Halloween!

Halloween didn't turn out quite how I expected it to. We decided Kenzie is still too little to understand Trick or Treating so we just wanted to take her out and people watch. My mom found out The District was having Trick or Treating from 5-8 so we decided that was what we wanted to do. We showed up around 6ish and there was not one place to park! We went across the street to GVR to valet and then walked over. It was a mad house! People were actually standing in a line ( a NON-Moving line) to get candy! It was ridiculous! So we decided to walk down the middle and back and just let Kenzie see all the costumes and hear the music. She danced in her stroller and watched all the people. We saw some pretty unique costumes and even stopped to take a picture in front of the giant ghost!
She was our little Kitty Cat that barked! She apparently thinks every animal barks like a dog!
So our little adventure ended quicker than we expected, so we went back to GVR for some dinner. Kenzie had a blast. Every person that walked by our table stopped and asked how old she is and told us how adorable she is.....That girl knows she's cute and she uses it to get what she wants! She is so incredibly smart and funny. She laughs at her farts and she even pushes them out on purpose, she gets that from her dad! Haha!
She is becoming very vocal. She says cat, dad and everything else is "THAT!" She points to everything and says "that!" She loves looking at pictures of all the family and extended family. She started saying "mama" very well today while we were shopping at Babies R Us! I got really excited! She says "mom" most of the time and when she gets upset it's "mama." I can't believe in just one month my little peanut girl will be ONE!

San Diego!

Last weekend Russ and I got a great opportunity to go to San Diego and watch the Chargers and Dolphins game. Oh, did I mention it was all expenses paid?! Yeah, it's something to do with Russ' job and suppliers or something like that. They gave us 2 tickets to the game, plus they paid for our amazing hotel room for one night, they took us out to a nice dinner and out for drinks.....lots of drinks! We got to ride on the Trolley and when the Trolley wasn't running later in the night we got to ride the bike carriage things....Kinda like a horse and carriage, but no horse, only a guy pedaling the bike! Our bike driver guy was very interesting, he carried medical marijuana in his canopy for all to see...weird. After bar and club hopping we took a cab back to out hotel. Lemme tell you, it was the most exciting cab ride I think I will ever experience. It was a minivan, it had tv's in the headrests and a sub woofer so loud my whole head vibrated. He proceeded to change songs/music videos while driving on the freeway and making crazy turns....oh man, it was fun! Haha, I couldn't stop laughing.
Now it's time to talk about my baby girl. My mom and dad too her to the Doctor today for her 9 month checkup, even though she is 10 months tomorrow.....she's a month behind, oops! I had to work so they asked the questions and she even got a flu shot! Here are her stats:
weight: 18lbs 8oz-30th percentile
Height: 29inches-80-85th percentile
head: 17.75inches- 71st percentile
She has two new teeth popping in, on the bottom joining her first two teeth! We got the ok to start brushing with a toothbrush and some non-fluoride toothpaste. We are switching her formula for a better transition into milk when she turns 1! She is doing great! She loves to eat fruit-peaches, bananas, cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon. She eats scrambled egg whites and toasted bagels....she's a great eater! She has turned into such a cuddler. She will just come up to you and bury her head into yours and squeeze you. Ugh, I can't believe how big she is getting!

She's walking!

Kenzie is walking all over the place!

I can hardly believe my baby girl is walking, she is only 9 months old! I feel like she JUST started crawling and getting into everything. Now, she is walking and getting into more stuff than ever! We have baby gates and locks everywhere, I think I kick one at least once a day stepping over. I would have to say that the walker did her good. I know everyone is against walkers because of safety reasons, but if they were that horrible would they still be on shelves available to purchase? I don't think so....She used in moderation. She was in it only at Nana's house, downstairs only, and for not more that 10-15 minutes at a time. Now she is a walking machine, she pulls herself up anywhere she can and then walks across the room, or through the kitchen into our bedroom...she's so funny! She laughs and giggles when she's walking. She does this cute new thing where she shrugs her head to to side and smiles so big, like she's being shy, but she does it ALL THE TIME! When I try to feed her her first bite of food she does it....weirdo! Lol. I have yet to take her to her 9 month check-up....I know, I'm slacking...but when we do I will post her stats to see how much she's grown....she is tall and skinny. I feel weird saying my 9 month old is still wearing 6-9 month clothing when everyone else is talking about their 5 month old wearing 12 month clothing! Kenzie eats a lot, she eats fresh peaches and bananas....all her baby food, cereal, puffs, wagon wheels and bottles galore.....she's still skinny!

