Play Time!

I took Jayden to Kids In Action today. It was so much fun! This is a place where kids develop skills and do gymnastics. They use a Kindermusic curriculum that is so creative! They have free play every once in awhile and that is why we went today. We met some friends there and Jayden had such a blast! She was fearless and wanted to try EVERYTHING!

Then it was music play time! She played with bubbles, balloon balls and with friends!

And then Daddy got home!

Kenley has gotten so big! She is almost 3 months and it is amazing how fast the little babies grow! She is smiling and squealing all the time!

Kenley is 2 Months Old!

Kenley is 2 months old now! Time is flying! We have adjusted pretty well around here. I definitely have days where I am completely worn out by the end, but they are all fun! What a blessing to have 2 precious little girls! Plus, I know I'm the favorite daughter now since I have ONLY girls...(right Dadda??) :) J/K Sisters!

Kenley's 2 month stats are:

Height: 22 1/4 inches (47%)
Weight: 11lb 7oz (68%)
Head: 36.5cm (5%)

So we have a chunky, long baby with a tiny head! :) But she is gorgeous!

All three of us girls went to the park yesterday and had a ball! Jayden went down all the slides by herself. The only thing I helped her do was climb up the first step. She had it all under control from that point. I was so proud of her! She is growing up so fast.

Please Help!!

Hello friends and family!!

Our friend Tracy Robinson is an INCREDIBLE photographer and she has taken pictures of our kids loads of times. She's just gone full time and is having a photo contest and some giveaways for best picture of 2009. Please, please, please go and vote! I have to warn you - There is some tough competition! But you gotta vote for JAYDEN (25) and if you know my awesome sister in law, her youngest boy PIERCE (#11) . You just go to http://doe-ee-bird.blogspot.com// and leave a comment on the blog OR you can email Tracy at tracy@doe-ee-bird.com.

Let me know when you go vote! :)

And We Are Back!

Sorry it has been awhile. Our internet has acting up and it was on a very rare occasion that I could actually connect at all, and then it would drop within 5 minutes! Very frustrating...but I think we have it fixed now! :)

Things have changed around here a bit. Making the jump from one kid to two really wasn't that hard. Granted, the fact that Jayden has NO jealousy issues whatsoever and Kenley is her sister's own personal baby doll, has made it pretty painless. Jayden absolutely LOVES her baby sister. I hope they become the best of friends as they grown up! :) There is nothing like the bond of sisters.

Kenley is getting big. I haven't weighed her recently, but would guess that she is at least pushing the 12 lb marker. She is still sleeping and eating very well. We go back for her 2 month check up next Tuesday, February 9th. I believe they are planning to do an ultrasound to check out her one kidney, but I'm not sure. I'll give you an update after the appointment. I decided to use her musical sea horse as her visual growth guide! :)

during her 1st month

2 months

I went for my 6 week check up a week and a half ago. I took my 2 hour glucose test to see if my gestational diabetes went away. I FAILED the test!! :( So, technically, I'm a diabetic. I didn't test too high, so diet and exercise has helped to regulate my blood sugar levels over the past week. I went to see my PCP (primary care physician) today. He said that since I am nursing, there is none of the medications for diabetes that I can take, other than insulin, but my numbers are not high enough to treat with insulin. Also, he thinks that when I lose the last few pregnancy pounds the results of the test could be different. So, for the next 6 weeks, I am to exercise at least 3 times a week and stay on a diabetic diet. The hope is to have lost the last few pounds that I have hanging on by then. He is going to then test me again for diabetes and test my liver, kidney and thyroid. I see him again on March 22nd for the results of those tests. Please be praying that I am able to lose the weight and stick to the diet like I should. I am very thankful that I am not going to be dependent on insulin!

Here are some pictures of the girls to send you off...

Babies and Rodents!

Happy New Year everyone! :) I hope everyone has had a great start to 2010.

We have been spending the weekend with my sister Lara Jane and her family. It has been fun to play Wii with them and the kids have really enjoyed each other. They are headed home today and we will miss having them here.

Kenley is just over 3 weeks old and we gave her a bath last night for the first time. She lost her umbilical cord last week, but we have just now found the time to give her a relaxing bath. :) She really enjoyed it.

We also got another addition to our family. We bought an indoor pet for Jayden. She really LOVES animals we decided that we wanted to get her a small pet that she can love on and play with. So, we did our research and found a pet that is one of the easiest to train. It is basically just like a small dog. They learn their names, you can train them to do tricks and you can train them to use a litter box. We got a RAT!!! That is right...a rodent! I have been very pleasantly surprised at how much she is a snuggler! Her name is Tilly and she is so sweet. That is weird to call a rat sweet, but hey...you can't deny that Tilly is special. :) Are we crazy? Probably...but we sure do love our life!

