McKinnon Gang

One foot in front of the other

2011-06-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of people out there with a “bucket list” - which is exactly as it sounds - it's a list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket. I haven’t actually taken the time write out each individual item, but I have a running list in my head – going on an African safari, running with the bulls in Pamplona …etc. There is one item that’s never appeared on my bucket list until now - climbing a 14,000 ft. mountain!!

One of my friends is a very avid climber. He’s the type of guy that would be considered certifiably insane in any other state, but Colorado breeds extreme people. A normal weekend might involve him climbing two peaks and biking 300+ miles on his road bike. During the summer months, my friend leads a group of novice hikers to the summit of some of Colorado’s “easier” 14,000 ft mountains.

So on Saturday morning a group of 10 friends/co-workers/etc. set off on a 6 hour hike to the top of Mt. Bierstadt (elevation 14,060). Strangely, I wasn’t as worried about the climb as I was the 5:00am start time. The bottom line is that I am NOT a morning person – especially without my coffee. And wouldn’t you know it; Starbucks doesn’t open until 5:00am; which doesn't do me much good unless by some act of God there’s a Starbucks at the top of Mt. Bierstadt. I really thought my chances were good – to be fair, I’ve seen them in stranger locations.

Long story short, we walked, walked and walked…then stopped for a break – I ate a Luna bar – then walked, walked and walked some more. We were at the summit by 10:00am and were down at the car again by 1:00pm. It was such an amazing experience – one that can’t really be described with words. Second to running a marathon, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

Here are a few pictures which may provide a better description of how truly monsterous this accomplishment was – and how awe-inspiring the mountains are.

Oh – and before I forget, I saw first-hand two animals that I didn’t even know existed before Saturday. A marmot and a pika…if you’re interested, look them up.

Marmot

Geological marker at the summit.

Log book at the summit.

Where's the Poop?

2011-06-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a milestone day for Ross! It wasn't his first Father's Day - it was actually his third. However, it was the first one that didn't end with getting pooped on. That's just what you get with newborns.

So what did we do to celebrate? We packed up the family and went hiking at Red Rocks! We all had a blast! The kids even got to see some wild-life. At one point we stopped for a break when all of a sudden we looked up to see three male and two female Mule Deer walking toward us. They were eating grass and trying to find some shade. After a while they all laid down under a tree for a nap - at which point Kate screamed out "Night, Night Deer!" over and over and over...as if she expected a response.

As we got the backpacks ready to go, the kids
wandered off and started exploring.

Ross, Connor and Morgan getting ready to hike.

Kate and I enjoying a great day in Colorado.

Family Picture.

Morgan and Kate taking a break under a shade tree.

This is the face that I got when I asked her to "smile".

Red Rocks Park, CO

Morgan found a tiny stream of water to cool off in.

Summer Fun in Denver

2011-06-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's been the most amazing summer here in Denver. Now, I know why people LOVE Denver so much. I mean the winter was fun. There is nothing better than having some of the worlds best skiing at your finger tips. But the summer - that's been our favorite part so far. The high's are in the 80's and the lows in the 50's (at night).

We spend ALL of our time outside. Every Sunday night we take the kids to "Jazz in the Park" - it's a free concert at City Park with a variety of artists who rotate each week. We pack a bottle of wine for the adults and a picnic dinner for the kids and meet up with some of our closest friends for a great evening of fun.

We're also frequent visitors to the zoo, any park with a swing set and some of Denver's best hiking trails.

Connor was trying to play golf like his daddy.
Maybe we should start with smaller clubs.

Kate is ready to go swimming. Ross said that she
looks like one of the three blind mice in this photo.

At Quince and Mary's wedding. She took her matching bow off in
the car and I didn't notice that it was missing until it was too late.

I'm offering a reward for anyone who can take a picture of all four
of us - looking in the same direction and smiling at the same time.

Our Journey with SPD

2011-06-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

While reviewing my last few posts, I realized that I start off almost every one of them with “It’s been a long time since I last updated…” – so no excuses this time. I’m just going to just jump right in…

On May 23rd, at the advice of our pediatrician, we got Connor developmentally tested. What does that mean exactly? It means that my sweet baby was subjected to a four hour evaluation by five different doctors (pediatrician, psychologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, speech therapist). We literally sat in a room with a two way mirror, video camera and a microphone set up in the corner and they ran him through a series of tests to gauge his fine motor skills, gross motor skills, cognative development, social development etc.

It was intense and Connor did well. It was not his best performance ever, but who can blame him. After an hour of being poked, proded and challenged – he was done. He kept asking to go home - but we still had another three hours to go.

At this point, you’re probably asking yourself several questions. 1. Why did our pediatrician feel that this level of evaluation was necessary? 2. What was the outcome?

We’ll first; we’ve been worried about Connor’s development for a long time. He has always been a little delayed but we started to notice that these delays were getting in the way of his ability to relate to his peer-group at school. Example: each morning Connor would run into his classroom and sit down to join a group of kids who were playing with blocks or cars. He would immediately jump in and start playing with the same toys that they were. However, if they were playing cars then Connor would pick up the car, turn it over, start spinning the wheels and stick the whole thing in his mouth to feel the vibration.

As his peer-group got older this type of behavior became unacceptable. They started thinking it was gross to put toys in your mouth and they knew the “correct” way to play with cars, etc. Connor began to be ostrascized. Please rest assured that this is not the only reason, but it gives a fairly solid example of what was going on in his world.

So that leads us to the second question, “what was the outcome of the evaluation?”

The panel of evaluators felt that Connor has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). SPD is a condition that exists when sensory signals don’t get organized into appropriate responses. It can be likened to a neurological “traffic jam” that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. So in the example above, Connor’s nervous system was seeking the vibration caused by the car with spinning wheels.

Essentially, they felt that Connor would benefit from regular visits with an Occupational, Physical and Speech Therapist to help retrain his nervous system to respond correctly to signals from his environment.

So fast forward several weeks, Connor is full swing into his therapy sessions (1x per week OT, PT and ST) and he’s doing GREAT! I’ll talk more about his therapy in another post, but when I asked his OT if she felt that Connor would be able to overcome this challenge and function in normal school settting, she said YES!! She does not feel that this is something that will hinder him throughout his life. With the proper therapy, Connor will be able to fully integrate with his peer group and learn how to accurately process sensory signals from his environment.

I have always been so proud of my baby boy! He is a fighter and when life get’s hard, he finds a way to get through it with a smile on his face. He is my inspiration and I am prepared to help him overcome this latest challenge. I love you Connor!!!

Pictures

2011-04-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

These days, it's been difficult to get good pictures of Connor and Kate. They're usually running wildly through the house and despite my best attempts one or the other has food on their face or shirt. However, I was able to snap a few cute pictures and wanted to share them here.

My Little Cowgirl...ballerina...ok, I'm confused?!?!?

Sweet Kate

My Handsome Little Man

Connor showing off his birthday present!!!

Little Nibbles #5

2011-04-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

1. Kate calls Connor - "nonnor". The other day she opened the drawer where we keep the bibs, pulled one out and started chasing him around the house trying to put it on him. She kept running after him saying "nonnor", "nonnor".

2. Connor is learning how to share with his pesky little sister. He still gets so upset when she steals his favorite toys, but he's getting better at asking her to share.

3. Kate has learned how to say "No!" Now every question is met with only one answer - NO!
Me: "Kate, are you hungry?"
Kate: "No"
Me: "Do you love Mommy?"
Kate: "No"
Me: "Kate, do you really think you'll end up needing your college fund?"
Kate: "No"
Me: "Good, then you won't mind if Mommy goes on a shopping spree with it, right?

We're Baaaacccckkkk!

2011-04-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

It's been months since I've given this blog any attention. Instead of apologizing and listing the 101 reasons why I haven't posted anything new - I think the best approach is to tell you about all of the exciting things that we've been up to in the past few months.

The kids are growing fast and they're keeping us so busy. Who am I kidding - they are in complete control. We try to keep up but each night when we put the kids to bed, Ross and I fall into a vegetated state caused by extreme exhaustion. After 8:00 our conversation resembles that of neanderthals with a series of grunts and gestures.

Connor and Kate are growing fast. They learn quickly from each other - so when one has a new found skill then it's not long before they are both doing it. Connor is still closing the gap on some of his developmental delays and Kate is extremely advanced for her age group. So for the most part - they meet in the middle.

Connor is speaking more and more each day. He knows his shapes, colors and can count to five on his own. He's starting to read more now. Instead of reading single words printed on flash cards - he's moved to reading short sentences in some of this favorite books.

Kate has the most acute fine-motor skills of any 16 month old I've ever seen. She's eating with a fork and spoon. She's completing puzzles, holding a crayon between her thumb and fore-finger and is an iPhone expert (and addict).

Thanks to the mild Denver weather, both kids play outside any chance they can get. On top of that, we try to find a new family activity each weekend. We've been to the children's museum, aquarium, zoo, indoor play gym, sledding, hiking, swimming and flying kites. You name it, we've done it.

Here are a few pictures of our many adventures.

Kate trying on the hat that her BeBe sent.

Connor's Birthday at the Denver Aquarium. Why does he need a bib? You'll see...

Yum, Yum!!!!

Birthday at the Denver Aquarium!!!

Fun at "Monkey Business" indoor play gym.

My little monkey.

Such a big smile for a little girl.

Sweet Boy!

The Big Milk Mystery

2011-01-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

As of few days ago, when I'm sitting on the couch in our living room - I smell rotten milk. We've looked everywhere. Under the couch cushions, behind the couch, under the couch - everywhere. I have NO idea where the milk is hiding but we've got to find it ASAP! This is disgusting. Thank God it's a rental house.

Remember When...

2011-01-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

The kids are growing so fast. Here are a few memories that I want so share.

1. When Kate wants something she points to it and says "me-my"...all day long...me-my, me-my.

2. Kate loves her teddy bear, but it's not just her teddy bear. She'll try to claim any stuffed animal anywhere no matter who it belongs to. However, her special teddy is named BaBu - a name she came up with on her own.

3. Connor loves his school and according to his teacher he's been adopted by the "blonde posse" (i.e. a group of little blond boys who love hanging out together)

4. When Ross asks Connor what the mommy says - he put's one finger to his lips and says "shhhhh" - to indicate be quiet. Nice!

5. Neither Connor or Kate can say "banana" - it comes out "nana" or "banannneena" or "me-my" (see above).

6. The other day, I gave Connor a sticker for using the potty. I handed it to him and asked where he wanted to put it. He took the sticker from my finger and then walked over to Kate the stuck it on her shirt.

