My other "baby"

Keeley is still refusing to allow us to read her book, rock with her, or sing her songs at night. She just wants to get straight in bed. I'm not happy about the fact that she is too big for her nighttime routine!

One month!

Kayden is one month old!!! As you can see from the picture, she is clearly not wanting for food.

Kayden is clearly the second child and is less sheltered from the world. She has already been to several restaurants, a few trips to Mom's, Little Gym a couple of times, IKEA, and grocery shopping. Most of these trips have been from the comfort of her Moby Wrap and she has slept. We know that she will soon not be such a sound sleeper and we will be much more limited on our trips! She is just now starting to have some of that "quiet alert" time all the books talk about. Up until now, she has slept or fussed most of the time. In this quiet alert time, she has enjoyed smiling at Keeley's antics and watching the dogs. She is also, like most babies, fascinated with the fans.

She is a sweet girl with lots of smiles - especially for Keeley. She is sleeping fairly well. If we could only convince her that we would like to be sleeping from 9-midnight and not awake with her, we would all be happy!

Kayden continues to be a bright spot in Keeley's day. Seeing her baby sister is the first thing she wants to do in the morning and after naps. This week, Mom came out to watch Kayden so Keeley and I could go to Little Gym by ourselves. Keeley stared at Kayden's car seat the whole way to the gym and then asked where Kayden was when we got to class. So much for me thinking that Keeley wanted some one on one time with me!

Tough day

Today we had Keeley's 15 month appointment. Kayden, Keeley, and I went by ourselves. In my head, this arrangement was fine. We had an early appointment which meant we wouldn't have to wait and Kayden falls asleep in the car and then stays asleep in her car seat for a good 30 mintues at least once the seat is moved. She does that every day but today. Today, she chose to wake up as soon as we got to the office. So, instead of having one sleeping child and one at the appointment, I had two girls under 2 awake for the appointment.

This wouldn't have been a problem except for two things:
1. Keeley HATES her appointments so she needs lots of attention. She cried and screamed starting the moment the stethoscope came out. When she finally got her shots, the intensity increased and went on for a long time. For so long, in fact, that the nurse came back in and said "do you think this sticker or a lollipop might help her calm down?"

2. Kayden is more alert now and has certainly found her voice. She insists on being held most of the time - or you pay the price of her screaming (I'm not exaggerating. It is screaming and not crying). I've decided this is a blessing because it prevents me from ignoring her. Ignoring her might be easy if she were a quiet, complacent child because Keeley keeps us on our toes. Also, she has been particularly fussy today.

So, what I basically had was two crying/screaming girls. Fortunately, our appointment was early and there were plenty of nurses free to hold Kayden so I could focus on Keeley. Needless to say, the rest of the day was long for everyone. Keeley didn't feel good from her shots or the teeth she is cutting. By the way, the molars are nothing compared to these eye teeth. Anyway, Keeley was pretty uncomfortable and definitely needed Mom. Kayden was uncomfortable and needed Mom. Unfortunately, there is only one Mom and neither of them really understand that. I essentially begged Kelly to come home early. I didn't really need him for me, but because I felt so bad for the girls. When he got home, being the wonderful husband and Dad that he is, he let me leave and run some errands. Keeley cried for 10 minutes after I left. Look at how miserable she is! Drama queen maybe?
When I got home, we played and ate dinner. I was feeding Kayden when Keeley needed to start her bath but I told Kelly I wanted to put her down. I enjoy our nighttime routine and had missed it the night before because I was feeding Kayden. As soon as they got out of the bath, I took Kayden to him and got Keeley ready for bed. I settled into our chair with her and reached for her brush. She began frantically waving her arms, making the ugly face, and saying "eeh, ehhh". So, I put the brush down. Then I picked the book up that we read every single night and got the same reaction. I asked if she just wanted to go to bed and she nodded emphatically and said "ya" with a huge smile on her face. I didn't even get to sing our songs! Where did my baby go?!?!? In fact, where did my babies go?! Kayden is almost a month and Keeley doesn't want to have her nighttime cuddles. Time is going by WAY too fast for me!!

