Kinsley 6.5

Following a great cardiology appointment on Tuesday, we had Kinsley's 6 (and a half) month check-up this past Friday. And because of the allergic reaction she had to her last round of vaccines - sigh - we only received two shots at this appt. No reaction. Whew...good. She'll get the next two shots over the next two months to see if we can figure out what caused the reaction in the first place. And then if all goes well, the flu shot after that. We are lucky to have a pediatrician who is careful not to load on the vaccines too early or too much at a time when it's not necessary.

So here are the stats for our little "preemie" (who, as you will see below, is not such a "preemie" anymore):

• Weight = 15 lbs 8 oz (25-50%)...and may I also say with a twinge of pride that we have formed some adorable little rolls on our thighs...OMG, they are so cute.
• Height = 26" (50%)...maybe she'll be a basketball or volleyball player. She has some long limbs, that's for sure.
• Head Circ. = 44 (75-90%)...yes, sweet precious angel, you have your daddy's noggin. Hopefully there's lots of good information stored in there.

We're so proud of her. Getting so big and getting a handle on everything that she is trying, albeit when she's good and ready, and doing so beautifully. She is quickly solidifying her place in life as "daddy's girl." I adore this side of my husband...watching Philip with her is one of the best things in life.

In order to accurately document her 6-mo milestones, here are a couple of "Kinsley's Favorite Things" (Oprah, eat your heart out)...

• Bathtime: and kicking and splashing...and singing Splish Splash (and making up the words to it as we go)...and the huge grin on her face when I shut off the water at the end and proclaim "alllllll done"...and the way she likes to "dance" to the "Naked Girl" song in front of the mirror. Ahhh, still one of our favorite times of the day...
• Hunter: now that she has officially "discovered" him, she cannot take her eyes off of him. He makes her giggle and grin...and she is constantly leaning over my shoulder to get a glimpse of him, she watches as he follows us up and down the stairs, I love the way she smiles when he run in and greets her in the morning with a pillow in his mouth, and when he lays at the foot of the glider during her morning feeding and then sits drooling at the foot of her high chair at her evening meal, and when he licks her face, her hands, the back of her head...oh well, I can't keep his kisses off of her
• Food: what more can I say...she is definitely our child. Everything we have put in front of her, she has devoured. I learned early-on not to mix veggies and fruit (which daddy ended up wearing) at the same feeding, but that was our only hiccup so far. Rice ceral, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, peaches, apples, pears...everything. So now, mommy is going to get all Betty Crocker up in here and start making homemade baby food. I am not sure where I am going to fit it in with my days that start at 5:15am and don't end until 10pm, but I think that is what Sunday afternoon's will be for: steaming and pureeing my baby girl some good ole organic veggies and fruit in our new Beaba cooker. Hmmmm...my hopes are high. We shall see.
• Toys: and the more sparkly and noisy, the better. Anything with lights and music and a rattle and something she can easily grip onto is a winner around here. But soft, squishy, and cuddly are equally as enjoyable: she loves her pink "lovey" blankey, her baby doll, and her new pink puppy that "ruff's" at her. So cute.
• Mommy's hair, mommy's jewelry, and mommy's shirt collar: these are a few of Kinsley's favorites things to grab onto lately. She especially loves my necklaces and my watch (she has good taste).
• Exersaucer and Jenny Jumper: I am going to have to video this soon, but it is so cute to watch as she bobs up and down and twirls around in her jumper...she loves the independance.
• Rolling over: while she's been rolling over for a few months now, it was just every now and then, and most times she would still get frustrated when she would "forget" how to do it. But as of Sunday, and then especially today and this evening, it's like it all just clicked. We absolutely cannot keep her on her tummy anymore...she is a rolling machine!
• Girlfriends: Abney, Caroline, Eloise, Leighton...they like having their "girl talk."
• Cartoons: it must be the colors and the noise coming from the TV, but so far she loves Baby Einstein and "the classics": Tom & Jerry, Winnie The Pooh, and Mickey Mouse. Even Philip and I don't mind watching them with her sometimes...I mean, that's what we grew up on!
• Her daily walks: and being outside for that matter...we cannot wait for the cooler weather! Come on Fall!!! Our little pumpkin is ready for October!

