A few milestones

• Kinsley's first laugh was on Saturday July 17th! Philip was playing with her and she let out her first chuckle...I mean, it was a full-on, hearty laugh. And of course, I cried...it was just one of those "firsts" that you as a parent are glad you are there for. And I didn't have my camera, so instead here is a sweet pic of baby girl and her daddy...the first one to make her laugh...really, really laugh.

• At her 4-month doctors appt, she was 12 lbs 11.2 oz...she jumped from the 3rd percentile for height and weight to the 25th percentile in both height and weight...that's starting out a 5 lb preemie...and on the "regular" growth charts!!!

• We have officially moved on from the orange pacifiers from the hospital, to what I like to refer to as "big girl paci's" ... different product, same magical effect... :)

• Also equally as adorable? The fact that she tends to fall asleep sucking her fingers / hand from time to time. I give you, exhibit A:

• Kinsley also tried out some of her bouncy toys around the house for the first time this past week, and it seems like she likes them - so far!

And notice the hand in the mouth below?

This may be yet another milestone-in-the-making...I believe that we are now officially "teething"...ohhh boy.

Tummy time...

#18 on the Top 20 Baby (Girl) Names for 2010...

...is Kinsley.

Here's the list below...it should be interesting to see how many kids in Kinsley's class when she starts school will have these names...we already know a #8, #12, and #15! :)

Welcome Tenley, Harper, Castiel and Bentley: The Hottest Baby Names of 2010

by The Name Lady (Subscribe to The Name Lady's posts) Jul 13th 2010 11:52AM

To answer that question, BabyNameWizard.com tracked the names that hundreds of thousands of name-searching parents looked for most. They've given us an exclusive peek at the hottest names of 2010 so far -- the names that rose the fastest from a year ago. The fast risers might not be common now, but we're likely to hear more from them in the years to come.

The #1 fastest rising girl's name is Tenley, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Kinley, Tinsley and Kinsley also made the top 20. Together, they point to a signature sound for the year's baby girls. Also keep an eye out for Everly, which placed two different spellings in the top 20.

For boys, the country's love affair with "-n" names is set to continue. More than half of the hottest rising boy's names end in that super-popular letter. Look for a fresh crop of surname names, too, especially luxurious ones like Sterling, St. John and Bentley.

The top 20 fastest rising girl's names are below.

FASTEST-RISING GIRL'S NAMES
1. Tenley
2. Harper
3. Everleigh
4. Martina
5. Sookie
6. Navi
7. Charlotte
8. Eloise
9. Lorelai
10. Ursula
11. Briella
12. Kinley
13. Tinsley
14. Mhairi
15. Leighton
16. Maelle
17. Ever
18. Kinsley
19. Lux
20. Everly

Trip to SC / GA / FL

What a whirlwind it was last week...10 days on the road, starting in Charleston for the 4th of July weekend with Philip's family...then staying over in Savannah with Kristy, Christian, Mark, and Kelly and seeing Kelli and Raymonds new place there as well...then off to Amelia Island to stay with Jennifer and John in the days leading up to Jenny and Casey's wedding in Jekyll Island...whew. See what I mean? It was a lot of driving, a lot of cities & states, and all totally worth it! Kinsley did great...we were constantly unpacking and packing and off to someplace new, but she was a champ. I have always heard that if you want your child to get used to doing something, do it early. So far, she is proving to be a great traveler. We are just sure to keep somewhat of her routine the entire time...making time for daily naps, bathtime, and consistent bedtime..and she even slept through the night every single night on the road. So lesson #1: keep to a routine. Here are some other things that we learned along the way:

• Leave for a car trip right after finishing a bottle.
• Baby = LOTS of stuff to pack, but we used every single bit of it!
• I have never loved our Honda Pilot more...great car.
• Add 1.5 - 2 hours to any trip over 4 hours. Period.
• Never underestimate this winning combination: Mylicon drops + paci = silence.
• When that doesn't work, feeding baby a bottle while in the carseat works wonders.
• Kinsley loves her Sleep Sheep in her crib, so thought we would try it in her car seat...worked fabulously!
• While traveling, Cracker Barrel is one of our favorite spots to stop, eat, (shop), and let everyone, esp. Kinsley, stretch...it was our favorite place pre-baby, and still is post-baby.
• Speaking of places to eat: it's amazing to me that some restaurants do not have changing tables in the bathroom...seriously...changing tables in all public restrooms should be "code."

