Big Girl Things

Drumroll, please….

Khloe had her first serving of rice cereal today!!

Last night was a bit of a rough night sleep-wise, and I finally just had enough. I thought it would be the perfect time to try starting solids and to see if that will help with her nighttime sleep at all. Plus, it’s good timing with Kory still being home this week to be here for this monumental step. He actually wasn’t home for the very first attempt this morning (he is gone all day today doing training at the Kutztown Chick-fil-A), but that was probably going to be the case anyway with how much he is working each day this week. I wanted her first attempt to be in the morning so I could observe her the rest of the day to make sure she didn’t have any averse reactions to the cereal. Since her body seems to have taken it well, my plan is to have her next rice cereal feeding be tomorrow evening either at dinner or around bedtime to see if it will help her make it through the night better. Here’s hoping!

As for the actual feeding this morning, Khloe did pretty well for her first time! She opened her mouth for the spoon each time and actually swallowed at least part of each bite (although much also ended up on her chin and bib). She did make a face at the unfamiliar taste of the rice mixed in with the milk, but overall she took it pretty well as I encouraged her and made positive “mmm, yummy!” sounds and faces the whole time. It was a slooooow process (as I expected it would be), but I didn’t rush her at all and waited patiently for her to be ready for each bite. She finally let me know she had had enough (she took about half of what I had prepared, since I had no idea how much she would eat), and I just snuggled her and gushed over how well she had done. We’ll see how round 2 goes tomorrow night!

The other big girl accomplishment from today was that she took her naps without being swaddled! This is HUGE for Khloe because she always needs to be swaddled to sleep for a long period of time. I finally decided to try to start teaching her to sleep without it to see how she does. Her first nap today she only slept about 30 mins before she woke herself up with an arm movement. She then went back to sleep and slept for another 45 minutes. Her afternoon nap was then also 45 minutes. She usually sleeps for longer, but for the first day of not being swaddled…not too shabby!

I know it seems silly and these are still just “baby” milestones, but I couldn’t help but get a little emotional today–especially for the rice cereal feeding. She really is growing up! My emotions aren’t rooted in nostalgia for her younger days or denial that she’s getting bigger. She is getting more delightful each day, and I don’t wish she were younger again at all. It’s just this incredible rush of joy and strong tugging on my heart strings to watch our little girl grow and pass through these stages…I can’t really explain it. I’ve watched other children grow up, but it is totally different when it’s your own child. I guess I’ve heard that my whole life, but now…I finally understand.

Goodness, listen to me. Imagine what an emotional wreck I’ll be when she starts walking or loses her first tooth. Or even worse…when she goes to take her driver’s test! Gah…

Yummy Toes, Yummy Spoon

This weekend was a whirlwind of fun as we enjoyed hosting two of my dear friends from growing up, Lauren and Lauren. They got to meet Khloe for the first time, and we were able to go on several adventures. Saturday afternoon we introduced them to Kory’s Chick-fil-A with a delicious lunch, kitchen tour, and shmoozing with the cow. After that we headed up to one of the highest points in Reading to check out the famous Pagoda that sits on top of the hill with an amazing view of Reading and the surrounding region. It’s such a random sight in eastern PA…a Japanese structure with elaborate decor. It was also the shooting location for scenes from the recent M. Night movie, The Last Airbender. Pretty sweet! (Even though the movie was apparently a flop…?).

Later in the afternoon when Kory left for work, we ladies decided to make the drive to King of Prussia for a little shopping excursion at the 2nd largest mall in the U.S. (or is it the 3rd?). It was Khloe’s first time shopping at a mall, and she seemed…less than thrilled much of the time. She got a bit fussy and tired of her stroller partway through our time there, so Mommy ended up carrying her with the Laurens helping out immensely with empty stroller pushing and diaper bag carrying. Just another reminder of how different life is now with a child…completely changed the shopping experience! But I was happy to snuggle my little girl, and we had a great time. We ended the day with an absolutely delicious dinner at California Cafe, where I had a chicken and spinach calzone with naturally sweetened raspberry black tea.

Back home that night, after I put Khloe to bed, the three of us watched a throw-back old high school favorite, Center Stage. Wow, did that take me back! We had a lot of good laughs and just therapeutic good times. What a great weekend with old friends.

