2010 in Review

Goodbye 2010! What an incredible year it was. It is a little bittersweet having this year end because this is the year Kay was born, but I can only look forward to the amazing times I will have with her in the future. Kay's birth has made 2010 a year that I will never forget.

With this year coming to an end, I want to thank my friend Angela for helping me get started blogging. Blogging is one of my favorite things of this past year. This blog means so much to me because I am able to share my life and my daughter's life with friends and family. I love blogging, and I love having my pregnancy and Kay's birth documented. In addition to blogging, I have been photographing so much more of life's happenings. Learning the in's and out's of a new camera and attempting to learn editing software has been my new challenge this year. Just taking the time to do something new and that I love has given me happiness.

Some other moments of happiness this year:
1. A Birth Story
2. A Baby Shower
3. A 2 Year Anniversary
4. A Vacation to Turks & Caicos (pre-blogging days)

So here's to another fabulous year and watching my baby grow! We will be ringing in the New Year at a wedding for a friend!

Kay's Friends

Well it is official, Kay has friends of her own. She hangs regularly with her bff Addie, but a few days ago, she met her newest bff's K & A. You can see pictures of and read about their first meeting on Angela's blog here.

These two cuties belong to my friend Angela, and I love spending time with them. I am so excited for this summer! The girls were excited to meet the baby so we should have a great summer spending time together.

Sorry for the short post. I am still in major meltdown mode trying to find an outfit to wear for the wedding we have to go to tomorrow on New Year's Eve. The good news is that I get to watch Addie for a little while in the morning. I can't wait to love that little bugger up! Our first official playdate :)

I'm Dreaming Of A White....Day After Christmas

I am usually completely bummed out when Christmas is over. Laying in bed Christmas night, I feel exhausted, and it is a major let down. The stress of finding the perfect gift in the perfect size is enough to make me want to sleep for days. Then, the anticipation of watching said people open the gifts puts me over the edge. Even though Christmas is over, I have another year of wonderful memories with my family and friends to hold on to.

The day after Christmas is usually a day spent going to stores to spend gift cards and find sales, cleaning up the house, and gathering a lot of trash! This year was a little different because early in the afternoon is started to snow. It was the perfect excuse to do nothing. Dobbie and I played with Kailyn while I drank new pumpkin spice Keurig coffee! It was the perfect day. The snow fell outside, and our house was cozy and warm. We didn't clean up. We didn't organize. We just enjoyed our snowy day, and it was so nice!

The next morning we woke up to about a foot of snow! I don't have the best pictures because I didn't go outside to take pictures to get the full effect of the snow.

It was our first snowfall of the year. As we started to clear the driveway and sidewalk, our neighbor came by with his snow blower. So instead of shoveling, we played with our snow babies.

Snow Baby #1

Snow Baby #2

Oh, how I love a good snow storm. It can even take away the post-Christmas blues.

Christmas Happiness

Whoa. That was a crazy past few days. It doesn't help that I saved many things until the last minutes which is very unlike me. Christmas Eve is the best day of the year. I love the anticipation of Christmas morning and the giddy squeals and excitement as we eat, watch A Christmas Story, and listen to Christmas music. Oh, and the giddy squeals don't come from anyone under the age of 30...some of us will never grow up...myself included! This year, we added some crying baby to the mix! Kailyn was so excited to see Santa that she didn't sleep ALL day! She was a bit rowdy at our Christmas Eve party! She is definitely going to be a party girl!

My husband likes to do most of his shopping Christmas Eve. It must be secret husband code. Although, my husband did run some last minute errands for me like a trip to the bakery and food store. So, I am grateful! I spent a good part of the day with the baby putting last minute touches on gifts and making something to bring to Christmas Eve dinner. We just hung around without our pants on!

Christmas Eve dinner was spent at Dobbie's parents house. Everything looked so great and festive when we arrived! The table looked great and the food smelled so good!

The food was yummy. I was with my favorite peeps. Things were perfect.

We had snuggles from Aunt Tracy. We had to show off how cute we were in our beautiful Christmas dress! 

We had a photo shoot in our Christmas dress. Don't worry, we changed into our pj's for Santa shortly after! 

Things were perfect...until this. Mommy, I had enough please.

We got home at 10:00 so we could put the baby to bed. 10pm is her new bedtime, and it was been working out well. Now, we just had to wait for Santa!

