The First "Haircut"

"Haircut" is in quotes because we don't think Kenzie had any more than about 60 actual hairs cut, but Mom wanted the first one to go lightly. As can be expected, Kenzie was a little apprehensive when we placed her in the racecar barber chair and asked her to sit down while a stranger with scissors sprayed her hair down with grape-scented water and began combing and pulling at her hair. She swatted down the scissors-wielding hand much like she does when a hand comes at her with unfamiliar foods attached to the end. But once we gave her her first Dum-Dum lollipop, all was right with the world. She happily watched Winnie the Pooh on television, tore through her Dum-Dum like it was the first taste of sugar she had ever had, and the whole ordeal was over in about five minutes.

Happy Halloween!

Kenzie went trick-or-treating dressed as a chicken this year. Sadly, we were the only ones who knew it was a chicken costume, as everyone else we passed called her a little duckling. There are some shots of her with her friend Ava, whose costume was less ambiguous than Kenzie's. We gave her the traditional plastic pumpkin in which to put her candy, and she knew just what to do. She carefully placed each piece of candy that was handed to her right into the bucket (along with the occasional leaf.) We had a blast.

Fall Scenes

Kenzie had a good time in the maple leaves in the front yard. We also took her to a pumpkin patch at a little farm near our house.

The New Playroom

The hardwoods just weren't doing it for Kenzie so we moved on to bigger and better surfaces. The leftover floor tiles make an excellent maze!

I Coulda Been a Contendah.

Kenzie got her first shiner in early October after a nasty spill in the bathtub. It was so sad to see her swollen eye the next morning, but now that there's some distance between us and the incident the pictures are slightly humorous.

Last Days of Summer

September marked the end of Kenzie's first "real" summer, and we thought it went extremely well (minus a few ear infections and some brutal teething.) Included in this set are pictures from Savannah, some with the hose in the back yard, and Kenzie's first test drive of her new rocking chair.

August

So we're now more than a little behind, put here are a few snapshots of Kenzie throughout August. We liberally applied SPF 50, but she got brown nevertheless.

One Year Photos

Kenzie has been the darling of the camera until her one year photos. That all came crashing down when Mom and Noni took her to Portrait Innovations. Kenzie was in a raw mood that day, and on top of that, the white backdrop against which some of the shots were taken scared the bejeesus out of her. Below is what they managed to capture. Though most of the shots are still adorable, there's an underlying element of displeasure in a few of the pictures. She's onto our game now.

ONE YEAR!!!

Did twelve months just pass? We're not sure. It sort of feels like a boxing match in which the underdog fighter gets knocked down (not out) a couple of times in the early rounds, but manages to struggle and scrap and somehow come out on top in the end.

We've said to each other that the last year has brought some of the fastest months and some of the slowest months of our lives. We think back to watching the Olympics at 4:00am last summer and those times feel like they crawled by. Then we think about how Easter, Mother's Day, and Father's Day all seemed to occur within one week. Kenzie crawled and held her own bottle for the first time in the same day - that was dizzying. She woke up at 6am every morning for several weeks as a few of her teeth came in - those days felt like they'd never end.

But after all of it, we have to say that our lives have been enriched in ways that we never could have imagined before becoming parents. To look at your one year old stumbling through the backyard with a ball in her left hand and a shoe in her right and then rewind 11 months and remember that same precious creature with eyes barely open, limbs curled, struggling just to bring a hand to her face, is an experience that can't be properly described. To watch one's wife, best friend, and college sweetheart become a nurturing mother and patient teacher is a proud and eye-opening experience of a completely different kind. It is freeing to feel one's own selfishness and self-interest fade away as the concept of a child as an obligation and a responsibility gives way to the reality that that child is a privilege and a gift.

What's most shocking is that Kenzie is the vessel that has brought us all of these experiences. When you think about it, she can't talk, she can't play music, she can't send text messages, she doesn't have WiFi, she can't bathe herself or make her own meals. But she can smile, she can squeal, she can hide behind a chair, she can giggle, she can give us kisses, she can put her fingers in our mouths, noses, and eyes while we rock her to sleep.

Those are the things that have made one little twelve-month period the most significant and rewarding of our 30 years on earth.

Kenzie's First Vacation

The Mirabals ("Noni" and "Popi") took the family on vacation to Perdido Key, Florida during the 4th of July week. This was Kenzie's first family vacation, and she had a blast! Although we think she's definitely a freshwater fish, preferring the pool to the ocean, she had a great time playing in the sand (and eating some along the way.)

