8 Months old

"I'm so excited to be 8 months old!"

Wink Wink

On Kinsley's 8 month birthday we had a major snow storm! Pretty much everything in the city was closed. Unfortunately, nurses don't get snow days so I had to work that evening. We squeezed in a little time to play in the snow and help (watch) Daddy snow blow the neighbors' driveways. Kinsley didn't seem to care about the snow either way. Maybe next year we can go sledding!

Fun with Daddy!

Yes, she has socks on her hands!
 How else do you keep baby hands warm?

This has been such a fun month! Kinsley is really getting a personality. It seems like she has a new trick everyday! She still loves to laugh but now she also clicks her tongue, gives raspberries and smacks her lips. The other day she woke up from her nap and I took her binky (Wubbanub- If you don't have one of these you. need. one! By the way, that is the first time I have linked anything. Hope it works! Back to the story...) So, I took her binky and set it by her. She rolled over, grabbed it and stuck it in her mouth. Then she looked at me and smiled really big like "I got it!" I took it again, set it pretty far away and said something like " 'gasp' Kinsley! You don't need that!". That girl 'crawled' over, grabbed the bink, stuck it in her mouth, looked and me and busted up laughing! It is so funny to see how she responds to my reactions. Kinsley has also been working on her drama queen attitude, and seems to get her feelings hurt easily. Sometimes it's cute, sometimes it's annoying. It makes me a little nervous for the years to come.


Aww, so sad. Such a DQ

Kinsley has been working on crawling over the last month. She is becoming an expert army crawler! This video was taken on 2/13. She has gotten even better and faster at it the past week.

Kinsley working on crawling.

I had so much fun picking out little Valentine's day presents for Kinsley! I am sure she didn't even notice but it was still fun.

The name of the book is "I Love You Stinky Face". Love it!

Adorable!

We finally got Kinsley's "sitting" pics back. I originally told Chris I probably wouldn't buy very many. Well...the pictures came...and I couldn't choose...so I bought the whole disc... Enjoy!



Age: 8 months

Weight/percentile: 17lbs 8oz/34th percentile
Height/percentile:
Head circumference:
Eye color: Blue with a hint of green
Hair color: Light brown/blonde. It hasn't gotten too much thicker. Maybe a little longer.
Teeth: She may be a one year old with no teeth...
Diaper size: Size 2
Clothing size: Mostly 6 month. I had to bump her up to 9-12 month leggings, mostly for the length.
Favorite food: She loves peas and carrots. She's had avocado, applesauce (first fruit) red pepper, and white potato.  Here is a short clip of Kinsley eating applesauce and red pepper mixed:

Favorite activity: Jumping, army crawling, playing "peek-a-boo", playing with things that aren't toys (shoes, Kleenex box, remotes, air vents)
Movement: She can move pretty fast. She is getting better at army crawling. It won't be long before she is full on crawling!
Sounds/talking: Sometimes it sounds like she says "okay" and other things in response to us. She is making sounds like baba, dada, gaga, "t", and "th". Still no mama but we are working on it! :)

Whenever I get back to the gym and get ripped I will show my progress! I wouldn't count on one anytime soon. :)

7 Months old

7 Months old!

"How you doin?"

 It makes me so sad to say my cute little baby is 7 months old! She is such a big girl and not really a baby anymore. Look at that girl sitting up like she is so cool. Kinsley has had all kinds of new vegetables. We have even moved on to some orange vegetables including butternut squash, sweet potato and pumpkin. This girl likes to eat!
Two days after Kinsley got her shots she was sick. It was a terrible experience for all of us. She had a terrible cough, sneezing, and stuffed up/runny nose You could tell she didn't feel good. Sunday night (1/6) Kinsley was having a hard time breathing through her nose when she slept. She would try for a few seconds, then open her mouth and gasp for air. I was terrified that she wouldn't open her mouth to breathe so I "slept" on her floor all night. By morning I ended up in her chair holding her so she could breathe. It was a long week with very little sleep for any of us. By the next Sunday she was feeling better but the lack of sleep and cuddling with Kinsley caught up to me. I felt terrible! I slept most of the day Sunday and felt much better by Monday. Chris willingly took Kinsley to church by himself and even taught our Sunday School class!

Poor girl!

