10 weeks

Well I have been slacking lately! I update on fb so often I figure I dont need to here as much, but its been 3 weeks now so I figured I'd do a quick rundown.
Its finally getting cooler here. We have taken a couple walks in the evening now. We plan to take more, as both Scott and I need to lose some weight. Here is Kellis in the stroller. This is the first time I used the laying down part of the stroller. He liked the freedom but got fussy if we weren't walking under trees (so he had something to look at).


Kellis is growing like mad. He's getting to the end of 3 month clothes and moving on to 6 month! Carters fit him the best, they are made for long skinny babies. Although his belly is becoming more round! Our next doctor appt isn't until the end of October (4mo shots) but I am hoping to measure him soon and give you some stats!!!

My mom came to visit for Labor Day weekend. She had a blast with Kellis. He is "talking" so much now and smiles when you talk to him. It was a nice break for me to have someone else to take care of Kellis. He missed her the next day, he was extra fussy! We shopped a lot and Kellis got stocked up on 6 and 9 month clothes and jammies. Little kids clothes are SO CUTE!


We are hoping to apply for a rent house today or tomorrow. I have been out with the realtor more times than I care to disclose, and I know she is sick of me! We saw 2 houses yesterday and I just didnt feel good about the neighborhoods so we re-evaluated our list and I'm going to 4 more today in areas I know are nicer. I am really excited that we get to look in Frisco and also that we are hopefully (pray please!) going to have a house in the next week. This has been such a long time coming! I haven't begun to pack yet, possibly I am in denial? I have been thinking this whole time that I will have a few days to truck stuff up myself to save on movers costs so I haven't packed one thing. It's going to be interesting when we open the storage unit to see just how much stuff we have in there (that we haven't needed for 6 months). It'll be like Christmas!!

Speaking of Christmas, we have not decided on holiday travels yet. With the rent house comes added expenses so cost of travel is an issue. Also, Scott's job is very unpredictable so we won't know how busy he is going to be until just a few days before. Hopefully he will be able to take the whole long Thanksgiving weekend off and we can either go to Kingwood or have the Harkness' at our house but we can't make that decision yet. I would really like to take Kellis to Illinois soon but its starting to get cold there and by the time I am ready to travel with him by myself it will be insanely cold/snow/ice season so it'll probably be March or April before he sees The Ranch.

2 month check-up

Weight: 12lbs-6oz (73rd percentile) Up from 69% at birth.
Height: 23.75" (81st percentile) Down from 97% at birth.
Head: 15.5" (36th percentile) Scott has a small head for his body also. Kellis is almost an exact replica of Scott. Hand and feet pics coming soon. They are identical. Its so cool.

So these are the numbers from the doctor. The chart I was using to calculate is apparently different. She brings her laptop in and does it on the spot so I'm considering her numbers to be more accurate.

She continues to be impressed with his neck strength. She said his push-up abilities are at nearly 4-month levels. She laid him on his belly on the table and I cautioned her that he can kick and nearly crawl so she better hang on to him. Her jaw dropped. It was funny.

Kellis got all of his shots, 3 total in the legs and one orally. The oral one he hated, made the saddest face and almost spit it out. They did 2 at once in the legs and then had to do a 2nd one on the left leg. He immediately started wailing but was fine as soon as I picked him up.

We went to Walmart after the doctor, he took a short nap in the car on the way there. Mostly b/c I was on the phone with Scott and forgot where to turn so I was driving around for a bit. Oops. Then at Walmart, I was hoping one of the close spots would be open (there are 3) and it was! I was soooo happy. Kellis did good until about the bread aisle (starting in the back, had to go to the bathroom and get medicine) so then I hurried and got out of there. He didnt even eat when we got home and out of the carseat (he hates being restrained), he just passed out.

Since he is out, I am hoping to eat lunch. Got laundry in and Raider is begging to go out. The doc said 90% of babies are just sleepy after their shots, fingers crossed we are in that percentage!

