Smiley girls

Just wanted to share some pictures of my smiling girls. Kendall has been sharing her precious smile with us several times a day lately and just coos and talks back to us. This isn't the greatest picture of her smiling, but I'll blame that on Scott since he took it :) I should just be grateful that he was up with the girls Saturday morning while I was still in bed and that he actually thought to get the camera out. What a great husband and Daddy! Sometimes, Kendall gets so excited she almost laughs! Of course we think it is super-cute. The other pictures are from Sunday night when we went over to my parents' house to celebrate my Dad's birthday. I can't remember what Avery was cracking up about, but it's rare to get a picture with her smiling this big, so I had to include it.

Avery and her Poppi

blowing bubbles with Daddy

Kendall getting some Mimi time

Happy 2nd Birthday Avery!

Avery is 2!!!

Avery had her 2nd birthday party Saturday night and she had a great time! Scott grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and then we had Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. Avery loved having everyone sing happy birthday to her and she did a great job blowing out her candles. When we sang to her she just looked around at everybody and soaked up all the special attention. She got some really neat gifts (as you can see in the pics) that are still strewn about the living room. Besides the things in the pics she also got a ride-on toy car, books, a CD, a blues clues that plays hide and seek, 2 mr. potato head sets, a big set of foam blocks from Mommy and a little set of play golf clubs from Daddy. Needless to say, I am going to have to reorganize the toys once again, but it is all worth it to see her have a great time and enjoy her special day!

ladybug tent from Memaw and Dedaw

interactive Barney from aunt Sheila and Uncle Doug

puppet from Mimi and Poppi

dress-up trunk from Mimi and Poppi

Avery's 1st Egg Hunt

This year was Avery's 1st year to actually hunt Easter eggs. They had egg hunt at school and then after church Sunday we hid eggs in the front yard for her. Not very fancy, I know, but she had a good time and I don't think she missed the cotmpetition of other kids in the least. Here are a few pics of our Easter.

We have been busy gearing up for Avery's birthday party on Saturday. We are just having a family party here at the house with hamburgers and hot dogs that we'll throw on the grill and an ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins. Ice cream is her favorite dessert-- like mother like daughter!-- and last year that is all she ate at her party. She wouldn't even touch the cake, much less eat it. So I decided ice cream cake was definitely the way to go.

As far as Kendall goes, she is growing and smiling more these days. Her little smiles just melt my heart and she is so sweet and cuddly. I just wish I had more time to sit and hold her. I don't know that the higher doses of meds have really helped her reflux, plus she's been having even more gas and tummy aches lately. Thankfully, she has good days and good moments mixed in with the bad. I just keep reminding myself that this too shall pass. I've also become convinced that God is using her not only to make me a better mother, but also to mold me more in His image. Last night it hit me just how many opportunities I am getting as I care for and raise my girls to practice many of the fruit of the Spirit-- kindness, gentleness, self-control, peace, patience, love and joy. Children truly are a blessing from God!

One month old and Conversations about God

It is hard to believe in a way, but Kendall was one month old this past Tuesday. I took her for her check-up yesterday, and she weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz. That sounds little, but when you consider that she was just over 6 lbs at birth and was 7 lbs two weeks ago, she's doing pretty good! Unfortunately, her reflux isn't getting any better, so they increased her dose of both Zantac and Bethanechol. Since she weighs more now, hopefully a higher dose will help the problem. It's just frustrating to see your baby uncomfortable and in pain, especially when she seems so calm when the reflux and gas aren't acting up. One minute I feel like she's this miserable, colicky-type baby, and the next minute I think she's an angel. Needless to say, we are looking forward to her getting a bit older and hopefully outgrowing her digestive troubles. As much as I never wanted to have a colicky baby, I almost hope that her troubles qualify as that since they say most babies magically outgrow it at 3 months. Thankfully, she is sleeping pretty well at night: she's been getting up around 2:30 and then again at 5:30 to eat and going right back to sleep, but last night she didn't get up until 3:45 and then again right around 7:00. Hopefully that trend will continue! Yesterday Scott and I both got smiles out of her that we think were real ones since she was calm at the time and making eye contact. I am so looking forward to more smiles and coos. I guess I just remember how magical it seemed when Avery started responding to me.

