Three Years Ago Yesterday

Rex and I tied the knot.  So this post is going to have lots and lots of pictures because that was really one of the best days of my life.  Everything went perfectly and Rex and I had a wonderfull time!

This is Rex and his groomsmen after a couple beers at the reception.  We were blessed that his best man was able to make it to the wedding because he is in the Navy and his tour was extended and he got back only 2 days before the wedding!

This is me with two of my good friends and my flower girl after she had changed out of her dress (she is a total tomboy).  We were goofing around after most of the guests had left.  I couldn't find the pictures of it, but we were also line dancing!!!

Our last "dance" with my parents, Rex's mom and sister, and several of our friends to the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black."

My friend, Marie, and I at the reception with the yummy food.  We had bbq pork and beef, scalloped potatoes, corn on the cob, fruit salad, a keg of Bud Light, Mexican Coke (it has the real sugar in it), and a chocolate cake with strawberry filling.

Rex and I before our first dance.  You can't really see them here, but I had the most awesome zebra print ballet flats!!! And yes, Rex is wearing DVS skate shoes, all the groomsmen did too.  And I absolutely adored my dress!!! My wonderful grandma got it for me!!!

Rex (center) with his best man and his best man's little brother.  I love this picture!!! They all look so happy :)

Our first dance.  We chose Rise Against's "Swing Life Away."  We didn't choose your typical wedding music.  We walked down the aisle to Cat Stevens' "How Can I Tell You," and after we were married to George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun." And we were introduced at the reception with ACDC's "Thunderstruck" (Rex chose that one!) At our reception we played lots of classic rock and country.  And that's all my own hair in the picture, no extensions at all!  I kind of wish it was still that long, but it was a pain to take care of.

At the reception with our wedding party.  Our wedding was at a little "country club" in our local mountains.  I use the term loosely because basically it's just a little manmade lake, a baseball diamond, a couple tennis courts, and a frisbee golf course.  Since it was already so pretty up there we used very little for decorations.  Mainly we just used white, pink, and red paper lanterns and a couple garlands of roses on the gazebo.  It was beautiful weather, and we looked out big time because the weekend before it had rained there, and then the next weekend it snowed!!! God was really watching out for us!

Me at the reception with my zebra print hoodie.  We really tried to make our wedding enjoyable.  Both Rex and me are super laid back and we wanted to have our guests feel comfortable and relaxed and not have to worry about which fork to use first, etc.  I think we succeeded. 

Later this week I'll update y'all with how Kylie is doing and more drama with my work situation!!!

I am now...

...a stay at home mom, for a while at least.  It just wasn't working out for me to go to work.  First of all, Kylie only behaved for Rex if I worked only 4-5 hours at a time, and that was still iffy.  And it just wasn't worth it with the cost of gas and all.  Not economical, I guess you would call it.  My hubby is big on both of us working to support our little family, but it was starting to become really stressful for both of us.  He works 10 hour days, and I was working nights so he was getting off of work, going home to a crabby baby, and having to make dinner, etc.  So all of us our much happier with me staying at home.  Rex gets a hot meal every night and a chance to relax, Kylie gets the boob all the time, and I get to stay home with my beautiful baby girl.  Win, win, win.

And tomorrow is Kylie's two month appointment, so poor baby girl gets lots of shots.  And hopefully we will find out that she has gained back some of the weight she lost so mommy and daddy don't have to worry so much about her.

Here is Kylie playing her favorite game with Rex, sticking their tongues out at each other.  This is Rex's perspective:

Going Back to Work = Epic FAIL

So Monday was my first day at work since before Kylie was born.  I didn't work until three in the afternoon, and at four a.m. I already knew that it was going to be a bad day.  Kylie had woken up with a super stuffy nose and was sneezing and coughing.  At six I called and made an appointment for her at 2:15 that day.  I tried to get some chores done around the house and managed to get a shower in before I left.  My hubby didn't want to go to the appoinment alone with Kylie so I drove separately and met him at the doctor's office since it's only five minutes away from my work.

