Tuesday, December 20, 2011
I am so stinkin excited about this Christmas! I almost feel like a little girl eagerly awaiting the big day. I just can't wait to see Katelyn surrounded by all her gifts, even if she doesn't really understand what it all means. I am also really excited because Cody and I are exchanging gifts with each other for the first time in several years! This was, unfortunately, something that was eliminated from our budget and it has been sorely missed. I'm excited to see Cody's face when he opens his present.
I'm sure sometime next week this blog will be inundated with Christmas pictures, so stay tuned!
I'm sure sometime next week this blog will be inundated with Christmas pictures, so stay tuned!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
You are 9 months old today!!!! I'm so very excited. These last few days have been my favorite so far. You are developing a little personality all your own and we love watching you. You are our sweet baby girl and I don't know what we did with ourselves before you were born.
You probably weigh a little over 20 pounds now. The last time you were weighed you were at 20 1/2 pounds and its been almost a month since then. You were supposed to have a doctors appt at 9 months, but the office was too busy and we had to schedule it for 10 months. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to know your weight.
You wear mainly 9 to 12 month clothing now. Nothing that is 6 months fits anymore, but some 18 month stuff will fit perfectly. This gets a little frustrating, I never really know what size to buy! I think soon you will even grow out of 9 months.
You are still in a size 3 diaper during the day and now wear a size 4 at night.
You are a great little sleeper, but a horrible napper! You go to bed around 6:30-7pm every night. We try to hold you out longer, but you usually fall asleep while taking your last bottle. You usually sleep till 6:30 or 7:30 am. I think you would consistently sleep until at least 7 but I have to get you up earlier on the days I work and that messes you up for the other days. Sometimes I will get you up and put you in bed with us and you will sleep for awhile longer.
You are a great eater. You take 3 8oz bottles a day. One at 8am, 4pm and 7pm. You eat baby food throughout the day as well. You now eat too many foods to list. But you still love bananas, we have them every morning with your oatmeal. Peas are another favorite.
You are soooooo close to crawling! You can on your hands and knees and rock back and forth. You can also push up to your hands and knees from your belly. You can get into a sitting position from the crawling position too. You just can't quite figure out how to move all your limbs at the right times in the right ways. You usually end up on your belly, screaming. It has been rather frustrating for us but VERY frustrating for you. I hope you figure it out soon for all our sake.
You can wave now. You waved to daddy once at 8 months, but never did it again. Now you've done it several times, especially when you are wanting our attention.
You are really starting to explore different syllables and vowels. Your favorite word right now is "doy". All we hear is "doy doy doy!" Everyone just laughs when they hear you talking to yourself or your toys. You can say mama and dada, but you don't associate those words with us.
You are doing great with your babysitters on the days we are both working. I'm so thankful to have them to watch you!
As always, you are the light of our lives and we love you!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
I think this title sounds a little sinister, but really I'm just planning Katelyn's 1st birthday! I am SO FREAKING excited about this. Yes, it is over 4 months away, but I want everything to be perfect, so I'm starting early.
I really wanted to have a butterfly theme, but I couldn't ever find a cake with butterflies that I liked. So, for now, that idea is scrapped. I may bring it back in some shape or form later. We'll see.
I'm enlisting the help of my mom in, well, every step pretty much! Mom and I have baked and decorated cakes for as long as I can remember. She's really good and I'm....enthusiastic. :) My skill level isn't quite there, but I LOVE trying. Or maybe I just like eating the icing.....
Anyway, Mom and I will make the cake. I'm hoping to produce something that looks like this:
I'm not a huge lover of hearts, so I'll probably make that polka dots (which, for those of you who are unaware, I LOVE). I think we can pull this off and I hope it ends up looking really good. We may have to do a trial run, which would, of course, be so unfortunate since I'd then have to eat it.
I haven't decided yet whether I'll have Katelyn dig into the top layer, or if we'll make her a small cake of her own. Probably a small one just for her because this party is gonna be pretty big and we'll need to feed quite a few people.
I think I'm most excited about Katelyn's outfit. Again, courtesy of Mom. I found this little tutu picture and I know Mom can easily make it. It's so freakin' cute. Here it is:
Well, I couldn't get it to show up any bigger, but it's super cute, believe me! I'm not putting the huge ugly flower on the shirt. I'm trying to get a onesie embroidered with Katelyn's name and something about her 1st birthday on it. I'm also making (okay, well, MOM and I are making) a huge bow with lots of frilly's on it to complete the outfit. I can't wait to see her in it.
Right now, I'm working on the invitations. We have a LOT of family and friends to invite, so they have to be perfect. I'll probably end up making them on shutterfly, because I like those best. I've spent several hours looking up quotes to put on them and I have ended up in tears (bittersweet, happy tears) over the fact that my baby will be turning one! Hopefully, I won't cry at the party.....no promises!
I'm also really excited about getting her pictures taken for her birthday. Ashley and I have discussed doing a cake smash session, and I'm really excited for it. I only wish it would be pretty and warm so we could do it outside, but that probably won't happen in early March!
Can't wait for Katelyn's big day!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
So, the last two months in the Stafford household have been quite interesting. There's been a lot of changes, some good, some not so good. At least they weren't so good at the time they were happening. Now that I look back, though, I can definitely see God working in our lives. The first change came when I got a job. Well, I had a job, but this new job was more real....real as in I had to be there more then twice a month. So, that's great for us financially, but I was sad to leave Katelyn. We made arrangements for Melanie to watch her on Mondays, and Cody would watch her on the two Wednesdays a month that I worked and then Sally would watch her on Thursdays. Everything seemed to be going great. We were finally going to get caught up on all our bills and get some stuff paid off. Life was going great.