Speaking of Avery, I had the most priceless conversation with her this morning at breakfast. It went like this.
A: Do you like bibles?
Me: Yes, I'm so glad God gave us the Bible to read.
A: God loves you.
Me: And God loves you, so much.
A: God loves Kendall too.
A: God is gonna hold Kendall.
Me: Yes, one day he will.
A: When God gets older.
A: God wears earrings.
Me: You think so?
A: Uh-huh
And then as randomly as it started, the conversation ended and turned to something else. She never ceases to amuse and amaze me, although at this point I could really go for less verbal persistence. She will ask and ask and ask something until you answer her and sometimes keeps asking, especially when I'm occupied with Kendall. Enough negativity-- on to the birthdays! Tomorrow we are celebrating Scott's birthday along with my sister's at my parents' house. And then in a few weeks it will be Miss Avery's turn. So Happy Birthday to my awesome husband that I could never make it without! He is such a wonderful support to me and such an amazing father!

1st time to church

Today was Kendall's 1st Sunday at church. Being the scrapbooker and blogger that I am, I of course had to take some pictures to chronicle the event. Despite having to get up 2 hours early to make sure that everyone was dressed and fed on time, our morning went smoothly and we actually got to church before it started! Like an angel baby, Kendall slept right through church and part of class. She woke up just in time for me to feed her and change her before class was over.

I have to tell a quick story on Avery. One of my friends at church came over to talk to me during class and was complimenting Avery on how adorable and sweet she is. I didn't argue of course. But then she was telling me how her and her husband had been helping in the 2 yr old children's worship this morning and when the other teacher got a bugger out of Avery's nose, she commenced to tell everyone several times that her Mimi (my Mom) got a bugger out of her nose and showed it to her on the kleenex! Isn't it just lovely the things that children say in public! I had to explain to my friend that Avery really hates getting her nose wiped and my Mom had recently done this to help convince Avery that she really does need her nose wiped sometimes so she won't have gross things like that in her nose.
**(Sorry to tell on you Mom, but the story was too good not to share!)

Life goes on

This past week I took Kendall for her 2 week check-up. She weighed 7 lbs even, which means she already gained almost a pound over her birth weight! She still seems so tiny, but I can tell that she is growing and changing already. The doctor put her on some meds for reflux because even though she doesn't spit up a ton, she was showing some classics symptoms of it. They said it would take about a week for the meds to kick in, but I have noticed a difference already in the amount that she spits up and also in the amount of noise she makes at night. She is still pretty noisy, but I guess she is just more comfortable and sleeps a little more soundly now. Minus one bad night this week, she has had a least one 4 or 4 1/2 hour stretch between feedings just about every night I think. I am just praying, but not holding out hope, that she will be like Avery and start sleeping through the night by 7 or 8 weeks. I guess time will tell. We are slowly developing a new routine around the house and starting to get out a little bit and resume our "normal" lives. In fact, this evening my Mom came and stayed with the girls for a couple of hours and Scott and I went on a date to eat at Sundance Square in downtown Ft. Worth. We had a really good time and it was so nice to get out, just the two of us. I think by the time Avery was 2 or 3 weeks old I was out and about like usual, but it's a little bit more complicated with two. I feel like before I know it, Kendall is going to be a couple of months old and I'm going to wonder where it went! Here are a few new pics from the last couple of days.

Kendall sleeping . . .

and sleeping some more (what a life!)
tummy time in their PJ's this morning

Home alone (2 days ago)

I have to preface this by saying that I started this post on Saturday (2 days ago), and I'm just now getting around to finishing it. The best way I can describe life right now is like a pendulum, swinging from feeling like I have it somewhat together to feeling overwhelmed and exhausted the next moment or next day. But I am constantly praying for perspective, patience and energy so that I can enjoy this time in my life that I know I will later look back on with fondness!

