Kaelin 6 months

Miss Kaelin turned 6 months old on March 13th.  It's clear that I am a few weeks behind.  It was my intentions to be a few weeks behind.  See on Monday she finally had her 6 month well check.  We've been a bit behind on our check ups since the move and we are finally all caught up.  I didn't want to post her 6 month blog post with out any stats or adorable pictures.  That reminds me, we had our pictures taken on Sunday by Laura of Laura Elliott Photography.  They are so good! I couldn't be happier!  They session was a little hectic because of my crazy, sometimes defiant toddler, but I am very pleased with the outcome. 
Because this is Kaelin's post, I will just post of few of her from the session with more to come of all of us soon!!

Kaelin Deborah
6.5 month Stats

Weight:  18lbs 7oz
Height:  28 inches (tall girl)
Head- don't remember! sorry!

Kaelin can now sit up very well and is so close to crawling.  I think within the next month or so we'll have a very mobile little girl. 
She finally stopped spitting up for the most part.  I guess the doctor was right when he said she'd grow out of it.  6 months old, it's about time.  Occasionally we still may have a tiny bit, but hey, I won't complain considering there were days of 7 outfits changes. 
Kaelin does not have any teeth yet.  I'm hoping she'll wait to get her teeth once her sister is done getting hers.  I don't think that will be my luck.  Kaelin's entire shirt was soaked with drool this evening...teething? Probably so.  Ugh. 
Kaelin is super vocal, especially when she is hungry.  I'd have to say that she is a bit more whiney than Lauren ever was.  It's so true when they say "no two babies are the same."  She is a mamma's girl..that's for sure.  It's kind of nice since my 19month old doesn't want much to do with me some days. 

Enjoy the next few pictures of my Kbug! We love you, sweet Kaelin!! xoxoxo

The second time around...

Baby #2 - Kaelin Deborah - Is already over 6 months old.  I can't believe it.  Over the last few months, I have realized there are new and different things we used for her that we didn't for Lauren...here are a few that we LOVED.  I wonder why we didn't use them in the first place!?!!

1.  Swaddle blankets.

Seriously, whoever decided they'd make these was a genius.  I know some people think it's a waste of money and that they can just use a normal blanket.  Not I.  I was such a dork when it came to swaddling.  I had the nurses give me instructions more than once when I had Lauren...for a month I struggled to swaddle her, only for her to get her arms loose, fuss or kick clear out of it.  I gave up.  Little miss Kaelin was swaddled in her special swaddle blankets and they were so handy for changing diapers especially in the middle of the night.  I could just un-velcro the mid section and slip her feet out, change the diaper and slip her back into it.  No unwrapping, no wrapping back up.  In out, fed and back to sleep. 

2.  Mobile
Now with Lauren..she had a little glow seahorse that would play several tunes and seemed to work okay for awhile.  It has been 4 months now and Kaelin is still not tired of her mobile.  It is the best thing.
Kevin and I would hold and rock Lauren to sleep every night until she was about 10 months old.  That made for a very hard transition for all of us when it was time for sleep training.  I started off Kaelin at 2 months old, letting her soothe herself and fall asleep on her own with the help of the music and mobile.

3.  Mustela Facial Cleansing Cloths

 Let's face it, we don't bathe our kids EVERY single day.  Well some of you may do this.  I find it quite pointless unless they've been rolling around in the dirt or rubbing mac and cheese in their hair.  I just don't find it necessary to give the girls a bath everyday.  God made dirt. Dirt don't hurt is my motto.  On those days when bath time is not on the list of things to do, I love to use these Mustela Facial Cleansing wipes and give the girls a swift wipe down.  They smell great too!! At first the smell is a little "old lady perfumish" but once on the body smells much better.  I feel like the girls smell clean, are actually clean and we didn't have to go through the hassle of bathtime.  Win. 


4. Cool Mist Vaporizer

We had a warm mist and it began to grow mold.  YUCK!  It started to grow a blackish colored mold on the motor part, underneath the vents where the water shot out.  Seriously, that can't be healthy.  I use the vaporizer to try and clear up my kids congestion, not make them more sick because of mold.  Not to mention, the risk of burn.  Lauren burned her hands the other day by walking up to it putting her hands over the hot steam.  Not fun. 
So after dealing with Kaelin's congestion for the last week, I decided to splurge on a Vick's Ultrasonic Cool Mist Vaporizer.  Kaelin seems to be doing much better already.  I love it and I don't die of heat and feel like I'm sleeping in a sauna every night!