Welcome Kenley Adeline!!!

At 4:00 this morning, our journey began. Even before the alarm I woke up and could not sleep another wink... well okay I could've... but not with Jana's snoring.

I nudged her awake, and after a quick shower, she was ready to go. So we sneaked out into the darkness and headed to the hospital.

Preop went on without much to tell about (I slept through most of it)... and then at 7:30 they came in, tossed me a pair of scrubs and took Jana to the O.R.

I had to wait out in the hall while they prepped her, then they called me in. I was shocked at how FAST everything went from that point. I barely had time to hold Jana's hand and ask her how she was feeling, before we were jostled about, and the doc started describing the baby's position.

As it turns out, the C-Section was a God send. She had turned face up and the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck.. both of which would have made for an eventful traditional delivery.

Seconds later we heard the first feeble cry. It didn't stay feeble for long...

I went with Kenley to the nursery while they stitched up Jana Kay. I got to hold her hand, and watch as the poked and prodded, and just generally made her mad.

She is definitely a McHam in looks. In fact, we see a lot of Pop in her!

A few hours later Oma and Jayden showed up, followed closely by Pop. We had to wait a while longer before they FINALLY brought her in to the recovery room, and Jana got to hold her for the first time.

Jayden was very intrugied and seemed excited at the thought of a baby doll in the room... just wait till she realises it's coming home with us... AND IT'S STAYING!!!!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers...

Stats:

9 Lbs

20 Inches

Born 8:15 AM.

And it is time...

It is 4:10 AM on Tuesday morning and I can not sleep! My body is so exhausted and my mind is so tired. I haven't gotten a good night sleep in a very long time. I'm thinking I just might get the best night sleep I have had since getting pregnant, right after I have Kenley! Wouldn't that be nice...

The big day is Wednesday. Technically, that is TOMORROW! Wow...I can't believe it is actually here. My second baby's birthday is here! We are so excited! Oma is here to help take care of Jayden and Travis' parents live right around the corner, so they will be here to help out as well.

I know that having a c-section is major surgery. I know that there are some complications that could occur. I know that the bonding between me and Kenley will be delayed. But I'M SO EXCITED! She is going to be HERE! I'm going to be able to hold her. She will no longer be a dream of mine, but an actual living, breathing child that God has blessed our family with.

Travis has been working on a special project for Kenley's room over the last few weeks. He has built, from scratch and no plans, a new changing table! It is beautiful! Here is a picture of the finished product!

So, before I am laid up in the hospital for a few days and completely exhausted from becoming a mother of two...I thought I would post a few pictures of the McHam Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration that we just had.

This year, Travis and I "hosted" Thanksgiving for his side of the family at our house. I had great big plans for this event. However, Kenley decided to act up a little and pretend like she was coming early. I have had contractions for about 3 weeks now. Not Fun! Anyway, long story short...I made two trips to the hospital for observation and nothing happened, so my plans for Thanksgiving didn't really happen. My mother-in-law, Judy took over the cooking and made Thanksgiving dinner sooooo good!!! I think the best part of the entire meal was her gravy...made to perfection! :) We had Mark (Travis' brother) and his family stay with us from Monday until Thursday. Thursday night they headed over to Mimi and Pop's to spend the rest of the weekend.

On Friday, we went over to The Woodlands to have Christmas with everyone. We opened presents and played...A LOT! It was so much fun. I love it when Mark and Jenny get to come visit with the boys! They are so much fun and we don't get to see them enough. Hopefully, we will be able to take a trip to see them soon after Kenley is born. Here are a few pictures of the whole weekend. Enjoy!

I at least made the desserts! :)

Jayden loves her Pop! Just a sweet picture of her using him as a prop...

Jayden loves her Sweet Pea doll that she got for Christmas.

Jayden and her new sunglasses and purse! Thank you Aunt Jenny! We love to play dress up! :)

We will keep everyone posted as things unfold for our sweet little blessing coming on Wednesday! :)

Quick Update

Hi Everyone! I know it has been awhile since I posted last. It has been busy around here and then the holidays hit! Where did they come from!? Anyway...I just have a few minutes to let everyone know what is going on.

This past week, we had Mark and Jenny and their two boys stay with us for Thanksgiving. They came in Monday and stayed at our house until after Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. We had so much fun! Jayden LOVES her big cousins and had so much fun waking up to playmates every morning. Thursday through Sunday, Mark and Jenny stayed with Mimi and Pop over in The Woodlands and we went over Friday to have an early Christmas celebration. Jayden and Kenley got so many great toys and so did Travis and I! :) I will update with details and pictures later...

