unfortunately, I think Kai remembered her as the "awful person who pulled me from my warm mother's womb"
and here's the adorable bath photo:
and asleep in my favorite baby-gap-flower-child-jumpsuit:
4.10.2008
sweet seven weeks
can you believe it??? seven weeks already... we went to Dr. Dominique for my 6 week post-op appointment...
unfortunately, I think Kai remembered her as the "awful person who pulled me from my warm mother's womb"
and here's the adorable bath photo:
and asleep in my favorite baby-gap-flower-child-jumpsuit:
unfortunately, I think Kai remembered her as the "awful person who pulled me from my warm mother's womb"
and here's the adorable bath photo:
and asleep in my favorite baby-gap-flower-child-jumpsuit:
4.04.2008
a girl's gotta shop!
shawn and i signed up for childbirth education classes prior to baby... at our first class i was surprised to see a couple of former classmates (go IHS)... little did i know that the wife of one would become a dear friend...
the first time we hung out was an afternoon trip to babies r us after i took maternity leave but about a week before i had kai.. it was the 13th... the whole time, annie joked about how scared she was my water would break while we were out and about... she was due 5 weeks later.
we got home and annie left my house to go home...i got a phone call about 15 minutes later and since i didn't answer, a text message a few minutes later "my water broke!"
needless to say, annie gave birth to magnolia that evening (and I was a tad bit jealous!)
these days, you'd hardly know noli was 5 weeks early! she and kai have already become BFF - sporting matching strollers and the question "are they twins" every 15 minutes while shopping
on another note... here's our new dining room chandelier - rehabbed by my very handy husband, donated by the andersons:
3.29.2008
baby and bunny
we had our one month check up friday - well, it was really 5 weeks because we switched pediatricians and they couldn't get us in last week... so here are her new stats:
22 1/2 inches long ..... 11 lbs 7 oz.... things are good!
my two baby girls:
mommy, i'm so tired of this dress!
trying to eat daddy's nose!
our "professional" posed easter pic:
i'm such a doll!
22 1/2 inches long ..... 11 lbs 7 oz.... things are good!
my two baby girls:
mommy, i'm so tired of this dress!
trying to eat daddy's nose!
our "professional" posed easter pic:
i'm such a doll!
3.22.2008
one marvelous month
so "technically" i'm a day late - but to me, it's still Kai's one month birthday! everyone seems to want to know her sleeping habits... so here's a normal schedule in the day of our lives:
12 AM - settle into deep sleep until...
3-4ish - rouse for feeding, settle sometimes quite quickly back into sleep until...
7-8ish - rouse for midmorning snack - mom tries to stay awake but joins me rather quickly in midmorning nap
11:30ish - rouse for lunch - mom stays up for good after this feeding, i usually fall asleep just as dad is getting home for lunch which gives mom time to take a shower and get me ready to run errands if we need to
3-4ish - rouse for mid afternoon snack - it's a little harder for me to fall asleep after this meal - i like to check out our house, especially the ceiling
8 ish - wake up for late dinner - sometimes i stay awake after this feeding until the next one - i'm a party animal!
11ish - midnight snack and sleep (i've let mom and dad sleep till 5 a couple of times!)
here's me waking up from a nap today:
aren't i cute?
also, her belly button has completely healed and i wanted to take a picture, because let's face it, i'm her mother and think everything about her is adorable... but do you know how difficult it is to get a picture of a newborn's belly? i can't use the flash because it's way too bright and if i turn it off, she squirms too much for it to take a clear picture... but take my word for it, it's precious
we should've gone for her one month check up this week, but we're switching pediatricians and the soonest they had was next friday - i'm anxious to see how much the little monkey weighs... hmm... maybe i'll do a poll...
well, expect some more pictures after sunday, being easter and all - until then sweet dreams:
3.11.2008
always read carefully
i try to teach my 5th graders this lesson daily... maybe i should spend more time teaching my husband!
we went to whole foods last night because i wanted to check out their selection of baby products (more on that later)... and because we needed groceries...
