Snow Day!

My first real snow experience was yesterday as well as Kiley's. I saw snow in CT for the first time in December of 2001, but it was only flurries not enough to play in. Jeremy had gone snow skiing once with some buddies, but they said the snow was not as good as what we got here.

This time the snow stayed and piled up! It snowed almost 5 inches at the farm. Unbelievable! Every where you looked it was white! It was an exhausting day playing outside in the snow all day. I changed clothes several times as I got wet and cold! I just had to see if you could really roll a snowball and it get bigger like in the cartoons. Well, it does work. It was crazy how big and it can get. I made Kiley a snowball and she ate it and loved it.

I was able to get my snow list checked off...I made a snowball, made a snowman, and made a snow angel! I even made a snow chair but it only lasted a few seconds before it cracked and I was on the ground. Jeremy had just stopped recording to take a picture so he missed recording me breaking it. I am torn whether I like snow or sand better. I like the durability of the snow but sand is so much easier to work with! Kiley and I even went for a tube ride pulled behind a four wheeler in the hay field across the street. We had so much full.

Here is a picture collage.

Catching Up

Well it has been over 6 months since I updated the blog so I figured I would update by adding some monthly picture collages.

7 Months8 Months9 Months10 Months11 Months

12 Months1st Birthdays

6 Months

At Kiley's 6 month appointment, she weighed 13 pounds 9 ounces and was 26.25 inches tall. She was still in the 50th percentile for height but dropped to the 18th percentile for her weight. We were told to make sure she doesn't miss any meals and to keep an eye on her weight. I felt like a bad mother at first, but after talking to a few friends I feel better. Not all babies are going to progress the same. The doctor even said she is very healthy and doing fine. Kiley is overall a happy baby. She is starting fuss a bit more, but it may only add up to an hour or two a day. Some days are better than others.

I had a wonderful first Mother's Day. I got some things for my embroidery machine that I had been wanting. We also had some take out Bang Bang shrimp from Bonefish. Jeremy also made me some of his famous chocolate chip cookies. I LOVE them and eat too many of them when he makes them. He also has started saving me some of the cookie dough. Yumm...

Kiley has now figured out that she can get her toes into her mouth. Just one more thing that she puts in there! It amazes me that she tries to put toys twice her size into her mouth. She has sat on her own for a few minutes. She still topples over a few times before she is able to stay in the sitting position, but she is getting better. Kiley is also into textures. She loves scratching on new surfaces.

On Memorial Day weekend, Kiley went on her first boat ride. We went with some friends to Shell Island. Kiley was having so much fun she would not take a nap. Kiley also started her first solids of rice cereal. She lunged at the spoon and then did not know what to do with the cereal in her mouth. It then all came right back out! She was messy once she was finished. I think it was a learning experience for all of us. I can't imagine how much a mess we will have on our hands once we start colored foods! Kiley is now sleeping in her crib in her own bedroom. I think it was harder on Jeremy and me than it was on her. She did fine and slept through the whole night.

Speaking of Kiley being in her crib, sometimes I put her in there when she is fussy and I can't get her to calm down. Her crib bumpers have little fish on them and their fins are made out of tulle like material. Well one day while she was in her crib during her fussy moment, she pulled the fins off two of the fish. Her little fingers fit right through the little holes. She showed me! I have now turned the bumpers around!

She still has no teeth and is not crawling. She does know how to get around by rolling. She is really getting the hang of rolling from back to stomach and from stomach to back. She loves jabbering and does it more and more everyday. Every thing is still going very well.

Kiley Mixed Video - (1 min 42 sec) the end of the video has Kiley eating rice cereal for the first time

5 Months

Kiley is still doing very well. I took my P.E. exam April 25th and am very glad that is over. It will be about 10-12 weeks before I get the results. It was hard studying with Kiley sitting next to me. She is starting to jabber more, and it is so cute. I wanted to play with her instead of study. Check out the video below.

We have discovered that Kiley likes to look out the sliding glass door at the cars driving past. We prop her up on the couch with pillows, and she will stay entertained for about 30 minutes to almost an hour. It is amazing.

