Kendall- 1 month old

My precious Kendall, you are 1 month old! We love you so much and you bring us so much joy!

Here are some things about your 1st month:

*At 2 weeks old you weighed 6 lbs. 13.5 oz. 

*At 1 month you weigh 8 lbs. 8.5oz! Whoa, sister! Talk about a growth spurt!

* You nurse every 2-3 hours during the day (mostly every 2). Your longest stretches at night have been about 4 hours but after that feeding (usually around 1) you wake up every 2-3 hours. You also have a hard time settling back to sleep after  your 2nd and 3rd feeding at night (gas and reflux related I am sure).

*Starting around 3 weeks old you became more fussy and seemed to have gas/reflux issues. During these fussy times you wiggle around and grunt which is usually followed by a toot, burp, or you spit up. 

*You prefer to be held in my arms or in the Ergo baby carrier. I carry you around most of the day. 

*Your sleeping is very inconsistent. You sleep best on your tummy so around 2 weeks old I started laying you on your tummy for naps (on the couch so I could see you). At night we usually start you off in either the swing, pack-and-play, or rock-and-play (we have been trying to see which one helps you sleep better) but by the middle of the night you usually just end of sleeping on me after I nurse you. I try and keep you upright for about 20 minutes after I nurse you because of your reflux. During this time you and I both fall asleep so we usually end up sleeping on the couch the rest of the night with you sleeping on me.

*You wore newborn diapers for the first 3 weeks and then we moved you up to size 1. 

*You wear newborn size clothes. 

*You had your first smile!

First day home! Sissy was so excited to have you home with us. She barely left your side. 

As expected, your brother was very curious about the whole nursing process. Every time I would nurse you he would say see. I jokingly called him my "lactation consultant". 

Daddy had two great helpers put together your new Rock-and-Play.

I can't believe Connor isn't the baby in the family anymore. Your big brother loves you so much. 

Daddy and his helpers got you ready for your first doctor's appointment.

Sissy decorated this window just for you

You had a little bit of jaundice so you did some sun bathing by the beautifully decorated window

Earlier that day your sissy went to Sweet and Sassy to get a haircut and glittery cheeks. She was giving you lots of snuggles and got glitter from her cheeks in your hair, which still remains (you are 7 weeks as I am writing this...I'm busted!).

Your first sponge bath (your umbilical cord didn't fall off till you were 3 weeks old)

Your room is still not complete because your big brother is still sleeping in the crib in his room and Ava's room. The twin bed he will sleep in is currently in your room and so furniture and decorations are not where they should be. These are a few pictures I took of some of the things in your room. The photographer who took your newborn pictures wanted pictures of your room before the photo shoot. The colors in your room are white, shades of pink, and turquoise. 

Sleeping on your tummy for naptime

Your Aunt Alli, Aunt Bri, and Kay Kay drove up to meet you and spend a few days with us. They were such a big help (especially with your brother and sister). 

Gosh, you're just so cute! 

And SO tiny! 

You weren't a big fan of your first real bath

Happy Birthday Kendall!- The Birth Story & Hospital Pictures

Before I get into Kendall's birth story I should back up and explain why I was induced at 37 weeks. My doctor only does 2 sonograms the entire pregnancy (pregnancy confirmation and gender) and I desperately wanted another one before I had Kendall. I mostly wanted to make sure that she was still healthy and growing as she should but I also wanted to confirmation that she was in fact a girl. You never know! (side note-a fellow mom at ava's school was pregnant and expecting a girl right around the same time as me and much to her surprise she had a BOY! They CAN get it wrong at those sonograms!) Anyways, after asking the dr. she said that since Connor was such a huge baby (9lbs. 4 oz and a week early) she agreed to have another sonogram at 36 weeks to check to make sure Kendall wasn't getting too big. Our sonogram revealed that 1) she was a girl (whew!) 2) she was healthy (most important part) and 3)my amniotic fluid levels were just below what they should be. At first the dr. wanted to admit me but after speaking with a high risk obgyn she said that since my fluid levels weren't really low that as long as the baby's heart rate and movement are good then I could go home and come back again in 2 days to have another sonogram and check the fluid levels again. We were so relieved to be going home. We asked Gigi, Mikey's mom, to come in town to watch the kids when we went to our next sonogram and we packed our bags in preparation for having Kendall that day. If my fluid levels were lower then they would have needed to deliver Kendall. The sono showed that they were the same but my dr. wanted to induce at 37 weeks (in just 4 days) to make sure that Kendall would be ok. Even though we weren't expecting to meet her so soon we couldn't have been more excited! We were glad she had a few more days to grow and it gave us some time to process it all and make last minute preparations for our baby girl. So now that takes us to the beginning of the story, Kendall's birthday!

