Foodie

On McKinley's four month well visit he was given the okay to start rice cereal and from there to start solids! We were shocked. We assume cereal would be approved, but we thought we would have to wait until six months before we could start veggies. Doctor's words, "this boy looks like he's ready for solids." And she was right!

We had our first rice cereal test tasting on the evening of August 15th and it went as well as one would expect. He didn't quite understand the spoon and instead of allowing the cereal to slide off into his mouth, he blew against it causing cereal to spray all over him, me and the highchair. It was awesome! Of course you have no idea what goes through their little heads, but we seem to think that he thought it seemed a lot like his formula and would rather have that in a bottle form. We quickly learned to make the cereal a little chunkier so there was texture on the spoon. Hindsight, we probably should have waited a day or two after the four month shots. He wasn't feeling well to begin so that probably didn't help matters.

Well, the cereal didn't sit well over the next couple of days because this poor little guy became constipated! After four days without a bowel movement, we called our doctor to see if there was an in house remedy we could use. The remedy is one tablespoon of Karo syrup per bottle until a movement is made! Well, it didn't long for that to take place. We've actually had to use that remedy several times as this poor little guy apparently inherited his mother's lazy bowels!

After about a week of "eating" cereal we introduced veggies. On August 29th, we started with sweet potatoes and we had major success. He loved them! From my understanding, most babies love sweet potatoes because it's right there in the name, sweet! We continued with all the orange veggies before moving to green with green beans winning out over peas.

 

From there we moved to fruits and he liked some better than others. Pears went over well, but bananas caused gaging. And who would have thunk it, but prunes were his favorite. I so wish we had a photo of his first time with prunes, but alas that was never captured. I can tell you he opened that mouth wide and lapped them up! If only that would produce more frequent bowel movements!!!

As we've journeyed through veggies and fruit, we recently moved to meat. I couldn't bring myself to feed him the chicken with chicken gravy and turkey with turkey gravy provided by Gerber. They were both pale gray in color and the last time I looked, chicken and turkey aren't pale gray when cooked! We love the meat selections provided by Earth's Best Organic baby food. They actually have color and smell like what we're serving. McKinley loves the Vegetable Turkey Dinner and Beef, Carrots and Corn. As we continue to explore the dinner selections, we love watching him figure out what's on the tip of his tongue. We can't wait to actually feed him from our plate! With Thanksgiving fastly approaching, we have big plans to serve up some mashed potatoes, green beans and turkey. We will definitely capture the holiday on film. These firsts are just so amazing and we're thankful that we can re-live them for years to come!

From our table to yours...





A Day at the Zoo

This past weekend was glorious with temperature's ranging in the mid to upper 70s. Because of that, we decided to take advantage of the pretty weather and spend Saturday at the Kansas City Zoo. We weren't the only ones with the same idea! Upon arrival, it took over 20 minutes in the ticket line, but McKinley didn't seem to notice. He was sound asleep! Once inside, I had to get him something to commemorate his first time at the zoo, so we picked out the perfect hat. Worked out well too as I forgot to pack one. Bottles, check! Formula, check! Diapers, check! Sunscreen, check! Hat, nope! Now, he has a darling baseball hat that will fit for the next year at least.

With McKinley now awake, our first stop was to see Nikita, our amazing and adorable polar bear.  He is the main attraction at the zoo and it's no wonder. He is simply amazing! So graceful to watch, you are literally mesmerized by him and could spend all of your time just watching. Last time there, we spent at least 20 minutes watching him swim and play. This time we didn't spend as much time because of how crowded the passage was. We did stop by on our way out and this time I took McKinley down to actually see Nikita in action. I know he had to see him because as soon as McKinley saw this impressive bear, his face lit up and had a huge smile. That's just the reaction young and old get when seeing this marvelous bear!

