Aubrey Belle Kinney

What My life has become.

2011-01-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

My life has become:
changing your diapers
picking up toys
scheduling meals
and cleaning you after meals
stain removal and laundry expert
waking up early and working nights

I'm fine with that.

My life has become:
playing with you on the floor
watching you soak up every bit of new knowledge
Itsy Bitsy Spider on repeat
Baby Einstein emergency
peek-a-boo chasing
animal noise making
book reading
and ready...... set.......... going!

I really like that.

My life has become:
snuggles in the morning
bye bye's and kisses good night
Daddy is home excitement
watching you dance to the washing machine thumps
learning pure joy and love
and nurturing and loving the most beautiful blessing I have ever received

I Love that.

13 facts about my 13 month old.

2010-12-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

1. If she has room to run, she is running.
2. Every time I try to get the camera out and video tape I am ambushed by her and unable to get any usable footage.
3. She still wakes up about 2 to 3 times a night.
4. She is successfully off the bottle. And it wasn't really that hard!
5.She will pop up with pacifiers in her mouth around the house and I have NO CLUE where she found them.
6. She LOVES to be chased.
7. She plays peek-a-boo with herself in her closet door mirrors. It's one of the cutest things ever!
8. Every time I try to get her to say 'mama' she says "dada"!
9. She has started to throw little fits and can wiggle her way out of our arms.
10. A snake says "ssssssssss", a cow says "mmmmmm", and a kitty says " now now now".
11. She is eating us out of house and home.
12. She is a book fanatic! She will now sit on her own and "read" books.
13. some of her favorite foods: Bacon,grapes, roasted butternut squash, and turkey.

Weekend Beach Get Away

2010-10-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

As we neared the beach the excitement started to set in. I was about to witness my baby girl's first beach experience. I really had no doubts as to whether or not she would like it. It was really a question of how much she would like it! We finally get to the beach and set her down feet first on the sandy shore. I can't remember which one came first. She either took off running , or stooped down to get a handful of wet soupy sand. Either way she obviously loved it despite the chilly October ocean water. She would have run straight into the middle of the ocean and morphed into a mermaid if we let her. .I looked over at Aubrey sitting in the waters edge and she was just shivering to death.We had to end the beach experience a tad quick because the wind was really kickin' and the water was cold. But none the less, she had an awesome first beach experience.

Halloweeeeeeeen !!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

So any one who knows me, knows I LOVE Halloween. The costumes,the candy,the imagination,the creativity,the absolute ridiculousness of it is nothing less than FABULOUS! I decided on Aubrey's costume shortly after she started becoming more mobile. The way this girl buzzes around the house with non stop energy and speed really left me no other options for an idea for her costume. So a busy Bee she will be! Here is what I have accomplished on her costume so far.All handmade with love by mom (me) !!!

She signed fan!!

2010-09-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

The other morning after Aubrey woke up I did the usual by getting up and bringing her to our bed. she was being her snugly, happy,bouncy little baby self as usual. She looked up at our fan( which she has always been fascinated with) and I said "fan". She looked up,then looked down at her little hand, raised her fist , poked out her little pointer finger and moved it! I was like " Dustin she just signed fan!" I was freaking out! He was like "yeah, I thought she did." That is not how you sign it but it is a hard one to do for a 10m old. But the point is that she DID sign fan.I'm so proud!

2010-09-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

It was our first day back to our home church as a family. It went great :) Especially considering Aubrey was running on no nap at 12:30 in the afternoon. What can I say...my girl is a trooper. When church was over I hopped in the back seat with Aubs on our way home so I could feed her. She was so tired she was falling asleep with the spoon in her mouth! I can honestly say I have never seen her that exhausted in her tiny little life. When we got home I layed her in the crib and she continued to sleep for 2 hours.So here is a picture of Aubrey tonight in her owl P.J.'s in our bed waking daddy up from a nap. We had a busy day and Aubs trucked right on through.She is now tucked away in her bed and sleeping like......well, a baby . We love you baby girl.

It's raining........

2010-09-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

It's pouring, today will be boring. Trying to keep up with new and exciting things to do with an almost 10 month old can be exhausting. Not to mention when it's rainy and cloudy outside I feel more like crawling in bed and watching a movie, not keeping track of my Tasmanian devil .Aubrey obviously has an itch to get out today as well judging by her overwhelming attraction to our patio door . When you are low on funds ,it's raining ,and you have to be at work by 2:00.....what can you do? Looks like I might be pulling more cooking utensils out of their safe cabinets and throwing them at the mercy of a baby.