From our walk Monday night...

Keeley wanted to push, not ride in her car.

Kayden in my wrap with the hat that Keeley insisted she wear.

Freckles

We took the girls over to Mom's yesterday afternoon to help Keeley burn off some of her energy in the pool. When she saw Mom, she reached her hands out and said "Oma". Mom was very happy! She and Mom swam played in the pool while I snapped pictures and Kelly watched Kayden.


After playing, Mom gave Keeley a bath. While they were in the bath, Keeley looked at Mom's arm and rubbed it. She looked up at Mom confused when the freckles didn't come off. Then she took Mom's arm and stuck it under the faucet to try to rinse the freckles off! Obviously that didn't work and she quickly went back to playing in the tub.

Daddy's girl for sure

Could you even wonder if this child belongs to Kelly? Look at that face!


P.S. I have no idea why she is so fascinated with everything baby that we got out for Kayden - this chair, her newborn lounger, the swing, her car seat...everything!

Feeding time!

Mom came over the other day so that Kelly and I could have a little bit of a date. This required Kayden to take a bottle so we could actually be kidless for a few hours. When Mom got here in the afternoon (to relieve me...thanks Mom!), we decided to see if she would take a bottle so that I could leave her later without worrying about it. Keeley, of course, needed to help. I'm so proud of Kayden, she took the bottle with me in the room talking to Mom and with all her sister's "help". Here are some of the action shots.

Helping Oma hold the bottle.

Bringing Kayden her pacifier "ba".

Drinking her milk while Kayden takes the bottle from Oma.

Feeding Kayden by herself. Moments later she was taking it away from Kayden....

And the best one! Of course Kayden needs a cold, wet wash cloth on her face while she drinks her milk. Keeley went to the bath tub just to get this and was very deliberate about its position.

I know we aren't even a month into this yet, but Keeley really is doing surprisingly well. Kayden seems to be helped by the reflux medicine. So much so that she even slept 8 hours last night - in a row and quietly! No, I'm not going to count on that every day. However, it was nice and a very needed by everyone. I know I'm technically not supposed to let her go that long yet (the pedi recommended 5-6 hours) but I figured I have more than enough milk so it isn't going to hurt that and she has more than enough chubs right now. Look at those chins!!
When I took her to the doctor on Monday (two days before she turned 3 weeks old) she had already gained 2 pounds. Her weight chart went straight up instead of having a curve to it! Our girls like to eat when they are little. Apparently, that goes away as soon as they start moving though because Keeley eats like a bird now! Kayden is also very much a cuddle bug still.

Blessings times 2

Most of you know that Keeley had a host of issues as an infant. Included in these were reflux and colic. Keeley screamed the majority of the day (all 24 hours...not just the waking part) regardless of what we did. Everything worked a little, nothing worked consistently or for long. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. I did countless hours of reading and talking to people about things to do to help my daughter. Everyone said that it would get better at 3 months. Everyone was wrong. It wasn't until somewhere between 4 and 5 months that the screaming subsided. One month may not sound like a lot to someone that doesn't endure excessive screaming for the majority of the day, but, to me, it felt like an eternity. It didn't matter how many people told me that it would get better, all I could see was crying and screaming lasting until she went to college.

Fortunately for everyone, it did end. It was a gradual process but around 8 months, Keeley turned into a very happy, albeit still high need and intense, child. My "eternity" of crying was really only short season in my life.

When people kept telling me that Kayden would be easier, I felt they were jinxing me. However, she appeared to be easier - until this weekend when the screaming started. I asked my mom if all people's babies cry like mine do and I just don't cope well. She said that other babies cry - mine scream. There is a significant difference in that. We went to the doctor on Monday and got some medicine for reflux. At that point, I thought we might just be dealing with reflux and that would be manageable. However, as the week has progressed, I feel we are dealing with colic as the screaming periods get longer, more inconsolable, and more frequent. Now, I will say, thus far, Kayden does not cry nearly as much as Keeley did. So, we could just be dealing with a fussy baby or a less intense form of colic - either of which would be fine with me.