We get there and get called in fairly quickly.  But our panic starts as Kylie is weighed and the scale reads 6 lbs 1 oz.  6 LBS AND ONE FREAKING 1 OZ.  That is 14 oz below her birth weight and she is 7 weeks old now.  Yeah, Rex and I were freaking out because we expected some weight loss since she has been so congested and has been having a little trouble eating, but not that much!  Kylie has grown one inch though since her 2 week appointment so that's good.  And our pedi who we love and was highly recommended by our friends listened to her lungs and checked her ears and said Kylie was fine.  She said not to worry about Kylie's weight, and they will check it again at her 2 month appointment next week.  Ha.  Easier said then done.

After this I still had to go to work, and of course right before we left the doctor's Kylie spit up all over the front of my work shirt.  I gave my goodbyes to Rex and Kylie, and clocked in.  Now I was a little worried since this was the first time they had been alone together for a significant amount of time, but I started relaxing as an hour or so passed and I hadn't gotten any panicked phone calls.  That went to hell on my lunch when I called Rex to see how they were doing.  I could barely hear him over Kylie's screaming, and Rex was freaking out.  Nothing he was doing was calming her down.  She wouldn't take a paci, didn't want to be held or walked around, didn't want to be in her swing, didn't like anything.  And she didn't want to take a bottle from Rex either.  I asked him if he wanted me to come home, but he said he would hold out a little longer, but to come right home after I get off. 

Then at eight I get a call on the work phone, and I immediately know it's Rex because I can STILL hear Kylie screaming in the background.  All he said was, "You need to come home NOW," and then hung up.  So I'm panicking now, I find my manager, and tell her I have an emergency at home.  Luckily, she was totally fine with that and told me to leave right away.  I don't think I have driven so fast in my life.  I get home and rush to the room and there Kylie is, sleeping peacefully in Rex's arms.  Poor girl, tired herself out crying.  I get changed out of my work clothes and pick up Ky to feed her since she had only drunk about an ounce since her doctor's appointment.  She latched on to my boob like it was going out of style, let me tell you.  And after her feeding she was all smiles and funny faces.  

Needless to say, I called off of work Tuesday, since Kylie still didn't take a bottle from Rex that night or the next morning.  It must just be because she's under the weather since she has been fed by Rex a couple times a weeks since she was two weeks old.  I am hoping and praying that she will feel better soon so I can go back to work because we need the mula.  We have until my next shift on Sunday to try to get her to take a bottle from Rex.  But we haven't had much luck yet.  :(

So please pray for our little Ky Bug and Rex, that she gains weight and will eat for Rex!!!

I Believe...

In wet, cold dog noses. Weird, huh? Ever since I was little I loved cold, wet dog noses.

In the beauty of my daughter's smile. Seriously, I could stare at her for days and never tire of her cute as a button face.

In cuddling. One of the best things God gave married couples. And I definitely believe in what cuddling can sometimes lead to ;)

In camping. I love being outdoors with nothing electronic to distract me from the beauty of nature. The crisp, cool air when you first get up in the morning. The color of the turning leaves in the fall. And hot dogs always taste better when roasted over a camp fire. And s'mores? Don't even get me started!!! I could eat them for days.

In books. Want to get rid of me for a couple hours? Give me a good romance and y'all won't hear a peep out of me.

Thanks to Exploits of a Military Mama for the I Believe... posts.

Ugh...

I absolutely hate being sick.  I usually get sick about once a month, but pregnancy must have agreed with me because I haven't had a cold or anything for 10 months.  But alas, it was too good to last now that the bun is out of the oven.  Since I missed Wordless Wednesday, I think No Thoughts Thursday sounds good because I don't think I'm capable of any rational thoughts at the moment.  Excuse me as I go curl up in bed with my chihuahuas now.

So here are the many faces of Kylie...

I Took The Plunge

And I bought some cloth diapers!!! I'm only starting out with two, I figure if I like them I will just start buying  a couple with every paycheck.  I have been hemming and hawing over buying some, till my husband was like, "Just buy some damn diapers!"  So I did :)  And it helps that I found some on sale too.  I bought two FuzziBunz perfect size diapers in Small.  I figured I would try the small size right now instead of the one size because Kylie is still so little, about 8 1/2 pounds and she has a tiny waist and long, skinny legs.   I got one in aqua and one in pink.  They were only $14.95 each for brand new ones!  They have tons of colors too.  I got them from the online store Angel Bunz and the link goes directly too the Fuzzibunz Perfect Size diapers.  I think they also had some BumGenius and GroVia one size diapers on sale as well.

