Bestill my heart! She's getting so old!

Friday i realized that my little angel is now a big angel... she's 8 weeks old... one week shy of her 2 month birthday, 3 weeks shy of me leaving her to go back to work! It's all just too much!
She now likes to be entertained instead of just held... she wants to play and smile and she's even starting to coo!

As a reflextion here are the things we could not live without!

receiving blankets (i use these to line her bassinet, to change her on, to swaddle... we we did swaddle all two times, etc)
Basic white cloth dipers for burp rags... you go through so many each day, WHY spend money on cute ones!
Colic Calm (this is a MUST buy!!! google it! Get it! Sometimes it's the only thing that will calm your gassy, colicy, refluxy, or fussy baby! it's AMAZING)
Boppys... we have one upstairs and one down! Great for sitting, feeding, etc
Onies onies onies! White ones! We put them under everything and we go through them FAST, get a lot!
Bath tub with her infant insert... she gets a bath EVERY night, it calms her!
Wubbanub... get these passys They are GREAT! You need these... don't get the duck, the beak doesn't hold like the bigger heads do!
Hooter Hider... it's stylish, covers me, i can still see her... and i get to breast feed without showing off the milk jugs!
Breast Pump... now get a good one! I got the medela freestyle something or another... it's the one that has it all except the hands free thingy... I use it AT LEAST every morning after i feed K and still get like 5-8oz out! I've already filled up my freezer door and i'm moving on to the basement freezer!

Hmm that's mostly what's on my list now... i'm sure there's more to come... oh and her bows! She must always have bows!

It's my kid Picture People!

And i want to put her pictures on her blog without paying $200 for a CD! So i will take pictures of her pictures and ya'll will get the general idea of how cute her pictures are in real life!









oh i just want to eat up her cuteness!

Kinsley LOVES playtime!

So it's snowing... AGAIN... so Kinsley and I are playing inside! I keep telling everyone how much she loves her playmat and i don't think they believe me... but i now have proof!







She is just loads of fun!

Kinsley LOVES to read!

I know, i know, she's only 8 weeks but BUT just check this out! I was invited to go to story time by a fellow mother from my church and jumped on it and i must say... my daughter QUITE enjoyed herself!





Notice the story being read in the background! Future scholar! I know!

Quick! Call the authorities!

I am a neglectful mother, my child will obvious hurt herself!

I went upstairs for a minute to check my email for emergencies (i PROMISE it wasn't more then 5 mins) and this is what i returned to!





Oh dear lord what kind of mother am i? lol

bowing down to the baby wise/ baby whisperer gods!

Yes i know this is idol worship, but it's hard to not! My child is amazing now (i mean we still have moments, like yesterday in the bank where she wouldn't stop crying even though i tried the boob, but it was my fault! She was over stimulated and tired, besides hungry too)! Example being last night... she ate and then played a little with daddy, started to get fussy so i gave her a bath (which she LOVES) and then got her ready for bed, which sent her crying again... Chris held her while i did stuff to get ready for bed, etc... he said she's rubbing her eyes a lot... "Oh" i say? So i put her in her bassinet and off to dream land she goes! On her own! When she's tired she just wants her little bed and she'll do the rest (as long as her wubby is near by)!

It's really quite funny to watch her "put herself" to sleep... she has to wiggle and grunt until she's in a completely uncomfortable looking backward U with her wubby in her mouth and her free hand on top of her head... then off to dream land she goes...

well she's waking up from her nap dreamland so off i go!

It DOES work!

So today was weigh in day! well okay any day is... as long as i weigh in every week or so... well i've lost 2.5 lbs! Yes! I'm .5lbs from my prepregnancy weight! AWESOMENESS!

I'm following my points plan (lost a point b/c i've lost weight!) and working out! Kinsley took an awesome nap this morning that has allowed me to workout! It was great! Wii Fit Plus is awesome and it really keeps me interested to keep going! Plus i'm always sore after i finish!

Today i've also put a basket of laundry away, ate lunch, and SHOWERED! And not just any shower, i shaved my legs and dried my hair! OH YEA!

Well i'm going to go and wake my sleepy baby now or she won't sleep at ALL tonight!

Let the sleeping baby...

Well i was going to say let her keep sleeping but she's trying to wake up now! Dang... gotta make this fast! Yesterday was bad... she was good i mean BUT wouldn't take a nap longer then 30-40mins!!! For reals ya'll! Take me out of here!

Today she's already taken a GOOD long nap! Yea! Maybe today will be better, we'll see~

So i had posted before that i want to loose weight (ha who doesn't)... well i was looking at my Weight Watchers book and you know when i started this journey in December i was 175! So i've lost 7 lbs since then and 4 inches! we're on our way!