7. Kate is so independent - she will not accept help from anyone (as shown in the photos below).

**Incase you've been wondering why I haven't been posting many picture's of Connor lately - it's because he is in constant motion and I can't find shutter speed fast enough to capture him fly by**

Kate refused to have help eating her yogurt, so this is the result.

I don't need help eating. I got this...

Playing in the tunnel.

Peek-a-boo!

My sweet boy is growing up so fast!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

2010 was a busy year in the McKinnon household. It was a year marked with milestones (crawling, walking, talking), new cities, new states, new schools, new jobs, new friends...

It's been a full two months since we moved to Denver. The kids have adjusted to their new school and love their new teachers and friends. They've learned how to wear heavy coats, hats and gloves and have mastered the art of walking in snow boots. They've also discovered the joys of sledding and snowball throwing.

Kate is walking now...no scratch that - she's running and trying her hardest to keep up with her big brother. There are still some things that she's too small to do, but that list is getting shorter each day.

Connor is growing so fast. He's started talking a lot more and is becoming more confident. He's the sweetest kid and is very polite - even saying "please" and "thank you" when he asks for things.

Connor and Kate are typical siblings. They love each other and play well together...add the jealousy, competition, etc. and there's never a dull moment around here.

We had a great time over the holidays. Most of our furniture is still in San Antonio. Since we're still trying to sell our house, we kept it fully staged. So as you can imagine, our rental house is fairly empty - which is bad for us...but great for the kids. They racked up on new toys for Christmas and now we have basketball goals, play kitchens, toy slides, doll strollers, etc., etc. taking up space where our furniture should be.

Ross's mom came for Christmas this year. We had a great time and the kids loved seeing their Bebe. Here are a few pictures from the holidays.

Kate's excited about Christmas. She kept trying to open presents early.

Aunt Ivy sent a new play kitchen!!! Connor and Kate love "cooking" with it.

We were all glad to have Bebe come for a visit.

Kate decided to try out her new doll stroller while Ross was still assembling it.

Bebe gave Connor and Kate new Auburn gear for Christmas.
Grandma/Opa and Great Grandma English gave the kids a new table to play on.
Thanks so much for the great presents!!!!

Kate got tired while sledding, so she tried to take a nap on Connor.

Winter Park, CO

After sledding, we all stopped at Demo's for a beer and bite to eat.

What a fun Christmas day!! Now it's time to head back to Denver.

Tickled Pink

2010-11-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

It's evident from these pictures that Kate loves her birthday present. I just adore these pictures.

Happy Birthday Kate!!!

2010-11-23T19:09:00.000-08:00

Wow! It’s hard to believe that a year ago today, my sweet little angel was born into this world. Kate has been the most remarkable baby and she literally amazes me on a daily basis. I’m amazed at her drive, her intelligence, her compassion, her competitive spirit her determination, and her athleticism. We always say that Kate is a force to be reckoned with and when she sets her mind on something it’s only a matter of time.

Kate was born on 11/24 at 10am, after Dr. V convinced us to induce. She was a big baby and the doctor was worried about her size and my blood pressure. I think Kate was already developing her exit strategy, but we just speed up the process a little. I’ll never forget the first words out of Dr. V’s mouth when he saw her….”wow, that is a BIG baby” – she was 8lbs 12oz which isn’t huge in the world of babies – but for me, she was a big baby.

Now, keep in mind that Ross and I didn’t find out Kate’s sex, so I was waiting for someone to announce that “it’s a girl or it’s a boy”…that someone was Ross. He was so excited “It’s a GGGGIIIIRRRLLLL”. Just what he wanted in his life, a female who would take his money and one day break his heart. I’m only half kidding.

So the last year with Kate has been interesting to say the least. Kate was a born eater. When we were in the hospital, the nurses had to keep waking me up at night to feed her…over and over and over. Of course, after all of the problems we had with Connor, I didn’t mind. I loved that she was eating. It wasn’t long before Kate reached the 105% on the growth chart and at three months old she was already wearing 6-12 month clothes.

However, Kate had terrible reflux. It was so bad that she couldn’t sleep flat on her back. We had to either hold her or elevate her in order for her to sleep. And then there were the countless wardrobe changes. Eat – throw up-sleep – eat – throw up-sleep.

Once we made it past the reflux, then came the separation anxiety. For some period of time, I was the only person who could hold Kate without her erupting into big huge crocodile tears. Not Daddy…only Mommy. Not the daycare worker, or the Bebe, or the Grandma or the Opa…only Mommy.

Once we made it through that then there was the “I’m too big for my britches” stage. The “I watch my big brother and will try to do everything he does” stage. The “fall off the couch, bump my head, smash my fingers and cry like a banshee” stage. Bumps, bruises, black eyes, busted lips, blood…you name it, she’s done it.

Now we’ve got the toddler Kate. She’s walking, talking, problem solving and she’s developed a little attitude to go along with her new found independence. She can walk across the room, stop to pick up a toy and keep on cruising. She can say, mama, dada, baby, bear, bye-bye, moo and boo. She’s also learning that teeth are not for biting people…only food. And she’s decided that babies can live on a diet of bananas alone. No meat, no veggies, no other fruit…just bananas. I’ve got to work on that one…

Here are some pictures of Kate…

Tree Hugger

2010-11-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

I guess Connor is getting ready for our move to Colorado.

Michael Strahan

2010-10-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

The other day, Ross told Kate that she looks like a cross between Tinker-Bell and Michael Strahan.

In case you don't know Michael Strahan is the former defensive end for the New York Giants and has a gap in front teeth that is as wide as the Grand Canyon.

Michael Strahan

Tinker - Bell

Strahan + Tinkerbell = Kate

"The Goat" and "One Shoe"

2010-10-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

I took Connor and Kate to the doctor today for their flu shot. When I picked the kids up from school, I found Connor at the table eating his snack. They're learning to drink from open cups in his classroom. Connor, of course - dumped the entire contents of his cup on the table leaving a very large water puddle to play in. He had also taken his shoes off on the way to snack time - leaving one in the doorway and the other MIA (missing in action). I also gathered that whatever they ate for a snack contained a fair amount of chocolate because he was wearing at least 1/2 of it on his shirt. I love my boy - but my God, it is impossible to keep him clean.

I put the one shoe back on his foot while Ms. Victoria searched for the other. After a few minutes she came back - no luck, we'll have to get it tomorrow. So I turned to Connor and said "Come on 'one-shoe' (his Cherokee name) we've got to run or we'll be late for the doctor", and I started to walk down the hallway - Connor chasing after me with a slight gimp caused by wearing only one shoe.

When we got to Kate's room, I could tell that she had a messy day too. She was in her "emergency" change of clothes with no pants, shoes or socks. At this point I didn't even stop for an explanation. After all, it didn’t matter – we were going to look like hobos at the doctor’s office and there was nothing that I could do about it. I scooped her up and headed for the car - Connor hobbling behind me the whole way.

On the way out of daycare, I stopped long enough to give both kids a sticker from Ms. Brenda's desk. I placed one on Connor's hand and the other on Kate's hand.

By the time I reached Dr. Bourland's office, I noticed that Kate's sticker was gone. Not thinking any different, I just assumed that she had peeled it off and dropped it in the car. It wasn't until we were in the examining room and she began coughing and her face started turning bright red that I realized that she had eaten the sticker!!!

I ran out into the hallway (‘one shoe’ awkwardly running after me) and found a nurse. I quickly told her that Kate was choking on a sticker and I needed help. By the time she put gloves on and pried Kate's mouth open the sticker was gone.

Back in the examining room another 15-20 minutes later I start to notice that Kate's tongue is rolling around in her mouth - like she's chasing something from cheek to cheek. By this point the doctor is in the room and I'm telling her how Kate had almost choked on this stupid sticker. Then (almost on queue), as I say "and then she swallowed it", Kate sticks out her tongue and on the very tip is that damn sticker. I grabbed it quickly and threw it in the trash.

My little goat strikes again....

Pumkin Patch 2010

2010-10-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

Connor and Kate are growing up so fast. While I'm so proud to see their progress, I'm also sad that my sweet babies won't be babies much longer.

Connor has started showing interest in potty training and he's had several successful attempts! And Kate will be done with formula soon and is eating solid foods like a champ.

Before I know it, they'll be off at college and Ross will be convincing me why we should sell the house and buy a travel trailer. It will happen, I promise. Check the blog in 17 years and I'm sure you'll see a post about how he's spent our life savings on a travel trailer and how I retailiated by cutting the nipples out of all of his Auburn shirts.

BTW - Secretly, Ross and I are planning to buy a G6 with the money we'll save when we're no longer buying diapers and formula. :) Gangsta!

Pumkin Patch!!!

Sleeping at the pumpkin patch

Fun at the park

Holy Cow!!

2010-10-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

I think I've overstayed my welcome in India. Today, my co-workers tried to kill me...not with a knife or gun...but with spicy food. I think it was their way of telling me to go home. They even laughed at me as I was gasped for air and reached for the water.

If only they could talk to the waitress at Thai Lao in San Antonio. Surely, she would tell them about the maximum level of spice that I've endured there. In general, I'm joking but I wonder what type of ulterior motives led to this type of cruel and unusual punishment. :)

Honestly though, my distaste for India hasn't gone un-noticed. My driver - who is probably the proudest Indian to ever live - seems disheartened by the fact that I've only taken pictures of the drive to work and back. So today, completely against my will he took me on a sightseeing tour of Bangalore (making me an hour late for work in the process). He showed me the parliament building, a palace, City Park and the planetarium. He also made it clear that we were continuing the tour tomorrow.

Communication with him is a challenge. Sadly, I understand my beloved Blanca more than Divakar. Keep in mind that Blanca speaks no English and I speak no Spanish. Divakar DOES speak English yet the conversation goes something like this:

Divakar - I take you for photos tomorrow.
Me - No, thank you. I need to get to work.
Divakar - Ok, I pick you up at 9:00 and we go to temple, palace and mosque.
Me - Oh, what the hell. It's just easier to agree.

So after spending a week here, I've figured out a few things about India.

1. Indians are very proud of their country. And when you stay in your 5 star hotel eating Italian food the whole time, they notice. Any they consider it their mission in life to introduce you to the culture, the food and the history that makes India truly remarkable.

2. The people here are some of the poorest in the world. Yet they do not feel sorry for themselves. They are happy with what they have and do not try to live outside their means (take note Americans). Even though I would compare India to border town Mexico only worse - they are proud of what they have. Proud of their culture, their heritage and their people. You know, it's really hard to feel sorry for someone who doesn't feel sorry for themselves.

