Mother of the year...I am not!

Most days, I feel like we're getting better at this family of four stuff. As Porter grows stronger, I feel like we're all able to get a little more done, together! But there are moments where I fail.

So this week, I was out and about running errands with Porter. Little man fell asleep  while we were on the go and I put him back in the car. As soon as I closed his door, I heard all the doors in the car lock.  The keys and my cell phone were inside with him. I auto-locked my baby in the car...dear Lord! 

Thankfully, it wasn't too hot out and a police officer arrived very quickly and opened the doors for me. And, Porter slept through the entire thing. Those few minutes it took for the officer to arrive were some of the longest of my life. 

Porter- one day you'll read this and wonder how you ended up so amazing despite your mommy's craziness! Thanks for being such a calm and easy going little man!

5 months

Porter is 5 months old today!

Our big man is starting to wear 9 month clothes because he's incredibly long.

He's making many different sounds and loves to have full on conversations with us- I just wish I knew what all the different sounds meant! He's doing amazing with his supported sitting and has rolled in both directions. He continues to show off during tummy time. We're currently working on reaching for toys while supported on straight arms. 

Porter is really becoming interested in books. He loves to see the bright colors and hear the stories. He also loves when we sing to him. Strangely, he's not tired of hearing sister sing Call me Maybe yet. 

His favorite toys are his hippo, his owl, his crinkle book and his mirror. We recently got a baby mirror and he LOVES it! He talks to himself in the mirror and he reaches for the tag on the mirror during tummy time :)  He loves when we sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat while we row his legs...he'll kick and squeal until you sing it again.Porter just turned to face forward in the carrier and he loves it!
He is our happy, snuggly, sleepy Bubby and we love him so :)
Happy 5 months little man! Kisses ;)

Push the cart Liam

Penny & Liam have so much fun playing together.  Unfortunately for Liam, he's at a great age for Penny to boss him around. The other night as they were playing, we hear "here Liam, you push the cart. We're going shopping."

"No Liam, hold my purse. This is how you push the cart." 

"Ok. Now push the cart like this."

Luckily for Penny, Liam is a good sport! I'm sure this is just the beginning of Penny bossing Liam and Porter around...

We're so lucky to have awesome neighbors!

4th of July Fun

We had a great 4th of July! Grammy and Pa arrived for Porter's baptism weekend.

We had some great playtime!

Grammy made Porter this awesome bib. Thanks Grammy...we agree!

We went to a bbq at Pete & Colleen's house. Aunt Meggie & Uncle Chris arrived that afternoon and met us there :)

Porter loves Aunt Meggie!

Penny loves ice cream!

Tickles from Uncle Chris

And snuggles from Kelly :)

Penny had a blast exploring Pete & Colleen's new back yard.

Before we knew it, it was time for bath and stories.

Penny slept through the fireworks again this year....mean old mommy sent her to bed on time and made her miss all the fun. Maybe next year!

Bath time fun.

Porter & Pa match :)

Happy 4th!

Look at my pretty toe nails!

Penny's new favorite activity- asking her visitors to give her a pedicure :)

Every day fun

Everyday activities are even more fun when our extended family are here for visits.  Tubbie time is always fun, but I have never heard this girl giggle so much during her bath!

 And does she squirm away from Aunt Meggie and the hairbrush? Nope!

Pat-a-cake before bath 

And post-bath smiles! 

Swing time is always fun, but it's even more fun with Uncle Tom and Godfather Tommy. 

Thanks so much for all your help during your visit!

Aunt Meggie's Hidden Talent

We know Aunt Meggie is good at all sorts of things. But, we recently discovered a hidden talent.  Aunt Meggie can sculpt with Play Doh...she's got mad skills!

Aunt Meggie helped Penny make a turtle, 

A piggie, 

And a lizzard. 

She put the rest of us to shame!

Thanks to Aunt Meggie, Tommy, Grammy, Mary Lynn and Great Grandma Jeanne for getting in on the Play Doh fun! 

Happiness is...

Sister and brother doing all sorts of sister and brother things together. Makes momma's heart happy!

Our lucky day

A car cart + a slice of deli cheese = extreme happiness for Penny!
(she kept telling me she was driving to the beach)
Hearing "You're a winner" and getting a free $25 gift card from the promo team walking through our grocery store = extreme happiness for mommy!

Farmers Market Fun!

Grammy and Great Grandma Jeanne came with us to the Farmers Market on Saturday. There is always live music and the girl sang "Call Me Maybe" for Penny...she's been talking about it ever since. Fresh veggies and fruit, yummy cupcakes and amazing times!

Three Peas in Pod

Penny LOVES Emily & Chloe. We think they love her too :) Three peas in a pod! These girls make my heart so happy!

God Bless Porter!

Porter was baptised this past Sunday! We had such an amazing day!

Porter is very honored to introduce his Godmother, Maureen:

Maureen is the oldest daughter of mommy's cousin Kate. She just graduated high school and will be heading to Villanova in the fall. We're so proud of all she's accomplished and we're so thankful that she's agreed to be part of Porter's life. We hope she'll teach him to run and play sports- she's an amazing athlete! We also hope she'll help him with math & science- this girl is one smart cookie ;)

Porter is also very proud of his godfather, Tommy: 

Tommy is daddy's cousin. Tommy lives in Ohio and he just finished his freshman year of college. He's extremely talented- he sings and acts. He also works full time. He's kindhearted and caring and we just love to watch Tommy play with the kids! He's an amazing listener. We hope that Tommy will help Porter grow creatively and lead him down the right path. Singing lessons via skype are definitely in Porter's future!   

 Porter is so thankful for all the friends and family who came to visit for his special day! Grammy, Pa, and Great Grandma Jeanne were there.

The Kadingo aunties, too!

 Nana & Papa 

 Aunt Meggie & Uncle Chris

 We are so incredibly blessed!

 Porter wore the Kadingo family christening gown. It was made by mommy's grandmother- Gram Mc and was worn by all the Kadingo girls and big sister Penny.  Daddy wasn't very happy that Porter had to wear a "dress", but we're really happy that he kept the tradition alive!

Thank you so much to all who came out to celebrate our favorite boy. And thank you to all for the thoughts and prayers! We are blessed!

4 Months

It's hard to believe Porter is 4 months old already. It sometimes feels like we just brought him home. Like we've blinked and ended up here with our happy little man!
Porter is amazing! At 4 months, he is 14 pounds 12 ounces and 27 inches- a big boy!

His head control is really developing and he's able to do a supported sit for 5 min when motivated by a favorite toy or sister. He's rolling belly to back, biting on toys, getting his hands to his center, sucking his thumb and getting his hands on his bottle. He's starting to vocalize and giggles more often. His favorite toys are his owl and his purple hippo. He loves the swing and is really looking up at the mobile. His bond with Penny is amazing- no doubt that he loves his sister! Overall, he's one happy baby :)
He is doing really well in OT and we are so thankful to have an amazing therapist. We had a consult with speech yesterday and they gave us some great tips! Porter and I recently received instruction in infant massage and he's responding really well! We're starting PT next week. We are incredibly thankful to be experiencing Down Syndrome at a time when so many services are available to help him succeed! These therapies are working wonders! We're so proud of how hard Porter is working to move ahead and grow stronger! Go Bubby Go!