Bean Meets Doodlebug

I took Riley up to the hospital last Wednesday morning so he could see Aunt E and Uncle Jeff and meet Kate. When he woke up that morning, I went upstairs to get him and told him what we would do that day.

“Hey buddy, guess what? You have a new cousin! Aunt E had Doodlebug yesterday. Her new name is Kate. Do you want to go meet her?”

“Yeah.”

I guess that’s about as much excitement as he could muster. Not entirely surprising.

We arrived at the hospital before anyone else did, which meant I got to hold Kate for a few minutes without the pressure of someone waiting for a turn. She’s so pink and tiny and really cute too. Riley peered into her bassinet for a bit before I picked her up and then occupied himself with climbing all over the furniture (including getting into bed with Aunt E) while I held her. He wasn’t too concerned with his new cousin at first since there were so many other interesting things to do.

Riley did bring Kate a special gift, a little stuffed Daisy Duck. He actually wanted to keep Daisy for himself but I finally convinced him to give it up confiscated it from him and gave it to Aunt E. Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, right?

Nopsi also brought a very special gift for Kate: he surprised Jeff by cleaning up and restoring an old metal dump truck of his from when he was a baby. I’m not sure how much Kate will actually play with it, but perhaps she can use it to store some of her shoes. And we decided to recreate a picture of Jeff as a baby laying in the bed of the truck…..

…..only with Kate instead. Super cute.

 

I got one more turn to hold Kate before taking the wild man home for lunch. We tried our best to get a good picture of the two new cousins together, but Riley was less than cooperative. I’m sure there will be many, many, many more attempts in the near future, though.

 

  

And finally, just before we left, Riley gave Kate a couple of very sweet kisses. Right after he told Nopsi to “put her back in the box.” He’s going to have to get used to not being the star of the show anymore!

After two nights in the hospital, the new family of three was finally able to go home last Thursday afternoon. Erin and Jeff were able to show Kate her new house, with her new room and everything in it, including a huge stuffed teddy bear. They also introduced Kate to the other members of her family, Doug the dog and Fate the cat.

The threesome have had no shortage of visitors since they’ve been home, including me stopping by last Sunday morning. I had Kenny and Riley drop me off before they went on a Sam’s run so I could spend some time with my niece. While I was there visiting, Erin and Jeff surprised me by asking if I would be Kate’s godmother. I truly was taken aback, and I of course said that I would love to take on that role.

You honored me greatly by choosing me for Kate, Erin and Jeff. Thank you so much. Love y’all!

Video Monday: Doodlebug’s Name Reveal

A couple of months ago, Uncle Jeff told everyone that he had a special way to reveal the sex and the name of Doodlebug. He also said that his idea would make both Nola and Kel-Kel (Aunt E’s mom) really mad. We were all extremely curious what he had planned, but we would have to wait until almost 6pm on July 31 to find out.

About 20 minutes after Kate entered the world, Jeff came out into the waiting room with a sign that he placed on the wall. He had created a game similar to hangman. If a wrong letter was guessed, he removed part of the owl on the left side of the sign. And of course he filled in any correctly guessed letters. The two grandmothers were the only players, and man were they pissed at Jeff for making them think on the spot. Thank goodness the name was only four letters long!

The game was a very cute idea, and everyone (except perhaps Nola and Kel-Kel) enjoyed it. But enough of me writing about the reveal: Lizzie was there to capture it all on video. {She and I also had some fun sneaking back to Erin’s room to see if we could hear Kate’s first cries, but we got reprimanded back to the waiting area by a nurse. Bummer.} Please enjoy!

Happy Monday!

Trepidation, Excitement, Nervousness, and Joy {Big Announcement}

It is with all of those things that Kenny and I announce the forthcoming arrival of our second child, due on March 16 of next year. Yes, the rumors are true: I am pregnant!

I went to my doctor on a Monday morning (July 9) to have blood drawn to confirm the pregnancy. As I was riding the elevator up to the office, my stomach was a knot of nerves. I had taken a test at home the Friday before, and even though that little second line was faint, I was still pretty sure of the result. But the butterflies came on strong and unexpectedly as soon as I stepped into the elevator.

