Sophie is healed!

Our miniature schnauzer, Sophie, passed a bladder stone about 6 weeks ago when she suddenly peed on the floor in the kitchen. We immediately took her to the vet and they found two more larger stones in the bladder.  They put her on a canned S/D diet and said to come back in 3 weeks.

At the 3 week check-up, she had 1 larger and multiple tiny stones.  They said to try this special (very expensive) diet for another 3 weeks, and if the stones weren't gone, we would have to do surgery.

Sophie and I went back to the vet this morning, and the x-ray showed no bladder stones! Yippee!!  So she doesn't have to have surgery and we don't have to pay for surgery.  She will continue to require an expensive diet for the rest of her life, but that should prevent the stones from returning.  No more table scraps for poor Sophie, but she is approved to have an occasional carrot, which is her favorite snack.

I Can't Believe I Found It!

And soooo completely by accident.  I made a picture a very long time ago and I thought it was lost.  Today in trying to recover from one catastrophe and avoid another I stumbled on an old external harddrive.


I plugged it in to see if I could erase it and use it for other purposes and staring right at me was a folder that rang a bell in the far depths of my memory.


I found it.


I give you the Smith kids.

The hilarious part is that Ryan and Angela were just in town for Homecoming and this picture came up and I said that I was pretty sure that it was lost forever.

Homecoming

Homecoming 2010 was fun and interesting!  Usually we have about 6-8 people staying with us, but this year, it was just our friends Angela and Ryan.  They are some of our favorite couple friends, so it was lots of fun spending time with them.  Not sure if having a baby scared other people off or what!

On Friday night, we threw Kaitlyn's schedule off by taking her to bonfire at 10:00.  We missed the big flames, but got a few pictures.

 We borrowed this cute bear costume from a friend.

 Family pic at Bonfire

Saturday morning, we went to the parade and got caught in the rain.  We had the best seats on campus that we have ever had!  (We won't say where, so we can get them next year!)

At the last minute, I decided to go to the game and got Micah's mom to watch Kaitlyn.  I probably shouldn't have spent the $40, because 1 and 1/2 minutes into the game, it got delayed due to lightning in the area.  Then a huge storm came right over the stadium.  We decided to run to the car, but waited 10 minutes too long and got drenched.  Everyone came back home to quickly shower and change.  At that point, I decided not to go back and gave my ticket to a friend.  Angela stayed for a bit, got cold, and ended up coming back to the house as well!  Cold and wet did not seem like a good combination.

That evening, our friends Lisa, Brian and her baby Kaylee, as well as Suzannah and Bo, came to eat a late dinner at our house.  It was fun to catch up with everyone.  I fell asleep on the couch with our company still there at 10:15.  Hope they weren't offended!

Kaitlyn and Kaylee playing.

4 Months!

It's hard to believe my little angel is already 4 months old.  How time flies!  I'm loving every second we get to spend together.  It is such a privilege to be her mom.  She is SUCH a good baby.  I hate to brag- but she is, so I'm going to say it!

We went for her 4-month check-up yesterday, about a week after she turned 4 months.
She is now 25 1/2 inches tall.
She weighs 17.45 pounds!  (I don't think she looks that big unless you look at her thighs!)

I can't believe how quickly she has gained weight.  I was a fat baby and so was my mom, so I guess it runs in the family.  I certainly don't worry about breaking her anymore!  I asked the doctor if I should be concerned, and he said, "no since she is growing along her growth curve and started out as a fairly large baby."  He thinks she will even out when she starts to move more.  He calls her "appropriately chunky."
I think we will wait to start solids (rice cereal) because she seems to be doing just find with breast milk alone.  She is doing better about taking bottles, but still prefers mom, if given the choice.

Her personality is really coming out.  She is fairly laid back most of the time.  Content.  She rarely cries, and when she does, it is certainly not for long.  She cried for about 15 seconds when she got her shots yesterday.  She continues to be very observant and has been almost since the first week she was alive.  She loves to watch people.

