Hat snack

Katelyn has been beating up daddy today. Stiff arms, hooking the mouth, and even eating his hat. Daddy likes the rough housing.

Fancy Feet

Katelyn loves to hold her feet. She gets very excited as shown in this video! She's very proud of herself too.

Rock and Roll

Oh my gosh!!! Katelyn had quite the milestone this morning. SHE ROLLED OVER. She's been rolling into her side for about a week. She keeps getting stuck on her arm. so she'll have her whole body rolled over except for her shoulder...daddy and I are sticklers and wouldn't give her credit for an official roll over. THEN... she rolled over in her crib this mornign with Dad. We are so proud and mommy can't wait to see it for herself.

Even better- daddy snapped a pic just after since I wasn't there. In this pic you can see the "What in the heck just happened" look. After a bunch of claps and praise from daddy, she grinned ear to ear and was very pleased with herself. So exciting, here's our little roller! It's a little blurry from all the action. Way to go Kate!

Cousins

Katelyn sure loves her cousins. She had so much fun with max & Alex on Christmas and had fun with Maggie and Coleman today. Coleman and Maggie had fun making faces and watching katelyn smile a huge ear to ear grin. Here is a pic of Coleman in action.

Holly and Tripper got some great photos on Christmas that I'll post asap! We had a great Christmas. Life seems to be such a whirlwind these days. Hopefully I'll be a better blogger in 2011 than I have been lately. That'll be one of our new years resolutions.

Our cozy little sleeper

Kate sure does get comfy when she sleeps. Here's proof.



We had our 4 month visit today. Katelyn got an A+. Dr. G kept commenting how strong she was (yep...that's our girl). She's still in 90-95th percentile for height @ 25.5 inches. For weight, she scaled back from 90th percentile to 75th % coming in just under 15 lbs. Dr G said this is fine. She is eating so much these days and is starting to teeth (fun stuff, let me tell you). Dr. G gave us the okay to start rice cereal so we had our first big girl meal tonight. As expected she spit most of it out b/c of her tounge reflex. It will take her a while to learn how to use a spoon. WE gave her the rest in her bottle and she took it like a champ! Hopefully she sleeps hard tonight. She's been mainly sleeping through the night, but she normally wakes up once b/c she's gotten out of her swaddle which wakes her up.

Today was also her next round of shots. She did MUCH better than last time. Daddy came this time, so he helped to distract her. She cried more for the oral one than anything. She's been a little fussy today until we were allowed to give her the first Tylenol dose. Then she was a happy camper.

Other than that news we have been laying low and working on our christmas cards, shopping, wrapping, car shopping, etc. We need an SUV to cart Kate around in.

We've got a holiday party tomorrow night and have hired our first sitter. We'll let you know how that goes.

Blog Speed Bump

My work internet blocker decided to classify my blog as an "adult" site while I was on maternity leave. This means I can't access my blog as easily as before Katelyn arrived. I'm sorry in advance if it takes a while between posts.

We've been having a GREAT time watching Katelyn grow. She's almost 4 months and is such a big girl. She officially sleeps through the night now. She love to hold her hands (fist style), so she looks like she's praying all the time. She loves making bubbles and blowing rasberries. We feel like she'll walk any day now.

I've got SO many pics to post, we just are bad about downloading the pics. I'm about a month behind on posting our cutie in photos. Sorry!

More to come, but since it's been so long since I've posted I thought I'd write a quick note.

Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!

It's amazing

It's amazing what up'ing your daughters food will do. Earlier this week we started giving her 6 ounces per feeding. She has slept through the night for 2 nights in a row. She still wakes up b/c she breaks out of the swaddle around 2 or 3am, but that's a quick 5 minute break in the middle of the night instead of an hour! We'll keep you posted but mommy and daddy think we may have passed the hurdle!!!

Hooray! We hope...

Pretty Girl

Katelyn is all smiles these days. Here is a shot of our cutie on Thanksgiving. She is usually camera shy, so catching the smiles on camera is a rare thing. I can read her mind in this picture: "Don't I look pretty in my dress?"

Black Friday, Part 2

So I woke up at 3:15am, fed Kate, then scooted out the door. Mission: Best Buy's Nikon D3000 camera doorbuster

I posted the pic of what I arrived too at best buy in an earlier post. Here is my follow up. Good news is that I got the camera. The checkout line was about 2 hours. At the end of the day I shopped at: Best Buy, Macys, The Gap, Old Navy, Target, Pottery Barn, and Crate & Barrel. It was a good day, but not as great as past years. The funny part is that I always shop for me and my family on Black Friday. I need to get better at planning out my presents and knocking out the shopping.

FYI- Macy's and the mall were not very crowded at 4:30am. I''ll need to remember that for next year.

7 hours of shopping for deals. I like it (but yes, I'm very tired).

Good morning Black Friday

It's a coupon queens favorite day of the year. My alarm (aka katelyn) went off at 3:15a. I arrived to best buy at 4:15 am to a line AT LEAST 200 people deep. For those familiar w the perimiter location the line was to the new rooms to go. Scott and I wanted a digital slr camera. Best buy has a good deal so I've been in line for almost 2 hrs now. Hope the deal was worth it !!!

