Sweet Kinley Grace

The New Blog is HERE!!!

2010-09-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

I have created a new blog to be more about our whole family and all that we do and love...

Please follow us to:
http://lifewiththefloyds.blogspot.com

We can't wait to see you there!

Beth's Baby Shower

2010-09-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

Well, my good friend, Beth, at work is pregnant. She is due to have baby Huck on December 6th, but I won't be surprised if he decides to come earlier. We had a baby shower for her at work yesterday and she got a lot of really cute stuff!

Her nursery is navy, red, and khaki, and the theme is vintage baseball. I ordered her cake from a lady that I always use for cakes. They are always delicious and beautifully decorated!

Thank you to everyone at Arkansas Surgical Hospital who helped make Beth's shower awesome! Many people helped in various ways and I appreciate everything that everyone did to make this day special for Beth.

Now here are a few pics...

Beth with her cake!

Beth with her mom, Crystal

Me and Beth

Beth with some of the OR girls (from right to left):

Me, Holly, Carolyn, Misty, Beth, and Monique

This is one of my favorites...this is Beth opening one of her last presents...it was a laundry basket FULL of baby goodies!!!

Thinking of making a change...

2010-09-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

Well, here I go...day 1 of trying to do better with my blog. I have neglected it quite a bit over the past year or so. I hate that I haven't kept it as up to date as I wanted to. But thanks to my wonderful friend, AMANDA, I realized that there are people whom I love that I don't necessarily get to see or talk to all the time, but I would love for them to stay up-to-date with what's going on in our lives and how much Kinley changes every day!

When I first started this blog, Kinley was the only thing on my mind! While she is still very much the main thing on my mind, I have come to realize that there is so much more to our lives as a family. And I pray and hope that one day there will be more additions to our family. We grow and change everyday, both together and separately, and I'm thinking about creating a new blog (that I would link to this one...) that would be more about us all as a family. My dilemma is a name. If you have any suggestions for what our new and improved "family blog" could be called, please let me know.

Try to do better!

2010-09-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

This is my first time to try to post from my iPhone. I want to see how it does because starting today, I am going to try to update my blog more regularly. I have neglected it a lot over the past year or so. More to come...

I know its been a long time...

2010-07-07T07:00:00.001-07:00

Let's start with a few pics:

Drinking lemonade at the Travs game

At my aunt and uncle's house in Dallas on Memorial Day weekend

Wearing daddy's hat while riding in the truck with him

I haven't posted anything in quite a long time!!! We no longer have a home computer that works or internet. I occassionally borrow my dad's laptop and that is what I am using right now. I really do wish I had kept this blog updated better, but I will try my best to at least make periodic posts of the lastest Floyd Family News...

Kinley is growing and changing everyday! I can't believe how much she is talking these days. She says so many things. Here are a few examples:

"I want cheerios."

"I love shoes." (at Target in the shoe isle last week )

"Don't touch it." (She says this a lot when she lays her washcloth over the edge of the bathtub)

"I wanna sit."

"I love you." (MY FAVORITE!!!)

"Its OK, Carter." (She says this to our friends' baby)

"Hush, Susi!" (She calls our dog (Lucy) Susi)

She can tell you many of her body parts: eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, cheek, tongue, ears, hair, neck, arms, legs, hands, feet, and tummy.

She doesn't just walk now, she RUNS!!! And she can run fast! She is hilarious. She is also not afraid of water at all. If it was up to her, she would walk straight into the pool without anything. It doesn't even bother her when her face goes under the water. She is my little tadpole.

Bryan taught her to give "hug with arms." For awhile now, if you ask for a hug, she just lays her head on you and says, "awww." Now you can ask for a "hug with arms" and she'll wrap her arms around your neck and give you a hug. Its the sweetest thing ever!

I'm sure there's more new things but I'm going to go for now. I have an unexpected day off today so I need to get some things done around the house.

Fall '09

2009-10-21T19:07:00.001-07:00

I will try to make some more updates soon, but here are a few pictures from the past few weeks:

Reagan Belle was born and I got to go see her at the hospital...I hope that Kinley and her will be best friends!
At the park at the church picnic in September

Ask Kinley, "How old are you going to be?" and this is the response you get

At the pumpkin patch

So cute!

Our family

I think she had fun

Swinging for the first time

Big pumpkin!

On the hayride

At the end of the hayride...she was getting sleepy

She crashed in the car about 2 minutes after we left

At home that night with her first pumpkin

Swine Flu...FYI

2009-08-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

This post is just something I thought some people might find helpful or interesting. There's a lot of info/rumors going around about the swine flu.

Here is a really good website: www.truthaboutflu.com. There are also masks that are available for purchase through this website and you can use this code: GCPVLY. Using the code will give you 25% off the purchase of masks.

The Beach!!!!

2009-08-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Last week we got to take Kinley on her first vacation (which was also her first time to the beach)! My mom and dad took us, along with my brother and his girlfriend, Maggie. We went to Gulf Shores, and stayed in a beautiful condo right on the beach. It was a great vacation!!! Thank you, Mom & Dad!!!!

I got a lot of really good pictures and videos. We went to the beach a little bit everyday. We went to the outlet mall in Foley. Bryan and I were able to meet some friends that were also down there for dinner one night. I kicked butt in three rounds of "Taboo" one night. Bryan and I cooked dinner one night and Maggie and Grayson cooked another night. It was just a great week of fun, family, sun, and relaxation!!!

By the way, I know I haven't updated in quite a while. That's because my laptop is no longer responding to me. I don't really know what is wrong with it. So, at this point, we have no computer at home. I am actually at my parents' right now on my dad's laptop.

Kinley is doing so much these days! She is 9-months-old...almost 10 months. She crawls all over the place. She pulls herself up to standing. She eats some "big girl" food. She is about to move up into a new class at daycare, which I think is a little more scary for mommy than her. She gabs and makes all sorts of noises and funny faces. She imitates everything we do. She seems so smart to me. Her hair is really starting to grow...I can actually put a bow in her own hair now! She is so, so fun! I love every minute I spend with her.

Also, I want to say a very belated "Congratulations" to my best friend, Amanda, and her new hubby, Aaron. They got married on July 24th so they have been married for 1 month and 2 days now! I was so honored to be a part of their big day. It was beautiful, Manda, and so were you!!! Unfortunately, they moved to Fayetteville, so I miss her, but I'm holding out hope that they will be back in central Arkansas in a year or two.

Kinley in her pack 'n' play on the balcony the day we got there

Down on the beach the first night

In her sun tent

Trying to show her the water

Sitting at the edge of the water...she starting crying right after this picture

Asleep in her sun tent on the beach

Enjoying some green beans...her favorite!

Family pic on the balcony

Out on the beach on our last full day

My sweet beach baby

Our condo behind us

In her float in the pool

She loves the water

Family pic on the beach

Our family

What a beautiful baby!

The Family

(Maggie was taking this picture)

Maggie and Grayson jumping

Mommy and Kinley walking on the beach

Awww....I love this picture of Bryan and Kinley

Daddy's girl

I loved being on the beach with her

Right before we left the beach

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It was an unforgettable, great first vacation for Kinley and the whole family. I'm so glad that everyone was able to go and that we got so many great pictures!

Thanks again, Mom & Dad!

