Kaitlyn's 1st Christmas

I was able to see Christmas through the eyes of my baby girl this year.  Christmas is much more magical when you have a child!  Kaitlyn loved looking at the lights, pulling ornaments off of the tree, helping wrap presents, and helping mommy bake Christmas cookies!

The thing that she seemed to enjoy the most was pulling ornaments off of the tree.  Thank goodness we have plastic ornaments!  Everyday after we got home from work, we had to sit in front of the tree.  After we played for a while, she was content to go play with her toys, but always had to come back to the tree every so often and pull a few more off.

She's also learned to unwrap presents pretty well!  She got a lot of practice from the four different Christmas' we had!  We started the Christmas festivities at Grandma & Grandpa Smith's by opening presents.  Her eyes continued to get bigger with each present that was opened!  Next, we headed to Great-Grandma Smith's for Christmas Eve with all of mommy's aunts, uncles, and cousins.  She really enjoyed watching all the great-grandkids run around.

Christmas morning we had brunch at Grandma and Grandpa Smith's and looked through our stockings.  Next, we drove to Grandma and Grandpa Reineke's for lunch and presents.  By present time, Kaitlyn was a pro and ripped into her pile of gifts!  After a short nap, we headed home for our final Christmas.  Kaitlyn was pretty much done by then, so mommy and daddy opened her presents.

The next morning was filled with chaos as Kaitlyn saw all the toys!  She spent the next few days going from toy to toy to toy!

Our living room looked like a toy store exploded! 

10 Months

At ten months old, Kaitlyn:

·                     has mastered crawling.  I didn’t think she could get faster, but she sure has!  She’d much rather be on her hands and knees than attempt to walk.

·                     has taken her first steps!!!!   On Dec 23^rd, she took her first step towards her daddy!

·                     eats 3 meals a day and gets four 6-8 ounce bottles.  She’s still our little garbage disposal.  We haven’t been able to find anything that she won’t eat.

·                     still only has two teeth.  I can feel four teeth through her gums on the top, but nothing’s poked through yet.

·                     Pulls up on anything and everything she can get her hands on.

·                     is mostly wearing 18 month clothing with a few 24 month items mixed in.

·                     keeps busy all day long.  She doesn’t sit still for long and loves to go from toy to toy to toy.

·                     Laughs all the time.  She starts laughing to make you laugh….she’s such a happy baby!!!!

·                     Has learned a few new signs!  She’s mastered milk and eat, and has added drink and diaper to her list.  Mommy isn’t very good at signing for everything just yet, so we’ve just been working on a few basics. 

Spaghetti night!

Love those big blues!

 

Mohawk!!!!

Kaitlyn's 1st Thanksgiving

Kaitlyn celebrated her 1st Thanksgiving with her mom, dad, Grandma and Grandpa Smith, Uncle Travis, Uncle Nathan, Great Grandma Smith, and a few of mom's aunts and uncles.  Dinner was at Great-Aunt Ann's house in Spalding.

I'm pretty sure Kaitlyn was thinking that we should have Thanksgiving food everyday!  She inhaled stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cresent rolls, cranberry salad, and (of course) some pumpkin pie!  By the time she was done eating (Actually it was more that mom and dad cut her off. We're pretty sure she would have kept eating.) her tummy was SO full!

9 Months

I can’t believe 9 months have gone by already!  Kaitlyn has changed so much in the last month since she’s started crawling.

At nine months old, Kaitlyn:

• is crawling!  She is lighting fast! (No, I don’t want to think about how fast she’ll be when she masters walking)  It’s impossible to keep her still!  She’s got to be on the move constantly.
• eats 3 meals a day and gets four 6-8 ounce bottles.  The number of ounces depends on just how much she can suck down before she decides she has things to do!
• has a few favorite foods.  She’ll eat an entire banana by herself. She loves ham, crackers, and yogurt.  She still will eat anything, but definitely has favorites!
• still only has two teeth.  I've been waiting for the top two to poke through.
• LOVES to stand up!  She pulls up on everything she can get her hands on. 
• has started to get brave and will let go of things she’s pulled up on.  She can keep her balance for a few seconds before she plunks on the floor.
• is mostly wearing 18 month clothing with a few 12 month items mixed in.
• still loves to shake her head ‘no’. 
• torments the dog.  Since she’s moving now, she follows him everywhere he goes downstairs. I’m really surprised he hasn't taken to hiding out upstairs!
• is a little mess-maker at daycare.  Cathy says that all day, every day she empties the toy box again and again.  

Crossroads

For the past week, I've been STRESSED out!  I'm not talking a little bit.....I'm talking about not being able to sleep because of different scenarios running through my head, having panic attacks again ( haven't had one for the past 2 years), and being an emotional wreck!  

