Blessing Day

Today was Kaitlyn's blessing. She wore my blessing dress from when I was a baby. My grandma Zaelit made the bonnet, my grandma Webb made the blanket, and the pink fuzzy shoes belonged to my dad. (Side bar: when my grandma got pregnant again, she was so excited! She already had two boys and she knew this one was going to be a girl. She went out and bought these shoes, but alas, my dad was a boy. She still tried the shoes on him, but didn't take him out in public, and kept the shoes because she couldn't part with them. Now Jennie and I get to use them for our little girls' blessings.) Anyway, it was so good to see all of our family. Many of my family came down from the Salt Lake area and Mom & Dad came down from Idaho. It was so great to see them and share this special event with them. Jared blessed Kaitlyn and it was a beautiful blessing. I know he was nervous, but he did a great job! I am so grateful for the Priesthood and the wonderful husband I have who honors it. I love the fact that the Lord has given us a way to bless our infants, to give them strength and guidance as they grow. I know that many people might say that babies are too young, but I do not believe that at all. I know that Kaitlyn is closer to Heavenly Father right now than any of us, and I know that she understands the words of her blessings. We named her Kaitlyn Elenore Brown after my grandma Webb. She passed away in May, but she was so excited for this little girl to come visit our family. I know that she loved Kaitlyn and spent time with her before Kaitlyn arrived. I also believe that Grandma was present on Sunday as well. I didn't get any pictures of the bonnet, blanket, or shoes - I will at a later date.

Kaitlyn's first month

Well, it's been a month and I know I haven't been very good at updating. My excuse is a C-section incision to heal from and a newborn with a yeast infection that cries and fusses and wants to be held all the time!
Here's the updates:
Jared turned 25! I am so grateful for this wonderful man in my life, even more so now that we have a daughter. Saturday I was taking a bath & reading (Jared was taking care of Kaitlyn so I could have a relaxing morning) and while I was there, I heard Jared singing to Kaitlyn. The BYU fight song, I Am a Child of God, and World of Imagination were among the soundtrack. She loves his voice. Kaitlyn has become a great football watching buddy with Dad...too bad the Cougars decided not to play on Saturday.
Anyway, Mom Brown was in town for a week, taking care of us and playing with Kaitlyn. We are so grateful for her help, meals, love, and advice. While Mom was here I took Kaitlyn to the Dr for the first and second time. She hadn't made it back up to her birth weight at 2 weeks, and by 2 1/2 she had a very groggy morning where she didn't wake up much and didn't eat hardly anything. Also, she had the beginnings of a very nasty diaper rash. The doctor suggested measuring everything she ate, which meant that I go up at 2 to pump, then feed her. Long nights. He also suggested a cream for her rash, since desitin hadn't been working. The following Monday Mom Brown had gone home and Mom Zaelit had a birthday. She wanted to spend it with her family at the zoo - Kaitlyn's first trip. I don't think she cared much. Later in the week I took Kaitlyn back to the dr to be weighed and to discuss her rash, which had started bleeding. I did some research and was pretty sure that it was a yeast infection. Her weight was up - yay!, and the dr (a different one this time) said he was pretty sure it wasn't an infection and suggested a different cream. Three days later she was crying whenever she filled her diaper and it was still bleeding, I took her back, asked specifically about a yeast infection. The dr once again said no, and suggested yet another cream. Two days later it still wasn't better, so I called and wanted to see the first dr again. They double booked him and fit us in, thank heavens. He gave us two perscriptions and a different cream (seriously, I feel like a lotion store here). Thank heavens, it's started clearing up and Kaitlyn has been back to her usual sweet and smiley self.
That's the update. Kaitlyn weighed 8 lbs 15 oz on her one month birthday and has loved all the attention she has gotten from family. Especially the visit from Great Grandma Brown. She has also started smiling at us, especially when we're singing. Her favorites: Dancing Queen, World of Imagination, and California Girls. With Grandma BrownCousin Thomas came to visitGreat Grandma BrownGrandma ZaelitFamily photoGo Cougars At the Zoo

