We've Been Busy!

The four of us!


Addison kissing Cooper


Uncle Brian & Cooper


Brian with Addison & Cooper


Mama Cheryl & Kennedy


Kennedy getting ready for the wedding


Kennedy & Papa Phil


Mama Dianne & Papa Phil with Kennedy & Addison


Kennedy & Aunt Brinda


Papa Jeff & Kennedy


Kennedy snoozing with Papa Jeff


Kennedy meet Great Grandma & Grandpa Burleigh


Kennedy in Daddy's hat


Wow, a lot has been going on the past week and a half! Brian's grandparents were in town for his brother's wedding this past weekend. So, Addison, Kennedy and I met up with Brian's parents at Aunt Brinda's house to visit with them. This was their first time meeting both of the girls. Addison was shy at first (I know, hard to believe!) and then she warmed up. Kennedy shared some smiles with everyone and especially liked it when Brinda held her and talked to her. Then Kennedy and Papa Jeff napped together while Addison played and the rest of us visited.

Then we had Brandon's (Brian's brother) rehearsal luncheon and wedding over the weekend. Addison was the flower girl at the wedding and she did a very good job. I was nervous as you may have remembered from my previous post, but all went as well as could be expected when you have little ones participating in the wedding. Addison took her job seriously and once she walked down the aisle sat with Jeff & Cheryl. Brian and Addison looked very nice all dressed up! We enjoyed the reception and came home and crashed hard! It was funny, Addison crashed right at the beginning of the reception in Aunt Debbie's arms but then we reenergized to play with her cousins Cooper and Ethan. Brian did a very nice job with his best man speech, despite not taking any of my suggestions ;) A nice time was had by all.

We have all had the yucky cold, congestion stuff going through our house. It started with Addison who was really sick with both the cold and flu bug, then Brian, then me, and then poor Miss Kennedy got it. I ended up taking Kennedy in today since she seems to have it pretty bad. We have to suction her nose out all of the time, she coughs up mucus, and even coughs so hard she throws up. Poor little girl! The congestion in her chest is so much that her chest rattles when she breathes. It appears that she either just has a cold or may have the start of pneumonia. Lets hope it is just a cold and doesn't develop into anything more. So, no medications for now. At her appointment she was 10lbs 10oz (59th percentile) and 23 1/4 inches (90th percentile). We return next week for her 2 month visit, which they could have done today, but we decided to hold off since the shots could cause her to spike a fever and didn't want that to happen in the event that she did develop pneumonia we would be able to decipher what was causing the fever and not overlook it.

Kennedy is 6 Weeks Old!!!

Kennedy (this pic really reminds me of Addison's 1 month picture)


Kennedy playing with the toys on her mat


Kennedy loves tummy time


Kennedy on her tummy time mat


Addison


Kisses for Kennedy


Addison (hamming it up for the camera) & Kennedy


Sisterly Love

Wow, it is hard to believe that Kennedy is 6 weeks old today! She has changed so much too. I took Kennedy in to the Dr. on Monday to her another weight check and she is growing like crazy! She weighed in at 10lbs 3oz and is gaining well over the 1/2oz a day minimum. Now that means that I don't have to wake her up at night to feed her and can just wait until she wakes up and is ready to eat. Yay, more sleep for mommy :) Some more things about Kennedy, she enjoys bath time, tummy time and cuddling with her mommy, daddy and sister. She is staying awake more and more each day, but I have to admit she is much different than Addison in this sense. Rather than staying awake for a few hours then sleeping for a few hours and repeating. Kennedy wakes up in the morning around 8AM and stays up until around 3PM and then she crashes for the rest of the day and night and I often have to wake her to eat (except at night now...she does usually wake around 5AM to eat). Her schedule is actually very convenient for me, as I have time to get things done in the afternoon....if I am motivated that is! Her next appointment is April 3rd for her 2 month visit.

Addison's a Flower Girl!

