One year ago, yesterday...

One year ago yesterday, I stood staring at myself in the mirror. I looked at myself and said, "I'm pregnant! Oh my Gosh- I'M PREGNANT?!"

Yep. It has been one year since I peed on a stick and learned that in approximately 36 weeks I would become a mommy. I remember every emotion I had that morning. Joy, fear, disbelief and worry. I worried I'd miscarry. I worried Matt would tell me he wasn't ready (totally illegitimate fear, but hey- your brain goes through every scenario when that plus sign pops up). I worried that I wasn't fit to be a mom. I worried that I would soon begin vomiting every morning (which, by the way, never happened- the first time I threw up while I was pregnant was while I was in labor!).

One year later, that tiny little bundle of cells has become the most beautiful, sweetest, most wonderful little girl ever! I don't think I could have even pictured how perfect she would be.



If I am honest, I miss being pregnant. I loved it. Looking back at posts from when I was at the end of my pregnancy, you may question that statement. However, I really did love it. Knowing you're carrying life inside of you is something that only someone who has been pregnant can understand. Feeling that life move for the first time is breathtaking (and becomes LITERALLY breathtaking once they get big and start pressing against your lungs). I miss my big ol' belly (and not having to suck it in). Being pregnant is the coolest. We're not looking to add to the family for quite some time, but I will be excited when we do.

Kat remains amazing- I love her more everyday. She is a rolly-polly now and can roll from back to tummy like a champ... and if she really wants to, can roll tummy to back. She is a super baby! So advanced ;-)

What a week!

Our little girl is growing up! Now, usually, I am opposed to her growing up... but this week she started sleeping through the night. Not just until 4am... but on Thursday night, she slept until 8:20am!!!!!! Amazing! I think the new combination of pajamas and the SwaddleMe blanket have joined forces to create a super sleeper! Although last night she did wake twice, but I think that is because she squirms and bumps her head against the side of the crib... I think we'll tone down the incline on her mattress a bit and see if that helps.

I also learned a valuable lesson on Tuesday: no matter how long it has been since she ate, spit up is still possible. I picked her up from the changing table, held her over my head and started telling her how wonderful she is when suddenly, she spat up... IN MY MOUTH!!!! NOOOOOOO! My instinctual reaction was to spit it out, which all ended up back on her face. She started crying, because she didn't know why I was freaking out... meanwhile, I am gagging. I had to put her in her crib and run to the bathroom for a thorough mouth washing. It had been 2 hours since she'd eaten, too, which meant the milk was all curdled and nasty... oh man... it was filthy. Then I had to go in and console her and reassure her that I knew she didn't do it on purpose. Poor little bug.






Well, as I type this, she has just spit up all over herself again, so I guess I'd better go take care of that. Over and out!

Nerd Alert!

I just spent some time looking through pictures of Kat at the hospital the day she was born and from her first few days home and got totally emotional! It's only been 3 months for crying out loud!

I'm a wreck. What am I going to be like when she is 25?!!?

Sleeping through the night...

is AMAZING! Last night, Kat slept from about 10pm until 5:50am! So incredibly beautiful! She has made the transition to her crib quite nicely... I think it was harder on me to move her out of our room than it was on her! She definitely sleeps better now that she doesn't slip out of her papasan seat and doesn't get woken up each time Matt or I turn over in bed. She is doing so great in her crib the past couple nights- I love it! We're still swaddling her, but that is ok... I think as long as it helps her get a good nights' sleep, then it is ok. Everything I've read says we'll know when it is time to break her from the swaddle habit- guess we'll see!




She is such a good girl and I am so blessed! Poor thing though, she must have the most sensitive skin! We got the infected neck under control, and now she has some infection on her toe! Geez. So, she is getting antibiotics 3x a day for 10 days... hopefully that will clear it up. If it isn't one thing with this girl, it is another! Oh well- I'd much rather deal with these minor irritations than with some of the terrible illnesses that have been going around! Rotavirus, RSV and the flu are rampant right now... I do not want her to have to go through that, so we're big on handwashing these days!

She is doing so well... I love our baby!

3 Months Old!

It is hard to believe that at this time three months ago, I was laying in bed at Hoag Hospital, staring at this perfect little baby that had just made her entrance into the world... I was ecstatic, sore, tired, scared, joyous, overwhelmed and mystified by everything the future now held.

Holding my daughter was surreal. I was scared- I didn't know anything about newborns. I was scared to hold her, carry her, change her bathe her... it was all so foreign.

Now, only 3 months later, it seems like she has always been a part of our family. All of the aforementioned tasks are second nature. Getting up in the middle of the night is no longer a new, exhausting schedule- it is just what I do. What did we ever do without her? She is the greatest joy in this world. Her smile makes everything okay. Her laugh wipes away every crappy part of my day. Watching Matt swoon over her erases 25 years of not having a father of my own. She is nothing less than a perfect blessing that God has surely graced us with.

Today we took her to see her great-grand aunt Virginia (Aunt Gin). Though it breaks my heart that due to the evil disease known as Dementia, Aunt Gin didn't know who I was, let alone who Kathryn was, it comforts me to know that they did meet, even if only briefly before Aunt Gin fell back asleep. I don't know how much longer it will be before Aunt Gin enters into eternal life, but I know that when she does, she will be able to appreciate Kathryn more when she is there than she can while she is still here.

It is getting to be past my usual bedtime (rather early now that sleep is so precious), and I'm fading quickly. Off to bed I go... I'm guessing I have 2-3 hours before my sweet girl is up and so am I! To leave on a happy note, here are some 3 month pictures!

A little factoid for you:

Did you know you can get a yeast infection on your neck? Yes, indeedy. And if anyone was going to teach me that, of course it was going to be my sweet daughter. Poor little girl ended up with a yeast infection in her little neck folds! Since she can't hold her head up consistently yet, and since the insides of those little folds never get any air, there were some funky things going on in there... and it really worked itself into a frenzy. It was so red and for three nights she was so uncomfortable that the only way she'd sleep was if she was being held. Made for a loooong night for Matt and I. Especially since I've been fighting a nasty cold. Luckily the doctor showed us what to do and she has been more comfortable and the redness has gone down almost completely.

Now, of course, she has some little infection on her toe... what the heck??! If it isn't one thing, it's another! Oh well, I am definitely thankful that we're only dealing with minor irritations and not serious problems.

I got a book about my new camera and am studying it thoroughly! There is so much to learn and absorb, but it is fun. Here are a couple of pictures I've taken so far:





The last one was edited with Photoshop to make it look cool- though the original picture was pretty cute, too.

Well, that is all that is going on in the Conrad house... fighting sickness and yeast infections, taking pictures and just hanging out. Almost to 3 months with our little girl! Updates to come.

If you are the inventor of baby swings...

...I will kiss you on the mouth. No, seriously. You are amazing.

The only way I get anything done (and the only way Kat naps) is because of her swing. And to all you who call swings "Neglect-O-Matics"- shut up. My daughter is VERY well taken care of, very cuddled and spends plenty of time not in her swing THANKYOUVERYMUCH!

Soooo, I got my new camera... and I won't lie, it's cool. Now I just need to figure out how the heck to use it. The fully automatic mode takes some great shots, but I want the real deal. I bought a book and am looking for a class... we'll see. I tried to do a little "photoshoot" with Kat yesterday, but she was in her Fussypants McGee personna, so it didn't last long. We'll try again today, of course.

The last two nights, darling Kathryn has forgotten that she is no longer a newborn... meaning, she has been waking up every two hours again! Weak! I only fed her twice... the other two time I just re-swaddled her and put her back down. What a crazy little monkey.