Stay at Home Mom or Work at Home Mom?

Recently I've been thinking a lot about which of the two describe me. I am a Realtor so I don't have to go to an office building and be confined to a desk, cubicle or office and report to someone the time I've worked that day. I am flexible and have used that to my advantage in taking care of my daughter.  It took me a while, admittedly, to get the hang of making phone calls and scheduling appointments while taking care of Kacey. She's at a point now that she can entertain herself with a toy for quite a while if necessary. She also still takes two naps so that helps tremendously.

Kacey is not in day care. She is home with me every day. We play, eat, sleep, play a lot more and sometimes venture out to a park. When I have to go to the office, she is often with me. I have great family and friends who watch her for me when I need to take a client out or have a closing. Right now we just can't afford to put her in daycare. We are on two waitlists and I'm hoping by the time they call we will be ready because I really could use the extra time to tend to my business.

That being said, sometimes I feel like an entrepreneur blessed to be able to work at home while my child plays and is well taken care of. Other times I feel like the stay at home Mom who does some work to bring in income. I've also begun to feel that I am no longer myself. My life is consumed with bottle weaning, changing diapers, cleaning up, laundry, cooking and reading to my baby. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love caring for Kacey but we don't have the financial resources for me to do that alone. Plus, I like what I do.... a lot. I want to get back to being the businesswoman that's making a difference in the lives of people. I want to dress up again professionally and talk to other professionals and network.

I'm feeling all of this AND am ready for another child. Seems a bit contradictory to me but I own these feelings.

Sidebar- I really need help in creating a better banner and look to this blog if I'm going to be active in it.

Tootles for now

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Wow... A year has passed

It's 2:54am as I start to write this. It's been more than a year since I posted and almost a year since Kacey Elaine Kendrick was born into this world. I've been neglecting this blog terribly. I kept telling myself I would at least come and tell her birth story but I kept putting it off and now here we are.

I'm reminiscing about how she came into this world and figured this is as good a time as any to share it with the world.

On Sunday December 12, 2010, my water broke around 6:30pm. Kim and I were trying a few different things to make that happen because I did not want to be induced the next day and it worked. It was quite a gush of liquid and I just stood in amazement while Kim yelled at me to move. She was thinking about how the water was going to soak into the carpet and into the hardwood floor. I was thinking how I didn't want to get it on the bed. Anywho, we called the hospital and they said to come on in. Now I was hungry and told Kim to go to Wendy's on they way (it wasn't on the way). I had cleaned myself up and changed clothes, put my Hypnobabies tracks on, and proceeded downstairs. I was excited and nervous. I wasn't having any strong birthing waves and thought to myself how I could do this with no meds. We got to the hospital, without going to Wendy's because I knew I wouldn't be able to stand the smell, and the waves were definitely stronger.

Once we got into our room, I kept the headphones on and let Kim do the talking. When I came in I was checked and I think I was around 3cm. The waves got so strong I felt like Kacey was trying to push her way out and it was very hard to deal with. It was a bearing down feeling, not at all like I envisioned. I tried bouncing on a ball, sitting on the bed in different positions, etc. Finally, I decided that it was too much and I needed to get the Epi. I was checked and found to be at 6cm. At first this made me sad but the feelings were just too much for me to handle. The anesthesiologist came in and tried to get me to initial and talk and it was so unbearable I had to get Kim to do it. Within a few minutes, the feeling subsided and I could relax. Around 10pm I found out I was 10cm. By this time, my best friend Monique was at the hospital. She had bought some food for Kim. I was sneaking some food here and there. I thought, well if I'm 10cm the baby will be here any minute! WRONG!

I started to push around 6am with a nurse's instructions. The epi had just about worn off, which was perfect for me because I wanted to feel it all. My doctor came in around 7 and said I was pushing the wrong way the whole time. He said, "Either you can keep pushing like that and get no where or you can do exactly what I tell you and have this baby" I love Dr. Bailey and was so glad he was there. So we pushed for another 2 hours. It was truly a party in the delivery room. Kim had the music going, the nurses were joining in with the dancing and singing. It was keeping me in good spirits and gave me the motivation to push more frequently than the nurses even asked. I was ready to meet my baby and she just wasn't coming out quickly. Another misconception I had.