However, regardless of the intensity and duration, I've started to prepare my mind. This preparation includes plans to shower while Kelly is still home because, as it is, it is 12 and I have still not showered and honestly don't see that happening until Mom comes this afternoon. When I put Kayden down, she screams and that upsets Keeley, and that upsets me....a bad cycle. When Mom is unhappy, everyone is unhappy. I've also planned to get more frozen meals and to accept the fact that Kayden is happiest in the wrap so I will just wear her before the fussing and screaming starts in an attempt to prevent it. I've also started to think of all the blessings in having a colicky/high need baby. For my own mental health, and for those of you that experience this first hand, I have made a list:

1. I get to intimately know my children and form an intense bond with them. Both of them have responded well to being in the Moby Wrap (have I mentioned this as the best invention ever) and that has caused me to wear them probably 8-10 hours a day. When you have a child strapped to you, you get to know them VERY well. I think this is one reason Keeley and I have such a great bond.

2. Losing baby weight will be easier. Kayden already weighs 10 1/2 pounds and Keeley is about 21. Wearing Kayden and carrying Keeley is a lot of weight to carry. That has to help me get rid of some of my baby weight.

3. Advanced vocalization. Keeley started talking early and talks a lot now. I think some of this has to do with the fact that she was so in tune with my conversation for such a HUGE portion of the day for the first year of her life.

4. Pretty heads and happier tummy time. When babies are under 4 months, they have to be worn facing your chest. Wearing all the time means less time in a crib or infant seat which means less time on their backs. This will hopefully mean less flat head possibilities. Being in the wrap makes them want to lift their heads more which should help with tummy time.

5. Creativity. You have to be creative to figure out ways to cope and help your children deal with their discomfort. I'm keeping my mind sharp :-)

6. Exposure to less germs/baby touchers. Because neither of my girls have been terribly content to be in their car seats as infants, I wear them in the sling when I'm out and shopping or running errands. There are few people that are going to put their hands on the baby's head when it is just inches from my mouth and hidden beneath the wrap. Less baby touchers = less germ exposure.

That is my list for now...I will add to it as I think of more things.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

This year Father's Day has been a little tougher than most. This is the first "event" or "holiday" since Daddy died that I am really struggling with. I thought Keeley's birthday or Kayden's birth would be hard - and they were. Today is just proving to be harder.

Dad was such an amazing father and the sweetest "Poppy" to my girls that I could have ever imagined. I say "to my girls" even though Daddy died before Kayden was born. I know that Keeley and Dad had a special bond. Right up until the very end, the last few hours before his death, Daddy recognized Keeley and Keeley was not afraid to go to him. While Kayden and Daddy never met on earth, I know they spent the last part of my pregnancy together in heaven and that he talks to her now. Sometimes, when I catch her staring off at a blank wall, I ask her if she's talking to her Poppy and she just smiles at me - almost a smirk.

I know that Daddy and PawPaw (my grandfather) are smiling down at us today. They have to be. They have to be so proud. As much as I miss them, I am just as equally filled with happiness that my girls have a great Daddy too. This Father's Day, while I miss my Dad, I also get to celebrate that my husband is now the wonderful Daddy that he is - to two beautiful girls. What a Father's Day blessing!

Today, Keeley is 15 months old. Some of the cutest things she does are cover her mouth when she thinks something is funny, walk backwards, and say "ya" with head nodding (yes) or "doh" with arms wildly waving in front of her (no). She is also adorable about asking for help - "elp." The request for help also comes with head nodding. There is a lot of head nodding and arm waving that happens every day as she is becoming more and more independent and willful. (I know...some of you are wondering how that is even possible...).

She also has learned to modify her sign for "more". The sign requires two hands. Sometimes, Keeley has something in her hands and doesn't want to put it down. In these instances, she will use the free hand in the correct hand shape and just tap it to her chest instead of to her other hand. Pretty ingenious if you ask me!

