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.

Kinsley's First Fourth

Thank goodness I had my camera handy as we got Kinsley ready for bed on her first July 4th.

I will post more photos from our 10-day trip in a future post. Until then, these images of our little 4-month-old bring a smile to my face...

Changes...

They say having a baby changes everything...well in this case, Kinsley has changed the way I do chores...this is a photo of her after "we" got done vacuuming the first floor.

Ahhh, that's the life.

First Father's Day

Philip and I celebrated his first Father's Day this past Sunday with our baby girl, both of our own dads, and lots of our family! It was a beautiful day (albeit, a little on the hot side) as we had a poolside/backporch cookout complete with a delicious array of food and drinks! It's funny that just like Mother'sDay last month, Philp and I had no idea this time last year that we would be parents in 2010...funny how things change over a year! I am blessed to have an incredible dad who has always "shown me" what I should look for in a husband and father for my child. I am also blessed to have a wonderful father-in-law that raised a strong and loving son who has now become a father of his own.

And to to my loving and thoughtful husband...in everything that we are dealing with right now, you are working so hard and you are such a rock for our family. I love to watch you with Kinsley, to see how in love you are with your little girl...and how you constantly make me feel like I am the world's best mom to her. I look forward to many more Father's Days in the future with you as we celebrate our family...I love you.

Grabbing a quick family photo in the kitchen!

Kinsley and her daddy.

Me and my dad.

Phil and his dad getting ready to grill it up!

Kinsley hangin' out with the boys.

Kinsley and her grandma's.

The pups...pre-swim and hanging out in front of the fan.

With my awesome sister-in-law's by the pool.

Kinsley by the end of the day...exhausted. :)

3 Months in Black & White (and pinks...and blues)

The many faces of Kinsley...