Give Thanks

Goodness, do we have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I got teary eyed just thinking about it last week. I'm emotional to begin with, but with a little baby its out of control.

I have a healthy, happy baby that blows me away daily, a wonderful husband who is the BEST dad, parents who are watching my baby full-time M-F that allows me to work without the "who is watching my baby" stress, AND to top it off we have the best family and friends. Life if good. It's hard to believe life could get any better.

I also give thanks to all you blog readers who care about me and my family. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Now hear this

Kate has been babbling like crazy. Scott caught this on video. Can you make out what she says at the beginning? I choose to believe it's on purpose. She actually says it all the time. What do you hear? (psst... It's at the very beginning so make sure your speakers are up!)


ps this is the third time I've tried posting. fingers crossed!

Our little Mozart

She loves this piano!

Sweet dreams

Quick pic of Kate napping it up. She's changed a lot this week. She has started bouncing when she puts weight on her legs, her version of standing. This morning she started grabbing mommy's face... Mainly the nose. Scott said during the 6a feeding she started babbling while being burped, and liked the noises her voice made when her back was tapped.

She's such a big girl. Her 3 month birthday is Friday :)

First rattle hold

Yeah, Kate!! This just happened!

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday papa ger!!!

We miss you and hope you had a great day!

All good things come to an end...

And maternity leave is one of them. I return to work tomorrow. I'm sure it will be one of the hardest things I do. Today I tried to savor every moment.

To ease into it, I'm using vacation days to go back part time (every other day until thanksgiving). I'm also fortunate enough to have grammy and gramps handling childcare. What a blessing for us and Kate!! THANK YOU mom and dad from the bottom of my heart!

Here's where I'll be spending the majority of my day tomorrow :(

I'll miss you Kate and I hope you'll miss me too!!

11 week progress report

For mommy, not Kate. Time flies with a little one, so several things on my "to do while on maternity leave" list have still not been completed. I go back to work next Thursday (boo-hoo!).

One thing that I had not gotten done was painting Kate's letters and frames for her room. This is the last project for her nursery, so i thought i should finish before her 3 month birthday. Well, the time had come so Grammy and Gramps stepped in and offered to watch Kate while I devoted some time to painting. Mission accomplished!!

Here is a preview of the letters. I'll show you the rest on the wall. Should be done this weekend. I'm very happy with how the letters turned out They aren't perfect, but mommy likey!

In the still of the night...

Somebody got her sleep on last night and SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! Yep, Miss Katelyn slept from 8:30p to 5:15a last night, almost 9 hours. Mommy and Daddy likey!!!

Great job Kate!!!

New shoes

Like my first shoes? Scott's friends Mary Beth and Dana sent Kate a bag of goodies and this fun pair of shoes were included. This is the first time Kate has had shoes on, but she didn't seem to mind.

Beanette's 1st Halloween

Katelyn had a fabulous first Halloween. She was so comfortable in her outfit she slept through most of the activities. Here is our....

String Bean!



Okay, really it's a pea in the pod costume, but we prefer to call it a string bean since "Beanette and Bean" have been her nicknames for the majority of her life. Isn't she a doll? She was a hit with the neighbors.

We were honored to be joined by Ma Myrt (Katelyn's Great Grandmother) and a quick visit from cousins Robbie, Kevin and Katie. Ma Myrt was nice enough to help us hand out candy to the kids in the neighborhood.

We estimated around 100 kids, and we didn't run out of candy until 8:15p this year. Much better than our 7p run out time last year, we didn't know our neighborhood/street was such a busy trick-or-treating location. Lesson learned. We also learned after last year that if you don't rope off your yard, the expensive fescue re-seeding will be ruined. I'll snap a pic of ou roped off yard tomorrow.

Maggie's B-day Pics

Finally found our real camera cord. Hopefully that means more decent pictures being posted. Here are 2 from Maggie's b-day.

The Birthday girl on her birthday blow-up throne


Gramps and Kate


blogger post issues...will try to get this second one up later. Time for bed.

Darn Tired

Mama Lin, Papa Ger and Ma Myrt came to visit today! Katelyn had a great time with them! This is what she looked like about an hour after they left... PASSED OUT!
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Mummy-licious

To get in the Halloween mood, mommy made mummy dogs for lunch today.

Here is my version against the picture from the recipe. I haven't done the faces yet, but I'm guessing it won't be pretty. I'll repost an updated pic if the faces turn out okay.

We'll post pics tomorrow or Monday of Halloween!! Katelyn's excited to be a _____. You'll have to tune back in to fill in the blanks!

Happy birthday Maggie!!

Today cousin Maggie turned 3!! We celebrated on Friday and wore this cute cupcake outfit in her honor.

Happy birthday sweet Maggie. Katelyn can't wait to play "babies" with you soon!

happy anni

Happy Anniversary to uncle tripper and aunt holly. I wish we were in vegas at the bellagio reliving your fantastic wedding. tequila shot anyone? Piano bar? Gonzalez y Gonzalez? Giant slot machine a minute to late?

Such great memories!

OUCH!!