Kiley took her first trip to Lakeland to meet her new cousin, Ava, and other family members. However, while in Lakeland we had a tragedy in the family. My cousin died in a scuba diving accident which made the trip a bit more emotional. I think it was a bit much of a trip for Kiley. She really clung to me the whole time. Every time she woke up she was somewhere new with new faces. I am sure she was very overwhelmed. She practically cried every time someone besides me wanted to hold her. We did enjoy spending time with the family though.

Kiley is developing well. She has discovered her toes and likes to play with them. She rolled over from her back to stomach for the first time. Kiley is in a new phase where she likes to stand up or lay down rather than sit up. After my exam we stopped swaddling Kiley, and she has been doing fine sleeping through the night. She still looks like Jeremy, and she is still very healthy.

4 Months

At Kiley's 4 month appointment, she weighed 13 pounds and was 24.5 inches tall. She is right around the 50th percentile for both. The doctor said she is very healthy.

The big news from this past month is that we are now proud owners of a Honda Odyssey minivan. We found a great deal on the van; however, it was in Texas. Kiley and I flew to Texas to pick it up and drive it back. Yes we could have had it shipped, but we were able to visit with our friends. My friend, Ansley, gave birth to her son, Myles, about 2 weeks before Kiley was born. It was a short trip but worth it.

Walking onto the airplane with Kiley, I soon realized I was one of those people who you don't want to sit next to you on the plane. Once I sat down, the man next to me asked to be moved! He said he wanted to give me more room, but I knew he thought Kiley was going to cry the whole time. It was a full flight so he couldn't move. Needless to say, Kiley did not make a peep! I was so proud of her.

The ride back in the van wasn't too bad. Kiley did well for the first 6 hours, and then she was done sitting in her seat. When I stopped to feed her, I would let her play for a few minutes before putting her back in her seat. Every day Kiley is becoming more active. It is so much fun.

3 Months

Kiley weighs about 12.5 pounds (total guess) and is about 23 inches tall. Getting Kiley to take a bottle was not as easy as I thought it would be. The first time I just gave up because she was not having it. The second time it took 45 minutes for her to finally take it. Each time we tried it got better. She does well taking one now. She even held her bottle a few times (more like propped her hand under it, but hey it was on her own!) We don’t give her a bottle all the time, maybe once or twice a week. I still prefer nursing her; to me, it is just easier.

Kiley had been sleeping from about 10pm to 7am. Just the last few weeks, Kiley has been waking up for a 4am feeding. It is not too bad because she does go right back to bed. We think she is going through a growth spurt. I can’t believe how fast she is growing though.

I would say Kiley is most active first thing in the morning. Once she wakes up, I bring her in bed with me and unswaddle her. She immediately stretches. I love watching her stretch. It is like a full body experience for her. You can tell how much she loves that freedom. She smiles so big and laughs and giggles. I love my morning time with her.

Kiley is able to keep herself entertained for quite a while on her activity mat. She kicks her legs and swats at the butterfly and sun that hangs down. She laughs and giggles. It is so cute. She is still not too big on tummy time, but we do it for a bit anyway. She can hold her head up very well now. Kiley is able to hold a rattle in her hand and shake it around. I have added a video of her with the rattle. The first clip is when she first was able to hold the rattle and shake it without losing it. I don't think she really realized what was in her hand. I also thought it was funny because it looked like she was waving to the camera. The second clip you can tell she is examining it more. She tries to eat it too. You will also hear Lost playing in the background of the second clip.

Fsd saaaaaaaaaaaaae//?f=– That was Jeremy let Kiley type a bit. I have also added a collage of pictures taken of Kiley from the last month. The picture of her smiling in the Bumbo was taken March 7th, and the picture of just her face below that picture was taken February 7th. We have a hard time catching Kiley when she is talking with Jeremy or when she is smiling lots. She sees the camera and then becomes fascinated with it and stops everything and just stares at it! We have tried sneak attacks but she must sense something is up because she stops! Thank goodness for the endless pictures you can take with digital cameras!


Nothing too much has changed with Jeremy and me. We started watching Lost. I guess Lost is pretty big at JEI so we trying to catch up. We just finished season 3, and only have a few more seasons before we are caught up. It is a very interesting show.

