Bath Time

The first couple of times we gave Kensie a bath she hated it and cried the whole time. Now she likes bath time and it actually soothes her when she is upset. She especially likes taking a bath in the master bath tub like a big kid.

Kensie was able to take real baths not long after being born because her umbilical cord fell off after only four days! I wasn't too sad about it because those things gross me out. We have no idea where that thing went either. I was changing her diaper one day and realized it was gone. I asked Niel if he knew when it fell off or where it went and he didn't know. hmmm. Must have fallen in a diaper. Hopefully. That thing better not show up randomly one of these days in an obscure place.

Binky

Kensie meets the binky.

I decided before Kensie was born for various reasons that I wouldn't give her a pacifier until she was at least a month or two old. I even had the nurses put a sign on her little box in the hospital that read, "no pacifiers." Then my sister came into town, who is an experienced mother of four children. She helped me realize that I couldn't be the human binky. So, we busted out the binky and Kensie liked it! Sometimes she hates it and won't take it but other times she loves it. Talk about a lifesaver. Glad my sister talked some sense into me.

Cuteness

Kensie does the best facial expressions. She is also a little wiggle worm. She loves doing fist pumps, throwing her hands straight up in the air, and flexing her legs straight.

Daddy's Girl

The moment Kensie was born she had her dad wrapped around her finger. She seems to like her daddy a lot:)

Bouncer

This $26 bouncer from Target is the only way I am able to shower and get ready in the morning. Sometimes she likes her swing and sometimes she hates it. Usually she hates it. She won't have it if we lay her on the floor. And don't even try putting her in the bassinet if she isn't already asleep.

I love this bouncer because it is really light weight and easy to move around the house. Plus, the little farm animals and barn will remind Kensie of her small-town roots. Good purchase.

Aunt Marilyn

We are lucky to live by my aunt Marilyn and uncle Carl. When Kensie was one week old they came to visit and brought us Olive Garden. When we moved they helped us unpack the house and put Kensie's nursery together. Kensie is lucky to have such an amazing aunt and uncle that don't live too far away. We have really enjoyed living in the same city as Marilyn and Carl.

Hello.

I love Kensie's eyes. She has big, round eyes and I love it when she is really alert like this and stares at me. She is four days old in this picture.

Kensie Collage

These pictures aren't the highest quality because we took them with our camera phones but I thought they were still worth a post:)

First Walk

My mom and I took Kensie for her first walk outside in her stroller when she was five days old. She liked it for about ten minutes and then decided she wanted to do something else. You can see the look of uncertainty on her face in this picture:) Now Kensie loves going outside and going for walks. If she is crying, she will usually stop if I go outside with her. Notice how huge her outfit is. That gown is size 0-3 months and she was swimming in it! Won't be long until she'll be filling it out though.

Grandma Saves the Day

The first several days after having a baby you're running on adrenaline. You are so excited and overcome with emotion to have this new precious person in your life. And then it hits you. The fact that you've had close to no sleep during the last three days. This combination of no sleep, crazy hormones, narcotics, and a sore body can turn one into a crazy person. Just in the knick of time my wonderful mother showed up to save the day (and my husband). My mom cooked, cleaned, did laundry, held Kensie, tended to my errands, offered emotional support, and most importantly taught me some things about being a new mom. Her trip was cut short when my poor mother got sick but it was great to have her while she was here. I honestly don't know how I could have done it without her, especially since Niel had to go back to work.

Kensie loved her Grandma from the first time they met. I can't wait for her to come back in November!

Take Me Home Please

This cute little girl is the best thing I have ever brought home with me:) This picture was taken at the hospital right before we headed home with Kensie in her car seat.

Who would have thought you don't get ANY sleep at the hospital. People come in your room at all hours of the night for hearing tests, blood tests, lactation consultation, etc. I even had a photographer randomly stop by the room to take pictures of Kensie and a lady from a salon to give me a foot massage. The food was surprisingly good though, especially our 'celebration dinner' of steak and chocolate cake. We stayed two nights at the hospital and headed out Saturday morning. It was so nice to leave the hospital and be home with her at last. She is such a doll.

