First Haircut

Kaylee is just growing up so quickly, it's scary. Last night she got her first haircut. We really only trimmed her bangs a bit, but it's a milestone all the same.

My aunt is a hairdresser, so she gave me my first haircut. Continuing the tradition, "Auntie Mir", who is in school at B Street Design, gave Kaylee her first haircut.

She just looks so grown up now!!!

We All Fall Down

Oh, but we have had a rough couple days!

It all started on Thursday morning when I got Kaylee up for the day. She had vomited in her crib sometime in the night. I felt horrible, because I know I had heard her coughing a bit, but since she didn't cry for long, I let her go back to sleep on her own. Oops. Anyway...I thought it was an isolated thing...she had had 5 shots and a big dinner the night before, so I gave her the typical morning bottle and got her ready to go to childcare. I was wrong. We had no sooner got downstairs and I grabbed my purse than Kaylee started vomiting. All. Over. The. Place.

Needless to say, I stayed home with Kaylee on Thursday. She got sick several more times, but seemed like she was mostly on the mend by late afternoon. Since the last vomiting episode was later in the day, we knew that she couldn't go to childcare on Friday either, so we agreed that Mike would stay home in the morning while I went in to do a few things at work. No problem, right.

Well, first I woke up on Friday feeling a bit off. I feared that I had caught Kaylee's junk, but I seriously had to get into the office. Bad idea. I vomited 5 times that morning, including twice in the alley behind our office and once into a trash bag while pulled over on the side of the highway. Ugh. Add to that, shortly after I arrived at the office, Mike called to tell me that he thought he had another kidney stone and needed to get to the hospital and couldn't even lift Kaylee.

Friday was a disaster, but we are so lucky to have amazing family. My dad took Kaylee to his house and Mike's grandma took him to the ER. I finished my work quickly (between trips to the restroom) and got back home. My mom took over for my dad at noon with Kaylee and I stayed in bed miserable. Mike finished up at the hospital, went in to his office for a few hours (hopped up on pain pills), and brought Kaylee home from my parents'. He took very good care of me for a few hours until he started feeling sick himself. He was sick for most of the night, waking up several times to vomit.

So each of us went through approximately 12 hours of hell and came out on the other side in one piece. A brief recap...Kaylee: 3 am - 3 pm on Thursday, me: 7 am - 6 pm on Friday, Mike: 7 pm on Friday - 7 am today.

So now we move on with the rest of our weekend. Today we have an anniversary party for Mike's grandparents (which we are co-hosting with his sister), and tomorrow is Halloween. No rest for the wicked, right?

Party Girl

Whew...what a day!

Today was Kaylee's first birthday party. Honestly, the roughest part of the day was keeping Kaylee awake this morning so that she would take a nap just before party-time. Other than that, everything went just beautifully!

I had an amazing friend to help me pick up all the food and such and decorate the room. My equally-amazing husband and sister-in-law kept Kaylee at home until just before the party. We had just enough, but not too much, food. AND...I was able to pawn off most of the extra food and not bring too too much home with us.

We had 22 people (out of 30 invited, not bad) come out to join the celebration. Once again, I am reminded just how blessed we are to have such amazing friends and family and to have so many people that love our daughter so much. I couldn't have wished for a better first birthday celebration for my littlest love.

Totally Forgot About This...

The results from the little online baby pool...

Angel	girl	7 lbs 4 ozs	20 in	Nov 12, 12:42 pm	PA	online friend
Becky	girl	8 lbs 4 ozs	20 in	Nov 20, 6:40 pm	Lawrence KS	I'm the momma!!!
Mary	girl	7 lbs 13 ozs	19 in	Nov 18, 5:36 am	Topeka KS	baby-momma's friend
Auntie	girl	6 lbs 10 ozs	18 in	Nov 14, 3:00 am	St. James City FL	The best Aunt ever!!!!!!!!!
Grandma	girl	8 lbs 2 ozs	21 in	Nov 16, 12:45 am	Topeka KS
Mike	girl	9 lbs 9 ozs	22 in	Nov 6, 4:41 am	Lawrence KS	I'm the baby daddy
Paula	girl	8 lbs 2 ozs	21 in	Nov 10, 8:00 pm	Topeka KS	baby gma
Sarah	girl	7 lbs 4 ozs	17 in	Nov 4, 6:04 am	New York NY	I used to live in the baby's room . . . and the parents' room . . .
Michelle	girl	6 lbs 14 ozs	19 in	Nov 5, 5:04 am	Olathe KS	Cousin-in-law to Becky

So my friend Sarah was the closest on the date, but that's only because she chose her own birthday...disqualified. A couple people were close on the length, so we'll call it a toss-up. On weight, my Auntie was the closest...only off by 1 oz! Way to go!!!

