Day 45 - Swaddling

Tonight, we tried swaddling Kaycee. We had determined that Kaycee hated to be swaddled, early in her life.  On one side of the problem, she startles easily and flings her arms around wildly, which wakes her up. On the other side of the problem, she loves to suck on her fist and can't get to it when swaddled.  There is no happy medium. So the result was not swaddling her. 

So we tried again tonight. She didn't like it and she didn't hate it initially. Shortly after falling asleep we start her startle herself and her arms did not go flying, win! However, then she wanted to sooth back to sleep and she couldn't get to her fist, which resulted in her waking up and screaming. Lose lose situation... We need a good solution to get her to sleep longer in the bassinet and eventually the crib. 

My prayer for today is that Kaycee learns to sooth and fall back asleep quickly! 

Day 44 - New Fish Tank

While in Illinois our old fish tank decided to go kaput. Thanks to Adam for keeping our fish, Mr. Echo and Gill, alive! During our shopping trip to Walmart (because Aldi was closed) Anthony and I decided to buy a new fish tank for our poor fishies. 

The 5 gallon tank was $27.99 but the 10 gallon tank was $29.99. Only 2 dollars more! Way too awesome to not get the bigger tank!! So we bought it, and more gravel and fake plants and a tank background. And with a bigger tank, of course you have to have more fish! So we bought 3 more fish to go with Mr. Echo. Now introducing: KT, Mickey and Minnie!!

Kaycee loves to look at the bright colors of our new fish tank! Sometimes Anthony and I spend way too much time watching our fish go round and round! We're excited about our new fish, but Anthony is already itching to add more little fishies to the tank... Someday soon!

My prayer for today is that Kaycee loves and respects animals!

Day 43 - First Day Back To School

Today was my first day back to school. It was really hard. Kaycee spent the day with Nana and did fantastic! She even fell asleep in the bassinet by herself! Momma cried on the way to school. Leaving that little girl is so hard, I'm not sure I can do it for 6 more weeks. 

Momma learned that her class had acted terrible for the sub and that there was much work to be done. Fortunately, today was Junior Achievement day (where Target employees come into the classroom and do activities with the students about careers and their future), so there wasn't any teaching that needed to be done. Little do the students know that tomorrow Mrs. Neal brings down the hammer and intense learning starts. 

Family time was that much sweeter when Daddy got home and our little family could enjoy each other's company for a few minutes before dinner and small group. Kaycee cried through most of small group and all the way home. Perks of having a 6 week old baby at small group I suppose...

(Momma's so happy to be home!)

My prayer for today is that the next 6 weeks goes quickly and Momma's heart makes it through.

Day 42 - First Night in Wisconsin

Today was our first official night back in Wisconsin. One of the furniture rearrangements was moving this huge cushy chair from the basement into our bedroom. The diaper changing station is to the left and the bins full of Kaycee's stuff to the right. I LOVE this chair. It's huge and it's so easy to get comfortable to snuggle Kaycee! I love snuggling that little girl!

One of the very first things that we set up in the house (before we unpacked the car, moved furniture or anything) was the swing. Man, does Kaycee love her swing. There is a mobile with a mirror and hanging monkeys on top, music and it swings several directions. Most of the time, she's as happy as a clam in it! 

Nana (Anthony's mom) is in town for the next two weeks to hang out with Kaycee while I work. We're so thankful and grateful for her.

My prayer for today is that Kaycee is well behaved for Nana and that they develop a special bond!

Day 41 - Move in Day

Today was move back to Wisconsin day. After all the heavy lifting, unpacking the car and rearranging the house we all sat back for an ice cream treat. I should have taken a picture of the mess. It'll take me weeks to get everything sorted and put away... just in time to pack it all back up again to move back to Illinois (permanently!!!).