Then the storm hit.
About two weeks after I started my job, we found that we could no longer have Cody stay at his job. The restaurant wasn't making money, and they weren't sure they could pay us anymore. We were welcome to continue working and see if it all came out okay, but that just wasn't an option for us. We decided to leave that job and find a new one.
This ushered in some of the scariest weeks of our lives. We weren't sure how we were going to take care of our baby girl. Our bills were starting to pile up and we had no way to pay them. It's times like these that you really find out how much people around you care. We had a lot of help from a lot of different (and unexpected) people. Though those weeks were scary and I never want to experience them again, I found myself closer to God then I had ever been. I also felt the love of everyone around us. I knew people were praying and I knew that God was in control. I had my moments of despair and worry; I had my little pity party one night. But, ultimately I knew I had to rely on God during these times, or why bother trusting Him in the good times? So I prayed, and every time I felt the panic start, I would try my hardest to trust.
It took about three weeks for us to find another job for Cody. In the meanwhile, I was able to pick up some extra days at work, and Cody watched Katelyn. We were very blessed to have a contact at Wil Fisher, who was able to recommend Cody for a Sales Rep position. He nailed every interview and impressed the crap out of the guys he talked with and got himself the job! I was SO FREAKING proud of my husband! I knew he was nervous, but I knew he could do it.
Cody was able to start the new job the day after he was hired, which was a huge blessing. Looking back on it, I'm absolutely amazed at what God did for us. He took us from a job where Cody was working 13-14 hours a day, on his feet, working every weekend, for good pay but no benefits, where he was stuck inside all day (which he hates) working with food (which he hates more) and he never got to spend time with Katelyn and I felt like a single parent to a job where his hours are much less, we have amazing benefits, he gets to be out and about (which is perfect for his personality) and he gets to spend so much more time with me and Katelyn. There isn't that much difference in pay either. I just feel like God picked him up, moved him right out of the restaurant and put him down at Wil Fisher. And I am so grateful. I love having him around more.
So, while things have definitely been rough and scary, they are much better now. And I'm thankful for the struggles we've been through, because now I know how blessed we are!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Today you turned 8 months old. You are such a happy, sweet little baby girl. You bring joy to our lives everyday. I can't imagine what my life would be like without you in it. I have loved every moment of mommyhood, but these last few weeks have been so fun. I love to watch you discover the world around you and figure out how to do new things. Daddy and I are always telling each other all your new accomplishments. We thank God every day for giving us our little girl.
At 8 months old, you are...
Sitting up like a pro. You rarely topple over now, though I still put a pillow behind you when you are on the wood floor.
You LOVE being in your walker. You zoom all over the house in it and can turn a complete circle. You can reverse and turn sharp corners too. Sometimes you run over the dogs; Daisy has had to learn to move out of your quickly, or be run over. She doesn't quite understand this new development. You get very upset if you get stuck on the rug or against furniture. You sit and scream until someone comes and gets you.
You are eating great these days as well. You take a 7 1/2 oz bottle 4 times a day. You eat bananas and oatmeal in the morning. You also like peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, apples, pears, peaches, avocados, and cheerios. I think you would continue to eat as long as I kept offering the food!
You are still in a size three diaper. I think you may be in these for awhile longer.
You can sleep through the night, and most nights you do. We still have some rough nights though. There are times when I put you in bed with me, especially if Daddy and I both have to work the next day. Bedtime is usually between 7-7:30pm. You are usually up by 6-7am.
You are wanting to be mobile soooo bad, but just haven't quite gotten it down yet. You think you should be walking, so you get mad if we try to get you to crawl. You can turn yourself in a complete circle while sitting and you try to pull yourself up on us. You haven't quite gotten this accomplished yet.
You are staying with Grandma Melanie and Aunt Sally on the days that I work. You do great with both of them. I hate leaving you, and get sad sometimes, but I'm so glad I can leave you with family.
You are discovering your voice these days. You lots of vowels and some consonants. We are trying to get you to say momma and dada, but nothing so far. You really enjoy screaming at the top of your lungs. Most mornings you lay in your crib for awhile just jabbering to yourself and playing with your nukky.
These pictures were taken at about 7 1/2 months old by Ashley. We were so happy with how they turned out. You are such a beautiful baby!
One of my very favorites
such a big girl sitting all by yourself!
Everybody loved this picture
Baby blues!
Your first Halloween costume~ you were so cute!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Well, I'm about a month behind on this post....sorry honey, I started a new job and completely forgot about posting each month. So.....when you were 7 months old you were...
Going to bed around 7pm and waking up between 5:30 and 6:00am. I liked the 6:00am days better! Sometimes you still cried at night, but you mainly slept through each night without a problem.
You were sitting really well and hardly ever toppled over. You were really wanting to crawl, but didn't quite manage it. You were able to hold yourself up on your hands and knees, but couldn't quite figure out what to do from there.
You were eating great too. You really liked peas the best, but we started feeding you a lot of different fruits and you really enjoyed those. We finally got a good schedule down and you have done really well on it ever since. You took four bottles a day, about 4 hours apart. You would eat baby food between each bottle.
You still weren't napping real great at this point. Your naps were around half and hour and you were taking 3 to 4 a day. I was really hoping to stretch these out longer, but you resisted and unfortunately won!
