Happy B-Day Kinsey Grace!

One year ago today, the Braly family became even more awesome with the addition of this blue-eyed beauty:

We feel incredibly blessed to have such a precious, perfect niece and cousin in Kinsey. The girl truly radiates joy! Although the boys and I were thinking and talking about her all day long, we somehow managed to forget to record and send her birthday greeting until right before bedtime tonight. We'd talked about singing "Go Kinsey, it's your birthday, we're gonna party like it's your birthday!" but decided upon the more traditional song. :)

We love you to pieces, Miss Kinsey Grace Lane! We wish we could be in Norman celebrating with you at your party tomorrow. Have a blast and get after that cake!!! Can't wait to give you BIG hugs and kisses (and introduce you to your brand new cousin!) when you come to see us this fall.

PKB: Month 21

Well, here you are, Porter -- just two months away from becoming a big brother, and three months away from your second birthday! Today you are 21 months old!

As always, here's the latest and greatest...

• We continue to delight as each new word makes its way into your growing vocabulary. I still have to remind myself that you are doing everything in your own time, and there is no need to rush you or try to force you to talk. Mommy is just so anxious for you to be able to communicate more clearly with us! Kaiser loves to help teach you new words, too, and you seem to respond well to his very capable instruction. :) Anyway, on to the current list:

Mealtime: turkey ("tuh-kee"), broccoli ("bah-kee"), strawberry ("saw-bee"), plum ("pum"), fork ("fohk"), all gone ("ah gahn!")
Around the House: bed ("bet"), highchair ("hah-tah")
Shapes: circle ("cir-co"), heart ("haht"), rectangle ("re-tannah"), octagon ("ah-tah-gahn")
Colors: pink ("peek")
Animals: frog ("fahg"), sheep ("seep"), horse ("hous"), bird ("buhd"), tiger ("ti-cah"), bee
Body Parts: head ("het"), tongue ("tun"), hand ("han"), arm ("ahm"), leg ("laig"), tummy ("nummy")
Playtime: block ("bock"), Lego ("way-go"), stickers ("sah-kers")
Vehicles/Construction: car ("cah"), bus, choo-choo train ("too-too way"), backhoe ("bahk-oh"), skid steer ("see-seah")
Misc: buckle ("buck-oo"), go/stop ("sop"), happy, stuck ("suck"),  sleep ("seepy"), stinky ("sinky"), yucky, boogers ("bah-gahs"), stack ("sack"), stomp ("somp")

• You took a significant step verbally this month when you started to finally put consonant sounds at the end of many of your words. I had been a little concerned that you were only saying an initial consonant, followed by a vowel sound (sometimes right, sometimes not). So I was really pleased to start hearing sounds like "k", "t", "n", "d" and "s" finishing out some words. Among the evolutions that stand out to me are: milk ("mah" to "muck"), truck ("tuh" to "tuck"), duck ("duh" to "duck"), black ("baa" to "back"), socks ("sah" to "socks"), feet ("fee" to "feet"), white ("why" to "white"), bite ("bye" to "bite"), phone ("foe" to "phone"), moon ("moo" to "moon"), food ("foo" to "food"), nose ("no" to "nose").

• Another big development was that you've begun to combine words. Many of these combinations have to do with identifying possession. For example, you will say "Mommy phone", "Daddy shoe", and "Kai-Kai pay (pray)". You must really listen to Mommy while you're laying on your changing pad, too -- one of your favorite phrases is "sinky poo-poo dah-pah".

• About a week ago, I noticed that you're saying, "Mmm, hmm" to respond affirmatively when we ask you a question. It's made me realize how much I use "Mmm, hmm", too. :) When I hear this, I say, "Yes, ma'am?" and you sometimes repeat, "Yeths-um" back to me. 

• You decided one day, out of the blue, that you were no longer going to say "thank you" (which, up until that point, was sounding like "dack-oo"). Mommy wasn't too crazy about that idea, so despite your random stubbornness, I've still kept up with encouragement to show verbal thanks when you are given what you want. You are now mumbling something that really doesn't sound all that much like the words "thank you", but I figure it's better than nothing. 

