6 months ago...

Kaitlyn turned 6 months this past Sunday! I can't believe how fast she is growing! Although I can't say I miss the newborn stage since she is such a fussy baby! Maybe the first 2 weeks...She would actually let us cuddle her then. She has been getting slowly easier the older she gets as she is able to start entertaining herself with toys and what not. I am so looking forward to when she becomes mobile and really can play with stuff. And for those who say I won't...I guarantee I would rather have to watch out for and chase a mobile baby than constantly hold a screaming baby! So here are some updates of her 6 month check up:

Weight: 14 lbs 3 oz. Length: 24 1/4"

She is still a pretty small baby for her age being in the 10-25%. Currently she still is not eating solids very well. We have tried cereals and vegetables and the only time she will actually eat without a fight is in the bathtub! But I can't give her 3 baths a day! I thought maybe it was the lounging position of the tub, so I sat her in it without water but she wouldn't lay down in it or eat! She just prefers her bottles. I have also successfully hit the 6 month mark of exclusively pumping! I can successfully say that Kaitlyn has never had a drop of formula and all of her milk is exclusively pumped by me! I tried breastfeeding the first few weeks, but she would just never latch on unless I used this 'nipple shield' thing that I HATED! It would leak milk everywhere and I would get so annoyed. So I just started pumping. It's really not bad. I pump once in the morning before she wakes up, once mid afternoon when she is napping, and then 1-2 more times when Justin is home.

Kaitlyn has also started to not really let anyone else hold her besides me if I am in the same room. It is hard b/c even when Justin is home, I am still the one that usually still has to hold her, but secretly I love that she loves her Mommy so much! I know that I always vent on here about how hard she is, but I think Heavenly Father sent her to me for a reason. I have learned so much PATIENCE from her. Other things like work or whatever still stress me out so much, but it is amazing the bond that develops between a mother and baby. I usually always know what she wants and how to fix it. Even if it is not always convenient for me. And if I do have to have a difficult child I would at least prefer it to be my first! Those rare times that she does actually laugh...which are EXTREMELY rare make me so happy I could burst. Her smiles are much more common and those too melt my heart. Those happy times make it all so worth it. I just wish there were more of them! Guess I can't be greedy.

Babysitter!

We are in desperate need of a sitter on Saturday April 10th during the day. My mom was originally supposed to watch Kaitlyn while we go to a wedding, but just realized that she has a big Singles Conference that she is in charge of and can't do it. Does anyone have any good sitters that they recommend that don't charge a fortune since we can't afford to pay too much???

Engagements Galore!

These past two weekends for us have been busy busy! Two of my best friends from High School/College both had engagement parties back to back. It is so great to still all be able to get together with our group of girls and still act like no time has passed in between! We still have an annual Christmas dinner every year and we just realized this past year was our 10th dinner that we all attended! This year is also the year of the weddings apparently. First is my friend Chrissie's in April, then Justin's baby sister Ainsely in July, then my friend Ivy's in September, and my friend Miquel's in October!

The first party was in Wilson, NC which is right outsides of Greenville where I went to school at ECU. Since you drive right through Greensboro we dropped Kaitlyn off at Justin's brother's place and they watched her until we picked her up a few hours later! It was so nice of them!

Chrissie + John Engagement Party: It was a Kentucky Derby themed party...hence all the hats!

I actually made my dress below since it is so hard to find nice dresses these days. Plus I got the fabric at Wal-mart for like $8 or something like that with a Wal-mart gift card so I didn't have to cheat with our Dave Ramsey program! I am really trying to learn how to sew clothes. I basically just learn by trial and error. I hate that all the begineer sewing classes are so basic. I want to learn patterns!
This is Miquel & Kaiser's engagement party. Group shot of all the ladies.

Me and Miquel (future bride) and Kaitlyn. Who was VERY fussy that night!

Me and Justin with our friends Balti & Emily. They are expecting their first in June! Yay! I won't be the only Mommy of the group anymore! haha!

Kaitlyn Milestones

Kaitlyn is finally hitting some milestones all before her 6 month birthday! As of today she can sit up unsupported! She falls over eventually I guess when she stops concentrating on what she is doing, but she can sit for about a minute by herself. If she leans forward too much she is able to pick her body back upright, but if she topples backwards then she is done. I was so happy though! I have been looking forward to the day when she would be able to sit and play with toys b/c she is not very fond of the bumbo or anything where she is restricted. She is also getting a lot better with rolling over. She can now easily roll from her back to her front when she wants to. Here are some pictures of her first day of sitting up like a big girl!

I love this picture here with her hand on her hip! Haha. She looks like she is about to sass me or something.
This toy here that I got at a yard sale is one of her favorites that encouraged her to sit up to play with it.