We are looking forward to lots going on over the next several weeks & months as we leave summer behind and say hello to changing leaves and cool evenings! And many more milestones and memories to be made in our family. Up next on the itinerary? The three of us (no dogs allowed or it would be the four of us) are going pumpkin-pickin' on Saturday at Uncle Shuck's Pumpkin Patch. We are starting our traditions early!

She's got heart.

A big heart. A special heart.

From our first appointment at the Sibley Heart Center back in May at not quite 3 months old, when we found out that Kinsley had a heart condition called a right subclavian abberant artery, we have always had a little, hidden twinge of worry in the back of our minds. Everytime she would gag or "choke" on her food, it would make us nervous. [As a reminder from a past blog posting, her right arm artery is attached in the incorrect place on her heart, and wraps behind her esophagus, slightly pushing in on it.] But as Dr. Sallie said today, "everything is getting to where it needs to go" (meaning blood, oxygen, etc) "it is just taking a different route to get there." The gagging is most likely a side effect of the acid reflux (which we will know more about at her follow-up GI appt in October), not related to her heart defect. Whew.

Philip met Kinsley and I at the Alpharetta office, and after her second round of EKG's and Echocardiograms (2 hours, and she was such a good baby the entire time!), we finally received a clean bill of health from the cardiology team. Kinsley's condition is officially "benign." We are only to come back should we see any new changes or signs emerge that could signal a problem...but they don't anticipate that happening.

As we were leaving the office, I signed the discharge papers and was asked to initial the form next to the "Next Appointment" line...and it was there that I read the best words I could have seen...not 6 months from now...not 1 year from now...but simply the words as needed. The nurse even told us "congratulations." I guess they see all kinds of cases there...we are the lucky ones. In fact, we have dear friends who have battled through the dark side of heart conditions, and our admiration for their strength in what they have been through and continue to go through is too great for words.

As we loaded Kinsley into the car, she was noticably exhausted by the day's events and was asleep before I even pulled out of the parking lot. Me, on the other hand...I was overcome with relief as I felt huge swells of tears coming on at a stoplight as I watched her sleep in the review mirror. What a precious miracle.

This is how we roll...

...big girl style!

As of this past week, Kinsley is now riding in her stroller sans the infant seat. Cause that's how 6-month-olds do it! Now that she can see everything going on around her while we walk, I think that she may just love her walks even more (if that is possible)!

Happy "Half Birthday"!

Six months old! I cannot believe that it has already been six months since the day the doctor told us we were having our baby girl, five weeks earlier than expected. Wow, we have come a long way from the preemie days in NICU...

...to where we are now, six months later!

With our healthy, beautiful, smiling, active, giggling, babbling, funny, happy baby girl! What an unbelievable six months it has been...having a baby really does change every single thing about your life for the better. We have been so blessed with an amazing gift from God, and our journey with her to this point has made us a stronger, more loving, and more spiritual couple.

And while it is always good to reflect on where we have been, it is the journey ahead that we can't wait to experience together! So, happy "half-birthday" sweet Kinsley! I can't wait to see what we learn from you over the next six months!

Labor Day Weekend

It was a nice, relaxing Labor Day weekend...the perfect way to wrap-up a wonderful summer, and charge forward into our favorite season...FALL! The weather was incredible...even cool enough outside for blankets early in the morning, with 100% sunshine and 0% humidity all day long. Oh, and did I mention that our Dawgs won BIG on Saturday as well? And so what if it was the first game of the season against a smaller, unranked team...it still feels like it is going to be a good Georgia football season. Finally, cooler weather, college football, no more wearing white...Fall is in the air!!! Errrrr...well, maybe in a few weeks, cause today I think the highs were back in the 90's and it was certainly hot & humid again. Come on Fall! Come baaaack!