Our daycare provider has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  She is super positive and I'm 100% certain she'll fight her way through this. She's had many appointments and will be on chemo every other week once a day for the next four months.  What that boils down to is that Kaitlyn gets to spend a lot of time at work with me.  I've been reminded that this situation doesn't work that well.  I don't get a whole lot done, which leads to me bringing work home and working into the night and/or putting the 'important' things off until the next day when Kaitlyn isn't with me.   

Also I learned that Kaitlyn will not have daycare after June 10th.  Two of the moms with older kids from daycare are expecting and Cathy honors the family that was there first.  This wouldn't be a problem if Ord had enough daycare providers.  There have been two closings in the past year and everyone is full.  Some families have even had to hire nannies so that they can work.  

This brings me to my dilemma.  Should I open a daycare??  The thought has crossed my mind before all of this, even before we had Kaitlyn.  I haven't ever acted on this thought because we haven't had the money to sink into a new business.  At the moment though, I can't see that we have any other options.  We're not financially stable enough to lose my income at the moment.  I could bring Kaitlyn to work with me at the church, but there are a couple problems there.  The first is that I'd have to work late at night to get stuff done or come in on Saturdays.  That wouldn't really be a big problem.  The big problem is that Pastor Jeff is planning on not coming back next year.  He is ready to move to a different church.  This is a problem because the next pastor may not want/need me to work so many hours.  When I was hired on at the church, the job was 15-20 hours a week........not enough.  The other possibility is that the next pastor may not be as accepting of my child.  He/She may not think it is appropriate to bring Kaitlyn with me.  

Then the question of our 2nd child pops up.  We'd really like to add to our family soon.  Our plan is to have our 2nd next summer.  I can't handle two kids at work and get something done, and we can't find daycare for one kid.....how would we find it for two.?

This all leads me to believe that now is the right time to jump head first into a daycare.  I'm having doubts and reservations though! I love my job and my schedule.  I work 4 days a week from 9-5.  On Friday, I clean and get caught up on laundry so that we're able to enjoy our weekends.  That would be a thing of the past.  Daycare would be open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm.  We'd have to make trips to the 'big city' for groceries and daycare supplies on Saturdays. It would changing our entire family dynamic.  I feel like we wouldn't have any time to have fun!  

Also, I'd have to be at daycare all the time.....no sick days, no doctor's appointments during the week, nothing.  Mitch would have to take off work if Kaitlyn was sick or had an appointment.  This is a major concern because he hasn't done any of that....I take care of everything.  He doesn't think it will be a problem, but I'm worried that instead of adding more things to our plate (mine and his collectively), I'll just be adding more things to my plate. I guess the part that really worries me is that Mitch won't step up to the challenges and changes.  

The last worry is money.  We're doing fine money wise, but we really don't have extra to put into a new business without digging in our savings.  We could do it, but it makes me nervous to do so....

On the plus side, I'd get to be with my kid(s) all day, make more money, and be my own boss.  

Sorry for ranting......Any advice?????

1st Halloween

For Kaitlyn's first Halloween, she dressed up as a ladybug!!

Also, she finger painted pumpkins!

8 Months!

At eight months, Kaitlyn:

• ·        eats three meals a day and gets four 7ounce bottles a day.  She also gets a sippy cup of water or juice during meals.
• ·         has two bottom teeth that are razor sharp!
• ·         loves to feed herself.  She’s really good at it and wants her food to be ‘finger’ food.
• ·         is not crawling yet, but seems really close!  She’ll pull herself around with her arms or rolls to get where she wants.
• ·         has started to pull herself up to her knees.  She’ll grab the couch, the dog, anything to ‘kneel up’. 
• ·         She also pulls herself up to stand!  She’s been doing it more these past few days.
• ·         is still in mostly 12 month clothing with some 18 month stuff mixed in.  The constant growth spurt has slowed down!!
• ·         has mastered clapping and shaking her head no.  When she shakes her head no in the right context, it’s hard not to bust out laughing! 
• ·         loves being in the big kid room at daycare.  She gets to play with all the kids and all the toys!

It’s amazing how fast she changes……I swear she catches on to something new daily!

Playing with leaves at the park.

Kneeling

Stir-fry!

My BF experience.....Part 1

I'll start this by saying......Breastfeeding is hard!!!  My adventure started out well.  I attended the breastfeeding class at the hospital, got all of the information I needed, got my questions answered, and was feeling pretty good about breastfeeding.

Kaitlyn was born and immediately knew what to do.  Our lactation consultant came in to observe on our second and third days at the hospital and proclaimed that she hadn't seen a baby with a more perfect latch.  I was sore, but chalked it up to getting used to having a little piranha latched on to my chest. When our pediatrician came in to do his assessments, Kaitlyn was always feeding.  Dr. Gasseling just did his assessments while she was eating.

