Sunday Swim!

After sleeping in and having a relaxing morning, Kyle and I took Katelyn to the pool. We haven't been to the pool since before Katelyn got sick, so it was nice to lather up in sunscreen and spend some time as a family at the pool. Since I usually take Katelyn swimming with Meygan, Kylie, Jessica and Ella, Kyle hadn't had the chance to swim around with her yet. She loved having her daddy swim around the pool with her. Katelyn was kicking her legs and trying to drink the pool water. I'm so amazed by how acclimated she has become to being in the swimming pool. Now that school is starting back up on Tuesday, I'm going to start taking her a couple times a week. We only stayed at the pool for a little over a hour because Kyle and I were hungry and Katelyn fell asleep in my arms. Yup! She passes out after playing in the pool water.

Thanks daddy for taking me for a swim in the pool!!

Saturday

The new Babies R Us opened in Mission Viejo right down the street from where we live. YEAH! They were offering special discounts on their products so Kyle and I went to check it out. We ended up buying a BabyBjorn baby carrier so when I go grocery shopping or we're out and about we can carry Katelyn rather than taking out the stroller. Katelyn loved ridding around in it while we did our errands!

Clean bill of health

We had Katelyn's 2 month check up today and she received a clean bill of health. Katelyn weighed in at 11 lbs 14 oz and 22 1/4 inches long. She did so good at her appointment. As we were talking to the doctor she fell asleep on my shoulder. While she did wake up and cry a little when she got her vaccination booster, she fell right back to sleep before we even had her dressed again. Her urinary tract infection is gone, no more medicine, and 1 shot down. 

On an exciting side note.... Katelyn slept through the night for the first time last night. She went to bed at 11:30 and slept till 7:15 this morning, then went back to sleep after eating till 10:15. I could get used to this!!

New Pictures...

It's hard to believe that Katelyn is already 10 1/2 weeks old. It feels like just yesterday that we were at the hospital and she was so little and wrapped up like a little peanut in her blanket. I look at her and I'm always so taken aback by how much I love her and would go to the ends of the earth to protect her. I feel so blessed that God chose to give her to us.

I love relaxing Sundays

Today was such a relaxing day and the perfect way to end our weekend and kick off a new week. After spending Saturday doing a major apartment cleaning and hanging some pictures we keep meaning to hang, it was great to sleep in on Sunday and spend the day relaxing. When I sleep in, I mean, for me, the sleep that comes between 11:30 and 5:00 and then 5:30 - whenever Katelyn wakes up hungry again. Yesterday that was around 9:45 so I got a really good nights sleep. Kyle and I got up, piddled around the house and I made our favorite - blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Yum!! We decided after our lazy morning to head to Fashion Island (mall in Newport Beach) to walk around for a little while before dinner with the family. It was so great to enjoy the sunshine and mentally note all the cute clothes and the latest fashions. Katelyn enjoyed people watching, especially while she was drinking her bottle.

After walking around Fashion Island we headed to the beach house for a bbq with Doug, Jan, Leah and Brendan. Tomorrow Brendan starts his new job at Pimpco and so we joked with him that his life is now over!! *lol* Leah started her job at Allergan a couple weeks ago and it thoroughly enjoying it. It's so crazy to think that when Kyle and I began dating Leah was a junior and Brendan was a senior in high school. Now they are both graduated from college and in the working world. My how time goes by so fast. It was so great spending time with the family and Katelyn loved all the cuddles and attention from her grandma, grandpa, aunt and uncle. All in all it was a fabulous day, and we're ready for the new week to begin.

Love, Kyle, Alissa, & Katelyn

Please Pray for Katelyn!

Many of you know that we were in the emergency room with Katelyn last weekend and they discovered that she had a urinary tract infection. She has been on antibiotics all week and still has one more week to go before she's done. Yesterday we had to switch meds because the medication she was on was causing really bad diaper rash, which would cause her pain every time we changed her diaper. The new medication only has to be given to her 2x a day, which is a lot easier for me and Katelyn puts up less of a fuss. When we spoke to the doctor about Katelyn's urine culture he told us that it showed an above normal amount of bacteria. Now this could have been caused by the method they used to collect the urine or something more serious. At the hospital they used what they call a vacuum bag that they stick over her girly parts and wait for her to pee in it. The only issue with this method is that it's not as sanitary as using a catheter. The nurse at the hospital really liked Katelyn and wanted to use the bag so it would be less invasive. We are praying for healing and that Katelyn will respond well to the meds, that her UTI will clear up and not come back.