We started our visit in Africa and with Joel's favorite animal, the elephant. At times, because he's so small, you can't really tell if McKinley's looking at the same thing you are, but I'm pretty sure he saw these mammoth animals. How could you not? The one in the photo, directly behind Joel's shoulder, was so funny. At one point he stood there with one back leg crossed behind the other, like any human would do, and continued to feed on hay. As large as these animals are, I love to watch them roam the path. Again, a graceful animal that sways back and forth as it walks, much like a model walking a runway. I often wonder what any animal is thinking while staring back at you.

Next up, baboons! I remember the last time Joel and I were at the zoo there was a new addition to the baboon family! This sweet baby had just been born, and just like any baby, it is amazing how much it had grown. I loved watching them. They too are very much like humans, I guess that makes sense since we evolved from them, in that they took care of one another. As the baby hung out, the mother I assume, started cleaning another baboon. Was it the father, another sibling, just one of the family? Who can truly be sure.



We left the baboons and continued our way through Africa, and as we do, McKinley nods off for his mid afternoon nap. Joel and I continue to enjoy ourselves. We talk, laugh, continue to photograph the animals and take advantage of some time alone, even with McKinley snoozing directly in front of us.

As we enter the lions den, guess who wakes ups! Perfect timing too. Most of the lions are a sleep and enjoying the little bit of shade right in front of the window! Perfect view! Oh, and it's also the perfect time for a little nosh!



                                                      

  

We didn't get to the Sea Lion show in time to get a seat, but that was okay. We got some great pre-show pics and then made our way to the Carousel Cafe for lunch.

As Joel went to get our lunch, McKinley FINALLY finished his! It only took us over two hours to get him to finish his bottle. I think all the excitement threw him off. As a result, he was one happy boy!

The rest of the visit was kind of short. We were pressed for time as we had plans later in the evening for a friends BBQ. We made our way to the Tiger Trail to see the gorgeous tigers and some Orangutans. The female had a baby as well and he was so precious! We couldn't get a great photo due to the crowd, but take my word for it. Darling!

We didn't have time to visit Australia so we promised McKinley we would start there on our next visit. We will also make sure to attend a Sea Lion show and take a ride on the Carousel. I think we need to invest in a membership. We will be spending some quality time at the zoo in the future and it's a wonderful organization to support! If you haven't been to the Kansas City Zoo in a while, or ever, you owe yourself a trip. A great family atmosphere, but as an adult, you feel like a kid again. 

Rolling Along

Well, the day has come where we can no longer leave McKinley unoccupied on our bed, the couch or any other surface that isn't the floor or his crib. That's because he has official begun rolling over! Now, it's only from his back to his front, but that's better than nothing, right? The first time was a couple of Sunday's ago, when my camera was no where near me, so I made up for it by taking photos on the second time I personally witnessed this major accomplishment!

Starting Position

 On His Side

 Ready to Chat

I was beaming with pride at watching my baby boy roll from his back to his side and just hang there ready to chat with me for a while. Then he just rolled again and from there the trouble seems to begin. He gets to his tummy, which he still HATES, and to make matters worse, he can't figure out how to get his left arm out from underneath his chest. He works and squirms and huffs and puffs and eventually gets it but hasn't figured out "Oh yeah, I just need to lift my body up!" He just squirms which in my opinion makes it even harder. Then, after all of that, he is flat on his tummy, red faced and screaming to get up. We always oblige and he's almost always panting from working his little self to death. I know he will eventually get it, but in the mean time, it's fun watching him discover!



Good Shot!!

Last night was seriously a scene right out of a movie or sitcom! You can't write this stuff! Okay, maybe you can since it was straight out of a movie or sitcom. Anyway, McKinley was taking his mid evening bottle and had finished about two ounces. Because we are overly cautious new parents, we generally try to burb him after every two or three ounces. Upon completion of his burp, Joel tried to give the bottle back, but McKinley wasn't having it. He just pushed it around with his tongue, a sheer indicator that he done. Seriously kid, its been over four hours and usually you are ravinous! I suggested to Joel that maybe he needed a diaper change to calm him down and then we could try again. Get out your popcorn because this is where the movie starts.

