Like Brother, Like Sister

What better place to spend the first few weeks of life than in a laundry basket?

Aric

Kellyn

At least Kellyn isn't using a hand-me-down laundry basket.  Aric's basket is now his toy box, and when Kellyn is finished with hers I'm sure it will serve the same purpose.

Expression

I'm not sure if the expression on her face is from having to wear a silly pumpkin hat or...

...from her brother previously ripping the hat off of her head.

Sibling Comparison

Adjustments

I thought I had a pretty good routine down with Aric.  Now with an additional child thrown in, my old routine is out the window.
Yesterday was my first day alone with both kids.  What a busy day!  I did manage to get some laundry done, wash some dishes and take a shower, but that was about it.  Between diaper changes, feedings and trying to get everyone to take a nap not much else was accomplished.

It didn't help that Ryan and I didn't have the foresight regarding his pre-planned trip out with some friends in the evening.  Not only did I go through my first day alone with the kids, but I also had to continue on into the evening and deal with bedtimes by myself.  It was a complete failure.  My wild son was smearing hand lotion on the night stand, my daughter was trying to eat my neck, and I was trying to make them both stop while trying to explain to a family member on the phone that it wasn't the best time for me to talk.  As soon as I hung up, I corralled Aric into the bathroom to take his bath and he promptly urinated on my leg.  It was a memorable night to say the least.

Today is a new day, though,  and Ryan should be home tonight.  If the rain will let up, I might even attempt an excursion with our double stroller to the store.  We'll see how that goes!

Life As We Know It

I haven't written anything in awhile, because I just haven't had the time.  Trying to get rest, a shower, take care of two kids and myself seems to have completely occupied any and all of my time.

What has happened in the past two weeks?  Well, my mom just went back home yesterday.  She was here for the first two weeks of Kellyn's life to help with Aric and allow me to rest and recover from my surgery.  We are so thankful that she was able to be here and help us out in so many ways.

 Recovery has been such a slower process this time around.  I think most of the delay has to do with this guy:

I just started to pick him up and carry him again on Monday after I was cleared to do so by the doctor.  However, I was warned that my recovery would take even longer.  I'm already seeing signs of that being the truth as some areas that weren't hurting are becoming sore again.  I also had a bout of mastitis during the first couple of days after I left the hospital.  Thankfully that was caught and treated early on.  The road to recovery is definitely a bumpy one and I'll be glad when I feel like myself again.

Kellyn, so far, has seemed to be fairly easy going like Aric was, though I know at any given point that could all change.  She was definitely spoiled while my mom was here and she'll have to learn rather quickly that I cannot possibly hold her every second of the day.  I would never be able to get anything done and Aric would certainly destroy the house.  She's been a joy, however, and we are extremely thankful that she is healthy and doing so well.

Yesterday we made a big purchase:

...and by big, I mean BIG!  I went out shopping with my mom a couple of times and discovered that we were definitely going to need a stroller for both kids.  Ryan agreed with me and helped me pick this out yesterday while we were in the big city.  Hopefully this will make my life much easier and allow me to run errands on my own.

The last little bit of news I have is that Ryan was offered a job yesterday and he accepted.  A week before Kellyn was born he discovered a job opening nearby that was similar to the job he applied for in the Army, but this job is a full time job in the National Guard.  He filled out the application paperwork and had it turned in by the end of the week.  The day we came home from the hospital, Ryan received a call to schedule an interview for the following Wed.  Ryan went to the interview and didn't think it went as well as he had hoped.  Apparently he was wrong, because they called yesterday and offered him the job.  We are both still in shock, since we've been praying for a job like this for the past 18 months.  The job will allow him to use his degree, train him with practical knowledge, build up his resume and give him opportunities for advancement.

Much has happened this month, and while our heads are still spinning, we are thankful for it all!

Love

Before I had Kellyn a girlfriend of mine made a comment that the love of a small child can be just as dangerous as the hatred of a small child.  I didn't know how true that statement was until we brought Kellyn home from the hospital.

Aric LOVES Kellyn.  He comes up to her several times a day to rub her head and give her kisses, which means putting his head against her head.  In addition, he tries to stick her pacifier in her mouth/nose/eye when it falls out.  Aric has tried to pick Kellyn up, pull her feet first out of her chair and attempts to use her to climb onto the furniture if she's nearby and handy.

I'm really going to have to grow some eyes in the back of my head very rapidly!!

All Boy

This one may deceive you...

with his curls,

and innocent looks,

but he still likes to make a bee-line for the shed

to investigate manly things like tools and lawnmowers.

When he gets tired of that he'll run down the drive

to see what else there is he can get into,

because he's all boy.

The Chase, Part II

Apparently Aric has decided to turn this into a hobby:

Our Family

What Is That?!?

