6 Months

6 Months!

Squeals: Katelyn often talks in a very high pitch squeal to communicate these days.  Especially when excited

New Giggles: When she's enjoying an activity and wants you to know she's enjoying it, yet it's not making her truly giggle, she does this little cough/laugh that we believe is her fake laugh :)

Food: She is LOVING her sweet potatoes and not a big fan of peas.  We've been combining it with rice cereal for her to eat it but she is not nearly as excited about them as she is with the sweet potatoes.  She often plays with the spoon after and wants to show us how she can get it to her mouth on her own.

Sleep: It's a toss-up between which nights she'll sleep incredibly well (7am-4am) and when she'll be up every hour (or somewhere in between although it's more often one extreme or the other).

First baby cold: Katelyn has her first baby cold.  Lots of snot and fussiness intertwined with her usual giggles and smiles.

Sitting Up: I'm not quite ready to leave her in the middle of the room sitting on her own as she still needs a spotter but is definitely improving on this skill an learning to balance as she reaches for toys on either side.

Rolling over: We finally have some rolls!  One day, Ty was taking care of her so I could take a nap and she rolled over for him!  She's been doing it here and there ever since.

Reaching: She is now into reaching and propelling her body forward while sitting up to get anything (but especially daddy's phone).  And of course, whatever object she reaches goes immediately into the mouth and waved around.
Busy Girl!: Suddenly this month, she has become a very busy little girl!  Constantly moving (unless she's people watching- she enjoys that too).  If you give her a cup, she will pull it up to her mouth and tip it up to mimic us drinking.  If you give her a spoon, it goes immediately to her mouth.  (well it may hit her cheek on the way but it gets there!)  It's so fun to watch her learn and pick up things we don't realize she's even noticing.

Self-Soothing: Katelyn is learning to soothe herself to sleep by arching her back and rolling somewhat onto her side with both hands up by her face.  Once she's asleep, she's back onto her back with arms spread apart as far as they go.  Silly girl.

5 Months

5 Months

Sleep: This month hasn't had any change in sleep other than waking up a little earlier and no longer sleeping in for mommy on Saturdays but those huge smiles she gives at 6:30 make the early wake-up completely worth it!  And mommy is learning to go to bed earlier to get more rest when needed.

First Word!: Okay, that's a lie but it sure sounded like it!  After her 4 month shots, she let out a very audible "Ooooooow"

Kitties: Katelyn has always been mesmerized by the cats but now she will lunge/throw her body toward them when they're near.  Tyler put her on her feet and she leaned/took steps to get closer.  She loves to run her hands through their fur (we're working on not grabbing a chunk and pulling...)

Food: Just two days ago we tried a little rice cereal  Not sure she's ready for that spoon!  Yesterday she sure seemed proud of herself for swallowing what she could of it.  Big smiles!

Giggle Spurts: Sometimes Katelyn gets in these slap-happy giggle spurts where absolutely everything is funny.  Sometimes I don't even know what brought on the giggles but we welcome them and surely encourage them :)

Road Trips and Friends: We headed down to Indianola Iowa to visit the Thomsons.  Katelyn and Elliana are 6 days apart.  They got along well- this picture was not a setup- they decided hugging was in order.  Ellie's brothers Malachi and Isaiah kept Katelyn laughing and smiling all weekend.  She really loves being around other little people.

Teething?: I'm new at this mom thing so I really don't know.  She's been drooling since she was born and chewing (not sucking) on her hands and anything else since she was in the hospital, however, it seems like things have changed a little bit- seems like more is getting into her mouth and when I bring out the teething rings from the fridge, she loves those.  Could it be just growing up that she can actually get things to her mouth? maybe.  Could it be teething? maybe.  Who knows!  When people ask, I always say "I'll know when the first tooth comes in :)"

Naps: She's finally starting to be able to put herself to sleep for naps.  It takes a quick "snack" of a bottle or nursing and then 10 minutes of "talking" and she's out.  

Mohawk: It was still alive and kicking for most of the month!  Some side hair has begun to grow in and the mohawk is starting to lay down (unless she's just had a bath)

Textures: Katelyn is getting into the feel of different textures.  Every time I try to burp her, she's reaching behind me to touch the couch or chair and just run her hands along it.  While changing her, her hands are on the wall next to her (we have textured walls).  She loves wearing her tutu as the top layer is rough and the bottom layer is smooth.  That thing rarely stays down when she's wearing it.  One of these days I'm going to find her a book that has lots of textures she can feel in it.  

Squeals: In the beginning of the month, Katelyn squealed a lot when she talked.  Now she's less interested in talking and more in humming or giggling.

4 Months!

4 Months Old!

Sitting up:  She now can sit up on our laps unsupported.  She's still a long way from rolling over, but so close to sitting on her own on the floor!

Grabbing:  This little one can now reach for things she wants and can bring them in, hold on to them, and is working on maneuvering them in her hands.  Of course most things get pulled up to her mouth or REALLY close to her face, making her go a little cross-eyed when playing, but she's definitely getting the hang of it!

