A letter to my friend...

Kay has been sending emails ( I wonder how Kay's children will communicate) to her friend James. We are all waiting for his big arrival...
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James,

I tried "hinting" the first time, but it does not appear that you got the message. You are now a week over due and like I told you before... that does not get you brownie points with mom. Trust me, you are going to want to get some points saved up for when you want to party in the middle of the night. I have been patiently waiting. Now, I am ready to play!!! I think everyone would agree with me. It is time for you to make your entrance. Your parents are running out of things to do. I heard them telling my parents about cleaning cars, cleaning house, etc. It is obvious that they need you for some entertainment. Call me when you decide you are ready to play. I have some pretty cool things to show you.

Love, your friend Kay
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Dear James,

I think it is very important that as your friend I tell you how neat the outside world is. I know it is pretty comfy inside of mom, but when you come out you get snuggles with mom and dad. By the way, mom really likes it when you make your arrival as quick and painless as possible. I know she will love you either way, but it is a great way to get some points in the beginning. You have to save up some points for the middle of the night when you will want to cry a lot!

I am looking forward to playing with you soon. I am anxiously waiting your big arrival!

Love,
Your Friend Kay

Rollin'...Rollin'... Rollin'....

We have been working really hard on the exercises the Therapist gave us. Here is a picture of Kay working on holding her head up and looking in all directions. Sorry for the obnoxious rattle noise in the background!


Today we can say she has "learned" how to roll over. She has done it three times and I finally caught it on video. She was on her tummy when she started. I just didn't hit the record button fast enough!


Yes, you are not seeing things. Kay is playing on a Star Wars sheet. Craig loved this sheet so much from when he is a boy there are strict instructions for our household to never get rid of it. Kay has enjoyed playing on it!

Family Photo...

We had our picture taken for the church directory last weekend. We were all dressed up so we decided to find a neat fall tree and take a picture. Here is one of the better ones.

Weekend Fun...

Kay had a fun weekend with her friends Sarah Bess and Davis. They taught her how to trick or treat and how to ride patiently in the wagon (Kay has not learned that one yet...see picture below). Yes, that is me "hiding" behind Sarah Bess trying to hold up Kay. The things you do for a picture...


Kay's physical therapy has been going well. She has gone twice now. Her head has gotten a lot less "wobbly" with tummy time and we are now working on her head while sitting up (with support). My mom and I joke that she goes to the gym because they have her do exercises on the big ball. The doctors want her to get caught up and then we will just periodically go for check-ups. She was worn out after therapy. She was so beyond tired she could not make herself fall asleep. As soon as I got her to sleep, the roofers started working on our house and she started screaming again. I heard the doorbell and the roofer said "we are working on your house now". I thanked him and said we heard that. He quickly followed with "I thought I would knock and tell you because I heard the screaming." The roof was one of those things that was on our "get done before the baby arrives list". Because Kay arrived early we never got it finished- too bad it would have been easier then!

Well, I passed the test. I can handle two children. Now, I am thankful that we will not have children that are 11 months apart, but I handled it ok. I watched Charlie (my brother's son) this morning. His wife was going out of town for work and he still can't lift Charlie. I don't think one minute went by when one of them didn't need something. Well... maybe the one five minute stretch that their naps overlapped. Just enough time to get a drink, go to the bathroom, and start over again! We had a great time though. Charlie was memorized by the baby. He just stared and watched her...I think it was good practice for him since he is going to be a big brother soon!!

Poor girl..

I spoke too soon yesterday... Poor Kay was up every hour or two last night miserable. She has a cold and a small fever. The nurse said the fever/fussiness is probably from the shots since Kay had such a bad reaction last time. I hope she is feeling better soon and we do not have to return to the doctor!!

I'm growing!

We had Kay's 4 month doctor appointment today. She seemed to do a little better with the shots this time. They did not give her the one she reacted to so badly last time. Instead of one combined shot, she received three separate ones. Her iron levels in her blood are where they should be now. This is great news because now she won't have to take extra iron. The doctor wants her to wait on rice cereal for another 4-6 weeks for her adjusted age.

Kay now weighs 11 pounds 9 oz, 24.5 inches long, and a head circumference of 40 cm. She is 10% in weight, 50% in height, and 20% in head! She is really starting to catch up on her size now. Our doctor referred us to a physical therapist group to have Kay evaluated for her head control. She is right on track for being six weeks younger, but the doctor wants to see if a physical therapist could help get her in line with her other 4 month old friends. We will see what they have to say on Thursday.

We hung out with our friends Anna, AW, Shane, Cheri and Addaline this weekend. Addaline was born at 30 weeks premature in February so she and Kay are "glow worm" buddies. They both had to go through similar treatments in the hospital. We had a great time and Anna and AW were excellent hosts. We were pretty limited on what activities we could do with two little ones. We did all go out to eat on Saturday and then to a brewery tour. The girls were so cute. They just looked at each other and babbled back and forth some. Kay did most of the "talking" and Addaline tried to teach Kay how to roll over. There were a few "conversations" back and forth through crying at about 1 am each night.

4 Months old...

Wow! It is hard to believe that Kay is four months old. Time has flown by. Everyone always told me it would and it is true. I know I say this every time, but I am amazed at how much she has grown and changed. She is working really hard on growing some fuzz for hair. Although her cheeks have filled out a lot, she is still very long and thin. She still has her bright blue eyes. I wonder if she will keep them or if they will turn brown. We get her 4 month weigh in next week at the doctor.



Some of Kay's favorite faces this month...



We have had a busy few weeks. We are thankful Kay's grandpa is now healthy and out of the hospital (yes, you read that right...everyone but grandma in my family has spent time in the hospital over the past few months. We pray that grandma stays healthy and everyone else continues to recover!)

Kay has learned lots of new tricks. She is getting much better with holding her head up and has even started to enjoy her chair for a few minutes at a time. I think she really likes being able to look around at things.


She is really starting to "talk" now. This is how she calms down to fall asleep and how she plays with us. I tried to capture her babbles. The picture is dark because I had to sneak in her room while she was falling asleep for nap because she always stops if she sees me pull out the camera. I think she is fascinated by the big black object in front of her.



It has been cold for the past several days here. Kay didn't seem to mind and still enjoyed going for a walk. We are going to have to work on the fact that she does not like to wear a hat. She fussed the whole time it was on. I don't understand it because she hates being cold! Kay sends a special thank you to Heidi for her hand-knit hat!