You outgrew all 3-6 months clothing and I had to put away A LOT of outfits. I was a little sad and fought back tears with several of them. You were fitting into 6 month and 6-9 month clothing pretty well at this point.
As always, we loved watching you grow and you are the joy of our lives! We love you baby girl!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Dear Baby Girl,
You have finally learned how to sleep.....and momma and daddy and so thankful! You are sleeping 10-12 hours a night (for the past 3 nights....please keep this up!) and you sleep an hour at nap time, twice a day. I'm so proud of you. You are a happier baby for it too!
Momma loves you!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Dear Baby Girl,
Today you turned 6 months old! It seems like I just wrote your 5 month update, you are growing up so fast. I love you more and more each day, you are such a sweet baby. You love to laugh and giggle, especially at Grandma Theresa. You are starting to realize when you are not with Mommy or Daddy. You don't cry when others hold you, but every once in a while you just look up and find us, just to make sure we're still in the room.
You weight 15lbs 10oz now. Everyone talks about how chubby and cute you are. You are now in the 50% for weight; you were in the 15% at your fourth month appointment.
You are 25 3/4 inches long. This falls in the 50% as well.
Your head circumference is 41 1/2 centimeters. This is 25% category.
You eat about 6~7 times a day. We are currently trying to ween you from nursing to formula. This was such a hard decision for me to make. Nursing is becoming frustrating for us both as I don't produce much milk and it doesn't come fast enough for you. As of now, the plan is to nurse you in the morning and evening and give you a bottle during the day. This will help a lot because I'm going to work 3 days a week now. I expect you to drop a feeding pretty soon.
You now eat several different solids. You eat rice cereal, peas, green beans, bananas and squash. You LOVE LOVE LOVE to eat. You laugh and squeal the whole time. You eat about 1/2 a small jar of baby food after a bottle, two times a day.
You have outgrown almost all 3 month clothing. There are a few large 3 month onesies that still fit. You mainly wear 6-9 month clothing.
You are still in a size 2 diaper, but only because I bought like 400 size twos before I realized you would outgrow them so quickly. They aren't too bad, just a little tight around the legs.
You still love being outside. We were able to sit on a blanket under the trees in our backyard the other day. It was so peaceful. You played with you toys and I was able to sneak in a few pages of my book.
In two days I will start back to work and you will go to a babysitter's. On Mondays, Grandma Melanie will watch you and on Thursdays, Sally will watch you. You and daddy will hang out together on Wednesdays. I'm sad to be leaving you, but am sooo thankful we have family nearby to leave you with.
Love you tons!
"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you, their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."
Matthew 18:10
Friday, September 2, 2011
This week has not been good. Period. For some reason (I have many ideas of what said reason is, but no firm facts) Katelyn has been having a HORRIBLE time nursing again. She flails her arms and legs, suckles for like 2 seconds and than pulls herself off and screams only to throw herself back at me 5 seconds later to start all over again. In between screaming fits we switch from side to side about 30 million times. End result? Total frustration for me and her.
So.....she's getting weened this week. Yep, for sure, gonna happen, no more procrastination. She's 6 months old, loving solids and formula isn't the devil. I'm going to repeat that to myself every time I feel old mister guilty~feelings creep up on me. A sane mommy is better than a nursing mommy. And for us, those two mommys can no longer exist together.
Our one hurdle that must be jumped is getting her switched from Neutramigen (AKA~ formula that is so outrageously expensive it MUST be made from crushed diamonds hand picked by blind children from the remotest part of the world) to a regular formula (AKA~ formula that we can buy without having to sell our house). This is harder than it sounds. We've tried this before with very poor results and lots and lots of tears. Some of which were Katelyn's.
This time around, I sought out the advice of a dear friend and cousin. She suggested slowly making the switch. So tonight, we made a bottle with one scoop of regular formula and two scoops of the diamond~formula. So far, so good. We will slowly increase the regular while slowly decreasing the diamonds. I pray, PRAY, this works. Hopefully by the time I start my new job, she will be completely weened onto an affordable formula. We shall see.
To top off the fun, I'm pretty sure she needs her reflux medicine increased. She's been having more episodes (yes, this started BEFORE we started the new formula so we know that is not the cause) of spitting up, one of which ended with greenish milk/peas coming out of her nose. Poor baby, that can't be comfortable. She's been a nightmare at night too! I'm not sure why. This could be because of the reflux or it could be because I have not been strict enough with her and she expects to nurse each and every time she wants to....no matter what time it is or how long it's been since the last time she nursed. Another reason we are weening her. Mommy's going CRAZY!
So, all that said, tonight I got a little hope for tomorrow because she took the bottle with some of the new formula in it. I think we might live now.....
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sometimes I get sad. There. I said it. Out loud for everyone to hear, well everyone who reads this anyway. But, yes, there are times when I'm just sad for no reason. Maybe a better way to put it is that I'm sad despite many reasons not to be sad. I love my life, don't get me wrong. I have an amazing husband, who works very hard to give us a good life. I'm mother to a beautiful baby girl, who I love more than my own life. I have the best family I could ever ask for, and the most wonderful in-laws on earth.
So, all that said, why the sadness? I think partially it's because I've been off of my Zoloft for about a month now and my body is still adjusting. I think part of it is because I gave birth 5 months ago and the hormones are still a little crazy and sleep deprived. Sleep deprived hormones are never good for anybody. Ever. And a part of it is because I kind of feel like God has forgotten my family.
