Snow & Back to Work

Today was my first day back to work after an amazing 12 weeks of maternity leave. It was interesting, to say the least, due to the snow! I left to work 40 min early and made it there safely. There were quite a few people that called in (employees and patients).

Cousins....

We just got back from a trip to Dallas! We stayed with Jason's sister, Heather, and her family in their beautiful new house. Ian had great fun with his cousin, Eden. Heather snapped this adorable pic while they were out playing.

Kate's Baby Dedication

Today was a special day!  We were able to dedicate Kate's life to the Lord.  As her parents, I know we have a huge roll in her upbringing, and one of the most important things to Jason and I, is to raise her in a way that honor's God.  He has provided us with sooo many blessings by following Him, and we want our children to experience the same type of joy.  We dedicated Ian when he was just about a month old.  As it turns out, he was dedicated at the same time as Zoey Lucas, and her mom, Jessica ended up babysitting Ian during several months out of his first year!  We didn't know the Lucas family at the time, but looking back, it's so neat to share that special day with them.  On that note, they dedicated their daughter, Neely, today also!  We did ours at the 9am service and they were at the 11am service; however, it's so neat to share in this special day together.  There were a total of 6 children being dedicated today!  Praise God!

 

The church provided each of the children with their own little personalized cake!  So sweet!

They also gave Kate a storybook bible and a dedication certificate with her precious little footprints

Lots of family came to witness this special day!

Isn't she adorable?!

Brrrr....

Yep, we are crazy enough to get frozen yogurt on a day when it's ice cold outside (even snow)!

Two Month Letter to Kate

Dearest Kate,

You're 2 months old today!  I keep saying that time flies, but I think it's actually getting faster.  You first blessed our lives on November 29th, and have been continuing to do so every single day.  You are just a perfect addition to our family, and you're well-loved by so many people!

As with Ian, you are a beautiful baby.  We get comments daily on how pretty and sweet you look!  We couldn't agree more!  You have a perfect little face, hands, feet, etc.  You were born with some dark brown hair.  Some if it has fallen out on top, but it seems to be coming in as a lighter brown/blondish color.  Your eyes are a beautiful blue.  You just moved from newborn clothes to 0-3 month clothes last week, so you're pretty petite.  You're even still wearing a few newborn sleepers!  It's been pretty cold over the past 2 months, so we've kept you bundled up with blankets and your fuzzy, pink, butterfly booties. :)

You are SUCH a good baby!  You hardly ever cry or fuss unless your hungry or your tummy hurts.  You slept a ton during the first several weeks, but you're awake more these days.  You eat about every 3 hours, but you've started sleeping a little longer through the nights.  A few nights ago, you gave mommy a 6 hour stretch..woo hoo!  You're also getting faster at nursing, so mommy doesn't get as much time to goof off by playing on her phone...hehe.  You love to sleep in your Rock-N-Play sleeper, but you're not a huge fan of sleeping on your back in a crib.  We've tried different methods to make it more comfortable to sleep on your back...swaddling, raising up one end of the Pack-N-Play, paci, etc.  Last night, you slept 2 stretches in the Pack-N-Play, so that's great.  We still have you sleeping in our room.

Ian has been such a great big brother to you!  He's so sweet and always tells you "hi" and "don't cry, Kate," if you're upset.  He loves to lay next to you on your play gym mat and look up at the toys.  He also always wants to share his cars and trains with you.  He will even give you your paci and take your diapers to the trash can for mommy...such a big help!!  We've been referring to you as "sissy" and him as "bubba," but lately, he's been calling you "bubba."  Haha!

You weren't too sure about about bath time at first, but now you enjoy it if we keep you warm.  Grandma Donna got you a nursery warmer that keeps your towel warm...you like that!  Ian likes to watch you take a bath and makes sure you have plenty of toys in your water.  :)  You like your little lotion massages after your bath.

