A Day in the Life of Emerson

Now that the days of January are ticking by, my return to work has started to cross my mind more and more. It seems crazy to me that a lot of moms return to work after only six weeks. I think back to the six-week mark, and I was just barely getting the hang of things! I still have about four more weeks of maternity leave, and I am so glad for the extra time to spend with my little girl. I hope to always remember this special time that I have had at home with her.

With a newborn, there is a lot of unpredictability, but we are slowing developing a routine. We try to balance time at home for naps and feeding with shopping trips, play dates, and other outings. Most mornings start around 8AM. Well, back up just a bit....both Em and I have been up before that, around 4AM or 5AM, when I feed Em and also pump. Then, as Daddy is getting up for work, we both go back to sleep for a couple more hours before officially starting our day. After hearing her noises through the video monitor, I love going in to her room and getting her out of her crib. Some mornings, she may still be in-and-out of sleep; other mornings, she may already be awake and waiting on me. 

It always makes me laugh the way she springs out of her swaddle. She has the biggest yawns and stretches as she gets ready to take on the day. The mornings usually pass by quickly, with feeding, changing her diaper, getting her dressed, and having a bit of playtime. Em is becoming so expressive, and she has started to smile a lot. She seems to be in such a pleasant mood during this morning time. It is probably a bad habit, but I will bring her in my bed, and she will kick around and we will 'talk' for a little bit. Yesterday morning, I took this picture of Em, and it is one of my favorites so far! 

Here are a few more pictures from our morning 'girl time.'

If we have a play date or an errand to run, I usually try to plan it around 10AM. This seems to be a good time that coordinates with Em's feeding/nap schedule and my pumping schedule. (I am still nursing in the morning and in the evening, but during the day, I bottle-feed Em with the milk that I pump.) If we have somewhere to go, I load Em up in her car seat, and we hit the road. I have to be quick about getting out the door, because Em usually doesn't like being in her car seat if we are not moving. I did manage to capture a half-smile in this picture. 

This past week, we had a play date at Sarah's house one morning, a visit with my mom's friend Linda another morning, and on two days, we went to the YMCA. The Y has childcare in the mornings, so I managed to get us both there so that I could do a 30-45 minute workout on the elliptical. I am slowly getting back into my exercise routine. Other outings include going to the grocery store or visiting Great-Gma and Great-Gpa. 

In the afternoons, I try to knock out anything on my to-do list, like laundry, cleaning, mail, email, etc. Em is usually quite content hanging out in her monkey chair (our name for the sling passed down from Zander and Maddox). As long as I am close by, she likes to look around at the lights or just chill...

  ...until she falls asleep!

This is a 'live' picture; she is sleeping now as I write this post!

 

In between naps, we do some tummy time, either on a blanket or on the boppy. The first time we used the boppy for tummy time, she posed in the sweetest way: 

 If I could read her mind, I think she is saying, "Well, what I am suppose to do now?" After some tummy time, Em likes to kick around under her rainforest play mat. I predict she will be a very active little girl when she grows up. Her arms and legs will move constantly (much like they did when she was inside of me!), and she loves the lights and music. 

The highlight of the day is when Daddy comes home! Daddy immediately sweeps in to play with Em, whether under the rainforest or on his lap, sometimes while he is still in his shirt and tie! If he doesn't have any evening events, Boomer is usually home between 5PM and 6PM. We like these nights the best! After dinner and a little TV, we all get ready for bedtime. We usually put Em to bed between 9:30PM and 10:00PM. With a full belly and swaddled tightly, she will sleep for around a 6-hr stretch. We feel so lucky to have such a good sleeper. Just like the mornings, the evenings go by pretty fast. Before I know it, we are doing it all again the next day!

