Kyler- 3month update

Since Kyler has been born, I have been anxiously waiting for her to hit the 3 month mark. Not because I want things to go quickly, but because once she turned 3 months old I knew it would be about the time we were headed home to see my family!!! Two weeks from today we will be back home with my WHOLE FAMILY and I am way too excited. It has been rough not having all of my sisters and our step dad not have met my littlest girl yet, but the time is nearly here.

Little miss Kyler is getting very interactive, lots of giggling and smiles :) It is always so much fun when they start to laugh. Of course daddy is the funniest but I am a close second. Kynley still doesn't spend too much time with her, she is too busy sunning around destroying things. But every now and then when she is having a break for being destructive she will come and give "baby" a kiss and say "ya too" (love you).

Kyler is still s phenomenal sleeper, she is still sleeping majority of the day and then sleeps from 6pm-7am. I have gotten so many nights of full sleep I am feeling like a human again. just in time to ruin it all by changing time zones! Kynley was always so good at the time change, so I am hoping Kyler is as well. She currently HATES tummy time and her car seat and LOVES her dummy and play mat...that is, until her older sister comes along and steals the dummy out her her mouth and looks at me what her hands out like "what? what did I do?".

She is very sensitive to loud noises, especially Kynley's loud screaming and startles way too easily. If I cough or sneeze it is sure to scare the bajeebies (is that a word?) out of poor Kyky. At the moment she is never far away from a 20 minute screaming meltdown. Sometimes she is overtired, others is an upset tummy. She is definitely a more sensitive baby than Kynley ever was. I am hoping we can avoid meltdowns on the plane...fingers crossed. We have some really good days and some really bad ones. Im just lucky she is a good day sleeper so even if a meltdown occurs i can usually just rock her to sleep.

Life which two is definitely getting easier as we hit the 3 month mark. Everyone more comfortable with our new normal and we have a flow that works for us. I even make it out the door on time more often than not! i am just beyond excited to get the girls back to my sisters to love on and give this mommy and daddy a break...and maybe even a date night!

Kynley Update:

I keep saying I need to do a Kynley post and I promise I will...for now she is just a typical 21 month old. She is getting lots of words, but her favourites are Dummy, Nite nite, love you, see ya and SHOES!!!! The kid is shoe obsessed. Like put on a new pair ever hour, wear my shoes around the house, and if we can't find a matching one to a pair you better believe the world is coming to an end!!!

I am ALL about Christmas so it has been exciting to share a little bit of it with Kynley. She has assisted me in putting up our Christmas tree...and knocking it over 3 times! (its is just a little fake one since we don't spend x-mss here) When I first put it up, she went straight to it and repeatedly tried to blow out the lights! It was adorable. I also love blasting Christmas carols in the car. She loves to sing along (aka yelling at the top of her lungs) and at the end she always shouts YAY! and claps. Her current favourite movies are Finding Nemo and Tinkerbell Fairies movies. And she likes to go to the pantry and the fridge 50 times a day and stare and yell for snacks that usually get dumped on the floor and never fully get eaten. Sometimes she will come up to me and sit on my lap and grab my face with both of her hands and just stare at me haha She is crazy, but anyone who knows my husband and myself wouldn't expect our kids to be anything other than crazy.

There is so much more to tell but i do believe I finally have both girls in bed and it is wine time for the husband and I. Ill work on a post this week ;)

Kyler Elizabeth-2 months!

I guess time flies when you're having fun! Or going crazy.....but mostly fun ;) This girl turned two months old in a blink of an eye! She is growing up way too fast for my liking.

She is very smiley, she coo's and she LOVES her daddy! She has given us a little bit of trouble with some tummy issues. Kynley never had any tummy issues, as in, I never experienced a baby screaming for 20-40 mins straight...but now I have. We had a rough few weeks with her, but she seems to be coming around and hasn't been doing it as much lately. After we changed her formula things seem to be a lot better. She loves laying outside on the grass while Kynley runs around and plays, thank god it is almost summer here I am over being stuck in the house!

I have definitely gone from thinking having two kids isn't that hard, to holy shit how am I going to survive this, back to ok this is manageble. I feel like every day is a roller coaster. My only saving grace at the end of a rough time is having a seriously supportive husband who comes home and saves me at the end of the day. Oh yea, and wine...wine saves me too...Kyler is easy, it's Kynley and her crazy antics and attitude that might kill me eventually! 

