9 Month Pics

On Saturday morning last week, we took Kenna over to JCP to get some 9 month photos done! She didn't have many smiles (now we know why since she was working on the sick thing), but managed to still get some ADORABLE moments on film. With Easter so close, we got a few Easter themed shots as well! ENJOY!

What a Week...

So for the first time since Kenna was born, she got very sick this past week with a severe ear infection in BOTH ears & Croup :(

We took her into urgent care Saturday evening and were sent home 10 min later telling us all was clear. We knew all wasn't clear as she wasn't her smiley, happy self, wasn't eating and sleep was almost non-existent! With my little brother Rob getting croup several times as a baby, I thankfully remembered that going in the bathroom with the door closed and turning the shower on as hot as it could go to steam her, then let her breath the cold air outside for a couple seconds, was a great way to open her chest and lungs; so we did this a couple times on Sunday to try and help her little cough and breathing, which was becoming more and more difficult. For the time being, it helped as much as it could...

When Monday morning rolled around her temp was 101.7 and we knew we had to get her in right away. When Nate arrived at the doc (I couldn't leave work unfortunately) she was in bad shape, even had a heat rash (poor baby)!!! Dr. Jones diagnosed the ears and croup right away and wanted to test her for strep and the flu; thankfully those were negative. He got her on Prednizone and Amoxicillin and sent them on their way to let us nurse her back to good health.

We're happy to report that today, almost a week later, she is almost back to normal and the best part is that our happy, perma-smile baby girl is BACK and in full effect! And we might be a little happy that her sleep routine is back too ;)

As you can see in the pics, the first one was at her worst, second is me and her sleeping as this was one of the only ways she'd sleep for the first couple days and the last one is the other day when we knew she was feeling MUCH BETTER!

On a different note, she hit a milestone on Monday - SITTING TO STANDING by pulling herself up! Mommy has yet to see it, but she is working hard with Daddy each day. She first did this on Monday while at the doctor. Nate was crouching down getting something out of the diaper bag and pretty soon, she had made her way up and managed to find his shoulder to lay her head down (we weren't sure to smile or cry) she was just that miserable, she knew she had to find a way to get to that shoulder!!!! She's also using her baby stroller/walker and greeted me home from work the other day walking with Daddy down the hallway, it was precious! We'll try and get a video soon to post!

That's all for now...til next time!

Check-Up!

Mackenna and I headed to her 9 month well check this afternoon, minus Daddy :( as he started his first day of work. ALL is looking PERFECT with the little lady! Here are some highlights:

* She weighs an even 20 lbs (75%)
* She is 28 and 5/8 inches long (75%)
* Her head is 17 and 7/8 inches around (75%)

So good news is that she is growing right on target for her chart!! She still has a little heart murmur, but Dr. Jones assured us he didn't think it was anything to worry about; however if he hears it again at her 1 year check up, we'll most like get an ultrasound done to look a little further, but for now, nothing to worry about. She only had 1 shot today, so thankfully that was ok to handle for me all by myself, but I'll tell ya what; that never gets easier!!! UGH!

Dr. Jones is very happy to see how Kenna is doing; he gave us the green light to introduce solids slowly but surely (scary!!!) and I am in continued shock at how big my little girl is these days and today proved just that! We feel so thankful to have such a healthy and happy baby girl!

Loves...

9 months with LOTS of changes

Kenna is 9 months old!!!!!!

So much has happened over the course of a month:

* BIG MILESTONE - VERY mobile these days with crawling and rolling EVERYWHERE (MARCH 15, 2011 was the official BIG day!)
* Feeding herself with her bottle (lately she won't take her bottle unless she's holding it!)
* So many new sounds she's making (most noticeable with the 'GA' sound)
* She's learning how to kiss (SO CUTE we might add!)
* Standing on her own for longer periods of time
* Holding our hands and walking!!!!

We can't believe that our little girl isn't so little anymore; we should have titled this entry, 'Miss Independent' as that's actually what she is. As always, we can't wait to see what's in store over the next several weeks and months!

Aside from all of Kenna's big changes, we have had some changes ourselves. My job as a corporate trainer/facilitator is going really well and with my new hours (7:30/8am to 4pm) life as a working mama has become just a little easier with more time to be at home. Nate is now a working papa too! Temporarily, he'll be working at CH Robinson in the evening and on most weekends....I am blessed to work for a great company that has 24/7 shifts and was fortunate enough to help Nate get something while his search continues for bigger and better things. It will be a tough transition; as we'll both be acting as single parents for awhile, but we're ready for the challenge and know it will only bring our little family closer and so much stronger in the end!

I've always said things happen for a reason and this is one little stepping stone to our future that is only going to get brighter with each passing day...

Lots of love.
Kara, Nate and Mackenna

My 1st trip to the ZOO!

We decided with the 50 degree day and sky full of sunshine, that it was time to get out of the house, so we headed to the Como Zoo!

It was Kenna's 1st visit and we had a great time. She was enamored with the swimming seals and seemed to really like the zebras and giraffes! There was even a monkey that was pretty darn friendly with her up against the glass; it was a very cute moment! It was a wonderful family day and we can't wait to go back...

Crawling...

Our little mover and shaker...

It's official....Life is a whole new thing to Ms. Kenna these days!