Sleepin' In

Anytime somebody sees Kate they always ask "How's she sleeping?".  Well, I think she's sleeping pretty darn good for a 6, um, I mean 7 week old (as of yesterday). On average she's sleeping about 6 hours at a time at night but on Monday night she slept 8 hours!! :) We think she's almost 12 lbs, so maybe that has something to do with it, but we're trying to do everything in our power to help her sleep at night! Here's a shot of her "cribside" table. See if you can guess what we think MIGHT be helping her to sleep...

If you guessed this, you'd be right! 

Yes, I went and bought an iPod player and it's been awesome.  I've been wanting to put a little CD player in her room to play music, but did you know that they don't really even sell those anymore? Not a small one anyway.  You can buy some huge sound system that plays CDs, which I was NOT going to do, or you can buy a boom box.  Who knew they even really made those anymore?  And I'm not talking about some small thing either.  Those things are still pretty big, and not cheap.  So since I already have an iPod I figured it'd be just a good, and actually even cheaper, to buy something I could just plug my iPod into.  Then I can buy/download some children's music and lullabies and just play it on there.  

So I bought this on Monday from Walmart with a gift card that we still had.  I didn't have time to get any children's music loaded onto my iPod before bedtime, so I figured Kate could make do with some of the music that I listen to.  I just picked an artist, put it on "play all" and let her listen.  It worked!  I credit this little thing, and this artist for 8 hours of great sleep!

I love Aaron Shust, and apparently Kate does too!  Mom came for a visit today and while we were running errands, we stopped by Lifeway Christian Store to pick up a CD of children's music/lullabies.  I got these two, so we'll see what Kate thinks of them soon!

And THIS is what we like to see at night... Snoozing away!

Oh and during her daytime naps, we use this little thing. It was a gift from two friends and we love it.  It plays music for the perfect amount of time and at night puts stars on the ceiling. Thanks G* and T* (not sure if you wanted me to use your names)!

Community Sale & Vintage Kate

Community Sale = Success!

Kevin and I spent a lot of last week getting everything ready (along with the other FANTASTIC people who volunteered to help).  We brought some of our yard sale items to the church on Thursday night, and then Kate and I went back on Friday to finish pricing some of the stuff.  Well, I priced and she slept.

Since we had to be back at the church so early on Saturday morning, we let Kate spend the night with her Nana and Papa Friday night.  This was such a big help.  Kevin and I spent all Friday evening loading the remainder of our yard sale items into our trailer and sorting through the rest of our attic.  We went to bed well after midnight and then got up about 4:45.  I don't really count that as sleeping.  It was more of a nap.

We got to the church about 5:15 on Saturday morning and while I got all of our stuff outside and set up for the sale, Kevin was busy getting things ready for the food sales.  We had a TON of stuff but luckily Kristi got there about 6:15 to help.  I was too busy doing stuff on Saturday to take any pictures, or I would share a few.

There were lots of other vendors there, the food was a big hit, and tons of people came through to see what all of the excitement was about.  We brought multiple trailer loads of stuff over to the event to sell and only left with about 1/2 of a trailer load of stuff.  The event ended at 2pm and everything went so smoothly that the cleanup was finished around 2:45.  All in all, it was a great event and we can't say thank you enough to everyone who helped make it a success.  We were able to raise a lot of money to go toward our adoption expenses, and we are beyond thankful for the support of our family and friends!

We got home just in time for Kristi and me to watch the Clemson game in one room while Kevin watched the Georgia game, which he'd DVR'd, in our living room.  We were so exhausted that we went to bed early.  Even then it was hard to get up Sunday morning for church, but of course we did and I dressed Kate in an outfit that I wore when I was a baby! Is it vintage when it's 26 years old?  I say yes, so here is my little vintage baby (and the progression of pictures- thank goodness for digital cameras).

I've got my paci- I'm good!

Wait a minute- you took it out!

Okay, Mommy! I'll give you a smile!

I think I want my paci back!

Yep, I want it back!!

NOW!!!

Okay, I'm good again.

I can't complain! I got one good picture and caught her smiling! Lucky me!

Kate's 1 Month Pictures- Sneak Peak!

Kate had her 1 month pictures taken today and it was so much fun! Here's a sneak peak of what is to come...

More to come next week. Can't wait to see them all!

