Life With McKenna and Cooper...and Now Introducing Kinley: January 2012

Monday, January 23, 2012

Kinley, You're 5 Months Old

Well, Christmas and New Year's certainly came and went in quite a blur. Now here we are, Kinley, near the end of January and you're 5 months old already. This past month has been quite a big one for you. Your first Christmas, many parties, meeting some family members for the first time. The list goes on and on.

You're growing fast and furiously. Earlier this month at your doctors appointment you weighed in at just over 13.5 pounds. To us, you seem like a big girl. But Dr. Lewis assured us that you're not going to be outgrowing your brother or sister anytime soon. You're sticking right around the 30th percentile for your height and your weight - just where they always hung out also. Regardless, you've made the jump to size three diapers this week and you're just barely fitting in your 3-6 month clothes. This afternoon, as we shopped for spring outfits for you I couldn't believe that I was already buying 6-12 month stuff. I feel like I hardly got to buy any "baby clothes". Daddy would probably disagree though.

You've learned a few new tricks this month. The biggest one is probably this...

Despite our best attempts to persuade you that the binky is the way to go, you've decided that your thumb is quite handy too. The funny thing is, you can't quite seem to find either of them in the middle of the night and so you still cry out for Mommy to come to your rescue and replace your binky. Speaking of night time (ahem) you still routinely get up once a night for a bottle. And recently you've decided that 4:30 am is a great wake up time. I beg to differ. However, it's hard to be mad when you wake up so pleasant and coo and talk in your crib. Eventually you want to get up and that means that you and I have some cuddle time on the couch until it's time for Mommy to get up for the day. At which time you conveniently go back to sleep!

You've also discovered a love of toys in the past few weeks. You especially love the small ball that Mimi got you for Christmas and your purple lovie blanket. Of course anything we give you to hold onto goes straight in your mouth - including the blanket.

It continues to amaze me how much your looks have changed from month to month. You certainly are growing into a little girl. Your long hair continues to be your claim to fame and is often still the subject of discussion with many. Your cute little hair bows have gone from simple decoration to fashion necessity as your hair now falls past your nose.
In spite of all of your changes, one thing remains the same. You are still a super happy baby pretty much all the time. Your smile and laugh bring us so much joy each day. Nothing makes you light up quite like the sight of McKenna and Cooper but I can't blame you there. They are pretty cool. You and Tucker are becoming fast friends, too. You like to "talk" to him. He just stares back at you. But I assure you he's also pretty cool.
In recent days you've discovered your voice and find lots of enjoyment "growling" at just about everyone. It's super cute - unless you're doing it during church- which is still super cute just not as appropriate. We figure you're going to be a talker just like McKenna which means the two of you will never run out of things to talk about and the rest of us will probably not have a moments peace. But we love you both!
Kinley, if I could, I would freeze you just as you are right now. You're such a sweet, sweet baby and we love you so much. But I guess one thing we all love about you is watching you grow and change right before our eyes. It is so fun to watch your brother and sister delight in the new things you are learning. I love to see you through their eyes. Happy 5 month birthday!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Remembering a Legend

It may not mean a lot to you, the fact that a legend died today. In fact, you may not care at all that today the world is without a great man. The world is without Joe Paterno. You might not even think he's a great man. I didn't know Joe Paterno. I don't personally know anyone who played football for him. I'm not a Penn State Alumni. But I am a Penn State football fan. I am a Joe Paterno fan.

Penn State football has always been a part of my growing up. One of my earliest memories is of my dad and his friend pounding on the wall that separated our double house to celebrate after a big play. I had no idea what the hype was all about then...but I sure do now.

It wasn't long until my Pappy Landis was packing up my cousin Julie and I and taking us over the mountain from Lewistown to Beaver Stadium. I don't remember how old I was when we made those first trips. But I do remember tailgating out of the back of a Subaru - plenty of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Hartleys chips to keep us well fed. Our trips to Happy Valley have continued through the years. At least once a year we enjoy a game with Pap, my dad, Shane and usually some special friends, too. Our tailgates have become quite a bit more elaborate, but the fact remains that the time spent together is our reason for going.

And so, the tradition that I grew up on continued with our own children. I have plenty a picture like this one of Kinley and I. All my babies were at one point or another clad in blue and white.

And, in our house, if you can walk by yourself, you can go to a Penn State game. And make sure you

continue to dress the part and show your Nittany Lion pride.