i took shawn with me, which i usually don't do, but it's nice to have an outing with the baby and feel like a family... so he came. we were in the meat department and he spots a brisket out of the corner of his eye... the price tag says 8.99... shawn's like, that's a great price for this... so i'm like, well get it then...
let me mention that he is totally excited about his brisket... we're checking out and he picks it up, looks lovingly at it and says, mmmm grass fed beef, this is going to be good... i'm like, where does it say grass fed? and he's like, i don't know...
so we check out and our grocery bill is over $200! ok, feel a little guilty - but some of that was diapering stuff and well, i hadn't spent any money in over 2 weeks... so i didn't feel so bad.
as we're heading for the door, shawn says, i should've read the price on that brisket more carefully... and i'm like, why? was it 8.99 a pound? shawn kind of awkwardly grins, yeah... it was like $29 or something...
turns out the price was printed on the meat - just like it usually is on packaged meat - 9.99 a pound x 3.9 pounds = $39.76!!! all the way home, shawn felt sick to his stomach - this is a man who thinks $4 a pound for ground turkey or beef is a lot!
so we'll be eating 40 dollar brisket this weekend if you'd like to join us... but please, bring a side - we can't afford potato salad!
we went to whole foods last night because i wanted to check out their selection of baby products (more on that later)... and because we needed groceries...
i took shawn with me, which i usually don't do, but it's nice to have an outing with the baby and feel like a family... so he came. we were in the meat department and he spots a brisket out of the corner of his eye... the price tag says 8.99... shawn's like, that's a great price for this... so i'm like, well get it then...
let me mention that he is totally excited about his brisket... we're checking out and he picks it up, looks lovingly at it and says, mmmm grass fed beef, this is going to be good... i'm like, where does it say grass fed? and he's like, i don't know...
so we check out and our grocery bill is over $200! ok, feel a little guilty - but some of that was diapering stuff and well, i hadn't spent any money in over 2 weeks... so i didn't feel so bad.
as we're heading for the door, shawn says, i should've read the price on that brisket more carefully... and i'm like, why? was it 8.99 a pound? shawn kind of awkwardly grins, yeah... it was like $29 or something...
turns out the price was printed on the meat - just like it usually is on packaged meat - 9.99 a pound x 3.9 pounds = $39.76!!! all the way home, shawn felt sick to his stomach - this is a man who thinks $4 a pound for ground turkey or beef is a lot!
so we'll be eating 40 dollar brisket this weekend if you'd like to join us... but please, bring a side - we can't afford potato salad!
3.09.2008
kairi the social butterfly
my brother got married on saturday...so kai had her first party!
resting up in the car on the way to the reception, isn't she adorable?
with the bride and groom, uncle matt and aunt rita
our first family photo
representin' the crooked I
resting up in the car on the way to the reception, isn't she adorable?
with the bride and groom, uncle matt and aunt rita
our first family photo
representin' the crooked I
3.06.2008
two weeks today
time flies doesn't it? well, it crawled by when i was waiting for her arrival, and now it goes too fast... each day she changes... i can't believe how different she looks already from two weeks ago! i figured i needed to type up her birth story soon, because each day the memory fades a little more and more... i suppose it's nature's way of keeping up reproduction! here goes:
*disclaimer - may be some gore involved*
2.21.08
6:00 - woke up eager to get ready to get to the hospital
6:45 - pretended like my water had broken, rushed to hospital (one exit down the freeway)
7:00 - arrive a Baylor Irving, Labor and Delivery, check in
7:30 - Dr. Dominique comes in and breaks my water for real, very strange feeling... find out there's meconium in water which means baby has had a bowel movement in utero, freaks me and shawn out a bit, but no big deal to everyone else
8:00 - contractions begin - not too bad, kinda like a period... nurse comes in and says, ok, we're going to begin pitocin
9:00 - 5:00 - time becomes foggy/irrelevant - pitocin makes the contractions worse, they give me Stadol - makes room spin, makes pain disappear and makes Shawn a god
Stadol wears off, torture nurse returns with more pitocin
contractions start to take my breath away - shawn no longer a god, in fact, becomes cops-watching-wife-neglecting-doofus with his hat on crooked
ask for epidural and cry alot because of pain and feeling of defeat, i look at shawn for a moment and see a tear streaming down his cheek - no longer a doofus but a sweet husband who just doesn't know what to do
anesthesiologist arrives and the horrendous experience of an epidural begins - the first time she stuck the needle in my spine and started "routing around" i could feel everything quite painfully but not as painful as the contractions in my right hip - strange sensation... she says, ok, i'm just going to find a different spot... puts bloody needle on bed beside me which makes shawn queasy - he has to leave room so he doesn't pass out... she does it again and it takes, tells me to lie down... about the time my blood pressure drops to like 70/40 and the baby's heart rate dropped to i don't know what and i start vomiting and feeling like i'm dying and begging someone to help me... they stabilize us and leave us be for a couple of hours... only complaint is that i'm numb from the neck down instead of the waist down.