2010-09-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

I marvel at the ridiculous pace that our beautiful baby girl is progressing. It seems like yesterday that I was freaking out thinking I couldn't possibly make it another day with a newborn screaming her head off and wanting to nurse 24/7. As I look back on those not so distant days it seems like it took place years ago .Not only did we "make it through" those very tough colicky days, but we have now bonded with a relationship that only another mom could understand. It's almost as if those once crystal clear memories have faded into blurry dream like substances of the past.I truly can not believe that my baby girl is going to turn one in two months. I am holding back the tears as I type at this exact moment. I am already planning her Birthday party and can't seem to keep the phrase" I can't believe she is gonna be a year old already!" off my lips. So here is a long overdue update on our ever changing marvelous baby girl(I can still say that) Aubrey.

1.She is constantly practicing her walking. She can take about 5 steps on her own before plopping down on her cute tush.

2.she figured out her jungle toy! She now rolls the balls down the spiral and puts them in the elephant's ears :)

3.She thinks it is hilarious when dogs bark. it is one of the things that will make her bust a gut laughing!

4.She giggles at her mobile every morning while she falls asleep for her nap. It truly touches my heart EVERY time she does it.

5.She loves getting under blankets with us and "hiding".

6.Aubrey is one of the busiest children I have ever come across . and because of this she gets hurt a lot. She has torn her frenulum like 3 times! I think she also might have chipped her tooth!

7. She is starting to dance! Finally!

8. She still doesn't eat much table food because chunky food makes her gag.

9. She gets excited every day Grammy and Daddy come home.

10. she makes the most wonderful expressive faces. Especially with her eyebrows.

So we continue our ever changing journey of parenthood. Who knows what the future will hold,but I look forward to it with great anticipation!

Aubrey's first time eating rice cereal.

2010-04-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

What is new in the World of Aubrey?

2010-04-06T09:52:00.000-07:00

This is what has been on my mind.

2010-03-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

So, latley I have really been wanting to do some more videos. As some of you may know our computer has really been freaking out and I think it would would make it a little difficult, but I am almost willing to try. There is so much new stuff going on with Aubs and I have a lot of things on my mind when it comes to motherhood that I would like to share. I would also like some feedback from other moms and people who have experience with children. I would really like it to take off and get a big following. It's not an original idea by any means, but it is something I have really been thinking about lately. I know how much I LOVE subscribing to other moms on youtube, so why wouldn't other people like to subscribe to me? Hopefully yall will be seeing me soon on a Vlog :)

Bathtime Splashfest

2010-02-25T08:44:00.000-08:00

Cute winter outfit picture.

2010-02-10T15:54:00.000-08:00

Kristina and I both had the day off and most of the time we end up just hanging around the house. We've really been wanting to get out and take Aubrey with us to do stuff. We took a trip down to the mall to drop off Kristina's wedding band to get repaired and then to TJ Maxx for some other stuff. We have this winter mix blowing in today, including sleet that was falling the whole time we were out, so we had to dress Aubs all nice and warm! :) Isn't she the cutest?

If the weather isn't too bad tomorrow, we're going to try and take Aubrey down to my old job at Southwest Alliance so everyone there can meet the baby. There are lots of ladies in that office and I'm so sure she'll get passed around like a hot potato. Hehe. Actually I remember when Stephanie at our office had her baby boy. Michael the acquisitions manager who has 2 little girls himself was holding baby Alex for most of that visit if I remember correctly.

Ironically while Kristina were out at the mall I saw a lady who replaced me when I was promoted from receptionist there. Her name is Diana and she's a regional marketing manager for JC Penny now. I'm pretty sure she used to work there before coming to SWA, and then like 4 months later she was part of our first round of layoffs and it took her 8 months to get back to work full time.

Anyway, the baby's asleep now and she went down really easy which beats fighting with her for an hour over sleep let me tell you. :) We just started getting our subscription to Parents magazine and they had 7 tips to help baby's sleep through the night. A big thing is a bedtime routine, and the doctor quoted recommended a meal, bath, baby massage and then lights off and in bed within a half hour of that. Aubrey was already about to pass out before I gave her a bath, which she loved. She seemed to enjoy the massage too. I really did! I had a grin on my face the whole time.