Her top teeth should be coming in soon! She has been SUPER cranky and irritated and she has boogers like no other! She also chews on celery sticks, wash cloths and her teether with ice cubes in it like there's no tomorrow.....come in already teeth!

Here is a video of the cranky Kenz...well, she pretends to be cranky.....

Family Trip and new Milestones

Well it's been about a month since I wrote last....(it's not like anyone reads this anyway.) But we had our annual trip to Big Bear, CA and this was Kenzie's 1st trip...last year she was in my belly. Well, we had a GREAT time and enjoyed spending time with our extended family. I didn't take too many pictures, I'm not good with that stuff, but I did get some from our trip up the ski lifts and back down again.

Fell asleep for the hike down

Riding up the lifts


Last Monday Kenzie hit 8 months! I can hardly believe my baby girl is getting so big! She is crawling, pulling herself up and even trying to take steps. She cruises around the furniture and she lets go and stands, balancing herself. She is too much! She is still a babbling queen and she loves to laugh and giggle. She is definitely a girlie girl. She loves drinking juice from her sippy cup and she even tries to drink out of a regular cup (with my help and supervision of course!) Her top teeth still haven't come in, but I think they will be here soon! We have a walker at my parents house for Kenzie to explore in and she has a ball. At first, when she didn't know how to scoot in it, she didn't like it so much. But she finally figured out how to walk in that thing and she is gone in an instant. She zooms around, runs into furniture and the walls and she just repositions herself and keeps on going.


I am still working and it's wearing me out more than ever. I don't ever have a weekend with my family where I don't have to work unless I request some days off.....I would like my schedule to change, but that's not going to happen.
So things are going good overall. We are happy and healthy, ready for the cooler weather to hit. I'm so over summer! I want my power bill to go down! My goal is to lose some poundage before next summer, because if things are going up like they are now, we are planning to get pregnant next summer sometime. So this gives us about a year to get our finances in order and for me to lose some weight, and hopefully we will be buying a house here soon as well. Lots of goals and not too much time, but we will see! I really want to make sure our kids are somewhat close together.....everyone thinks I'm crazy. Well, I'd better get some rest. The little stinker wears me out during the day!

Time Flies....

So I am sitting here wondering how time snuck up on me. I guess being busy and being a first time mom I didn't realize how fast babies grow. I mean, I knew she wasn't gonna stay little forever, but she's really growing into a person. She babbles like there's no tomorrow, so forget watching a tv show or movie in peace. She is always on the go. She still doesn't crawl but she finds her way around just fine. I have a habit of just sitting her on the floor while I hop on the computer for a minute or two to keep my sanity, and she normally would just chill and play with her toys. Well today she made me realize I can't do that anymore....she was right next to me and the next thing I heard was the cat food bowl spilling over....she had crawled/scooted a good 5 feet or more within a few minutes and found the cat food bowl!! Her new "thing" is pulling herself up.
Apparently she is skipping the crawling stage, she wants to be upright and holding on to something. She can pull herself up to her knees, but not her feet....yet. She can move from lying on her stomach to a sitting position as well. She almost had me in tears today because she is growing so fast I can hardly believe it. When I went in to get her from her nap she was sitting up in her crib and she had somehow pressed the button on her crib toy so the nature sounds were on. (it hangs from the side of the crib and it lights up and plays music and nature sounds.) She saw me and got the biggest grin on her face...ugh it just melts my heart.

So we went to the M resort to check out the 4th of July festivities, but it didn't turn out to be what we expected. The hotel/casino is amazing, but the shindig wasn't. So we ended up going to the District with my parents where there was live music and people everywhere. We ate at Lucille's and got done just in time for the fireworks they had at GVR. Kenzie was interested for a few minutes, then she was over it. But overall she had a great first 4th!


