Oh Christmas Tree...

On Saturday afternoon we took Kerriann Christmas tree hunting for the first time.  My dad takes us to the tree farm in Heaters, WV every year... and it was so great to have another helper with us this year.  Kerriann held up really well in the cold for most of the trip.  While my dad and Shannon were cutting the tree down she got hungry for lunch so we went back to the car so she could eat, but other than that she was a happy camper.  Below are a few pictures from the day... and also a picture of decorating the Christmas tree at my mom's house.  The only thing that would have made the day better was if Kevin would have been able to join us... hopefully next year :).

 

 

Memory Monday

From now on every Monday I am going to post pictures from the past and talk about a certain memory.  I got this idea from a friend's blog and thought it was such a good idea!

I'm at my parent's house and don't have a lot of pictures on their computer so I have to steal them from facebook this week... I hope the quality is OK!  This week's Memory Monday is dedicated to WVU football.  I know Kevin and I both have really missed being in Morgantown for the games this year.  Hopefully next year we will be able to attend one!  Here are a few pictures from the past years at WVU football games...

 

 

Happy 4 months Kerriann!

Kerriann celebrated her 4 month birthday on December 3!  It seems like I was just writing her 3 month update last week. 
Over the past month Kerriann has developed such a personality, as I'm sure you can see in her pictures.  With each day she acts more and more like a little person.  She smiles constantly... even in the middle of the night when she SHOULD be sleeping!  She also coos and 'screams' at her toys.  When I sing or she hears music, she tries to sing along and it's the cutest thing!  Hopefully I can figure out how to upload videos soon so you can see firsthand. 
It's been about a month now since we started the bath, snack, rocking, bedtime routine and I'm not sure if I can honestly say that it has helped.  It has helped us to get her to bed at the same time every night (7pm central time), but it has not helped her to stay asleep longer.  She is still very inconsistent and wakes anywhere between 1 and 5 times a night to eat or play.  I do enjoy knowing exactly when she will be going to bed each night and for that I am thankful for the routine.  She really loves bath time now too.  One of her favorites toys these days is her pink rubber ducky (pictures in a previous post). 
Kerriann's day time sleep habits are also inconsistent.  Most days she takes 2-3 30 min. naps and it takes me around 30 min. to get her settled down for one of these.  Sometimes I have to rock her, sometimes I have to nurse her, and every now and then I am able to just lay her down and she will fall asleep to the sounds of the music playing on her baby monitor.  You never know how it is going to turn out... she keeps it exciting every day.  I have noticed that if I lay her down in a quiet room at the first signs of sleepiness (a yawn or rub of the eyes) she does much better and will fall asleep pretty easily.  It's just hard to always catch those signs, especially if we have company or if we're out somewhere.  I'm sure that this will get easier with time. 
Overall the past month has been our best one yet.  It has been hard with Kevin being in class all day, then studying all night and during the days on the weekends... but I think that we are all learning to adjust and it is getting easier every day.  It was so fun having Kerriann around for Thanksgiving this year and I can't wait for the 3 of us to enjoy many more Thanksgiving holidays together.
Happy 4 months Kerriann!  We love you!

 

 

 

 

(she never holds still and she would not stop rolling over when I put her on her tummy...haha!  this is her mid-roll)

Kerriann's First Snow

Kerriann experienced her first snow on the day after Thanksgiving, better known as Black Friday!  Kevin was still in town so he was able to share it with us.  We didn't get much snow at all, but in my book it still counts as her first :).

Kerriann's First Thanksgiving

Most of Kerriann's first Thanksgiving Day was spent in the car, traveling from AL where we stopped for the night to my mom's house in Gassaway, WV.  We arrived around 5pm and had a late dinner with my immediate family.  It was so nice to be home, and to have Kevin there with me for the first time in ages.  The menu included a roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and cupcakes and sugar cookies (my two favorites!) for desert. 

On Saturday we celebrated Thanksgiving with my dad and his siblings in Somerset, Pa.  We left early in the morning and arrived just in time for lunch.  We had a delicious turkey and all of the usual Thanksgiving foods!  It was all delicious... and it was great to see my family!  A few members hadn't met Kerriann yet so that was great that they were finally able to see her.  Kerriann also met her younger cousin Deegan.  He was born exactly a month after her!  It was so cute to see them play on the floor together... they even tried to hold hands :).  It was Kerriann's first "play date."

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to take a quick moment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  Today when Kevin is finished with class at 4pm we will be starting the long journey back to Gassaway, WV.  We will arrive sometime tomorrow afternoon and will then enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house.  Friday we might make a stop in Morgantown and then Saturday we will have Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family.  They were nice enough to move the date so that we could join them! :)  Early Sunday morning Kevin will be leaving us to fly back to AL.  Kerriann and I will be staying in WV until he can join us again the week before Christmas.  We will miss him lots but he will be very busy with his flight classes so hopefully he won't get too bored without us!

So again... Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all those who are traveling this weekend!

The past two weeks...

Have been extremely crazy!  Not crazy like something really exciting has been going on, just crazy busy with normal day to day activities. 

