Let the Videos Begin!

Nick and I both know these videos are the product of first time parents catching the little things that are SUCH a big deal.  But, we can't help but smile watching them over and over again.  Kennedy gave us her first giggle last week.  With a lot of encouragement (and bouncing) she cooperated and shared a "little giggle" on video.  

As we've mentioned before, Kennedy has been swaddled for all of her naps and through the night.  While our parents strongly opposed us wrapping her up like a burrito, we really do think this helped Kennedy sleep so well!  However, about a week ago, we started the process of weaning her from the swaddle.  It started with one arm in and one arm out and then transitioned to both arms out.  With this freedom, she developed a new love....her thumb!  We aren't so sure how we feel about this but it sure is cute!

3 Months and 3 Weeks Late

I can't believe how long it has taken us to post these pictures!  Life has been busy.  Very busy.  But we wouldn't have it any other way!  Since the last time we posted, we survived a 12 hour drive to Cincinnati and had an awesome Thanksgiving Week.  Kennedy got to meet lots of friends, family and her youngest cousin Parker!  I officially started back to work two weeks ago and we've had a house full of wonderful babysitters taking care of Kennedy!  Nick's parents took the first week and my mom had the second.  We are so thankful for their generosity and love that they poured into our sweet baby girl while I started back to work.  Kennedy will officially start at the Montessori school here in Fayetteville on January 2nd.  So before we actually celebrate her 4 month birthday in about two weeks, here a few highlights of our 3 month old!

• Our mornings - As we mentioned before, we are SO thankful that Kennedy is a wonderful sleeper.  She usually averages between 11 and 12 hours a night.  With that kind of sleep, you would think she would wake up screaming to eat.  However, most mornings, Jack sits by Kennedy's door begging us to wake her up and when we do she is ALL smiles.  Nick says this is his favorite part of the day. 

• No more bobble head - Between her tummy time and her bumbo chair, it is amazing to see her head control and neck strength.  She can lift her head and chest off the ground when on her belly.  

• Rolling Over - well not really.  We really think she may crawl or walk before she rolls over but we practice all of the time.  I'm sure one of these days she will put all of her crazy leg kicks and arm movements all together that will lead to a roll.

• Her hair - or what she has left of it!  Kennedy has lost so much of her hair but it just gives me an excuse to buy more headbands and larger bows!  

• Cuddle Time - is fading fast but we cherish every second when we get it!  Because Kennedy is so alert during the day, our only chance of what we call the "snuggle bug" appearing is after her last feed of the day.  She is usually so exhausted that she turns into a wet noodle and allows us to snuggle...which is the best.

• Smiles - I said it before, but really we can't get enough of her sweet smiles.  It's as if sometimes she can't control herself and her entire face lights up.  We expect giggles any day now but until then we will take the endless smiles that she loves to share.

Grumpy and Nana

Kennedy meets Parker!

Sweet Baby Cole

The Moorman's

Miami Housemates and babies!

Grandma and Nana

Nick's Aunt Bobbie

Nick's Grandma

Nick's Aunt Rita

2 Month Check Up!

Last Thursday, Kennedy had her 2 month appointment with her pediatrician.  She loved staring at herself in the large mirror next to the table!  We were excited to get an update on how she was growing and the doc's comment to us was "she's growing like a weed!"  They gave us a print out of her exact weight  - 10.8lbs and height - 22.87" but unfortunately it didn't include the percentiles.  He did show us the charts while we were there and if I can remember correctly, Kennedy increased a good amount in weight (now around the 55th percentile) and jumped quite a bit in height (close to the 70th percentile)!  She received three shots (a total of 6 vaccines) and took them like a champ!

The pediatrician was also very encouraging and insightful about her sleeping habits.  We've worked so hard to establish a good routine over the last 10 weeks and the doc was extremely happy with her progress.  As of last Thursday, Kennedy was averaging anywhere from 5-8 hours between feedings.   Of course, as you know, every baby is different and every family has a unique success story (or lack there of) about sleeping through the night.  Because Nick and I are surrounded by so many friends with HAPPY babies and GREAT sleepers, we were sure to take notes early on.  Over the last two months, I've also spent hours reading blogs and books on how to help a baby sleep well.  I won't say we are in the clear yet but I do feel like we've learned a lot and if our future nights are anything like last night, Kennedy will have two happy parents!  We've generally followed what is called PDF - a parent directed feeding approach.  I think of it as a happy medium between child centered feeding (feed baby every time they cry) and clock feeding (feed baby when the clock tells you it's time).  Why did we choose this approach?  For us, it makes sense and fits into our lifestyle and has a 96% success rate of babies sleeping through the night by 12 weeks!  There are a few main concepts of PDF...

