Not so picture perfect

What an experience we had yesterday getting Kylie's newborn pictures done.  In the mommy group I'm a part of on facebook, someone mentioned that they needed newborns to shoot for their portfolio.  It would be $50 with a CD and rights to print. She had a website where I looked at some pictures which looked nice. She also mentioned them being studio sessions giving me the impression that it would be in an actual studio, not in a house.  It seemed that she was an established photographer.  Well, I was completely fooled.

I figured for the price that it would be worth it to drive all the way up to Clearfield (an hour drive). That is one idea I won't be repeating again.  While driving to the place, we realized that the location was in fact a home, not a studio.  It was done in the garage of the house, which was the first red flag. The garage was messy and the fact that there was hardly any padding on the cement floor made it difficult to put Kylie down if we wanted to change her into anything.  Also, she had to open a door to the garage to get more light, but it made it cold for my poor baby, especially when she was naked.  It definitely wasn't the most comfortable atmosphere, but because we drove all that way I felt we should stay.  

The lady taking the pictures said to me that she had tons of props to use, but I could bring anything I wanted. I brought a bag of Kylie's headbands which we ended up using the whole time because the ones she had were not that great.  She only had one cute outfit and then the rest of the props were old and just not nice looking.  I know that Kylie is one month and newborn pictures are usually done within two weeks, but the baskets the lady had were for like premie babies. Because of that, options were limited to what could be done.  She hardly had any blankets and we had to take a few pictures of Kylie in the swaddle blanket we brought (when she was crying).  I wasn't counting on getting pictures of her in that since I can do that at my own house.  Plus, it wasn't even the cutest blanket we own and if I had known we needed to bring a blanket, I sure would have brought something different.  I felt that because of her lack of equipment, the variety of pictures I was hoping for wasn't received.  

Kylie was a little fussy before we left, but fell asleep on the way up so I hoped that she would be good for the photo shoot. When we got there, Kylie ended up needing to be fed.  She is usually content after feeding, so we changed her into a cute outfit and she was really good while taking most of the pictures.  She didn't really complain when we tried to move her or prop her up on something. Most newborn pictures are done naked and the photographer wanted to do some of those.  If you remember, Kylie had just ate and most babies do some business in their diaper after they eat.  Well, Kylie was naked a little too long and I got peed AND pooped on!  Gross, gross, gross.  Her poop smells awful too.  Lesson learned to have an extra change of clothes in the car for not just Kylie, but for me as well.  

We got a few more pictures in before Kylie started to get really fussy.  She's stubborn when going to sleep and it was hard to get her to sleep.  It took a good 20 minutes for her to even calm down and even then, she was only asleep for about the same amount of time. The photographer did get some cute ones of her asleep though.  Once Kylie woke up and was crying again, we decided to be done. 

To be honest, I was dissappointed with the photo shoot altogether.  The photographer wasn't what I expected for the money or the time.  I feel she was very misleading in how advanced she really is.  I am just embarrassed about the whole situation.  I'm sure she captured some great pictures of Kylie; I just wish it was done in a different environment.  Another lesson learned to go with photographers recommended by people I know, not just through facebook.  Sometimes it is worth it to pay more because you're not just paying for pictures, but for experience as well.  And this is one experience I am sad happened.

I know that there will be some really adorable pictures of Kylie that I will love and I'll be sure to post the pictures on here once I receive them.

New Mamas Get Nothing Done

The other day, I read this great article called "New Mamas Get Nothing Done (and other untruths)."

I am so glad that I stumbled onto this article as it helped me feel better about this exact thing.  While being pregnant over the summer, I became a little lazy.  Most of my days were spent lounging around the house doing absolutely nothing.  Some days I wouldn't even get dressed and I spent all day on the couch.  Some days I would feel fine not doing anything because hey, I was pregnant and growing a baby inside of me.  I needed to relax.  Other days, Scott would come home from work and I'd feel guilty about not getting to my to-do list.  Especially when there were important baby items to buy and a nursery to finish.

Fast forward to today and you'd see the same scene.  This time, I spend more days in my pajamas while sometimes going too many days without a shower.  My to-do list is quite long as I still haven't recovered from family coming into town two weeks ago.  It is a guessing game on when the items on my list will be crossed off.  Just a few days ago, I finally tackled cleaning my kitchen, but today you can't even tell.  Our family room is a mess of baby items already.  I feel like I just can't keep up.  The list keeps getting longer and longer which makes it less appealing to get to.

The only thing I get to everyday on my to-do list is taking care of Kylie.  She can definitely be a handful some days.  She sometimes has a hard time burping and passing gas, so it takes a bit for her to go down for a nap after eating.  Since she is upset from gas and becoming over tired, I usually soothe her to sleep in my arms where she stays, at the risk of waking her up.