Now she's asleep. Kristina's out with her girlfriends for a while. The laptop isn't acting completely cracked out and slow so I think I might get in some poker time and watch American Idol. W00T! Here are some more pics of Aubs in her outfit today. Notice the tree mural Kristina's working on in the background!

Aubrey holding her head up, talking up a storm

2010-02-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

2010-02-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

Who knew having babies changes your body?

2010-02-01T04:38:00.000-08:00

Well , just about everyone ! But, what you don't know is exactly how much it changes your body until you personally go through it. I never gained a ton of weight with Aubrey throughout my pregnancy. From beginning to end I had gained about 20-25 lbs. Which is good because I was overweight to begin with. I am back at my pre-baby weight and have been since probably the third week after having her. The thing is though , I have like no muscle tone in my stomach ! I never thought I had muscle tone in the first place , in hind sight I definitely did! So, I whipped put my Yoga DVD the other day and gave it a go. It was tough, but I felt so much better after doing it! I was sore in all the right places, and relieved in all the right places :) So during the days when I am home with Aubs ( which is pretty much every day ) I am making it my goal to do some form of exercise. I definitely have a 20-30 minute window when I can get it done with no problem.
I also need to work on my eating habits again.....uuuhhhggggg. I have always struggled with food problems. Whether it was eating too little in high school (I won't get too in to that) or eating too much when I am stressed out now. I have food issues........ My sweet tooth has been out of control ! Or my self control has been out of control :) I have always loved sweets , I just need to practice a lot of self control. Being in the house the majority of the day has killed it. But, no more excuses! I am whipping my ass back into to shape and reaping the benefits . Who knows, maybe I will even start posting some pictures?

2010-01-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

Aubrey and Daddy

2010-01-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

I don't know if we could keep up with it, but I'm thinking about doing a daily Aubrey picture. Kristina's mother is always jonesing for Aubrey something, so it would be inspired by her.

Aubrey's 2 month checkup.

2010-01-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

Well our little Aubs had her 2 month checkup today. She is measuring 22 inches long , weighs 9 lbs. 3 ounces , and her head is like 15 inches around . By the way, she is in the 25th percentile for growth , but her head is in a category of it's own at the 50th percentile ! We knew that was comin! All the nurses kept commenting on what a happy baby she was and how alert she seemed. She really is inquisitive. You can already get a little peek at what her personality is gonna be like. Now of course the most dredded part of the 2 month checkup is the shots . She had to get 3 shots and some sort of oral vaccine. She did cry and it was like a " I can't beleive this is happening to me!" , sort of cry. Then she proceeded to scream " AAHHH MAMA!" That was really funny because of course she doesn't know what she is saying, but I would like to think it was some sort of primal instinct , or maybe she is just a genius :) I got a little teery eyed , but did much better than I thought I would have. She is running a tiny fever and a bit cranky tonight , but she is such a trooper. All in all it was a great doctor's appointment and everything is going really well for our girl.

3 "new" videos

2010-01-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

Aubrey update - Early December

2009-12-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

Well it's almost 10pm on a Friday night and I should be trying to sleep while Aubrey is but I'm a crazy man. Actually I've really wanted to update everything because I know people have been dying to know what's going on.

If you follow Facebook updates from us you probably know it's been rough since we came home. Breastfeeding has proven much harder and unnatural than you'd think. Kristina really had a rough start not long after we got home. She was in a lot of pain, and to top it off the baby was seemingly hungry all the time. We ended up getting some nipple cream to help.

Then came the exhaustion factor, Kristina realized she was becoming a 24/7 milk machine. Couple that with not being able to really go out b/c first of all baby can't really go out until 2 month when she gets her shots, plus baby needs to eat often so where do you find the time?

We stayed at Kristina's parents the week of Thanksgiving. I had some time off from work already scheduled so it worked out. Kristina's mother has been an ENORMOUS help since we brought Aubrey home. She even took care of Aubrey one afternoon so Kristina and I could go to dinner and a movie, New Moon because Kristina LOVES the Twilight books. There were still plenty of rough nights though at her mom's house with Aubrey.

The thing is this girl just doesn't want to be laid down. This is basically what happens: she eats for a while and slips into a "milk coma", and she's out. I mean the girl is sleeping. Try to lay her down in the bassinet and in 5 minutes she's up and screaming. We've tried different positions: back, side and stomach. Sometimes she sleeps but most of the time she doesn't. The main ways that have worked to get her to sleep for an extended period of time is either a) in her carseat or b) laying on one of us.

