Laundry, Cleaning and Dishes, Oh My!

It never ceases to amaze me how much laundry we accumulate around here or how often run the dishwasher.  I can pretty much guarantee we do 1-2 loads of laundry per day and the dishwasher is run daily unless we happen to have a meal out then it is run every 36 hours.  How can Katherine and I being at home during the day generate so much more?  I don't even want to mention the housework.  Paul and I both voiced our frustration over the fact we can not keep the house picked up for more than a couple of hours before it is destroyed again.  After this conversation Tuesday night Paul went in on a Mr. Clean frenzy.  He scrubbed the kitchen and bathrooms while I tried to tend to the kids and pick up toys left in Luke's path.  Luke is good about cleaning up most of the time.  He does his best work when we sing the "clean up" song.  So, I guess we are fighting a losing battle.  One day my goal is to have someone come in and clean the house a couple of times a month but that time is not right now.  So for right now we will just deal with it and do the best we can!

I did manage to take this cute pic of baby K before the cleaning frenzy ensued!

The Weekend in Review

Hmmm...no words for this one!

Luke still loves to eat!

The weekend went by in a blur, as most weekends do.  Friday night was pretty rough as neither kids slept well.  Luke was up numerous times because he was scared.  When I asked him what he was scared of he pointed to the foot board.  We think it casts a weird shadow that is scary to him when he wakes up.  Katherine was up more than normal to eat.  She seems to be going through another growth spurt!

Saturday morning Paul took Luke to the walk-in clinic at the pediatrician's office.  He has had a little rash around his mouth off and on for several weeks.  It does not bother him so we really did not think much of it.  We finally decided it should be looked at.  I was fairly certain it was not contagious since no one else had gotten it.  Turns out it is a form of eczema.  Luke has had problems with mild eczema since he was younger.  The doctor said it is not contagious and really nothing to worry about.  She did say it could be triggered from a new food in his diet.  She gave us some sample prescription ointment for it as well as his arms.  It seems to be improving already.

Around lunch we went to the Troutts.  Paul wanted to help his dad with some of the demo on the kitchen.  Paul loves to do things like that. While he and Pop were doing that Paula and the kids and I played.  Katherine slept a lot of the time and Luke kept us busy running around.  He loves to be at the farm!  We also happened to be the beneficiary of the kitchen reno again.  We brought the built in work space/ cabinets home with us.  We hope we are able to use them in our bonus room to make an office area.  They just need a fresh coat of paint and they will be great!  Saturday night we enjoyed steaks on the grill.

Sunday, Paul and Luke went to church.  Katherine and I have not yet made it to church.  Our church recently went to a new schedule.  The 9:45 service is the traditional one which we prefer.  Paul said it is absolutely packed.  He has to park very far away and has ended up sitting near the top of the balcony.  Since we will be taking Katherine in to worship with us when we do go I am kind of leary of that.  Attendance may slow a little once the new schedule wears off.  That afternoon we went to Mom's.  She is having new carpet put down in the den.  It has been close to 20 years so I think it is time!  Paul pulled up the old carpet and pad.  Katherine, Luke and I stayed out of the way of all the work.

One Month...

Love those cheeks!

Ready to go

It is hard to believe Katherine is one month old!  In a way it seems like she has been with us forever and it is already hard to remember what life was like before she came a long.  At one month old Katherine is a pretty happy baby except when she is hungry.  This girl is serious about meal time!  She is nursing every 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours during the day and has gone 4 1/2 hours at night.  Hopefully this will start to get better in the coming weeks.  Although I know they are not "real" smiles Katherine has the cutest facial expressions.  She grins, smiles and coos usually right before she is getting ready to fall asleep. She also is a noisy sleeper!  She groans, grunts, sighs and so forth.  Paul and I have said we need to get it on video because it is so loud!  Bath time is becoming tolerable for her now and she also does well with tummy time.