Yesterday i did well with my points and got in a SMALL workout... since Kinsley wouldn't nap... but better then nothing right?

Here's to you staying motivated and me trying to!

And me...

So some of you might be concerned with what happens to you post pushing a baby out of your very small hole and i can now tell you about it because i had my 6 week check up. Everything is fine and dandy now! I had a good check up... so you know what that means... well Chris did... it meant we had the green light. Now, as happy was he was with this news, i was just as nervous. It's kinda scary... the last thing that was down there was my daughter on her way out! That's a lot to deal with... so we took it slow. And it was totally fine. It was a little tender at first but then it was fine. We had tried unsucessfully at 5 weeks ( i was still WAY too tender) but now at 6 it was fine... So when the doctor tells you 6 they mean 6 not 5.

I am also feeling good in other physical and mental ways. As many of you know i have depression (previous post... runs in the women of my family, purely chemical, blah blah blah) so i was worried what this might do for post pardum depression... but other then wishing my stomach was flatter, my legs less flabby, and wanting to get out of the house... i'm great! I never went through "my child is not in me withdrawls" and i haven't recented her crying. Honestly her crying rarely bothers me... especially now that i'm following the Baby Whisperer/Baby Wise books. They are such a great help! Since i know her schedule i know if the cry is because she tired, hungry, overstimulated, etc. I know the signs to look for gas, etc. So if she's fussy it's cool... i know she just needs to get it out of her system and i try to sooth her until then.

So if you have any pregnancy questions or concerns please let me know. I'll be happy to answer any and all.. or just questions in general~

This is what my days are full of...

We have a schedule... we eat, we play, and we sleep... and this is what i get to see after each nap and each feeding...



She loves her puppy!





If you noticed in other pictures you have seen that Kinsley suffers from baby acne... well it doesn't bother her but it bothers all of her pictures! So i consulted a dear friend and then the pediatrician and they said use Cortizone (sp?) 10. I rub some on her face at night (you can put it on more often but it dries out her skin a lot) and then the next day BEAUTIFUL! We just put a little baby lotion on her skin for the dryness it causes and whala! There's my beautiful girl!

So other then that, that's all... but isn't it enough? She's so great!

Wow it's been forever!

I feel like it's been so long since i've updated ya'll! There's so much to tell i feel!

First we had some great visitors drop by on Sunday night! Uncle Dan and Aunt Jessie!



Kinsley had so much visiting and so did I! We had a little dinner and Kinsley tried out her new highchair!



Then they left and we all went to bed... in our OWN beds! yes Kinsley has been sleeping exclusively in her bed! Well not her crib but her bassinet! Every night i give her a bath, dress her in her jammies, give her her vitamins, cuddle her for a minute and then place her in her bed. I turn on her moible and stick the wubbub in and off to dreamland she goes. She still likes to eat her Wubby all night and get in a backward U shape... but she SLEEPS! On her OWN! I just love my little angel!

Well it's a new year and i have a kid!

New year, new life, new years resolutions.... yeah kind of hard to imagine all of it together right? How will i find time with a new little one once i go back to work?!?!? It's going to be hard but i'm going to have to!

I have 4 things that will help me along this journey of the typical New years resolution... weight loss. But my resolution isn't just to loose weight but to be more active for my daughter! I don't want to spend my days just laying around doing nothing... i want to teach her to move, go and do! Go to the park! Run outside! Heck play the Wii rather then just sit there! So here's what's in my arsanal of motivation:

1. Weight Watchers. I've joined online and it's been 6 weeks since i gave birth so it's time to start seriously tracking!
2. Wii Fit Plus! I have a way to workout even when i can't get outside! It's great! Plus it tracks my weight, etc! Very motivating!
3. When i go back to work i have a great friend that LOVES to workout and i just KNOW will want to run with me at lunch!
4. This blog! I'm going to tell ya'll my weight, my progress, my check in stats, etc. You need to call me out if it's been a while and i haven't updated you on how it's going... so here we go!

On March 31 Chris, Kinsley and i are going to the Bahama's for a good friend's wedding! Yes that means SWIM SUIT! YIKES! So i have to get read, b/c even if i can wear a one piece to hide stretch marks that haven't left yet, i can't hide my jiggly thighs!

Right now i'm at 168... that's 3lbs from my prepregnancy weight! Not to shabby! BUT that is not the weight i want to be at! I was working on loosing weight before i got pregnant and then well... yeah.

So here's my goals for 2010!
1. Loose at lest 15lbs before the Bahamas and be able to jog two miles continuously before then. (so i'll weigh 153 and hopefully be firmer) Oh and this will help too with the, at least, 4 other weddings we have to attend this year!