One other thing happening is that she really seems gassy or has an upset tummy a lot. I think that's half her problem when she's so fussy, not that she's still hungry or didn't get enough to eat. The pediatrician and lactation consultant family friend have made several diet recommendations for Kristina including no dairy, no spicy foods, no sugar - we're also now trying to stay away from wheat and soy b/c they can be allergenic. I really think this is the cruelest part of parenthood so far, at least for Mom because going through pregnancy and labor's hard enough and she had to cut out enough during that time. Why can't she now eat whatever the hell she wants? NO FAIR MAN!

Anyway, we made a doctor's appointment this past Monday to see if he had any recommendations for Aubrey's fussiness. Baby hadn't gained weight for the whole week since the last appointment, so we set another for the end of the week. We went back yesterday and she had gained 2 ounces, right on target at 1/2 oz a day. So for now I guess everything's ok. We got some Gripe Water to help settle Aubrey's tummy. That seems to be helping.

The little girl will be 1 month old on Monday! Craziness. This whole year's been nuts. I'm really bad at remembering years in general, but I'll never forget 2009 and everything we've been through. This may have been the longest month of our entire lives. Everyone reassures Kristina and me it gets better. I certainly hope so because it ain't easy lately!

Click here for my Facebook album of Aubrey with new uploads. I've added some videos below too from the last couple of weeks. Hope everyone enjoys them.

A few favorite pictures.

2009-11-13T12:42:00.000-08:00

Here are a few choice picture selections. They're already on the linked Facebook album from the previous post, but I thought I'd put a few here too. :) - Dustin

Aubrey's Here!

2009-11-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

We've been slacking off on the updates, our apologies. Ms. Aubrey Belle was born on Monday November 9th at 9:38pm. She was 6 pounds 6 ounces and 20 inches long. Her head was 13 1/2 inches around.

Aubrey was a week overdue and so we scheduled Kristina to be induced at 5am Monday morning. Once things really started happening the contractions were pretty frequent, every couple of minutes and she was up to 3 or 4 centimeters dilated when she opted for the epidural

I took a short nap after all of that, and when I woke up the doctor said that Aubrey's heartrate was dropping after each contraction which was an indication she was tired. The first strategy was to stop the pitocin drip and start it back up lower, but then Aubrey's head was face up so that's when we decided to get a c-section. Based on what was going on with the heartrate it really was the safest option, although it was the last thing we both wanted.

However, I must say maybe it was a blessing in disguise because the extended hospital stay has been helpful. The little girl has been having issues breastfeeding, primarily she just wants to sleep. The nurses have been very very helpful and so I'm thinking God knew we were unprepared (we took no classes) and we needed extra time here at the hospital.

I was posting updates throughout the day on Twitter, and now have a growing baby album on Facebook.

Here are some of the videos I've got on Youtube too:

Early on in the labor process:

Not long after her delivery:

Rocking with Daddy on her 2nd morning in the world:

Making progress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Went in for my 37 week checkup today and man was I suprised! The doctor said Aubrey dropped down to a minus 1 station , I am 80 % effaced , and 1 centimeter dilated. This is a huge change from last week. It also explains the discomfort I have been experiencing :) He said it doesn't really mean anything as far as how soon I will be going into labor. I could still make it all the way to my due date or past it. He did say that it is a good sign my body is progressing on it's own though. And on a cuteness note , the doctor had a hard time getting Aubrey's heart beat because she kept moving all over the place :) When it finally registered it was 150 , which is what it's usually around.

Dustin and I will be going on the hospital tour tomorrow. I am really excited about that because I finally get to see where I'm gonna have this little bugger . I also have some questions that I want answered and I would love to put my mind to rest.

We will keep yall posted at the first sign of anything happening!

Belly cast tonight!

2009-10-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

These are the only pictures I was allowed to upload of the belly cast experiment. I have a few more that shows Kristina in all her plaster glory but they are a little too revealing. :)

Belly measuring contest

2009-10-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

Baby shower and 9 month update!

2009-10-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

We finally had our baby shower this past weekend. It was everything I thought it would be and more! I have never felt so humbled and grateful as I did that day. To have all of my friends and family coming together to support and love this little baby they have never even met before was such an incredible experience! I can't thank everyone enough for making it such a special day , but THANK YOU all so much. When we got everything home and carried inside , we couldn't even walk into Aubrey's room :) My mom came over a couple days later and helped me organize everything which was a big help.