Kaitlyn has been battling allergies.  I have a theory that she may be allergic to cats.  The two times she has had reactions, she was in close contact with cats.  The doc said that was possible, but not to completely avoid cats at this point.  It could also be the weather change, high ragweed counts, the fact that both of her parents suffer from seasonal allergies.  Who knows!  All I know is that it's so hard to have a sick baby.  Especially when she has fever and seems like she can't breathe through her nose.  She's finally not congested anymore (13 days after the initial attack.)

I think she is going to be a talker.  She likes to hear her voice.  She is doing a lot of vocal play with mostly vowels and some consonants.  I swear it almost sounds like she says "mama" when she is frustrated.

Kaitlyn has discovered her feet.  She loves to grab them and play with them.  She is close to rolling over onto her tummy.  She is also starting to scoot just a little bit while on her tummy (but I bet it will be awhile before she is really crawling.) She is sitting up better and better each day.

In the past week, she has laughed for the first time.  Such a sweet sound.

This weekend, she will get to go to her first Baylor Homecoming.  We are taking her to Bonfire tonight and to the parade in the morning.  Hopefully, it won't rain on us tomorrow!

Here are some recent pictures.

 Love her expression here.  This dress was given to her by cousin Claire.  We have her infant dedication at the church on 11/14 and I hope it still fits, so she can wear it then!

 After lifegroup one night, she actually took a pacifier! It was worth taking a picture of.  This is a very rare occasion, but luckily, most of the time she doesn't need it.

 She hasn't quite learned how to jump in it yet.

 Go Baylor!  Hope we get to a bowl game.  Micah says he is going if Baylor makes a bowl game- and I can go with him if I want! Ha!

 At Starbucks in College Station on our way back from Houston.  

 Mandy gave us lots of 6-month clothes including this cute bear hat.  We were trying it out for the big debut at Homecoming.

Butterflies

Butterflies.
They remind me of life, new life.  I decided to do Kaitlyn's bedding in butterflies and flowers.  Red, of course, because I'm not a pink person.  The scripture that came to mind when I think of newness of life is John 10:10.  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."  In the past, I have preferred just the second part of that verse.  I have the whole verse framed in her room.

Since Kaitlyn was born, I have struggled with this fear of death- her death.  I don't fear my own, or at least didn't before becoming a mom, yet I am constantly battling fear of her death.  I think that is why the Lord gave me this scripture awhile back.  I almost forgot about it.  The Lord has promised me he would protect Kaitlyn's life.  He watches over her when I can't.  He is her ever-present help in times of trouble.  He is emmanuel- God with us.  He will never leave her or forsake her.  I believe that.

Butterflies.  Do you know what God has done to reiterate his promise to me?  I keep seeing butterflies everywhere!  I see them as I drive, when I walk, and when we're out in the yard.  It's just a tangible reminder of his love for me and my baby.  He promises fullness of life.  God loves to speak to us.  It's fun when he does it in unique ways.

How has the Lord spoken to you recently?

AH-CHOO!

You can't truly understand what it is like to be a parent until you are one.  You can't truly understand what it is like to have a sick child until you have one.  And it's awful.  Just awful!  You feel helpless.  You don't understand why it has to happen to such a sweet, innocent little person.  You wish you could take the illness upon yourself.  You pray and pray.  In fact, I prayed 93 healing scriptures for Kaitlyn.  No significant results.  But in a few days, it passes.  She survived.  And I start to pray about it a little less.  Why don't I pray as much in the good times as in the tough times?  If God has really called me to be an intercessor, which I feel like he has, then what is wrong with me?  I'm thankful that it is not about performance.  But I also know that if I would "pray without ceasing" in all circumstances, I would start to see awesome things happen around me.  My faith would be built up.  Others who I pray for would be blessed.  It would so be worth the time invested.  When will I learn from my mistakes?

Yesterday, I listened to 2 one-hour videos by Beth Moore on Believing God.  My faith was so stirred!  I do believe God is real, but do I believe He can do all things?   Joshua 3:5 talks about walking into our promised land.  The #1 hindrance to doing so is unbelief.  She asked that we stand on the following statements:  1) God is who he says he is, 2) God can do what he says he can do, 3) I am who God says I am, 4) I can do all things in Christ, 5) God's word is alive and active in me.  These 5 statements make up the shield of faith.

