A very Merry Christmas

Christmas was so fun this year with a little one. I realized very quickly that it's not all about me anymore... it's all about her.
We spent lots of time with family and had a great holiday.
Here are a few highlights from our day.

Auntie Kelly got Kalyn a really cute outfit with a matching hat. I loved it, she didn't really have an opinion one or another...


What she did have an opinion about was rice cereal. She didn't really care for it. I think she prefers the boob. I had decided that once she could hold her head steady we would start her on rice cereal... not from a bottle, from a spoon. So with the help of her new Bumbo chair yesterday was the day. I'm pretty sure more of it ended up on her bib than in her mouth, but it was very entertaining for the adults to watch. She'll get the hang of it, and until she does we'll have some great photos...

Buster and Princess must have been bad kitties this year cause Santa didn't bring them anything... but they did have a great time playing with the boxes from other peoples gifts...

Marlee and Kalyn wore their matching outfits and looked oh so cute. I'm pretty sure that these are the two most beautiful girls in the world. I'm so grateful for the love that Marlee has for Kalyn, and I know that they will be the best of friends...

Of course there were lots of gifts to open and a ton of food to eat, but the best part was being able to spend time with our families. I realized that we don't do enough of it and I think I'm going to make it my New Years resolution to get together more often.

I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas... we wish you a very happy 2010!!

Things I've learned

I've been thinking alot about all the things that people don't tell you when you're pregnant about pregnancy, child birth and being a new mommy. For those of you who care, these are the things that I had to learn all by myself.
* WARNING * Some of this stuff is a little graphic... proceed with caution.

1. Pregnancy causes hair to grow everywhere... from about my 20th week on, my first question at every Dr. appt was... "are you sure the hair on my belly will go away after the baby is born?" No one tells you that since your hormones are all the jacked up, hair pops up in all kinds of strange places. (btw - if you're wondering, it's pretty much all gone now)

2. The first 2-3 weeks of breastfeeding is excruciating... I remember sitting in bed, feeding the baby and bawling the entire time she ate. It was a great feeling knowing that what I was doing was great for my daughter, but that didn't make it any less painful.

3. After 2-3 weeks of breastfeeding, the pain will go away... that my friends is when you realize that your nipples are permanently hard. Gross huh? I wonder if they will go back to normal? (There are a lot of other things I could tell you about breastfeeding and leaking, but I'm not going to get into it, I'm sure that all of you who have done it, have your own stories to tell)

4. Your own childs poop doesn't smell as bad to you as it does the rest of the world.

5. The first time you leave the house with the baby and no one else, is really scary. My first trip was to Meijer... What if she gets hungry while were at the grocery store... where will I feed her? What if she poops? What if she wont stop crying? What if she wants to be held and I have a cart to push? What if, what if, what if? You'll get through it, I did... mostly because she slept the entire time.

6. After 9 months of peeing non-stop, you're going to be super excited about only having to go every couple hours... until you realize that every couple of hours is still too often.... it burns... BAD. They give you all kinds of things to help the pain and ease the discomfort, but nothing really helps. And it doesn't just last a couple days... it lasts weeks.

7. Being peed on by a girl is possible.


8. When you leave the hospital, they give you 3 days worth of stool softeners, buy more. Believe you, me, you wont want to be pushing anything out of body for a couple weeks afterwords.

9. Don't open the diaper until you know whats in it... it might be a bad one that ends up on the onesie, the pants, the socks, grandpas couch, your hand and eventually in the kitchen sink! Eww... always evaluate the situation first.

10. The people that tell you that you'll forget the pain of childbirth once you hold your baby in your arms are either lying or had an epidural... It's been 2 months and I remember every second of how it felt pushing her out. Don't get me wrong, the end result is worth it, but it doesn't make what I went through any less painful.

11. ... and this one is the most important. Being a mommy is the best job in the whole wide world. If I would have known how incredibly amazing it is, I would have started a long time ago. (Good thing I didn't, I'd probably have 5 by now)

I'm sure there are lots of things that I wanted to put on here, but I've forgotten them... It's 12:41 and time to get my butt in bed.
Oh but first, here are the Christmas pictures we had done last week of Marlee (my niece) and Kalyn... I just love these girls.

happy halloween

We did it...
We kept this little person alive all by ourselves for 5 weeks! Impressive huh?