The truth is, that so many memories are tied up in Joe and Penn State football. When I met Earl he was wearing a crisp crimson, grey and white Ohio State hat. But after one trip to see the Lions play Michigan, he was hooked. And so I got to keep him! There have been countless games in the rain, one in the snow and so many others where the sun shone so brightly. There have been lots of Dor Day hoagies, a few "specially made" whoopie pies and lots of beer, too. But most importantly, more than a few laughs and enough good stories to last a lifetime. I've heard a lot lately, that Penn State football is not about Joe Paterno, it's not about the black shoes or the white socks or the number of wins. And it's true. It's not about any of those things. It's about family. It's about being together. About sharing something together. About having fun. It's learning about winning and losing and playing fair. It's about standing for something. My kids probably won't remember the trips to State College to see JoePa. But that's okay. Someday we will tell them. We will tell them about football, about tradition, about family, and about a great man who was the definition of all of those things. We will miss you, Joe. Thanks for all the memories. You meant a lot to us.

"Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things." Joseph V. Paterno

Thursday, January 19, 2012

It's Been A Really, Really Messed Up Week

As one of our favorite songs says, "It's been a really, really messed up week". And though it hasn't been 7 days of torture or 7 days of bitter (unless you count the cold weather), it has been quite a busy week.

Last week ended on a good note. We spent Friday evening with the Dugan's, sharing a meal, some play time and time visiting baby Mara. Time with them does all of our spirits good. We've missed hanging out with them as much as we did in the summer months.

We managed a picture of all 6 kids. Get a good look. Pictures of all of them together can be few and far between. They sure are cute though and we are so blessed that they are all such wonderful friends already.

Saturday was a pajama day at the Mowry house. Earl was working at the hospital and the kids and I stayed in our pj's playing, cleaning up, playing some more and watching movies until late in the afternoon. When Earl called to say he was coming home McKenna said, "We better get dressed or Dad will have a fit when he gets here." And so, we made a mad dash to the showers!

I had originally invited Gram and Pap Landis for a visit on Monday, until I realized that Carolyn would be here cleaning and that just wouldn't work. So on the way to church I made a quick call to see if they could come Sunday instead. Luckily they were happy to change their plans.

Kinley and Mom-Mom all dressed up, purse in hand. I think they're headed to the Bon-Ton!

Kinley looked so pretty in her purple bow!

McKenna and Cooper were in what we lovingly refer to as "rare form" all day Sunday. They had a case of the sillies for most of the day. I have no idea what was going on with the pillows. Some type of amusement park ride involving pillows and a slippery hard wood floor. Thankfully no one broke any bones.

They did calm down enough to put a puzzle ball together with Pappy. Mimi and Pappy joined us for dinner and dessert before everyone headed home for the night. The kids and I were excited that Monday was a holiday and so we could stay up later than usual.

Kinley was such a good girl and slept all night Sunday night into Monday. She woke up at 5:3oam, ate, and went back to sleep until...are you ready for this...9am! I got to sleep until 8:30!!! I thought I was surely in heaven. Thanks to McKenna and Cooper for playing quietly and letting Mommy get a little extra shut eye.

My good night sleep and therefore very pleasant mood paid off for them though. After I got up we quickly dressed, ate and headed off to the movies. We needed something to do that did not include being contained to the four walls of our house for another minute. Mimi joined us to watch one of our favorites, Beauty and the Beast, in 3D.

Kinley did wonderfully. She slept the entire way to the theater, through the opening previews and woke up just as the movie started. The only time she made a single peep was when she started "talking" during a few of the songs. She watched attentively the rest of the time, only occasionally turning around to look at me, probably wondering what in the heck I was wearing those silly glasses for.

Kinley after her first princess movie!

Tuesday was a whirlwind as I headed to work, to Bloomsburg and then for a hair cut. I quickly learned that traversing the Bloomsburg University campus in 3 1/2 inch heels is the wrong thing to do. But I am officially Bloomsburg faculty complete with an ID and a parking permit. And my hair is back to looking wonderful thanks to my great stylist. Of course, none of Tuesday would have been possible without my parents and their child care and a little help from Earl too! A little after 4pm I was back home and quite happy to be there.

Wednesday after the morning drop off's for school I headed back home to work on dinner. I whipped up a couple quick meals to get us through the next couple of days and then ran a meal up to the Dugans. It was nice to drop in and see Megan and Mara for quick visit. Kinley and I then headed back to pick Cooper up and be home when McKenna got off the bus.