Anyway, back to the weekend...so after a delicious (and I do mean delicious...let's just say that steak and lobster tail were on the "Stanford Kitchen" menu that night) family dinner to celebrate May-May (Mary's) birthday on Friday, we then attended (Philip's cousin) Stephanie's wedding on Saturday before heading up to Lake Oconee for the remainder of the weekend. It was there that Kinsley got to go on her very first boatride...and because the guys were already out on the water wakeboarding and surfing, guess who got to take her on that first boatride??? M-O-M. Yep, that's right, I took Kinsley on her first sunset cruise! The ladies climbed aboard the pontoon boat that was left back at the dock, and we decided that we wanted to take a little ride to go and see the guys. I drove us out into the water and we cruised for a bit, but I didn't have to drive back...I got to enjoy time with my girl on the ride back (and thankfully didn't have to dock the boat, either). And do not fear...we had two very tight arms around her at all times and an infant life jacket within arms reach!

Our weekend trip did have a bit of a sour ending, however: at some point during the weekend, Kinsley must have come in contact with a little stomach bug, and has been affected ever since (no, not throwing-up...the other stuff...from the other end). We've been fending off a low grade fever and keeping home from school today and probably tomorrow. I have heard that this is going around, and sure enough my little bug caught "the bug." She is a tropper though...still smiling and giggling all day...and sleeping a lot...and it has had no effect on her eating. We still downed many bottles and ate our pears & bananas today...it's just that not all of it is staying in her as long, if you catch my drift. And while I am not at all concerned about dehydration at this point, I am concerned that this may be a bump in the road of our good weight-gaining...and we have been doing sooo well. Hopefully our baby girl starts feeling better soon.

Until then, here are some more photos of the weekend...starting off at the wedding, and ending with her boat ride on the lake.

Kins and mama...

With Aunt Kelly!

So, do you think she looks like her daddy or what?

I love catching moments like this...Philip with his baby girl.

One of my favorites...probably cause it wasn't posed.

Kinsley with her May-May and Pop.

The Stanford family...minus me (behind the camera)!

Family photo #1

Family photo #2

Playing peek-a-boo with her baby doll.

May-May and Kinsley...before mommy took the wheel!

Daddy slalom skiing while we watched!

Me and my girl at sunset on her first boat ride.

A happy "lake girl"!

Yep, mama's still got it! (well, sort of)...we had a great time surfing behind the boat!

And moving right along...

So, here we are, a mere 2 weeks from Kinsley's "half birthday"...(which reminds me, we must watch the "original" Alice in Wonderland when she gets older)...and we have taken a big step this weekend...ladies & gentleman, I give you....Kinsley's introduction to F-O-O-D.

First bite! Open wide!

What IS this...rice cereal?

...and what's a "banana?"

More please!

Philip and I have been talking about trying baby food for about a month now, but got the greenlight on Friday from Kinsley's pediatrician to try it this weekend. And so we did! To set the scene: it was me feeding Kinsley, Hunter on the floor below hoping to catch anything that would fall, & Philip filming with the FLIP camera and snapping photos in between bites! First we tried rice cereal, which went okay. Next: banana's. She's not loving banana's so far. And then: apple sauce. Success! In fact, she finished the last half of the container tonight! To see her little tounge stick out and not know what to do with the slimey substance was so funny to watch. But once she got the hang of it and realized that she could swallow it, the apple sauce didn't stand a chance! We'll try banana's again. Then pears and peaches. Once we get the hang of fruit, I guess that we'll move onto veggies. Yummm. And when she is not eating her big-girl food at night, we have officially and completely traded up from the 4 oz bottles to the 8 oz bottles. It was a big weekend around here. And to think, Kinsley and I both had a cold this weekend....but that didn't slow our baby girl down.