Thursday (1/17) we had Kinsley's 6 month/sitting pictures taken. She did such a great job! Terra (the photographer) said she did much better than she did for her newborn pictures. Haha. It was fun, but a lot of work to keep her smiling for an hour. Here is a sample Terra posted on Facebook. We should have more soon!

So cute!

Age: 7 months
Weight/percentile: I'm sure it hasn't changed much since last time
Height/percentile:
Head circumference:
Eye color: Blue.
Hair color: Light brown/blonde. It is getting thicker in the back
Teeth: Still nothing
Diaper size: Size 2. :( We switched her over last week (1/16)
Clothing size: Mostly 3-6 month. Her 6-9 month leggings are starting to get snug. Girl has some thighs!
Favorite food: Anything I put in her mouth. Hopefully she will stay that way and not start getting picky on me.
Favorite activity: Play with anything she is not supposed to be playing with (my phone, paper)and chewing on everything.
Movement: She is moving! Not crawling, but scooting and rolling to get to things. She has been getting to her hands and knees and rocking. She scoots backward really well.
Sounds/talking: Kinsley started clicking her tongue this month (1/13) and saying dada (1/12). Sometimes I think it sounds more like a "t" sound than a "d".

No picture of me again. Nobody really cares anyway I'm sure! I still haven't gone to the gym so I can't show you my guns. :)
Good news! Chris shaved the beard! Thanks friends for your help!

6 Months old

6 months old

Kinsley is a half year old! This post is a little late but Kinsley just had her 6 month Dr. appointment today. At least now I can include Christmas!
Kinsley seems to be growing up so fast. You notice in the picture above she is sitting up by herself. When that picture was taken she was only sitting up for a few seconds at a time before toppling over. Now, just a couple of weeks later, she is sitting up for 5-10 minutes at a time! I had to have my gallbladder removed on 12/17 and am on a 20 pound weight limit for 4 weeks. Since Kinsley weighs over 15 pounds herself, there is no way I can carry her and the carseat. When you have to run errands, you have to get creative. Kinsley got to sit in the front of the grocery cart. She thought she was hot stuff.

Kinsley's first time in grocery cart 12/24

Kinsley had her first bite of rice cereal on 11/28. She loved it and couldn't get enough. She has had spinach, asparagus, brussel sprouts and green beans so far. She is not picky at all! She didn't like the asparagus the first time she had it but loves it now. I am considering taking the solid foods away. Her poop and farts smell so bad!

I laugh every time I watch this!

Kinsley loved Christmas. She mostly tried to eat all of her presents and wrapping paper. My side of the family went to Branson the week between Christmas and New Year. Kinsley loved all of the attention she got and spending time with our family. She did a great job sleeping in the pack and play all week and did really well traveling. Kinsley started using a highchair while we were there. Ugh, she is so big!

First picture with Santa. She just wanted to pull on his beard.

Christmas Eve

Age: 6 months
Weight/percentile: 15lb 12oz/ 37th percentile
Height/percentile: 27.2in/ 87th percentile
Head circumference: 41.4cm/ 16th percentile
Eye color: Beautiful blue.
Hair color: Light brown/blonde. It is getting long enough that a little bit hangs over her ears and I have to brush it behind her ears a little
Teeth: I really thought she would have some teth by now. It seems like she has been working on them forever.
Diaper size: Size 1. There are starting to get tight.
Clothing size: Mostly 3-6 month. Her 6-9 month leggings are starting to get snug. Girl has some thighs!
Favorite food: She is not picky yet, she just loves food! She has has spinach, asparagus, brussel sprouts and green beans. She got a sippy cup for Christmas and loves to chew on it. I haven't put anything in it yet but she doesn't seem to care.
Favorite activity: Jumping, sitting up to play, looking upside down.
Movement: She seems to move constantly! She loves to jump and rolls all over the place.
Sounds/talking: Kinsley is still talking a lot. I love her facial expressions when she "talks" to you. It is like she is really trying to tell you something. She also makes a lot of high pitched singing sounds.


I am too lazy to take a picture. I really don't think I have changed much. I am back down to my pre-pre-pregnancy weight, but since I had surgery I haven't been able to go to the gym and start toning. Ahh, who am I kidding! It was Christmas time, there was no way I was going to the gym last month! Soon I will hit the gym...maybe :)

One last thing. Take a look at the pics below. Beard or no beard?

