CHRISTMAS

I am finally getting around to post about Christmas!

Christmas was soooo much fun for Kenny and I, but Ken was still sick. Kaylan seemed to enjoy it as well! She really enjoyed her music box that Santa brought her.

Ken slept though just about the whole thing. He stayed up for the opening of all the gifts but missed the 2 hours it took to clean it all up and remove everything from their boxes. He also missed out on Kenny's excitement as he played with each new toy. I have to say that his favorite toy so far has been his drums. He has wanted drums for a while now and asked Santa for them. Santa did not disappoint and he has been loving them. He also loves the Zhu Zhu pet hamsters his Grandma Springer got for him, except he hates it when they escape. His other favorite toy is his Diego Rescue Center and Railroad Rescue.

Christmas Eve we woke up at 6am and all went up to Kenny's room with hot chocolate and cookies for breakfast. After that we headed downstairs to open all our presents. Ken got mostly clothes and a new video game and I got a new 4-piece toaster, pizza pans, cake pans, and oven mitts. At noon we headed to Ken's mom's house for dinner and for Kenny to open even more presents. Ken also slept through most of this. At 5pm we headed home and we all took a nap. After our naps Kenny got to play with his toys and I tried to find homes for all his new toys.

On Christmas Day Ken had to work. The kids and I headed to my grandparents house in Quincy around 10 and got to spend time with all of my family on that side. We ate dinner at 1 and headed home at 2 to be with Ken who was still sick. Because we were sick most of the week we decided to skip our trip to Hillsdale to see that side of my family.

Overall Christmas was great this year, there were only two bad things. One Ken was sick and two my parents were unable to come down for the second year in a row because of weather. Hopefully I will get to see them in the Spring though because Kaylan has yet to meet her Grandpa Rurka.

Well, Merry Christmas!! I can't wait for next Christmas because both kids will be old enough to enjoy it!

Merry Christmas

Sorry it has been so long since my last update but we have been so busy with the holidays. Tonight I am just going to do a family update and tomorrow I will do our Christmas update.

Kaylan is now 2 months old and is the most perfect baby! She already sleeps eleven hours at night! She is still completely breastfed. She doesn't go for her two month check-up until January so I don't know any of her stats yet. Her eyes are still blue so we may get lucky and she will get to keep them. Her hair has turned a lighter shade of blond/brown as well. She loves it when you talk to her and always laughs if you tickle her belly.

Kenny is doing great as well. On Sunday he came down with a 24 hour stomach bug that landed us in ER at 1am. He was fine by that afternoon.

I woke up Wednesday morning feeling queasy and sure enough Kenny shared his bug with me. I then shared it with Ken. He was sick all last night and all of today. He was hit the worst out of the three of us. So far Kaylan has not gotten and I am hoping that she received some antibodies from it in my milk.

That is all for now, I am off to bed since Kenny finally fell asleep!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it is officially Kaylan's first Thanksgiving!

Kaylan had her one month check-up on Tuesday and everything is great. She is 22 inches long and weighed in at 9 lbs. 2 oz. She got her second Hep B shot and the doctor prescribed some ointment for her face. She seems to have cradle cap all over her head, forehead, eyebrows, and nose according to the doc. I never knew it could be on the face!

Kenny is doing great as well! He got to spend a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa this week because of all the doctor's appointment, house cleaning, ect. He gets to hang out with Grandpa again tomorrow because Ken's mom, Kaylan, and I are going to do some Thanksgiving Day Sales shopping.

Ken got the results of his MRI today and they are not too good. He has a ruptured disc. He has to continue the physical therapy and goes back in 2 weeks to go over the results with the doctor. He is going on vacation so that is why we have to wait.

As for me, I had my six week check-up on Tuesday. Everything is great! Breastfeeding is still going perfectly!!!

On Friday Ken's mom is going to come over and watch both Kenny and Kaylan while Ken and I do some Black Friday shopping. This will be the first time we have left Kaylan with her. Hopefully Kaylan will just sleep and only wake up once to eat (already thawing the breastmilk).

I guess that is all for now. Kaylan FINALLY fell asleep. She has been up since 6:30 and just dozed off about five minutes ago. This is the latest and longest she have been up. Will update agian next week. Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday!!!

