December 6, 2008

I'll never forget that day. With total unbelief, I read a positive pregnancy test!!



Then I planned a scavenger hunt for Rudy that led him to a "bun" in the oven. He knew right away and from that moment on, we both have been in awe and in love with our little Shmu. At that time he was no bigger than an appleseed. Now we look at Kyle and see and know that little being we prayed for, thought of and planned and dreamed of having. He's real. He's healthy. He's ours!!! It's awesome to think of all that has happened since reading that one little word, "pregnant" a year ago today.

We love you, Kyle! You are more beautiful and special than we could have ever imagined. We love you more than we ever thought possible.

Kyle's 4 month check-up

Wouldn't you know it, the time I don't bring my camera with me, we would have loved to have had it. Shmu got to wear his first hospital gown for his appt. and looked SO cute in it. He also LOVED the crinkly paper so much he made a mountain of paper near him. Whenever the pediatrician would pick him up or move him around, Shmu would take the paper with him. To put it mildly, Kaiser went through lots of paper on account of Shmu! It was quite a picture.

Shmu checked out well. The pediatrician was impressed with his developmental milestones and head control. She called him a little peanut because he is 12 pounds 3 ounces. This places him in the 5th percentile (25th for his corrected age). He is 24.5 inches tall, placing him in the 10th percentile (50th for his corrected age). So, he's growing about a pound per month and grew 3 inches in the last two months.

We talked about introducing solids and got lots of information on it. We will introduce solids when Kyle shows he is ready for it. So far he's showing the beginning signs of teething with lots of drool and biting/gnawing on things. He has just started to show an interest in what we eat. He follows cups, water bottles or food as it goes to my mouth and reaches for these things. Can't believe he'll be in a high chair before we know it!

We know that Kyle's little life is God's hands. We also know that doesn't mean he is exempt from anything. At any moment something could happen, his health could fail him, etc. We have no idea what the road ahead looks like for him. And so we are very thankful for every day, month (and years!?) we have a healthy son.

Momma's "little love"

This is actually the normal progression of things. Mr. Curious suddenly finds something funny (like when mommy says the word, "Again!") and breaks into a smile. Then in a flash of a second it's not funny anymore and we're back to being Mr. Curious! Gina, doesn't picture #2 look just like a baby pic of Rudy?

Where's the start over button?

Have you ever experienced a day where everything went wrong and you repeatedly wished you could take it back and start all over again? Either that or hurry and get to bed before something else bad happened? That was our day today.

It started out with Ru and I at odds with one another. Never fun. Getting to church on time is an issue. It's become a bigger issue with me having to get two people ready. I have to start the process a good hour before I need to just to account for a feeding, diaper change, spit up disaster, etc. Getting up an hour earlier than you need to is never fun when you've been up two to three times already throughout the night to nurse. You've also got to add in the fact that everything takes longer when you have to haul the boy with you wherever you go. Showers, for example, can drag on when you're constantly having to open the door and remind the guy you're still there, sing a few bars of his latest favorite tune, and make silly faces. It never fails... I can have K's diaper bag all ready, clothes out, breakfast all but cooked and just when I think I've got it all together and am ready to walk out the door, Kyle will decide to be either hungry or go poo. So mornings with a specific departure time can be rough.

We had one of those mornings and got to church over halfway through the service. It was questionable if we should have even gone. Then, after running an errand that took at least twice as long simply because we ran into friends, we ended up having to go back to church to pick up something we had forgotten to get while we were there. On our way home, I was calculating how much time I had to feed Kyle again, make a meal for 10 people and get back to Irvine for a 5pm dinner. It was going to be tight. Thankfully, I had set out everything I needed on the stove and counter top the night before (see how it is?). Sure enough, right when we got home Kyle was ready to eat and as soon as he was done, I was racing around the kitchen trying to catch up for lost time. Just as I'm starting to work up a sweat, Rudy reads an email from someone in the group saying that the dinner had been canceled and oh, has Mindy started cooking? Hope not. Can she just make the meal later this week? Well, not really. I can't re-freeze meat and can't really afford to buy all the products again. You know, when money's tight you can't just pop out a huge meal every week. (I'm already signed up for another main course for 20+ people at a Christmas dinner party.) With lack of sleep, shot nerves and now all my planning and preparation gone to waste, I feel like crying. I hold it together though and start plan B.

