Kinlee Joy

Well it is official we are now a family of four (well five if you count Auntie Sam).

Kinlee Joy Dufour
Born-Wednesday May 11th 1:34am
7 pounds and a half and ounce.
19.5 inches long

On Tuesday, late afternoon, I had a prenatal doctors appointment. I was planning to go by myself but at the last minute Chris told me he really wanted to go to this appointment. So we asked Auntie if she minded watching Ethan for an hour or so (or so we thought). Once they removed my stitch (about two weeks before Kinlee was born) I started having some random signs and symptoms of preclampsia: off and on high blood pressure, a headache, and a few other symptoms. However since it was only ever one symptom at a time, the doctors were never really concerned. Well on Tuesday I again had high blood pressure at my appointment, by the end of the appointment though it was gone. But I had also been feeling pretty crummy the whole day. I thought I might have been in early labor but didn't want to get my hopes up. The doctor told me she thought I would have Kinlee within 24 hours but that she wanted to send me to the lab to have some blood work done to test for preclampsia and then she wanted me to head over to triage to be monitored while we waited for the lab results. So we called Auntie and told her we would be a bit later and head out to the lab and then triage. Once we got to triage my contractions started to become pretty rhythmic (I had been having braxton hicks since my surgery in November), and over the course of two hours they started to get stronger. Still I didn't want to get my hopes up. The nurse was certain I was in early labor but that I would be sent home to wait. Then my labs came back. I didn't have preclampsia yet, but my liver enzymes were high and showing that at any moment I could become preclampsic and she felt that it was safer for me to have Kinlee as soon as possible. The nurse started to lay out a plan...I was going to be taken up to labor and delivery and put on magnesium (to treat the impending preclampsia), I would have to have my blood pressure monitored every 10 minutes (both of these things meant I was now strapped to a hospital bed by an IV and blood pressure cuff, not my favorite thing when I am in labor. I like to walk), I was also going to be given pitocin to start labor. I was almost in tears. I really didn't want it to go this way (again with me trying to control things). I didn't want her to come unless it was God's timing and being given pitocin to induce labor, I just wasn't sure if it was God's timing (I am not knocking those who have been induced and done the pitocin thing, for me it is just fear). So we prayed, I asked my parents (who were on there way down to SD) to pray. Well in the hour it took them to get me up to Labor and Delivery my contractions had intensified a lot and I had progressed a lot on my own. Yea God! So my doctor felt that since I was progressing nicely, she would forget the magnesium and the pitocin. She wanted to see what would happen if she popped my water and just monitored my blood pressure. And then my body did the rest, with the help of an epidural. Those contractions are way stronger when you have to stay in a bed; at least that was my experience. So at 1:34 in the morning little Kinlee Joy was born in God's timing without actually being induced. God really does answer prayers.
My parents were able to make it down in time and when they arrived at my house to watch Ethan they were surprised to find a very hyper and excited boy. After trying to get him to go to bed, they eventually just brought him to the hospital. So shortly after Kinlee was born he got to meet his baby sister. He adores her. He had been telling us for weeks that "Kinlee is taking a long day to get here." When he walked in to meet her he looked so much older to me and as days have gone on I can't help but think how tall he suddenly looks. He is going to be a great big brother to her as they grow up.
So now we are trying to adjust to life as a family of four. It is an adjustment. It takes us so much time to get out of the house. Tomorrow our goal is for all four of us to make it to church, which for us is both first and second service. Hopefully we can make that happen.
Kinlee is such a wonderful addition to our family. She looks a lot like her brother. She is extremely mellow and laidback and Chris and I are so curious to see how her personality develops over the years.

If you read this entire post and are now here to the end I would like to ask for prayer for a couple things. First Kinlee is not breastfeeding as well as we all would like and she is not gaining weight well. We have had to supplement and are really struggling. Also a couple days after she was born I developed a hormonal/pregnancy related rash called PUPPS. It is usually a third trimester sort of thing, but there are rare cases where you can get it post partum. It is extremely itchy and all over. There is no telling how long it can last and there is no real treatment for it since I am breastfeeding. And then finally for Ethan. He adores Kinlee but we are seeing some regression in some behaviors. We are trying to be sensitive to his needs and at the same time not let certain behaviors go.