Today it was back to the grind watching Noah and taking care of Khloe as usual. I am starting to think about beginning Khloe on some rice cereal, but I’m still debating in my mind. I would love for Kory to be here for the momentous milestone of starting solids, which would limit us to starting either this week or not until the beginning of October, a week after she turns 6 months…and I’m not sure we can wait that long. So we’ll see. I experimented with allowing her to explore a spoon today, and she actually did really well! I was afraid she would push it out with her tongue, what with her typical tongue playing that she usually does. But when I held the spoon up to her mouth she actually opened like she was taking a bite and took it into her mouth! She made a face when she actually tasted the flavor of the rubber spoon, but that didn’t stop her from being continually interested in this new little utensil. I gave it to her for her to hold, and she grasped it and brought it up to her mouth on her own, as well. What a champ!

This afternoon as I was changing her diaper, she was playing with her toes as she normally does…when all of a sudden she brought her left foot up to her mouth and stuck it in! It was a hilarious sight to see, and she again made a face at the taste of her toes. I guess that lint I always find between her toes doesn’t necessarily have the best flavor. Haha.

Kory is helping out at the new Chick-fil-A location at Kutztown University this week by training the food service staff there, which is a fun change of pace for him. Unfortunately it also means long hours, which is not ideal for his last week at home before he leaves for 4 weeks. But we will enjoy the time we do get together, especially this weekend when he will be back at his Chick-fil-A with normal hours. I do believe we’re planning a date night for Friday, which I am giddy as a school girl about.

A Sleeping Champ

Khloe has entered a new realm in her baby wardrobe–the 3-6 month size clothes! The last few days she has been wearing some of these new outfits people had given us that I had stored away in bins. She was finally starting to look a little snug in her 0-3 month onesies (although they still fit, and she’s wearing one today with no problem), so I decided to start exploring the next size up. It’s so fun to pull out the new outfits and try them on here…reminiscent of the fun I had when I was little dressing up my dolls (except WAY cooler with an actual, real-life, ADORABLE baby girl!). A lot of the 3-6 month stuff is still pretty loose on her, but it’s amazing to see how much she has grown into them. I remember looking at these when she was first born, doubting whether she’d EVER be big enough for them to fit–they seemed huge compared to her tiny 5 pound body! She has grown SO much to catch up to this point–we sure have worked hard to get her here!

The last few nights of sleep have continued to go well. Although not quite as impressive as that very first night of 9:30 to 6:30, she has come pretty close and is still consistently sleeping through that middle-of-the-night feeding. Her sleep accomplishments the last few nights have been:

9:30 to 6:30 (can’t celebrate that one enough!)
9:00 to 4:30
9:00 to 2:00, 2:00 to 6:45 (woke up with a very wet diaper–so close to beating that first long night!)
9:00 to 5:00
9:00 to 4:30

The mornings that she has awakened before 6 she has fallen back asleep after I fed her for about 15 mins, and we’ve slept until about 7 or 7:15. Not too shabby! Ever since she’s hit that 13 pound mark several days ago, she’s been sleeping like a champ (thus solidifying that theory in my own mind). Many babies hit that weight by around 3 months or so. Our little peanut just had some catching up to do, and that’s ok. It just makes it that much sweeter now that she’s made it!

By the way, many of you could probably care less about her sleep patterns, and that’s ok. You can skip that part if you’d like. I write about this for two reasons:

1) It’s a place for me to document it so I can look back down the road when I want to recall when she started sleeping longer.
2) I cannot tell you what a HUGE relief and victory this is after almost 5 months of being sleep deprived and not getting longer than maybe 4 hours of sleep in one stretch. For those of you who have yet to experience the joys of up-through-the-night care for a little one, mark my words…one day you too will want to shout from the rooftops and share with every stranger in the grocery store when your baby starts giving you more sleep!