It is now around 7:00 and that is generally pj time. So, up the stairs we all went. Joel was in charge of the diaper change while I searched for pajama's that actually fit. Everything was going smoothly until we smelled something a little funky coming from the little guys bottom. No wonder he wasn't interested in eating, he was trying to poop! So, Joel removed the soiled diaper only to find that McKinley wasn't finished. No problem, just wipe up what's there and hold up the feet. What took place next was priceless!

As I was digging through the pajama drawer, I hear an airy toot coming from the behind of McKinley and the next thing I hear is "Is there poop on my ear?" That's right people, McKinley pushed so hard with the toot that poop literally shot out and a TINY particle wound up on Joel's ear! Not only was it on his ear, it was on the bedroom door and all over the wall! Not huge shards of poop, just tiny little spots! EVERYWHERE! I can't tell you how many times we pulled out wet wipes to wipe down more places on the wall and door. McKinley has a powerful push!

As this was all taking place, I recalled an episode of Sex and the City where Miranda wiped Brady's poop across her forehead and a scene out of Life As We Know It where Kathereine Heighl's character also had poop on her face. Again, you can't write this stuff in real life! Joel and I laughed about for the next hour or so. I'm pretty sure I laughed longer. Joel on the other hand took a shower almost immediately! As for McKinley, well he finished his bottle and then took another one two hours laters! He was a hungry man after that enormous load he dropped. As for the new pj's, look how adorable he was last night!! That's one happy camper!



What's In a Name?

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with the Twilight Saga. I've read all the books twice, and with the exception of Twilight, have been to the midnight viewings of New Moon and Eclipse. I recently saw a preview for Breaking Dawn Part One and I got cold chills! I can't wait for the release! Not sure if I will make the midnight showing, but I made my husband promise to take me for my birthday! (The movie opens in November which just happens to be the month of my birth.)

Because I am so obsessed with the franchise I've collected some memorablia along the way. I've begged Joel to get me the life size cut out of Edward, but so far no dice! Anyway, if you were to walk into my office cube you would find the following:

With that being said, I guess I shouldn't be shocked that after hearing we had named our son McKinley Edward Krasnow, most people immediatly thought I named my child after the character Edward Cullen! Honestly, why would I ever think to name my child after a character? Again, I love the books, the movies and Edward (plus Robert Pattison is #2 on my laminated card) but still! How would I ever explain that to McKinley? "You see, son, I was obsessed with these books before you were born and because I loved the character of Edward so much I decided to name you after him." Silly!

McKinley was instead named after his father, Joel Edward Krasnow. I love that I can say I have my very own Edward, even though Joel isn't a vampire. He does sleep with his eyes open sometimes.... Something to ponder! Anyway, as we were driving to the hospital that morning, I told Joel that we had never really solidified a middle name for a boy. (We didn't find out the sex of the baby.) I threw out three options: McKinley Lawson Krasnow after my maiden name, McKinley Richard Krasnow after my dad and McKinley Edward Krasnow. Joel has always said that he hates his middle name so when I originally suggested Edward he said no. I'm not sure what changed his mind that morning, but of the three he said that he would like to name him Edward. And I agreed. I really wanted him to have part of his father's name. Family names, to me, are so important!

So that's the story of how McKinley Edward got his name. I do chuckle at times when I think about naming him after a fictional character, which many people to do, but not a vampire from books that are truly aimed at teens. Now, if it were a girl....

As a side note, I would like to add that McKinley is also family name. We named him after my great grandfather on my dad's side, not the president or the high school from the television show Glee! I do have some original ideas!

First of Many

I commented to Joel over the weekend that I am so happy McKinley was born so early in the year. Granted April isn't terribly early, but early enough that we will experience so many of his first holidays together. So far, we've had our first Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Fourth of July. There are tons of others firsts as well, like our first road trip which you've already read about, our first time at the pool, our first time at a Royals game...really our first time to do just about anything! He's so little now that he has no idea what is truly going on around him and I can't wait to see his reaction when he realizes all of these new adventures.