I know this isn't true, I know He is still there, watching over us and protecting us. He's still working for our good. I know that, I just can't feel it. I know He never leaves us because that's what the Bible tells us. And I'm choosing to focus on that. I've long since learned that we can choose what we focus on, and by doing that, we choose whether to be upset or at peace. I said I've learned this, not mastered it. I definitely still struggle to focus on the positive, cup is half full, side of life. I think this will be something I struggle with for the rest of my life. I'm just a "cup is half empty" type personality, no matter how much I fight it.
So, even when I know God is still in control, I still don't like the situation I find myself in. I still hate to see the ones I love most in this big, wide world struggle each and every day to get up and put a smile on their face and act like everything is good, as its always been and always will be. We've had some pretty tough blows the last couple of years, lost both of my much loved, wonderful grandpas, struggled financially, emotionally and physically. We're tired. We're worn out. We're beat down to the ground and struggling to get back up. We are leaning on each other, because that's what family does; that's what keeping our heads above water. But it's hard. Real hard.
I pray for my family. A lot. I remind God that he promised to bless those who love Him, and He reminds me of Anna and Katelyn. I ask God to please take care of us and He reminds me of my full belly and warm body. I tell God that I read in His Word that He always works for our good, not our ruin, and He reminds me that we are one of the richest nations in the world, that we have more freedoms than any other country, that I can go to church without fear of persecution.
So when I pray, it starts out as a cry for help and ends in a cry of thankfulness for what we have been given. I'm uplifted because God is giving me the strength to bear the heartache and hard times. I know they will pass, because everything has its season.
But sometimes, like tonight. I get a little sad. I shed a few tears. And then, I pray.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Today you turned 5 months old! I can't believe it (I think I have said that each month, and I'm sure I will continue to say it!) You have changed so much this past month. It is such fun to watch you grow and learn new things. You are getting your own little personality, which is mainly sweet and happy, but has a small streak of stubbornness mixed in (that must be from daddy's side!) You are learning to use your voice and love to practice different sounds as loud as you can. There are many nights when you join me as I try to sing you to sleep. I love to hear that little voice singing along with me!
You are becoming much more aware of what is going on around you, too. You get so excited when people talk to you and you always talk back. You chat away to the dogs whenever you can see them, and you love to talk to your toys. Your favorite toys are your little pink doll that hangs from your play-gym, your nursery rhyme book (that broke the other day!) and another little cloth book that has crinkle paper inside it. You grab for them and immediately put them in your mouth. Your toes are also a favorite. I will never forget the day you first tried getting them into your mouth. They wouldn't quite reach and you just couldn't figure out what the hold up was!
You LOVE to be outside, and that is still your favorite place to be. You are becoming a little frustrated with life these days, because you are more aware of what is going on around you, but still unable to participate in most things. When you are laid on your tummy you will pull your knees up under you like you're trying to crawl. Unfortunately, you don't know what to do with your arms yet and you usually end up face planting into the floor. It won't be long until you figure it all out though. Auntie Amber swears you're gonna be an early crawler!
You can now grab toys with both hands, or just one. You also can bring things to your mouth, which is where almost everything ends up! You are constantly taking your nuk out and then putting it back in.
You are working on sitting by yourself. You haven't quite gotten there yet, but are close. You are also very close to rolling from your back to your tummy. You usually have no desire to be on your tummy, and I'm sure this is the reason you haven't accomplished the task yet. I know you are capable of it because you were on your tummy one day when I got you up from your nap even though I had laid you down on your back.
You are still mainly breastfed with a bottle of formula each night before you go to sleep. You usually drink formula while I'm at work because I can't pump enough breastmilk for you. You are very interested in real food these days and I'm getting ready to start you on some rice cereal. The doctor says to wait until you are 6 months, but I'm starting a little early because I think you are ready.
I think you are very close to cutting a tooth. You chew on everything and just sit and gnaw on your nuk. You really like when I rub your gums with my finger. The past couple of nights have been rough, and I think it's because your teeth are hurting. And though I check every day, I still haven't felt a little tooth poke up yet!
I'm not sure how much you weigh these days because we haven't had a doctor's visit since you were four months old. You have gained quite a bit by the feel of you though! You are getting to be a little chunky! You are outgrowing clothes very quickly.
You fit nicely into 3-6 month onsies, but need a 6-9 month sleeper. I think this is because you are so long and the sleepers have feet in them. You wear a size 2 diaper and your socks are all too small now. I will have to go up a size in those.
We are working on getting you back to a good schedule. We had a great one until you got a cold, and then things got all messed up. Right now you wake up around 6-7 and eat. You'll eat again around 10:00, 1:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 8:00. You normally fall asleep between 8-9pm. You are currently waking up to eat twice a night, which I am trying to get down to once a night again. Before you were sick you only woke up once a night, which was great! You take two 30 minute naps in the morning and an hour and a half nap in the afternoon.
You are doing much better about being in your car seat, but still have some bad car rides. You love to watch Anna and Parker or any other child you are around. You have your mommy and daddy wrapped around your little finger and we couldn't love you anymore than we already do!
A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
~ John 16:21
~ John 16:21
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
I read this quote and I really liked it. I'm going to challenge myself to try and color my day with bright colors from now on.
Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up. - Allen Klein
Sunday, July 10, 2011
You and Daddy rocking
You and Aunt Linda at Grandma and Papa's
At Treasure Lake
Today you turned 4 months old! I can't believe my little baby girl is growing up so fast. You are now a happy and content little baby, though you do still struggle with acid reflux at times.