To My Husband

For a lot of people, today was the first day back to work after the Christmas break. I know there was a lot of groaning to the sounds of alarm clocks this morning! Even though I am not back to work yet, last night was still a little sad. Emerson and I have had eleven wonderful days with her daddy at home. I knew the break would eventually come to an end, but I didn't realize how hard it would be to see Boomer go back to work. The time we have had together has been so precious. After the busyness of the holidays, it has been so nice to have a few days at home just as a family of three. We've spent the mornings lazily eating breakfast and playing with Em. We'd give her a bath and laugh at the faces she made as we splashed around in the water. In the afternoons, we'd watch whatever football games were on TV or fit in another episode [of one of the three different series we are watching] on Netflix. In the evenings, we would settle in with more family time, coaxing smiles out of Em and letting her kick around on her rainforest play mat. At around 9PM, we'd start our bedtime routine. I would feed her, and then Boomer would tuck her into her swaddle and put her in her crib for the night. Boomer would then head to the kitchen to wash up the day's bottles and my pump parts so I could get some sleep. He would come to bed a few minutes later. It has been such a wonderful, blissful routine, and I am so grateful for the extra set of hands during the day. I really cherish the time we have had to bond with our little girl. 

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post to my sister, and now I want to write one to my husband. I am so thankful for such an amazing partner in life. Boomer works so hard, and I am constantly amazed at how he juggles it all. I suppose part of my sadness last night was because the return to work doesn't just mean the hours of the 8-to-5 grind. For Boomer, he has long work days but also long nights, too, with evening programs, sporting events, and grad school classes. The return of work brings the return of an overflowing inbox, unpredictable situations, and strategic planning for his school. It means sending and responding to emails well after hours and on the weekends. It's going to an ROTC induction on Monday night, a holiday band concert on Thursday night, and a cross-country meet on Saturday. I list these things not because I begrudge him the time he spends away from home, but because I am truly amazed at the schedule that he manages to keep. As much as I can, I try to attend some of these events, too, so we can spend time together. I fully support him as he strives to be the very best at his job. Even as hard as he works and with the hours he puts in, I have never questioned that Em and I come first. In addition to his work ethic, he is such a thoughtful listener. At work he may have dealt with an irate parent or a struggling teacher (or both!), yet he will come home and sympathetically listen to me talk about the blowout diaper or the questionable belly button scab. He is always so generous with his compliments and encouragement, which have been much needed as I navigate these new waters of being a mom.

There are so many other qualities that I admire in Boomer. His servant heart. His love for Christ. His sense of humor. His wise management of money. His mischievous side. The way he sings in the car. His perfectly timed one-liners. His wholehearted dedication to fantasy football, or really anything he may do. Of all these things, I know it was God's perfect design to bring us together. And so, to my husband, I would like to say: 

Boomer, 

You have changed my life in a million amazing ways. Thank you for being such a devoted husband and father. It has been one of my greatest blessings to watch you with Emerson, the way you make her smile and the way you hold her. She is so content in your arms, and I know she will grow up knowing that she is loved. I'll never forget the moment in the hospital when you were 'dancing' with her and said that you would one day dance with her in the same way at her wedding. My prayer is that she will find a godly man like her father. I pray that she will find a great love like we have and that we raise her in such a way that she will be a godly wife and mother. This adventure of parenthood can be scary, but I find strength in knowing that you are by my side. 

Forever wrapped around your finger, :)

Lindsey 

A New Year

2017.

It is bittersweet to see the close of 2016. As we welcome in a new year and reflect on the past one, there were certainly some tumultuous times for our nation -- protests, terrorist attacks, a heated presidential election, controversial legislation, and the deaths of many celebrity icons. Amongst all the shocking headlines and sad news, there was also a lot of good in 2016. For our family, we celebrated many successes and milestones. At the end of 2015, my parents relocated to Kernersville, meaning that 2016 brought a lot more time spent with family. In March, the eight of us (9, if you count Baby K!) took a trip of a lifetime to Disney World. In April, I celebrated my 30th birthday with my closest family and friends. A couple of weeks (and a half-marathon!) later, we announced to our family that we were expecting. In July, Boomer became a high school principal, a career goal that we did not think would happen for a few more years. He also continued with his graduate work and has now entered the writing stages of his dissertation. Also in the summer, my grandparents moved to Kernersville, within 10 miles of my sister, my parents, and me. How nice for all of us to be so close! Most significantly, in November, we welcomed a healthy baby girl and began the journey of parenthood. And closing out the year, in December Boomer and I celebrated six years of marriage.

