To My 2-Year-Old

Dear Porter Knight,

How is it even possible that you are 2 years old??? (And you're so proud of it; lately, when people ask you how you are, you loudly declare, "I'm TWO!") I know I probably should have seen this coming (You know, since I've been posting PKB updates for the past 23 months and all), but for some reason it still caught me off guard. That's parenthood for you...

I think it's safe to say that this final month of your second year has brought about the most significant change. Not because of how your ability to communicate has grown (though you have added so many words to your vocabulary, I've given up keeping track)...not because of how much you've physically grown (though your body has, all of a sudden, bulked up and filled out significantly)...but rather because, nearly four weeks ago, you became a big brother. Just as I remember it happening with Kaiser when we brought you home two years ago, this time, when we returned from the hospital with Sissy, it was as if you had literally grown up overnight. You were no longer my tiny baby boy; everything about you was bigger and more mature. Like all transitions, it was very bittersweet for your momma. 

Life as the middle sibling has not been a cake walk for you. I'd like to think that it is just your age and it would be happening even if we hadn't had Malone, but you've kind of been riding an emotional roller coaster this past month. You've always been a little spitfire and known how to throw a tantrum, but it's reached a whole new level. The most shocking development has been your screaming. If you are not getting what you want, you will let out an ear-piercing "NOOOOOO!!!" and proceed to lose your ever-loving mind. You have also been fighting bedtime bigtime. This has completely thrown off Daddy and Mommy, who are used to you being easily comforted or redirected. 

I think it goes without saying that these new behaviors have presented new challenges, as we adapt our approach to discipline in an effort to figure out what works best (or, for that matter, works at all) for you. It's so frustrating when we give you an instruction or tell or not to do something and hear you say "Ah-kay", but then watch you straight up disobey us. Seriously, Dude? 

Let's move on to more pleasant subjects, shall we? Despite your occasional outbursts and bouts of disobedience, you are still such a lovebug at heart. You've been nothing but sugar-sweet to Malone, and you love to surprise Kaiser with spontaneous hugs and kisses. Hearing your high-pitched "Hi, Mommy!" and feeling your arms wrap around my leg is one of my very favorite things. Wherever we go, you are sure to charm people with your bright eyes and huge grin.  

You are your brother's shadow/parrot/biggest fan. Where he goes, you follow. What he says, you immediately repeat. You want to play whatever he's playing. He makes you laugh harder than anyone else. You think he is just about the greatest thing ever. Lately, when Kaiser poses for his pictures before school, you insist upon standing right beside him and saying "Cheeeeese!"

You live for music. Like your daddy, your taste is fairly diverse -- among the songs at the top of your list are Veggie Tales' "I Can Be Your Friend", The Lumineers' "Ho Hey", Queen's "We Will Rock You" and David Crowder Band's "I Am a Seed". You place these requests several times a day ("How 'bout we lissen to ______?") I absolutely love hearing you sing along to these favorite tunes, and am often surprised at the lyrics that you have memorized and can rattle off with no problem!

It has been such an incredible experience to witness your transformation this past year. Last October 13, you were not yet walking or talking; today, you run as fast as your legs will carry you, and often speak in complete sentences. I can't even begin to imagine what you will be capable of on this day in 2014! I hope that your desire to learn, explore, and take risks (within reason, of course) and your contagious love of life continue in your third year. 

You bring such indescribable joy to our family, Porter. We couldn't be prouder of who you are or more excited to see who you will become. You have so much going for you, and we are so anxious to see what mighty things God has in store for a smart mind and a tender heart like yours! Not a day goes by when your parents don't thank Him for the gift He has given us in you. We're head over heels, crazy in love with you, Kiddo. Don't ever, ever forget that!

XOXO

Bonding With the Big Boys

So, I realize that since she came on the scene, Miss Malone has somewhat dominated this lil blog o' mine. That's how it goes when you have a brand new babe to show off, right? :) Aside from recaps of our time with grandparents, I haven't shared much about the Braly brothers and what's been going on in their day-to-day lives. 