Well that is all. I am sure I will blog more soon. I have the whole summer off, so hopefully I will have more time.

Answered Prayer

God does answer prayers. Sometimes when he answers it is different than we thought, or planned for. What is the saying man plans, God laughs.

The prayer was for a healthy pregnancy, that my surgery to hold little Kinlee in would work and allow me a bit more freedom than I had with Ethan. Funny thing is I never expected God to answers as big and loudly as he did. Yes God is still reminding me that He is the one in the know and knows all and His plan is best.
We had my 28 week appointment. I was quiet nervous, they were going to see how the surgery was holding up. They had not checked on that for two months and I was fearful that it would not be good and I would be put on bedrest. That was my fear, but I was hoping that I would be put on modified or light duty and not have to work the rest of the pregnancy. Well neither one happened. God really is in the miracle business and at my 28 week appointment I was told that everything that measure so miserably with Ethan was measuring above average for a person at this stage in pregnancy. So I asked my doctor, well what about work, and she informed me that there was nothing that she could write me out of work for. Yea for the miracle! But man I wanted to be done with work. haha
When I first got pregnancy with Ethan I just tried to get used to the idea that I would not be able to do everything, that I might end up on bedrest or limited mobility at some point and I got used to that idea and even embarrassed it. What sent me over the edge with Ethan, I was looking forward to. I had a list of things I could do this time to entertain myself. Don't get me wrong, I did not want complications, I just wanted a little quiet time. We are beyond ecstatic that Kinlee's pregnancy is complication free and that she is on her way to being born a healthy little girl as a result of a normal pregnancy. But I won't lie, I got used to the idea of leaving work a bit early this year. But God is always teaching me (and hopefully one day I will fully get it) that I am not in charge, I don't know what is best for me and He knows the greater plan and He has me and our family in His hand. I would much rather be in His hand than in my own. I just forget that sometimes. It is good God reminds me.

And praise Him for the wonderful miracle that this pregnancy has been. For those that have prayed with us, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are so excited that our little girl will be here in a couple months and that she will have gotten here with a pretty drama free pregnancy. God still does miracles! :)

A Friends Blog

Almost a year ago I put a prayer request for my friend Tiffany. Tiffany is the sister of one of my very best friends (who I met in college). Tiffany lived with me and her sister after we graduated from college. Tiffany has been fighting cancer for 10 years, on and off.
I haven't been so great and keeping people updated on her progress, but now, if you would like, you can go check out Tiffany's new blog where she talks about how she is dealing with her cancer and treatment.
Please check out Tiffany's blog and continue to pray for her and her family.

Tiffany's blog

THIRTY

About a year ago I posted a 30 before 30 list. Before I hit the big 30 I had a bucket list of sorts; things I wanted to accomplish. I didn't even come close to achieving them all. And really I am not that disappointed. I have come to realize that those things would have been fun to do, but they were not in God's plan for this past year of my life and there were plenty of things that did happen in my 29th year that I never thought would and that have brought me closer to Him. My 29th year was on that I will never forget. I learn how even the most challenging, and at that time horrific, things can show God's grace and mercy and he will use it all to bring us to a closer relationship with Him. My desire for my 30th year is not a long list of tangible things I want to accomplish it is simply the desire to live everyday of my life bringing honor and glory to Him.

But just for kicks, I thought I would repost my list and you can see what I thought I would do and what I actually did do with some added notes on some of them about where I am in the process. :) Happy reading.


Original Post
A while back a good friend posted a list of 30 things she wanted to do before she turned 30. I became inspired and now that I have just under a year left until I turn 30, I have made my own.