I am absolutely thrilled to say that this little munchkin sleeps through the night! 6pm-6am and then goes back to sleep until 8 or 9am. Not that I get to go back to sleep since her older sister is awake at about 7 or 7:30am, but honestly I dont care as long as I am not awake during the night! A lot of people have asked what is our secret to getting the girls to sleep through the night at such young ages (Kynley did it at exactly 8 weeks as well). I have a few pointers, but i just want to say, this is what has worked for us, I am not an expert, I read a lot of books and took a lot of tips from other mommy's in order to attempt to figure this out! 

1. We sleep trained both of your babes. Sleep training is when you have them learn how to fall asleep on their own with out your assistance. With Kynley, we used to rock her to sleep every night. We eventually had to let her "cry out" which was so hard on all of us, but once we did that and she was able to put herself to sleep on her own with out our help it made our lives so much easier. With Kyler, I never rocked her to sleep. I let her sleep in our arms, but from the beginning, if I knew she was tired, I would just lay her down swaddled and with her dummy/pacifier and let her fall asleep on her own. They are both able to "self soothe" and get back to sleep without us.

2. In bed by or before 7pm!!!! This is crucial in my opinion. I did a lot of research about it as well. With both of my girls from 8 weeks on, 6pm was bedtime. Once I started putting them to bed then (instead of when we went to bed, 8pm or 9pm) is when they started sleeping for longer periods of time, and eventually sleeping through.We changed Kynley's bed time to 7pm at around 17 months, but no later. (except on special occasions).

3. ROUTINE!!!! Everything i have read says how important it is to do a routine with your babies. They  need to know whats going to happen next no matter how young they are. Try and start a napping routine during the day, and make sure they are awake for a solid period before bed time (this is for infants). We have a bedtime routine for both of our girls at night. Kynley has dinner, bath, a bit of play time with dad, brush teeth, book reading and bed. Kyler just has to be awake an hour before bed time with a bath and some matt time, then feeding in a dark room and bed.

4. This part is not for everyone but it has worked for us, no babies in our bed. When they were both born, of course they were allowed in our bed during sleepless nights, but as they have gotten older, unless they are sick, they are in their beds. When Kynley wakes up at night on the rare occasion, we go in, console her, lay her down and she usually falls back to sleep straight away. She has always been a good sleeper though, so it is rare we ever have to do this. We will see how Kyler is when she is older, every baby is different. But either way there is never the expectation to be taken to our bed. They are allowed in our bed in the morning, Kynley comes in and lays for a solid hour with us while she has her milk and watches cartoons.

5. We dont tip toe around the house when the kids are sleeping. We wanted them to be able to sleep through anything. 

The main books I read were Save our Sleep, Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Baby, Happiest Baby on the Block.

Anyways, I need to do a Kynley update soon, because there are so many things going on with that crazy kid! But for now, this is all....I just love these two banshee's more than words can say!

Our first outing

Well today I decided to go out to breakfast with a friend...with both girls in tow. Anyone who has a toddler knows how difficult it is to take them out to a meal and keep them occupied, add a newborn to the mix and you're just asking for trouble. I have avoided taking Kynley out for meals for the last few months, just because it has gotten to be too difficult. And once I got pregnant with Kyler I swore I would never take the two out by myself...EVER! But today I decided to brave it, all for my favorite cappuccino. 

I prepared myself as much as possible with an iPad and an abundance of snacks for Kynley. Kyler had already eaten,so she should have just snoozed the whole time. I met my friend Maree and her son, Bentley there, he is just 10 days younger than Kyler. Before we went to breakfast we had been at Kindergym, and Kynley took a tumble, got a bloody lip and had blood all over her top. I of course, forgot to bring a change of clothes for her, so we showed up to breakfast with blood stains all down her top. You could say we were off to a rocky start already!

 I ordered Kynley her first ever babycinno (steamed milk with foam and chocolate on top). She loved it and got it all over her already stained top. At this point I didn't care what she looked like, as long as I got to drink my coffee in somewhat peace and attempt to be sociable. Once breakfast came out we are still doing well, no toddler or infant melt downs. I got to nearly finish my eggs as Kynley decided she was over the high chair and started squealing and trying to climb out. I knew at that point I got the most out of the situation, so I took Kynley out to come inside with me to pay while my friend sat with Kyler. That's when all hell broke loose. Kynley, in her chocolate and blood stained top, refused to stand next to me in line and instead started trying to slam doors and pull glasses off a shelf. *kill me now* The line was taking so long to move and my toddler tornado was tearing the place apart at a rapid rate. After finally paying Kynley decided to throw herself on the ground for no apparent reason, roll around and scream. And at that exact moment Kyler decided she was hungry and began to scream too. My somewhat peaceful breakfast turned into complete chaos. 