Our first Easter with McKinley was so much fun. He was only two weeks old, but he got his first Easter baskets from both us and his grandparents. He also had his first Easter egg hunt where he scored over $200 from the Easter Bunny! Where was that bunny when I was two weeks old?? But the best part about his first Easter was the fact that his great grandmother and great aunt flew out to Kansas to meet him. They were here for a week and we loved spending time with them. He was showered with love and affection.

Our first Mother's Day together is something I will always treasure. He really took the time to think through his gifts and gave me things I will use and definitely treasure! For starters, he got me What to Expect the First Year and he wrote the sweetest note informing me why he purchased the book. I need to laminate the note so it doesn't rip. I have to say the book has come in very handy. He also gave me the sweetest Mother's ring. Now, he is an only child so technically there should only be one stone, but he said that he wanted my birthstone in the middle with his and daddy's on either side since I am the center of their lives. How thoughtful is he and how insightful? Again, he was only two weeks old!!! He also got me a little picture frame that says "I Love Mommy" but love is actually a heart. His cards were sweet as well. McKinley truly is a swell guy! I should also add that his daddy ain't too shabby either!

His first Father's Day was a great day as well! Again, McKinley is such a thoughtful kid! He got his daddy a sizeable gift card to his favorite golf course in town, Royals tickets for the Diamond Club, as well as some pretty adorable Father's Day cards. They spent the day together, with me in the background, just being father and son. It was fun watching them bond! I have a feeling they are going to best friends when McKinley gets older. I can't wait to see their relatioship blossom.

Our first Fourth of July was wonderful and we made a weekend of it. We kicked things off with a bbq on that Saturday. McKinley's friend Kaitlyn came with her parents, and in typical guy fashion, he ignored her all night long! What is it with men? I seriously see now that they are born with this trait, where we girls put it all out there as Kaitlyn did that night. She tried several times to gain his attention but he had nothing to do with her. We are going to have to work on that! Monday was the actual fourth and McKinley celebrated by taking the longest nap ever!! When he finally woke up around noon, he had his afternoon bottle and then we dressed him in bathing suit. That's right! We went to the pool! My parents have a neighborhood pool down the street so we loaded up the pool bag, put McKinley in his stroller and took a leisure walk to the pool. We weren't sure how he would react ,since there are times when he hates taking a bath, but he LOVED it! I am elated! I personally love the pool, well water in general, I was so hoping he would be a water baby. Granted he's only three months and things could change, but for now he loves it.

The remaining firsts for the year are going to be amazing! For holidays, we still have our first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's. Our other firsts are unlimited and I can't wait to experience them all!

First Day Back

Yesterday was my first day back at work which meant I had to leave my precious little guy for the first time! Yes, I've left him before, but only for an hour here and there. Not for eight straight hours!! This day had been looming for twelve weeks, but during my last week I grew increasingly sad. I tried to be brave, but inside I was crying and on that final night, the flood gates opened. It all started with tears while feeding him his last bottle before bed which were followed by more tears as I reluctanlty crawled into bed. I cried to Joel that McKinley would forget me or resent me for leaving him. And I truly do have those fears. Will he eventually resent me for not being with him every day? Am I a horrible mother for not taking the time to figure what needed to be done in order to ensure I could stay home full-time? And I'm sure these fears will continue to haunt me over time.

To make matters worse, I watched a Beverly Hills 90210 re-run on Soapnet Saturday afternoon and it was the episode where Janet goes back to work after her maternity leave. Steve was the stay-at-home dad with Maddy. Having to work late one night, Janet came home to find a note from Steve and he signed it with handprints of both him and Maddy. That broke my heart, but what followed really hit home. She says to Steve, as she's rocking Maddy to sleep, that she hates she just missed an entire day of her daughter's life. That's where I began to bawl because that's exactly how I feel! I am missing every day of his life and it kills me to know I can't get that time back! Sure, I have evenings and weekends, but what am I, a divorced parent? No, I'm a working mother. It's seriously painful.