We were dismissed from the hospital and headed home.  The next few days went well.  For the first week, it felt like all I got done was feeding Kaitlyn and sleeping.  She wanted fed every two hours.......on the dot.  Nursing took about 25 minutes a side so by the time she was done feeding and I changed her diaper, I had an hour before we started the process over again.  When Kaitlyn was about 3 days old, I noticed my chest was getting more painful, was bleeding and scabbed over, had a torn nipple, and no amount of nipple cream or soothing pads would help.  Each time she latched on, my breath would catch and tears would spring to my eyes.  I knew something wasn't right, but just assumed it was something I was doing wrong.  I kept reading my breastfeeding book from class, thinking I wasn't getting her to latch on right

My chest got more tender and more sore.  I just chalked it up to getting used to nursing.  During my classes, they emphasized that nursing shouldn't hurt....there should just be 'pressure'.  When we took Kaitlyn to her one week appointment, she had gained weight (right back up to her birth weight) and was doing great!!  The doctor asked how breastfeeding was going and (stupidly) answered 'okay'.  I didn't want to admit that I was a failure.

Since we were in Kearney already, I thought it would be a good idea to stop by the hospital and talk to the lactation consultant to see what I was doing wrong.  I wasn't able to get in contact with them as they were both out of the office, but left a message for them to call me.  We headed home.  I got a call later that evening from the lactation consultant and was able to talk through it with her for a bit.  She suggested giving my chest a break and pumping.  She also reminded me that they offered a weekly support group on Tuesdays (the next day).

After I got off the phone with her, I went upstairs to grab my pump.  I remember thinking, "I really don't want to pump.  I'd rather just feed her, but I'll try it."  I'm pretty sure a man invented the breast pump......It was the most horrible thing.  My father is a dairy producer, so I was able to relate to those cows.......I'd much rather feed my baby directly  EXCEPT for the fact that it didn't hurt as much as Kaitlyn nursing.

Because Mitch had to go back to work on Tuesday, my mom came to stay with us on Tuesday.  She didn't know what kind of hormonal mess she was walking into.  After a week of nursing that wasn't going well, I was a mess.  I continued to pump for every other feeding, alternating with nursing.  On Tuesday afternoon, I fell into bed and wept.......I didn't know what to do or what I was doing wrong.  Should I just call it quits??  I couldn't.  Everyone had stressed the importance of breastfeeding.  Giving my daughter formula would feel like I failed her.....Like I didn't love her enough to deal with a little pain.  Why couldn't I do this?!?!?

Knowing I couldn't fall asleep, I walked back downstairs and announce to mom that we needed to go to Kearney.  She panicked.  I'm sure the image of her daughter in tears and clearly distressed got her to think the absolute worst.  Seeing the panic on her face made me quickly explain my reasoning.  I needed to go to that support group!

I called Mitch and my emotions ran high again.  I was bawling, still feeling like a complete failure, and told him my plan to go to Kearney....He too thought that something was gravely wrong.  I'm pretty sure he was in his pickup within the first minute of talking to him, but I calmed down enough to tell him why.

After deciding to go to Kearney, I was calmly at peace. I knew that they would be able to help me.

Seven Months

At seven months, Kaitlyn:

• has one tooth and the second bottom tooth is trying to poke through.
• is eating 3 meals a day and gets five six ounce bottles.We quit nursing a week after she hit 6 months.
• has gotten better at feeding herself....she can now grab things with her fingers instead of her whole hand.
• is wearing 12 month clothing with a few 18 month items mixed in.  She's a tall, skinny girl!
• still babbles.....she's been stuck on D for the last week and her daddy is LOVING it!
• goes from sitting to her belly and back to sitting.
• is figuring out how to army crawl.
• hasn't started to crawl yet.......she gets on her knees but doesn't seem to want to go anywhere that way.....rolling is faster.
• LOVES Buster, our dog! Also he's decided that she's not so bad.....She'll pet him and share her supper.  
• with the help of mom or dad, will chase Buster....squealing the entire time!  Poor dog is going to have to hide!

I'm not quite sure when my baby turned into an independent little girl, but it's happened!  She'd much rather do things herself and actually will squeal or grunt when either of us step in to help!

She loves to swing!

Her first 4-wheeler ride....Grandpa Smith was happy!!!

Just playin'.

Just in case I didn't remember......

When I was pregnant with Taylor, I signed up at all the baby websites to get weekly pregnancy updates.  After my miscarriage, I painfully unsubscribed from all of these.....or so I thought. This morning I received an update on my 14 month old.  It doesn't seem like it's been that long since all of the heartache.  How could I have lost him a year and eight months ago already?!?

Then I couldn't help but think of what would be......Taylor would be running around now.  And his name wouldn't be Taylor.....we had decided on a boy name from day 1.  I would be trying to keep up with a growing boy.  Learning about tractors and trucks, frogs and snakes, walking into a boy's room.  He would be talking and his first word would have been dada......

Just when it seems like I've got my emotions figured out and I'm okay, something seems to blindside me.

I miss you everyday Taylor....not a day goes by that mommy doesn't think about you.  Know that I love you always.

Half Birthday!

I can't believe my baby is 6 months old already!   Where has the time gone??