She is a very strong little girl and is not fond of laying on your chest.  She usually thrusts herself to either side to lay in the cradle of your arm.  Diaper changes are still not fun for her as she usually starts crying as soon as the diaper comes off.  Gone are the days of worrying if she was going to gain weight...she is becoming our little chunk!  She has rolls on her arms and thighs now and numerous chins!  We are so delighted sweet Katherine is a part of our family and are blessed to get to see her grow and change every day. 

Due Date

Katherine's photo shoot

Outfit # 2...

Our family!

Friday, August 27th -- Katherine's due date!  It is hard to believe she has been with us just shy of a month now.  We all knew she would more than likely come early since Luke came almost 3 weeks early.  I do not think any of us dreamed she would come a month early.  We are so thankful for little Katherine and what she has brought to our family in these few short weeks.  God is so good to us!

Katherine and I had a little photo shoot this morning.  I realized she is filling out quite a bit now and wondered if some of her cute outfits that have been given to her would fit.  We tried on a couple and they were great!  She has plenty of room to grow in them.  As hot as Nashville has been the last few weeks she will probably be able to wear these well in to September. 

Paul surprised us by calling to see if we wanted to meet for lunch.  He was going to be in the area.  Of course, we said yes!  We joined him at Subway which is a family favorite.  Paul has not been feeling good for a couple of days.  We think it all started when he helped with a house that had some water damage and quite a bit of mold.  He is pretty sensitive to certain things including cat hair.  He did not feel like doing much tonight which was fine.  Supper consisted of leftovers which was wonderful.  We watched some "shows" with Luke and entertained Katherine.  It was a good day!

Fun Night

GiGi is excited to see Katherine!

Mrs. Reynolds was so sweet to cook our supper

Miss Katherine doing her favorite thing!

We have been fortunate to have several people bring us meals since Katherine was born.  It is so nice to not have to worry about supper. In fact Paul was standing in front of the freezer tonight asking what we should cook.  I quickly reminded him that Mrs Reynolds and Virginia were bringing supper.  His face lit up with relief!  We had a great visit with the Reynolds.  They brought a yummy chicken casserole, squash, fresh fruit and Rice Krispie treats!  We all know that Luke loves his Gigi.  He was so excited that she was coming to visit.  I had been telling him about it for a few days.  Of course, when they got there he was shy at first.  It took just a little bit of encouragement from Virginia and he was wired again! 

Mrs Reynolds held Katherine while we ate which was nice.  We didn't have to worry about her.  Afterward Virginia entertained Luke for quite a while which he loved!  They played outside, upstairs and in his room.  They left no stone unturned.  Luke did not want them to leave.  We had to head off a tantrum as they were saying their good-byes by telling him he could watch them drive away in the dining room window. 

On another note when Paul picked Luke up from school today his teacher told him Luke could officially be in "big boy" underwear at school now!  Yay!  He does so well with the potty at school and he is doing better at home.  If there are no distractions at home then he will go to the bathroom without any trouble. If we have company or if he is playing something he does not want to stop what he is doing to go.  So, we shall see how it goes.  I sent a few outfit changes to school.  I know Paul and I will both be excited when we are not having to buy pull-ups anymore!   Katherine also has done better the past couple of nights with stretching out her feeding times.  She had two 4-hour stretches last night which was wonderful! 

Four Weeks!

Getting so big!

Can't believe four weeks have come and gone since little Katherine was born.  As always, another week has flown by.  We had an appointment with a pediatric orthopedic doctor today.  When Katherine was born her right foot was flexed toward her leg, for lack of proper terminology.  Both the pediatrician as well as my OB felt it was positional meaning she had kept it that way in the womb .  It has improved greatly since she was born but at her 3-week check up Dr. Patterson thought it would be a good idea to have it looked at.  This made Paul and I feel better.  We saw a specialist with Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance.  Paul met us at the appointment.  The doctor was so nice!  It kind of made up for the hour long wait we endured in the waiting room with lots of other people. 

He also feels it is positional and stated he sees it all the time and it always corrects itself.  One of her tendons is "tight" as he put it so he instructed us to stretch it several times a day. If we do not continue to see improvement in the next 6-8 weeks we can go back and see him.  He said that the treatment would be to put a cast on that foot and to check it weekly to monitor its progress.  Lets hope and pray it continues to improve on its own and we will not have to do that.