3. Don't trust Indian's when it comes to food. If you do, make sure you have a paramedic nearby. Whoa Spicy!!!

Tomorrow night my co-workers have offered to take me to a steakhouse. WHAT?!?!? I'm not sure they realize that I'm from TEXAS - where we eat steaks for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eating steak in India is like eating Mexican food in Canada - plus, I'm fairly sure cows are sacred here...so...I'm not feeling very confident about this decision.

4. If you're anything like Ross, then read this one twice. Please what ever you do, start being nice to your Indian call center reps. We've all called a 1-800 number and had an Indian voice on the other end of the line. This is usually about the time that Ross pulls out his "special cuss words". However, after working with an Indian call center I have to say - the agents who get cussed at all day by wealthy Americans are the lucky ones here. They're thankful for their jobs and they're trying their hardest. I don't agree with the offshore business model - but after seeing it first hand - I think we should treat all humans with a certain level of respect. I'm just sayin....

The Illusion of Paradise

2010-10-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

India is an interesting place to say the least. It contains some indisputable crown jewels like the Taj Mahal, magnificent temples/mosques and scenic seasides. However, I have yet to see the charm. Think I'm being too harsh???

Here's what Lonely Planet.com has to say, "Rebranded Bengaluru in November 2006, the city more commonly known as Bangalore is not an obvious charmer. The crazy traffic, associated pollution and creaking infrastructure of this IT boom town will fast drive you demented. However, even though locals rarely sing Bengaluru’s praises as a tourist destination, it’s not a dead loss. There are a handful of interesting sights."

(BTW - the Taj Mahal is a 4 hour drive from Bangalore. I know what you're thinking...I just survived a 21 hour flight to get here, what's another 4 hours in the car...right? Well I have no plans to go - I'm sure I'll regret the decision one day, but my only focus now is getting home safely to Ross and the kids.)

In an effort to be more positive, I've found a silver lining - it's the ITC Royal Gardenia Hotel. My friend Shawn was right when he said, that I would have the time of my life as long as I didn't leave the walls of this hotel. Here are some pictures to show you what I'm talking about.

Lobby of the ITC Royal Gardenia Hotel.

The Pool

Ok - now after taking a picture

of the pool, I turned around 180 degrees,

walked 5 steps and looked over the

retaining wall and this was the view.

A few over the retaining

wall from the opposite direction.

Banga - what?!? Banga - who?!?

2010-10-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

I'm typing this from Bangalore, India - which is a place that I never thought I'd find myself. One of my co-workers described it best when he said "You'll have the time of your life, as long as you don't leave the hotel"...I thought he was being a smart a** at the time but NOPE he was being honest.

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for world travel. I even majored in International Business at Baylor and I'm no stranger to visiting unusual places. In the past, I've found myself in Kuwait, Dubai and even Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. So I could handle one week in India - right?!?!

I knew I was in trouble when I went for my vaccinations. I thought I'd run in and out - a few shots and I'm done. I expected it to be a :30 min appointment...2 hours later I walked out with 9 different shots - all containing multiple vaccinations. I also received a booklet at least one inch thick telling me about all of the diseases that I could die from in India. One is called "Dengue Fever" - it's contracted from a mosquito bite and will make me feel like every bone in my body is breaking. FANTASTIC - sounds like fun!!!

The second clue was a little more complicated and began thousands of years ago. India's High Court was scheduled to announce a ruling on a decades old case involving a piece of disputed holy land (Hindu's vs. Muslim's). The whole country was bracing for mass rioting with security forces reaching 10,000 in the capital city of Delhi. This verdict was supposed to come out on the 21st and was postponed until the 28th and postponed again until the 30th - which is the day after I arrived in India. So I basically spent the entire day in lockdown at the hotel - on pins and needles. In the end the disputed land was divided and no-one rioted. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I DO NOT GET PAID ENOUGH FOR THIS!!!

In the end, I'm here...I'm safe...and I'm counting the days until I can come home.

Bangalore, India. My drive to work.

Bangalore, India.

I guess this cow had to get to work.
I wonder which office he was headed to.

Trucks in Bangalore, India.

These guys were re-creating the
Virgin Media logo in colored rice.

Virgin Media logo written in colored rice.
FYI: Virgin Media is one of Accenture's biggest
call center clients. We have almost 900 agents
dedicated to this account - and they are the
primary reason that I'm in India now.

Little Nibbles #4

2010-09-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

1. Connor calls stars "twinkle". He has a hard time saying "st" so I guess twinkle is just easier.

2. Kate will NOT let me rock her to sleep. If I try, it's like holding a angry bobcat - with arms, legs swinging everywhere. Of course, if Ross holds her tightly in his arms she falls right to sleep.

3. I have to ask Kate a question in order to get Connor to talk. It goes something like this...
Me: "Connor - what's my name"
Connor: ....silence.
Me: "Kate - what's my name"
Connor: MAMA!!!!!!!!!

4. Kate is obsessed with cats and spends countless hours chasing Elvis and Gracie around the house. It usually ends with her pulling out a chunk of their hair and laughing hysterically.

Birthday Lunch

2010-09-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Ross and my mom share the same birthday (Sept 2nd) and Beth's birthday is only a few days later (Sept. 7th) so we took all the birthday kiddos out for a celebratory lunch.

Brithday lunch in Fredericksburg

Kate showing BeBe her bib

Like his mama Connor can't sit still for too long.
He got a little squirmy during lunch and had to run around.

Look mom! I found a leaf! (Notice the alfredo lip liner)

The apple doesn't fall far...

2010-09-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

What is it about kids and dishwashers?

Me (circa 1978)

Connor (2009)

Kate (2010)

Bebe's Visit

2010-09-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Ross, the kids and I have had a great time with Bebe. We started off spending 4 days in Beaver Creek, CO for Brian and Ana's wedding. As you know, Ross and I love Colorado - so it was exciting for us to share our favorite vacation place with Beth and the kids. After that we headed back to San Antonio where Beth stayed busy redecorating Connor's room. Pictures to come.

Here are some pictures from her visit.

Bebe, Connor and Kate in Vail, CO.

Connor and Kate in Vail, CO

Beaver Creek, CO

Kate at lunch wearing her finest Auburn gear.

Connor at Big Z's. Ready for his hamburger.

Beth, Connor and Kate on opening football weekend

Beth and Kate at Big Z's. Yum!

Lov'in on Morgan.

Busted!

2010-08-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

This picture is surprising for two reasons. ONE - I had no idea that Kate likes raspberry vinegrette dressing and TWO - I didn't know she could stand up all by herself. Surprise! What's next?? Walking? My goodness Kate - will you PLEASE slow down.

Remember When #3

2010-08-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

1. Last night during dinner, Connor reached over and pulled Kate's high-chair closer to him so that he could hold her hand.

2. When we walk outside, Connor almost always picks up a leaf and brings it to me like the most valuable gift on the planet. He gently sets it in my hand and then stands back to watch my reaction.

3. Connor is in a foward facing car seat and Kate is in a rear facing one. So they basically get to stare at each other during our car rides. To entertain themselves, they've taken to blowing raspberries at one another. They think it's harlious and I love how much it makes them laugh.

4. Kate's learned how to sneeze without removing the pacifier from her mouth.

5. Connor is extremely double jointed. He can point his finger straight out bending only the tip. It looks bizarre and painful.

Snake's like birthday cake too

2010-08-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

Today we took the kids to a birthday party at my friend Barbara Eckmann's house. Barbara has three boys and her middle son, Ethan was celebrating his 4th birthday.

When she greeted us at the door, Barbara looked over my shoulder and said "Oh, look there's the reptile man". Of course, my reaction was "excuse me...what?!?". That's when I turned around to see a guy unloading plastic containers from his car. After looking at the containers a little closer, I noticed that each of them had air holes poked in the sides.

Oh snap!

Flower Power

2010-07-31T19:24:00.000-07:00

Ross hates the flower headband, but I just couldn't resist.

Gracie's Dinner

2010-07-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

I used to wonder what happens around here while I'm away on business trips. Now I know...

A few weeks ago, after spending the week in D.C. I came home to this. I guess my mom got carried away after feeding Kate.

A cow says Moo

2010-07-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Let me paint a picture for you...

The kids stayed with my parents during our recent trip to Florida. When we got home, my mom surprised us with the news that she'd been teaching Kate to drink from a sippy cup (something I wasn't planning to do for another 5-6 months).

So - typical of most 2 year olds (and every man around the world regardless of age), Connor will take a sip from his cup of milk, then throw it on the ground and head for his favorite toy. In the mean time, Kate is lurking around the corner with her sites set on his cup. She sweeps out of the shadows like a flash and before I know it, she's drinking from his sippy cup. UGH - THANKS MOM!

Me: Kate!!!! You're too young for milk...and too young for sippy cups!!!
Kate: ??????
Me: Connor, seriously stop throwing your cup on the ground.
Connor: Dog! Bubbles!!!!
Me: OMG, I need a drink.

Kate's 7 month update

2010-06-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that Kate is now 7 months old! On one hand time has flown by so quickly but on the other hand it seems like decades ago that we brought her home from the hospital.

Let me explain. Like with most babies, the first three months were the hardest. At that age they need so much care and attention. They also don't know how to self-sooth and typically have their days and nights confused. With Kate, she would scream like a banshee if you put her down - even for a second. So whether right or wrong - I ended up holding her almost 20 hours a day. To make things worse, we allowed her to sleep with us for the first several months - I know, I know...please don't judge me. Regardless of what all of the baby books say, it's what she needed at that point in her life. And come to think of it, I probably needed it too.

Now at 7 months old, she sleeps in her own bed and can fall asleep alone. I thought she'd be 17 before we got to that point. Thanks for proving me wrong Kate!!

She's also got two teeth now with a third on it's way. And she's started crawling and pulling up on things. The other day I caught her using Morgan's fur to pull herself to standing. I don't think Morgan was very happy about it, but like always she was a good sport.

Kate learns so quickly. She watches Connor's every move and tries to mimic him as much as possible. The two of them play well together and seem to love each other very much.

Here are a few pictures of Kate.

Tattle Tale

2010-06-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Its official, Ross "dropped" Kate this weekend. He was changing her on the ottoman (not an approved diaper changing location) and she rolled right off. Let me tell you...she was pissed!!!! Not hurt - just really, really pissed off. She definitely let him have it and may have punctured his eardrum while telling him what she thought of him.

Total fall height - approx. 1.5 feet.