At six months, Kaitlyn:

• is sitting up!  She's much happier sitting than on her tummy all day!
• wears mostly 12 month clothing.  She does still have a few 9-12 month clothes that fit. 
• is still waiting on teeth.....I wish those darn things would pop through already!!!
• babbles all the time.  It seems like each day she learns a new letter and repeats it all day long.  Yesterday it was G. 'ga go ge'   Can't wait til she gets to M!!
• is ticklish like her mama.  Her collarbone and feet are always ticklish and I can usually find a spot on her ribs.  I love her giggles!
• has been eating three meals a day.  She'll eat about 4oz of food at a time and gets grains, fruits, and veggies.  We're going to introduce chicken this week!
• Still gets 30 ounces of milk a day.  She nurses in the morning, gets a 10am bottle, bottle at 12pm, bottle at 2:30, and nurses at 7pm before bed. I've started weaning her. 
• LOVES feeding herself.  It is super messy and always leads to putting her in the bath right away, but she loves it!
• is my shopping buddy.  She squeals all through the grocery store, talks to everyone, and loves to grab at things on the shelves.  
• is getting faster at walking.  Poor buster..........He's going to have to go into hiding.
• has been trying to stand up.  Her legs are strong enough to push her up, but she hasn't quite figured out how to use her arms to help herself. 
• has pushed herself up to her hands and knees a few time while on her tummy......we really need to start baby proofing!

Happy to feed herself.

Bath time is her favorite time of the day. 

Bucket of toys = happy girl!

Kaitlyn Grace......you are such a blessing.  I never would have imagined that I could be capable of feeling this much love or that my life would change so much.  I am grateful that God put you in my life.  I love you baby girl!

Homemade Baby Food

Kaitlyn's been eating baby food for a couple months now and we've been trying to keep up with feeding her fresh food.   I'll tell ya....it's hard.  Our baby girl eats like she's starved.   She'll eat 4oz of food at a time...much more than most babies her age.  Maybe it's because she's off the growth charts!!

We planted a garden in May and hoped we'd be able to put up lots of baby food!  We planted tomatoes, peppers, carrots, beans, onions, cucumbers, watermelon, and cantelope. I wish we would have included peas, because Kaitlyn LOVES peas!  Oh well.....next year.

I've been freezing green beans and carrots like crazy for her! I love that her food is preservative free and it's also much cheaper than buying it.

Chopping green beans....

LOVE our Magic Bullet for pureeing food!

Ready to freeze.

Now, if only my hubby would plant some fruit trees...................

Memorial Tattoo

I've finally decided on a tattoo and placing!  I'm very excited to get it! It's been a little over a year since my due date, and I'm hoping to get it done soon.

I'm going to get this design in light blue on my left wrist. 

I carry you within my heart

as I will never carry you in my arms.

For every step of my life

and when God calls me home,

I will see you, and know my baby.

5 Months

At 5 months, Kaitlyn:

• Is starting to teeth.  Her little gums are swollen, she's a little cranky, and chews on everything all day long. 
• Has been sucking on her bottom lip...she looks exactly like the little baby on the show 'Dinosaurs'. 
• Is talking and squealing more and more. 
• Laughs when you tickle her, make a funny face, or 'drop' her.  She loves being scared!!!
• Is wearing 6-9 month and 12 month clothing.  She outgrows everything SO fast!!!
• Rolls over like a champ. She spends more time on her tummy than her back.  She now loves tummy time. 
• Is sitting up more.  She sits up in her bath and in chairs. She's still working on sitting well on a flat surface. 
• Eats 3 meals a day.  She has rice cereal and fruit for breakfast (3-4oz of food), rice cereal for lunch(3oz), and oatmeal and a vegetable for supper(4oz).  Her favorite food so far is bananas. 
• Also gets 30 ounces of milk a day.  She nurses in the morning, gets a 10am bottle, nurses at 12pm, bottle at 2:30, and nurses at 7pm before bed. 
• Loves to walk!  We hold her hands and she loves to walk all over the house...usually trying to chase the dog.....poor Buster!
• Scoots around in her car.  She only scoots backwards at the moment!
• LOVES the water!!!  She's gonna be our little fish! Hubby better get to digging out a spot for a swimming pool in the backyard!
• Has a budding personality.  She's starting to let us know what she wants and why!

She makes the funniest faces. 

LOVE her laugh!!!

She loves books, especially the ones she can chew on!

Trip to the Zoo

This past weekend, we ventured to the zoo with my parents, brother and his girlfriend.  I didn't expect Kaitlyn to do much other than chill out in her stroller, eat and nap.  Boy, was I wrong!  In the morning she did exactly what I expected.....just chilled. But in the afternoon, we ventured to the aquarium and that is when she surprised me!  She was sick of sitting in her stroller, so I took her out and just carried her around.

She was fascinated by the fish!  She loved  looking at everything and I'm pretty sure her eyes couldn't open any further!