With all of that being said, I got up Tuesday morning, got dressed, packed up the car and drove McKinley across town to my parents house where they were eagerly awaiting his arrival. He "talked" all the way there, killing me softly with those tender coos, and then smiled sweetly as I carried him from the car to their front door. He had no idea that I was leaving him for the day and maybe he never truly knew I was gone. What I do know is that as I hugged him goodbye, choking back tears, it was one the hardest thing I was ever going to do. That of course is until I take him to his first day of kindergarten. But let's not get ahead of ourselves!

My work day went just fine. I teared up off and on during the day. I put up photos all over my cube and now my walls bleed McKinley! I limited my check-in calls so I wouldn't seem like an overprotective mother and so I didn't have to hear about all the things I was missing. And then it was finally 5:00! I eagerly packed up my belongs, walked quickly to my car and hurriedly drove across to town. Upon entry to my parents house, the three of them were on the couch reading "Scuffy the Tugboat". I leaned over the back of the couch to see his sweet little face and like a dog when they get excited, McKinley proceeded to crap his pants! I guess that's his way of greeting his mother!

After I cleaned up his messy diaper, he smiled and talked to me and told me all about his day. He got fussy for a bottle at exactly the same time my dad served up dinner, of couse. (I want to prefess this by saying that Joel was attending a work dinner so I stayed for dinner with my parents.) Around 7:30 or so, it was time to pack up and head home. I was ready to sit on my couch and relax with my baby boy. Instead, he fell asleep on the couch at my feet so I caught up on The Talk on my DVR. He roused around 9:00 for yet another feeding and I was happy to oblige. I cherish these moments more now than I did in the first 11 weeks because they are so few and far between. And then it was time for bed.

All in all, the day wasn't horrible. I survived and so did he. I will be honest, I've told Joel that we need to figure out a Plan B and soon. I honestly wasn't meant to be a working mother. Work was fine when it was a paycheck to fund clothing and entertainment. But now, for me, the paycheck isn't worth the time I am missing with my son. And Joel agrees. But for now, I am a working mother and will do my best to let McKinley know that I am with him even when I can't be right be his side.

Take Me to the River...

McKinley took his first major road trip over Memorial Day Weekend to Tecumseh, MO, a small town 20 miles outside of Gainsville, and it was quite the adventure for this one month old. My parents own a small house, a home we affectionately refer to as "The River House", that sits a mile and a half off a paved road. The river is the North Fork of the White River, a blue ribbon trout stream for my fly fishing father.

The trip usually takes about five hours, but for this crew it took us roughly six! We left Overland Park around 4:00pm on that Thursday and things were going well. McKinley slept on and off, Joel and I caught up with one another since we hadn't spent all that much time together since McKinley's birth and around Harrisonville, MO we plugged in our iPOD and sang along to a large array of tunes.

When enroute to the river, we typically stop in Springfield, MO for gas and dine at the McDonald's across the street. Well, we rolled into Springfield around 6:30 or so, got gas and ran into McDonald's to change McKinley and grab a quick bite for the road. McKinley had other plans! Turns out our little traveler was not only wet but hungry. So, our "to go" order turned into "for here". Now, McKinley is not what one would call a fast eater, which is an unfortunate trait he inherited from his mother. But it wasn't just the length of time in which he ate, it was the fact that he soaked in every ounce of his surroundings while chomping down on his #2 combo meal and vanilla shake that we told him he was enjoying. He even made friends with the couple who sat down behind us. All in all, it took us over an hour to finish up our dinners, have another diaper change and get our things loaded back in the car.

