Mary Kathryn is here!!!!

Well, I have not blogged for a long time! Things have been rather crazy around here now that Mary Kathryn has arrived. We have had a lot of sleepless nights, but that was to be expected. Mary Kathryn ended up being 5 days late, but made her grande appearance on May 4th at 12:52pm. She weighed a whopping 8 pounds, 11 ounces. She came out with a full head of beautiful, wavy black hair. She is a wonderful baby. She only cries when she is hungry or has a dirty diaper. Breastfeeding has been very tough though. To begin with, I was getting very sore and it basically felt like needles whenever she nursed. Now that my pain is gone, she seems to fall asleep during feedings which makes her hungry what feels like ALL day long. Hopefully as she gets older, that problem will subside. Mackenzie basically ignored her the first few days we were home. Now that a month has passed, I think she has started to realize we are not giving her back. She becomes more and more interested every day and loves to give her hugs. I am very excited to see them grow up together. I have always wanted to see what it would be like to have a sister, so I am happy to be able to watch how they interact with each other. Our little family is growing and we feel very blessed to have two healthy little girls!!!!

Mackenzie with Easter Bunny!

Easter is almost here!!! Mackenzie got so many new dresses for her birthday, so it will be really hard trying to choose her Easter outfit. We went to the park last week with my mom, Meredith and Whit to have a picnic. We also did a little egg hunt while we were there. Mackenzie and Whit loved it!! They were very distracted though. Today, I took Mackenzie to see the Easter Bunny! She was very serious. There was no crying, but not many smiles either. On Sunday, Doug and I will go to church and then we will be off to my parent's house for Easter lunch. After that, we will be going to Paul and Mary's for dinner. I love Easter mostly because you can start wearing white and get out your pretty dresses. I am hoping it will be warm this year because last year was freezing!!!

Mackenzie will be a big sis soon!!!!

Well, it's finally April!!! This pregnancy has flown by, but now that we are getting closer to the end, it is really dragging!!!! I am getting so much bigger and uncomfortable, so it has been really hard taking care of a 13 month old. I have basically forgotten what sleep feels like. I am either up with Mackenzie, or I am up every 5 to 10 minutes going to the bathroom. Oh well. I guess this is God's way of getting me ready to be up all night with Mary Kathryn. I am very nervous about how things will be with two babies, but I don't think God would give me something I can't handle. Luckily, I have great family and friends who will be there for us. I hope Mackenzie is too young to be jealous of the new baby, but I do think it will be a big change for her. She is used to getting all the attention, so we are going to have to make sure she feels very special during this transition. I am really hoping it goes smoothly. I had an interesting OB appointment last week. I requested an ultrasound so we could make sure Mary Kate is head down since Mackenzie was Breech. She is head down, however, she is already measuring 7 pounds, 4 ounces!!!!!!!!! WHAT??!!!! That is what Mackenzie weighed at birth. The ultrasound tech said it could be inaccurate by a point in either direction, so she could weigh 6 pounds, 4 ounces or she could even be 8 pounds, 4 ounces. The doctor seemed a little shocked and wants to keep close watch on this. He says he will definately induce and deliver before my due date if she continues to grow at this pace. I guess I will know more in the next few weeks, but due to the pelvic pressure I am having and horrible Braxton Hicks pains, my guess is I will not make it to April 30th. We shall see!!!! We are getting excited. Let's hope all goes well and that I don't have a panic attack. HAHAHA! We will keep all of you posted! : )

Mackenzie's First Ear Infection : (

After a year of only a few small colds, Mackenzie has gotten her very first real sickness. She had been really fussy at night for the past week and that is not like her at all. She usually sleeps right through the night with no problem at all. At first, we thought it was just teething because she is getting 4 of her molars in right now. However, she also started to be really fussy during the day. I knew something else had to be wrong at that point. I called the doctor on Friday to see what we should do and they recommended that we come in. The nurse on the phone said that babies can sometimes develop an ear infection while they are teething, so she wanted to have the doctor take a look at Mackenzie's ears before the weekend began. I took her in and sure enough, she had an ear infection along with a slight infection on her gums where her top molar is trying to come through. He put her on Amoxicillin for 10 days and a Probiotic as well so that the antibiotic does not kill all of her good bacteria which can cause things such as a yeast infection. I am relieved because I thought I was going to have a hard time giving her the medication. It is very hard trying to give her PolyViSol (Vitamin D supplement) because she hates the taste. I have to mix it with juice to get her to take it. That is why I was a little concerned, but she loves the bubble gum taste of the Amoxicillin. Hopefully my little princess will start to feel better soon. I hate seeing her in pain. She is normally in such good spirits and I am ready to see that side of her back. I am glad we caught this before Mary Kathryn gets here.

