Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Long winded

Nothing like getting behind on the blog...so, where do I begin? I guess I should start with Kenly's milestones. She has almost complete neck control now. Occasionally she looks like a bobble head on the dashboard of a car, but she's learning to look around and take in her surroundings. It is really cool to watch her recognize people or places. She smiles a lot now, and she never stops making noise. I'm already training her to say Mama first by saying Mama about 150 times a day. She has developed this excited squeal that makes anyone who hears it laugh. I like to think that she is trying to remind me about how cool the little things in life are. Her squeal is like, "Mama, check that out. Have you seen that? Isn't it cool?" She still resists naps and likes to play until she is exhausted, but she is beginning to sleep for 5-6 hour stretches during the night, so I feel a lot more human. The coolest thing she is doing is kicking so hard that she turns herself on her right side. It won't be long before she turns over for the first time--the thought is both exciting and terrifying. I don't think I'm ready for her to be mobile in any form yet. She's growing too fast. She has also discovered her hands. On a recent trip to Augusta, she entertained herself for an hour by opening and closing her fist. Who needs toys on the car seat handle when you can watch your hands? She sucks her right thumb or index finger when she can. The sweetest thing she is doing is holding her own hands.

Kenly and I took a trip to Augusta, GA to visit Nana and Papa and to meet Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. The trip started out horribly. I witnessed a wreck between a motorcycle and a car, and then I was almost in a car accident. Near misses are scary enough when I'm the only one in the car, but when you have a two month old daughter in the backseat, you can't breathe for about 30 minutes after it happens. Grandpa is not doing so well, so I wanted to make sure he got to meet Kenly before Thanksgiving. He only got to hold her for about five minutes. I think Grandma held her for six hours straight. I only got my hands on her to breastfeed or to change a diaper. I haven't seen my Grandma smile that big for that long in years. I'll post some pictures later. I'm still weeding through the hundreds of pictures that I took. Kenly had a picture made in a dress that I wore when I was little. She looked like a little lady all dressed in pink. She looked like she should be on a Gerber commercial for sure. While we were there she met my best friend Leanne, Paula, Sherry, Bill and Glenda, Aunt Faye and Caroline, and my whole church family at Lumpkin Road Baptist Church. She also spent a little time with Uncle Travis and Aunt Carrie. While she was there, she developed a "mommy complex." When she'd get really worked up, no one could calm her except her Mama. She's pitch a fit, and when she'd hit my arms she'd go silent. At first I was flattered, and it still makes me feel good and needed. But my second thought terrified me. Isn't she a little young to be clingy? When am I going to get a break from the screaming and crying? The ride home from Augusta was a little scary and stressful. We had to stop about five time on the way home because Kenly Shae was gassy and fussy. We left at 9:00 and didn't get home until about 1:30. The trip normally takes about 3 hours. Needless to say, we were both happy to get home.

This Friday will be an adventure of a different kind. Adam, my first baby, is having knee surgery. I'm worried to say the least. We will be without our support systems because they are all out of town. Nana and Papa are camping and Mops and Pops are going to be in CA. So, I'll have three babies to take care of until next Tuesdays when Mama and Daddy are coming in to save the day. Adam has to stay off his leg for four days, and then he can start moving around a bit. This is not good news for a man who has to stay busy and active. He can't do any athletic activity for six whole months, so it looks like we'll be joining Netflix to keep him from going crazy. I know that God will give me the strength to handle this, but I know that it will be a long few days. The good news is that we have friends who will help in a heartbeat if we get overwhelmed.

Kenly gets her shots next Tuesday, so I'll be a basket case then. She hasn't cried real tears yet, so I think she has clogged tear ducts. It will be my luck that they'll unclog them before giving her the shots and I'll have to witness her tear up for the first time. I'll cry too.

Mops and Pops came up and rescued Adam and I for a weekend. He got to do all the yard work he wanted to do, and I got to set up paperless billing and write thank you notes. We didn't have any Kenly duties except feeding of course. We also got to go on a date for the first time in 7 weeks. You know you're married with an infant when your date includes dinner at Cracker Barrel and a trip to Target. It was nice to get out with Adam though. I got a few naps that weekend which was good because when Mops and Pops arrived, I was about ready to throw myself off the cliffs of motherhood.

However, I am loving motherhood more every day, and Kenly makes me love her more every morning. The first thing I see when I go to feed her is a bright smile. The unconditional love of an infant is a beautiful thing. Her innocence astounds me and humbles me.

2 comments:

Janna Barber said...

Those cliffs of motherhood sound familiar. Wish we could get together with our little ones somehow. It's good to hear your updates.

Shannon a.k.a. that thing you see moving under the laundry said...

Don't think of it as being clingy. Think of it as being loved ;) I need to remind myself of that everyday. Right now She is always attached to one part of my body or another...and I am not nursing!