Kinley is 8-Months-Old

2009-07-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

First, I have to start this post by saying THANK YOU to Jeremy for fixing my laptop!!! It works again so I am now able to upload pictures again! Yeah! There will probably be many updates coming in the next couple of weeks as I try to catch up on all that I've missed while my computer was "out of commission."

On Sunday, July 5, Kinley Grace was 8-months-old. I can hardly believe my little baby is growing up so fast. Here are a few things about her right now:

She can sit up by herself.
She gets up on all fours, but can't quite crawl yet.
She eats squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, and applesauce.
She just started waving "bye-bye" last week, but she only does it if she is the one leaving.
She smiles and laughs all of the time.
She is now at her new daycare (which I love!!!)
She has a new cousin, Caden Ryne Floyd. He was actually born on her 7-month "birthday".
She "talks" and squeals all of the time.
She loves her "big girl toys": her car keys and her cell phone. Of course, their not real but she loves them.

Well she is fussing, so I've got to go, but I'll leave you with a few of her 8-month shots.

Swimming

2009-07-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

I got to take Kinley to a "big" pool today. Thanks to our friend, Tracye, who invited my mom, me and Kinley to go with her and another friend, Cheryl. It was Kinley's first time in a real pool other than her little blue one in the backyard. She loved it! She just splashed and splashed!

Our 3rd Anniversary

2009-07-03T15:58:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks before our 3rd anniversay (June 24th), Bryan told me he had it all planned out including childcare for Kinley, but it was all a surprise. I was very anxious to see what he had been working on. I left work a little early so I could go home and get ready and my parents came over about 6:00 that night. We were supposed to leave at 6:30, but we had a few issues so we actually didn't leave until like 7:40 that night.

When we walked outside, there was a long white limo! I was very surprised. We took a few pictures and left. The limo drove us to the Riverfront Steakhouse, which I love. I've only been there 3 times in my life, but they have the best steak and the best salad bar!!!! We drove around for a very short while(another one of the issues for the evening) and then were taken back home. It was a lot of fun and it was nice to do something out of the ordinary together.

Thank you, Bryan, for a great anniversary! S0 much has happened in 3 years! Marriage, buying a house, having a baby!

Computer Problems

2009-06-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we have been having computer problems at the Floyd House. One of our laptops is currently out of commision unless we can find another power cord for it and the other one doesn't work on some websites (including this one). So I have been unable to update the blog for quite some time now. I am at work right now.

I plan on trying to update from my parents' house or somewhere soon. I have a lot of cute new pictures!

Please hang in there (Amber :) )! Thanks!

Doing the crazy mom thing!

2009-05-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

Its funny to think I'm doing almost the same thing I was exactly 6 months ago. As most of you know, I went in to be induced early in the morning on November 4th. So on Sunday night, the 3rd, I was up late doing a million things: cleaning, packing, worrying, thinking, etc. And here I am tonight trying to do a million things to get ready for Kinley to start daycare tomorrow. And of course I'm worrying! I am trying to get things washed, organized, and packed. I'm trying to figure out what will be coming and going each day, and what will be staying at daycare in her "cubby". I feel kind of like Santa at Christmas...I'm making my lists and checking them twice. Except in the case of my OCD, I'm checking them more like four or five times. I want her to have everything she could possibly need (except her mommy, of course :)!). I have been trying to label everything that I couldn't get embroidered. I tend to behave like this when I know I've got too much going on in my head to sleep. On a normal night, I would have been asleep for an hour or two by this time, but I don't even feel sleepy right now. Please pray for me tomorrow and probably for the next week or two. I really hate the idea of leaving Kinley with strangers. And I really hate that I miss so much of her life. If someone offered me the opportunity to work from home so I could be with her, I would do it in a heartbeat! I got permission from my boss to come in a little late tomorrow so me and Bryan could both take her. So pray that I'm actually able to drive myself to work tomorrow and not sit outside of the daycare all day. And hopefully I will be able to pull myself together so I can go into work and not look crazy! Just pray! We will all need it. Kinley seems to be starting a "separation anxiety" stage right now and usually cries when left with someone else or even when someone else holds her. I really don't want her to cry tomorrow. I want her to have fun! Thank you in advance to everyone who will be thinking about us and praying for us tomorrow! Kinley is a very loved little girl!

P.S.- The time stamps for these posts aren't always correct becuase it is actually 12:30 right now.

Lots of Firsts & Fun!!!

2009-05-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

We've been pretty busy the past couple of weeks. We've all had stuff going on and so I haven't been keeping up with the blog very well. This post is packed with pictures so enjoy!

Izzy and Kinley playing in the nursery a couple of Sundays agoHere they are "talking" to each other"
A Sunday afternoon nap...the best!

After Kinley's FIRST softball game. She seemed to enjoy watching everything but eventually she fell asleep. Daddy's team won, by the way!!! Go Lynchview!

Here we are outside of Dickey Stevens Park before Kinley's FIRST Travelers Game on April 24th. She wouldn't look at the camera. We went to dinner at Casa Mexicana with Kristyn and David before the game. Then we saw Ryan, Amanda, Krista, and Kayla at the game.

Kinley got tired and fell asleep. We bought her a pink Travelers baseball as a souvenier.Kinley and Daddy with the field in the background.
Here we are outside the park after the game.

Kinley has a new toy...its one of those play things where she can stand up and the seat spins all the way around so she can get to all of the toys. Its like one of those exersaucers but its shaped like a triangle at the bottom and the part she stands on bounces. She seems to love it! But her feet don't quite reach the bottom even though we have it on the highest level. I guess she's going to be a shorty like her mommy.

She discovered the tag and that's all she wanted to get after that. She tried for quite some time to get it in her mouth.

What a pretty girl!

On Tuesday, Kinley had rice cereal for the FIRST time. She has always been so small so the pediatrician and I decided to wait until she was around 6 months old to start solids. She will be 6 months May 5th, but I decided to go ahead and get her started. She doesn't seem to like it very much, but she does pretty well sitting up and eating from a spoon.

She made a mess because she kept spitting it out and grabbing the spoon.

She liked chewing on the spoon.

This is how she fell asleep the other night.

We are having so much fun watching her grow and learn new things every day. She always had such a sweet disposition and smiles all the time. On Friday, she rolled over from her back to her stomach, but she has trouble getting her arm out from under her. She's becoming quite the little wiggle worm. She is also starting to sit up pretty well. She can only do it for a few seconds right now, but she seems to be getting better and better at it.

She will be starting daycare tomorrow. I'm pretty nervous about it. I just hate the idea of leaving her with strangers. I think she'll have fun and I'm sure it will be good for her, but I still hate it.

Playing & Squealing

2009-04-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Kinley playing and squealing. She's started doing this a lot. Sometimes its like you can't get her to stop. Its so funny, though.

This video is from the same night Kinley rolled over (April 13th).

Lazy Days

2009-04-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

The other night she wore these pajamas that our friends, Josh & Amanda, got her. It was her first time to wear them. I think she looks precious in them. The top says, "I love Sleepy Time".
This is this morning...Kinley has discovered her feet and likes to put them in her mouth.

Playing in the bed this morning

Playing with Daddy

Kinley Rolled Over!