Katherine was great at the appointment.  She slept most of the time until we got in the exam room. He looked at her hips, legs, feet, etc. It was very interesting.  Everyone in the waiting room was curious as to why such a small child was there.  One lady even asked if she had a broken bone!  That would be awful!

Working on a Routine

Looking a little mischievous

I am trying to get in some sort of routine around here.  Katherine is still eating every 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours including during the night.  I am hoping this will be stretching out soon!  Paul takes Luke to school in the mornings which is a big help.  Katherine and I usually do an errand or chores around the house in the morning. We go pick Luke up in the afternoon.  When we get home it is usually time for Katherine to eat.  I get Luke situated with a snack and he usually wants to watch one his movies or shows which is a good distraction while I tend to Katherine.  After that we typically start something for supper and Paul is home quickly thereafter.  I know this "routine" will change a lot over the next few weeks and months as Katherine's schedule changes. 

It Takes Two

Future boxer???

Luke used to strike this same pose!

Paul had the opportunity to go to the Titans pre-season Monday Night Football game tonight.  Of course, I told him he should go with one stipulation...if my mom could come and help with the kids.  Still not sure how I would do with both kiddos for an extended period of time that would include bath and bed time for Luke as well as supper and at least 2 feedings for baby girl.  Mom was happy to come and it was a big help!  She played with Luke while I fed Katherine and took care of his bath time.  He announced at 8 o'clock that he wanted Nonna to take him to bed.  I was thrilled. Forty-five minutes later they both reappeared and Luke was wired. I had to fight to take him to bed.  He fell asleep pretty quickly as did I!  I woke up close to 10 o'clock just as Paul was getting home.  Mom was rocking Katherine and she was sleeping peacefully. 

Paul enjoyed the game but left shortly after half time.  The Titans looked good and we are hopeful for a winning season around here!

A Day with Family

Nanny meets Miss Katherine

Cynthia describing the pizza with vegetables!

Super excited to be playing in the dirt!

Thomas entertaining Katherine

Today we had a visit from my family from Tullahoma.  None of them had met Katherine yet.  Paul and Luke did not go to church this morning.  Luke ended up falling asleep in our bed at 10:15 and did not wake up until after everyone got here. It is very rare for him to take a nap in the morning but we were very glad he did. 

We got pizzas from Papa John's and Nanny brought chocolate and apple cobblers, yummy.  Everyone thought Katherine was a cutie.  Of course, she slept off and on most of the visit. We mainly let Luke entertain us.  His highlight was a talking Thomas the train that LeeEllen brought him.

No Picture Saturday

Somehow I managed to not take a picture all day long. How did that happen?  Luke had a great time with Nene and Pop last night.  Paul, Katherine and I were up early this morning and decided we should make the most of having one less child and be productive.  We got out early and did errands - took the recyling, grabbed breakfast, went to the hardware and automotive store and Paul even had time for a hair cut before Luke got home around 9:00!  Since the Troutts are renovating their kitchen area they offered us their mudroom cabinets.  Of course I was super excited to get them.  Bill and Paul unloaded and installed them in our garage while Luke ran through the sprinkler and Katherine napped on Paula.

That afternoon we all four had naps!  It was great.  Luke and I napped together in Paul and my room while Katherine and Paul napped upstairs.  We had a great super of steaks on the grill, salad, baked potato and I even enjoyed a glass of wine, yahoo!  All in all it was a perfect Saturday...

Date Night...

Getting ready to go

Luke spent the night with Nene and Pop tonight.  He was so excited!  Paul and I decided to go out to eat since we have not been in a restaurant in a while.  We went for our usual Mexican fare.  Katherine slept the whole time!  After supper we went to Babies R Us to pick up a few things and use our coupons.  Gotta love those coupons!

Katherine's spitting up is much improved although that could change at any time.  She did not really want to nap today unless I was holding her!  I remember going through that with Luke.  She did go almost 4 hours between feedings once last night which was very nice for me!