Landing - on her back and on the carpet

Screaming - reached pitches higher than Mariah Carey/Celine Dion

Feel free to leave diaper changing advice for Ross in the comments section. You shouldn't need a log-in name, just click the comments button and let him have it. :)

Letter from Connor

2010-05-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

We got an e-mail from Connor last night. He's spending a few days with his mimi and opa and I guess he felt the need to write. SMILE.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hi mom and dad, I sure had a fun day today. Ate lots of good food too.I played out in the yard, rattled some gates, played with Tanners tirejump and got to see him jump thru it too.

Took a nap with MiMi, had some snacks. Played with the TV, on off on off on off on off.... I found MiMi in the bathroom and she told me we would go outside to playin the water. Well I reached up on the bathroom counter and got hold ofOpa's glass of water. Before I knew it I had spilled it right in myface. OHHHHHH it was cold. I didn't cry or fuss. I just thought Iwould start the water fun NOW!

Then we went out side and got the hose.Sprayed Tanner and the horses, and OH I got sprayed too. I giggled and laughed. Then MiMi let me have the hose. I figured out how to make it spray. I also found out what happens when you put the whole hose inyour mouth. Boy that's a lot of water (it was on low).

Then we sat on the hammock and I pushed it with my feet to make itswing. Next we had a snack and then I got to ride Lobo. Opa was infront and MiMi was at my side holding my leg. I can ride with no hands at all.

When I got off I got to raise up the flap of the saddle and see what is underneath. Then I gave Lobo some love pats. Next was dinner, bath, brush teeth, dry hair and read a book. I was so tired (but I didn't fuss AT ALL!) I did fall asleep in MiMi's arms. Night night.Tomorrow is another day.

Love ConCon

Rolling Stone

2010-05-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

To celebrate her 6 month "birthday" Kate has learned how to roll herself around the living room with purpose and intent. Last night Kate was laying on the floor and Connor - being the good big brother he is - brought her one of his toys (a pink plastic pig). Kate proceeded to play with this poor innocent little pig by swinging it around wildly and then banging it on the floor until she "accidentally" managed to throw it across the room.

Since she wasn't done tormenting it yet, she rolled herself 5 or 6 times to the left until she was face to face with the pig once more. Thinking this was just a coincidence, Ross picked her up (without the pig) and moved her a couple of feet away. Within seconds she was back - almost defiant that we'd ruined her fun and determined to make this pig her pay for whatever it did to her.

Meanwhile, Connor was standing in front of the TV clapping with the studio audience on Minute to Win It. As they were interviewing the contestant in the foreground, the studio audience was clapping in the background and Connor was taking his cue from the audience. What a nut.

Remember when...#2

2010-05-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

We weighed Kate today and at 5 1/2 months old, she's a whopping 19 1/2 pounds! I'm thrilled to have a big, happy, healthy baby - but seriously why does it have to be one extreme of the other? Connor was 14 months old when he finally broke into the 20 lbs range.

Connor loves his baby sister. He loves to give her hugs and show her how to use some of his favorite toys. Kate loves Connor too. She watches his every move. I'm sure this will end one day soon - but for now I treasure how sweet they are to each other.

We've been taking Connor horseback riding as much as possible. Not only because it gives us an excuse to visit my parent’s ranch, but it also helps Connor with his balance and self esteem. He's becoming so confident now that he can ride without holding on and tells the horse to GO when he stops. He's my little cowboy.

Kate provides free entertainment to her daycare classmates. The teachers told me that they like to put Kate in an excersaucer next to another baby. Kate then talks, laughs and blows raspberries at the other baby keeping them happy and entertained. Fast forward 20 years and this will probably manifest itself into dancing on tables while singing Karaoke. Oh my!

Connor's crib got recalled. So until we buy a big-boy bed, we put his crib mattress on the floor and that's where he's been sleeping (ghetto, I know. Don't judge me!). He's usually very good about staying on his mattress and then falling asleep on his own. Seriously, we read him a few books, kiss him goodnight and then leave. He's got several toys that he likes to play with and then he falls asleep when he's ready. But the other night, he wasn't ready. Instead of staying on his mattress like he usually does, he decided to get up and start knocking on his door to get out. The funniest part is that he didn't start crying and screaming. He just calmly knocked on his door until we came and got him.

Have you hugged your watusi today?

2010-05-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

We really needed to get out of the house today. So we packed up the kids and headed to the drive-thru wildlife safari. Connor had a blast for many reasons...seeing the animals was cool, feeding them was even cooler. But driving down the road while standing in my lap and hanging his body out of the window - that was the coolest!

Before anyone even thinks about calling CPS, I had a kung-fu death grip on him and the maximum speed through the safari was 5mph. Anyway, the thought of him squealing with joy as the ground whizzed by (remember only 5mph) and the blood was rushing to his head - that is a memory that I won't soon forget.

Kate slept through most of the drive-thru safari, but she woke up just in time for lunch and the petting zoo. Here are some pictures from our little adventure.

OMG! Get me out of here before that buffalo comes any closer.

These two black and white things look like trouble.

Ross feeding the Zebra. While this was happening, Connor was busy helping himself to the zebra food. I took my eye off of him for one second and he had a mouth full...just picture green alphalfa pelets streaming out of his mouth...UGH.

Hey BK did you know that baby toes are a goats favorite meal? Yum!

Excuse me, this goat is NOT respecting my personal space.

Is he still looking at me??? CREEPY!

BK loves her daddy!

Our Little Cupkate

2010-05-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

I have to give major props to Ross's neice - Lauren Ann. When we were in Alabama she gave Kate the cutest nickname - Cupkate. Why? Because she's an adorable little cupcake with a dabble of frosting on the top of her head.

So here are the latest pictures of cupkate (5 months). Notice the drool - yup she's teething already. Oh my!

Birthday in the Park

2010-04-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Ok - so it only took me a month to post this...Come On! Give a girl a break. I've been busy.

Ross, Connor, Kate and I had a wonderful visit to Alabama for Easter. We had so much fun seeing the whole family.

There are so many babies now (4 under the age of 2). It's amazing how fast this family has grown in the past few years. Here are a few pictures from Connor's birthday in the park. Special thanks to Ivy for throwing a fantastic park party. We all had a blast.

Hey Aunt Ivy, Is this necklace made of Chocolate?

Kate, did you know that you're drooling on the mayor of Andalusia, AL? Uncle Earl makes the best baby holder.

Yea, birthday cupcake!

Cousins Ella Grace, Maddie and Lauren Ann - aren't they the cutest!!

These cousins will be TROUBLE one day. Kate - if you try really hard, you might have cute spikey hair like Samantha.

Samantha enjoying her cupcake.

Just Horsing Around

2010-03-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

Following a family tradition, Connor got to ride a horse for his second birthday. My mom had me on the back of a horse at 2 years old, so when she asked me if Connor could go for a ride...I said - sure, why not?

My mom has always been a horse lover - she's done dressage, hunter-jumper, polo-cross, competitive trail riding...and the list goes on and on. As most of you know, my parents live on a 45 acre ranch in the Texas hill country and they have three horses - which makes it really easy when you want to go for a ride.

Turning Two Texas Style

2010-03-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

As an early birthday celebration, Ross and I took Connor to Luckenbach for some live music. From almost day one, Connor's always loved music. We listen to music each and every day - in the morning and at night - we sing, we dance - it's a big part of his life.

However, it wasn't just about the music...Luckenbach is legendary in Texas and it was time that Connor see it for himself. This may have been his first trip to this historic town, but it won't be his last. When I was a little girl, my parents used to take me to Luckenbach all the time. They would hang out drinking beer and listening to music from Willie Nelson and Gary P. Nunn while we played horseshoes and washers all day.

Alright, I'm ready to rock out!

Let me up there...I can play a mean cowbell.

I'm super excited...Let's have some fun!

Oooppps! I got "picked up" by security for my provocative dance moves.

What?!?! My very own Harley!! Thanks Dad!!

Photo Shoot

2010-03-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we took Kate to our favorite photographer Kathy Weigand. Kathy's photographed our wedding, me pregnant, Connor as a newborn and now it was Kate's turn. I'm in the process of ordering some prints and jpegs from her, but for the mean time here are some shots she posted on her website.

Kathy Weigand Photography

.

Remember when...(#1)

2010-03-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

This day in age, with social networking quickly overtaking phone calls and face-to-face interaction as the preferred method of communication, it's no surprise that many of us have "friends" that we've never actually met. I definitely have a few "friends" that I've never been in the same room with. For example there's a blog that I love to follow written by my friend Jennifer Hopkins. I've never met Jennifer, but I used to work with her husband and I know that she's a fellow Baylor alum. Anyway, Jennifer's not only a very creative writer, but also an accomplished photographer. Her blog chronicles the lives of her family and her stories are witty and fun.

So Jennifer has a segment on her blog called "Bits and Pieces". This is where she highlights quick little stories about something funny her daughter said, or her son's favorite activity. Basically, it's a fun way to let her kids know about all the silly things they did when they were little.

I want to start something similar on my blog, so here we go...

1. Connor likes to call himself "Con-Con". They started calling him that at school since it's easy for the kids to say. Now if I ask him where Con-Con is, he points to himself.

2. Kate also has a nickname. Ross and I like to call her "BK", it stands for baby Kate.

3. Since we didn't know the sex of either of our kids, we had to arrive at the delivery room with a girl name and a boy name picked out. When Connor was born we had two boy names that we couldn't decide between and when Kate was born we had two girl names. For Connor it was between Connor and Cameron. If he was a girl, his name would have been Taylor Marie. For Kate is was between Kate and Kendall. If she had been a boy her name would have been Blake William.

4. Connor used to scoot backwards on his butt before he learned to crawl.

5. Connor loves to dance. He rocks side to side picking his feet up but not bending his knees. It makes me laugh because it looks a little like how Frankenstein would dance if he could. Anyway, he loves it when people dance with him, so he'll grab your hand and begin dancing wanting you to follow along. It looks halarious when we all do the Frankenstein dance in the kitchen.

Pretty in Pink

2010-03-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Kate. I can't believe she's 4 months old!

Ah...Houston, we have a problem

2010-02-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Connor's trying to figure out how to rocket Kate to the moon in her baby swing.

At this point he gives up and starts to swing her "manually"...all while hugging Morgan.

How high can we go????? She looks a little worried.

This is the face of trouble...

3...2...1...blast off!!!

Cool Whip

2010-02-21T10:22:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures of what happens when you give a 2 year old a bowl of cool whip.

My Sweet Babies

2010-02-13T20:51:00.000-08:00

Kate's Room

2010-02-13T20:46:00.000-08:00

Kate's room is finally finished! I can't thank Ross's mom enough...she not only made the curtains but she also painted the artwork to match her bedding. The room looks fantastic!