We were seated out front of the restaurant and I had been lucky enough to get a parking spot directly infront. My only option at that point was to take my screaming toddler to the car (with everyone staring at me) while Kyler sat with my friend. I swiftly buckled the banshee into her car seat, turned on a movie and ran back to get Kyler. I'm pretty sure everyone watching me thought I was just locking my devil child in the car and leaving her, which made the situation even more embarrassing. Did I mention it was nap time ,which probably led to the full melt down? Anyways, I grabbed Kyler, said bye to my friend and got the hell out of there as fast as I could. 

To most of you reading this may seem like a complete failure, but I got to drink  my coffee and finish my breakfast while it was hot and somewhat enjoyed it. In any Mommy's book I think that is considered a win! I am pretty sure I will not be attempting this again anytime soon...

Kyler Elizabeth-1 month

Oh how time flies! Our newest addition is one month old!! I hate how fast the first year flies by, it's so much worse with your second baby, because you know she will only be this tiny for such a short period of time!

We are adjusting well to life with two little banshee's :) Kyler, like her sister, is a great little baby! Very relaxed and easy, thank god. It makes having the two of them a lot easier than I thought, for now. We are still struggling with getting out the door in a timely manor every day. Honestly that has been the hardest part is just getting ready to leave and go anywhere! The other day I did leave the house on time and arrived 5 mins early to our destination...I felt like I deserved a medal!

Kyler had her one month check up and she is back to good health. She weighs 7lbs 11oz (3.5kgs) and is in the 50th percentile for her weight and height....and the 90th for her head...is anyone else not surprised by that? haha Kynley has always been in the 90th for her noggin as well. She is only waking up once at night around 3 am, were hoping to drop that soon and have her sleeping through (fingers crossed). Kyler eats SO much during the day, she will not stay little for long. I am predicting that she and Kynley are in the same size clothes. She has a ton of black fuzzy hair and its is my most favorite thing ever!!! I love to kiss her little head constantly. She also giggles in her sleep. Actually it's more like full on laughing. My husband and I have both seen her do it numerous times and it may be the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.

Kynley is absolutely in love with her. She is the best big sister, not jealous at all, and she loves to kiss and cuddle her...a lot...like all day haha. She also likes to tickle her which is adorable, she will come up to her belly and say "ticka, ticka, ticka!" I need to get it on video, its hilarious. She now calls her "bubey" instead of "boe boe".

As most of you know we had a health scare with Kyler a few weeks ago. We noticed she was running a fever and took her to the hospital. Once we were there they rushed us to a room and started trying to figure out what was going on. Other than a fever, she had no other symptoms of anything. No rash, no snot, no cough and she still had her appetite. Because a fever in a baby this young is so dangerous, they did a full work up on her. Put in an iv, did blood work, a catheter to check for a uti and then a spinal tap. It was horrible to have to sit there and listen to her scream while this all went on and know there was nothing I could do. After a while the blood tests came back inconclusive, so they had us stay the night to monitor her and wait for the spinal tap results to come in. The next morning we got the results and it showed extra cells in her spinal fluid. It felt like someone punched me in the stomach. She had spinal meningitis, we just didn't know if it was viral or bacterial. Know how sering bacterial meningitis is i was freaking out. I was left to sit with my thoughts for 3 hours while we waited for the rest of the tests to come back. More results came in later in the day and luckily it was only viral and we were released home. Such a huge relief. She is now 100% back to herself.

More to come on life with these two crazies. If you want to keep track of the craziness check out my instagram reynarobyn . As I am sitting here writing this, dad got the first smiles out of our little girl! Such a fun milestone, excited for many more to come!

Welcome Kyler Elizabeth Edmonds!

Our last picture, and then the reality of what was happening while we were trying to take the picture....

Today is her due date..so I thought it would be fitting to do our last photo today :)

As some of you may know, we welcome our second little princess into the world last week! Friday the 22nd of August 2014, 7:46pm, 6lbs 4oz, 18in (47cm) long. We are over the moon to now be a family of four! Kynley is LOVING being a big sister. She is constantly wanting to give her kisses and cuddles. When we lay them down together Kynley freezes stiff too afraid to move. She has started to share her things with Kyler like her bottle or blankets, but will promptly steal her dummy (binky) if given the chance! She has nicknamed her "Boe Boe" which is kinda adorable.