2. My Goal weight by the end of 2010 is 135

3. Be active at least 4 days a week

4. Drink 64oz of water (at least) a day

5. To breast feed Kinsley at least 6 months, but try for a year!

6. To enter and complete a half marathon THIS YEAR

7. To put my stuff AWAY, not just on the kitchen cart

8. To take Kinsley on walks on the days that weather permits

9. To make it to church 4 times a month (once Kinsley gets get 2 month shots) (bible study counts as church)

10. To spend more QUALITY time with Chris... make sure we stay connected and strong... we'll have at least one date night a month... maybe two!

So there's my list of 10 for my life this year! They aren't in any particular order of importance b/c they are all important to me for myself and for my family. So i'm counting on ya'll to help me some! PLEASE! Heck if you live in the area and read this workout with me! If you live close and want to run with me then tell me about a 1/2 marathon near you! This is the year for change and friends!

Date night

We did it. Our first official date since Kinsley has been born. It wasn't the first time we left her (second) but for some reason it was harder. I think it was all the "adult talk" about work, etc... meaning me going back to work. UH, i don't know how i'm going to do it... i do miss it some but really... it's going to break my heart and most likely my spirit for a while leaving her to the care of certified professionals. I NEED my daughter!

Well anyway... back to the date. So what do Mom and Dad do to remember this momentious occasion? We dress up (yes i even straighten my hair and wore make up!) and take pictures like we're going to prom:





Yeah check out those milk makers! That's what breastfeeding will do to you! Don't be scared, i wasn't small to start with.

So Chris and i had a giftcard and decided to go to The Red Lobster. It was yummy! Before hand we stopped by Dick's Sporting Goods and on the drive between the two i pumped for my little girl so that could have a few drinks!

OH.MY.GOSH! A margarita has never tasted so good! it's my first since getting pregnant! I had two! i was a lush and WOW i'm a light weight now! lol. Oh but here's the BEST part of having a drink or two... so i first i pumped before hand so she would have that milk and i wouldn't have to defrost some of my stash that i've created AND i have these awesome test strips to tell me when my breast milk is drinkable again! How cool is that! i put some of my boob milk onto the strip and watch it for 2 mins and it changes colors, then if i have too much in my system then it tells me so i can wait it out until i don't! So I'm happy and baby is safe!

Now a little photo to show you what i was dealing all day, which made me very choked up talking about leaving my little angel



Okay that's it... my car and house are now for sale! I'm taking the bus and moving into an apartment so that i can stay home!

She's such a stinker!

Kinsley has been smiling a lot more lately and it's just so much fun to watch! Here's me trying to capture it (i promise all of these are smiles)...

Then this morning i look in her bassinet to see this:

I mean you see that angle right? Not to mention her love for her Wubanub (sp?)... it doesn't even matter if it's the passy end, she just loves having it in her mouth!

Yes my child is taking my heart! it's so much fun to see what she might do next!

But remember, they seem sweet now but they will get older and defy you! So get blackmail too!

Baby Wise... but is it really?

So according to this book i have created my fussy baby... by always picking her up and trying to get her to stop crying i have created a monster. SO last night i let her cry. At first Chris was all for this... until he realized how long this might take... yeah, then he went to sleep in the office so he wouldn't "get fired" and could get some sleep. Eventually she slept... it was a mixed of crying for 10 mins, stopping, taking loud breaths, crying again. Eventually i picked her up, cuddled her tightly and she shushed and she fell asleep... into the bassinet she went and on to bed i went. It was as terrible as i thought... but it wasn't fun or easy either.

She slept until 2ish where she ate, new diaper and back to bed. Woke up at 6... but i didn't want this to be her wake up time and according to the book i'm supposed to be in charge (right) so in went the passy and I woke her up at 630 (AH HA look who's in charge now! lol).

Since then we've been eating, burping, playing and then sleeping. We're on the end of our second cycle and it's trucking along. I start to think one tire has sprung a leak but then it works again. She cried for 16mins going into this last nap (not screams just... "ummm Mom i'm crying... do something" kind of cries, but i knew she was fed and changed and tired so i left her) and i went in, gave her passy (to let her know i'm not completely heartless and do indeed love her) and off to dream land she went... where she immediately spit out the passy...she just wanted to prove a point i think.

So now i have at least an hour or two sprinkled throughout the day to do stuff... with the rest of this hour i'm going to shower! Yea!!!!

Humble Pie

Wow Kids can really humble you. I was getting all excited and sort of cocky at the thought that MY child had spent TWO WHOLE nights in her bassinet! I thought we were on the road to bliss... yeah that was until two nights ago.