Katelyn finishes her medication on Friday and has to have another urine culture taken with a catheter this time. I will keep you updated on how she's doing. In the meantime, thank you for your prayers, they mean so much to us.

Love, Kyle, Alissa & Katelyn

Tummy Time

Here are some pictures from todays "tummy time" with Katelyn. She's getting so strong, I think she's going to be walking in no time!!

I'm 2 months old!!

Today I took Katelyn to have her 2 month old pictures done at The Picture People. This was a much better experience than when I took her to JC Penny last month. The photographer was so great and not only did she get great pictures, Katelyn responded really well to her. I'm so glad I decided to go there this time. Even though it's a little more expensive, it's worth it for the great pictures you get. Plus, they print them for you while you wait. Last month I had to wait 2 weeks to get my pictures back. Before I headed to Picture People I stopped by a little boutique called Rascals to Rebels to buy Katelyn a new headband for her pictures. She look so adorable in it. Picture People emailed me the photos from the shoot so I could send them to family for additional orders. Here are some of our favorites. Sorry about the logo imprint, they don't want you to print the pictures they email you.

This picture was entered in the Picture People personality contest. Maybe she'll win!

Weekly Update

I know I haven't blogged much this week, or at all, I should say, but for good reason. Katelyn's been dealing with an on and off again fever all week long. She has gone from fussy to sleeping a lot and the whole time looking like she just didn't feel well.  After giving her Tylenol for a few days Kyle and I thought it might be more than just something viral she was trying to fight off and decided to get her checked out. So yesterday we took her to an urgent care clinic, called UrgiKids, where they examined her and there was nothing outwardly wrong with her. She didn't have an ear infection, pneumonia, a cold, or the flu so we were advised to take her to the ER so that they could do a septic work up. Now a septic work up includes a blood test, urine test, chest x-ray and a spinal tap (to check for Meningitis). So scary!! No one wants to see their baby poked and proded like that and I'm not going to lie, Kyle and I went back and forth for a few hours about whether we should take her. I just felt emotionally and physically drained from a week of trying to comfort Katelyn and feeling like she wasn't getting any better, but not wanting to subject her to a spinal tap! We ended up taking Katelyn to Mission Hospital ER near our house since they have pediatric beds in case she would need to be admitted. They didn't make us wait long to see a doctor since she's under 3 months old with a fever for more than 1 day.

We spoke with the doctor and he explained to us in more detail the reasonings behind the importance of the septic work up and after some discussion we agreed to begin with the blood and urine tests and if they came back negative we would discuss the x-ray and spinal tap. The nurse arrived to insert an iv into Katelyn's hand in case she needed antibiotics and draw blood. They had trouble taking blood from the iv location and another nurse arrived to draw blood from her other arm. Poor thing, she was so tired, so hungry, clearly not feeling well and having to deal with all these needles. In spite of all that, she was so good and only fussed a little. In order to keep the iv in they had to tape her arm to a cast-like pad so she wouldn't hurt her hand or pull the iv out if she moved around a lot. 

Then they attached a bag around her little girly parts to catch her urine (instead of using a catheter), which we hoped she would pee in while I was nursing her. I was convinced that between the iv fluids they were giving her and my nursing her peeing in the bag would not be an issue. Katelyn was relieved to finally get to nurse and she did a great job eating. I say this only because they say when babies are sick and have a fever they tend to not want to eat. Sure enough after she finished eating she peed in the bag and the first two tests were done. YEAH!! Now came the waiting. Kyle and I watched the Obama/McCain forum at Saddleback with Rick Warren and the Olympics while we waited.

