Hey Jealousy

When you bring a new baby home from the hospital you always know that there will be changes to everyone's routine and that it won't always be easy. And, with two other kids at home there are bound to be some issues.

When McKenna and Cooper first came to the hospital to meet Kinley they were in complete awe of her. Cooper especially appeared to be about ready to burst with love for his new sister. He diligently washed his hands and then immediately asked to hold her. He wanted to help feed her and prepare her bottles. He even would fetch diapers and wipes when asked. For a moment I thought that perhaps we were going to get off easy. Perhaps this was going to work out pretty well.

I. Was. Wrong. Well, I should clarify that. For a brief time I was lulled into a false sense of security thinking that we were going to get by without any jealousy issues. However, a few days after being home we found ourselves face to face with someone elses kid. That's the only way I can describe it. Now, Cooper has always had it in him to push the limits a bit and push buttons too. But this...this child is not possibly my child.

In addition to figuring out a new routine with Kinley, we are also trying to figure out this new kid who has temporarily invaded our home. He is still over the top in love with his sister. But he is not so in love with listening lately. I know that it is his own way of adapting to a new routine and a new person in the house. He is no longer our "baby". And that must be hard. It is hard as a mom to watch him go through this transition. It is hard to know that I still have to discipline him even when I know that on some level he is hurting. He asks to be held a lot - something he hasn't done in a long, long time. Unfortunately it's most often when we are standing up or walking somewhere and I am not able to pick him up. It's so sad.

Yesterday we saw a glimpse of our old buddy. But today his alter ego started peeking through again while we did some pictures of all the kids. I am looking forward to the day when we can kiss this jealous streak goodbye. Until then I guess we just hang in and hang on with all we've got cause Coop's a pretty cool kid and let's face it- we all have our issues.

We love you Coop!

1 Week

Kinley, today you are one week old. I can't believe it. It seems like only hours ago that I was waking daddy up to tell him it was time to go to the hospital to meet you.
You are a good baby. You are eating about 2 ounces every 2-3 hours. Sleeping is a bit of an issue but only at night. It usually takes you until about 3 or 4am until you settle down and sleep for any long stretch of time. It doesn't surprise me since that was always when you were most active while in my belly. And McKenna always said you were going to be nocturnal. I guess you don't want to disappoint your sister. You actually enjoy your baths almost as much as McKenna and Cooper like to help with them. They love to comb all that hair of yours. Cooper likes to give you a mohawk!
On Monday we took you back to the hospital for a short check up. You had lost 5.5 ounces and weighed in at exactly 7 pounds. I can't wait to see how much you weigh at your official appointment on Thursday.
You have had tons of visitors during your first week both at the hospital and at home. It is safe to say your arrival was anticipated by many, many people and you are very, very loved.

"I'm Going to Be A Bumble Bee"

Lately Cooper has been telling everyone that he is going to be a bumble bee. Of course, most people just smile politely having no idea what he is talking about. What he is trying to explain is that he's going to the pre-kindergarten room at school - also known as the Bumble Bee room.

He was so excited this morning!

I can't wait to see how much he grows this year.

Kinley's Birth Story

Whether it was in fact McKenna's acrobatics on the playground Monday afternoon or just good timing, Kinley decided to make her appearance early Tuesday morning.

After returning home from our day of fun at the park and Mimi's I decided that I felt horrible enough to call the midwife before the office closed for the day. I was having contractions on and off, had a headache and just felt yucky in general. I was told to drink two large cups of water, take some tylenol and get off my feet. If my contractions picked up and I had more than 5 in an hour for 2 hours I could call back. So I followed their directions with the exception of getting off of my feet - sort of. I decided that since the contractions had slacked off a bit and I was feeling better that I would take McKenna and I for mani/pedi's to celebrate the beginning of school. Plus, who couldn't use a good pedicure when you're not feeling so hot.

We returned home and I plopped myself on the couch. Earl was outside with McKenna and Cooper and sent me a text that said, "Do you think you could have the baby tonight. I don't feel like going to work tomorrow." Sure, I'll get right on that!

Little did we know....

Even though I was exhausted I stayed up until about 11pm. Sleep didn't come very easily for me throughout my pregnancy so I figured it wasn't worth keeping Earl awake with my tossing and turning. I did eventually go upstairs and crawl in bed for awhile. Around 1:30am I woke up from a deep sleep and sat straight up in bed. I had awful pain in my lower abdomen. I thought it was a contraction but it was unlike any I had experienced before. Like any pregnant woman I decided that since I was now awake I would make a trip to pee. That proved to be a good choice for me as my water broke shortly after I got to the bathroom. I hung out in the bathroom for a few minutes, timing the following contractions : 1:45, 1:53, 2:00, 2:06, 2:12. At that point I decided I perhaps I should call my mom to come and stay with the kids. This seemed like the real deal. My mom picked up her cell phone on the first ring. Good thing she's a night owl. Once I knew she was on her way I decided to wake Earl. I had held off waking him up because I knew he would go from zero to sixty in an instant. I was not wrong! He was up and to the bathroom in about 2 steps. While I directed him to add a few things to my suitcase I dialed the midwife on call who told me to come to the hospital. By the time Earl returned to the bedroom I was in the shower. He was not happy. But hey, a girl's got to look good - or at least feel good. If I could still stand up I would have put make up on too but I thought we might want to head to the hospital instead.