As we enter into 2017, I am hopeful for many more bright moments and wonderful memories. This year will likely bring Emerson's first words, her first teeth, and even her first steps. We are starting the year with an infant, a small 7-week-old baby. At the end of the year, she will be well on her way to a spunky, energetic toddler. I am excited to see how her personality continues to develop, to hear her first belly laugh, and to see that spark of recognition when she hears the word "Mama."

I know there will be low times, too. I pray that the Lord will give us patience and perseverance for those times. I pray that we focus on the good, in spite of the bad. I think of my return to work and when Emerson enters daycare. It will be a challenge to juggle busy work schedules with our desire to spend time as a family. Sporting events, open house programs, late nights, early mornings. No, it won't be easy, but I pray that the Lord continues to bless our family, our marriage, and our home. 

2017. Let's do this!

To ring in the new year, we celebrated in the way all parents do when they have young children -- an early dinner and back home by bedtime! We got together at Megan and Zack's house with two other couples, Sarah and Josh (with their little ones, Luke and Laurel) and Chris and Bri (and their little one, Seph). We didn't quite make it up to see the ball drop. Em was in bed by 10PM, and we weren't too far behind her! At this stage, I wouldn't want to spend New Year's Eve any other way! :)

Baby's 1st Christmas

From parades, lights, and movies to cookies, presents, and a candlelight service, we have had a very special Christmas season with our little girl. For Boomer and me, it was memorable as we celebrated the holiday as first-time parents. What a blessing to celebrate Christ's birth with our own little one! 

A couple days before Christmas, Em and I went over to Grammy and Grandpa's to make Christmas cookies. It is a Bakewell tradition to make several different types: chocolate chip, Snickerdoodle, Swedish tea cakes, and of course, iced sugar cookies. Grammy got a head-start earlier in the week, and it's a good thing that she did, because with a newborn, 3-year-old, and 1-year-old, just the sugar cookies took a whole afternoon! Zander was very involved this year, and we all laughed at how he would smash the cookie cutter right in the middle of the rolled out dough! He didn't quite understand trying to maximize the space -- needless to say, Grammy stayed busy re-rolling the dough. We made quite a mess, but a lot of memories, too!

On Christmas Eve, we were back over at Grammy and Grandpa's for our traditional finger foods and presents. All of the adults opened their presents, while Santa waits until Christmas Day to bring gifts for the kids. We then went to our church's Christmas Eve candlelight service. It was the first time we had been to church with Em, and it was special to worship with her. On Christmas morning, we went over to the Houston's to see what Santa brought Zander and Maddox, and then we hit the road to Star. We arrived in Star around noon and celebrated with Granny, Paw Paw, Aunt Carlin, Aunt Darby, Uncle Goosie, Uncle Kyle, and the kiddos -- Trivett, Adelynn, and Kessley. It is so fun to see how both sides of our families are growing; there are more people around the table and more little ones playing on the floor. We are so blessed! 

 

This was a very special Christmas! There were some crazy moments -- blowout diapers, a pan of burnt cookies, messes in the living room. There was also a lot of laughter, snuggles, and family photos. As we reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, it is a blessing to raise our little girl in a Christ-honoring home. We pray that she will one day know Jesus Christ as her Savior. 

Merry Christmas from the Kennedys!

A Few Updates

We have had several follow-up appointments this week, both for Emerson and for me. In my last post, I wrote that I thought I had a stomach bug. It turns out I had a kidney and bladder infection. Fun fun! In addition to appointments for me, we again went to the pediatrician for another weight check. On Monday, Emerson weighed 8 lbs 10 oz. The pediatrician was happy with the progress, and Em is now on her way to gaining weight at a steady rate. We also had a follow-up appointment at the pediatric dentist. Dentist? Sooo, I've kept a few details out of my blog while Grammy and Grandpa have been away on their cruise. With limited communication during the 17 days, I did not want to worry them. Now that they are back, I'll share what else we have been going through the past two weeks. 