We've definitely been going through an adjustment period since Sister was born. As I've said, Kaiser and Porter have been very loving to Malone, and haven't shown a hint of jealousy toward her; however, Brett and I have definitely noticed a change in them, particularly in how they react to situations not going their way. They are whinier, more emotional, and more quick to talk back/disobey/throw fits. I know that this is probably quite normal, but that hasn't made it any easier to handle. There have been many times when I have found myself severely lacking in the patience and compassion department. 

I realize that tending to Malone's needs has meant I'm not always able to give the boys the attention they are used to having from me. I feel so fortunate that, with the exception of a tiff here and there, they play well together and do a great job entertaining each other. And I could go on and on about how phenomenal their daddy is -- how, after returning from an exhausting day at work, he jumps in and takes over playing with Kaiser and Porter, how they love him so much I sometimes find myself feeling a teensy bit jealous. But, let's face it: They still need time to connect with their momma, and I need time to connect with them.

Most of our mommy/son fun has been spent reading books (lately Batman, Spiderman, and Berenstain Bears are our faves) at the library and at home or picnicking and playing in the park after Kaiser's school lets out. We're trying to soak up every bit of the awesome fall weather before it gets too cold to really enjoy outdoor play!

Last week on Wednesday afternoon, we stopped at a small neighborhood playground on the way home. We had the whole place to ourselves, so the boys did some of everything.

"Uhhh, a little help here?"

Kaiser leads the way.

Twisty tunnel slides are the best.

Scratch that -- Running laps on an empty basketball court is the best!

Uh-oh, trouble on the track...

Racing makes this kid come alive.

Waiting for the signal from Mommy.

And they're OFF!

We had some fun with our apples and cucumbers at lunch. :)

This is how Baby Girl passed the time.

That Friday, we returned to a playground in North Park that we had found right before Malone was born. I brought along the boys' new soccer ball, and after eating lunch we had a blast passing it back and forth to each other and scoring goals by kicking it through Mommy's legs. Kaiser and I also hunted for and gathered colorful leaves to do some art later that afternoon. And, of course, we never leave a playground without logging some time here:

The superhero needed some flying practice.

Swingin' Sooner.

And again, Maloney Baloney doing what she does best.

This past Sunday after church, I asked Kaiser and Porter if they wanted to do a special project. Surprisingly, they didn't jump on the idea right away, but when I mentioned it involved apples and paint, they were all about it. I had them strip off their clothes, laid out a tablecloth on the kitchen floor, and let them make apple stamp pictures. With the exception of Porter trying to take a bite of one of the apples and ending up with bright green paint in his mouth, this activity went rather well.

Did a nice job taking turns. 

Kaiser put his whole body into it.

Porter needed a thorough wipe-down, both during and afterward.

Trying to cover the whole paper.

Got so upset when it was time to throw the apples away!

Our fall artwork display.

And there you go. Nothing too terribly out of the ordinary, but it doesn't take that much for us to have fun. :) I'm asking God every day to teach me how to be more intentional about engaging with and loving on my boys. I constantly fail -- being tired and short on time gets the best of me -- but I'm trying. We're all learning about this new (and improved!) life as a family of five, together.

Malone Marie: Week 3

Well, it's Monday again, and you know what that means: Time to hop in the blue chair, bust out the orange sign, and pose for your camera-happy momma. Today you are 3 weeks old!

Soooo...what's been goin' on with you, Sweet Pea?

• We're operating on roughly the same 3 hour eat/wake/sleep schedule as last week. Sometimes, try as you might to stay up, you are just far too tired to keep your eyes open and drift back off to sleep after nursing, instead. But, more often than not, you're awake (or at least semi-conscious) for a little over an hour before going down for your next nap. If I fail to lay you down when you are feeling sleepy, you politely let me know it's time yell in my face until I put you in your crib. At night, you are still going slightly longer stretches of 4-5 hours. There was one night this week when you were up twice, but other than that you've been kind to Mommy and have just woken once between 10pm and 7am. Thankfully, at this point you fall right back asleep as soon as I wrap you up in your swaddling blanket.