My favorite moments being a mom are:

• The messes she makes. Even though I may not be too happy at first, I always get a good laugh out of it.

• When she sees me and smiles as big as she can when I get her up from her nap.
• How she lifts her arms up for me to hold her.
• Her screams and giggles when she thinks something is funny.
• How she laughs and hits the mirror when she sees herself.
• How smart she is. She tries to wave and is starting to do some sign language.
• When she opens her mouth wide and covered in drool and plants one on your cheek or mouth.
• When she grabs my hair and pulls me toward her.
• When she cuddles with me and puts her arm around my neck.
• How I get to hold her until she falls asleep at night.
• Kissing her cheeks just to her her scream and giggle with delight.
  

There is so much more, but those are the times when I get close to tearing up because I can't believe what a beautiful person she is becoming.....

It's been a year!

Saturday is our one year anniversary! Time flies! My mom surprised me today with a gift. Well, she told me her and my dad wanted to do something nice for us for our anniversary since we didn't get a honeymoon.....So they got us a room at the South Point and they are watching Kenzie Saturday night! I know that doesn't sound too exciting to most, but being away from home one night will be awesome. We can go to dinner, go to the movies, go bowling, play BINGO! We can drink and not worry about driving anywhere....so awesome!


Kenzie got her 6 month pictures done on Saturday and I am so excited to get them! We got the disc so I can have unlimited copies of them. As soon as we get them I will be posting them! She is growing so fast I can hardly believe it. She sits in my lap facing me and leans in against me and hugs me and laughs. She is moving around, scooting and rolling....not crawling yet! She is almost there though! She gets her knees up a bit but then gives up and rolls over. She is still a funky napper, but she sleeps throught the night now! Well, last night she did.....930pm-9am......I'm loving it. She is very shy towards new people but she quickly warms up. She is no longer sitting in her carseat in grocery carts, she has a seat that goes in with toys and it covers up the cart so she won't chew on it. Sh likes to laugh and scream when something is funny, I guess it's more of a squeal....but it's too cute.

I am sitting here with my poor deprived kitty on my lap, she is so lovey just wanting attention from me....she is here because Kenzie is taking a nap. This is the only time my little Paige can get my attention.
Well, a lot has been going on! Kenzie has been sleeping in her own room and new crib that my dad made for her. She does really well. Some nights are definitely better than others, but I'm just glad she sleeps in there! Here is a video of her splashing away in the tub, she loves it so much!




And for the not so good stuff....Russ' hours have been cut at work...no bueno. So our once comfortable lifestyle is now on lock down...and get this, instead of letting him have Monday's off so I can pick up some more hours at work, they're making him work 8-3 Mon-Thurs and 8-230 on Fridays....LAME! So that means there aren't any possible times for me to make some more money by working an extra shift. They don't realize that we have a family to provide for, that we don't make hundreds of thousands of dollars like they do. We are trying to figure out a way to get outta my car lease so we will be able to eat, when they're driving around in one of 4 cars......it's disgusting to me. I never thought once we'd be the ones in this situation, and it sucks.

On top of us being broke, we found out yesterday that my Gramma Elaine has breast cancer. No good. Although it is at stage zero, and her doctors are saying "if you have to have breast cancer, this is the best kind to have." As far as they know it's contained and she will have surgery to remove it and some radiation. We are all thinking positive and we are positive she will get through this just fine. Just another bump in the road.

Well I better go wake up Russ so we can get my car smogged.....Registration is due, perfect timing, right when we are piss broke.....sweet.

Craziness!

So the past two weekends have been crazy! We moved last weekend as well as me working both days. I will never do that again! I was exhausted! Then over the week I organized and unpacked little bits and tried to recover from all the moving, I was sooo sore! Then I just worked 3 opening shifts, Friday, Saturday and Sunday....so I had no "weekend." Being up at 4am on those three days is not fun.

Kenzie and Daddy resting after a day of packing!

Ok, ok, I will stop complaining! We are still not all the way unpacked and we still have to get Kenzie's room ready! I am so excited to finally be decorating a room for my princess! She is such her own person now. She laughs and giggles all the time and she loves attention! She rolls over quite consitently now and she is moving her legs alot, trying to figure out how to crawl! She sits up pretty good now too, still falling to the sides trying to grab toys or her toes!