Rex has decided that we need to get a big screen tv because Kylie absolutely loves them!!!  Everywhere we go that has a tv, her little eyes are just glued to it.  Over the weekend we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and she and daddy watched football together the whole time.  And good luck trying to get Kylie to look at you if there is a tv in the room.  Even if you face her away from the tv she cranes her neck as far as she can in attempt to look at whatever is on.   

Last night Rex and I got some mommy and daddy time.  My dad babysat Kylie for us, though he was a little nervous about it since my mom was at bible study.  But he did great and Kylie behaved for him luckily.  Rex and I aren't very exciting though.  We picked up some drinks from Sonic and then walked around the mall and window shopped.  It was nice to get out of the house without having to worry about lugging around a diaper bag and a stroller though.  I missed Kylie the whole hour and a half we were gone, and even though Rex won't admit it, he did too.

And finally I can't leave you without a picture of my Ky Bug :) but ignore

the pile of laundry in the background, I'll put it away today, I swear!

My Weekend

was wonderful!!! Sorry I  haven't posted in a whole week (gasp!), but me and the fam have been busy, busy, busy.  On Friday, Rex, Kylie, our four chihuahuas, and I headed up to my grandma's cabin up in the mountains.  The weather was so nice up there, a whole lot cooler than the desert heat.  Our chihuahuas spent most of their time napping in the sun in front of the sliding glass door.  Rex and I finished watching the second season of True Blood and played a four hour game of Monopoly (it was the first time I have actually finished that darn game).  Each morning we went for a walk around the block with Kylie and the chihuahuas.  On Sunday we went for a walk around the lake, which Kylie thoroughly enjoyed in her Moby and was the center of attention with all of the old ladies around :)  So in short, our weekend was utterly delightful.

Rex taking a nap and Kylie hamming it up!

It is amazing how fast Kylie is growing!!!  She is now starting to make all her little vowel sounds, her favorite is "oohhh," and she loves making faces at Rex.  She loves it when he props her up on his chest and then copies his facial expressions.  She has perfected sticking her tongue out at him, and it is seriously the most adorable thing ever!  Kylie has started this annoying habit during her 4 am feeding (I knew the 8 hour nights wouldn't last).  After she is done feeding and I set her down on the changing table, she starts screeching at the top of her lungs.  That's right, SCREECHING.  Loud enough to wake the whole house and scare the chihuahuas half to death.  And she only does it at that feeding too, but hopefully she grows out of that soon.

I can hear Kylie starting to fuss now so I have to go...but I'm going to try to set up mobile blogging this week so I can start posting more even when I'm out and about.

Smiles

Kylie smiled at me for the first time the other day!!! It was around five o'clock in the morning when we finished her feeding, burping, and diaper change, and I had just put her back in her crib and in her SwaddleMe when she looks up at me and gives me this big ol' grin.  I think my heart melted into a huge puddle right then and there!  Now she has been a lot more smiley for Rex and me.  Every morning when I undo her SwaddleMe, she stretches really, really big and looks up and smiles at me.  I was able to finally get a picture of one too :)  and I will try to get a video as well just because she is so darn cute when she does this.

I didn't think it would be possible to love someone this much.  Loving my little girl is so different than anything else.  I love my husband with all of my heart, but for some reason having this little person so completely dependent on me is more than I ever could imagined. 

I love how she

...looks at me when I come into the room
...snorts when she cries
...head butts me when she is hungry
...loves getting her diaper changed so she can stare out the window
...cuddles close after a feeding
...loves going on walks so she can look around at this big, big world
...how she always quiets down for Rex no matter how hard she was crying

I could go on for days!!!

On the cloth diaper front,  I found an awesome blog with tons of information!!! This lady seriously thought of everything, from costs to how to fold the prefold cloth diapers.  It's wonderful and has helped me get this much closer to cloth diaper Kylie.  The site is The Eco-Friendly Family, and it not only covers cloth diapering, but everything green.

