Giving Thanks

This past week was a big week for our little girl -- we celebrated our first Thanksgiving, and we took our first big road trip. To back up just a bit to before the Thanksgiving festivities, we had a few more days to settle in at home and to learn about life with our little girl. We attempted tummy time for the first time. Emerson was not a big fan, but she proves to be pretty strong! She already has good neck control, and she also grips tightly when you offer her your finger. We ventured out to have dinner at Sarah and Josh's house, and we couldn't resist getting a picture of our little girls, Emerson and Laurel, born just six days apart. Two generations of best friends in one picture! Meg, Zack, and my two nephews also came, and it was a fun night having all of our little ones together.

On Wednesday, we hit the road for the four-hour trip (well...seven-hour trip) to Woodstock, VA. Woodstock is just about 30 minutes north of Harrisonburg, located in the Shenandoah Valley. Both of Boomer's parents grew up in Woodstock, and it has been a tradition each year to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of his extended family that live there. We had a meal on Thanksgiving Day with Cathy's brother and his family, and then on Friday, we had the large gathering with the Kennedy family. Each year, we take a family photo with all of the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. It was special that we could make the trip this year and to introduce Emerson to all of her Virginia family. How precious it is to see how the family grows each year!

Emerson did great in the car and in the hotel. We turned an ottoman into a changing table, and we were able to request a crib for our room when we checked in. Emerson seemed unfazed by the changes. She continued to eat and sleep as usual. (Speaking of eating, I'll get back to that later...) The hardest part of traveling was the packing beforehand! For such a little human, there was a lot to bring -- diapers, butt paste, lotion, medicine, outfits, extra outfits, pacifier. Although the packing (and unpacking) was a pain, I am encouraged that we will be able to travel more with our little girl in the future. I am already thinking to the summer and where our Kennedy Ballpark Tour will take us next!

On Saturday, we made the trek home to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Bakewells. We had another yummy meal (shout-out to my brother-in-law for his excellent cooking!) with my grandparents, parents, and sister and her family.

Although everyone else ate a lot over the holidays, it seems our little Emerson did not! On Monday, we went back to the doctor for Emerson's two-week appointment. Unfortunately, she is still below birth weight. Feedings have been pretty slow, and Emerson often falls asleep after a few minutes. We have tried all forms of 'torture' (wet rag, tickling, stripping her of her clothes) to keep her awake, but she still falls asleep. While she seems to be content, she isn't getting quite as much as she needs. The doctor helped develop a plan of supplementing the breastmilk so that Emerson is getting more calories. It has lengthened our feedings even more so, as I now will attempt to breastfeed for 20 minutes, then feed her the formula/expressed breastmilk, and then pump to keep my supply up. The goal is for her to put on some weight and then return to only breastfeeding again. Emerson will go back to the doctor next Monday to check her weight again, and I also scheduled an appointment with a lactation consultant for this Friday. We are doing everything we can to keep her interested in eating and to put on some of those adorable baby rolls. Thank you for your prayers for the week ahead!

Our First Week

Today marks one week being home with Emerson Leigh. Last Saturday, we were discharged from the hospital to start our journey as a family of 3. I am happy to report that it has been a good week! Boomer went back to work on Monday, and Grammy has been coming over each day. I am so thankful for her help! It has been nice to have the company, not to mention an experienced mom. Now that I am a mother myself, I can't put into words how much I appreciate what my own mother did for me. I have relied on her and my mother-in-law Cathy a lot this week.  Cathy, Emerson's Granny, is a nurse, so I have been frequently texting her, and she has been great to answer all of my questions. Does E's belly button look strange? Should I try a pacifier? Is she eating enough? Should I try pumping?

I know Boomer has missed seeing his girls during the day, and he has tried to come home as soon as he can each evening. I snapped this cute picture of him coming home from work on that first day -- and then this second picture just a couple of hours later :)

Boomer may have been surprised just a bit on Monday because while he was at work, Grammy and I decorated for Christmas! Boomer's favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, so I usually try to wait until after that, but I was ready to put up our tree. Emerson supervised while we decorated. Boomer was too excited to see his little girl that he didn't mind too much!