I am so excited about the two little teeth coming in on the bottom! I am so ready for them to be completely out so she isn't miserable anymore! She is growing so fast, she will be 6 months before I know it! She is a big girl, not fat, just tall! She is a skinny little thing but she is definitely a Kealey girl when it comes to size! We are not petite by any means. I am nervous about summer coming, she sweats so much as it is and it's only getting hotter! She will definitely be wearing her sundresses, jean shorts and tanks all summer! She loves hanging around in just her diaper now, she seems more comfy than with clothes on. She loves to be naked!

Kenzie~5 1/2 months

5 Months and Moving......

Kenzie Rae is 5 months old!

She's getting so big I can hardly recognize her. I was looking at the pictures of when she was born and she has changed so much. My little 6 pound baby girl is now 15 pounds.....she's over 2 feet tall as well. I remember carrying her and she fit in one arm. Now I have to use both arms and her legs still dangle when I carry her to bed. She laughs so much now. She thinks everything is funny. She also rolled over front to back and back to front, although it's easier front to back. But she figured it out! She hates being on her stomach, so if I put her like that she immediately rolls to her back! Sitting up is our next project. She sits up fairly well already, it's just the balancing she has to work on. So every day we try and she gets better and better! Lately her mouth has really been bugging her. She has this cry that is so sad to hear because she just sounds miserable. I am giving her teething tablets and cold chew rings, but she just gets so frustrated with the whole thing.


I have been busy the last few days. We are finally moving to a bigger apartment on Friday. We're going from a 1 bed 1 bath to a 2 bed 2 bath and I am extremely excited! It is so much bigger and less rent! So amazing. We are staying for a year so we can save up some cash and buy a really nice house a year from now. I really should be packing, but I've been doing it all day and Russ and Kenzie are napping, so I'm taking a minute to myself because who knows when I'll get some more time to myself. Oh man. I am so tired and not in the mood to pack! I hate it! But, if I don't do it, no one will.......It's quite hard to pack up 2 and a half people's stuff all by yourself. So far all the packing that is done is from me.....Russ needs to help me, but he probably won't....so I'm going to leave all the moving to him! Haha....hey it's only fair, right?!

This was taken by a friend for a school project.....she's so photogenic!

Our Trip to California

We survived our trip to California this weekend!
This was Kenzie's 2nd road trip, the first one was when she was 3 weeks old and slept nearly all day. This trip was quite different. Lately she has been in a "no sleep" habit. She takes 2 or 3 (if I'm lucky) 30 minutes naps.....it's frustrating! So we planned to get on the road late Friday morning when she goes down for her first nap. She fell asleep for 30 minutes and proceeded to scream until we stopped in Barstow. I am kind of irked that when we stopped to change her diaper that the restrooms did not have a change station, so we had to change her in the backseat of the car....she did pretty good the rest of the way and we made it there.
We had a great time hanging out with my aunt and uncle, had a great dinner, chatted and drank some delicious wine.....$2.99 a bottle from Fresh and Easy, so good and so cheap! Saturday we hung around a bit and went to my mom's cousin's surprise birthday party and got to see extended family who we usually only see once a year for family reunion. Then back to my aunt and uncles for some more wine and chatting.
It was so nice to get away, even if it wasn't that long of a trip. Kenzie did about the same on the way home.....not bad for an almost 5 month old who's teething!
This was on the way home before the first meltdown.......so serious!

Busy Busy Busy

I can finally sit down and write! It is 11:30pm and I just finished washing dishes and bottles.....it sometimes feels like there are never ending loads of bottles to wash! I am hoping that it will be less and less since Kenzie has gotten the green light for starting cereal and first foods! Yay!

