Winter Adventures

Happy New Year! We are super excited for this year with the addition of our lil man Greyson and to see what life has in store for us. This month was a whirlwind for us full of family fun, change and the new adventure as a family of four.

We started the year off celebrating the New Year with new friends Cheryl and Joe Orlando. We've really enjoyed getting to know them and watch our kids get along so well - they have a son Raegan's age and another son 2 months older than Greyson. It will be fun watching them all grow up together! 


We also took Raegan on her first trip to the snow, which turned out to be amazing! I wasn't sure how she would do since she can be super timid at times, but she did great! Of course she put up a fight at first, but once we shoved her down the hill on the inner tube, she came back up with a huge smile on her face asking to go again and again! Sometimes you just have to force them to try new things! :)

Raegan also had a big surgery this month and had tubes put in her ears. We wanted to get this out of the way before the baby arrived, so we scheduled it right away. She had about 6 ear infections over the year and it was time to take care of the problem. It was scary having your little one go off into surgery without you, but she was a champ! She seemed to enjoy the entire experience - they had a princess movie for her to watch so she was in heaven! She cried for a good 20 minutes when she came out, but recovered just fine and was back to normal that afternoon. Of course I stressed over nothing, but you only learn by going through it! So far she's been ear infection free and is a completely new girl - super happy and full of energy! Poor thing must have been in pain for months. So happy she's back to her old self. 

The big deal this month was of course welcoming Greyson into our family. We spent the first two weeks preparing and I worked as long as I could. Hayden's mom came into town to help us with Raegan as we went to the hospital. Things went smoothly and Greyson blessed us on January 13th - somehow the number 13 is now a family favorite! 

The rest of the month was full of adjustment and recovery on my part. Overall we adjusted well and are enjoying the new life and the New Year!

Enjoy this month's photos and videos...

View photos and videos here.

 

Welcome to the world Greyson John Kelly!

He is here! Our lil man joined our family on Monday, January 13th, 2014 at 1:55pm. He weighed 8 pounds and 3 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. This birth was a whole heck of a lot different than our experience with Raegan and I have to say it was a wonderful experience. Having a 3 year old to worry about and ensure she's taken care of while we're in the hospital would normally be stressful, but with a scheduled c-section it was so easy! Everything was easy actually... I was able to work just about up to my delivery date, get the house and our lives in order, and mentally prepare for everything all before his arrival. There were no surprises, which was very nice.

I will say that even with all the preparation, we certainly were still nervous about how our lives would be changed with our new addition. For the entire pregnancy and more so at the end, I realized that my time with just Raegan was coming to an end. The last few months, weeks and days were extra special and I cherished them dearly. It was so crazy to think that she had no idea just how much her life was going to change with a new little brother joining the family.

Anyhow, on to the delivery. As with the previous c-section, everything went super smoothly and he arrived happy and healthy. This time around was extra special as the doctor's let me have skin-to-skin time with him. I didn't get to do this with Raegan, so it was a nice treat. The surgery took a bit longer than expected, but overall was smooth and I was back with my lil man quickly. We spent 3 days total in the hospital, which was way better than the 6 days with Raegan! And we were reunited with our lil lady Raegan back at home.

We kept Raegan in daycare the days we were in the hospital to keep her in her routine before we rocked her world with a new little brother! So when we came home we were able to get situated and have Greyson ready for his big sister to come home and meet him. She immediately fell in love with him and was super excited to meet him. It was precious and full of priceless moments. We weren't too sure how she would react, but she definitely was a proud big sister and eager to hold him and have him play with all of her toys. Let's hope that lasts!

Overall, Greyson joined our family in a very smooth fashion and we look forward to all the adventures we'll have now as a family of four!

Enjoy the photos and videos of our new addition: Greyson John Kelly

View photos and videos here.

Final Countdown

So Baby Kelly #2 will be here in just a few short days and we're all very excited! I figured it was time to get one last belly bump picture (38 weeks) in to see just how large and in charge I got this time around. I think this lil guy is just a tad bigger than Raegan. I definitely know that I'm more uncomfortable this go around!

The last doctor appointment went well and he is measuring just right and his heart is super strong. No other news to report really except that he's definitely ready to come out - I think there are times he may just jump out of my belly and yell "I'm here!" he moves so much!

Anyhow, enjoy this last belly bump picture and stay tuned for his birth details and photos in shortly!

Holiday Festivities 2013

Oh December, you treated us so well!! This year's holidays were one of the best in my opinion - even being so big and pregnant! It's so wonderful to experience the holidays through a child's eyes and to see each year getting more and more exciting.

This year, Raegan understood a bit more and definitely harped on us for being behind the ball on getting our tree and Christmas lights up on the house. It was pretty funny. But with the November mayhem of birthdays, Thanksgiving and travel, we were behind schedule. Once we finally got things underway, she was much happier.