5 Months old

"I'M FIVE MONTHS OLD!"

I love that smile!

It is hard to believe that another month has already gone by. I know I say that every month, but I am truly shocked by how quickly the time has gone. Kinsley is growing fast. Last week I tried to hold her in church so she would fall asleep and she barely fit on my lap. It's so sad! My baby girl is growing up ;(
Here are some of my favorite pictures from Kinsley's 4 month "photo shoot". Kelsey did such a great job, I love them!

Kinsley has been working on perfecting her new tricks. She rolls over to go to sleep almost every night, we laugh so hard we cry, and she is almost sitting by herself.  I am sure by 6 months she will be sitting up and who knows, maybe even crawling. Oh man, I hope not! I am not ready for that!
Kinsley still sleeps really well. We try not to tell to many people that or they think we are just bragging. Daylight savings time didn't seem to mess her schedule up too bad. She did wake up an hour sooner than normal on that Sunday but was fine Monday morning.
Kinsley was an adorable KU cheerleader for Halloween. Even the K-State fans thought she was so cute.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

Chris and I helped with the teen retreat at the end of October. It was a Friday night, all day Saturday, and most of Sunday retreat. Kinsley stayed with my parents both nights. She did really well (or that's what they tell me) and slept through the night like she does at home. My mom brought Kinsley to see us on Saturday, but we still missed her!
So, technically Thanksgiving was the day after her actual 5 month birthday but I am slow at getting this out so we will just include it in this month. Kinsley enjoyed all the good food and had a great time snuggling with all the family. Jessica and Chad drove through the weekend before and Kim and Chris's Grandma were here for the whole weekend. We also stopped by my parent's house to see the Jolley side of the family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Age: 5 months
Weight/percentile: I will try to get these soon. Sorry, I'm a slacker
Height/percentile:
Head circumference:
Eye color: Still blue. Sometimes they are a bright blue, sometimes they are a gray blue.
Hair color: light brown/blonde. She is getting more hair on top, it doesn't like to lay down.
Teeth: She is still working on those bottom teeth. One day she is just going to wake up with teeth
Diaper size: Size 1
Clothing size: Anywhere from newborn to 6-9 months. All of her footy pajamas are at least 6 months just for the length.
Favorite food: I haven't started her on cereal yet. Kinsley is definitely showing some interest in our food. She loves to watch us eat and especially watch us drink from a cup. I have let her "drink" from the come a few times. Don't worry, the cup was empty and she just sucks on it. Oh, she did eat the pumpkin I put her in.
Favorite activity: Snuggling with Mommy and Daddy! :)  We got her a jumper thing for the shop that she seems to like pretty well. She is getting very good at grabbing toys that are dangled in front of her.
Movement: Kinsley moves all the time in her bed! She is sitting up with very little assistance and is figuring out how her hands work.
Sounds/talking: Kinsley is still talking up a storm. Sometimes you can hear sounds like a hard G or C come through.

Inspiration picture

2 months postpartum

5 months postpartum. Almost there!

So the 6 week weight loss challenge is over and.... I won! I was so surprised! The 5th week, one other girl and I were tied for first place so the last week I really watched what I ate and worked out several times. The best part was the prize! I won $94 cash! I was so excited! I lost a total of 11.8 pounds in the 6 weeks. That puts me pretty much back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. Except, I am typing this after Thanksgiving and probably gained 5 pounds back. Now I just need to tone up a bit.

4 Months old

Chunky girl (9/22-oops)
 

It has been another busy month with lots of milestones! I bought these stickers that say how old Kinsley is off Etsy before she was born. They are great, until the kid starts drooling. As soon as I put it on Kinsley got a big drop of drool on it! Oh well. Kinsley was dedicated at church on 9/30. It was great to have some of my family there.  Kinsley wore the same dress I and both my sisters wore for our baby dedication. It was more like a shirt on Kinsley but she still looked cute!


Great Grandpa Jolley getting some much needed cuddle time (9/30)

Kinsley is getting stronger every day. She rolled over for the first time (back to front) on 9/27. Of course, we were all in the other room when it happened. She was nice enough to do it again so I could get it on video. Now she rolls over all the time, both ways. Lately, she has been turning to her tummy in her sleep. Kinsley is also getting better at her laugh. It cracks me up, which make her laugh more.