Day 41 - Last Night at Grama and Grampa's

Today is a bittersweet day. It's our last night at Grama and Grampa's house. These last 6 weeks have been amazing living with Grama and Grampa. I don't know how I would have survived without them. They were such a great help with Kaycee: staying up with me at night, taking her when I got flustered, holding her so I could shower, and answering my desperate questions about being a Momma. I am so thankful for great parents who love my baby so much! 

We had taken all of Kaycee's furniture up to Wisconsin already so she slept in the pack n play that we are leaving at Grama and Grampa's house. This pack n play had a cool attachment that turned it into a bassinet. Anthony and I set it up and she slept well in it! 

We're going to miss Grama and Grampa. :( 

(She's so peaceful when she sleeps)

My prayer for today is that Grama and Grampa are a major part of Kaycee's life, spending quality time with her and attending all her activities! 

Day 40 - Second Clean Up Day

My house (in Wisconsin) was a mess!!! My mom is fantastic and drove up to Wisconsin with me TWICE this week to help me clean it up. On the first day, there wasn't too much cleaning that got done, because we went to snuggle Miriam and show off Kaycee at S.C. Johnson. So, there was a huge mess to clean up today.  My goal was to pick up all the stuff, clean up dishes out of the sink and strainer, get control over the recycling and make room in the bedroom to rearrange furniture and make room for baby stuff. I accomplished most of my goals. Kaycee became fussy and that took a pair of hands away from cleaning, which slowed down the process. Oh well, I suppose I should get used to a messy house... Children have a way of doing that. 

(Kaycee is ready to clean the house!)

My prayer for today is that Kaycee has a servant heart like my Grama! 

Day 39 - Scoop Fest

While I was on maternity leave, I typically ate lunch with Anthony on Thursdays. Then I would go visit Aunt M. and hang out while the boys were napping. Today I had an extended visit with the Carris family! We went to Scoop Fest after picking up Z from school. 

I then convinced my parents, Jonathon and Anthony to go back to Scoop Fest with me later that night. It was too good of a deal to let them miss out! 

My prayer for today is that Kaycee grows up to be a healthy girl, not eating 3 scoops of ice cream in one day (like her Momma).

Day 38 - Sweet Miriam

Today I met Sweet Miriam! She is beautiful! Congrats to Sarah and Mark!! 

My prayer for today is that Kaycee and Miriam grow up to be good friends, loving and serving the Lord! 

Day 37 - Mamma singing

I am starting to figure out my sweet precious little girl.  Every baby is different, and Kaycee's tips and tricks have taken me a while to figure out. What works for Anthony does not necessarily work for me and vice versa. I know that if I hold her close to my body, rock her up and down and sing to her she usually calms down and falls asleep. I hope I don't make her go deaf with my off key and out of tune singing. However, I do cherish those times and I love to do it! 

My prayer for today is that Kaycee grows up to love music and is not embarrassed of her momma singing to her.

Day 36 - Sideways Sleeping

This evening Anthony went to get Kaycee out of the crib after she woke up from her nap. She was crying hysterically and Anthony called me in to show me why... Goofy Girl.

My prayer for today is that Kaycee stays safe in her bed! 

Day 35 - Easter

HAPPY EASTER!

He is Risen!! 

Kaycee's first Easter! She wore a cute little purple dress (that was too big for her) and a yellow flower headband! She was adorable!! 

My prayer for today is that Kaycee comes to know Jesus and appreciates that he died on the cross and rose on the third day! 

Day 34 - Saturday before Easter

Today was BUSY! We started off the day, helping the family prepare the house for Easter. This task includes a lot of cleaning/organizing/relocating of the stuff. It is a task for many hands, that's for sure. I was grateful that we were able to help with the process! 

Then we went to Willow Creek's Easter service. It was a great! Willow Creek's services are a much different experience from Cardinal Drive's services. It's a fantastic change of pace. This year Willow Creek was highlighting the song Amazing Grace and God's grace for us. The pastor told an interesting comparison: God's grace is like a criminal who has been caught in tax fraud and sentenced to three years in prison being taken to the jail by the judge. However, instead of the judge locking the criminal into the cell, he locks himself in the cell and serves the sentence for the criminal. What a powerful picture of God's grace!