playing golf with Daddy in the back yard

My big baby and my itsy-bitsy one

hanging out in big sister's room

Avery sporting her new dress up hat

Today (Saturday) has been my official first day to take care of both my girls by myself. Scott is with his parents and brother all day listening to Dave Ramsey (the Financial peace University guy) at Reunion Arena over in Dallas. I guess it's pretty sad that this is my first day alone with both of them considering that Kendall is almost 2 weeks old now, but having my Mom (and sometimes my Dad) here to help during the day sure was nice. Both of them are actually sleeping right now, which was no easy feat, but it was worth the trouble so I could take a little nap and have some free time. My luck with Avery falling asleep on her own at naptime ran out and we are now down to taking a ride in the car as about the only way to get her to nap. Although, somehow they get her to lie on her nap mat at school and take at least a short nap on school days--Go figure:) So I think I'll stick to the car rides for Avery's nap until Kendall is sleeping through the night or at least not waking up as much so I can nap during the day too. Then we may just have to institute rest time and an earlier bed time. The day has gone pretty smoothly so far, minus some chaos at lunch time. So far Kendall has been a pretty good baby except for the fact that she does have some bouts with gas-how lovely! Luckily, it's usually an on and off fussing/crying sort of thing for no more than an hour or two and not incessant wailing. Thank goodness for Mylicon and thank goodness it brings her relief! Other than that, when she's awake, she is normally content to sit in the bouncy seat watching what's going on or being held by Avery and listening to her talk and sing songs. It has been really fun to see Avery interact with her, even if she does almost poke her eye out ten times a day or crush her when giving her hugs.

Today (Monday) I was with the girls by myself all day, well actually since 8:00 last night, because Scott had to make a trip up to Oklahoma to see some patients. We had a great day and I even managed to get both girls out of the house for a while to enjoy the warm weather at the park. Tomorrow I take Kendall for her 2 week check-up, so I'll have to try and post soon about how much she has grown and also post some new pics.

One week old

Well, it was one week ago today that Miss Kendall entered the world. Here are a few pictures we have taken over the past week.reading a book with my girls the day
we came home from the hospital

Avery loves holding her little sister

hanging out in her crib

rocking with Daddy

In celebration of Kendall's one-week birthday, here's a little account of her birth. We arrived at Baylor-Grapevine hospital around 7:30 AM last Monday. After the nurses got me all set up with monitors, IV, etc. my Dr. broke my water around 9:00 AM. I made slow but steady progress through the morning and then got my epidural around 1:00 PM. By 4:00 I was dilated to a 7 and about 45 minutes later, to a 10. My Dr. made me wait until about 5:40 to push so that Kendall would "labor-down" on her own as much as possible. At 6:01 PM she entered the world, 'sunny side up" with a bump on her head from coming out facing the wrong way. She also had a blister on her hand from sucking it so much in the womb! Crazy!

She has been a pretty easy baby so far, mostly just eating, sleeping, and pooping. She sleeps a lot, but like Avery, has a few periods a day where she is so alert and just seems to be taking it all in. She is nursing well and we have had several nights with a 4-5 hr stretch between feedings, so we can't complain. My Mom has been helping me out during the day, so I've been able to get in some naps as well. Avery is adjusting about as well as can be expected for a 22 month old. She loves to hold Kendall, it's just not always at the most convenient times and she gets upset when it can't happen. As I expected, the hardest part is just trying to meet both my girls physical needs and still get in some quality time with each one. And sadly, the hardest part is yet to come since I haven't spent more than an hour or two alone with both of them so far! I'm not going to promise anything, but I will try my best to continue posting pictures as Kendall grows and changes, and of course pics of my sweet Avery too!

Pictures, pictures

Our new addition--Just minutes after her arrival

proud Mama

Avery- the proud big sister

The "new and improved" Bedicheks

Kendall's all ready to go home

Hope you enjoy the pictures! Understandably, I don't have much time to write now. We are doing pretty good, just trying to get adjusted and to get as much sleep as we can. I'll try to give a little better update in a few days if I can and post some more pictures!

Kendall has arrived!

Last night at 6:01 PM little miss Kendall entered the world! We have been having trouble getting a wireless internet connection in our room, so I am currently sitting in the hall on a little couch writing this post:) And, unfortunately, we forgot to pack the USB cord to download photos from our computer, so those will have to wait until we get home tomorrow--sorry! But she weighs 6 lbs 2 oz and was 18 1/2 inches long. She has quite a bit of brown hair, but not as dark as Avery's. We do think she looks a little like Avery too. Everything went really well with the labor and delivery and we are all doing great! Avery wants to constantly hold her and she says things like, "Look how little she is," and "She's so small". We are looking forward to going home tomorrow and getting all settled in with our new little addition! Check tomorrow evening for pictures!

Avery's room-- finally!