When we came home from the hospital yesterday, Aric was napping.  When he awoke, he was excited to see Ryan and I, but my mom was holding Kellyn and he didn't notice her right away.  When Aric finally realized what HIS nana was holding the look on his face was priceless.  The look was the epitome of the question "What is that?".  Aric proceeded to hand my mom every item that he was holding in an effort to stake a claim on his nana.

The rest of the night Aric went over to wherever Kellyn was and would proceed to rub her head or try to push her swing.  We had to closely monitor all of their encounters, especially the swing pushing.  Only time will tell in what other ways he responds to her.

October 15th

It's October 15th, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  I am sitting here holding Kellyn, knowing that she is only in my arms by the grace of God.  There was a time when I wondered if we would ever have any children, but God has been so good and blessed us with two beautiful children.  However, I will never forget the two that we lost, the two that we will get to hold someday in heaven.

My thoughts and prayers are with anyone who ever lost a child. May God grant you peace.

Gone Home

We went home today.  There was a small concern that there would be a delay since they discovered Kellyn had jaundice last night.  They tested her bilirubin this morning and discovered her level is 11.5.  The pediatrician said when levels are above 15 they start to consider treating for it.  Thankfully she's fine and we were able to go home.

Enjoying Simple Things

I try to not beat myself up as a mother.  I know that I'm busy and I try to make the most of the time that I have with Aric.  It's hard, though, because sometimes I feel we live a somewhat sheltered life out in the country.  We could go to many places and activities, but my pregnancy and it's ensuing complications really kept us homebound and away from variety.  Because of this, I sometimes feel that Aric misses out on quite a bit in life that others may take for granted or just have been exposed to long ago.

What am I not beating myself up over?

...balloons.  Yes, balloons.  Today when Aric came to my hospital room with Nana for a visit we gave him his first balloon.  The balloon was actually for Kellyn, but since she is not even aware of anything six inches from her face and I'm sure putting a balloon within six inches of her face would just freak her out, we decided Kellyn wouldn't mind sharing with her brother.  The result...

...he loved them.  He was a little perplexed by it since it didn't quite act like a ball, but I think that just added to the fun.  It warmed my heart watching him run around my hospital room chasing a balloon and throwing it at us.

Update

This week has definitely been interesting and full of change to say the least.  Sunday night into Monday morning, I didn't really sleep.  I think I was too aware of surgery, meeting our daughter, and everything else that was going to happen in the morning. 

On Monday I was tired and cranky, but trying not to be.  We were at the hospital by 5:30am and I was hooked up to the fetal monitor and prepped for surgery.  My friend, Laura, watched Aric in the morning to free up my mom to be our photographer with us during Kellyn's delivery. 

The c-section went well.  Ryan sat down and held my hand, rather than watch the operation like last time.  I think he wanted to watch, however, the anesthesiologist told him to sit and stay out of her way.  Kellyn was born 11 minutes into the surgery.

Monday actually went really well.  We enjoyed holding and cherishing our daughter.  Monday night I sent Ryan home to get some sleep and I sent Kellyn off to the nursery so I could sleep.  Or so I thought...

Monday night into Tuesday was the worst. The nursery nurses instead of caring for Kellyn brought her to me several times during the night, negating my purpose for sending her to the nursery.  I was up the majority of the night with a gassy, fussy baby.  To make it worse, because of a misunderstanding with my night nurse I wasn't brought any pain medication.  I was miserable having spent the whole night climbing in and out of bed caring for my daughter by myself.

Last night Ryan stayed with me and helped out.  The night went much better and I feel much better because of it.  I'll be here at least until tomorrow, but I don't feel like I've faced setbacks this morning unlike yesterday morning.

Kellyn is two ounces heavier and one inch shorter than Aric was.  Our little chipmunk:

She has less hair than Aric was born with, but she still has hair.  It's a lighter brown and already appears to be curly.  It will be interesting to see how it grows. Hopefully for Aric's her sake it will be curly, eliminating any hostility towards her curly haired brother.

Aric is doing well.  He's having a blast with his Nana.  I'm sure he's been spoiled and loved.  I miss my little boy, but I know he's well taken care of.

All in all we're doing well.  We're thankful for our healthy, full term daughter and all she is bringing to our family.

Family Photos

Seeing how full our hands are literally going to be, makes my head spin:

Kellyn Lorelei

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 1 Samuel 1:27

We are pleased to welcome Kellyn Lorelei Peters into our family!

Kellyn was born on Monday, October 12, 2009 at 7:41am.

She weighs 8 bs 7 oz and is 20 inches long

Mother and baby are doing well.

Thanks for all of your love, prayers and support. We truly appreciate them.