• Full Feedings - teach baby from day 1 to eat full meals and not just snack throughout the day
• Routine - Eat, Play, Sleep in that order...which leads to...
• Sleep - Babies like and need lots of sleep but for us, we didn't want Kennedy to have to eat to fall asleep.  We put her down awake and she happily falls asleep on her own.
• Needs - Respond to a baby based on their needs.  For example, feeding a baby will not help a baby crying simply because they need a diaper change.  Seems obvious but can be very difficult when Kennedy is crying and she can't tell us why!

All in all, this approach has worked great for us.  Our focus on a routine early on now gives us flexibility throughout the day because we (and Kennedy too!) know when it's time to eat, play and sleep!  She continues to nap well and as of last night, we eliminated our late night feeding and she slept from 8:45pm-6am!  YAY!  We are hoping this is our new routine!  We will keep you posted :)

Enjoying a walk and some patio time at Arsagas coffee house on Sunday afternoon!

First Halloween

Our little Giraffe enjoyed her first Halloween with great friends, food and a cozy stroller ride while the big kids went trick or treating!  

Two Months!!

Our sweet baby girl is now two months old.  We have her 2 month appointment with the pediatrician on Friday!  We haven't been back since 2 weeks so we are excited to see how much she has grown!  Here are a few highlights to remember...

• All Smiles - Kennedy can light up a room with her smiles and we LOVE it!  We've officially moved beyond the guessing game and she happily gives us many big smiles throughout the day!
• Her Grip - She can now grab things and hang on!   That includes my necklaces, my shirt, my arm, and her toys hanging from the play mat!  
• Her Eyes - she has quite the stare and we love when she locks eyes with us.  Kennedy especially loves to watch her Daddy while he gives her a bottle!  Which brings me to...
• The Bottle!  YAY!   Nick gives Kennedy one bottle per day which has been great! 
• Sleep - We've moved past the every 3 hour middle of the night feeds and hit a new milestone of 7 hours this weekend!  By no means is this her new schedule, but we are making progress and now consistently average a 5-7 hour span between feeds throughout the night.  She also moved to her nursery this month and is doing great in her big girl crib!
• Tummy Time - Kennedy loves tummy time and consistently moves her head from side to side and can lift her head up for a short time.
• Babysitter - We had our first non family babysitter this past weekend and everything went perfectly!  Nick and I enjoyed a wonderful date night and Kennedy didn't fuss at all.  The report back on Jack though, was that he wouldn't take his eyes off this new person holding his little sister.
• The Pacifier - She loves it!  Luckily, we moved past playing the pacifier game at night but it can calm her instantly during the day!

Nick's concern at two months - quote. "How will I ever learn how to do Kennedy's hair?"

Ohio Plates?

Every once in a while you have one of those moments you just know will stick in your head forever.  Many times the memories or images that shape our lives happen and we don't recognize the significance or importance.  However, there are those times that you are sure right away an image will stick in your head for a lifetime.

Last Thursday I pulled in to our driveway from work and saw an Ohio license plate belonging to my brother's family van for the first time in Fayetteville!  Sure, I knew they were coming in to town, this was not a surprise visit, but it was still surreal to know that they had sacrificed time, money, energy, and patience to load up their three kids and drive over ten hours to see us.

We had a perfect weekend.  Northwest Arkansas did its best to show off in a big way.  The weather was perfect, the fall scenery was in full bloom, and we were able to see all NWA had to offer.  We took in the Walmart 5 and 10, toured Crystal Bridges, explored the local parks, visited the farmer's market, did a little shopping at the new Cabelas, went to a fall festival, and Ben, Scott, and I got in a couple of intense games of front yard football.

While we certainly miss the days of being able to see them whenever we wanted, this time of being together for an extended period of time was truly special.  It re-emphasized how lucky we are to have such great family in our lives, and of course made us anxious to see them again at Thanksgiving!

A New Monday Routine

I really don't know where the days are going or what Kennedy and I do that make them fly by.  We've mastered the diaper changes, feedings and laundry and even enjoyed play dates and shopping adventures. But, I have to admit, we haven't been great about blogging and posting pictures!  So, my new goal is to update the blog on Monday mornings.  Here are a few from our trip to the park yesterday.  The weather was beautiful here so the three of us walked the trails, sat in the park and enjoyed coffee on a patio!  It was a perfect afternoon!

More Tummy Time

One Month

We celebrated Kennedy's one month birthday on September 25th.  How can one month feel like the days flew by so fast yet at the same time lasted forever?  These four weeks have been wonderful and have far exceeded any and all expectations Nick and I ever had of parenthood.  Last week Nick came home with this cake from Rick's bakery and two pints of Graeter's ice cream (yes, we finally found Graeter's in Arkansas!)  For the first two weeks of Kennedy's life, my mom, aka Nana, was here to completely spoil her.  My Dad, Grumpy, (he picked that name but we all know he is the furthest thing from "Grumpy") was able to fly back for the weekend before they made the drive back to Akron.

