Andrej, Jessica, Kaiya and Tobi

After six years, having attended two different colleges on two different continents (with a year and a half break in between), meanwhile getting married and having Kaiya…finally, today was my graduation. My parents and my sister came yesterday and we joined about 350 other graduates and their families and friends in the ceremony. (Ryan and Dan, thanks for showing up. It was very good to see you there.) My degree is Bachelor of Science in Business Management, if you were wondering. If you want to know the whole story how I got to this point, read on, otherwise, you've already read all that's important in this post - my parents and sister are here and I just graduated. :)

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Last Wednesday, Kaiya turned 9 months old! It is so hard to believe. I wish I could slow down time, at least a little. It hit home at her well-baby checkup on Friday, when our doctor wished Kaiya a happy birthday and said she would see us after Kaiya turned 1! Our little baby is not a little baby anymore. She weighed in at 20 lbs and 1 oz, putting her in the 75th percentile and measured 28 inches tall, which puts her in the 90th percentile for height. Dr. B had only good things to say and even told Kaiya that someday she would have to meet her 18-month-old son, Nick. The match making begins! Since there were no shots, we all left the doctor's office happy.

Kaiya's latest feats include cruising around the furniture and standing up unassisted for a few seconds. She gets braver and braver by the day and I become more and more afraid. She now pulls up and cruises around holding her bear in one hand and holding onto the furniture with the other. She has taken several falls, one of which left a long bruise from the side of her forehead, down the side of her eye, finally ending at her cheek bone. The bruise exactly matched the bottom shelf of our coffee table. I cried right along with her. As soon as we both calmed down, I quickly referred to one of my many baby books to know what to do. They advised to hold an ice pack on the bruised area for 30 minutes. Ha! Whoever suggested that has never actually tried the technique on a wiggly 9-month-old. Kaiya wanted to look at, touch and hold the ice pack, but would not let me hold it to her face, not even for a few seconds. I have been reassured by many moms that falling and bruises are a natural part of baby learning to walk. I, however, am not ready for this as my heart stops when I hear that all too familiar thud followed by silence and then a wail that could rival jet engines. On the other hand, when she stands up straight all by herself and raises her arms high in the air balancing on those little wobbly legs and feet the biggest grin fills her face and I know she is proud of her new accomplishments and the bruises were hard earned and worth it.

At 9 months, Kaiya continues to bring us more joy than we ever thought possible. She fills our home and hearts with love and laughter. She is the most precious and perfect gift and has blessed our lives in ways words can't even begin to express.