Life with two has been crazy, but amazing. I am so fortunate to have my mom and sister over here to help and to have the most amazing husband ever by my side. Thank you to all of the family and friends who have visited, brought us food, helped with Kynley, and showed so much love for our little family. Feeling very loved right about now, and Kyler is officially spoiled ;)

Kyler is doing great, dare I say better than Kynley when she was a newborn? And she was easy! I know it is only early days but she has been a good sleeper and very easy to settle. The only real issue we have run into was with breast feeding. Lets just say Kyler wasn't overly great at it, and I hated it. At the moment everything is sunshine and rainbows because I have 3 helpers in my house, check back in with me in a few weeks once my family is gone and Tex is back at work and I might be singing a different tune!

Kyler's entrance to the world was very different to Kynley's. It started at my 39 week doctors appointment. My dr checked my cervix and did a membrane sweep to help move things along since my sister would be here sunday. She said she just did a small sweep and it would most likely do nothing, but it would just help me along the way. Well, it did something. That night I was super cramped (like how I was before Kynley was born) and I just knew something more serious was happening. I woke up at 1:45am and had started contractions, nothing overly painful, but i knew they were more serious than my irritable uterus I had been dealing with. I got up and decided to take a shower and see if it sped things up or calmed things down. Of course it sped things up. So I woke the hubby and got my step mother-in-law over to stay with Kynley. By the time we got to the hospital my contractions were 5 mins apart and kinda painful, not too bad. They checked my cervix and told me I was only 2 cm and to go home to labor at home, but said we would most likely have a baby in the next 24 hours. So home we went where I attempted to nap. Impossible when you're having contractions. Then I got in the bath and they slowed down a lot. Im not sure if I was devastated or relieved. So naturally, I got ready and took some maternity photo's just incase it was arrival day, at least my hair and makeup would be done right? After those I decided it was babies arrival day, so I started cleaning, doing lunges and bouncing on a yoga ball to get things moving. Within about an hour of cleaning the contractions started picking up again...and quick! My lovely neighbour is a midwife and happened to be outside with her kids so I spoke to her to see what to do and decided to head to the hospital. It was about 1:30pm, and its a good thing we did. While we were in the car things really picked up. Worse contractions than I ever had with Kynley. THEY F*CKING HURT! I remember calling my mom on the drive there and having to hand the phone to tex while I cried though contractions.

Finally we arrived at the hospital and I was 4cm dilated! Woo hoo epidural time!! They immediately called the anaesthesiologist and I hopped in the shower. My contractions had been all in my back (which was right considering I had been told the baby and I were back to back aka the wrong way) so after I was bent over in the shower for 5 mins something changed, and they went from back contractions to all front contractions, and that sucked even more!!! Luckily at that point I heard the midwife talking about gas (yes America, we get gas as a happy juice for our labor and its f*cking amazing) so I bounced on the yoga ball and sucked on that gas until I was so high I was living on another planet. After what seemed like forever, my husband thinks about 2 hours, I don't remember, she arrived to give me the epidural. At that point my contractions were coming about 2 mins apart and sometimes one after another...yea that really sucked. So it took her awhile to get the epidural in. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't deal with pain, and I never wanted to know what it felt like to be that far into labor. I can't even believe I handled as well as I did. I attribute that to the wonderful gas!

Once it was in I would say I got an hour pain free before they realized I was fully dilated and ready to push! My labour with Kynley I pushed for about two hours, so I was dreading this part. The midwife had me do a "test push" and then two pushes after that Kyler Elizabeth was born! (only 5 mins...) Remember when I said my contractions changed? Well apparently she did flip the right way which meant I didn't have to push for forever! It all happened so fast Tex and I couldn't believe it. and when she came out....the hair! We were shocked! So much hair!!! We had my friend Maree in the room photographing Kynleys birth, and unfortunately this time everything happened so fast our photographer missed it! So we have no photo's until later except for a few on our phones.

It has been so amazing adding another gorgeous girl to our family. You never know how much you can love another little one until they actually arrive, and there is just so much love. More photo's and stories to come later. But for now I'm enjoying time with my family :)

 When Kynley came to meet Kyler she was sick and miserable... got a few great pics of her with the baby but then a melt down followed in true toddler fashion, thank you Uncle Steven for getting this priceless moment that will for sure be going into the baby book ;)

My girls :)