After playing in the yard with Oma and the dogs. She insisted on wearing her hat.


Enjoying the swing we got back out for Kayden. Keeley was NOT a fan of it when she was little and crying all the time. Why she is interested in it now and insisted on having her duck, baby, and puppy (with his sunglasses) in it with her is beyond me. Also, Oma is a softy and let her have her paci...she usually is not allowed to have it but she knows how to tug on those heart strings of Oma's!

Kayden is just 2.5 weeks old and certainly makes us complete. She is developing her own little personality already. She smiles frequently and cries very little. She is a HUGE cuddle bug and is happiest in her moby wrap.

After a bath.

Sweet girl!

Sisterly Love?

Keeley is clearly in love with Kayden. I'm beginning to feel like that love is not reciprocal yet. Kayden will stop eating if Keeley comes to love on her or is too vocal near her. Last night and today, I would almost swear that Kayden pretended to be asleep until Keeley went down. It was literally moments after I walked back into the room with Kayden after putting Keeley down that Kayden woke up and looked around wanting to eat. I guess she prefers her meals to be a little more peaceful than big sister is allowing!

Look how big she's already getting...

Land of the Living

This morning the only person that wanted to nap in my house was me. I decided that, instead of deal with Keeley being clingy while I nursed Kayden non-stop (we are going through a growth spurt), I would try to take Keeley to Little Gym. I figured that the worst thing that could happen is that I decide it was too hard to have two little ones with me and I could leave early.We very quickly got ready and out the door and managed to get there just as everyone was walking into class. Keeley went off to explore (she rarely sits with me on the rainbow mat anymore) and Kayden slept in the Moby Wrap * for the entire class. Class went great. There were some things that I couldn't do with Kayden in the sling but, fortunately, Keeley wasn't interested in doing them either so that was okay.

I feel like I'm now officially ready to say that we have entered the land of the living. I've survived two outings with both girls by myself and both went well. I'm not planning any long outings (like grocery shopping...) but I am encouraged by how well things are going.

* The Moby Wrap is BY FAR the BEST investment we've made since having children. It was the only thing that seemed to work on a somewhat regular basis to calm Keeley down for the months she cried. Keeley enjoyed our cruise to Alaska in the wrap. Toward the end of my pregnancy, Keeley enjoyed some afternoons on my hip in the wrap. Kayden spends much of her days in the wrap now because that way I can have both girls with me instead of Kayden in her crib or lounger while I play with Keeley. I would HIGHLY recommend that every new mom have one!

First Outing

Kayden's first doctor's visit went well. She only got mad when the doctor tried to poke on her tummy when she was hungry. After I fed her a little, she took the tummy pressing much better. The main goal of today was to make sure she gained back her birth weight. She weighed 8 lb 7 oz at birth and was down to 7 lb 10 oz when she was discharged (totally normal).

Today, two weeks from her birth, she weighed in at 9 lb 8 oz. Apparently all her super short feedings are working because that is a great weight gain! Birth weight plus one ounce!

Here are her stats:

9 lb 8 oz (84%)
21 inches (74%)

She is still smaller than Keeley was at this age, but very healthy.

The appointment was quite an experience as my first outing with both the girls. I feel extremely powerful and competent now that I have learned how much I can really do. I can carry two babies, nurse Kayden and feed Keeley...

All went well at the appointment but I will say that it will not be a frequent occurrence that I take both girls out - at least not for scheduled things. I feel like it took 30 minutes to get both diapers changed and get everyone loaded in the car and then 30 minutes to get out of the car and into the doctor's office! That's a lot of time and we didn't even have any blow outs or complications to delay our visit. We'll see how the next outing goes. I think I might try to take them to the bank....I can't stay home all the time or I will go crazy!!