My husband has also created a tradition of wrapping gifts at 10pm on Christmas Eve night which usually leaves me in bed watching TV alone waiting for him to finish. In the morning, I wake up to the cutest gifts wrapped and sealed with packing tape and 3 bows each. I wouldn't want it any other way!

This was one the best Christmas. We had a wonderful day as we visited our families. We opened gifts, had some laughs, and held and snuggled our sleeping baby (a baby that slept almost the entire day because she was exhausted from the previous day's shenanigans). Thank you everyone for spending the day with us on our baby girl's first Christmas. It was special for us in so many ways, and I know each Christmas will get more special each year as Kailyn starts to get involved in the Christmas magic.

I got a special surprise gift from my mom and dad. A Pandora charm bracelet that I love. I got a few charms that are so meaningful to me. My brother gave me a special charm as well. It was such a beautiful gift, and I will always wear it and remember Kay's first Christmas. Now, I need to fill it up ;)

Christmas day has come and gone. It is always sad on Christmas night. Just knowing that you have to wait an entire year for another Christmas is a bummer. I am excited to see my little girl next year, but I can wait because I don't want time to fly by!

As I get ready to shut it down, I want to wish your family a Merry Christmas. XOXO

Christmas Commercial

My favorite Christmas commercial ever.

This brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. This describes how I feel this Christmas...so lucky and grateful to have my family. Merry Christmas Kay. Even if you don't remember your first Christmas, I will remember it forever. I love you baby girl!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Merry Christmas Eve! I hope everyone has a wonderful day with friends and family! We are doing a few last minute things today. A few stocking stuffers left to buy. A few presents left to wrap. Dobbie is getting my car washed, and I am making spinach dip for tonight. We are heading to Dobbie's parents house for a wonderful Christmas Eve celebrating with family. I cannot wait to share the beautiful dress Kailyn will wear tonight. She will look beautiful! Her Aunt Tracy spoiled her with her first Christmas dress.

Enjoy your day and the anticipation of the Big Man!

"I hope that baby isn't hungry"

Christmas is a few days away! The excitement is building around here. Today, I had a fun day of baking Christmas cookies with my mom and baby girl. It was nice to not go running around trying to get last minutes Christmas things...I guess I will save that for tomorrow.

Plus, I don't want to go out shopping because I never know what I will come home to. The other day, my mom and I went out shopping. I brought Dudes to her house to play with Stevie and Six while we were out and about. We were out for a good 3 hours, and I was stressed to get home to feed Baby Kay. It was a little passed time for her to eat, and I knew she was getting hungry.

As we walked in the door to my parents' house, my Dad says, "I hope that baby isn't hungry." OMG This is what we saw.

Three bottles that were in my diaper bag (on the chair) were on the floor destroyed! The caps were chewed, the nipples eaten off, the bottles were mangled. I was shocked. And you want to know who the culprit was...

Of course it wasn't the Dudes. She is a good girl, and she would never do such a thing! How dare you even think it!?!

It was this bad girl! Stevie. She is a bad, bad girl, but with a face like that I couldn't stay mad at her for long.

Our 2 Month Well Visit

Yesterday, we had our 2 month well visit. After rushing yet again to get out the door and to the appointment on time (don't ask me how I am going to get to work on time when I go back), we made it to the office.

Our pediatrician is amazing. We are going to the same office that I went to as a kid. I loved them so much that I wanted Kay to go there too. So the day she was born, Dobbie called them to sign Kay up. The next morning, one of the doctors came to visit me in my hospital room. We hit it off right away. She was so nice and warm. With Kailyn in the NICU, she didn't have to stop by my room and stay for so long. The practice is huge, and I know how many babies she probably had to see that day. She sat down, and we chatted. I love her! Since that first meeting, I have scheduled all of my appointments with her.

So as we waited for our favorite doctor, Kailyn weighed in at 9 pounds 7 ounces. She was 22 inches long! She is getting to be such a big girl. I had a list of a ton of questions that I wanted to be sure to ask. When the Dr. came in, I felt so relieved. We talked about Kay's development and her adjusted age, her gas, feeding & sleeping, and her tendency to only turn her head to one side. She is getting a bit of a little flat head on one side so I have to do some neck stretches with her! The doctor made sure to tell me how beautifully Kay is doing, and that makes me feel reassured and happy!

Then, Kay had to get 4 shots and an oral vaccine. The poor little thing cried her heart out. She even cried her first real tears! Her face turned bright red and she wailed! The shots made her a little cranky during the day, but she slept for most of the evening.