Updates...
Kalyn went to the doctor on Monday for her one month check up. The appointment went really well until the doctor gave her a shot and made her cry :(
She was 9 lbs 9 oz & 20 1/2 inches long. So she's gained 2 lbs and 1/2 an inch. Not bad.
Doc said everything looked great! She has a red spot on her eyelid that I noticed when she was first born. It only showed up when she cried so we didn't think much of it. When she was about a week old it showed up and stayed. Doc said it's a hemangioma and should fade over time, but that they are going to keep an eye on it. If it starts to raise (it's flat now) and doesn't fade, we will have to take action, but for now, no biggie. She also has one on her side and a very small one on her nipple... She's still perfect!!
We went Thursday to get Kalyn's one month pictures taken... I spent WAY too much money, but like I told Curtis, she's only a month old once.
Last night was rough, we made plans to go with a couple friends to dinner and a haunted house. That meant leaving Kalyn... It was so nice to get out of the house and spend time with friends, but at the same time it was miserable being without my baby. She was in good hands with Grandma Trish and we all survived.
That's all I can think of for now, we didn't get her a costume for Halloween, but she did wear a Halloween outfit, I'll load and post pictures soon. Until then, here are a couple of the pictures we had taken.

I can never think of good titles - Lets call it "The Walk"

Kalyn, Lexi and I went for Kalyn's first outside walk today.... It was rather uneventful.
I walked and pushed...
She slept...



The End.

This and that

The last couple weeks have been CRAZY!
I knew my life was going to change, but I didn't realize what a great change it was going to be.

I cannot believe how much love I have for this little person, that I only met a couple weeks ago. I love being Kalyn's mommy so much!!

There is so much to tell... so here we go!

* Kalyn sleeps like a champ! Our first couple nights home, she slept for 6 hours straight. Then I read that she needs to be eating at least every 4 hours and not to let babies skip feedings, so I have since been waking her in the night to feed her & she usually goes right back to sleep. I could not ask for a better sleeper, some nights she doesn't fall asleep until 3 am, but even those nights she sleeps in good solid chunks... Love it.

* Yesterday we finally left the house and went to Fred Meyer so the girls could meet Kalyn, if was wonderful to get out, but it scared the crap out of me to take her somewhere all by myself. It was rather uneventful, she slept the whole time.

* Kalyn loves the bath.

* Kalyn hates having her diaper changed (if I were her I'd be glad when someone changed me)

* Speaking of diapers... Curtis is a wuss when it comes to diaper changes, he always passes the poopy ones off to me, if he cant hang now, were in big trouble she starts eating solid foods.

* Kalyn is a PIG! I was/am having some breastfeeding issues (I'm not producing enough to keep Kalyn satisfied) So since day 4 we have been supplementing with formula. After nursing for an hour she is still hungry enough to finish off 2 ounces of formula. Now I know from pumping, that she is getting at least 1 1/2 - 2 ounces from me, so for those of you who cant do math... that would be 3 1/2 -4 ounces that she is eating every 2-3 hours. YIKES! At this rate she will be a sumo wrestler in no time.

* I'm having some issues "letting go" and have been letting Kalyn sleep with us... I know, I know, bad habit, but I feel so much better having her next to me. I've decided that I cant do it anymore so last night was her first night in her crib and amazingly we both survived it.

* Kalyn is looking more and more like Curtis everyday. Her complexion has REALLY gotten lighter and now I joke that I had a white baby. I was really hoping she would have my dark skin, but instead it looks likes all she got from me is dark hair, a double chin and chubby cheeks. Oh well, I love her anyway.

* I lost all my baby weight plus 4 pounds, but am quickly working on gaining it all back... I crave chocolate ALL the time. In fact I've eaten a package of swiss cake rolls and a pack of nutty bars while typing this. I thought the craving would go away after I gave birth... wrong.

Hmm... I guess that's all I can think of right now. I should probably go do something productive while baby sleeps...

I will post new pictures on facebook today.

We made it!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABE!

Sleep!

Everyone says when you have a newborn to sleep when they sleep... well Curtis has taken that to heart...

At the hospital.

Getting cozy with the boppy.

A little cat nap for daddy and Kalyn.

Curtis is such a great daddy... He loves his daughter so much and I couldn't ask for a better husband to me or daddy to Kalyn. It's amazing to watch him interact with her!