That is about all I can think of right now. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

A smile so bright!

 

My sweet, beautiful, smiley, Kaelin

I am so lucky to have not one, but two beautiful, precious baby girls.  

There are days that I just feel like breaking down, but then I get to look at Lauren & Kaelin and all the world seems so much better.  I hope Kaelin's beautiful smile brightened your day even the slightest bit!

Rub a dub dub

Kaelin loves the tub!

Kaelin 10 weeks

Wowza! My sweet baby Kaelin is 10 week already?!  Where did the time go?   I feel like a terrible mother for not updating very much in her first few months of life. 
Miss Kaelin is just growing leaps and bounds every day.  She is my little Miss Piggy.  She LOVES to eat.  She slept through the night from 9pm to 5am for the first time on Sunday night.  It was amazing.  It's just what I needed to get ready for my first fitness class in two years. 

Kaelin is smiling all of the time.  She has the most beautiful, infectious smile.  She has started to coo and it is absolutely adorable.  She isn't a big fan of tummy time and is usually screaming within a few minutes. 

I have no idea what she weighs or how long she is.  We are still working on switching over our insurance to this region and have yet to be assigned a primary care physician for the girls.  I faxed in our application last week and hopefully will be receiving that info soon so I can set up their well checks and immunizations.

Although I don't have an stats to share, I will share a few of my favorite pictures of my little munchkin. I just love her to pieces!

"Mini Sue Sylvester"

So stinkin' cute!

I love her beautiful smile and dimples!!

Kaelin 3 weeks

                                         

Details, Details...

Again..I apologize for the lack of posting. We are still trying to adjust with an almost 13 month old and a 11 day old!! We just love our little girls so much.  I am going to try and get you the details of our special day.

It all was supposed to start on Friday, Sept. 10th.  I was to call in to the hospital at 5:30am and see what time they wanted me to come in for my induction.  I anxiously woke up at 3:30am..I just couldn't sleep out of nervousness/excitement.  I made the phone call.  Unfortunately, labor and delivery was full at that time and they told me to call back at noon.  They told me to go back to sleep *(yeah right)*  We went to lunch, and then I called back again at noon.  Still full!  Seriously?! They told me to take it easy and call back on Saturday morning.  So again, I was up at 3:30am, showered, got ready, and made the phone call.  Denied...again.  This time, I started crying.  For the last 9 months, I have had elevated blood pressure, a concern enough for 3 out of 4 doctors to suggest a scheduled induction and now that the day has come, they don't have room for me!?!  I asked the nurse if I could come in for an exam because I had not had an exam in 11 days because I was scheduled for my induction.  She agreed and brought me in. 
As we got to the hospital that morning, I realized the on-call Dr. was the one Dr. at the Army hospital that I absolutely HATED!!  Of course, that made my heart pound seeing him there.  The nurse proceeded to tell me that the Dr. didn't want to induce on a Saturday and after looking at my chart, that he felt I could wait until Monday.  Oh, and even though I was undressed from the waste down, he wasn't even going to come in and check to see what I was dilated.  I was so upset, but at the same time, relieved.  Relieved because I didn't want the stupid, arrogant doctor delivering my baby.  The nurse checked my cervix, 2 cm.  I was going home. 
We had decided the night before that if we weren't having a baby on Saturday, that we were going to go to Topeka and take Lauren to the zoo.  After lunch, and the zoo, we did a little shopping at Slumberland.  They were having a HUGE inventory clear out sale.  Now, we had not planned on purchasing any furniture until Kevin got home from Iraq, but these prices were too good to pass up.  Kevin called it my "birthing gift"  :)
Sunday, I slept in and relaxed.  It was fabulous.  I was actually able to get a good nights sleep, because I knew that I wouldn't have to call in that morning and fear of being denied again. 
Sunday night I began having contractions.  They were about 20-30 minutes apart and not painful.  My stomach would just get extremely hard.  I went to bed, waking up with contractions about every 10 - 15  minutes about 3am.  I decided to take a bath and just relax.  They seemed to subside after I did that. 
I made the dreaded call at 5am...I couldn't wait til 5:30am.  I was just too excited.  They said I could come in at 7:30am!! I was going to have a baby today. 
When we arrived, the nurse informed me that I was the only woman in labor.  I had the full attention of everyone in labor and delivery!  It was amazing.  The nurse and resident examined me and I was already 4cm dilated.  They decided to start pitocin around 9:45am.  They informed me that at any time I could have my epidural since I was already in active labor.  Because I was hooked up to pitocin and knowing the pain I felt with Lauren after they broke my water, I chose to get my epidural around 12noon.  They broke my water at 12:45pm.  Unfortunately, the epidural did not take.  The only thing that was numb was my left leg.  I could feel every contraction.  I could even feel the cathether they had placed because of giving me the epidural.  That was almost worse to feel that move than some of the contractions.  After a while, I buzzed the nurse and explained that I could feel everything!  She called the anesthesiologist back.  She took out my epidural and gave me a spinal.  She then re-did my epidural but decided that because she had administered the spinal that she was not going to hook up any medicine to my epidural.  The spinal was instant pain relief.  The Dr told me that it would be good for a few hours.  This was at 2pm.  I finally decided to rest a bit around 2:20pm.  However, within a few minutes, I began feeling everything again.  As the minutes passed, the contractions got stronger and stronger.  After about 15 minutes of  dealing with the pain, I had a doozy of a contraction and could feel some major pressure! I told Kevin to go get the nurse.  She came in around 2:45 and I was fully dilated and the baby was crowning.  She said it was time.  I was freaking out.  I could feel everything!! I called my mom and told her that we were going to get things started.  The nurse went and got the Dr.  They got everything ready.  I pushed 3, maybe 4 times, and we had our beautiful daughter: Kaelin Deborah at 3:00pm on the nose! 

