BaByQ

My little brother is having a baby!

It seems like he just got married (because he did), but by August he and his lovely wife, Morgan, will be welcoming their firstborn daughter.

I'm so excited!

My sister Nichole and I wanted to throw our new sister-in-law a lovely shower to celebrate Baby Kinley's impending arrival, but we also wanted to include my brother, AJ, in the festivities. So, going against tradition, we planned a co-ed, casual, backyard barbecue type of baby shower that included everyone in the family.

It was a blast!

The only drawback was the fact that my mom came down with a horrible stomach flu just a few days before the shower. We were planning on hosting the party at her house, but since we didn't want to be responsible for exposing elderly and pregnant guests to the flu, we had to move everything to my Grandma Sally's house. Mom was so disappointed to miss out on celebrating her fifth grandchild. She understood, but we sure did miss her though!

My sister Nichole is a master party planner, so it was so much fun coordinating everything with her. 

We had a delicious menu filled with "baby" themed backyard barbecue foods.











And after stuffing ourselves with all the delicious eats (and a few beers, of course!) there were tons of yummy treats. 

We decided not to do any silly traditional shower games, and instead only planned one casual guessing activity.

Congratulations to our cousin Courtney, who won the grand prize!

Sophia helped with the decorations, which turned out great!

AJ and Morgan are obviously very loved by our family, and it showed, because we had a great turnout. 

AJ and Morgan received lots of awesome gifts for Baby Kinley.

Nichole and I were so happy to be able to spoil our lovely sister-in-law.

I seriously adore my baby brother and his wife, and I just can't even imagine how much I am going to love their sweet baby girl.

Just a few more weeks to go!

Kiley's Nursery Reveal

When it came to creating a nursery for baby Kiley, I wanted to make something extra special for her.

Since Ryder had moved into his Big Boy Room, his vacated nursery was ready for a renovation.

I decided to keep the existing gray and white base colors and add some pretty, baby-pink accents to make it look sweet and girly for little Kiley.

Does it seem like a pretty, cozy place for her to grow up? 

You may not be able to tell at first glance, but the room is filled with love.

Quilts, blankets, and burp rags made by Kiley's great grandmothers, grandmothers, aunts, and good friends. Super soft, cuddly stuffed animals given for her to cuddle. A shelf full of books that have been read and chewed on by Big Brother Ryder. A night light that shined in my own room when I was a child. A special clock from an amazing little workshop in Rome that Stew and I visited before we were even engaged. Even the stylish headbands were made by a dear friend. And every detail was painstakingly thought out and orchestrated by Mom and Dad — glass drawer pulls, matching pink curtains and lamp shades, a sparkly chandelier, and name letters that I painstakingly painted by hand.

We sure hope that you love it, sweet baby girl!

Kiley's Birth Story

"A newborn baby . . . is without question the most phenomenal, the most astonishing, the most absolutely unparalleled thing that has yet occurred in the entire history of this planet."

My aunt found this quote bookmarked in a book that my grandma was reading before she passed away. It is absolutely true.

We are so unbelievably in love with our daughter.

Kiley Patricia's Birth Story

Due to complications related to Ryder's birth, we had a cesarean delivery scheduled for Kiley at exactly 39 weeks. It did feel a little odd to essentially "choose" her birth date, but after weighing the pros and cons of all of our options, we knew it was the safest choice for both me and baby. 

It was actually really nice to know exactly what to expect this time around. We were able to mentally and physically prepare as much as possible, including arranging childcare for Ryder, which provided me with a huge amount of peace of mind. 

The day before our scheduled delivery date, Stew and I dropped Ryder off with the nanny so that we could spend a little bit of quality time together before our lives changed forever. After a quick doctor visit for some pre-surgical blood work, we had breakfast together at a delicious local cafe, followed by relaxing pedicures.

Our parents arrived a little later that day to help us get settled in and ready for a super early check in at the hospital the next morning. I made sure to give my sweet little firstborn son some extra special cuddles that night as we spent our last few moments together as a family of three.

Y'all... a planned, scheduled c-section is SO different than an emergency one!

At promptly 5 a.m. we arrived at the hospital and were led calmly into a surgical prep room, where I changed into a gown and was hooked up to a monitor and given an IV. For the next two hours, the nurses simply monitored me and baby while the surgical team prepped. It was nice and relaxing... Stew and I chatted, browsed social media, and checked in at home to make sure Ryder was deposited safely with the nanny for the day.

Then, right on schedule at exactly 7 a.m. my mom kissed me goodbye and we headed into surgery. I walked myself into the operating room and climbed up onto the table myself. Then a spinal block was administered through an injection into my spine, I swung my legs up onto the table, and about 15 seconds later I was completely numb from the chest down.

There was no turning back now.

It was vaguely horrifying and terrifying to lay naked on the table, completely numb, surrounded by virtual strangers, knowing that I was about to be gutted like a fish. However, I tried to clear my mind and focus calmly on the impending arrival of our sweet baby girl, who we would meet for the first time in a matter of minutes. I gripped Stew's hand firmly and tried to focus only on his steady gaze.

Less than an hour later, we heard the first mewling cries of our daughter.

Kiley Patricia was born on February 10, 2017 at 7:58 in the morning. She was a perfect 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 21 inches long. 

As soon as they pulled Kiley out and the cord was cut, they held her up so I could see our sweet baby within seconds of her arrival. Then they took her over to clean her off while the surgical team worked to close me up. Soon after, Stew brought Kiley over and I was able to hold her on my chest until I was all stitched up. She had stopped crying and we just gazed into each other's eyes... She was so beautiful I just quietly cried and cried tears of joy.

Happy birth day, sweet baby girl!

Afterward, the three of us spent time in the recovery room together. As I waited to regain feeling in my legs, Kiley and I cuddled skin-to-skin and tried breast feeding for the first time. The girl is a pro! 

Since I was feeling pretty good and Kiley was doing great, our parents were able to come in to the recovery room to meet their little granddaughter for the first time.

After a few hours in the surgical recovery room, we were moved to a postpartum hospital room for the remainder of our stay. Once again, Swedish Medical Center exceeded our expectations, and I can't say enough good things about the facility and staff members.

I also can't stress enough how different my scheduled c-section was compared to my emergency one. Everything went exactly as planned and Stew and I were completely happy with our choice. Apart from my IV starting to hurt and needing to be redone during the surgery, and some radiant pain in my right shoulder, the procedure went perfectly. Within hours I had regained feeling in my legs, and I was totally alert and aware with virtually no pain. Granted, I was still on IV narcotics at this point, but still — I was feeling great and loving life getting to know our sweet daughter.

Ryder came to visit each day, and it was so sweet watching him get to know Baby Sister Kiley.

At one point shortly after Kiley was born, I remember telling Stew, "We did it... we made a family!"

I do feel pretty proud about everything we've accomplished so far during our almost ten years together. Stewart, Ryder, and Kiley are the most important people in my entire world, and they complete my soul in a way that no one and nothing else ever could.

"To live will be an awfully big adventure."