Mary Kate is 2 Months!

Mary Kate was 2 months old on the 23rd of December and we went a little crazy with the camera to take all kinds of pictures of her. We got Sam this new camera for his birthday and all of our family makes fun of us because we take so many pictures. She was pretty calm when we took these but we did have to wait until she ate and burped before we could get some good ones. It was fun for us but I am not sure if Mary Kate really loved it. We plan to hold on to these shots so that we can show her them when she gets older and I am sure she will love us for it.

Christmas 2007

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We have been waiting so long to have our little special one with us on Christmas and our dreams came true this year. Although Mary Kate had no idea what Christmas was all about and she slept through it all but she got some really neat things. She has really started to be more alert and she pays attention to her family so much more. We were able to spend a few days in Cincinnati with the Cunningham's b/c Sam had some time off of work. We enjoyed seeing all of the family and friends in Cincinnati. Normally Sam and I spend the entire holiday season in the car but we were able to make our visits with the Grandmas prior to X-mas this year so we were at the Cunningham's Christmas morning but then had a wonderful dinner at the Snavley's. Mary Kate was exhausted by all of the events that she attended over the 5 day period that the day after Christmas she slept all day long. Some of her activities consisted of:

Church twice

Stonecreek to eat 4 times

Visited all 3 of her Great Grandma's

She was such a good baby. We only hope that she stays this way if so we are going to be very spoiled.

So long since last post

Well time has just flown and I haven't been able to take the time to update our blog. So I am going to enter a few posts so that everyone can see what we have been up to for the last month. Mary Kate is getting so big and Sam and I are enjoying every moment of being parents. She is starting to sleep much better at night and is a lot more alert. I will comment more on my next few posts. I hope that you enjoy!

GO BUCKS!

GO BUCKS! Yes her shirt says "POOP on Michigan!" She wore this during the OSU vs . Michigan game. It was so adorable to watch her and Sam watch the game together. Mary Kate also got a picture taken with Robby(Jill's cousin)-2nd team quarterback with Bucks- on Thanksgiving Day. She could fit in one of his hands! We are so excited that the Bucks are going to New Orleans and can't wait to watch them beat LSU.

Baptism

We had a really special day on Saturday the 24th. When I was young I was batized by Father Celius. He is the family priest that has been apart of so many special days in our lives. Father married my parents, baptized me, converted Sam to Catholicism and married Sam and I 5 years ago. When we called him to see if he would baptize Mary Kathryn he had just gotten released from the hospital and wasn't sure if he would even be around. Well- he made it and even though he was very weak he baptized Mary on Saturday. It was so neat and special for us to have him there for her very important day. Mary Kate is also very lucky because she has three great godparents. My brother Brad is the godfather and my two sisters Sarah and Hannah are her godparents. Mom and Dad had everyone back at their house after the Baptism and we just had a laid back afternoon.

Thanksgiving Holiday

We had a great holiday week for Mary Kate's 1st Thanksgiving. Sam was able to take sometime off of work and we spent the week in Cincinnati. Mary Kate did a great job traveling for her 1st trip to the Cunningham's. We had a very laid back day on Thanksgiving. It was just the Cunningham's and Great Grandma Rother. We hung out all day and the men made dinner. It was great! Mary Kate loved spending time with her cousins Ava and Jackson and her aunts and uncles. My mom was a huge help allowing Sam and I to get out a few times during the week. We had lunch at Stonecreek without Mary and that was the first time Sam and I had gone anywhere without her. It was a really nice trip.

Aunt Hannah's Visit/Jill's 1st time out

Hannah hadn't seen Mary Kathryn since she was born so she took a day off of school and her and Mom came up on Friday morning and stayed through Saturday. Mary Kate loves Aunt Hannah. She would cuddle up next to her and just sleep. Hannah did not like that she sleep all day but it was fun to hang out with them.

The most exciting part of the day was Mami watched Mary Kate while Hannah and I went out for an hour to pick up a few things. We went to Hobby Lobby and got some more scrapbooking things (I really don't need anymore) for Mary Kate's book. We had such a great time but I felt bad leaving her so I rushed back. It was nice to get a little break.

Anyway Mary had to go to the Doctor b/c she woke up yesterday with a swollen eye. She has a clogged tear duct and we had to see the DR. I guess it is normal for infants to have this problem. They weighted her again and much to our surprised Mary Kate weighes 7 lbs 11 ounces. The DR. said that they expect that the baby get back to their birth weight within 2 weeks of their birthday. Well MK is 2 weeks today and she is already reached that. She really likes the mommy milk. We joke around and my nickname is the "Milk Lady." Whenever she hears my voice she thinks its time to eat.

Things are going really well and we are having so much fun. Night times are still a little hard but that is OK with me.

The New Mom and Dad

We finally had the opportunity to get some pictures of our familiy together. We are just loving our little family so much and having a blast being with Mary Kathryn. Although the night times are a little hard we enjoy every moment of being with her. Dad had to go back to work this week and is adjusting quite well. I am trying to get used to being home with her by myself. Sam is such a huge help so it took me a while to have my own routine. Mary sleeps most of the day and then is up all night. We are hoping that it gets a little better here over the next few weeks. Anyway, we are doing really well and having such a great time.

Vistors

Over this past weekend- Mary Kate's aunt, uncle and cousins came to visit. Ava loved Mary Kate so much- she read to her and sang to her. It was a whole lot of fun to watch her interact with MK. Jackson just says "baby" all the time. He is very active and loves to play. The cousins, Kerri, Tim, Kimberly and Tim stopped by on Sunday after the Buckeye's game. Then Aunt Sarah and Mami Cunningham came for the night to hang out which was a nice surprise. Sam made a wonderful dinner and we just hung out which was really nice.

