9 Weeks Old...Oh Yes She Did!

We had Kinley's 2 month check-up yesterday.
Things went great! She is weighing in at a big 11 pounds, 9 ounces and is 22 3/4 inches long. We talked with Dr. Webster about her growing and the milestones she would be meeting in the months to come i.e. rolling over from belly to back, starting to eat rice cereal, etc.

So, this morning we got out her belly time mat. It is bright colored and has a mirror that hangs from the center, and things that hang down from the side. It also has a little bear that sings and lights up...of course, Harper had to investigate!

We put Kinley on her back and she cooed and smiled, and Harper got down in the floor and laid with her (too sweet).

Then we put her on her tummy. It amazes us how much head control she has. I was taking pictures and Harper was being super sweet to KK, giving her kisses and saying "Ohhhh seeee" as he pointed to the mirror and bear. Josh and I were talking about not actually seeing Harper roll over for the first time. We heard him on the monitor making some crazy noises in his crib, then we went in and he was looking up at us on his back!


 THEN...

First Time to Roll from Her Belly to Her Back...You Go Kinley

Life Lately...

We are three weeks into miss Kinley being here, and I must admit that things have transitioned a lot more smoothly that I anticipated. It is SO SO nice that Josh has gotten to take off for three weeks, but it should be interesting come Wednesday when he returns to work.

We have packed lots of events and family time into his three weeks off! We have enjoyed having Josh's side of the family from Huntsville and Atlanta down to visit, of course my family here in Birmingham has visited KK as well as my dad and Alice from TN; we have shopped at just about every mall in Birmingham including the outlets in Leeds. We've managed to make MANY trips to Target to just "get out of the house". Trussville's park knows Harper very well and as soon as we pull up, he yells "PLAY"!! Little Miss KK had her first photo shoot with the wonderful ladies of Peacock Photography ;)! We've celebrated birthdays at my grandparents house over an awesome prepared fish fry compliments of my grandfather and brother-in-law.

But, my most favorite part about these last three weeks (of course the obvious being Kinley's birth) has been taking Harper to the McWane Center and to the Birmingham Zoo.

At McWane Center, Harper loved to play in all the water features, including the Touch Tank filled with Sting Rays and Sharks. We probably should have packed a towel (one for Josh too) because he was soaked when we left! He like to watch and clap as all the big kids blew bubbles. He was out like a light in no time once we got in the car! Little Kinley didn't hardly stir as her brother ran and screamed with so much excitement.

At the Zoo, Harper loved the butterfly house and riding the carousal with his daddy. When he saw an elephant for the first time, he said "Cow...Moooo"! Josh and I laughed the entire day while watching his little face when he saw a new animal and listening to what he would say or songs he would start to sing. He loved looking at the monkeys and at the birds. Despite the heat and humidity, he had an awesome time!

***See our next post for pictures***

Kinley

38 weeks...Happy Birthday Kinley

Saturday, July 16, 2011, started off like any other day. I woke up to the sound of little feet running down the hall and "Mommmmaaaaaa" from little man! He loves to come into the bedroom in the morning after he has had his milk and watched Clifford to wake me up. There is nothing sweeter than opening my eyes to see his little smiling face and hear him say "Mommaaa". How can I stay in bed and not get up to play with that sweet angel?!

Harper and I colored and read books while Josh went to the gym to workout. Harper loves to be into whatever you are doing, so he had to help me pack his bag for a spend the night party at his Nana and Papa's house. (Little did we know, we should have packed LOTS more things).

Josh got home and I got ready to go to work just like any other Saturday. Work was definitely steady...lots of paperwork to fill out after a full arrest, the usual belly and chest pains, a couple of psych patients thrown into the mix, and even a couple of kids to keep the day interesting. In the mean time, Josh had dropped Harper off at my parents, then headed into work.

Around nineish, I told my charge nurse that I was having some pretty intense contractions and may have to clock out and go upstairs to L & D to see what Kinley was doing. Well, I ended up getting pretty busy and before I knew it, one thirty am had rolled around and it was time to clock out and go get some sleep (or so I thought)...