It is now 8:00 and we still have another two hours to go. McKinley continued to doze on and off as we continue to listen to Barry Manilow and others on our iPOD. We finally pull into my parents "driveway" around 10:00 and begin unloading the car. If you've ever traveled with a child, and this was our first time, you take EVERYTHING they own!! And again, since we are 20 miles away from the closest town, you have to take everything you own! Joel is exhausted from working a half day, mowing the lawn, packing the car and driving six hours and all he wants to do is feed McKinley one more time and fall into bed. But again, McKinley had other plans! He had slept for six hours so he was ready to play! It was the longest night of our lives. He was awake on and off all night long and we barely slept ourselves. Friday was going to be a long day!

Friday was a dreary day. Dad hadn't been to the house in months and it needed a major mowing so he headed out early to tend to the yard. Mom and I headed into town for groceries and our holiday trip to the Dollar General. That left Joel and McKinley to fend for themselves. What did they do? NAP! Both boys snoozed in the quite of the house and by that evening McKinley was back on a routine.

Saturday was a big day for the family! We loaded up the car and headed out for a picnic lunch along the bank of the river. Wait, what river bank? The river was so high that we were forced to tailgate out of the back of the Explorer, which was fine. We love a good adventure. And an adventure it was. I'm not sure if McKinley can sense that everyone is eating but him, but he will immediately start fussing for a bottle the minute we all start to eat. No worries little man! A bottle is always at your service. What we weren't expecting was a major poo! But that's exactly what took place. With that begin said, we immediately started making room for a makeshift changing table in the back of the car. We threw down a blanket, placed a large trashbag under his little butt and began the clean up process. So glad we could dump that messy diaper in the trash cans at the campground. Not really something you want in the car ride back home!

The rest of the day was somewhat lazy. I took a long nap after we got home while McKinley, Joel and Mom played in the living room. (Grandpa "watched" from a chair where really he napped.) McKinley never napped that day. Instead, he proceeded to play under his floor gym for the remainder of the afternoon and for the first time slept a full seven hours! And what did I do? I was up every hour making sure he was still breathing. Thank goodness I napped earlier in the day.

Sunday found us taking a roadtrip to Hodgson's Water Mill. The mill was built in 1861 to channel a huge natural spring that flowed into Bryant Creek. An amazing fact; that spring still spews almost 3,000,000 gallons of water a day! McKinley was so blown away by that information that he continued to nap I sure hope this trend doesn't continue when he's in school. That could be a long 12 years!!! The rest of the day was much the same. Once home, we spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing, napping and getting things ready for the trip home the next day.

Before we headed out Monday morning, my dad wanted to see how McKinley would react to swinging in the hammock. We placed a large blanket in the middle of the hammock, laid him down and stood back. He hated it as you can see from the photo below. I'm pretty sure he won't ever want to get in that thing again!

Since McKinley did nothing but nap the entire way to the river and was then up all night, we decided to be smart about our trip home and leave after his mid-morning bottle. We knew he would need to eat again along the way, but he could nap in the afternoon so that he was awake when we got home by early evening and stay awake until it was truly bedtime. Four hours later, and on the other side of Clinton, MO, we stopped at one of my favorite gas stations on the way home. (I'm a creature of habit when we travel. I know what gas stations have the nicer restrooms and I make sure we stop there every time. That's why we stop at McDonald's a lot too.) Anyway, I come back from using the restroom and McKinley is in the car screaming! Well, it's been several hours so we know it's probably a wet diaper. Instead of getting out of the car and going back in, I decide to change him in the car. Bad idea! He's sliding all over the place, I can't get a good angle on him and he's ticked! Turns out, it's not just the wet diaper but a hungry belly as well. So, I proceed to make a bottle while holding him and throwing stuff into the back of the car to make room. Once in place, guess what? That's right! We spend 45 minutes in the gas station parking lot feeding little mister. Again, slow eater!

We finally get home around 5:00 that evening. McKinley was amazing! He woke up just as we reached I-435 and I slid into the backseat to keep him company. He cooed and smiled and I praised him for being such a good traveler. We got the car unpacked, fed him his last bottle before putting him down for the evening and as Joel and I finally made our way into bed we both agreed we have the best go with the flow baby anyone could ask for!