Anyway, here are some photos of our recent adventure!

Playtime before the trip to Charleston.

Ready for her first long car ride!

Pooltime!

Mary and Aunt Ann with the twins, Philip blowing up a float, Kinsley just a swinging away by the pool!

This is how Kinsley spent most of her time at the pool, swinging under the shade by the ocean (and fan) breeze. Ahhhhhh.

Mommy and Kins

First time in her new float in the pool...it was suprisingly cool water, and caught her a little off guard...look at that face!

All 3 of us in the water!

Daddy and Kinsley taking a break from the fun.

Phil feeding Kins, getting ready to leave for July 4th festvities.

Family photo on the 4th!

A new favorite piece of jewelry! So special.

After bathtime

Getting ready for bed after the 4th

Out at the marina before dinner

So sleepy

All the little ones together...Kinsley and her cousins: Julian, Lilly, and Alex

Mary & Tom and all 4 grandkids

Stanford family shot! All together!

Kinsley with Kelly and David

The 3 Stanford girls!

In Savannah with Kristy and Kelly (and her baby boy on the way)!

Our favorite family pic...at least it's near the beach...maybe we'll get some photos on the beach during next month's trip.

Me and Jennifer

Up close

That is one fully-loaded stroller!!!

All tuckered out

Me and the beautiful bride!

Would you just look at those cheeks!

Just before the wedding ceremony

Family pic at the reception...nearing the end of our trip, heading home the following morning.

And then finally, home sweet home.

Kinsley's Nursery...Finally Finished

Yes, I realize that this is 4 months late, but I finally got around to "finalizing" Kinsley's nursery and taking some photos of everything, and I wanted to post them to the blog so I would have record of them...you know, for someday...when she wants to look back and read this blog and see what her very first bedroom looked like. Cause someday I am also going to get this blog printed and bound in a book for her...yes, some...day...

And not to make excuses, but when your baby arrives a little earlier than you anticipated, you finalize the nursery after her arrival...not before the baby arrives, as would be expected. So, without further adieu, I give you, my favorite room in our house...

Her crib...I took this photo before Kinsley arrived...this crib pattern set the color tone for the entire room...pink, white, and gray. A "prettier" photo than what it normally looks like these days...with the nicer bumper back then, now removed and replaced with a pink "breathable bumper"...not as eye-catching, but definitely safer. My advice to new moms? Don't splurge on a bumper.

Also missing from this photo: burp clothes on the railing, the wedge under the mattress tilting it on a slight incline because of her acid reflux, the Fisher Price rainforest toy hanging on the side of the crib, the Sleep Sheep in the corner (a Kinsley favorite), and the camera monitor on the wall so we can watch her every move...I could NOT live without that camera monitor!

A beautiful painting that we received at Kinsley's belated work baby shower...see, the baby shower was supposed to be back on March 14th, 5 weeks before my due date...Kinsley, eager little thing, arrived early on March 11th. Hence the word "belated." But I am looooving the way the painting looks on her wall! Thank you, Tera! (eyeheartorange.etsy.com).

So many great things about this photo... 1. this is the bed that I used to sleep in when I was in middle school, and it will now be Kinsley's when she starts sleeping in her "big girl bed." 2. because of Kinsley being a preemie and us so heavily depending on the Angel Care monitor under her mattress, I slept in the nursery with her, Kinsley in her crib and me on this bed, for the first 2 months we were home...I remember many a sleepless nights in this room. 3. The print on the wall says: "The first man a girl falls in love with is her daddy"...so true, and her daddy is definitely head over heels for her. 4. The rocking chair is an old glider that belonged to Philip's grandmother who passed away a few years ago...Mary had it recovered for us and it is one of my favorite pieces of furniture that we now own. I already have so many memories of rocking, feeding, and singing to Kinsley in this chair...I love it.

A sweet gift from my friend Leigh...Kinsley's bow holder, filled with Goody hair bows, of course! But first, we have to get some hair growing on that head of hers...

Her initials and first collction of books that we read each night! The favorite so far? Goodnight Moon...

A beautiful verse of scripture painted by our dear friend Mary Elizabeth...so meaningful, talking about the trials that we go through and how God uses them to make us stronger. So true, especially when we think back to Kinsley's first 12 weeks. Those circumstances only made Philip and I stronger as a couple...almost as strong as the baby girl God blessed us with.