• We haven't really been drilling you on your letters, numbers, shapes and colors, but from our everyday interactions I know that you know them. Articulating a few particular letters and words is still hard, of course, but that's to be expected. Last night I let you do a few apps on the iPad before bedtime and made sure to take some video of you showing off your brain power. :)

Practicing your letters...

Next up, colors...

And finally, shapes.

• My camera died before I could get footage of you doing numbers, but you know all of them from 1 to 10 and can count with assistance (in the form of Mommy repeating the numbers after you). It sounds like this: "Wahn, two, fee, fah, fife, sox, senen, eight, nine, TAHN!" 

• So, I feel like we've backtracked a bit in the food arena. You are still a fairly decent eater, but we've struggled lately with getting you to eat your dinner. Maybe it's just that you're not as hungry at that time of day, but you are more unwilling to try some of the foods (specifically, meat dishes and veggies) that we seemed to have made such progress with the past couple of months. And I definitely spoke too soon about you maybe liking eggs! The couple of times I've tried to serve them to you again, you immediately clamped down your mouth and turned your head away. I don't intend to make you your own meal every night, so for the most part I fully intend to keep serving up whatever the rest of our family is eating for dinner.

• I feel like I say this every month, but you continue to hone your climbing skills. You are now fully capable of climbing into and out of your highchair for mealtime. Another huge development is that you started climbing out of your crib! This began about a week ago, when after putting both of you boys to bed for the night, I was informed by Kaiser (who had gotten up for a potty break) that you were trying to get out of your room. Upon checking on you, sure enough, there you were twisting vigorously on the doorknob. I promptly put you back in your bed and instructed you to stay there, but you climbed out once again that night and at naptime the next day. You were having fun pulling all of the clothes out of your dresser when I came and crashed your little party! I checked and was surprised to see that your mattress still could be lowered one more notch (clearly I had underestimated your abilities); of course, I promptly adjusted it, thinking that might solve the problem. Though you have stayed in bed since I dropped your mattress, I have watched you climb out of it twice, even on this lowest setting. Needless to say, it is time to move on up in the world of nighttime and naptime sleep. We are planning the move to your big boy bed this weekend. (The frame I ordered finally came in, and we got a second twin bed set up a couple of nights ago.) Fingers crossed that all goes smoothly! Go easy on Mommy, m'kay?

• This past month, in an effort to get both you (and more so, Kaiser) more comfortable with having water in your face/eyes, Daddy started taking showers with you guys. The first couple of times you weren't sure what to think about this different approach to getting clean, but now two you are totally digging your new "guy time". I just love hearing you squeal as the water splashes on you. Although it isn't an every night occurrence, showers are becoming a more frequent request. Truth be told, even on the nights that Daddy isn't home and Mommy's responsible for cleaning you, I will turn on the shower head and let you get wet/play in the water for a few minutes with the curtain closed, then turn it off and give you a quick scrub-down in the regular bath. It's fun and seems to make the task easier!

• You have grown exceptionally fond of a miniature sock monkey that Daddy picked up for you when he was traveling for fellowship interviews this past winter. I'd say that Ziggy, your tiger blankie, is still your first love, but "Muhkee" is a very close second. When it is time for bed, you immediately go to your crib to pull "Ziggy-Muhkee", as you affectionately call the pair, through the slats. As soon as they're in your possession, you bring them up to your face for a snuggle and just giggle and sigh. You know that they are bedtime friends, but sometimes will go to retrieve them randomly throughout the day; normally you don't get upset when I tell you to put them back in your bed, but there have been a couple of instances when I've had to take "Ziggy-Muhkee" from you because we were on our way out the door, and that just wasn't pretty. 