11 Months Old - 1 Month Too Late!

Still catching up . . .

10 Months Old - 2 Months Too Late!

Okay, so we're catching up on some old pictures, but we wanted to have pictures to show for every month of Kenzie's first year.

Happy Father's Day

Mommy is hijacking the blog for a minute to post the Father's Day Collage I made for Tanner. He has been the most wonderful father I could have ever imagined this year. He completely blew me away with how much he took care of Kenzie, went above and beyond to help me out and put everything to do with our family first. I fell in love with him all over again watching him become the most amazing dad in the world!

Look at my new wheels!

Spring is Here

The tulips are beautiful this time of year.

This . . . is Ammmmmmmerican Idol!

Oops!

Kenzie and her cousin Keaton take a little spill after posing for a picture.

The First Beach Day

We took Kenzie to the beach in Savannah over Mother's Day weekend. To our surprise she found the sand delightful, but her opinion of the water was decidedly less favorable. It's going to require some work to get her comfortable with the water before our beach trip at the end of June.

Some Pictures of the Monster at 9 Months . . .

Kenzie Want a Cracker?

Kenzie loves to watch us eat things while we're holding her. Crunchy things like chips hold her interest the best, but we've also found her to enjoy witnessing the consumption of a jellybean or two (thanks, Mema, for the Easter basket.) Apparently the most attractive food thus far has been Ritz Crackers. Sharing the cracker with us was her idea, not ours.

XBox 360 Time

This is an older series of Kenzie and I playing XBox together. My favorite game is from the "Call of Duty" series, so please notice Kenzie's "Call of Doodie" onesie given to her by our friends Jen and Paul.

Model Material

Shelby took Kenzie to a photoshoot for Koo Koo Bear Kids, a children's clothing and accessories company who is looking for "models." The shot the photographer chose is in the following link:

http://www.jamesadamhill.com/?s=mackenzie

Easter Pictures

Easter didn't turn out exactly how we expected. Kenzie had an ear infection last week that turned into two ear infections and a full body rash after a week of apparently ineffective amoxicillin therapy. So Saturday and Sunday were interesting days for us and church on Easter morning was not a possibility. Nevertheless, we put her in the Easter dress that Mimi bought her and snapped some shots.

To Crawl or Not to Crawl?

We tried to catch some action shots of Kenzie crawling, but she's not quite there yet. She definitely has the urge to move, but she's probably as close to walking as she is to crawling.

Look at That Face!

Kenzie's First Glimpse of Snow

Atlanta had a "snowstorm" a few weeks ago and we snapped this shot. I'm not superimposed into the picture - just underdressed.

Seven Months

We promise that we didn't go to the mall for a "Glamour Shot." Although a pink feather boa really would have worked well with this one.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Shelby made Kenzie a sign for her Valentine's Day pictures. Unfortunately, our little one has already begun to show how principled she can be, as she clearly objects to the completely commercial nature of this "Hallmark Holiday." In tearing up the cute pink and white heart sign, Kenzie symbolically laid waste to the concepts of materialism, overpriced prix fixe candlelight dinners at posh restaurants, and fancy jewelry that seems to say "I must show you how much I love you by spending money that I can't afford to spend."

Actually she's just in a really bad paper-crumbling phase. She does the same thing with menus, receipts, napkins, magazines, mail, etc.

Kenzie at Six Months Old

Cousins

"Let's Keep This Between Me and You . . ."

First Tooth

Kenzie's first tooth broke the surface on Christmas day. The little bugger came with a fair amount of discomfort for the ornery Miss Mackenzie. We're already working on tooth #2 now, and she's no less ornery about the arrival of this one either. Click to enlarge the picture and you can see it on the center right.

Two Peas

Shelby and Kenzie in their matching brown sweatsuits. I don't know which one is more beautiful.

The Nursery

Some pictures of the nursery.

Kenzie's First Foray Into "Solid" Food

The first couple of nights didn't go all that well. Kenzie seemed rather offended each time we surprised her with a mouth full of sloppy rice cereal. But things changed by the third night when she began grabbing the spoon herself and jamming it into her mouth. She enjoys the spoon as much as the food since she can use it as a teething instrument, but she really chows down now. Now we've got to work on her table manners.

Her First Christmas