Funny Face

2010-01-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

Kate makes some really funny faces. I still haven't been able to capture the best of them on camera, but here are a few that make me laugh.

Pushing up makes me go cross-eyed.

Anyone want some buttered popcorn?

************************************
Ross didn't appreciate the funny face photos that I posted of Kate. So to make him feel better I promised to post some good pictures to go along with the bad.

For the record, I think the cross-eyed crazy faced pictures are funny.

*************************************

Butter Butt

2010-01-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

Kate's poops smell like buttered popcorn. Ross and I laugh about it all the time. There's never a question of whether she has a 'stinky' in her diaper...

Fact - this is one of the strangest comments that I've made on this blog to-date.
Question - do you think this will embarrass Kate when she reads it one day? Of course!!!

Cutie Pie

2009-12-30T11:05:00.000-08:00

Why so serious? Come on Kate, would it kill you to smile for the camera?

Hi mom. Watcha doing? Oh no, not the camera again...

Stop taking pictures and FEED ME!!

Christmas Photos

2009-12-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

I'm tired. I'll write more about our Christmas festivities soon, but for now these pictures will have to do.

Opa with Connor and Kate.

Four generations of English, Slater and McKinnon women.

My Little Picasso

2009-12-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

Connor tried his hand (literally) at finger painting today. The pictures say it all...

Kate (1 month old)

2009-12-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

A visit from MiMi

2009-12-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

My mom came to stay with us for a few days. It was so wonderful having her come. She's such a huge help with Connor and Kate and with another adult in the house, Ross and I were able to get a little sleep (which is like winning the lottery). Here are some pictures from her visit.

Controlled Chaos

2009-12-19T10:36:00.000-08:00

Ross and I are still adjusting to life with two kids. Right now our life can only be described as on the verge of crazy but not quite ready for the looney bin.

Baby Sister for Sale

2009-12-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

Kate's been doing fantastic! Her first doctor's appointment was yesterday and at 6 days old she's already gained back her birth weight plus an extra ounce. Way to go girl!!

Here are some more pictures of our sweet little Kate. I've also added one of Connor, who has decided to fully embrace his terrible two's.

Welcome Kate!!

2009-11-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

We're thrilled to welcome Kate Elizabeth McKinnon!!! Kate arrived at 10:13am on 11/24/09. She weighed 8 lbs and 11 ounces and was 21 inches long.

On our doctor's orders we had to induce. Mainly because my blood pressure was unusually high at my last visit and he was concerned that the baby might be getting too big. We started the potocin at 7:00am and the doctor broke my water shortly after. Much like Connor, once Kate got the message she was in a hurry to get here...3 hours and 13 min later she arrived after only three pushes.

Here is our precious little angel...

My mom with Kate - what a proud Mimi.

Ross's mom with Kate. Kate arrived two min. before Beth's flight landed.

Ross in love, ready to sign over his bank account and 401k.

How about a little 'snuggle-cuddle' after a long Thanksgiving day.

In deep thought...or pooping.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

What kind of costume do you give a kid who doesn't like to eat? Seems appropriate.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

Oink, Oink

2009-10-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

We're dealing with a possible case of the swine flu at my house right now. Connor's been recovering from his 4th case of strep throat this year and even though he was on antibiotics for days, he was still very cranky with a mild fever, slight cough, etc.

A visit to the doctor today, revealed that he does have the flu. However, because the swine flu is spreading like wild-fire through the community right now, doctors are not testing for the actual H1N1 strain. Instead, they're calling all cases of the flu, swine flu (i.e. Connor has the swine flu). BTW - Since he got his regular flu shot weeks ago, the chances are good that he actually does have the piggie flu.

The good news is that his symptoms are very mild. Other than a case of the crankies, he's in good spirits. Eating well, sleeping well, etc. Since the doctor thinks that he's had it for several days already, she told us to just watch him and let it run its course.

I don't mean to down play the subject, but I do feel that the media is blowing this whole thing out of proportion. As a matter of fact, my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, niece and nephew have also recently had a visit from the piggie fairy and all are recovering nicely.

McKinnon Family Report

2009-10-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, 99.9% of the posts on this blog are about Connor. It's my way of capturing the events of his life no matter how big or small.

Part of the reason that I do this is because my dear sweet mom can't remember anything about my own childhood. If I ask her, "when did I start walking" or "if I were a boy what would my name have been" the response is usually - I don't know. No offense mom...to be fair, Grandma doesn't remember anything about your childhood either. So this blog is really my way of retaliating against the hereditary memory loss that seems to plague my family.

However, in this post I thought I'd give everyone an update on the other McKinnon family members (even our pet manatee - Morgan)

Ross:
Ross has been traveling a lot over the past few weeks. Recently he took a business trip to New York where he met with his customers from an oil trading company headquartered there. He said that he had a very productive trip - even though each time I talked to him he was out at a noisy bar. Oh well, this is the oil biz, where the best deals are made on the golf course or sipping scotch over a dinner. They don't call it the "good 'ole boy network" for nothing.

After that he was in Houston for a few days of training. And in two weeks he leaves for Panama where he's doing some business with the pipeline there. When he's not jet-setting around the world, he's at home playing Bob Villa. Most recently, he installed crown molding in all of the upstairs bedrooms...what a handy guy! And that's not all...it wouldn't be a Ross update if I didn't mention football. Of course, he's really enjoying his role as the San Antonio Auburn Alumni President. So far, he's organized several game watching parties - each with a great turn out of Auburn grads (both young and old). Plus Auburn is 5-0 this season, so he's as giddy as a school girl right now...hehehe - I like that analogy.

Leia:
As for me, I've been incredibly busy at work (but what else is new). On top of my project work, which involves leading the change management effort around a departmental ITIL implementation (ITIL is a set of industry best practices which essentially standardizes and streamlines core IT processes. It enables IT to provide better customer service and fiscal accountability to their customer...i.e. the business)...OK YOU CAN WAKE UP NOW...I'm also the change lead for the account and recently had the opportunity to lead a several million dollar proposal to outsource a key business function to our off-shore delivery team in India.

On top of that, I have my night job of mommy (which is my favorite job of all). By now, you know all about how Connor is doing, so I'll focus this update on the new baby. Baby TBD is ready to rumble. He/She's been kicking up a storm and is now having daily hiccups, which I love. According to my doctor, he/she is growing right on target and has a strong, healthy heart beat. We have only 7 weeks left until the little one arrives...how exciting!!

Morgan:
Morgan is getting fatter and fatter by the day. I wonder if they have a dog version of "The Biggest Loser"? Connor thinks it's hilarious to feed her and Morgan is a willing participant. What can I do?!?!?

Kibbles and Bits

2009-09-24T04:10:00.000-07:00

I caught Connor eating dog food last night. His hands were in the bowl right along with Morgan's head. I guess they were trying to have a quiet dinner together. The worse part is that he was actually "eating" it. I mean chewing AND swallowing. YUCK! I can't get him to eat hot dogs or pasta...but dog food?!?!?

Right Said Fred

2009-09-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Long ago there was a band called right Right Said Fred. Their only claim to fame was a song called "I'm too sexy." The lyrics went something like this..."I'm too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts. I'm a model if you know what I mean and I do my little turn on the catwalk, I shake my little toosh on the catwalk". For some reason this song jumped in my head when I saw this picture. For anyone who isn't in touch with their pop culture side, this is the classic over-the-shoulder model pose.

Hamming it up at the dinner table.

You smell like a monkey, and you look like one too.

2009-09-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

We took a family trip to the zoo this weekend. We've been wanting to go all summer, but it's been too hot and miserable. So when the weather turned a little cooler, we loaded up the car and off we went. I think every other family in San Antonio had the same idea, because the place was hopp'in.

Here are a few of the pictures from Connor's first zoo trip.

Looking at the Flamingo's...

At the butterfly house. Connor wanted to take their plate of food.

That bear looks like he wants baby for dinner. Luckily there was a trench and steel fence in between us.

That fish was as big as Connor.

After seeing that huge fish, Connor wanted to go fishing.

New shoes

2009-09-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

Not long ago Connor and I caught an episode of Sesame Street where Neil Patrick Harris (a.k.a Doogie Howser) played the "shoe fairy". He spent the entire episode in a white tuxedo with wings on his back and handed out shoes to all of the characters that didn't have them.

At one point, after a very long (and painful) song and dance routine, Neil gave some magical running shoes to one of the purple fuzzy things (not sure of his name - what ever happened to the classic characters that I grew up with? Sigh!). These shoes had only one speed - fast. So this poor character spent the rest of the episode running and screaming across the screen.

Somehow Connor's managed to find his own magic shoes. Several weeks ago, I took him to Nordstrom’s to pick up some new kicks. Up until now, he's been wearing soft, leather soled shoes that didn't offer much support. So the purpose of our shopping trip was to find some 'big boys shoes' with hard soles and Velcro straps.

Connor and I quickly picked out several pairs of super hip baby shoes which were sure to make him the envy of his daycare class. Like a good salesmen, the guy put the first pair of shoes on Connor's feet, secured the Velcro strap and tried to check his toe position to make sure they fit properly. I emphasize "try" because the second the shoes were fastened securely, Connor took off across the store and didn't turn back...and he's been running ever since.

The clean plate club

2009-09-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

At the advice of our Occupational Therapist, Connor's been trying all kinds of new tastes and food combinations. He's still not eating solid foods, but at least he's having fun experimenting.

Tonight's delicacy...watermelon, ground beef and ranch dressing – of course, the ranch dressing won out over all other.

Apparently tonight was eat without hands night. That's right Connor - that IS how a piggy eats.

Oh sure! You won't touch real food, but you'll gnaw on a plastic placemat. Seriously, I give up...

Giddy-Up!

2009-09-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

I can only imagine that Morgan dreams about doggie heaven where she can lay in the sun with her feet up in the air while someone feeds her bonbons one by one. Sadly, she's forced to wake up to this instead.

Mom! Can you please put more batteries in my pony. I think its broken.

Notice the one arm resting on Mogran while the other holds the remote. Such a guy...

Pickles and Ice Cream

2009-09-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

Many people have asked me if I've had any strange cravings lately. I guess many pregnant women crave really bizzare things like snickers and pork rinds. Not me, my standard response is something along the lines of "YES - I CRAVE SUGAR – why do you ask? Do I smell a candy bar in your pocket?!?!".

With Connor I craved spicy food - the spicier the better. I even had a Thai waitress practically force me to sign a waiver when I said "extra spicy...go ahead lady give me your best shot". I think she assumed that my pansy American taste buds wouldn't hold up to Thai spices..."Stupid American". Either that or she thought that I would go into labor before I could pay my bill. Regardless, I earned my pseudo- Thai citizenship that day…well maybe not, but I like to think that I gained the respect of Thai nationals everywhere.