No new pics. Maybe if he is awake later. :)

7 weeks old (random Amanda thoughts)

Well, I have been bad at posting lately and worse at pictures. Fb has the most pictures, I'm too lazy and pressed for time to upload to 2 different sites. I can't believe its been 7 weeks already! It seems like yesterday.
I don't have any new measurements, we go to the doc next Wednesday (25th) and then I'll know a LOT more. I am so excited. Well, he's getting shots so that is probably going to kill my excitement but I'm dying to know what he weighs. Why I packed the scale in a box for the storage unit, I will never know!
Hopefully I will have it soon though, we are praying a nice house comes up at the beginning of September to rent. The nice ones seem to fly right off the list, so I'm keeping a close eye on it. We couldn't be more excited to get out of this apartment. Its a really great complex and we have been so blessed to be able to live here but its too small and poor Raider is so cooped up, its time to move on. With a renter for our house we are really ready to get into a house up here and feel somewhat settled. Granted, renting means we definitely have a couple more moves ahead of us, barf! but that's the stage of life we are apparently at.
My mom is coming back Labor Day weekend, I am hoping we can go house looking while she is here. I'm not planning to pack up the apartment per se, we hope to have a house by mid-September so I have at least a week to clean and take truckloads of stuff over while Scott is at work. Should be interesting with Kellis. He'll take 3-4 hour naps in the afternoon (hence my blogging this moment) but getting him to fall asleep is a pain so I'll have to work around that. At least we have one huge suv and one mid-size so I can move as much stuff as possible. If anyone wants to come up the last weekend of September to help unpack us, we wont object! We are hiring movers for the storage unit and furniture but there will be a lot of work once its all delivered at the house. I'm getting so excited typing this!
Probably should go wash bottles now and prep dinner. Pics soon! If you have skype, look us up!

Milestone...... slightly premature

Well, Kellis doesn't know what he's doing but he can crawl. His legs are powerhouses and when he's on his tummy they just kick and he moves all over the place. His arms don't quite keep up and that makes him mad, so its short lived before he starts screaming, but nonetheless its amazing. He is so strong. I'll get it on video soon and attempt an upload.

Diapers

Just opened the last box of Size 1 diapers from my shower. It's one of the huge boxes from Sam's too. We are so thankful and blessed to have such wonderful friends and family, we haven't had to buy diapers yet! And I was able to try several different brands and styles as well. We have one package of Size 2's, so if we aren't in those by the time these run out, we'll have to buy our first box.

Results of diaper trials:
Huggies regular: run smaller than Pampers, get super disgustingly soaking wet
Huggies pure & natural: run smaller than Pampers, really soft and hold up decently
Pampers baby dry or regular: HATE! get so saturated instantly
Pampers dry max: hold up really well, wetness indicator is amazing

snuggle

It's so cute when Kellis sleeps on my chest. His arms wrap around me and his little hands grab onto my shirt. I hope he's a snuggler!

Go Tech!

We are so excited to be in Red Raider country up here in the Dallas area, we hope to get more Tech football games on TV this season. Not that we expect them to be any good w/o Leach and that whole mess, but we're glad to be out of aggie country. Kellis is so long and skinny that he fits into his 3-6 mo Tech onsie. It looks SO cute on him, I had the best day today b/c it fits him so well. I had to take several pictures. They really show how alert he is now and just a few of his expressions. He apparently gets his facial muscles from me, he can make so many faces. Enjoy!







Kellis will only know about Bobby Knight from stories we tell, but here is his impression:

Tummy time

Well, this is a new perspective...


What do I see over there??


Trying to figure it out...


Mom, any help?


Its my Raider dog!


Ok, I'm over this!

Weigh-in

Finally took Kellis by the doc's to weigh him. They thought I was crazy cause he didn't have weight issues at birth (obviously) and I'm not due for an appointment for another 3 weeks. I couldn't stand it though, I had to know how much he weighs. He is always hungry! It seems like I double his feedings every day. He's 5 weeks old tomorrow, close enough!

5 weeks old
10pounds 14oz - 75th percentile
23" long - 90th percentile

Rolling

Kellis can roll onto his side. He has no idea what he's doing but he's very comfortable there and likes to sleep that way. I keep him swaddled 99% of the time so he can't get in his position b/c he's too little to know not to suffocate himself, but for naps once a day I let him have his hands out and this is what happens. He's so strong and heavy I think its just momentum that rolls him over but its still pretty remarkable. I guess all that peanut butter I ate was doing its job. His muscle tone is incredible.

Wardrobe

So I figured I should get some pics of Kellis in his cute outfits before he grows out of them.

Ralph Lauren outfit from Great Aunt Rozanna. The onsie is almost too small but the (what do you call it?) overalls are big enough for another few weeks. If only I could get him to make a normal face. We have a lot of camera training to do!


Monkey jammies. These aren't going to be too small for a while but they are so cute I couldn't wait to put them on him.

