Kendra 1 month

These milestone blog updates are totally not for the world. In fact, I don't think they're ever interesting...until I need them. There have been several times I've referred back to them, so grateful that they're there. You never dream that you'll forget the time your baby was born, how big they were, when their first steps were. But...you do. And then you wish you would have written it down. So here it is for future me.

Kendra. One month. I've snuggled and snuggled and snuggled this past month away. We may be done having kids and although I'm having a hard time with that fact, I did not want to let it be my last and wish I would have held my newborn more. In fact, I don't really remember the last time I snuggled with Brian. It's been Kendra/mommy time from 8pm on every night. I should have cleaned my house. I should have done the laundry that keeps piling up. I should have done a million things, but I chose not to and I'm so glad. I learned a little bit on how to let my house go...and it's been a little therapeutic for me. For instance, I spent all day long on Tuesday cleaning my house. It felt good to have a clean house, but by dinner time it looked like I had not done a thing. Yes, it was easier to pick up and tidy since it was still somewhat clean, but it really doesn't matter. I'm so glad I've snuggled the whole world away.

At one month:

• A champion sleeper! This month has been a breeze with sleeping. Wakes up once to eat...which usually ends up with co-sleep snuggling. Seriously, I'm may be addicted.
• Eats a lot! If she's awake, she thinks she needs to eat non-stop. (I'm the same way I think....Darn that kitchen!)
• 10 lbs 3 oz, 22 inches.
• HATES bath time. Who's child is this???? All of my kids love bath time as soon as their cord falls off. Her cord fell of after only 5 days, so she was still really little. Maybe that's why? 
• Has a little baby acne, but it's starting to get better.
• GOOPY eyes! I can't tell if it's clogged tear ducts or if she had a little cold and her congestion is causing it, but man! The poor girl can't even open her eyes in the morning.
• The past week has turned night-times and bedtime routine into something impossible to deal with. Once 5-6 pm hits, she screams non-stop for about 3 hours. If we got outside, she's usually able to calm down, but if we're inside....oh boy. She's hard to burp and I can never get it all out, so I think it's just belly aches. It makes me sad. Luckily Claire has volunteered to read stories to the kids before bedtime since I can't do it. If Brian isn't home, we're a hot mess. 
• She has smiled a couple of times. Finally! I crave the smiling stage. It's so fun to get them to smile at every stupid thing you say and do. 
• The other kids are completely in love with them. They don't want night time hugs and kisses from me anymore, just from Kendra. 

She had her baby blessing at church on Sunday and she looked so cute in her little white dress (even though I don't love the dress) and was so good and sleepy through the blessing. Sweet thing. We love this girl and it feels so good to have her in our family!

Hailey LOVES to hold "my sissa"                     Jared will just sit, talk to her, and tell her stories.

These are from when she was 2 weeks old 

Newborn pajamas. They're so cute! She was so little!

Hailey is rather adorable with her as well...when she's not trying to shove her entire hand down Kendra's throat. We keep a close eye on her. 

Night time snuggling!  

Hanging out on the porch. I think we were all a little tired that day. 

"Here mom? Can I touch her here?" Yes...you can't touch the inside of her mouth...you can touch her head. 

Baby blessing. We're glad we're so close to some family! Brian's parents and brother were able to come up for the weekend.

Family picture

Her blessing day just so happened to land on her one month mark, so I didn't have to do two photo days...Just one! I'm gonna try and do what I did with Hailey and take pictures of her every month. It was such a fun project and I love looking back and seeing her grow up.  

So sleepy! 

                      Accident! Not a real smile. She was squirming, but it looks real! :)

This is how she is 95% of the day. 

Kendra's First Pictures

Not much to write other than I always feel slightly guilty for not paying an astronomical amount of money for the hospital photographer to take pictures. We got them with Claire and Jared, but the last two times I've taken them myself. Not that I think I'm better than the hospital one...I'm just cheap.

So, here she is. Two days old and beautiful as can be. So new. She already looks so different.

Miss Kendra

It's been a whole 9 days since Kendra joined our family. I can't believe it's already been over a week. I wish I could take those first few days, bottle them up, and relive them over and over again. (Funny, because just last week I was thinking, "I can't wait until she's a week old and I don't have these after labor cramping pains anymore.") I just love the newborn stage. They are so sweet, sleepy, snuggly, and new.

So, here's the story. I REALLY thought Kendra was going to come early. I was due May 1st, and I have had my bags, house, children, backup plans, etc. all ready since the beginning of April. I should have known. It was slightly exhausting and made the weeks very long thinking, "It could be tomorrow!" Seriously, this is my fourth child....you'd think I'd be wiser than thinking an early labor was in store. Get real, Stace.