Last night Elizabeth and Joel came over for dinner and fellowship, and it was great to see them after almost 2 weeks of busyness and not seeing each other at all. They had just finished registering at Babies’R'Us, which is SO fun, and they will have their big ultrasound this Tuesday! So exciting! This January, Lord-willing, Khloe will have a little cousin–boy or girl?? Either way it will be exciting and fun for them to play together…either with dolls and dress-up clothes or soccer ball and legos (or all of the above)! Only being about 9 months apart, they will practically be the same age and grow up together. It’s so crazy to think back to playing with my own cousins growing up and to realize that this is the next generation already. Wow!

Looking forward to a weekend with two of my best friends from high school who are coming out to visit, arriving tonight! They will get to meet Khloe, and I will hopefully succeed in showing them what a wicked-sweet place Reading, PA, is to live in and explore. Either way, it’ll be great to see them!

NOT looking forward to the month of September, when Kory will be gone for 4 weeks doing Grand Openings for Chick-fil-A in other states. He will be in Missouri for a week, then will head out to Phoenix, AZ, for 3 weeks. Lord, give me strength! We just might revert back to our old skyping routine from when we were long distance dating between PA and Tennessee. Can’t say I ever wanted to go back to that form of communication with him, but I will choose to be grateful for technology that makes it possible for us to see each other even when we’re hundreds of miles apart.

Not to end on a Debbie Downer note like that, but I must go tend to a crying baby. Happy Friday, all!

Joy + Poverty = Generosity

Last night Kory and I had the pleasure of hosting one of Kory’s employees, Lidia, and her husband Steve for dinner in our home. Lidia is the delightful little Guatemalan lady who hosted/planned/went-over-the-top-for my Chick-fil-A baby shower. When they arrived at our apartment, Lidia of course was armed with all sorts of goodies to share: homemade tacos (some spicy for Kory, some not for me), a new pink sweater and sippy cup for Khloe, and a pan of homemade Italian Cheesecake made by Steve. We had a delightful time eating, talking, and laughing, and of course Lidia wasn’t bashful in taking Khloe off my hands (at least until bedtime fussiness when she only wanted Mommy). When we were done eating Lidia headed straight for the kitchen to wash the dishes. We protested greatly, and Kory even went in after her to stop her. But with her stubborn, persistent kindness she got her way, and in a matter of several minutes all of the dishes were washed and leftovers put away.

One thing I am convicted of time and time again when I interact with Lidia is her extreme generosity (especially out of not having much, I’m sure) and my lack thereof in comparison. She gives with every resource she has–food she makes, gifts for Khloe that she buys, and hard work and service with her hands. She gives and gives until there is nothing left to give.

I was also convicted of this throughout my entire pregnancy and during that whole difficult time of transition when the Lord poured out such abundant blessing on us through others’ generosity. Shouldn’t we as Believers be characterized by such giving? Consider the following:

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints….But as you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you–see that you excel in this act of grace also.

I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

–2 Corinthians 8:1-9

God admonishes us in this passage to give, give, give generously, in a Biblical way–motivated by the Gospel (v. 9), authenticating the love that we have from God (v. 8). I absolutely LOVE the language in v. 2, that their “abundance of joy” and “extreme poverty” “overflowed in a wealth of generosity.” I love that joy + poverty can = generosity.

I realize that this passage is in the context of providing for other believers (v. 4–”the relief of the saints”), but I believe our entire lives should be characterized by this generosity toward others–believers and nonbelievers alike. We are called to be generous in helping our brothers and sisters, but wouldn’t generosity toward the nonbelievers around us also authenticate our love, be Christ to them, and bring glory to God?

In short, I think we just need to loosen our grip on “our” money and resources (I say “our” loosely, since all that we have really belongs to the Lord, and we are called to be good stewards of it) and to be open and sensitive to the Spirit’s leading to give to those in need. Also remembering that:

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
–1 Corinthians 13:3

May we be driven by the Gospel and by Christ’s love in us, that our actions will never become empty deeds by which we strive to achieve others’ approval or affection. Neither should we strive to earn the Lord’s favor or love, whether consciously or subconsciously, since it is impossible to do so. Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). And God saved us when we were DEAD in our trespasses (Ephesians 2:5), alienated from him and enemies to him with nothing to offer except our evil behavior (Colossians 1:21). He has done ALL the work in saving us, reconciling us, making us alive.