Close up of Addison's dress


The back view....I am not the greatest at tying bows


Full view of the flower dress....Addison likes her shoes, so she was showing them off ;)

Addison is going to be a flower girl next Sunday in her Uncle Brandon's wedding. She doesn't really know it yet, nor does she know what all it entails but I am sure she will do great! Brian is the best man and Addison will walk down the aisle with him, which will be good since I anticipate her getting embarrassed (she practically hid under the table at her birthday when we sang Happy Birthday to her!). The dress fits her perfectly. I got her a little fake pearl necklace to wear and a black headband with a black bow on it for her hair. I think that it will go over well, my only concern is that it is a 3PM wedding and nap time is usually at 2PM. I am not sure the game plan yet, but we may try to keep her up late the night before and let her sleep in late so we can skip the nap before the ceremony and maybe she'll either crash at the reception or just go to bed early. I just don't want a cranky little girl on my hands!

The Cloth Diaper Whisperer Weekly Giveaway!

I just love my cloth diapers and couldn't live without Kelly's Closet (www.kellyscloset.com) where I purchase all of my diapers and accessories. Kelly's closet is associated with The Cloth Diaper Whisperer blog where each week they have fabulous giveaways which I have just recently started participating in, but have yet to win. I think it is a great way to try out a new product without purchasing it. If you have a baby and are thinking about trying cloth diapers or already use them you should check out these sites!

You Capture Week 3-Texture

I was looking around at some of the blogs that I frequent and found this great blog www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com where there is a weekly photo challenge to inspire you to think outside the box with your photography. I thought this would be fun to do since I LOVE to take pictures and need a little inspiration than just my beautiful girls. So, here are my entries for Week 3-Texture:


Painting up close (my favorite pic)


Beading on dress


Marble dresser top


Dresser molding

Addison is Sick :(

Addison crashed out on the couch with her juice cup.

Addison came home Sunday morning with a fever and nasty cough and just not feeling herself. The fever and cough continued through Monday and finally by Tuesday was just a low grade fever and she seemed to be feeling a bit better and was wanting to eat despite requesting to stay in her pajamas all day. Her first attempt at eating did not go over well, she couldn't keep it down.

I was able to get her in to see the Dr that afternoon, I just wanted to make sure that I didn't need to worry about her getting Kennedy sick. Of course Addison acted just fine when we got to the Dr and wanted to play with all of the toys, drank 8oz from her sippy cup and was really talkative and energetic....figures! At the appointment the Dr said everything should subside in a few days and she may even end up getting diarrhea in the next day or so.

I thought we were on the upswing since Addison seemed to be feeling better since the appointment. Well, later last night she wanted to play with her dollhouse, but all she did was lay on the ground next to it and move a few things around and say "Addison's cold, I need a nawnie (what she calls her blanket)". She wouldn't even take her coat off last night and fell asleep on the couch with it on. In the middle of the night we had more throwing up and fever and again this morning she was throwing up with diarrhea. She has since crashed out on the couch. Poor thing! I just hope this resolves soon and the rest of us don't get this bug.

Some Cute Pictures

Brian, Kennedy and Addison cuddling.


Mommy kisses


Mommy hugs


I think I'll eat my fingers....


Kennedy loves bath time!


Working the tongue


She looks like a wizard in this hat...but it's so cute and cuddly!


Funny face :)

We've Been Approved...

Kennedy is all ready to go! She finally fits into this hat (that is still a bit big) that Addison could wear from day 1!


Addison is down for a nap. That girl gets so wild in her sleep and always sweats!


Kennedy is snoozing. She loves to sleep on her belly just like her sister (but only gets to when mommy is awake to look after her).

Well, after much thought, Brian and I decided to take the plunge and see if we could get approved to purchase another home. Yes, that would mean that we would be the owners of not 1 but 2 homes....in 2 different states even! I know, it's just crazy, but there is a method behind the madness. Brian and I had been in the talks with his parents about renting a house and moving in together so that we could save a little money and have a bigger space for all of us. Brian and I were talking and thought that it made more sense to see if we could buy a house and have his parents move in until they decide what they want to do. It would be ideal if our home in Texas will be sold and we only own 1 home in the near future. So, Brian and I have been surfing the net looking for a new home for the past few days and driving around to check them out. Hopefully this weekend we will be able to get some appointments so that we can check out the inside of the homes that we think are good contenders. Wish us luck!