Kaelin Deborah Erickson

Kaelin Deborah Erickson

Born: Monday 9/13/2010 @ 3:00pm

8lbs 5.3oz  20.5 inches

The details of our special day are coming soon.  Please be patient and keep checking in, we have just been super busy trying to adjust with an extra little person.  I promise I will be back to writing very soon. 

One month to go!

Homestretch!  One month to go and Kevin will be gone for 3 1/2 weeks!  eek!  He is at the Joint Readiness Traning Center (JRTC) in Fort Polk, LA.  He will be there until Sept. 12 possibly.  They have said that they will send him home by Sept. 7th...but if there is anything that I have learned as an Army wife in the last 8 months, it is to not get my hopes up and to not make plans.  I will not make any plans or announcements of him being home until I get the phone call saying "My plane just landed"

I am just praying that this baby will be patient and wait for her daddy to be here before she makes her appearance.  I know if I go into labor on my own early, chances that any family or Kevin making it in for the birth are very slim.  I just don't want to be alone. 

Yesterday was a hard day for me and Lauren.  It was so hard to drop Kevin off at work knowing he would be gone for nearly a  month.  I suppose we are just taking baby steps to our big separation in November when he is deployed to Iraq for a year.  No time apart is easy, even just a few days or weeks. 

Yesterday was the first time that Lauren really has showed true sadness.  It broke my heart.  After Kevin kissed her goodbye and shut the door, she instantly started crying.  It was a very sad cry.  Not a throwing fit cry, or not feeling good cry.  A sad cry.  It was almost like she could sense that something was not right.  She loves her daddy so much! I wish everyone could witness the joy that I see when Kevin walks in the door each night and her face lights up.  It is pure happiness at its best. 

I can't explain the happiness that will be experienced after he gets home after these next few weeks...let alone after his year deployment!! 

Lauren and I took the time yesterday to just get our tears out and relax.  We ate junk food, and watched Curious George and Barney and just cuddled.  We ended up falling asleep on the couch together in the afternoon.  I slept for 2 hours and Lauren for 3!  It was just what the Dr. ordered.  We both woke up feeling great.  I had an amazing evening with Lauren, singing, dancing, laughing, playing etc.  And to top it off, she went to bed without even a fuss.  She couldn't make me more proud.

Here are a few videos from our evening.  Don't you just love her to pieces!?! I know we do!!

