no longer a preemie

Since McKenna was born three months early, we've had to take her back to St. Luke's every three to six months for developmental check ups. The appointments are to assess her development (i.e. cognitive skills, motor skills, social skills, etc.) against kids her age who were born full term. As you can imagine, her development was delayed at first. Today, we learned that she has not only caught up to kids her age, but that she is advanced for a 21-month old.

As parents of course we think that McKenna is smart, but in the nurses' words she is "amazing" and "brillliant". They said that McKenna has the vocabulary of a 2-1/2 year old. She also impressed them by stacking six blocks versus the two a child her age should be able to stack and by naming a dozen or more body parts compared to the six a child her age should know. All of this was exceptional since her appointment was smack in the middle of her nap time... she didn't even have her game face on!! :)

Seriously, we are so proud of how far McKenna has come. We are thrilled to receive confirmation that she is doing so well after such a rough start.

holiday fun

dancing queen, part deux

conflict of emotions

McKenna thinks that Santa Claus is REALLY cool from afar...



but don't let him get too close.

tummy time, tummy time, tum- tum- tummy time

This is a little evidence of the miracle work our daycare provider, Jessie, is able to achieve. Rhett wasn't holding his head up this well when I started back to work, just one week ago.

will the real rhett cooper please stand up

I don't know how long this will last, but McKenna loves books!! So much so that she took off after breakfast to read to her bear, Rhett. She's also been caught giving "Rhett" a binkie, changing his diaper, and tucking him in for bed. She takes pretty good care of him and the real Rhett too.

it's my potty, and I'll poop if I want to

Okay... I never thought I would EVER get so excited about somebody pooping, but we had a monumental moment today. McKenna pooped in the potty!! We weren't really ready to start potty training yet. We bought her a potty, but that was the extent of it. We figured we would wait until after the holidays to start training. I guess McKenna decided she was ready because today she told us that she had to poo poo. What?! Really?! Okay, we'll give this a try. So we sat her on the potty and waited. I won't go into further detail. Let's just say that I got so excited that I had to take pictures of her sitting on the potty. I'd post them (they're clean), but she'd kill me someday. Yipee! Maybe before long we'll only have one child in diapers.

old mcdonald had a farm

McKenna is so proud of all the animal sounds she knows. Okay, okay... maybe it's more me being proud than anything else. I forgot to ask her my favorite one: what a monkey says. Oh well... this is still cute.

future little leaguer

happy holidays

Today marked the official start of the holiday season for us. We went to the Fed for the Children's Holiday party. Whoever organized this event did such a great job!! Several craft tables were set up for the kids, someone made balloon animals, and, yes, even Santa paid a visit. McKenna had a lot of fun making (and eating) the crafts. Although Rhett slept through the first part of the party, he woke up at the end and was all smiles. We had a lot of fun.

no more sleepy mornings

I went back to work today. It was sad to leave Rhett, but I know that he will quickly adjust to daycare. Before long he'll be having as much fun there as McKenna has. Fortunately, he has his big sister to look after him. Jessie said that McKenna does her own thing for the most part, but periodically checks on Rhett to make sure that he's OK.

I never want to forget the time that Rhett and I were able to spend together. One of my favorite parts of the day was our morning naps. Shortly after his bottle, he would fall asleep in our bed. His little face was so sweet that I would just lay there and stare at him... praying that I would never forget that peaceful look. It was never long before I was asleep too.

the new age of entertainment

Shortly after McKenna was born, my friend, Gina, and I were having a conversation about parents who use DVD players to entertain their kids on long road trips. "I'll never do that!", I told her. "After all, what ever happened to the good ole-fashioned games we used to play in the car when we were growing up? The alphabet game... I spy?" Gina assured me that with all the trips we make to Manhattan and Concordia I would soon change my mind. "Whatever!"

Our first "real" road trip with McKenna was to Denver last Christmas. We took off armed with an arsenol of toys and books to keep her entertained for our 10-hour drive. She was golden! She MAYBE fussed for the last hour, but who could blame her. "See, Gina!"

Lately, things have changed. Our trips home from Manhattan this football season have been (near) unbearable. I spend two hours, sandwiched in the backseat between McKenna and Rhett's car seats going through toy after toy and book after book trying to keep McKenna entertained for the drive home. Toy after toy and book after book gets tossed on the floor without so much as a glance. Who can blame her? The drives home have been at night when there isn't much else you can do but sit there. Of course she's going to get bored!