at a couple of points, they check my cervix for progress... at 3 PM i had made it to a 5... they came back at 5 PM and i was still at a 5, my contractions had pretty much stopped... so Dr. Dominique was called and I was prepped for a c-section
5:30 - enter torturous anesthesiologist again - she gives me the drugs via IV and the nurse makes me drink some stuff that's supposed to keep me from vomiting... they wheel me out and through the halls to the OR... getting queasy, anesthesiologist asks if i get motion sickness alot - no - hmmm - we get into the OR and i start vomiting again - all the stuff that was supposed to keep me from vomiting - all over my cheek and shoulder... lovely
we make it into the room and i make an interesting observation - all of the people working on us are women, not a man in the room... i was very impressed that they could move me from bed to bed with no men... girl power! i digress... so they strap me to the table and all the sudden i can't swallow... FREAKS me out... the anesthesiologist is like, it's ok, you don't need to swallow and i'm like, i can't swallow, i can't swallow! over and over again and then start trying to get free from the table and she's like, ok, here's something to calm you down... thank you!
5:55 - so i just kind of drift in and out of consciencious until shawn comes in... they start cutting and before you know it
6:02 - we hear a baby crying and then we see her... shawn says "i feel like i'm dreaming" and all of the sudden we're parents of the most beautiful baby girl in the world... just like that. crazy how that is.
in case you forgot what she looked like then:
and here she is today:
this is one of those, you have to look at from far away....me trying to be artsy again
*disclaimer - may be some gore involved*
2.21.08
6:00 - woke up eager to get ready to get to the hospital
6:45 - pretended like my water had broken, rushed to hospital (one exit down the freeway)
7:00 - arrive a Baylor Irving, Labor and Delivery, check in
7:30 - Dr. Dominique comes in and breaks my water for real, very strange feeling... find out there's meconium in water which means baby has had a bowel movement in utero, freaks me and shawn out a bit, but no big deal to everyone else
8:00 - contractions begin - not too bad, kinda like a period... nurse comes in and says, ok, we're going to begin pitocin
9:00 - 5:00 - time becomes foggy/irrelevant - pitocin makes the contractions worse, they give me Stadol - makes room spin, makes pain disappear and makes Shawn a god
Stadol wears off, torture nurse returns with more pitocin
contractions start to take my breath away - shawn no longer a god, in fact, becomes cops-watching-wife-neglecting-doofus with his hat on crooked
ask for epidural and cry alot because of pain and feeling of defeat, i look at shawn for a moment and see a tear streaming down his cheek - no longer a doofus but a sweet husband who just doesn't know what to do
anesthesiologist arrives and the horrendous experience of an epidural begins - the first time she stuck the needle in my spine and started "routing around" i could feel everything quite painfully but not as painful as the contractions in my right hip - strange sensation... she says, ok, i'm just going to find a different spot... puts bloody needle on bed beside me which makes shawn queasy - he has to leave room so he doesn't pass out... she does it again and it takes, tells me to lie down... about the time my blood pressure drops to like 70/40 and the baby's heart rate dropped to i don't know what and i start vomiting and feeling like i'm dying and begging someone to help me... they stabilize us and leave us be for a couple of hours... only complaint is that i'm numb from the neck down instead of the waist down.
