and he loves mommy and daddies shoes. He constantly tries to put them on himself. *Kye Parker loves putting things together. If you undo his seatbelt he will try to reattach it. If he sees you open a can of tennis balls he tries to put the cap back on. I would love to say he just enjoys being tidy, but if you see his play room after a few hours you will see he is not so much into putting things back where they belong. He loves to pour entire bins of toys out and leave them. Another thing he enjoys is clearing out the pantry. We sometimes let him do this to keep him occupied....
*Kye Parker loves to play with his indoor basketball hoop. Mark taught him how to shoot within a day of getting this gift. Now everything in sight has to be put in the hoop.
This includes books, food, toys, and of course balls. He enjoys throwing any ball he can get his hands on. Mark taught Kye Parker to throw the ball for Crimson to retrieve. Kye Parker used to throw mainly with his left but now his dominant hand appears to be his right. 
*Kye Parkers first word at 11 months was balloon.
Ma-Maw can attest to this. We were at the store getting balloons for Julie's baby shower and he pointed to the balloon and said, "bawoon." I bring this up because this is another of Kye Parkers favorite things. He loves balloons. I try to get him a balloon in any store I go in that has them. Kye parker started saying Ma and Da on a regular basis about a month ago. It was then evident he knew the word actually referred to each of us, and was not just a sound. A pretty cool thing to see transform before your eyes!*Kye Parker is VERY into books. Every night he goes to his book shelf and carries a book over to us. Most times the book is bigger or heavier then he is, so its pretty cute seeing him carry the book across the room. He then sits in your lap for you to "read" it. By the time you are on page two, he is up from your lap and on his way to get another book. His favorite books are picture flap books. He loves to point at a thing and have you tell him what it is.
*Kye Parker loves to be outside.
A few of his favorite outdoor activities are his wagon, his swing, his trampoline, and riding on daddies bike. He loves his radio flyer wagon. He sits in it and looks around very contently. He has been known to fall asleep on long rides and he just hunches over and closes his eyes. During the deck construction this summer a swing was installed for Kye Parker in the backyard. He is a very happy boy on the swing. His Daddy got him a trampoline for his first Birthday. He is still a little to small for full use, but he moves up and down on it with our help and never stops smiling. Mark got a front toddler seat attachment for his bike. Mark brings Kye Parker for long bike rides. He just sits there and enjoys every second of it. Kye Parker loved to help Daddy with outdoor activities this summer. He would watch as Daddy cut the grass, and he even helped Daddy make a fire ring in the back yard! Kye parker loves to play with his sand and water table he got from Ma-Maw. Another favorite pass time for Kye Parker is to ride his bikes on the drive way.
*Kye Parker continues to love the water.
He looks forward to his bath time. He still likes to be sprayed in the face with water. We found out this summer that Kye Parker loves to swim. He is not afraid of the water at all. He learned to "jump" to us from a sitting position on the side of the pool. 
*Kye Parker has started playing with educational toys the past few months.
He has gotten better at putting shapes into the right hole. He will impress me sometimes that he is so smart. He knows he can figure out the circle into the circle hole easier then the star into the star hole so he always picks the circle to play with. *Kye Parker is all boy. He has always loved to play with sticks. He would rather play with a stick then a toy. The other day I brought him to Marks football practice and he was playing with his hands in the dirt. This was kind of grossing me out but he seemed happy doing it so I let it go. I was not watching him as I should have been and when I turned around he had a mouth full of mud. He had mud on his face and covered in his mouth. I did not know what to do so I just gave him a drink of water. He did not seem to mind.
*Kye Parker loves to climb things.
If you are sitting on the floor he will climb over your legs until you make him stop. He loves to climb stairs but we usually dont let him. He has been putting all of his effort into trying to climb onto the couch the past few weeks. Last night he finally was successful. 
I was sitting on the couch with my head turned and the next thing I know he is sitting next to me! Sitting on couches is his new favorite thing. He likes to climb into the middle of the kitchen chairs as well. He got a mini roller coaster this summer and he loves to climb that and ride down.
*Kye Parker loves to be around people.
He loves his family that lives close, he loves his family that lives far. We bring him to the store because he just enjoys looking at people. He even has a little girlfriend. Well not really but Kye Parker and Morgan, my friend Katie's baby, look so cute together and they have fun hanging out. Kye Parker loves his cousins. He loves the craziness of all the kids to play with!
At Kye Parker's 12 month appointment he was 27 pounds and 30 in long.
He is wearing a size 5 wide shoe. He is still in the 90% for both weight and height. We have been fazing him out of baby food the best we can. He now eats table food. He can feed himself with his own fingers. Actually he sticks his whole hand in his mouth to get the one piece of food in there. When he is home he usually eats a piece of food and throws a piece on the floor. 
