First Black Friday

Chloe is a Skinner-Kell baby girl so its no wonder she loves shopping already! The girls went shopping and the boys stayed home. We journeyed to Tysons mall for her very first Black Friday experience, and what a day it was. She was a real tropper for the whole afternoon there. She just kind of slept through it. I am sure next year won't be quite as easy (we might just skip the festivities altogether!).

Now Thanksgiving is all over...on to Christmas in Tennessee!

Slideshow has been updated with some more pics. Check it out! http://picasaweb.google.com/babychloekell/BabyChloeKell?authkey=WhceIACX8z4#slideshow

It's Turkey Day!

Chloe's first Thanksgiving was spent with lots of family - the way it should be! We had my mom still visiting and the Kells' (thats Gradma Crystal, FredPa, Auntie Andie, Uncle Mitch and Uncle Joe) drove in for the holidays. We went to Aunt Connie and Uncle Ed's for the festivities. We had turkey and all the trimings and lots of family time and laughs. It was really a wonderful day.

Needless to say, Brad and I have so much to be grateful for this year but most notably is the healthy arrival of our beautiful baby girl.

SLIDESHOW

Check out some pictures of Chloe during her first few weeks of life.

http://picasaweb.google.com/babychloekell/BabyChloeKell?authkey=WhceIACX8z4#slideshow

Check-Up Time

Chloe went to her second well-baby check-up yesterday. She was a really good baby for the nurse and doctor. She is doing just great according to them and their growth charts. We have confirmed that she is getting enough food as she has exceeded her birth weight at this time. Little piglet!

At 19 days she weighs 7lbs 13.5oz and is nearly 21 inches. She is in the 25th percentile for both her weight and head circumference and the 50th percentile for length. She will be visiting them next in the new year for her first round of shots. Fun times ahead I am sure!

I asked the doctor about her frequent feedings and increased fussiness that we had observed over the last 3-4 days and she did confirm that babies go through a little growth spurt at about 2-3 weeks and it should smooth out in the next few weeks. So, that was comforting to know. It's not us, it's her! But, even with that, she is still a delightful little girl.

First Two Weeks at Home

The Two-Week-Chloe-Trial-Period is officially now over - she can't be returned! Not that we would ever dream of doing such a thing...

We have been home for two weeks tonight. It has been a pretty exciting time for all of us. We had Brad's family in for the first week, followed by a few days on our own and then my Mom arrived and will be staying for two weeks. Aunt Connie and Uncle Ed are also near and dear and have made frequent visits. Having the help has been terrific!

Brad has gone back to work and I am still on maternity leave. We continue on this journey, taking one day at a time adjusting to parenthood. Every day is different. We don't have much of a schedule, we just go with the flow...the baby's the new boss in town! I am Boss Lady, she is Boss Baby. She always wins! Brad is wondering what his title is...

Chloe is a pretty easy baby so far, or so I have been told. She sleeps for long stretches of time and feeds often when she is awake. She has just started to fuss a bit more these last few days, but nothing unmanageable. She has changed SO much in these last two weeks. Her little hands and feet have filled out, she no longer feels like she may break with every movement, her eyes are now open often inspecting the world around her and she is still as beautiful as ever.

Welcome Baby Chloe!

Chloe Alexis Rose Kell was born at 1:04pm on Friday, November 7th via c-section. She weighed 7lbs 7.7oz and was 21inches in length. We were discharged from the hospital on Monday, November 10th at 8pm and the journey of parenthood officially began.

Chloe is a delightful baby at nearly a week a old already! She sleeps and nurses fantastically. She does not fuss too much at all. She loves to be held - which is no problem with us! Life as new parents is going pretty great. All those child education classes, lactation consultatations and the welcomed advice from loved ones are coming in mighty handy at the moment. That along with the parenting instincts you never knew you had.

Love is in abundance and sleep is semi-absent in this home, but every sleepless second is well worth it. We love her more than we ever thought was humanly possible. We can't wait to watch her grow - hopefully not too quickly!

38 Weeks And Counting...

Thirteen days and counting till our official due date...........

What a whirlwind this pregnancy has been, especially over the past week or so.

For the most part, this has been a pretty easy pregnancy. I have enjoyed every moment of it - every appointment, every flutter, every class, every kick, every non-stress test and every ultrasound exam. Not so much have I enjoyed the heartburn, the sleepless nights or this pain up my backside. But, those are small prices to pay compared to bringing a beautiful and healthy baby into this world. Which is what we plan on doing!

As many of you know, the only real complication we have had so far is finding out that Baby Kell has whats known as Single Umbilical Artery (or Two Vessel Cord) at our 19 week sonogram. That was a bit heart wrenching, but, all has turned out just fine so far. Because of this, I have been going in for Non-Stress Tests twice weekly for the past few weeks to monitor her heart rate and movement. And she has been doing fantastic, so no worries there!

The most recent dilema has been my amniotic fluid level. My fluid level has been dropping lower than they would like. The baby is full term now at 38 weeks, and because the fluids are pretty low, we may be induced sometime over the next week or so. Needless to say, I turned into a mad pregnant woman on Monday when I found out. Cleaning the house and wrapping up some work obligations in anticipation that I would have been induced on Tuesday, which was a possibility. So, we are playing the waiting game now and just following doctor's orders.

We are very anxious. Brad is ready for her to arrive, and I am willing to wait a bit longer. The thought of labor still scares me a little bit. He just wants to meet her and hold her...and so do I, but, I remind him about the diapers, feedings and lack of sleep...and he still instists she make her debut sooner rather than later.

Any bets on when she will arrive?