Mackenzie's Birthday Bash!

So, Mackenzie's birthday party turned out to be a resounding success!!!! I was a little worried that morning because it was cloudy and misty, but by the time the party rolled around, it was in the mid 70's and sunny! We had the entire party outside, so it was very important that the weather cooperate. I did a princess theme for Mackenzie. She had a tall Princess cake and a small smash cake that matched the big one. When it was time for her to eat her cake, she dug in and threw most of it on the ground. I don't think she understood she could eat it. It was so fun to watch! Doug wanted a keg for all the adults and I think they were very pleased with that decision. We had cheese and pepperoni pizza for food. The kids played in the sand and water table my mom got for Mackenzie and we also had a bubble machine going. I put a bunch of toys in the family room for the kids to play with in case they got bored with outside, but what was I thinking? HAHA! That did not happen at all!! Tollie Medley, a friend in the neighborhood, was nice enough to let us borrow her outside tables and chairs she bought for her son's first birthday. I am so glad we had those! It worked out perfectly. I decorated each table with a bundle of pink balloons. For party favors, I gave out little bags filled with animal crackers, bubbles, a party blower, coloring book and crayons. That went over VERY well! The kids seemed to love the bubbles! We had some left over animal crackers, so Mackenzie and mommy have been enjoying those. Mackenzie only opened one of her birthday gifts while her guests were here because she started to get really tired. We put her down for a nap and Doug and I opened the rest of the gifts after everyone left. We got sooooo many nice things!!!! I think I was more excited about opening the gifts than she was. HAHA. We were so happy the party went so well and even more happy that we had so many nice friends and family to celebrate with!!!!!!!!!! We don't have too much longer till Miss Mary Kathryn arrives and we can go through all of this again! : )

Our Little Girl is ONE!!!!!

Well, Miss Mackenzie turned ONE today!!!!!! Time has really flown by this past year and Mackenzie keeps changing and learning more and more each day! We had a great day today! I made her some cheese eggs and blueberry muffins for breakfast this morning and then we ran some errands to get ready for her big birthday bash on Saturday. Tonight, we went to Max and Erma's for her birthday dinner. My parents, Doug's parents, Leslie and Mackenzie's cousins Caroline and Chase joined us. Mackenzie had a child's pizza and fruit for dinner, but she spit out most of it. HAHA! I think she was just really excited about everyone being there. They have an ice cream bar for the kids at at the restaurant, so we gave Mackenzie some vanilla ice cream. She seemed to really love that! The restaurant staff came out and sang Happy Birthday to her and she clapped her hands and smiled really big. They had one little candle in a scoop of ice cream. She of course did not understand how to blow it out, but she loved looking at it. Caroline and Chase both gave Mackenzie really sweet cards and Caroline colored a special little picture for Mackenzie. We had a great time and can't wait to celebrate with all of our friends and family this weekend!!!!!!!

What's New in the Nagode House???

So, Mackenzie has started this hyena sounding laugh. It is absolutely adorable and a little strange all at the same time. We got it on video so that we can play it back for her one day. She will just walk around and do it for no apparent reason. Doug and I die laughing every time. She definately keeps us entertained. Mackenzie has also started to imitate everything Doug and I do. She seems to do something new every single day. Only about a week to go until her big first birthday. It is exciting and also sad that my little baby will soon be a toddler. I only have about 2 months left until little Miss Mary Kathryn makes her big debut. We are very happy and also a little nervous about how things will be with two little ones, but we are excited about our family getting larger. : )

Mackenzie's First Pair of Shoes!!!!