You are still breastfed and eat about every 3 hours, except at night. Thankfully, you only wake up one time during the night to eat. Daddy feeds you a bottle of formula any time between 8-10 pm and you will usually sleep until 4 am. Mommy feeds you at 4 am and then you sleep until about 8am.
You weigh 11lbs 12oz and are 24 1/2 inches longs. That puts you in the 15% for weight and the 75% for height.
You have very recently begun to have a good sleep schedule. You normally are up at 8am, nap from 9:30-10:15 and then again from 12:15- 1:30ish. Most days you will also sleep for awhile around 4:30pm. You are usually down for the night between 9pm and 10pm, depending on when daddy gives you your bottle.
You are still wearing size 3month clothing in most things, though I don't think that will last much longer. You are quickly outgrowing some of my favorite outfits! You can wear some 6 month outfits if they are smaller. You just graduated to a size 2 diaper.
You have been rolling from your tummy to your back for about a month now. You LOVE for people to talk to you and will smile and jabber back to them. You are discovering your voice and love to squeal very loud. Tummy time is much easier these days, as you no longer scream bloody-murder when we try it. You enjoy sitting in your walker and activity center for short periods of time. You are beginning to reach for toys and can hold them if we put them in your hand. You are trying very hard to bring things to your mouth.
You already love to be outside, just like daddy! If you are crying, I will take you outside and you immediately stop. You also love to stare at the TV~ enjoy that while it lasts, honey, cause mommy's gonna cut that one out pretty soon!
You recognize familiar faces now and mommy and daddy are some of your favorites! You are so much fun to be around and we love taking your picture!
For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him
~ 1 samuel 1:27 from KJV
~ 1 samuel 1:27 from KJV
Monday, July 4, 2011
This is my FAVORITE picture of my little baby girl. My sister took this and captured her smile perfectly! This is her "I'm so happy because everyone is talking to me" smile. So sweet!
This picture was taken by her daddy, and it cracks me up! I love how she sticks out that lower lip right before she starts to cry!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Well, needless to say, this post is a long time coming! I've been crazy busy lately, but hopefully now I'll be able to blog a little more often. I'll try to catch everybody up on the last couple of months.
On March 10, 2011 at 12:16pm we were blessed with the birth of our daughter, Katelyn Grace Stafford. We were thrilled to finally meet this tiny little bundle! Here's the story of her birth:
Labor was induced at 6:30am on March 10th. I progressed very quickly and by 11:30 I was 10cm dialated. I began pushing at 11:45. Things went well until about the last 10 minutes of labor. We were told that Katelyn's heartrate was decreasing and we needed to deliver her immediately. The doctor came in and assisted the delivery with a vacuum. Katelyn was born entirely blue due to her cord becoming compressed during delivery. She was immediately taken to the NICU and remained there for 5 days.
We were able to bring our baby home on March 14th. It felt so good to be able to bring her into our home; we were finally a family! Mom stayed with us for a couple of weeks, helping us adjust to life with a newborn. Those first weeks were hard, but it felt so good to hold and cuddle my little baby.
The first couple of months of Katelyn's life were a little difficult for her and us. When she was about two months old, she was diagnosed with GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. This means the sphincter muscled between her stomach and esophagus isn't developed enough to close completely and keep the food in her stomach from reentering her esophagus. Babies with GERD have a lot of pain and discomfort. I hated having to watch Katelyn go through so much pain when she was so little.
We put Katelyn on Zantac in order to help control her reflux. She immediately started improving. We still have some trouble with tummy pains, but she is sooo much better than she was! Now if we can just get this little girl to sleep!
Today, Katelyn is 3 1/2 months old and getting her own little personality. We love playing and laughing with her. She definitely recognizes familiar faces, especially mommy and daddy. She smiles and coos and loves to be talked to. She has smiled since day one, but she was 6 weeks old when she smiled just for me. She learned to roll over from her tummy to her back at 3 months. And now she can roll over both to the left and right consistently. She almost always insists on being held upright so she can see the world around her. She is becoming a happy and content little baby.
I will try to be better about updating this so that Katelyn can go back one day and read about the first years of her life. I might steal Ashley's idea of writing a blog to Katelyn every month and telling her what she's up to and how she has grown that month. I love reading Ashley's blogs to Greyson, so I hope everyone will enjoy reading my blogs to Katelyn. I guess this blog will have to count for the first 3 months!!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Well, we're still waiting on the arrival of our little girl. I have felt a lot of "changes" lately, that hopefully signify that she's not going to keep us waiting to much longer. I thought I would be much more impatient than I really have been. I mean, I'm definitely ready to meet her, but I'm not constantly irritated that I'm still pregnant. I just seem content to wait for now. (I reserve the right to change this attitude at any point in time however!) I was thinking of things today that I will miss about being pregnant. Here are a couple:
- feeling Katelyn move and kick inside me
- watching my belly move when she kicks really hard
- not being concerned about whether I look fat in something!
- having that cute pregnant look with some of my favorite outfits
Then I started thinking of things that I will be so happy to leave behind with pregnancy. Here they are:
- not being able to turn over in bed without having to move heaven and earth
- having contractions every time I stand up
- peeing every 3~5 seconds
- not being able to get off the couch
- not being able to tie my own shoes (how do kids do this every day???)