Adjusting to life

Well, Keeley has had a few meltdowns. Friday afternoon she got pretty upset (that was the first day Kelly had been back at work). It is funny because she doesn't get mad at me or at Kayden in particular, she just gets frustrated. She cried for a LONG time. Serious crying where she squatted down and cried with big breaks as she gathered enough air for the next crying spell. At one point, she did get mad at me and stomped off to the computer room saying "dada, dada, dada". She got up here and looked around to realize that Kelly wasn't here. The crying started again. Mom suggested that I let her play in water. That worked like a charm - until she fell off the stool. Oh well. We are bound to have a few rough days!



Overall though, she really, really seems to love Kayden. The first thing she does when she gets home from being gone with one of us or when she gets up from a nap is ask to see the baby. She also shares EVERYTHING with her - even a hat and her favorite book.




Adjusting to life with two is so different that I imagined but we are having so much fun too. It certainly seems less overwhelming to parent the second one than it did the first. We are both less stressed about all the newborn care issues. In fact, the other night Kayden lost her umbilical cord. I don't know when. I called Kelly when I woke up and asked him if he had changed her diaper during the night. When he said no, I told him there was a missing cord because she had it when she went to bed and it was gone now! Gross!

We are trying really hard to make sure that Keeley still has lots of one on one time and I think that is helping her adjustment. Here are some cute pictures of the girls enjoying the weekend.
Today will be my first outing with both the girls where I actually get them out of the car. I have had two trial runs loading them into the car - one to the drive through and one to take the dogs to the vet. We'll see how getting them out of the car goes. Also, it should be interesting to see how Keeley does during Kayden's check-up.

Big Sister

Keeley is obsessed with Kayden. The other day I went in to get her up after her nap and asked her if she wanted to go see Dad or eat lunch. She said "ba" for baby so we went to see Kayden. Kayden will definitely be baby that can nurse through distraction because Keeley frequently spends Kayden's meal times "kissing" and "stroking" her head. Having a child that can nurse during distractions will be a first for me as Keeley wouldn't allow any talking while she nursed. ANY talking. That didn't mean from me, that meant from anyone around. She would pull off and look around until the talking stopped. This made for one very awkward road trip with Dave and Cara when Keeley was 3 months old. We were stopped for close to half an hour on the side of the road in pouring rain while Keeley ate. Four adults sitting in a car silent for 30 minutes while a baby nurses is a bit uncomfortable...

Anyway, Keeley is being a very sweet big sister. She's even trying to teach Kayden the arts of talking on the phone and reading.

Giving her the book and phone

Signing "more" when Kayden doesn't do anything with the gifts Keeley has shared

The phone repositioned by Keeley - as though that would help!

I've been surprised at how well Keeley is adapting to sharing me. I realize this will come in spurts, but for now (in my sleep deprived state) it is nice to not have to fight that battle. Last night we put her down early because we are AGAIN waking up between 4:45 and 5:30 on a regular basis - STUPID teeth. Anyway, after 30 minutes, she just started screaming. I went in there and she just wanted to cuddle. So, I restarted her music and rocked with her in her chair while she calmly cuddled with me. After a few minutes, she started talking. This is usually not a good sign as it means she's getting herself worked up. Last night, however, it seemed she was just talking to herself. It was very cute. She was just practicing her words. She started with "mama" and "dada" and some other common ones. Then she moved on to the ones she is working on right now like "ark" and "walk". She was just quietly repeating them to herself. So very, very cute. After about 30 minutes, I walked to her crib to lay her down. She squeezed my neck, patted my shoulder, and then let go.

Having a newborn and an almost 15 month old makes me really realize how quickly time goes by. I'm trying my absolute best to treasure all these minutes...even then ones that make me want to scream. I know it will not be long before I am looking back wondering how it is that my two babies are already in college. It will be then that I might truly miss the endless cuddling and clinging to my legs....

Week One

Kayden is officially one week old now! She is sweet as sweet can be. She spends a lot of time looking around like she is studying her surroundings - and she does this quietly. It is almost like she realizes there is already a drama queen in the house. Or, she could just be waiting to make her voice heard! ;-) She also really likes to cuddle.