• Though I won't know exactly what you weigh until your 1 month appointment in a couple of weeks, I know for sure you are a growing girl! Your once too-big newborn clothes are fitting much better (I'd venture to say some are even snug!), and though you're still in size newborn diapers, I think perhaps you could stand to move up to size 1 once we finish off our current box. I just love seeing how your belly is starting to fill out and get round; now to put some more meat on those skinny arms and chicken legs of yours! :)

• You're still soaking multiple outfits a day (both yours and mine) with spit up. Like I said last week, it doesn't seem to hurt you, but you're not a fan of the wipe-downs and wardrobe changes that are necessary afterward. We haven't had any more projectile episodes, which is a relief; instead, you let it flow out here and there, a little bit at a time. Our house is strewn with burp cloths -- over the edge of your crib, on your glider, on the back of the couch, in your bouncy seat, and everywhere in between! 

• You lost your belly button stump this past Tuesday. Well, technically, Mommy might have helped a bit. That black thing was literally hanging by a thread when I woke you for your newborn pics that afternoon. Rather than worry about keeping it in place, I opted to sterilize some small scissors and snip it off -- making sure that I cut on the black, dead part, of course. It still hasn't fully dried out, so I'm continuing to clean it out with alcohol. You actually have a small umbilical hernia, which basically looks like you have a major outie belly button. I was really concerned about it at first, but after consulting with our med/peds friend Dr. Megan (both over the phone and at church this past Sunday), I was assured that it was not infected and learned that these types of hernias usually resolve themselves in the first year. Hopefully your abdominal muscles will completely close, and everything will go back into place! If not, I guess surgery is an option, but that would be way down the line.

• I really can't wait until the inside of your belly button completely dries up, because that will mean I can start giving you realbaths! Though they're not an every night occurrence, sponge baths are kind of getting old. You lose patience with me pretty quickly, and I can understand why, since it's pretty hard to ensure that you stay warm while I wash you down. The experience will be so much better when you can lay back in a comfy, sponge-lined tub and have warm water poured on your belly. I hope your evening bath will be the first part of an enjoyable bedtime routine, just as it was with your brothers.

 Fussy froggy!

Vitamin D drops help change your tune.

• As I mentioned in the post about YaYa's visit, your newborn photo shoot did not go so smoothly. You, Sister, gave your momma a taste of the DRAMA that everyone keeps telling me comes with having a girl. For a short time at the beginning, you were fine; after that, you basically cried for two hours straight. On a handful of occasions, I was able to calm you down (often by nursing -- Tiffany saw way more of my boobs that afternoon than I'm sure she'd anticipated!), but as soon as I tried to put you somewhere for a picture you would flip out again. I kept thinking that you'd finally wear yourself out, throw in the towel, and fall asleep; that didn't happen until the very bitter end. About an hour into the shoot, we tried to get some pictures of you with your brothers, who were looking so handsome in the matching pink button-down shirts I'd bought for them. Of course, they were anything but cooperative (despite some significant bribery goin' on), and I'm fairly certain Tif wasn't able to get a sibling shot that was anywhere close to decent. The stress continued when we attempted a family pic. It was chaos, with you wailing and the boys trying to wiggle out of our grasp and off the bed. At that point, I was on the verge of a breakdown, thinking about all the money we were spending and the fact that we were not getting the pictures that I wanted to get! Tif promises that she snapped some good ones; if anyone could work that kind of magic with subjects like us, it is her. I guess we'll wait and see when I get our CD of images! (Needless to say, Mommy felt she'd earned the right to unwind with a glass of wine after you kids were in bed that night...)