Kye Parker still would rather eat crackers then anything else, but we usually trick him into eating other things. His current favorite things to eat are hotdogs, yo baby yogurt, tilapia, spaghetti o's, bananas, fish crackers, fruit snacks, and ham and cheese sandwiches. Kye parker started making a clicking sound with his mouth when he was hungry a few months back. He still walks around the house clicking when he wants something to eat. He loves to drink out of his sippy. He says, "oose," for juice! Kye Parker got two more teeth since my 9 month update. He now has 8. He loves his little teethers. The only time he does not sleep through the night is when those little suckers are coming in. Kye Parker is getting more and more hair. He has been lacking in this department. His hair is finally long enough to curl up, and in the back his little tendrils curl so cutely. He just started being interested in the comb when I am doing my hair. He now likes when I comb his hair after I comb my own. He then takes the comb and tries to do it himself. Kye Parker continues to love to play peak a boo. I like to play while he is in his crib in the mornings.
My morning routine is to wake Kye Parker up singing to him. I sing to him throughout everyday. He is very used to hearing me sing. I think he likes it? I have been talking for him since he was born. I still do this. Mark just listens to me and laughs. He is very used to this by now. I am sure Kye Parker can not wait to start talking for himself so he does not have to listen to me answering my own questions for him. 
Kye Parker loves to give high fives and to wave goodbye. He waves to everybody. His is a very friendly boy. Kye parker is quite the dancer. If he hears a jam he likes he starts bobbing up and down. He really gets his legs into it and almost does a squat type move. Its really cute and almost looks painful. Kye Parker loves to walk around the house and close doors. Its a favorite pass time for him. We usually close all doors in the house because he is known to go in a room and close the door with him left in the room alone. He then bangs on the door for us to let him out. Kye Parkers new thing is he rubs his belly. It is so cute. He does it more with his shirt off but not always. I have yet to figure out the meaning of this. Kye Parker started at a new day care in the fall. It is called Mary Sears Academy. This day care is close to the house and he seems to love it. He already has friendships growing with a few of the kids in the class. They refer to Kye Parker, Braden, and Jimmy as the three amigos. They are always playing together!
They do lots of fun activities throughout the week. They have rode ponies twice now. Kye Parker was the only little guy to not cry when the ponies arrived. He sat on the pony and rode him around, holding onto the rope. He was not afraid at all. Kye Parker loves to ride all the little cars at the day care. He also loves to play dress up. It is very common for me to arrive to pick him up and he is wearing a cop uniform and riding on the fire truck. He brings me art work home almost everyday. He is quite the artist! He sleeps on a cot there too. He has been sleeping on a cot since the first week. I did not think this would ever happen but he proved me wrong. He falls asleep on the cot and when he wakes up he sits on the cot and waits for the other kids to wake up. He is very well behaved! Well except for the incident the other day. He got written up for bitting another kid!!! This was my first visit to the principals office. I guess he now cant be left alone and has a one on one aide, until he can prove he is not a threat to others. He no longer drinks from a bottle at day care. He is a big boy and drinks from a little dixxy cup, by himself. I have yet to try this at home, but they claim he does it there. They also claim he feeds himself with a spoon. When I try at home he would rather throw the food on the spoon at me or the on the floor so I do not allow this yet. At 11 months Kye Parker was bear crawling around everywhere.
This was his smart way of getting around without scraping up his knees. He started power bear crawling everywhere. He could get around quick! A week after Kye Parkers first Birthday, he started to walk. We saw it coming before that. He would easily walk the outside of the furniture, and would take a step here or there. We would catch him standing for longer and longer amounts of time. 
He then came home one night from day care and we were up at Marks practice in the weight room waiting to leave and I put Kye Parker on the floor and he took off. He has not stopped since. The problem I am finding is Kye Parker likes to walk where he wants to walk. 
This might be in circles and if you are trying to get somewhere this does not work too well. If you try to take his hand he does not let you, he wants to walk on his own. If you try to pick him up when he is in his walking mood he gets really mad. Kye Parkers toy room is downstairs, but all practical living space for Mark and I is upstairs. So when I am cooking Kye Parker does not have much to do. He usually is standing at my legs with his arms up, waiting for me to pick him up. He was a lazy boy for a long time, he would only put one arm up when he wanted to be picked up, but he has since graduated to two.We had a first Birthday party for Kye Parker in the back yard.
It was a big party with lots of family and friends. It was a very hot day, but the day was a blast. The theme for the party was dogs. Kye Parker had an incident a few days before his party. He fell down the stairs. He thankfully was ok with no major injuries just a few bumps. 
The day of Kye Parkers real Birthday I brought him to the library in the morning for group play time. The little kids all sang happy birthday and Kye Parker played bubbles and read books. We then went to the dog park and took a nature walk. That night Mark and I brought Kye Parker to Chuckie Cheese. He loved the pizza and the rides!
If you are around our family very often you will realize I call Kye Parker by his real name only about half the time.
The usual names you will hear are: Boozie, Buddy, Boo-dee, Boo-di, Zoozie, Pumkin, and Dee Dee. Kinda silly I realize but they have all just happened. I am sure once he can talk he will tell me to cut it out. Kye Parker loves his Daddy.
When Daddy gets home from work and football practice Kye parker runs to the gate if we are downstairs and tries to pull it open to get to him. He starts waiving, even though Daddy is not in front of him yet, and starts yelling Daa Daa Daa. Kye parker loves to watch the Bears with Daddy and he loves to go to his high school football practices and games to watch Daddy coach. Kye Parker is definitely walking in Daddies footsteps!