Missing out??

As we approach my due date, I find myself thinking about what I would be doing now if things had happened like I wanted them too.  Right now, I'm sure I'd be busy planning a first birthday party and putting invitations in the mail.

I'm conflicted inside.  Part of me misses Taylor and thinks about what would have been.  The other part of me knows that we were blessed with Kaitlyn because we lost Taylor.  It seems like an impossible situation to be in.  I feel like if I'm missing Taylor, I'm wishing Kaitlyn wasn't here. On the other hand, if I'm giving all my attention to Kaitlyn, I'm feeling like I'm forgetting that we lost Taylor.  Some days are easier to handle, but today is one of those overwhelming days.

I'm lost.  That's what it boils down to.  I feel like I'm on a road and instead of it forking into two, it forks into a circle....I just keep going to circles inside.   I haven't been able to be at peace with my loss and I haven't been able to be at peace with our child.

I'm sure one day, I'll look back and realize this was all part of God's plan for me.  I know that my struggles bring me closer to Him, but at the moment I really wish I wasn't struggling with this.

A life worth remembering and celebrating...no matter how short.

4 Months

Our little princess is growing so fast!!!  At the doctor this past week she was 26 inches long and 16 pounds 14 ounces.

At 4 months, Kaitlyn:

• still sleeps through the night.  Every so often she'll get her limbs stuck in the crib and needs help getting them out, but she always goes right back to sleep. 
• has learned to talk with her lips closed......it's the only way she's been talking for the last week.  Her daddy is sure that she'll be a ventriloquist someday. :)
• is talking and babbling a lot less.....I'm pretty sure it's because she's watching everything and everyone so closely that she doesn't have time to talk. 
• takes a nightly bath.  She loves to splash and kick and squirm!  I'm pretty sure that it's her favorite part of the day!
• is still eating every 2-3 hours (depending on naps) and still eats 5 ounces at a time. 
• wears a mixture of clothing sizes.  Most of her clothes are 6-9 months, but she has a few 3-6 months and few 12 months mixed in. 
• LOVES daycare!  She gets excited in the morning when I strap her in the car to go and is all smiles when I hand her over to Cathy!
• has discovered that she can bounce in her activity gym.....sometimes she gets a little crazy and jumbles herself up too much resulting in a little spit-up. 
• rolled over for the first time this past Saturday!!! I've been trying to get her to do it again, but she's teasing me!
• still loves to stand up.  Hubby and I have been just giving her our fingers and a little boost to get her from laying down....the rest is all her. 
• likes to scoot around in her 'car'.  She's not quite tall enough to push it around with her feet yet, but her daddy indulges her. 
• has figured out that she is flexible enough to put her feet in her mouth.  This morning, I had to peel slobber-soaked jammie feet off of her. She is absolutely amazed by her feet. 
• laughs a lot.  She laughs the most when she is scared.  If you scare her enough to make her jump, there are lots of cute, loud laughs pouring out of her mouth!

Update:  At her 4 month doctor's appointment, Kaitlyn weighed 16lbs, 14oz and was 27 inches long!  She's in the 95th Percentile for weight and off the chart for height!!

Daycare musings.....

I was terrified of sending Kaitlyn to daycare.   How was someone else going to take care of my daughter??? I'm a very hands on mommy....and dropping her off for someone else to take care of did not sound like something I wanted to do.  I knew I had too.  It was necessary to continue our lives as we know it....we could hunker down, cut out all of our 'fun' costs, and hubby's salary could cover our bills.....but that's not something we're willing to do.  So with that, Kaitlyn started daycare.

My worrying was useless!!!  It was really tough on me to drop her off in the morning, but thankfully I go feed her during lunch so I don't have to go long without seeing her!  The time that she's at daycare seems very odd to me.  I've been so used to her being with me all day, that it seems like something is missing!

What makes it SO much easier is that she LOVES daycare!!!!  She gets very excited in the morning when I strap her into her seat.  When we get to Cathy's, she 'happy' screams and kicks and laughs!  She loves being able to talk to Evie (a baby her age) and loves to watch the older kids throughout the day. It also helps that Cathy is so understanding, attentive, and helpful! She is such a wonderful daycare provider!

It makes this mama very happy to see her girl happy and makes me feel so much better about the whole daycare thing.  I'm sure that as daycare becomes part of our routine (it's only been 2 weeks) that it'll be much easier for me to accept.

First Day of Daycare

We were fortunate that we were able to find daycare for Kaitlyn.  Cathy is one of the best places to go in town and is the hardest to get into.  I called at just the right time, had the right age of child, and needed care for the right days.  God sure was watching out for us!

As good as I know Cathy is, it was HORRIBLE having to leave my little girl this morning! What made it worse was that she was crying!  Nothing could have prepared me for having to drop Kaitlyn off at daycare.  After I left, I called my hubby bawling and told him that he should have dropped her off.  It really broke my heart!