1 Month

Kaylan is a month old already!! I cannot believe how quick this month has gone by. Kaylan is doing wonderful! She is getting so big, she is finally starting to outgrow her newborn clothes. Her one month check-up is next Tuesday, so we will see what her weight and height are then. She will also have to get her second Hep B shot.

She still has a pretty bad case of baby acne. It is finally off her forehead and eyelids though. It looked so painful when her eyelids were just covered in them. They are now on her cheeks and on her neck by her ears. She also seems to have a little case of cradle cap on her eyebrows. It seems a little weird to me because I didn't know they could get it on their eyebrows. I also finally got all the greasy stuff out of her hair. It now looks all soft and fluffy, not flat against her head.

Kenny had to go get his H1N1 booster yesterday and did GREAT!! As soon as we were in the waiting area he kept trying to run behind the curtain and climb in the chair. The entire staff was laughing at him cause they had never seen someone so eager to get a shot. They finally called us and he ran and jumped into the chair so fast he almost fell off. When she gave him the shot he didn't even cry. As soon as she was done he said Whoa! and then turned around to grab his sucker.

Yesterday Ken also had a doctors appointment for his back. The doc is not sure what is going on, so he has decided to try some different stuff. He put him on different pain meds, set him up with a physical therapy evaluation, and requested an MRI approval from our insurance. Hopefully they will find something that can be fixed. He is also supposed to start walking 1-2 miles a day to try and stretch out his muscles.

As for the holidays, we are going to be cooking Thanksgiving dinner again this year. Ken's brother said he is coming, so we will just have to see if he actually shows up! Everything is bought except the veggies and some things that will go bad if we get them too early. We are going to be doing dinner on Friday and I have to cook it all all by myself! Ken has to work Thanksgiving day and all weekend. The plan is for Ken's mom, Kaylan, and I to go shopping on Black Friday while Grandpa watches Kenny. After that Ken's mom is going to drop Kaylan and I off so I can get cooking. Then around 1 she is going to come back with Kenny and help me finish up while Kenny is napping. Hopefully everything will be done by 3 and Ken will be out of work!

We have also been trying to decorate for Christmas, but we can't find lights like the ones we already have. We got some at Wal-Mart and they are the wrong ones. We need the ones that flicker and we got the ones that flash. So, today while Ken is at his physical therapy eval. Kenny, Kaylan, and I are going to see if we can find the right ones. We also had to get new garland this year because the candy canes melted in the box and made our old garland all sticky.

Well. I guess that is all for now. I will update next week after Kaylan's check-up and Ken's MRI.

3 Weeks

Kaylan is three weeks old today and is doing so GREAT!! Kenny turned two and a half on the 3rd and is definitely starting to show his jealous side!

We had a wonderful Halloween! Kenny was our little Evil Knight and Kaylan was baby Fairy. We were planning on going to the library on Friday, but with all the illnesses going around we decided to cancel. We ended up going to Ken's moms house so the kids could get their treats. Kenny got a ton of candy, two new trucks, and a bag of cheey puffs (his fave). Kaylan got a pack of diapers. On Saturday Ken and I took Kenny trick or treating around town while my mom stayed here with Kaylan and passed out candy. Kenny ended up walking about 3 miles around town and didn't want to stop, but he ran out of time!

Now that it is just Mommy home during the day Kenny is getting very jealous during Kaylan's feedings. Everytime I get ready to feed her he will start to throw a tantrum and when I tell him he has to wait for mommy to feed sissy and then I will play with him again he starts to throw stuff. If I try to punish him he just laughs and acts up even more! He ended up in time out in his room for an hour today because he chucked a wooden block at his sister and then hit me.

After his time out he was much easier for me and we ended up going on a walk, just the three of us. That made him very happy and he went right down for his nap when we got home. Even Kaylan seemed to enjoy her nap, she fell asleep as soon as we started walking and has been asleep ever since!

I guess that is all for now! I posted new pics on PhotoBucket and will update again next week When Kaylan will be one month old!!