at a couple of points, they check my cervix for progress... at 3 PM i had made it to a 5... they came back at 5 PM and i was still at a 5, my contractions had pretty much stopped... so Dr. Dominique was called and I was prepped for a c-section
5:30 - enter torturous anesthesiologist again - she gives me the drugs via IV and the nurse makes me drink some stuff that's supposed to keep me from vomiting... they wheel me out and through the halls to the OR... getting queasy, anesthesiologist asks if i get motion sickness alot - no - hmmm - we get into the OR and i start vomiting again - all the stuff that was supposed to keep me from vomiting - all over my cheek and shoulder... lovely
we make it into the room and i make an interesting observation - all of the people working on us are women, not a man in the room... i was very impressed that they could move me from bed to bed with no men... girl power! i digress... so they strap me to the table and all the sudden i can't swallow... FREAKS me out... the anesthesiologist is like, it's ok, you don't need to swallow and i'm like, i can't swallow, i can't swallow! over and over again and then start trying to get free from the table and she's like, ok, here's something to calm you down... thank you!
5:55 - so i just kind of drift in and out of consciencious until shawn comes in... they start cutting and before you know it
6:02 - we hear a baby crying and then we see her... shawn says "i feel like i'm dreaming" and all of the sudden we're parents of the most beautiful baby girl in the world... just like that. crazy how that is.
in case you forgot what she looked like then:
and here she is today:
this is one of those, you have to look at from far away....me trying to be artsy again
3.05.2008
some more pics
I don't have as many as i thought... but here are a few:
Kai with her god parents, Kari and Rob:
One of my favorite things:
Mama likes to try artsy angles, but i just like my hand:
Noli and Kai, 8 days apart:
Kai with her god parents, Kari and Rob:
One of my favorite things:
Mama likes to try artsy angles, but i just like my hand:
Noli and Kai, 8 days apart:
3.02.2008
on the drip
so, i went to the ER Friday night... they were really good about getting us in a room pretty fast so Kai wouldn't be exposed to all the nasties... turns out i had some kind of "oma" which is basically a collection of blood that might have been infected... so they put me on an iv with antibiotics and did some blood work... and sent me home... the pain was significantly better upon leaving the hospital, and i haven't had it since... so i'm assuming i did have an infection... still on antibiotics, going to follow up tomorrow... but things are better... i guess i just assumed it was part of the healing process...
i'll post some more pics of the baby tomorrow - and maybe get around to her birth story sometime this week!
i'll post some more pics of the baby tomorrow - and maybe get around to her birth story sometime this week!
2.29.2008
pain
say a little prayer for me... i've got to go to the hospital tonight because i'm having some pain in my abdomen... the incision is fine, but i could have an infection inside or a hernia. i'm in a lot of pain when i walk, and the pain medicine doesn't help... i'm scared because i don't want to leave the baby and am worried about nursing, so we're waiting until the middle of the night so hopefully the ER won't be as crowded... and i certainly don't want it to be a major ordeal.. i'd like to be healed so i can give 100% to my baby girl!
thanks for all of your kind words and support!
thanks for all of your kind words and support!
2.28.2008
one week already!
Well, baby Kai is one week old today and had a busy first week of life!
She's learned how to eat... been to the doctor's office...had tummy time... gotten her first bath (wasn't too crazy about that one)... had some explosive diapers... and stolen her mommy and daddy's hearts.
Two little glow-worms...
Daddy's little girl
Tummy time closeup
She's learned how to eat... been to the doctor's office...had tummy time... gotten her first bath (wasn't too crazy about that one)... had some explosive diapers... and stolen her mommy and daddy's hearts.