Congratulations to our friends, the Boyds, on the arrival of Mackenzie Claire today!  Laura and I were both due the same day so we are excited that Mackenzie is here and can not wait to meet her when they are home in September! 

Three Weeks!

Three weeks!

Sweet...

Brother and sister

Playtime!

Today marked Miss Katherine's three-week birthday! We celebrated by going to the doctor as mentioned in the earlier post.  Nonna picked Luke up from school today. He has been showing more interest in K, but this afternoon he was all about her. He wanted to play with her, hold her and read her books.  When I was holding her he said, "Baby Kafferine (his pronunciation) you are getting big!"

We have moved in to the baby stage of not wanting to sleep at night around here. Oh well, as we all know it does not last forever!

The Scales Don't Lie

The dreaded scales...

So, no one likes to get on the scales at the doctor's office.  I know I don't!  Well, today Miss Katherine had her 3-week well visit which meant another weigh in to see how she was progressing.  I think we were all blown away when the scale read 6# 9 oz!  She has gained 1 # 4 oz in the last 10 days!  She is also an inch longer measuring in at 19".  I was super excited.  Dr. Patterson had nothing but glowing reviews for our little peanut.  She remarked several times about what a good eater she must be.  I must say I am proud of us - the feedings every 2-3 hours have continued to pay off.  I can now let her sleep as long as she wants at night and just feed her when she wakes up.  This is usually not an issue.  She wakes up every 3 hours like clock work at night but will stretch her day time feedings out if I will let her.  Guess we need to work on that...

We also discussed my concerns over her spitting up to which Dr. Patterson said there is nothing to worry about.  That is what I suspected she would say.  Since Katherine is obviously thriving and the spitting up does not appear to cause her any distress I am just going to have to live with the numerous outfit changes and middle of the night laundry duty! 

Good Visit

Ms Donna read Luke a book

Katherine and I had a pretty low-key day today.  We did not have anything we had to do or any appointments to go to.  My motivator to be productive was my friend Angela coming to bring supper tonight.  It is always good to have a little motivation to get some things done around the house.  Angela brought her son, Jake and her mom Donna.  I had been telling Luke that Jake was coming to visit.  Jake calls Angela's mom Nonna, so Luke thought it was neat that Jake had a "Nonna", too.  He especially liked Jake's Nonna because she read him books and played in his room. 

Jake was not very happy to be here for some reason and did not really want to play.  When Katherine woke up she decided she was "starving" and cried for a while.  We had a good visit but Angela and I both agreed we need to try again when all the kids are in a good mood.  Angela called later to say Jake had fallen asleep before they got to Long Hollow Pike so he was just a tired little guy.  We loved the meal they brought from Chef's Market!  It was great to see them.  I hate I did not get more pictures but both kids were upset when I finally got my camera out.  Luke took it all in stride and did not let the fussiness phase him!  Luke loved the shirt they brought him.  He wanted to put it on as soon as they gave it to him.  Very cute!

Two Outings...One Day

Pretty cozy after a bottle from Daddy

After supper treat

The bib is as big as she is!

We decided to be adventurous around here today.  Katherine and I made our first non-essential trip out by ourselves.  Where did we go...where else?  Target, or as Luke refers to it, "the red store". I needed several things and it was not nearly as hot around here.  Katherine was sleeping so I decided to take my time and look around.  I was super excited to see they had fall stuff on the shelves!  Toward the end of our expedition K let me know pretty quickly she was ready to leave! As soon as we got back in the car she was asleep again!

We got out this afternoon to pick Luke up at school.  Until now someone has picked him up for me. I decided that today was the day I needed to do it by myself.  Of course, I did not know it was going to be raining!  Luckily it was just sprinkling when we got there so K did not get wet.  All the teachers made a big fuss over Katherine and Luke was super excited to see us!

