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Max at Two Months

Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

At two months, Max is already starting to show some of his personality. He is smiling more and more each day. Within the last two weeks he has started to show some interest in his toys and will contently play on his exercise mat for up to thirty minutes at a time. The cooing and noise making has begun, although he doesn’t do it all the time. If you are talking with him he will often talk back. He still hates being on his tummy and cries almost the instant you lay him on it!

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Max is starting to get in somewhat of a routine. He will wake up about 6am, eat and take a short nap. Then he will eat again, play for a bit before taking a long morning nap. He has been taking this nap in his swing because every time I lay him down in his crib he wakes up! After he wakes up, he eats again and then plays for a bit before falling asleep for his afternoon nap. This is the nap that I usually have to hold him for. He will sleep if I am sleeping with him or holding him in my arms or on my chest. Eventually, I would like for him to take all his naps in the crib, but don’t want to wish away the moments that he will let me hold him! After this nap he will eat and play for a bit before I have to start supper. During dinner prep and dinner he will either take a short nap or cry. Most of the time Ben or I end up holding him throughout the meal because all he wants to do is cry if you put him down. He will play and eat off an on throughout the evening until he usually calls it a night about 10 or so. For the last few nights he has been sleeping longer stretches and only waking up to nurse 1 or 2 times!! We even had one night where he slept for five hours!

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Have I mentioned how much this kid loves to eat? When awake, he wants to nurse. I am talking like every two hours or so! It is exhausting, but well worth it in the end. Whenever he is crying around one of the Swazi staff they tell me he needs to eat, even if he just got finished nursing! I guess that is their solution for crying. All his eating is paying off because he is getting quite chunky. When we took him in for his 6 week check up he had already gained 1kg, over 2 pounds, since birth!! All of the Swazi’s comment about what a big baby he is. One staff member even said he looked like he was five months old! I don’t know about that, but he is a big boy!

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Max’s neck is getting stronger everyday. He can hold it steady for long periods. He still enjoys being held often and hanging out in the baby carrier (where he spent most of his time last week during camp). Speaking of camp time, the hostel staff is in love with Max! They "fight" over who is going to hold him. He is also known as Simo at the hostel to most people. This poor kid isn’t going to know his name! Ben and I call him Max, Mikayla often calls him Maxwell and most of the Swazi’s refer to him as Simo.

Zodwa, a hostel employee, and Max at the dam during camp!

Mikayla absolutely loves her brother! Sometimes too much! We have had to have several talks with her about picking him up when an adult is not nearby. Let’s just leave it as we have had a few close calls!!

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Max still has the three birth marks mentioned here, but the one on his forehead is starting to fade. The one on the crown of his head is still very red and gets bright red when he is mad and screaming.

Bath time is becoming more enjoyable with Max. He is actually starting to enjoy this time, rather than screaming through the whole thing. Although I have to be honest, he does not bathe as much as Mikayla did at his age. We are having a hard time getting into a bathing routine with Max for some reason.

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River, Max at 2months 059

Tags: Max
Posted in Parenting |

August Update

Tuesday, August 27th, 2013

As much as I would love to give a weekly update like I have in the past, that is just not realistic for me at the moment. A preschooler, infant, husband, household duties and part time job are keeping me too busy to do so! Instead what I would like to do is give a monthly update on what has been happening in our family. Here is the August update.

We have had a pretty uneventful August as we continue to find a groove for our family of four. The schools in Swaziland have a 3 week holiday break that began in the middle of August so it has been pretty quiet around the mission. There is a small group of children that live on the mission that are just a couple of years older than Mikayla. She has enjoyed spending the school break playing with them most of the day. They come up with all sorts of creative games to play and it makes her super tired! She has pretty much given up her afternoon nap (even though she still needs it most days), but with all the extra play time with friends she has been crashing pretty hard in the afternoon!

I was going to begin Mikayla’s preschool time the first of September, but have decided to wait until the children all return to school so she can continue playing with them during the day. Plus, I am still trying to figure out how I want to structure that time!!

We spent most of our time last week at the hostel for camp. I had a smaller role this time, but enjoyed interacting with staff and children throughout the week. Both Mikayla and Max did great!!

Ben is back to work full time, but has had a pretty flexible schedule. He has been able to take longer periods off throughout the day. At times like this it is nice his office is so close to home because he can pop over and help out when I need him!!