We have had several visitors, and Emerson has met more of her family and friends. She met Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Bakewell on Sunday, and then Coley (Aunt CoCo) on Tuesday.

We also had visits from Sarah, Josh, Luke, and their newborn Laurel, and my coworker, Megan. We ventured out for the first time on Tuesday with a trip to Target and for Emerson's first doctor's appointment. Lifting and driving are still discouraged, so Grammy was again such a big help! E's appointment went well. Her weight had dropped just slightly to 7 pounds, 10 ounces. She had lost about 5 ounces since birth, which is fairly common as newborns adjust to eating outside of the womb. I really like our pediatrician, and he said we have a healthy baby girl! We will go back again in two weeks.

On Thursday, we celebrated Thanksgiving early with Great Gma and Great Gpa Bakewell at their apartment complex, Arbor Ridge. It was only our second outing, but Emerson was great. All of the other residents at Arbor Ridge loved getting a peek at our little girl. Her Great Gma and Gpa have been talking about her a lot! Special 'thank you' to Aunt CoCo for E's Thanksgiving outfit!

A few other firsts this week: first bath and Emerson's first mail!

During the week and during E's naps, we put the finishing touches on the nursery. Even Grandpa came over to pitch in and help with hanging pictures. It was a team effort. I am excited about the finished look!

Just before writing this, I got a text from Coley reminding me of what I was doing five years ago -- my, how times have changed! I may not be running a marathon anytime soon, so for now, I will enjoy a quiet Saturday at home, watching football and cuddling with my sweet little girl!

Introducing Emerson Leigh Kennedy

We are so excited to announce the arrival of our little girl, Emerson Leigh Kennedy! As I think of all that I want to put into this post, I hope I can find the words. This past week has been life-changing, in all the best ways! On Tuesday (November 8th -- Election Day), I went to the gym like usual and then worked a normal day at UNCG. Boomer had a soccer game at school that evening, so I was on my own for dinner. I stopped by a Kernersville restaurant called Cagney's for my go-to pregnancy craving: a small cheese pizza. As I was waiting for Boomer to come home and watching the election results, I started to feel cramping, but I wasn't really sure what that could mean. Boomer arrived home around 9PM, and as we watched TV in bed, I felt that maybe it was more than cramping. We searched online 'Braxton Hicks symptoms' and other pre-labor signs, but by 11PM, it seemed like the real thing! I started recording the time of each contraction; around 3AM, they were about 4 - 6 minutes apart. Boomer had stayed up late to watch the election results, so with neither of us getting much sleep, we set off to the hospital around 4AM. Oh, but we took one last baby bump picture!

 It is now Wednesday, November 9th -- my due date! Just a few days before, I was worried that I was going to go late and have to be induced. Of course Boomer picked on me for being concerned! But now, here we were going to the hospital on the exact day that had been marked on my calendar since March. We made a quick stop through the drive-thru at McDonald's, and then we checked in. When we first arrived, I was at 2 cm (10 cm being go-time!), so hospital staff wanted me to walk the halls a bit to see if there were any changes. I walked for about an hour and then was at 3 cm. At that time, I was officially admitted. For the next several hours, there were times of long waiting and then times when things went by so quickly! Boomer and I still look back at it all as a blur!

I got to 6 cm and stalled for a bit. That was frustrating! They cut back the epidural to get things moving again. Up until that point, my pain had been minimal. I hardly knew when I was having a contraction! Mom, Dad, Meg, and Boomer were all in the room as we waited to get to that magic number 10! They were great to distract and encourage me. It was a long wait (and two shift changes later!) when I finally hit 10 cm around 10PM. We took one last pic of just Kennedy Party of 2, and then Mom, Dad, and Meg went to the waiting room to hear the news.

