7 Months!

7 MONTHS?!?!? Is this real life!?

As much as I can't believe my little miss is 7 months, I don't feel like it has flown by. I do think it is crazy that I have a 7 month old baby though ;)

She is starting to really come into her personality, and if these last few weeks give me any idea of what we are in for, she is going to be one crazy baby! Sometimes I just cant believe how funny and crazy she is at only 7 months.

Some fun chubby cheeks facts....
-She knows what a camera is. As in when I get out my big nice camera she will look any direction but at the camera! She knows mommy is trying to take a picture and she really makes me work for them!
-She is getting lots of fuzzy hair on the top of her head and wakes up with some serious bed head in the morning.
-Kynley is in love with cats....crazy right? haha Anytime our two cats walk into a room she is in she freaks out and starts flapping her arms and giggling. When I let her pet them she squeals with delight! The cats are patient until she grabs a hold of Vaders' fluffy tale and takes out a huge chunk.....
-Mom has way too much fun dressing her in ridiculous outfits and she loves it....or so I tell myself...
- Dad is still her favorite person
-She is teething and grumpy lately but os still a happy baby. She eats everything in sight and loves biting water bottles, cans, glasses and anything else.
-Blowing raspberries when she is mad is her new thing. She cries and blows them or if I take her into her room and she thinks she is going down for a nap she will blow them in my face haha Its the worst when  she does it with food in her mouth....I love pureed veggies in my hair...
-Her first Disneyland trip is less then 1 month away! Dont worry, I am already planning outfits....
-Kynley has decided that instead of her normal 7:30am sleep in, that waking up between 5:45 and 6:30 is a better idea since we have returned from our trip to America. I am trying everything to figure out how to get her to sleep longer. Saturday morning she slept until 6:30 and it felt like I got to sleep in. Thank god I just got a shipment of Pumpkin Spice latte's from my sister to ease the pain.... Thanks Auntie Nanyn...
- I am currently trying to decide on Kynleys 1st ever Halloween costume! I have a few ideas floating around but nothing set in stone...cat..princess...pumpkin...decisions decisions....
-She is so ridiculously entertaining I am finding myslef slipping slowly behind in my work....Cant I just play with her all day every day! I am pretty sure she is my BFF...

So many fun things happening in the next month and I cant wait to see how much more she develops. I love love love my crazy chubby cheeked girl!

6 months!

Is my little princess really 6 months old?!?!!? I can't believe I have already had this beautiful little girl in my life for that long. She is honestly the most adorable thing on the face of the earth.

We have just returned from a 7 week trip back in America. Kynley had an amazing time and so did the hubby and I. It was amazing to get to see my family watch her as she grew and developed. They are all so in love with her it makes me feel guilty having her half way around the world from them. She went through some big changes while we were there, starting solids, smiling more, laughing and even sitting up. I am just so happy we got to spend that time with my family and friends. 

This little 6 month old has the most hilarious personality already and makes the FUNNIEST faces. She gets her expressions from her dad dad. I even caught her raising her eyebrow at me today.

Her are some fun little K-Ray facts....

-little one has started teething and loves to bite everything!

-she loves licking the condensation off of glasses and bottles. She squished her face right up against it and it is sooo adorable.

-She is STILL in size 0-3month clothes. She is almost in sizes 3-6 months but they are huge on her and look hilarious. She is just a bit short!

- Kynley still isnt rolling over. She has done it twice but hasnt since. Mostly because she absolutely HATES tummy time. I do it everyday but after about 30 seconds she just starts screaming and freaking out. 

-She was amazing on the plane ride to and from America. Literally slept the whole way on every flight. It was so nice, I acutally got to sleep too :)

-We have been on solid food for about a month but she still isnt into it completely. Somedays she will eat but most days she has a bite or two and then wont have anymore. 

-She loves her daddy more than anyone. He will just walk into the room and her face lights up! She constantly smiles at him.

-Kynley Ray is a little flirt! (most likely taking after her dad....) She smiles and laughs at everyone and anyone. She really is just a happy baby.