2009-04-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

On Monday, April 13, Kinley rolled over from her belly to her back for the first time! Unfortunately, she did it that morning at the babysitter's house. I'm going to sound crazy, but I cried. I was so sad that I missed the first time. We had been trying and trying so hard. I have a ton of short videos of her trying to roll over and I was really hoping to catch the first time on video. I'm so proud of her but still sad that I missed it! But that night, I layed her on her belly and she immediately showed me what she could do! Here is the video:

Here are some pictures of her rolling over that night:

I am such a proud mommy! Its crazy how many pictures and videos I have of this little girl! I think I probably keep Walmart's Photo Department in business all by myself.

Kinley's First Easter

2009-04-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Kinley had a great first Easter. She looked beautiful! My mom wanted to buy her Easter dress so we went shopping together and found this dress and I fell in love! I thought it was perfect. I just wish is hadn't rained the whole day so we could have gotten some pictures outside. We went to church and then we went to lunch at my parents' house. That night Bryan was in the Easter play again and I worked the nursery.

Here is Kinley at my parents' house with the Easter basket they got her.

Mommy & Kinley

Our family on Easter...unfortunately Bryan was kind of closing his eyes

Kinley with Mommy & Gigi

Kinley and Uncle G (my brother, Grayson)

Here she is being cute!

Kinley & Coach (my daddy)

Kinley with Mommy & Uncle G

Kinley with Coach and Gigi

No shoes with her toes flaring out

This is Easter night with the basket we got her

Kinley & Mommy with her Easter bib on

Here is Bryan reading Kinley the Easter book my parents got her before going to bed that night

"It won't be like this for long..."

2009-04-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

I don't know if everyone listens to country music, but Darius Rucker has a song called, "It won't be like this for long." Its about kids growing up, and it makes me want to cry every time I hear it. I was just thinking that it would be a good title for this post which is filled with pictures from different days and different things with Kinley. I try to treasure these moments because I know it won't be like this for long.

The Friday night before Easter, Bryan had dress rehearsal for the Easter play at our church so me and Kinley went to bed early and then we moved her to her bed when Bryan got home.
This is Saturday morning before Easter. She comes in the bed sometimes on weekend mornings. This is her new favorite sleeping position.

Playing with her Daddy

What a beautiful face!

Playing on the floor with mommy

I love this one!

I think she could be a baby model...but I am her mom!

Look how big she's gotten. She is now bigger than the pad we've been laying her on since her first bath.

Playing & Trying to Sit Up

2009-04-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

The other day Kinley and I were playing on the couch and she was trying to sit up. Plus, I've been going crazy with taking pictures of her with the new camera. I get to save so many of her precious faces because the camera snaps so fast!

New Camera

2009-04-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well, our camera that we have had for over 4 years finally gave out on us. I was a little sad to see it go because it has been every where with us and it took pictures that helped create so many memories for us. I got it for my 20th birthday. We took it with us to St. Louis, Chicago, Hot Springs, Branson, and Our Honeymoon! We took pictures with it at our wedding and when Kinley was born! We will probably hang on to it because I'm a crazy sentimental girl.

Now for the good news....We got a new camera! I love it! It is small and it uses a rechargeable litium ion battery that has lasted for almost 2 weeks so far on one charge. It takes the pictures really fast so we don't miss all the cute things that Kinley does. It takes really clear, crisp pictures! We are very pleased. By the way, it is an Olympus Stylus 1010.

Here is the first picture I took with the new camera!
You can add words to pictures

Here is one of my favorites!

More 5 Months...

2009-04-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

I am very behind on my blogging. I am so sorry. I've been trying to spend as much time as possible with Kinley in the evenings so I haven't spent much time on the computer. Here is some more pictures from Kinley's 5-month birthday.

My granny bought this dress for Kinley and she wore it to church on her 5-month birthday
Here she is being silly

What a ham?!?!?

So cute!

5 Months Old

2009-04-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

Kinley was 5 months old yesterday! I can hardly believe it. I have more pictures but I'm at work and this is what I had on my phone. She's getting so big! I left the room for a minute and she was erasing the number off of the dry erase board.

My Sweet Girl

2009-03-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

Here is Kinley hanging out in our bed on Sunday afternoon. She was just happy to be hanging out.

Mommy Tip/Info: Foods to Avoid

2009-03-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a "Mommy Tip" in a while...sorry about that. Today's is not going to be long, but it does include a link with most of the information. There are foods that are important to avoid in the first year of your babies life (and longer for some). Some people like to tell you that it won't hurt or that they gave it to their baby, but I have done a lot of research on this topic because it is important to me. I am very adamant about not wanting Kinley to have certain foods for awhile and that when I am ready for her to have those foods, I will be the one to give them to her. As a nurse, I have seen the serious side affects of allergies from things that seemed very innocent. Here is a link (http://life.familyeducation.com/feeding-baby/baby/50493.html?mail-03-30) to a list of things to avoid giving your baby and the reason why. Some of these foods are potential allergens. Some are choking hazards. Some could cause serious illness. Also, it is important when introducing new foods to your baby to only introduce one new food every 3 days to a week. That way you have time to notice any signs of an allergic reaction and you will know what they were caused by. Hopefully, your family and friends will respect your wishes on what you want and don't want your baby to have. If not, just share this information with them and hopefully it will help.

Prayer Request

2009-03-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

I was just reading a blog that I follow and heard about a family who just lost their 8-month-old son. He died in his sleep. Their names are Cyrstal & Spencer and their son's name is Sage. So far, the cause of death is still pending one final test, but so far there has been nothing wrong found. Please remember this couple and their family in your prayers. Their website is: http://spencer-crystal5.blogspot.com/. From reading this blog and http://sagelawrenceeldredge.blogspot.com/, it sounds like they have a large extended family and a church family. They feel like their son had finished his mission and that the Lord has taken him home. I am amazed by the peace they felt almost immediately. This story really hit hard with me because Kinley is almost 5 months old and has been sleeping so well since she was 7 weeks old. I had started to worry less about her when she is asleep in her crib, but now I realize that something can happen at any age. All we can do is pray.

Family & Friends

2009-03-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't been a very good blogger lately. Here are a few pics from the past couple of weeks:

Sleeping on Uncle G
Me & Kinley on my 24th birthday (March 12th)

Kinley and Izzy at church

Uncle G came over for dinner tonight and Kinley was captivated with him

Here it is ZACH! I still know at least as much "Saved By The Bell" trivia as you, if not more!

St. Patty's Day

2009-03-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is a little late but I just had to share some of Kinley's St. Patrick's Day pictures!

She wanted to eat her tutu

"Mommy's Lucky Charm"

One Year Ago

2009-03-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

This week has brought back many memories from one year ago. The weekend before my birthday, it snowed here. That Friday night, March 7th, we went out with some friends and road 4-wheelers!

A few days later, on Tuesday the 11th, I went to work feeling sick to my stomach. I felt sick all morning. I finally threw up. I thought I had a stomach virus so I went home. I continued to feel sick, but I went to work the next day (on my birthday) anyway. I was so sick I didn't want to go eat. Bryan went and got me McDonald's but I couldn't keep it down. That night, I threw up on and off all night. I called into to work on Thursday the 13th and went to the doctor. Well, I didn't have a stomach virus. I was pregnant!

Here I am about 9 months later! This was the last picture of me pregnant. I went as a "pregnant cat" to a Halloween party. Kinley Grace was born 4 days later on November 5th.

It was a great year!

Teething, Toys, Birthdays

2009-03-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that Kinley is starting to teeth. She's had some episodes where she is very upset. She screams and cries for a long time. She has also been chewing on anything she can get in her mouth. Last night we were at my parents house when Kinley had one of her episodes. Mom got out a set of teethers someone gave her. Kinley loved this one that was shaped like a turtle. The teething rings I have been giving her were all a little big and hard for her to get in her mouth.