Year In Review

I've been seeing a lot of bloggers do sometime similar to what I'm about to attempt. I'll go through 2009 and highlight a few things that happened in my life. This has been a big year, so here I go...

January ~ America welcomed their first African-American President. Mike and I tried a get-healthier plan, but it was fairly short-lived. Oh well.

February ~ Mike and I had an amazing Valentine's Day, which he believes resulting in Miss Kaylee joining our small family. Gwen, my mother-in-law, found out that her cancer had returned and decided that she no longer wanted to fight it. I got my Blackberry.

March ~ We discovered that I was pregnant and I started the very blog you are reading today.

April ~ We gave up and shared our baby secret with our family. We celebrated my dad's 60th birthday with a surprise party. I got to go to Florida for work and also visited my aunt...vomiting on the sidewalk in Orlando was not exactly a high point, but pretty funny all the same.

May ~ We go to see our little one on an impromptu sonogram and finally shared the good news with the world.

June ~ Mike and I went to the Chicago/Earth Wind and Fire concert with his mom and sister. I began to feel the baby move a bit.

July ~ Mike and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. We had another sonogram and found out that we were expecting a healthy, beautiful baby girl. I got to see the Wiggles with my mom and nephews. Mike got to feel Kaylee kick for the first time.

August ~ We ordered the furniture for Kaylee's room. Little did we know what an ordeal that would be. Kaylee began to respond to me poking my belly...interactive fetus.

September ~ Mike and I started our childbirth class at the hospital. We took our annual Labor Day camping trip. I had a wonderful baby shower thrown by my friend Mary and sister-in-law Kris. We went to my 10 year high school reunion that same night. Mike stopped smoking!!!

October ~ We finally got our furniture and put Kaylee's room together. We had another sonogram and finally got to see Kaylee's profile. Kaylee decided to make a surprise appearance at 37 weeks. We finally became a family of 3!!!

November ~ I went through some tough times adapting to life as a mother, but found out that there is support out there. Kaylee got to meet her Grandma Gwen before she passed away. Gwen died two days before Kaylee's original due date. We celebrated our first Thanksgiving with our daughter and without my mother-in-law.

December ~ I celebrated my 29th birthday and continued to adapt to my life as a mommy. Kaylee's first Christmas was marked with a ridiculous snow storm that resulted in our postponing celebrations for a few days. We had a wonderful Christmas lunch of mac-n-cheese and hot dogs with Auntie Miriam.

It's been quite the year. I have to say that I'm glad to welcome a new year and a fresh start.

Updates and Pictures

On Wednesday I got the wonderful news that I am not, in fact, slowly poisoning my unborn daughter with too much sugar. What a relief! As much as I hate needles, I would gladly take a blood test again and even give myself daily injections if that's what it took to keep my little girl safe...but I'm glad I don't have to. :) We will have a sonogram on October 20 and then back for my 36 week appointment on the 22nd. After that, it's weekly appointments until the girly decides to join us. I can't believe how close I am to holding my child in my arms and looking into her face!!!

We officially have a nursery, complete with crib, dresser/changing table, and a glider rocker. I love it!!! Both Mike and I have wandered in there and just looked around with goofy-ass smiles on our faces at different times. Last night I sat in the glider and could just imagine what it will feel like to sit there holding our baby. I'm so ready. Anyway, this weekend will be all about moving all the random baby items from the piles in the living room to where they will be kept in the nursery. I'm so ready to have the rest of my house back...for a little while, at least.

Okay, okay...pictures...

Me with Mike's mom, sister, and grandma at the shower

Mike and I looking spiffy (and loving Little Girl) at the high school reunion

The crib, complete with ultra-girly bedding and not-so-girly Royals baseball mobile (I love it!!!)

The dresser/changing table with all of the necessary items

The fabulously comfortable glider, with a Grandma-made Royals blanket

Bella testing out the crib (We had to make sure it was safe!!!)

The Craziness

Note to readers: I'm going to blame the following scenario partially on pregnancy and partially on my mother.