What made it a little easier was knowing that I would see her in a few hours.  My plan is to visit daycare over my lunch hour and nurse her, so I don't have to pump and so I get some time in with my baby!  I literally was counting the minutes this morning until lunch time and seeing my little girl - even if it was for just an hour, that hour really helped ease my nerves!

She was happy when I arrived and when I had to leave, she was happy when I handed her back to Cathy.  I'm sure that dropping her off in the mornings will get easier, but for the time being I'll be going through a lot of Kleenex!!

3 Months

At three months old, Kaitlyn:

• is still sleeping through the night.  Bedtime is at 8pm and she wakes up around 7am. 
• laughs!  Mitch got her to laugh the other night, and it is the most precious sound!  I've been trying to get her to laugh for me ever since!
• is super talkative!  Mitch comes home from work and she tells him all about what he has missed!
• squeals!  We wake up every morning to a happy, squealing baby.  It's wonderful. 
• Eats every 2-3 hours and takes 5 ounces at a time.
• pays attention to every thing and every one.  She is super curious!
• wears 3-6 month clothing and a few 6-9 month outfits. 
• is sleeping in her crib.  We moved her from her bassinet a few nights ago. 
• will be going to daycare (scary!!!). We visited daycare on Friday and she seemed to really like Cathy, but mom's not so sure that she's ready for daycare even though Kaitlyn is!
• drools all the time, all over everything!  Her shirt is constantly in her mouth and soaked.  She goes through at least 3 shirts/bibs a day!
• loves to stand.  Most of the time, we only have to keep her from falling over.....she holds herself up!
• sits up in her Bumbo and loves it! She hold herself up, we just keep her from falling over.  
• puts everything in her mouth.  If she can grab it, it will be covered in slobber in seconds. 

Oh, how time flies!

Wow, time flies fast!!  It's hard to believe Kaitlyn is almost 3 months old already!  My agreement with the church is that I can bring her to work until she's 3 months old, so the dreaded first day of daycare is looming!

We are going to visit her daycare on Friday and fill out all the paperwork, get a tour, and finish up last minute stuff.  I only have a week left of bringing my little girl to work with me.  It's very bittersweet!  I've been 'babying' her a lot lately.....knowing that I'm not going to get the chance to snuggle with her all day, everyday again!  I'm sure our daycare provider will have a rough first week with her since I've been letting her sleep on me/ wrapped up in the moby for the last few weeks.....getting her to take an afternoon nap will probably be a challenge!

I'm pretty sure I don't have a baby anymore!!  She's started to sit herself up and likes to hold her own bottle!  She's talking up a storm and hubby and I wake up to playful squeals every morning.  Is it possible to have baby fever when your oldest isn't even 3 months old????  Maybe I'm crazy!!!!!

2 Month Appt

Kaitlyn had her 2 month appointment on Monday.  It was a week late because her pediatrician was out of town the week before.  She's growing like crazy and getting so big!

She was 13 lbs, 12 ounces (up two pounds from her 6 week check-up) and 24.25 inches long.  She's in the 90th percentile for weight and the 95th percentile for height......Told ya we have a big girl!!!

The worst part about the appointment was that she had to get shots.  I've read up on all the vaccination facts and read about how to make getting shots easier on your baby.....but how can they be easier for mom????  I was not a fan of her screaming bloody murder.  I was also not prepared for the after.....after we left the doctor when we got home.  She was miserable!!!  Her little legs were bright red and she fussed until she fell asleep.  Not even bath-time helped....and she LOVES bath-time!!!

I'm sure that after the next few appointments when she'll get shots, I'll be a pro at this.  But for the moment, it's breaking my heart!

Two Months

At two months old, Kaitlyn:

• sleeps through the night.  She goes to bed at 8pm and wakes between 7am and 8am. 
• is chattering and loves to sit and 'talk'. People will come into the office and she LOVES to talk to everyone. 
• eats every 2-3 hours and takes about 5 ounces at a time.
• is starting to reach for things.  She'll hold onto her rattle and grabs at things on her activity gym.
• takes a short nap in the morning and a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon.
• is wearing 3-6 month clothing. 
• still isn't a fan of tummy time.  She'd much rather sit up and be able to look around. 
• is still trying to find her thumb. She would love to suck on it, but for some odd reason can't get it to go in her mouth very often. 
• smiles a lot!  She's such a happy girl, especially in the mornings. 
• loves her mommy. Since she's with me most of her waking hours, she's not happy when I'm gone. I'm guessing daycare will be a challenge for the first few weeks. 
• still loves going for walks in the stroller!  It no longer puts to her sleep unless she's tired.  She loves to look around when she's awake. 
• doesn't mind her bouncer, but still isn't a fan of her swing. 
• is sleeping in her bassinet, but will soon make the move to her crib. 
• is getting so big!!  I don't feel like I have a baby anymore. 

Kaitlyn is growing and changing everyday and we're loving every minute of it!  I'm so thankful that God entrusted this amazing little girl into our care.  I don't want to miss a minute of it!