Here are a few pics of Avery's room . . . finally! I guess it was last weekend that "we" hung her mirror and bulletin board, so I decided that I could finally take some pictures. We need some new photos for the frames above her bookcase and some things to hang on her new bulletin board I made, but I guess it's done other than that. Maybe one day I'll get over having a new house with "freshly" painted walls and decide to paint, but I don't see too many home improvement projects in our near future. Avery is still doing great with sleeping in a big bed and has only gotten out of it once . She even stays in there in the morning until we come get her, although I know that will end eventually. We just have to hope that she doesn't ever develop the "jack-in-the-box" syndrome that is so common. Unfortunately, we don't fare as well at naptime. She has learned to keep herself awake by talking and singing to herself, but I guess I should just be grateful that she stays in her bed and I get a break. Ah, the joys of parenthood!

Coming soon . . .

I just got home from a bible study and I'm exhausted from not sleeping well, but I had to post to say that Kendall will be here in a few days! My Dr. told me today that we will induce Monday morning (the 11th), unless I go into labor before that of course. Prayers for an easy labor, safe delivery, and healthy baby would be much appreciated!

Shower for Kendall

My mom, my sister and I with the diaper cake

Pink tutu made by my Mom

the Grandmothers- 'Memaw' and 'Mimi'

My mom, my sister, me, my sister-in-law, my mother-in-law

cute matching dresses for my 2 girls

A week ago Sunday we were blessed to have an awesome baby shower given by the ladies at our church, Southside Church of Christ. My mom and sister, and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were all able to come since we live close to so many family members now, which was really neat. It was a great shower, complete with a huge diaper cake, more yummy desserts than I could manage to stuff my face with, and lots of wonderful gifts. Even Avery got a couple of things--lucky girl! I've finally gotten all the gifts organized and put away, and even made my returns and gift card purchases too. Last week my doctor said I had made a little progress toward the big day-- dilated to 1 cm and 50% effaced. He said he'll check again this week and depending on how much more progress I've made, we might induce Monday the 11th! So in exactly 1 week, I could be holding a baby in my arms! Exciting times!

Game of "Tag"

I was "tagged" by my friend Keri, so I guess I'll play along.
The Rules: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 5 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. or Share the 5 top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list. or Share 5 things you never pictured being in your future when your were 25 years old. Tag a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. The tagees have a choice of which they want to do.

Since I already wrote quite a few random facts about myself when I did the long list of things about me a few months ago, I opted for 5 places I want to see. In no particular order they are:

1. Yellowstone National Park
2. Hawaii
3. Europe-I'd have to do some research to decide exactly where all I would want to go
4. California/Disney World
5. Cruise to Caribbean

I think I only have 3 people on my links that have not been tagged yet since I took so long to do this. So with that said, I "tag" Amy C., Alexis, and Lindsey.

Dominoes, potty seat, naptime and Kendall's room

Sorry for the crazy title, but this post is just filled with a lot of random stuff that I couldn't seem to pull together. Read on and you'll see what I mean.Question: Is there a developmental "phase" that I am unaware of in which kids keep oddly busy by lining things up, or is my child just showing early signs of OCD? Don't get me wrong, I am thoroughly enjoying Avery's new way of playing because it keeps her occupied so I can get more things done, but it just seems a little strange. I was getting ready for game night at church tonight and so I opened up the dominoes for her to play with while I made her dinner, packed the bag, etc. Probably 10 or 15 minutes later she says, "Look, I make my dominoes," and this is what I found. Maybe she's just destined to be the kid at school with the most organized desk, locker, etc.

She has done 2 other new things lately as well. One is that she tinkled and pooped in the potty today, and the other is falling asleep by herself (no patting!) at naptime. She has been showing a lot of interest and curiosity about going to the potty, so several weeks ago we bought her a potty seat, just to try it out. Honestly, I really don't want to deal with the whole potty training thing until Kendall is a couple months old, but it just didn't seem right to tell Avery "No" when she asks to go in the potty. When we first bought the seat, we tried it out for the weekend, but she just didn't quite grasp the whole concept even though she did go tinkle twice in the potty. But today she asked to go poo-poo in the potty, so I got the seat back out. I sat there with her for a little while and what do you know? She may be forcing me to potty train her despite my previous plan! I guess I'll just "go with the flow" and see what happens. And her falling asleep by herself at naptime could not come at a better time! I have been worrying about how in the world I'm going to pat her to sleep at naptime with Kendall around. She has been falling asleep on her own at night since she was little, but naptime has always been a different story. In the beginning it was bouncing in my arms or the bouncy seat, then we changed to rocking, then patting, and now she is FINALLY to a point where she won't cry when I leave the room and will just lay there playing and talking for 20-30 minutes until she falls asleep. I am just crossing my fingers that Kendall's birth won't disrupt the whole thing and cause her to quit taking a nap altogether or something.