My mom flew in to Detroit on May 4th. That morning while I was making bread, I was SOOO tired and started having some lower back pain. I was a little uneasy since I didn't particularly want to have a baby in the car while driving to the airport, so I just prayed that she wouldn't come until after my mom got here. While driving to the airport that afternoon at 2...in the crazy pouring rain...my contractions started, but not consistent. It was still that  nonstop lower back pain that had me worried. Luckily, we got my mom and even had time to go to Costco for an ice cream before picking Brian up from work and the real pains started setting in. By the time we were making dinner, my contractions were 10 minutes apart and getting more painful. I was still a little hesitant to get my hopes up and still planning on my induction date on May 6th. After dinner, I sat down for a little relief and all contractions/pain stopped. We decided to get a few laughs in and watch the New Girl until I wanted to pass out. Went to bed at 11

I woke up with a contraction at 2:14 and boy did it hurt. I don't know why I insist on drinking a trough before bed because I really didn't want to get out of bed, but I really had to go. I got up to go to the bathroom and my next contraction was 15 minutes later, but it HURT! I started getting my things ready to go. Once I have that kind of pain I know that the real thing isn't far behind. My next contraction was 7 minutes after that, then 4 minutes apart. Brian woke up in a flurry at that time and we got everything ready to go shortly after that.  (So glad my mom was here!!!) By the time we left our house at 2:45 my contractions were 2 minutes apart and I could barely get out the door.

Now, our drive to the hospital was luckily fast, but I have got to talk to whoever is in charge of the roads in Michigan! I would like for them to go into labor and hit pothole after pothole and see how they feel. Oh my gosh! Could these roads be any more terrible? We got to the hospital valet at 3:13 and here is how the rest went....

3:20- Checked into a triage room. Only dilated to a 4.
Lucky we got a room. They just sent a patient out for a walk to start contractions....only reason I got a room. Contractions are really painful and start to pick up. Feeling more pressure with each one. Still coming on every 1-2 minutes.

*Brian warned our nurses that I usually go from a 4 to a 10 pretty quickly. They smiled and nodded and went on their way.

3:35 - Feeling like I had been there for an eternity and begging inside for an epidural. My contractions feel as if they're forcing my stomach to push by itself.

3:40 - My contractions push everything down and my body starts pushing on it's own. I told Brian that I was trying to relax, but there was nothing I could do. It felt like someone was squeezing me without me having any control. He called the nurses and said, "We can't hear the heartbeat anymore, can you please come check?"  The nurses come in to do a check and say, "We're gonna have a baby right now." By that time triage comes to life. Nurses and midwives bounce in faster than in any delivery room I've ever seen. They really get to work! So, I just start pushing...and screaming...like any weirdo labor show you've seen. It's almost embarrassing to me that I was screaming like I was. Oh....the joys. Anyway, fear and pain aside, it was very fast...and I'm very grateful.

3:44 - Happy Birthday, Kendra!

She came down the birth canal so fast that she had terrible coloring and she looked pretty beaten up. I guess that's pretty normal for such a fast delivery. Poor girl. She had red splotches all over her face, and I had them all over my face, neck and shoulders from pushing so hard.

The hospital was so busy that we didn't get a room for another 12 hours after that. We went to their Pack-U unit of the hospital - a large room with curtain dividers. It wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't have to share a bathroom with 5 other women. They also don't really give heavy painkillers and refused to give me anything stronger than Tylenol and Motrin until I was screaming and crying because my cramping was so bad. Most people here stop having kids at 2, so maybe they don't know that your pains get worse with each one? Anyway, I had to fight for narcotics every 4 hours. They were pretty stubborn about it. Luckily at the nurse shift change, I got a lovely nurse who understood perfectly and she was my favorite person in the world.

Friday Brian, Kendra, and I spent snuggling in the hospital bed waiting to get discharged. It was relaxing and quiet and wonderful. She's a dreamboat who really loves to be held. She is totally opposite of how Hailey was and she seems so easy compared to the last time. So glad she isn't colicky. Makes a world of difference. I can't get enough of her sweet face and her happy little personality. The kids love her more than I imagined they would. Claire loves to hold and kiss her, but only for a second because "I get to wiggly, mom!" Jared is the most doting big brother I've ever seen him be. Hailey can't get over the fact that all she does is eat, sleep and poop. Our conversation usually goes like this.

H: "Mom! Baby wake?"
Me: Yup, but she's Hungry/poopy/sleepy.
H: AGAIN????????????

We love her more than anything!

And I'm so happy to not be pregnant. :)

The kids were so excited to meet their new little sister! Jared even asked if she could talk yet. :) 

Family of 6! 

So glad Grandma was here for us to hurry to the hospital or else we wouldn't have made it in time.  

BATH TIME! Of course she screamed through the whole thing. Naturally.  

The kids were very excited to watch her first bath. 

Claire, front and center. 

Our snuggly day on Friday. We sat and snuggled for hours and hours. 

I thought Brian was getting a picture of her going home outfit....I guess he missed the purpose of the picture...