30 Before 30
1. Weekend vacation with husband
2. Go to France -as much as I wanted to do this and visit some of our dearest friends, it was most definitely not in God's timing, but oh how we tried to make it fit!
3. Move to a new house
4. Get our debt snowball rolling
5. Get on a regular devotional schedule- I am working on this and am doing a reading through the bible in chronological order. I am enjoying it. But I have slipped quite a few times. I am also now going to our weekly women's study at church and am loving that!
6. Finish Christmas scrapbook-don't even get me started (no comments Silla).
7. Have a mommy and Ethan Day 'O Fun
8. Go to Hawaii-same deal as the trip to France
9. Take a cake decorating class
10. Get a new family portrait-maternity photos are scheduled for next week, and we will get a new family photo then.
11. Scrapbook night with friends
12. Walk on the beach and collect seashells
13. Go on a Missions Trip
14. Work on wedding scrapbook- not yet. We are trying to figure out how to scan the film negatives to the computer so I can have them as digital images to work with. Yea I know, film negatives!!!
15. Have a girls night out (or in)-for my birthday, Chris planned a mini semi-surprise party with some of my closest girl-friends
16. Get on a regular workout schedule
17. Have an Auntie and Madison day
18. Get on a cleaning schedule
19. Fishing with Ethan and Chris
20. Everyday remember that life is precious and not guaranteed
21. Get more involved in Hemophilia Association
22. Go to Disneyland
23. Go see a taping of a live TV show
24. Get new larger coffee mugs (current ones are too small for my caffeine needs)- no but I have cut back on my caffeine. Does that count? :)
25. Go snowboarding- yea, snowboarding and pregnancy don't go together.
26. Go to a spa
27. Update my passport (maiden name probably won't cut it anymore)
28. Clean out closet and donate clothes
29. Swimming lessons with Ethan
30. Put music on my iphone (finally)

**Those in red are ones that I have accomplished. :)


I hope you enjoy this fun little recap. More on the 20-10 club later. :)

Ethan's turns three celebrations!

Awhile back I promised some photos from Ethan's 3rd birthday celebrations. SO here you go.

On his actual birthday it was an night ALL about him. The dinner was all the food he loves, you know those lovely and oh so healthy toddler foods. We had sting cheese, jello cups, goldfish crackers, Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets, and some juice boxes. Before his birthday I asked him what kind of cake he wanted. Thinking for sure it would be Lightening McQueen. But he said "a frosting cake." When further prompted he asked for a "blue frosting cake with Toy Story." I didn't realize we went with an entire Toy Story theme until his actual birthday, right down to his birthday gifts from Chris and I. Honestly I really didn't plan it. I actual started shopping back at black Friday and slowly started picking things up and then took advantage of those wonderful after Christmas clearance isles at Target. So a complete Toy Story theme is what he got.



We also took him to Chuck E Cheese with some friends. He had so much fun, he loves to play skeeball on my phone and thought the life sized version was too die for.


But he really liked this game...he would drop a ball and it would bounce around and land on a number and out would pop tickets; instant gratification!


Overall I think our little guy had a great third birthday! Happy birthday E. We can't wait to see how much you grown and change and how God shapes your life! You are such a joy!

In the Mood...

to BLOG!

But I have a bunch of things to do tonight before the work week starts. Maybe in the next couple days I will get to blog.

Things to cover:

• 30 before 30 status
• the 20-10 club
  
• 28 week appointment
• and I am sure some other things will pop up in my mind between now and my blogging time.
  

Have a Happy Monday all!!

27 weeks

I am nearing the end of the second trimester and yes I am still off of bedrest. WOOOHOOO! Praise God, He is awesome! I really thought by now that I would be on bedrest, but so far so good. I go back to the doctor next week.

Here is a photo of me now at 27 weeks. Don't mind the grainy photo shot, or the prenatal vitamins, tums, Pepcid AC, water, lotion (for my gigantic belly), etc on the nightstand on my side of the bed.

This is me pregnant with Ethan at 3o weeks. I think I am this big now if not bigger than I was with Ethan. I am almost grown out of clothes I wore with Ethan at the very end of the pregnancy. Oh man! :)