9 Months

So I think with each child, I get further and further behind. I finally got Kodes in for her 9 month appointment...and yes I'm almost 2 months behind, but it went well. We got in pretty quick and undressed her to take her weight. Her stats so far...

WEIGHT:  15 lb. 10.5 oz. (1%)
HEIGHT:  26.8 inches (7%)
HEAD:  16.25 inches (0%-her head is so small, she's not even on the charts)
HEMOGLOBIN:  11.5 (needed to be above 11)

While we waited for Dr. Owen to come in, sweet Kenna continued to "read" her books to us. It really is the cutest thing to hear her imagination at work as she looks at the pictures.Yes, of course, when Dr. Owen came in, he was astonished at how tiny she is. But, it runs in the family (mostly how Ry was and still is) so he isn't too concerned...yet. Sometimes, though, I think the doctors think us as parents don't know how to take care of our children. If they are still growing, happy, healthy, hit milestones, and are well cared for and loved...that's what they need. Not guidelines and charts. So in my mind, she may be tiny, but she makes up for it everywhere else. Just to be sure, he made the nurse take a Hemoglobin test because he was sure her count would be too low because she's so tiny. Kodes didn't like being pricked by the needle, and of course she cried. But it went well and she proved him wrong! And she got her 1st sucker for being a great patient...and she loved every bit of it!

Other fun milestones so far....
*She went to her 1st Utah Jazz Party at the Checketts in November 2012.

*She celebrated her 1st Thanksgiving with the Allen clan at our house. While we ate at the table, she played in her jungle gym.

*She decorated her 1st Christmas Tree.

*She said her 1st word "Dada" in December.
*She sat up for the 1st time all by herself on December 8, 2012.

*She decorated her 1st Gingerbread House on December 18, 2012.

*She went for her 1st time to see Christmas Lights in SLC on December 21, 2012.

*She celebrated her 1st Christmas Eve by decorating cookies at our house, getting new warm PJ's, and a new stuffed animal.

*She celebrated her 1st Christmas. She was pretty happy most the day, but I know her favorite part was ripping all the wrapping paper off her presents.

*She got 2 new teeth within a day apart on Jan. 16 and Jan 17. We were so happy they FINALLY broke through because it made her a much happier baby.

*She loves her pink/blue blanket...it used it be J's. It's not the prettiest blanket for a girl...but it keeps her so happy and calm. She loves to roll around in it, on it, with it.

*She learned how to wave for the 1st time at the end of January...she was waving at Ry.

*She celebrated her 1st Valentine's Day. We went to dinner at Golden Corral for Ry's birthday where she experienced her 1st sherbet. She loved it so much, she ate the whole cup.

*She clapped for the 1st time in the bath on February 26th. I said, "Yay. Look at the big girl in the bath." She then started clapping and smiling.
*She loves to scratch her nails on different surfaces...the couch, the floor, walls, books, etc. She loves to hear the different sounds her nails make.
*She learned another word on March 8th...it's Rhett! She loves her brother. When she's sad or crying, it's the first word she'll say..."Rhett. Rhett." If he's home, he'll come up to get her and she'll start kicking her legs and wait for him to pick her up.

*Her favorite game is Peek-A-Boo. All you have to say is, "Where Kodes?" She'll immediately put her blanket or hands over her face and take them off when you say, "There she is!" It's pretty cute.
*She FINALLY crawls...well army crawls. Her 1st time was March 16. It's so cute, just like all the other kiddos did. She was very content rolling all over the place. She could roll from one side of the room to the other in under a min. But I guess, she wanted to finally scoot and now she's all over the place. She loves to scoot and play with the curtains and the heating grate in the hall.
*She celebrated her 1st St. Patrick's Day.

*She weaned herself off nursing all by herself. One day last week, I tried to nurse her and she did it for about 1 min and then wanted off. Then, the next time I tried, she just spit it out. I have to say that I thought I'd be glad for the freedom, but I am  a little sad she stopped. On the positive, I can finally start using the 200 frozen bags in the freezer. This will be the only child we haven't had to buy formula for.
*It's fun to see her excited. Whether it be when she sees someone she wants, getting her our of her crib, when she's about to be picked up, or when she sees her blanket...she'll start to kick her legs so fast, she looks just like a little frog.
*She wears size 3 diapers.
*She wears 9-12 month old clothes, but can still fit in a lot of her 3-6 month old clothes.
*She still loves her bink. We bought some new pink Soothie ones, which she prefers. But, she'll take any one when she really wants one.
*She loves sister time. The 3 of them get along so well, I cannot wait until she's a bit bigger and can play more with them. They have so much fun together and she loves being carried around by them.