- wondering at every moment if my water is going to break and completely embarrass me in front of everyone
- crying over completely insignificant things
I've had an interesting pregnancy so far. I can't really say it was bad, but I can't really say that it has been easy either. I guess it falls somewhere in the middle. I've had my ups and downs with it, but all in all, I'll definitely do it again. I had my share of morning sickness, but not as bad as some. I had to deal with the gestational diabetes, but it wasn't so bad once I got used to it. Katelyn has kind've gotten a reputation for being a little dramatic, but, who can blame her with me as her mom and Anna as her cousin??? She entitled to a little drama, right?? It's been an interesting journey, and one that I will never forget!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
I can smell it!! Spring is my most favorite season of all! I love, love, love Spring. I love the nice weather, the flowers, the rain showers, the blooming trees. Everything! I love looking out the window one day and suddenly noticing that there is green all around me; the brown is gone, not to be back for another year. I noticed today that our trees are starting to bloom out, and I know spring is around the corner!
This year, Spring will be even more special than usual. We'll get our baby girl and we are in a new house that is all our own. I can't wait to plant flowers and watch them grow. I'm so excited to see birds on my feeders and hear them chirping their little hearts out. I am also very excited about taking Katelyn out and rocking her on my porch! Overall, I can't wait until Spring truely arrives!!!
This year, Spring will be even more special than usual. We'll get our baby girl and we are in a new house that is all our own. I can't wait to plant flowers and watch them grow. I'm so excited to see birds on my feeders and hear them chirping their little hearts out. I am also very excited about taking Katelyn out and rocking her on my porch! Overall, I can't wait until Spring truely arrives!!!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
It's crazy that I'm no longer counting down the wait for my daughter in months, but in weeks! I'm sure anxious to begin counting the DAYS!!! I went for my dr's appt today and my regular NST (nonstress test). We had a few complications because Katelyn wasn't moving around as much as they would have liked to see her moving. The doctor decided she wanted to do an ultrasound just to check and make sure everything was okay. It was really fun to be able to see my baby girl again. She certainly has grown since the last ultrasound we saw! We were able to confirm 100% that she is a girl and that she's in the head down position, which Dr. McCall believes she will stay in until delivery. She still wasn't moving too much, but she did put her foot up for us to see as well as wave and turn her head toward us. We got a pretty good picture of her face as well. The ultrasound confirmed that she was doing fine, just resting instead of moving around like usual. The only downside was that Cody wasn't there with me to see her.
After the ultrasound I had my normal appt and everything looks great. I've lost another 1 1/2lbs, but the doctor said she was not concerned about that. Katelyn is measuring right where she should be, so that's great. Next week we'll do another ultrasound in order to see how much she weighs to help us determine whether to schedule a c-section or to try laboring. Cody will be able to be at this one, so I'm pretty excited about it!
After the ultrasound I had my normal appt and everything looks great. I've lost another 1 1/2lbs, but the doctor said she was not concerned about that. Katelyn is measuring right where she should be, so that's great. Next week we'll do another ultrasound in order to see how much she weighs to help us determine whether to schedule a c-section or to try laboring. Cody will be able to be at this one, so I'm pretty excited about it!
Monday, February 7, 2011
I've once again been an absentee blogger~ my computer has a virus, again, and I was having trouble getting into my blog. Anyway, a lot has been going on the last few weeks!
First, my wonderful sister, cousin and aunt-in-laws threw me an amazing baby shower on January 23rd. There were about 30 people there, all from Cody's side of the family. I couldn't help but feel loved and blessed by so many people! You really don't realize how much family support helps until you have a little baby that requires so much stuff! Cody's family really blessed us with all the wonderful and thoughtful gifts. We had so much stuff, I wasn't sure where we would put it all :) Mom came over and helped me get it all organzied and we found a place for everything. Some of the stuff we recieved was:
First, my wonderful sister, cousin and aunt-in-laws threw me an amazing baby shower on January 23rd. There were about 30 people there, all from Cody's side of the family. I couldn't help but feel loved and blessed by so many people! You really don't realize how much family support helps until you have a little baby that requires so much stuff! Cody's family really blessed us with all the wonderful and thoughtful gifts. We had so much stuff, I wasn't sure where we would put it all :) Mom came over and helped me get it all organzied and we found a place for everything. Some of the stuff we recieved was:
- Stroller and car seat from Kenny and Melanie!
- All of our bedding and curtains from Mom~amazing
- Tons and tons of adorable clothes from everyone
- bath supplies to last a lifetime
- hamper and laundry baskets
- toys galore
- diapers and butt cream
- and much much more!
It was so fun to look through everything and show Cody what all we received. It was fun seeing his reaction to everything. He wanted to know who had given what, but there was so much stuff I couldn't always remember!!
It didn't stop there, either. On February 6th, my great friends Ashley and Leslie threw me another shower for my friends and family. WOW. I had no idea one little girl could use so much stuff! It was so fun seeing all my friends in one room together! I had girls from highschool and their moms, lifelong friends and family, girls from work and girls from hygiene school! We had a blast! And they once again amazed me with the gifts!
Ashley made a HUGE diaper cake. And by huge, I mean huge. It had over 200 diapers in it along with really cute toys and much needed supplies. On top of this, we probably received 5 more boxes of diapers and a ton of wipes. YEA! I was really starting to stress about the cost of diapers! We also got:
- super cute bibs and burp rags from mom
- AWESOME decorative letters spelling Katelyn from my sister
- a diaper genie (cause where we gonna put all them dirty diapers???)
- a play gym for baby
- clothes, clothes, clothes!
