May | 2013 | the kindred kings

I cannot believe we are already celebrating that fact that our sweet pea is already a month old! This month has flown by, and yet at the same time it has felt as though each day moves so slowly. Here are some memories I want to make sure I hold on to from this month. We will go to the doctor this week for her 1 month check-up, but if her two-week appointment is any indication, I am sure her doctor will tell us she is continuing to gain weight like a champ (I mean just look at those wonderful baby rolls)!

Like most newborns, P was super sleepy the first two weeks, but her periods of wakefulness have begun to increase everyday.
She is such a good little nurser, but I have to admit it hasn’t been smooth sailing in that department. Every soon-to-be-mom needs to know that it can be difficult, so reach out for help EARLY! I have been SO thankful for the Baylor healthcare system and their LCs. Sometimes you just need a little help “troubleshooting” 🙂
With that same point, though many would tell you to wait at least a month before offering the paci or bottle, we introduced them both to her about a week ago – and it has been great! From Day 1 she has had a strong sucking reflex, so she LOVES her Wubbanub, and inserting the bottle into our feedings has allowed Mason to take over her late evening feeding. I am so grateful for this, as it gives the two of them such sweet time for them to bond, as well as give mama a little break (and the freedom to enjoy a glass of wine every once in a while). Soon we’ll be able to go out on dates without a worry about her!
I have struggled with the balance between flexibility and starting sleep training. We have tried to mesh various opinions/schools of thought on this, but overall she is a great napper and nighttime sleeper (she was pretty quiet at night while in the womb, so it has been an easy transition thus far for her to adjust to a proper day/night schedule).
Piper loves sleeping on our chests (especially Daddy!). The first few nights we spent switching off sleeping in the glider with her until she got accustomed to her bassinet. We now do nighttime sleep in the bassinet by mommy and daytime naps in our own crib!
The best way to keep her swaddled is with the Miracle Blanket. It lives up to its name.
We have come to love our swing, but the Mamaroo is still an adjustment. I have a feeling that as she gets older she will like it more.
Bath-time was no fun the first time, which was merely a water issue. Once we increased the temperature just a bit the tears went away (well, until we take her out of the tub)! Bath time is a fun family event for us now, and we can tell it sure is easy to do baths with two people.
P is crazy strong – pushing with both her hands and feet with force that I didn’t know was possible for 7 lbs.
The doctors have a little concern about her hips – we had an ultrasound last week and determined that she has a shallow socket on one hip, so we may have to put her in a harness for a little while (though it could just be something she needs to grow out of). Say a little prayer for her as we work with the doctors to determine the best path forward.
I am super excited to be able to celebrate my very first Mother’s Day this year! Since it is also Mason’s graduation weekend, P will get to have both her grandmas (J and Mo Mo) to celebrate it with!
Sneezes and toots usually come as a package deal. Who knew that could be so cute.

Our first bath – notice the distress

We love our Bevo Wubbanub

A calm moment in the Mamaroo

Waiting to see the doctor

P loving her play mat

Love that sweet face

On those last two months of pregnancy updates. Sorry. Something tells me I can make it up to you by providing some baby pics!

In case social media had not already alerted you, our sweet Piper Elyse was born on April 5, 2013. I won’t go into the details of our birth story (I know that only interests a handful of you, and likely those few are currently pregnant and wondering what their own story might look like), but I’ll give you a few highlights of what stands out in my memory:

My water broke around 10:30pm on Thursday, Piper arrived at 3:02pm on Friday. You do the math.
Mason felt my water break. Weird. You can imagine my doctor’s surprise when he told her that over the phone – she’d never been told that by a husband before.
We had hoped for a natural childbirth, but with a slow progression and a long night of labor with no sleep, we opted for plan B. No regrets here, it was absolutely the right decision for us, and we are thankful the Lord allowed us to be open-handed with the whole process so that we could walk in freedom in that decision.
With that point, an additional grace was granted to us a 7am in the form of a shift change – just as things were getting most difficult for mom. Her name is Heather, and she is hands down the bomb-dot-com of nurses and friends. She also helped these two new and anxious parents get their newborn into the car seat to head home a few days later (as we freaked out that this little munchkin couldn’t possibly be able to breathe sitting in a car seat WAY too big for her!). We will never be able to repay her for everything she did for us.
Doulas are the best. So thankful for Stacy – we couldn’t have done it without her either.
I love my tender-hearted husband. Gentle and loving through the whole process, and a basket-case of tears when Piper arrived.
That turkey sandwich after labor was INCREDIBLE.

So here we are, the final preggo pic as we headed to the hospital! In retrospect, at the time I didn’t think I looked crazy pregnant, but now I realize that I was, in fact, CRAZY pregnant. No wonder people were making all kinds of comments to me that week!

But I’m not pregnant anymore, which means we are overjoyed to have welcomed to the world our sweet Piper Elyse!

Piper Elyse King

April 5, 2013

3:02pm

6 lbs, 14 oz

19.5 inches

So long preggo updates, hello Piper updates!

It sure is a unique season of life, being a SAHM. Though I am grateful to be a ‘Mompreneur’, working my Rodan+Fields business as well as my latest mommy venture, Fort Worth Moms Blog (to be expounded upon in a future post), both of which keep me occupied and connected to the adult world, it is strange not getting up each morning, putting on my business casual attire, and heading out to the office (or cubicle, if you will). I was blessed to have about 6 weeks of no work before Piper arrived, which really just felt like a vacation, or as my mother stated one day, being a lady who lunches 🙂 Well let me tell you – the vacation is over!

A few things that have characterized our past few weeks:

The house now smells like baby mixed with a little side of milk.
Boys are not the only ones who could use peepee-teepees. Grateful that I had friends who suggested getting extra changing pad covers. We go through multiple covers each week.
Daddys of daughters are the sweetest. My love for my husband has grown EXPONENTIALLY as I watch him love and adore our little girl, and serve the two of us with every ounce of his being.
Sleep deprivation isn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and I am thankful to have friends with babies Piper’s age because I know they are with me in the 3am club.
The body of Christ here in FW is incredible – couples and families that we hardly know that have served us in bringing meals, sending text messages, letting Scout ~~makeout~~ play with their dogs, and just being incredibly kind to and excited for us – strangers.

One other thing that seems to have hit me in the past couple of weeks is the burden l feel to repent of all the times I judged other mommys – specifically those I would encounter in Target who were still in their workout clothes and clearly had not put themselves together for the day. I realize now that (generally) it is not that these women do not care about their appearances, but rather there is nothing so significant to them now as the commodity of TIME. Yesterday as I was getting cleaned up for the day during Piper’s nap, I found that the extra 15-20 minutes it took to simply do something with my hair felt like such a waste of time in comparison to all the things I wanted to do with that time before Piper woke up and my hands would be full again.

Even now, my sweet little girl is swaddled up and laying on a Boppy next to me asleep. I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like to have multiple children, whose naps are likely to cross instead of overlap, thereby giving mama very little “me” time throughout the day. Walking into marriage taught me a lot about selfishness – if ever something would continue to work out those roots in my heart, it is sure to be parenthood. But in all of it, I am beyond grateful that the Lord has given us this gift, to shepherd her little heart as she walks through life. My heart melts at the very sight of her – all the things I am writing I had heard from other parents before Piper was born about how rewarding but challenging parenting is. It carries all new weight and meaning now.

We’re almost at a month (WHAT?! We’ve been parents to this girl for a month now?!), so I’ll give you a few teasers to hold you over until the 1 month update!

Piper and Daddy snuggling