Summer, sweat, softball, sweetness, stupid car.

SSSSSSSSSSS....is for Sizzlin' hot! My goodness, the heat in Kansas is insane.  The heat, along with humidity has had temperatures in the 110 range for about a week now.  It is not fun.  I shouldn't complain.  I get to stay inside all day if I do so chose. Kevin, however, is up every morning at 4:45am and out the door by 5:15am to be on post for PT.  It usually is still in the mid 80's that early!  I don't know how they do it.  I sweat walking from my car to the grocery store and back.  It's no fun carrying a 25lb Lauren and then an extra 30lbs in my belly.  Blah~!
Our week started out with Kevin gone Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.  They have been doing a lot of  live fire trainings to prepare for a possible deployment to Iraq in November.  I say possible, because we have not received official orders yet, and anyone who knows the Army or any branch of the military knows that things change all of the time. Deep in our gut and my sad heart, I know with all of the meetings we have had lately, that it is most likely inevitable. One year..wow.  I know I will not be the first person to go through this.  I hope reading this, makes some of my readers understand maybe a glimpse of the anxiety that I was dealing with in my last post.  2 kids, 1 and a newborn, is a lot of work in itself.  What some of you might not have realized is that  we (me and Lauren), are home alone...a lot.  Every weekday for atleast 12-14 hours day, sometimes longer.  Sometimes, he's gone for days.  I wasn't trying to get a pity party. I am still not trying to. Just wanted you to know my perspective.   I know a lot of woman do well with many young children.  I know a lot of them also have family near by, and spouses that can work from home.  That is not our case.  I think one who would understand the most what I am dealing with is Becky (Kevin's cousin).  I am kind of her copy cat.  :) :) :)  2 kids, in 2 years, military, and she dealt with a deployment shortly after the birth of her son Alex.  She is stationed in Germany too! I don't know how she does it.  I really appreciate all of her support and advice, she has been a great friend to me! 
So stay tuned, for more updates on the deployment and what are plans are for the next year to come.  There might not be an update for a while, we are at the mercy of information from the Army  :) It may be a little while, and that's because we just don't know anything for sure yet.

Wednesday ended with a Dr's appt.  Kevin was gone still, so I had to take Lauren to hourly daycare on post.  My doctor was running about 90 min. behind.  So frustrating.  After being there for an hour, they asked if I would be willing to see one of the male ob/gyn.  I didn't care.  My doctor was leaving at the end of the month, so she wasn't going to be my doctor much longer anyway.  So, I saw this crazy man!  Wow, he was kind of a spaz.  He talked a million words a minute.  I had a hard time keeping up with him, and I am known to talk a persons ear off!  I liked him though.  He agreed with everything my previous doctor had recommended for me and the baby.  My blood pressure is still high.  Not high enough to be pre-eclampsia but high enough since the beginning to be considered pregnancy induced chronic hypertension.  Starting the first week of August, I have to go to the hospital TWICE A WEEK (ugh) to be hooked up to the machine to monitor the baby's heart rate and my contractions.  If things are ok from weeks 34 to 39 then we will just schedule and induction between 39/40 weeks.  The dr's do not want me to go more than 40 weeks.  If there are not good results during one of the NST's or my blood pressure would get worse, then obviously emergency induction would be the case.  Please keep us in your prayers. 

Sweetness....I have been working on Lauren's birthday invites/announcements.  My sister Kara, bought this cute onesie for Lauren a few months back for her to wear for her first birthday.  I decided to run with the theme.  Hobby Lobby had scrapbook paper 50% off, so I constructed my template and began to cut out a whole bunch of polka dot ones.  I am very happy with how they turned out.  Now I just have to find a day, when the temps are not so hot that I can do a photo shoot with Lauren outside. 
I plan on sending a birthday announcement out to all family and some friends.  I wanted to send everyone an updated picture.  With my family in Illinois and Kevin's in Minnesota.  The chance of people actually traveling to Kansas for Lauren's birthday is pretty slim.  However, it's a big event for Kevin and I as much as it is Lauren.  We are so excited for our little girl, and we want everyone to feel included even though we are states away.  She deserves all of the fun, and love and  presents because she won't be daddy's only little girl for much longer!! 