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Mikayla enjoyed some time in the rain during a recent storm.

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Mikayla was dying to go camping, so Ben and her had a camp fire and "camped" on the porch. It got pretty cold so they ended up camping in the living room before the night was over.

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Katie brought a hammock with her so we have all been enjoying relaxing in the cool afternoon breezes that this time of year brings.

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Mikayla at camp. She loves to go to the kitchen to get a sandwich whenever we are at the hostel.

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Zodwa, hostel staff, making pap for lunch.

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Kids enjoying sports time at camp.

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Max enjoying time with the kids at camp.

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Tags: camp, update
Posted in Life, Parenting |

Max at One Month

Friday, August 9th, 2013

Last Sunday Max turned one month old. It is crazy how fast this past month has flown by. Ben and I were actually just talking last night about how much he has grown and changed in the last month and just how quickly it has gone by. With Mikayla that first month seemed like an eternity, but with Max it has gone too fast. Maybe it is because we also have a very active four year old to look after!

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Grow with me owl at 2 weeks.

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Grow with me owl at 1 month

Max is quite different from his sister. While she was always pretty laid back he is a little more high maintenance (although he is starting to come out of this phase). He definitely cries more than his sister ever did and he is a lot bigger than she ever was! He is a chunky monkey and eats like a pig!!

Max loves to be held, and during the day actually sleeps better in someone’s arms or in a baby carrier than he does in his crib. At one month he is starting to get in somewhat of a sleeping routine. He usually takes a mid-morning nap, an afternoon nap and an early evening nap before calling it a day around 9 or 10. He sleeps pretty good at night and most nights gets up to nurse 3-4 times and goes right back to sleep. On rare occasions he likes to have a party around 3 or 4am! He will often have a crying spell right around dinner time, which has made for some interesting meal times!

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We started Max in cloth diapers after his umbilical cord fell off (around two weeks). We only have 11 at the moment so we alternate between cloth and disposable, but mostly cloth during the day. I am also breastfeeding Max and it is going much smoother than with Mikayla. I had a low supply with her and seem to have an abundance with him!

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Max’s first cloth diaper!

At around two weeks, Max rolled over for the first time (belly to back). He has been doing it pretty consistently since then, but absolutely hates time on his tummy. As soon as you put him on his tummy he starts screaming. We keep trying, but so far he just seems to hate it. Which is ironic because he loves to fall asleep on your chest where he is essentially on his tummy! He also has really good neck control (both of our kids have had this). He can hold his head steady for several seconds and is even able to lift it up when on his tummy. That is when he isn’t screaming.

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He is starting to enjoy playing on his back. He will occasionally "talk" with us making small cooing sounds. And he is starting to smile some, smiles that are not your typical gas smiles. He also has more periods of wakefulness than he did two weeks ago.

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We took Max up to the hostel for the first time last week when the kids were there. They were absolutely in love and almost knocked us over when we got to the gates. They all wanted to see him and said what a beautiful baby he was. I don’t think he will be short on people who love him. He handled the interaction like a champ, slept right through it! 😉 There are also some cultural differences between raising an American infant and a Swazi infant. The biggest is the way we bundle up children. For us Max is sufficient in a long sleeve outfit with pants, a lightweight blanket and maybe a hat depending on temperature. In Swaziland they bundle their babies up until they are sweating – thick wool blankets and at least three layers of clothing in 80 degree weather! We often get scolded because Max is not bundled up appropriately! Just one of the many differences we are finding.

Mikayla is in love with her brother and has been a great helper this past month. She is on "diaper duty", helping to take care of dirty diapers and pick out his outfits each day! She loves to snuggle with him and hold him on the couch. She even seems oblivious to his screaming. Yesterday he was crying really loud and Ben was talking to him to calm him down. Mikayla told Ben to that he was being too loud. When he asked her if Max was being loud too she said no!

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Max was born with three distinct birth marks. One on his forehead that looks like a triangle, one on the crown of his head and one on the back of his neck. All three are still very visible, although the forehead triangle is starting to fade some. Ben likes to refer to this one as the arrow to show "white people’ where to feed the baby!! His eyes have bounced between being brown and blue, but within the last week they are consistently blue so we are thinking we will have two blue eyed children.