I ran more like jogged/walked the Seaside Half Marathon (13.1 miles) at the beginning of the month. I didn’t get to train like I wanted to. I only trained for about 3 weeks, and the farthest I jogged was 3 miles. I knew it was going to be a rough race, but I ran in it the last 2 years and I wanted to this year too. I just wanted to finish; I didn’t care about my time. I jogged for 30 minutes and then walked for 10 minutes. That worked fairly well for me. It took me 2 hours and 51 minutes, but I finished! I definitely felt the effects of poor training the next few days.

I still have not gone back to work yet, and not sure when I will full time. I have talked to my boss and I think we have worked out where I can work part time from home. What a blessing. I couldn’t imagine leaving Kiley. Also I am working on starting a small home business selling handmade items and other neat gifts. I am pretty excited about it. Check out my website: Expealidocious.com. Well that is about it for now.

2 Months

At Kiley’s two month check up, she weighed 10 pounds 15.5 ounces and was 22.5 inches tall. Again, her doctor was very pleased with her growth. We have decided it was time to introduce Kiley to a bottle. We will see how that turns out. She is becoming more alert everyday. Kiley is so beautiful and looks still just like Jeremy.

Reprimanded

So my sister called me today and reprimanded me for not keeping up with the blog. Since I am home all day with Kiley and not working, I am supposed to have all the time in the world right! Well for some reason that is not the case. Kiley sleeps very well so it is about 9-9:30am before she wakes up. After feeding her and changing her, it is already 10am. By the time I am done eating breakfast it is 10:30am. The day is almost half over before I am even ready to begin my day!

Here is everything that I TRY to fit into one day… play with Kiley, feed Kiley, study for Professional Engineer (PE) exam, make different craft projects (to eventually sell), train for a half marathon, eat, make lunch and dinner for Jeremy, keep the house clean, keep up with emails and Facebook. When does that leave time for blogging?! Cut back on my list, that is just not me!

Anyway, so here is quick update. Kiley is doing wonderfully. She sleeps about 6-8 hours at night, which is wonderful. Even though she is sleeping well at night, I am still finding myself very tired! Kiley is a very healthy and happy baby and is becoming much more awake and alert every day. It would probably help if I went to bed at 9 when Kiley does, but I am usually not tired because I find myself falling asleep with her around 4 in the afternoon. Kiley still favors Jeremy completely. Jeremy can get her to smile and laugh and coo more than I can. It is so cute.

Kiley went with me a few weeks ago with some our friends to her first movie, Bride Wars. I was surprised that Kiley was awake for most of the movie and did not make a sound. I know it won’t be like that for long. Kiley also likes when we go out for a walk or jog. I think she likes it outside.

Well our little Peanut is waking up and demanding my attention. I will try to do better at keeping this blog updated. Starting from left to right on the top row, the pictures below were taken on January 13, 19, 26 and 24.

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Happy Birthday Jeremy!

Today is Jeremy’s birthday. I put together a memory book for Jeremy with the pictures that Lori took of Kiley; however, it is going to take a few weeks to get here. So thanks to Picasa I was able to make a video that pretty much looks just like the book. Below is a link to the video. Thanks Lori for taking such wonderful pictures. It was hard to pick my favorite because there were so many that I loved. "Kiley's Photo Video"

Side note: After watching the video, I noticed the quality is not good. There is an option to watch it in original size (lower right corner, click on the google logo), but it is kind of small. I will have to see what I can do to fix it.

1 Month

At Kiley’s one month check up, she weighed 8 pounds 13 ounces (45th percentile for her age) and was 21.0 inches tall (50%). Again, her doctor was very pleased with her growth. Our friend, Lori, took some amazing pictures of Kiley. I was so proud of how well Kiley worked with us for the photo shoot. Below are some of the pictures Lori took.