During all the holiday hub-bub...I have been having contractions. Yup...I went to the doctor on Friday, the 20th (10 days ago) and I was dilated to 2cm and had noticed some contractions, but didn't think much of it. Friday night, however, we made a trip to the hospital because my contractions had gotten a little more intense and they were coming 3-4 minutes apart. By the end of the hour that they monitored me I had only dilated to a 3 and so they sent me home. Contractions continued through the weekend and I called my doctor on Monday. They had me come into the office and sit on the NST monitor for awhile. Then they decided they wanted to admit me into the hospital for observation. Ugh! So...I spent the night in the hospital, having contractions and at 8:00am the doctor checked me and I was still at a 3! Grrrr... So, here we sit...a week later and the contractions haven't stopped (they are mild and not too bad at all though). My body is tired, I'm tired and uncomfortable! It is kind of like Chinese water torture...just annoying and continuous!

So...as of right now...I'm not planning on this baby coming anytime soon. I get to tell Kenley, when she is born, that I was in labor with her for weeks! :) I'm resigned to the fact that she is not coming early.

And that brings me to my last piece of news: They moved my c-section from the 7th to the 9th. That is right! I'm having contractions with a planned c-section and they moved it forward 2 days!!!! I think they hate me!

So...if you get a chance and don't mind...send up a quick prayer that either this baby comes early, or the contractions stop all together. I'm not sure it is quite fair that I have to labor with a c-section. :)

I'll post again soon with pictures and details from the holidays!

We do plan to post during this delivery as well. It will be more about preparing for and then afterwards, but we will keep everyone updated (especially if we do go in early). Love to all!

Halloween and Update on Kenley!

Halloween was a blast! Mimi and Pop came over along with a few of our friends. We all ate dinner and visited and then got Jayden all dressed up for Trick or Treating! She did awesome! It only took one house for her to catch on to the fact that everyone was giving her candy! :) She would prance right up to the front door (or people sitting in the driveway) knock, grab some candy, put it in her basket, say "Thank you" and turn and RUN to the next house. She knew the routine and she wasn't going to let slow poke Mommy hold her up! We were so proud!

After we got a basket full of candy (meaning the basket got too heavy for Jayden to carry and she would get mad if we tried to hold it for her) we headed back home to hand out candy to the neighbors. This year was a weird year. Last year our circle was swarming with kids in costume. This year...not so much. We did manager to give away a whole bowl of candy, but only because we started giving away fist fulls of candy. It was an off year...but a great one! :)

We have some neighbors who just love our baby girl! They have three girls of their own and Betsy (the mom) has always made their costumes. They have recently cleaned out the dress up closet, so they brought Jayden

over some old costumes. She didn't take these off all last night...

Okay...so I got in on the fun too! :)

I had my last appointment with the Perinatologist yesterday. He said that Kenley is doing just fine! Her one kidney is fully functioning and there are no other findings. She is 5lb 3oz. The doctor said, "Well...she isn't TOO big!" Ugh! I think Kenley is going to be big like her sister. I also had my regular weekly check up today. Everything looks good and I have my c-section scheduled for December 7th. I am really praying that Kenley comes before then. I would like to go into labor with her since we induced with Jayden. We will see what happens!

Jayden - 15 months (231 photos), by Jana McHam

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2 for 2

Well...we are 2 for 2 now. Jayden skinned her knee on Monday and then busted her ear on Tuesday. My poor baby! She does tend to do this though. She will hurt herself every day for about a week and then we won't have any more incidents for awhile. She just gets adventurous and over confident. It is fun to watch her though! She is sooo proud of herself when she accomplishes something new!

She did this by trying to climb up on her tv table in the playroom and coming down on her ear right on the edge of the table. The swelling went down pretty quickly, but she has a nice big purple section on her ear now.

We went outside that day to play with Nikki. I love that there are days when Jayden will not stop begging to go outside and play. Usually she isn't content until we go in the back and play with Nikki. She loves that dog! :)

We went to the park last weekend and got some fun pictures:

I went to the doctor today for my weekly appointment. They checked the amniotic fluid around Kenley and it all looks good. They put me on the NST monitor (they watch the baby's heartbeat and check for possible contractions for about 20 minutes) and everything is good there too. We are still having a little trouble regulating my sugar levels. We adjusted my insulin again by just a little and I hope it works! I had several days where I crashed this past week and I hate that feeling! It is not something I want to happen when I am alone with Jayden. It makes me nervous. Anyway...we will see what happens.

I go back to the Perinatologist on November 4th. He wants to check and see how big Kenley has gotten. I'm excited to see a 4d picture of her again!! :)