Baptism

What a beautiful day for a baptism!  We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful church family.  It is amazing to see God's love for us each and every day when we look at our baby girl.

With the baptism approaching, I spent some time reflecting on the meaning.  It is so awe-inspiring that God loves us like He does.  Only now, that I know the amount of love that I feel for my child, can I imagine the amount of love our father feels for us. 

It is so amazing that my baby girl has now been baptized and will be raised in God's love.

Chatter

Kaitlyn has begun to chatter!!!  There is nothing greater (in my world anyway) then getting to sit down and just talk to her, see her smile and hear her reply. I love to sit and listen to her discover new sounds that she can make.

Yesterday, hubby and I got to wake up to her happily squealing!  When I went into her room to get her, she was just kicking and moving all over and having a ball.  Nothing better than a happy baby in the mornings!

I'm so excited to continue to see her grow and change.  We are truly loved to have been blessed with such a wonderful little girl.  God is good!!

Sick little girl

No one warned me of the many heart-breaking moments of being a mommy.  I didn't realize that it would hurt me so much when my little girl was hurting.

Kaitlyn hasn't been feeling well and we ended up going to the pediatrician on Wednesday. She was running a fever, coughing, stuffed up, and had diarrhea. I was worried that she would have RSV. Thank goodness she doesn't!!!!  The doctor says she's just suffering from a cold.

It just breaks my heart to see her hurting and in pain.  She's so tired, but wakes herself up by coughing.  Needless to say, we've gotten a lot of snuggle time in the past few days and will probably get quite a bit more as she gets back to feeling well.

Going to work with an infant....

I work as an administrative assistant at our church.  I absolutely LOVE my job.  The people are wonderful, the work is fulfilling, and my schedule is super flexible!  It's a perfect fit for me, especially now that we have Kaitlyn!

I'm very blessed because the SPRC committee is allowing me to bring Kaitlyn with me to work for the first few months.  I really wanted to take 3 months off for maternity leave, but since I'm the only employee it just wasn't going to work.  Being able to bring Kaitlyn with me is much better than having to put her in daycare at such a young age.

That being said......I miss being productive!  It is so hard to concentrate and get something done!  My office isn't super busy and I don't need a lot of uninterrupted time to do what I need to get done.  But sometimes, I really need to!  Thank goodness Mitch is willing to hang out with her for a few hours while I run to the church to get a few things done! :)

As she grows, I'm reminded that I need to relish in these moments and enjoy every second....even if it means getting nothing done!

One Month

It's hard to believe that Kaitlyn has been here for a month already!

At one month, Kaitlyn:

• Eats every 2-3 hours during the day. 
• Goes to bed at 8pm and wakes between 3am and 6am to nurse.  (That's right, she sleeps for a good 7 hours!) After eating, she goes back to sleep for a few hours, usually until 8am!
• Loves to hear our voices!  She can be screaming her head off but as soon as one of us starts talking to her, we have her undivided attention. 
• Also loves our mouths!  She stares at our mouths moving. Apparently we're pretty interesting!
• Is starting to notice things going on around her.  She'll catch someone (Mitch, Buster, Ace or I) walking by and turn her head to see us. 
• Is becoming interested in her hands.  She sees that she has hands and loves to stare at them. 
• Isn't a fan of tummy time.  She pushes herself onto her side using her legs.
• Loves walks in the stroller. She falls asleep in no time! (okay, maybe her parents love it more than she does.) 
• Is learning to like the swing and bouncer.  She is getting more tolerant of seats instead of Mom or Dad. 
• Has completely captured our hearts!

Update

Wow, where has time gone!  It's been forever since I posted.....maybe because it's been a big adjustment!  Nothing could have prepared me for life with a newborn! It's amazing that someone can take over your life so completely.

Since Kaitlyn's arrival I've learned:

• That the amount of love you can feel for one person is amazing!  I love my husband, but I've never felt such a deep, unconditional love like this before. 
• Sleep is over-rated! I got a total of 7 hours of sleep in the 3 days we were in the hospital......I was to excited about our little girl! I've adjusted to lots less sleep, and haven't had too many sleep-deprived breakdowns!
• Not all newborns wake up every 2 hours.....Along with the last point, we've been blessed with a good sleeper!  Not having to get up every 2-3 hours at night is wonderful! I expected to have to. 
• Breastfeeding is hard and classes can't prepare you for what to expect!  Kaitlyn was tongue-tied so even with a perfect latch and doing everything right, things still weren't working. Thank goodness for pediatric dentists!

In the past month, our lives have changed drastically!  I can't imagine life without our precious little girl. Before, all I could think about was Taylor and how we were missing something.  The realization of having Kaitlyn in our lives hit me the other day.....She wouldn't be here if we hadn't lost Taylor. It was a hard pill to swallow when it hit me, but I've finally been able to see that God did have a plan for us, and Kaitlyn was it. 