I put her to bed at 10 (a little earlier than usual) and she was wide awake, and in five minutes she was out. She slept 7 and a half hours! Then, I gave her a little of a bottle to put her back to sleep and she slept until almost 8 am! She is such a good sleeper like her momma!

A few more days until her first Christmas! I can't wait!!! I am still not done my shopping, but with the cutest baby in the world...who could blame me for not wanting to go running around.

Groundhog Day

Wake Up.
Snuggle, kiss, and love.
Change diapers and give a bottle.
Snuggle, kiss, and love.
Do the laundry.
Clean the bottles.
Snuggle, kiss, and love.
Couch and Macbook.

Repeat 6 times daily.

And every once in a while, we break our routine because our amazing Daddy needs to get in on the action.

Happy 2 Months!

Yesterday, Baby Kay turned two months old! 2 months ago my life changed forever. Happy 2 months baby girl! You are growing so fast!

At 2 months...

* You weigh 9 pounds 3 ounces. I think you slowed down a little bit on growing. I thought you were going to be at least 10 pounds when I weighed you. You go to the doctor next week so I will be interested to see what their scale says.

* You are sleeping like a champ! You have been consistently sleeping for 6 or 7 hours (for the past week). Two nights ago, you slept for 8 hours straight! Daddy and I are very happy, and we have a nice system down. Now, I am anxious to start putting you to bed earlier. I put you to bed around 10:30 or 11:00 every night, and I know that isn't going to cut it when I go back to work. Oh, and you are really liking your new crib!

* You are eating 3.5 ounces at each feeding, and you eat every 3 hours. You have been having trouble the past few days because you have so much gas. You get a little belly ache, and then you cry when you get your bottle. I hear your little belly rumbling as you eat. I hate seeing you wince in pain. I give you belly rubs and we do bicycle kicks to help you get that gas out!

* You love to be held and snuggled! I hope you don't give your Grammy a hard time when I go back to work. I don't think she will be able to sit and hold you all day!

* You still focus on lights and stare at them. You love the Christmas tree lights. In the past few days, you really looked into your mommy's eyes. It melted my heart, and I have been waiting and waiting for you to really lock eyes with me. I might just die when you finally give me a smile! You are starting to recognize me more and more, and I am just going to keep being patient.

* You are starting to hold your head up. When you are on my chest, you can push yourself up and look around. I love watching you. Your held wobbles back and forth and it is so cute! Your daddy and I are constantly saying, "Look, Look!" to anyone who will listen! It is still a little too hard for you when you are flat on the ground, but you are getting stronger and stronger every day!

* You are wearing 0-3 month clothes! You wore your first pair of jeans, and you are looking very cute these days. Baby Gap is your favorite store... you just don't know it yet.

* You just started wearing size 1 diapers!

You are the most beautiful baby in the world! I love spending time with you. You are awake for long periods of time, and you learn new things everyday! The past two months have been so wonderful. I am going to enjoy this next month with you before I go back to work!

Look at that chub on your arm! Getting so big! 

Hello Sleepy baby! 

Best Gift Ever  

The little peanut...notice her peanut ornament on the tree from Aunt Tracy!

Waiting for Santa! 

8 weeks old? 5 weeks old? 3 weeks old?

As I turned 30, Kailyn turned 8 weeks! I had a wonderful birthday... it was exactly as I had hoped. It was a day filled with snuggling Kailyn and visiting my mom. Dobbie made my birthday special by taking me to Ocean City for a drive and a nice dinner. It was perfect! I didn't need much to make me happy except my family (and an iphone of course).

With Kailyn turning 8 weeks old, I am surprised by how much she has changed since she was born. She is getting to be a big girl. Wearing 0 to 3 months, I can finally put her in some really cute clothes. Do you like her first pair of jeans? She rocked them at the mall with her BFF Addie.

As she continues to change, I decided to start reading about her development and expected milestones. It must be the teacher control freak perfectionist in me, but I want to have information to guide my expectations. Being a first time mom, I have no idea what she "should" be able to do and when she "should" be able to do it. So I got out the Week by Week book and read up until week 8. That was my first mistake.

I felt discouraged and worried. How come at 8 weeks Kailyn hasn't smiled at me? How come she hasn't looked into my eyes? When will she hold her head up when she is sitting up?

I talked to some friends and family about my feelings. I was feeling a little frustrated. Everyone kindly reminded me that all babies develop at their own pace. Everyone kindly reminded me that she was born 5 weeks early, and she missed out on 5 weeks of developing. I wasn't frustrated at her development, but I was anxious. I cannot wait for her to melt my heart with a smile. I can't wait for her to look into my eyes and recognize me. I am excited for our bond to grow stronger every day.