Softball....Wednesday and Thursday night were spent at the softball fields on post.  Luckily the games have been later in the evening so the temps cooled down enough ( in the low 90's HA!) to be bearable.  It's so cute when Lauren recognizes her daddy through the fence. She will point and yell.  I just love it.  Here is a picture of Lauren clapping for her daddy when he made a base hit.  She gets really excited when she hears other people clap and she joins in.  How precious!! She loves her daddy so much!!

Ok we are going to end this post with Stupid car....My old grand am over heated on Kevin on the way to work yesterday.  Bummer!!  We have been dealing with the same issue for years with this dumb car.  Kevin had a guy at work look at it, and he thinks it's the thermometer.  Funny, with the thousands of dollars spent fixing this car in the last few years, that is the only thing that has not been replaced, and it only costs about $11 and we also have one in the trunk of the car.  We bought it last summer when we were having issues.  So please pray that this simple fix is all we need.  We just need this car to last atleast til his deployment.  Then we can let her rest in peace :) Prayers please!!

So today's post was brought to you by the letter "S"  ...  haha!  I have been watching a lot of Sesame Street with Lauren to get her excited for Sesame Street Live next week!  The USO brought the tour to Fort Riley and it is FREE for us! I just love some of the perks of the military!! 

So Sorry about the Super long Summary of our weekly Schedule.  :) :)

A little comparison

30 weeks 1 day   

July 10, 2010

30 weeks pregnant with Lauren

June 17, 2009

It has been fun to look back at pictures and ask Kevin if I look bigger or smaller, etc.  I feel much bigger.  I had not completely lost all of my pregnancy weight from Lauren when I found out that I was pregnant again.  I have been struggling a lot with self image this time around.  I just feel huge!  Last time I was concerned with stretch marks.  This time it's my face being puffy, arms, butt, thighs, boobs, toes, feet, hands.  Nothing fits!    I wear a lot of stretchy pants and probably wouldn't make it through the day without crying if I didn't have the most amazing husband who tells me I am beautiful atleast 3 times a day. 

I am hoping that things will start to cool off a bit here in Kansas, so maybe we can take some walks in the evening.  When it's in the 90's/100's...I am not real keen on it.

Well, I think I am going to head back to bed.  We got home from vacation yesterday afternoon.  I should probably get some more rest before Lauren gets up for the day and I regret getting up with Kevin at 4:45am. 

Now that we are home, and back into the swing of things...I will TRY and update a little more often.

It's a girl, 30 years, and 9 months!

Phew!! It has been a while since I have updated.  We have been super busy and had some computer problems too.  We had a few days of no internet service followed by our computer crashing. After a full system restore, we are back up and running.
It's a girl!
Last Tuesday, we had an ultrasound and found out that we are having another little girl.  We are due Sept. 17.  I am 25 weeks along and feeling great!  I am getting more tired as time goes on, and my heartburn is starting to reappear but other than that, I am good!  The ultrasound showed 2 legs, 2 arms, 2 kidneys, a liver, a beating heart with all four chambers working the way they should.  I forgot to ask how big the baby was at this time! Oh well! I guess it will just be a surprise.
I did ask the ultrasound tech how she could tell it was a girl.  I can't ever make out much of anything on the fuzzy 2-d black and white picture.  She said, and took mouse on the screen and pointed to another blurry image and said.. "See this is the labia"..and I said "uh.. ok"..she then said "Back in the day they would refer to it as a camel toe, does that help?!"  ...I was a little taken back, my eyes got big, I looked at Kevin, inside dying laughing...I just said "Sure"...What I really wanted to say is...."Camel toe lady?! LOL seriously?! I know what a labia looks like, I have 2!  How about hamburger buns, that seems like a better term for my unborn baby".  But I didn't..I just sat there, trying not to laugh...if I did, I would have peed my pants because she was taking forever and I had a full bladder!
 I probably won't have another ultrasound for the rest of the pregnancy, unless there is an emergency.  My BP is still elevated but not in the danger zone yet.  We will continue to monitor my BP plus Kevin and I have to be aware of any sudden swelling in hands and face etc. 
Kevin was really wanting a boy, and I assumed I was having a boy since this pregnancy so far has been completely different than when I was pregnant with Lauren. He is super excited though to have 2 little girls so close in age.  They will be best of friends, and not to mention we will be able to use all of Lauren's clothes for our new baby girl! This will save us a ton of money in the long run.