I have a new "toy" also. My parents got me a Flip video camera for my birthday. I love it! I made this video with it:

I would recommend a Flip video camera to anyone. I think they're especially great for moms. Its so small and light, you can keep it in your diaper bag. You'll never have to miss a cute moment again! They're also very affordable.

Be prepared to see lots of videos on here now!!!

Kinley and I also want to say "Happy Birthday, Manda!" Today is my best friend, Amanda's birthday. My birthday was the 12th. We try to celebrate on the 13th and we call it our "joint birthday". We didn't get to this year but we are hoping to get together this week to celebrate. Hope you had a great day, Manda.

Manda and I on my birthday 2 years ago.

This is the beautiful (and delicious) cookie cake that Manda gave me for my birthday last year

Stress

2009-03-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

If you are feeling stressed about work, family, the economy, etc., here is a verse that I came across today that might be helpful when we start worrying too much about the things going on around us:

"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." Colossians 3:2

4 Month Portraits

2009-03-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

Today I took Kinley to get her 4 month portraits. She did so good! Here are 4 of my favs!

Four Months, First Walk, Family Time...Fun, Fun Fun!!!

2009-03-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures that go along with the previous blog:

One of Kinley's 4-month pictures

Asleep in the carseat before going for her 4-month check-up
It was so warm Saturday so Kinley wore a denim skirt

Here's a better look of her outfit on Saturday

Hanging out with daddy

Always so happy

Ray Ray gave her this outfit and she wore it to church Sunday

Family pic after lunch Sunday

She fell asleep during her first walk

4 Months Old!!!

2009-03-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

I'm at work right now so I will try to get the pictures up tonight or tomorrow sometime. But Kinley was 4 months old last Thursday! She had her 4-month check-up and she weighed 11 lbs. 11 oz. and was 23 1/2" long! She is so much bigger than when we brought her home. She got 4 shots which she did not like at all, but she recovered quickly. She napped on and off the rest of the day. She is doing better for the most part. She still has some drainage and coughs occassionally. She is still on her antibiotics for the ear infection, but her doctor said her left ear already looked better on Thursday. We have increased her formula to 6 oz. every 4 hours! Which is great for everyone because she's eating less often. She handled being sick so well. She was never very cranky or agitated. She just seemed to want to sleep a lot. Her and I took a nap yesterday afternoon which was nice. I've been sick as well, but hopefully I'm almost over it. Yesterday, I took Kinley on her first walk. It was such a pretty day. She fell asleep in the stroller. I think she may be starting to teethe because she tries to chew on her hands and her pacifier every chance she gets. I have to go for now, but hopefully I can get her 4 month pictures up soon and I have some really cute ones from this weekend, too!

A Sick Little Girl

2009-03-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little girl is now our sick little girl. I've been developing a cold over the past week and then on Friday, Kinley developed a low-grade fever. Then she started getting snotty. Then came the sneezing and the coughing. Well, she continued to run a low-grade fever on and off all weekend so I decided to take her into the pediatrician this morning. Fortunately, the doctor thinks its just a cold, but she was beginning to develop a left ear infection so she is now on antibiotics. She's been sleeping a lot on mommy this weekend and I think we're about to take another nap. I hate that she's sick, but I have enjoyed spending some time with her. She's been quite the little trooper, just like always. She hasn't been too fussy. She did throw up after two of her bottles yesterday so we went through a lot of clothes.

Here she is napping in our bed Saturday afternoon

Here she grabbed a kleenex and I thought it was just adorable!

This is after we got home from the doctor before her first dose of antibiotics

Day off..."Mommy Tip: Bath Time"

2009-02-26T15:58:00.000-08:00

Today was my day off. Kinley and I actually slept in till 9:15 this morning! I really love my days off with her. She is so sweet. I think I probably say that all the time, but she really is. I don't think I've ever been around a baby that was so content so much of the time. I wish I could have just played with her all day, but I did have a To-Do list to tackle and I actually got everything done on it but one. And the day is not over yet. She is taking her nap right now. Its a little late in the day but she was too busy playing earlier to go to sleep.

"Mommy Tip"
The tip for today has to do with bath time. The first time I ever gave Kinley a bath, I decided to plug in one of those little heaters in the bathroom and shut the door for a little while before we got started so it would warm up in there. Some people may have heaters already as a switch in their bathrooms, but we don't. Also, this seems to work better and faster. I have a little pad that I lay out in front of the heater. I put her towel on it and then lay her down. This has always calmed her down. She loves to lay down there in front of the warm air. Then when I get her out of the bath, I lay her back on the towel (on the pad) and she never has a chance to get really cold. Also, during bath time, I use 2 washcloths. I dunk them in the warm bath water and then lay one over her chest/tummy area and one over her head like a hood. This helps keep her warm. I use the one on her head to wash her head and then leave it there while I use the other one to wash her body. I always make sure that at least one of them is always on her to help keep her warm. This may just be my opinion, but I think a lot of babies don't enjoy bath time because they get cold. With these 2 ideas, maybe they would like it better. Or maybe its just Kinley that likes it, but it works for us. She loves baths!!!

Something new...

2009-02-22T19:46:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try something new with my blog. When I first started it, I intended for it to be all about Kinley and our family. It will still be mostly about her, but I want to start sharing some "Mommy Thoughts" and "Mommy Reviews". I know that some of my favorite things I use are because someone else told me about them. Whenever I shop for something, I always read all the reveiws I can find before I make my decision. I am also big into all of the books because I like to know what to expect. So I thought that I could use my blog to not only share stories and pictures of Kinley and our family, but to also share some of my experiences with products or helpful tips. So if you know anyone who is a new or expectant mom, then please feel free to share my blog with them. I would love to create a community of moms who share tips that worked for them or products that they love. I'm sure there's not a mom out there who wouldn't love to know what really works for real moms!

My first "Mommy Review" is actually about 2 JJ Cole products:

This is the JJ Cole System Bag. I love it! I have the red one pictured. It is stylish and functional. I can fit a change of clothes, diapers, formula, bottles, desitin, toys, my camera, and my wallet in this bag. My husband gets frustrated with it, but I love it. My favorite part is the changing pad. It actually folds open as opposed to others where the pad has to be pulled out and unfolded and then put back in. It has a zipper slot on the inside that can hold at least 2 diapers. On the outside, you can fit your travel wipes case. It also has a handle that unsnaps so you can attach it to any bag or stroller. I use the changing pad with whatever diaper bag or purse I'm using. I wish JJ Cole would sell it by itself, but the only way I know how to get it right now is by buying this bag. This bag also comes with stroller hooks which I love! I leave them on the handle of my stroller and just clip my bag to them whenever I use it. This keep my bag where I can reach it and I can use the compartment underneath for extra stuff or shopping bags.

This is the JJ Cole BundleMe. The top and bottom of this product come completely apart. You put the bottom section down in the carseat and pull the straps and buckles through. Then you can zip on the top section. It creates a little sleeping bag-type thing. You don't have to worry about blankets falling off or your baby not being warm enough. It is so easy and if you have to get out when its rainy or windy, you can hold the flap up with your hand or lightly lay it over the baby until you get inside. I put it in Kinley's carseat when she was about a week old and have used it ever since. You can also put it in a stoller once they are no longer using their carseat as much. There is a toddler size, too!