Katelyn had her 2 month check-up today. That means this was the big vaccination appointment, 4 shots for our baby girl. We'll get to that, but first for the check-up and stats. Katelyn is growing ask predicted and is still much longer and heavier than most 2 month olds (our over-achiever).

Head Circumfrence: 15.75 (80%...up from last time which must mean she's going to be smart)
Weight: 12 lbs, 8 oz (90%, same as last month)
Height: 24.25 inches (95%, same as last month)

Overall, Katelyn got a good report. Now for the tough part...the shots! Everyone warns you how bad it'll be and that the shots are harder for mom than baby. I didn't sleep much last night in anticipation. The nurse gave the shots. First of all they made me "restrain" her and hold her still and pin her arms down. That alone made me upset. Then came the first shot. After a 5 second delay the screams started. Poor thing!!!!!!!!!!!! Once the screams started she finished the shots with rapid fire. The nurse says "okay here's your reciept" and basically runs through the door and quickly closes the door behind her. There I am left to console Katelyn who is screaming. She's never really cried like that before. It lasted about 10 minutes and then she feel asleep. Crying like that must have taken its toll and knocked her out. She was fussy a little, but smiled some later in the day. We gave her Tylenol to soften the soreness.

I'm so glad that is over!!! Katelyn you did such a great job considering. Dr. G was very proud of you! you have hit all of your milestones, keep up the good work!

Happy 2 Months!

Happy 2 month birthday Katelyn. Mommy owes you a 2 month letter, but hasnt gotten a chance to write it yet. You are such a big girl and are growing everyday!

Happy sunday

We had a rough night last night, but I've been very happy this morning. Here's proof in my giant smile :)

It's going to be a good day because I will meet auntie Laura today. She lives in DC and is in town. She is one of mommy's BFFs from high school.

Katelyn Allen #2?

My boss just forwarded me an email from a sales rep. Her name is Katelyn Allen. Weird!!

There is a grown up out there with the same name. Her mom has very good taste in names :)

Wide eyes

Fun times...

GREAT visit

Scott, Katelyn and I went for a visit to katelyn's great grandmother. It was great to see you Mom Myrt. Katelyn told us she can't wait until she's old enough to eat your cookies. We hope to stay longer next time. Thanks for having us over! See you next time!

After the visit we headed to a park in Roswell to meet up with uncle Tripper, aunt holly and cousins max and Alex. We are trying to get good pics for the birth announcement and a Christmas note and they have an SLR camera.

Hopefully we got some good ones.

Happy Birthday Grammy!!

Today was Grammy Prather's birthday, so we had a girl's lunch. It makes me so happy to see Katelyn with Grammy. I think katelyn looks like her and Grammy is so good with her. Grammy, we hope you had a great day!!

We also got to go visit aunt Sarah who is expecting her second baby. Sarah is on bed rest and we hadn't seen her in over 3 weeks. It was great to see you Sarah! You are looking great. Keep up the good work!! We can't wait to meet her (or him). Scott thinks boy, I think girl by the way. Hope to come visit again soon!

A great day on all accounts!

This sucks

Someone just found her thumb this morning. Until now she has liked to suck on her hand, but always tucked her thumb under the other fingers.

At least she can soothe herself on her own with the thumb. She LOVES the pacifier, but can't stop spitting it out.

Mommy and daddy are okay with both... They make her so happy!

Aware and Dramatic

Kate has changed so much in the last week. The cold seems to be on the way out, but she gave it to mommy. I'll take that trade any day!

As you saw on the other posts from this week she started smiling regularly. Before now we would get a one-off smile here and there...but yesterday she started smiling like crazy. it melts my heart!! She is one cutie pie!! Hopefully the good mood from yesterday will become an everyday thing.

The other main change to Katelyn is that she is suddenly aware of her surroundings and that her cries mean more attention from Mommy and Daddy. Katelyn has two cries: 1) I'm really hungry or pissed off and I'm letting you know and 2) I'm maybe getting upset but really I just want mommy or daddy to pay me more attention

Exhibit A: When we put her down for bed she'll cry (cry #2), then we'll walk into her nursery and she'll stop

Exhibit B: when she's playing on the mat and mommy is in the kitchen or laundry room she'll cry (cry #2) and when I come in because she's crying she'll stop when we make eye contact.

Is this normal this early? She's 7 weeks today. Does this mean we already have an aware baby that will cry just for attention? We're suckers...and it's working. When we put her to bed we give her 5 minutes to see if she'll stop crying on her own. Do we need to let her cry it out this early? Last night scott went up and ended up rocking her to sleep, which does NOT need to become habit.

Scott and I have also decided Katelyn will be dramatic. The only reason is how dramatic she is with her "I just woke up" stretches, how over the top excited she gets when her mouth gets wiped clean after eating and some of her hand movements. Many times her arms end up over her face like a southern dame who is in desparate need of shade, you know the "whoa is me" look. I'll see if I can snap a pic of it.

Take 2...smiles!!!

I think someone is finally feeling better!

Pretty girl smiles

We are having a very smile filled morning!!