I am now officially 9 months pregnant ( 36 weeks) and can't believe it ! I had my weekly doctors appointment today and was a tiny bit disappointed. I came back positive for the Strep B test , which is really common. I have to get an I.V. of antibiotics when I go into labor, that will take care of any cause for concern. He also checked me to see if I was dilated and all that good stuff. I was not dilated , and Aubrey has only dropped to a minus 2 station ! It feels like this child is right on my freakin bladder. I can't even imagine what it will feel like when she is dropped down into my pelvis. Well here is to hoping she doesn't stay in too long!

Wow. The home stretch is getting tough.

2009-09-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

So the countdown by months has really turned into the countdown by weeks . It is amazing to me how I have been pregnant for the better part of a year. Looking back on those days when I thought " man , I wish this could go by faster, it's taking forever," has changed to something more like " oh my gosh , is it really gonna be happening so soon ?!" I go through many rapid emotional ups and downs these days , as Dustin could tell you is true. I go from being extremely happy and elated , almost euphoric at times , to being extremely worried and anxious. I will always continue to feel extremely blessed about our impending arrival , but in all honesty I am getting really nervous! I know that is totally normal and probably to be expected , especially with our first baby. I just wish there was some way we could know exactly how everything will turn out. But , then again I guess that would take out a chunk of the experience. The only reason I worry so much is because I care. Other than your typical first time parent worries , everything else is going good in the emotional department.

Recently this last trimester has been kicking my butt! For those of you who don't know already , I do not work full time. However , when I do work , I am extremely active and on my feet for long periods of time. I think what is really catching up to me now is the fact that Aubrey has finally packed on the pounds. At 35 weeks they are 5-51/2 pounds and a little over 13 inches long. And let me tell you , I can feel every pound of it! I am getting more pressure in my lower abdomen and a lot more braxton hicks . My feet are pretty much always swollen , and they get worse if I stand or sit for long periods of time. I woke up with a migraine so bad this morning that my Tongue was numb! Can you say doctors visit? Everything was fine , and they said it was due to the migraine. But , the absolute worst symptom so far has been the fatigue! Oh.....my.....God........I have never been so tired in my life , other than in the first trimester.But , even then it was a different kind of fatigue. I am having trouble sleeping at night and have pretty much been on the couch for 2 weeks solid. I am also back to napping on a daily basis , which keeps me up longer at night. I have learned to get the sleep while I can though. I just keep telling myself that it is practice for when Ms. Aubrey Belle arrives :)

Speaking of Aubrey , she is doing Great! She is taking up room in me wherever she can get it at this point . I can pick out individual limbs instead of just a big blob. Her little knees and feet often go from one side of the belly straight across to the other which is one of my favorite feelings. She has also been getting the hiccups several times a day , every day for the past week or so. I guess she will have some strong lungs:) I still marvel at her when she is moving around , and when Dustin is talking to her and she stops moving. She has definate personality traits now and it is really cool. With every day that passes I get more and more excited and can't wait to meet her!

Excitement is really setting in!

2009-09-18T04:28:00.000-07:00

I can genuinely say that these days I'm really excited to meet Ms. Aubrey Belle. Now that her nursery is painted and there's some furniture in there, crib included, the reality of her arrival is setting in. When I got home in the morning a few days ago I walked by her room quickly and glanced at the crib and thought to myself "Wow, soon when I walk by this room there will be a baby in there!". I can't help but feel dumbfounded and amazed by this.

I think the other part that adds to the excitement is being able to feel her moving around so much. It's just really fun to have my hand on Kristina's belly and feel Aubrey moving, kicking and whatever else she's doing in there - and this can all last for a while too. Aubrey's too funny because it's like she knows when we're trying to catch all this movement on film because she stops as soon as we hit that button on the camera. :) Little rascal! The other funny thing is like this morning she was moving around, and I started talking to her - and she stopped moving. These little things are just personality elements that are making her seem more real as we get closer to welcoming her to the world.

Everything continues to go well with the pregnancy though and we are so incredibly thankful for that. Kristina has one more 2 week gap between appointments, and after the next visit they will become weekly!

The only issue if we can complain about anything is Kristina's sciatica pain. I feel so bad for her when it flares up because she's really hurting, and there's not a whole lot to do about it.

-Dustin

Fresh paint.