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30 years

30 years ago on Memorial Day.  My husband Kevin was born.  He is my best friend, and the love of my life.  I truly think him being born on Memorial Day is the reason he is such a great patriot today.  I am so proud to call him my husband. 

When we first started dating, he said that he wanted atleast one child before he turned 30.  At the time, I was like "yeah right!..we need to wait a few years!" ...but now we do have our precious Lauren and another little angel on the way.  So in a way he got 2 children before he was 30. 

Kevin is such an amazing father. I love to see him interact with Lauren.  They have a special bond that will never be broken.  Happy Birthday Kevin.  I love you!!

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9 months!

Happy 9 months to my beautiful daughter Lauren Grace.  She is getting so big! 

This is how I found her yesterday in our living room.  She had climbed up on her pack and play.  We had left it there when unloaded the car.  I was in the kitchen and I looked around the corner to check on her and there she was just hanging out and all smiles!! I about had a heart attack.  She is growing up too fast!  I decided then that I would just set up her pack and play in the living room so that I didn't have to wonder where she was all the time, and low and behold the stinker would dig her little feet into the side of the mesh and crawl up the side!  She is like a little monkey.  She drinks about four 6 oz bottles a day.  We still can't get her to hold her own bottle or sippy cup yet.  We call her Miss Lazy Pants when it comes to eating.  She likes it all done for her.  She will hold her bottle and when we try and help her tip it up, she just lets go completely, puts her hands behind her head and figures that we'll do all of the work.  She usually eats cereal mid morning, fruit and some puffs at lunch with sippy cup of water or formula, afternoon snack is usually a bottle and then a long nap.  Dinner is usually whatever we are having plus a jar of veggies and fruit.  Last night she had all big kid food for supper!  She did really good and ate it all! We were so surprised and happy.  It's so fun to watch her use her little fingers to pick things up and get them to her mouth. 

She is just too much fun now.  On our way home from our little road trip to Illinois for Memorial Day weekend, she just started giggling out of no where.  Kevin and I couldn't quit laughing.  It was the cutest thing in the whole world!  I just love how grown up and independent she is getting.  I love that I can put her on the floor to play and she is content for long periods of time. 

I hate how she cries though when I drop her off at daycare.  It breaks my heart!

I know it will get better!

Well I can hear the stinker in her bed.  I am very happy she slept til 8am today and was not up at 5:30!!

Hope you all have a good day.  I will try and stay updated more now that we are back into the swing of things here in KS. 

ALMOST 20 weeks..

I cannot believe that Friday I will be 20 weeks! This pregnancy has seriously flown by so far!  I hope now that I have said anything that it will be pokey.  I took a few pictures last weekend.  They aren't the best quality.  The lighting in our bedroom isn't the best and my flash wasn't cooperating.  Please excuse the dorky hand hold in the picture with Kevin!  I had set the timer and about lost my balance when I got in place for the picture! We look so dorky! hahahaha

and of course, it wouldn't be a belly post without my self portrait in the mirror!

Enjoy the belly posts when they are written because they definately won't be happening every week like I did with Lauren.  I just don't feel confident this time around. I barely had time to get back to my old self before I was pregnant again. The size of my belly and the number on the scale seems to be increasing twice as fast as last time.  It is frustrating.  Also, I just don't have the time to spend in front of the mirror getting ready and spending 15 minutes getting the "perfect shot" of my growing belly, like I did before.  Mostly because Lauren is doing this:

and this...

and this! This is an adorable picture of Lauren with mommy at the computer.  Daddy snapped the picture right as Lauren managed to rip the TAB key completely off!! Kid's are so crazy!!!

We are just thrilled to have our little girl back though.  We picked her up in Missouri yesterday.  I'm guessing she was spoiled a bit while she was there.  She is quite clingy today but that's ok.  We both soaked it up last night.  I feel like she has grown so much since she was gone and it's only been one week! But, she seems to be talking more, her hair is longer, she is almost crawling and she doesn't seem like a baby anymore! 

I just love her to pieces!