Just a few quick shots of Kenly

Nap time while receiving therapy. Kenly wanted to join her daddy...
Just an up close shot of my beautiful daughter.
How can babies sleep like that? Doesn't it hurt?We have lots to smile about.

Not for the faint of heart...

I should warn you right off that I'm about to post pictures of Adam's knee after surgery. If that kind of stuff makes you feel faint, you should stop reading now. Adam had the surgery on Friday morning. We got home about 3:00 that day, and I am happy to report that he is doing well. He is not feeling much pain right now which shocks me after talking to the doctor and looking a pictures of what they did inside his knee. Be glad I don't have a scanner or I'd be showing those too. I'm amazed at medical science...he had so much done to his knee, and I only count four stitches. Adam has to spend 6-8 hours a day in a machine called a CPM which makes him look like he's part Transformer. His knee brace is massive as well. The doc thinks he should wear it for 5-6 weeks. We do to PT tomorrow, so we'll know more after they work with him. As it stands right now, he's set to go back to work on Wednesday. I'm just happy the surgery is done. It was like a big elephant in the room, and now it is behind us. My parents are coming into town on Tuesday to help out for a few days. Kenly gets her first round of immunizations then, and if she's fussy and sickly, I wanted back up. We're doing well, and I'm glad that Adam is feeling so well. He's getting bored, but at least he had NFL football to entertain him today.

Here's the pictures...

We finally got to unwrap his leg to survey the damage.

Two tiny incisions.

The CPM machine...

Kenly taking care of her Daddy....

Couldn't resist...

Aunt Nonie came for a visit, and Kenly fell in love with her. Look how comfortable she is in her Aunt Nonie's arms.
Here's Mops saving the day. This picture was taken on the weekend Mops and Pops rescued us. All the green leaves in the background are now yellow, and only 2.5 weeks have passed.
Here is Pops hanging out with his two grandchildren. Everyone looks so cozy.
Uncle Travis actually changed a poopy diaper. His face in this picture shows you how much he enjoyed it.
Papa gave the little girl a bottle. We're trying to keep her bottle ready so that we can escape for much needed dates. She fights them, but eventually hunger prevails and she gives in.

Kenly, Chance, and I just got back from a nice walk on a beautiful fall day. The leaves are so vibrant, and I love to watch them drift to the ground and to hear them crunch under my feet. I love fall. Needless to say, the walk wore the princess out, so I thought I'd post a few more pictures.

Just a few more of the princess

This is Papa reading Kenly a book on her two month birthday. It looks like she's taking in every word.
The bib says it all...
Kenly finally got a finger in her mouth, and it she managed to keep it there. I wonder when she'll figure out how to make her thumb stay there.
This is my best friend Leanne and her two adorable children. David is three and Elizabeth is 13 months. They are too cute. Leanne was in Augusta while I was there, so I managed to meet up with her for a few minutes.
This is Kenly's first fashion nightmare. She's doomed with me as a mother. God, please give her fashion sense, but let her still hate shopping. Is that possible?

Some Pictures from Augusta

Here is Great Grandma and Kenly enjoying one another.
Grandma finally let Grandpa have a chance to hold Kenly, but it was short lived. I think he only got to hold her for maybe 10 minutes. Grandma wanted to hog all of Kenly's sugar.
Four generations of ladies....isn't it cool? Too bad we don't match a little better.
Nana and Papa in their typical pose--adoring Kenly.
Check out the belly on this girl. Is she gaining weight or what? She was enjoying a leisurely morning on her Papa's belly when this was taken.

Fall Pictures

Adam, Kenly, Chance and I took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Tuesday evening to see the fall colors, to look at the full moon, and to watch a sunset. At first we thought it was going to be a less than spectacular sunset, but then God whipped out his paint brushes and created a wonderful surprise. Here are a few of our favorites.

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.