Another trip to Bloomsburg this morning meant that we all had to get up extra early and run on a very tight schedule from the word go. This trip to drop off paperwork would take less than 15 minutes once on campus had I been alone. However, with Kinley and Cooper along it took far longer. Cooper took his own Cars backpack filled with toys to keep him occupied. Kinley was bundled in her snow suit and tucked safely in the baby wrap and off we went. Thankfully classes are not yet in session because we must have looked like a sight parading around. But, we got the job done. Cooper was thrilled that he "got to go to college" and wanted to know why the water fountains were so high at this school.

Back in Lewisburg we had 20 minutes to spare before we had to have Cooper at the dentist. We made a quick stop a Wal-Mart for a new DS game for the kids and then headed to see Dr. J. where THANKFULLY we got a good report. As a good friend once lamented, I always feel like mother of the year when I leave there. (Please note the sarcasm.)

So, as another wise friend said yesterday, it wasn't a particularly bad week. It had a lot of great moments, tempered with a lot of very busy, sometimes trying moments. But, we made it. And tonight I sit here praying that the snow falls a little harder than predicted and we luck out with a two hour delay tomorrow! That would officially end this really, really messed up week on a really, really good note!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Brotherly Love

I might not understand the bond between sisters but I do know a little about the bond between a brother and sister. I'm quite a few years older than both my brothers and always thought it would be cool to have an older brother. Kinley is one lucky little girl to have a sister and an older brother.

Cooper is great with Kinley. He has his moments of jealousy but thankfully they are now few and far between. And its tough to tell if he's jealous or just being a four year old boy. But he's always so sweet with his little sister.

Though he can't articulate it, he always seems so proud of her. He continues to love to show her off to his friends at school who have not tired of peering into her car seat on an almost daily basis.

Cooper is home with Kinley and I a little more often and so there are lots of these types of pictures. He can be counted on to get right down on the floor with Kinley, sitting beside her while he plays his DS or just talking to her. We do have to remind him from time to time that he cannot crawl over her or head butt her. I don't think he ever intends to potentially harm her but he doesn't quite get the fact that he's about 10 times her size and might accidentally hurt her.

Ultimately he absolutely adores her. If Cooper hears Kinley crying he immediately goes in search of her purple lovie blanket. Kinley has no connection to the blanket at all - you could hand her a dish towel and she wouldn't know the difference. But if Kinley is upset Cooper insists that she has her lovie. I think that he wishes for her to find the same comfort in her blanket as he finds in his own monkey blanket. It makes me happy that he's already looking out for his sister and wants her to be happy. Isn't that what big brothers are for?

Friday, January 13, 2012

Sisters

When McKenna was just a brand new baby I remember standing over her crib staring at her in wonderment, amazed that I had a daughter.
When I found out that our third child would be a girl the first thing that I could think was that McKenna would have a sister. I wouldn't trade my brothers but I always wondered what it would be like to have a sister. I couldn't wait to watch "my girls" grow up together.

From day one, McKenna was smitten with her sister. Watching her it was obvious that she cared for her sister and bonded with her in a way that only brothers and sisters can. I thought it was the sweetest thing I've seen - until lately.

As the weeks tick by it becomes more and more evident that McKenna and Kinley already share something special. Something that must be that bond that sisters share. As soon as McKenna enters the room, Kinley is watching her. One "hello baby" uttered by McKenna and Kinley is all smiles. Want Kinley to laugh and all you have to do it get McKenna to dance. And even when McKenna is not paying attention to her, Kinley is watching her every single move.

Tonight, "my girls" lay side by side on McKenna's bedroom floor. They were "talking" and laughing and staring into one another's eyes. I stood over both of my daughters, smiling back at them in wonderment, amazed at the bond they already share. I can't wait to watch them grow.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

I love 4pm. Sounds strange doesn't it? It even sounds strange to me. I used to dread 4pm. Everyone would be coming home, there would be snacks to get ready, dinner to get started, homework to be done, lunches to pack for the next day. The list goes on and on. But lately, I love 4pm because it's often the time of day when these three special people are all in one place. They can be found reading together, playing on the floor, dancing, talking about their day, coloring pictures, or throwing birthday parties for dolls. No matter what they are doing they are together and I never get tired of seeing them all together.

Some days it still amazes me when Cooper asks to hold Kinley. I thought that the novelty of holding the baby would wear off quickly. But I guess I was wrong again. Even as she grows and it becomes harder for him to hang on to her, he still asks.