Welcome Kaitlyn Grace!!!

Kaitlyn Grace

Born at 3:14pm on February 27th

9 lbs 9.4 oz       20 inches

It's hard to believe that God has blessed us with such an amazing miracle!  

Still waiting.....

Yesterday was my due date.......and I'm still waiting for our little girl to decide to come meet us!  We had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and our doctor was genuinely surprised to see us.  She said she had been waiting for our call and really didn't think our little one would hold out this long!  After our last appointment, she was sure I'd go into labor soon......too bad she was wrong.

Good news though......I'm scheduled to be induced on Monday!  So if our little girl hasn't shown up by then, we'll be meeting her on Monday!

39 Weeks.....and waiting!

Today, I've hit the 39 week mark!  I'm almost to the end!  The key word being almost.........

I was SO sure that by now we'd by holding our little girl in our arms. Instead, she's still on the inside and I haven't had any 'clues' that she's planning on coming out anytime soon!  I just assumed that she'd be early and I wouldn't make it anywhere close to 40 weeks....I have no idea why I thought that.

Monday night as the hubby and I went to bed, we started to talk about the probability of our little one showing up later than we expected.........I don't think it had crossed my hubby's mind that she wouldn't be early either!  We actually didn't make any plans for Valentine's day because we assumed we'd be too busy with our newborn to think, let alone go out!

How did we become so convinced that she would be early?!?  I'm pretty sure that every single one of our family members guessed her arrival date as early February!  Also, everyone's been asking how much longer for the last few months.....so that makes it seem like she should arrive early.

For now, I guess we'll just wait and let our little one decide when to arrive!!!!  I'm hoping she doesn't take too long, cause I'm getting impatient!!!!!

38 Weeks....Almost there!

Yesterday, I hit the 38 week mark!  Hubby and I headed to town for our doctor's appointment and also to pre-register at the hospital.  I feel much more prepared and at ease now that we're registered!  Here's the reason:
For the past few weeks, I've had this recurring dream where I'm in the hospital, in a bed, and baby's head is crowning, but until I have my paperwork filled out, NO ONE WILL HELP ME!!!!!  I wake up in a cold sweat each time!  Super scary stuff!  I know that my dream isn't realistic at all, but it eases my mind to have all the paper work (short of signing for the epidural) done!!!!!!!!

Also, at the doctor's office, Dr. Beth informed me that I'm 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated!  I call that progress!  She didn't figure I'd be too happy to hear those numbers, but after the last appointment where they told me that my body had done nothing.......1 cm sounds AWESOME!!!!

Can't believe we'll get to meet our little girl pretty soon!!!

36 Weeks

* This post is also a little behind.......


It's hard to believe we only have a month left until my due date!!!!  While it's so exciting, it's also a little nerve wracking too.  It seems like we still have quite a few things to do before our little girl arrives!!!

Today, I finally packed for the hospital.  I've had a bag packed for her for the last month, but I've been putting off packing for me!  It doesn't make much sense that I've been putting it off, but it just seems like I have time.  Yesterday I realized that I don't!  Next week, she'll be full term!!

I did a lot of research as to what I should pack and what I should leave at home.........I don't know that I ended up leaving much 'at home', but I feel like we'll be prepared! After looking online, I did unpack a few things from baby girl's bag though.  I had packed about 6 outfits plus jammies............I discovered you really only need 1 outfit!

It's also hard to fathom how much our lives are going to change here pretty soon......I'm thinking that Buster, our min pin, is going to have the hardest adjustment.  We adopted Buster shortly after we moved in together, so he's been our 'baby' for the last four and a half years!!!  I'm hoping he's ready for the change!

This weekend, we also slept in all weekend!  I'm sure that won't happen ever again once she arrives!  I'm also hoping that I learn to live on less sleep.......I love my sleep and get rather cranky without 7-8 hours a night, so I'm hoping I can adjust!

Hard to believe my belly's so big!!

Baby Showers

* This post was written on Jan 10th, but I misplaced my camera, lol, so it's a little behind!

This past weekend, we had two baby showers!  One on Saturday given by Mitch's sister and aunt, and one on Sunday given by my aunt, best friend, and her mom.  Everyone's generosity, thoughtfulness, and kindness overwhelmed me.  We received so many things for baby Reineke!

The nursery is now ready to go with the exception of needing a changing pad!  Baby's dresser is overflowing with blankets and clothes from all of our family and friends.  I actually feel like we could bring her home tomorrow and be good to go!!!

Hubby was a little overwhelmed by all of the pink.  He just looked at our kitchen table piled high with gifts and said all he could see was pink!  I told him that pretty soon, once she arrived, he wouldn't have a problem with pink at all!  It would just be the everyday norm.

Here are a few pictures from the showers:

Saturday Shower thrown by sister Kelly and aunt Marlene

Sunday Shower thrown by friend Justine, aunt Marcia, and family friend Yanci.