Mackenzie's Great Grandmother gave us a check for Mackenzie's birthday so that we could go get her first pair of shoes! We went to Stride Rite yesterday to find out her shoe size and try on some shoes. It was HILARIOUS!!!!! They measured Mackenzie's foot first. She is a 4 1/2 wide. After measuring, I found some really cute sneakers that were white with pink velcro straps. The lady tried to put them on Mackenzie, but she kept curling her toes so that they could not get the shoes on. Finally, after about 5 minutes, they managed to get both shoes on. Mackenzie looked down at them, her face got really red, her mouth turned down and she started to cry. I couldn't help but laugh because it was soooo funny! She did not like shoes being on her foot. I realized she was not going to get used to the cute pink and white shoes, so I found another pair that seemed to be a little more flexible and maybe a little more breathable. After a lot of work, we got those on her feet. She seemed to like this pair of shoes a little more, but when we stood her up, she stood still as if her legs were frozen. She did not understand she could walk with the shoes on. We ended up buying the shoes in hopes that she will get used to them. I let her wear them on the way home and she seemed to get a little more used to them. Well, at least she was not crying. We will see how it goes! : )

She's Growing Up Way Too Fast!!!!

Our little girl can now hold her own spoon while she eats. It is sooooooooo messy though. She likes to smear the food all over her high chair before she attempts to put the food in her mouth. She's going through a picky eating stage at this time as well. I know it is because she is sick and tired of her baby food. I AM TOO!!!! We are giving her more and more table food because of this. She LOVES macaroni and cheese. Mackenzie has also started to say another word. She will look at the dogs, point, and then say DA. It is really cute. She points at everything she wants since she can't verbally tell us. She seems to want anything Doug and I have in our hands. : ) Her first birthday is getting closer and closer. Doug and I really can't believe our little baby is almost a toddler! We understand now why people always say to enjoy every moment. They really do grow up waaaaay too fast and before we know it, we will have two little girls running around the house!!!!!!!

Look at that girl go!!!!!

Well, earlier this week, Mackenzie started to walk!!!!! She can take about 5 steps at a time before she realizes what she is doing and sits down. She is so proud of herself. She smiles the whole time! I thought she was getting into everything before, but I am guessing this is going to be a whole new ball game! HAHA! She is growing up so fast! It is sad in a way but also amazing to see how she matures right before my eyes!! Her first birthday is coming up and we can't wait to see how she reacts to all the kids, presents and most of all THE CAKE!!!!! : )

What's She Doin' Now???

Well, Mackenzie changes so much each and every day. It is unbelievable! She is now holding onto the furniture and cruising around. She has started to shake her head no. She also understands what it means when I say no, but fails to listen a lot of the time. HAHA! She points at things, waves, reaches out to be held and seems to be getting more and more interactive. She likes to crawl under things and open and shut doors. Mackenzie also likes to throw pieces of food down to the dogs when she is in her high chair. She's a mess, but she's my little mess! : )

Mackenzie's First Christmas!!!!

This was an exciting year! It was Mackenzie's first Christmas! Even though she didn't really understand what was going on, it was a joy watching her open presents and play with all of her new toys. Surprisingly, she was more interested in the wrapping paper than the toys that were inside. Her favorite toys she got for Christmas were her blocks and a stand up activity table. She also loooves her magnetic barn toy that she can play with on our fridge. She got tons of clothes which I was more excited about than she was of course, but there will come a day when clothes is all she asks for! HAHA! It was great being with family this Christmas, especially those we don't get to see very often. Mackenzie loves being around people, so she knew something exciting was going on since there were tons of people around to play with her for two days in a row. We spent Christmas Eve night at my parent's house and had our traditional day long appetizers, went to church, had a nice sit down dinner and then watched the movie Scrooged for our yearly family Christmas movie. Doug and I woke up earlier than everyone else Christmas morning. I guess we are just used to getting up at the crack of dawn by now. : ) Once we could get everyone up, we opened gifts and I helped my mom prepare a wonderful Christmas brunch. My Grandparents, Aunt, Uncle and cousin Christopher came early for the brunch and then we opened gifts with them. After all that excitement, we were off to the Nagode's for more Christmas fun!!! We had a beautiful Christmas dinner and got to hang out with Paul's mom, brother Danny, Melissa, Matt, Leslie, Jerel and Mackenzie's cousins Caroline and Chase. We spent the night so that we could spend more time with Matt and Melissa since they live in Illinois and we don't get to see them as much as we would like. We opened our Christmas presents with everyone after we had dinner. A fun time was had by all and Doug and I are blessed to be bringing in this New Year with the best gift of all...our precious daughter Mackenzie. We are so thankful to have a healthy child and another little girl on the way. We thank God every day for the wonderful things he has blessed us with. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL and may year 2009 be filled with joy and happiness!!!!!!