Then we went to the Carris house for dinner, Easter egg dying and cookie decorating with the Smarris family! We had a blast! I was bummed to miss Anthony blowing out his first egg (I was feeding Kaycee at the time, which is why there is no picture of this "fabulous" event). But we had a great time! 

Then we came rushing home to spend as much time as possible with Great Grama N and Great Grampa T.  Kaycee met her Great Grandparents for the first time and of course was fussy and crying the whole time. (bummer Kaycee!)

Then we opened presents from Grama N and Grampa T! Kaycee received a ton of clothes, books and other goodies! I'm so excited to start building up Kaycee's library! 

(Anthony found that the boppy pillow is just the right size for him!) 

My prayer for today is that our little family continues to fit perfectly into the Smarris clan and continues to have great life experiences with them! 

My other prayer for today is that Kaycee sees how loved she is by her Great Grandparents! 

Day 33 - Shots

Today was Kaycee's one month check up and she had to get a shot. :( She took it like a champ though!! 

She was already crying when the doctor gave her the shot (because the doc. just finished his exam and she didn't like being pushed and moved around). The doc was wonderful! From start to finish, the shot experience was less than a minute. As soon as I picked Kaycee up she stopped crying.  There was no extra fussing throughout the day and she didn't seem uncomfortable! My baby is a rock star! 

My prayer for today is that all the rest of her doctor's appointments, that include shots, go just as smoothly as this one did!

Day 33 - Meeting the Easter Bunny

Today after getting shots, Kaycee met the Easter Bunny for the first time! She was a perfect cutie the whole time!

Day 32 - Happy ONE MONTH birthday!!

 HAPPY One Month BIRTHDAY KAYCEE!!!

Today Kaycee is One Month old! I can't believe how fast this last month has gone. She is my precious little peanut and I can't imagine life without her. I love her so much! 

This Month:

- Kaycee was born!

- Kaycee learned to nurse.

- Momma learned to nurse.

- Kaycee has started tracking with her eyes.

- Kaycee can hold her head up, on her own, for almost a minute straight.

- Kaycee loves the lights. 

- Kaycee loves Momma's bright yellow sweatshirt.

- Kaycee loves when Daddy plays music. 

- Kaycee started to hate the bassinet. 

- Kaycee went to church! 

- Momma and Daddy are learning to listen to Kaycee's cues. 

- and so much more!

My prayer for today is that Kaycee has another perfect month of life!! 

Day 31 - Go To Sleep Little Kaycee

Kaycee is a funny bean when it comes to going to sleep. If she's wide awake, she tends to have trouble falling asleep. Well this nap time, it was Anthony's turn to put her to sleep! She gave him a run for his money. He pretty much tried everything!! 

(He tried covering her eyes with a stuffed giraffe.)

(He tried rocking her.)

(He tried bouncing her and patting her and swinging her and dancing with her and singing to her and talking to her and so much more!)

My prayer for today is that Kaycee learns to fall asleep in her bassinet, on her own without the assistance from her parents! 

Day 30 - Musician

Kaycee had a screaming fit today, that Momma and Daddy could not quite figure out how to calm her down. We were going slightly insane, until Anthony came up with a genius idea: Music! He brought his guitar into our bedroom, and started to play her a tune. She loved it! She quieted right down and intently stared at him the whole time. He played her a lot of different tunes, including Third Day and Lion King! 

(Anthony rocking out!)

(Kaycee loving music!)

My prayer for today is that Kaycee grows up to love music and is interested in learning an instrument! 

