When you can't help but smile!

4 Months Old...

So we missed THE picture.  The one with the 4 month sticker on the white onesie, a matching bow in her hair and 4 balloons.  In our defense, we were in Akron on December 25th and between work, adjusting to her new school and traveling, the days slipped by way too fast.  Kennedy had her 4 month well checkup and is doing great!  She is in the 40% for weight (never would guess that with those chubby cheeks!) and 90% in height.  We are truly in love with this little girl.  I've always loved her but going back to work full time has really, really made me love her.  The first two weeks were a little overwhelming and quite busy as we tried to adjust and create a new norm for the three of us.  However, I can honestly say that after 2.5 weeks, we are doing pretty well!  We have an excellent routine and I really think it is the simple things like this that bring peace and happiness to our lives.  I am so thankful for my wonderful husband who really is the most amazing father I could ever imagine.  He truly is a partner in this whole parenting adventure and gives way more than just 50%.  Nick wakes up Kennedy every day at 7am.  He changes her diaper and hands her off to me for her first feed.  He then makes me a chai tea latte and packs Kennedy's bag for the day.  I get her dressed and the two of them walk out the door by 7:35am.  Nick calls me after the drop off and our work day begins!  Everyone asks, is it hard leaving Kennedy during the day?  Absolutely.  No question about it.  But, Nick and I continue to agree that we are doing the right thing.  I enjoy my job and am even more excited about my career path as my management training progresses.  Nick has found a career that maximizes his strengths and talents.  I've never seen him more energized, enthusiastic and optimistic about his work.  Kennedy is adjusting well to Montessori.  I know this sounds crazy, but even at just 4 months old and 2.5 weeks in, we can see her development progressing.  I really think there is something great about surrounding her with other babies and teachers that are so focussed on them and their individual growth.  We even receive a monthly newsletter from her teacher, Valerie, sharing with us the books, songs, crafts etc that the babies will learn and do throughout the month.  We love it.  So, our lives are much different this year in 2013 than ever before but we wouldn't have it any other way.

4 Months and a few things to remember...

• Giggles - they are the cutest thing I've ever heard
• Smiles - Kennedy will smile at just about everyone
• Spitting up - may be getting better but she still wears a bib every day
• Rolling over - BOTH ways!  Well, almost.  Kennedy's arm gets stuck as she rolls from back to front.  She has rolled over multiple times from front to back but it's still unpredictable when she's going to do it!
• Sleeping - 11-12 hours/night.  Best. Baby. Ever.  
• Napping - not so great since the start of Montessori.  I'm trying to be patient and let her adjust but 2.5 hours doesn't cut it when she's used to 5!  
• Babysitters - Kennedy does great and we do have our favorite!
• Tummy Time - Kennedy loves it!  She can also push her chest off the ground a little.
• Sitting Up - sooo close but not quite there on her own.
• Solids - not yet but thinking about rice cereal.
• Baths - Loves it!  Moved into the full baby tub and not the sling.
• Thumb - has almost replaced the pacifier.  So cute.
• Hair - She lost all of it except a little mullet in the back.  It has finally started to grow back just this week.  
• Chubby Cheeks - could they be any cuter?!

Valerie sends me pictures of Kennedy at school!

First Class Photo - Hilarious 

Christmas 2012

LOVING Santa!

While it was great to go back to work and attempt to reestablish some normalcy to my lifestyle (yes, the shopping, breakfasts/lunches out, and Starbucks runs did have to come to end) I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 weeks off in December and would be lying if I didn't bring back some of the shopping and eating fun while I was off!  On our way to Akron for Christmas, we made a stop in Cincinnati for the night and stayed with Nick's parents.  We then headed to my parents' house for the week of Christmas and enjoyed what Nick and I refer to as the most relaxing time of the year.  There's something about Christmas that makes it okay to do absolutely nothing, especially at my parents' house.  My mom and dad are the world's BEST hosts.   My mom set up a nursery for Kennedy and had all of our "favorites" waiting when we arrived.  Jen, John and Parker also came up for Christmas so we had the entire crew home.  I'm still amazed how doing so little can go by so fast.  We had somewhat of an adventure making our way back to Arkansas.  The snow allowed us to make an overnight stay in Columbus with Jen, John and Parker as well as an additional stay in St Louis where Kennedy experienced her first night in a hotel.  She did great!  I know we are biased, but Nick and I continue to say God has blessed us with the world's best baby!

Free Babysitters!

Christmas Eve Family Picture

Looked better on Pinterest - need more photography lessons

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?"