Seven Months With McKenna

Dear McKenna,

Your first Christmas is quickly approaching and we’re excited to see you join in on the excitement with your brother.

• You got the flu this past month and were not exactly please when I put you in a cool bath when your fever got over 104. Needless to say the week wasn’t very restful for either of us.
• You’re very contemplative when your big brother is being naughty - which is fairly often these days...
• You do NOT like when mommy steps away from you 
• You can: grab food and bring it to your mouth, reach and pull on things you want, play in your activity chair, sit (assisted), and do planks/push-ups better than your mommy 
• You love: Juno, when mama helps you jump on your bed, looking in the mirror, peek-a-boo, reading books together, and when Jase comes in and greets you during school pick-up

Your holiday therapy includes:

• We fish-hooked you... because you were choking and we wanted you to be able to breathe 
• Mommy stopped sleeping in the chair in your room after you were done being sick
• I put you in a pricey bouncer... because you like jumping

Our holiday therapy list is pretty long too...

• You have occasional ninja poops... it isn’t apparent you’ve pooped but then I change you and (of course) am short on wipes...
• You had a poop that still gives your daddy night terrors - it was bad enough he called me for moral support while i was driving into work 
• You had a blowout at daddy’s hunting place... a place where there is no running water... outfit trashed.
• You peed all over me and the towel I had your wrapped in... wrapped because I had just gotten you out of the bath

This month feels like it’s gone by exceptionally fast and before we know it you’ll be grown up. But for now, you can be “baby sister”.

We love you so,

Mommy and Daddy

Six Months With McKenna

Dear McKenna,

How has half a year gone by??

Part of my disbelief is grounded in the fact that it’s been 6 months and  I have yet to receive your share of rent...

What you lack in mortgage contribution you definitely make up in fun...

• You are iffy about eating baby food and, if you do, you prefer your food cold
• You’re taking in more around you and grabbing at things (including mommy’s hair and splurge necklaces... expensive taste already 😬)
• You can: Shake a rattle, kick half the water out of the bathtub and kick your aquarium on in your crib
• You love: bouncing, talking to your brother and watching him jump, applesauce, clapping, wrapping your toes around my hands when you eat, and when we sing “monkeys jumping on the bed” 

While you’re generally pretty chill about things, you’ve definitely let me know that you’ll be talking to your therapist about:

• The fact that we put you in a fairly expensive activity chair... you know... so you could play.
• I made the grave mistake of giving you food instead of giving you... food. The level of displeasure was noted and now we do formula first, then baby food.
• We put you to bed when you were sound asleep.

Meanwhile, you did your fair share of therapy-inducing trauma too:

• Your daddy has had to untangle your death grip... from my hair.
• I spent 45 minutes getting you bathed, lotioned, and dressed cute for an outing... you pooped up your back. I got you all cleaned up and changed. You puked. We didn’t go out.
• Daylight savings time. Enough. Said.

You continue to grow like a weed and we love seeing the little person you’re becoming sweet girl.

xoxo,

Mommy and Daddy

Five Months with McKenna

Dear McKenna,

This was our first month apart. You’ve adjusted pretty quickly to daycare - probably because you realize the alternative is a life of bologna and ramen... 

Other happenings from this last month:

• You’re trying to hold the bottle but are much more interested in it being held for you so you can watch your brother 
• You got to have forward-facing time in the baby carrier and love it but you still look up at me to make sure I’m still there
• You’ve become much more vocal about what you like and dislike: Jase jumping up and down in front of you - like, bottle dropping from your grasp - dislike (which turns quickly to displeased)
• You found your foot for the first time and are in love

Show off...

• Firsts: You got your first cold followed with double pink eye, solid food (we’re not sure about bananas...) day at school, and (thanks to cooler weather) first patio day and walk around the neighborhood 
• You can: Roll over consistently, recognize your name and nickname, recognize me when I pick you up from school, make your brother laugh
• You love: kisses on the cheek, looking at Christmas decorations, bouncing, splashing in the tub, playing “peek-a-boo”

For your therapist:

• Mommy decided to go to the bathroom by herself.
• We put you to bed when you’re tired.
• Juno puked on your play mat. Then, after I set you down on your brother’s blanket for playtime... Jase came and yanked it out from under you. Tough crowd.

