Kennedy 22 weeks

Well we are working on more of a schedule... not quite there though.  Kennedy will take 2-3 naps per day depending on how long they are.  If she takes a good long morning nap, then will only take one other nap later that day.  She can be awake for longer times at a strectch now, sometimes up to 4 hours or so but that is pushing it.  She wakes up most days around 530 still, eats and then goes back to bed till about 7 or 8 in her own bed now.  I miss those morning snuggles but she was getting quite heavy.  She is still the happiest little girl and smiles all day with her toothless gummy smile. She will smile at just about anyone these days too, she doesn't discriminate. 

She is getting so close to getting up on all fours.  She has learned to scoot a bit to get where she wants to and she is one step closer to crawling.  She loves her toys and one night I woke up around 1 am to find her awake playing with her mobile that can now reach.  Silly little girl.  She loves playing in her exercauser and rolls around the ground playing with her toys.  She can almost sit on her own as well too!  I have to admit that I did a very bad job of taking pictures this week and so I don't have much to share.  I had my first work trip that I was gone for 2 days for so that was a bit of an adjustment but overnight trips are not too bad.  I got home around midnight and had to go kiss both my girls goodnight since I missed them so much!  Here are the few pics that I was able to take this week. 

Kennedy 21 Weeks

Kennedy has officially found her voice.  She is quite loquacious these days and makes all sorts of noises all day long.  She rolls and scoots all over the place and I am pretty sure that crawling will be in her near future.  She rarely likes to sit and would prefer to stand most of the time  She is amazingly strong!  We are getting more chuckles but the joke is that there is a $50 bounty for the first person to get her to belly laugh!  She is getting so close but her laughs are so short.  I want that all out, no holding back belly laugh that just makes your day and you want to listen to it over and over.  I can remember Avery's so well and will probably never forget that moment.  So, I am still waiting for that moment with Kennedy.  In the meantime, I will take all the grinny toothless gooberish smiles. Mickey Mouse, one of her favorite shows, sure gets a lot of smiles from her too!

Both girls got a bit of a big this week and got mild fevers.  Before I realized that Kennedy had a little bug, I had to wake her up from a 3 1/2 hour nap.  Needless to say once I realized she had a little fever I wish I didn't wake her up!  What can you do.  It listed all of about a day and she was just a big more snuggly than normal.  That night we went to dinner with my brother and sister and my mom watched Kennedy.  Where was Avery you may ask?  She had her first big girl flight to Las Vegas to visit Abagee and Papa.  She flew with Aspen out there to spend the weekend with them.  Such a big girl.   Having only one kid this weekend made me realize how easy life was with one child but its so boring.  Its eerily quiet around here... It's only for a few days though and we get to give all our love and TLC to Kennedy. 

She truly is such a happy and easy going kid.  She loves to watch things and pretty much never stops moving, unless she is sleeping.

She is pretty much taking 2 good naps during the day and going to sleep at 730. I remember when it was kinda difficult to put her to bed.  Now, she rarely fights it and is down for the count the first time we put her down.   She wakes once about 5 or 6 and then sleeps until about 7 or 8.  Most of the time I put her back to sleep in her bed now but every now and again I bring her in with me but lay her on the bed and feed her on my side.  It's much better than having 15 pounds on top of me.  I do love my little snuggly buggly!!!

Kennedy 20 Weeks

20 weeks!  Wow.  Every day Kennedy gets a little stronger, and little more chatty, and a little more busy if that is at all possible! She is getting so heavy that our little early morning snuggles are getting a bit uncomfortable. If she could just make up her mind when she wants to wake up in the morning then all would be good.  Half the week she sleeps till 7 and then half the week she is up at 530 or so and eats and goes back to bed.  Either way I am going to enjoy her being little just as long as I can.

We had our first trip to Disneyland since Kennedy was born.  Everyone had a great time!  I forgot how much stuff you have to take with a little one.  Overall Kennedy was great but she hates to miss out on things so she really didn't sleep too much that day.  She took a handful of cat naps throughout the day but wanted to see everything that was going on.  She also didn't like the ride Ariel too much either.  She was either crying or looking scared the entire time.  Probably just a lot going on that she is not used to.  My parents took her home that night and we stayed the night with Avery.  Kennedy was not a happy camper for about the last 30 minutes of the way.  She was tired and mad and just wanted out of the seat but she survived and slept quite a bit the next few days.