2 Weeks and 4 Days

Kaylan is doing great, except for the really bad case of baby acne all over her forehead and eye lids. It looks like it hurts really bad and I am trying to clean it everyday hoping it heals quickly.
She is still breastfeeding like a champ and all the pain and issues I went through the first couple of weeks were well worth it! On Thursday last week we went for a WIC appt. and her weight was up to 7 lbs. 9 oz.

On the 25th my mom got here and stayed until the 1st. It was great having her here and getting to spend time with her. Since her and dad moved up to Holland I only get to see them a couple times a year. She was a great help while she was here!!

Ken is also back to work, which means I am now all alone during the day with the kids. Sunday and Monday were the first two days I was alone and they were very difficult until Ken got home. Kenny was starting to show his jealous side when I would feed Kaylan (up until then there had always been someone to play with him while I fed her). He would try to hit her and rip her off of me.

Well, that is all I have time for for now. Kaylan is hungry and Kenny is refusing to nap!

Doing Great!

Kaylan is one week old today and is doing wonderful! She is so much better than Kenny ever was at this point. Kenny would only sleep two hours max and would wake up just long enough to eat and get his diaper changed. He was also a super fussy baby when he did wake up.

Kaylan is a polar opposite! She has slept five hours straight the last two nights and only wakes long enough to eat and get changed, then go back to sleep for two and a half more hours. She has also been staying up for long stretches of two to four hours. While she is awake she just looks around taking in her surroundings and only starts to fuss when she gets hungry. She will eat and then stay awake continuing to just look around.

We have not been able to start cloth diapering yet though, because she is so little. The cloth diapers I got are way too big on her little legs and make them stick straight out! So, for the time being we are stuck using disposable ones.

Kenny has been a great big brother! He loves to hold and kiss her. He also always has to know where she is. If he can't find her he gets very upset and starts yelling at me. The only issue he seems to have so far is he doesn't like it when she cries (which is rare). I think it makes him panic because he doesn't know what is wrong and how to help her. When she starts to cry he runs over to me and says mommy help sissy, help.

Kaylan had her first check up on Wednesday and was back up to 7 lbs. 1 oz, she was down to 6 lbs. 12 oz. when we were discharged from the hospital. The family doc said she is doing great and was surprised she was already able to lift and hold her head off the table for a few seconds when he had her on her belly. She goes back next week for another weight check to make sure she is still getting enough milk since she is breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding started great at the hospital! As soon as she was born she was trying to eat the nurses thumb. When they brought her over to me she latched right on and didn't have any issues at all! By the time we got home my milk had come in and I was extremely engorged! My nipples were very raw and had already scabbed up. Every time I fed her the scabs would break open and my nipples just continued to get worse. Because of the milk over supply I was having to pump two to three times a day just to get some relief since there was no way she could eat that much! On Tuesday I noticed a red splotch on my left breast and it turns out it was the start of Mastitis. The doctor put me on antibiotics and the splotch is already fading, along with the pain. (I have also had severe itching in both my ears and it turns out I have a skin infection in both ears so I am on an ointment for that as well) It has now been one week of breastfeeding and my nipples are still very tender, but the scabbing is starting to heal. The engorgement is almost gone and I have only had to pump once a day for the past few days. Because of all the issues though I have been able to get a nice supply of breastmilk into the freezer.

Well, I suppose that is all for now. We are all just trying to stay away from all the gross germs and illnesses out there!

Kaylan Jean Roland

On Thursday, October 15th I went in for my regular appt. and my midwife said she would see if the OB in charge would let her induce me on Friday morning since I was so uncomfortable. I headed home with the hope that he would agree and we would be going to the hospital first thing in the morning.

Well, at 2:30pm on Thursday she called me to let me know that Friday would not be an option because they already had 2 inductions scheduled and not enough nurses to cover a 3rd. She then gave me the option of coming in Saturday morning or that evening. We opted to head in that evening.