Brand New

These pictures were taken when Kensie was only a day and two days old. I love the sleepy, newborn look that lasts only a couple of days. She has already grown so much in the last three weeks!

September 16th 2010

September 16th was one of the sweetest days of my life because we welcomed Kensie to the world. At my appointment on the 15th Kensie still hadn't settled into position so my doctor told me she would break my water in the operating room on the 16th in hopes that the baby would settle into place. She kept my scheduled C-section just in case there were any complications. She believed that my chances of having a natural delivery would be slim if she let me go further along in my pregnancy.

At times my doctor's strong opinion to induce me early seemed too conservative. Now I am so glad that we took our doctor's advice and went ahead with getting induced a week early. My recovery hasn't been the easiest and had Kensie been much bigger, I probably wouldn't have been able to have a natural delivery nor would I have wanted that. I am so grateful that I was able to have Kensie naturally without having a C-section and that my doctor handled my situation individually.

Here is a play-by-play of the big day:

5:40 a.m. Arrive at the hospital and prepare to be admitted to the operating room at 7:30 a.m.

7:00 a.m. First emotional break down. I got really nervous about whether or not I would need a C-section. Also, they put something in my IV that made me extremely tired and I couldn't imagine 10+ hours of labor ahead of me. I felt exhausted and like all I wanted to do was take a nap. I told Niel, "I don't think I can do this."
7:30 a.m. Nurse tells me I won't be sent to the operating room for another 40 minutes
8:00 a.m. My doctor arrives and checks position of the baby. Baby has dropped so she decides to start me on pitocin and see if I can go into labor without breaking my water
8:30 a.m. Nurses start my pitocin. Contractions are manageable.
10:30 a.m. Doctor checks baby's position again. Dilated to a three. Baby's head has floated up again so she decides to break my water
10:45 a.m. Wheeled into the operating room, receive my epidural, and get my water broken. Baby's head came down into position so they wheel me back into labor and delivery for a natural delivery! Hooray!

2:00 p.m-ish Dilated to a four. Really frustrated that I hadn't made hardly any progress. Can hardly feel the contractions with the epidural and playing on my iphone to make the time pass.

4:00 p.m.-ish Dilated to a seven!

5:30 p.m. No progress

7:00 p.m. Dilated to an eight. Second emotional break-down. At this point I was starving and thirsty because I hadn't had anything to eat for almost 24 hours because I had to fast in case it was a C-section. Tired of being hooked up to cords, monitors, and not being able to move hardly. The oxygen mask was getting the best of me. Contractions are getting more painful as the epidural drip machine was malfunctioning. Wondering when I would ever have this baby.

8:30 p.m. Dilated to a ten! Surprise! Time to push at last! Nurse and Niel help me with several pushes and then they call the doctor.

9:00 p.m-ish Doctor arrives and whole team of about five other people. Everyone is cheering me on.

9:19 p.m. Kensie is born! First thing the doctor says is, "She looks just like her dad!" I get to hold my baby girl for the first time.

I thought she was super cute the first moment they handed her to me. I couldn't believe I had actually given birth to my baby. Childbirth has always been a big fear of mine as silly as that may sound. I've always worried whether or not I would be able to give birth naturally because of my small frame. This moment was so empowering for me as they handed her to me. I did it! Baby girl was finally here and I was able to hold her in my arms at last.

Craziness.

Our life has been crazy the last couple of weeks. As if bringing home a newborn isn't a big enough life changing event, in addition we closed on our home and moved in with a two week old baby! I've been meeting appliance installation dudes, scheduling carpet cleaners, getting a U-haul, finding a maid service, scheduling tile cleaners, packing, getting pest control, signing loan docs, haggling with homeowners insurance, unpacking, changing addresses, switching utilities, etc.

We have had some other interesting events occur including our car breaking down right after Kensie was born. This meant I drove Niel to and from work with a three-day old baby. Niel has been working really long hours and his surgery schedule has been insane. We've had a broken disposal, no internet, no washer, and a leaky dishwasher.

But, believe it or not we are still sane (somewhat) and things are starting to slow down a bit. Even though it has been very stressful and crazy to say the least, we are so happy to be in our home with our beautiful baby. Now...lots of backlogged posts to come with pictures of Miss Kensie:)