-She has an adorable dimple on one side that we both got from my Grandmommy. When we visited her in San Francisco she loved poking Kynley's dimple and kept calling her "My Baby".

-She has really fuzzy hair and a beautiful widows peak!

There are about a million other fun facts out my little chubby cheeks, but I will just leave it at that for now :)

4 months!

Well now we are to the age where we begin counting her age by months instead of weeks. Our little princess is 4 months today (17 weeks). She is getting a bit chunky and has a big noggin but is so damn adorable I just cant even handle it :)

Here are some fun facts about little miss Kynley Ray :)

-She is still in 0-3month clothing, although she is a bit chunky, she is a bit short and everything is still big on her, most of her pants are still newborn size hehe
-Her nicknames are...chubby cheeks, K Ray, chubster, baby shark, princess, and her cousin Clayton calls her "Kynley Ray" all the time. We think he thinks its her first name but it is super adorable
- She is a professional sleeper at night. Not so much during the day, especially if she has to sleep in her pram/stroller.
-Her favorite songs mommy sings to her are Sea Ponies (from a my little pony movie) and Kokamo by the beach boys. She kicks and smiles when ever I sing them to her :)
-She loves when we pretend to eat her feet. She kicks and giggles and thinks it is hilarious! Her little giggle is so adorable!
-I startle her on a regular basis. Those of you who know me know that I can be loud at times, and I am ALWAYS scaring her!
-She hates it when I bring my big camera out. She will smile for me with out it but the second I put that big camera in her face she just looks away haha maybe she knows what her future will look like!
-She is getting all of this adorable fuzzy hair on her head, taking after her mommy! My dad nicknamed me fuzzy when I was a baby because I had lots of fuzzy hair too ;)
-Seriously girlfriend looks like a chipmunk with it's cheeks stuffed full of nuts haha her cheeks are SOOO chubby!!!

one. -ERGObaby Petunia and Pickle Carrier. We love this when we travel and it is super cute :)
two. We have two Sophies, this little one with the handles is perfect for her age right now. She can grab the handles and try and chew on it.
three.  This play gym is amazing. It plays music and rotates. Kynley LOVES it and is just starting to grab the toys on it.
four. We love love love our Bugaboo cameleon. It is an amazing stroller. Not to mention it is SO pretty! A lot of people like to make fun of our awesomely bold pram BUT K ray is just riding in style! Rachael Zoe, Kate Hudson and Sienna Miller all have it ;) My grandmommy helped me choose it out and every time she see's it she is so happy she got us the colorful one and not all black haha

2 & 3 Months

Ok so obviously I have been slacking big time in the blogging department. Things are just crazy with a baby and my brain does not function like it used to! Trying to be a stay at home mommy while running my photography business (which I am back to doing part time) is quite challenging. I swear every I sit down to edit Kynley wakes up or poops her pants! Its all very exciting.....

So, as everyone has said time is FLYING by! My little princess is 3 months old :( Stop growing!!! She is getting more and more interactive everyday and it is so much fun. I got to celebrate my first Mothers Day yesterday, and Kynley is by far the best gift I could ever receive. She is such a good baby it makes my husband and I a little crazy thinking we want baby #2 sooner rather then later....but thats a whole other story!

Here are a few fun K-Ray facts for you :)

-Her favorite time of day is when "Dad Dad" as he calls himself gets home from work, he gets smiles out of this girl I couldn't even dream of!
-She is sleeping all the way through the night! Woo hoo! Im not, I always wake up and make sure I can still here her breathing haha
- She goes to be around 6:30pm and sleeps until about 7:30am. And if she doesn't go to be around that time she gets GRUMPY! Full on melt downs!
-She loves looking at contrasty things (black and white stuff mostly) and will coo at it and smile. Super adorbs.
- You know she is doing a poo which she sticks her top lip out and her face turns bright red! haha
-She is just starting to "talk" and loves to sing along with you when you sing to her.
- Kynley is just now out growing her newborn clothes!!! Her 0-3 month clothes are massive on her but we are making them work!
-Her little head is getting so big! haha I am worried she is going to have a mega mind like her daddy! At least I can put headbands on to cover it up!
-This girl is finally putting on some lbs and has little rolls on her wrists and thighs! I am pretty sure its the only time you can call rolls cute haha
-Its looking like her eyes are turning blue!
-She is getting lots of dark brown hair
-Auntie Jess and I painted her nails for the first time yesterday, dad was not happy!