Final Body Shots

So I compiled my side profile pictures showing the progression of my growing belly during the pregnancy. It is pretty neat to see how I progressed along the way. The first picture starts at 4 weeks and pictures were taken every 2 weeks until 38 weeks. The pink and gray flannel pants picture was taken the day after Kiley was born. The last picture was taken 2 weeks after Kiley was born. Overall, I gained 37 pounds. I was 179 pounds the day I had Kiley and three days later I was still 170 pounds! I was sad. I was feeling a bit better when two weeks later I was around 154 pounds. It was frustrating to pick out something to wear. I was too small for my maternity clothes but too big for my pre-pregnancy clothes so I opted for wearing pajamas all day. It was not like I was going anywhere! I have also included a link to my pregnancy album where there are more pictures than what is below. "Pregnancy Pictures"

Week Two

At Kiley's two week check up she weighed 7 pounds and 6 ounces (30th percentile for her age and sex) and was 20.25 inches tall (45%). Her doctor was very pleased with her growth. At her one week check up, her doctor recommended that we do tummy time with her. Kiley was barely wake enough to eat, and we were supposed to have tummy time! We did try tummy time with her a few times this week, and she made us proud. Kiley lifted her head a few times and managed to turn her head from one side to the other. Not much more happened during tummy time other than her kicking her legs. Also, it didn’t take too long for Kiley to get aggregated with tummy time, and Jeremy would rescue her and end tummy time. Below is a Google video of one of her tummy time experiences. Kiley likes to kick her legs!
"Tummy time video"

Week One

Kiley was 6 pounds 4 ounces when we left the hospital. By her one week check up, she was at 6 pounds 5.5 ounces. Her doctor was glad to see she was almost back at her birth weight. She had 2 weeks to get back to her birth weight, but she didn’t waste much time! She sleeps a lot. The day we got home from the hospital everything was going well until that night. I took a shower, and then it was time for Kiley to eat. I didn’t stay clean for long. Kiley threw up on me after she ate, which scared her and me. After we got her calmed down, I was changing her diaper, and she started choking. I immediately picked her up and started patting her back. It wasn’t two seconds later when I felt a warm sensation down my stomach. Kiley pooped on me. Needless to say, I took another shower. I did get pooped on again later in the week. I was changing her diaper and was wiping her bottom when projectile poop shot at me. It got on me and the couch. I quickly learned to keep the diaper up to prevent that from happening. Jeremy and I learned a lot about diapers this week. We managed to go through 3 diapers in one changing. Kiley likes to wait to get a clean diaper before she poops or pees! Nothing much more happened this week. Even though Kiley is sleeping most of the day, I still don’t seem to have much time to get anything around the house done!

Kiley is Here!

When labor actually begins is not always clear. I have decided to start Kiley's birth story from here:

On Wednesday December 3rd, Jeremy and I went for my 38 week check up. Dr. Graham said I was dilated to a “loose” one. She could have stretched me to 2 cm but she didn’t want me to go into labor. Dr. Graham is a big Alabama fan and they made it to the SEC Championship. Graham was having a BIG party and would be out of commission from 4 pm on Saturday to 4 am on Sunday, meaning she was not going to be able to deliver Kiley if I were to go into labor during that time frame. I was then paranoid that I would go into labor and Graham would not be able to deliver me. I told her I was just going to show up at her house if I did go into labor during the game.

Well, my friend Ashley had stopped to visit me Friday December 5th on her way home to Melbourne, FL from Alabama. I asked how long she was going to visit, and she didn’t know. I told her if she would stay until Sunday I would have Kiley then. Jeremy and Ashley laughed at me because they said I could not decide when Kiley was going to come. Saturday night Ashley asked Jeremy and me what the signs of labor and when we were to head to the hospital. We were a little fuzzy on the specifics. Ashley decided to pick up my book “What to Expect when Expecting” off the floor and give us a quick refresher course. Later that night while we all were watching tv, I told Ashley and Jeremy I thought I was having a contraction and that Kiley would be coming the next day. They bought laughed at me again.