Raegan was a huge help this season to - she helped pick out the perfect Christmas tree, although what she really wanted was a small tree for herself and a big tree for us, but we didn't oblige. She also sat by and directed Hayden as he hung the lights outside and was pleased with the results - as minimal as they were. We lucked out with the weather being bearable and really not cold at all, so a few nights we ventured out around the neighborhood to see all the lights. She enjoyed this a lot! We even did a tour of the lights on Candy Cane Lane when Uncle Boogs and Aunt Issa were in town. Next year we'll plan to walk to see those lights since cruising in the car just doesn't do it justice!

Santa was another big deal for Raegan this year! She definitely has progressed in her love for Santa and she knew exactly what she wanted for Christmas - a castle and Clover the rabbit. She hopped right on his lap and told him so. And luckily we got a half smile out of her this year. I definitely love the last two year's shots - one crying the other unforgettable expression - but this year it was sweet to get a smile out of her!

And then of course there was Christmas!!! Our little lady was spoiled beyond belief by and had even more princess gifts (if you can imagine after her birthday!). I'm pretty sure she was overwhelmed with all of the festivities but she took it all in and enjoyed all the new toys and festivities. I think to this day we're still trying to play with everything from the birthday gifts to Christmas!!

We definitely enjoyed this year's holiday and can't believe next year will be even better with two little ones to share it with! It was great to get the last few weeks of the month off to spend with Raegan before the new baby comes along. We had a lot of fun with friends, family and each other and ended the year off with a night of fun with her friend Ashton and she just about made it to midnight!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all!

 
Enjoy this month's photos and videos here...

Baby #2 Here in 2 Weeks!

Well, it's official! Baby Kelly #2 will be here on January 13, 2014 via scheduled c-section! It's crazy to think this is just two short weeks away. We're all very excited to meet our little man and are sure the time will fly by.

Raegan is constantly talking about him and seems very eager for him to get here. Not sure if she realizes how much her world is going to change, but she seems okay with it all at this point. We're sure she's going to be a great big sister and very maternal. 

Fingers crossed for a smooth surgery and health baby boy! Details and photos to follow soon...and final baby bump!

34 weeks...

Well I missed the 4 week update, but the belly did not skip a beat in growing even larger these last 6 weeks! Baby Kelly #2 is definitely growing and I imagine will be a big guy. Although, in looking back and photos of my pregnancy with Raegan, I'm about the same size. I feel way bigger this go around, but I don't think it's by much. 

This little guy sure is active though! He definitely reminds me he is in there all day long! And he's taking a bigger toll on my body this go around - causing a lot of sleepless nights and trouble getting my shoes on, but overall things are pretty easy, just as they were with Raegan. 

This month's doctor appointment showed him growing along just as he should be, a strong heartbeat and overall perfect report. We also did a tour of the hospital since it's our first time at this particular one. It's a big difference going on these type of tours the second go around - not as scary or intimidating and just a refresher! It is a bit odd knowing we'll roll in to surgery right away with the scheduled c-section, but overall things will be about the same. Next appointment we'll get to choose this little guy's birthday and schedule the c-section - so surreal!!

Stay tuned for one more belly bump pic and then the big day...just a few short weeks away!!

Princess Palooza

Oh November, the month full of excitement: birthdays, birthdays, more birthdays and Thanksgiving! I love this month and I've made Miss Raegan love it as well - especially all the spoiling that occurs this month. And boy was this little lady spoiled!!

Of course we started the month off with a birthday countdown, which to a 2 year old was probably torture. She was in full anticipation mode of that glorious day for weeks! And when it finally arrived, it was a week long celebration: we had a celebration at her daycare, a family party at the house and then her special friend birthday party at Wacky Tacky - a local party place just for kids.

Raegan was showered with love by all the family - and especially loved having her Uncles and Aunties come into town for the special occasion. Not only was she showered with love, but she was showered with princess stuff galore! Our life threw up pink, but we accepted it because she absolutely loved it all. She is princess through and through and it's by far her favorite thing right now. 

In addition to all of the princess gifts, we upgraded her room to a princess theme in honor of this new found obsession. It was adorable to see her eyes light up when she saw her new room and said it was "beautiful." She couldn't wait to take a nap and be in her room. Success!

This month also included a road trip to Los Osos for Thanksgiving to see the Kelly family. Raegan loves her road trips - mostly because she gets to watch movies, eat junk food and of course suck on her "crack pipe" as I call it - the pacifier. This is one thing we really want to break her of, but when you're 8 months pregnant and on a 6 hour road trip, you choose your battles! Raegan had a blast seeing her family and playing with all of her cousins. It's by far one of our favorite things to see her enjoy playing with her cousins and watch them grow up together. Even though they are all boys, she hangs pretty well...playing in her dresses as she climbs play structures and runs around with the boys! It's adorable. We love that she's all girl, but doesn't get phased by playing in the dirt or running around. 

This month also included our annual family photo shoot. Ever since my brother's wedding in September, Miss Raegan has finally taken to the camera, which makes for much better photos! Granted she has an interesting squint and doesn't always look directly into the camera, this year's shots were by far better and she was much more cooperative. It's fun to see her blossom and to see her personality shine through all the photos. 

Overall, we had another exciting month full of adventures. Next month won't disappoint and we look forward to seeing how Miss Raegan handles Santa and Christmas this year! 

Enjoy this month's photos and videos!