Okay mom...I'm done. Where's my ba-ba?

The aftermath of the applesauce.

Speaking of her pediatrician visit: did I mention her weight gain yet? She was 14 lbs 7 oz, which is just about the 40th percentile for weight! Whaaat?? Seriously? We have come a loooong way! It is so exciting to see her putting on a few lb's and getting some cute little baby-fat rolls on those sweet little legs...and yet a little piece of me wimpers when I go to put on one of her 3-month onsies that she has been wearing forever, only to realize that it will no longer button. I cannot believe that she will be a half-of-a-year in just a few short weeks. They say "time flies when youre having fun", right? That is why time is slipping out of my grasp. Kinsley is pure fun these days. Always doing something new. Giggling, smiling, babbling, playing, watching Hunter, bouncing, reaching...it is amazing to see her try something new and watch her face when she realizes that she can do these new things all by herself. Being back at work full time makes me long to be home and spend every other waking moment with her that I can. And while we still have a ways to go before she fully conquers rolling over & sitting up by herself, the sight of her in that pink Bumbo chair reaching for the spoon of Gerber apple sauce, and opening her mouth like a little baby bird made me so proud and so excited for her. It only took 2 tries before she picked it up...and she likes to eat...almost as much as she loves her bottle. Scratch that...her love for her "ba-ba" (bottle) is unmatched.


We also got a chance to hang out with her friend Caroline, who was born a few weeks before Kinsley! They played and were such good girls while mommy, daddy, Leigh, and Dan had a nice dinner together a couple of nights ago! We love getting Kinsley out and about, and she certainly likes to be right up at the table with everyone during mealtime - of course, our little social butterfly doesn't want to miss a thing!

The Great Outdoors...and 5 Month Shots

Yep, I am one of those mom's who documents everything I possibly can with a camera. Exhibit A: Kinsley's first time touching grass.

I had heard that you never know if grass will bring on an allergic reaction, so I held off for a while - well, that, and the fact that this has only been the hottest summer ever. But the other night, Philip had just cut the grass and it was a bit cooler outside (ok, so "cooler" meant it was 85 degrees outside instead of 90), and he, Kinsley & Hunter all sat out in the front yard to play. She seemed to like the feel of daddy's freshly-cut lawn between her toes! We have thought that with her strong legs (I got my first taste of just how strong they were at about 28 weeks pregnant), she could be a soccer player like her mama was. Either way, I have a feeling we are sure to have some "grass-stained" clothing in our future as she gets older!

And speaking of allergic reactions, we had a kinda big one this past week. Because of Kinsley being a preemie, and her low weight the first few months, she has been on a delayed immunization schedule...instead of 2-4-6 month shots, we are on a 3-5-7 mo schedule. And it was at her 5 mo shot visit last week that we experienced a bit of a scare. Within seconds of her round of vaccines, her poor little face, neck, and head (under that thin layer of blonde peach fuzz) began breaking out into red splotches and welts. Needless to say, all I had to do was go out into the hallway and say the words "I think that we are having an allergic reaction," and within seconds, 2 nurses and a doctor were in our room checking her out. The good news: no respiratory reaction - which is typically the worst kind to have. And then 30 minutes & a good dose of Benedryl later, we finally left to head home. Here is a photo I took of her on my phone (kinda poor quality) once the Benedryl had kicked in (...and my heart rate came down from what I am sure was in the 150's at some point as I watched her reaction worsen), and the red blotches and welts were fading to more of a pink color...what a trooper.