Two weeks ago on Sunday Kerriann started to come down with what we thought was a cold.  The week prior to that her sleeping schedule was a mess and she just seemed miserable.  We noticed that she was batting at her ears so we decided to take her to the doctor to rule out an ear infection (our other thought was that maybe it was just teething).  The next day was Veteran's Day so the doctor who we should have seen at the Ft. Rucker clinic was closed and her civilian doctor was booked so we went to Southeastern Pediatrics because they were able to double book us and get her in.  After a quick examination the doctor told us that there was a little bit of fluid in one of her ears, so he gave us a prescription for Amoxicillin and some drops for pain.  He also said that she had wax in both of her ears so he had to get it out.  This was a horrible experience for all of us.  Kerriann was a lot more upset than she was when she got her 2 month shots!  I had to hold her arms down and Kevin had to hold her head down while the doctor went to work.  It was so hard watching her scream but it had to be done :(.  After the evil doctor (I didn't even catch his name) was finished there was nothing we could do to calm her.  I finally decided to nurse her which helped, but as soon as the doctor walked back in with the prescription and started talking she unlatched and started screaming again!  She definitely knew that was the voice of the person who had just caused her so much discomfort.

Since there was no infection, we think it was a combination of congestion and teething that was causing Kerriann's fussiness and keeping her from sleeping well.  It's been a little over a week now and she is finally starting to act like herself again.  She has been sleeping better and not fussing as much during the day.  When she does fuss, we just assume that it's teething since the congestion seems to be gone.  She has been drooling like crazy and is now batting at both sides of her face/ears.  We can also see what looks to be two little white teeth below the surface of her bottom gums!  It seems like it's just a matter of time before one breaks the surface. 

So this is why there haven't been any updates the past couple of weeks.  Between trying to keep Kerriann comfortable, giving her medicine 3 times a day (which I'll add is NOT easy with her tongue reflex still in full force), and trying to keep the house under control and take care of myself and Kevin at the same time... it's been a busy couple of weeks!  There haven't been many pictures taken either as we haven't had many smiles out of Kerriann :(.  The ones below were few and far between.  I am just so happy that she is finally getting back to her normal happy self!

Poor sick baby :(

Blowing bubbles

Funny face after her first taste of Amoxicillin

Practicing her head control despite being sick

First time with the teething ring... it was a little big for her

 

Kicking away as usual

 

Checking myself out in the mirror

Trying out her wrist rattle... she wasn't too interested in it

Hanging out with Daddy and feeling much better!

Bathtime 11/19/09

Here are a few bathtime pictures to hold you over until I can fill you in on the past two weeks!

Time for bed!

Freedom is never free

Today I came across the quote "Freedom is Never Free" and it really made me stop to think about all of the men and women who are currently serving in the United States military.  The sacrifices that these brave men and women make have really become apparent to me in the last few days, especially with the tragedy that recently took place in Ft Hood.  Every day there are soldiers risking their lives in far away countries so that those of us in America are still safe.  Every day there are soldiers who have their lives taken so that we can be free, sometimes even on our own soil.  Every day there are soldiers giving up 99% of their free time to study and train so that they can risk their lives for us in the future.  This last one is the instance that has really hit home for me lately.  I can imagine how hard it must be for the families who are separated because one member is serving overseas or training in a different state, but I never imagined how hard it would be to be living in the same house with one of these soldiers who is training. 

Kevin has barely been in flight school classes a week, but his entire life has already been consumed by it.  I sometimes feel selfish because I want him to spend more time with Kerriann and me.  I just pray that I am strong enough to realize that he is doing something that is great for our country, and that I need to give him the space that he needs to learn as much as he can.  The job that he is training to do is a dangerous one and I would hate for him to miss some detail because he wasn't able to concentrate to study.  I am so proud of him that he is going to be living out his dream.  It is scary at times to think that he will be flying helicopters in dangerous areas one day but I know that it is what he wants to do and I support that 100%.

This is the first year that I really have a deep understanding of Veteran's Day and I am sad to admit that I didn't take it seriously in previous years.  I want to take this time to say thank you to everyone who has served in the past or who is currently serving in the military.  To my grandfathers, to Kevin, to Sean, to Alaina's sister Kati's husband, to Evan, Greg, and Jason who I know from high school, to those who are POW's and MIA...thank you all for what you have done and sacrificed for me & my family and friends.  I could never thank you all enough.

Chili Cookoff

Today was Kevin's day off so we attended the AAAA Chili Cookoff at Ft. Rucker.  The weather was beautiful and it really was the perfect day to be outside.  75 and sunny in November!  We tasted at least 5 different kinds of chili and got to see and go inside of all of the different helicopters.  Kevin and I had a great time and Kerriann was a little angel and slept most of the time in the stroller.  Below are a few pictures of our day.

 Kevin and Kerriann beside a Black hawk...he'll be flying these in a year!

In the gunner's door

Kerriann and Adriane

 

Apache 64 Attack Helicopter

In front of a TH67, the helicopter Kevin will learn to fly first

 

Worn out after a day full of chili and helicopters