You lost it when I tried to put you on this chair during your shoot; 

a few days later, you were perfectly happy to pose here!

• My favorite time of day with you is first thing in the morning. It's just you and me, since your 7:00 wake-up time is a little earlier than your brothers'. (Or, if they are awake, they are still playing in their room.) You are understandably eager to nurse, and I don't have to coax you to stay awake like I do at other times during the day. When you are finished, you are so alert. I just love chatting with you as you lay in my lap or on a blanket on the floor with that expectant look on your face, making your sweet little baby grunts. One-on-one time with you is so very precious; I guess that comes with the territory when you're raising child #3. I try to cherish every second of it!

Hanging on Mommy's every word?

Locked in on the light coming from the lamp behind me.

• Your big brothers have continued to show you attention and affection sporadically throughout the day. I get so tickled watching them tend to you and hearing them talk/ask questions about you. Kaiser has been particularly concerned lately when you fuss after being laid down for a nap; he will say, "Mommy, I think you need to go 'shhhh' Malone," and then when you have settled down, he will say, "She's not making a peep, Mommy!"

Kaiser makes a pretty comfy pillow.

Porter making silly faces for his "Mah-yone".

• I have all sorts of terms of endearment that I use with you throughout the day -- Dumpling, Chica, Babydoll, Lovebug. While Tiffany and I were talking about your name, she suggested a nickname that I've also really taken to: Maloney Baloney. It's catchy and quite fitting. :) More often that not, though, I call you Malone Marie. (I do the same thing with your brothers, Kaiser Justin and Porter Knight.) I really just adore your name -- the alliteration, how it flows. Hopefully someday you will love it as much as your Daddy and I do!

• I think I might have a serious problem: I can't. stop. kissing your face. Every part of it -- your forehead, your cheeks, your nose, your chin, and of course your lips -- is just begging to be smooched. It's like an addiction. I hope someday Mommy's kisses bring a smile to your face, but lately you've been kind of grimacing when I plant one on you. Maybe you're caught off guard or something? I'm so sorry, Daughter, but I just can't get enough of you!!!

Here is more cuteness captured this week:

"I'm gonna knock you out!"

Chillin' in your bouncy seat while the rest of us eat breakfast.

Looking so awkward and so sweet at the same time.

Modeling one of the onesies I made for you.

This might be my favorite picture of your precious mug.

We girls lunched in the van while our guys lunched at Quiznos on a family shopping trip.

"Daddy, this Steelers game isn't really my thing..."

"Want to go shopping or get pedicures instead, Mommy?"

Maloney Baloney, 

Each day with you gets more fun!

We are absolutely crazy about you.

For reals. 

XOXO

Braly Babe Comparison

It's been nearly three weeks since Malone came on the scene, so I figured it was high time to dig up some photos of her brothers as wee babes for a little comparison. It's been interesting to hear our family's and friends' opinions of who they believe she looks like. When Sister was first born, several people made comments about her being the spitting image of Porter; however, as time has passed, a couple of others have shared that they think she resembles Kaiser, instead. 

It wasn't easy to find pictures of our three kiddos in the exact same pose, but I did manage to pull a couple of shots that display some of their similarities and differences. 

Kaiser -- 2 weeks 5 days

 Porter -- 3 weeks

Malone -- 2 weeks 3 days

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Kaiser -- 2 weeks 1 day

 Porter -- 2 weeks 1 day

Malone -- 2 weeks 3 days

So, what do you think??? Does the newest Braly look like Kaiser, Porter, or a combination of both? One thing's for sure: With her abundance of dark hair and dimple in her chin, Malone definitely stands out from her brothers.

It's so crazy revisiting these early pictures of our boys and realizing just how drastically they have changed. Their momma sometimes truly forgets they were ever this teensy! It makes me even more anxious to see how our pretty little girl will change and what she will ultimately look like. Of course, I'm perfectly okay with her taking her time with that...