• You suddenly love stickers ("sah-kers") and will often sneak into a drawer in our dining room hutch to fetch the zippered pencil pouch that holds your and Kaiser's collection. Your favorite are the shiny smiley-faces; you like to peel them off the paper and come stick them on Mommy's bottom. (I'm thinking this just seems to be a convenient place, since that's about the height you can reach.) You've also placed a few on my growing tum-tum for Sissy. Such a thoughtful big brother!

• We still battle eczema on your knees, ankles, and feet. You also have a few fingertips that are strangely dry and peel badly. Whenever I look closely at these areas or draw attention to them in any way, you start saying "Ah-coe-coe! Ah-coe-coe!" (your word for Aquaphor). You are very knowledgeable about skin ointments. :)

• I feel like you are growing and 2T clothing is becoming more appropriate than 18-24 months, but you still remain in a size 4 diaper. I've been saying for months that it's almost time to move up to a 5, but it seems unnecessary. I guess we'll wait until we visit the pediatrician with Baby in a couple of months; I might have them check your weight and length then to make sure we're not revisiting any size/growth issues. After our experiences, I would be lying if I said that fear wasn't always at tucked away in the back of my mind.

And, in case they haven't seen enough, here are a few more pictures to make the grandparents happy...

Keeping a watchful eye on all the other kids at the playground.

King of the Slide.

"Don't mess with me. I've got a squirter and I'm not afraid to use it."

Impromptu dance party!

Relaxing out back in our adirondacks.

This is the life.

PKB, 

Month 21 with you was another fast, furious, and fantastic one. I'm sure the next 3 will be the same, and I'll be the mother of a 2-year-old in no time! I cherish each moment with you -- even the ones when I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. ;) Thanks for keeping me on my toes and making me laugh out loud multiple times a day. You have my heart.

XOXO

Best-Dressed List

Can I be honest? Though it goes without saying that I am head-over-heels crazy in love with this tiny gal who's residing in my belly, when I first found out that she did, in fact, have lady parts, I freaked out a little a lot. Surprisingly, one of the things that made me nervous was the task of dressing our daughter. After almost four years of saying it would be so much more fun to shop for a girl than a boy, I never would have dreamt that this would be something to stress me out.

I appreciate how easy I've had it with Kaiser and Porter -- stick 'em in a shirt, a pair of shorts or pants, and shoes, and they're set. Meanwhile, with Baby Girl, there were just so many...options. It was all uncharted territory, and it seemed (and sometimes still seems) overwhelming. And it's even more overwhelming because we don't exactly have a large budget to work with (FYI, residents aren't exactly rollin' in the dough), and there are things like our mortgage, food, and diapers to think about.

I know, I know -- I'm overthinking/making far too big a deal out of this. But, I'm perfectly willing to admit that I overthink/make too big a deal out of lots of things. 

All that to say, I'm happy to report that, at this point, I've overcome these irrational fears and -- dare I say it? -- started to have fun shopping for our daughter's clothes. Now I'm trying to keep myself in check and not have too much fun. (Remember the budget, Kyndal. Remember the budget.)

I know I've periodically posted photos of goodies I've found for Little Miss or gifts she has been given. These past couple of weeks, though, I seem to have really hit it big, and suddenly her dresser and closet are not looking so bare anymore! I'm just a bit too excited about some of these things, and I thought I'd go ahead and share with y'all. So if you're not interested in oohing and ahhing over the cuteness that follows, please feel free to click away... :)

First up: American Eagle headquarters is here in Pittsburgh, which means that we are lucky enough have their children's clothing store, 77kids, in the mall right down the road from us. I've never actually bought anything for the boys here, but last year I did get a cute baby gift for Brett's cousin's baby girl and have been drooling over their clothing ever since. When I recently learned they were going out of business, I was bummed, but also excited about the possibility of getting some killer deals! This infrequent mall-goer stalked 77kids for a few weeks, popping in periodically to see if my "can't live without" items were the right price. (Because I'm the kinda gal who wants it markdown-markdown-markdown, y'know?) The last time I stopped by, I was informed that they are now not closing -- YAY! Though the clothes wouldn't get as cheap as I'd imagined, my favorite pieces were on clearance + an additional 30% off, so I was a pretty happy camper. Do you think these rompers are as precious as I do???

