Stay At Home Mom

It has been a bittersweet week for me.  On Wednesday of this week I told Ditch Witch that I would be resigning.  I have chosen to stay at home and take care of Kinsey.  The work is harder, the hours are longer, but I am looking forward to it.  I can't say enough good things about my time at Ditch Witch.  I started there on my birthday in 2007, and will have almost been there seven years.  Throughout this time I have gained some incredible friendships - who feel more like family.  This group of people have seen me through college graduation, marriage, relocation, graduate school, and pregnancy to name a few.  I will miss seeing them everyday, but am blessed to get to stay at home with my little girl.   

I know the transition to a full-time Mommy will take some time.  It is a big adjustment but I know Kinsey and I will settle into some sort of a routine.  I can't thank Ryan enough for supporting me in this decision. You only get one chance to be with your children when they are young and I am going to make sure I don't miss out on Kinsey's early years.  I am one blessed Momma!

Maybe now that I am staying at home I will have more time to keep up with my blog!  

Below are some recent pictures.

Below:  Oliver sure has grown!  He really is a petite guy, but his attitude sure isn't!  He is so funny and playful.  I'm so glad he showed up and decided to make his home at our house.

Below:  Grandma is giving Addison an underdog!  Addison said "why is it called and underdog...why not an undercow?"  

Below:  Kinsey thinks Aunt Tiffany sure has a comfortable shoulder.

Below:  Kinsey and Ainslie playing together.  Ainslie is three months older than Kinsey.

Below:  Having some tummy time together.

Below:  Addison giving Grandma her mother's day gift.

Below:  Ava, Jed, and Addison playing the elephant game.

Below:  I think Bryan and Ben enjoyed the train as much as Tad did.  At one point the train even had tunnels it was going under.

Below:  Addison went to Gigi's house and picked flowers for Grandma for mother's day!

Below:  Grandmama and two of her three girls!

Below:  Alyssa talking to Kinsey.

Below:  Kinsey was exhausted.

Below:  Snuggle time with Daddy!

Below:  Kinsey loves her Grandpa.

Below:  Daddy caught us napping again.

Below:  I just can't get enough of this smile!

Below:  My sleeping beauty.

Below:  Ava and Addison have been attending the Zion Lutheran Preschool since December.  They had their graduation ceremony this week.  The program was adorable!

Below:  Addison standing by her name.

Below:  Ava standing by her name.

Below:  Ava and her buddy Kole showing each other their pictures.

Until Next Time
Ju

I'm a Mom!

Posted: 2014-05-12

As I was peering over Kinsey's crib tonight watching her sleep, I began to reflect on Mother's Day and how much my life has changed since becoming Kinsey's mother.

I looked up Mom/Mother in the dictionary and it stated: 

- a female parent

- a woman in authority; specifically: the superior of a religious community of women: an old or elderly woman

- maternal tenderness or affection

While yes, I do agree with the above definition, being a mother involves so much more.

The thought of being a Mom scared me.  It scared me long before Ryan and I ever thought about having children.  Not to mention the whole pregnancy thing being scary, but how much life would change once we had children.  I was so used to my own routine and being able to do what I wanted when I wanted that throwing a child into the mix scared me.

You see, the unknown has always scared me... There was no way to know how having a child would change my life.  I was even afraid I wouldn't like being a mother one second and then the next excitedly decorating her room.  I was emotionally all over the board.  

What I have learned though is now I can't imagine life without Kinsey.  There is no amount of money in the world you could give me to get my life back without her.  My love for Kinsey is truly indescribable, one only a parent knows.  Kinsey has brought Ryan and I even closer as a family. I am in awe of him and how wonderful of a father he is.  He is so involved and I am so excited to continue to watch Kinsey and his bond grow throughout the years.

What is important to you changes once you have a child.  Your priorities change and what you visioned your life to be like changes.   What was important to you before now no longer matters... at least to me anyways. 

All I know is being Kinsey's Mom is the 

best job in the world!

I also want to take this time to not only say Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, but to thank her for everything she has done for me.  I haven't even begun to understand the sacrifices she has made for me as a Mother.  What I do know is I hope I am as good as a Mom to Kinsey as you have been to me.  Mom, I love you so much and truly appreciate you.  I want to be just like you. 

Below:  This picture was taken the day Kinsey left the hospital.  Still rocking the jaundice tan.

Below: First family picture at home.

Below:  Kinsey was one week old in this picture.  I promise she is not giving you the finger.

Below:  My Mom came and stayed with us the first week.  I don't think we would have survived without her!!  

Below:  Kinsey just hanging out being cute. 

Below:  Our first trip to Grandma's Friday Night Dinner!!

Below:  BIG yawn!!!

Below:  Another family picture at Grandma's house!!

Below:  Tummy time fail!!!  Her strong little legs pushed her right on over her pillow!

Below:  Kinsey is six weeks old in this picture.