For our therapist:

• I took you to the dr right after daycare... sans diaper bag... a rookie mistake I realized when you started farting so loud the other parents in the waiting room thought it was me...
• You had your first tornado drill and decided to de-escalate the situation by creating your own... puking all over my hand, the rug, and your bed. Touché on the creative strategy to stay up even later...

You’ve handled this month’s major change better than I could have hoped for and now we’re ready to see what you do next!

We love you sweet girl,

Mommy and Daddy

No Sleep Jase

Jase has always been a terrible sleeper. When he was an infant I had to count hours he’d been awake because he REFUSED to nap and would regularly get over-tired.

Unfortunately he’s not outgrown his dislike for sleep but his excuses have gotten significantly more entertaining...

1. He needs an ice pack? Why does he need one? No reason but it if you value life at all, it MUST be green.

2. He needs to check on McKenna... you wanted me to leave her crying in her crib earlier but now you have deep concern about her whereabouts.

3. He needs to pee. You already peed 5 times before bed; the last being a pitiful display where you finally spit in the toilet to garner a faux-splash effect but “ok” let’s pee... again.

4. He needs a fork. Sure, you refused to eat dinner (again) so now you’re going to cannibalize your stuffed animals. Makes sense.

5. It’s dark outside. 

    I can’t. Even.

Maybe one of these days I’ll figure out why he hates sleep so much...

Four Months With McKenna

Dear McKenna,

You’re growing up so fast! And while this next month will have lots of changes as I go back to work, you made this month pretty active.

• You went swimming for the first time. You were unimpressed...

• You outgrew all of your 0-3 month clothes and are pacing to outgrow your 3 month clothes (and mommy’s credit limit)
• You can also soak those outfits with drool... I’m considering getting you a camel pack so you don’t get dehydrated
• Firsts: intentional grab, rattle shake, roll over, visit to the library
• You can: Grab mommy’s hair so hard that I now have a permanent ponytail (for my safety and fear that there’s a bald spot I need to hide), make 360s on your play mat, and squeal with delight so loudly that people are worried something is wrong (we no longer eat at mommy’s favorite Thai food place because of this...)
• You love: baths, getting dressed, watching cartoons with your brother, reading books, chewing on your hands, laughing and singing with mommy, and Josh Flagg from Million Dollar Listing

For your therapist:

• Your brother uses you as a race track for his matchbox cars (he also uses you as a weight to hold down his blanket tent, his reason to try to stay up late, and his excuse for why he was jumping on the couch after mommy told him not to...)
• Clearly from your “loves”, you’ve already watched way too much Bravo...
• I made you wait until you were done pooping before I would change you (sorry kid, your brother already taught me that lesson)

And you squeezed in some last minute therapy for us too:

• On your first daddy/daughter date you screamed for 30 minutes straight and your dad hasn’t been in Cabela’s since...
• You puked on me and then decided to make it a double-whammy by peeing on me when I was trying to change you
• You missed the “please be quiet” sign in the library and screamed the entire visit... we may be the only people ever to have our library cards revoked

It’s been an adventurous month and I can tell you’re trying to quickly push through some major milestones ahead. We’re excited to do more things with you but don’t grow up too fast sweet girl.

We love you,

Mommy and Daddy

Three Months With McKenna

Dear McKenna,

Another month has come and gone and you’ve made it a busy one at that!