We are starting to get into a pretty good groove and it feels completely normal to be a family of four! We head to the doctor next week for a six week check up and some shots. Anxious to see how much my (not so) little boy weighs!

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Tags: Growing up, Max, Mikayla
Posted in Life, Parenting |

Dichotomy of Breastfeeding

Friday, August 9th, 2013

This past week was National Breastfeeding Awareness Week in the US. So many people have been making posts and references to this that it got me to thinking about the dichotomy of my two experiences in breastfeeding.

When Mikayla was born, over four years ago, we were living in the states and I was working full time. This meant that I got a couple months off of work to stay home with her, establish our routine and then head back to work. At work I spent everyday in my kindergarten bathroom pumping milk for my daughter while my students were at recess. Not ideal, but I wanted what was best for my daughter. We had lots of struggles and ups and downs (you can read about them here if interested), but we survived and nursed for a good 15 months or so before weaning.

Fast forward to today. I have a one month old son, live in Africa and stay at home with my kids. This means I can nurse around the clock (and we do, he is a hungry boy) and I don’t have to pump! So far we have not had any major struggles, but he does want to nurse all the time (like every two hours on average).

Nursing in Africa is quite different from nursing in the US. In Swaziland, nursing is the norm and it happens anywhere and everywhere – on busses, in meetings, on the side of the road, in stores, in restaurants, walking in the bush. You name it and it happens there. In the US, while a lot of women nurse their children, it is still considered taboo to nurse in some public places (although it isn’t against the law). With Mikayla I began by being shy about nursing, afraid to nurse in public without a nursing wrap, and often nursing in my car rather than in a public place. (Towards the end I gave up the nursing wrap and would nurse her wherever we were). I remember one time I had gone on a hike with some friends and she got hungry so I sat down to nurse her. I had forgotten my wrap so I just nursed in the open. The looks I got from other people made me feel ashamed for feeding my child.

In Swaziland that would never happen. People here don’t even seem to take notice of women when they are nursing. It is just a regular part of everyday life. This time around I am willing to nurse Max anywhere he gets hungry. For example, the other day I had run into a drug store with him and he was screaming and crying, obviously hungry. The line was really long, but I really needed to purchase the items in my basket. What was a mom to do? I nursed him while standing in line, without a cover and the whole time felt completely natural and unashamed about it. Had this situation taken place in the US I would have probably forgone my basket items and headed to the car to nurse him because I didn’t want to have to defend my right to feed him in a public place. (I read an interesting and humorous defense for breastfeeding in public here). Is either situation ideal or right? I am not sure, but what I do know is that nursing here is a much more laid back part of everyday life and I love it!

In a lot of situations Swaziland is stuck in the past, but when it comes to nursing they are on the cutting edge. They have it figured out and aren’t ashamed to feed their children in the most natural way possible – breastfeeding. In one of our first few months in Swaziland Ben had a conversation with a staff member about breasts. Ben said something along the lines that in the US women wanted larger breasts and the larger the better. The staff member seemed a little confused and wondered if larger breasts meant more milk was being produced. He did not see anything sexual about breasts, instead they were a tool used to feed his family. To most Americans this is a foreign concept because breasts have become so sexualized.

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Even Mikayla is getting in on the breastfeeding action by feeding her baby while I feed Max.

For the past week I have just been thinking about how different the two worlds are when it comes to breastfeeding and wanted to share my thoughts. I find it very interesting. I am going to end this post with a little poem I stumbled across this week. It is written tongue in cheek in Dr. Seuss fashion and I just think it is cute.