The doctor came in about an hour later and told us that her blood work came back normal and that her urine test showed that she had a Urinary Tract Infection. WHAT!!! She's so little, how did this happen? Kyle and I change her diaper so much and bathe her every night, I'm not going to lie, we were a little surprised. They assured us it wasn't anything that we had done and that UTI is common in baby girls because their urethra is so little that it's easy for bacteria to get stuck in it. Kyle and I were relieved that we didn't have to subject her to the other two tests. We waited another hour for the antibiotics to be given to her intravenously and they the nurse returned to discharge us. After 5 hours in the emergency room we were able to take Katelyn home and we could tell she was already feeling better. She was all smiles as we said goodbye to the doctor and nurses.

Katelyn's been eating and sleeping today, trying to get back on schedule. I have to go fill a prescription for her at Target when she wakes up. The UTI should clear up in about 72 hours but she needs to take her meds for 7 days. So that was our week in a nutshell. Other than having her 2 month pictures taken this week, I think we're going to lay low. Please pray for a speedy recovery for Katelyn and that this next set of hospital bills are not too outrageous.

Love, Alissa & Katelyn

Kyle and Katelyn in the waiting room at UrgiKids

Katelyn after she got her iv put in, and her blood drawn

Relaxing with her pacifier after eating. Look at how big her belly is from all the fluids they gave her. She went through 5 diapers at the hospital!!

My poor baby girl, look at this "iv contraption" she had at the hospital.

Big Bear Weekend

After a rough start on Friday night Katelyn was able to adjust to being in the mountains and enjoyed her weekend. For the most part we relaxed and watched the Olympics. We had such a wonderful time with Kyle's parents and were thrilled that they invited us up to spend time with them this weekend. After a weekend of relaxation and delicious home cooked meals, we decided to venture out for breakfast this morning. There's a restaurant called The Grizzly up in Big Bear that is so delicious, but the portions are so big that I'm quite sure it's the epidemic for obesity with the possibility of a heart attack on a plate. Never the less we love to eat there and if we share the meal, and leave some on the plate, we still find ourselves full. Kyle and I always get bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns and blueberry pancakes. YUM!! It was so great to get away from Orange County. That's the great thing about California, we're just 15 min. from the beach and 2 hours away from the mountains and the desert. There's so much to do here to stay entertained, not to mention we house the happiest place on earth .... Disneyland.

Kyle and I arrived home around 4pm and Kyle set about to do some work while Katelyn and I took a nap. As I'm writing this and cooking dinner, Kyle and Katelyn are taking a short nap as Katelyn woke up with a little bit of a fever. Hopefully she's not fighting something she might have picked up when we took her to the ER. 

Hang time with Grandpa Circle.

Nap time with Mama. We were watching the Olympics on Saturday night and since I didn't get a nap that afternoon, I fell asleep after nursing Katelyn.

Hanging with Daddy while Mommy got the bath ready.

Hanging with Grandma.

We're not sure who taught her this but we keep seeing her do this!! haha

New pj's!!! I'm outgrowing my newborn clothes and into my 0-3 month stuff. *tear* My little girl is growing up so fast!

Eating at The Grizzly. I think that Katelyn ate the healthiest meal, "Mama's Milk"

Happy Baby!

Yesterday Katelyn woke up all smiles and it gave me a chance to get some adorable photos of her. I'm so amazed on a daily basis about how fast she is growing and changing. When she was first born she looked so much like Kyle and now that she's older she's starting to look like a nice mix of the both of us. Sometimes, in the morning, when I nurse her I tell her she needs to stop growing so fast. I'm trying to savor every moment with her because before we know it she will be all grown up and have met the man that God's been preparing for her and she will be getting married and starting a family of her own. When that day comes I'm going to go back through all these posts and remind myself of all the wonderful memories we've created. It's so wonderful to see her personality start to become evident. 

This weekend we're up in Big Bear. We had a rocky start last night, which landed us in the Big Bear ER. We arrived at 7:15pm and she had slept the whole way up here. After feeding her when we got here the fussiness started and at 1:00 am, after not being able to console her for more than a few minutes at a time, Kyle and I decided to take her in and make sure there wasn't something more serious wrong with her. Turns out that she was having trouble adjusting to the altitude and her ears were bothering her. We got home at 2:00am, I nursed her and then proceeded to sleep with her holding the pacifier in her mouth. From 2-4 she would not stay asleep unless I was holding the pacifier in her mouth. I think it helped because I fed her again at 4 am and she slept till 8:30am, ate, slept till 11am, ate again and fell back to sleep until a minute ago. Now she's all smiles as she hangs out with her daddy and her grandma. We're so relieved that there's nothing seriously wrong and that she's feeling much more adjusted today.