After I got out of the shower and layed down, I was right back up and into the bathroom to pee...and I peed....and peed...and peed....peed....and peed...I seriously must have gone back and forth from the bathroom to the bed at least 15 times. By this time, Josh was awake and wondering what was wrong. I told him "I'm pretty sure I'm in labor, but I don't want to go up to the hospital and them send me home". This must not have raised any alarms because he rolled over and was snoring before I could blink! After about two hours of the nonstop bathroom trips, contractions, and restlessness, I woke Josh up and told him that we needed to go to the hospital.

Kinley and I waited patiently (and painfully) for Josh to get his hospital bag packed, feed the dogs, load the car, and lock up the house before heading out. We pulled out of the driveway at 4:40am to head downtown...(Keep in mind, Josh had just gotten off work at midnight and I got off at 1:30...both of us in not-so-pleasant moods). The weather was foggy, mist-like rain, and just a tad bit on the cool side with a HUGE full moon overhead. Josh drove 85-95 mph the entire way to the hospital because he "didn't get to have that experience" with Harper since I was induced. I knew I wouldn't win the "Slow Down" battle with him because "this was the last time he was going to be able to rush his pregnant wife to the hospital in labor"!

We arrived at St. Vincent's (in one piece thankfully) right at 5:00am. We signed in, the nurse checked me and checked to see if my water had broken (negative!), and put me on the monitor to watch Kinley's heart rate and contractions. My contractions were solid, consistently four minutes a part, and pretty intense in pain. We were told that they were just going to monitor us for about 2 hours, then make a decision on whether to send me home or admit me. Around 8 am (3hrs later), I was told to get up and walk for about 30 minutes to "see if we could move things along". Josh and I walked, walked, and walked until my pain got entirely too intense to walk any further. FINALLY, Dr. Stone (a.k.a. complete stranger with an entirely different OB/GYN practice that just so happened to be taking call for Dr Foster) came in and said that he would give me something for pain and just monitor me for a couple more hours...sigh......boy were we exhausted! We just wanted either the green light to stay and deliver or the red light to send us home so we could both get some sleep. 10:30 (5 1/2 hrs later) rolls around and the nurse comes in to start my iv. YESSS we are going to stay...or so I thought..."Oh no", the nurse insisted that they are just going to continue to monitor me...UGH!! By this time, I am super frustrated because no one can give us a straight answer. Josh and I both insisted that we needed to know a plan in order to notify family and friends, and to make arrangements for Harper if today was the BIG day. At 11:30, a completely different nurse comes in the door and says "We are going to the OR in thirty minutes. Here Dad, put on this gown, this hat, and these shoe covers. Mom, put on this hat, take off all metal things, and take these meds". WHATTTTTT!!! THIRTY MINUTES!!!!!

She walks out of the room, and I do believe Josh and I had a true Kodak moment! I'm sure the look on my face was just as shocked, surprised, and insane looking as the one on his. We frantically got into our OR attire, made our last minute phone calls to notify family of the plan, Josh got our things out of the car (most important: Camera!) and even managed to take a couple of pictures. I'm sitting there trying to think of things to stall the "30 Minute" count down in order to buy some time for our family to arrive...Needless to say, I ran out of things rather quickly. Before we could blink, we were in the OR having a birthday party! This is truly another day that has changed our life forever. Enjoy the pictures:

On the way to the hospital at 4:40am while Big Girls Don't Cry was on. (Ironic because my entire pregnancy we have joked and referred to me as "Big Girl")

Right after the nurse came in to tell us that we were going to the OR

Both of us were trying to be strong for the other, but really we were both VERY nervous!

Walking into the OR! They brought me into the OR first in order to prep my stomach, give me my spinal, put my foley in, and get me hooked up to the monitor.

Josh waited patiently outside the OR

Happy Birthday Kinley Kate

6 pounds, 14 ounces and 19 inches long. Born @ 12:34pm on 07/17/11

Harper was not too sure what to think about his sister and her crying. It really bothered him that she was upset.

Check yourself

"No man on his death
bed ever looked up into the eyes of his family and friends and said

'I wish I'd spent more
time at the office'".

Why does it take an "Event" to wake people up and make them examine their own life? What are you talking about, you say? It seems that people get so accustom to the routine of daily life- wake up, eat breakfast, take a shower, go to work, work all day, come home, eat dinner, watch a little tv, go to bed- that it literally takes an "Event" to make them take a step back and re-examine where they are in their own life.