It all started Sunday December 7th at 4 am with me waking up thinking that my water had broke. I really wasn’t sure if my water broke because I was not wet nor was the bed. I just figured that I caught the very beginning of my water breaking and made it to the bathroom in time. Since, I wasn’t sure if my water had broken, I decided to get back in bed and time what I thought were contractions. Jeremy woke up at 4:15 am and asked what I was doing holding a light and my running watch. He soon figured I was timing contractions. He knew we were to head to the hospital if my water had broke, but I told him lets go back to bed and wait a bit longer to make sure I was really in labor. Being 4 am, he agreed. However, my contractions were 4 to 5 minutes apart and lasting from 45 seconds to a 1 minute, and I decided to call the hospital. They told me to come in if I thought my water broke, and they could do a test to determine if it did indeed break. If my water broke, they would admit me; if not, they would send me home. I woke up Ashley to let her know we were heading to the hospital and I would call if I was admitted.

By the time we got to the hospital, it was around 6 am. I almost got sick on the ride in the elevator to the evaluation room. I figured it was my nerves; I later found out it was the labor process making me sick. Well, the test was positive that my water did break, and at 6:30, I was dilated to almost 4 cm. As soon as they wheeled me into my room, I felt sick again. The nurse barely got Jeremy a bucket in time for me to get sick. I got sick several times. The nurse gave me Phenergan in my IV, and I got sick 10 minutes later. They tried another medicine but that didn’t help. I was pretty much getting sick with every contraction. Dr. Graham came in to check on me. I told her I didn’t feel well, and she said I didn’t look well! Jeremy later told me that with every contraction my eyes would roll back in my head and my lips with clinch and only my teeth would show. He said it was pretty scary looking. She recommended the nurse give me more medicine, but again it didn’t help. Graham suggested that an epidural may help with the nausea because it could be the pain that was making me sick. I was trying deliver without an epidural. However, I was having a hard time getting through the contractions because I couldn’t determine whether to focus on getting through the pain or not getting sick. I couldn’t do both. If I focused on not getting sick, the pain was really strong, and if I focused on getting through the pain, I got sick. Around 10 am, I was 6 cm dilated and decided to get an epidural hoping it would help with the nausea.

Well, the first epidural was defective. The catheter was not open on the other end so the medicine was not going into my body. The anesthesiologist said he had never had that happen before, and Graham said she had never heard of that happening. Needless to say, he had already taken the needle out so I had to get poked again. Not fun. The second try worked and within 5 minutes I was relaxed enough to sleep. I passed out for about 2 hours, and when I woke up I was dilated to 8 cm.

Shortly after 2 pm, I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. Before I stared pushing my friend, Lori, said that Kiley would be out in seven pushes. I pushed 7 times and within 10-15 minutes Kiley was born at 2:34 pm. Thank you Lori for that blessing! Not sure how people push longer than that! Attention, the rest of this paragraph could be viewed as graphic by some readers! Read at your own risk. The weirdest/awkward/uncomfortable part of the whole thing was when Kiley's head was half out. I wanted her to go back in or just come out! I didn't like the in between feeling.

Jeremy did very well through the labor process. He patted my leg when I was getting my epidural and played with my hair during the pushing phase. I did not yell at him at all! Jeremy did cut the cord. I was impressed. Then again, I don’t think he had much of a choice because Graham just handed him the scissors.

Kiley weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces and was 19.75 inches tall. (Side note: I also don't know how people give birth naturally to babies bigger than Kiley. Congrats to those mothers that have.) We couldn’t believe we were parents. We were so excited and nervous at the same time. We were now responsible for a child. It was kind of scary too. Kiley was finally here, and we were now a family!

Over the Hill!

Half way there!!! Yesterday we had our mid-pregnancy doctor appointment which lasted a lot longer because the baby was not cooperating! The ultrasound tech could not determine the sex of the baby because it was curled up. She had me go pee and thought that would get the baby moving; it didn't! She said she would try again after my appointment with the doctor because there were still some pictures of the baby that she needed to make sure everything was fine but she couldn't get because of the baby being all curled up. Well the third time is a charm! The baby had woke up and started moving more (maybe because the coke and apple juice I drank finally kicked in!). IT'S A GIRL. We have a name picked out..Kiley Nicole. We do have a back up name for a boy, Luke Wesley. The ultrasound showed that so far everything was fine with the baby. Next time I will have to have another ultrasound because the tech couldn't see the heart or the spine. The heart beat was 142 bmp. As of today, Heather is 20 weeks and has gained 11 pounds. Jeremy is holding steady!