Upon finding myself awake at 4:00 this morning, I somehow decided that it would be an opportune time to mop the kitchen and bathroom floors. I think I may have also done some dishes, but I'm not quite sure.

I think it's clear as to why I'm blaming this on pregnancy...the whole sleep thing...but some might be wonder why oh why I would blame this on my mother. I'll tell you...I have totally inherited her bad housekeeping habits.

I'm not a dirty person by any means (nor is my mother), but I have a terrible habit of letting little chores fall by the wayside on a daily basis. Clean dishes hanging out in the dishwasher or dish drainer for a few extra days? No problem. Clean clothes waiting a few extra days to be put away? Normal. Stacks of mail and papers and pictures and books and whatever else might accumulate on the coffee table or side table? Not a big deal. I don't have any excuses, it's just not a huge priority when it's just me and Mike. Here's the kicker, though...someone's coming to visit. Someone who doesn't live with my mild-chaos on a daily basis. Watch out!!! It is time to clean!!!

I remember how this would drive me nuts as a kid. Family would be coming in from out of town and all the sudden, the whole damn house had to be spotless. I thought it was crazy. Now Mike thinks I'm crazy. Great. I love my mother for so many reasons and now know why she loves to say, "No one ever had 'She kept a clean house' on her gravestone". Yes, my house will be neat and clean when people are coming to visit, but I openly admit that housekeeping is not high on my list of priorities.

I wonder if Little Girl will also follow in our footsteps...

It's a Girl!

Today we had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound. Today we found out that we are going to have a little girl join our family. We are so so pleased...tickled pink, if you will.

The whole ultrasound experience was just wonderful. The tech was amazing and gave us a running commentary the entire time she was looking around. I was blown away by how she could move the wand ever so slightly and see something completely different. I was also thoroughly impressed by how she knew what everything was!

We got to see our little girls arms and legs (two of each), her little face staring right at us (no profile picture for us), her heart (complete with four chambers), her spine, her kidneys (two of those as well), and so many other things (including her girlie bits, thank you very much). Our baby girl is just perfect and growing right on schedule, so our due date stays the same: November 16. Right now she weighs about 1 pound. I think my favorite measurement was that we were told that the palm of her hand is about the size of the tip of my pinkie. How frickin' adorable is that!?

Mike and I spent the afternoon visiting our family in Topeka and sharing the good news. Everyone was just thrilled! It was a good day.

The Heartbeat

This weekend, my lovely mother borrowed a doppler from the doctor's office where she works. This afternoon I finally got to hear my baby's heartbeat! It took a little time as I don't think my little one stays in one place for long. We first heard it for a split second before it was gone. That time it was strong and loud, though brief. After some searching, we heard it again. It was softer that time, but my mom was able to stay with it long enough to get a heart rate: 153.

Once again, I am deeper in love with this baby than I ever imagined. I can't wait to go to the doctor and hear that little "waa-waa-waa" again. I look forward to the coming weeks when I may begin to feel my little one moving within me. I am constantly amazed and so so grateful that I have been given this gift.

Daddy's Little Girl

Last night I got to have dinner with my mom and she recounted a completely adorable conversation with my dad.

He told my mom that I was fragile because I was pregnant. My mom assured him that, yes, I have to be careful about some things, but I am by no means fragile. His reply? "Well she's fragile to me." He told her that he felt differently thinking about me being pregnant than he did when it was his daughter-in-law having a baby. How cute is that!?

Here's the thing about my dad...he can be a total ass sometimes, but every once in a while his soft side shines through. I absolutely love my daddy and feel so good knowing that I'm fragile to him.

First Disappointment, Then Relief

My first OB visit was scheduled to be last Friday afternoon. I was so looking forward to talking with my doctor and nurse and get some questions answered. At around 10 in the morning, I got a call...my appointment was to be postponed. Between Thursday afternoon and when my nurse called, my doctor had delivered three babies and had one more on the way. Grrr!

This lead to my first real mood swing. I may or may not have cried hysterically for about twenty minutes over the disappointment. Looking back, I'm a little embarrassed, but I'm proud to say that Mike took it very well and rubbed my back and held me while I sobbed. What a good guy! My new appointment is this Thursday morning. I can't wait.

Since I'm dying to talk to someone who has some idea of what I'm going through, we broke down and told my family today. I feel so much happier now that my mom knows, and I got the best reaction yet from my sister-in-law. I know that I will spend the next several months surrounded by wise, loving women who will be an amazing support.

Nine weeks and counting...