Kenley is 6 weeks old already, can you believe it? She's doing great. When she's awake she's bright-eyed and really starting to connect with us. We've been getting smiles from her this week, which is so much fun. I finished her wall hanging before she was born (it was a product of my wonderful surprise shower) but I finally got the tabs sewn on the back so that I could hang it up in the nursery. It seemed a little small for the wall that I was hanging it on, so I also hung a frame with photos of Kenley underneath. Cleo was investigating what I was up to - This photo was taken after she returned home after being mysteriously missing outside for a week! We were so worried, since she is 15 years old, declawed and only weighs about 6 lbs. Luckily she showed up again, safe and sound. We wish that she could tell the story of her adventure!
I am full of ideas for projects I'd like to be making - sewing, scrapbooking, crocheting... but I don't have time to get to them all, so I made a list and I'm trying to focus on finishing one at a time (during precious naptime for the kids, or when they are both peacefully occupied). One thing I wanted to create was a mini-album for the photos I've been taking with my Hipstamatic app on my iPhone. I loved the July kit from The Story Matters, and the coordinated products made it easy to put together a quick mini. I especially love that sweet bee label and the star ribbon. I had this blank album in a bag of albums I purchase from Liz (thanks Liz! :).
A few more photos of the inside pages are on Flickr.
Yesterday Kenley turned one month old! It certainly feels like the month has flown by, but at the same time it seems like it was forever ago that we were meeting her in the hospital room. Our minutes, hours, and days are very full now!
Here's her one month photo. I took monthly photos of Lachlan in a chair with a special stuffed animal, so I thought it would be fun to do the same thing with her. Different chair, and a horse instead of a cow. :)
She's doing great - 9 lbs, 12 oz today, so she's obviously healthy and growing quickly (she was 8 lbs, 5 oz at birth). She sleeps very well at night, just waking 2 or 3 times to breastfeed. Big brother is doing great, too. He's talking more every day and we're amazed at his memory and how much he picks up from our daily conversations and activities. On the whole, he's been very sweet and gentle with "baby Ken" (as he calls her) with occasional moments of typical toddler jealousy.
We had a month of visits with family and friends who were excited to meet Kenley. Now I feel like I am starting to get into a "normal" life with two kids. Kenley is starting to come out of the newborn sleepiness and is more alert every day. Most days, I feel like if I get both kids taken care of, all the laundry and dishes done, and dinner made, then I have accomplished ALOT. I have missed creating things, sewing and scrapbooking, but I'm starting to make time to do some of that again. No matter how my day goes, I am so thankful that I get to spend my days with these two sweetie pies.
So, obviously blogging has slid down the list of priorities in the past 3 weeks :) We're busy getting adjusted to our new family of four, and so far it is going very well. I've had lots of help from family and friends, which makes everything feel much more manageable.
If you're itching for more sweet baby photos, check out the sneak peeks on Shelley's photography blog from our photo shoot yesterday.
Kenley Isabel was born at 4:07 am, Sunday, June 20. She was 8 lbs. 5 oz. and 20 inches long. We think she is perfection.
I won’t go into her entire birth story, but I thought I would share some because it was an incredible experience. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I woke up Friday morning at 2 am with steady contractions (8-10 minutes apart).After a few hours of the same, I was convinced that I was in labor and that baby Kenley would be born by the end of the day. Well, they continued that way – sometimes closer together, sometimes getting more intense, but never really progressing past early labor – all through Friday and Saturday. I had called my family in Des Moines Friday morning and they came driving over expecting a baby anytime. Needless to say, by Saturday night, I was quite tired and wondering if I was actually in labor. Our doula, Lauren, and the midwives assured me that I was in early labor and that my body was making important progress.
I went to bed around 10 pm and slept until a much stronger contraction woke me up a little before midnight. The contractions continued to get stronger and closer together over the next few hours. By 2 am I had called our doula, Lauren, and asked her to head to our house (she lives over an hour away) and I asked Bill to wake up my mom to help keep track of my contractions. Less than an hour later, we decided we better head to the hospital, so we gathered our things and called Lauren to tell her to meet us there.