We went to see Dr.Carrie on Thursday for Kenzie's 4 month check-up! I was lucky enough to have Russ leave work an hour early to join us so he can finally meet Kenzie's doctor and to help me when she got her shots. Any who, she is doing great! Here are her stats:
Weight: 14lbs 6oz (56 percentile)
Height: 25.5 inches (82 percentile!!!!)
Head: 16 inches (30 percentile)


We have tried cereal a few times and she seems to like it a bit, still a little unsure, but she eats it! Our first attempt with squash was iffy, but tonight she scarfed down 3/4 of the container. Tomorrow we will try some applesauce and see how that goes!




I worked the past three days and I'm exhausted! I know there are plenty of working moms, but I'm still trying to get into the swing of things. Kenzie still doesn't have a "true" schedule. She seems to wake up more on the nights I have to work early the next day and Russ does not even budge to help me either.....so I'm up 52 times getting her pacifier,covering her up, turning on her musical seahorse, getting her a bottle.....it goes on and on and on so I barely get a wink of sleep. It feels like the beginning where I was nursing her every hour or two and falling asleep sitting up in bed....oh man! So I tough through it and run around on my feet for 6 hours making coffee for rude, demanding people! That definitely dampens my day....then I come home to take a quick shower and back to being a mom! Kenzie is my life and she is totally worth the lack of sleep and social life.....but I can't help but saying how exhausted I am! This working thing is definitely a lot harder than I expected. I miss my husband, his 2 days off I'm working, and then when I get home he wants to be with his friends. I'm frustrated and I don't know what to do.
This week and weekend I get to re-coup. My mom, dad, gramma, me and Kenzie are heading down to Cali to see some family. I am so excited to get away, even if it's just for a few days......

How the days fly by!

So Easter came and went and I realized I did not take one picture of Kenzie.....what a horrible mom I am! I think my mom got some pictures, so I will have to check and see if I can steal some.....she was so cute in her little Roxy dress with her lacy headband and bow....I was wavering whether or not to take her to see the Easter Bunny, but she is at that stage where things scare her and I'd rather not traumatize my princess. There's always next year!

Kenzie's 4 month well check-up is on Thursday.....I am somewhat looking forward to it, only to find out how big she is! I am definitely not looking forward to the shots! Last time she did not do too well. She had a fever and was just pissed off the entire day as well as getting a cold the next day, not a great experience! I am hoping Dr. Carrie will give the green light on starting cereal! Lately Kenzie has seemed a bit interested in food. When I eat my oatmeal in the morning she opens her mouth like I'm going to give her a spoonful and she watches intently when you shovel food in your mouth. Sitting up is something she is constantly working on.

Naked. She loves the word naked and to be naked. Bath time is always a breeze because she is naked and nothing can make her happier. She has learned to splash so we stopped using the sink tub and upgraded to a big bathtub seat so she can splash away!

I haven't been taking too many pictures of Kenzie lately.....she is so fussy! I can't ever catch her in a good moment. I am blaming it on her mouth and teething. Although there is nothing peeking through yet, I have a feeling they are in there somewhere!!! I got her to take a 2 hour nap this afternoon and afterward was a perfect picture moment! I went crazy! Also, I am going to try and take her this weekend for some professional pictures! She has finally stopped scratching her nose so no more scabs!!!

Girls are the best!

I am so in love with my baby girl and the fact we can go shopping for clothes! Little girls clothes are just so dang cute!!! She's on my lap right now bouncing away and enthralled with the fish tank we have right by our computer. We just got back from the mall and we had a BabyGap gift card I wanted to use. I got it for my shower but I wanted to wait to a more fun age to buy her outfits, so this is what we got....

Fussy Pants......

I am officially a working mom! Well, part-time....but it's still work! It feels so good to be back behind the counter, making bev's and being with my friends. It almost feels like I never left! Kenzie did great staying with her Papa on Friday. I did good too! I missed her terribly but I knew I was gonna see her soon, and it was a little nice having a bit of a break from the normal routine.

