life lately

yesterday marked 3 weeks with our kennedy frances. time is moving quickly with this sweet girl, and yet it feels like she has been ours forever. she is a good sleeper and eater, and we are starting to figure out her temperament and patterns. we are still navigating through her fussy times, but love her more than words can describe. 

we are so grateful that her arrival was right before christmas break, and i especially have enjoyed ben being home to help with the girls more. as we are adjusting to being a family of four, we have seen that ruby kay thrives when we take her on "special outings" and spend time with just her. the transition from having our full attention to sharing it with her little sister has been hard, but we are trying to explain it as best as a 2 year can understand. 

our girls have begun to bond as sisters, and it is so precious to observe them interact. kennedy is still so young, but already notices ruby kay when she is close. kennedy is starting to smile at us, and i know that her silly big sister will be the recipient of many smiles from her soon.

being a mama for the second time is challenging in many ways, but it's also less stressful. i remember being so anxious to nurse away from home, and fearful of not being able to soothe a fussy baby, and found myself always asking my sister and mom for advice. this time around, although there are overwhelming moments, i find myself a lot less worried and anxious. being a mama is a lot of hard work, but is such a joy too. 

kennedy's first bath

my pregnancy with kennedy

20 weeks

24 weeks

28 weeks

36 weeks

40 weeks

while i was pregnant with kennedy, ruby kay and i took pictures ever so often together with her on my tummy. it's so fun to see not only my growth but also ruby kay's growth from being just shy of 2 years to almost 2.5 years old. 

looking back, I was blessed with a great pregnancy with no health concerns, just aches and pains here and there. i much prefer kennedy on the outside of me than on the inside, though. :)

life at home

now that we are home, we are starting to settle into life as a family of four. I wanted to write about kennedy's first week and a half at home so that I can remember these beginning days- the good and the not so pretty aspects of life. after arriving home after our 2-day hospital stay, it has been so good to be home. 

my parents were able to come home with us and helped make the transition home smoother until they left on Thursday. when they did leave, it was SO hard to say goodbye to them. the combination of them leaving to go back home to Thailand, and not knowing when we would next see them was so hard. my "baby blues" kicked in after saying goodbye, and I was an emotional mess for a few days after. the saddest moment was hearing ruby kay say, "nani and papa?" when she heard the door open, and me having to explain that they had left. goodbyes are no fun at all. 

luckily, ben's mom, sue was able to come stay with us from Saturday until today, Wednesday. ben had meetings this week, and sue was such a great help to me. she was able to take ruby kay to the park and "fa-la-lay"(CFA) which are her favorites. i don't think i could have survived without her! 

after having a routine and rhythym as a family of three, we are having to relearn how to thrive as a family of four. our sweet kennedy has been a heavy sleeper in the mornings and afternoons, but at night she can be fussy. once she does fall asleep, she has slept up to 5-6 hour stretches, which is so great. ruby kay has done so well with kennedy's arrival, and loves to give her kisses, hugs, and her pacifier whenever she cries. the hardest time with ruby kay is watching her while i nurse kennedy, and when ruby kay craves my attention. 

in this season of feeling overwhelmed, emotional, and exhausted I keep having to remind myself that this will last for a short time. being a mama for the second time, I can see how fast time passes, and how important it is to be present. each day I journal asking God for grace when I fail, and for patience when things are out of my control. I truly have so much to be thankful for.

 one week old kennedy frances

big sissy ruby kay with her "baby kennedy" the first morning home together. such a sweet bond already forming between these two.

kennedy frances

our girl is here!