So this is a trial run for the tips and reviews. Please let me know what you think. And if you have any specific questions, please ask. I know I've only been a mom for 3 and a half months, but we all learn something new everyday. I'm sure we all have something that other moms would find helpful. I'm not saying that I am an expert by any means. I'm just a mom who loves her baby and would love to reach other moms out there. I need all the tips and reviews I can get, too.

Pictures, pictures, & more pictures

2009-02-22T18:28:00.000-08:00

OK, I know I have not been doing a very good job of keeping the blog updated. I promise to try to do better! This post is FULL of new pictures. I can't upload pictures as easily with my laptop being "out of commission" so I don't always get the pictures on here as fast as I'd like to. These pictures are not really in order. I just love them all, though. I had to go to Wal-mart tonight so I could make a picture CD so I could put them on the blog tonight!

Kinley is holding her head up so well during tummy time now and she doesn't cry the whole time! This is earlier today.
This picture is for Manda...she got Kinley this outfit for Christmas and she wore it to dinner at Chili's tonight.

Lili made this bow for Kinley so I just had to take some pictures in it after her bath today

I was in a picture-taking mood today so I've got a lot of different poses of her just hanging out at the house

This is last night...this is the first time I've seen her hold her head up this well when she's laying down...she was in a good mood the whole time

Just a picture of my little monkey

This is Kinley and Daddy on Daddy's birthday!

Kinley and Daddy on Valentine's Day before our family date

Kinley and Mommy on Valentine's Day

I thought Kinley looked absolutely adorable on Valentine's Day...her shirt said "My (heart) belongs to daddy"...she was all decked out in pink and red

Presley is "reading" to Kinley...aren't they cute?

Lili sometimes has her own photo shots with Kinley which I love looking at my camera at the end of the day and seeing new pictures of Kinley

Here is Kinley's 14 weeks pictures...I'm not sure where her 3 month picture is but I did take one

Another cute one Lili took

Kinley was happy while we were in the waiting room when my dad had knee surgery

She loves to "eat" her hands

Sitting in her bumbo

We played in the floor in her room for awhile a couple of Sundays ago...that day she had just started really interacting with toys and pulling them to her mouth.

Kinley seems to grow every day. She is really beginning to fill out. When she was born she was so long and skinny. Not anymore!!! She has cute little thighs with rolls and her belly is always so big right after she eats. She smiles and "talks" all the time now. It really doesn't matter what you say to her. We've started calling the changing table "the magic happy table" because she always smiles and laughs when you lay her on it. Its funny. She's still wearing "0-3" month size clothes which is good because she still has some she hasn't worn yet. I love to dress her up and take pictures of her. She still LOVES baths. For some reason, Kinley seems to love watching TV. We don't put her in front of it intending for her to watch it, but if she catches a glimpse of it she stares at it. Sometimes you can't get her to look away from it.

Right now she is in her swing, squealing and "talking". She is so funny to us. I think she really enjoys hanging out with Presley all day. It gives her something to look at and listen to because Presley is always doing something.

I took her to a wedding shower that I was throwing for a friend at work last Tuesday. Everyone kept saying what a good baby she is. And tonight when we were almost done eating at Chili's, our waiter said that he just wanted to let us know what a well-behaved baby we have! She really is such a good baby. I could spend all day, every day with her!

Well, I better end this because its quickly becoming a very long post.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T06:24:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of my little angel on Valentine's Day! Isn't she cute?!?!? She gets to spend the day at home with her daddy while I'm at work. But I'm off tomorrow and we're doing Beth's shower.

3 Months Old!!!

2009-02-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

On, Thursday, Feb. 5th, Kinley Grace was 3 months old! I can't believe how time has flown by. She gets prettier every day and seems to change so much. I did take pictures, but I will have to post them later. She smiles so much now. We used to have to coax it out of her, but now you barely have to look at her and she grins big time! She is so sweet and loving. I can hardly contain myself when I get off work and I'm on my way to pick her up. I just can't wait to get my hands on her.

She is currently staying with a friend of our's and her little girl. This was truly an answered prayer for us. I was very nervous about putting her in daycare and then it worked out so perfectly for Lindsay to be able to stay home with Presley and keep Kinley, too. We don't know how long this situation will be able to last, but I praise God for every day that it does. It is great being able to call your friend and check on your baby and to get pictures of her through text messages throughout the day.

I work four 10-hour shifts a week and my day off is not always the same. I definitely look forward to my day off more than ever. This weekend I was blessed to have Friday and Monday off so I am in the middle of a 4-day weekend with my angel! The only problem with that is I will have to work four straight days before I get to next weekend with her.

I have to brag on her a little bit. She is such a good sleeper. We are truly blessed in that area. She usually goes to bed around 10:30 or 11:00 and sleeps until 9:00 or so the next day. She's even pretty good about taking naps. Not so much at Lindsay's because I think there's so much going on for her to be interested in. She is a good eater, although she is very impatient once she decides she is hungry. She is starting to reach at toys and grab them. Sometimes she even pulls them to her mouth. She would gladly "eat" her whole hand if I let her. I love getting her dressed up. I love having a girl!!! (Not that I wouldn't love a boy if that's what God blessed us with.) But I truly feel that Kinley herself was meant for me and Bryan to raise. She is the love of my life and I can't wait to see what God has planned for her.

On a different note...on Valentine's Day, Bryan and I will celebrate 7 years together (about 2 1/2 of that married)!!! Four years of that I spent a little over an hour away in Russellville while I was in college. I can hardly believe it. We have come a long way! I love him more every day, though. Seeing him with our daughter is an amazing feeling. He is a great daddy and I can already tell that she has him wrapped around her tiny finger! I love to catch pictures of them sleeping together in the recliner or on the couch. I have pictures like that of me and my daddy!

Well, I could probably go on and on about my baby and my hubby. But I've got to get ready for bed and for tomorrow. My dad is having knee surgery. Its nothing too serious, but any prayers would be appreciated!

Back to work...

2009-01-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I started back to work yesterday. I've made it two full days so far. I wish I could say that I was glad to be back after all, but I'm not. Its nothing against my job at all. I love the people I work with, but I miss my baby so much when I'm gone. I hate leaving in the morning and going all day without spending time with her. I never thought I'd want to be a stay-at-home-mom before, but I would love to do that now. I love nursing and I would still want to do that part-time maybe, but I want to see Kinley sit up for the first time, laugh for the first time, start talking, and every other "first" that I'm afraid I'm going to miss when I'm at work. Its crazy how much a baby changes you. People constantly tell you how much your life is going to change with a baby, but not how much you are going to change. I never really even think about our life before. It feels like she's always been here and everything seems so routine with her. But I can see that I'm different now. I am perfectly content to sit at home all day and play with Kinley. I want to take pictures of everything. I'd rather shop in the baby department at Dillard's than the handbags (and if you know me, then you know I love handbags). Hopefully, it will get better.

Prayer Request & Praise

2009-01-18T16:58:00.000-08:00

I have a prayer request that I want to share with everyone who reads my blog. I don't know this person, but I found her blog through another person's blog. Her name is Kelly and her baby's name is Harper. Kelly delivered Harper on Friday, but the baby isn't doing very well. I don't really know many details. I know that this family lives in Northwest Arkansas and that the baby was transferred to a children's hospital in Tulsa. She is in critical condition last I read.