I know that taking care of a baby takes time, but trying to get back into the habit of life before she came (heck, even before pregnancy) has proven difficult.  The article states that one thing I am doing all day is becoming a mother.  I never thought about it that way, but I am.  I am learning to listen and understand my baby's needs more clearly.  I am learning what needs to be done to make sure she is taken care of.  I am learning ways to show my love to her.  I am learning how to be a mother and a wife.  I am learning that motherhood is a balancing act and it takes time to stay balanced.

I love the last part of this article.
     "But here’s where it gets interesting: As much as you need and want a break now (and you should take one, more on that later), no mother has ever looked back on this time and thought, “I wish I had held my baby less.” You will not remember the dishes that didn’t get done, the vacuuming that you just couldn’t make happen, or the dirty clothes you wore more often than you’d like to admit. You will remember the first smile, the first belly laugh, the first words, the first steps. You will remember the way you looked at your baby, and the way your baby looked at you.
      So the next time you find yourself wondering how another day is gone and nothing is done, stop. Hold your baby—feel the way that tiny body strains to contain this giant soul—complete, and full of potential all at the same time. Take a deep, slow breath. Close your eyes and measure your day not as tasks, but as feelings, as sounds, as colors. Exhaustion is part of it. And it’s true, you will get “nothing” done. But the hard parts will fade. The intense, burning love is what remains, and it is yours to keep forever."

So, next time I am holding my sleeping girl in my arms, I will just enjoy the moment.

1 Month!

Today is Kylie's 1 month birthday! It seems that time has flown by so quickly.  She is definitely growing and changing; especially in looks.  Almost everyone who saw Kylie when she was born said she looked like me.  I'm sure that her having dark hair was a major contributor.  Lately, I am hearing comments on how much she looks like Scott as well.  Scott & I both really don't see much resemblance and think she is just a newborn baby.  One change I am starting to notice is her hair becoming lighter in color already.  I am a little sad that it's changing because her dark hair really was the only obvious attribute to her looking like me.

I am glad to be doing these monthly pictures as it will be fun to look back and see how she has changed.  I think after 1 year, I'll do official pictures yearly, instead of monthly.  Not that these monthly pictures are official by any means, but it does take time to set things up (background, outfit, sticker on the onesie).  Plus, I take these with my nicer camera rather than with my phone.

I don't have any monthly stats as when we went to the doctor last week to get her weighed, he didn't need to see us because she weighed enough.  The next time we go to the doctor will be for her two month.  It is a little strange that we don't have to go to the doctor for a bit because we were going so often before and I got used to it.  On the other hand, I do enjoy not having to go to the doctor's office.

Kylie's fun personality is starting to show and we love playing, smiling and laughing with her.  Here are pictures from the photo shoot today.

Here is the card I made with the two best pictures:

Lucky Number 3

*I forgot to do this on our anniversary. It was over a month ago, but better late than never.*

Scott and I are into our 3rd year of marriage.  I can't believe we've been married three years and I mean that in a good way.  It means that these 3 years have flown by and marriage is enjoyable.  We've had our challenges each year and this 4th year of marriage will have a whole new set of challenges now that we have a baby.  It will definitely be a roller coaster ride with plenty of ups and downs.

I like this quote by Gordon B. Hinckley on marriage:

“I am satisfied that happiness in marriage is not so much a matter of romance as it is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one’s companion. Any man who will make his wife’s comfort his first concern will stay in love with her throughout their lives and through the eternity yet to come.” 

I want to add that I'll stay in love with him throughout eternity.  There is no doubt that I am Scott's first concern and priority.  I do need to be better at letting Scott truly take care of me instead of saying I'm fine and don't need it.  There's no need for me to try to be independent when I have such a wonderful man willing to take care of me.  I am a lucky girl.

"I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again

Lucky we're in love in every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday"

'Lucky' by Jason Mraz

The Many Faces of Kylie

I had a little photo shoot with Kylie today.  While playing with her this morning, I realized that she was giving me a lot of expressions.  I got my phone out and started taking pictures.  It will be interesting to see what her personality is really like in a few years.

Pleased to Announce

I wanted to make to a birth announcement to send to people right after Kylie was born, but I never got around to it until now.  I decided to make one anyway to put on the blog and to print out and put in her baby book.  It was a quick putting together using the same program to make the announcement that we were having a baby. 