Details of Kaitlyn's Birthday

So, when we went in to the doctor at 38 weeks, they told us that I wasn't dilated or effaced. The same report came the next week, along with the opinion that I would most likely need a c-section. On Monday the 17th, we went in for one final check with a different doctor so we could get a second opinion. He told us that my pelvis isn't open and my cervix was still rock hard - I probably had a 5% chance of delivering vaginally. He also told us that we were looking at eight pounds of kid - I was amazed at that info: where had I put eight pounds? Here's the answer, taken Tuesday morning before we we left for the hospital:So we woke up bright and early and went to the hospital at 5:45 am. When we got there, the nurses quickly checked us in and prepped me for surgery. My parents met us at there and were excited to learn that they got to watch the delivery from a window outside the OR. I went down to the operating room and Jared left to get into scrubs (it took a while to find some to fit, but they succeeded). I got a spinal and immediately began to go numb; it was kind of a cool sensation. The doctors arrived, Jared came in, and we got to work. It felt just like Kaitlyn was moving a lot!
Pretty soon I heard a little squawk and the doctor commented that her head was "beautifully shaped" and that it was a good thing we'd done a c-section, because there was no way I was delivering her vaginally. Kaitlyn began holding her breath, maybe trying to get back in, but they quickly persuaded her that she wanted to breath. She was blue at first, but quickly pinked up. Her Apgar scores were 8 and 9. Jared and Kaitlyn went to the nursery while they finished sewing me up.I went back to the room and waited to see my beautiful baby girl again. They came in and handed her to me, she was so wonderful. I couldn't believe how perfect she was. Later, when Jared and Dad went to giver her a bath, Mom and I talked about how we felt that Grandma Webb had been there with us and had been a very strong influence with Kaitlyn since Grandma left us.Kaitlyn has my nose and Jared's chin. She also has big eyes shaped like mine, whether they're blue, green, or brown remains to be seen. She has Jared's long fingers and toes and long eyelashes that get darker each day. We are all home now, and Kaitlyn is a wonderful baby. She sleeps in 5 hour stretches, which is really nice. I am feeling pretty good and recovering well. Jared has been wonderful, taking care of me, as well as my mom and sister. Jared's family arrives this week to drop the twins off at college and Mom is staying to play with her grandbaby and help me while Jared goes to his first week of classes. We are, of course, absolutely in love and are so excited to take care of this sweet, beautiful angel that the Lord has trusted to us.

Video of Wiggling Kido

This is a video of Kaitlyn wiggling. This is some of the more calm wiggling that she does. Anyway it is quite cute. Side note: Dad did not know that the camera used had audio.

Kaitlyn has Arrived

Kaitlyn Elenore Brown 8 lbs 3 oz, 20 in. length, born 7:26 A.M. Aug 18th. Both Kaitlyn and Mother are doing just fine.

A couple of Kaitlyn stories from day one; Kaitlyn decided to scare us by not breathing for 25-30 seconds, but then everything was normal. She is quite wiggly, any attempt at putting a blanket on her as shown in the picture causes her to kick her legs about wildly until the blanket is removed. She also likes to play with the nurses at the hospital, they placed a temperature monitor on her stomach to get a reading, Kaitlyn decided to take that monitor and forcefully remove it. It took two nurses to get a reading because one had to hold her arms in order for the temperature monitor to stay still. So she is very healthy and playful, she also has a vice-like grip for a newborn. She found mom's IV tubes and gave them a good squeeze, enough to pinch off the flow of fluids. She is a lively, lovely, girl and we are very pleased and humbled to have such a beautiful little girl in our family. There will be more pictures on this blog in the near future.

Ironic

So, for twenty months we worked and prayed and saw many doctors and specialists and had x-rays and tests and couldn't get pregnant. Now - we can't get un-pregnant! We went to the doctor again this morning and I'm still not dilated or effaced at all. The doctor said she's pretty sure that we're going to have to do a c-section, so Kaitlyn will be here either next Tuesday or Wednesday we will be a family of three! We go in for one final check on Monday morning, so we'll have a definite date after that. I'm kind of excited to have an official we're done date and not have to play the waiting game anymore. It's a little different, preparing for a c-section instead, but we're getting used to the idea. I am so grateful for modern medicine and the fact that even though I can't deliver babies, I can still carry them and have them! For future planners, we'll be blessing Kaitlyn on the 27th of September at 1 pm in Provo.

Trip to Dallas

On July 18th, my best friend Mandy got married to her very longtime boyfriend, Ryan. It was so nice to be able to go and see them get sealed for eternity. It was also nice to have a small vacation with Jared before Kaitlyn gets here. The hardest part for me was the flying; it's always made me motion sick. I packed several snacks and bought a water bottle once we got through security, so that helped a lot. Kaitlyn, however, loved flying! Anytime we took off or landed she would go crazy moving and kicking - it looks like I've got a little daredevil on the way. Friday we got in and went out to the church to talk with Mandy and spend some time with her while she was decorating. When we got there my old roommates Melanie, Whitney, and Jesse were there as well and we had lots of fun reminiscing. Saturday we went to the Dallas temple - best sealer I've heard yet! It was so beautiful, and I was so proud of Mandy's family. They were there meeting everyone as we came in. Because they aren't members, they had to stay in the waiting room while the rest of us went in to the ceremony. I can't imagine how hard that was, but I admire them so much for realizing how much it meant to Mandy to have a temple wedding and supporting her decision. That night we went to the reception, again sitting with old roommates (joined by Miri, as well). We danced together a little, including the father daughter dance - "Little Miss Magic" by Jimmy Buffet; both of Mandy's parents are parrotheads. Sunday we flew home. It was a short but relaxing and wonderful trip. I also loved the air conditioning in our hotel room. I was able to make it so cold in the room that I got to sleep with a blanket - it was sooooo nice.