Katherine has been spitting up quite a bit since she was less than a week old.  Luke used to spit up, but not much.  After doing some online research we are trying a few different things to see if it will help.  She is nursing for shorter periods of time and sometimes more frequently.  I try to keep her upright for 30 minutes or so after she has eaten.  I want to get the pack-n-play elevated on one end, but need Paul to help me to do that.  We go to the doctor Thursday for a 3-week well visit so I will talk to the pediatrician more about it.  I know that all babies spit up to some degree, but hers can be pretty bad.  I found out that two of her uncles - Andrew and Jon both spit up a lot as babies.  She is continuing to gain weight since she can't fit in to some of her preemie clothes anymore so I do not think it is a "mechanical" issue that would require some type of procedure.  Paul gave her a bottle last night around 7 and she acted like she was starving before 9.  I think our little peanut has a bigger appetite than we give her credit for!

Monday, Monday

Guess our girl does not like Mondays

Goofing off with Daddy

Since I am on maternity leave I have a hard time keeping up with what day of the week it is.  I do, still look forward to the weekends since that means that Paul is off and Luke is not in school.  Monday, Katherine and I had a pretty productive day.  I find I get the most done first thing in the morning after she eats.  She usually goes back to sleep within an hour or so.  I have breakfast and then do household chores.  I must say I am doing better at keeping up with the laundry, dirty dishes, etc this time around.  Even though she is only 2 1/2 weeks old K seems to like routine. I know this will change in the coming weeks, but for now I am relishing it.  Sometimes I take a nap during the day during one of her naps, other days I do not.  Honestly it depends how the night before went!

Pop picked Luke up from school Monday which was a treat for Luke and a big help to me!  I do not have to worry about getting K out in the heat and it just makes the afternoon easier.  Luke was excited to be home and was great all afternoon.  We played while K napped and then we watched a Thomas show while I fed Katherine. 

Nonna ran by after work to pick some things up and ended cooking the supper she brought for us earlier in the day.  I was busy feeding Katherine and Paul called to say he was stuck in bad traffic. It was nice to have the meal brought and prepared for us!  We ended the day by watching Monday Night Football.  We sure are glad that football is back around here...that means Fall is just around the corner!

Meeting Memaw and First Dinner Out

Memaw was so excited to meet Katherine!

Arriving in style to Nene and Pops

Very proud grandparents

Sunday morning Paul and Luke went to church while Katherine and I stayed home.  The previoius week had been Promotion Week in Sunday School.  Since Luke had missed the week Katherine was born we weren't sure how he would do when he went to his new class.  We thought all the kids from his old room would be in his new room so we told him that.  We even made up silly songs about one of his church friends, Dennis. 

Paul said he did great dropping him off, he was just a little hesitant.  When he picked him up he realized that Dennis was in a different room. Last night while driving home we were talking to him about his class.  He said he wanted to go back to his old class and that he did not like his new class. It made us both very sad.  We know it will just take some getting used to, but he loved his old teachers - Mr. Terry and Ms. Linda.

Sunday afternoon we made a trip to Gallatin for Memaw to meet Katherine.  She has not been feeling well so we have waited a little while to take her.  She was so excited to meet her!  Of course, she thought she was precious.  Luke always has a good time at Memaws.  She has a closet with toys in it that he makes a beeline for as soon as we get there.  All of Memaw's sitters spoil him.  Luke knows all of their names, much better than Paul and I do!

After leaving Memaws' we went to Bill and Paula's for a quick bite.  I must say it was nice to get out for a little bit as a family.  Katherine was great with the exception of a diaper mishap.  She has definitely outgrown the preemie diapers and that is all I am going to say about that!  We enjoyed a great meal and good company.  Luke helped Pop pick tomatoes and read books.  This might be our last meal there for awhile since they are getting ready to have the kitchen renovated - how exciting!

We had a wonderful weekend together as our new little family!

First Real Bath

Daddy did the honors

Not sure what to think about this

Not liking this at all!

All better now!

