March Beginnings

A cute photo of Reesa taken by her teacher at school. Not sure if you notice but Reesa's hair is a lot shorter. :) Last week after dinner, Reesa was happily sitting at the table eating a whole wheat fig bar (a special treat we enjoy) and I decided to take Patrick's hair scissors and went for it!! It's so much easier to do little braids or little pig tails. Plus Reesa liked telling people she had a hair cut. :)

Playing with foam on a rainy day. It's an easy way to get Reesa in the bath. Playing with pink and purple foam and then she gets to have a bath with pink soap. A bit girly? That's how we roll in our house.

Mommy and Porter hanging during Reesa's naptime. Turns out this guy isn't much for structure either. He sleeps most of the morning and then stays awake for the entire afternoon and early evening until 7:30/8pm. He does sleep very well at night. 3-5 hour stretches. One night he slept from 7:30pm-2:15am. It was the best sleep I've had since he was born.

Porter Kelley: 6 weeks old. He loves to smile in the morning.

After about an hour of awake time in the morning he's ready for a nap.

Porter still does not like tummy time.

He does love looking at the bees in his swing. 

Reesa is dying to play with Porter but he still can't do much yet. She loves holding him in the morning because that's when he smiles the most. She gets so excited when he looks at her and smiles. Reesa really does not like it when Porter cries. It makes her upset. So we are learning how to show Reesa that when he cries it means something and we try to figure it out together what Porter wants.

Porter still loves to be held and does not like a binky at all!! I don't want him to have one but some days in the afternoon he only wants to be held and nurse all the time for comfort which makes it difficult to play with Reesa. We are exploring more natural pacifiers in hope that he may take one just for the afternoon. We'll see. This too will pass.

Today Porter and I got to sleep in and Patrick took Reesa to school. It was nice to sit on the couch and drink my coffee while it was still hot. Then we went for a run. Tough Friday huh? But I did get this cute video...

A Month Into It...

Porter is a month old!! I can't believe it. I haven't slept in a month :(

Reesa still loves to hold Porter and be a helper. We are still learning how to be gentle with him. It's hard to explain to a 2 year old that you can body slam Daddy but not Porter :)

Reesa and Porter hanging in their jammies.

Reesa practicing snapping his onsie.

Reesa giving Porter hugs and kisses.

Most of our photos are taken in the morning while I'm still drinking my coffee and before we get ready for the day. It's really nice to have that time set aside every morning just for us.

Porter is so much bigger! He holds his head up, tracks objects, smiles, coos, and has a little more alert time during the day.

We are still staying busy and getting out of the house daily. Between mommy groups, hanging with family, and friends; we don't find ourselves bored very often. Thank goodness!

My First Week Flying Solo

 I have a 3 week old son. So nuts!! Isn't he just precious? Oh how I love watching him sleep. Too adorable.

Patrick is back to work this week and I'm surviving. We've actually made it out of the house on our own. Usually we can only handle one stop and we are back for naptime and stay in until Patrick comes home. Getting dressed in the morning is such a chaotic mess!! Our first morning trying to get out I had Reesa sitting on the potty while I'm nursing Porter and applying mascara. Somehow no injuries and we all made it out of the house. I will say its more difficult to physically get in the car than I expected. I swear it takes us an additional 30 minutes just to gather our things and get out the door.

Reesa has calmed down now and is more herself around Porter. I think she has gotten use to him being part of her daily norm. She is super bummed that Daddy went back to work and always asks how many more hours till he comes home. Reesa is still eager to help and loves getting Porter's changing station ready for a diaper change. In the morning we all play on his activity mat and help him with his "exercises"and then read books. I'm just starting to figure how the three of us can interact at the same time. Trial and error I guess.

A few photos from the week:

Reesa drawing a picture of Porter.

Reesa's Valentine's Day Party at school. She was so proud to show off her baby brother.

Reesa wanted to bring her tent out to play and then decided she was tired and fell asleep. Poor girl has been fighting a cold all week.

Even though she is under the weather she still manages to show some love to her baby brother.

Aunt Alison hanging with Porter while Reesa has a doctor visit. I'm so grateful for family being close by. It makes life so much easier and sometimes they bring you a huge red velvet cupcake to make your day that much better!!

We also had a surprise "Welcome Porter"Party at George Fox. So sweet and thoughtful.

Our first week was definitely one to remember but I absolutely love my kids and at the end of the day when Patrick and I have a quiet house; even if it's only for 15 minutes; we say we wouldn't have our lives any other way.

We also have a beautiful video to share. The first time Reesa met Porter. I love how she just embraces her new brother into the family.

A Week with Porter

We are now a family of 4!! I am absolutely in love with my little man Porter. He's so tiny and looks better than I could have imagined. Totally smitten. So is Patrick. And Reesa.

Main details: Went in Thursday at 4pm. Delivered at 7:30pm with no drugs and luckily only 2 pushes. Went home Friday night once Porter cleared his 24 hour test. He's nursing well and I'm recovering just fine.

Reesa couldn't wait to meet Porter and she brought him a toy during her first visit. Adorable. She is doing well with Porter. She loves him. She wants to help with everything we do and gets a bit wound up and over excited. She crashes so hard in the evenings from the over stimulation. In time the novelty will wear off.

This is the best shot where he looks just like Patrick but with dark features. So crazy!!

Do you think they look like siblings?