The last six days have been fun and a bit tough at times, but my amazing husband, family and friends have gotten me through them. There were times I wasnt sure I was going to make it, but I did with the support of all my people! Thank you all!!

I'll get some more pictures posted soon!

Kalyn Jo Moore

As you all know... SHE'S HERE!

September 26, 2009 (my due date) 10:22 am. 7 lbs, 9.1 oz. 20" long!

I woke up at 4:30 to go tinkle and on my way back to bed my water broke. I immediately went back to the bathroom and called for Curtis. It took me 4 yells, but he finally heard me.
Me - "My water broke"
Him - "What?? Are you serious?"
Me - "Uh, yeah"
Him - (running to the bathroom door) "What do we do?"
He was so scared and in that moment all the childbirth prep stuff went out the window.

We decided to call the doctor and see what they wanted us to do, my water broke, but I wasn't having any contractions yet. They told us to get around and make our way to the hospital. So I got in the shower and got my stuff together, got dressed, brushed my teeth... you know, all the stuff you do to get ready to leave the house. Curtis was ready to walk out the door at 4:45, but had to wait for me.
I decided on the way to stop at McDonalds for some pancakes cause I knew they wouldn't let me eat until after I delivered and I didnt want to wait the 16 hours I was sure it would take.
We got to the hospital around 6:00 and got to our room, right around that time I started having contractions. Not bad at first, actually really mild for the first half hour or so. When they checked me around 6:15 am I was dilated to 1.
By 8:30 I was in excruciating pain and asked for drugs (my plan going in was not to take any, but I knew I couldnt labor all day with nothing) They decided to check me and see where I was at before they gave me anything. When they did I was dilated to 9, I was too late for an epidural and they told me I'd be pushing in the hour.
We hadn't called anyone because we figured we had all day, so at this point Curtis frantically called everyone and told them to get there NOW.
Around 9:15 I started pushing and Kalyn arrived at 10:22 am.
I wont give you any juicy details, but labor was miserable, pushing was miserable, and delivering was miserable... in the end it was all worth it.
More to come later...

Am I done yet?

Almost 38 weeks and I've decided that there isn't room in my body for both of us anymore. It's time for someone to move out and it's not going to be me.

There is a little person who hangs out on my bladder all day, sticks her feet under my ribs when she feels like it, and is putting her knee in my side all the time. Not to mention she is making me HUGE!

I'M DONE!

It's not that I haven't loved baking this little peanut for the last nine months, it's just that I think she's ready and so am I.

I'm sure the doctors wont agree... ugh!

Cat Tested, Mother Approved

Princess has found a new favorite place to sleep....

Hopefully she will share when the baby gets here, if not, I'm going to have a buy another one!

Updates

I'm sleep deprived...

Not because I can't sleep...

because I wont.

The last couple weeks I've been staying up WAY too late playing with the baby. She is most active at night - So I've been having a lot of fun with her when I lay down.

If I lay on my right side and put my hand on the left side of my belly, she immediately kicks at it. If I take my hand off, she stops. So I've been staying up until all hours of the night putting my hand on my belly, letting her kick at it for awhile and then moving it off for a little. It's so great that I can now feel movement on the inside and the outside! According to the books, she weighs about 4 1/2 lbs, so it's fun now... ask me how I feel about it when she weighs 7 and it will most likely be a different story.

Hmm... what else is new?

Oh - I'm so excited. I got her crib bedding in the mail yesterday, got everything washed and put in the crib, now she at least has a warm, soft, comfy place to lay her head when she arrives... I'll put some pictures up soon.

What else?

I have 3 showers over the next couple weeks. My first shower is the 15th with friends and family. Then I have my office shower on the 19th, and finally my Fred Meyer shower on the 23rd. I'm excited to get them all here and done, so I can re-evaluate what we still need and get my shopping done before I get too close to my due date. You don't realize how much stuff you need for a baby until you stop and think about it. For being such little people they sure do need lots.

I think that's it for now. Another Dr. appt tomorrow, one more in 2 weeks and then I start going weekly. HOORAY!

Until next time...

This baby better be a girl...

Last week I finished painting the nursery. It only took me like 2 1/2 months start to finish - I could have had it done in 2 days if I werent so lazy, but I did a little a time and finally finished it. Now I just have to find some art, and get all my bedding and I'll be ready for her to arrive. Please, please, please don't let her be a he, I don't know how boys feel about pink rooms.