Below:  Kinsey met the Easter Bunny!

Below:  Bath time fun!!  ROAR!!!

Below:  Ok Mom... that is enough pictures!  Love that furrowed brow.

Below:  Rocking the Bumbo!!

Below:  Kinsey was baptized on May 4.  Thank you to everyone who attended!

Below:  Kinsey's precious smile.  I just can't get enough of her!!!

Kinsey Lou Ward

 Posting Date: 2014-03-18

Kinsey Lou (Grandma's name) Ward

Kinsey was not due until Tuesday, March 11, but of course she made her own arrival plans.  On the evening of Sunday, March 2, I started feeling what I thought were contractions.  I of course didn't have a clue what contractions felt like and I wasn't too uncomfortable so I didn't worry to much about it.  About four hours later I realized that they were in fact real contractions and this was likely the start of active labor.  Contractions were about 10-12 minutes apart a large part of the night and slowly started getting closer together.  Of course this was the night the snow storm came through and so I called the hospital when contractions were 5-7 minutes apart because we live 45 minutes away AND we didn't know how bad the roads would be.  

The hospital told us to come on in but there was a chance they could send us home.  By the time we got around and left contractions were four minutes apart.  It is good we went ahead and left because we had Kinsey later that afternoon.  Below are some pictures that tell the story of the day our precious girl arrived.

Below:  At around 4:30am I woke Ryan up and told him it was time to go to the hospital.

Below:  Last belly picture before we left for the hospital.

Below:  Ryan and I were in triage for 2 hours before we were admitted to make sure I was progressing.  The picture below is after we had been admitted and both our parents had arrived.  

Shortly after we were admitted they were able to give me an epidural.  The epidural was one thing I was scared about getting...and to my surprise it was a breeze!!  

Finally it was time to start pushing.  After a few minutes Kinsey's heart rate started to drop so the doctor used suction to speed up the process.  Once she was born the doctor quickly had Ryan cut the cord and the nurses whisked her away to the bassinet.  I could tell something was wrong because three nurses and the doctor surrounded her bed.  One of the nurses said to call her pediatrician and get him to the hospital now.  That is when I really got scared.  I looked over at Kinsey and they were lifting her arms and legs and they were just dropping.  The nurses then took her to the nursery.

Apparently her heart rate was good after birth, but she did not breathe on her own for the first four minutes.  She also was posturing her arms funny.  They decided to do an x-ray to see if they could figure out why she wasn't breathing on her own in the beginning and it came back normal.  They also did an ultrasound of her brain to make sure she did not have any neurological issues (posturing can indicate neurological problems).  The ultrasound came back normal too.  At that point they let Ryan go to the nursery to see Kinsey - this was approximately an hour after she was born.

Below:  Ryan's first peak at Kinsey!!  She had lots of monitors on and an IV.

 Below:  Kinsey's head was a little misshaped from the suction during the birthing process.

Below:  The brown band around her foot was a pulse/oxygen monitor.  She had to have this on until midnight.  The alarm on this monitor was LOUD and I swear it went off every three minutes.  The blue thing wrapped around her foot is a heating pad.  They were warming her foot up so it would be easier for them to draw blood.  She had to have several tubes pulled for testing.

Below:  The orange wrap around Kinsey's arm is where they put the IV in.  She hated having that thing on her arm!  I did too!

Below:  Kinsey weighed in at 7 pounds 6.3 ounces.

Below:  Hanging out getting warm.

Below:  Kinsey was 20 inches long.

Back at the room I was impatiently waiting to meet Kinsey.  I had to wait until they finished monitoring me after the birth before I could go to the nursery to meet and feed Kinsey.  I had lots of good company while I was waiting.  

Below:  Great Grandparents Poppa and Gigi!

Below:  Gigi made a beautiful afghan for Kinsey and we use it all the time! 

Below:  I FINALLY got to meet Kinsey!   (3 hours after she was born - longest three hours ever)!

Below:  She was not a fan of bath time. 

Below:  Family waiting patiently for Kinsey to come back to the room so they can meet her.

Below:  More waiting.

Below:  YAH!!!  On her way back to the room!

 

Below:  Sporting a warm hat and a bow.

Below:  Grandma got first dibs on holding Kinsey!

Below:  Poppa and Gigi meeting Kinsey.

Below:  Second-Mother-In-Charge Lisa taking a turn. 

Below:  The kids wanted to hold Kinsey so bad but it was hard because she was still hooked up to an IV and had to stay real close to her bassinet.

Below:  Aunt Ashley taking a turn.

Below:  Uncle Ben and Aunt Angie 

Below:  Uncle Bryan

Below:  Uncle Greg and Proud Poppa!

Below:  Grandmama taking a peak.

Below:  Addison was trying to help us decide on Kinsey's middle name.  She thought Sue would be a good name.  (Addison and her Momma's middle name is Sue).

Below:  First family picture!