Katherine's umbilical cord fell off Thursday so it was time for a real bath!  We got around to it Saturday.  I really wanted Paul here so he could help me.  It turns out he ended up doing most of it by himself since Luke was so enthralled with the the bath he failed to tell us he needed to go potty.  So, I took care of that while Paul finished up Baby K's first bath.  She was not a big fan, but it could have been worse.  She was much happier once it was over and she was wrapped up and all snuggly in Daddy's arms.

Finally Outside

What is he up to?

Luke still loves bubbles!

One of the "bribes" Luke got this weekend was a huge bubble wand.  He loves bubbles and insisted he and Paul go outside and play with them.  Notice, he does not have any pants on.  It is so hot, who cares?  I think he would have stayed out there all night, but they were running short on bubbles and Daddy was getting hot!

Newborn Pics - A Preview

Our little lady

Mattie came to do Katherine's newborn pics on Saturday.  Katherine was her guinea pig as she had several new props she wanted to try out.  She spent almost two hours with us.  I hope she got some great shots.  We also did some family pics that I hope turn out well.  Luke had to be entertained most of the session since he wanted to use Mattie's stool, her camera, etc.  Overall, Paul and I both thought it went really well and are anxious to see the results in a couple of weeks.  We took several with our camera, but the one above is the only one that turned out half way decent!  I am sure Mattie had much better luck!

I'm Going Crazy Daddy!

Luke with one of his "rewards"

We have been working on potty training for some time around here.  Luke has been doing really well and has actually been doing better since Katherine's arrival.  We had resorted to bribery a while back to encourage #2.  Probably should not be blogging about this, but such is life!  Paul decided we would use some Thomas trains as rewards.  Much to our dismay (and excitement) Luke received three Thomas trains in one day!  Now every time he does his business he expects a "surprise".  We have gone back to the $1 toys I picked up at Target months ago.  Luckily, Luke is just as happy with his balloon.  Eventually we will run out of toys, but hopefully that will not stop him from continuing to make progress.

Saturday morning we all got dressed and ready for the photographer to come and do Katherine's newborn session.  Luke was rewarded with a yellow balloon after a successful bathroom trip.  He was hilarious with it.  He was bouncing it up and down and saying "I'm going crazy Daddy, I'm going crazy".  Paul did get it on video and I hope he will put it on here, since that is beyond my tech skills!

Friday the 13th - Not Scary Here

Loving life!

Really, mom?  More pictures?

Friday Katherine and I spent the day just enjoying being at home.  We had a busy weekend coming up so I knew we needed to rest!  There was a lot of coverage on the news about it being the only Friday the 13th of the year and how everyone would watch scary movies, etc.  We did none of that around here. It was just another day...another hot day!  We are going on 30 days of 90+ degree temperatures in Nashville.  There have already been some broken records.  Much to my dismay there is no relief in sight!

Supper with Jon and Kristen

A treat from Jon Jon and Meme!

Proud Uncle

Kristen and Katherine

Jon and Kristen brought supper over tonight.  They had not seen Katherine since she was at Baptist.  She has changed a lot!  Luke was so excited to see them.  He was especially excited that they brought him a present...his first remote control car!  He thought it was too cool.

Several, several months ago Luke started calling Kristen Meme.  It has still stuck!  We are not really sure where he got the name from or why, but Kristen likes it so it is fine with all of us!  Not sure if he will always call her that.  Only time will tell...  We really enjoyed our visit with them and look forward to many more. 

Two Weeks!

Our little girl is two weeks old!

Katherine Meets Her Namesake

Kitty was very proud of her namesake

We were so glad that Nene and Kitty came to visit

Thursday was a very special day.  Katherine got to meet her namesake for the very first time!  Since Katherine ended up back in the hospital and is small we have not been taking her out except to go to doctor appointments.  Kitty was very anxious to meet her.  As they were on their way a pop up thunderstorm started.  I was afraid it would keep them from coming.  But, nothing was stopping them! 

Kitty did not want to hold Katherine. She was afraid she would "break her".  I have to admit I have thought that myself.  We insisted she get her picture made with Baby Katherine.  I think she enjoyed holding her once we convinced her.  Katherine slept their entire visit but was wide-eyed within five minutes of them leaving!