*She's finally sleeping on a great schedule. She'll go to bed between 11pm-midnight, and sleep until about 11am. Now that she's been going to bed a lot earlier, I get to bed early.
*She eats like a champ. She cannot eat Sweet Potatoes anymore...or Carrots, Peaches, and Apricots. It gives her the worst diaper rash. But everything else, she'll gobble down..especially table food (minus dairy and peanuts.) We even bought canned meat, which she loves, to help her gain weight. If she's still hungry, and you start scraping the bowl, she'll instantly whine to let you know she's still hungry. If she sees us eating anything, she'll screech until you give her some.
*She loves faces...and anything on them. If you're holding her, she loves to touch your face, mouth, teeth, braces, glasses, etc.
*She still has super long hair...and it's still dark brown! She's my only one that has kept her brown hair this long.

These past few months have just been amazing. She's growing up quick and learning so many new things. I love this time in her life when she's wanting to explore all around her. It's been so fun to see how happy and excited she gets about the simplest things. We just love our little peanut!

6 Months

Today I took Kodes for her 6 month check-up...already. Her little year is moving along quite quickly. When we got there, there was no one else waiting, so we got in pretty quickly. We undressed Kodes to get her weight and height.

WEIGHT: 12 lb. 11.5 oz  (1%)
HEIGHT:  24.8 in.  (11%)
HEAD:  15.8 in.  (1%)

 I was glad that she had gained a little bit the last couple of months. I know her eating the cereal and starting baby food has helped her to put on some weight. After her vitals, the nurse came in to feed her an immunization...Rotovirus. Once again, she did not like it. My only child to keep spitting it out. I guess that's why they feed them extra, just in case they don't get much down.
Dr. Owen came in and asked about her progress. She's right on track with her learning abilities. And even though she's so small, her weight and height are proportional to her body. After talking a little bit with the Dr. it was time for Kodes shots. Kenna was so cute, because she kept encouraging Kodes by rubbing her leg and reading her books. The nurses came in and gave her 5 immunizations!
Of course she didn't like them, as she looked at me with those sad eyes with tears streaming down her face. I picked her up and soothed her. Luckily, I was able to take her home and feed her food which always makes her happy.
Stats at 6 months...
*She started clicking her tongue! It's the cutest thing. When she's super happy, I can sit right by her and have her mimic what I'm doing with my mouth.
*She loves her tongue. Ry was the same way as a baby. When they are happy, the tongue just stays out as they smile.
*She still nurses...all day long. Sometimes I think I should just be done, but with her being our last baby, I like being able to have that bonding with her. She will take a bottle if I'm not home, so that helps. Especially since I have quite the stock of milk in the freezer!
*She finally found the joy of babies. Mostly, she just sucks on them. But when you show her a baby doll, she gets the biggest smile on her face and just has to hold it.

*She can sit for awhile with help.
*She still loves her swing.
*She's finally rolling from back to stomach.
*She's sleeping like a trooper. She has her last feeding about midnight or 1am. Then she sleeps to about 10-11 am. It sure is nice in the morning when I'm getting the other kids ready for school.
*She's getting quite the personality. She'll watch us and if we laugh at something, she'll start laughing. It's really cute when we can tickle her and she laughs. Her favorite place to be tickled is on ribs, cheeks, and neck.
*She's getting better at burping herself when she sits up.
*She loves to put support on her legs, especially when we are holding her.
*She loves to eat! Her favorite foods so far is Oatmeal Baby Cereal, Baby Green Beans, Bananas, and Sweet Potatoes. She also loves Gerber Cereal Puffs. I would have to break them in half, but she can eat them whole now.

*She has a tooth coming in...though it's sure taking it's time. It's been sore and tender and causing her some discomfort, but rubbing her gums and ice teethers seem to help.
*She LOVES her siblings. The kids are so nice to help me with her if she's upset. They will pick her up and take her for "walks", swing her, give her bink or blanket, sing or dance to her, give her a toy, etc. It seems it doesn't matter what they do. When they are in front of her, she's smiling right back at them.
*She went on her first vacation! We went to WA last month and at first she was ok. But then she had separation anxiety so we moved her to the front with us. Then she was happy the rest of the road trip.

*While we were in WA, she was able to see a lot of things for the first time...Multnomah Falls Waterfall, the Beach, the Portland, OR Temple, and walking through Ape Caves at Mt. St. Helen's.