What is an "Event", you ask. Well, it can be anything really...anything from the birth of a baby, the death of a family member or friend, great news or horrible news at the doctor, a birthday, maybe a new job, or moving to a new city...

I've had an "Event" and yes, I have had to take a step back and reexamine where I am in my life and what really matters to me the most. (No, I did not have Kinley yet so don't panic.) This week we received some news about my grandfather's health that I don't think anyone was expecting to be so intense.

We learned that he will have to have his aortic valve replaced as well as double bypass. The doctor told us that if he does not undergo the procedure, that he will not have very long to live since he is all ready experiencing symptoms. Needless to say, this was an extremely big pill to swallow and hard for anyone to hear, but my grandfather took it in stride and said let's do it. In August, he will undergo open heart surgery to tune up his heart. While the surgery will be longer than normal due to his preexisting conditions, the recovery is expected to be an even bumpier road. He will go to the ICU to recover, be on a ventilator, have chest tubes, and also have continuous cardiac monitoring. The doctors are hoping he will be strong enough to come home, but they did discuss that he may have to go into a rehab facility until he is strong enough to be at home.

I can't imagine how my mother or her sisters and brother feel right now after hearing this news. I don't think I have truly realized how much love my parents have for me until I had Harper. This "Event" has made me take a step back and realize just how important my family is to me and how precious life really is. It has made me realize that life is truly a gift and we must take each day as it comes.

So check yourself...what are your priorities? What REALLY matters to you?

Happy 4th Yall

It's the weekend of the 4th, and I'm just wondering how many firework injuries, drunks, drunks playing with fireworks, water injuries, etc. we will get at work.

Contrary to popular belief, we are NOT having a July 4th party at the ER...actually no ER in the entire state is.

I know, sometimes lines get crossed and communication gets jumbled, but there will be NO free beer, soft drinks, hot dogs, chips, steaks, Kool Aid, homemade ice cream, or cookies at ANY ER in the state.

So, make arrangements to stay at home and cook all these wonderful things because all the ER's in the state will NOT be providing them.

You should also make arrangements to spend time with your family and close friends at home in order to ensure that your 4th of July be great!

Remember: All the 4th of July parties in the entire state of Alabama at every ER have been cancelled!!

35 weeks, 4 days

Well, here we are rounding the final turn to our nine months of pregnancy! We started this journey on November 19, 2009,...Harper's first birthday. Yes, we found out we were pregnant on our son's first birthday. Talk about a HUGE shock for me!! I seriously could not believe what I was seeing when I saw the HUGE plus sign on the pregnancy test, so I decided that I HAD to take another one. And sure enough, another HUGE plus sign!! Josh had just gotten home from work, and I insisted he come into the bathroom immediately to confirm what I was seeing. He was so so excited, but I on the other hand was in utter shock!

I don't think our second pregnancy truly sank in until the second or third doctor's visit. This pregnancy was a very big pill for me to swallow- for numerous reasons really: One, I had my mind made up that I would be applying for Nurse Practitioner school in January. I knew that it would only take me a year and a half, then I would have my Master's and be practicing as an NP. Two, I wanted our kids to be close in age, but twenty months a part was waaaayyyyy closer than I had in mind. And Three, we were not planning to have another one when we got pregnant (contrary to popular belief!). Now here we are, almost nine months later (35 weeks, 4 days to be exact) and I seriously could not be more excited about Kinley's arrival!

I remember the first time that I saw Josh holding Harper. It literally made me heart so incredible full and happy! He jumped in without missing a beat as a new father. He held Harper for the very first time, gave him his first bath, put his first diaper on (backwards!), and fed him his first bottle. It truly blessed my soul to the core to see just how deeply and quickly he fell in love with Harper. And it makes me excited to see how he will do once his little girl gets here. We both cannot wait to get to know Kinley....to see what type of demeanor she will have, what little personality quirks she will have, who she will look like, etc. We are excited to see how Harper is going to react to her and just what an awesome little helper he will be!

Now it is a waiting game...either until July 27th or unless Kinley decides to come sooner....