Keeley is handling being a big sister SO much better than I thought she would. She really likes to "help" with Kayden as much as possible. Since I am frequently nursing or changing Kayden, Keeley spends a great deal of every day at my feet or side. Keeley is also very sweet to Kayden; she's always kissing, patting, hugging, or sharing toys with her. It is very cute. Here are some highlights of our girls this week.

Meeting Granddad

Showing off her cowgirl gear

Sweet smiles

Keeley covering up Kayden

Keeley playing at Mom's feet while she feeds Kayden

Changing Kayden's diaper

Hugs for Kayden - look at Kayden's face

Daddy and his girls

Helping Daddy change Kayden's diaper

Stretch Marks and 911

We are all still doing well and I will post more pictures later. Keeley is adapting MUCH better than I anticipated to having a baby sister. She's become quite the "helper" as you will see in the pictures. I just wanted to share two comical (at least I think so in my sleep deprived state...) things that happened today.

1. I realized I have stretch marks IN my belly button!!!! I didn't know that was possible. Bizarre.

2. Keeley loves to play with cell phones and Oma just bought a new one. So, we let Keeley have the old one. She was having a great time with it because it lights up and still works - it just doesn't have an actual number. This morning while Kelly was working on the computer and Keeley was playing in the study, he heard "911 can I help you? Hello? Hello?" He just hung up. I suppose they can't track you down very well if you don't actually have a phone number so no police showed up at our house. The battery has been removed from the phone. Crystal, our children should not be allowed to play together once they can talk. I can't imagine the stunts Keeley and Jackson would plan together....

Beautiful Girl #2

At 6:29 pm on Wednesday, May 28, Kayden Stephanie Culhane entered the world. For all you stats people, she weighed 8 lbs 7.2 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long. That is the exact same length as Keeley was and 3 oz lighter. That 3 oz must make a huge difference because she seems a MILLION times tinier. I suppose this could be because Keeley seems so grown-up now!

Here are some highlights of the event:





Our story if you are interested...it is long but will prevent me from repeating details a million times :-) :

Kelly and I checked into the hospital at 5 am Wednesday morning to have Kayden induced. Everyone said your second labor should go faster. I had high hopes for meeting Kayden by lunch. Unfortunately, she had created quite a swimming pool in me which prevented me from progressing. So, even though I was having contractions 2 minutes apart most of the day, nothing happened until they broke my water. Wednesday was apparently a bad day to be at the L&D ward because there were two code blues, an emergency c-section, and a woman that arrived on an ambulance just about ready to deliver. Needless to say, Kayden and I were a little lower on the priority scale than all those people! My doctor, whom I love, also delivered 4 babies at two different hospitals and had several patients who were being monitored for pre-term labor...all of which delayed meeting my sweet little girl.

Because the anesthesiologist was so busy, my epidural was delayed much longer than I wanted it to be. In the process, the nurse gave me some IV medicine...nubane or something. I only got half the dose but that was all I needed. Drugs are our friends. I quickly fell asleep and slept for a long time!

Finally, at 4:30 (almost 12 hours since we checked in...), the doctor arrived to break my water (a decision that was deemed necessary at 10 that morning). She confirmed that I had a swimming pool that Kayden was enjoying and assured me that things would progress much faster now that she had less room. I asked how much faster and she said that they expect second labors to progress 1 cm an hour. That was NOT what I wanted to hear. I was only at 4cm...I had no desire to spend 6 more hours waiting to meet Kayden!

At 6:15, I called the nurse to tell her I thought it was close. The doctor entered the room and the nurse began to prepare the room for delivery. The actual delivery started about 6:25 and she was here at 6:29. So, I suppose she was even faster than Keeley once she decided to come into the world!

We are all doing quite well - just VERY, very tired. "Sleep when the baby sleeps" only applies to one parent per child. Kelly and I are sneaking naps in while we can. I will update our picasa photo page as we get more pictures.