 



*She loves to use her hands. Its so fun to see her grabbing at anything and everything she can. The kids are super helpful to help her get toys she can't reach. But she loves to roll and stretch as far as she can to grab something within grasp. My fave thing she does when I hold her, is she'll just stroke my face ever so softly. So cute.

*She celebrated her first Halloween. We dressed her up as a bat and she was so cute. She was super behaved while we trick-or-treated. In fact, she fell asleep halfway through.

 

 

It's just been so fun seeing Kodes grow and grow. She lets out a little more of her personality each and every day. I'm so excited for the next stage...sitting up, crawling, talking and laughing more, and walking!

4 Months

I took Kodee for her 4-month check-up today. I can hardly believe she is that old! We got to the Dr. Owen's office and had to wait about 15 min. When we got back to the office, we got Kodee's stats.

WEIGHT: 10 lb 7 oz - 0%
HEIGHT:  23.25 in - 8%
HEAD:      15.25 in - 1 %

Yes, I cannot believe what a little peanut she is! Every time I nurse her (yes, she finally has started to nurse) she eats for like an hour!!! I figured she had put on weight. Dr. Owen wasn't too concerned about her being tiny since the other kiddos were the same way. He did however put her on Poly-Vi-Sol which is a vitamin supplement...mostly for vitamin D. He said it would help her epically with being so little. He then checked her reflexes, ears, eyes, hips, and heart. A-ok on everything.
We talked a little about his family because turns out his wife is from Peru and is good friends with our friend, Cindy, who is also from Peru. J, Cindy, and her husband, James, always get together on Sundays at Church and have Spanish pow-wows! Small little world.
We then talked about Kodee and the steps to take for the next 2 months until he sees her again. Mainly, she can start on baby cereal! I can't believe my baby is already old enough to be on soft solids. It was finally time for the dreaded immunizations. I had given her Little Fevers before we came to help with her soreness and fever she usually gets from shots.
The nurse had me lay her down on the table. She started first by feeding Kodee her Rotovirus immunization...which she didn't like. It's so weird because all my other kiddos drank the stuff right up. And I didn't feed Kodee before we left so she would be hungry. No tactic worked...not even blowing in her face to startle her to have her gulp it. Hopefully she got enough of it to help. Then the nurse had to use the needle for the other 4 immunizations. When she pricked Kodee's thigh, I have never heard such a cry from her. It was an instant high-pitched squeal, but hardly any noise escaped. Little tears started to roll down her cheek and I quickly picked her up to console her. She kept sobbing and doing her dry-throat squeal for a few min; oh she was so sad. Break my heart!!!
It was finally time to leave. I made a quick trip to the store for baby cereal and headed home. I then mixed up rice cereal with breast milk and got her seated in her highchair.
At first, she wasn't sure if she liked it...

Then she decided it was good, but I wasn't feeding her fast enough...

She finally got full enough about half-way thru and started thinking it was funner to play with it rather than eat it...

I cleaned her up and nursed her for about 45 min. After all that food, I figured she must have gained a little bit more. She tuckered herself into a food coma and slept for 4 hours!!! I was just happy she was so satisfied.
Fun facts at 4 months...
*She HATES being swaddled. It started when she was 3 months old...anytime I tried she cried and kicked until the blanket was free.
*She finally graduated from newborn clothes. She mostly wears 0-3 months...some jammies are 3-6 months, though she is still too short in them.
*I can't tell who she looks like. Each day I see her, I think she resembles a little bit from each one of the kiddos...even Rhett. She constantly changes.
Kodee

Kenna
Kodee

Rylee

*Like I said before, she FINALLY nurses off me. It's been so nice to be out and about and not worry about taking my pump, bottles, or baggies. She loves to nurse and eats about 45 min to 1 hour. Sadly though, sometimes when I'm home, I'll still have to pump a little bit afterwards...(I now have about 200 bags in the freezer)
*When she does take a bottle, she eats anywhere from 4-6 oz.
*She's not a binkie snob. She still prefers her green soothie, but she'll take any in a pinch. Lately, she has discovered her hands and thumb and those seem to keep her content alot of the times too.
*She still loves her swing! Though, I think she's getting a little too big because this is how we found her the other night. She had rolled completely sideways and fell asleep!