After my first lactation appointment on December 3rd, the lactation consultant thought that Em could have a 'tongue tie.' While not extremely common, it is not very rare either. A lot of nursing mothers will experience difficulty with breastfeeding, and the tongue tie will likely be the cause. If the issue is not resolved at birth, it could lead to a speech impediment a few years later. Otherwise, into adulthood, there are usually no side effects. Apparently it is a hereditary trait where the membrane below the tongue restricts movement of the mouth. My mother-in-law thinks that perhaps Boomer had a 'tongue tie' when he was born! For the procedure, we went to Charlotte on December 6th, just a few days after the lactation appointment, to a dentist who commonly performs these 'tongue clippings.' In addition to the site below the tongue, he also saw the need to clip the similar membrane above the upper lip. The procedure is completed with a laser and causes minimal pain or bleeding to the child. It has been just over two weeks since the procedure, and we are seeing improvement in breastfeeding. My subsequent appointments with lactation showed that each time, Em would get more and more from me. We are still giving her a bottle with additional breastmilk after each feeding, but hopefully we can eliminate that soon. For now, I continue to pump about 4 times a day. We also have to do special 'exercises' with Em's mouth and tongue to help her re-learn movements and to prevent incorrect healing of the lip and tongue sites. 

Whew! So that's all out in the open now! We are very excited that Grammy and Grandpa are home. As much as we missed them, I know that they missed us, too! Here are a few pictures that Grandpa took from their travels! Emerson was definitely on their minds :)

Emerson Street - Napier, New Zealand

Emerson Brewery - Dunedin, New Zealand

On Sunday, Boomer and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary! Grammy was home just in time to babysit (Thank you, Grammy!), and Boomer and I had our first date since having Emerson. In the past, we have usually gone away for the weekend: Asheville (1st), Charlotte (2nd), Wilmington (3rd), Williamsburg (4th), and Blowing Rock (5th). This year as new parents, Boomer did a great job planning a fun afternoon and evening for us. We first saw a live matinee performance of White Christmas, one of my favorite Christmas movies. The performance was in Winston-Salem, at the Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance. We had never been there before, but it is a quaint, intimate theater with about 150 seats. Sunday was their last performance after two-weeks of sold-out shows. It was a lot of fun! Then we went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, 4th Street Filling Station. Right before we got our entrees, I noticed a familiar face at one of the other tables -- it was one of our delivery nurses! We laughed about how different we both must look outside of the hospital. Like proud parents, we showed her pictures of Em, now 5 weeks old. After dinner, we were back home by 7PM to relieve Grammy and put baby girl to sleep. While not a weekend away, it was still a very special anniversary!

In between appointments, Em and I visited Great-Gma and Great-Gpa and snapped this photo of the four generations. How special it is to have everyone together in Kernersville!

We have a lot of fun things planned over the next few days as we celebrate Christmas. I'm looking forward to having Emerson as part of traditions from this year forward -- and making some new traditions, too!

To My Sister

I want to take a quick break from my usual weekly musings to write a special post about my big sister. Even as I begin typing this, I know it will be impossible to make it to the end with dry eyes. The last few weeks have been an adventure. There have been highs, and there have been lows. At the lows, I have had so many questions, doubts, fears, and frustrations. And each time, Megan has been there to lift me back up. Boomer certainly deserves a lot of credit, too (perhaps he will get his own post soon!), but there is just something special about the bond of two sisters, especially once both become mothers. Now that we are both in this journey called motherhood, right in the thick of it, I find myself clinging to her even more. I could say so much about all of our memories before babies; there are too many to even count. However, since the moment I told her I was pregnant, our bond was strengthened further. After Boomer, she was the very next one I trusted with this secret, and she has helped in every stage of the pregnancy and now postpartum. Things that may have seemed daunting or overwhelming (like registering at Babies R Us, setting up a nursery, choosing doctors and a daycare) all were eased by her experience. Things that seemed scary (like the delivery, breastfeeding, Em's low weight) soon seemed conquerable. Like a mommy mentor, she has a way of listening and then talking through things so that I always feel better afterwards. Never have I felt more blessed to be the little sister. She has been my cheerleader through it all.