Our first trip to REI as a family of 4. Testing out the double BOB. We strolled the Pearl, stopped in at a cafe, and watched Reesa run around Jamison Square.

Reesa jumping in puddles our first Monday morning all together.

Today we tackled the Zoo. I think we all got worn out with that one. A more casual weekend is now in order. We've taken him to church and celebrated with our small group drinking Black Butte Porter. Not much left on our list of intros for baby Porter.

For being our first full week as a family of four we are adjusting well. Now, Patrick is home for 2 weeks so I know it will not be this smooth when he goes back. Praying for patience and a sense of humor as I get adjusted to being a stay at home mom of 2!!

Snowy Portland Days

This weekend we had a wonderful three day weekend surprise!! We completely forgot that Patrick had MLK off and couldn't be more happy to have that extra "just the 3 of us" time.

Saturday Reesa and I hung out in the morning while PK was at a church meeting. We played safari and had a camp out in the living room. We wanted to be incognito so we covered ourselves in glittery smiley faces!!

Later that night we had a Kelley/Nicola/Geist family swim at our local rec center. Afterwards we all came back and had soup and salad at our place. I tested out a new veggie chili recipe: place all the veggies that I like to eat and smell cooking and add seasoning. Hopefully the leftovers freeze well. :)

Sunday morning church was cancelled so we suited up and went out for a walk in the snow. Later we went downtown for a nice stroll indoors.

 Monday we spent the morning on 23rd. We popped into my favorite 3 Monkeys boutique, let Reesa roam the toy store, and had snacks at Starbucks. Reesa really loves her chocolate soy milk. She practically sprinted to Urban Outfitters. We made our way back home just before another snow flurry hit.

Today Reesa and I went to the doctor and then had lunch with Alison, Aaron, and Isaiah. Reesa and I just roam Portland looking for people to hang with. I don't think I can clean, wash, or make anymore lists. If I buy anything else on Etsy Patrick might take away my computer. ;)

His cradle is up and all his bedding is washed.

We got a second glider and our bags are packed. Yes, I packed the baby name book because we have no idea what we are going to name him. Our short list: Porter, Oscar, Diego, Oslo. And we might come home with a completely different name!!

Lately I feel like a ticking time bomb. I don't think he's coming early but I wake up every other morning around 4 or 5am to contractions that are about 6-8minutes apart for at least an hour. Then they subside. Each morning this happens they hurt a little more than the previous morning. Sometimes our bodies can play mean tricks on us. I'm ready when he's ready but I sure wish I didn't have these false starts to endure. Doesn't my body know that I have a 2 year old to entertain for the entire day? Just plain cruel.

I guess it all be over soon and I'll be posting precious baby photos of our lil' boy Kelley.

Less Than Two Weeks

This last weekend was another action packed one!! I had a awesome baby shower at my mother-in-laws house. Friends that I have known for years from Salem and newer friends from Portland came over for a low key brunch. All I wanted was coffee, a cupcake, and relaxing conversation. I guess you can call me low-maintenance but I love simple and meaningful. 

A few photos taken by my friend Brittany...

Now the pink tutu is for Reesa. My friend Kristin said it was important for the big sister to get something too. Do you think she's a big sister?! Also my mom flew up and "surprised" me for the weekend. She was so pleased to have kept the secret for over a month. Reesa had a blast with her Grandma Jenny. We went to the Zoo and just let the two of them have fun playing store, tea, and playdough.

So I now have less than two weeks left and I may eat my words; but I don't think this little guy is coming before or on his due date. I just can't picture it. The doctor I saw on Tuesday asked me what my ideal situation is once I pass my due date. I told her that I would like to have my husband take that Friday off and have an entire day just being a family of 3 one last time (no errands), head to the hospital on a Saturday or Monday depending how far I'm dilated (I would like to be at least 4), break my water (no pitocin) and just see what happens. She told me that would be ideal. Isn't that what she asked?!

Reesa and I are taking our days slowly and doing whatever we feel like with no agenda. Our weekends are usually packed so I try to take it slower during the week. We head to the library, stroll toy stores, or just go out for Jamba Juice. I try to scratch something small off my list each day. Today I got my ring polished for free!! It's so clean :) and we had Jamba for lunch.

Finishing Off 2011

Zoo lights, Peacock Lane, and present wrapping were the activities leading up to Christmas. Christmas Eve morning service with Missio followed by a Family Evening Service at St. Andrews. Crab and Artichokes for dinner. Prime rib for Christmas dinner. Family all under one roof. It was a grand ol' time in Portland.

A photo recap of the last few weeks of 2011...

Christmas Eve Service at St. Andrews

Reesa wouldn't let go of baby Jesus. Tears were shed. She is too cute sometimes. Later that week we made a baby Jesus out of yellow playdough. He joins us for tea and sugar on a regular basis.

Did you know that Grandpa Larry, Patrick, and Reesa eat the same breakfast every morning? Oatmeal and Nancy's yogurt. I guess Reesa wanted to spice it up and eat just the yogurt. What a black sheep!!

A favorite outing of ours: Riding the free max line downtown.

Reesa was in charge of the cookie choice. Pink sugar cookies with rainbow sprinkles.

A 3 year Christmas present tradition: An evening out somewhere new and fun!! This year Pok Pok Thai chicken wings are amazing. 

I leave you with a Christmas morning dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOqV3VPVGK8