Kennedy's First Month - a few highlights

• Her Hair - I just love it and although it may be thinning just a bit, it still is adorable
•  Tummy Time - she can turn her head from side to side and even lift it up on her own...it's keeping it up that she needs to work on!
• Social Butterfly - Fortunately, in Fayetteville, Kennedy is surrounded by lots of friends and we've had fun having lunch dates, dinner dates and play dates even though she tends to sleep through most of them.
• Her Hands - she loves her hands up by her face - too bad we swaddle her when she sleeps!  She can know hold her hands together and also loves to grab anything in reach - most recently my hair and Nick's shirt collar.
• Sleep - she sleeps like an angel for the majority of the day.  We are still working on the late evening hours but until then we refer to her as the party girl and as Nick likes to say, the bars don't close until 2 so if she is sound asleep before then we are doing alright!
• Her Eyes - We love when she looks at us but she especially likes staring at lights and ceiling fans.
• Walks and The Car - She loves both and Jack especially enjoys the walks!
• Pacifier - an instant soother.  If only we could teach her not to spit it out in the middle of the night!

Here are a few pictures to document her one month birthday.  I struggled to find the right pose and the right place with the right bow and the right blanket.  All I kept thinking of was the huge commitment over the next 12 months that I would need to continue!  So, I've included a few and have the next month to decide which to repeat!
 

One Month Old 

Kennedy's Birthday

August 25, 2012 - - -  8:08am CST - - - Kennedy Grace Spicher - - - Her Birth Story!

This blog post has been on my to do list for just about three weeks now (yes, KGS is already 3 weeks old!) but between the feedings, diaper changes, laundry, more laundry and I don't know what else, the days have been flying by.  We've had an amazing time with our little girl and are absolutely crazy about her.  So, before we share about all of the little things new parents like us get excited about, I do want to document the day our lives changed forever - 8.25.12

Nick and I enjoyed our last date night as just the two of us that Friday evening at Ruth Chris.  We had an amazing dinner and ended our night on our front porch just hanging out and talking about the anticipated arrival of our little one...which I thought surely would be after my hair appointment that was scheduled for the following week.  Well, OB wasn't too concerned about my hair or my final two weeks of early maternity leave.  12:40am was when the fun began.  I woke up and glanced at the clock as I was rolling over to get comfortable and felt what I later found out to be my water breaking.  No, it was not like the movies or even a little bit obvious.  After some waiting and excited chatter about the potential of could this be the day, Nick was convinced he should start packing his bag.  I decided to take a shower and by now was having lower back pain that was unlike any of the braxton hicks contractions I had been experiencing for the many weeks prior.  Nick texted our doctor as she said to let her know when we thought we were in labor because she was going to do her best to deliver us!  Nick started timing the "pain" and we soon realized that the consistent pattern of 4-6 minutes meant we were headed to the hospital.

Nick had to get a few pictures on the way...

We walked into the ER at 2:45am and were quickly told we would be heading home.  The doctor on call took one look at me and said it was impossible that I was in labor but was required to keep me for an hour to monitor things.  Thankfully, after an hour of waiting and some crazy back pain, a wonderful nurse confirmed that my water had broken and we weren't going anywhere.  Nick called our parents and we were officially admitted.

By 4am we were now in our private room waiting on the anesthesiologist for the epidural.  I was SO thankful for the epidural.  I actually received a light dose.  I learned (after asking the poor guy a million questions) that the dose of an epidural is based on height.  Despite my 5'9" tall girl classification, he gave me a regular girl amount so I was able to feel my legs and wiggle my toes but still have the positive effect of no pain!!

So with the epidural going and an IV in, we thought we were settling in to a long day of labor when all of a sudden things became quite eventful.  A crew of nurses came rushing in as we later found out the baby's heart rate had dropped.  After 45 minutes on oxygen and being tossed from side to side as if I was in a tumbling class, the nurses finally determined that I had quickly progressed from 1.5cm to 10cm and this baby was ready to go!  After 10 minutes of pushing, we heard from Dr. Paige who couldn't believe things were moving so fast.  Her husband was actually on call and there at the hospital to deliver us.  The nurses were amazing and such an encouragement.  It literally felt like a party in the room in between pushes, ice chips and taking polls on boys names as we had yet to make a final name decision.  At 8:08am, just 4 hours after being admitted, Kennedy Grace was in my arms.  A GIRL!  I couldn't believe it.

I can't even describe all of the emotions that I felt at that moment.  Excitement, Shock, Amazement, Joy - how did this happen so fast and was she really ours?!?  I spent the next two hours just staring at our precious little girl before they took her to the nursery for the standard tests and what not.  Nick and I were officially parents and our life as the two of us had now become three.  She's perfect and so is our new adventure that we've just begun and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Kennedy's first birthday cake!

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