Dr. Seuss for Nursing Moms
Would you nurse her in the park?
Would you nurse him in the dark?
Would you nurse him with a Boppy?
And when your boobs are feeling floppy?
I would nurse him in the park,
I would nurse her in the dark.
I’d nurse with or without a Boppy.Floppy
boobs will never stop me.
Can you nurse with your seat belt on?
Can you nurse from dusk till dawn?
Though she may pinch me, bite me, pull,
I will nurse her `till she’s full!
Can you nurse and make some soup?
Can you nurse and feed the group?
It makes her healthy strong and smart,
Mommy’s milk is the best start!
Would you nurse him at the game?
Would you nurse her in the rain?
In front of those who dare complain?
I would nurse him at the game.I would
nurse her in the rain.
As for those who protest lactation,
I have the perfect explanation.Mommy’s
milk is tailor made
It’s the perfect food, you need no aid.
Some may scoff and some may wriggle,
Avert their eyes or even giggle.
To those who can be cruel and rude,
Remind them breast’s the perfect food!
I would never scoff or giggle,
Roll my eyes or even wiggle!
I would not be so crass or crude,
I KNOW that this milk’s the perfect food!
We make the amount we need
The perfect temp for every feed.There’s
no compare to milk from breast-
The perfect food, above the rest.Those
sweet nursing smiles are oh so sweet,
Mommy’s milk is such a treat.Human milk
just can’t be beat.
I will nurse, in any case,
On the street or in your face.
I will not let my baby cry,
I’ll meet her needs, I’ll always try.It’s not
about what’s good for you,
It’s best for babies, through and through.
I will nurse her in my home,
I will nurse her when I roam.
Leave me be lads and ma’am.
I will nurse her, Mom I am.

Tags: breastfeeding
Posted in Parenting |

Mawell’s Birth Story

Friday, July 5th, 2013

Yesterday, July 4, 2013, we welcomed our son into the world. He was born at 12:45 Central African Time at Mkhiwa Clinic in Manzini, Swaziland. He is perfect and all of us are absolutely in love, especially Mikayla!

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I wanted to take the time to write out his birth story while it was fresh on my mind. I waited almost 16 months to write down Mikayla’s and forgot too many details. The story below might be a little too much information for some folks out there so consider this your warning!

About 4:00am I was woken up by a POP and then a small trickle of water. At first I thought I had peed the bed and then my mind got to wondering if it could be the amniotic fluids starting to leak. I tried to lay back down, but kept wondering if it was indeed my water breaking. I wasn’t having any real strong contractions at this point. About 5:00am I woke up Ben. His sat up quickly and asked "Is it time?" I didn’t know the answer, but figured he should be awake and know what was going on. I decided to take a shower since I wasn’t sleeping. We already had a doctors appointment scheduled in town, so we figured we could just go in early to check. When I got out of the shower (around 5:30am) there was a huge gush of water that was in fact my water breaking. Even though I was only having a few small contractions we decided to finish packing up our stuff and head to the hospital. (Once your water breaks you have a 24-48 hour window to give birth before concerns about infection start to arise and you have to consider interventions). We ended up leaving our house about 6:45. I will be honest I got a little teary as we were waving goodbye to Mikayla (who was staying back at home with Joe). It sounds ridiculous I know!! Thankfully the road out of the mission, is already half paved – I was not looking forward to bumping all the way in. The asphalt sped up the trip and we only had to stop once so I could get through a contraction.

We rolled into Manzini about 8:00 and stopped at the grocery for some bananas thinking they would be good energy food to munch on throughout labor. We got to the hospital around 8:30 and started the process of checking in. Ben actually had to leave at this point to go find an ATM to pay the bill up front! (The total bill for a normal delivery is one of the highest in Swaziland, and still only amounted to about $850). It wasn’t until 9:30 that I had my first internal exam of the pregnancy. They don’t actually check for dilation and effacement at any of the prenatal checkups. To my dismay I was only 1cm dilated and 50% effaced and the contractions were weak and widely spaced. At this point I was really concerned about the labor going slow and not progressing fast enough to make in the 24 hour window. Little did I know that Max had other plans for us!

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Hanging out in the ward watching Big Bang Theory waiting for
labor to fully begin!

During the first exam they found Maxwell’s heart rate was 170-180, which is really high and caused some alarm. They also wanted me to hook up to an IV, but I asked to avoid that so I could move around more during the labor process. The midwife had no problem with that decision as long as I stayed hydrated and wasn’t throwing up. I am very glad we made that decision.

After the internal exam, I was moved to a regular room to progress through labor. Once we got settled in they checked the fetal heart rate again and it had returned to normal, but the doctor asked to hook me up to a fetal heart monitor for to keep an eye on the situation. I had about thirty minutes to move around, but couldn’t find a comfortable position. At this point contractions were between 7 and 15 minutes apart and with varying intensity.