Now for the praise...after hearing about this girl and her baby, it hit me that things with Kinley could have easily gone another direction. We are so lucky that she was born healthy and is still healthy so far. God is so amazing and I am so thankful to him for blessing me with such a beautiful and healthy little girl. I hope I never take her or her health for granted!

Watch her grow...birth to 10 weeks

2009-01-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

I've compiled pictures from birth through today (10 weeks old) to see how much she's grown. I started taking the weekly pictures at 4 weeks, but apparently never took a 6 weeks pic because I have been unable to find it.

Not even a day old
3 weeks old

4 weeks old

5 weeks old

7 weeks old

8 weeks old

9 weeks old

10 weeks old

10 weeks old...finally wearing 3 month clothes

2009-01-16T14:13:00.000-08:00

Kinley is now 10 weeks old, but I forgot to take her picture on Wednesday. So we took it today when she was actually 10 weeks and 2 days old. She is finally starting to wear 3 month sized clothing. Actually she's worn one so far. Otherwise she's still wearing newborn clothes. But she's getting close to being able to wear more of her 3 month clothes. So today I'm washing a bunch of them in hopes she will be wearing them soon.

Yesterday we went shopping with my best friend, Amanda. She is getting married in July and she was looking for outfits for her engagement pictures. But when we left the mall, it was so cold that I couldn't get home fast enough. We stayed in the rest of the night and haven't left yet today either. We've been playing on the floor a lot today and we also took a nap on the couch this morning.

Kinley has been smiling so much lately. I got a good video of her last night smiling big time! Sometimes you have to really work to get her to smile and other times she seems to smile just when you look at her. She seems to enjoy a lot of her toys more. She'll focus on one thing or color and she will sometimes try to reach out and touch it. She will stare up at her mobile in her pack'n'play and just smile at it for awhile. I don't know why it is so entertaining to her.

I just wanted to share a few recent photos:

Her 10 weeks (and 2 days) old pic with the teddy bear from her Uncle Jarod & Aunt Lindsay
Another pose for 10 weeks

Last night after shopping...this is the first 3 month sized outfit she's been able to wear

Sitting in her bumbo

Looking at her daddy

The first shoes she ever wore sitting by my shoes

Playing on the floor at my parents' house

Daddy time

Portraits

2009-01-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

I have this grand plan to take Kinley to get portraits every month for the first year of her life. The only problem with this is that I always love so many of them that I want to buy too many. I am going to have to have some more self-control in the coming months. We didn't take her for her 1st session until she was actually 6 weeks old and we used a lot of those for Christmas presents. I took her today for her 2 month session. She usually gets cranky after a few shots and we end up having to take quite a few with her sleeping. They are so sweet, though. I wanted to share some of my favorites from the 2 sessions here. Some are also above in the new header collage. Enjoy!

smiles, shots, and swings...

2009-01-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

Our little angel is 2 months old now! She is growing like a little weed and she gets prettier every day. Her little personality is so precious. She's sweet and loving. She can have quite a temper, though, when she's hungry, cold, or sleepy. She LOVES to watch ceiling fans whether they're moving or not. She likes to be warm and loves to cuddle.

She has now been sleeping through the night for almost 2 weeks now. She usually sleeps about 7 to 9 hours every night. We are so thankful for this new development and we are aware that this doesn't usally happen this early or with so much consistancy.

She had her 2 month check-up yesterday. It is official...the pediatrician says she's "perfect". Its not just us. She finally made it onto the growth charts. She is in 10th percentile, but that's ok. She's started out small and she has me for a mom (I tower at an amazing height of 4' 10"). She weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz (her birth weight was 5 lbs. 10 oz.). She was 21 and 1/8 inches long (her birth height was 19.5 inches). She had to get 5 shots yesterday! But she was such a good girl. She didn't even cry with the first one. She started crying with the 2nd one and with each one after that. She was holding on to my fingers with her little hands and I admit that I cried, too. I think I cried more than her. I don't like seeing her hurting or hearing her cry in pain. She pretty much slept on and off the rest of the day. We got her a swing 2 days ago and she loves that. She spent alot of time in it yesterday evening.

We had a little playtime on the floor yesterday before her appointment and she was adorable! She immediately started smiling when she looked up and saw the fan. She seemed to really enjoy laying on her blanket looking around and playing with toys. She's so much more aware now and she has big, bright, beautiful eyes!

Here she is playing on the floor
She was looking right at the camera like a little model

She was so happy

Look at that face!!!

Laying on the floor before her warm bath...you can see her bandaids from her shots

Her poor legs

She was ready for bathtime

In her swing after her bath

Playing on her mat a few days ago

I just thought this was cute the way she was sleeping

How beautiful is she???

She was 8 weeks old on New Year's Eve

She wasn't too happy for her 9 weeks picture

Christmas: Friends, Family, "Firsts"

2008-12-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

Its taken me a few days, but I have finally uploaded our Christmas photos (and there was a lot of them). We had a great Christmas! We got to see a lot of our family, spend time with friends, and enjoy a bunch of Kinley's "Firsts". I made the mistake of taking Kinley to see Santa on Christmas Eve. I made a second mistake by not taking the stroller or carrier so I stood in line by myself holding her, a diaper bag, and my oversized purse for over 2 hours!!! But I just had to have a picture of her with Santa, so it was worth every minute and pain!!! My family from Pennsylvania/Missouri/Washington came in for Christmas and got to meet Kinley for the first time so that was really special. Kinley got a lot of great things from all of our family members. She got a bunch of toys, books, some clothes, and even some cash! She is a lucky little girl! She's only 7 1/2 weeks old and she has packed in a lot to her short little life. She's had her first Thanksgiving, her first Christmas, her first photo with Santa, her first visits with family from all over the country, trips to the mall and restaurants, gifts, visits, etc.

She went with us to our Sunday School Class Christmas party which was a lot of fun! We love our church family! She went with me to her first HEJ Party.

She's really starting to recognize Bryan and me, but especially Bryan's voice. She will hear him walk in the room and she starts looking in the direction of his voice with her big, bright eyes.

She also spent her first morning in the nursery at church during Sunday School.

Another big first actually just happened last night...she slept all night long!!! I put her in her bed about 10:00 last night and she slept straight through to 6:00 this morning. I was totally shocked. I expected to have to feed her around 1:00 or 2:00 but she just kept on sleeping. She got a sound machine from us for Christmas and I play the "womb" sound in her room at night. That seems to be comforting to her.

Thanks to all of our friends and family who helped make Kinley's first Christmas so great! We are so lucky to have all of you!

On Christmas Eve, Kinley was 7 weeks old and Bryan & I had been married for exactly 2 1/2 years.

I've loaded a lot of pictures into this post and I tried to put them in chronological order, but some of them are not:

This is the Rogers' Family with Kinley (minus Kevin and Presley). They are wonderful people who have always been there for us. They even watched Kinley for me when I had to go to the ER with kidney stones. We are so thankful to have them in our life.
Me with Amber and Lindsay at our Sunday School Christmas party

Kinley was 7 weeks old on Christmas Eve!

Here she is playing on the play mat that Dr. Rhodes got for us.

Her first day in the nursery with Isabella who was born 2 weeks after her. She is being held by Mrs. Raines and Izzy is with Mrs. Whitlock.