We arrived at the hospital at 4:00 pm and they started the pitocin at 5:00 pm (at that point I was still 2cm). My midwife came in at 9:00 pm and I was almost 4cm, she wanted to break my water but agreed to wait until I was 5cm. After she checked me she gave me the ok to get up and walk around or try different positions to help with the pain (the nurse wouldn't let me get up because they aren't supposed to let you off the monitors if you are on pitocin). When she came back at 11:00 pm I was 5cm and she went ahead and broke my water. I had to stay in bed for about 30 minutes because they wanted to make sure she settled back down into my pelvis, which was no fun!

But, after the 30 minutes I was then able to get up and get on the birthing ball. I stayed on the birthing ball until I was 8cm, but the nurse made me get in the bed because they kept losing her heartbeat due to the position I was in. She then put me on an internal monitor which meant I was stuck in the bed. Once that happened and I was no longer able to get into different positions the contraction became unbearable and I was begging for the epidural. But the anesthesiologist wasn't answering his pages.

After an hour of waiting for the anesthesiologist and crying out in pain my entire body was telling me to push but the nurse wouldn't let me because I still had a small lip left. After about 10 more minutes I yelled at her and told her I had to push and started pushing. She had to run and get my midwife. My midwife literally got there just in time to throw a gown on and deliver her. They didn't even have time to break the bed down!!

After about 4 or 5 pushes I felt her head slip out and the next thing I knew she was laying on my chest crying! It was so amazing to actually be able to feel everything. When Kenny was born the epidural was so strong I couldn't even feel the pressure to push or him coming out.

Kaylan Jean Roland was born on Friday, October 16th at 2:16 am. She weighs 7lbs. 5oz. and is 20 inches long. She has really dark blue eyes that look almost black around the edges and dirty blond hair. She has been doing really great at breastfeeding! Soon after she was born she was trying to eat the nurses finger, so they brought her over to me and she latched right on. She is also very content, she can go 2-3 hours between feedings and in between she sleeps really well or quietly looks around. She also loves to be in the swing in the nursery.

The only issue so far is she loves to suck and has been trying to use me as a pacifier this evening. So, we decided since she is doing so great at latching on that it would be ok to give her a pacifier. She is doing great with the paci now and has soothed herself to sleep. My only fear is that she will become paci dependent though!

We get to go home tomorrow morning shortly after breakfast. I am so excited to get to get out of here. We miss Kenny so much and he misses us a lot too. Last night when they were leaving he tried to tell Grandma and Grandpa goodbye and stay here with us. He will definately be happy to come home tomorrow and get cought up on his sleep since he doesn't sleep well there.

I guess that is all for now, I posted a bunch of pictures for everyone to see just how precious she is!

Still here

I just thought I would post an update. I am still pregnant :( I was so hoping I would at least be starting to get some contraction, but so far nothing. Just a lot of pain in my back and cramping. My midwife stripped my membranes on Monday (which is the cause of the latest discomfort) and I go back Thursday for her to try again. I still have a feeling she is going to be born on the ninth, we will just have to wait and see.

Ken is getting very anxious and anytime I wince in pain from her moving or something hurting he asks if I am in labor. It is starting to get really annoying, but I understand. We all just want to meet her SOOOO bad. So, come on baby girl and come out and meet us already!

Which looks better

We took a belly pic today at the house and I need some opinions on which one we should get blown up. The 2 pictures are under the album titled New Photos.

Happy Saturday

Well, I am now 37 weeks and very ready for baby girl to arrive. I have reached that point where my body can't stretch any more and every time she moves I am in pain. It is also starting to hurt when I walk or try to pick up stuff. I am really hoping when I go in on Monday for my appt. she will have some good news for me!

I ordered Kenny's Halloween costume today. It will be here in a few days and I really hope it fits him! You just never know with costumes because they sometimes run small and sometimes run big. We will just have to keep our fingers crossed. I also need to finish baby girls costume. I just need to make her some fairy wings out of felt and find a cute little onsie she can wear with the tutu I made her. She is going to be our little fairy since she will only be a couple weeks old and they don't make costumes that small.

Today we are going out to dinner with Ken's parents to celebrate Al's birthday. We are going to this great steak house in Bronson, MI. Hopefully Kenny will behave! He spent last night with them and I am worried that he may turn into a devil at the restaurant from lack of sleep. If he does start to cause a ton of trouble though I will have to miss out on my yummy juicy steak and sit in the car with him. :(

I guess that is it! Not much has been going on around here. Will update if anything good happens!!