Hair: No longer is she fuzzy up top, she now has an all-out mohawk.  The part of her head that had originally gone bald after birth (causing what looked like male pattern baldness) has grown back with a vengeance, causing one big streak of hair down the center of her head.  Maybe she's trying to impress Finn?

Sleep:  She has hit the 4 month sleep regression a little early and no longer sleeps through the night but only wakes up 1-2 times so I'm not complaining :)

Naps:  Not much change here- she still protests them (is currently protesting one right now!).  However, once asleep, she now often sleeps for an hour and a half or so at a time and wakes up SO much happier!
Growing as usual: The 3-6 months clothes are all officially packed away and she's wearing 6-9 months
Toes: We have officially found our feet!  She is absolutely enamored by them.  She constantly reaches for them whether she's getting changed for a diaper or in her bumbo.  The other day, when I handed her a toy to play with, she reached over the toy to play with her feet.
Foods:  Not much change here, but since she officially is at grandma daycare for 4 days a week while Ty and I work, she has learned to take bottles really well and every now and then takes a little formula.
Church: Because she's awake more often and goes longer between feedings, she is now letting mommy sit through an entire service without needing to eat.  She loves to watch people worship, take a good snooze, and lately, she sits on our laps watching the pastor, raising her eyebrows, often making little "mm" sounds as if she's taking it all in and truly finding life changes through the sermon.  Once she starts crawling and can fend for herself a little more, she'll be in the nursery with the toddlers, but for now, we enjoy her with us as she's so easily entertained.

3 Months Old!

3 Month Update

This month's accomplishments:

-Hair: Katelyn worked hard to sprout some hair that sticks straight up on the top of her head
-Fuzz-top: The nickname she's accrued because of the above
-Giggles: Katelyn has begun to giggle socially!  Oh do I LOVE that sound!  On Christmas Eve, we got an amazing video of her nonstop giggles with daddy, but it's too large to send (it's on someone else's phone) and she was only wearing a diaper and these days, you can never be too careful what you post on the internet but this video can show you a little of those giggles.

-Plane Rides: Did great on her first plane ride!  (And 2nd, 3rd, and 4th...) to the point where a lady didn't even realize there was a baby with us.  Good job Katelyn!

-Cousins: Katelyn met her 5 cousins (all 3 and under- talk about organized chaos!)
-Sitting up: Okay... not on her own, but she loves to be pulled up by her fingers and often initiates it by pulling her head and abs up a bit to get someone to pull her up.  She also loves to sit up away from my body while I read to her. 
-Sleeping: Through the Night!  In fact, she every once in a while will go 12 hours!

-First Christmas: She celebrated her first Christmas!  She received toys, clothes, and books from both grandmas, aunts, and friends. 
-Books:  Katelyn LOVES book!  Katelyn was awake as we opened her presents and I can't explain to you the excitement she had everytime we opened a book in front of her!  Her little limbs go wild, her breathing speeds up, and she stares intently at the pictures.  In fact, a book from Aunt Krystle about Noah is her favorite.  I think it's because it's a bigger book so it's kinda like imax in books.  The picutres are large and there is a lot of orange, browns, and reds (which we believe are her favorite colors- do babies really have favorites?  Or maybe it's simply as her sight develops, those are the colors that are most vibrant?  Either way- it gets her quite riled up!)  I've learned to not use reading as a bedtime routine yet- it's far too stimulating for her at this age.  Maybe later it'll calm her, but for now, it sure gets her going!

-Boy Trouble: Watch out... Katelyn has her first crush!  Okay so she can't have a crush yet, but as Finn was running down the aisle the other day at church, she quickly turned her head to follow him and she got all excited and even started giggling.  Oh boy...

It's been such a great 3 months!  It's going to be sad when mommy goes back to work this week and doesn't get to spend every minute with our little Fuzztop. 

2 Months

Katelyn is 2 months already! My, is this time zooming by!

Highlights of the past month:

-Giggles in her sleep (see video below)

-Smiles in response to seeing mommy or daddy and when anyone gives her full attention and plays with her

-Growing like a weed!  She is in size 2 diapers and in 3-6 months clothes

-Reflux- we figured out that she has it and are deciding whether to medicate and with what (poor girl!)

-Sleeping SO well!  this month she learned how to self-soothe and can often be put down to sleep without any fussing/crying.  (not always, but often).  She's also consistently sleeping a 5 hour stint at night!  (Once in a while a little more)

-Thanksgiving- had her first Thanksgiving and spent most of it in Uncle Tim's arms

-Daddy time- loving every minute of it!

-Family- Katelyn has spent some time with her Great Grandma Norma

-Youth Events- Katelyn attended her first youth convention (not overnight- my high school girls would not have thanked me for the constant waking, nor would Katelyn have thanked me for the same)

-Pouty Face- (as seen below in collage) Katelyn gives us a warning before she begins crying.  She starts talking and cooing in an upset tone, followed by her famous pouty face.  That little face has us wrapped around her little fingers...

Oh do we love our little Bright Eyes!  

1 Month!

Katelyn is 1 month already!