I was discussing these unbearable car rides with the Hutchinson family at large this past weekend. It feels so much like we can't even go anywhere because it seems cruel to pack the kids in the car for that long. It wasn't long before my brother-in-law, Brandt, asked if we would like a portable DVD player for Christmas.

"Yes, please."

...I can already hear Gina laughing. One of these days I'll learn to take the advice of more seasoned parents instead of trying to figure this stuff out on my own. Although I will say, I still can't go with the whole "there's no shame in giving your kids Benadryl" one. (That one is between me and Gina)

who does he/she look like?

I came across some of Duke's and my baby pictures this week. I think the frequently-asked question "Who does McKenna or Rhett look like?" has been answered. If you can't read the captions, the top left is me and the bottom left is Duke; the top right is Rhett and the bottom right is McKenna.

3-1/2 weeks and counting...

It's hard to believe that 6-1/2 weeks of my maternity leave (referred to by some as a 10-week vacation) is already over! I don't know where the time has gone. I started my leave with one goal - enjoy every second possible with Rhett and don't stress out about stuff around the house. Having learned with McKenna that what they say about "they grow up so fast" is true, I decided to just cherish this baby stage whether he's happy or fussy. Fortunately, he's been mostly happy. But let's be honest. Those of you that know me, know that I can't not stress out about stuff around the house. So, I had a secret "honey-do" list for myself that remains untouched. Oh well. Like I said, I don't know where the time has gone. I spend most of my days feeding Rhett, washing bottles, doing laundry, getting dinner ready, running an errand here or there, and maybe finding time for a shower (just kidding). It doesn't matter... I've accomplished my goal. I'm enjoying my time with Rhett because I know before long he'll be toddling around independently just like McBre. :(

post-bath hair

Kids are just so darn cute after their baths.

kisses for rhett

We'll show this to Rhett and McKenna in 15 years from now when they swear they have always hated each other.

happy halloween

go cats!

new wagon rider

McKenna introduced Rhett to wagon rides around the living room. She did all the chauffering with a little help steering the corners.

don't you have two kids?

Yes, I know... we have two kids. Rhett isn't getting equal press in this blog, is he? The reason is that all he does is sleep! It doesn't make for very interesting pictures or videos. Well, we finally got a good picture of him with his eyes open. Introducing Rhett Cooper...

fishy face

McKenna came down with pneumonia this week. The poor kid has been quite the trooper through several doctor's appointments, x-rays, and breathing treatments. I hate to make light of her situation, but the fish mask she wears for her breathing treatments is too cute! The good news is that she is quickly getting better.

take the !%@?! binky

I can't do this story justice in a post, but last weekend McKenna decided that Hobbs needed his binky. Her persistance was unending as she followed Hobbs around the living room trying to put the binky in his mouth. The culmination of her efforts took place in the video below. Shortly before the beginning of the video, McKenna took Hobbs' sippy cup and moved it to the other side of the rooms. Surely eliminating that distraction would get him to take his binky. Watch what happened...

hobbs' first birthday

It doesn't seem possible, but Hobbs turned one on October 16th. We spent the weekend in Concordia celebrating his birthday. Of course he got spoiled with gifts, which all the kids at his party enjoyed playing with. Better yet, he got his first taste of cake! As you can see from the pictures below, he enjoyed every minute of his party.

cracking up

If only such simple things made adults crack up like this...

mother hen

Duke and I weren't certain how McKenna would react to having a little brother. She has quickly proved to be quite the mother hen. She is always bringing him his cap to make sure his head stays warm or covering him with his blanket. When he cries, she is the first to "tend" to his needs, looking at us with questioning eyes. It's as if she's wondering why we aren't responding faster. She's been a wonderfully sweet big sister!

climbing mt. duke

bath time

Unlike McKenna, Rhett is not a big fan of bath time. Giving him a bath is rather stressful as he screams his head off the whole time. Fortunately, he settles down quickly once he realizes that bath time is followed by some quality cuddle time.

new family member

We welcomed Rhett Cooper Hutchinson into our family at 8:13 am on Thursday, September 25th. He weighed 6 lbs. 12 ozs. and was 19" long. He's absolutely perfect and we are delighted that he's here.
