So busy!

It has been so busy around the Roland household this week!

Kenny is FINALLY getting over his sickies. His nose is still a little runny though, but the crankiness is gone! Now I just have to deal with the sudden mommy complex. I think children can sense when big changes are coming. All of a sudden last week he became very mommy clingy (usually prefers daddy for everything except owies) and just want me to hold him, carry him, rub his back, ect.

On Sunday I cleaned house and started to clean off the porch so we could bring Kenny's outdoor toys in for the Winter. I also went through all the stuff I was taking to the children's resale to make sure it was all tagged and ready to go.

I had my 35 week appt. on Monday. Everything is going good. I am already 1 1/2 centimeters and Michelle said I was ready to go! She gave me the go ahead to try some natural things if I want too like, red raspberry leaf tea, evening primrose oil, ect.

On Monday I also had to take all the boxes of stuff for the resale to the church and complete my three hour volunteer shift. I volunteered from 6-9 pm, so Kenny and daddy got to spend the evening hanging out and doing manly things (played video games, watched cartoons, and went for a walk). By volunteering though I get to shop at the presale on Friday (it opens to the public on Saturday). Usually by 10am on Saturday EVERYTHING is gone!! I am hoping to find some clothes for baby girl and Kenny, some x-mas presents I can hide away, and some last minute baby stuff we need to get. The church is really strict about high quality items, so you get great stuff really cheap! When I was helping sort through everything I found TONS of stuff I want to get for the kids!!!

Ken, Kenny and I all went for a really long walk today and I really overdid it! Half way through Kenny wanted to be carried, but he only wanted mommy to carry him. So, I carried him for a little bit, made him walk, and then carried him for a bit again. By the time we got home I could barely move it hurt so bad. I don't think I will be going on their walks any time soon!

I also spent as much of my spare time this week as I could trying to finish Kenny's big boy blanket. I finally finished it last night (except I need to do some yarn knots on it so the front and back stay connected when I wash it). I just need to finish the pillow case now, which I should be able to do on Saturday while Kenny is at Grandma and Grandpa Springer's house. I did post pictures of his blanket the new pictures album under the family photos link if you want to see it!

Well, I guess that is all for now! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Baby Girl's Room

Just wanted to let everyone know I posted some pics of Baby Girl's room. Just click on the family photo link and then click on the new photos album.

Well, I am now 34 weeks preggo and nesting has decided to set in yesterday. Kenny went off to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the day and I used all that free time to CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!!!

I was able to SUPER clean the main bathroom, laundry room, living room, parlour and kitchen. I wiped down all the walls and ceilings, swept and mopped the floors, vacuumed, scrubbed the tub, sink, and toilet, pulled out the washer and dryer, cleaned out the cupboards and butler's pantry, washed down Kenny's toys, and washed all the rugs and curtains! WOW!!!

In other news Kenny and I had a blast at my parents house last weekend. It was so nice getting to see them and spend time with them. I miss them so much!! Mom will be coming up in October to see baby girl and spend some more time with us. I am getting very excited to see her again.

We are almost all prepared for baby girl to arrive. I was able to bring her crib back with me from my parents house (still not sure how I managed to get it to fit in my Focus). It is all set up and I just need to find a mattress. The plan is to get Kenny a cheap mattress (since he no longer needs a stiffer one for safety reasons) and use the one he has now in baby girls room. I also finished sewing the crib skirt and cover for the end table today.

My next goal is to make Kenny a new blankie. I let him pick out some material the other day (he picked one with trucks on it) and than I found some material to match. Now I just need to find some time to make it.

I guess that is all for now. Need to eat breakfast and get ready to go to Wal-Mart to return some bad turkey I got on Friday!

Halloween Help Please

Well it is that time of year again, time to prepare for Halloween!

Ken and I absolutely LOVE Halloween and hope that our kids love it as much as we do as they get older. But I have noticed that we always have issues when it comes to picking out Kenny's costume. It is just so hard to find a unique costume at a low price. I always swore growing up I would never get my kids the generic costumes from Wal-Mart.