*She has rolled completely over from stomach to back. But when she's on her back, she can roll her entire body over except her head. It makes her look like a contortionist!
*She loves to face outward. When she's upset, it's the only position that seems to soothe her...but she has to hold your fingers!
*She loves bedtime. As long as she her bink, music mobile, and J's old blankie he used when he was a baby. It's not the prettiest blanket, but it's all satin and she completely loves it. When she's really tired, she puts it on her face and instantly stops crying and falls asleep. Lately she's been sleeping from 1130 pm to 1100 am!
*She loves to lay on the floor and play with toys. Her favorite ones right now are her bink and toy rings. When she holds her rings, she gets a death grip on them and waves her arms back and forth.
*She finally laughed last week, September 5. We were running our fingers up and down on her rib cage and she just started to do a quiet, stifled laugh...while closing her eyes. Soooo cute!
*Both girls still love to help take care of Kodee. Whether it be Kenna laughing with her, talking to her, reading her a story...

or Ry holding her, rocking her, feeding her, or dancing to her....Kodee loves her sisters! Whenever they go near her, she gets the biggest open-mouthed smile on her face!

We are just so in love with our little Kodes. She brightens each and every one of our days. And it's just so fun to see her little personality grow and grow!

2 Months

Well a few weeks past 2 months old, but we finally took Kodee to her 2 month appointment. I was trying to wait when J could be home to watch the kiddos, but it hadn't worked out. So me and all the kiddos woke up early today to get to her appointment on time....5 minutes early even.
When we first arrived, the kiddos all went back to the waiting room while I got stuck at the check-in desk. I had to fill out papers they forgot to have me sign at her last appointment. Dr. Owen was so on time that they called us back while I was still checking in.
When we got back to the room, we got her current stats:

WEIGHT: 8 lbs. 14 1/2 oz.-2%
HEIGHT: 22 1/2 inches-30%
HEAD: 15 inches-13%

Yes, little Kodes is still tiny, but she is bigger than all the other kiddos were at 2 months. The others were not even on the growth chart...negative %. So even though she's only 2%, she at least made the chart. Like Daddy, like daughter...tall and skinny!
After Dr. Owen checked her out (including laying her down on her belly to do "superman" to make sure her muscles were supporting her body good) it was time for the dreaded immunizations. I know they are so important, but I still hate going to these appointments that make my kiddos cry.
The nurse came in and gave her the liquid Rotavirus immunization first. I thought Kodes would be like all the other kids and drink it right up. She only got halfway thru, when she started to spit it out. The nurse finally got her to drink the rest and while Kodee was still in mid-swallow, she got her 3 pricks to the leg with the other immunizations. Kodee looked up at me, gave the saddest pout and frown, and just cried out in the most agonizing cry! It melted my heart. I picked her right up, nestled her close, and gave her a bottle to soothe her...I was glad to have the appointment over. She is right on track and everything looked wonderful.
Some fun facts of our little trooper at 2 months:
*We celebrated 4th of July with her first firework show...she did not like them! But at least she looked cute during them!

*She finally graduated from newborn diapers this last Sat. July 14th. She's now in size 1 and they look so big on her!
*She still has big, blue eyes like J.
*She's drinking 4 oz...from a bottle. She still won't nurse, which is ok because anytime I try, she lets out blood-curdling screams. To me it's not worth traumatizing her as long as she gets my milk somehow.
*She still has all her dark, brown hair. I love to put headbands on her, but she's not a fan. Most times she'll cry until we take it out. I hope she'll like girly hair stuff later on.
*I don't remember introducing tummy time so early on, but she loves to be on her tummy. I think it's because she can see everything around her better. And she's so strong because she'll hold her head up for long periods of time. And Ry loves to give her kisses during her tummy time!

*She loves and hates swaddling. At night for bed, I swaddle her because it's the only way she'll fall asleep...being tight in a blanket. But she hates it because she can't suck her hands which she still loves to do.
*She loves music...especially her mobile at night. It's what helps calms her to sleep.
*She's had some colic these last couple weeks. She'll be perfectly fine and the next minute her whole body will clench up in pain until she can get the gas out. It's been so sad so I've adjusted my diet a bit...no more salads! It's the one thing I changed and it helped a ton.
*She recognizes me and J, even our voices. When we come into her vision, she'll just smile from ear to ear. We can even talk to her from a far, and she'll coo or smile just hearing our voices.
*She recognizes her bottle...when she sees it, she'll start to whimper and kick her legs real fast. She'll even hold her bottle at times; her first time was June 23rd. She doesn't always do it, but we're sure proud of her when she does.

Our little Kodes sure can be fussy at times, but she also just melts our hearts with her smiles...and she does that a lot! We just can't get enough of her. I am loving each and every day I get to spend with her and see her growing up!