Sleep Tight

katelyn started breaking out of her swaddle about a week ago. She's just too strong for our blanket swaddles. Enter the miracle blanket, or as we call it a baby strait jacket. In 5 nights she's only been able to get one arm free once, quite an improvement.

She is still sick with a cold, so she's been pretty fussy all week. Poor thing is pretty congested, but seems to be getting better. Saline drops help a lot.

I'm happy to say I'm up for a feeding. She ate at 10pm, went to sleep around 10:45p and she just woke up at 3:30a. That's a Katelyn sleep record!!! Keep it up Kate!

And on that note...good night. Maybe we'll get another good stretch in.

Sick and Tired!

The sick applies to Katelyn and daddy. Katelyn officially has her first cold. She's congested and Monday night was the worst night since birth. Poor Kate did NOT feel good and her screams proved it.

Daddy was really sick on Monday, either the flu or food poisoning that lasted almost 2 days. Hopefully he'll be better tomorrow. Mommy's fingers are crossed.

That made mommy the loan caretaker of miss katelyn. I eventually got 2-3 hours of sleep, but it was rough. Hopefully she will get better soon but at the doctor today he said it usually lasts 3 weeks since they don't have an immune system. 3 WEEKS???? REALLY????? DANG! Hope I survive those 3 weeks, or better yet I'm praying for a speedy recovery...my baby is advanced in other ways, so maybe he immune system is advanced too. Luckily there isn't congestion in the chest. Funny how life changes when you have a sick child.

We were already scheduled for her 1 month check-up today. Here are her other stats: 10 lbs, 5 oz. in weight and 22.75 in length. High 90s for percentile. Good job Kate. Other than the cold you got an A+.

Please say some prayers that sweet baby Katelyn's recovery is fast and it doesn't get any worse.

Month 1, a letter

Aunt Holly gave me this idea. She wrote letters to the twins. I love the idea that they will be able to read those when they are old and grown, so I'm following her lead. Here is letter #1 (prepare yourself...it's long).

Dear Katelyn,

Wow, what a difference a month makes. This month has been so much fun, but exhausting would probably be a better word to describe it. Being a mommy and daddy is hard work! We would do it all again in a heartbeat. You are worth every sleepy second :)

You were born on Thursday, August 19th at 6:20pm and were 9 lbs even and 21 ¼ inches long. I was shocked and amazed to see how beautiful you were. Daddy changed your first diaper at 3am, mommy had to coach him through it. He is a pro now! You ate great from the first feeding and have had no health issues to date.

Your first night at home was ROUGH. You must have gotten so used to the hospital that home was a second scary new place outside of mommy’s belly. You’ve gotten used to your crib (yes, you’ve slept there since night #1). You don’t seem to mind diaper changes, I hear some babies scream and you just squirm a little. And…cross my fingers… you haven’t gotten any diaper rash yet.

You had a lot of love and support in your first month from Grammy and Mama Lin. You are adored by your grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. You are the first Allen girl in this generation, so you’ve got big shoes to fill. I don’t think you’ll have a problem. Your feet are pretty big :)

Your official name is Katelyn, but sometimes we call you Kate. Kate Allen has a nice ring to it. Katelyn seems to be a very popular name right now, but it can be spelled in many ways. I hope you like your name...we do!

You LOVE baths and sleeping. You seem so content in the warm water and get a very cute face when it’s bathtime. I can understand that. I see a future of bubble baths my dear. You sleep a lot, which is not a surprise. Mommy loves to sleep too and has loved naps. Grammy says I used to ask to go to bed, which is opposite of most babies and kids. She says I would go to her and say “Mommy, night night?” with a very sleepy voice.

You are very laid-back and seem to sit back and take it all in. In the past few days you’ve changed a lot and we think you are figuring out how to control your hand and arms. When you are awake and playing you love to kick, kick, kick. Hopefully that means soccer is in your future. Both mommy and daddy play(ed) soccer and it is our favorite sport. We hope to get you started early with tennis and golf too (daddy’s excuse to join Dunwoody Country Club if we win the lottery). You already can hold your head up pretty good and on occasion can put weight on your legs. You’ve been about 50/50 with tummy time, sometimes you like it, other times you don’t.

Your favorite toy is the Fisher Price Imaginarium. You stare at it everytime the music plays. Mommy and Daddy think you have two best friends right now. They are Mr. Penguin and Monkey, pictured below.


You’re not talking yet, but mommy swears you said “Hi” the other day in a squeak… You either squeak or grunt. Mommy thinks you grunt when you are trying really hard to do something and you squeak when you are tired.

You sleep pretty good, but sometimes you forget that the daytime is for playing and nighttime is for sleeping. Mommy and daddy are lucky because most of the time you just look around when you are awake in bed. You love stretching when you wake up. I have to give you at least a few minutes to STRETCH when you wake up.

You love to eat. When mommy puts the burp cloth under your chin to catch the drips, you get excited. You get even more excited when mommy wipes your mouth clean after you eat. You get a smile on your face (you haven’t really smiled much besides in your sleep). You’re eating 4 oz at each meal (have since day 6), have worn size 1 diapers since birthday and at 1 month are moving into 3-6 month clothes…you’ve got a very long torso.