Kacey came into this world after 9am to the cheers of the Dr, nurses, Monique, Kim and I. Kacey looked a little grey and a neonatologist came in. I knew something wasn't right but I don't think I could let my mind go completely there. Monique was still by my side and I just kept looking at her for an answer. Kim was with Kacey. Kim later told me Kacey wasn't breathing well  and that the Dr and nurses began to work on her as she began to pray to God when all of a sudden she heard Kacey cry. What a beautiful sound that was.

Once she was breathing well, she lay on my chest as I study her features and am overwhelmed by the sudden gush of love I feel. I allow her to find the breast and nurse. The nurses rushed me to take her to be weighed, etc. I just wanted her to nurse well to get a good start. The staff at Lankenau were awesome, I didn't want to go home. I had such great help from the nurses in getting her to nurse that I wished I could take one of them home with me.

That first night home was rough and Kacey was not nursing well. I couldn't get her to latch. Kim thought she wasn't getting any food and encouraged me to give her formula which I didn't want to do. The visiting nurse that the insurance co sent the next day agreed and I reluctantly gave her a bottle. I couldn't get her to latch after that. I tried for several months and she did it maybe once or twice. But I pumped to give her as much breastmilk as possible, up to about 5 mos or so.

That's the story of my Kacey Kace coming into this world, our hearts, our lives. We are such different people now because of her. The love we have for her surpasses all understanding. She is now first in our lives.

I'll post some pics of her in the coming days. Now I'm going to go to sleep and have sweet memories of this time last year. I can't wait to see her big smile in a few hours when she sees Mommy. And I can't wait to do it all over again with our next child.

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38 weeks and counting down

So, I'm at 38 weeks and 3 days to be exact. I'm still on bedrest and have a cold. I've taken no pics for this week because I've been totally exhausted.

I had a trip to L & D on Saturday and had the pleasure of being kept overnight for observation. On Saturday, the bottom number of my blood pressure was consistently over 100 so I did as instructed and called in. They put me on Labetalol and it has come down nicely. On Monday, my ob was concerned because he thought I had escalated to pre-eclampsia due to having protein in my urine. Thankfully, the next day there was none. That has put me on more restrictive bed rest this week though. I'm staying upstairs, where the bathroom is, and only going down for food.

While in the office on Tuesday, one of the kids in the OB office sneezed in his elbow. I had already started to feel like I was getting the sniffles but it came on in full force Tuesday night. Also, we had company on Sunday that could've transmitted it to me. Yesterday I was feeling ok, but went to the pediatrician orientation and suddenly felt worse. Today I woke up and had a lot of pressure on the left side of my face. So today I took Sudafed and Tylenol and I'm feeling much better.

Speaking of the pediatrician orientation, that was a bust. This practice came highly recommended and is associated with CHOP which is a plus to me. The first thing they said that I didn't like was that if you don't adhere to the immunization schedule they will ask you to leave the practice. They are pro-vaccines (their words). I would like a doc that is flexible to having a discussion and if I'm concerned we can do an adjusted schedule or none at all. There's too much discussion around vaccines that I won't simply just say, go ahead and stick my kid!

The second thing I noticed is that the evening hours are for emergent cases only. Well visits are 8 - 4:30 M-F only. That's not very flexible. Kim didn't like the fact that they have 25,000 patients with no intentions to limit the number. Now there are 10 docs and some nurse practictioners but that overwhelmed her. So, now we are back to the drawing board. I've gotten some good recommendations to check out thus far.

The bane of my existence right now is that my dresser isn't here and the baby could be here next week. My aunt told me not to worry and it's no big deal but still. Hopefully it has come in tonight and tomorrow I can schedule delivery. There's quite a few things we still don't have such as a pack n play, crib mattress, crib bedding, changing pad (but w/o the dresser there's nothing to put it on), breast pump, diapers, bottles and other little things I'm probably not even thinking about.

I must say though, we are so very blessed. We had the Keller Williams shower, Living Water (church) shower and Kim was surprised this week with another one from her co-workers at St. Chris. We have plenty of clothes for this little one that's for sure!

