Grandma Day!

Kate and I usually spend Fridays with my mom because she doesn't work that day.  "Grandma Day" is great for lots of reasons; Kate gets to spend quality time with her grandma, I get a little break and can run errands, do laundry, or make appointments, and my mom gets to spend time with her granddaughter.  I love Fridays.

We've been trying to catch Kate smiling on camera for a while now with not a lot of luck, but with my mom's help, we got a few this past week:)

look at me, holding my head up!

snoozing with grandma

January Visitors

Last Thursday, we had a visitors: Diane and Jack! I met Diane through Matt's family and have come to really appreciate her friendship over the last few years.  Her husband was in town for a day for seminary classes, and Diane was kind enough to come along and hang out with us.  Jack is a few months older than Kate, so it was really fun to see how different they are developmentally.  Neither kid napped very well, so we didn't get a ton of time to talk alone, but I really enjoyed spending the day with another momma and her baby:)

Here are the kiddos together:

Kate was totally flirting with Jack:)

He has an amazing giggle!

SAHM

I never knew that there was an acronym for it, but there is.  SAHM means stay at home mom...and that's what I am now! I officially resigned my position with the American Cancer Society last week and finished my exit interview today.

I was scheduled to return from maternity leave on February 6, but the longer I was home with Kate, I just couldn't do it.  I have loved working for ACS and I love what they do, but I love Kate more and I love being her mom.  I want to focus this time on her and to be there for all of her firsts during these important early years.  I know I will miss work and the accountability and predictability of working outside the home, but I am hoping that in time we will develop other routines that fulfill me in those ways.  And being a stay at home mom is certainly a full-time job in and of itself!

I know not everyone can afford to stay home with their kids, and it will may be difficult for us, but we really want to make it happen for our family. This was a tough decision, but deep down, I know it's right.  A few friends have given me encouraging words as we go through this transition, and I'm writing them down so I don't forget them:

"What is easy is not always right and what is right is not always easy"

"Don't doubt in the dark what God has shown you in the light"

"Being a mom is the most honorable job you will ever do"

With a kid this cute, how could I ever leave?

Thanks, Steph, for Kate's activity mat - as you can see, she LOVES it!

Pictures:)

Just wanted to share a few newer photos...she's changing so much!

2 month stats

Kate had her two month appointment yesterday (on her 10-week birthday!) and she just keeps growing.  The doctor said she looked great and I got to ask my list of questions about sleep, eating, tummy time, etc.  Thankfully, Matt was able to get away from lecture during the afternoon so he could be there too.  Kate got two shots and an oral vaccine, so I needed him for reinforcement:) Here are little Kate's measurements:

Weight: 11 pounds, 2 ounces (47th percentile)
Height: 22.5 inches (45th percentile)
Head Circumference: 39.7 cm (66th percentile)

She has a great growth curve going!

2 months!

Kate turned two months old on Saturday.  She's getting so big and changing so fast! She is 'talking' more and definitely playing more.  She can focus on faces and follows Matt's and my voice around the room.  She's grabbing onto more things and loves to suck her pacifier.  Kate gives lots of smiles these days (which totally melt my heart), but they're hard to catch on camera.

We love her more and more every day.

Here are her two month shots...

Unseasonably Warm Temperatures...in Michigan?

Michigan tends to be on the unseasonably cold end of things, but last week, we had a wonderful surprise...50 degrees in January! I couldn't believe how nice the weather was, and I just had to get outside.  Tuesday and Wednesday were warm enough to take Kate out for a walk, so walk we did! I bundled her in lots of layers, her JJ Cole Bundle Me, and a blanket, just to make sure she'd be warm enough.  Here she is before taking off:

And here she is when we got home:

Apparently walks put her to sleep:) But I sure enjoyed getting out and getting some fresh air!

The love of family

Ever since Kate was born, two of her uncles have been vying for the title of favorite uncle.  Matt's brother Brian and my brother Andy.  On the night she was born, Andy and his wife Sam brought her a birthday cake with a 0 candle on it to celebrate.  Super clever and super fun (not to mention yummy)!

So, in response, Brian got creative with Kate's Christmas gift.  On Christmas Day, we opened a box filled with a Pridgeon Farms cap, a pink shirt that says I love Pigs, and custom-made onesies that said: If you think I'm cute, you should see my uncle Brian and Andy who? (in two sizes so she wouldn't outgrow it any time soon) Everyone got good laughs out of them, and it wasn't until this past weekend that Kate actually wore one.  So, here she is...

Andy was not amused:)

But she's so darn cute!