Pulling Her Hair Out- Literally

Everywhere I go, people comment on how much hair Kate has.  She really does. When we first got back to SC, all of our family and friends kept saying "Oh, she's got a lot of hair. It will fall out."  Well it hasn't.  It's only gotten longer and thicker, and we're pretty happy about that.  Hair bows are here to stay! :)

I try very hard to make her hair look somewhat neat (combed), but the natural state of her hair is just straight up, so that's how it normally is! Here are a few examples of the "everywhere" hair.

But, before you think all of that hair is a blessing, think again.  It is a bit of a health hazard. Yes, it really is.

Kate LOVES for you to run your fingers through her hair. It will just put her to sleep.  When she is tired or fussy, a lot of times she'll run her own fingers through her hair. It's really pretty cute.  See here...

Cute? Yes.  You can sort of see the problem on that video. Occasionally, she'll not only run her fingers THROUGH her hair but she'll grab a big chunk of hair and hold on- TIGHT.  And then she cries because she's hurting herself.  Not only that, but she doesn't let go!  She's apparently not grasped the whole cause/effect thing yet, but we'll give her some slack since she's only 6 weeks old.

The first time she did it, I tried to just open her hand and get her hair out.  For a 6 week old, she is surprisingly strong. I couldn't open her fist. So, I tried to tickle her, which usually makes her squirm and occasionally gets a smile. Didn't work.  I thought, what if I pick her up? Well, she didn't cry as hard but she didn't let go. Then I tried to put her pacifier in her mouth, and that still didn't work. She seriously was pulling her hair for 1-2 minutes, which doesn't seem like a long time but when she's screaming at the top of her lungs, well, it feels like 2 hours.

I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to everything.

Advantage = Cute Bows

Disadvantage = Hair Pulling & Crying

Here's to hoping this is one of those things she just figures out pretty quickly.

Last Fundraiser- Community Yard Sale Sept 24th

What's going on in our house? Well here are a few hints...

If you're thinking "Wow- those people need to clean out that room!"... well we are! (And just FYI this is our "formal" living room. We're not "formal" people and we NEVER use this room, so this became our catch-all room until we actually convert it to an office.)

Anyway, our last fundraiser event is almost here! We've been cleaning out and collecting items from family and friends for our yard sale and it is almost upon us! This room isn't even all of it. Our storage building and garage are also holding even MORE items for sale. 

Even before we found out about Kate, Kevin and I had planned on doing a yard sale to help offset the cost of our adoption and raise additional funds.  We originally planned an event that would just be a simple yard sale where we sell our stuff.  But, one of the families in our church came to us and volunteered to help with the event (big thank you!). They had some great ideas to involve additional people make it BIGGER and BETTER! 

So- THIS Saturday (September 24th) we will be having a community yard sale event at Living Way Community Church in Greer, SC from 8am-2pm.  Not only will we be selling our yard sale items, but so will at least 20 other people/vendors! In addition, there will also be breakfast items, lunch items, snow cones, and baked goods for sale. So, come out and see if you can score a deal or two on some items!

Details of the Event 

What:       Community Wide Yard-Sale / Craft Sale 

When:      Saturday, September 24th from 8am-2pm

Where:     Living Way Community Church 

                3239 N Hwy 101

                Greer, SC 29651

Who:        Multiple Individuals & Vendors

Hope to see you all there! 

**Note- If you would like to take part in this event, it's not too late.  Each individual & vendor is selling their own items and keeping 100% of the profit. Your only cost is renting a parking space for $12 (or 2 spaces for $20). Contact me for additional information if you would like a space!

And since no post is complete without a cute picture of Kate (since this blog is specifically about HER)... here is a cute one that I took on Sunday...

My Little Tiger

Yay! Clemson finally had a good game and played well.  Kate and I watched the  game with my family at my parent's house since Kevin was rafting with the youth group.  She got to wear her Clemson cheerleading outfit, and although she slept through 90% of the game she still brought the Tigers some luck.  It was a fun game to watch... hopefully they will play to the same level of play next week when they play Florida State!  Here are a few pictures from the day...

It's a Wrap!

Oh the many phases of Kate and her swaddling.  Below is a picture of her at 6 days old.  She LOVED to be swaddled... it was comforting to her.  So, I got to practice some of my skills from my days of playing with baby dolls.