Two little glow-worms...
Daddy's little girl
Tummy time closeup
2.25.2008
can't help myself
i've never known love like this before... she's become my world!
We've been home from the hospital for a full 24 hours now and let's just say that last night was one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult in my life! But thank the good lord for ibuprofen and vicodin and sleep...today's been a dramatic improvement. We are truly blessed to have such a beautiful baby girl!
We've been home from the hospital for a full 24 hours now and let's just say that last night was one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult in my life! But thank the good lord for ibuprofen and vicodin and sleep...today's been a dramatic improvement. We are truly blessed to have such a beautiful baby girl!
2.23.2008
it's official
her birth certificate has been filed:
Kairi Candy Spears
We changed the spelling back to the original even though some might pronounce it wrong... it's still like K + eye + ree...
Kai means ocean in Japanese
ri means village
So her name means ocean village (mama suzy wished she lived in one of those!)
She keeps getting cuter each day... even though she wears us out!
Kairi Candy Spears
We changed the spelling back to the original even though some might pronounce it wrong... it's still like K + eye + ree...
Kai means ocean in Japanese
ri means village
So her name means ocean village (mama suzy wished she lived in one of those!)
She keeps getting cuter each day... even though she wears us out!
2.22.2008
2.19.2008
early voting
hey guys... just a quick plug for the primaries...
if you live in Dallas County, get out and vote for Don Adams - a republican is running against him in the democratic primary for judge... i don't know why he can't find his own court! anyhoo... if you can, get out and vote for Don.... he's great!
www.judgedonadams.com
if you live in Dallas County, get out and vote for Don Adams - a republican is running against him in the democratic primary for judge... i don't know why he can't find his own court! anyhoo... if you can, get out and vote for Don.... he's great!
www.judgedonadams.com
2.18.2008
still no baby...
is it just me, or does it seem like it's been a month since i posted last?
remember i said i had a ton more energy... well, i take that back. Sleeping has become increasingly difficult and well, let's just say i'm uncomfortable pretty much all the time. I can hardly wait for Thursday and each night say a prayer "ok God, I'm ready for her, just bring her!"
So, to keep you guys entertained until we meet our little darling... here are some pictures of the bathroom and nursery... we still need a few finishing touches, but they're both completely functional which is awesome!
Here's the new counter vanity - Shawn used left over bamboo flooring for the blackspash - isn't he creative? Everything else is IKEA except for the sink.
And here's the toilet - Shawn built the window ledge out of bamboo.
And the shower - remember, this room was gutted to the studs over the summer! And you can't see the recessed lights, but they're there.
Our IKEA crib - custom painted with custom bedding. Shawn - paint, Carol (mom) - bumper. Suzanne - color scheme... i wish i could take credit for something. I do want to make a mobile to hang on the wall eventually.
And here's the sweet rocking horse that Shawn's aunt gave us! Excuse the mess on the dresser!
The bassinet that Shawn slept in as a baby - mom made some more custom bedding for it as well - aren't you impressed?
And the last corner of the nursery - the Eames chair will be our rocking chair for now... at least it's nice and comfy!
remember i said i had a ton more energy... well, i take that back. Sleeping has become increasingly difficult and well, let's just say i'm uncomfortable pretty much all the time. I can hardly wait for Thursday and each night say a prayer "ok God, I'm ready for her, just bring her!"
So, to keep you guys entertained until we meet our little darling... here are some pictures of the bathroom and nursery... we still need a few finishing touches, but they're both completely functional which is awesome!
Here's the new counter vanity - Shawn used left over bamboo flooring for the blackspash - isn't he creative? Everything else is IKEA except for the sink.
And here's the toilet - Shawn built the window ledge out of bamboo.
And the shower - remember, this room was gutted to the studs over the summer! And you can't see the recessed lights, but they're there.
Our IKEA crib - custom painted with custom bedding. Shawn - paint, Carol (mom) - bumper. Suzanne - color scheme... i wish i could take credit for something. I do want to make a mobile to hang on the wall eventually.
