Week Three: Hanging around

Our days are both eventful and incredibly mundane :) Kylie and I have big adventures - which in retrospect seem very minor as compared with days before her arrival. 

Last week we went to the doctor's office for her 2 week physical.  We were thankful to learn that she gained a whole pound since the previous appointment - which is great!  Being a smaller baby, everyone was eager to see her grow.  Her head, length, and weight all increased - though she's still not at any upper end of measurement percentages. 

It was an interesting drive there - I felt both highly conscious of every sound and all the other cars on the road, which made me quite jumpy.  I also was very sleepy - and the vanilla latte was a big treat.  We stumbled into the office - holding my purse, diaper bag, and car seat in one hand, coffee in the other (obviously - don't want to risk dropping it!)  The cheap flip-flops I bought at Target folded under my feet and I sort of tripped into the office.  I then managed to dump the entire contents of my wallet onto the floor somehow - you know all those membership/reward cards you accumulate?!  I felt like everyone was thinking "what a hot mess!"

Testing out the new humidifier - she likes it :)

Everything looked fine as well.  Her skin is pretty flaky - and they say that's normal, and usually bothers parents more than the kids.  We got a humidifier and that's seemed to have helped.

One day she would NOT sleep for anything.  Only wanted to be held.  It was cute.  And exhausting!

Right where I want to be :)

Our first book! LMNO Peas!

You can turn the lights out - but it will make no difference

 Kylie's been moving like an inchworm when held on our chests - we tried her out on the tummy time mat just to see what she would do.  She promptly fell asleep.  And then we popped her into her toy box.  It was quite adorable. 

I love them all. 

Friday we took a trip to Costco.  I wasn't sure about joining yet - so we just wandered through. She was actually pretty good.  The next day I went back with Mike - and she was less than interested in going back.  She let us know she was not up for becoming a daily visitor of Costco!  I was disappointed how few samples they had out. Bummer!

Friday mornings are no bueno.

Pops would love a big TV like this!

93" bears - would look great in my nursery!

I call Mike the "baby whisperer" - he finds a way to rock her to sleep almost instantly upon coming home from work.  I'd like to think - however - that its because I kept her awake all day with my inability to alleviate her angst.  Our days are fairly routine now - we watch a LOT of Fixer Upper and Flip or Flop!  She eats her breakfast and lunch and all snacks on a three hour schedule.  Mom fits them in whenever her hands are free.  I am learning to hit the restroom and nosh on something before picking her back up after her nap.

Time with dad!

This swing rocks me to sleep pretty well.

Still being so small - we wanted to attend a quieter Easter Sunday worship (if there is such a thing).  We went to a church in Cary with a 7:30AM service we used to attend - and miraculously we got there on time!  She was wide awake for the first part.  I was thinking how incredible to be hearing Scripture for the first time - so much to learn.

Her face during worship on Easter Sunday - wide awake.

I thought it'd be cute to wear matchy pink cardigans and get a picture together.  She was obviously thrilled.  I was very tired after missing my afternoon nap - but at least could fake a smile - ha.

Held by her grandpa Tom!

 Our 7-yr old niece, Kayla, was disappointed to learn how little Kylie is able to do these days.  No coloring. No talking. No holding things.  She's got a lot to learn!

Family shot with cousin Kayla

Our first outing!

We had a fun first outing with just mom and baby.  Once Kylie started waking up some, she realized her disdain for being strapped into the car seat.  It takes some coaxing and time to get her calm enough to feel OK about leaving the house.  We did eventually get out the door!  Of course our first stops would be Trader Joe's and Fresh Market.  We got to TJ's right at 8AM, so there weren't many crowds to contend with.  

First family walk through the neighborhood

We realized immediately how tiny the shopping carts are at TJ's.  Her car seat barely fit.  I went to set a bag of oranges on top of her, and thought that probably wasn't the wisest idea.  I was able to carry a basket along also.  I'm sure our grocery bill will decrease with the combination of lack of space and less time with a quiet baby.  I also recognized how awesome the drive-up and load-up service at Harris Teeter would be.  I don't know what it costs to do that - but will check that out for sure!

Snappy cover to keep strangers from
wanting to touch her cute little face :)

With the morning sickness gone - it is much more pleasant to actually be in the presence of groceries.  Fresh Market and its hot coffee first thing is also quite the treat.  It is also nice to eat more at home.  While my mom was here, she went above and beyond to stock our house - pantry, fridge and freezer - with healthy and simple meals - both prepped and components to cook on our own.  It's felt good to eat good food at home.  I've thought about going by Moe's, Brugger's Bagels, and Biscuitville to thank them for rounding out my diet the past several months.  I'm sure they wonder where I am.  It's also been nice to have some meals brought to us - both lasagna and beef enchiladas.  What treats. 

Sleeping on her Boppy!

First visit to the doctor's office!

Yesterday Kylie was in no mood to be set down for any stretch of time.  It's amazing how little you get done when your hands are full with baby!  She faked me out several times - thinking she was asleep.  She's got the startling, screeching cry thing down!  Eventually she did take a short nap in the afternoon.  The "sleep when baby sleeps" works on occasion.  We are trying :) 

Her new swing :)

Not sure what's going on -
or why none of the toys are for him!