Ok…I’ve gotten off track. So Connor’s Occupational Therapist left us with some homework. She told us that for the next month, she wants Connor to play with his food (the messier the better) and to try everything in every combination - regardless of how it might taste to us. Ok, so here are some pictures from our little experiment…what is he eating you may wonder? Yup – pickles and cool whip (yuck), but strangely enough he loved it!

Reflecting on the past

2009-08-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was bitter sweet for Ross and I both. It was the anniversary of the day that we admitted Connor into the hospital for a feeding tube (at our doctor's advice). Luckily, Connor is doing fantastic today so while we all took a minute recognize how far we've come; we also reflected on the pain that we had to endure only one short year ago.

To be honest August 29th - September 2nd, 2008 was (and always will) mark one of the most painful experiences of my life. I can't even begin to describe how it feels to allow your 5 month old baby to be hooked up to a feeding tube or subjected to a variety of needle pricks, xray's and other tests - none of which provided any answers as to why he couldn't/wouldn't gain weight.

My heart broke every time a doctor or nurse came in to perform a test on him. Connor was scared and uncomfortable. He didn't understand what was happening to him or why he was in this strange place. As a parent you're pre-programmed to protect your child and shield them from pain. Instead Ross and I were forced to sit by and watch as one stranger or another inflicted pain on our sweet angel. And for the entire 5 days that we lived in this hell, we would have done ANYTHING to trade places with him.

Nothing was worse than on the third day, when our doctor made his rounds and my mom asked him, after reviewing all of the test results what he thought the problem was. He looked us straight in the eye and said these EXACT words, "In my professional opinion, I think your son has Cystic Fibrosis." I'll never forget the feeling - it was as though someone had stolen the air from in my lungs. Our entire world - our whole life was hanging on one doctor "opinion" and we would have to wait another two days for the official CF test to be performed (due to Labor Day weekend)

They performed the CF test on Connor on September 2nd (which is also Ross and my mom's birthday). The results would take three hours - the longest three hours of my life. I couldn't sleep or eat, I didn't want to talk to anyone or watch TV. I think we all just took turns cuddling with Connor in complete silence.

Luckily the results were negative!!! We went on to perform genetics tests on all three of us - those results were also negative!! We were discharged that day and Ross and I took our little angel home. After that Connor slowly began to eat more and gain weight. Within just a few short months we were able to get him back on the growth chart (from -15% to +5%) and climbing. Now he's sitting at the 15th percentile and quickly approaching the 25th. Strangely, Connor was never diagnosed with anything. To this day we don't know why he wasn't gaining weight. All I know is that he's doing great now and I hope that we never have to live through an experience like that again.

Splish...Splash...

2009-08-22T18:03:00.001-07:00

The conversation went something like this, Me - "Do you know where Connor is?" Ross - I don't know, I think he's in the kitchen, why? Me - "Uhmmm, What's that noise?" OMG! CONNOR - NOOO!!!!

By the way, check out his flashy PJ's. :)

Dilemma

2009-08-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

There's a big fury obstacle standing between Connor and a toilet that's just begging to be flushed...what to do...what to do...

Notice that Morgan didn't even lift her head for this. She's a fantastic dog, but sometimes we have to check her pulse to made sure she's still with us.

Four out of five dentists recommend it

2009-08-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

So I had a decision to make...do I take a few pictures first OR take the bone away as quickly as possible? I struggled with it for 1/2 a second and then ran for the camera. A few germs won't hurt him too much. Luckily it was a new bone...

Save a cow, eat a cheeto...

2009-08-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

Connor's doing fantastic these days! Not only is he walking like a pro, but he's finally found his appetite. It's about damn time! This kid has seriously kicked it into overdrive and has no trouble packing in more than 1000 calories per day (on average). And at the rate he's going, he'll likely jump up to the next growth curve at his 18 month checkup appointment. Finger's crossed...

Don't get me wrong there are still some things we're struggling with, but in general it's gotten much, much better. For example, we're still having a hard time getting Connor to eat solid foods although we're finding out that it's based more on preference than ability. For example, he'll refuse "adult" food but give him some cheetos and he'll start filling his cheeks like a chipmunk who's storing food for the winter. He's more than happy to eat cookies, pickles, strawberries, graham cracker and of course, cheetos however, offer him some hot dogs or cooked carrots and he'll lock it down tighter than Fort Knox. Oh my...

On another note, Connor's learned to read!! We've been working with flash cards to help his speech (or lack thereof) and even though we're still waiting for a major breakthrough in the speech department, he's really catching on. Ok, so before you think that I'm full of crap, here's how I know that my son can in fact - read. When we hold up a flash card that says "Wave", he'll wave...hold up a card that says "arms up" and he'll raise his arms up over his head..."ear" and he'll point to his ear, "clap" and he'll start clapping. Of course I'm completely pumped about this new breakthrough - partly because it helps to prove that Connor's just a normal kid who got off to a slow start...but also (and more importantly) because I can't wait to tell his pediatrician to "stick it" the next time she brings up potential developmental delays.

Bedhead

2009-08-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

A picture's worth a 1000 words...

Future plumber? Maybe not...

2009-07-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

Connor recently learned how to flush the toliet. Now it's his favorite activity. I'm fully expecting a higher than usual water bill until this new found facination ends.

Lights, Camera, Whipped Cream

2009-07-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

Connor had his TV debut today. Great Day SA (a local Good Morning America type show) did a small segment at his school. This video is around 4 minutes long and Connor makes several appearances.

My favorite part is when Connor ties to rip the hosts ear off - poor guy. Until we can figure out how to get the clip off our DVR, you'll have to paste this link in your web browser to view it.

http://www.kens5.com/greatday/video/gdsa-index.html?nvid=384157&shu=1

Alright already...I'm listening!!!

2009-07-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

I learned on Friday night that I'm still the undefeated champion of the "I'm stubborn and stupid" competition. The only way I can even begin to describe what happened is to say that I had a "perfect storm" kind of week...when work, home and health collided for a disaster of epic proportions.

Without going into details, I'll just say that I was treated to an unexpected, all expense paid trip to the hospital on Friday night. At my doctors orders, they admitted me for dehydration, exhaustion and a UTI. So after 12 hours on an IV, two rounds of antibiotics and strict orders to SLOW DOWN, I was finally released with one very important lesson under my belt - I need to know when to ask for help and can not try to conquer the world while pregnant.

Luckily baby TBD is ok, Connor never knew that I was missing (thank you Mom and Grandma for taking care of him) and Ross...we'll I owe him one. Even though he got to sleep in his own bed that night (while I was chained to a hospital bed, dragging an IV pole to and from the bathroom with my *ss hanging out of my hospital gown), still he's an amazing husband who was there for me when I needed him.

I thought a lot about Ross, Connor and TBD that night in the hospital. I'm embarrassed and disappointed in myself for trying to take on too much. It was stupid and careless.

I've been dis-owned

2009-07-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

Entirely by accident, we discovered how a simple doctor's appointment can piss off an entire family.

Let me explain...We had our sonogram appointment today and since we didn't find out Connor's sex ahead of time, we decided that this time around we would. However, at the last minute Ross and I changed our mind. Let's just say that my mom did NOT take the news well. If I'm lucky she'll start talking to me again in a month or two.

I've really been working hard to heal emotionally from the "health issues" that we faced with Connor. So going into the appointment today I wanted to find out one thing and one thing only. I desperately needed to know that this baby was healthy. Whether it was a boy or girl didn't matter as much as knowing that it had two arms, two legs, etc. Of course, Connor was perfectly healthy on the sonogram too and it's yet to be seen if this baby will have similar feeding issues, but the sonogram really helped to put my mind at ease.

Ross on the other hand really enjoyed the experience of standing in the delivery room while the doctor holds a seconds-old baby and announces that "It's a...". For anyone who hasn't had a surprise like this before, I can only compare it to Christmas times 10x. There really is nothing like it. So with that - we made our decision and told the doctor to stay above the waist. :)

The good news is that the baby IS healthy. It's growing on time and seems to be very active. When the dust finally settles, I can only hope that our family will understand that we made this decision based on what was best for us at the time. As for my mom, she can add this to the list of awful things I've done to her in the past. Love ya MOM!

He's one of a kind

2009-07-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today (http://dooce.com/) and I was both shocked and impressed with the level of candor that this author used to describe her battle with post partum depression. I can only image that it's a difficult topic, but instead of hiding the truth from her readers, Heather openly shares her struggles.

This got me thinking...What's the point of filtering the truth in order to create the allusion of a perfect life? I find it far more admirable to share the good and bad in an effort to be honest. It's also through the hard times that you learn the most important life lessons. What's so embarrasing about that?

So its with this new level of honesty in mind that I wanted to give an update on Connor. According to his doctor, he's been riding the developmental line for quite a while now. Before I explain, let me first tell you that the current trend in child development is very prescriptive. For example: ALL children should walk between 12-15 months. While I'm not here to debate the merits of this belief system, I will say that it leaves little room for individuality and does not at all consider "extenuating" circumstances like the one we faced with Connor.

If the doctor say's that Connor should be crawling between 9-12 months, then he'll start crawling at 11 months, 3 weeks and 2 days. Time and time again, he pulls it off just in the nick of time. Most recently he started walking only three days before his 15 month deadline (actually he was walking weeks before, but would only try it when he was holding onto someone - sounds more like a confidence issue than an ability issue).

Regardless, the doctor keeps threatening developmental delays. She's constantly saying things like "he's riding that line" and "we may want to consider further testing". It makes me furious because she's not taking into consideration that for the first five months of Connor's life we were completely focused on keeping him alive - leaving no time for development.

During the early months, Connor had to eat every 2-3 hours but at that time it was taking him 1.5 hours to finish a bottle. So it wasn't unusual for him to finish one meal only to get a 45 min break before starting the next meal. I'm not exagerating when I say that ALL he did for several months was eat and sleep. While other kids were playing/developing we were focused on keeping Connor out of the hospital.

The other thing that this very prescriptive view of child development doesn't take into consideration is family history. According to Ross's mom, half a dozen family members (from Ross himself, to uncles, cousins and neices) have all started walking at 15 months or slightly later. There's also a history of speech delays - another problem we're facing right now.

So to conclude this rant, I'm sick of hearing about developmental timelines. I whole-heartedly embrace individuality and I believe in my son and his ability to overcome. I know that Connor has had to fight through some very difficult circumstances and I commend him for his tenacity. He's had a rough start, but just like he's done with his weight gain - he will catch up.

