Kaitlyn's Bedroom

It's finally time to unveil what may be my favorite room in the house. I've mentioned before on this blog that I smile every time I enter one of our four bedrooms as each bedroom has been strategically and intentionally decorated to suit the person or people sleeping there. Our bedroom is bright and airy and clean - with its all-white bedding and green and pink accent tones. Jaden's bedroom is a cozy but bright basement space filled with meaningful sports memorabilia - and lots of privacy for our first-born. Brandon's over-sized room is tastefully filled with Star Wars decor and extra floor space for him to build all the things he wants to build. And finally... Kaitlyn's room. The smallest bedroom in the house but equipped with the prettiest view and the coziest corners. I love this room so much - not just because of how it came together but because it fulfills a lifetime of prayers answered. I absolutely loved being able to put together a room fit for a princess.

When we first moved into this house, this particular room was the only room with wood paneling over all its walls - but it did have brand new carpet! ;) Because we didn't have a basement bedroom yet, we moved Jaden into this space and got rid of the paneling, painted the walls, and hung just a few things on the walls to make him feel at home for those first several months. Secretly, Cody and I were hoping this would eventually be a nursery space and so we picked a light gray wall color that would work for a little boy or a little girl. Just one year later from putting up all new drywall, this bedroom has seen a massive makeover - from wood paneling to a boys' sports room... to a pink and white flowery room. It's amazing how much has changed in a year!

I had so much fun envisioning and then slowly putting together this nursery. The room is on the smaller size, as I mentioned, but bright and airy - with a big window facing the west and our neighbors' beautiful backyard that looks like a picture out of a fairy tale story book. Kaitlyn will grow up with pretty garden and sunset views... just as a little girl should. And because of its smaller size, I wanted to make sure not to overdo it. I didn't want to fill it too much at first, and let the space evolve slowly as she grows. I kept it simple and soft, and I absolutely love it.
 

I also wanted to make sure that whatever we hung above her crib was soft and light... and that the wall could easily transition from a wall above a crib - to a wall above a bed. I didn't initially intend for this room to take on a flowery theme, but noticed a growing trend on my Pinterest page when I kept pinning pictures of nurseries decked out in soft flower petals and rustic charm. ;)

This brought me to a seller on Etsy who puts together these beautiful flower letters in all sizes. She receives rave reviews and so that sealed the deal for me. Her flowery 'K' above her crib set the tone for the rest of the room, and I love how it turned out.

The crib and the dresser were the only two pieces we still had from when the boys were little. The crib sheet was the perfect Target find and gifted to us by Cody's co-workers... and the lamp and end table were also both from Target and Walmart! The end table is the perfect size and has a cute little lower shelf to hold some of her prettiest books from her growing collection.

I found just a few simple flowery pieces from Michael's and Hobby Lobby - this flower box holds all of her hair bows and the flower box on the table beside her crib houses all of her binkies. Pretty and functional decor items!

This frame was the perfect find and will be filled with a picture of our girl as soon as we get our professional photos back from Darcy. :)

Mom and Dad gifted us this bird house for Mother's Day and it sits perfectly upon her deep window ledge.

Cody built this window bench for her - a place to store toys and books - and a surface for her to play on when she's old enough.

This dresser was mine when I was a baby and the drawers are the perfect size for tiny baby clothes.

And this piece from Hobby Lobby hanging above her changing pad was the first bedroom item I purchased when we found out she was a girl. It's perfect for her and for how we feel about her... she was always meant to be ours - she was always meant to be.

I still want to find a sweet little rug to place in front of her crib, and once we get our family pictures back, we will probably add a frame or two, but for the most part - this room is complete. Until Christmas. Just you wait until you see it at Christmas time. Mama's got plans. ;)

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"a portrait of each of my children, once each week, in 2018"

Jaden: You wrapped up Cedar Falls Tiger basketball this week and are heading straight into Tiger football camp this coming week. Less than three weeks until tackle practice starts, and we're all pretty anxious to see how that goes!

Brandon: You have proven to be the big helper with little Kaitlyn that we all believed you would be. The other night Daddy was sick, and you helped me give her a bath. She didn't cry once during that bath time, and I love that you never complain or sigh when I ask for your helping hand.