I've known about Once Upon a Child for some time now, but had only popped in once before to look for a Polo shirt for Kaiser. After a recent chat with my friend Jen, who has had great luck finding clothes for Lydia at this resale shop, I decided to sneak up there while the boys were napping on a Sunday afternoon. I scoured their racks until closing time, and came up with this loot! 4 bodysuits + 2 shirts + 1 pair leggings + 2 dresses + 1 bubble, all in fabulous condition (one with the tags still on), for a mere $17! Not sure you can beat that, especially considering the brands were Gap Kids, Carter's, Old Navy, and Ralph Lauren. 

I've been receiving emails from Zulily every day for going on a couple of years, but up until finding out we were having a girl, they were pretty easy to just delete from my inbox. Now? Not so easy anymore. A couple of weeks ago, there were a few items that I just couldn't bear to pass up. I mean, really? Can you handle this cute? The houndstooth shirt was a steal at just $3, and the sweet summer dresses were really reasonable, too. In fact, at $17, the frock in the middle is my "splurge" on sister thus far in my shopping adventure; it's easily the most I've spent on any of her clothes! But I adore it so much that I kinda wish I had one for myself.

And, of course, there's always my tried-and-true store, my happy place -- Target. You'd better believe I take a brief stroll through the children's clothing section every time I visit (which, trust me, is quite a lot). Here are the pieces I've found hanging on the sale racks for CHEEEEEEAP (like, we're talkin' with coupons and such, $1-3 each). Not too shabby, right???

In addition to the purchases Mommy has made, our lil chica has been blessed to be the recipient of some lovely gifts from friends. The other day, a package arrived in the mail from Jory (Nell's and Reed's mommy, for those who may remember posts about them from last year). They moved to Charlotte, NC, for fellowship last July, but we've kept in close touch, and Jory is tickled that I get to experience life with a girl. I opened the box, pulled out this beautifully cloth-wrapped pouch, and couldn't wait to discover what was inside!

I love how Jory dresses her daughters, so I knew that whatever she picked would be in fantastic taste, but she truly blew me away with her generosity! Check out these adorable goodies from Tea. I'd never heard of this globally-inspired clothing company before, but rest assured I'll be revisiting their site in the future! Every single thing is to die for, and I just want to hold and stare at that teensy gray pima cotton sweater jacket all. day. long.

Last but not least, I'm thankful to have friends who generously pass along clothes that their baby girls have outgrown. When we met up at the spray park yesterday, Jen brought along a bag full of clothes that Miss Lydia can no longer wear. They are perfect because they're newborn sizes, which is really what she's lacking. (Nearly all of the great sales I've caught have been for clothes that will fit her when she's 6-12 months.) Plus, Jen lent us several bodysuits, which are so handy and such a staple during those first weeks, anyway. Score!

So there you have it. Now I cross my heart that, even though the lengthy explanations in this post would indicate otherwise, I do not spend all of my waking hours thinking about and purchasing clothing for our unborn daughter. I will admit that I do find joy in looking through the nursery closet and dresser drawers, dreaming of the babe who will someday soon wear these adorably tiny clothes. Trying to picture her precious face. And maybe, just maybe, I'm a tad jealous of a few pieces in our daughter's wardrobe already. :)

Future Firefighters

Y'know, just puttin' out fires in our backyard. NBD.

Return Trip to the Spray Park

Every single morning when Kaiser wakes up, the very first words that come out of his mouth are, "Mommy, where are we going today?" This morning he was using the potty as he posed this question, and when he heard me ask, "Would you like to go back to the spray park with Miss Jen, Michael, and Lydia?" he flashed a big smile and responded with an enthusiastic, "Yeah, let's do that!"

