My last journaling in the saga of Bind Baby Daddy was when Kennan had turned one year old and he was definitely starting to move around and even say a few words but he is now 18 months and exponentially more mobile and even more insightful.  With the increased mobility of Kennan, there is definitely no shortage of extra work for Blind Baby Daddy. 

Without being able to drive means alternative modes of transportation are required.  Often times this means introducing Kennan to public transit but it also includes manual labor that truly define “functional strength training.”  There has been multiple times when I have carried the one year old sack of potatoes for 1-2 miles.  During the recent Snow-pocolipse in Seattle, I trudged through 6-8 inch snow with Kennan either squirming  to turn his head to take in all the snow or flopping his whole body around limp as a noodle as he fell asleep.  These adventures were equivalent to a quasi Farmers Carry marathon.     

He now knows over 75 words and repeats every word you say so we all have to put our “potty mouth” away.  He continues to bring Blind Baby Daddy books to read even though the same book seems to change every time daddy reads it.  Luckily for daddy lately he has been bringing the shape book over which is much more in daddy’s wheelhouse.  He can recognize may of the objects in the book but his favorite are the piece of pizza which he just calls “sausage” and the octopus which he calls, “octpoo.”  

Like every toddler, Kennan goes from room to room constantly picking up anything within his reach and moving it to random spots around the house.  This creates more work for any parent  to follow behind like a Zamboni but when you are blind it means reaching down to the ground not knowing what your hand will pick up.  It also means occasionally sitting down on the chair and snapping a clothes hanger or two.   I am constantly asking Brittney, “where are ……?”  I have also found that putting matching outfits in individual bags allows me to more easily assist in dressing him.  Somehow he still manages to get his sticky fingers on everything and move things around.  

Kennan has begun to pick up and carry larger objects and swing them around.  Some of these include brooms, crutches and sticks.  This makes the house quite a game of “bob and weave” for daddy.  Every once in a while he will get me with the butt end of the broom when I don’t “see it.”  Of course, whenever you tell him know he cackles and thinks its funny so he does it more.  He now loves going to the park and going down the slides which he used to be deathly afraid of just a few months prior.  He also enjoys picking up wood chips and putting it on the playground equipment. When at the park, there is no sitting over on the bench and overseeing Kennan from a far as in order to know what he is doing and that he is safe I must stay right by him like a nat that just won’t go away.  Some day he will understand why this is but for now daddy is just a “hoverer.”  

Kennan loves the dogs Retina and Gunther but he shows his love by chasing Ret around the house with the hopes of swatting him with flailing arms or pointing at Gunther and sternly saying, “No, no”.  Rightfully so, as Gunther has probably swung his butt around and knocked him over a good 30 times.  The dogs definitely add a whole new dimension and level of chaos to our busy lives.  Ret has seemingly become increasingly more frustrated with getting less attention than before we had children and as a result has become very insubordinate.  He has been found countless times chewing on the balls to Kennan’s play toys and recently got into a bag of jelly beans and proceeded t vomit all over Kennan’s play area.  This must have been his way of saying I am fed up with being second in command.  

In addition to the chaos of this family is the fact that Brittney is due for baby number two any day and this makes chasing around Kennan nearly impossible.  It also mean that our home is about to become even more a never ending battle for attention from every direction.  It also means that the next time I write one of these blogs I Blind Baby Daddy squared.  I am sure I will have a really great blog for you on the next adventure!