Day 28 - Strong Girl

Today was Sunday and Night Light was at the Smith house. They had breakfast and a pajama party! Kaycee and I missed the memo and didn't wear our jammies. Momma is still not quite comfortable enough to let Kaycee get passed around, so I was a little nervous around all those teenagers. However, Kaycee slept through all of Night Light and woke up towards the end.  So, we left hungry Kaycee with Frama and Aunt M and Anthony and I went on a date.  (oops about the hungry part :/)

Our date was wonderful! We went to Culvers for ice cream. We tried to talk about things other than Kaycee, which proved to be more difficult than we thought. Although, it was a wonderful date and we really appreciated the 45 minute break! 

I promise I fed Kaycee as soon as we got back! Then Frama wanted to see how strong Kaycee really was. So she sat Kaycee up to sit on her own! However, it took several attempts to get her to sit up and snap a picture right away. About a hundred pictures later, we got one without any adult hands in it! 

(Picture without adult hands)

(Picture with adult hands)

My prayer for today is that all of our friends and family understand that this new Momma is nervous about Kaycee being passed around, and will eventually let everyone hold her! 

Day 27 - Lion King

Anthony has had the Circle of Life song stuck in his head for several days...

So, today Anthony and I discussed all the Disney movies that Anthony had seen or had not seen. We pulled out all the VHS tapes of the Disney movies my family owned. We sorted them into two piles: have seen/don't want to see again and haven't seen/have seen and want to see again! The first of the movies to watch was 

Lion King

(Kaycee was napping during today's viewing, but soon she'll be snuggled on the couch with us for Disney movie nights!)

My prayer for today is that Kaycee enjoys family time and continues to want to be a part of it! 

Day 26 - Two Modes

Kaycee has two modes: 

HAPPY 

(Kaycee smiling at Momma after eating)

or

MAD

(Grama swinging/patting Kaycee to get out the tummy bubbles)

My prayer for today is for a fun filled (notice I did NOT say fussy filled) weekend! 

Day 25 - Daddy Exercises

Last night Kaycee must have had the hugest bubble in her tummy. Poor little peanut couldn't get comfortable and calm last night. We tried everything. Daddy even laid her out over his arm to bounce her. It was funny to watch how long he could go, getting an arm workout with her laying there! 

My prayer for today is that we find the ticket to getting rid of tummy bubbles that hurt our little Peanut! 

Day 24 - Meeting Aunt B

Today Aunt B came to visit Kaycee. We're so excited that she got to meet Kaycee, because they live about 3 hours away and we hadn't made it down to visit yet. I can't wait for the rest of the family to meet her! Kaycee snuggled on Aunt B's lap for a long time, while Aunt B, Dad and I visited. It was wonderful! 

( I took a close up of her hands because she looked so peaceful with her hands folded, like that! )

My prayer for today is that Kaycee will use those folded hands to pray to God! 

Day 23 - Beautiful Weather for a Walk

Today was beautiful outside and Kaycee and I took a walk around the block. She slept most of the time, and I enjoyed the beautiful sunshine! 

Thank you Aunt M for the car seat cover and bundle me. They have been a life saver in so many situations! The cover perfect for keeping the sun out of her eyes and for keeping her warm when there is a breeze. The bundle me is perfect for keeping her comfortable and warm when its chilly outside! 

My prayer for today is the Kaycee enjoys the outdoors! Praying that she likes camping, fishing, hiking, etc. 

Day 22 - Happy Bath

The last few times that Anthony has helped out with bath time, Kaycee has screamed her head off. She was acting as if she did not enjoy a bath... That little stinker...

Well today was bath day, and we knew we were not going to have time to do it before bed. (We were going to the Smith house for NCAA championship game, which would end after bed time) So I gave her a bath in the middle of the day. Maybe the water temperature was just right, maybe there were extra things around to distract her visually, maybe she was in a happy mood, maybe there were no gas bubbles... who knows. But, today, she liked the bath!! 

She's a cute little naked Peanut! 

My prayer for today is safe travels to and from Life Group, in Racine, tomorrow!