New Mexico Adventures

Hey howdy hey, neighboroos!

This month we took the girls on a trip to go see Pops and Jenny. Aside from all the fun we had flying with two girls under 2 years old, the trip was a blast!

Kelynn and Daddy got to sit together! 

On most of our flights, Kelynn and Kenna had to sit on mommy and daddy's laps. It was a little cramped. Daddy said several times, "There's a reason they make kids over 2 get their own seats."

                                        As usual, once we arrived, we fully enjoyed the landscape.

And the girls got to spend LOTS of cuddle time with Pops and Jenny.

And we got to see brother Kole!!!

Using some of our down time (which we were so thankful to have), Ben and Pops built a front porch together.

Kole helped.

And then, of course, we were entertained by the entertainer herself...

While we were there, Kelynn learned to say "Doggie" (which she previously called "woof woof"s), and she said her first sentence composed of a subject and verb. "Sister eat!" 

This is typically used when she knows Kennedy is hungry. Aka when someone is making a bottle. 

Most of all, we all just enjoyed being able to be outside so much.

We used an umbrella to keep little sister out of the sun.

And Ben bought a kite at the store. He would get that sucker way up in to the air, tie the string to the fence, and leave it for like 6 hours. It would still be flying when we went to check on it! 

And we played inside lots with the tiny one.

Can't wait to see them again! The girls sure have been blessed with great grandparents, who live in a really cool place!

Holy Changes, Batman!

Guys. For real. Two kids is... different. For sure.

They say: 1 kid is like 1 kid, and 2 kids is like 20.
I say: 1 kid is like 1 kid, and 2 kids is like 2 kids. But sometimes it's like 200 kids.
But mostly it's like 2.

2 kids who you love more than you can even begin to explain.

 Kennedy Rae is now 3 months old! 

(Here's Kelynn at 3 months)

Although you girls look alike, you are such different babies! Kelynn was always very independent. She preferred not to be rocked or held for too long, and was happiest when she was playing by herself in her bouncy seat. Miss Kennedy, on the other hand, LOVES to be held. She would be thrilled if we walked her around all day and let her see what's going on. She also likes to play by herself, but only for very limited amounts of time. After that, she wants lots of hugs and snuggles. 

She's also really great at tummy time! (We have to thank awesome daycare for that)

Kelynn continues to be a total goofball. She surprises us all the time by dancing around the living room, singing, and taking care of her "baby."

 

 

 

This year we had our first experience understanding the concept of opening presents. It went over well.  

Her favorite meal is "Eggs in a Basket" made by daddy. 

And she LOVES to have bath time.

Every time we say, "Kelynn, is it bath time?" She says,

"Sister?" Never wants to have bath time without her pal! 

They already love to play together. Kennedy thinks Kelynn is hilarious. And Kelynn thinks Kelynn is hilarious. So they have that in common.

Kenna is getting so big already. She fights to grab her bottle from us so she can hold it (for .5 seconds before she drops it)

She has also gotten big enough already to start playing in the big girl toys!  

And show off her crazy girl hair!

(Just like big sister's was!)

 This is Kelynn at the same age.

We are adjusting to our first Michigan winter as a family as well! Mommy and Daddy do LOTS of shoveling while you girls are sleeping at night. 

Of course, our first winter here has had more snow than Grand Rapids has gotten in years. 

Nothing like jumping in head first! 

It's okay though - it doesn't get in our way much. 

 

We still make it out of the house (even if Kennedy is grumpy about it)!

Stay tuned: this weekend is potty training for Kelynn! 

Kelynn is 20 months old

Kelynn's favorite activity: Playing with baby (feeding, rocking, holding baby in the wrap, changing diapers)

Biggest change in Kelynn appearance: Getting tall! She's figured out how to shut doors, just not how to open them back up yet. So far this is a plus. 

Kelynn Milestone: Putting words together: "Nite nite sister!" and "Mo Nana!" 

Kennedy is 3 months old 

Kennedy's favorite activity: Playing on her play mat or tummy time

Biggest change in Kennedy's appearance: able to hold her own head up. She likes to be held so she can face out and see what's going on. 

Kennedy Milestone: Reaching for things and putting them in her mouth. 

A New and Very Tiny Family Member!

It was a glorious day in October when Mommy and Daddy got to get up really early and go in for a scheduled birth date of their second child. Mommy had a blast making friends with all the hospital staff, and Daddy drank lots of coffee. By 8am, you had arrived!