Praise be to God!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

I am finally getting around to writing another blog post now after the craziness of the last couple of weeks. We have moved into a new apartment, just across the street from our old one, enjoying 200 more square feet (including a larger living room and dining room, an additional den, and a full-sized bedroom for Khloe!) for only $2 more a month! We were blessed to have about 25 friends from our church show up to help us move, and we had everything moved across the street in about an hour and a half (thanks to multiple family vans and SUV’s, as well as a couple of large trucks). When we went to turn our old keys in to the office, the ladies who work there were shocked that we were already moved in. When we told them about the huge turnout from our church, one lady said “I want to know what church you go to!” Great opportunity to share about our church…praise the Lord!

We then enjoyed a great visit with my parents and with Kory’s brother Kevin, and it’s just been a whirlwind since. This past weekend was the first opportunity Kory and I had just to slow down, hang out, and enjoy our new apartment. It was a very restful weekend, which I particularly needed since I’ve come down with a sinus infection. Hopefully between continued rest and the antibiotics I got we’ll kick this thing soon.

As for Khloe these days…I cannot believe she’ll be 5 months old this Sunday! She is definitely growing up, though, and just last night and this morning she’s discovered her toes and her ability to play with them. She’s also just becoming more interested in interacting with things, like her washcloth during bath time and the hanger her outfit is hanging on. She’s becoming more and more active in her play gym and LOVES the mirror! She can make herself laugh really hard just by interacting with her own face.

She continues to roll from front to back sporadically, and she rocks onto her side from her back quite a bit. We recently introduced a new little book to her (“God Made Me”–a cute little book we found at a discount store before she was born)…and she absolutely LOVES it! It has lots of bright colors and illustrations, and she just loves looking at it, turning the pages, and hearing mommy and daddy read to her.

We have discovered that her favorite song is “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” which we find amusing. It all started one Friday evening when we were on the way to one of Kory’s softball games, and she started fussing in her carseat because she couldn’t hear or see Mommy and Daddy. So Kory started loudly singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and she immediately got quiet. The second he stopped singing, she started fussing again, and again when he started singing–she stopped fussing. Ever since then, when she has been fussing or discontent, if one of us just starts singing that song (especially when Kory sings it), she gets really quiet and content again. We have tried other songs, but that one in particular for whatever reason is the magical tune that she loves. Perhaps a future baseball fan?

Last night was a MAJOR accomplishment, as Khloe slept from about 9:30pm to 6:30am without waking up or fussing once! She has done stretches from about 9:30 to 4 or 4:30 before, but even then she has fussed for a bit in between. And recently she has been waking up for the 2-2:30am feeding pretty regularly. So last night when I kept waking up from time to time to check the monitor and make sure she was ok, I was shocked to see that she was just sleeping soundly (without her pacifier in her mouth even!). Even when Kory got up for work around 5:15 she didn’t stir. I was absolutely amazed. I weighed her this morning, and our not-so-precise scale said that she is around 13 pounds now…which I have heard can be the weight that they really are able to sleep through the night well. So…we’ll see if this was just a one-night fluke, or whether this will be a new trend for Khloe. Let’s pray for the latter!

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August 10, 2010

Eskimo Kisses

Posted in Family Happenings, Khloe, Sleep at 10:41 am by kayefam

Last night as I was changing Khloe’s diaper I decided to give her some eskimo kisses (you know, the kind where you rub noses?)…and she absolutely loved it! She started giggling like crazy each time I gave her one. It was so adorable!

The last several days she has been sleeping better through the night. She has been going to bed around 9:00 or 9:30 and getting up around 6am or so. She usually does wake up around 4:45am, but I’ll sneak in and put her pacifier in her mouth, and that’ll usually put her back to sleep for another hour or so. She’s getting there! And she’s definitely getting bigger, which makes such a difference. I know I say this all the time, but even in just the last week, she seems to have grown SO much…

T-minus 2 days until we move! And I’m afraid I’ve come down with some sort of sore throat/cough yesterday and today. Blah. It’s the first time since Khloe’s been born that I have gotten sick, and it’s really interesting to realize….life can’t just stop for me to get better. Khloe continues to need me, I have to keep caring for her, doing her laundry, etc. If it were bad enough I’m sure Kory could stay home from work….but in these just feeling-lousy sorts of days, I just have to tough it out. The life of a mom!