2009-09-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

So , the paint color for Aubrey's nursery has really had me boggled lately.I went back and forth between a turquoise blue and some sort of green for a little while. Well , after getting her dresser in the room I decided on Green. The name of the color is Water Sprout and I LOVE it ! It's really soft , but it also really opens up her little room. We left one wall unpainted because it has huge sliding mirror closet doors which reflects the paint color anyways. I got a picture of that wall next to the new paint color so you could see the green better. I hope yall like it :)

The beginnings of Aubrey's Nursery.

2009-09-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

So my mom has been slaving away on Aubrey's dresser . It was a piece of furniture she found on the curb ready to be thrown away. We decided to refinish it in a crackled antique type look to match her espresso crib. Here are the pics. I could not be happier with how it turned out ! Thanks Grandama "D" , Aunt Janet , and Christy :)

Our growing girl!

2009-09-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

So, I had my 31 week check up today. This was the appointment where they check the baby's weight and measurements to make sure she is growing on track and everything. I am very happy to say everything is right on track! She is in the 55th percentile of development. She weighs around 4 lbs., give or take half a pound the doctor said. And based on her weight now , they are predicting she will weigh right around 7 lbs. when she is born. The doctor also said the amount of fluid in my uterus is very important right now and they actually measured that. It is a sign that the placenta is functioning correctly , and it looked really good. So medically all is really well!
She was sleeping in a head down position while we were doing the ultrasound,and had her little hands right on her face again :) I always love seeing her on that screen and hearing her little heartbeat. I am getting very anxious and excited for her arrival , I can't wait for her to finally get here! But I will have to , and I hope she stays in the oven to bake for the next 8 weeks. So , just a little update for ya :) Please keep us in your prayers.

New photos to share!

2009-08-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

We haven't shared many photos on the blog, although Kristina has continued to keep her facebook and myspace friends updated. The first one is the latest ultrasound picture of Aubrey Belle's little face. :) The appointment we had 2 weeks ago we weren't able to get to see the Dr. because he was in surgery, but 3rd time's a charm we saw him today. He confirmed that this 100% a girl so no doubts now! I'm also posting a few of the latest pregancy belly shots of Kristina, including the last one of her perspective looking down. Hehehe

Are you sure she can't break through?

2009-08-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Well , lately Aubrey has been extremely active! She is moving a lot in the mornings and at night. Sometimes it feels like she is just trying to get comfortable in there or something :) She loves to lay at the very bottom of my tummy and I can feel her hands and feet going at the same time! When Dustin talks to her she will almost always react to him , it is so sweet. We also tried shining a flashlight against my belly the other day and she was moving away from the light . Needless to say we are having some fun with her :) The newest thing about the pregnancy is that you can see my whole belly changing shape when she really gets going. I love to sit and watch her at night just doing her thing. The whole time I am wondering just what exactly she is doing in there? I keep trying to catch it on video , but I think she is camera shy or something!

We have a Doctors appointment this coming Wednesday. We will be getting a sonogram this time to try and confirm the gender.If " she " does turn out to be a boy, I want to find out now, rather than in the delivery room. I also have to do the Glucose test this time around , and it should be interesting. I can't eat or drink anything except water until I have my blood drawn. I am not a happy camper without food these days! Keep us in your prayers that everything will be fine , and we will keep yall posted!

Funny blurb about headphones

2009-07-16T01:27:00.000-07:00

The thing I can't wait to share with Aubrey Belle is music. Anyone who knows me understands how much of a music lover I am. When I try to picture what our household is going to be like one thing I continue to envision is our house just being a house of music. :)

I think it was just over a week ago I decided I wanted to play some music for Aubrey using my DJ headphones and iPod. Kristina and I were just laying in bed getting setup for this. The funny part of the story is when she was first trying to get the headphones pointed towards her belly, she came SO UNBELIEVABLY CLOSE to breaking my headphones in half because she was trying to stretch them over her belly!

That would've been a bad day if it had actually happened. Thank God it didn't.

23 weeks and it is hot as hell!

2009-07-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

2009-07-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am 23 weeks and one day in this video! I have felt baby girl kicking a lot lately. She is over 11 inches long and weighs just over 1 pound! I can't believe how fast things are moving now! My belly is getting rounder, and I seem to have developed a bit of a waddle already :( People have actually been asking me if I am pregnant now and touching my baby bump. Dustin has finally felt her kick over the last week, and he also saw her using this same " method". So I have a metal coaster on my belly. You can see her movement s much easier with something on my tummy. After the one minute mark the coaster will jump a couple of times , and that is her kicking it! I go to the doctor this Wednesday and hope to do an update video. I hope yall enjoy!

