Porter's Eyes, They're Watching You...

...They see your every move!

Or, more specifically, they see Kaiser's every move. Our little guy is growing ever-more observant of his big bro. He zeroes in and watches him like a hawk at every opportunity. Kaiser is pretty attentive in return -- that is, when he wants to be. But he is definitely all about his own little two-year-old world, and sometimes he needs a simple reminder or a tiny nudge from Mommy to show affection to his younger sibling. This morning he decided to play with one of Porter's toys to entertain him during tummy time. I think Porter was more enthralled with Kaiser than he was with the lights and music! Of course, at the end you can see Kaiser's not all that concerned with leaving his biggest fan hanging...

Later this evening, I sat Porter in his Bumbo while Kaiser and I ate dinner. He was positioned in the center of the kitchen table facing me, but he spent the entire meal like this:

"Staring contest -- You. Me. Now."

"How bout you sneak me one of them peas when Mom's not looking?"

At one point, Porter spit up a little bit, and it pooled right at the base of his seat on the table. Kaiser felt it was his responsibility to point the mess out to Mommy. 

 "Dude, why you gotta tattle on me like that?"

I absolutely love every second of watching Porter develop a sense of awe for his big brother. I am certain that Kaiser will be such a good teacher and influence for him in the years to come!

He's On a Roll!

Well, I think it's safe to say we've got a roller in the Braly Casa. Yesterday, something finally clicked for Porter, and he figured out how to flip from his tummy to his back! He started doing it early in the morning, when I placed him on a blanket for tummy time so I could blow dry my hair. I was so proud, but of course didn't have my camera handy to capture the moment.

Later that day, after we got home from church, I decided to see whether he'd roll again for Mommy. Sure enough, he did it several times!

"I'll try, but no promises."

"Success!"

(He kept that "victory fist" up in the air for a while!)

"What, is this a big deal or something?"

"I already rolled once. Do I have to do it again?"

"Here I go..."

Rolling is an i-n-t-e-n-s-e sport!

Crossing the finish line.

"Aww, it ain't no thang."

Today is a rainy, gloomy day in the Burgh. We had a bum-around, stay-in-your-pjs morning at home, and I was able to catch Porter rolling on a couple of different occasions. This first clip is short and sweet. As always, please try your best to ignore the obnoxious voice of the roly poly's momma.

This video is longer; in addition to the roll, it includes some footage of a less-than-enthusiastic Kaiser (who is far more interested in his toenails than encouraging his brother), as well as some goofy attempts by me to coax a smile from the babe.

So proud of you, my Porter Boy! You'll be barrel rollin' in no time!

Sunday Best

When Kaiser was a tiny babe, we received the most precious Janie and Jack owl outfit for him from the parents of my dear high school friend, Meghan. It is very different from the style of clothes I normally dress our boys in -- much more classic and formal -- but I absolutely love it. Kaiser looked just darling in it on his first Easter in St. Louis:

Seems like only yesterday...

Unfortunately, I know Porter will be far too big for it by the time that special Sunday arrives in a couple of months. I had planned to put him in it for his baby dedication a couple of weeks ago, but that was pushed back until Mother's Day weekend. So, with time running out, I decided that church today was as good an occasion as any for our sweetie to sport this outfit. His response to the excitement of being all dolled up? Spitting up all over himself within minutes of being fully dressed. Ha!

 Daddy with our wet owlet.

Luckily, we had plenty of time before we had to leave, so I attacked him with a wet washcloth and blasted him with some cool air from my blow dryer to help the fabric dry. I dressed up more than usual (North Way is fairly casual, so you will typically spot me in jeans at church), and since I felt like I didn't look half-bad, I asked Brett to take a picture of me with the kidlets. I'm not surprised at all that this was the best shot he was able to get:

My children love me for making them pose for pictures.

After we got home from church, my models were slightly more cooperative. Well, let me clarify that: Porter was more cooperative. Kaiser let me "trick" him into smiling for a single photo.

Grinning at Mommy's "fake cry".

Here are a handful of Baby Boy posing in his Sunday best. I daresay he was the cutest little one worshiping at church today!

Happy Sunday to you!

Cousin Love

It had been since last Memorial Day that Kaiser and I saw my sister and her Michigan brood. Even more time had passed since Brett spent time with them, and Porter had yet to meet them. Needless to say, we were ecstatic when we heard that they were driving our way for a couple of days over the kids' winter break. Kent had some work to do here, and Kirsten and the kids tagged along for some family fun in the Burgh. Kaiser absolutely couldn't wait to see his cousins Connor, Sydney, and William, whom he loves and talks about so much. 

The Walstads were due to arrive on Thursday evening around dinner time, and our big boy was pacing with anticipation, waiting for the doorbell to ring...

"How much longer now?"

Finally, they were here! We had a quick round of big hugs (and introductions to Porter), then gathered around the table for a lasagna dinner. Kaiser was excited to get to sit on the bench in between his cousins instead of in his usual high chair.

Gulping down milk while waiting for his plate of food.

Not long after we finished eating, Daddy gave Kaiser an early bath and got him all ready for bed. He, Kent, and Connor had tickets that night to see the Pitt/WVU basketball game, so they headed toward Oakland around 7:30. We let Kaiser stay up past his normal bedtime to play with his guests; he had a ridiculously good time rifling through all of his toys with William and getting loved on by Syd. After Porter was all done nursing, I brought him out into the living room and tried to get some pictures of the cousins. 