The neighborhood and some of mommy’s friends have been bringing over meals. It is SUCH a nice treat. Mommy has met some really nice neighbors, and 3 of them have little girls who are within 2 months of your birthday. It’ll be interesting to see how your friendships develop with Vivian, Sadie and Baby Girl O’Neil (and of course, Olivia!). The O’Neils live 2 doors down so I see LOTS of play dates in the future. It’s funny how they are all girls, I see many “no boys allowed” signs in your future. All three of them have older brothers  It makes mommy and daddy so happy to live in such a great neighborhood with so many little friends for you. We’ve lived in this house for a year now. We see a very long and happy future with you and future siblings here in The Branches.

You amaze us every day and we couldn’t love you more!! Thanks for all the fun memories Kate!

Wanted: Halloween costume ideas

I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a halloween costume that will get worn once. Anyone have a cute idea or have an outfit we can borrow?

I figure the best fit would be a bean costume of some sort.

Halloween is a HUGE deal in our neighborhood. Last year we ran out of candy 30 minute in. We are on a big circle around our swim and tennis and our street draws hundreds of dunwoody kids. Anyone is welcome to bring their kids to our street. i think we'll sit out in our driveway to enjoy the scene. Katelyn will probably sleep through it all anyway.

The perfect shirt

From Kate-
Thank you Laura and Perry for my new outfit. I love it! The "Kate" burp cloth was adorable too. Very cute idea on the Beanette shirt, mommy and daddy love it. (so does everyone else who sees it).

Thanks again.

Tummy time= success!!

We've been loose on tummy time. She'll sleep on our chest and push her head up. This pic was our first official tummy time success. The other times she either suffocated herself or fell asleep. This pic was snapped 10 minutes in and she's still going. I also saw a smile on her face :). Sweet baby girl loves tummy time!!

I Remember

It's September 11th and I need to post a quick note. It's weird being a parent for the first time on the 9/11 anniversary. I was living in NYC on that day and am thinking about everyone I shared that "experience" with. Mom & dad I finally realize the agony you must have been in not knowing... I can't imagine katelyn in my shoes and me in yours. Love You!!!

Worth It

I also snapped this pic the other morning. I keep staring at it. It might be my favorite pic EVER!!! Scott probably won't appreciate me posting this, but it's too cute not to share. This image captures a moment that made my heart melt and I was lucky to have the iphone camera armed and ready.

Kate smiles for daddy :)

Girls Time

I snapped this cute pic during our daily girls nap time in mommy and daddy's bed. She's so cute :)

Happy 3 weeks beanette

It's hard to believe you are 3 weeks old Kate. You've changed so much since your birthday. On Tuesday morning you did something really cute. You always smile in your sleep which we haven't captured on camera yet. Tuesday during our daily mother/daughter nap you giggled in your sleep. Daddy was getting ready for work and just missed it. It was the cutesy thing I have ever seen. Hands down. Can't wait to see more of those giggles. I think I also saw a dimple :)

Poo can fly

It's funny. A few of my friends gave me the same baby advice when I asked what they wished someone had told them about motherhood but they found out on their own. The #1 answer... Poo can fly. Watch out at all times. It's been a long week and we should have known it would be so. Scott saw poo fly Monday early morning. Ahhh, the joys of parenthood!

We've recovered. Scott said katelyn's face was priceless. She felt so much better. Daddy handled clean up and let me sleep. He's a keeper!!

Thanks hon!!

Happy birthday Coleman!

We celebrated my nephew Coleman's 5th birthday on sunday with family, but today (sept 7th) is his real birthday. Happy birthday Coleman. You are such a big boy!

First night out

We ran out for dinner and brought katelyn. She slept the whole dinner. Nice! Mission accomplished!

Goooo Dawgs!!

Cheering really tires me out. I love college football!!!

First manicure

Katelyn hates the protective mittens she's had to wear to prevent self inflicted scratches.  I gave her hands a mini manicure today so we can loose those silly mittens.

Daddy, Kate and I are also getting out of the house later today. We need a univ. Of Georgia ones for the football season.  The first game is tomorrow morning so we are hitting the mall. Katelyn I wonder if you will be a big mall shopper. Mommy wasn't.

Tummy time

This was our first attempt at tummy time...only she decided it was so comfy she fell asleep the second she hit the mat. She got mommy's sleep habits. A blessing for now!!

Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday

Today, August 26th, was our 4th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by pretending the flowers sent by my work (BEAUTIFUL) were really our anniversary flowers and Scott bought me a hand free pumping shirt (really cool). I suck and didn't plan ahead or get anything. Scott had to go to work today and stopped at the mall on the way home, and I can't drive for another week. We jointly decided it would be a non-event and we would try and do dinner to celebrate on 9/26. Thanks honey!

Today was also Katelyn's one week birthday. We sang to her at 6:20pm followed by a happy anniversary wish at 6:30p, the time we got married. When choosing our wedding date we debated between 8/19 and 8/26 so Katelyn's birthday is quite appropriate. It's nice that we aren't celebrating 2 special occasions on the same date.