• You got to visit mommy’s office - you thought it was so much fun you stayed awake for 3 hours straight 
• You met your aunt Meg and your aunt Allison
• You moved into your room (rent due the first of every month)
• You’ve discovered your hands and are trying to start laughing
• You love: Your brother (you always light up when he runs into the room after school), sitting in the rocker and reading a book, taking naps on your tummy, our “Good Morning” song, and watching FRIENDS (you agree Ross and Rachel were NOT on a break)
• You can: sleep through the night, follow toys with your eyes, turn head from side to side on tummy time, turn on your side, watch your hands intently, and kick yourself off the couch - thus ending our “my kid never fell off the couch” streak 

Which leads me into this month’s therapy...

• Yes. You fell off the couch. Apparently I wasn’t moving fast enough to get your bottle. You got me back by laughing and giggling at the pediatric urgent care and the dr looked at me like I was a moron for bringing you in.
• You also had your first “Jase, apologize for hitting your sister!” moment... sorry kiddo that’s probably the first of many.

And as traumatic as your fall was, there were other moments for our future therapy:

• You did your pain scream while I was trying to keep your brother from peeing on me (fun fact about potty training: you are now in competition of “who has to go worse” with the toddler who said he didn’t have to go and suddenly decides not only does he have to go but you must stop mid-business)... oh... you just wanted to be held.
• I was holding you when you burped... seconds later I hear a splatter on the floor... the rest of this scene didn’t bode well for me (or my freshly washed hair)

You are so happy and ready to just go with the flow (except if the flow involves the car seat... still not a fan). We can’t wait to see more of your personality and, maybe, some baby laughs soon.

We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Jase vs. McKenna

They say you shouldn’t compare kids.

I say that instituting sibling rivalry to get my kids to compete for my affection gets more chores done around the house.

In all seriousness, it has been fascinating to see the differences between Jase and McKenna...

Independence

Jase has always been fiercely independent. Even when he was a baby he loved his “me” time and would love being in his crib experiencing the world solo.

McKenna wants people around. Aside from wanting to be held constantly, she does not like when she can’t see you.

Physical vs. Verbal

While both Jase and McKenna have shown similar development physically, McKenna has spent more time on her verbal skills - loving to chat (that or making me look like an idiot as we make raptor-like sounds together). Jase has long been more focused physically and only recently exploded with his vocabulary; but, considering a lot of it has been back talk lately I’m ok if he goes back to physical development. 

Patience

I love my son, but patient he is not. Even when he was a baby, Jase would escalate a bottle situation in 0 to 60 and would not stop screaming until he got his bottle.

McKenna will cry but she usually calms down once you pick her up and will wait patiently for you to get situated. 

Preferences

Jase loved 2 things when he was a baby: his swing and his paci.

McKenna. Could. Care. Less.

In fact, I have yet to find something that soothes her so I can stop scheduling my bathroom breaks during her naps.

The “ick” factor

Jase was all about traumatizing us with diapers. By 2 months in he had some epic diaper situations. Epic. Situations. 

In two months, McKenna has successfully destroyed my psyche with vomit. In fact, she’s thrown up more times than Jase has in his entire life. 

It’s been fun reflecting back on Jase as a baby while watching McKenna as a baby. They are their own little person and I can’t believe I get the privilege of seeing them grow together.

Two Months With McKenna

Dear McKenna,

2 months! And yet I still haven’t seen a rent check from you... 

It’s been another fast month with lots of things happening:

• You went on 2 road trips this past month and saw your first fireworks
• You had your first ladies brunch 
• You slept through the night!! (Let’s make this a regular occurrence now)
• You started smiling and talking to us
• You love: being in the action, rattles, Taylor Swift, chatting, curling your toes while you eat, and being held to the point that we’ve deemed you “Snuggle Junkie”
• You can: hold your head up pretty well, turn your head towards noise, kick like Chuck Norris and out-pout your brother

This month was not without opportunities to put you in therapy:

• I dared to put you in an expensive swing so I could fold your laundry
• I make you ride in your car seat while we’re in the car
• Jase called you out for pooping. Loudly. In a store.
• The fact that we dare to put you down for anything... Snuggle. Junkie.

I set you down to get a diaper... way to represent that onesie...