Things I want to remember

Everyone keeps telling me to cherish these days with tiny, little Kate because they will go by fast and will be gone before I know it.  I completely trust them because I already can't believe she's 8 weeks old (where is the time going?). So, at 8 weeks and one day old, here are some of the things I want to remember about, you Kate:

• the adorable bird face you make with your lips
• the way you smell after a bath
• your amazing little smiles (especially when you smile so much we can see your gums)
• your tiny little feet
• the bulge between your first two knuckles on your fingers that looks like it just might burst
• all the funny faces you make
• the way you wake up and stretch
• your perfectly chubby cheeks
• the way you lounge in the bathtub
• how soft your skin is
• that you get the hiccups all the time
• how you recognize your dad and I: our voices and faces
• the way you stare into my eyes just before falling asleep
• how you squirm around on the floor and have so much fun stretching your arms and legs
• your amazing 3 foot poop squirt
• the feeling of your tiny fingers on my skin
• how cute you are when you sneeze
• the way you like to push up with your legs
• your beautiful curls when your hair is wet
• the way you make me appreciate and love my own mom in new ways
• your peaceful, serene, angelic look while you sleep
• how you let me just hold you and cuddle you all day if I want to
• the way you snuggle in when you sleep on my chest
• how fast your fingernails grow
• your beautiful, big, blue eyes
• the way you look from side to side, exploring everything
• all the little sounds you make in your sleep
• that you are unique and special and there is no one else in the world like you
• how lucky I am to be your mom

We love you so much, Kathryn Jeanne!

Family Photos

My parents really wanted a new family photo taken because we don't have any with Sam or Kate in them (the two newest additions to our family).  Working with the schedules of 9 very busy people - 2 coming and going from out out state - didn't leave much time for a photo op, but we managed to squeeze in a few on Christmas Eve.  Hopefully we'll get to take some more this summer when we're all together again.

Kate's First Christmas

Christmas was a little more special this year because we had a beautiful little lady to spend it with!

The way Matt's holiday schedule works is that you either get five days off over Christmas (Dec 22-26) or five days over New Years (Dec 28-Jan 1).  This year, Matt had Christmas off, for which I am SO thankful.  To be able to spend a day with my family on Christmas Eve and to spend Christmas day at the farm with his family was very special for us.

More than the presents and the food (which is always fantastic), I really appreciated the time together as family.  I love each and every member of our family in a different and unique way, and for some reason this year, it just hit me a little harder how lucky we are to have such generous, loving families.  The only thing I regret is that - due to our schedules - we missed out on going to either a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day church service.  Christmas services are just a special reminder of all that Jesus did for us and how much God loves us.

Here are a few pictures of our days...

Christmas Eve

A mobile for Kate's crib!

Christmas Day at the farm

My stocking is bigger than me!

Uncle Paul

By the way, two of my favorite gifts: a video camera and a bike trailer so I can go for lots of rides with Kate this spring:)

beyond thankful

I am so thankful for my mom.

I knew they would come, but today was a very emotional day.  Kate wasn't quite herself, and I find it hard sometimes to keep up with her constantly changing.  It seems like each time I get her figured out for a few days, she changes again:) I know that's normal, and I know that with all the hormones flying around in my body, my emotions are also very normal.  But, some days are just harder than others.

Kate used to take long naps, we're talking a few hours at a time, and it was great.  I could get things done and feel productive while she slept.  Slowly, her naps have become shorter and these last few days, she's only been sleeping about half an hour at a time.  She still doesn't go to bed at night until around midnight, so I started to really worry about her getting enough sleep and where she's sleeping and got myself all worked up.  She's also been having some breastfeeding issues lately and hasn't been eating as much or as predictably as she used to, so I got worked up about that too.

When I start to worry about all of these things (along with Matt working nights this week - leaving me alone for nighttime), I start to frantically search the Internet and books and my husband's brain for answers and advice and assurance that we are doing the right thing.  I so want to do things right for Kate and I think that somewhere there must be a 'right' answer.  Fast forward a few hours (and a lot of tears), and Matt had to get to work.  I had calmed down a little bit, but called my mom anyway and asked her to come over.

She is wonderful.

She came, she held Kate, and she gave me the encouragement and support that I needed for today.  She didn't have any magic answers or easy advice, but she reminded me that each and every baby is different.  You can't live your life by a book, we have to just do what is right for us.  And I need to take it a little easier on myself.  It's so easy to want something that doesn't exist, and it's so nice when someone can remind you that you're doing just fine without it.