Kaitlyn: You are the cutest little girl ever made - I am convinced! We're still far from being on any kind of schedule, but I am just soaking up as much cuddle time as I can get right now. At your two week doctor's appointment this week, you weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 oz., surpassing your birth weight and matching your own Mama's birth weight. You have already almost outgrown your newborn sized sleepers, and you are a little bit more alert and awake every day.

Kaitlyn Renee's Birth Day

Today our sweet princess is already two weeks old. Two weeks of the most exhausting but best days of my life. It's true that I have been waiting for this girl my whole life. I love my boys with my whole heart, and I have loved the last 10 years of just us. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but I've always dreamed of being a boy AND a girl mom. To get to experience the best of both worlds and fill my cup and my heart with all things blue and pink. To have her here with us now, to be swimming in the world of pink bows and pink blankets... it's literally a dream come true. And so is our girl. She is a dream all wrapped up in the prettiest, most adorable package, and we feel so blessed to have her. She's a pretty laid back little peanut who loves to be held and talked to and so far - only cries when she's hungry. And even that is more of a wimper and a whine than a full cry. ;)

Trying to write this post about the day of her birth feels a little overwhelming. I won't sugar coat it and say that our time in the hospital was pure bliss because it definitely had its challenges, but now whenever I think back on it, I get a little teary. Mostly when I think about those who cared for us while we were there. Allen Hospital has the absolute best nurses - I have sworn by it every time I've delivered a baby - and I have so much gratitude for Dr. Kaaki, too. My previous doctors - the women who delivered our boys - have both moved away. I was tasked with picking a new doctor this time around, and though I've always wanted a female doctor, I took a chance on a guy this time - after hearing so many positive things - and let's just say that I'm going to tell Dr. Kaaki he's not allowed to ever leave the Cedar Valley. ;) He was wonderful to me throughout my pregnancy, always making me feel comfortable, and he was a calming and soothing presence in the operating room during my most nervous of hours. And - when I had reached my limit with that uncomfortable hospital bed and just wanted to be home with my whole family - he read my facial expressions perfectly and told me that even though a c-section typically means a longer hospital stay - he understood my need to be home. And he did the best thing he could have done to help me heal - he released us a day early. He listened to me and he "got it" and made sure we were healthy but then cut us loose. And it was the best thing he could have done for us.

Anyways... the people that were with us for that 48 hours will always have a place in my heart. Those who bring babies into the world and take care of sore and tired mama's in the dark of night are heroes.

So without further delay... here's my attempt to recap our girl's birth day and the hours that followed.

Our c-section was scheduled at 39 weeks. I have a complicated history and a unique blood clot disorder that made this the safest route for us to take as far as our delivery plan. But to be honest, I was completely nervous and slightly freaked out at the thought of a planned c-section. Though Brandon was a c-section, it was an emergency one, and I didn't have to think about it for weeks and months ahead of time. And because it had been an emergency, the memories of it are a bit blurry and not all that clear. I'm pretty squeamish and the thought of being awake for my own surgery was slightly terrifying for me. I was grateful that Dr. Kaaki scheduled it for his first procedure of the day - right at 8am - so that we could wake up early and get to the hospital and get it all done. Nana Deanne came to our house before sunrise to be with the boys while Cody and I got checked into our room at the hospital and got me hooked up to all that "stuff." The boys - especially Brandon - were so incredibly excited. Nine months is a long time for kids to wait for something so big and special!

Right after we got checked into our room, nurses started coming in to prepare me for all the things about to happen. Unfortunately we had a rough start when they couldn't get my IV in - having to try three times and eventually bringing in the "big guns" to get it inserted correctly. That didn't help with my nerves any, but shortly after it was in, the boys, Cody's mom and my parents showed up, helping to distract me while I waited to be taken into the operating room.

And right at about 8am sharp, Dr. Kaaki walked into my room to walk me back to the operating room. I remember being surprised that they didn't wheel me in there - with Brandon, it was so rushed that they just whisked me away in the hospital bed from one room to the other, but with our little miss, I had to get up and walk myself there - even with everything I was hooked up to! Our family found their spots in the waiting area directly outside the surgical doors, and I did my best not to cry when I said a quick goodbye to the boys. I handed our camera off to nurse Angie - who I didn't remember but who remembered us from over eight years ago - she was in the operating room with us for Brandon's birth and has now captured pictures for us for two out of our three babies!