Her first time with Santa (on Christmas Eve)

Little Miss Bright Eyes on Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house

Kinley got to meet the Tracys for the first time

(Cousin Matt, Aunt Karen (my dad's sister), cousin Jennifer, and Uncle Joe)

The ladies of the family

(my mom, me, my aunt, my cousin, and my granny holding Kinley)

The gentlemen of the family

(my brother, my husband, my dad, my uncle, my papaw holding Kinley, and my cousin)

4 Generations of Hookers: my grandparents, my dad, me, and Kinley

Kinley on Christmas morning at our house with her presents

Kinley with my father-in-law on Christmas afternoon

Kinley and I with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law on Christmas Eve

Our Family on Christmas Eve at Bryan's grandparents' house

Kinley eyeing her daddy on Christmas morning

Opening some of Kinley's presents at my parents' house on Christmas night

This toy had a mirror and she was looking at it

Me and Kinley with my mom and my grandmother

I changed Kinley into something more comfortable after we finished with presents

Kinley with Uncle G

Christmas Time

2008-12-20T21:41:00.000-08:00

Obviously, this is Kinley's first Christmas and my first Christmas as a mom. I am so thankful to be able to be off work during this wonderful season to enjoy my new baby. She is smiling more and more. Her smiles are so sweet and you can tell when she is really looking at you.

We had our Sunday School class Christmas party last Saturday and it was a lot of fun. Kinley got passed around to everyone. She slept through most of it, though.

Tonight was the annual HEJ Christmas Party. (I grew up spending a lot of time with two other families: the Johnsons and the Easterlys. My maiden name is Hooker. At some point, someone came up with the idea to call our group "HEJ".) I was so excited to take Kinley because some of our friends from these families hadn't met her yet. It was also exciting because Holly just got engaged last night! I grew up with her and her sister. They have always been like sisters to me. In fact, we often refer to each other as sisters! They will always be considered family to me. I am so happy for her and I can't wait for her wedding. Lauren is the other sister and her little boy, Will, is about 18 months. He was so sweet tonight. He came up to us as soon as we got there and he gave Kinley a few kisses on the nose. He can even say her name! Kinley will be running around and playing with him before we know it!

We're hoping to drive around and look at Christmas lights on Monday night. Our Christmas "festivities" will technically begin tomorrow, I guess, when we do Christmas with my brother-in-law. Then we go to both of our grandparents' houses on Christmas Eve. After we have our own Christmas at our house on Christmas day, we will go to my father-in-law's, and then to my parents' that night. We will be pretty busy this week, but I love Christmas time! I will hopefully have plenty of pictures from Kinley's first Christmas to share soon.

First Smile!!!

2008-12-17T21:53:00.000-08:00

Kinley is 6 weeks old today!!! We had a rough couple of days (Sunday night thru Tuesday morning). I've heard that babies have some sort of growth spurt/weird phase right around their 6 week birthday and that they can be fussy and different than normal. Well, this must be true because Kinley was almost inconsolable! She would cry for no reason, which is abnormal for her. She had to be held but that didn't keep her from crying completely. She seemed very uncomfortable and fussy. But by yesterday afternoon, she was sleeping better and seemed to be back to her very content self! And last night when we were getting in bed, she started smiling at us when we talked to her for the first time!!! Babies smile as a reflex pretty much from birth. It is as cute as can be, but you know that they're not really interacting with you or smiling for any reason. But last night she was grinning like crazy as I talked to her. She was so happy and you could tell that she was really looking at me and smiling on purpose. When I reached for my cell phone to try to get a picture, she followed me with her eyes! It was amazing and made the previous 2 rough days all worth it!!! I've included the only picture I could get last night of her grinning. All of her previous smiles were much bigger and open-mouthed! Isn't she beautiful?!?!?!

Random Recents...

2008-12-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

This past week, Kinley has turned 4 weeks old and then 1 month old. I would say she's getting so big, but she really isn't. She is starting to fit into her newborn clothes better, but she's still a petite little thing. She's awake a lot more and she looks around a lot trying to figure everything out. She is so sweet and really only cries or fusses when she's hungry or really tired. This past week, Kinley also stayed with her first "babysitter". I had to take myself to the emergency room last Thursday because I was having extreme pain in my left side. I had to drop Kinley off with Lindsay (LiLi) who is going to be taking care of Kinley when I go back to work. It turns out I had/have 3 kidney stones on my left side. I pretty much slept for the next 2 days on pain pills while Bryan stayed home from work and took care of me and Kinley. He was great. Here are some recent pictures of Kinley that I haven't been able to upload and share until now...

Kinley's 4 week picture...I follow a blog of a friend of a friend and I stole this idea from her

Kinley on her 1 month birthday looking up at me from her pack'n'play

Kinley sleeping on the couch one day while I was on the computer

Kinley sleeping on me...this is her favorite position

Hanging out with her daddy (sleeping) while he was home for lunch one day

Looking up at me from her pack'n'play

Maggie (my brother's girlfriend) & Kinley

Sleeping in front of her heater in the bathroom before a bath

She loves her Uncle G...and he loves her, too

Christmas Photos

2008-12-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we went over to my parents' house for dinner. We decided to try to get some Christmas pictures taken so I could get cards made. I wanted to share some of the pictures from our "shoot". She is starting to be awake a lot more so we are really getting some good pictures of her lately!

Kinley on the floor in front of the fireplace...she loves being warm

Me & Kinley in front of my parents' tree

Our family taking pictures for our Christmas card

1st Time to go to Church

2008-12-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

The Sunday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 30th), we decided to take Kinley to church. I am still not ready to leave her in the nursery so she went with us to Sunday School and to the worship service. We went again this past Sunday and then Sunday night to our "Hanging of the Greens" service. So far she's done really good, but I still can't bear to leave her in the nursery. I like having her with me. I'm going to spoil her, I know, but I can't help it right now.

Kinley & Mommy before church

Kinley & Daddy before church

Our Family at church standing in the nursery where Kinley has her own "cubbie hole" for when she does start going to the nursery

1st Thanksgiving

2008-12-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

Wow! Its been 2 weeks since the last time I posted. Kinley has had a lot of "firsts" in those 2 weeks. I also have a lot of pictures to share so this may be a long post. We have a lot to catch up on. I am going to make it all separate posts, though.

She had her first Thankgiving. We went to my parents' house for lunch and then to Bryan's Mimi & Papa's for dinner. After dinner we stopped by Bryan's dad so he could see Kinley, too. It was her longest day away from home. We had to pack a lot of formula, bottles, and diapers. But Kinley did great and everyone had a good time.

Kinley with my parents and brother (her Coach, G'Ma, and Uncle G)

Our Family

Me & Kinley with my Granny & Papaw

Kinley with my Granny Phillips

4 Generations of Phillips/Hooker women:

My Granny Phillips, my mom, me, and Kinley

Due Date

2008-11-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

Today was Kinley's actual due date. Its hard to believe I could have been pregnant all this time. I wonder how much bigger she would have been if she had stayed in there. I took her to be weighed last Thursday and she had finally made it up past her birth weight and was at 5 lbs. 11 oz. Since she had made good progress with her weight, they said we didn't need to come back until her 1 month check-up unless there was a problem.

She is still having some episodes of projectile vomiting but its not everyday. She seems to be sleeping better at night, but I'm still getting used to sleeping in increments instead of all night long. She also seems to be awake more during the day and to be more aware when she is awake. She will sometimes follow Bryan's face with her eyes. She will lay there for up to an hour sometimes looking around and looking at us.