Camped out behind the couch.

4 out of 5 ain't bad...

Porter hearts his Aunt Kir Kir!

A rare calm, cuddly moment with William.

Porter was tucked in just a bit later than his normal time, and eventually I decided it was time for Kaiser to say goodnight, too. Then Kirsten and William left to go to the hotel where they were staying, just a couple of miles from our house. Sydney and Connor wanted to sleep at our place that night, instead. Since it was just the two of us for a couple of hours, we popped in Legally Blonde and snacked on too many jelly beans. Fun girl time with my sweet niece! Brett and Connor were home late, right before we called it quits. I was glad to hear they had had a fun time (in club level seats scored from the chair of the ortho department!) and the Panthers pulled out a win. 

On Friday morning the cousins, Kirsten, and I had plans to meet Jory, Nell, and Reed at the Carnegie Science Center. We were so thankful to them for letting us in with their guest passes; if you don't have a membership, visiting that place is not cheap! It was a great excursion to take on such a crummy winter day, and I think the kids all had fun despite 10+ years separating the oldest from the youngest. There were definitely times where I felt like we were all over the place, but we somehow managed not to lose anyone, and I got some nice conversaion in with Jory, to boot! Here are a couple of pics I was able to catch during our time there:

"I could care less about the topography lesson you want to teach me with this cookie. It's going straight in my mouth!"

Highlight of the day = "Da owange forkrift" robot.

Pretty Nell watching the forklift shoot basketballs.

William shot hoops; Kaiser (kinda) watched.

My boy loves him some Connor.

Kaiser admiring the amazing model train display with his gf.

Strollin' with Syd.

After riding in the Bjorn for quite a while, it was time to nap!

Serious about water play.

Again, we take our playtime seriously. :)

Soon many of the kids were complaining of hunger, so we went downstairs to eat lunch. From there, Jory and I packed up our babes to go back home. Kent had joined us after some work appointments that morning, and he, Kirsten, Connor, Sydney, and William wanted to stay longer to check out the SportsWorks exhibits there. We decided we'd meet back up at our place later in the evening for dinner and hanging out.

 Some quiet one-on-one time with Mommy before nap...much needed!

After my boys got some rest, and the Walstad kids wore themselves out at SportsWorks and swimming in the hotel pool, we opted to get Qdoba to go and eat at home. It was nice not to feel any pressure about  waiting at a restaurant or being able to get Porter fed and to bed on time. We could kick back, relax, and just let the kids run around playing while we visited. It was an awesome time.

 Syd modeling glasses we got at the Science Center that morning.

 Connor with a very hungry Porter.

 These two have way too much fun together!

 Again, 4 out of 5 ain't bad... ?

Cousin kisses. 

(Check out their matching Paul Frank pjs!)

 Just the boys (minus an already-asleep Porter).

Getting a push from William.

I was seriously so tickled to see what a blast Kaiser was having with Connor, Syd, and William. He was all hyped up and giggling like crazy at every little thing. Nothing could wipe the smile off his face -- nothing of course, until around 8:45 I broke him the sad news that it was time for bed. He immediately started whining, but fortunately his fight was short-lived, as I think he realized he was tired and ready to read and lay down. Our little party ended shortly thereafter, when all the Walstads, except Sydney, went back to their hotel for the night. We decided to pop some popcorn and watch What a Girl Wants (Brett chose to play with his new iPhone rather than join in on the girly movie) before turning in.

Saturday we took it easy in the morning and just enjoyed some playtime with Sydney. I wish we had her babysitting services all the time! :)

"Gee, she's fun!"

 Singing the "Tall, Small" song.

 Posing with the "science center" she built for Kaiser.

Later that morning, we met Uncle Kent, Aunt Kir Kir, Connor, William, and Daddy (who'd had to go in to work for rounds and a meeting) at the mall. Connor wanted to shop for some new shoes, and we let the boys play for a bit in the kids' area. We also stopped in at a couple of other stores before hitting the food court for a bite to eat. 

 Waiting for everyone else to arrive.

 Snuggling with Uncle Kent.

 Kid swap!

 Sportin' shades in Old Navy.

 Goofing off after lunch.

Sadly, the crew had to hit the road after our mall trip; Kent has a meeting tomorrow morning in Columbus. So we gave hugs, said our goodbyes, and parted ways in the parking lot. Of course, Porter (who had spent the past two days mostly silent or cranky) decided to liven up once family was gone. Go figure. The stinker was making faces and talking up a storm before his afternoon nap.

 Why couldn't he put on this show for his aunt, uncle, and cousins?

I guess he's just shy...

Here are a few minutes of his "farewell see you soon message":

Though the Walstads' visit was way too short, we are grateful for what time we did have with their sweet family. The only thing that makes us feel less sad is that they promised to pay us another visit this summer, when the weather is cooperative and we can fully appreciate the city of Pittsburgh together. We absolutely cannot wait take them to the Strip, Mt. Washington, a Pirates game, and maybe even the chocolate factory? (That last activity may be too tempting to resist!)

We love you tons, Aunt Kir Kir, Uncle Kent, Connor, Sydney, and William! See you in a couple of months!