Then, after she was about a week old she decided she hated to be swaddled, and I mean HATED.  She would scream if you swaddled her.  Not only that, she hated covers on her legs and arms in general.  If you'd put any kind of blanket on her, she would kick and scream until she got it off.  But, she seemed to like a blanket on her stomach.  It was the weirdest thing. So, we'd fold a blanket in half, cover up her belly but leave her arms and legs exposed (but not really since she was usually in some kind of footed sleeper).

Sometime in the past few weeks, Kate decided that she likes to be swaddled again, and it has really been a blessing to US!  We only swaddle her at night, and we have to put her in the blanket when she is already sleepy, but it's been great! When she didn't like to be swaddled, she would get startled, throw her arms out (reflex) and wake herself up.  But now, the swaddle keeps her from waking herself up and helps her to sleep better and longer (which is the blessing to US part).  Here's a picture of her just a few days ago sleeping soundly...

Bonus points to anyone who notices what Kate does whenever she is sleeping (and a lot of the time when she's NOT sleeping). Hint- she is doing it in BOTH of the pictures above!

Weekend Recap

Kevin and I were able to spend some time in my hometown this weekend for a shower hosted by my home church.  I was a loser and forgot to get my camera out of my purse so I didn't get ANY pictures from the shower. :( BUT, we had a lot of fun and Kate was able to meet even more new people this weekend!

We went by my parent's house before the shower and Kate was able to have her FIRST visit to my parent's lake house.  We didn't have time to go down to the water (not that we would have gotten in) but we did have a little mini photo-shoot session on the deck and the picture taking didn't stop once we went inside.  Here are just a couple from the day...

Our family

Kate & me with my parents!

Kate with her Gigi & Pop

Kate & her Pop

Kate & Aunt Kristi

Once the shower was over we headed back to my parent's house to feed Kate a bottle but then we didn't hang around very long because we had to get home to some football! Clemson was already playing Wofford so we listened to most of the game on the way home... until Georgia came on.  Then we flipped between the two games.  We got home in time to watch most of the Georgia game.  It was a close one, and toward the end of the game Kate woke up so I decided to put her in one of the Georgia onesies that her birth mom gave to her.  I thought maybe she'd bring Georgia luck, but apparently it had the opposite effect.  In the time that I was changing her into the outfit, South Carolina scored two touchdowns. Boo. We have decided that this is going to be a LONG football season for us.

Kate & Daddy watching the Georgia/South Carolina game

One Month Birthday!

My baby girl is one month old today!  Wow- the past month has really flown by and I am sure that the next month is going to go by just as quickly, if not quicker!  Here are just a couple of pictures from today.  We were able to go to my home town for a few hours today, so there will definitely be more pictures tomorrow!

And, this one was from a few days ago, but was just too cute not to post.  She is just now learning how to smile when she wants to, and I was lucky enough to catch the tail-end of one of them.

Aren't her chunky cheeks and legs adorable?  Happy 1 Month Birthday, Kate! We love you!

New Toy! (For Kate)

My mom and I were out running errands on Wednesday and picked up a new toy for Kate- an activity mat!  We'd just been throwing a blanket on the floor for tummy time, but thought this might make it more "fun" for Kate.  Plus it was on sale at Target. She loves it!  There are toys hanging from the bars on the top so she can play with it when she's lying on her back, but you can also move the toys and attach them to the mat so she can pull/play with them when she's on her tummy.

First Football Weekend

College football is BACK!  And, with Kevin and I being fans of two different college football teams (Clemson and Georgia) our Saturdays are pretty full.  Luckily this weekend, Clemson and Georgia played at different times.  Kate has the potential of being one confused little girl.  BUT, she'll definitely know enough about football to follow the game.  :)

Anyway, first up was Clemson vs Troy so of course Kate had to be dressed to support her Mama's alma mater!

After the outfit change and a few pictures, we settled in to "watch" the Clemson game on ESPN3 on our laptop.  I was not very impressed, but at least we won.

Kristi came over a bit later, and since we all still had on our Clemson attire, we decided to get one more picture before Kate's next outfit change.

Next was the Georgia vs Boise State game.  I didn't want to play any part in making her a Georgia fan, so her Daddy had to put her in her next outfit.  Kevin took her in the nursery, changed her and brought her out to show off her Georgia clothing.  First thing she did when they got in the living room?  Threw up all over it!  That's my girl! It was hilarious. 

And though I'm not a Georgia fan, I can still say she looks cute in red!

Georgia didn't have a great game either, so here's hoping that next week BOTH of our teams play better!  If not, this could be a very long football season... :)