As a side note: Neither Connor's teachers nor the occupational therapist we're seeing for his food texture issues are at all concerned about his development. They see him on a day to day or week to week basis and feel that he's progressing like a normal healthy child.

Time to call CPS

2009-06-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Since it was father's day, I didn't yell at Ross too much for this one. However, when CPS comes knocking at my door, I'll know why.

Where do beer and cheetos fall in the food pyramid anyway? Wheat and dairy?

This apple doesn't fall far from the tree

2009-06-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Unlike Ross, Connor likes to help with the dishes. It didn't surprise me to find him in the dishwasher. Especially since my mom has some photos of me at this age doing the exact same thing.

Little Gym

2009-06-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

We took Connor to Little Gym this morning. Before you get the wrong impression - it's not technically gymnastics. At Connor's age it's more about learning balance and other skills that he can apply to his physical development and later to sports and the occasional field sobriety test. He had a blast and really seemed to enjoy the challenge.

Waiting to go inside. Let me in - let me in!!

The "membership" we never expected to receive

2009-06-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

In November, Ross and I will be welcomed into the "two under two" club. This particular club isn't like the Junior League, or Alcoholics Anonymous (although it could easily drive you to drink). There aren't weekly meetings, membership dues, or officer elections. This club involves signing away life as you know it and embracing chaos with open arms.

Don't get me wrong, we're excited about the new baby, but we're also still working off the shock of it all. I'll tell you the same thing I told my doctor when he broke the news to me. "Never-ever in my wildest dreams did I expect to have a baby in 2008 and another one in 2009. That's just not natural".

You should know by now that Ross and I aren't typical parents. So, instead of designing a nursery, we're busy creating an NFL style playbook of parenting tips. We've also decided to move all of our valuables into storage and accept the fact that our house will double as a "Jump Zone" for the next few years.

Ready or not, the only thing left to do is to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

TBD McKinnon - ETA November 25th, 2009

What do you mean you prefer "them" over me?

2009-06-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

Boys-2-Men said it best with "It's so haaard to say goodbye...". Our sweet Tanner has left us for a better place. No - I'm not talking about doggie heaven although he would probably disagree.

Several weeks ago, Ross took Tanner to the vet for his yearly check-up. The doctor put Tanner on the scale and was flabbergasted when he registered a whopping 98 lbs (he weighed only 74 lbs last year). I half expected her to have PETA protesting in the parking lot before we could paid our bill. In our defense he's a big, high energy dog. At times, I have my doubts that Richard Simmons on amphetamines could give him enough exercise. Tanner left the doctor that day with a few shots, some heart worm medicine and strict orders to lose 20 lbs ASAP.

As you can imagine, we've been a little consumed with Connor over the last year and despite our best efforts we weren't able to give Tanner the daily walks/runs that he deserves. So that's when we decided that he should spend a few weeks at the fat farm (aka my parents 50+ acre ranch in the Hill Country).

When Tanner visits the ranch he gets to perform a variety of daily jobs - like feeding the horses, riding to the highway to pick up the newspaper, and keeping an eye on the chickens. And if this weren't enough, he also gets to swim in the river anytime he wants and is my mom's personal companion on horseback rides.

I had always expected Tanner to one day pick up the phone and ask us if he could live on the ranch permanently. However, I never expected to get a call from my parents saying that they'd fallen in love with him (what's not to love?) and they wanted to "adopt" him from us. I just didn't see it coming...

It was a really hard decision for Ross and I. Tanner is a beloved family member and we weren't prepared to let him go. But reality is that he spends 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in a crate. If that weren't enough, when we are home we're busy feeding and bathing Connor or getting him ready for bed - and with baby #2 on the way our time will be even more limited. So it's with Tanner's best interests in mind that we agreed to grant my parents full custody. Luckily, he's only an hour away and we can see him anytime we want.

You're a good dog Tanner - We miss you!

Our trip to Alabama

2009-05-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ross, Connor and I flew to Alabama for Memorial Day weekend. It was a very busy weekend full of new babies, old friends and great times.

Ross's best friend (also known as his first wife) got married in Fairhope - which is oddly enough is the exact same small town where Ross’s sister lives.

Ross and Will have quite a long history together. They met at Auburn years ago and have been responsible for a great deal of madness and mayhem ever since. They even lived together for 6 years which is some states consitutes a common law marriage.

Will is a really fun guy and we're thrilled that he found a wonderful girl to settle down with. The wedding couldn't have been nicer. It was held at a historic hotel on the bay and they exchanged vows at sunset on the water. Absolutely gorgeous!

And if that wasn't enough - we were also blessed with the arrival of our new nephew Daniel Crawford Holmes. Ross's sister, Ivy gave birth to a handsome baby boy on the day that we arrived in Fairhope (what perfect timing). I'm still amazed at how tiny and precious newborns are. We're so excited to welcome Daniel to the family and are thrilled that the family continues to grow.

We had such a great time hanging out with family and friends that we were disappointed when it was finally time to come home. Here are a few of the family photos from the weekend.

For some reason Connor likes to take people's socks off. He even does this to his friends at daycare. Strange...

Yum - chopped liver, my favorite!

2009-05-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

Since Ross is feeling like “chopped liver” right now, this is my feeble attempt to share some of the lime-light with him. Here’s what Ross has been up to lately…

--> Ross has started working out each night to P90X. Usually, I crawl in bed around 9 (early I know – but there’s a reason) and that’s when he puts on his workout clothes and gets “extreme”. I would no doubt be crying like a baby if I did these workouts. They are amazingly difficult and he’s seeing the results of his hard work after only a few weeks. Ross looks amazing! His clothes are falling off of him now and he has so much more energy (especially when compared to me – sigh). Way to go honey! You’re “extremely” awesome!!

--> When Ross and I took Connor to Christus Santa Rosa hospital for his surgery the swine flu was on the rise and people were sick with panic. We’re generally laid back about this kind of thing and other than staying informed; we were taking the normal precautions. However, when we arrived at Santa Rosa it didn’t take long to realize that we were greatly out-numbered in ethnicity (big surprise – considering it was downtown SA). And when one family after another kept walking into the waiting room bringing with them aunt, uncles, cousin, etc., Ross started turning into a full fledged germ-aphobe. At one point we were outnumbered – 25 to 3 (Connor's counted in the 3). I could see Ross eying the exits incase someone sneezed and he had to make a break for it. When they handed out a SA newspaper with the headline reading, “Confirmed case of swine flu in San Antonio”, I thought he’d reached his breaking point. Of course, I was laughing my ass off the whole time.

--> I supposedly “punched” (more like back-handed slapped) Ross in the face last night while I was sleeping (since I was asleep – he can’t get mad at me…right? – we’ll see). Apparently the force was so great that he woke up with two black-eyes. Although I can barely tell, his boss asked him first thing this morning if he’d been in a fight. Oops! Before you feel completely sorry for him – he once elbowed me in the head while he was asleep. He woke up at the point his elbow made contact with my forehead.

All joking aside, the real reason that Ross is feeling underappreciated is because society doesn’t give exceptional father’s the credit they deserve. When Connor was in post-op, the nurse came out to get mommy (not dad). Moms are generally seen as the care-givers, but not in our household. Ross cares for Connor as well – if not better- than I ever could. He helps every night by giving Connor a bath, or feeding him dinner. And he helps every morning by getting him dressed for school.

Ross and I came from families where our parents divorced when we were very young. To make it worse, we both grew up with father’s who abandoned us during our childhood. I know its Ross’s goal to let this scenario die with our generation. It’s very important to him that Connor understands that he has a loving father who genuinely cares for him and who is taking an active role in his life. Now that doesn’t sound like chopped-liver – does it?

My little hero

2009-05-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Connor is the most amazing child I’ve ever met. Ok - maybe I’m a little biased because I’m his mommy, but still – this kid is truly special. I haven’t publicized it much, but Connor had surgery yesterday. Before I get bombarded with questions, it was a fairly minor surgery and we’ve known about it for months. It was not critical or life-threatening and it was an out-patient procedure, so he was home the same day.

On the flip-side surgery is surgery and there is no way to downplay the fact that I’m allowing some doctor to cut into my precious son. Surgeries involve anesthesia, scalpels and a permanent scar (his first one ever – tear).

The reason I chose to write about it now is because Connor completely amazed me yesterday and I wanted to savor this memory for years to come. It’s also for the same reasons that I write this blog: 1. most of our family and friends do not live in San Antonio or even the great state of Texas (shocker) so the blog is a great way to keep them involved in our life AND 2. this is first and foremost Connor’s blog. When he is older I’ll share these stories with him so that he’ll have an account of his childhood.

Back to my story…We had to be at the hospital at 5:30am. So not only was Connor ripped from his cozy bed in the wee hours of the morning, but he also couldn't eat anything (not even milk) after mid-night. And that’s the amazing part – my son – tired and hungry in a new place with people poking and prodding him at that moment decided to put on a show for the doctor’s and nurses in the pre-op. He was standing on the bed screeching at like a pterodactyl (think flying dinosaur), laughing and making raspberries with his tongue (this is his favorite activity right now). Connor makes a raspberry after every word. It sounds something like this…dada-phthththth (spit flying everywhere). Everyone was cracking up at this crazy kid who was having the time of his life.

Now to be fair, Connor had no idea what was in store for him but regardless he was tired and hungry which is enough to piss off most babies and adults for that matter. But not Connor – we didn’t hear a single complaint out of him. When the nurse carried him away from us he didn’t even cry – he was just happy to flirt with a new face.

In my opinion he’s one brave little guy. The surgery lasted less than an hour and we were back by his side before he woke up. They let him recover for a few hours in the hospital and then sent us home. When Connor got back to the house, you would have never known anything happened to him. He immediately started crawling all over the dogs (pulling their hair and ears) and jumping around in his exersaucer.

I have a lot of lessons to learn from my son. I’m not nearly as laid back and accommodating as he is. I’m simply amazed by the fact that he can just go with the flow and that not much upsets him. I only wish I could be like that too. Connor you’re my little hero and I’m so proud of you.

Stop sucking your green thumb

2009-04-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

We took Connor to the nursery today. No not the kind for babies, although that would have been appropriate. I wanted to find some plants for one of our flower beds, so off we went - camera and all.

Mrs. McKinnon, There's been an accident...