Crazy day

Kellis is 3 weeks old today!
-I already have a storage container of clothes that are too small for him. He has a really long torso and skinny body, so only certain brands of clothes fit him. This should be interesting.
-I want to take him to be weighed, maybe later this week? Probably not but I'm thinking about it.
-Huggies size 1 are smaller than Pampers size 1. I'm almost through one package but I have 2 more and no receipts or idea where they are from. I guess I'll just hurry up and use what I can before he gets any bigger.

We had a good morning, fed/pumped and back to sleep which was very much needed after being awake 3-4 hours in the middle of the night. Then it got interesting.
Had a very crazy afternoon today.
4pm:
-Kellis peed everywhere when I changed him. I was pretty upset cause he was in a cute outfit and I hadn't taken his picture yet.
-When I say everywhere, I mean the wall, the bed, the trash can, me, himself and the floor. It was like that commercial where the guy pulls the diaper back and it sprays everywhere. I was pretty mad b/c I actually wore normal people clothes today and looked relatively decent.
-He was also starving so I gave him a bottle while bathing him (I'm really proud of this). I developed a new way to bathe him by myself (previously Scott helped) that seems to work. Bottle in one hand, soap on the other. I feel good that he's clean.
-Outfit #2 on - also very cute and picture-worthy. (shirt #2 on me)
-Apparently the bath was traumatic cause then he spit up all over me, his outfit and his self.
-Outfit #3 on - shirt #3 on me. (gave up on super cute and picture taking)
-Its only 5pm.
-Finally got him to sleep, sat down on the couch to relax for a minute. Got into a show.
6pm.
-Realized my phone was in the bedroom and I hadn't heard from Scott. Went to get it. K wakes up when I stand up.
-Figured I should change K before he was starved and screaming.
-Good thing, cause he started screaming.
-Stuck a bottle in his mouth, saw I missed 2 text and a call from Scott. Great, probably he's going to be late.
-Yup, he's going to be late. Has no idea when he'll be here.
-Fed K, pumped and realized Raider needed caring for if Scott was going to be late.
-Fed Raider, made K another bottle (damage control).
-Got the stroller out of the car. Had trouble unfolding it. Almost started sweating. (this is a huge problem cause its all I can do to shower once a day)
-Got K in the stroller, Raider on the leash (stopped for a second to take myself potty).
-Got us all out the door, Raider pottyed right away (poor guy).
- Really proud of how Raider did walking with the stroller. I imagined much worse behavior by him. He is really taking to being a big brother.
-Had to look hilarious taking the stroller over to get a poo bag, back to pick up the poo and back to deposit it in the trash can. Next time we'll bring a bag with us.
7:30pm
-Finally got to make myself some dinner. Only my 2nd meal today, what a day!
-Kellis fell asleep before drinking his bottle which means he'll be awake in 45min-1hour and want it.
-Let's hope he sleeps better tonight.

Texan

I just realized that Kellis is a Texan.
A 100% born and (will be) bred Texan.
This makes me monumentally happy.

I know that is probably obvious to all, but I am not 100%, more like 98%. "I got here as fast as I could" was plastered to the rear window of my car for many years. I couldn't be happier to live here, as many of you know I spent many years wishing I lived here before the dream was realized (thanks mom & dad).

I'm singing (poorly) Pat Green to him right now.
"I Like Texas" actually made me tear up.
I dont tear up.
I can't wait to take him to Luckenbach, Gruene, the Guadalupe, Lubbock, etc. etc. etc. etc.
Time to play "Southbound 35."

God Bless Texas.

Charts

So my friends always post their kids height/weight/head circ percentiles when updating milestones. I completely forgot about this! My pediatrician hasn't told me numbers or anything, but obviously Kellis was huge when he was born. Here is what I found online:
Length = above 95% (it went off the chart)
Weight = above 90%
Head Circumference = 90%
He lost a pound the first week, but has gained it all back by now (and probably more, I dont have a scale). So he is still huge for his age. I can attest to this b/c my arms are so sore and I have serious neck/shoulder pain from holding him all the time.

As well as being big, he is very very strong. His muscles are really developed. Here is a pic of him holding up his head looking at me. He does this when he's on his tummy. He'll turn it side to side and stare at me. Friday he held it up and had serious control for a good 2 minutes. Sometimes he has trouble controlling it, but Friday was amazing. I was able to grab the camera and catch it, he was having such fun holding it up. His face is priceless too, like he isn't quite sure what he's doing.

Photo time

Kellis looks so good in blue, I tried to get some pics with his eyes open and they turned out to be more entertaining than anything. He is finally fitting into more of the clothes I have.

Turn off the flash!


Streetccchhh that neck

Well, I guess I can wake up....