Kennedy has become SOOOO interested in food that I am going to start her on food at 5 months rather than 6.  Not sure what we will do first but the Dr. said to avoid oatmeal, bananas and apples since she still only poops every couple of days... We have a few weeks left.  She also really loves Avery and Sophey these days and just watches them all the time.  So blessed to have such a happy little baby!

Guest blogger by Nana for Avery

Avery

Ave’s

A-ver-ee’

A’-vree

Avo

“Label”

That’s what we thought of when we first heard that you were going to be named “Avery” because there is a company with the same name that is famous for it’s labels. Somehow it never stuck tho.......just as well. “Avery” is perfect just as it is!

We learned you were coming into the world on the same day that we held a memorial service for Papa’s Daddy, and how wonderful it was to know that a new life had been created. We were so very excited and you couldn’t come soon enough.

Though we had to love you from afar at first, you were never lacking for abundant lovin’ from your whole family and you were showered with way more “stuff” than most children see in their first 5 years. What a charmer you are!

Every trip to Las Vegas was more and more fun because with every trip you were able to do more, say more, and respond more, and watching your little personality develop was such a delight. Reading lots of stories, trips to the library and singing songs are some of my favorite memories. Whenever there was a song you liked I would hear “A-din, a-din, a-din” so that by the 6th or 7th time you were singing along with me. We would read the same stories over and over until you would know if something was left out. Your mind is a little sponge and your amazing memory will serve you well. You are so blessed to have such an incredible Mommy and Daddy, and we will never stop telling you that.

Your Momma has done an amazing job at documenting and showing how you grew and changed so this book will be a treasure....some day you will look at it with you own little ones and your own Momma will be a Nana......the best “job” on earth and way more fun than parenting because Nana’s can have all of the fun with not much of the responsibility. I love that!!!

You are loved and cherished, Avery, and I pray that the Lord will bless and keep you every day of your life, and that you will know Him, serve Him and let Him guide you in every way.

Love,

Nana

Song that hits close to home

Our lives sure have changed in the 4 months since Kennedy was born.  I remember thinking when Kennedy was born that we would never be able to leave the house again without it taking an hour to get ready to leave.  In fact we were at Costco the other day with the girls and it was a piece of cake, a far cry from the first time that we took them.   She is so much easier now and although it takes planning, taking them places alone is getting much easier.  I am sure that will change once Kennedy is mobile...   Below are the lyrics to a song that I love and makes me tear up every time I hear it.  It pretty much sums up our life the last few months....

He didn't have to wake up

He'd been up all night
Layin’ there in bed listenin’
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It gonna be OK

It won’t be like this for long
One day we'll look back laughin’
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
‘Cause it won't be like this for long

Four years later ‘bout 4:30
She's crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She's clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don't you worry
This’ll only last a week or two

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon you'll drop her off
And she won’t even know you're gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It won’t be like this for long

Some day soon she'll be a teenager
And at times he'll think she hates him
Then he'll walk her down the aisle
And he'll raise her veil
But right now she's up and cryin’
And the truth is that he don't mind
As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers
He lays down there beside her
‘Til her eyes are finally closed
And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by
So, he's tryin’ to hold on
‘Cause it won’t be like this for long
It won’t be like this for long
It won’t be like this for long

Kennedy 19 weeks

Flip flop, twists, noisy, chewer, tracker, smiler, cooer.  Those are just a few adjectives that descibe Kennedy right now.  I am almost to the point where I can't change her on her changing table anymore because the minute you lay her down, either her feet are in her mouth or she is trying to flip herself over.  I thought Avery was agile but this kid may be crawling and walking sooner than Avery did. 

Kennedy is getting on a decent schedule.  She is in bed no later than 830 and sleep till at least 5:30.  If she wakes up anytime before 7, I can feed her and she goes back to sleep until 7 or 8 but if she sleeps till 7 then she is up for the day.  Most of the time she is taking 2 really good naps around 10 and then again around 2 or 3.  If we can get her to take long naps and sleep till 5, then she can make it until bed time between 730 and 8.  I know we are so blessed to have not one but two great sleepers. 

I am looking forward to retiring some of the big toys in our living room but for now, she has her circle of play things.  Her play mat will probably go first because as soon as you put her on it, she is half way off it or stuck on a corner somewhere....

Nana took them both to Sea World by herself and she was such a good girl for her.  She loved watching the shows and seeing everything there.  She also really likes the iphone these days.  She continues to be a smiley happy baby and become more and more aware of her surroundings every day.  She is my little string bean and I love just cuddling with her any chance that I can get!