On April 28, 2014 Mikey and I headed out the door around 7:30am to go to the hospital. Gigi, Papa Jim, and Gramielle were all in town to watch the kids while we were gone. We took one last picture as a family of 4 and hugged the kids goodbye. Ava ad Connor gave one last little belly pat to their sister and then we walked out the door. It's such a surreal feeling knowing you are about to meet one of your children for the first time and that when you come back home life will never be the same as it once was. I was both nervous and excited! This moment, this day, these feelings....nothing can match the excitement and anxiousness of meeting your child for the first time. I would relive this day (and Ava and Connor's birth day) over and over again if I could. BEST.DAYS.EVER!!

Once I got settled in, the nurse checked to see how much I had dilated and I was already 3 cm. She said that I probably would have had Kendall that week anyway so that made me feel better about evicting her so soon!

I know that people have their opinions about being induced but I absolutely love it! I feel so much peace knowing that the entire process is being closely monitored and that the nurses and my doctor are there every step of the way making sure that Kendall and I are doing ok. Plus, I prefer as little pain as possible so I like being able to get that epidural as soon as I want it. Speaking of epidural, for some unknown reason epidurals don't seem to work very well on my right side. Just like when I was in labor with Connor, I did feel some pain during my contractions but by the time they were getting more intense it was time to push. I only pushed 3 times! It was my fastest delivery yet.

My precious girl, Kendall Vaughan, was born at 3:34 pm, weighed 6 lbs 8oz., and was 18 1/4 inches long. 

Our initial thoughts were how tiny she was and how much dark hair she had (and how much vernix was all over her!)

She has the same crazy toes as her daddy and sister! I love it!

Holding my girl for the first time. A moment that will forever be etched in my mind. When I held her she stopped crying and I could just hear her tiny little breaths and baby gurgles. She knew I was hers and she was mine. 

 (the hospital has a policy that they don't bathe the babies until they are 6 hours old, it's best for them I suppose, but I didn't mind snuggling with my cheesy baby AT ALL!)

We spent quite a long time in the delivery room afterwards (for no reason really). Kendall nursed well the first time. After about an hour the grandparents brought Ava and Connor up to the hospital to meet their little sister. :) 

Mikey went out to get them and since I didn't know he was going to be videoing I caught them coming in on my phone too. (hopefully I can upload his video sometime soon too)

Ava and Connor were quiet and I could tell a little nervous/excited about meeting Kendall for the first time. Our sweet nurse, Andrea, grabbed our camera and took most of these pictures as they were coming in. She took the ones of Kendall right after she was born too. We didn't ask her to but we were so grateful that she knew how important these moments were for us and for them to be captured.

Connor actually seemed the most curious out of the two. He calls her "Nenall". 

Papa Jim and his 3rd grandbaby

We promised that we would have lollipops for the kids so my dr., Dr. Watkins, brought some to them from her office. They each got to open their Big Sister and Big Brother present from Kendall. 

She's a proud Gigi

Connor, Kendall, and Gramielle

And why is it that the instant I have another baby my little boy looks like he is 5?!

The next couple of days in the hospital were spent holding and getting to know my sweet girl, eating yummy hospital food (no really, it's delicious!), watching too much tv, and getting too little of sleep. 

Ava and Connor came up to visit several times and enjoyed playing by the window with their toys, playing in my moving bed, and talking to their little sister.

This was one of the few times I actually saw her blue eyes open. 

Thank you Cassie for this beautiful wreath you made!! It got lots of compliments. 

Dr. Watkins is one of the doctors that makes you feel like you are her most important patient. She is amazing!

Going home!!! She was too small for the newborn outfit that we picked out for her to wear so luckily I brought the same preemie outfit that Ava wore when we brought her home. I think it's pretty special that both of my girls wore the same outfit coming home. 

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Stay tuned for more pictures of Kendall's 1st month! (hopefully it wont take me till she turns 2 months to get that post completed!!)