Here are a few pictures...

Closet doors are still down... and the changing table has been doubling as my work bench.

Crib
Dresser and changing table

Here's the deal with the colors: Two of the walls are light pink with a dark pink stripe through them. The other 2 walls are white with the light pink (from the first 2 walls) as the stripe. It was way mor work than I thought it was going be... but I love the way it turned out.

Cherry Festival Fun!

In between working 2 jobs and being big, fat and pregnant... I've been trying to enjoy Cherry Festival as much as possible.

Saturday we made it to the beach for the air show (which was really boring) and for some fun in the sun with Marlee and Lexi (my best friends daughter) They played in the water and sand, mom sat in the shade, and for the first time in my life I got a sunburn. I guess pregnancy changes all kinds of things.

We left the beach to get hot dogs & pick up Papa Tim and made our way back down for rides and eventually the fireworks. Marlee fell asleep about an hour before the fireworks started, but we were able to wake her up just in time to see them.

My favorite parade is Saturday & that night we have fireworks again... no worries, I will be wearing SPF 75 to the parade!

28 Weeks

I can't believe that I have still have 12 weeks to go. I am so uncomfortable already and it really sucks knowing it's just going to get worse.

Here are all the things I used to be able to do & took for granted.

I used to sleep through the night... now I'm up 3-6 times during the night.

I used to be able to bend over without grunting... now I grunt going down and coming back up.

I used to be able to get in and out of bed easily... now I have a foot stool to help me up and down. My bed has never seemed like it was tall until about 2 weeks ago.

I used to be able to sleep with 2 pillows... now I use 5 and sometimes I wish I had an extra.

I used to be able to go hours without peeing... now I go at least once an hour. (Do you realize that's like 24 times a day?)

I used to wear shirts that fit loosely... now everything is so tight.

I used to be a pretty tough cookie... now if you look at me wrong, it's very possible that I will start crying uncontrollably.

Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to be a mom, but the last couple weeks have been rough. I can't fathom being pregnant for almost 3 more months and even worse, getting bigger and bigger over those 3 months.

The baby has REALLY started moving over the last couple weeks and I love feeling her inside me, it's weird and amazing at the same time. Curtis felt her for the first time on Fathers Day. We were having breakfast with his mom and step-dad and she was doing cartwheels in my belly, I had Curtis put his hand right above my belly button and as soon as he did she moved. I love the fact that the first time that he felt her was father's day! No one else has been able to feel her, she's a little shy.

Tomorrow is my last monthly appt, now I will start going to the doc every 2 weeks. Were finally at the final countdown!!

I know this picture is gross cause my mirror is really dirty, but here is the little lady...

Cravings

Are really weird.

My latest and longest lasting pregnancy craving...

mmm... I cant get enough!

21 1/2 weeks

Saturday marked the 21st week mark of my pregnancy... I'm more than halfway done! HOORAY!

We found out a couple weeks ago that we will be welcoming a baby girl into the world in September... I was really holding out for a boy and so was Curtis, but I'm sure a girl will be great! We havent settled on any names yet, but we've got 4 months to figure it out... no need to rush.

I am excited to get painting and putting together the nursery & will start next weekend with pink paint, once I get paint on the walls, I'll decide if I want to do a theme!

I've been feeling great, nothing too bad to complain about. My back hurts most of the time, but not too bad that I can't deal with it.

I've just started feeling some type of movement. I don't feel it everday so it was hard for me to determine what it was that I was actually feeling but I now know it's the baby! Such a strange sensation and so weird to think that there is a person moving inside of me. I love it!!

Nothing else too exciting right now. I'll post pictures of the room in the next couple of weeks.

The Lion King

So I went to Lansing Thursday to see The Lion King Musical. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!!

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but it was totally amazing! The music was great, the costumes were beautiful, the dancing was wonderful, and the stage props were incredible.

If I could go back every night and see it, I would. Even if I had to make the 3 hour trip daily, it would be worth it.

I wasn't able to take pictures there, which sucks, but I'll always have the memories. I am posting some pictures that I found online, apparently someone was allowed to take pictures. Enjoy... and if you have a chance, get yourself some tickets and go see it. You can even invite me, I'll go with you!!