- a sound spa
- a bucket chalk full of clothes and supplies from my cousins
- socks like you wouldn't believe
- 2 handmade blankets and a super cute jacket
- and again, much much more!
Overall, we were literally showered with baby items! I can't help but think of how much these people in my life mean to me and what a lucky family we are to know each and every one of them. Our nursery is complete~ now we just need our baby girl to arrive!
Which reminds me to blog about all the fun pregnancy drama of late! I have to go in and have nonstress tests done every Tuesday and Friday due to the gestational diabetes. Well, this Tuesday we got such a bad snow storm that my OB's office was closing. So, they called me on Monday and told me to go to labor and delivery that night and have one done. Mom came and picked me up and off we went.
NST's are kinda boring. They just have you lie down on a bed or chair and hook up monitors that show the baby's heartbeat and if you're experiencing any contractions. You have to lay there for 30-60 minutes. Well, this particular evening, I was apparently getting some regular contractions. I could feel them, but they didn't hurt. The nurse said she thought I was just a tad dehydrated and needed to eat. They sent me home with no problem.
Well, over the next couple days I continued to have some contractions here and there. Then, along came Friday. I had another NST at the doctors office with my regular nurse. I told her about the contractions I'd been having and she didn't seem to awfully concerned. We did the NST and then she came back into the room and said, "Gosh, you really are having a lot of contractions! I'm going to show this to the doctor." So, the doctor ordered me to be checked to make sure I wasn't dialated, which I wasn't (thank goodness!) And, once again, I was sent on my way.
I was tired of being stuck at home so Mom, Amber, Anna and I went a couple places. By the time we reached Target, I was having some pretty hard contractions, around 4 in ten minutes. My blood sugars were also running extremely high without reason. So, I called the doctors office. I was ordered to go home immediately and lay down (sitting not allowed) and I could only get up to pee. If the contractions continued, I was to go back to labor and delivery.
My wonderful Mom and sister didn't abandon me though (maybe cause of the tears, not really sure though). We all went back to my house and they made a bed for me in the nursery and then proceeded to put all my wall stickers up for me. It was super fun and I loved the result!! I rested for the rest of the evening and the contractions eventually stopped.
The next day my sister met me for my regular dr's appt (which was rescheduled also due to the snow storm). The doctor really made me feel better about all the contractions, and diagnosing them as Braxton Hicks and not true contractions! Very good news, since it's too early for baby girl to make her appearance. My doctor also said that due to the diabetes, she would not allow me to go past my 39th week of pregnancy. Which means I will be pregnant one or two weeks less!! YEA! We talked about different options for delivery and decided if the baby was over 9lbs we would do a c-section. If not, then I would be induced unless my body went into labor on it's own.
So, some very exciting times in the Stafford household! We only have 4 1/2 more weeks until D-day, and we can't wait! Everything is set and our bags are packed! Hopefully, the time will fly....
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Well, we're in the house! Most things are in the right place, and many walls are decorated! The baby's room is painted and furniture is in place!!! Baby clothes, mattress, swing and diapers are still at mom's. Hopefully, we'll get those over here soon. And by soon, I really mean just sometime before she's born. Which, is actually coming up very soon. I'm reminded of this fact every time I try to bend over and find I can't, also when my husband tries to go through a doorway I'm standing in and actually runs into my belly. I'm also reminded whenever I try to get off the couch, or chair or floor, or really, anywhere I've decided to sit. Also, when I've tried to go an hour without a trip to the bathroom (I mean, really, is an hour too much to ask for????)
Okay, so I may sound a little complainy (yes, it's a word), but I'm really actually very excited to meet my baby girl. After all this time, it still doesn't quite feel real to me. I know that I'm having a baby, but I don't know HER. I don't know her face, I don't know her personality, what color her eyes are....I don't know anything about her yet! I'm ready to meet her; hopefully the next two months will go by quickly.
So, both of my baby showers are coming up! I'm very excited about them. My sister-in-law, Beth, is giving me one for Cody's side of the family and my best friends, Ashley and Leslie, are giving the one for my family and friends. I don't like being the center of attention, but I'm so excited to fill up the nursery with all the new baby stuff! I have loved, LOVED, everything baby since I was a baby. I can't believe it's my turn to actually need bottles and nuks and diapers and blankets, swings, boppies and everything else! How fun!!
My sis and I are working on decorating the nursery. Cody and mom got it painted a very light, baby pink and we're going to get brown and cream polka dot wall stickers. It will be super cute. Mom has made all the bedding and I can't wait to see it in the crib. I think once everything is in the nursery, I will feel much more ready to take care of my baby.
Cody will be a great daddy. I know this, because he has spent the last several days taking very good care of me while I've been so sick. He waited on me hand and foot without complaint. He has also gotten very good at dealing with crying girls! Since I seem to cry at the drop of a hat these days, I'm sure he'll be very used to it when Katelyn comes along. I can't wait to see his face when he meets our little baby.
Okay, so I may sound a little complainy (yes, it's a word), but I'm really actually very excited to meet my baby girl. After all this time, it still doesn't quite feel real to me. I know that I'm having a baby, but I don't know HER. I don't know her face, I don't know her personality, what color her eyes are....I don't know anything about her yet! I'm ready to meet her; hopefully the next two months will go by quickly.