When we got to the hospital, I didn’t have more than a couple minutes between contractions, so after stopping every few feet on the way in, my sister Bethany ran to get a wheelchair and Bill pushed me in it up to labor & delivery. When I got into the room, the resident doctor on call checked and announced that I was 8 centimeters dilated. Good news, since that meant we were going to get to meet Kenley sooner rather than later! My mom was on one side of me holding my hand, and Bill was on the other. Lauren was at my side, coaching me through the last & hardest moments. Bethany was there recording every moment in photos. Well, we got into the delivery room at 3:45 am and after just a few more very strong contractions, I was ready to push and she came out with one big push at 4:07 am! The midwife on call did not make it to our room in time for the birth – the nurses and the resident delivered Kenley, they did a great job. She was beautiful, perfect, alert and ready to breastfeed right away. I’m so happy that I was able to labor at home for most of the time and that I was able to give birth again without any pain medication or complications. My recovery time has been even faster than with Lachlan. Kenley is healthy, and eating, sleeping, and pooping like a champ.
Bill and I spent all day and night at the hospital receiving visitors and snuggling our new little treasure. By Monday morning we were ready to go home and we were happy to be able to be discharged a day early.It has been a busy week getting adjusted and settled at home.
Lachlan is doing a great job with Kenley; he’s so gentle and sweet. He wants to make sure she has socks and a hat on at all times. If she cries or fusses, he says “check baby” and runs over to check on her (then often imitates the sound she’s making). He doesn’t seem to be very jealous, but he has figured out that when I am busy with her it is a great opportunity to get into mischief. My mom has been here all week to help, especially with Lachlan and laundry and cooking, so that has been wonderful. She’s heading home today, so I’m getting mentally prepared for being here with both of them on my own during the day starting tomorrow.
I've posted lots of photos and a couple videos from Kenley's first week in a Flickr set.
This morning when Lachlan was in our bedroom, he happened to look out the windows and notice the same thing I noticed yesterday - our two cherry trees are full of bright red cherries. "Mama", he said, "pick apples!". Once I let him know that they were not apples, but cherries, he was still on board for a picking expedition. We did just that and he filled his blue bucket three times. Now I'm not so sure what we're going to do with all the cherries we picked. We did make some banana-pecan-cherry bread, using this recipe. Mainly I just enjoyed watching him choose cherries, toss the "yucky" ones, and lug his full bucket all around our yard.
Today we... made oatmeal applesauce muffins, colored and painted, watched cartoons, ate popsicles and a smoothie, had lunch outside so L could watch the lawn get mowed, wandered up and down the driveway, blew bubbles, and attempted to give Sadie a good brushing.
When it was L's naptime, Deb came over and Bill and I went in for my "week overdue" check-up. Everything looked perfectly normal in the ultrasound and non-stress test, so she can come out whenever she is ready this week. If it is not before next Wednesday then we will be heading in for an induction. But I think she'll make an appearance before that. I'm really comfortable with waiting and letting my body decide when it's ready - but I will admit that seeing her chubby cheeks and cute little feet on the ultrasound screen today made me more anxious to meet her!
Kenley is 6 weeks old already, can you believe it? She's doing great. When she's awake she's bright-eyed and really starting to connect with us. We've been getting smiles from her this week, which is so much fun.
I finished her wall hanging before she was born (it was a product of my wonderful surprise shower) but I finally got the tabs sewn on the back so that I could hang it up in the nursery.
It seemed a little small for the wall that I was hanging it on, so I also hung a frame with photos of Kenley underneath.
Cleo was investigating what I was up to - This photo was taken after she returned home after being mysteriously missing outside for a week! We were so worried, since she is 15 years old, declawed and only weighs about 6 lbs. Luckily she showed up again, safe and sound. We wish that she could tell the story of her adventure!