I'm off to feed my baby girl. Love - A

An Epiphany

Too much chocolate makes the baby fussy!!! I've been snacking on chocolate chip cookies to satisfy my craving. No more!! =) Sorry Katelyn, Mama needs to be better about giving up things she likes right now so she can nurse you. I'm going to cut the cookies out of my diet today and hopefully things will go better. She slept great last night so we're off to a great start......

Tough Week

Well this has officially been a tough week for Katelyn. I'm not sure what's going on with her, but it seems that when she's not sleeping or eating, she's crying. Not fussing.... boo hoo crying, with tears!! We can't figure it out. Usually she wakes up happy, smiles when we change her diaper, and will play happily for a little while before she eats and goes down for nap. She's also been sleeping more than usual the last couple of days. I feel so helpless and inadequate to help her. I rock her, snuggle with her, burp her, nothing seems to be working. Hopefully next week will be a better week. It's hard to believe that she's going to be 8 weeks old on Sunday.

We're off to Big Bear tomorrow, so I'll have lots of new pictures to post from our trip. I'm off to get packin' while Katelyn's napping.

Love, A

11 lbs of goodness...

Katelyn hasn't been to the pediatrician since her 1 month check up and if feels like she's growing like a little weed. A good weed that is. I was curious to know how much she was weighing these days so Kyle and I decided to put her on our home scale yesterday. It was hilarious to watch her face as we stood her on the scale and then finally had to lay her down to get a more accurate reading. She's such a good sport!

A New Vision

While Kyle was in Nashville, TN, a couple months ago he was introduced to an incredible man of God by the name of Michael Guido, most commonly known to his friends as Guido. He has, for 25 years, traveled with bands such as DC Talk, POD, Michael W. Smith, Chris Daughtry, and many more as a tour pastor. These men call him and ask him to come out on the road and be an accountability partner to them for their faith and their actions. This amazing man has a incredible testimony filled with love, forgiveness and redemption and has lived his life serving God in a ministry that is not as glamorous or "sexy" as everyone might think it is. It's tough for bands to leave their wives and families for months at a time to go out on the road, sleep in a small bunk in a tour bus, or a bench in a 15 passenger van. It can be lonely, and filled with surprising temptations. Guido has, over the years, gone out on the road, asking for nothing, and just pouring out his life to minister to them. His ministry, PR Ministries (http://prministries.com), relies on donations from bands he has formerly worked with and people like you and me who hear about his ministry and want to support him. 

This past Sunday night Guido and his family were in town and they put time aside to visit with Kyle and I. After spending a couple hours with them I felt as though I had known them forever! I was encouraged, uplifted, humbled, and spiritually in awe of the faith that his family has in God to provide for all their needs so that they can serve Him. The purpose for this post is this: Go to his website, read his testimony, and if God is calling you help support his ministry. Whether it's a one time gift or money set aside to give PR Ministries each month. 

Here is a wonderful summation of who Guido is by David Tosti, formerly of PAX 217:

"There are certain people that we all come across in our lives that inspire us, move us to be better humans, and explain love through the way they breathe and my friend Guido is that, for me. Guido and I met about 7 years ago, when I was singing and touring with my band, PAX217. We met in a mall in Nashville, TN and struck up a rich, deep, friendship. If I could only explain what he does and more importantly WHO he is, I would. I guess I will give it a try. He is a MAN, in the truest sense. A husband, father to 5 children of his own, and a father to many many more artists. He has invested himself for the past 25 years into the lives, families, and essentially the hearts, of many multi-platinum (and not multi-platinum, like myself) artists. He is an example of what it means to be a father and a fighter. He has given himself to extreme ends to speak life into artists through out the years. I’m so grateful to have crossed paths and built such an amazing a relationship. Last night, we connected at the spectrum on a whim. Here’s to you Guido, you have made my life more powerful. Find what he does here, and if you’re on facebook, I invite you to add his “cause” and give to his work"

Here's a picture of all of us at Pinkberry at the Irvine Spectrum

Thank you Guido for sharing your testimony, your life, and your family with us. Love K, A, & baby K

Pediatricians!!