Love this pic :) 

Glamour shots :-*

We had a fun photo session with Amy Beckling, a fun newborn photographer.  She came over on a Saturday morning- brought me coffee!!- and took beautiful shots.  Kylie hung in there and looks adorable!  We had fun :)

Week Two: Happy Palm Sunday!

We are at home this morning watching a live stream of worship.  Our little one is pretty little - and mom is nervous when reading about all the nasty bugs still floating around.  Being a pastor it is obviously a bit strange to not be at church on such a holy day - and its a gift to get to rest and be at home!  Last year I had a bucket of palms and water bouncing around in the back of my car.  It's a bit of a change! 

It is great to have Kylie here with us!  I shared with my mom that a while ago I enjoyed following a friend's blog about her new baby - which she continued to update for a few years until life caught up with her.  And this is a fun way to share some updates with family and friends - especially as I've been really bad about keeping up with email.  

Our little nickname for Kylie before she was here

Friday was her two-week birthday!  It is pretty fun to think about hanging out on the couch with a two-week old.  I've never known anyone that young :)  I can only imagine what a two-week old thinks about - especially as she has 20/200 vision and can simply distinguish between light and dark.  Sometimes you think she's looking at you and you feel warm fuzzies - and then her eyes will go in opposite directions.

We had a lovely dinner delivered - homemade lasagna with a great salad, bread, and half a pound cake.  YUMM.  

Big news today is Kylie's remaining cord fell off!  She's growing up so fast :)

Hanging out at Rex!

We had some fun times hanging out at Rex hospital in Raleigh after the long labor and delivery.  Guests came to visit - and nurses were in and out around the clock doing their checks.  At one point I realized how unaware I was of what was happening outside our room.  It felt a bit like college and hanging out in a dorm.  I loved being able to pick up the phone and order room service.  It was also a special time to do some bonding and learn a little bit before heading home and trying it all on our own. 

First family shot Friday morning

Kylie's first selfie!

Time with dad!

Getting a bottle!

I didn't even leave our room until the last day.  I actually got in trouble - oops.  I had a pretty bad headache - probably from lack of sleep.  So I picked up Kylie and wandered out to the coffee machine by the nursery.  70 cents for some hot coffee!  As we walked back, a nurse wondered how in the world I escaped without taking baby in the little cart.  Oops!  It was a coffee emergency for sure!

Aced her hearing test!

Some birthday cake!!

The 6month shirts swam on her.
Loved how nurses turned them into pants :)

After a long night of feedings -
it looked like we had a party!

Kylie did great with all the tests - especially the annoying ones where they kept pricking her feet for blood samples. :(  The temperature in the room was very difficult to regulate.  It would be cool, then all of a sudden 80*.  In adjusting the temp down, it would then be cold.  It affected her body temperature checks - so that was a bit frustrating.  But we eventually passed all the checks. 

Pea in a pod - a way to signify she
is a small baby. 

Beautiful roses from parents and brothers!

Her "Going home" outfit -
which obviously was enormous :)
"Every good and perfect gift comes from above" - James 1:17

 On Monday morning we were able to head back home!  Mike did a great job of taking all the stuff out of the room and getting the car seat installed.  He even stopped by Sweet Tomatoes on the way home so I could get some salad!  It was so nice to have time at home without the aforementioned caretakers popping in every hour.  But still fun to have the memories at the hospital. :)

Heading out!

Driving home

Checking out the new friend!

Birthday story!

Miss Kylie has a lengthy and exciting birth story!  

Around 35 weeks, my doctors noticed she wasn't keeping up with traditional benchmarks of growth.  We began to monitor her growth more closely as she was considered 'IUGR' - intrauterine growth restriction - and they were curious whether she was challenged in growing.  Or if she was simply a smaller baby.  We monitored her movement with kick counts each day and eventually twice a week ultrasounds. 

With her due date of March 10th, they decided to induce a week early - March 3rd.  We were scheduled to go into the hospital March 2nd, and got there around dinner time! 

Overnight bag!
Notice both the small bag I selected -
and the prominence of DVD's.
It's all about priorities!

A two-part induction process began the night before to assist with dilating.  They gave me an Ambien to help with sleep - which brought about a crazy hallucination of my being a (very confused) circus worker!  Around 7am they started pitocin to help with contractions.  That continued until around 1PM when I gladly received an epidural.  It immediately relieved the pain of contractions and smoothed them out. Around 8PM it, unfortunately, began to wear off.  I was still only about 3 cm dilated. We watched the Republican debate, Jimmy Kimmel, and the news - waiting and waiting.  Around 1AM I got a pretty intense contraction just on my right back side.  Very tired and still just shy of 5 cm dilated - the doctor decided we'd go ahead with a C-section. He was a doctor from a different practice, and a big and boisterous man - certainly had more energy than I did!

I was thankful that through our Preparing for Childbirth class, they shared what it'd be like to go into the operating room for a C-section.  I knew just what to expect. It was still a pretty intense and powerful experience.  After receiving the anesthesia - my feet went numb and I couldn't feel much!  The radio was going and everyone in there worked quickly.  Shortly after 2:40am our little girl came out crying loudly.  They took her off into a separate room to clean off and weigh - and then Mike brought her out to meet me!  I didn't recognize him at first with his mask and scrubs.

Though labor was not the most enjoyable experience - I do feel as though we are stronger because of it!  A blessed adventure we'll always share as a family. 

10 fingers and 10 toes - we were thankful she is such a healthy baby!  March 4th will always be a memorable day :)