Thats about all I can think of. I just love watching her grow and develop more and more everyday! She is becoming such a little person :)

Raymond Douglas Ihrke

(This is my little sister Suzee's Birth Announcement, I think little miss K Ray looks like her!!!)

I just wanted to write s small little something about Kynley Ray's grandpa, my dad, Raymond Douglas Ihrke.

My dad sadly passed away 17 years ago today....I honestly cant believe it has been that long. For those of you who don't know he died of a heart attack at the young age of 46. The story of how he passed is quite an unusual one.

My dad, among many things (construction company owner, auto shop owner, demolition car driver, mad doctor at the Des Moines haunted house... this list goes on) was a pilot. Not a commercial pilot, but he had his license and he owned a small cessna plane he lovingly called "Michelle". (If you ever want a good laugh ask Shanyn how it felt when she got her leg ran over by it!) My mom and dad would joke that she was his mistress because he was always spending time with her. Anyways, on March 20th 1996 my dad and his best friend Lee decided to go out flying for the afternoon. While they were up in the air my dad had a massive heart attack and died immediately. Lee, who had no experience flying, had to try and land the plane by himself. It was a float plane which is meant to land on water, but Lee want to try and get my dad help as fast as he could so he landed it on land. Miraculously Lee walked away with a few bumps and bruises, but my dad was gone.

Looking back on that day I remember that last time I said good bye to him, the moment my mom told me he was gone and me not really understanding completely what that meant at the young age of 9. This story made national news and I remember the news crews coming and knocking on our door wanting to talk to our family, and them following us from my dad's funeral back to my grandma's house to get to speak to my mom. Crazy crazy things to deal with at 9 years old. He was such an amazing daddy.

Lucky for us the story gets better. My mom married Bill, one of my dads friends (the most amazing step dad ever) and from it came our youngest sister Falyn. (and don't you dare try and call her our half sister, she isn't, she is full ;) ) I think it's all about the way you look at things, looking at the positive in the situation.

As I have gotten older I think his death has been harder to deal with when it comes to big life events like getting married and having a baby. I just keep reminding myself he is here in spirit and can see everything that is happening.  As far as little miss Kynley Ray, I am certain my dad sent her to me. Sometimes she makes face and I can totally see my dad in her, and other times I swear she looks just like my dads mom (My grandma Lillian, another one who I wish was here to see us grow up, she was my favorite and SO FUNNY). I think Kynley has her hands and beautiful fingernails.

I think going through something like that teaches you things that no one else can understand. I hope to try and teach Kynley the lessons I have learned from these life events without her ever having to experience anything like it. I want to teach her to appreciate everything and everyone in her life. Love deeply and not to be afraid to show the love she has. And cherish your family. I see so many people who take their family members for granted and it makes me so sad. I remember growing up and always being so jealous of people who got to call someone "dad" or "daddy", now my little princess has an AMAZING Daddy. She is so lucky ;)

In our wedding ceremony one of the things that was said was to "Say I love you everyday", that is something that I do in my marriage and in my family. Never get off the phone without saying it, no matter how mad you are. I am going to teach Kynley this, and hope she understands the importance of it.

My daddy and I

Grandma Lillian, one of my crazy memories of her is always stealing tic tacs from her purse during church and when she was trying to get your attention she would call you every name but your own...Shanyn! Suzee! Falyn!!!...i mean REYNA!!!