I'm a Baby Wearing Mama

I think one of my favorite baby shower gifts was my Moby Wrap.  It has saved my sanity too many times to count this past month.  Kylie sleeps beautifully during the night, but only takes maybe two to three short naps during the day.  Also, she will not take the naps in her crib or swing, only in Mommy and Daddy's arms.  She will have her happy moments when we do tummy time or she is eating, but the rest of the day she will just fuss and fuss and fuss.  Unfortuneatley, this makes it quite hard for Mommy to get anything done.  In comes the Moby Wrap.  I plop her in that, and she quiets right down and just chills.  It took me a couple of times to get used to using it, but now I'm  hooked.  Kylie already likes to be put in facing out so she can see whats going on around her. 

I have been considering switching to cloth diapering.  I like that although the initial cost is more, the diapers can last until potty training.  Plus, they are much cuter and seem to be better for babies with sensitive skin.  Does anyone cloth diaper?  If so, please share your thoughts on it.  I have gotten a lot of info so far from Sally on her blog Exploits of a Military Mama.  I am still a little unsure of how you use the liners and soakers, so I still have more research to do before I buy any!!!

And speaking of diapers, they don't always hold what they are supposed to hold.  Just ask my hubby.  The other night he was holding Kylie as he was watching TV, and she had a ginormous poop!!! It was one of those explosively loud ones.  Since he is still a chicken about such things, I scooped her up and went to change her diaper.  Well, there was poop everywhere!!!  It filled up the whole diaper, and soaked through her onesie and her pants.  At this point I look over at Rex and ask him if he has anything on his shirt.   He still hasn't quite caught onto where I am taking this, until he looks down and sees poop juice on the front of his shirt!!!  Needless to say, Daddy and Kylie both got baths that night!!!

One Month Old!!!

Kylie is one month old today!!!  She can lift her head during tummy time, support her head when she is being held, almost smile (it's more like a smirk right now),can focus on faces, follow movement and sounds, and is sleeping anywhere from 5 -8 hours at a time at night!  She always knows when Mama comes into the room too :)

I can't believe it, how did the last four weeks go by so fast?  I admit, the first week was possibly the most difficult time of my life so far.  Rex and I had absolutely no idea what we were doing.  Neither of us and been around any age of baby for about twelve years, and I never babysat as a teenager.  All of a sudden here we are with a tiny little person that is completely dependent on us.  Scary. As. Hell.  Plus we were having some major issues with breastfeeding.  We left the hospital with Kylie eating with an SNS (Supplemental Nutrition System) on my finger because of a latch issue.  At the hospital if she latched on correctly she wouldn't nurse, but if she was nursing, she wasn't latching on correctly.  Ugh.  And it turned out that I had a low milk supply which was also making it harder for us to nurse.  So when Kylie would latch correctly and try to nurse, she wasn't getting any milk and would pitch a fit.  So the lactation consultants had me use the SNS wtih breastfeeding instead of with my finger.  And they also had me use a nipple shield to help Kylie latch on correctly, but I am still trying to wean her off that damn thing!!!

SNS

Within the first week and a half we met with a lactation consultant at the hospital about four times partly to check Kylie's weight to make sure she wasn't losing too much.  It was not what I imagined breastfeeding to be at all though.  I couldn't just plop Kylie at my boob to nurse, no I had to fill up the SNS with pumped breastmilk or formula, and use the nipple shield.  And Kylie tends to flail around a lot in the beginning of the feeding and would knock the nipple shield off or pull the SNS tube out of her mouth getting milk EVERYWHERE.  I also had to pump for about 10-15 minutes after each feeding to boost my supply.  So the first week saw a lot of crying from Kylie and me, a whole lot.  Rex and I did give in a couple of times and give Kylie a bottle (Breast Flow by The First Years, they're great because they're made to work like breastfeeding). 

Breastflow Bottle

But I am so glad I stuck with breastfeeding because both Kylie and I enjoy the closeness it allows us.  So if you are having a tough time breastfeeding, don't give up!!! Just set short term goals for yourself.  Even if it's something as simple as, "I will breastfeed for one more day," do it!!!