You seem to enjoy laying on your play mat now.  You're very interested in the hanging toys and lights. You're starting to "bat" at them. You don't seem to like the bouncer too much...you prefer the Rock-N-Play or being held.  You make lots of little grunting sounds, but haven't really started "babbling" yet.  You look like you're getting closer to rolling to your side, so mommy and daddy better watch out!  You will be keeping up with your brother in no time!

You've already had your first vacation!  We went to Red River, NM during the first week in January.  You did great on the trip and while we were there!  Mommy and Daddy were a little nervous to travel with you being only 6 weeks old, but you were wonderful.  We considered letting you play in the snow, but decided to keep you bundled up instead. :)  You also traveled to Enid and Norman to see friends and family for Christmas!

Our favorite milestone in the past 2 months was when you started smiling at 5 weeks and 6 days...yay!  We were so looking forward to seeing your little smile.  We still have to "work" at getting you to smile (mainly by baby-talking and smiling at you), but I'm sure you'll be a little more generous with them over the coming months.

Thank you so much for making our lives so full of joy!  God truly blessed us with a beautiful daughter and sister to Ian.  We love you, Kate Laurel!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Recent Happenings...

It's been a while since I posted anything, so I thought I'd post a few recent pics!  Things have been pretty busy lately, but we're adjusting to our new life as a family of 4!  I've been on maternity leave for 8 weeks, and have 4 remaining.  Time sure does fly!  I've been taking advantage of the weekday time off by hanging out with some other stay-at-home mom friends and their kids.  We've also been able to help welcome some of our friend's new babies.

Ian and JJ

Aren't they adorable?!

Sleeping beauty

Shelby and baby Finnigan - born 1/19/13 (JJ's little bro)

Kate is 8 weeks old today!!

Kate and her friend, Neely (born only a few days apart!)

Dress Up & Camera Fun

My Christmas gift this year from Jason was a new digital SLR camera!  My friend, Jenny, helped me pick out one.  She has taken nearly all of Ian's milestone pics, and I've always loved how they look....granted, she has some serious talent in photography.  I liked my point-and-shoot camera, except for I was always missing the "looks" I wanted from Ian because of the delay with the shutter.  Anyway, I ended up getting a Nikon 5100 and I love it! 

 

Recently, another friend, Chelsea Foster, came to take some newborn pics of Kate.  She got some wonderful pics, but Kate was pretty cranky with all of the outfit changes that I wanted to do.  So, a few days later, I played dress up and photo booth with her.  Here are some of my favorites. :)

I made the purple outfit after seeing an identical one on Etsy...yes, I know the flower is giant, but isn't it cute?!?!  I thought it was cute on the Etsy newborn. :)

 

Now, I just need a Photoshop review from Jenny....("hint, hint" :)

Welcome, Kate!

Okay, I figured out that I had to delete pictures from my blog account in order to free up space.  I'm starting with the oldest pics, but don't worry...I'm ordering printed copies of my blog to keep! :)

 

I just wanted to post a few pics from Kate's birthday!!  She is such a beautiful baby, and we're so blessed to have her!  We had a great stay at the hospital, and everyone has been doing great since we've come home.

Ian's first look at his sissy!

I loved her little "bow" hat

Our first family pic...we can't ever get any with everyone smiling at the camera!

Kate is Here!!

We were blessed with a sweet little angel, Kate Laurel, on November 29, 2012.  She was born at 7:40am, weighed 6 lbs. 9.5 oz., and was 18.5 inches long.  We are both doing wonderful!

I would post pics, but for some reason, I'm out of photo storage space on Blogger.  If I can figure out how to add additional photos, I will.

Getting Closer!