When Kaitlyn was sick, I found myself questioning God's goodness.  Why would he let it happen?  Why didn't he choose to heal her quickly as I prayed?  I had the thought that he may not want to heal her- but that does not line up with the Word of God.

Here is the bottom line.  I know God.  I know that he is good.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He loves me.  Jeremiah 29:11 says he wants to prosper me and not to harm me. The same goes for Kaitlyn.  I need to stop walking in passivity.  I am constantly reflecting who I believe God is.  I want it to be a positive reflection.  I want to stand in faith no matter the results.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).  His word has to be immersed in me daily to build up my faith.  The word has to come in so that it will come out when other people need advice, prayer etc..

It's time to turn a corner in this journey.  It's time to walk out what I say that I believe.  I can't wait to see what God will do.

Bringing Up Suppressed Memories

So Davey Ovey twittered the image below and said he just received it in an HTML spam email.  He felt violated.  Instead of feelings of violation, it waxes more nostalgic for me. (That is probably because I was not blasted with it from an unexpected email.)

There are several things from the land of web that have faded away over the years.  Just a few of my favorite are the blink tag, bevels on EVERYTHING and animated GIFs.  Every now and then I will come across someone "holding on" to one of these old trends.  I go back and forth in my head whether or not they are attempting to be retro or are they just clueless (I'm looking at you BAA). 

Given the word "Retro" in the GIF below I tend to think they are trying to be clever.  I guess this is kind of like wearing huge white socks with thick colored stripes at the top of them.  I love those socks.

(click the graphic for full animated goodness)

Heart-Shattered

I was reading through Psalm 51 this morning and decided to take a look at it in "The Message".  One line struck me.


Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice. 


"The Message" has some funny way of saying things from time to time (John 1:14 is a good example) but something in the phrasing of this verse resonated with me and I wanted to share it.


Psalm 51 (MSG)

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Kaska Family Farm pumpkin patch this morning with our friends, the Rogers and the Wards.  Kaitlyn slept through half of it.  We got lost in the corn maize (literally, and had to go back out the entrance, only to find out we were about 50 feet from the exit!)  We took a tractor ride in a cow car.  Kaitlyn wouldn't smile much for the camera, but we got a few funny shots.  I'm hoping Mandy got some better ones with her high quality camera.  Here are a few pictures from today.

Banning All Bottles

All of a sudden, Kaitlyn has decided she does not want to take a bottle.  Today I had to leave work in the afternoon to go nurse her because she had gone 6 hours without eating.  Starting at age 1 month, we would give her an occasional bottle, and she only refused one (because it was cold.)  When I brought her to Natalie's, the first day I went back to work on 9/1, she did not want to take that first bottle especially.  After that, she did okay, although it was not her favorite activity.  This past weekend, I was on-call for the hospital and (of course) had to go in for 4 hours both days.  Micah kept Kaitlyn and she absolutely did not want her bottle on Saturday (crying louder than she ever has.)  On Sunday, she took a little, got choked, and then refused the rest.  Perhaps the flow-rate is too fast for her?
Tonight Micah bought two new kinds of bottles- Dr. Browns and Playtex Drop-Ins.  So far, the Playtex one has not been effective.  She played with it a little, but did not get any milk out.  I have read that Mom is not the best person to give the bottle to baby because they can smell the breast milk, and prefer that of course.  I'm going to call the wonderful lactation consultant, Gayle, at Providence tomorrow to ask for further advice as well as the pediatrician.  I've read that if the baby is hungry enough, they will take it, but today, Kaitlyn proved this was not true for her.  She is stubborn enough to hold out for mom.
I'm not worried about her wasting away- the child has plenty of extra reserves.  It does stress me out to no end to know my baby is not okay when I"m off at work all day.  Makes me feel guilty.  Makes me feel really bad for Natalie.
Going back to work has brought on mixed emotions.  On the one hand, it's nice to do something different during the day twice a week, see all my patients, have adult conversations, make some money, use my skills etc..  On the other hand, it is painful to leave Kaitlyn.  I now know how working moms feel, especially when they want to be at home with their little ones.  I love my job and they have been more than accommodating with my hours/ days of the week etc., but my priorities have changed a bit in the last 3 months.  It's a hard switch when I used to be somewhat of a workaholic.
I know that there are numerous hurdles that will come up in raising a child.  This is one of the many things I will have to deal with- be persistent with.  I want to just breastfeed her whenever possible and not have to worry about her crying or not liking bottles.  I want to take the easy way out.  BUT, if I choose to work (and if I think I'm supposed to work), then the child will have to take some bottles.  It would also be nice for our date night (if we ever have one) and other occasions.  We will try again tomorrow.  Hopefully she will make some positive associations with the bottle and we will get past this resistance.  I'm praying so!