I need a new one! Now! Before Katelyn has to have her 2 month shots on August 15. When I went to my meet and greet with Katelyn's pediatrician I initially liked him a lot. I felt he was friendly and attentive. Now, I have a different opinion. I mean, he is still friendly, but due to some glitches he caused in our quest to be approved for insurance, Kyle and I are ready to move on. I guess I should back up and explain where my frustration began so you can understand why it has escalated. When Katelyn was 3 weeks old I took her in for a check up. She had been up all night crying with gas and so Dr. Hayashida prescribed an x-ray for her saying that she might have a serious gastrointestinal problem. First, why would you give a 3 week old and x-ray, and second, why would you give a 3 week old an x-ray after only 1 night of gas? Needless to say Kyle and I decided to wait it out a day or two first and see how she was feeling. Katelyn slept like a baby (lol) the next night and the following nights and we learned one more food I needed to temporarily lay off while nursing. 

Then when it was time to apply for a new insurance plan for Katelyn since I wasn't returning to work in the fall, I called their office and emailed the doctor to let him know the circumstances and to have her records ready. We were trying really hard for an August 1 approval. Well, on July 28 we get a call from our insurance agent that our pediatrician won't release Katelyn's records unless Blue Shield pays him $75 as opposed to the customary $50 that they usually offer. Once again I emailed the doctor and called him about this situation. He told me about a plan he prefers to work with and I reminded him that I already had a plan I had applied for and was sticking with that. He went on to let me know that he has received $75 from other insurance carriers and didn't know why the insurance company was gripping over $25. I told him, we didn't understand why he was holding up my 6 week old from having insurance over $25!!! Even as I'm writing this I find myself getting frustrated. I'm done with this guy and want to meet some other pediatricians that I could take Katelyn to before she's due for her shots.

I put in a call to the pediatrician today and they want $25 to release a copy of her records to me. I'm beginning to think it might be worth it not to have to go back there.... ever!!!!!! Let me get back to my point. Can anyone recommend a pediatrician? Please!! I'm willing to drive as far as Irvine. I just need to find Katelyn a new doctor and my sanity and peace of mind.

Ok! I'm done venting!! HELP!!

Our little model

I was thinking about getting Katelyn into modeling so I've been trying to practice posing her in different outfits. Sometimes I wonder what thoughts are going through her head as I'm trying to get her to smile with one eye hidden by the camera. She must think that her mama looks so weird talking to her from behind a big, black contraption. Never - the - less she is a good sport and will humor me. Here are some of my favorite shots of her.

Life's little comforts

So even though I put Katelyn down in the middle of her crib to sleep, she always manages to scoot herself to the edge of her crib. Sometimes we find her snuggling with her teddy bear and other times we find her like this....

Fun in the Sun!!

Today Katelyn and I met up with Meygan and Kylie, and Jessica and Ella at Meygan's pool. I had been waiting to introduce the pool to Katelyn because I was worried that she wouldn't like it. My plan was to wait till she was a little older so I wouldn't get in the pool and turn around and get out. She's 6 1/2 weeks olds, so I figured there's no time like the present. Katelyn did so good and I think she had tons of fun!! She cried a little when we first got in but I think it's because it was a little cold and she's not a big fan of having a "full" diaper. Once we were in there for a couple of minutes she settled down, sucked on her pacifier and after a while she was dozing in and out. She was so cute in her little giraffe print bikini and sun hat. We have baby sunglasses for her but we lent them to Ella. Katelyn hung out in the pool with me until about 4:15 and then it was time to eat. I changed her out of her suit, got her dressed, fed her and she passed out. It was so great to hang out with other moms and do the mom and baby thing. Thanks for the invite Meygan, see you next Tuesday!! Love, A & K