Speaking of Kendall, I included a few pics of her room. The only thing we have left to do is hang her curtain. We used the same nursery bedding, but I did get several new things to hang on the walls. Obviously the "K", which I painted myself, is new, and then one of the signs above the rocker that says "Luv ya to the moon and back" I got at Canton, and then the 2 mirrors on either side of her dresser are new too. All we need now is a baby! Any birth date guesses?

Don't look now. . .

. . . because the belly is in full bloom and getting bigger by the minute it seems! I am 36 weeks now and feeling pretty ready for Miss Kendall to make her debut. My doctor did the measurements on the sono last week and estimated that she was a little over 5 lbs at that point. He said we will keep measuring every week and try to keep her in the high 6's or low 7's (lbs. that is) as to avoid a c-section or another forceps delivery. When we got ready to take the belly pics tonight, Avery lifted her shirt up and started running toward Kendall's room requesting that we take a picture of her belly as well. Pretty funny. I just wonder what she'll say, or if she'll even notice, when we bring Kendall home and my belly isn't as big anymore. Who knows with that girl! We never know what she'll say next.

36 weeks

36 weeks bare belly--Getting scary big!

Avery's 21 month belly shot

Ta Da!

Making dinner when I am home alone with Avery is often a challenge (although she is getting better at playing by herself), but last night she stayed very busy. She kept taking her fridge farm and magnets off and lining them up in different places around the kitchen. At one point she said, " Ta Da! I build a sandcastle!" When I complimented her on it and asked if I could take a picture of it she got so excited and was beaming with pride! Not too sure that it resembles a sandcastle at all, but I was thankful for her imagination and"hard work" that allowed me to cook in peace.
As far as our trip to Oklahoma, we did get to see some friends briefly on Sunday, but our trip was cut short because Avery got sick:( She had just come down with a cold and we had heard her cough a few times Sunday morning, but we weren't concerned enough to bring the nebulizer, albuterol and pulmicort along. BIG MISTAKE! By Sunday night, she was wheezing pretty badly and was having a hard time breathing once we put her to bed. She kept waking up about every hour and even threw up once because of all the phlegm--yuck! Needless to say, none of us were getting any sleep, and around 4:30 Scott made the decision to reschedule his patients and to drive us home so we could get Avery started on her breathing treatments. So we packed up and left around 5:30 AM, got back home by 8:30 and spent the rest of the day taking care of Aves and trying to get caught up on sleep. I think after that experience, we'll just bring the nebulizer and medicine along every time-- whether she is sick or not! Sorry Laura and Jeny that we had to skip out on our plans!

Nothing to do?

Could it really be that I have nothing to do at this particular moment in time? I guess the answer is both yes and no, depending on how you define nothing. Avery is napping, I already did my daily bible study, email and blogs are checked, and my house is completely clean thanks to the cleaning lady that came this morning courtesy of my wonderful parents. Of course there are things I could do, like scrapbook, but even that is somewhat checked off for the day since I am going to a scrapbooking "crop" tonight. I have been busy nesting the past week or two and I've almost got everything ready for Kendall. When we put the Christmas decorations back up in the attic, we got down all the baby stuff--swing, bouncer, toys, blankets-- and i have been busy getting it all organized. We even managed to finally hang things in Avery's room and now we just need to do Kendall's. Despite being nervous about learning to juggle caring for 2 small children, I am rapidly approaching that point where you say, "Get this kid outta me!" Although I am not anywhere near the point I reached when Avery was a week late. Speaking of Avery, I thought I would include a few of her latest sayings, some of which come out at the most random times:
"I love God"
"Love you so much Mommy/Daddy/Kendall/baby/Josie/etc."
"This is Boogie" (our nickname for Josie) followed by "boogie, woogie, boogie, woogie"with a dance
"I can do it all by myself!"
"I"m gonna run like a Cheetah!"
"Don't pat me!" (she told her teachers at school this, probably b/c she knew it would make her fall asleep)
"Daddy wrestle? Daddy tackle you?" Do shoulders?" (sit on Scott's shoulders)
And there are an endless array of others since she is constantly talking, but that's all I can think of for now. We are headed to Oklahoma on Sunday with Scott since he has some patients there on Monday. Maybe I'll remember to take a few pictures and I'll actually have something worthwhile to post.