Good Little Traveler

We went to Louisiana for Labor Day weekend to see Kaitlyn's maternal grandparents and great-grandparents.  Cousin Barbara, whom Kaitlyn will call "Aunt Barbara" since I'm an only child, and my uncle Jimmy and aunt Carol also came to see her.

Kaitlyn was great both ways in the car (7 hours each way).  Hardly a peep out of her!!  She slept most of the time, but would stay awake when I sat in the back with her for awhile.  We stopped twice to nurse her and the trip that usually took us 6 1/2 hours now only takes 7.  On the way, we decided to get up at 4 AM to leave so that it would still be dark and she would sleep better.  We considered doing the same on the way back and decided not to so she could get more time with the grandparents and so we wouldn't be so tired.  Her schedule was thrown off a little bit, but not too bad.

The first night we were there, Kaitlyn came down with what we hope is allergies (severe congestion, no fever, still good disposition).  We considered going to the emergency clinic there in Alexandria, but it seemed like overkill for her symptoms.  We are going to Dr. NeSmith today to confirm our diagnosis and determine whether there is anything we can give her with her being so young.  She sure hates the saline drops up the nose and the "booger sucker."  We haven't been able to let her sleep on her back because she has trouble breathing, so she has been sleeping either in her car seat or in the swing.

Here are some pictures from the trip.

 On the way in the car- A happy little camper!

 A shot of her chunky little hand.  So sweet.  I need to cut her nails.  I can't believe the I-Phone 4 takes such good shots.

 What a good Granddad!  He liked to hold her even though she would poop or spit up on him.

 "Aunt" Barb

 Momo and Kaitlyn napping together.

Kaitlyn and Mamaw.  My child does do more than sleep, but I always seemed to have the camera out when she was sleeping.

She better get used to the trip- we are planning on going again for Thanksgiving and the weekend before Christmas.

New Desktop

So I got inspired by Natalie's desktop background she posted the other day and decided to make my own.   Keeping something like this on my background staring back at me helps me to keep things in perspective.

Sears Pictures

This is my favorite one of me and Kaitlyn.

I like this one as well.  Not sure why it is sideways!

Here are the cousin pictures.

Kaitlyn was tired and fussy at this point.

We'll try professional pictures again when she is a little older.

Growing Up (Second month)

So Kaitlyn ended the last week on a bang!  While some of the evenings were rough, as we were sleep training, and she was crying for spells of time at night, the end result was good.  I felt horrible not responding to her cries, but it is better for both her and us if she is sleeping sufficiently.

Last night, Kaitlyn slept throughout the night without any crying or waking!  She was double-swaddled (with the thermostat set at 73) and had both a sound machine and a fan in her room.  I actually woke her up at 6 AM, after putting her down at 7:45 PM and dream-feeding her at 10 PM.  It was so nice to get a full night's sleep (although I got up at 3:30 and went in her room to put my hand on her chest and make sure she was still breathing!)  Tonight, she wanted to go down at 7 PM.  So hopefully, we'll have another success story tomorrow morning.  She will now be down to 6 feedings per day instead of 7, which is appropriate for her age according to the book, Baby Wise.  I'm so thankful she has crossed this milestone before I go back to work.  Here is a picture of what she wore last night (it says "Daddy's Princess.")  "Princess" is one of my favorite things to call Kaitlyn.  Other nicknames include Katie Sue, KatieBug, Baby K, Be-bu, and just plain Katie.

