No Reason- Just Cuz I Can!

Here are some recent photos of Kayden that I just love. Can't get enough of her!

Oh Hi

Colts game with Daddy

Her Laugh is the Sweetest Noise

Kayden made her first debut of her beautiful little laugh on Saturday October 27th, 2012. We have heard her do a little giggle here or there, but nothing like this. Who would have thought that a Jimmy Johns wrapper would be so funny to a little girl. It has been such a fun time watching her reach new milestones and I know there are even more to come. Love her to pieces!

Oh the Hawkeyes

Andy and I went to the Hawkeye vs. Penn State game a couple weekends ago. We rode a party bus to Iowa City and tailgated all day until the evening game. It was a lot of fun going with friends and being there for the festivities. It was nice having a chance to be just Andy and Joey for a day. I really really missed Kayden though. It was the longest stretch of time I have been away from her since she was born. My parents came to the Quad Cities and watched Kayden that day. Having her in such great hands made it much easier for me to be away. I know my parents had a great time with her and she loves Grandma and Grandpa so much. The game was horrible so we ended up leaving the game right before half time (we got the tickets for free so we didn't feel so bad leaving) and finished watching the game at the bus. The bus was equipped with a TV inside and even one outside. It was quite the setup. We had such a blast and will hopefully do it again sometime. Here are some pictures:

It was the black and gold game...Pretty cool.

Some updates

For all those that care, Kayden is now successfully sleeping in her crib at night. We had to go to the full swaddle for awhile, but her arms are now free again and she is doing great. She wakes up about 2-3 times a night for her pacifier. Sometimes she can sort of put herself back to sleep after a few minutes of crying, but sometimes she does need us to help her put the pacifier back in her mouth to calm down. Per a friend's suggestion, we are now putting a few (and by few I mean 6-7) pacifiers in her crib in hopes that she can find at least one when she needs one. She can sort of put the pacifier in her mouth on her own, but it has to be perfectly set in her hands to do so. Therefore, I am not sure that she is really able to pick one up enough (especially in the dark) to really be able to place it at this time. However, at some point she will be able to do this and when she does, I want those pacifiers in there. :)

Other updates:
She is really getting better at tummy time. She is now able to push herself up very consistently and she actually enjoys tummy time for about 10-15 minutes at a time.

Kayden must be starting the teething process. She is putting anything and everything into her mouth and gnawing it like a crazy monster. I don't see any teeth or sore gums, but I am assuming they are on the way.

Kayden had her 4 month appointment last week. She weighed 13lbs 15 oz. She is still little compared to the average, but she is working her way towards the 50% range. She took the shots like a champ. She only cried for about a minute afterwards. She had a slight fever for about 12 hrs afterwards and was a bit more clingy than normal, but that was about it. I was much more prepared for it all the second time around.

Recents photos:

My glasses finally fit my head! :)

Baptism

On Sunday October 7, 2012 we baptised Kayden at Faith United Methodist Church in Freeport, IL. Although I was worried she might fuss during the ceremony, she did very well. Not a single peep during the actual baptism and then she slept through the rest of the church service. Because Kayden and her cousin Abigail were born only about 2 months apart, we all decided to do a double baptism which made sense. So Kayden and Abigail were baptised together and Grandma Ritterbush even sang during the ceremony. It was a wonderful service and it was a joy to have them together.

Godfather Matt Erickson and Godmother Jordan Hoppe

This was a recreation of a photo from when I was baptised. I tried to scan the picture to add to this point, but my printer/scanner isn't working. Bummer

My parents with Andy's family

Pastor John and our little family :)

The cousins

 Kayden was able to wear the outfit I was baptised in and Abigail wore the outfit that Sadie was baptised in. It was such a neat way to incorporate the past with the present. I also made sure to wear the blue sapphire ring that Andy/Kayden got me. That way when she wears it on her wedding day, I also wore it during her baptism.

That Sunday was also a big day because the Colts were playing the Packers.The Colts did pull off a win, which was a pleasant surprise for us! As you can see the two families are supporting their teams in this picture. Sorry Ryan, but for the day you were sort of rooting for the Packers :)  The baptism cake for the two girls is in this picture as well. My mom and dad put a party together for the girls which was awesome so our friends and family could celebrate the whole day.

Go Colts!

From Bassinet to Crib

I told you I wasn't going to be the best at updates, but nonetheless here I am. I think most of my problem is that I am finding it hard to think of things to write about because I don't feel that our daily lives are that interesting to anyone other than us :). However, I suppose this blog isn't just for others to read (and hopefully enjoy) it is really for our little family to have to document our lives as we grow.

Right now we are trying to get Kayden out of her Fisher Price Rock and Play into her crib.