So, both of my baby showers are coming up! I'm very excited about them. My sister-in-law, Beth, is giving me one for Cody's side of the family and my best friends, Ashley and Leslie, are giving the one for my family and friends. I don't like being the center of attention, but I'm so excited to fill up the nursery with all the new baby stuff! I have loved, LOVED, everything baby since I was a baby. I can't believe it's my turn to actually need bottles and nuks and diapers and blankets, swings, boppies and everything else! How fun!!
My sis and I are working on decorating the nursery. Cody and mom got it painted a very light, baby pink and we're going to get brown and cream polka dot wall stickers. It will be super cute. Mom has made all the bedding and I can't wait to see it in the crib. I think once everything is in the nursery, I will feel much more ready to take care of my baby.
Cody will be a great daddy. I know this, because he has spent the last several days taking very good care of me while I've been so sick. He waited on me hand and foot without complaint. He has also gotten very good at dealing with crying girls! Since I seem to cry at the drop of a hat these days, I'm sure he'll be very used to it when Katelyn comes along. I can't wait to see his face when he meets our little baby.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Well, once again I've been an absentee blogger! We have had so much going on that the past two months have flown by! Though I'm ready for things to slow down a bit, the changes have been good.
We began looking for houses this summer and we found one we fell in love with! In November we began the steps to purchase it. Wow, did we ever get ouselves in over our heads with this one!
The house is in Ozark, Mo. We really like this area and are excited to live here. The house is a 3 bedroom, single story with a brick face. It has a huge fenced in backyard with a large covered porch that I can't wait to fill with flowers. We have a ton of really nice trees in the front and back; I'm excited for spring when we will be surrounded by green leaves. We have a neighborhood pool that I'm sure I'll be using this summer! Most of the house has lament hardwood flooring, though Katelyn's room and the spare bedroom have white carpet. I like the hardwood flooring, but my feet get cold and the dogs don't enjoy it. They make it so much easier to clean up after the dogs though, that it's worth it to me!
The dogs have had a hard time adjusting, but they LOVE the backyard. Wrigley was doing well until I started the washing machine today. For some reason it scared him so bad that he wanted in my lap for the next 2-3 hours! He was shaking so hard that I took pity on him and held him for a bit. Then I sat him on the bed and covered him in blankets so he would feel safer. He stayed right there while I worked around the house. Still not sure why he was so afraid!
I'm so excited about decorating! I can hardly wait. But wait I shall because I want to really make it look nice, so I'm taking my time and finding some really nice pieces before I get started. I'm also really excited about setting up the nursery. Katelyn's little kicks are frequently reminding me that in a very short time we are going to have a little one amongst us!
Like I said earlier, the two months that we spent on the house-buying process flew by! We lived with mom and dad for about a month while we were waiting for everything to go through on the house. We were so busy that I kinda forgot to count down the weeks until Katelyn's here. I suddenly realized that I only have about 2 1/2 months before she's due! Yikes! I'm not sure I'm ready yet.
It seems crazy that I'm already in my third trimester! Seems like yesterday that I was seeing her first ultrasound. Now I'm 29 1/2 weeks and March 18th doesn't seem so far away. I guess I should write that during these two busy months we finally decided on a name for our little miracle. We are calling her Katelyn Grace Stafford. We both are very happy with the name and can't wait to see her little face! I am so happy that we have a nice home to bring her to!
I haven't had a chance to take any pictures yet, but as soon as things are a little more organized I'll post some!
We began looking for houses this summer and we found one we fell in love with! In November we began the steps to purchase it. Wow, did we ever get ouselves in over our heads with this one!
The house is in Ozark, Mo. We really like this area and are excited to live here. The house is a 3 bedroom, single story with a brick face. It has a huge fenced in backyard with a large covered porch that I can't wait to fill with flowers. We have a ton of really nice trees in the front and back; I'm excited for spring when we will be surrounded by green leaves. We have a neighborhood pool that I'm sure I'll be using this summer! Most of the house has lament hardwood flooring, though Katelyn's room and the spare bedroom have white carpet. I like the hardwood flooring, but my feet get cold and the dogs don't enjoy it. They make it so much easier to clean up after the dogs though, that it's worth it to me!
The dogs have had a hard time adjusting, but they LOVE the backyard. Wrigley was doing well until I started the washing machine today. For some reason it scared him so bad that he wanted in my lap for the next 2-3 hours! He was shaking so hard that I took pity on him and held him for a bit. Then I sat him on the bed and covered him in blankets so he would feel safer. He stayed right there while I worked around the house. Still not sure why he was so afraid!
I'm so excited about decorating! I can hardly wait. But wait I shall because I want to really make it look nice, so I'm taking my time and finding some really nice pieces before I get started. I'm also really excited about setting up the nursery. Katelyn's little kicks are frequently reminding me that in a very short time we are going to have a little one amongst us!
Like I said earlier, the two months that we spent on the house-buying process flew by! We lived with mom and dad for about a month while we were waiting for everything to go through on the house. We were so busy that I kinda forgot to count down the weeks until Katelyn's here. I suddenly realized that I only have about 2 1/2 months before she's due! Yikes! I'm not sure I'm ready yet.
It seems crazy that I'm already in my third trimester! Seems like yesterday that I was seeing her first ultrasound. Now I'm 29 1/2 weeks and March 18th doesn't seem so far away. I guess I should write that during these two busy months we finally decided on a name for our little miracle. We are calling her Katelyn Grace Stafford. We both are very happy with the name and can't wait to see her little face! I am so happy that we have a nice home to bring her to!
I haven't had a chance to take any pictures yet, but as soon as things are a little more organized I'll post some!
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