Growing Girl

On Tuesday, Scott & I took Kylie to the doctor again to check her weight one more time.  If she was above her birth weight, then the doctor didn't need to see us. The week before, I really felt that she was eating quite well.  Before, when she wasn't getting enough to eat she would obviously be very upset afterwards.  Babies should be content after eating and if not, then something was wrong (gas/tummy issues, still hungry, dirty diaper, etc.).  This past week, Kylie was pretty happy after each feeding, except having gas she couldn't get rid of.  I think she might even be going through a little growth spurt right now since she wants to eat more often (every 2-2 1/2 hours instead of 2 1/2-3) and eat the same amount each time.  She was such a good baby on her blessing day, hardly crying at all.  I'm pretty sure it was because she was eating so much and would just fall asleep right away, so she slept a lot of the day.  I'm grateful for that because I didn't want her to cry during the blessing at church or at home when everyone was over.  Since she was sleeping, she hardly cared who held her.

Luckily, our doctor's trip was short because Kylie weighed in at 8lbs 4oz!  Scott & I are very happy that our little girl is starting to chunk up a little.  There is definitely a load off my mind knowing that Kylie is getting enough to eat now.  It made me so sad before to see her so upset and not really know what was wrong and I am happy that she is happy now.  Our next doctor's appointment isn't until her 2 month in October, so hopefully she keeps on growing.

Here is a picture of her at the successful doctor's appointment:

 I know she looks a little scared, but it's the best picture of her cute outfit.

Such a happier baby now!

Blessing Weekend

On September 1st, Kylie had her baby blessing in church.  Yes, she is only 3 weeks, but it was the best time for the majority of family to be there.  Scott & I actually planned for her to be blessed on the 8th of September because Scott didn't have to work that weekend at all.  It's hard having family out of state because you want them to come, but don't want it to be a burden at the same time.  Doing it on the 8th would have allowed Scott to be more free, but his family would not have had as much time to visit.  So, we changed it to labor day weekend since Monday was a holiday.  The only thing that was a bummer was that Scott worked the whole weekend, so he hardly got any time to spend with family.

It was definitely a busy weekend and I was super exhausted by the end of it.  Family was here to help, but I felt a little bit like a single parent with Scott working all weekend.  It will be such an adjustment once school starts up and I hope I can handle it.  Anyway, first up on the weekend was my dad coming into town to meet Kylie!  He didn't plan on purpose to be there for the blessing; it was just nice timing.  My dad came into town Thursday afternoon and when Scott woke up from sleeping, we all went out to lunch.  Then Scott went back to sleep before he had to work that evening and dad ran errands with me.  I had forgotten my packet from the hospital that I was supposed to take to the two-week appointment for the PKU, so I had to go back and get it done. Kylie actually did really well with the nurse poking her foot.  The only time she cried was when the nurse was squeezing her foot to get the blood out and then she fell asleep right after.  We then hung out at my house until the evening and dad went back to his hotel.

Friday morning, Scott's family came into town and then rested most of the day.  In the evening, Kylie & I headed over to Brita's for dinner and games.  It was great to meet David & Kristene's daughter, Abrie.  It is so great that things worked out well in getting her and how she fits so naturally into their family.

Jocelyn & Nikki. Kylie really was happy despite the look on her face.

Andrew feeding Kylie.

Saturday I went to the zoo with the in-laws.  All about the zoo is in another blog post.  Saturday night, I went to dinner with my dad and Andrew & Rebecca and their kids.  Afterwards, I went down to Andrew & Rebecca's house to play games.  The kids were able to hold Kylie and they sure  enjoyed it and had fun meeting her.  I copied these pictures off of Rebecca's blog and I love how Kylie has a different expression in every picture.  The kids finally have a cousin on the McKown side now.

Kylie & Taren

Kylie & Annika

Kylie & Sharlynne

Kylie & Caden

Kylie & Andrew

Sharlynne, dad & Kylie

Kylie & James

Sunday was baby blessing day!  I spent the morning getting everything ready for Rebecca for the lunch afterwards.  Rebecca was a saint and left church a little early to go to the house to set up lunch so I didn't have to stress about things being ready.  We had ham & turkey sandwiches, chips, salads and desserts.  It was a pretty easy lunch to put together for 20-25 people, especially in getting help from family to bring food items.  The blessing Scott gave was beautiful and Kylie was beautiful in her dress (Nadine made it when Brita had her first girl).  It was great to have so much family there, but we did miss those who were unable to come.  Sunday night, we headed to Brita's to play some fun games.  We played telephone charades and mafia.  Monday morning, we had breakfast at Kneader's before family took off to head back to California.

Scott, Andrew & Lane

We bought this couch a few days earlier and it turned out to be great for seating everyone.

Lane, Brooke, Brita, Dylan

Nikki

David, Abrie & Kristene

Say cheese!

My cousin Allie & I.

Aaron

Grandma Omer

Kids eating outside

Aunt Becky & Kylie

Kylie with the Fletcher grandparents

Taren feeding Kylie

4 generations!