Getting Bigger

I am getting bigger, and the picture proves it! I feel huge looking at it. Despite that I am still getting sick, I am gaining weight. I am up to 10 pounds. I will be 19 weeks on July 22nd. My belly still doesn't show much through my clothes, but I do know my clothes are fitting tighter and there are some I can't wear anymore! Becky gave me great tip about using a rubber band around the button through the hole and back on the button to extend my pants. Works very well! The worst part of the day for me is eating. Food still does not sound too appetizing to me. Jeremy made me lunch the other day and by the time he was done making it, I no longer wanted it. I felt terrible. Jeremy has been wonderful in helping me out, trying to make me as comfortable as possible. I try hard not to be one of those crazy pregnant women demanding things and having mood swings. Jeremy says I don't do that but he my just be trying to be nice. He is wonderful to me.

Peanut is not a Peanut Anymore!

Everything went well our last appointment which was yesterday, Monday June 30th. Heather is 16 weeks today. She has gained about 7 pounds and still gets sick occasionally but it is getting better. At our appointment, our doctor tried to sneak a peak at the sex of baby Bracewell, but our baby was not moving much and our doctor couldn't get a good look. She thinks it might be a girl because she didn't see anything protruding but she said not to buy anything pink yet because she is really not sure. Hopefully next time we will get a confirmation on the sex.

Body Shots

Well they are more like belly shots...The pictures were taken every two weeks starting at 4 weeks and ending at 12 weeks. There is a little bit of difference by 12 weeks.

Unknown Fruit

Today, June 4th, was our second doctor appointment at 12 weeks along in the pregnancy. We got to hear the baby's heart rate again. It was 140 bpm. They say the heartbeat can be an indicator of a girl or a boy. A faster heart rate is usually a girl and a slower heart rate is usually a boy. The average fetal heart rate is 140 bpm according to some website. Go figure that didn’t help much! Well only a few more weeks before the sex of Baby Bracewell is determined.

We get weekly email updates about the developing baby. They usually compare the baby to different fruits sometimes foods. Week 9 the baby was compared to a strawberry, week 10 a shrimp, week 11 a large lime, and week 12 it didn’t give a comparison of a fruit. Everyone kept asking what fruit was the baby…unknown? Week 13 it starts again with the fruits; Heather had to look ahead!

Heather has gained about 5 pounds, and Jeremy has gained about 6 pounds, so far. Jeremy asked the doctor if it was okay to take meth to help with his weight control. She gave Jeremy the okay, but Heather is not allowed any. The second time the doctor has met us and now she probably thinks we are some drug addicts. Heather is still not showing much, but she says her clothes are fitting tighter. The morning sickness is starting subside a bit. The last four weeks Heather had nausea just about all day long. Not fun for either of us. Heather’s sense of smell is very heightened. She can smell and ant fart. She sleeps downstairs sometimes because she swears there is a smell upstairs that makes her sick. Jeremy thinks she is just nuts. He can’t smell anything.

After our second visit with our doctor, we really feel comfortable with her. We have heard great things about her from other couples in the area. Several of our friends at church are seeing her as well. We asked about natural childbirth and liked her response. She is not on a time schedule when it comes to delivery. She won’t call for unnecessary procedures just because it 5 O’clock on Friday.

One more week and we are into the second trimester.

Peanut

We had our first appointment yesterday May 7th and everything went well. The doctor says everything looks great. (looks like a peanut)We had an ultrasound and below is the first picture of Baby Bracewell. In case you can't see the peanut, they have labeled the baby so you can't miss it! Abi, Heather's sister's daughter who is three, called us later that night to ask how peanut was. It was so cute. We didn't realize we were going to be able to hear the heartbeat and when we did it was amazing. It made the pregnancy so real. It was so neat seeing and hearing the baby. The heartbeat was 170 bpm, which is normal they say for babies so early in the pregnancy. According to the ultrasound, the computer gave me a due date of December 16^th, which is the date the doctor will be using. We had a really good feeling about the doctor. We are very comfortable with her. We are so excited!