Lately Kenzie has been very interested in her feet. She always has her legs upright when she is lying on her back and she grabs her foot and sticks it in her mouth. It's pretty funny. I love when she smiles at me when I talk to her, she'll grin so big and sometimes let out her little squeal.
She is also very interested in faces. She likes to touch your face if you get it close enough. She checks it out and grabs your nose or just wildly waves her arms around smacking you, if you let her of course! Kenzie even likes her own face, you can tell by all the scratches and gouges she has....and I even cut her nails 2-3 times a week! She's crazy! Also, if you get close enough to her face, she thinks you're gonna kiss her, so she opens her mouth real wide and wants a kiss! It's so cute and slobbery!
Today has been quite a day. Kenzie has decided to be extremely fussy and I can't quite figure out why! I know she needs to take longer naps, but she fights it like crazy. I am thinking it's her mouth that's bothering her because any chance she gets she shoves one of my finger in her mouth and is chewing on anything she can get really....burp cloths, blankets, toys, her fingers and toes....I try the teethers in the fridge and she just make a disgusted look and gets mad. So those are out of the question! I am hoping tomorrow goes a little smoother!

Back to Work!

Tomorrow will be my first day back to work in about 4 months. My last day was November 16th....wow. I am actually kind of nervous! I feel like I won't know what I'm doing. Oh I guess it will be okay, it's just coffee, right? Haha, to some people it's much more. There's always a handful of people who get all bent out of shape if one little thing is wrong, oh dear. People will probably be hatin' me tomorrow morning...Friday morning rush.

I am so lucky to have my dad take her Friday mornings so I can work. She will get to spend some quality time with her Papa. I also work Saturday morning and she will get to stay home with her daddy....or he will take her over to my parents to spend the day with my mom! Haha, we'll see what he does! Probably when she needs a diaper change is when he'll take her. Russ doesn't do diapers! Don't get me wrong, he's a great dad, he just gets nervous with the girl parts and how to clean it......oh men.

I am excited! I have all my stuff ready to be up at 5am so I can get ready and take Kenzie to my mom and dads around 6 and leave there around 615 to be to work at 630! Yay!

Kenzie is 4 Months old!

I don't even know what to think! My baby girl is 4 months old!

She is so full of life and her personality is definitely coming out more and more each day. She has a temper and she is not afraid to scream until she gets what she wants, like a bottle or if she wants you to stand while you are holding her. She recently learned how to scream and she knows it gets our attention quick, so that is her every day means of communication.

To back up a bit, when Kenzie was 4 weeks old, she was admitted to the hospital for turning blue and not breathing.....and it was from pertussis, otherwise known as "whooping cough." So the bacteria is gone, no longer contagious, but the cough is still here....yeah, 12 weeks. She doesn't stop breathing anymore, it's just like a bad dry cough still. She gets herself all worked up and pissed off and then proceeds to choke on that cough and makes herself even more mad....it's a vicious cycle, that's why I am so quick to get her what she wants.

It was so horrible seeing her in the hospital....all hooked up to monitors and she even had an IV because she wasn't hydrated due to not feeling good and not eating. She spent 3 nights there, along with bot me and Russ. This all happened New Years day....a New Years I will never forget.

Back to happier times. She has been doing great since then. She's gaining weight and sleeping through the night. She decides to go to bed around 930 or 10 and wakes up around 6 or so for a bottle, then immediately goes back to sleep until 830 or 9....it's pretty sweet. She just recently found her toes and she likes to grab anything and everything, including my glasses and my hair. She'll grab a chunk of my hair and pull me close to her and open her mouth for a kiss. Haha, so cute! She laughs/giggles on occasion still. I try everything to hear that chuckle and she'll just give me her biggest open-mouthed smile and no sound! Those moments I do hear it though brings me to laughing tears....oh man. I can't wait for her 4 month check up to see how much she's grown in 2 months, her weight and length.

For now her eyes are really blue some days, and a greyish blue others. Her hair is a strawberry blond, and in some lights it's red! Her eyelashes are incredibly long, matching her long arms, legs, toes and fingers. I guess that's expected when her mom is 5'9" and her dad is 6'2".

This is Kenzie 4 months old!

How My Family Came to Be.......

So I decided to do a blog.
I am always wanting to write and share with anyone who is interested about my thoughts. Since my life is already in play mode, I will start from the beginning...I like to reminisce about the last year....it's changed so much!