Going Places

Joel and I are very social people. More social than Joel would prefer. So when I talked to others about the possibilities of having a baby, I was constantly told that our social life would be put on hold. We couldn't take a baby anywhere, we were told. Well, I beg to differ. I knew that our baby would be just as social as we are and I wasn't wrong!


McKinley's first real outing, other than back and forth to his grandparents house, was Target. He slept through the whole store. Since he did so well there, we followed that trip with a visit to Nordstrom and he was amazing! A natural born shopper and it's a good thing too. Momma loves to shop so he better get use to this frequent outing. Of course I couldn't walk out of there empty handed. He got two of the cutest Boden separates which can be seen in photos below.


What I loved most about that trip to Nordstrom was feeding him in the ladies lounge. Because their lounges are equipped with large sofas and comfy chairs, I decided it would be the best place to tend to his needs. Well, he loved that idea as well. He laid back as if he were at home, and after his bottle, filled his diaper as though marking his territory! Thank god they have a huge changing station because we needed it! As I removed the soiled diaper, McKinley threw his arms back and waited for that diaper change to take place. I think Nordstrom will be our restroom of choice if we ever need to go through that again while shopping the mall!


In addition to shopping, McKinley is eating his way through local restaurants as well. He's had sliders at Applebee's, a turkey burger and truffle fries at Blanc Burger, the Buffalo Blue Chicken salad at Houlihan's, a summer chicken salad on the balcony of Brio and Corona Shrimp Taco's at Jose Pepper's! At least that's what we're telling him as he drinks his formula. During each of these dining experiences, he has either slept through the whole thing or people watched the entire night! This kid is remarkable in public!!

And he loves bathrooms, just like his mother! As a child, and even now, the first thing I do upon arriving almost any place is check out the restroom. McKinley loved the Applebee's ladies room for their loud music, as mentioned earlier the oversized changing station in Nordstrom and the huge family restroom at Buy, Buy, Baby! He may be fussy upon entry, but once he's laying down, it's all smile and coos for this kid.

You will find, if you haven't already, that kids are very adaptable. If you take them out and about during their first couple of months in this world, they will become acclimated to the world around them. If you leave them at home all the time, how in the world can you blame them for acting out when you do finally expose them to the outside world? It would seem to me that they are on sensory overload and can't handle all the things going on around them. I guess each to his own, but for this family, we are movers and shakers and McKinley is shaking it like a pro!!

Photo Session:
These are the two pieces McKinley received on his first trip to Nordstrom! The hoodie on the left was taken on his one month birthday. I love the green and cream stripes with the navy anchor. Very nautical! The madris plaid shorts were captured on his two month birthday. He has room to grow into them, and he sort of looks like Urchel, but I don't care! I just can't believe how much he changed in just one short month. Regardless, he is styling in both photos, as I knew he would!

McKinley

McKinley Edward Krasnow

This is McKinley, my inspiration behind the blog. He is our one and only and we waited almost eight years to start this little family. Boy, was he worth the wait! McKinley came into our lives on Wednesday April 6th, 2011 and has been an absolute joy. Everyone tells you it is a love like no other but you can never understand it until it actually happens to you. Other than my husband, he is the love of my life!

I am on my final week of maternity leave and it is killing me to have to leave him starting next Tuesday. I know he will be in excellent hands, as my parents will be his full-time sitters, but it is so hard to think that someone else will be raising him in my absence. During his 3:00 A.M. bottle this morning, I found myself crying at the thought of leaving him and I asked him if he would remember me at the end of each day. He looked at me through tired eyes, as he sucked away on his formula, and I can only imagine he was saying "but of course". 

That's when I decided to start this journal about my time with him, and Joel's too, so that I feel like I'm not losing eight hours a day without him. Instead, I can recall all my time spent with him, the accomplishments he's made with our assistance, the adventures we've been on or will create over time as we continue on this incredible journey called parenthood! I hope you follow along with us.