Night before last my darling daughter decided to start fighting off sleep like the men who fought at the Alamo... long and hard... she was not having any of it. I was trying for 3 (yes count them one two three) hours to get this child to sleep and she would NOT go... i was in tears. It sucked big fat hair... well no reason to be vulgar (YET).  In my upset i woke up my sick husband and cried for him to take a turn because i'm obviously a terrible mother... so what happens??? The baby whisperer himself shows up and puts her to sleep in 15 mins. I like to think i wore her down for him.... but right now i'm hanging my head in defeat.

Last night.... BAM like clock work the battle was on again! ANd who comes to the rescue again? Baby whisperer.... oh but my daughter is tougher then that... she's building up an immunity to HIM. He gets her to sleep and then when she smells me, WHAM, she's awake and crying. Seriously i don't know how she finally went to sleep last night... i think i just let her fall asleep on my boob.

So today as she lays napping peacefully in her swing i prepare to take my child out into this cruel world in hopes that she will kick and scream and stare all day in alert awakenness and then give in to sweet blissful sleep tonight...

Hey a girl can dream!

She's so amazing!

i want to tell you about last night... it involves a bassinet and a little someone... but since i don't want to jix us i'm not talking!

but just watching my little girl... even cry... is amazing. She's so skinny it's adorable (i mean she's a chunker weight wise but she's so long!)! It's just amazing to look at this cute little person and to know that she's mine and that she needs me. I hope you all get this amazing feeling one day... she makes everything worth it!

Aww the crying....

Well as Kinsley sits here next to my on Chris's lap crying i'm typing to tell you about it! That and to upload a really cute picture or two!

So for Christmas i gave my brother a shirt that says "Say Uncle" and Kinsley a shirt that says "I didn't do it, nobody saw me, i want to speak to my uncle"... see her Uncle Seph is a lawyer so i thought that was so creative of me... so we took a picture of her in it... it's a little big but still just as cute... here's the first and last photo from her shoot.... very different outcomes!





She's embaressed by her baby acne... she hates photos looking like this!

on her personality update... she still gassy... she's still sort of sleeping in our bed... i put her in her bed after her first feeding of the night... and she's still the cutest baby on the block!

these were supposed to go...

with the birth story but i forgot... oh well here they are now.

i love drugs and popcicles!

Chris waiting for some action

This is where K will go when she gets here!

WHOA! there she is!

it's truly a miracle i hope you all experience!

Guess who's one month

I know right... it happened so fast! I can't believe it's already here! Before you know it she'll be 3 months and i'll be back at work and then she'll be one and we'll be having a party and then 5 and in school and then 18 and graduated! UH i can't take it! It's just like yesterday when i was bringing this little blob of cuteness home and kissing her kissy lips and now she's one month old! MAKE IT STOP!

So here's a few photos of our photo shoot!

look at those chubby little Acne cheeks! She's so cute!

I did it... i left her!

With her G-ma for 3 and a half hours!!!! I pumped for her and everything and as a reward i got to go out and have some drinks! OH YEA~! Mama was a human again! let me tell you Mama was a light weight too! 3 beers and i was tipsy! YIKES!

Once we got back we relaxed with Chris's family and ate some pizza. Then i went upstairs to change Kinsley's diaper and on my way back down stairs what happens??? I fall... ALL the way down the stairs... HOLDING my CHILD! Yes I KNOW! I kept her on top of me so she was fine... i have some really nice bruises though! Luckily that's the extent of our injuries... Kinsley faith in my gracefulness is injured i believe. But at least she's okay and alive to doubt it.... VERY SCARY!

Visitors!!!

We were so excited to have our best friends come and visit Kinsley! They were on their way from North Carolina back to Minnesota and took a pit stop to enjoy New Years Eve with us! I have to say we weren't the most lively crowd... Chris put his best foot forward but i was well... about like K, sleepy!

Here she is with her Aunt Christina and Uncle Casey

Kinsley also was able to spend some more time with her favorite blog reader... her Uncle Paul... Paul is a BIG supporter of Breast Feeding!

Speaking of breast feeding..... it's going great! The nipples are toughening up and healing! And pumping is great too! I've started quite the little stash for Kinsley! I generally pump at least once every morning... sometimes more... rarely less. So that's exciting for me! My jugs are quite the producers!

Sadly Kinsleys beautiful complexion has been compromised by Baby Acne! It's a terrible thing... Chris keeps asking if she's going through puberty! Geezz~ Bless my child's heart, she's going through puberty AND has horrific gas because Mama wanted yogurt~