We made it to the hospital around 2:45am. I was beyond relieved to see the labor and delivery nurse who had cared for me just 2 weeks before hand when I was in preterm labor. She quickly got me settled in a room and the midwife arrived. The rest of the team was called in to perform my c-section. It was an exciting time.

Waiting for the doctor to arrive.

I'll be honest that I was dreading the spinal. It's not my favorite part - or hasn't been in the past. However this time it went beautifully and before I knew it they were done. Kinley would be with us in only a few minutes. I wish I could explain the peace I had the entire time about her delivery. I didn't realize at the time but looking back the experience was so surreal.

Our nurse, Traci, with Kinley who's not even a minute old.

We were so blessed to have a nursing assistant who came into the OR with us and took pictures for us. We have never had anything like that with the other kids and somehow knowing that this was our last birth experience it was wonderful to have it all documented in photos.

Meeting for the first time. I remember thinking her cheek was so soft. It was so hard to believe that she was FINALLY here. I dreamed about her for so long.

Daddy holding Kinley for the first time.

Before I knew it I was being taken back to my room and the whole thing was over. It was kind of sad knowing that this would be my last baby, my last delivery. But already our family felt complete and Kinley was less than an hour old.

McKenna's first day of 2nd Grade

Just over 24 hours after Kinley was born, McKenna was headed off to her first day of second grade. She was so excited to be headed back to school.

One of McKenna's first homework assignments for 2nd grade was to bring a bag containing 3 things that would tell her new friends and teacher about her.

So there she goes again - climbing on the bus this time as a second grade student. It seems cliche to say "where did that time go" but that is really how I feel. I am still sad that I missed the first day but it's obvious that McKenna and Daddy did a great job.

Good luck in 2nd grade, McKenna. Mommy and Daddy hope you will have a great year.

She's Here!

Kinley Paige

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

4:53am

7lbs 5.5oz

18 inches

Kinley's proud brother and sister.

Welcome to the world Kinley. Daddy and Mommy are so glad to have you here safe and sound. Our family feels so complete now that you are here.

One Last Hurrah!

With the promise of beautiful weather, the kids and I headed downtown to the park today for one last day of summer fun. The kids have been asking to go to "Bowser's Park" for a few weeks now. They call it that because of it's castle theme which reminds them of Bowser on Super Mario Brothers.

They literally played for hours. Hours!

I cropped this picture so no one could see just how high McKenna was hanging off the ground. I think she was trying to put me into labor!

This is more my style! Nice and close to the ground.

We did take a short break for pizza at La Casa.

When we returned to the park we were treated to an up close and personal view of the train going by. Trains are always popular with Cooper although their whistle is not.

We couldn't end our summer fun without a trip to the Freeze. The kids had their usual...twist with rainbow sprinkles for McKenna and a chocolate milkshake for Cooper.

We left The Freeze and headed over to Mimi and Pappy's where Mimi completed this craft project with the kids. If anyone is a Pinterest fan you've probably seen this before. We love Pinterest and have done quite a few craft projects we have seen there.

We rounded out our day with McKenna's requested taco dinner. After we filled our bellies the girls headed to the nail salon for one last mani/pedi and the guys played a little golf in the back yard.

Tomorrow we intend to spend the day packing back packs, lunches, picking out clothes for the first few days of school and making sure my hospital bag is packed. It's hard to believe that school starts on Wednesday and the baby will be born by Friday at the latest. I have no idea where this summer has gone but I do know we made the absolute best of it. McKenna is thrilled to be returning to school and is looking forward to making new friends and spending time with old ones also. Cooper will start pre-K on Monday which completely blows my mind. I just can't picture him in Ms. Lorraine's class already but I'm excited to watch him grow this year.

So, so long summer. You've been good to us. We couldn't have asked for anything more.

"Pappy's Carnvial" 2011

I bet your Pappy doesn't have his own carnival. Truth is, our doesn't either (sorry dad). For the past year Cooper has asked when we are going back to "Pappy's Carnival", otherwise known as the Winfield Fireman's Carnival.

Whenever I was younger, the Winfield Carnival had actual "rides". But a few years ago they switched to blow up attractions. They are a huge hit with my kids.

This is the favorite. McKenna took the first trip down the slide.

And Cooper soon followed. This was just one of the 9, 233 times he went down the slide last night. I don't think the fire company made much money off of his wristband. He made sure to get his money's worth.