This past week, we went to Sears to take pictures with the cousins.  It was quite interesting to photograph a 4-year old, 11-month old, and 2-month old together!  The pictures of the kids together turned out okay.  There were some really good pictures of Hunter and Caleb together.  My favorite picture was one taken of Kaitlyn and me together.  I was so pleased with it because I don't feel as though I photograph well.  One of my prayers was that we would get a good picture together, since I'm always on the other side of the camera. The photographer at Sears couldn't get Kaitlyn to smile and she wouldn't let me move in front of her to try to help her smile (as she wanted me to be next to her in case she fell or Caleb dropped her).  This was taken after the photo shoot.  Mommy can make this baby smile!  This is the only blue dress she has and I think it's so cute.  Too bad the matching hat is way too big.  The lady who gave it to her is the daughter of the woman who kept me as a baby (Katie).  I wish big Katie could meet our Katie, but she has passed away.

Kaitlyn has now rolled over from her tummy to her back 3 times.  The third time, I was able to get it on film and we posted it on facebook.  All the tummy-time we have been doing has finally paid off.  The child still does not enjoy being on her stomach for long periods of time, but now she has learned that she has a way to fix it herself!

A few days ago, we were playing in her room and I took some pictures of Kaitlyn sitting.  Once, I was able to count to 60 (about 30 seconds).  Of course she was bent way over, and was using her elbows to support herself, so I'm not sure if that counts or not?!  She has a funny expression on her face in this pic.

Katie Sue is a very happy baby 99% of the time.  She usually pouts with her lower lip protruding before she cries.  Her evenings are no longer fussy now that she goes to bed sooner and takes an evening nap.  We are aiming for a bedtime of 7 to 7:30, so that Micah still gets to spend some time with her at night.  This also gives us some much needed together time.  The past 10 weeks have revolved around the little one (as they should at first!)

We spend time each day working on her speech.  I know it is WAY early to expect her to do much, but she will occasionally imitate vowels and mouth positions that I make.  She says "oh, oo, /m/, /h/, /n/, ah" at this point.  No babbling yet or laughing.  I can't wait to hear her laugh!  Her little voice is so sweet.  I plan on starting sign language very soon.  She watches my hands now when I occasionally sign to her.  Usually kids can start picking up signs at 6 months and responding with them around 9 months.  I also read in a magazine (and agree as an SLP) that a child learns best when the parents uses 30,000 words per day with them.  This involves commenting on everything you are doing throughout the day.  I have tried this the past few days, and it is tiring, as you feel like you are talking to yourself, but it will be rewarding one day when she has a good vocabulary!

Wednesday is my first day back at work.  Up until the last few days, I was dreading it, to be honest.  While I do enjoy my work, I just don't want to be away from her all day.  Several events have occurred that have prepared me more for my return to work.
1.  I feel like it's what I'm supposed to do at this point, which gives me the grace to be away from Kaitlyn- in fact, in some ways it may be good for both of us.  She is starting to get a bit fussy at times when other people hold her.  If I'm the only one she is ever around, she won't learn to be comfortable with others.  If it is too rough and the two of us just cannot adjust to it, we will re-evaluate, but for now, this works best for our family's budget.
 2.  I now know my work schedule and it is manageable.  The after school times are full, but I'm getting back all patients whom I had in the past, which is nice.
3. I have enough breastmilk stored up for awhile, especially since I will be pumping at work too.  I don't want to supplement with formula any sooner than we have to.
4.  We have gotten to hang out with Natalie and her girls some, which makes me feel more comfortable with the situation.  It will be good for Kaitlyn to be around other children (especially older ones whom she can learn from).  Nat is a great mom- a good disciplinarian, a very talented artist, and so different from me- all things that will help K be more well-rounded.  I'm so thankful that we don't have to do daycare with her being this young.  I'm also thankful that she is with a good friend who loves the Lord and will love her.  I know the first few times dropping her off will be hard, but she will adjust to a new routine (and like my Momo says, it will probably be harder on me than on her).

I have complete peace about living a bit more simply and on less income.  We will work it out. I just need to stay away from Wal-Mart, Target, and the children's bookstores.  I've decided that since Kaitlyn has sooo many outfits (more than she can wear before she outgrows them), I'm going to spend money on books for her, not clothes.  I just love children's books and really enjoy reading to her.  She likes it too!