We have also still been trying to get her to eat solids, but still not much luck. She is content only eating her bottle. We have been trying rice cereal for about a week now and she still does not like it much and swallows hardly anything. It all just gets spit right back out. I guess it will just happen in time. I know I am not a fan of it though! Sooo messy! And so much more hassle than a bottle! haha.

Photo Shoot

Here are some shots from Kaitlyn's 'Newborn' photo shoot. These were taken back in November when Kaitlyn was about a month and a half and I am just now getting around to posting them. We have definitely learned our lesson about waiting too long for Newborn shots. Kaitlyn was so difficult! Next time I will try and do it around the 2 week mark when babies tend to be a little easier and more pliable. These were taken by our friend Caroline at our church. She did a great job...and even let me come back with Kaitlyn for a second photo shoot since Kaitlyn cried so much the first time Justin and I both tried to go!

Life

Just wanted to do a quick update on life so far. Things are still really stressful with work. But Dave Ramsey program is going pretty good so far. We have not cheated yet...but I guess we are not even through one month yet! I am just praying that by summer I will be a "real" stay at home mom. Things with Kaitlyn are still pretty much the usual. She is starting to smile more though which I love! It makes me so happy when I see that instead of her pouting cry! haha. Kaitlyn is currently about 4 1/2 months old and teething hard! Her first tooth cut through at about 3 1/2 months and we have been waiting on the second since then, but think it is close b/c she is always chomping on anything she can find! Her motor skills have became a lot better. She can grab things and bring them up to her mouth now. She drops them a lot but she is getting better. She tries to eat everything! We still haven't started any cereal. I think I am going to wait until at least 5 months just to make sure she is really ready.

Here is a picture of her tooth!

Chomping on a teething toy. These are hit or miss with her.

Practicing her tummy time. Today was actually the only day she lasted more than about 2 minutes without crying! Yay!




Gathering all her toys to her mouth.

Here is a random picture of Justin and I skiing last month. And let me just say that will probably be my last time ever. I just feel too old for that kind of stuff! I was terrified the whole time and just kept thinking about what I would do if I broke something! Justin on the other hand is so good! He used to be a ski instructor so him and my brother just went off on there own and I hung out in the ski lodge until it was finally time to go home!

So that is our quick life update! More to come soon.

Stressed Out

I am pretty sure I have reached my breaking point. I am so stressed out that just the slightest little thing starts making me cry now. But let me just say that the main root of this stress is coming from my job. I HATE it! I don't even think that describes it. It makes me break down and cry at least once a week...usually more. I have already snapped at them several times through email since I don't see them in person very often. I guess to break it down, my job really wouldn't be that bad, it is just pretty much impossible to sanely keep up with and do while also trying to give Kaitlyn all of the attention she needs and deserves. What makes it even worse is that when I first started my job I was in a department of 5 people plus my immediate boss. Every single one of those people except me has now been laid off. I now have absolutely no one to help out with my work load and no one to go to for support. I am now a department of one. Back in July they also cut me down to only 20 hours a week. Which is fine b/c I could never give more than that with Kaitlyn, but thing is they still expect me to complete a 40 hour workload and pretty much be available at their becking call. It has now gotten to the point where I just feel like I am always at my breaking point. One little email can come through with something else for me to do and I just lose it. It probably would not be as bad either if Kaitlyn was an easier baby. But she is soooo fussy. For anyone that is around us enough then you are aware. Basically if she is awake she has to be held. I can't even let her cry it out b/c she starts throwing up everywhere she gets so mad. She is not a good napper either. So it stresses me out even more when I am trying to have a conference call and I have to put Kaitlyn in her room screaming while I try and go over stupid plans with work. It makes me feel like such a horrible mother, but there is just not much else I can do at the moment. I am just looking forward to the days where Kaitlyn can at least play with toys and entertain herself for at least a little while! She will sit in an exersaucer or play with her jungle gym, but never for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. Then I am back at square one having to hold her...and that is always standing up. She won't even let Justin and I sit down or she will scream so hard until she makes herself throw up. So if you have any suggestions for what to do I am open. I either give in to her demands to stand up with her all the time...or let her scream and clean up throw up all the time. I don't know which is better. It has gotten to the point now that any time we go on a car ride she throws up b/c I can't quickly pick her up when I know she is about to that point. Let me just say though that I don't think there is anything physically wrong with her. To me it more seems spoiled. I don't mean that in a bad way...just that she will almost immediately quit crying the second I stand up with her. If I sit down on the couch with her the crying starts back up. So please I am open to your suggestions.

Now that I have complained this whole time Kaitlyn actually is napping, don't feel too bad for me. haha! It is our goal for me to be able to quit this year. We just currently cannot afford for me to quit. We are starting the Dave Ramesey Money Makeover next week and are really going to try and do it. We hope that at least by the middle of this year we will have enough debt paid off that I can quit and just be a mom. I can't wait for that day!