Happy Anniversary Scott. Your present was perfect, but your real present was a week early :) One of the reasons we went with Murphy for the middle name was because she has so many features of scott's- toes, chin, etc. I could see so much of him in her it seemed like the natural choice. I've never been the type who can see adults in little babies. I think she has my fingers, maybe my nose, but that's all I can tell for now. I know she'll change so much in the coming weeks and even years. That's so exciting to us.

Later gators.

Mommy

1st photo shoot

Katelyn, Scott and I are getting settled at home. Trying to find time to blog is like trying to change a poopy diaper one handed... really difficult.

Here is a link to katelyn's 1st photo shoot at the hospital. My fav is the last one but, daddy LOVES the one of her cross eyed. Hopefully this link works. I'll have to find some time to download some of our own pics. There are some great ones, but unfortunately I think Beannette (yes, we still call her that everyday) inherited mommy's unphotogenic gene. Sorry honey! Maybe that means you will be a supermodel and I'm totally wrong. Looks like you'll have the height for it.

http://www.our365.com/newbornportraits/babydetail.aspx?birthid=2b5724b1-82f4-41be-a969-29ce21ee1364

More to come later, probably with other 3am feeding sessions :) Oh how life has changed, but I wouldn't change it for anything. Katelyn has been a dream come true for us!!

Miss Katelyn Murphy Allen

Daddy and I are pleased to announce katelyn's arrival on Thursday, August 19th at 6:20pm.  I don't have any great pics on my blackberry, so until I get a better blog post together here's one pic.  All is well.  Kate was 9 lbs, 0 oz and was 21 1/4 inch long.  She is PERFECT and we love how chubby she is in all the right places.  Time to blog is limited, so more to come later.  

Katelyn can't wait to meet everyone.  Tonight is our last night in the hospital, and we'll be home after lunch tomorrow.   We're up for healthy visitors if anyone is dying to meet her.

WE LOVE YOU KATELYN!

Waiting

Still waiting for Katelyn...

Last night was rough, but epidural : happiness (and sleepiness)!

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THE Big Day for the Scott Murphy Allen Family!

It's a little surreal to wake up and know that later on that day the birthing process of your firstborn will start and in about 36 hours you will have a live, breathing, helpless little human to take care of. We are excited...and nervous...but mainly excited.

8/18...you are on the clock. Daddy is sure I'll go into labor on my own before tonight. I think katelyn is pretty content in there. My belly is definitely expanding and every evening this week scott has taken some extra time examining the belly. He just laughs. I swear he thinks I've grown like 2 inches every day (not true!).

Last night we had our last date night without a baby. We went to downtown roswell and had a yummy meal at Salt (highly recommended, robin and laura- I had a burger this time and it was equally delicious). We went to bed early. We're both pretty tired in general, and I've been having trouble getting a good nights rest this week.

I'm at work for a while this AM, then I'll head home to finish packing and probably do a quick house clean so Katelyn comes home to a clean home. we are anxiously awaiting the call from the hospital to tell us what time to arrive.

We still haven't picked a middle name, so that news will come with the birth announcement email. Thanks for all the notes, calls, thoughts and prayers...we appreciate it. We are sure to have some downtime tonight, and maybe even tomorrow. We'll keep you posted via the blog.

Belly Shot- Week 39, Day 4

Well, here is what may be the final belly shot in my series (actually now that I'm looking, bad tank top color choice...hopefully we can squeeze in one more round). Katelyn must have a guardian angel or some grandparents looking over her, see the orb in one of them?

Scott and I are in full prep mode and today is my last full day in the office. Tomorrow I'm going to bring my team breakfast and work for a few hours. Then I'll head home, nap, shower and do final packing for the hospital. Yes, it's getting real. I'm anxious in a good way and nervous in a bad way. I know things will be fine, but delivering a 9 lb. baby makes me a little nervous. I'm still hoping the estimates are off =)

We'll go to the hospital Wed. night around 6 or 7p and the "action" will start later that night. I'll wake up and get some different medicine, Pitocin, that should cause contractions to start. Supposedly they get pretty intense with the meds, so yes...I will get an epidural. No reason to suffer, I figure.

Great Day to be Alive

8/19 that is. We had our appointment this morning and Dr. Howard said it was good that we gave her a week to come on her own, but it is now time to bring her into this world with some help. We are inducing this week. It was a little weird to schedule our daughter's birthdate. It was between Wed 8/18, Thur 8/19 and Fri 8/20. Uncle Tripper has a work trip on the 18th and I don't love the on-call doctor so that was out. Thursday is a great date and so is Friday. The on-call doctor for Thursday is Dr. Michael Scott, and we are fans of The Office. We thought that was fitting in some way.

Katelyn ______ Allen will be induced beginning Wed evening. Katelyn will be born on 8/19 one way or the other (the Wed evening drug sometimes causes labor so she has a slight chance of an 8/18 birthday).

We can't wait to meet you. We love you so much already!

On the clock

My internal body clock is definitely prepping for newborn mode. I think I am waking up every hour on the half hour to pee. If I wake up and it has been 2 hours I get excited. (sleeping and getting comfortable with the pillow fortress isn't easy.)