I feel like this is my first evening off in 10 1/2 weeks!  So what have I done?  Gone to the grocery store, called my mother and grandmother, and blogged for all of you!  Thanks for reading :)

A couple more pictures from tonight- the Texans are playing the Cowboys, and we are Texans fans!  The hat just doesn't fit anymore...

Sleeping Through The Night

Kaitlyn has only technically slept through the night twice (about 7 1/2 hours).  She seems to do so on the days that she takes fewer and shorter naps, so is more fussy in the evenings (which we don't like).  Now when she was younger, sleeping through the night was considered 5-6 hours, which she always does.  According to BabyWise, if you follow their concepts, an infant should sleep through the night at 9 weeks (75% of them do).  Today is week 10.  It says the other babies get on a routine where they are used to waking up between 3-4 AM.  I wonder if this describes Kaitlyn.  I have tried to re-swaddle her to see if she will go back to sleep, to no avail.  Weight wise, she is plenty big enough to make it 7-9 hours at night.  When I follow the concepts of BabyWise throughout the day, she just won't sleep as long as they say she should at night.  Their suggestion is to let her cry it out at least 3 nights in a row at 4 AM (and that she will cry from 5 to 35 minutes each time).  I tried this last night and could only take it for 10 minutes.  They say she will then settle in to a new routine if we do this 3 nights in a row.  As much as I want her to sleep uninterrupted through the night (especially before I go back to work), I'm not sure I have it in me to make her cry like that.  I just want her to sleep longer on her own.  I guess if that doesn't happen soon, we will re-evaluate.  I thought moving her to her own room might help.  Other suggestions?

Visiting Aunt Crystal and Mrs. Natalie

On Wednesday, we (Joyce, Kaitlyn, and I) got up early and drove to Austin to see Aunt Crystal and Glenn.  Crystal had not seen Kaitlyn since she was born and was dying to see her.  Since she is the only family member not in Waco, poor thing always has to drive to see us.  This time, we felt like it was our turn to go visit.

We arrived about 9:30 and got a tour of her nice new house.  It is two-story with 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and an office. Then we went to Cannoli Joes for lunch at Glenn's suggestion.  We thought about going to the mall, but ended up just hanging out on their comfortable leather couches and talking all day.  Kaitlyn was a good girl until it was time to go home.  She was very fussy in the car.  We stopped and Joyce got in the back seat with her.  She talked to her, but Kaitlyn did not calm down until a blanket was placed over her legs.  Then she was happy and slept all the way home.  Good thing to remember for the next time we travel.  We got home close to 10:00.  Long day, but it was fun!  It's so nice to be off in the middle of the week.

On Thursday, we went to "Aunt" Natalie's house, where Kaitlyn will be spending much of her time (Mondays and Wednesdays while I work).  Lucy greeted as at the door, saying "It's baby Kaitlyn!"  River was a bit jealous when Natalie held Kaitlyn instead of her.  It seems like poor Nat will have her hands full with all 3 of them.  Less than two weeks until I go back to work part-time.  It will be hard to be away from her, but at least I know baby K will be in good hands.

1st Trip to Dallas

Kaitlyn had her first trip this past weekend when we went to Dallas to meet up with some college friends.  People drove in from Arkansas, Houston and Oklahoma.  We had a great time catching up with everyone.  Traveling is a bit different with a baby.  Lots more stuff to bring (and in the past, Micah has always complained that I bring too much for myself.)    I only packed 5 outfits for Kaitlyn and 20 diapers.  She used 3 of the outfits and about 14 diapers in two days.

Kaitlyn is a good traveler.  She slept the whole time in the car except for the way home from the grocery store on Saturday night.  She likes to go and not stop too often.  Of course, we had to stop at every light and she did not like that too much.  The last time she cried that hard was at the photo shoot mentioned above.  As soon as we went about a mile without stopping, she fell asleep.  Poor baby was just tired from being hauled around Dallas all day.

She was such a good traveler that we plan on going to see Aunt Crystal in Austin soon.