The midwife came back at about 10:00, checked the heart rate again (still normal) and decided to go ahead and hook up the fetal monitor. I had the monitor on for about 40 minutes and towards the end of the time, the contractions really started picking up and I was having a hard time finding a comfortable spot. Since things were normal with the baby, I was able to remove the fetal monitor at that point and move around. I think I tried just about every position I had read about in the books and literature and none of them were comfortable. I had a great partner in Ben and he did a fantastic job of coaching me throughout. He would help me get my breathing back on track when I started to panic during contractions. And he even let me bite him, which I still feel really bad about, when they got really strong!

Around 12:00, the midwife came back in to do another exam. I remember having a pretty strong contraction when she got there so she had to wait a few minutes. She started the exam and it was so painful because the contractions kept coming. To all of our surprise I had quickly moved to 6cm dilated and fully effaced. She said that we needed to move to the delivery room. This was really difficult for me because I was in so much physical pain I literally couldn’t make myself move. Ben came to the rescue and somehow got me moved. I remember him saying that is we didn’t go ahead and move I would have to delivery outside the maternity ward. I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but he certainly was, I was going through transition and entering the last stage of labor. Somehow I was able to make it into a wheel chair and across the hall into the delivery room. I climbed up onto the bed in the room and the nurse left to get me a gown to change into.

I had very strong contractions for about 10 minutes – so strong that I couldn’t help but scream (and cuss) in pain. Out of nowhere I got the overwhelming urge to push and knew things had progressed very quickly. At this point there was no nurse in the room. I told Ben to go get someone, but every time he tried to go, I pulled him back because I couldn’t let him leave my side. Thankfully, the nurse heard the ordeal and quickly came in. She was shocked to see we were already ready to deliver. I told her I could feel the baby coming and she got pretty worried as she rushed to scrub in and get her gloves on. I remember a lot of screaming and the sensation of the "burning ring of fire" the books all talked about. By the time the midwife was ready, the head was already crowning. I was in so much pain I could not move, so Ben and another nurse had to roll me over, prop me up and hold my legs for me. Pretty sure this was the point where I took a few chucks out of Ben’s arm. I am very thankful things went quickly because things were so intense, I don’t know how much more I could have taken.

Because of the speed at which things progressed, the doctor did not get there until after things were well on their way. He supervised and allowed the midwife and nurses to take care of the actual delivery. Once we reached this stage, it only took about 3-4 big pushes to get Maxwell out. A few minutes later, lots of screaming, and some claw marks on Ben’s arm, Maxwell entered the world.

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Welcome to world Maxwell Simo Kickert. He was 8lbs 8oz, 20 inches long, and his head measured 36cm.

I had a small tear that needed repaired so the doctor scrubbed in and took care of that while Max was being looked over. He was a bit purple and blue at birth, but quickly gained his color and was in great shape. Ben helped take care of him while I got cleaned up. We weren’t able to do skin-to-skin like we had with Mikayla, but because of the situation, we were much more connected to the actual process of birth.

All in all it was a fast delivery and I am so thankful for that. I don’t handle pain very well and with no access to an epidural here I was really concerned about it but thankfully was able to make it through with no interventions. I never could have done it without the loving support and guidance of Ben. I took a lot of my pain out on him and he handled it like a champ! I am so glad we are a team and were able to be together on the delivery of our son, Maxwell Simo Kickert! Our world will never be the same and we are excited about being a family of four!

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First mommy and son picture. He was cracking me up with all the spit bubble action!

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Daddy and his son!

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Mikayla meets Max! She was so excited.

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Already such a good big sister!

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Touchdown!

Tags: birth story, Growing up, Max
Posted in Parenting |

Mikayla’s Fourth Year in Pictures

Tuesday, June 11th, 2013

Recently Mikayla has really enjoyed looking at pictures and videos from when she was a baby. Which I am not opposed to because it gives me a chance to go back and look at how much she has grown and changed! Mikayla’s fourth year of life was an exciting one filled with travel, visitors and growth! Here is a quick picture recap of her fourth year of life.

May 2012 – We took some three year old pictures and Mikayla went to Bushfire (a local music festival held yearly in Swaziland) for the first time. She also discovered the fine culinary art of making mud pies and had a Mickey themed birthday party!

June 2012 – She took part in her first pig roast (she actually participated in two of these in her fourth year) complete with watching the slaughter all the way through cooking and eating!

July 2012 – She took her first hike up Execution Rock (the first of many during the last year). And became even more goofy!