At some point in the middle of the night I find myself realizing the next "birthdate" has arrived. I feel like this is a professional sports league draft or something. When I realize it's the next day, usually around 2:30am or so, I say to myself, "8/16...you are on the clock". Then I laugh at myself b/c that's pretty funny. This started about a week ago with 8/8.

I honestly thought Katelyn would come this weekend. Scott keeps commenting at how large the belly is. We took pics this morning, but the camera is at home. I'll post tonight or tomorrow. One thing I did get a pic of is the nursery name letters =) They arrived Saturday. The winner was...

#1- I primed them this weekend and creative aunt holly is going to help me decorate them. We'll do polka dots, stripes, flowers and solid colors with stitching. Guess we'll paint after Katelyn arrives.


We've got a doctors appointment today, so we'll keep you posted.

Scary Daddy

Ok, so this is really cute...

Scott knows how uncomfortable I've been. I think he is confusing delivering a baby with hiccups. For the past two days, he keeps trying to scare me. I don't have the heart to tell him I don't think that'll do the trick b/c he's just so darn cute about it.

We just had lunch and he dropped me off, I started walking away with my back turned and he honked the horn really loud. yes, I jumped, but I was also laughing. Really don't think that's gonna bring on labor babe. Nice try though. I guess at this point anything is worth a shot.

Digital Upgrade

Scott and I both had digital cameras from before getting married. They are probably 8 years old. My camera probably took 2-3 seconds between pressing the button and taking the pic.

Scott and I decided we needed a new one about a week ago (yes, poor planning). I found a good deal on my favorite deal website, slickdeals.net, so we ordered one Monday and luckily it was a speedy delivery. We got it yesterday =) Scott's a SONY guy, so we got a Cybershot (pic below).

I snapped a few pics using the new camera this morning of the nursery. Here is a pic of the window wall with everything all set for katelyn except a little clean-up of the changing "extras" basket area.


And now for the main event! I purchased a really high end glider used from a neighbor. It was in great shape and was only used for one baby. My only issue was that it was natural colored wood and the pads were a sage green. We decided to paint it white which was very difficult. If you get paint in the "gliding" areas the chair can squeak. It took longer to tape off all the gears, snaps, etc. than it did to paint it. Finished product looks great. The best part of the glider transformation was the cushion recovering. Stacy "martha stewart" prather to the rescue (that's my mom for those of you that don't know her). She really is SO talented. I keep telling her to start a business. At first we were going to go with a tan microfiber that could be used in a boys room and would match the neutral rug we decided on. Upon further review, we landed on blue (suprise, suprise...I love blue!!!). I figure the chances of us having a boy for #2 are probably 99.8%, so we've been trying to plan the nursery to be transitioned to a baby boy in a few years. I think the final product looks great and I love how the pillow ties the paisley fabric back in. Don't you just love it?


We are still waiting on the adorable painting and the wooden letters to arrive. Once those are up, decorating will be complete for katelyn. Woo hoo! Until then, she will have a cute enough room to make her happy.

Tricks for Bringing on Labor?

As stated in the last post, I'm extremely ready for Katelyn's arrival. What tricks have you heard of to bring on labor? I've heard of eating spicy foods, exercising/walking, and the "other" one I won't mention on the blog. Any other tips?

Also, we are having trouble deciding on a middle name. Which of these do you like best? Vote on the poll to the right. Scott and I both have a front runner and neither of us are budging. All 3 are family names. She's a girl so of course we need to consider the monogrammed letters too. We are thinking about coming up with some other options.

1) Katelyn Elizabeth Allen (KEA or kAe)
2) Katelyn Murphy Allen (KMA or kAm)
3) Katelyn Lee Allen (KLA or kAl)

Any other great suggestions?

Cankles Plus

No, we haven't been at the hospital having a baby.  Blog silence is because I've been at a work conference all week.

The nursery is coming along great,  mom recovered the glider and it looks FAB.  I'll try to take some pics tonight.

On the baby front, I'm ready.  WAY READY!  The picture below is evidence.  I'm hot, crampy, can't sleep, anxious and miserable.  I told scott I'm putting myself on bed rest this weekend (a certain Aunt hopes katelyn has other plans and will arrive on Sunday).

I was going to treat myself to a pedi at lunch.  Think anyone will do my feet

Docs Update

I had a doctors appointment this morning. All is well and there is a teeny bit of progress. The doctors have been worried that Katelyn is big, so they had me come back this afternoon for an ultrasound to determine size. Scott was able to meet me, so I'm glad that worked out.

Results: They estimate she is 8lbs. 4 oz. right now. This could be off by a pound, so I'm telling myself she's really in the 7's. That puts her in the 80th percentile according to their charts.

They gave us the option of inducing so she doesn't get any bigger. We decided to give her a bit more time to come naturally. They said she looks very happy in there and all the levels look good. One of the measurements they use to determine the size is leg bone length and her femur was really long. Hopefully that'll mean she gets scott's height (I'm 5'4", Scott is 6'1"). Maybe that is also throwing off the estimates.

We did get a few pics and this one is simply amazing. katelyn says "I see you." She was very active in there and kept opening her eyes. I'd be curious too. It was a day of poking for sure. I adore those chubby cheeks!!!