Fear versus Faith

I have found that being a parent brings in a whole new element of fear that I never knew before.  Is Kaitlyn still breathing?  If she doesn't burp, will she spit up?  Will she choke on her spit up?  If she goes outside, will she get too hot?  If people touch her, will she get sick?  Is her head going to be uneven to the point that she will have to wear a helmet?  The list goes on and on.  I even had one night where I stayed up for 30 minutes worrying about her and whether she would be okay.  If you know me, that is very unusual.  Most of the time when my head hits the pillow, I'm asleep.

I guess I have a choice.  Do I give in to this fear?  Do I become a "worrier"?  I never have been one before really, and especially not since I have been walking with the Lord the past 10 years.  Or...do I choose faith.  Do I choose to trust the Lord with this little life?  He gave her to us and I don't think he wants to take her away just yet.  I have to trust the God loves her more than I do.  That he is her protector and her shield.  I cannot always be with her and always be watching her.  But Jesus can.  And He does.  I can trust Him because He is good.  So I choose to walk in faith for Kaitlyn's sake.  I choose to not have a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7).

Adjusting to a routine

Kaitlyn and I are getting used to each other now.  I'm so thankful that I have 12 full weeks off rather than just 6.  And, as Micah keeps reminding me, I'm only going back to work part-time (2 days per week.)  She continues to sleep well at night.  She usually goes about 6 hours the first stretch and then an additional 3-4 after that.  I rarely feel tired, and if I do, I take a little nap during the day.  I'm so thankful that she is a good sleeper.  I guess I have the techniques of BabyWise to thank for that ( as well as the suggestion of good friends).

Baby "K" is so observant.  She is always looking around the room, listening to the sounds around her.  She is starting to notice Sophie.  I must say that Sophie is doing a great job with the baby.  I think she understands that she is ours.  Sophie likes going on all the extra walks in the mornings, even if it means she has to walk next to the stroller.  Sophie also enjoys playtime on the floor, because sometimes she gets the ball thrown for her as I play with Kaitlyn.

We read several books every day.  Kaitlyn is starting to attend to them more than the first few weeks of life.  She usually prefers to watch my facial expressions rather than look at the pages in the book.

Kaitlyn's head control is great and has been for two weeks.  She can hold her head up when she is lying on her tummy for a little while.  She is a strong little booger.  She likes to push up on her legs into a standing position.  She has a good grip, like most babies.

Kaitlyn is good natured most of the time.  She rarely gets upset.  Once, last week, I was doing a little photo shoot of her and changing her outfits multiple times.  She was fine with this until the last outfit (the beautiful white and pink dress Momo gave her to come home from the hospital in.)  She did not like the bonnet that went with the outfit and started crying uncontrollably.  It took me 20 minutes to calm her back down.  So she is slow to anger, but when you do make her mad, watch out!!  This is a very rare occurrence though.  She hardly ever cries more than 5 minutes a day.

I am starting to put Kaitlyn into her crib during naptimes.  She sometimes fusses a bit at first, and fights her swaddle.  After a few minutes, I go in there, re-swaddle her, and she sleeps.  I'm still not quite ready to have her sleep through the night in her crib.  It seems so far away from us.  Maybe at 8-10 weeks old?  She is about to outgrow the bassinet in the pack-in-play though.  I hope she sleeps as long in her crib as she does in the bassinet.

I'm enjoying getting out of the house once a day.  Monday, we brought Sonic to Micah at work.  Then he showed Kaitlyn off to his co-workers again.  Yesterday, we went to see his grandmother at her home.  Today, we plan on going to the Mayborne Museum with some friends.  As long as I have something planned each day, I don't tend to get bored, and each day looks a bit different.  I certainly have caught up on my movie-watching, between Netflix and the cable movie channels.  I've also been disciplined to set aside time each day to listen to the voice of God.  He has been faithful to speak to me each day and I have been e-mailing what he says to a friend, to hold me accountable to listening.

The Lord is so good!  I am so blessed to be a mom and to be at this stage of my life.  I am very thankful for a wonderful husband, a beautiful baby girl, supportive family, awesome friends, and to have a job I love.  I'm still not ready to go back to work yet.  It's going to be very difficult leaving Kaitlyn, even with someone I know and trust.  I don't know how moms drop their infants off at daycare.

Here are some pictures of the photo shoot I mentioned above.  Isn't she cute?!  (I know I am a bit biased.)