Sign language?

Kellis Joseph

I promise I'll write more later, just wanted to get this info out there.

Kellis Joseph was born June 29th at 5:57pm. He was 9lbs 4oz and 22in long. Everyone in the room was in shock at his size. He (as all babies do) lost almost a pound in the first few days but he is still a big boy.

Labor was super easy (God bless modern medicine) and everyone did great. We are home and figuring it all out. He is very very strong and can already hold his head up and move it around.

Raider is having a hard time with mommy being busy with something else (we dont know if he considers Kellis a person) and he's pretty lonely after 4 months of being with me 24/7. He and Scott are re-bonding as they sleep on the couch at night so they dont get woke up by Kellis.

Lots of pics are on facebook and I'll write a more detailed post soon. (assuming my new method of getting him/me to sleep at night holds up).

Thanks for all the wishes and prayers. He is really a perfect little miracle.

T-minus 4 days and counting

Well, I'm still pregnant! Lots of people thought I would go this weekend. I'm due on the 2nd dang it, don't you know how stubborn I am? Tell me something and I will always do the opposite. I'm Amanda.

I have my last scheduled doctor's appointment tomorrow, I have no idea what she will say. She was certain I would go this weekend also. (she of all people may have been able to predict but nope) I hope I don't send her into early labor when I walk into the office. (She's due in August). I am hoping for Raider's sake she tells me that I'm seriously dilated and need to go to the hospital. If I am not in labor by Friday at 8pm (when the kennel closes), I am going to be a nervous wreck all weekend. He's still my first baby and I want him to be taken care of! Especially since its a holiday weekend. Messy.

Someone looked at our house Sunday. I told the realtor to follow up with them (sad I have to prompt her) and a couple others who looked in the last week or so and get some feedback. I told her I was due Friday, maybe that will speed her up a bit. I'll sign the stupid papers while pushing if I have to, sell my house!

Nothing else to report! I'll let you know what the doc says tomorrow. I hear thunder so I think I'm about to lose my tv signal. OUR dish hardly ever went out in storms but this community dish thing is pure crap!

10 days to go

Went to the doc today. Nothing major to report. Gained less than a pound. Dilated around 1/2cm more. She asked if I had a high pain tolerance. LOL Like I was having contractions and didnt know it! I said no way, I am a huge wimp. I'm quite sure I will know when I have a contraction. So we are just waiting still. Everyone is way more anxious than me. I can wait another week or two if it means he is full term and can breathe and go home after 2 days. I dont know why everyone is in such a rush.
Going on month 5 of our house being on the market. Please pray hard for it to sell! This is our #1 priority as we wait for the baby. We have to get that thing sold!

3 of 3

Well, Leanne had Andrew today around lunch time! (c-section) everyone is good from what I hear.

So I am the last! I had a feeling I would be.

Reagan was due June 29th - born June 11th (18 days early) - 7lbs 2oz 19"
Andrew was due July 8th - born June 16th (22 days early) - 7lbs 2oz 19"
Baby Harkness due July 2nd - ??????????????

I'm just hoping to make it past our anniversary on Friday and breastfeeding class on Saturday. Grandma Harkness' birthday is Monday the 21st and she's hoping for a phone call as a present. hehe

37 weeks 4 days

No pics, sorry. I look the same!

Went to the doc this morning. I got a goodie bag of free stuff!

Gained zero pounds this time.
Baby's heartrate was good - 156 or something.
Said I am about 1/2cm more than last week. I guess this is good cause I'm moving along but not having any pain or anything with it. Still running errands and doing my normal life stuff.
Oh! I think my feet are kinda starting to get a little swollen if I stand up or sit too long. I'm actually excited about this, its my first real serious pregnancy symptom.
2 weeks and 3 days to go

I'm trying to think of new names for the blog. Suggestions?

Early morning

So baby harkness has decided when he's hungry he will throw a fit until I eat something. Today this happened at 6am. Raider had to pee anyways and was staring at me creepily so I just got up. Funny thing is, I'm not even tired. I'll be tired about 9am. Going to the doc at 11:45 so wont get a nap until after lunch.

Well, I have updates on my friends:
Stacy is doing good, she had a rough time and ended up with a c-section but her and baby Reagan are doing good and are home now.
Leanne's little man is deciding to hang out a while, she's been 4 days off the medication and zero contractions. His sister continues to learn new tricks and keep Leanne on her toes. I can't wait to see how Lauren is with her baby brother.
Talked to Lyndsey's cousin and she is doing well, her doctor thinks she will make it full term! The babies are about 2lbs each right now.