I am back to work full time. It has been so busy that I had to work all of my call this last month. 4, 12 hour shifts a week does not leave much time for anything but sleep. So, if you know of a job that pays really well but very few hours a week let me know! Kinsley is becoming such a Daddy's girl and loves going to the shop with him.
The morning of Kinsley's 4 month appointment, we went to the pumpkin patch. It was such a nice day. She loved being outside with all kinds of new things to look at. I loved the apple cider slush and apple cider donut! Poor thing was so happy until she got her shots at her appointment. Be proud of me, I didn't laugh!

Pumpkin patch with Daddy (10/24)

Pumpkin patch with Mommy

Kelsey from church took some family pictures and some 4 month pictures of Kinsley. I am excited to get them back! Don't worry, I will share them next month.

Age: 4 months
Weight/percentile: 13 lbs 2 oz/ 37th percentile (she gained two pounds last month! She had just eaten so the results are slightly scewed)
Height/percentile: 25.8 inches/ 93rd percentile
Head circumference: 39.4cm/ 10th percentile (poor thing has my little head)
Eye color: Blue.
Hair color: Her hair color hasn't changed much, but you can tell she is getting more in on top
Teeth: The Pediatrician said she could feel a couple coming through on the bottom. She is growing too fast!
Diaper size: Size 1
Clothing size: I have found that sizing on baby clothes is about as accurate as it is on my clothes. She still has a few newborn clothes she can wear, especially jackets/sweaters. Mostly she is wearing 3 month clothes. I bought a pair of leggings that are 6-9 months and they fit pretty good, a little loose but not bad.
Favorite food: The Pediatrician said we can start Kinsley on rice cereal. I don't know if I am ready for that.
Favorite activity: Kinsley loves to be outside. Soon it is going to be too cold out. She also enjoys playing with toys. She is getting better at grabbing for things.
Movement: It amazes me how much has changed in a month. She is rolling over all the time and will push herself up while on her tummy. So maybe she will crawl after all.  I'm not ready for that either! She is also getting more flexible.

hahaha  I love it!

Sounds/talking: This girl "talks" all the time! I can see the notes coming home from school now. Some of her "talking" sounds more like singing. And the laughing, the laughing will never get old!

4 months postpartum

Since I have been back to work full time and working a lot, I have not had much time to work out. Once in a while I will go to the hospital gym right after I get off work. Most of the time I go straight home to bed. JanMarie and I are doing a weight loss challenge at the gym. This is the second week out of six. The first week I lost 3 pounds! I am down a total of 37 pounds with about 10 to go. I would actually love to lose about 15 pounds and then gain 5 back in muscle. I am starting to feel better about my progress. Mostly, I have been trying to eat healthier. Less sweets and breads, more protein and veggies. I weigh in again tonight, hoping to see another 3 pounds down! By the way, this is the outfit I wore for family pictures. And those might be maternity leggings. :)

3 Months old

I really need to move that head rest up!



I forgot the headband!

Another month flew by. It was packed full of all kinds of emotion. Chris's brother and sister-in-law visited from Tenessee and his grandma visited also. Kinsley was a good girl all weekend and cooperated for the family photos. Kinsley sleeps so well! She sleeps 10-12 hours a night. We are so lucky! I'd like to think it is my awesome parenting skills, but I really think it is just luck. It makes me scared to have another one.

It's crazy how much she has changed in 3 months. She is way cuter now!



Chris raced a formula one car at heartland park one weekend. It was a hot mess, but Kinsley did really good. She loves to be outside!

"Go Daddy!"

She's not drugged, she just woke up. (9/8)

I headed back to work on 9/17, I was really dreading it. My grandma must have known I wasn't ready to go back to work. She passed away that night so I took the rest of the week off. I am sad to see her go but so happy that she isn't suffering anymore. It was great to see my extended family and spend some time with my immediate family.