My doctor has been following Kate's progress pretty closely because her head had been measuring small (less than 5%).  Although it's definitely caused some anxiety, it's also allowed us to have monthly ultrasounds.  This has been really nice because with Ian, we just had one sono at 18 weeks & one 3D sono that we paid for on our own.  Last Thursday, I had a 36 week check...probably the last time I'll see her on a screen.  Her head had grown and was in the 30th percentile, while her overall size was 45th percentile.  Gloria, the sonographer, was really sweet and let us take a little "peek" at Kate in 3D.  Here are a few images!

Face



Mouth and nose...look at those full lips! :)

This is a regular 2D pic, but I love her little profile!

We can't wait to meet you, Kate!!

Fall Carnival

Last night was Ian's Fall Carnival at his school!  This is the school's biggest fundraiser of the year, so they really go all out.  They had carnival games, other activities, snacks, a photo booth, and a silent auction.  Also, it is another opportunity for the kids to wear their Halloween costumes.  Ian was supposed to be a giraffe, as I got a costume last month at a consignment sale, but when we tried it on the night before the carnival, we realized it was way too short!  We made a last minute trip to Target and came up with a cute puppy dog costume.  He HATED it when we tried it on that night, but he did okay with it last night.  Here are a few pics to capture the fun!

This was the "Toss Across" - he had more fun flipping the signs himself :)

This is the one picture with Ian actually using the fishing pole...he preferred to use his hands :)

He picked out a grape Tootsie Pop...mommy's favorite!

He made the basket! (with daddy's help)

Learning to putt!

He got to "hold" a bubble...pretty cool!

Mommy and puppy dog!

Riding the little roller coaster

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ian!!

Dear Ian,

It seems like just yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital.  We were soooo ready to meet you by this day 2 years ago...as you were due on 9/15/10.  I will never forget the first time I saw you and was able to hold you!  Today you’re turning two years old and you are the love of our life!

Right now you are at a really fun age.  Not that you weren’t fun before, it’s just that you’re able to do so MUCH right now!  You talk all of the time, sing, dance, play, and laugh…you’re so animated!  You are quite the little talker, and everyone comments on how well you can speak.  You can identify several colors (blue, red, yellow, orange, green, black, white, purple, and pink), you can tell us the sounds of several animals, you can “sing” along to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and some of the alphabet song.  You LOVE anything train-related, both “Thomas the Train” and “Chuggington.”  You know the names of all of the trains and you can sing the “Chuggington” theme song.  You know the names of several of your family members and friends, including Nanny, Papa, Grandma Donna, Grandpa Chuck, Grandpa, Nana, Shelby, Justan, JJ, Christina, Sean, “Celia” (Cecilia), Chelci, Aunt Heddie, Edie, Joshua, and Paige.  You also know Brennan, Jessica, Zoey, Mikah, Silas, and Karly….there are probably people that I’m leaving out!  You are able to tell us when you “don’t like” something, when you want a “snack,” when you want “milk” or “juice,” and that you “don’t want to go night night,” “take a bath,” or “take a nap.”  Sometimes you do want to take a bath, and you tell mama to “make big bubbles!”  You say lots of funny things too!  Over the past few weeks, daddy has been teaching you to talk like the Cookie Monster, so you will say “I Cookie Monster…yum, yum, yum.”  Just last night, I put your pajamas on and told you that there was a monster truck on the shirt.  You ran around saying, “Cookie Monster truck!”  It was adorable!

You seem to have gotten pickier with your diet.  Your favorite foods are hot dogs, pizza, “Uh oh, beggios” (aka: spaghettios J), peanut butter and jelly, and chicken nuggets with lots of ketchup.  You also like your morning oatmeal made with apple juice or prune juice (which you call “chocolate oatmeal…haha).  You like bananas, grapes, strawberries, yogurt, “smoothies” (drinkable yogurt), applesauce, and green beans (with bacon).  We feed you a lot of those little baby food pouches because you don’t like many regular vegetables.  To our surprise, you don’t seem to be a big fan of cheese.  Your favorite snacks are “cookies” (graham crackers) and goldfish crackers. You love to drink milk, and sometimes daddy will give you a special treat of chocolate milk.  You have your mommy’s sweet tooth and really like cake and ice cream, too.