Got the dish/cable all fixed yesterday. Turns out the apt complex has dish network running through the walls, and the cable company just provides the service as a 3rd party. Really strange but we wont have to learn a new system and we get more channels for the same price AND free movie channels for 3 months b/c of the new service. Score!

Had childbirth class 2/3 last night, the last one for us. (we did 3/3 in May) It was ok, pretty standard stuff they told us. We have a breastfeeding class Saturday morning and then we're done with classes.

Got the denali all registered and inspected yesterday. Its officially ours and officially a Texas vehicle! The dmv in Frisco is nicer than any other dmv on the planet. I was so amazed. And there was no line, the woman took my paperwork, I paid her and it was so simple and easy. I was out of there in no time at all. The library is in the same building and its on a cute little square where they have farmers markets and shops and stuff. We both are really hoping to find a house in Frisco now. McKinney is awesome but too far for Scott to drive to work. I need to have the realtor update the search so I can see whats out there in Frisco. Maybe I'll buy a lotto ticket. ha

Doc today at 11:45. Everyone keeps saying I'll be early. I dont feel like I will. I have everything ready just in case but still no symptoms and I feel totally normal. Aside from seeing baby harkness, I am very excited for people to stop asking me how I feel. Its so annoying.

Babies galore!

Well, Stacy was due June 29th and her water broke last night! She's at St. Lukes now! Waiting to hear when Reagan makes her appearance. Wish I was closer!!!

Leanne got to go off her anti-contraction medication today. Chances are she'll be in labor this weekend and Andrew will be here early as well. (he's a c-section tho so it'll be quicker) He was due July 5th-ish but was going to be delivered via c-section June 29th. (I think those dates are right.)

Kelly, due July 25th, is still working! She is having braxton-hicks but otherwise still truckin along.

There are SOOO many other prego friends due later this year or early next year!

Amber, Keli, Kimberly, Kacie, Lyndsey
Lyndsey is having twin girls, due in August.. has anyone heard from her??
If I forgot you, comment please!

No contractions for me yet, I'm just getting really really tired lately. I couldnt even go to walmart today after I took Scott to work. He's going to get the new car this weekend so it will just be me and the Raider dog laying on the couch all weekend. Good thing I recorded about 20 movies on the dish. And I have to watch them all cause they are coming to take the receiver Monday morning. :( Boo hoo. I am so sad to have to get rid of it, but there is nothing we can do. We face the NW and the only way to get a signal is to hang the dish off the balcony which is a breech of lease contract. Dont wanna get kicked out!
The cable company better be amazing, I have very high expectations.
Already a plus: we get FX and FSN again!

Update

Went to the doc today. She measured Baby Harkness again and he is 5lbs 15oz and 19"long. As they are supposed to gain 1/2lb a week that tells me the last measurement 4 weeks ago was pretty wrong. (told ya) I asked and she said they can be +/- 1lb.

Everything else looks great! I only gained 2lbs this time (in 2 weeks) I am dilated 2.5cm already. (I shoulda bet money on that, I was pretty sure I was) and he is head-down ready to go. Now I just sit around and wait 3 weeks. No contractions yet or swelling, just feeling big, walking funny and peeing a lot. She didn't change my due date or say anything alarming.

I went to the "boarding house" on the way home and got Raider's paperwork all turned in so we can just drop him off when we go to the hospital. I think he is better. His bm's have been normal for 2 days now. I didnt take him to the vet, cause I think he is ok. He's really itchy and I need to get him back on his allergy medicine. I stopped all medicine when he was having issues.

Scott is going to Bloomington this weekend to pick up our "new" car. So that will be a big relief.

We had childbirth class 1/3 last night, got some more information. It wasn't anything I hadn't heard before. They did some breathing exercises and we are supposed to practice. Class 2/3 is next Monday then we are done with those! Breastfeeding class is the 19th. We are touring the hospital tonight.

The hospital I'm at is so new they dont have new babies online. Good thing we have smart phones! We are also going to buy a new camera soon. Not that we ever use a regular camera but apparently we plan to start.

36 weeks

4 weeks to go!
Dr appt next Tuesday
Gained 30 pounds so far (all out in front).
Heartburn is my only symptom still.
No contractions, pain, cravings or weird things going on.
He's still really active certain times of day, twisting, turning, rolling and kicking about in there.


Front view to show how out in front he is.

a look back

Thought I would put all the prego pics together to see the changes.



Biggest change in my opinon: I stopped wearing makeup and fixing my hair! haha