Shaaaarp! (9/22)

Age: 3 months
Weight/percentile: 11 lbs 2 oz (I weighed her myself so there is no percentile)
Height/percentile: 24.5 inches  Not much change.
Eye color: Blue. Sometimes they have a green tint.
Hair color: Her "soul patch" as people call it, is dark brown and the top is lighter brown. She has a few (as in 2 or 3) really long random hairs and one little hair that is curly
Diaper size: Size 1
Clothing size: Newborn pants fit but are too short. 0-3 and 3 month tops. I (my mom) made the leggings in the pic above. If anyone finds leggings for newborns let me know!
Favorite food: milk! I have been trying to make it chocolate for her by eating a lot of it.
Favorite activity: Taking walks, watching anything that moves (TV, Iphone, fireworks)
Movement: Standing (not on her own, of course) and holding head up so well. Still hates tummy time, she may never crawl.
Sounds/talking: Talking so much and getting louder. This may be a problem in the future. She laughed on Thursday (9/20)! My dad and Chad were playing with the dogs in the back yard and she must have thought it was funny. It was a great sound!


I made it through 2 weeks of insanity. It took me 3 weeks to do it but I made it through! I really hate it, but I definitely saw results. I am down another 5 pounds (29 total down, at least 17 to go) which isn't terrible but definitely still not "falling off". I read something that said when breastfeeding you lose the most weight 3-6 months postpartum. Bring it on! This last week wasn't a good week to try to stick to any kind of diet or exercise routine. Now I just have to get back into it. I bought some new shoes that will hopefully help my knees when I'm running. I did buy a pair of jeans that are the next size down. woohoo!

2 Months old

Kinsley does not enjoy the flash.

Kinsley is growing so fast! She had her 2 month appointment yesterday (8/20) she weighed 10lbs 2oz and was 24 inches long. She is still a long and skinny little thing. She is in the 96^th percentile for length, Chris was proud of her! Kinsley had to get three shots yesterday. I’m sure the nurses thought I was the meanest mom ever. I was holding Kinsley’s arms and talking to her when they stuck the needles in each leg. Her eyes got so big before she let out a huge scream. I found it funny and might have laughed a little. I felt bad for her later in the day, you could tell her legs were really hurting. We gave her a little Tylenol and she slept the rest of the afternoon.

Poor girl

Smile!

Over the last month Kinsley has started “talking” and smiling a lot more. You wonder what babies are thinking! She loves to stare at fans and play with her friends on the play mat. She sleeps about 8 hours a night as long as she is swaddled. Chris and I enjoy our sleep so this works out well for us!  She has outgrown a couple of her newborn outfits and has only 3 newborn diapers left. I guess this means I don’t have a newborn anymore L.  On the cooler mornings Kinsley and I go for a walk on the Shunga trail. One day we even walked to see Chris at the shop. She is pretty content most of the time. District assembly (for the church) was the first part of August. I had to be there for three days so we stayed in a hotel for two nights. Kinsley slept in her Pack n’ Play and did just fine. Both nights she woke up turned completely the opposite direction. She is a wild sleeper already!  

Chris’s brother and Grandma are coming this weekend. Kinsley is so excited to meet them. The plan is to have family pictures on Sunday, I hope Kinsley cooperates!

2 months postpartum

Inspiration picture. Same shirt.

Seriously disappointed that this weight isn’t falling off like I had hoped. I am down 24 pounds and have about that much to go. I know it has only been 2 months but my weight seems to have plateaued the last couple of weeks. I have started watching what I eat a little more and trying to exercise every day.  This past week I noticed my knees and wrists were really sore. I’m not sure if it’s from exercising or hormones or nursing or what. I am going to get some new shoes and see if that will help. Chris has the insanity DVDs so I might try those out. I might die trying to get through it!

I go back to work September 17, so the next monthly blog might be a little sad. Or maybe I will just quit my job! HAHA.

**Update:
I decided to add a little section like I had when I was pregnant. Some of this info will be duplicated from above but it will be easier to read and compare to the following months.

Age: 2 months
Weight/percentile: 10lbs 2oz/ 34th percentile
Height/percentile: 24in/ 96th percentile
Eye color: dark grayish blue
Hair color: brown. She still has a mullet; long in the back, not too much on top
Diaper size: newborn
Clothing size: mostly newborn (especially pants), some 0-3 month. This is the outfit she wore home from the hospital, it still fits it's just short in the arms and legs.

Favorite food: milk! :)
Favorite activity: Staring at fans and the tv, smiling
Movement: kicks feet a lot, turns around in bed, hates tummy time.
Sounds/talking: mimics mouth movements, makes gurgling sound when "talking"