2009-06-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

Dustin was trying to record , but it really was too dark . He could not get me or my mom' s reactions , and he couldn't concentrate on the moment so we stopped after a couple minutes. You do get to hear the babies heart beat! It was 151 :)

Gender Announcment!

2009-06-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

The Gender visit !!!!!!

2009-06-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

Me and my Mom waiting at the doctor's office for the ultrasound. Dustin is taking a picture of my belly :)

Part 2

2009-05-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Part 1

2009-05-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

Doctors visit, baby clothes, and parenting classes

2009-04-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

I know I know

2009-04-27T12:55:00.001-07:00

Apologies for the lack of updates. Kristina and I recorded a video blog together last week but it was two minutes too long apparently.

So we just need to sit down and re-do it, that chance just hasn't happened yet. Sorry again!

My brilliant solution

2009-04-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

Certain smells around the house will make Kristina nauseous. One that's the most consistent is when I'm making or have made coffee. I'd talked about moving the coffee pot out on the patio earlier in the week but never got around to it. I thought it'd be funny to do it yesterday morning because it was raining. Something about brewing coffee outside in a rainstorm just tickles me.

Baby Do's and Dont's

2009-04-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

This has been floating around the web for a while now. What better place to post it than a first time parent's baby blog?

Oh me and baby are gonna play chess, checkers, Risk, and all kinds of card games! MUAHAHAH!!

What's a good name for this blog?

2009-03-31T01:18:00.000-07:00

I really want to think of a better name for this blog. Baby Kinney Blog is just boring to me. So for now it's just B A B Y!

Anyone have any creative suggestions?

New car?

2009-03-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

So, I am giving serious consideration to buying another car. With a baby on the way, a 2 door hatchback, is just not gonna cut it! I can't even imagine trying to get in and out of that thing with a car seat with a baby in it. I love my car, and it is in good condition , but I think it is time to part :(

First toy purchase

2009-03-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

Kristina picked this up at Ikea today. :)

Dad's POV

2009-03-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

I don't mean to push down Kristina's latest video log but I thought it was time I posted something about MY experience. I feel really bad about my initial reaction to the big news as evidenced in one of the first videos we posted. A baby has been our agenda for the last year or so and with Kristina's PCOS neither of us thought this would be happening so soon! I generally have a difficult time expressing my feelings and I tend to downplay major life events. But I'm happy and excited.

I've been waiting for today's dr. visit so Kristina's worries could be put to rest for a while. This weekend we were afraid when some of her symptoms changed that it was early signs of a miscarriage. So I played the protector role this weekend making sure she stayed off her feet and took it easy just to be on the safe side. She took off work Friday and Saturday, but by Sunday she was ready to get out of the house.

We went to church and then headed to her parents down south. It was funny because before we went down there I told her "you still need to take it easy. No 3 hour shopping excursions with your mom." It didn't take long before she was asking me about going out to get a kiddie pool for the family turtle to swim in outside. :) It wasn't going to be a long shopping trip like they would normally take on a Sunday so I figured that was fine.

So the appointment went well this afternoon. I was excited to see an actual baby on the screen instead of a black dot, and hearing the heartbeat was amazing. Whether it's a boy or girl I can't wait to start getting it accustomed to lots of great music with headphones. :)

So....I guess that's it for now.

3rd Sonogram and interesting weather today

2009-03-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

Maybe not so good news.

2009-03-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well today I woke up and all my breast tenderness was absolutely gone. I also discovered there was a little bleeding this morning. Later on in the day I started cramping and just feeling uncomfortable . So I called my doctor and he said all these symptoms could be a sign of an impending miss carriage. He suggested I stay off my feet for the next couple days , so seeing as how I work retail I called into work for today and tomorrow . He also said everything could be fine , but there is no way of knowing without an ultrasound. The only way I could get one is by going to the emergency room , and I really don't want to do that unless I absolutely have to.

So please keep us in your prayers that one way or the other we will be OK. I will keep everyone updated as to what exactly is going on as soon as I find out more info , which at it's earliest will be Monday if nothing else goes "wrong".

8 Weeks Symptoms

2009-03-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

Kristina's Video Blog #1

2009-03-18T22:27:00.001-07:00

The Night We Found Out

2009-03-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

We surprised my Mom the next day.