I'd say about a year to date is when I first found out I was pregnant. I was freaked out beyond belief. I took a pregnancy test on a Friday, it was positive, so I took another one....positive again. Russ and I were leaving that afternoon to visit his parents in Bullhead, AZ. I didn't say a word to him, we went down and enjoyed our time away from Vegas. The next day on the way home, I decided it was best for me to tell him the news. I started to cry and told him not to be mad at me....and said I was pregnant. He was calm, he reached over and put his hand on my thigh and said everything will be okay. We had just moved in with my parents to save up some money the beginning of March 08, so I was panicked. Russ decided the best thing for US to do was to get married. We've known since the first few months of dating that we were going to be together forever. So here I am, pregnant and not married. I was completely embarrassed of our situation and I didn't want anyone to know. Finally, word of mouth got around that Russ and I were engaged and my parents confronted me and I confessed to being "knocked up" as I was. They were a bit shocked, but my mom gave me a hug and said, "this is a GOOD thing!"
This is definitely not how I wanted my first pregnancy to go. I wanted to be ecstatic and shout it on the rooftops....but instead I slowly let people know and it became easier. A baby is a miracle, and we were meant to have our miracle now, and not 5 years from now. Russ and I planned to get married June 20th down at the courthouse, and we did just that! Both our parents were there and my sister came as well. It was perfect. We were married and starting a family within a few months, and I couldn't have been happier. The months went on and we were both working like crazy to save our money while staying with my parents. Russ as a Sheet Metal Apprentice drawing Auto Cad, and me as a Shift Supervisor at Starbucks.
Let me tell ya, Starbucks is not the ideal job when pregnant....being on your feet for 6 to 8 hours a day about 30-35 hours a week. I did it though, just knowing we needed the money kept me going. In August we moved into out own apartment and really started getting ready for our baby girl to join us.
I eventually stepped down from my shift position at Starbucks to just a Barista and transferred to a store that was a tad slower....my other store was crazy busy and it was too much for me at 7 months pregnant. Weeks went by and I was getting more and more miserable. I had not one ounce of morning sickness so at the beginning I was stoked. But then eventually the heartburn set in, and then the painful joints. My tailbone was killing me, I waddled so bad because I was in dire pain when walking. So 2 weeks before my due date I decided would be best for me to leave Starbucks for a while. I was 9 months pregnant, and ready for her to get out! But 2 weeks went by, my due date (which was the day before Thanksgiving) came and went. Her 40 weeks in my belly was up, but she didn't really care. I cried every day. So I was scheduled for my BPP one day before I was 41 weeks. I sat through the hour or so of fetal monitoring....she kept moving so it took forever for them to get a good read. Then I went for the ultrasound. My Dr. comfirmed she in fact was a girl, and that she was "sunny side up, making me at higher risk for a C-Section." I stayed optimistic, thinking she would turn by the time my induction was scheduled. But to my surprise, my induction was that very night, December 2nd.

I got to the hospital at 5pm. I got all hooked up tp everything and they inserted the cervadil around 630pm. I started to feel contraction (really really really bad ones) around 11pm. My nurse decided to call the doctor and ask to remove the cervadil because it worked pretty well in thinning me out and dialating me to 4cm. She then ordered my epidural, but the anesthesiologist was in a c-section for twins....but I suffered through the pain with some stadol for about an hour and my relief came. I was then able to sleep.....or so I though. My nurse came in it seemed like every 15 mins making me turn and re-adjusting the monitors. Then I was put on oxygen around 150am and she told me she was calling my doctor cuz her heart rate was dropping and not coming back up, so she was almost positive I would be going in for a c-section very soon. By 230ish I was being taken in the OR to have my baby girl cut out. At 253am on Wednesday December 3rd, Kenzie Rae Knoch was here! Weighing 6lbs 5oz and 19 in. (at 41 weeks all the nurses were shocked and couldn't believe how tiny she was for being over due.)

So we later found out the reason our little girl was so little. Her umbilical cord was really short AND really skinny. My doctor said she thinks the reason she was so small is because her umbilical cord was unable to give her the nutrient she needed causing her to lose weight in the last few weeks. And for it being short, she would have been unable to come out vaginally because it most likely wouldn't have reached.....so it was a blessing she came out the way she did! I was just beside myself on how much of a miracle she was. My little miracle.