And then came one of the hardest moments of our delivery. First of all, the dads aren't allowed in the c-section room until the mama is completely numb and lying flat. I remember that being hard for me with Brandon, and it was hard for me with Kaitlyn, too. There I sat on the edge of the surgical table, hunched over and praying for a smooth spinal injection... without my main support system there to hold my hand. And unfortunately, our anesthesiologist struggled to get my spinal inserted correctly! He had to poke me in the back in several different places, and it took quite a bit longer than normal to get me numbed up. I was getting increasingly frustrated as I sat there miserably uncomfortable, trying to stay still and hunched over - without my husband and thinking about my family waiting outside wondering why things were taking so long. The nurses did everything they could to keep me calm and ease my discomfort, but I sensed that they were getting frustrated, too. And my poor anesthesiologist - he apologized numerous times after it was all said and done, but once he did get me injected correctly, he was incredibly kind and comforting and helpful to me throughout the surgery and in the days that followed.

But - once I was all hooked up and numb, everything moved incredibly fast! Cody was finally able to enter the room and be by my side, and after getting dizzy initially from the spinal meds, they adjusted my dose and all I felt was warm and calm as I waited to hear my girl's first cry.

The moment she was born... I'm so thankful to Angie for all of these special pictures!

She didn't cry long - just enough for me to hear that she was okay - and they didn't take long to put her on my chest. I was so grateful for that. Due to minor and short-term complications with both Jaden and Brandon, I was not able to hold them in their first few minutes. Kaitlyn came to me almost right away, and having my daughter on my chest was one of the biggest answered prayers of my lifetime.

A protective Daddy already!

She weighed in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces, our smallest baby yet, and measured 20 inches long. Dr. Kaaki predicted a week before her birth that she would be about seven pounds, and he was right!

Again, our anesthesiologist was so apologetic for struggling to get my spinal inserted, but he was so caring throughout it all, and I am grateful to have pictures of my "team."

Daddy's first time with his girl. I love how big his hand looks holding on to her.

The longest part of the operation was getting me closed up afterwards, and I did have some discomfort during this process, as my uterus was contracting like crazy during this whole time period! The spinal concoction numbed me up good, but it was pinpointed to certain areas, and in other areas, I could still feel pressure and force. But when I was finally stitched up, I got to take my girl in my arms and present her to her adoring and waiting family... who up until that moment, didn't know her name!

These pictures are so cherished. I love them so much.

The rest of the day was a dream. I stayed comfortable for a good 12 hours before feeling any pain, we had a number of family visitors, and I felt a huge weight off my shoulders with the operation being over, and our girl being healthy and with us.

And the moment was finally here for the boys! We let them be the first ones to hold her, and they actually had a rock, paper, scissors contest at home earlier that week to decide who would get to hold her first. Brandon won. ;)

Such a cute gift from James and Cassi. This got a lot of attention from the nurses. ;)

My first time feeding her. She latched on immediately and has never looked back. She's a good little eater!

Our nights in the hospital were rough. I became very sore when my spinal meds wore off, and I was told that subsequent c-sections can be challenging because you have re-injured areas that have already been scarred and traumatized by previous operations. It took a while to get ahead of my pain with my oral pain meds, and I absolutely could not get comfortable in that hospital bed. My back was sore from being poked so many times, and my tummy muscles were too sore and not strong enough to go from a lying down position to an upright position as often as I needed to in order to feed her every two hours. I ended up spending our two nights sitting upright in a chair - getting almost zero sleep - and that is what ultimately led Dr. Kaaki to make the decision to send us home. In fact, our second night there he ended up having multiple deliveries and had to sleep in the hospital, too - and he agreed with me that the beds are awful. ;)

But this girl - she was worth it all. We love her dearly, and we relished every doctor and nurse that would check on her and tell us she was perfect. I have said so many prayers of gratitude that she is healthy.

She was born on a Thursday at 8:47am, and on Saturday morning we were headed home. Our favorite nurse - Katie - had put in an extra long shift during our second night's stay but when they finally told her she could go home, she ended up spending extra time in our room because she wanted to hold our babe some more. Kaitlyn, you are so loved!