I call some friends and leave a message, inviting them over for dinner. They don't call back for a while, so I decide to freeze the dinner for the postponed date and make another meal for us. I realize I don't have two key ingredients and rush to the store (Kyle's sleeping and I'm rushing to maximize my time). When I get back home, the friends have called and yes, they will come. Now I'm making the new meal that takes another hour all the while stopping to feed Kyle and trying to keep him entertained. The meal makes for 16 people, so as I'm scaling things backs and improvising where needed, I mistakenly put the pasta in the pot 45 minutes too soon. Now, I'm picking out the pasta one by one while Kyle decides to have a massive, up the back blow out. I feel badly because I had put him in his jumper (thus squishing things) after a quick diaper change when I should have waited for the second round and not rushed the little guy. So now Rudy is washing Kyle in the tub, the meal is not yet ready, no table set, etc. and the friends arrive. I leave the food on the stove for the 3rd or 4th time in a row to clean poo off of clothes, the jumper and changing table. Just when I return to the stove, our friend's daughter decides to join in the spirit of things and poos in her pants and purposefully drops the log on our living room carpet. Thankfully, we notice her contribution before stepping in it and add that to our clean up list.

At this point, I decide to laugh and relax. What else can you do? Good thing these friends are laid back and fun to be around. We eat a good meal, for being repeatedly forgotten, and play a few games before they leave. Kyle goes to bed pretty easily and we enjoy peace. Now, I'm off to bed and thankful that tomorrow is a new day.

Traditions

One of our favorite traditions is setting up for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. We will hold off on getting our tree for another week or so, but we started looking through our boxes and setting up the little bit of red and green we have. Ru had given me a tiny, artificial tree when we were just dating and since getting married (and buying real trees together) I've used it every year in my classroom. Each year, kids have added little decorations, a tree skirt and fake presents to go under it. It was cute to watch it become such a focal point for them. The kids would even fight for who got to turn on the lights each morning before class.

Well, Ru's always wanted that little "Shmoop" tree in our house, but I've always been able to convince him the kids would miss not having a bit of Christmas in the classroom. I guess if we're trying to make lemonade out of lemons, Ru would say he's excited to have his little tree up in our house this year. At first we put it in Shmu's room, but the thing is way too bright so it landed itself in our living room for now. Here's some snapshots of Ru and Shmu decorating baby's first tree!! :) Ru got a little carried away and started decorating Shmu in the process. I deleted those pictures knowing Kyle would some day object to his mother showing them to the internet world. However, there is a picture of Ru just getting started. Poor Shmu!

Ru and I have started our share of traditions over the years, but this year is extra special as we think about which traditions are most memorable and which ones Kyle will look forward to as he grows up. If you can, try creating a google account and sharing a favorite of yours in the comment section. You can create an account using your same regular email address and password. Email me if you're interested and need more help. I'd love to hear your ideas!! :)

Kyle's 1st Thanksgiving!

Yesterday, we drove out to the desert (2hrs in the car with Shmu harnessed to his seat!!) to be with my aunt and uncle and cousins for Thanksgiving. Kyle slept most of the way there and did pretty well the rest of the way as long as we sang to him. So we had a fun sing-a-thon for 20 minutes! He had a really good day exploring new sights in and around the house with Gramps and Grammie while mom and dad both got some time to just sit! Ah! Luxury!! He went from person to person really well and took 3 mini naps. Kyle even let us enjoy our Thanksgiving meal by sleeping the whole time. We enjoyed an entire meal together without rushing or holding the little guy. Thanks, Shmu! He was a really good boy the whole day and night. During games later in the evening we noticed we'd better pack up and get Shmu in the car and put to "bed." The ride home started out a little rough, just because he was beyond tired, but after snuggling him with my hands and arms, and stopping to feed him, he decided he'd had enough for the day.

Surprisingly, after preparing for every possible disaster and loading the diaper bag to its maximum capacity with 3 complete sets of clothing, tons of bibs, burp cloths, and diapers, books and rattles, Kyle surprised us by staying in his original outfit, using one burp cloth, no bibs and only 3 diapers! Wow!

The best part about the day, other than actually being with family (having grown up without any family around locally besides my Grandpa and Grandma), was skyping 3 groups of families in Nebraska and Illinois. Kyle got to meet/see my grandparents, aunt and uncle and cousins in Central City and another set of cousins in Omaha. Then we got to skype GG and GSal in Illinois. It was fun to join two big groups of family together through a little camera and computer screen. It made me miss my grandparents so much. Kyle's great-grandpa will be turning 90 next month and I really wish there weren't so many miles between us. Either that, or flying with a baby wouldn't be so hard! :)

And since GG and GSal were disappointed yesterday's post didn't come with a picture!!! (no pressure, Mindy :) .... here are a few random ones.

Cousin Jeff and his wife, Ashley - Thanks for the adorable socks!!

Snuggling mommy after a long, busy day with lots of people.

Watching football with Grandpa when Mommy wasn't looking!!

Not the best quality of a picture but Kyle gave me a huge smile right when he saw me !

Game time!! Ru and I got to play, we're just not in the picture.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Starting with this holiday, I'll look back and think about what our life was like just one year ago. It's amazing how slow time can crawl by when you're battling morning sickness all day and yet here we are, one year later in no time at all. These past 4 months have definitely gone quickly and I can only imagine it will continue this way as we get busier and busier with our rapidly growing boy.