We'll be posting monthly updates, photos, and videos- specifically to keep our out-of-town family & friends in the loop as Katelyn develops and grows

Some facts about Katelyn:

-Flails in her sleep- often both arms going straight up in the air (a combo of jazz hands/praise Jesus) and they remain in the air until she flails again
-Sleeping about 2.5 hours between feedings at night- sometimes 3-4 hours.
-Waking Katelyn is like... well, waking Tyler.  It takes a Loooong time to wake her and she'll move and open her eyes almost to say, "I'm up, I'm up..." only to fall right back asleep no matter what position she's in.  This is a fun time to watch her flail as with each tummy rub, her arms and legs go everywhere
-Cooing when excited
-Neck Strength is great!  See video below
-Snuggles into people's chests
-Sneezes in the cutest way!  She'll sneeze several times in a row and often in anticipation of another sneeze, she lets out a coosigh in place of a sneeze.  "A-cho, A-cho, A-ahhhh"


Videos Below: #1- a little cooing
                      #2- gaining arm control
                          #3- Gaining neck strength    

Above:  I was able to be a part of a centering pregnancy class- basically meeting with other ladies due around the same time, nurses, and doctors and learning from each other.  The picture of all the babies was at our reunion after we had all had the babies.  Ava is the oldes (left jean dress 8 weeks) and Katelyn was the youngest at 3 weeks in the picture.  I LOVED getting to know these ladies and plan to stay in contact as our children develop and grow older.

Katelyn Grace's Birth Story

It's amazing how God prepares you for what you need exactly when you need it.  For the past few months, Ty and I were really hoping that Katelyn came late so I could get to a certain date with teaching and so that we could take a little get-away to Pierre for a minister/spouses retreat.  Up until the due date, I kept thinking "please Lord, let it not be today" yet when the due date came?  We were raring to go!  Ready for our little one to make an appearance.

We had an awesome weekend celebrating Krystle's birthday and mine.  We had made no real plans as we were hoping baby would come during the weekend so we just were able to relax and enjoy being a family of two for one last bit.

Monday night, I woke up at midnight feeling a little crampy but not thinking much of it.  I then woke up at 3am and my immediate thought was, "Well this is different.  We're going to have a baby today!!"  I had had a contraction and it was pretty painful from the get-go.  I assumed it was way early labor and I would have lots of time before the next one hit and assuming we wouldn't go to the hospital until daytime.  Well, as I closed my eyes to fall back asleep, 3 minutes later, another one hit.  I realized I should probably time them just to be sure how close they are together and sure enough, they kept coming back to back with 3-4 minutes in between and lasting longer than a minute.  They tell you to go to the hospital when your contractions hit 5 minutes apart and lasting a minute long... well we were past that!  So I woke up the hubby and shared with him that I'm pretty sure I'm in labor and that I was going to take a shower and put the last minute things in my bag.  I didn't realize how difficult these little tasks were going to be when contractions were hitting so close together but eventually we were both ready for the hospital.  We headed to the gas station for a little caffeine for the hubby and got to the hospital around 6am.  By this time, contractions were about 2 minutes apart.  We were admitted and found that I was at a 3.5-4.  And let me tell you... Tyler was an absolute rockstar!  He was incredibly helpful and an amazing coach.  At some point, I was at the peak of the pain and very frustrated as I felt like I was fighting my body and Ty was right there helping me and was constantly encouraging me in what I was doing.  I really have no sense of time as I would look at the clock but not really think about what it means or how long it had been.  It's amazing how focused you get on what's at hand and nothing else matters.  Toward the end, I was ready to push but the dr. wasn't there.  Evidently I was not listening to the doctors because I learned later that they had told me I could stop fighting it and go with my body but I was under the impression that since we were waiting on the doctor to get there that I was still supposed to fight it- so I did (as much as I possibly could anyway).  Finally the doctor got there.  After about an hour and a vacuum later, Katelyn Grace was born into the world!  The picture below is Ty and my reactions.  What Tyler was thinking/saying?  "That's our baby girl!!" What came out of my mouth?  "Holy COW she's HUGE!"  

Labor was by far the hardest thing I've done in my life but it was so well worth it!  Tyler's been making a point to brag on me by sharing that I went natural with no drugs, and although I am proud that we did it, the reason I did it was that I had heard that it helps nursing go a lot easier and that recovery for mom is a lot shorter and easier. Both proved to be completely true for us so I'm glad it worked.  (We are totally not against epidurals and know that that's certainly a great option for many!) And because we had mentioned natural when we first went in, the nurses never brought up pain meds and were incredibly encouraging to us to help us acheive our goal.  And truth be told?  I was so focused on each contraction that pain meds never even came across my mind.  Although I'm not looking forward to doing it all over again someday, I know that I would for the joy that comes with our baby girl.

Katelyn Grace born on October 2nd at 11:11am.  7 lbs 15 oz, 20.5inches long, and as sweet as a bug!  We fall in love with her more every day and just love her little quirks and personality already!  

Thank you, Jesus for an efficient and quick labor and even more for a healthy baby girl!  Now we're just settling in as a family at home!