And here's the sweet rocking horse that Shawn's aunt gave us! Excuse the mess on the dresser!
The bassinet that Shawn slept in as a baby - mom made some more custom bedding for it as well - aren't you impressed?
And the last corner of the nursery - the Eames chair will be our rocking chair for now... at least it's nice and comfy!
2.13.2008
the news you've all been waiting for...
... well, the baby's still in my abdomen... but we do have some news.
Assuming she doesn't make her debut before, I'm going in for an induction on Thursday, the 21st... a day after my birthday (I hope she doesn't resent me for that)!
Of course, I'd be just fine if she came sooner... things are definitely uncomfortable! But it does give me time to get things in order at home... and Shawn time to finish up the bathroom (it's almost done!) And, since I've been home this week, I have a ton more energy and the swelling has gone down and I feel way less stressed... so that's good!
Assuming she doesn't make her debut before, I'm going in for an induction on Thursday, the 21st... a day after my birthday (I hope she doesn't resent me for that)!
Of course, I'd be just fine if she came sooner... things are definitely uncomfortable! But it does give me time to get things in order at home... and Shawn time to finish up the bathroom (it's almost done!) And, since I've been home this week, I have a ton more energy and the swelling has gone down and I feel way less stressed... so that's good!
2.08.2008
february and full term
Sorry it's been so long since an update!
Well, I'm officially over 37 weeks - which means full term and officially on "maternity leave!"
We had our appointment Wednesday, with ultrasound because baby is big... she was weighing in at a whopping 9 pounds! Yes, with three weeks to go. Sooooo... we're going back on Wednesday (the 13th - happy birthday Maria D!) for another ultrasound. If she's 4500 grams (that's 4.5 kilos - or about 10 pounds)... they can induce or schedule a c-section. I've battled with this decision since Wednesday, but will probably take the latter route... we'll just have to see. This is assuming she doesn't make her debut before then - which is also a possibility because I'm already dilated to a 2. Of course, all that means is that i have 8 cm to go.
So... we still haven't settled on a name... but the nursery is pretty much complete (minus a rocking chair/glider, a crib mattress, and some wall decorations)... AND the big news is that Shawn has been working super hard to get the bathroom finished and it looks awesome (even though it's not 100% just yet).
Here are some pics:
Shawn, Eddie and Richard putting up sheetrock in the baby's room
Shawn "changing" his first diaper at our class:
My coworkers and my big belly at our work shower:
Shawn working on the bathroom tile:
Shawn's very proud of his dresser remake (it does look pretty good, doesn't it?)
More to come soon (including bathroom and complete nursery)... keep checking in!
Well, I'm officially over 37 weeks - which means full term and officially on "maternity leave!"
We had our appointment Wednesday, with ultrasound because baby is big... she was weighing in at a whopping 9 pounds! Yes, with three weeks to go. Sooooo... we're going back on Wednesday (the 13th - happy birthday Maria D!) for another ultrasound. If she's 4500 grams (that's 4.5 kilos - or about 10 pounds)... they can induce or schedule a c-section. I've battled with this decision since Wednesday, but will probably take the latter route... we'll just have to see. This is assuming she doesn't make her debut before then - which is also a possibility because I'm already dilated to a 2. Of course, all that means is that i have 8 cm to go.
So... we still haven't settled on a name... but the nursery is pretty much complete (minus a rocking chair/glider, a crib mattress, and some wall decorations)... AND the big news is that Shawn has been working super hard to get the bathroom finished and it looks awesome (even though it's not 100% just yet).
Here are some pics:
Shawn, Eddie and Richard putting up sheetrock in the baby's room
Shawn "changing" his first diaper at our class:
My coworkers and my big belly at our work shower:
Shawn working on the bathroom tile:
Shawn's very proud of his dresser remake (it does look pretty good, doesn't it?)
More to come soon (including bathroom and complete nursery)... keep checking in!
1.09.2008
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