I'm also very happy that her room is done. My sister did such an excellent job. Once the dresser comes, I'll take more photos and post them.

Well, here's a couple of photos and here's a link to our baby website which also links to our registries: http://kimandkimberly.ourbabychannel.com/

36 weeks

37 weeks

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First baby Shower and updated photos

dWell we had our very first baby shower Friday and we had a fabulous time!!! Our KW Family (work) threw us a great party. It was so touching to see how people care for us and our new addition. We received a car seat, baby spa, highchair, two infant seats, clothing, nutcracker, books, stuffed animal, gift cards and a rubber ducky! Today, we exchanged the car seat for the one we registered for. The person that bought it said the store told her that the one she got was the one we registered for. It was absolutely no problem, I'm just thankful that we received it.

We started to put some things in the closet already. We went to Babies R Us today to do the exchange and they were having a sale on clothes for $4.99 each! We even found a coat for the baby to come home in for $14.99. The one we registered for was $52 so this was a great savings. They are also having a 20% off sale on furniture and other items. Tomorrow, we're going back to order the dresser. Once it's here, I'll feel more comfortable having Kim clean all the clothes so I can put them away somewhere. Also, the recliner we want is on clearance for about $80 less than when we first saw it. My only concern is that by the time we are ready to get it, they won't have it available anymore because it may have been discontinued. So, I guess we'll see!

Tomorrow, my sister is coming to put the finishing touches on the nursery. I'm so ready to get all the paint stuff out and set the room up.

Here's a pic of me at 34 & 35 weeks:

34 wks

35 wks

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The nursery is almost done!

Well the nursery is almost done! First, Kim ripped up the carpets and started testing paint colors:

Then cousin Dawn came in and painted. The room is sage green and lavendar:

Then we had the floor done and a ceiling fan installed. My sister Kirsten then started on the mural:

Cousin Dawn is doing the wood trim as we speak and the mural will be done Sunday. We are so very excited! Tonight, our co-workers are giving us a shower. This will be our first one! We already had a highchair delivered the other day from a group of co-workers that was on our registry and we absolutely love. Things are really coming together.

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I almost forgot!

Last week at our 32 week ultrasound, we found out that the baby's head is down. The doctor and nurse said that the baby will likely stay that way until delivery. So I've been giving the baby pep talks to stay that way and that it won't be much longer. They also turned on the 3D imaging and we got this pic. Look at her chubby cheeks!!!

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Today is my Birthday!!!!

Well, yes today is the greatest day on earth! I came into the world at approximately 9:27am on this day 34 years ago. I've been thinking a lot in the past week about how this is the last birthday to myself. I will now be sharing my birthdays with not only my wife, but also with my child. I'll be putting her needs first instead of worrying about what I'll be doing to party. I am so thankful to God for another year of life and for the creation of new life. The baby said Happy Birthday to me nice and early this morning when I felt her movement. I am so very thankful and not at all sad about ending this era in my life and starting another. I also know that partying will not be a foreign word, vacations will still happen without children and I will still be me. I will actually be an even better me.

Today, to celebrate I am at home having hardwood floors installed in the baby's room. Last week, we started really working on the room. A friend and fellow realtor lent me the materials needed to patch the walls and ceiling in the room so it could be ready for paint. We ended up doing it ourselves and did a pretty good job. I enjoy doing handyman type of stuff so I did most of it. Then our cousin came in and painted the ceiling and walls all by herself. She wanted to do the room alone so as not to clash with anyone else and she did an absolutely excellent job!!! Today, the hardwoods go in and the ceiling fan goes up. Tomorrow, the crib arrives and is assembled in the room. Sometime this week, our cousin will come back and paint the woodwork. We'll still need to set up the closet with an organizer and put some shelves up. My sister is doing a mural on the walls too.

So, my goal was to have the room done by November. It will be 85% done by November 1st and I'm so happy. I've had a few people tell me they didn't think I'd go to my guess date and I had a dream that I had the baby early. I will feel so much better to know the room is done in case she gets here early.

Kim brought up the carry on bag so we can begin to pack it for the hospital. So we'll be really ready for anything!

Well, here's pics of the last two weeks:



31 wks



32 wks

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