6 Weeks

I can hardly believe it's been 6 weeks today since little Kodee was born; it seems it was just yesterday I was in the hospital. I just have so much love for her.
We celebrated 6 weeks with her blessing and of course I reminisced all day about her birth. My favorite memory of the hospital had to be the day after she was born. I hadn't slept very much and I was in a lot of pain. So after I fed Kodee and took some pain meds, I closed the blinds, laid down the bed and held her in my arms and took a very long nap. We had no interruptions, no phone calls, no one coming in to check on anything...just a peaceful afternoon holding my sweet pea.
I had my 6-week check-up and everything looked good. With all my other pregnancies, I've been able to physically bounce back pretty quickly...within a couple weeks. With Kodee, I'm just barely feeling 100%. Dr. Hall checked me and everything has healed up normal, my blood pressure is normal at 124/76, and I have lost 14 lbs. I guess this means my maternity leave has officially ended!
Kodee is still growing. She's weighing in at 7 lbs 8 oz. She's been so much fun to have around the house. A few tidbits on her these last few weeks...
*She's definitely been my most fussy baby. She's very needy and seems to get really unhappy while I'm pumping. Luckily she loves to cuddle and takes a bink to soothe her. When that doesn't help, I have great kids, mostly Ry, who loves to hold her to make her happy.
*She loves to suck on EVERYTHING...binks, my arms, my shirt, blankets, bibs, burp cloths, her hands, and even the other day she had rolled into the couch and was sucking on that. Though ironically, she doesn't like to nurse!
*She loves to swing...more than the other kiddos had. It seems to be one of the saving graces through out the day to keep her content. Thank heavens for rechargeable batteries and to Dawn and Kathleen for loaning me their swings.
*She just started to smile. Her first time was June 2 when she was looking at Kenna. She doesn't do it a lot yet; mostly when she's very content. It's so fun to see her personality coming out little by little.

*She is a kicker! She's constantly kicking her legs, and they are quite strong. She's always kicking her blankets off and when she's sitting by me, she'll kick at my legs. It totally explains how active she was in my tummy.
*She eats 3 oz bottles. Her last bottle of the day is between 11pm-midnight. Then she'll sleep until about 6-630am. J usually does her first morning feeding so I can sleep.
*She loves to sleep in her crib with her musical mobile. She sleeps so much better in her own room.
*She still has her "stork-bites" on her forehead and eye. I wonder if they really will fade away as she gets older.
*She's acquired a few more nick-names along with Kodes...bubs and bubby.
It's been a great 6 weeks and I feel so blessed and lucky to have such wonderful children around me.

Oh, What A Blessing

Yup...the day came. It's already been 6 weeks since little Kodee came into our lives and today we had her blessing. It's truly amazing how fast these past weeks have flown by and how much she is growing.
I started the morning at 630am...pumped, fed Kodee, showered, fixed hair, dressed and braided the older 2 girl's hair, bathed Kodee and got her dressed, ate a bowl of cereal, got things ready for luncheon, pumped again, fed Kodee again, got dressed, and got to the church 10 min early. When we sat down, it felt as though I had gone through a whole day already.

Poor Justin was so nervous he was sick and throwing up all morning. I guess he had anxiety, but he did a great job. Jason had to stay at his ward for bishopric and Kyle had to work. We had Justin, Dad, Aaron, Bishop Elmore, and Justin's good friends in the ward Ryan Newbold, Derek Howells, and Paul Jacobson in the circle to bless Kodee. Sadly Grandma and Grandpa didn't make it.
Justin gave her official name for the records of the church and blessed she would be given all the wonderful blessings the Lord has in store for her. To be able to listen and learn from her parents, brother, sisters, and church leaders. To choose to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. Also to meet a man who would love and cherish her and take her to the temple to be married and start her own family. It was a sweet blessing and she slept peacefully through the whole thing.


After sacrament meeting, we went home to change and then headed to the park by our house to eat lunch. Surprisingly, for June, it was super cold with the wind. Justin went back and forth to our house to get the things we kept forgetting...jackets, diapers, bib. Tanner lost Dawn's keys so she, Dad, and Justin stayed at the church to find them. They were finally found an hour later...in the boy's bathroom! When everyone finally got together, we moved a table into the sun to warm up and ate lunch. It ended up getting so warm, we all got a little color; I got burnt on the face and arms. The kids had so much fun playing on the toys...




...While the adults sat around and did our favorite 2 things...eat and talk!!!



It was a wonderful and calm day. Thank you to our family and friends for all the love and support you offer us!