 It seemed like there was still a chance that the baby would be born on the due date...but two hours of pushing later, we were closing in on midnight. We continued until around 1AM, when the doctor said that the baby's head was turned just slightly. The decision was made to use the vacuum to bring the baby through. It was such an amazing sound to finally hear those little cries! The doctor let Boomer announce the gender: a baby GIRL! We were both crying (well, Boomer says it was his allergies!), and it was such a joyful, overwhelming moment. Just as a precaution, the NICU team was called in to look at the baby. Then we were able to hold our little girl!

We are so excited to introduce our daughter, Emerson Leigh Kennedy!

Emerson Leigh Kennedy

Born November 10th, 2016, 1:57AM

7 pounds, 15 ounces

21 inches long

Mom, Dad, and Megan had waited out the entire labor (such troopers!), and at around 3AM, they were able to come in to the room to meet Emerson. Dad ("Grandpa") was thrilled to see Baby K was a girl -- he says he called it all along!

We stayed in the hospital the rest of Thursday and Friday. We were blessed by visits from many friends and family. Mom, Dad, Megan, and Emerson's two cousins Zander and Maddox came; then Emerson met Bret (Paw Paw) and Cathy (Granny). It was so special to see all the love for this little girl. Emerson also met Aunt Darby and Uncle Goosie, Caroline, Emily, Carrie, and Christina. We also received a constant string of texts and phone calls from so many loved ones. All the encouragement and excitement was such a blessing! 

We were discharged on Saturday morning. (Boomer drove about 20 mph the whole way back to Kernersville!) It is indescribable the feeling of bringing your child into your home for the first time and into the room that you prepared just for her arrival. Boomer and I both said that there will be many 'firsts' in the upcoming weeks and months, and we hope to cherish them all, including this first: leaving the hospital as Kennedy Party of 3.

Grammy and Grandpa gave Emerson a sweet 'Welcome Home!' reception

I know this has been a lengthy post, but I hope to remember all the details of Emerson's birth. I want to end by saying as much as I already love Emerson, I am even more in love with her father. Boomer was and has been such an amazing encourager, supporter, and provider for his two girls already. I could not ask for a better husband for me and father for our little girl.

Thank you for your prayers as we settle in at home!  <3

In the Home Stretch

We are in the final days before Baby K arrives! My friend Sarah had her baby on Friday -- a little girl! Sarah and I have gone through our whole pregnancies together, with her due date the day before mine, so it is certainly feeling like it could be any day now for me. As the weekend winds down, I even said to Boomer, "This could be our last weekend without a baby!" Only God knows the timing, and we are trusting His perfect plan.

This weekend was our open house at UNCG called Spartan Showcase. It is our big fall recruitment event, drawing around 1700+ guests to campus. During the early planning stages, it was always a question mark as to whether I would be there for the program. I made it through, and it was a great day! My primary duties during the day (and during other recruitment events) are supervising our student ambassadors. The Spartan Guides are such an amazing group of students, and I love working with them! In between sessions, I had a chance to take a quick photo with our mascot, Spiro!

After being on my feet for most of the day on Saturday, it was a nice treat to get a pedicure with Coley and Caroline. I can't remember the last time I got a pedicure (maybe our wedding?), and I am wondering why I don't get them more often! It was great to have some girl-time catching up with Coley and Caro. They both are excited to meet Baby Kennedy!

There have been a lot of big moments in history surrounding Baby K's due date. The biggest one is the upcoming election. This Tuesday is Election Day, but the presidential race has been in the headlines for months. It's most historic because of the two candidates: Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding both candidates, and the political ads have taken over every media outlet. Both Boomer and I voted early, Boomer in-person, and I voted by absentee ballot. We are praying for the future of our country and the country that Baby K will grow up in.

The other big headline was that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. The Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians to end a 108-year drought (some may say 'curse'!) While not Cubs fans, Boomer and I had the opportunity to go to Wrigley in 2014 as part of our Kennedy Ballpark Tour. It was a fun trip!

A few other headlines in 2016: the Panthers lost to the Broncos in Super Bowl 50; the Summer Olympics were held in Rio de Janeiro; Muhammad Ali, Prince, and Arnold Palmer passed away this year; and Apple is about to release the iPhone 7.