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August 7, 2010

New Haircut?

Posted in Just for Fun at 7:23 am by kayefam

My friend Melissa sent me a link to this little comic, and I had to share…

Taken from www.thedoghousediaries.com

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August 5, 2010

Mom Sites

Posted in Links at 1:30 pm by kayefam

Some new favorite websites under the “mom” category. So helpful in the business of being a homemaker/mom!

http://www.momsbyheart.net/

http://moneysavingmom.com/

http://lifeasmom.com/

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August 2, 2010

Life Lately

Posted in Family Happenings, Khloe, Sleep at 1:14 pm by kayefam

Hello, all! We’ve decided to move our blog over to WordPress for a new, fresh look and some nicer features. Hopefully we will become more diligent in updating this now that we are out of the brand-new-newborn stage of life and can actually find a spare moment here and there to write entries.

As I write this, both Khloe and Noah are sound asleep (after much tag-teaming this morning with alternating diaper changes, feedings, and fusses), and I am catching my breath over a bowl of cereal.

Khloe is just becoming more and more delightful these days with smiles, giggles, and the beginnings of ticklishness. She began rolling over (front to back) a couple of weeks ago, but she still has yet to do so consistently. She likes playing in her little gym, but she only lasts so long before she wants mommy or daddy to be close by to talk and play along. Definitely a little social butterfly!

She has astounded us recently with her ability to fall asleep unswaddled here and there, but for the most part she still requires being swaddled in order to fall asleep (especially for longer naps and overnight). In the last several days she has also impressed us with no longer needing to be rocked or held to fall asleep for naps or bedtime. We can just put her in her crib with her eyes open, and she will put herself to sleep. Such an accomplishment! Depending on the night she will either sleep through (from around 9:30pm to 4 or 5am) or wake up for a feeding around 1 or 2am. But we are approaching the 13-pound mark (she is currently weighing in at 12 pounds), which supposedly is when their bodies are most able to start sleeping through the night. Beginning her life as such a tiny peanut has definitely presented challenges along the way, but we are thankful that she continues to grow and be healthy with each passing week. She has now jumped into the 20th percentile in size for her age, which is much improved from her first weeks of life when she was only in the 3rd percentile!

She turned 4 months old on Thursday, and Kory and I just cannot figure out where the last 4 months have gone. In another couple of months she will be starting solids, sitting up, and becoming more and more mobile! However, we are constantly treasuring and loving the here-and-now, not wishing a moment away for the future milestones of crawling, talking, or walking. We know that one day we will be wishing she were little again like she is now, so we are just content with each day in each stage the Lord gives us with our precious little girl.

We are currently getting ready to move across the street to another apartment within the same complex. We are slowly outgrowing our 1-bedroom, and when we found out we could upgrade to a 2-bedroom with 200 more sq ft for only $2 more in rent per month…how could we say no?? We will be moving on the 12th of August, and we have yet to start packing boxes. I think the close proximity is making it seem less of an ordeal than it really is. I’m hoping to start packing things up in the next day or so. Of course, my best laid plans for the day are always being adapted or just completely thrown out to care for Khloe (and Noah). I don’t think there has been a day in a long time that turned out the way I originally planned. Ah, the joys of parenthood.

The student that I have been tutoring in Algebra and Spanish will be leaving this week to go back to Texas where she spends the school year. It has been such a blessing and example of the Lord’s provision in our lives being able to tutor her this summer 3 times a week. I will now be looking for a replacement tutoring situation, and I’m considering going through the local school districts to get connected to families in need of a tutor. We’ll see what pans out…but I know the Lord will absolutely continue to provide for our little family.

Well, Noah has awakened and is requiring my attention. Look for more posts (and probably pictures) in the near future!

BK

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Eskimo Kisses

Last night as I was changing Khloe’s diaper I decided to give her some eskimo kisses (you know, the kind where you rub noses?)…and she absolutely loved it! She started giggling like crazy each time I gave her one. It was so adorable!