I hear so many people talk about adjusted age. Adjusted age is simply using the baby's age according her due date. This would make Kailyn 3 weeks old. I started going back in the Week by Week book, and I am looking for milestones and changes that seem to fit Kailyn. As much as I don't want to believe it, her development seems to be on par with that of a 3 or 4 week old.  So as she develops at her own rate, I will love and support her. I will encourage her and celebrate all of her achievements that she makes regardless of when they happen.

I have never taken Kailyn's adjusted age into account because she was so healthy and she has done so well since her birth; however, as the weeks pass, I am starting to think I should take her adjusted age into account. I think it will help Dobbie and I manage our expectations for our baby girl. As we wait for her to look into our eyes, smile, hold her head up more, I will enjoy what she can do today. I will enjoy every little piece of her.

Christmas Card Woes

I just sent out the most gorgeous birth announcements. I loved them, and I got so many compliments on them. Now,  my standards are set way too high because I am having some a crazy amount of trouble trying to create a holiday card that will compare. I had planned on making my own holiday cards on shutterfly, but I can't get a good picture.

I have just started using my camera, and I do not know how to fully use it properly. You know, having a newborn doesn't leave a lot of time for internet research and self teaching. Anyway, I can't get a good picture. Either the baby doesn't cooperate, the background looks horrible, or the picture turns out blurry, dark, overexposed, or just plain bad. Here are some attempts to get it right...

Of course, they are cute, but I can't get it just right. I need someone to teach me the in's and out's of my camera, and more importantly, I need help learning how to use editing software! Oh photography gods...I hope you can hear me!

Traditions

I have been working to get the house ready for Christmas. I mean it is December! I would like to say I have been working as hard as an elf, but we really don't have that many decorations yet in our two and a half year marriage so it isn't too hard. The way I see it, the tree is the most important part and our tree is looking beautiful.

As I have been working (or walking by the boxes of decorations thrown about the house), I have been thinking about holiday traditions. My parents gave us the most magical Christmases as we were growing up. My brother and I were lucky to experience these magical Christmases. Writing letters to The North Pole. The anticipation of Santa and waking up Christmas morning. Opening our stockings while we waited for mom to get out of bed! The smell of a big Christmas breakfast cooking while we played with new toys.

The thrill of Christmas day is one of the greatest things on earth for a child, but the weeks leading up to Christmas were more important to me. After Thanksgiving, we would put on Christmas music. We would decorate the tree as a family. Pulling out those old ornaments and talking about the stories behind them. Picking our favorite ones to hang on the tree and fighting over where to put our favorites. Driving around admiring Christmas lights (and secretly wishing my Dad would go Clark Griswold just once).

This is the magic of Christmas traditions. The traditions that light up your memories and fill your heart with happiness. I want to provide that for my daughter. I want to take my family traditions and introduce them to my daughter, but I want to create new traditions with my own family. I just hope I can give my kids such meaningful and heart tugging memories that my parents gave me. One day, I want my daughter to start a family of her own, and I want her to pass on the Christmas traditions that we created for her.

Dobbie and I have already started talking about things we want to do for our daughter. Car rides with Christmas music and hot chocolate to admire the Christmas lights around town. Christmas tree lightings and holiday parades (they have the best in Collingswood)!  Baking and wrapping Christmas cookies for friends and neighbors. I really want to start decorating the tree as a family. We haven't done that yet, but when Kailyn is bigger we can do that. I can't wait for future Christmases with our little girl. Seeing her experience the thrill of Santa and the magic of Christmas is something I am looking forward to.

For now, I will enjoy the only Christmas present I need, my sweet baby girl.

My Favorite Cell Phone Pictures

Her first minutes at home

Our first family photo

Only a few days old...look at the tiny hand

First trip to the Dr.

Swimming in my newborn clothes

Look at this skinny little peanut

Starting to wake up

12 days old at my the photoshoot

The turtle coming out of her shell!

One of my first times awake 

The following pictures were taken with my new iphone!

Looks like half a smile! 

Going out shopping with mommy & my BFF Addie

Our friend Addie got us out of the house for the day! 

The following pictures are taken with my new hipstamatic app on my iphone! I love it!

Napping in my swing

Napping again with mommy!

All decked out! 

Look who is a big girl wearing 0-3 month clothing finally! (Almost 7 weeks later)