2009-04-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

Connor got his first booboo while he was at school today. His teacher met me at the door and very seriously said, "Mrs. McKinnon, Connor had an accident today and we had to fill out an offical report. I need you to sign it". They're very serious about this kind of thing at daycare.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that they're so diligent, but I almost laughed when I saw the tiny little cut over his eye. Boys will be boys and I'm sure this is just one of many booboo's Connor will have in his lifetime. Either way I had to document the occasion with a picture or two.

The rib bone's connected to the...

2009-04-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

I won't eat meat from the bone. No fried chicken, no ribs, no t-bone steaks. My son however feels differently. GROSS!

BTW - I'm sure you can't tell from his pictures but he does get a bath each night and we comb his hair each morning. What else can I do? The boy loves to be dirty. :)

Happy Birthday Connor!

2009-03-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

Even though the party is on Saturday, Connor had a little birthday treat to celebrate his big day. He was cautious at first, but then...

Boys will be boys...

2009-03-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

Most people have clean kids - not me. At times, I have trouble distinguishing between Connor's baby pictures and Nick Nolte's mug shot.

Nick Nolte

Connor

Thank God for Girlfriends

2009-03-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

As you may have seen from my previous post, some girlfriends and I had a slumber party on Friday night. I can’t even begin to tell you how nice it was to have one night with NO responsibilities. No mouths to feed, no-one to clean up after, no crying baby or grumpy husband to care for.

Although Ross likes to picture it as one big lesbian lingerie pillow fight(nice try Ross), it was actually a very therapeutic girls night – full of wine, girl talk and lot’s of good laughs. Shari was sweet enough to host our sleep over at her house and went “above and beyond” by cooking us homemade waffles in the morning.

Laura flew in from Dallas and Dana drove in from Houston. So the 5 of us (Laura, Dana, Jessica, Shari and myself) headed over to the Cheesecake Factory for a late dinner. Then we decided to swing by Taco Cabana for some margarita’s. It was Shari’s bright idea to get them "to-go" (which they don’t allow). However, once she saw the counter clerk she decided that if she had to, she could beat him in a foot-race. So while Jessica and I were waiting in the get-away car, the rest of the ladies came running out, trying not to spill their drinks. Can you tell that most of them are from LA where drive-thru daiquiris shops are legal? They weren’t about to let some open container law get in their way. :)

It was such a fun night and I was sad the next morning when I had to leave my best girl-friends. I’m not sure if Ross will agree to it, but I think the girls should get together a little more often and celebrate – just being girls.

BTW – the reason that I said Ross might not agree - is because Connor chose to stay awake all night on Friday. He’s been doing this a little lately, and I tend to think it’s because he’s teething. Regardless Ross couldn’t get him to fall asleep until 4:00am. Out of pure desperation, he put Connor in bed with him and created a pillow fortress on the other side. He said Connor spent most of the night crawling all over him and having very in-depth conversations with the cats. At one point Ross woke up to see Connor – nose to nose with him and grinning from ear to ear. How can you be mad at that?

Connor's 1st Haircut

2009-03-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

Connor had his first haircut today!! Of course, I'm fairly sure that we were more excited about it than he was. Regardless, he was a perfect little angel and didn't fuss one bit.

I was a little reluctant at first but after I saw him sitting in his little airplane chair, I quickly realized that this was a milestone moment for my sweet little baby boy. He's growing up so quickly - so of course I totally geeked out and at that moment I was glad that I brought along our fancy new SLR to document the occasion.

Here are some before and after pictures.

Is 31 too old…

2009-03-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Is 31 too old to attend a slumber party? I hope not. :) Crazy Shari’s hosting a "girl’s only" slumber party on Friday night to celebrate Jessica’s birthday. I think it’s a fantastic idea, because in-between being a good employee, great mommy and fantastic wife (hey this is my blog – I can say whatever I want – smile), we ladies often neglect our friendships.

What better way to reconnect, than to watch movies, paint our nails and sip cocktails all night? Not to mention the fact that Jess is one of the hardest working stay-at-home mommies I’ve ever seen. So when I was asked to come and help her celebrate her birthday with some much needed girl-time – who was I to say no?

This reminds me of the last slumber party that I attended at the Falg-anator’s house. When I was working in advertising (long ago), a couple of friends from work felt the urge to hang out in our PJ’s and drink ourselves silly. So being the hostess with the mostess, Jenifer invited everyone over to her place (much to her husband’s dismay). We stayed up most of the night acting a fool and learning Christina Aguilera dance moves from the Lady Marmalade music video. Oh my!

Now that the hangover is long gone and the dance moves are a little rusty, I’m happy to say that the friendships and this photo still remain.

In my book, it might be possible to solve all the worlds’ problems by just throwing on some PJ’s and reconnecting with our inner child.

"L" is for lazy....

2009-02-19T17:52:00.000-08:00

I've been terrible about updating the blog this year. Honestly, I just don't have the energy right now. Work has been out of control and we've all been fighting one cold after another. God, I love daycare - also known as - the $200 a week petri dish.

On to other things...Connor's been changing so much. He's growing like a weed and his little personality is coming out more and more each day.

Until I find time write more, these pictures will have to do.

He's not "slow"- he just takes after his father

2009-01-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

While Ross and I were on vacation in Colorado, Ross’s mom (Beth) had the difficult but enjoyable job of taking care of Connor. Not only is Beth a nurse by profession, but she’s raised two kids of her own and has three grandchildren (Lauren Ann, Connor and Daniel – eta. June 2009). She’s far more experienced and qualified than I am at taking care of a baby – which is why we went on 100% worry free.

Connor is the most laid back, even temperament baby I’ve ever seen. He can go days without crying – literally. He’s just happy to “be” – happy to be alive, happy to be with you, happy just to sit and play. However, there is one exception. He’s hands down the most difficult baby to feed. I always know when a new daycare worker tries to feed him because his take home sheet looks like this – offered bottle at 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00 – finally ate two ounces at 11:30. I always have to laugh because his regular teachers have no problem at all. They can get him to eat all of his food without a fuss, but he always likes to give the newbies a run for their money.

Beth did the most phenomenal job with Connor. He tried to test her once or twice, but he didn’t know who he was dealing with. She quickly took control and after that there was no turning back.

Connor had more calories the week we were away, than he’s ever had while we were home. On top of that Beth was able to teach us a thing or two when we got home. During the week they spent together, she was able to get him to eat a whole jar of stage 2 baby food at each sitting (approx. 3x per day). That may not sound impressive, but he’s never done that before. She also introduced a variety of new foods to him – some of them he liked, others he didn’t care for (can you believe he wrinkled his face and spit out the Blue Bell vanilla ice cream – ugh!)

My favorite part about having her come to stay was that I learned so much about my son through stories that she told about Ross. Before she arrived, I couldn’t figure out why Connor wasn’t crawling yet, plus there was a whole list of things that I attributed to a developmental delay and was ready to call our doctor about. However, as it turns out Connor is just like his daddy.

Ross never learned to crawl - he rolled instead. Strangely, if we put a toy across the room from Connor, he’ll drop from the crawling position onto his belly and roll towards the toy. BTW – he’s improved a little in the last week and is now “scooting” backwards on his hands and knees.

Ross used to be content to just sit all day long. Beth would leave him in his crib for hours and Ross would never fuss or complain to get out. Connor does the same thing.

Ross used to inspect every square inch of his toys before playing with them – Connor does this too.

And the thing that kills me the most is that Ross used to observe everything. He would watch his sister, his mom, the family dog, etc. and he would absorb all of it. Then when he actually went to do something, he was an expert at it because he’s watched it for so long. I witnessed this with Connor when I spent the last 4 months saying “mama” to him over and over again – without a peep out of him. I was starting to get worried and then one day, I picked him up from my parent’s house and he was saying “mamamamamamama”. He didn’t try it once – then practice it for a while. He was saying it like he’d been doing it all of his life. Ugh – I give up!

Don't eat the yellow snow

2009-01-22T14:39:00.001-08:00

Considering that the last 9 months have been such a struggle for Ross and I, we decided to take a little vacation. There’s no better way to recharge your battery, than to escape from reality for a few days. So with our friends Brian and Teresa, we headed to Copper Mountain, Colorado for a week of skiing/snowboarding. Ross’s mom came to stay with Connor while we were away – I’ll tell you more about that later.

Colorado was amazing – as usual! The snow was fantastic and everyone had a little too much fun eating/drinking and skiing. Ross was our lone snowboarder out of our group. He’s decided not to fool with skiing and would rather “shred” the mountain with the rest of the kids. :)

I was so happy that my friend Jen, drove up from Denver on Monday to ski with us. It was so nice seeing her and it made me miss all the times we used to hang out together in Dallas. Strangely, Ross and I are one of the few from our Dallas crowd that still haven’t moved to Denver. We’re working on a relocation strategy, but it might take a few years.

On Thursday, I decided to trade in my skis for a snowboard. I wasn’t about to let Ross win the title of “cool parent” when Connor is finally old enough to “shred” the mountain too. So I strapped the board to my feet, pointed it down the mountain and kissed my *ss goodbye. What’s the worst that can happen - right?

Ross was giving me a few pointers, but then he somehow “lost” me on the first run of the day. And then I somehow took a wrong turn and ended up on a blue run (harder than green, not quite a black) that passed right in front of the super pipe (think Shawn White – half-pipe only bigger). I had visions of ski patrol rushing to the rescue of a 31 year old Caucasian woman in a green ski jacket – yikes! I’m not sure how I did it, but I finally made it back to the base safely. Then like an idiot, I climbed on the lift and went back up the mountain – determined to win the cool mom award.

Connor's 9 month check-up

2009-01-22T14:36:00.001-08:00

The McKinnon’s have had a busy couple of weeks – so let me start at the beginning. Connor had his 9 month check-up on 1/6/09. Ross and I were thrilled to see that our little peanut has made it all the way up to the 10th percentile for his weight and he’s still in the 50% for his length.

That’s a huge accomplishment, especially considering that Connor was in the negative 10th only a few short months ago. What's even better, is that he’s realizing that solid food opens up a whole new world to him. Connor's finally enjoying his meals and is eating like a champ. He seems to really like the taste of his food and is thrilled that we’re not shoving a bottle in his face as often. The best part is that if he keeps it up we might be able to bump him up to the 25th percentile by his one year checkup. Go Connor – go!!

Quick update

2009-01-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

Our lives are incredibly busy right now. I have a ton of updates for the blog (Connor's 9 mo. doctor appointment, graduation, our vacation to Colorado, Ross's mom's visit, etc), but unfortunately I can't find the time to write about them. So for now these pictures will have to do.

I'll see if I can make time this weekend to write about all of the new things happening right now. Stay tuned...

Connor's 1st Christmas

2008-12-31T13:16:00.000-08:00