The last several days she has been sleeping better through the night. She has been going to bed around 9:00 or 9:30 and getting up around 6am or so. She usually does wake up around 4:45am, but I’ll sneak in and put her pacifier in her mouth, and that’ll usually put her back to sleep for another hour or so. She’s getting there! And she’s definitely getting bigger, which makes such a difference. I know I say this all the time, but even in just the last week, she seems to have grown SO much…

T-minus 2 days until we move! And I’m afraid I’ve come down with some sort of sore throat/cough yesterday and today. Blah. It’s the first time since Khloe’s been born that I have gotten sick, and it’s really interesting to realize….life can’t just stop for me to get better. Khloe continues to need me, I have to keep caring for her, doing her laundry, etc. If it were bad enough I’m sure Kory could stay home from work….but in these just feeling-lousy sorts of days, I just have to tough it out. The life of a mom!

Mom Sites

Some new favorite websites under the “mom” category. So helpful in the business of being a homemaker/mom!

http://www.momsbyheart.net/

http://moneysavingmom.com/

http://lifeasmom.com/

Life Lately

Hello, all! We’ve decided to move our blog over to WordPress for a new, fresh look and some nicer features. Hopefully we will become more diligent in updating this now that we are out of the brand-new-newborn stage of life and can actually find a spare moment here and there to write entries.

As I write this, both Khloe and Noah are sound asleep (after much tag-teaming this morning with alternating diaper changes, feedings, and fusses), and I am catching my breath over a bowl of cereal.

Khloe is just becoming more and more delightful these days with smiles, giggles, and the beginnings of ticklishness. She began rolling over (front to back) a couple of weeks ago, but she still has yet to do so consistently. She likes playing in her little gym, but she only lasts so long before she wants mommy or daddy to be close by to talk and play along. Definitely a little social butterfly!

She has astounded us recently with her ability to fall asleep unswaddled here and there, but for the most part she still requires being swaddled in order to fall asleep (especially for longer naps and overnight). In the last several days she has also impressed us with no longer needing to be rocked or held to fall asleep for naps or bedtime. We can just put her in her crib with her eyes open, and she will put herself to sleep. Such an accomplishment! Depending on the night she will either sleep through (from around 9:30pm to 4 or 5am) or wake up for a feeding around 1 or 2am. But we are approaching the 13-pound mark (she is currently weighing in at 12 pounds), which supposedly is when their bodies are most able to start sleeping through the night. Beginning her life as such a tiny peanut has definitely presented challenges along the way, but we are thankful that she continues to grow and be healthy with each passing week. She has now jumped into the 20th percentile in size for her age, which is much improved from her first weeks of life when she was only in the 3rd percentile!

She turned 4 months old on Thursday, and Kory and I just cannot figure out where the last 4 months have gone. In another couple of months she will be starting solids, sitting up, and becoming more and more mobile! However, we are constantly treasuring and loving the here-and-now, not wishing a moment away for the future milestones of crawling, talking, or walking. We know that one day we will be wishing she were little again like she is now, so we are just content with each day in each stage the Lord gives us with our precious little girl.

We are currently getting ready to move across the street to another apartment within the same complex. We are slowly outgrowing our 1-bedroom, and when we found out we could upgrade to a 2-bedroom with 200 more sq ft for only $2 more in rent per month…how could we say no?? We will be moving on the 12th of August, and we have yet to start packing boxes. I think the close proximity is making it seem less of an ordeal than it really is. I’m hoping to start packing things up in the next day or so. Of course, my best laid plans for the day are always being adapted or just completely thrown out to care for Khloe (and Noah). I don’t think there has been a day in a long time that turned out the way I originally planned. Ah, the joys of parenthood.

The student that I have been tutoring in Algebra and Spanish will be leaving this week to go back to Texas where she spends the school year. It has been such a blessing and example of the Lord’s provision in our lives being able to tutor her this summer 3 times a week. I will now be looking for a replacement tutoring situation, and I’m considering going through the local school districts to get connected to families in need of a tutor. We’ll see what pans out…but I know the Lord will absolutely continue to provide for our little family.

Well, Noah has awakened and is requiring my attention. Look for more posts (and probably pictures) in the near future!

BK