With a preemie, there are lots of unknowns and scary moments that you experience in the first couple of months. This was just another one we have added to our list of experiences. And now I am not sure what we are going to do about her 7 mo shots. I mean, don't allergic reactions typically get worse each time? Do we skip the last round of shots all together? Regardless, I believe that we might be adding "allergist" to our growing list of specialist doctors that we have seen or will see, including her neonatologist (from NICU - but those days are luckily behind us), her cardiologist (her heart condition), her gastroenterologist (her acid reflux)...just to name a few. But I still stand firm that God made her absolutely p-e-r-f-e-c-t...I would not change one thing. And on a more positive note from her doctor visit: Kinsley is "catching up" with her fellow term-baby friends...her weight was 13 lbs 11 oz and they marked her around the 30th-40th percentile! We'll get the official word on where she ranks at her 6 month visit in September, but this was great news - and ask any parent of a preemie: every single ounce counts, and every growing lb is a victory!!!

Seagrove Beach!

We're home! Here we are in the middle of August and finally home for what should be a long stretch of time. After a summer of packing up the car and taking Kinsley to Lake Oconee (3 x's), Charleston, Savannah, Amelia Island, and Jekyll Island, we finished off our wonderful summer of travel with my family's annual trip to the Gulf Coast - and our little one turned 5 MONTHS on Wednesday! So hard to believe that she is already 5 months old! This year, we stayed in Seagrove Beach and spent some time at each of South Walton's wonderful beaches...Seaside, Rosemary, Alys, Watercolor, Grayton and also over at Destin! I must admit, in the weeks leading up to our trip, I was a little apprehensive of what things would look like with the oil leak going on in the Gulf, but never saw one trace of oil. Not one tarball, nothing. A tropical depression out in the Gulf did bring in more seaweed than usual, but I would take seaweed over oil anyday! It was beautiful. Here are some memories from our wonderful week!

From my previous post about traveling with a baby...our first stop on the way to Florida: Cracker Barrel!

First morning at the beach, and some tummy time with Uncle Danny...she's looking at him like, what are you doing down here?

Playing airplane (a new favorite) in the pool!

Later that day, she was so tired from playing in the pool - and so was her Papa!

Kinsley's first time with the sand between her toes...

...and then her first steps in the ocean.

Hanging out with daddy!

Now she is officially a "beach girl"!

First time as a family on the beach!

It doesn't get much sweeter than this...after the morning at the beach, daddy and his baby girl peacefully sleeping. Ahhhh.

I must say, I am one beach-ready-mama...baby girl on front, beach bag on back. Let's roll!

Just chillin' with my girl under the beach umbrella on a overcast afternoon later in the week.

NO OIL!!! Just the same ol' familiar, beautiful beaches.

One of our favorite places: we took my parents to George's at Alys Beach for their 35th anniversary!

Love this...big smile for her Beebe at their anniversary dinner!

At dinner with daddy!

Doesn't she look so big in the photo!?!?

Family photo opp in the Seaside square!

Kinsley with her Aunt Ang and Uncle D!

Love that little tush.

Kinsley had lots of memories on this trip, including her first trip to the ocean (photos above) and "finding her feet"...she's now contantly playing with her feet & toes and pulling off her socks whenever she is lying on her back! And then on Saturday when we got home (she did wonderfully on the 8 hour ride down - 2 "feeding" stops - and 7 hour drive back - only 1 "feeding" stop)...something pretty big happened...Kinsley rolled over. From tummy to back. Completely unaided, but I have to admit I was right there cheering her on as she slowly pushed her torso off her crib mattress with her right arm and swung her right leg up, and she was on her side...and then sloooowly, she rolled onto her back! First, she had a look of shock, like what did I just do? Then, a big smile! It was such a big step for her, considering that lots of babies are rolling over by 5 months old. But I have to keep remembering that preemie's are not on the "traditional" time table, and Kinsley is quick to remind me that she will do things when she is good and ready.

We also took some amazing photos of our whole family on the beach after dinner one night in Destin at the The Back Porch, a place that both Philip and I used to come to as kids. So neat to take our daughter there now. The sun was just setting, a storm had rolled through earlier that evening, and it was the perfect background for our family photos.

And, finally, after this incredibly loooong blog post, here are some more photos of baby girl...and her many faces from the week that kept us all smiling!