Growing up I remember my mom making most of the costumes or wearing hand me down ones she had made for my older siblings. One year she made this beautiful bride costume, another year I went as a ninja turtle, and one year I went as a lack and white clown. All made by her! When my niece Hilary was a baby she made her this adorable elephant costume that they still have today.

Anyway, Ken and I need ideas! I can't make him a costume since I don't have a sewing machine, so I need help. Please post some comments on what you think Kenny should be for Halloween.

Oh, you are probably wondering about baby girl. Well, since she will only be 2 weeks, most costumes will not fit her. So, I made her this adorable pink tutu that we are going to pair with a onsie and some infant fairy wings. The onsie is going to have an iron-on applique that says future ballerina.

WOOHOO!! 32 Weeks finally!!

I uploaded a ton of new photos today to Kenny's 27 month album and one new pic to the baby 2 album. I can't believe how much of a big boy Kenny looks in his pictures now. The other day I measured him and he is now 37 inches tall and about 30 pounds. He has grown 6 inches this year!

I am back to babysitting Val and Tori this week, which has been very exhausting! I think being this far along and trying to chase a 30 month old, a 27 month old, and an 18 month old, is just too much for me. That and the new schedule of having to be awake by 7am is going to take time to get used to.

Kenny and I are getting ready to go visit my mom and dad next Friday. I am so excited that I get to spend an entire weekend with them, I only get to see them a few times a year since they moved to Holland.

Other than that, nothing new is going on. Just very unpatiently waiting for baby girl to arrive!

Good morning!

Our first family update on our new blog. So, very exciting!

I am now 31 weeks along and all three of us cannot wait to meet baby girl. Kenny seems excited about her, although I don't think he understands that she is coming to stay forever. He loves to go into her room and point at everything and say sissy's.

We have picked out a name for her, but we are keeping it a secret. Very few people know what her name is going to be. It took Ken a long time to warm up to it and figure out how to pronounce it (don't understand why because it is not a strange name), but he likes it now and loves talking to her through my belly using her name.

Ken has been working his normal 4o hours a week lately. We really miss the overtime he used to get, last summer he was averaging about 8 hours of overtime every 2 weeks. It has made it even more tight on our bank account. But, we manage to make work and Ken's mom has helped out a lot over the years.

Kenny is almost 28 months old now. He was 37 inches the last I checked and weighs about 30 pounds. He has really thinned out with this last growth spurt! He is extremely active and loves to be outside, but with me being pregnant and it being so hot our time outside has been limited this summer. He has been testing us a lot lately trying to find his boundaries. He has learned he can get away with a lot with daddy and Grandma, but not mommy. He has been in quite a few time outs this summer and has lost all toy privileges twice now. He is starting to talk up a storm, but don't count on him talking to you if see him. He only talks once he is very comfortable with his surroundings, mainly at home, the car, and Grandma's house. He has been using 3 and 4 word phrases to tell us what he wants or needs, which I love! He is using a lot less grunting and pointing, although Ken sometimes lets him get away with it and won;t force him to use his words.

As for me, I have been getting extremely exhausted lately and have been needing to use Kenny's nap time to nap as well. Which means I am losing out on cleaning time, so the household chores have been lagging a bit. Oh, well! I try to use the time Kenny is at Grandma's house on Fridays to do most of the big cleaning and once Kenny is in bed for the night I try to get the dishwasher loaded and unloaded. I also get Kenny to help me with laundry (he loves to help out) by running around the house and picking up all of daddy's clothes and putting them in the washer. He also helps put all the clothes from the washer to the dryer and then gets them out of the dryer for me too (my belly makes it really hard to do it alone).

Well, I guess that is all for now! Check back later in the week for more updates. Love you all and we hope you have a safe and great week.

My Very First Blog

Good Evening

I just wanted to say welcome to the Roland family blog. I decided to start this blog because I know with baby number 2 on her way I will no longer have time to keep everyone updated on the various sites everyone belongs to. This way I will only have to post updates and upload photos to one site.

So, don't risk missing a single moment and become a follower of the Roland family blog! I am going to try to post at least once a week the things that are going on in our lives.