Trial Run at the "Daycare" (aka my aunts house)

So today I have somewhere to be at 2:15 so I thought it would be a good day to let Kinslee "try" out the daycare. It's not like she is going to have a choice about going because I go back to work in 17 days! I really need to come up with a way to be a stay at home mom so that the two of us could hang out everyday together! That way I will not miss any of her new tricks that she will have over the next few months and years!
I got her dressed this morning and packed what seemed like her whole room to take to my Aunt Diane's house. (she keeps about 5 other children in her home). The picture below shows what we both looked like by the time I left her there. She was being fed so she was happy but mommy cried all the way back to Augusta. I don't know how I am going to be away from her for 13 hours a day when I have to go back to work. I know she will be taken good care of by my aunt and that is the main reason we are making the sacrifice to drive her to Thomson each day that we need a sitter. I really struggle with the idea of her having to go to a real daycare center and me not personally knowing who is taking care of my child. SO HOPEFULLY THIS WILL WORK OUT FINE!! and did I mention it is FREE!!!! I am truly blessed to have so much family close by who are willing to help out. I can not imagine living far away and having to do this all alone with no one to come and give us a break once in a while.

Naptime stinks!

Today I decided that it was time to break little miss kinslee of being held ALL day long since she has to go to my aunt's on Wednesday for a few hours. She has to start going next week on a regular basis to get her ready for when I go back to work in two weeks.

I feel so sorry for my aunt who is kind enough to keep her for us along with a few other kids in her home. She has a "daycare" if you want to call it that in her house. She keeps 3 kids plus my little cousin so that she can stay home with her girls. Needless to say, I am extremely thankful that I have a family member that can keep Kinslee on the days that Mark and I have to work. I hope she never has to do a real daycare but you never know....but I am keeping my fingers crossed. With her being so little I am terrified of her getting sick. I guess I worry so much because I work in the Children's Hospital where I see perfectly healthy babies end up so sick from RSV, stomach bugs, and much more. I pray everyday that she remains healthy. I also and happy my aunt can keep her because I KNOW she will take good care of her!!

Today I tried several different methods on getting Kinslee to fall asleep on her own in her bed. I started out by feeding her, laying her in her swing to watch BABY EINSTEIN (these are great!), and once she started looking sleepy I took her to her room and layed her down. It lasted about 15 minutes with not a peep from her but then the hollering began. I looked at my watch and it was 2:15. I let her cry for 15 minutes and then went in to pat her and let her know it was okay. She continued to scream. So....I got the ipod and its dock and put it in her room because she always sleeps when there is alot of noise. So, for her daddy and put the ipod on Dave Matthews and walked away. At 2:40 she was still crying. At this point I tried my favorite, Kenny Chesney. She was still crying. At 3:00 I went in there and put her on her belly and rubbed her back. At 3:15 she was FINALLY asleep and I was crying! It is so hard to watch/listen to your baby cry when you know all you have to do is pick them up and it will stop. I am trying so hard to break her of sleeping with us and being held all the time. Several friends say by the end of the week she should be broken of it...Keep your fingers crossed 'cause I am going to keep trying until we Succeed.

Bless all the mothers out there who have had to go through this and for all you soon to be mothers who will!

Trip to Athens

This morning mom and I (kinslee of course too) took a rode trip to athens to deliver a few things to my sister but the REAL reason we went was to go to the Elephant Trunk. For those of you not familiar...this store has been around since I was a little girl. Back before my mom learned to sew and smock this is where she got a lot of my little dresses. I am now lucky in the fact that she can make anything I want her to and does it for free. I just usually have to provide the materials and the idea to get her in the "mood" to smock.
Back to my story about the Elephant Trunk...they have the cutest smocked clothing for little girls and boys. Timeless outfits! We rode up a few weeks ago to see if they were having an after Christmas sale ( it is a little pricey but so worth it according to my mom since she knows how much it costs and the labor put into making clothes) and they were closed until after the first of the year. Every year around MLK day they have a 50% off sale to get rid of the winter clothes. Lets just say Kinslee got two adorable dresses for when she can wear 12mos and she also got two dresses for now. Absolutely Adorable. I also got her a pair of white shoes and two pairs of "churchy" socks. If you have never been it is so worth the drive. (It is off Baxter down from Clark Central High School on the left for those of you familiar with Athens. OH! and if you need a riding partner let us know!)

