McKinley has grown up so fast this year! Just in the last week she has started walking all the time instead of crawling. It's like she suddenly turned into a toddler! We had so much going on this year that I'm not sure I really noticed just how much she was growing until now. Some aspects of her personality were apparent from birth, but some she is just showing to us now:
- She seems a bit finicky about her sleep. Until about 7 months old, she would only take 30 minute naps. I don't know if that was just how she operates, of if her loud 3-year-old boy is a factor. Once we moved into the new house and her bedroom became a bit more secluded, she started napping better. I myself am obsessed with sleep and cannot fathom why a child would voluntarely NOT sleep when she could be getting the recommended 12-16 hours a day.
- Kinley is not a fish. She does not enjoy a bath, a splash in the kiddie pool or a dip in the waterhole. Once we went to a local pool and she actually enjoyed herself. That scenario hasn't repeated itself.
- McKinley is a thrill-seeker. She loves to be dipped and "tossed" on pillows. She loves to bounce. She is very cute bopping around on the couch, until Finn starts jumping too and I have to kick them both off.
- Kiki is very easy to entertain. She just piddles around the house, playing with toys, looking at books. She loves to watch her brother.
- Feeding one-year-olds is so EASY! Kinley eats almost everything I scoop in her mouth. I'm just waiting for the revolt to begin. Her favs: Boca Burgers, bananas, graham crackers, melons.
- Kinley has a bit of a reserved nature sometimes (she IS a virgo), but she is generally friendly. I think she sort of likes being in the middle of a lot of people.
I always thought that the first year of life for a girl was going to be a lot different than for a boy. It was different, but due to personality, not gender. I think having 2 kids and seeing how they differ personality-wise, weighed heavy for the "nature" debate. Over the last year, I have had to let go of a lot of my control issues to adapt to the little people I now live with. The most important thing that having 2 kids has taught me is to just let things go, and try to enjoy yourself!
Turner Falls has a few replica "castles" that were built in the 1930s. We asked Finn who he thought lived in them and he said, "Probably Yoda." (Star Wars is his new favorite movie). Then he made us go into each room, looking for him. I told him Yoda was probably out to lunch.
Finn loves the water! He could spend all day in it.
Otherwise, we've been doing a whole lot of nothing lately. I feel like I wait all year for summer to come around, but when it does, the heat is so bad and the bugs are so big that we just stay inside. I'm dying to go to the zoo, but not in 100 degree weather. For the last few weeks, we've just been hanging out inside, watching Mamma Mia. I do occasionally take Finn for bike rides however. He pretends he's on some sort of adventure when he's back there. Very cute. The bike trailer is supposed to fit 2, but I'm not sure if I put Kiki back there if both will come out alive. 