Fisher Price Rock and Play



As you can see the Rock and Play is at an angle and the sides come up so she feels all snuggled in. The crib is obviously flat and very open. She can usually sleep in her crib at bed time for about 4-5 hrs (so I should feel that is progress), but then she needs her Nuk and possibly some help falling back asleep whereas in her rock and play she could sleep up to 7-8 hrs uninterrupted and could fall back to sleep on her own. We have loved the rock and play since day one and so has she. It has definitely helped her sleep better and longer and the fact that it is portable makes it so nice for short visits back to Freeport to see Grandma and Grandpa. Now the hard part is the transition. We have also swaddled Kayden since day one and she really takes to it. But we have finally gotten to the point where she can sleep with her arms out and it doesn't bother her. However, I think a full swaddle would help her in the crib, but I don't want to go backwards. I think partially we just need to stick with the crib to it instead of going back and forth when we have a bad night. Also, we have been going on so many weekend trips that we haven't been able to stick with the crib consistently for days on end. Either way...that is our current struggle. Enough about that....on to current pictures of Kayden :) (what everyone is really interested in)

Recent Pictures

2 Surprises in 2 Days

Day 1 - August 24th

Kayden learned to roll over! I noticed that she was using her arms to push herself up, like a mini push up. When I saw this, I knew that the first roll wasn't far away. I put her on her tummy yesterday and within 30 seconds she had made her first roll from tummy to back. I couldn't believe it. It was so fast I almost missed it. Thankfully, I didn't. I was so amazed that it happened...just like that. The day before she couldn't do this, and then the next day she could. She normally lays like this during tummy time...

What did we do before Ipads?!?!  LOL

I tried to grab my phone really quick to get a video and again...barely got it started and she rolled over. Of course, as most milestones will probably go, by the time I really had the phone "ready" she wouldn't do it again. I wanted to share the video I did get of her roll, but it is sorta shaking and obviously, as previously mentioned, I was not quite ready.

 

 

Needless to say, I was such a proud Mommy. Andy and I have tried a few times since so he could see it and she is being a little stinker and making us wait :) I am sure we will see it again soon.

Day 2 - August 25

This Saturday morning was like any normal morning. Around 6AM Kayden woke up and was ready for her breakfast. I checked her on the monitor to see if I "really" had to get up or if it was just a little fussing. When I looked in the video monitor I noticed something blackish in the corner of her crib. I didn't really think much of it. I went into her room to get her and the little blackish thing was a small box with a pink bow on it. I left Kayden in her crib to ask Andy what this little box was. He appeared to still be sleeping, but was able to ask if I saw the card. The card?? No, I didn't. I went back into her room and grabbed the card too. I brought it back into our room and turned the light on. I sat down on the bed, Andy rolled over to watch me. I opened the card and read the sweetest message ever. It made me tear up even. After reading the card, Andy HAD to get Kayden so she could watch me open her gift.

I opened my gift and this is what it was...

Now, there is a story behind this beautiful ring. On our 4 year wedding anniversary (July 26) Andy and I had a date night planned, but I wanted to stop at the ring store so I could get my ring cleaned. It sparkles so nice when it is all cleaned like new. While we were there, the owner Kevin, offered us a beverage (a Bud Light)...why yes, please. Since we had some time to kill, we were looking at some of the rings. Then...I saw this one. It is a princess cute sapphire gemstone with small diamonds on the sides of the band. I told Andy, "This could by my gift for Kayden's birth and when she is getting married she can wear it on her wedding day as her something blue". This idea in my head made me want this ring soooo much. However, after we really contemplated the price and the fact that I am not working right now, we decided it was too much and we left for dinner.

I kept talking about the ring...I should say "drilling" Andy for it, when deep down I knew it was still impossible. But, Andy likes to make the impossible, possible. He worked some extra hours and got the ring at a good deal and surprised me with one of the biggest surprises since our engagement.

I couldn't believe that he got me the ring, or that he was able to keep it a secret from me this long. I am so lucky to have him as my husband. I told Kayden this morning I hope that someday she finds a husband as good as her Daddy.

 

 

 

And we're off...

So here I am...finally deciding to join the blogging world. I can't promise my stories and/or writing will be enthralling or that I will have updates often, but I wanted to create a space to share about our lives. After keeping up with my sister's blog, I have been inspired to start my own. There will be posts about Kayden, our daily lives, and everything in between. With that said, I will use this first post to introduce my family.

My name is Joey, my husband's name is Andy and our new beautiful daughter is Kayden. She is now 11 weeks old. She has been such a blessing and a joy. I can't imagine life without her now that she is here.

We also have our two lovable dogs that were our "first" babies.


Bailey

Brinkley

Right now my daily life consists of diaper changes, laundry, spit up, play/nap time, and TONS of hugs and kisses. This is a life that I would never trade. It may be hard for those without children to understand, but someday you will.  Eventually, I plan on going back to work (part-time at first) so right now I am enjoying every minute of being home with Kayden. Andy works hard for us so I can stay home and not only that, he is going to school full-time at night for engineering. I know he misses spending time with Kayden and me, but he is being the best Daddy right now by continuing his education which is going to make for a better and brighter future for us. I couldn't ask for a better partner in life.

As for Kayden, she is growing so fast. I can notice new things almost every day. She is starting to gain better head control, slowly learning to enjoy tummy time, and smiles every time she sees me in the morning when I get her from her crib. I feel that her first giggle is just around the corner. She is already 11 lbs, which seems big to me as I remember how small she was, but she is only in the 20th percentile for her age. So she is still a small little munchkin compared to the rest. Here are a few recent photos of our baby girl.

I hope that you will enjoy reading about our lives as we learn what life is all about. So until the next time...