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August 2012 – In honor of the Olympics she hosted her very own Olympic games with stuffed animals, babies and a few adults! She also traveled to London for the first time and made her first trip back to the USA where she spent lots of time with family and friends!

September 2012 – More time in the USA hanging with friends and family! She also got to meet her cousin Reid!

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October 2012 – She started 3 year old preschool this month.

November 2012 – In addition to hosting another Thanksgiving this year (even bigger than last year) she participated in a global exchange of Traveling Charlie. She had a blast carrying him around the mission (and Swaziland) snapping pictures of her favorite places.

December 2012 – She announced she was going to be a big sister!

January 2013 – She enjoyed spending the month playing with all her fantastic Christmas gifts, including her soccer ball. Please note that she is in a princess skirt and rain boots while playing soccer. This girl has some serious style!

February 2013 – She hosted her first set of visitors since our move to Swaziland. Jana (Ben’s cousin) and her friend Liv came for a a couple of weeks.

March 2013 – Daddy went to Ethiopia and brought Mikayla back a beautiful dress which she refers to as her wedding dress! She also spent almost three weeks visiting with her Grandma and Grandpa Kickert (although I am not sure what happened to all those pictures). She also dyed and hunted Easter eggs.

April 2013 – Her birthday month! She was surprised to find a bike waiting for her on the morning of her fourth birthday!

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What a busy and exciting year this four year old has had!!

Tags: Growing up, Mikayla
Posted in Parenting |

Pregnancy Update Week #36

Sunday, June 9th, 2013

How far along? I am 36.5 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss? Still gaining weight, but it is slowing down!

Stretch marks? Still none, although I am not sure how much more my belly can stretch out!

Best Moment this week? We have started getting in some of the pennants we asked close friends and family to create for the kids room. Once we get them all in I will make into a banner to hang up! Here are a couple of them that we have received!

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Movement? The movement is starting to slow down some, although baby still moves like crazy at different times during the day.

Food Cravings: No major cravings, just food in general! I feel like I eat all day! I have also been eating a bowl of cereal just before bed almost every night.

Gender? We had another ultrasound at our last appointment and we are happy to say that Baby Kickert was not shy this time around! According to what we saw this time we are definitely having a boy! Although if I am being honest, I am not holding my breath and waiting until delivery to have a definitive answer!

Labor Signs? The Braxton Hicks contractions are apparent everyday, but nothing to be concerned about yet.

Belly Button in or Out? I would say I am definitely an outie! Mikayla actually looked at my belly button the other day and said there wasn’t a hole there anymore!

What I miss. Wearing my wedding band. I had to remove my rings this past week due to swelling. The day starts off okay, but by afternoon my fingers are so swollen I can hardly remove them. I figure better safe than sorry so I have removed them for the time being.

What I am looking forward to. I think like most women at this point in pregnancy, I am most looking forward to holding our baby for the first time (and not being so huge anymore!).

Weekly wisdom: Even though I am tired at the end of the day, I still have to reserve energy to be mommy to Mikayla. This is tough, but she shouldn’t suffer just because I am pregnant with another child!

Milestones: The only milestone I can think of is that my maternity clothes are starting to feel a little snug! To me that is how I can tell the end is getting closer!

Here are two belly shots for comparison. This is me at 36 weeks for both pregnancies. Picture one is the current baby (I just got out of the shower, so please ignore the wet hair style) and picture two is with Mikayla.

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Tags: baby Kickert #2, pregnancy
Posted in Parenting |

Four Year Pictures Outtakes

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013

I have always known that our daughter is a little bit on the goofy side! She has some serious funny faces and we were able to capture some of those when we went out today to take her 4 year old pictures. She makes me laugh more and more each day!

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Blowing bubbles!

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This is her go to cheesy grin when you tell her to smile!

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"I’m scared" face.

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Surprise!!

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Sneak attack!

This was probably the best photo session we have done with her since she was a newborn! She was really into taking the pictures and as you can see, really animated! If you want to see the "good" pictures from the photo shoot, you can check them out here on Ben’s Facebook page. Here is a sneak peek of them…

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Tags: Growing up, Mikayla
Posted in Parenting |

Pregnancy Update Week #32

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

How far along? I am 32 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss? Let’s just leave it as weight gain. Haven’t stepped on the scale lately!

Stretch marks? Still none, keeping our fingers crossed.