Grandma and Grandpa Snavley normally come everyday to see Mary Kathryn and to see how much she has changed from day 1. They love to visit with her and just hang out. Last night we got out for the first time since going to the Dr. and had dinner at their house which was really nice for Mom to get out of the house for an hour or so.

Sponge Bath

Today we gave MK her first sponge bath and she loved it. She was so happy being naked and wrapped up in her duck towel that her Aunt Hannah bought for her. She loved being massaged and clean. We had so much fun being with her and taking pictures. Sam really has gotten good at taking great shots. We hope that everyone is enjoying them as much as we are.

Things are going well for us. Not a whole lot of sleep at night. Of course she has days and nights mixed a little. She literally sleeps all day and you would think that Sam and I would get some good rest but it is hard to sleep during the day when the world doesn't stop when you have a kid. We have been able to get a lot of household chores done this week but getting very tired. I think that going forward naps are going to be key.

Sam is planning on going back to work on Monday afternoon and so we will see how mom does on her own. With not having a whole lot of experience with a baby- Sam has adapted almost too well. He is spoiling me and for those of you who know me well know that I have been spoiled my whole relationship with Sam and too think that it would change is crazy. Actually I think that it has gotten worse. He is so involved in everything that Mary does it is so sweet. He is the one that sits with us at every feeding and tickles her little feet to make sure that she stays awake. He has already complied several nicknames for her and you should see her little face when he talks to her. She is in love with her dad. I think that after 5 days it is safe to say that Mary is a "Daddy's little girl!"

1st Halloween

Mary Kathryn's first Halloween was uneventful but she did dress for the occasion. We look forward to the years to come where she can dress up in costume and trick or treat with her cousins. Check out her pics!

Mary's Home!

We were released from the hospital this afternoon and are now home and so happy! My mom and brother David worked so hard to make our house beautiful for our first day home. David made a wonderful dinner for the whole family and Mary adapted really well to her new house. Molly is hanging in there thanks to Uncle David. I think that she knows now that she is no longer the little princess in our house. We are a little nervous for our first night but Mami Cunningham will be here to help.

Check out Mary Kate's outfit that she came home in today. Sam's Grandma made the entire outfit for when Sam was born (they didn't know he was going to be a boy). Sam's parents did a great job keeping it in good shape and Mary looked so adorable coming home today. We were the only patients at the hospital all day yesterday and today and the nurses just couldn't believe how cute she looked.

This evening we compared our baby pictures and Mary Kathryn looks just like her dad. I am going to try to scan his baby picture to show everyone how much she looks like him. She is such a great baby. Cries very little and just loves to cuddle- especially with her dad. We are loving every moment and so glad that time has arrived. We will continue to share our favorite pictures and hope that everyone enjoys.

New Arrival-Happy Birthday Mary-10/28

Mary Kathryn has arrived! We came in on Friday evening for our typical stress test and her heartbeat took a dip so they decided to go ahead and induce on Saturday afternoon. Everyone is doing great. Mom is really tired so is Dad but other than that it couldn't be more perfect! She weighed 7 lbs 2 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Once we get home and get settled we will be sure to add more posts to our blog- but for now enjoy the latest pics!

THE END IS NEAR!

Well we have had an exciting few weeks. On the 15th we went into the hospital with contractions and found that we were 2 centimeters dilated. The contractions were not strong enough to continue in labor so they sent us home. I have been having contractions since then but I guess not strong enough to be in true labor. We saw the doctor a few days later and we have set a date to be induced- we will be going to the hospital to be induced on October 30th. So we are having a Halloween Baby! Sam and I are so excited and just can't wait until next Tuesday. I am so ready and feeling very uncomfortable and anxious. We have had our bags packed and the house is ready so we just can't wait for Mary Kate to join our family. The next time we post to our blog it will hopefully be with pictures of Mary Kate!

Getting Close!

Sorry to all that it has been a while since I have posted anything to the blog. I have been doing as good as I can be. I have some bad days and some good days. This week we will complete our 35th week and Sam and I are so thankful that we have been able to beat the odds and make it this far. I am still fighting contractions but the doctor says it is all OK. They did another ultra sound last week and Mary Kate came in at an estimated 5 lbs and 13 ounces. We were shocked because the doctor said that one side effect of the fibroid would be a small baby and she has been really small this entire time up until the 34th week. So Sam pushing me to eat all the time has made a big difference. So Mary Kate is doing really well, her mom on the other hand is getting very uncomfortable. I am not sleeping at all at night so lucky for me being on bed rest allows me to sleep all day.
I will tell you all Sam and I are so ready for Mary Kate to arrive. We have everything ready and just can't wait. I will be posting pictures of her nursery once Sam has a chance to take them.

Baby Shower- 9/9

Over the weekend we had another baby shower held at my parents home in Cincinnati. The top picture is a pic of my diaper cake. Mom started the tradition in our family of diaper cakes at baby showers. Next you will see my Mom Vickie and I,then Michele and Sarah together, Hannah and I and then Amy and I. My sisters (Michele, Sarah and Hannah) and good friend (Amy) threw the shower for Sam and I. It was a great shower. Sarah brought all the food from Stone Creek and it was all delicious. Everything looked so nice. The favors were adorable! They gave everyone a potted mum with ribbons tied on all of the pots.

We got so many great things! We have no idea where we are going to put everything but we will make it work. I think that we are all set now and ready for Mary Kate to arrive. We are still going through all of our gifts and organizing.