Kennedy Rae Zuverink

All 8lbs, 15ouces of you! You were 21 inches long. A big girl, just like your sister. 

Your big sister wasn't so sure about you at first. She wanted to keep some distance until she figured out that you were an okay addition to the clan. 

Uncle Kole came to hang out with us and read to your big sister.  

And Kelynn got to play with Daddy! 

While you did loooooooots of sleeping.

In the last couple of weeks, there has been lots of snuggle time! 

And your big sister has become fascinated with everything baby related. She especially likes to "burp" her babies. 

And when one of us feeds you, your big sister likes to feed her baby too. 

You are settling in just fine, kiddo! 

You are already proving to be so different from big sister. You LOVE to cuddle, for example. 

Especially on daddy or pops.

We are so excited to add you to the clan, chickadee. We are sure you and big sister will be best of friends (when you're not stealing each other's clothes). We can't wait to see what God has for you and for our little family! 

To the Strangers I Cried In Front of Today

To the Strangers I Cried in Front of Today:

Person 1
I got myself directions to the wrong pediatric radiology building in Grand Rapids, and was late for my 8:45 appointment. When I called you to see if you could squeeze me in a few minutes later, you said you probably couldn't, and "could I reschedule for tomorrow?". When the combined stress of 1) no sleep, 2) getting out the door early with a toddler and a newborn by myself (for the first time), 3) and worrying slightly about the lump on my newborn's skull combined, I burst into tears and hung up on you. When I called you back, you had magically found an opening and allowed me to re-map myself and get there 15 minutes late.

Person 2
After parking outside the very large hospital, I explicitly followed the directions given to me and wound up completely on the wrong side of the building. With a baby... in a heavy baby carrier... 10 days after a c-section. Not a brilliant move, I know. I'm sure it had nothing to do with operating on zero sleep. On my third attempt at the correct elevator, looking for floor "C," you asked me which button you should push for me as I stepped onto the elevator. Seeing that there was no "C" button on this elevator either, I burst into tears for the second time. You then spent 15 minutes of your morning walking me across 2 sky bridges between buildings, on 3 more separate elevators, down a flight of stairs, through a check-in desk, and directly to the room where I needed to be. I'm sure you then spent 15 more minutes getting back to the side of the hospital you were originally headed.

Person 3
After our appointment, relieved that the lump turned out to most likely be a cyst that will resolve itself, I found my way back to the parking garage at the hospital, remembered the appropriate level and row, and then felt my spirits sink as I realized how complex the garage was, and how that information was relatively useless. I wandered for (no joke) 25 minutes...still carrying the carseat, honking the horn on my car with the remote. The problem with parking garages is that they echo so much that no matter which direction you're facing, the sound always seems to be coming from behind you. You saw me wander by once, twice, and on the third time, you stopped wheeling your stroller, which was carrying 2 impaired children, and asked me if I needed help finding my car. For the third time this morning, I fell utterly to pieces. You have spent more time in this parking garage than anyone should ever have to, and you took a moment to help me find the secret stairway that evidently led directly to my car.

Persons 1-3
I know nothing about you aside from your gentle voices, kind faces and immeasurable generosity. You knew nothing about me except that I looked exhausted, messy, frustrated and helpless. Never the less, you took minutes out of your day to help a stranger. And you will never know how much each of your acts of kindness ministered to my heart.
Lord please let me be the type of person who takes a few extra steps to help the exhausted, the messy, the frustrated and helpless. Let me never dismiss the helpers you send to guide me through the days when I get so lost I have no hope of finding my way back alone. Thank you for your reminders that you will always meet me when I come to the end of myself.

Sunshine and Butterflies?: An Expose on What Having a New Baby is Really Like

 Social media is full of pictures of old friends' newborn babies, and many well intentioned comments such as - "Enjoy every moment with your little one!" or "Isn't it SO much fun to be a mommy?" or "Wasn't it worth the wait?"

As the birth of my second child approaches, I find myself reminiscing on what it was like to have just given birth AND have a newborn in the house.

Admittedly, I have no idea how it feels for dads, and I certainly cannot speak for all the moms in the world. I can only speak for a handful of my friends who have all shared in many new-baby-era difficulties.