The last few weeks, Megan has brought over dinners, changed diapers, picked up things from the store, showed me how to use a breast pump (and then sat with me while I tried it for the first time!), made me laugh when I needed comic relief, and generally provided adult company when Boomer had to work late. She has also loved on our little girl in only the way a doting aunt can. Juggling many responsibilities herself (a demanding full-time job, a rambunctious 3-year-old, a cuddly 1-year old, and a husband, too!) it is as if she has put all of those things on hold when she is with me. She has missed several nights of tucking her boys in and spending time with Zack so that she could be with me. Last night, we had our first dinner out just the two of us. Megan insisted that it was a big milestone to go out after baby for an hour or two, and she was right. It felt good to have a breather from this new life, a life that I wouldn't trade for anything but that requires some recharging sometimes. And so, to my sister, I say: 

Megan, 

Thank you. Thank you for all the time you have spent with Em and me over the last five weeks. Thank you for lending an ear when I needed to talk things out. Thank you for celebrating the victories with me and for cheering me on through the hard times. Thank you for selflessly giving of yourself and your time. Emerson and I are both so lucky to have you in our lives. We look forward to girls-days-out, shopping trips, pedicures, and spa days. If Boomer and I are blessed with another baby girl, my prayer is that Emerson will be to her what you have been to me. You are such an amazing mother, sister, daughter, and friend. 

I love you more than I can put into words!
Lindsey

P.S. And as I expected, I can hardly see the screen through my tears! :)

 

1 Month Old!

Today marks one month since Emerson Leigh made her debut in this world! Since it is a Saturday, we have been enjoying a day at home as our little family of three. The Kennedy girls love when Daddy is home! The morning started off with Emerson getting her first big girl bath in the tub. We have been doing sponge baths up until this point, but her umbilical cord fell off a long time ago, so it was okay to do an immersion bath. I was waiting for a time when Boomer and I could both do it since it seems to be a two-person job. I think Emerson liked it!

 After Em was squeaky clean (oh, and after she peed while we were drying her off but before we got her in her diaper!), we took out the 1 month onesie for a photo shoot. These special onesies were passed on to me from my sister. She used them with both of her boys, and I can't wait to compare all of the pictures. Right now, it seems that our children have their fathers' genes, so there may not be too many similarities!

As I mentioned, I have heard from many people that Emerson looks like Boomer. Here are a few more pics from the week, where she is perhaps looking like Daddy!

To give a quick update on Emerson's weight and her feeding, we are seeing progress each day. We had several appointments this week, at the pediatrician on Monday and then with lactation on Wednesday. At the pediatrician appointment, Emerson was up to 7 lbs 14 oz. In just a week, she put back on about 15 ounces and was finally back to birthweight. Praise the Lord! Our strict feeding schedule had helped Emerson regain the weight she had lost during the first two weeks. At our lactation appointment on Wednesday, Em seemed to be slightly more efficient at breastfeeding. After 30 minutes at the breast, Em took in about 1 oz of milk (in comparison to 0.5 oz after 45 minutes at last week's appointment.) It was recommended that we still give her a bottle with at least an additional 1.5 oz of milk. I am continuing to pump often throughout the day. We have almost completely eliminated the use of supplemental formula, and I have started to even freeze some extra milk. We had one last appointment on Friday. It was actually a home visit through the hospital's follow-up program. The nurse that came brought a scale, so Em was weighed one more time. Her weight is finally in the 8s -- 8 lbs 2 oz as of yesterday! We still have some work to do to improve her efficiency when breastfeeding, but it seems that we are on the right track.


Amidst the week of appointments, we also had our first night out to dinner (I forgot to take a picture!) Boomer took both of his girls out to one of our favorite Japanese restaurants in Kville. Our regular waitresses were glad to see us back and were excited to meet Miss Emerson. On a low note, I had a stomach bug Thursday night and in to Friday. I didn't have all the usual symptoms, but the stomach pain lasted about 24 hours. Unfortunately my mom and dad are still on their cruise (we miss them so much!), so Boomer stayed home from work on Friday to help with Em. He had to go out that evening for a performance at school, but he called in reinforcements, and Meg came over to hang out with us. Both Meg and Boomer were so helpful this week. I continue to be humbled by this whole parenting thing, and I am so thankful for the network of support surrounding me.