Best Moment this week? Mikayla has decided that she is ready to share her room and has spent the last week "preparing" for the baby. She has cleared off a shelf in her closet for the babies clothes and even made a pallet on the floor with a blanket and "crib" (her stool turned upside down)! Then just last night she was sitting really still and I could tell she was thinking. I asked her what she was thinking about and she said, "I’m just thinking about what the baby could wear when it comes home from the hospital". She is going to be a really great big sister! Just look how excited she is in this next picture!

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Movement? Moving like crazy. Still really low and on the right side of my belly. I almost never feel movement above the belly button or on the left side. It is really strange! Mikayla moved all over the place, but this baby is content sticking to one side!

Food Cravings: Nothing major, just sweets mostly. I crave something sugary after every meal!

Gender? Still unsure, but we head back to the doctor this week. We are hoping for some news in an ultrasound that will be more definitive!

Labor Signs? Last week was a busy week for me and I was on my feet and moving a lot more than usual. There were a couple of nights that I had a couple of contractions, but since then nothing.

Belly Button in or Out? In, but just barely!

What I miss. I miss being able to easily get down on the floor and play with Mikayla (and I think she misses it too). I am just not as mobile as I was a few months ago!!

What I am looking forward to. A trip to South Africa this weekend to pick up some baby items. We have made a list of all the essentials we need and are hoping to pick them up there.

Weekly wisdom: There is nothing wrong with sitting down and putting your feet up when you are 32 weeks pregnant. Everyone will understand and will probably even encourage you to do the same! Also, pillows are a girls best friend when pregnant, just ask Ben!

Milestones: Since I last updated I entered the world of pillows. I purchased a few extra ones to help keep me comfortable at night time and it has made all the difference. I now sleep with three pillows – one between the legs, one under the belly and then one for my head!

Here are two belly shots for comparison. This is me at 32 weeks for both pregnancies. Picture one is the current baby and picture two is with Mikayla.

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Tags: baby Kickert #2, pregnancy, weekly update
Posted in Life, Parenting |

Mikayla’s 4th Birthday

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

When Ben’s parents were here we had Mikayla’s official birthday party, but still wanted to do something on her special day. Like in years past, we had a week long countdown to her birthday filled with fun activities to do as a family or small gifts. She was so excited each day to open her countdown and I think it really helped her realize just how special a birthday should be! Her countdowns this year included the following:

Some special princess stickers and a sticker book.
Spa day complete with bubble bath and painting her nails.
Campfire with marshmallows and hotdogs.
Popcorn and a movie. She had been saving for Toy Story 2 and we surprised her with it for this countdown day.
Some bubbles and chap stick.
Family pizza night where she rolled out and made her very own pizza. We also watched a movie (Mulan) on this night while eating.
Making special birthday cupcakes and decorating them with pink frosting and sprinkles!

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On her actual birthday (the 28th) we started the morning with balloons, streamers, homemade donuts and gifts. Then we headed to Big Bend Country Club for lunch and some time on their fun playground. Afterwards we headed home and prepared for a special birthday dinner with Joe of spaghetti! And finally ended the day with a special birthday cake.

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Enjoying her balloons and streamers!

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Opening gifts.

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More gifts!

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Backstory on this picture – A couple of weeks before her birthday she decided that she wanted to make a paper bike. After we worked on it as a family (I had to enlist Ben’s help because I was drawing a blank), she decided she wanted to wrap it up and save it for her birthday gift. So she decorated a box and put it inside and promised to forget about it. This worked out perfect for us because we had already been planning on buying her a bike. So when it came time to open our gift she opened the paper bike. And was super excited! We went out side to "ride" it and had her real bike on the porch waiting. She did not see the bike at first, but when she did was very excited and forgot all about her paper one!

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She is still a little timid with the bike and has not figured out how to pedal yet. But then again she has never had any sort of riding toy so this is brand new territory for her.

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Her cupcakes and cake she decorated all on her own! She knew she was four, so she picked out four candles!!

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I just love this picture and the effort she is using to blow out her four chosen candles!!

All in all it was a great birthday week. Thanks to everyone who called, sent gifts and cards or sent messages on her special day. She was excited about them all! And for the record, is already talking about when she turns five!!

Tags: birthday, Mikayla
Posted in Life, Parenting |