And while your big brother has already broken us in for therapy, you still have added a few things to the topic list:

• You re-enacted what can only be described as a volcano science fair project in your car seat. You demanded to be re-fed afterwards and I now have a slight tick every time I buckle you in.
• Your diapers have made me question how gravity works.
• We got the bills from the hospital.

You’ve been such a fun completion to our family. Even Jase is quite protective and proud of you (don’t get used to it - he’s also pushed you out of his way several times). We love you bunches Snuggle Junkie and cant wait to see what you do this next month.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

One Month With McKenna

Dear McKenna,

It’s been one fast month since you joined us and it’s time you learned that your mom’s parenting bar is low - this is why you won’t have a baby book.

But don’t worry. This isn’t a second-child shaft. The bar was low for your brother too.

We should probably also start talking about your monthly rent... but I digress...

Things we know about you:

• You can tune out your brother’s screams and your fur-sister’s barking
• You’re not as into the paci situation as your brother (he’ll gladly take your rejects but we’ve kept him clean for 9 months and have to watch him)
• You love: snuggles, being held... especially during hours that finds most college students closing out their tabs, being warm and looking around and at your mommy and daddy and big brother
• You can: Fart/burp louder than your dad and brother, lift and turn your head, escalate a hunger or burp situation with a raptor-like squeal

Here are things you can tell your therapist when you’re older (maybe you can get a 2-for-1 with your brother):

• We changed your diaper - an unforgivable offense
• We also gave you a bath...

This is new...

Umm...

I. AM. DISPLEASED.

• Einstein baby? More like Bravo baby 🤩
• We made you do tummy time so you can hold your head up one day
• Special guest therapy contributor: the perma-hand impression on your head was from Jase force-feeding you a paci 

Here’s the list for our therapist (which we’ll be able to afford (maybe) in 20-something years):

• After a midnight projectile vomit, your dad takes cover any time it’s time to burp you
• You taught me that catching pee with your hands is not a skill reserved just for parents of boys... thankfully your brother made me an expert in this area
• You’ve set new household records of destroying a new diaper before it was even put on...
• Your cord came off in the middle of the night - instigating the a search and retrieve mission that will scar me for months... less so than if the dog were to find it first 

All in all, you’ve settled in to complete our family and we can’t wait for the adventures ahead.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy 

My First Solo Night

...with 2 kids.

The stage was set.

Jase had been properly worn out and went to bed without complaint except for the fact that I denied him his request for approximately 235 kisses before lights out.

McKenna was napping and I had timed her last feeding at 10. If she had a good night, she’d only wake up at 2am and 6am. At 3 weeks she hasn’t been doing that schedule consistently but a girl can dream right?

8pm: Jase is still awake... he attempts to get out of bed to watch a show but settles for more water.

8:30pm: Jase. Is. Still. Awake. But thankfully he’s self-entertaining. I assume he’ll crash out shortly.

9pm: Justin calls. I make a rookie mistake and have it on speaker while I’m washing bottles. Jase hears daddy’s voice and proceeds to Lose. His. Mind.

9:05pm: Jase seems satisfied with my explanation that he didn’t get the shaft on a daddy kiss goodnight and that daddy wasn’t home. Tears are still shed but he’s calming down.

... McKenna hears the commotion... 

And proceeds to Lose. Her. Mind.

Jase amps his tantrum up. I let him kiss baby sister goodnight before proceeding to listen to him throw a 20-minute tantrum in his room while I give McKenna her 10pm bottle almost an hour early.

11pm: Both kids are asleep... Finally.

12:40am: A coordinated attack is launched when I’m startled by screaming baby in my room and screaming toddler on the monitor.

I get a bottle crossing my fingers that Jase will self-soothe.

I’m not that lucky.

3-4am: McKenna launches a solo ambush.

6am: Coordinated attacks begin again. I give Jase water and walk away from his room wondering at what age he’ll figure out that mommy is lying when she tells him that the TV is still sleeping so he shouldn’t get up yet.

7am: Double Americano it is... 

Just in time for Jase to skip his nap later in the day...