He made it look so fun that even Earl had to try it! I briefly considered it, too, thinking that it might induce labor but the sign clearly said "No pregnant women". See, I'm not the only one to contemplate such a thing!

McKenna took a break to play some games...

And even ended up winning a cake!

And when we finally got Cooper off the blow up rides he looked like this. I have no idea how he got so dirty. But, it's proof that he had a great time at Pappy's Carnival.

I was convinced that he would be asleep as soon as we put him in the car. Luckily, he hung in there and stayed awake for the ride home and long enough for me to get that face clean and his DIRTY feet! But once his head hit the pillow he was asleep in seconds - literally.

So, where will we be headed tonight - back to Pappy's Carnival for some more good food and lots of fun.

In the Still of the Night

If there is one thing that has been the hallmark of the last month or so of this pregnancy it is horrible insomnia. I can be so tired all day, but then when I go to bed I can't seem to fall asleep. Or, I sleep for a few hours and then I'm up, wide awake for hours at a time. It stinks!

Many people have reminded me that this is just my body's way of getting ready for middle of the night feedings and such. I can tell you that being up for those reasons and cuddling my new little bundle will be a welcome change from clutching the remote and searching endlessly for something to watch on TV. Of course I say that now!

Two weeks from today we will have our little girl in our arms. We are beyond excited. Today, McKenna and I assembled the new stroller (we downsized a bit) and installed the new car seat. I can safely say that we are cozy in the Acadia with three car seats and a stroller. However, I'm still strongly resisting the mini van. I'm just not ready to go there yet. We have one more pack n' play to assemble in our bedroom and some pictures to hang on the nursery walls. But beyond that we are ready.

In the mean time, if you're up between the hours of midnight and 5am - so am I! Otherwise, I will continue to monitor the weather forecast, current events, the latest antics on the Jersey Shore and Teen Mom and the stock market from my spot on the couch.

I Love These Guys!

When I decided to quit my job, I made the decision to leave at the beginning of the summer. I wanted to have one summer to spend with McKenna and Cooper. And boy, have we had a great time. I feel like we've made a ton of memories and we've certainly spent a lot of time together. Some days have been long and frustrating. But honestly, those days have been few and far between. The kids have been my biggest helpers and have brought me so much laughter this summer.

It's hard to believe that this time next week we will have the first two days of 2nd grade behind us and Cooper will be starting pre-kindergarten. Part of me is sad to see this summer draw to a close. It definitely flew by but I wouldn't change a thing about it. We have many things to look forward to as we approach the beginning of school and the birth of our new baby. But I will always cherish this summer and my time with these two great kids.

I love you!

Rainy Days

We were pretty lucky to have great weather this summer. We've done a lot of swimming, playing outside, swimming (have I mentioned swimming?). But as summer winds down for us we have found ourselves indoors more in the past week than we have in the past two months. So, what do we do when the weather doesn't cooperate?

Well, last week we headed to the Olive Garden! Not a bad spot to spend a rainy evening. Only, by the time we got there the sun was shining! Still, any excuse for Alfredo and that tasty salad is worth it. We then headed to Hooplas where I thought I took a lot of pictures of the kids playing video games and such. However, once again, I forgot to put a SD card in the camera!

More recently, we actually spent the day at home. For lunch we made English Muffin pizzas.

Notice McKenna and Cooper both have the same look on their faces as they carefully cut their veggies and cheese. I'm happy to say that at the end everyone still had all their fingers.

The pizzas turned out great and we all gobbled them down. The kids had a blast making them. Rainy days are not so bad except for the fact that my house and playroom end up looking like this:

And it's only 8:30 in the morning. Later in the day you couldn't even enter the playroom after the kids erected tents from the bar stools and pretty much any blanket they could find. But they cuddled up in their tents and watched a movie and I was able to relax on the couch for a bit. I suppose the mess was a small price to pay for some quiet time.

You've probably noticed that the pack n play has made its way downstairs and into the playroom. I think we might actually be ready for this baby to come soon. It's all a waiting game now!

Hello Baby Class

This evening was very important in terms of our preparations for the new baby. Tonight was Hello Baby Class - an opportunity for McKenna and Cooper to learn about being a big brother and big sister.

The class started with a tour of the Family Place. One brave mother even brought her new baby down to the nursery so that the kids could see what a brand new baby looks like. But first everyone got a lesson on handwashing.

Next it was time for a video and then some hands on practice.

The kids learned how to change diapers...


Cooper did pretty well. We might put him to work!

McKenna was concentrating so hard.

Next all the babies got a hat.

And then they were swaddled in a blanket. McKenna is a pro at swaddling.

Cooper was demonstrating how to correctly hold a new baby.

Finally each of the kids made a visor and had their pictures taken with their baby.

It's hard to read in this picture but McKenna's says "Big Sister" on it.

At the end of the class everyone received a certificate and a bracelet that says Big Brother or Big Sister on it. Needless to say, the kids are extremely excited now about bringing their sister home. But I don't think anyone is more excited than I am!