She had her first major "outings" last week. On Thursday, we went to be weighed at the pediatrician. Then we went to my work so everyone could meet her. Then we went by a friend's house to see her before she moves to Alabama (Bye Stephanie & Lilly...we'll miss you). Thursday night we met all of our church friends at Shorty Small's for LiLi's surprise birthday party. Everyone got to hold her a little bit and she even had her eyes open for awhile for them. Friday night, the 3 of us (Bryan, me & Kinley) went out to eat at Moe's. Then we went to the mall and Barnes & Noble. She was so good while we did all of these things. So far she is a really good baby! She always seems so content and really only gets fussy when she's hungry. I've noticed she seems to like music because she will lay awake in her pack'n'play if I turn the music on and she will calm down if I sing to her when she's fussy.

I would like to ask everyone who reads our blog to please pray for our friend, Angel Duncan, and her family. She had a baby last week on the 18th. Her husband found her this morning on the floor with the baby, who was crying. I was told she was having seizures and was now in the hospital. I do not want to start any rumors or give any false information. This is just what I've been told. Please pray that she will be OK and that she has no permanent damage or effects from whatever was happening to her and pray for her family as they wait to find answers right now. We go to church with this family and they have been waiting to have this new little girl for a long time. You are in our prayers, Angel!

A little personality!

2008-11-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

Since the last time I posted, I've noticed a few things about Kinley that I wanted to share with everyone...

1) She LOVES bathtime! I have a small heater that I plug in to warm the bathroom up and lay her in front of when she gets out of the water. I have a changing pad that I lay down in front of the heater and I lay her there while I finish getting everything ready. The other night, she rolled over onto her right side and was just snoozing in front of the heater (I have a picture but I will have to upload it later). When I lay her in the sling part of her little bath tub, she seems to automatically relax. She straightens her legs out in the water (which she keeps scrunched up to her alot of the time) and she opens her eyes (which is a rare thing right now, but occurring more and more). She will just lay there looking around and looking at me and she seems so content. Then I lay her back on the pad and wrap her in her towel. She will lay there in front of that little heater as long as I will let her and she continues to look at me with her big, beautiful eyes.

2) She loves warm things. She gets very cozy and sound asleep when wrapped in her blanket. She likes to lay on one of our chests. She refuses to drink her bottle if its not fairly warm (what you would expect to be warm enough for the typical baby is just not acceptable to her). She is perfectly content in her carseat inside her "bundle me" which is a very warm lining that zips up half way and makes like a little sleeping bag for her in the carseat.

3) She seems to have her days and nights mixed up or she just likes to spite me. She will sleep for an extended period from the middle of the day into early evening sometimes. But she loves to lay there looking at me and looking around after her 1:00 am or 4:00 am feedings. Then when people come to visit her, she lays there snoozing away so no one believes she ever opens her eyes. Trust me...she does. And when she's awake like that, she does not want to lay on my chest. She wants to sit where she can look around. But my dad reminded me this morning of that song "You're going to miss this". He was basically telling me I should enjoy those "wide awake in the middle of the night" sessions because they'll be gone before I know it and she'll be all grown up.

4) I think she has Bryan's temper! When she decides she is hungry, she is hungry right then. She cries and her face gets red. She will then either grab her face or rub her fists across her face (which I hate because then she scratches herself sometimes). She continues this little tantrum until a pacifier or bottle is put in her mouth. She's very smart, though, and that pacifier does not fool her for long. She'll go to town on it for a few minutes but when she realizes there's nothing coming out of it, she shoots it out!

Her little personality is definitely starting to show and I'm loving every minute of it...even when I can barely hold my eyes open at 4:00 in the morning. She is so sweet and loves to be with her mommy or daddy.

Pictures...Finally!!

2008-11-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got all of my pictures on a CD so I could upload them. I have included a lot of them in this post but for some reason, they're in the reverse order of what I wanted them in...sorry.

Kinley had her first pediatrician appointment on Monday and it went really good. She has lost one ounce since coming home from the hospital, though. So they are going to monitor her weight over the next few weeks to make sure she gains.

We went on our first "outing" yesterday. I took her to see my mom at work and give her a CD with all of the pictures. She showed her off to everyone at work. Then we went to see my grandparents.

Unfortunately, she's had some difficulties finishing her bottles and started spitting up a lot. Then last night she spit up a lot in her bassinet and was coughing a lot. She then had an epidsode of projectile vomiting after a bottle this morning. So we went to see the pediatrician again this morning. I was worried about reflux and the doctor confirmed my concerns. She started Kinley on a reflux medication today and we're going to see if it helps. She had gained 2 ounces, though, so that was good news! Hopefully, this med will help her and then in a few months, she'll grow out of it.

First trip to the pediatrician

First bath

She's laying in front of a little heater and she liked it!

Already a daddy's girl!

Second family photo

Stretching her long legs out

First family photo...minutes after her birth

He is such a proud daddy!

Being weighed and measured...5 lbs. 10 oz. and 19.5 inches long

Me and Manda at 6:30 am before starting my induction

Early in the morning before staring my induction

She's Here!!!

2008-11-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

Kinley Grace is finally here! Although, she obviously was in no hurry. I went in on Tuesday, Nov. 4th at 6:00 am to be induced. The pitocin was started at 7:10 am but she did not come into this world until Wednesday, Nov. 5th at 2:02 am. But it was definitely worth the wait! She was 5 lbs. 10 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long. We came home from the hospital on Thursday, Nov. 6th and she weighed 5 lbs. 5 oz. then.

I know I'm partial, but I think she's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen! She may be little but she has long, skinny legs and arms with long, skinny toes and fingers! She has a head full of beautiful dark hair and we're still not totally sure what color her eyes are because she likes to keep them closed most of the time right now.

She seems to be as healthy as can be. She has her first pediatrician appointment tomorrow, though. So far she's pretty spoiled and doesn't like to sleep laying down by herself so the nights are long right now. Her favorite spot it on one of our chests. She's already a daddy's girl and he's already wrapped around her tiny little finger! All of her newborn clothes were too big so she now has some new premie clothes that fit much better!

2008-11-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here we are just 3 days from Kinley's arrival! Today I have been trying to do some cleaning and organizing but have not made much progress because my belly hinders my ability to move things around that I want to move. We have our annual costume party tonight with our friends from church!

I want to share a few pictures from our showers. We had 3 great showers and I want to say thank you to everyone who helped with one, came to one, or was in some way involved! We received so many wonderful gifts and we are so thankful to our friends and families for helping us get ready for Kinley!

Lauren, Holly, Me, and Amanda at my first shower!

The diaper cake Amanda made, the enlarged ultrasound picture of Kinley,

and the adorable cake from my first shower.

The cake at the church shower

Amber and I. She wrote everything down for me at the church shower.

Gifts at my work shower

Kinley Grace is almost here!!!

2008-10-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our blog! We started this blog so we can keep our friends and family-here and far away- up to date on Kinley and our family.

We are scheduled to be induced on Tuesday, November 4th!!! We are so excited and can't wait to meet our baby girl!

We want to thank our friends and family who have supported us through this pregnancy, which has not been particularly easy. We appreciate all the prayers especially.

We will do our best to keep this as up to date as possible with info, stories, and pictures!

Thanks for visiting!