I guess I was nervous thinking about the change this would mean for our lives. Will the pregnancy progress like it should? Will our second child be healthy? A girl or a boy? As cute as Riley-bean? As cool as Riley-bean? Let’s face it: this kid will have a lot to live up to.

Will I be able to handle having a two-and-a-half-year-old and a newborn at the same time? How will Riley react to his new sibling? Will I be able to transform our daily routine to include both kids’ schedules and needs? Which bedroom will we turn into the nursery? Will we move Riley to a twin bed right away or let him stay in his crib for a little while longer? Will I remember how to handle a newborn and everything that comes with one, like constant diaper changes, 2am feedings, and that potential dreaded witching hour every day?

There are so many unknowns. But then I remember all of the wonderful things about a new baby, like that sweet newborn smell, snuggling whenever I want to, the first smile, coo, and laugh, and so many others. I know I can do this. It’s just going to take me a little while to get used to the idea of having four people in the house instead of three. Then again, it took a while for me to get used to having Riley around, too. And now I can’t imagine life without him.

We are excited about adding another member to our little family. I plan to document this pregnancy much like I did for Riley-bean, with some side-by-side comparisons thrown in just for fun. (I wonder if I’ll have crazy dreams again!) And Kenny came up with our nickname for the baby this time around, which actually goes pretty well with Bean: Sprout!

I went back to my doctor (Dr. S) on Thursday, August 2 for my first ultrasound, and Kenny came with me. My blood pressure is normal (120/68) and Sprout’s heartrate is around 148. We got to hear the heartbeat and see the tiny little mass that is slowly developing into a baby. And, like I said the first time, technology is still just so cool. We didn’t talk to Dr. S all that long, mostly because there’s not much to talk about this early. She did say that some cramping and spotting right now are very normal and nothing to worry about. And she told me to drink plenty of water and to make sure to take my vitamin every day. Not a problem!

I am about eight weeks along, and the only major symptoms I’m experiencing so far are fatigue and some soreness in my chest area. The fatigue started early, and it’s especially challenging in the afternoons after Riley is up from his nap. But the good news is that none of the little issues I had in the beginning of my first pregnancy are present this time around. So it really is true that every pregnancy is different.

I know things will only get more difficult as I progress, so I may not be posting quite as much as I usually do. I’ll do my best, but some days Mama may need a nap instead. In the meantime, I’m just resting when I can, eating like I should, and soaking up lots of time with my boy while he’s still an only child.

Two kids. I’ll have two kids in less than a year. Wow.

I’m glad y’all will be on this journey with Kenny and me. It actually helps to know there are people out there following along, so I thank y’all for that. And keep the comments coming!

So without further adieu, let the wild ride begin!

Kate Kellye

On Tuesday, July 31 at 5:21pm, Aunt E and Uncle Jeff welcomed the newest member of the family into the world: a beautiful baby girl they named Kate Kellye. Both mom and baby are doing great.

Earlier that day, while Jeff and Erin stayed as comfortable as possible in their L&D Room (with Jeff in an awesome t-shirt Erin gave him for Father’s Day)…..

…..there was a crowd of family and friends out in the waiting room having a party. We had a nice little spread set up, thanks to Nola and Skeets. Thank goodness also for the Olympics, which made the long day a bit more bearable.

After many, many hours of not-so-patient waiting, we were finally rewarded with our first glimpse of Kate as she was wheeled down to the nursery to be weighed, measured, and cleaned up. She had to make her way through quite the crowd of admirers before going to get her first bath.

The crowd followed her to the nursery where we all pressed up against the windows trying to get a better look. Kate weighed in at 7lbs 12 oz and measured 20.5 inches long, and she has a full head of hair. New dad Jeff could hardly wipe the smile off of his face. I think Kate already has him wrapped around her tiny little fingers.

  

As Jeff said when he first came out to tell us he had a daughter, she is “perfect and so beautiful.” We couldn’t agree more.

Welcome, Kate Kellye. Welcome to the world and welcome to the family!

And don’t worry: I’ll have plenty more to say about Kate in the coming days, including how Jeff revealed her sex and name to us for the first time, as well as Riley’s first encounter with his new cousin.

Congratulations to the new family of three!