1 month favorites

1. aden & anais swaddle blankets- The best swaddling blankets ever. They are big and light weight and super soft. We have about 10 and its all we use at night.
2.aden & anais Burpy Bibs- These things are amazing. Great for burping, cute to put over your shoulder and they have snaps that turn them from a burping cloth to a bib. Investing in more of these when I head back to the U.S.
3.NUK Pacifier- did post a link but these are the ones that seem to stay in her mouth the best. And because she is so small they are the only ones she doesn't gag on. They are had to find here in Aussieland but I know they are everywhere in America, again something I will for sure be stocking up on!
4.My Brestfriend- This pillow is AMAZING for breast feeding. Instead of having to move pillows around and get comfy you just pop this around your waist and put the baby on. It is super soft and has little bumps on it for the baby to rest their head and to help them stay attached. This is probably my favorite thing on the list if you are going to breast feed.
5.Mamaroo- I made my mom bring this all the way from America for me and it was totally worth it. It supposedly mimics the movements of the mom that the baby feels while they are in the womb. Kynley loves it and it is great at rocking her to sleep.
6.Moby Wrap- If I need her to go to sleep I can put this thing on and within minutes she is passed out. I clean with it on, edit photo's, do my hair and make up, anything. It allows me to be hands free and her to feel supported and like she is being cuddled. My husband even wears it with her in it while he plays video games and does things around the house. Perfect if she is fussy and just wants to be loved ;)
7.Electric Bottle Sterilizer- Because I am both breastfeeding and pumping to give to her in a bottle (trying to get her to gain as much weight as possible.) we use this all day, everyday. I sterilize everything for her. Toys, pacifiers, bottles, pump, nupple shields, anything that will fit I sterilize. It takes about 10 mins each cycle.

For those of you in aussieland here is the link for the aden+anais products-Aden + Anais

1 month old!

WOW! Is this real? My daughter is already 1 month old! I still feel like it was yesterday I found out I was pregnant. Now I have experience the most amazing thing in the world and it just keeps getting better :) I still have to pinch myself and convince myself everyday that Kynley is here and she is MINE :)

I wasnt going to keep blogging after the pregnancy, but it been so good for keeping everyone updated with what is going on while we are so far away from my family. Kynleys first month of life has been a whirlwind for me. Between having family here and continuing to work (kind of) I am ready for my life to slow down a bit so I can fully enjoy my baby girl even more!!!

As many of you know I went into labor while photographing a wedding (never a dull moment here!). Little Miss arrived 10 days early. Now because she was my first I was hoping that after that wedding I would have at least a week until she arrived giving me time to catch up on all of my editing and get my ducks in a row before she made her debut. Unfortunately that was not the case and I now find myself 1 month later still trying to get people their wedding images and keep up with client emails. I guess there is no such thing as maternity leave or a break when you own your own business! I am very grateful to all of my clients who are so patient and understanding :)

Well, little miss K Ray and I had a great time with Auntie Nanyn while she was here. We were sad to see her go but we will see her in just about 2 weeks when we head back to the U.S. to visit the family! (Thats right we will be there from April 1st-10th and would love to see everyone and anyone!) Here are just a few fun facts About Kynley Ray and our little life we now have going:

-Her nicknames are K Ray and Baby Shark (because when she is hungry she looks like a shark attacking something when you put the bottle in her mouth)
-Kynley absolutely LOVES bath time! It is the cutest thing ever. Ill post a video below for you all to see.
-Her mamaroo is her favorite toy she could sit in it for hours with it on Kangaroo setting
- She has just grown out of her Small Newborn/Premie/00000 clothes and still easily fits into her newborn clothes
-She loves being in the Moby Wrap and sits with me for hours while I edit photo's
- Vader secretly loves her and tries to snuggle with us while I am feeding her
-She sleeps for 4-5 hours at a time at night usually only waking up around 3am for a feed! Yay for mommy getting sleep!
-She has dad wrapped around her little finger already and loves to sit with him while he plays video games and watches Walking Dead
- She is a fashionista and loved her head bands, she also loves having a poo explosion everytime Mommy puts her in a cute outfit
-I am almost positive she is trying to smile
-She still weighs under 7lbs! (getting her weighed tomorrow hoping she has put on more weight!)
-She is the custest baby I have ever seen, I am not biased or anything ;)
-She looks like my little sister Suzee when she was a baby but looks like her dad when she makes certain faces

Here are a few fun photo's and videos from her first month of life!