38 weeks

How far along? 38 weeks 4 days
Baby is the size of a: Leek
Gender: Princess
Best moment this week: The Lollipop Markets! We had a great day and really loved getting to actually sell our headbands and accessories in person! The only thing better is if Shanyn were to have been there.  Also making it this far. Kynley was born at 38 weeks 4 days, so basically today in this pregnancy and I never took a 38 week picture with her in my belly! I made it! Now I just have to make it to Sunday when Shanyn gets here.
Movement: Movement has slowed down a little, it makes me think she is thinking about making her debut? She likes to flip from back to back to bringing her back around front, weirdest feeling. It is getting impossible to sit for long periods because she goes right under my rib!
Belly Button in/out: flat
Cravings: Anything sweet....like those cupcakes I had last week....I think im going to get more tomorrow...
Sleep: My hips are still killing me....and I wake up every few hours to pee....seriously over that part. Aches and pains: my lower back is pretty sore and I have a serious waddle going on!
Labor Signs: Nothing more from last week. Althought according to my husband im nesting....really bad haha...i just have a lot i want to get done before she arrives! When my sister arrives on Sunday I am going to try everything I can to induce my labor. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and enjoying the bump...I know it will be gone soon and I will miss it :(
Looking forward to: Shanyn getting here Sunday!!!! Gah I am so excited to see her AND to have someone to help with Kynley. I am on serious bed rest until then...not even joking.

37 Weeks

How far along? 37 weeks 6 days
Baby is the size of a: Chard?
Gender: Girl
Best moment this week: Hanson Concert!! Ahhh! Unless you knew me in Elementary school, you probably cannot comprehend my love for Hanson! It was so much fun, I jumped my pregnant ass around and sang at the top of my lungs. I am sure the baby loved it ;)
Miss Anything: bending over to pick things up!
Movement: she is mainly on my right side now. It is pretty obvious when you see me haha lop sided belly!
Belly Button in/out: flat and weird
Cravings:Cake and fruit haha Fresh fruit is my fest friend right now AND I found this place that makes the most amazing cupcakes I have ever had. Honestly I could have eaten 20 of them but I only got four. Thinking of going and getting more next week when Im in town for my dr app!
Sleep: Getting up way too often to pee...over it
Aches and pains: Feeling good! A little bit of a sore back but nothing too bad
Labor Signs: Well I had a little scare the morning of the Hanson concert. Contractions and lots of pain. Went into the hospital and I am 1 cm dilated, contractions were nothing serious so I was sent home :) The next day I lost part of my mucus plug...TMI? sorry! But nothing since then! 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and stressed! We have our company this weekend at the lollipop markets! In a constant headband making mode as of right now, no time for anything else. I am hoping this little one stays in for the markets and then a bit longer so I have some quality one on one time with Kynley before she arrives and our lives change forever :)
Looking forward to: The Lollipop Markets this weekend and being one more week close to my sister getting here!!!

36 weeks!

How far along? 36 weeks 6 days

Baby is the size of a: Crenshaw melon?

Gender: Little Girl

Best moment this week: My Prenatal Massage I had last night...omg amazing. Thanks to all of the girls who put in for that at my sprinkle! I also got my hair done and spent a day with my preggo BFF being a complete fat ass. Truly taking advantage of these last few weeks haha

Miss Anything: Energy and Deli meat....and wine....I just looked in our back fridge and I have two bottles of Moet patiently waiting for the baby to arrive so I can drink them!!! 

Movement: Plenty of hiccups!

Wedding Rings On/Off: On, I woke up this morning feeling a bit...swollen? All over...cankles....hands, face...

Belly Button in/out: flat

Cravings: I feel like I have fulfilled my donut craving with my Krispy Kreme run.... the best part is they do their coffee the same as America....I may be driving down there just for the coffee and iced tea!

Sleep: Pretty good, I take something to help me sleep just about every night (prescribed by the dr). It is the only way I can actually sleep through the hip pain I am in....They are killing me!!!

Aches and pains: Feeling sore all over this week....I think its just the lovely last month saying hello

Labor Signs: None this week. Keeping her locked in until at least the 18th. Dr did tell me this week everything is good with the baby...it just looks like she is going to be small...and Im not complaining about that!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and Tired. I had a really productive BUSY week. Kynley started her first day of  Child Care.  One day a week until wedding season starts. I am planning on spending the day in bed the next time she is there haha. I know I won't be able to do that for a very very long time...if ever again.

Looking forward to: The Hanson concert on Tuesday night!!!! Anyone who knows me well knows I have been a die hard Hanson fan since like 5th grade....Oversized t-shirts to school everyday...hanson symbols drawn on everything....hanson shrines on our walls....dont worry that only lasted until I was like 13....ok maybe 14....but still I am so excited to see them! It is my goal to get a picture with them and the baby bump for the baby album. Wish me luck! And fingers crossed I don't go into labor during the concert....At least it would make a good story haha