Rhett Cooper Hutchinson
















McKenna meets her little brother

caught red-handed

McKenna: "What? So I like to have a snack once in a while. I know, I know... it's going to spoil my appetite for dinner. Oh well!"

talking on the phone

McKenna: "Sorry, my Daddy says I can't talk to you until I'm at least 28!"

a favorite song

in memory of taz

It comes with great sadness that this post gets published as we had to put Taz to sleep on September 15th. He was the best little companion anyone could ever ask for. Our household isn't quite the same without him and his crazy personality.

little wildcat

McKenna lived the entire K-State football experience this year - including our long walk to the stadium. As you can see, there were times when she felt a break was necessary. That didn't keep her from having fun once we were at the game.

summer fun

With Duke off for the summer we have certainly had a lot of time to do nothing but have fun on the weekends. It was amazing to experience simple outings with McKenna. We exposed her to many new things and she was awed by all of them.

We spent a week in Kentucky visiting Lexington, the Cumberland Gap and Falls (pictured below), and Louisville. Some of the sites we saw included the Mary Todd Lincoln house, a bourbon distillery, famous Kentucky horse farms, the Louisville Slugger museum, and Churchill Downs.

















Duke and I took McKenna to Deanna Rose Farmstead on several occasions. It's a local petting zoo that McKenna has come to enjoy more and more as she gets older.

















We went to a Chinese Dragon Boat Festival on the Plaza. It was a bust, but McKenna had fun.

















We took our first trip to the zoo. McKenna couldn't believe seeing so many animals from her books come to life. She also got to go on her first boat ride.



















We took McKenna on her first train ride. There's a short ride in Belton, Missouri that goes through downtown Belton and nearby neighborhoods.

uh oh

Duke and I have been working deligently to teach McKenna that when she's done eating all she needs to do is tell us that she's "all done" versus her preferred option of throwing her food - or worse yet her whole plate - on the floor. Today, at Applebee's, McKenna defiantly tossed a french fry on the floor. As she hung over the side of the high chair trying to see where the french fry landed, Duke tapped her on the shoulder, ready to give her his ever-famous "you know better" look. After three or four taps, knowing she was in trouble, we heard "uh-oh". That's all it took to undo several weeks of hard work because she had us on the floor laughing.

shoe craze

It's a little frightening that McKenna just learned how to walk and she already LOVES shoes! She'll find her sandals no matter where they are in the house. Then she'll bring them to either Duke or me and beg us to put them on her feet. With shoes doned, she'll trot around the house with her chest stuck out and her arms swinging. She definitely thinks she's hot stuff. I think she would go to bed with them on her feet if we let her.

simple pleasures in life

sneaking up on daddy

going for walks

McKenna: Today, Mommy went to work with the car that had both of my strollers in it. That didn't stop Daddy from finding a way for us to go on our morning walk.
















I love our daily walks! We play games to see who is first to spot a birdie, and we go to the neighborhood playground where I go down the slide...
















...and swing.
















I also like to put wood chips through the holes in the floor of the playset...
















...then look to see where they fell.
















After a while, it's time to get home for my nap. Bye-bye park... I'll see you tomorrow.

walking well

There is no stopping her now... except for when that darn balloon string gets in the way.

let's go for a walk

McKenna: Come on doggies... let's go for a walk. I don't care that I'm still in my PJs or that it's raining outside.

what a tidy girl

The months of McKenna being entertained by tearing through every drawer in the house have finally come to an end. Phew! Now, she picks up after herself and puts her toys away when it's time for bed. She must get that from Mommy. :)

dancing queen

McKenna: Sometimes the music just moves me! Then all at once, I'm back to my Legos.

dog days of summer

With the dog days of summer upon us, it's fitting that McKenna started swim lessons today. This girl is a little fish! I'm sure we'll be spending many days at the pool with her.

first steps

McKenna has gradually been taking more and more steps. It won't be long before we're chasing after her.

express yourself

McKenna really did have fun on our trip to Kentucky - we all did! But after 12 hours in the car to get there we couldn't blame her for expressing feelings of displeasure.

helping with the dishes

We've capitalized on McKenna's obsession for getting into the things we do by "letting" her help us with chores around the house. You should see her with the laundry!

welcome!

We have finally decided to join the 21st century and create a blog. Hopefully, this will be just another way to stay in touch with family and friends and to let everyone know what is going on in our busy lives.