After our trip to the Troy Hill Spray Park with friends last week, I've been itching to get back to take advantage of this free, fun summer attraction. So, it was really a no-brainer when Jen and I were trying to figure out a spot to take our kiddos for an overdue playdate. They had never been there before, but were excited to check out a new spot. We decided to meet up at 10:00, right as the clouds were making way for the bright sunshine. It was an absolutely perfect day for soaking up some rays and cooling off in the sprinklers. (This momma decided to wear her swimsuit top this time so that I could enjoy a bit of the spray action, too!)

 Trying to "plug up" one of the jets.

The first-timer, just taking it all in. 

Showing his lil buddy how to jump over the streams of water. 

The stinker was throwing a little fit over who-knows-what.

 A morning snack got him back on track.

After we'd been there a while, my boys wanted/needed a change of scenery and asked to go up to the playground. Jen brought Lydia up in her carrier, and we got to chat in the shade while keeping an eye on the munchkins.

Would you believe someone asked me the other day if they were twins??? 

 Sweet Michael kept grabbing my hand to help him walk up the slide.

My fearless shaky bridge-crosser. 

 Mommy surprised him as he was coming down the tunnel slide.

 It's a hard-knock life for this one.

 Hard to relax when you've got someone trying to tickle you!

Taking over where Big Bro left off.

Soon enough we headed back down to the main part of the park, grabbed a spot at a table underneath an umbrella, and dug into our lunch. Then it was back into the water for a bit to clean the sticky juice and crumbs off our hands and mouths.

Got involved in a playful "water fight" with some older kiddos.

Always so serious.

Mommies like to get sprayed, too.

 Is someone ready to go home?

The answer is YES.

Around 1:00, we finally gathered up all of our toys and got Michael, Kaiser, and Porter changed out of their wet suits and into fresh, dry clothes. Then, as always, it was straight home for our energy-zapped kidlets to take (hopefully) long, hard afternoon naps. We had tons of fun revisiting the spray park with our friends, and judging from several comments Jen made raving about this awesome new discovery, I'd guess that we may be meeting up there again soon!

Museum Morning with K & H

It had been far too long since we'd hung out with the Hosmer girls, so Kacia and I booked a playdate for the mommies the kiddos this morning. Neither of our crews had visited the Children's Museum in ages, so we decided that was the perfect place to meet up. We arrived a little after 10:30 and got straight to playin' in the Makeshop. 

Just call her Mrs. Fix-It.

Trying to figure out how this interactive video puzzle works.

Pounding out a few notes before we head up to the Garage.

Burning some calories on the baby treadmill. 

Kaiser was looking forward to checking out the museum's latest traveling exhibit...

Follow the Yellow Brick Road!

Spent lots of time playing in the Wicked Witch's castle.

Needed a little help reaching the pedals on the Witch's bike.

Optical illusion at Professor Marvel's Wagon.

He's no coward! Making his way through the spooky forest.

"Never fear, Harlow -- I'll protect you!"

Gathering eggs at Gale Farm.

Kaiser the Munchkin.

"I am the Great and Powerful Oz!"

We thought it best to make one more stop before eating, so we headed up to the toddler floor for a bit.

Taking a test ride in Harlow's fancy stroller.

This one was glued to the twisty-turny ball maze.

Found him trying to ride the bubble-making seesaw solo.

So much better with Big Bro in the opposite seat!

Around 12:30 we went back down to the cafe for lunch. Afterwards, Kaiser kept asking if he and Harlow could go in the photo booth there; we told him we could take our own picture with Mommy's camera, but we weren't going to drop $5 for the real deal! He seemed satisfied with that solution, and we squeezed all three kiddos in there for a quick shot. 

Clearly Miss H wasn't as keen on this idea as the Braly boys. 

Kacia and Harlow had to cut out right after that for naptime, while Kaiser, Porter, and I went into the Studio to explore some more. They both enjoyed working with clay for a few minutes before we bid the museum farewell ourselves. (Definitely going to have to dedicate more time to this room on our next visit!)

My budding sculptors.

As always, we had a fabulous time with our favorite gal pals! We just might be seeing more of them tomorrow, too. Oh, darn. :)