First let's address: "enjoy every moment":
 1. You're bleeding. No matter how that little homeslice arrived, you're bleeding. A lot. Ew.
 2. You're sad. Hormones are a beating. They make you sad and lonely, no matter how many people are there to help you.
 3. That tiny thing that now lives in your house needs to be fed like... every moment. Guess what - that means you have lost any identity you once had, and have become a feeding machine. Whether you are nursing, pumping, formula feeding, or a combination of any of the above, that means you're on call. At every moment.
 4. You feel super sexy because your belly still looks like you're 7 months pregnant, minus the firmness. Lots of sag. Fantastic.
 5. You smell awesome. You haven't had a chance to shower in days, and even if you have, it most likely was at least 2 spit-ups ago.
 6. You feel guilty. Either you're formula feeding because nursing just did not work out for you, or you're not cloth diapering, or you're vaccinating, or you're not vaccinating, or you're using store-brand baby lotion... And all of these decisions are against what someone told you to do.
 7. And MOST IMPORTANT - you are wondering why in the world you haven't completely lost your mind with love for your mini-me. Yes, that's your child. Yes, it's super cute. But it doesn't seem to really care if you hold it or your boss's wife holds it. It doesn't seem to really mind much, really. As long as it's got a full belly and a clean diaper. And your instincts have kicked in, so you'd have a stand-off with a lion if you needed to protect the mini-me. But that overwhelming, heart exploding joy everyone keeps talking about is missing... maybe it got stuck in the breast pump somewhere...
   - by the way, isn't it time to feed again? Don't forget to sterilize your bottles first.

The really good news is, it does get better. The mini will start smiling at you. It'll start giggling at you. It will start sleeping. It will keep growing, despite your choice to formula feed. It will start preferring you to strangers, despite your choice to pump or not co-sleep. It will still pee and poop just fine, despite your choice to use disposable diapers. You'll stop wondering why you STILL smell like spit-up. You will start to breathe outside air again, and interact with adults.
And best of all, that overwhelming, heart exploding joy they keep talking about... it WILL show up. And it'll knock you on your butt.

But in the mean-time, when people say "enjoy every moment!" - it's okay to ask them to hold the baby while you enjoy a few moments of alone time. Maybe in the shower.

The Great Migration

Well, it would be an understatement to say that in the last 2 months, a lot has happened.
For starters, after a long and exhausting journey, with the help of a grandpa and an auntie, we made it to Michigan!

 

We have settled in with Kelynn's Auntie Kim and Uncle Peter, who have oh-so generously and graciously taken us in until we find a place of our own.

For the first 5 weeks, Ben had to stay in Dallas to finish up work, while Kelynn and I worked together to unpack and find mommy a job. Ben stayed with some dear friends of ours, the Hadleys. How do we begin to thank you enough...

So far everyone is acclimating every well! Izzy really likes all the bunnies and chipmunks she gets to chase. 

 

 

Kelynn and I go on lots of morning walks and play in the parks around town.

 

Kelynn Update: Baby girl turned 1 year old!
New things Kelynn does:
   Claps
   Sings and dances
   Sits on everything (basketballs, toys, baskets, fireplace, steps)
   Talks! She says these words:

 "na na" - banana (general word for food)

"heyyy"

"dada"

"mama"

"nie nie" - night night (when she's ready for bed)

"guh gir" - good girl (what she calls izzy)

"dat" and "dis" - that and this

"Go" - when she's ready to leave

We had her "ducky pancake party." We sure missed the old crew and the Franklin side of the family, but we were thankful to have some new friends and Zuverink family help us celebrate!

 

Katie & Ben Update: Ben finally got to come up for good last week! He starts working here (on a MUCH better schedule) this week. I have some great job leads and am interviewing at lots of places looking for a good fit for our family.

Baby 2 update:
I have ALREADY reached 22 weeks! This is my 20 week picture from this pregnancy:

Compared to 20 weeks at last pregnancy:



 

Cravings: Dairy (same as last time)

Things I miss: Laying on my stomach

Weight gain: 20 lbs

Maternity clothes: Oh yes!

Pregnancy symptoms: Hip pain, but that's it

We got to have an ultrasound a few days ago, at 22 weeks. Baby looks very healthy- 10 fingers and 10 toes!

 

Mommy will have a repeat C-section in early October, which will be scheduled at the next OB appointment in a month. Also, we will officially be revealing the gender in the next couple of days!

 

Special shout out to all of our close family and friends who have been so supportive during the move. We are so thankful to the ones who have kept roofs over our heads, helped us pack, move, and listened to us stress out. Thank you for consistently reminding us that the Lord is unwaveringly good, and that His timing is perfect. Thank you for your prayers and your listening ears. Thank you for offering up your homes and hospitality (Hadleys and Thompsons). May the Lord bless you for your generosity.

 

We love you guys! More fun updates soon!