Kennedy Frances Seiler, arrived at 5:05pm on November 28th, 2015. She weighed 7lbs 10oz, and was 20 inches long. I was able to have a VBAC after going into labor on my own, Thanksgiving night. She is absolutely precious, and we are so excited to be a family of four.

baby girl's due date!

family of three, soon to be four!

today we celebrated my due date, November 15th, 2015. we drove over to Tulsa for the day, to meet my sisters since my parents are in town for this girl's arrival. i had asked my mom to take a few pictures of us, since I haven't taken that many since being pregnant. 

reaching my due date this time around was expected, and wasn't as climatic as my pregnancy with ruby kay. although i wouldn't have minded going into labor early, i knew my chances were slim because of family history, and since i was induced after going a week late with ruby kay. i think my babies like to cook longer than most! :)

this pregnancy hasn't been easy, but i am so thankful to have carried this sweet girl for the last forty weeks. it is still surreal that very soon we will have another girl in our arms, and that we will be a family of four. i can hardly wait to see ben become a father of two girls, and ruby kay become a big sister. God is so gracious to us, and we don't take for granted how sweet the gift of children. 

ruby kay, big sister to be.

 

This morning, Ruby Kay and I ventured out to our favorite park here in Stillwater. As I am nearing the end of this pregnancy, I am trying to soak up time with Ruby Kay before she is promoted to Big Sister. Walking around the park, admiring "baby acorns", playing in the crisp fall leaves, and exploring the playground was just the recipe for quality time with my girl.

We are often asked how Ruby Kay feels about the new baby coming. All signs point to her being a great big sister, since she loves playing with her baby doll and is intrigued by other babies. Ben and I think that the hardest transition will involve her sharing me with little sister. Ruby Kay as an only child, has my full attention throughout the day, but that soon will change. The biggest way we have been preparing her for this new season has been encouraging her to be a good helper.

Ben and I sure love being her Daddy and Mama, and often talk about how fun it is to be her parents, and how lucky we are. We can't wait for this new season to begin as a family of four!

our halloween bunny

We had such a great time celebrating Halloween with Ruby Kay this year. She dressed up as a bunny, since she loves to hop. Last year, she was a little over a year old and didn't really understand Trick or Treating. This year, she loved it and kept saying "no, home!"  and "more tandy" while we were walking around our neighborhood. Another highlight this year was having Aunt Lori here visiting us. We are down to just two weeks until my Due Date for our second girl, and so memories made with our only-child-for-now are priceless!

a quilt for our baby girl

Late last night, I finished making a quilt for our second baby girl. It was fun picking out girl fabrics this time around, and I decided to use triangles as a pattern for this one. My goal was to finish this before my third trimester began, and I luckily accomplished that goal. The last quilt I made was for Ruby Kay, and I finished it when I was a lot farther along with her.

This morning I couldn't wait to throw it in the wash, to get a glimpse of the wrinkly and worn look that good quilts have. Pretty soon, our sweet girl will get all kinds of use out of this labor of love, and I can't wait. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to again make a quilt for this baby, since RK has used her so much. Here's to the last three months of carrying this sweet baby before she joins us this November.

garden of the gods and fussy toddlers

This past July, we drove to Colorado for our biennial Staff Conference for Cru. Ben wanted us to drive out a day early to enjoy a few sights before our busy conference began. We had planned to spend our time in Colorado Springs, but our plans ended up taking a slight detour for several reasons.

After spending 9+ hours in the car, we stopped at The Garden of Gods. The views were breathtaking, but Ruby Kay wasn't in the best of moods. All too often, I am convicted about my expectations for her. The poor girl was exhausted and weary from our long day in the car, and didn't enjoy our visit. At first, Ben and I were frustrated with her, and then changed our plans which helped our day get a little better.

Stretching her little legs and graciously pushing the stroller for us.

Despite our day not going as planned, it was still a treat to get to see the unique red rock formations, and briefly learn about the history behind Colorado Springs.

ruby kay's 2nd birthday!

Our sweet Ruby Kay is two! After only being in our home for a week, we greeted her with a few presents in the morning, and then drove to the OKC Zoo for the day.

 Daddy took RK on the carousel ride, and she beamed the entire time.

 

Aunt Lori was able to enjoy the Zoo with us, before she flew out to Colorado the next day. Aunt "Lo" can make RK giggle so loud, just by making silly faces at her. She is lucky to have such a great Auntie!

We had such a fun day celebrating our sweet two year old. She is such a joyful addition to our lives, and we are so grateful God chose us to be her parents!