Your favorite toys are DEFINITELY trains and cars.  You play with them all of the time!!  You cannot go to bed without a handful of Chuggington trains, and you always zoom cars around the tub every time you take a bath.  Your favorite shows to watch on TV are “Thomas the Train,” “Chuggington,” and the “Cars” movies.  You occasionally like to watch Elmo, but for the most part, you seem to be over the Elmo stage.  You love for us to read books to you, specifically train books, and you always say, “one more book…” after we finish each one.  You are very active and like to rough-house and play outside.  You’re good at going up and down stairs now, although we still leave the gate closed so you don’t get too mischievous. J 

Your daily routine hasn’t changed much.  You get up around 8:30am, nap between 11am and 3pm, and go to bed around 8:30pm.  You still attend Discovery Place preschool from 2-5pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, and all day on Wednesdays (8:15am-5pm).  You seem to really enjoy “school” and talk about your friends Roby and Jarren a lot.  You get really excited when mommy or daddy picks you up from school or from the church nursery.  We can’t help but smile when we see your huge grin!

We took a trip to Red River at the end of July, and you had a fun time.  You slept better than last year, but still had to adjust to the “new” surroundings.  Mommy and daddy spent a lot of time chasing you around the lake and trying to keep you from falling in the water.  You really liked playing with Haley and would go looking for her whenever you had a chance.  Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Branson with Sean, Christina, and Cecilia.  We were able to go to Silver Dollar City and you got to ride the train.  You didn’t really like riding it and cried some.  I think you preferred to look at it instead!  You called it “Old Coyer Pete” (“Old Puffer Pete”)…which is a Chuggington character that looks like an old steam engine.  You also enjoyed playing with Cecilia at the cabin we rented.

Your two-year doctor’s appointment is next week and we’re excited to find out your height.  We’ve heard that doubling your height at age 2 is a good estimate of your adult height…we’ll see!  You’re wearing 18 month shorts (thin boy) and 24 month or 2T shirts.  You will have to wear 24 month or 2T pants because you’re too tall for 18 month pants.  You’re wearing size 6 shoes.  You have all of your teeth except your last set of molars.  You chipped your front tooth this summer after a fall while playing on the driveway, but it hasn’t been too noticeable. 

The excitement around our house right now is the preparations for your little SISTER, Kate Laurel.  She is expected to arrive on 11/29/12 (mommy’s scheduled c-section date), but we’ll see!  You don’t really understand how your little life is about to change, but we have no doubt that you’ll be a wonderful big brother.  You interact really well with other kids.

We just had your 2^nd birthday party last weekend because there was an OU game this weekend (this will probably always be an issue!).  It was “train”-themed and your big presents were a Chuggington train table, trains, track, and other accessories.  You LOVE it and play with everything all of the time you’re home. Many friends and family were able to come and you seemed to have a great time!

Ian, the end of the time of you being our only child is quickly approaching.  This is a time of joy and excitement for our family, but we know that things will be different with two children.  We could not have been blessed with a better first-born child.  You bring us pure joy and happiness every day.  We pray for you all of the time…that you will grow to love Jesus and that you’ll be a person of good character, successful, and kind to others.  We ask the Lord to guide us as we raise you.  You are our light, Ian, and we love you more than words can say.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

New Sono Pics

Last Friday, we got the opportunitity to see our little girl again!  The previous ultrasound showed concerning spots on her heart and brain, so they wanted to take another look.  Fortunately, the brain looked fine.  There is still a spot on the heart, but the final report said that the heart looked good structurally, and they didn't recommend any further work-up from a cardiac standpoint.  They did notice that her head circumference was smaller than expected, so they're going to take another measurement at 28 weeks.  It looks like we'll get to see her again!

Here are some pics of

Kate Laurel!