Hello katelyn!!!

Week 38, Day 2

Katelyn,

You have been growing in mommy's belly for approximately 38 weeks and 2 days. It's been a pretty easy pregnancy and I'm actually very sad it is about to end. It been fun to play with you and have that special connection.

You have been growing like a weed. I took some more pictures today because I'm trying to show myself if you've "dropped". A little, I think.

Everyone can't wait to meet you. You must be in a weird state now that you are about to make your grand entrance to this world. Tonight mommy is craving either a taco or fried chicken, with Cheetos for dessert. You're so silly. (but mommy says yummy!)

Daddy had to go out of town today for work, so we are very glad you didn't decide to make your grand entrance this morning =) Well played.

Here are the latest pics of you in mommy's belly. I also attached a pic of one of my first belly bump pics.



How time changes things... You were 11 weeks old in mommy's belly in this one.

Are we nesting?

I can't tell if this qualifies as nesting. I think it's normal, but here's a few things I've done this week that can be borderline nesting:
- thursday trash day: emptied every trash can in the house; scott has been sick and I want all sick germs OUTTA HERE
- Today I'm getting my car detailed at the car wash in the basement of our parking deck...reason: Katelyn needs to come home in a clean car, right?
- Sudden urge for a spotless laundry room (on the to do list for this weekend, but I need scott's help); I think I'd rather do laundry than get the pedicure I planned on tonight...definitely not normal

I also need to tell you how sweet scott has been lately. He's been sick with cold like symptoms for over a week. He went to the doctor and they said it was allergies and even tested his blood for a sinus infection...came back negative. He's been trying to take care of his girls even though he feels bad. It takes me a few minutes to "settle in" to my pillow fortress (i think we are up to 8 pillows). The other night after one of my many 2-5am pee breaks, I got all settled in to the pillows and right before the final shift to my left side the pillow I put under my belly fell to the floor. Sweet Scott got out of bed and walked around to get it for me. SO SWEET! Thanks Babe!! That's just one of the many things he's done for me this week. I guess my feeling miserable is showing. I sure do appreciate it!!!

Kitchen Remodel....check!

I can say now that I was a little nervous Scott, Katelyn and I would come home from the hospital to a not completed kitchen. I'm happy to say we are 100% finished with the kitchen remodel and we give ourselves a 10 out of 10 (yes, we are biased). We LOVE IT! We upgraded in a few places and couldn't be happier. We love the feel, colors, stainless appliances, etc. we bought the house knowing the kitchen remodel would be at the top of the list and boy does it make a difference. It has been budgeted since the house purchase so I don't feel like we spent a ton either. I'm a bargain shopper so we definitely have a nicer kitchen than what we paid for =)

The floor guys came to poly coat the hardwood "patching" and decided it would look best to buff and poly the whole kitchen. It looks fabulous and was a nice touch. The floor guy did much better than the company we used to re-do our hardwoods when we purchased the house. We haven't put the kitchen table back in and haven't put the floor mats back down yet, but other than that we have a fully functioning kitchen. We've even cooked a few meals. Scott keeps wanting to try out new cooking methods in our speedcook oven so I am a happy girl.

What's even better...now we can share the finished product with you. I took lots of pictures this morning, so here are some before and after shots.

Before: Old desk are and double ovens


New: Fridge location and oven and a 1/2. The smaller oven is a convection oven and a microwave. The counter area is our "drink station" so we have all our glassware, blender, bar "stuff" here.


Before: cooktop and range hood corner


After: We went with a more professional looking hood with tile to the ceiling to be a focal point of the kitchen. We gained a BUNCH of storage space because we have cabinets to the ceiling now, so we weren't worried about those lost cabinets. We also LOVE the drawers under the cooktop for our pots and pans and the lazy susan in the corner. We went with a medium grey grout to accent the subway pattern more. We love the way it turned out.


Pantry doors before and after:














I don't have a before pic of counter where the fridge used to be, below is the only one I have. These after pics show how much moving the fridge opened up the kitchen. The fridge used to come out so much the eat in area felt like another room. No more! It feels like part of the kitchen and mommy can prep dinner where the kids can see her which is sure to help.
Before:

After:




So there it is. I know kitchens and home decorating in general completely depend on personal taste, but we are the ones who will be living in this kitchen for the next 10+ years. We couldn't be happier.

We can't wait for those of you in Atlanta to see it in person. A special, HUGE thank you to Robin Pittman, kitchen designer extraorinarire who has won national awards, for her advice and council. YOU'RE THE BEST!! If you ever need a kitchen remodel that's a little higher end, look her up with Design Galleria in Atlanta. She's very talented and she works all over the country! Thanks to everyone else who offered advice and opinions along the way too.

There's one more thank you to go out and that's to Scott. The kitchen remodel was a bit stressful and he was a HUGE help when it came to making final decisions. There were some speed bumps, but in the end it was so much fun to do this with you! I'm a lucky wife to have you!!!

Time has flown by with so much going on in our lives. We are finishing up the nursery in the next few weeks. For now we are in full-on baby prep mode. Bring it on!