For those of you who read my post about us having to find Abbie a new home, here is an update. We received an e-mail with pictures from the new owners and she looks oh so happy running around and playing with 3 other dogs on a farm. It appears that she is happy and that it is a good fit :) We still miss her terribly and it is so hard when Addison says "I miss Abbie" or "Where's Abbie?" not to mention the other day Addison noticed that her dish was missing, so she went and put her empty plate there for Abbie to lick :( It has been hard, but knowing that she is happy makes it a little bit easier.

Kennedy is 1 Month Old!

Look at those lips :)


Big yawn!


Cloth diaper cutie :)


Kennedy just hanging out.


Addison loves her little sister.

Wow, it's hard to believe that Miss Kennedy is already 1 month old! She is getting to be such a big girl :) She flashes an occasional smile (whether it's a real smile or not is not likely....but equally cute!) and she has amazing head strength. I am curious to see if she will be early to roll over, crawl and walk like her big sister! I guess only time will tell.

The cloth diapering is going really well. Like I mentioned before, this time I am laundering the diapers myself and not using a diaper service. This is really not as labor intensive as I thought it might be. you just have to plan ahead and be organized, especially if we are going out of the house. With Addison I used disposables on outings and at daycare, mainly since we had the diapers from the diaper service I was nervous about taking them out and possibly not getting them returned resulting in a charge from the company. This time around I plan to use cloth all the way, with possibly the exception of going on an extended trip. Another change this time is that I am also using cloth wipes with my own wipe solution. How do I make my own wipe solution and what do I use is the #1 question I am asked. Here is the answer:

2 cups of water heated up w/ 2 bags of chamomile tea bags
1 tablespoon of Nature's Baby Organic Shampoo & Body Wash Lavender & Chamomile Scent
1 tablespoon of Nature's Baby Organic Baby Oil Mandarin & Coconut Scent
Mix it all together and pour over 20 cloth wipes (wash cloths) in a wipes container or wipes warmer (which I use) for warm & toasty wipes.

I am thrilled that Kennedy finally fits into more than just the teeny tiny diaper covers, so now I have a few more that I can add to the rotation other than just the 4 that I had to launder almost daily.

Happy Birthday Brian! Update on Kennedy :)

The Fast Girls (Debbie, Sonja, & Cheryl)


Aunt Sarah & Kennedy @ bowling


Grandma Vicki & Kennedy @ bowling


Papa Jeff & Cooper


Uncle Greg with Shelby & Cooper


Terry & Debbie @ bowling


Addison smiling for the camera

Today is Brian's 26th birthday!!! Brian had mentioned over a month ago that he wanted to go bowling for his birthday. So, on Saturday we invited family and a few friends to join us at Mount Hood Lanes to celebrate. We had a great turn out and were joined by: Brian's parents (Jeff & Cheryl), Brian's brother Brandon and his family, my mom Vicki, my sister Sarah & her husband Chad, Brian's Aunt Sonja & her family, Brian's Aunt Debbie & Uncle Terry, Brian's Uncle Greg, and our friends, Jeff, Jessie & Hazel. The gang enjoyed 2 games of bowling, cupcakes and visiting. Thank you to all of you who joined us to help celebrate Brian's birthday, it means a lot to us! I am sorry that I didn't get many pictures of the bowling, but the lighting was a bit difficult to work with :(

Kennedy is doing very well. I took her to have her weight checked today, since she wasn't regaining as quickly as she should. I was confident that she was gaining well this past week, she really seemed to fill out, even though she can still only fit into a handful of newborn onesies and well none of her newborn pants fit. When we went to the appointment the nurse said they would like Kennedy to weigh at least 8lbs 2-4oz. She blew by that and weighed in at 8lbs 13oz! She gained 2oz short of 1lb in 1 week! What a pleasant surprise :) I really do feel that her slow gain prior to now was related to using the nipple shield, which I am no longer using. Even though Kennedy is gaining well, I will take her back to another weight check in 2 weeks just to be sure she is on the right track.

Addison is being a great big sister, even better than I could have ever hoped. She loves coming up and kissing her, sharing her toys with her (even though she can't play with them), and she is always trying to pick Kennedy up. She even did pick her up once when I left the room for literally 2 seconds! I was shocked, but thrilled that she was holding her perfectly, her head was even supported well. I can't wait to see the girls play together and grow up together, I think they are going to be best friends :)