I love this time of night when Kinslee and her daddy are sitting together trying to go to sleep (Both of Them). It is so sweet to watch him with her. She has him wrapped around her little finger and there is nothing sweeter than a little girl and her daddy. I bought her the cutest little sign to go in her room long before we knew if she was "for sure" going to be a little girl. It says " My heart belongs to Daddy." So appropriate for a little girl.
I had to explain to him that when she first got here and now she wants her mommy but there will come a day when the only person she wants is her DADDY. I tell him to be patient, because it will get here soon enough! He is doing so good with her. It is so sweet to watch the love of your life interacting with a little baby that the two of you made together.

Good night!

7 weeks and growing up too fast!

here is my sweet little baby girl, growing up so fast and learning so many new things each and every day. She has such a sweet smile and dimples on both cheeks! It is so hard to even think about having to go back to work in just two and a half weeks. She will be 9 1/2 weeks when I go back to work and let me tell you I know I will cry that first time I have to leave her for 12 whole hours.
I am so afraid I will miss all the little "Firsts" that she will have. I do have to admit, I am lucky that my job only requires me to work three days a week but those 36 hours away from her are giong to seem like enternity.
Today we just took it easy. I am trying to convince Miss Kinslee that her cribs is not such a bad place after all. Mark and I aren't quite sure where she gets the fighting sleep from (even though as a baby I acted the same way.) I am able to sit here and type right now because she actually went down for a nap in her bed about 45 minutes ago. Typing with one hand is extremely difficult but I am learning very quickly how to do many things with just one hand. It is so hard to just lay her down in her bed and let her cry because she is so content in our arms. I am trying to do what all of those parenting experts out there say but man does it pull on your heart strings! I hope everyone has a great weekend and know that we will be having lots of fun with miss kinslee.

Well, last night Kinslee slept in her crib from 930pm-130am without a peep. Once she woke up to eat we tried to lay her back down in the crib but for one hour she kept on crying off and on so I finally gave up and put her in the bed with us. I really think once she stops waking up to eat she will be just fine in her own bed.
Today was a busy day. We went to Thomson to pick up a piece of antique furniture that my grandmother bought for me. It is really pretty and I can't wait to get a picture on here for everyone to see. After we picked up the furniture we went by Mema's office so that she could see Kinslee and show her off to all of her employees. She is such a PROUD GREAT GRANDMA. She is trying to convince Kinslee that her first word is going to be "Mema".
We also went over to my inlaws house for dinner and so that they could visit with Kinslee. She is changing so much each day everyone wants to see her as much as possible so they don't miss out on any of her new moves. Right now she is able to coo and smile. She is also really strong...she holds her head up really good and tries to roll over already! She is such a big girl for only 7 weeks old.

Welcome to the blogging world! I thought this would be a good way to keep out of town family up to date on little Miss Kinslee. Can you believe that she is 7 weeks old today? Crazy that just a few weeks ago I was in the hospital getting ready to have her after a 16 hour day. Crazy to think that just 7 weeks ago we brought her home for the first time...scared to death! Crazy to think that she has been home with us for the last month and a half and we are all still alive...a little sleep deprived at times but over all it has been a blur/blast.
This past weekend she went on her first rode trip to visit Great Aunt Jennifer, Logan, Brycen, and Great Uncle Sean in Maryland. She handled the 10 hour rode trip (such a little trooper she is). She got to see her first snow while we were up there visiting! She has had so many "firsts" in her short time here on earth. She has had a Christmas, been shopping ALOT, gone to two movies (marley and me/hotel for dogs), driven through six states and much more. She is such a beautiful and healthy little girl.
I have to sit back and thank God for her being so healthy. I think about all those poor little children I take care of at work each and everyday that are not as lucky and blessed as her. The struggles they face at such a young and vulnerable age. I say my prayers every night with Kinslee and thank God for her and for our families health.
I will keep the posts coming. God Bless and Good night!