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!

First Photo Shoot

Even though Kodee is still tiny, we decided to take her and the fam to get our pictures taken. Since we haven't had a family picture taken in over a year, we headed to Target to get them done. We had an awesome coupon....free sitting fees, free 8x10, and $3.99 per sheet. I love a good bargain especially being on a tight budget; and I think they did an awesome job. A few of our faves:

First Doctor's Visit

I can hardly believe it...already 12 days old; so we were due in for Kodee's first doctor's visit with Dr. Owen. It just amazes me how quick time is flying by. I can't get enough of our sweet little bundle.
We have had Mandee and Craig and their girls staying with us this week. They have been such a huge help and we have totally enjoyed our time with them. Today they took Ry with them on the Frontrunner to go to SLC, Rhett was in school, and J was at work. So that left me and Kenna to take Kodee to the Dr's.
When we got to Tanner Clinic, Kodee was pretty calm. We got called right back. We went into a room where I had to dress Kodee down to her diaper. Then we weighed her, got her height, and head circumference. I wanted her to gain weight since she had dropped down to 5 lbs. 14 oz. the day we were released from the hospital.

Her current stats:
Weight: 6 lb. 2 oz...4%
Height: 19 1/2 in....24%
Head: 13 1/4 in....7%

After we got her measured, Dr. Owen checked her heart, eyes, ears, hips, and general color of her skin. Everything came back A-ok! Though she is super tiny still, she is sure headed in the right way.
Next came the dreaded PKU heel prick test. I knew Kodee would HATE it and...she did. As soon as they pricked her heel, she screamed super loud. Then it turned into a whimpered cry and man that makes your heart ache to hear such a tiny cry. As soon as they filled all the circles in on her card, I quickly wrapped her back up and fed her a bottle. That seemed to make everything all better.
I had a couple concerns about Kodee...1-Her belly button. Her cord came off 2 days ago, but the inside of it still looked goopy and white. Because her belly button closes, it kept the moisture in. I have to do more cleanings with alcohol to make sure we dry it out. 2-Her breathing. The last couple nights, she has had labored breathing which has been scary. It's quick breaths, a long breath, and then about 5 seconds of no breaths. Dr. Owen said its completely normal and we shouldn't worry...just keep an eye out for it. He said it happens when babies are born early or are still really little and their spinal cords are still developing 100%.
It was a great appointment and I was happy to know Kodee is growing and progressing great. Other moments from her first two weeks...
*She still has 2 "stork's bites." One little one on her right eyelid and another bigger one between her eyes. They appear as red circles, but usually only when she's angry or crying.
*We call her squeak toy. Sometimes her little cries come out like little squeaks. Kenna calls her baby Kodee.
*She's doing better at sleeping through the night. She has her last feeding about midnight and sleeps until about 630am.
*She spends most the day eating, sleeping, and rocking in the swing.
*The kiddos just LOVE helping...feeding her a bottle, holding her, wrapping her up in blankets, and talking to her.
*Whenever Kodee cries, the kiddos try everything to get her to calm down. Usually it takes putting her bink back in her mouth. And when I'm stuck in a stationary place pumping, the extra hands sure help.
*She still has her long dark brown hair. I love putting her bows and headbands in her hair.
*She loves to be bathed now! Her favorite part is when I wash her hair and brush it...she always closes her eyes in relaxation.
*She still loves to be swaddled. Sometimes when she cries, I just have to wrap her back up nice and tight, and she calms right down.
*Justin can't get enough of holding Kodee and neither can she. If he's home, and she cries, he just has to put her in his arms and she instantly stops. There's something about his calm demeanor that she just loves. And of course, he loves his girl!
I am just ecstatic about having Kodee in our family. Each day I'm thankful for being blessed with her and getting to experience a newborn again.

Me and Kodee...12 days old

The kiddos helping with Kodee

First "Bath"

On Thursday, May 3, I gave Kodee her first "bath." The girls were so excited to watch, but of course, like my other kiddos, she didn't like it at first.

She only calmed down when I started to wash and scrub her tiny head. She's definitely all girl and loves her hair to be played with.

I quickly got her dressed cause she was shivering. I decided to take a few pics of her...

...And the girls just had to get in the pics with her. They are so camera-happy!

Hospital Stay

My adrenaline must have still been going the first night, because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get to sleep. I finally sent Kodee to the nursery and was able to sleep for about 2 hours.
On Monday, April 30, I was awoken at 715am to get my vital signs. About 10 min. later, Kodee was brought in from the nursery to eat. Then about an hour later, Dr. Hall came in to see if I wanted to be released. I said, "No way! I'm going to milk this as long as possible!" About 15 min. after he left, Dr. Owen (the kiddos pediatrician) came in to check Kodee's vitals.

Everything looked great. Her collar bone and head looked normal especially after having the forceps and vacuumed used. Dr. Owen had said, 2 weeks earlier, one of his patient's collar bone had broken from the forceps. I was relieved to know everything looked fine with Kodee.
Davis Hospital gives you a special spouse lunch or dinner. So J came up at lunch time and we enjoyed Philly Steak sandwiches, fries, and Strawberry Cheesecake...mmm!

I spent the rest of the day enjoying my quiet, one-on-time with Kodee. After I'd feed her, all I had to do was sit her up and she'd burp herself. When she was awake, she would look wide-eyed at everything around her. We even took a nap together, which of course I just loved being able to snuggle with her. But one of my favorite things was just watching her sleep. I could stare at her all day!

I slept much better the 2nd night. When I woke up, Tuesday, May 1, they brought Kodee in from the nursery. Of course, I just stared at her. Each morning I get to see her, is like getting a present all over again. I just can't get enough of her. After breakfast, I got my things packed and ready to go...because it was time to head back into reality and leave the pampered services of the nurses.
Before I left, they had their photography staff come and do a little photo session. I was able to get a very sweet book of all the pics they took. I am so excited to get it!
J and Kenna came to pick me up about 11am. Before we left, we took a few more pics of Kodee while we waited for Dr. Hall to release me.

It was finally time; as we got our plants, belongings, and baby Kodee, I looked into my empty room. I have to admit how sad I became...I even cried. I looked at the empty cart against the wall which Kodee was sleeping in. I don't know why I get so sentimental, but I was sad to leave the serenity of the room that was my home for the past 2 days. On the other hand, I was excited to go home with our new, beautiful daughter.

J and the kiddos were so kind to make us a surprise as we pulled up at home.

Kenna even wanted to be a "mom" and take her baby on a car ride, just like Kodee. Safety first!

I wasn't sure how the kiddos would react to having a new baby in the home. But surprisingly, there hasn't been any bad feelings. The girls are in total bliss having a real baby in the house and Rhett has loved being a big brother. I feel super lucky and very blessed to have such wonderful miracles in my life!

WELCOME LITTLE ANGEL!!!



NAME: Kodee Reyn Merrill
DATE: April 29, 2012
TIME: 637 am
WEIGHT: 6 lbs. 3 oz.
LENGTH: 19 inches
PLACE: Davis Hospital and Medical Center