A year ago, tomorrow, I was gulping coffee down (x4 cups) to try and stay awake. I can't believe I completely missed such a huge "sign" I was pregnant. However, when you're not expecting it, you can come up with a dozen other reasons for such a thing. I remember sitting around the dinner table feeling so exhausted and not knowing what on earth was wrong with me. I had been to the gym prior to Thanksgiving and had almost passed out twice while in a spinning class. My energy level was at an all time low, but I had no idea.

I remember feeling SO thankful for Rudy and our marriage, yet really wanting a child. We had decided we would hold off until Rudy was closer to being done with school and the waiting time seemed like an eternity. Little did I know, there was a small life being formed within me that was just about a week old. I'm thankful I was able to enjoy the meal that day, because very soon after I would begin a 3 month sickness fest in which NOTHING helped, NOTHING worked and I was MISERABLE!!! (Good thing Shmu is soooo worth it!!!)

So this Thanksgiving is the one year anniversary of life as we knew it: before there was knowledge of a Shmu, before sickness, sleep-deprivation, and the "joys" of pregnancy/birth began. In about a week from now, we'll celebrate the one year anniversary marking the beginning of true, immense joy that has brought this little family of 3 together in ways we can't even describe.

We are thankful for you, our family and friends, and wish you a wonderful day tomorrow.

Happy 4 Months, Kyle!!

Kyle's latest new toy - his jumper!!
We love this big boy outfit.

This has been a really fun month. We have loved watching Kyle become more and more interactive with us and all the things around him. We adore his smile and making him laugh. We've really enjoyed listening to his "talking." He's growing more and more vocal and will let you know when he has something pretty immportant to say. The first time he "spoke" I remember watching Rudy's face wheel around in pleasant surprise. It was like all of a sudden there was another person in the room.

Thanks to Ru's watchful PT eye, we are noticing lots of fun things about the growth of Kyle's motor skills. It's fun to see the progression of things happen right before our very eyes. For example, Kyle's feet are now scrunched up by his chest when placed on his back. Very soon, those feet will be pulled into Kyle's mouth. I'm getting quite the vocabulary education around here as we notice all the bones and muscle groups of Kyle's little body and how they work to create movement. Watching the little man grow and develop is pretty fun, I will admit.

Kyle has his 4 month pediatrician's appointment in a week, so I don't know his weight and height and all, but here are some things about him that sum up the past month of change...

• Kyle now reads books with Mommy by helping her turn the pages (more often closing the book prematurely) and likes to touch the pages with his palms out. It's been so fun to read to him now that he really seems to be interested in what's in front of him. His favorite, besides his black and white book would have to be his shapes/colors book. It has textured surfaces, bright colors and a red rocket!! Ooh!!


• Kyle has perfected the art of rolling from front to back and back to front.


• He grabs things he wants and can exchange the toy/rattle from hand to hand. He can put Mr. Binks in his mouth and take it out, over and over again.


• Kyle is letting us know what he thinks is funny and we love to get smiles and laughs out of him.
  
• He's a slow riser and takes his time waking up. When awake, he needs about 20 more minutes to be ready to play. (That's a nice surprise!)


• Kyle prefers to stand and enjoys his doorway jumper. (A friend let us borrow one!) Actually, if he's fussy the best way to calm him down is to put him on his feet.
• The little guy has a 7:00 o'clock bedtime! Yeah for evenings with Ru again! :)
• Being outdoors is his favorite. He likes the red roses on our walks and likes to be placed facing outward when I wear him close to me.
  
• One of my favorites - He notices me and follows me with his eyes wherever I go! So cute!!

Happy 4 Months, Kyle!!

Just for fun

This one brings a smile to our face. Sorry, Kyle, for being our guinea pig. You take it all quite well. :)

Kyle's 1st trip to the farm!

Believe it or not, there's a working farm not 3 minutes from our house! It's open to the public on a daily basis and it's free! Kyle and I went with our play date buddies on a "field trip." Most of the kids in our group were able to run around and really get into all the animals (oxen, goats, poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs, llamas, rabbits, etc.). I look forward to taking Kyle again when he's a bit older. Hopefully, too, we'll soon have the chance to visit our relatives' farm in Nebraska and some friends' farms and ranches in South Dakota. This place today felt like something between a zoo and the real thing and I'd like him to get a real experience including tractor rides and cattle drives! In the meantime, this is a super fun place to look forward to taking him whenever we feel like it.

We saw quite a few scarecrows and sang, "If I Only Had a Brain!" I think he's a fan.

There were tons of different produce to point out. I tried to stay positive about all of them, but couldn't help an "eew" when we saw brussel sprouts! :) We got to take some organic onions and lettuce home for dinner tonight!

Kyle is still smaller than the smallest tire on this John Deere.

He wasn't sure what to think about the hay. It felt funny and poked through his clothing!