Kinsley's 6 Month Pics! :)

A few days after our photo shoot with our friend Rachel, we had our "professional" pictures with Erin at Fine Exposures.  Here is a link to Kinsley's pictures.  The password is: catherine

I really like the ones of her in the pink hat.  See what you think. :)

Kinsley and I are headed to Texas on Wednesday.  We can't wait!! Pray for good weather, smooth travels, and a happy baby girl.

Thanks!

Catherine

Birthday Blessings

Today was a big day for me... or actually a rather simple, but perfect, day. I have officially left my twenties and entered my thirties.  Kinsley decided to start celebrating at about 3:30 this morning. Shortly after, Louie headed to the hospital around 4 and won't be home until late tonight but somewhere in his crazy schedule, found the time to make sure this was delivered today.

If you know Louie, then you also know that this was a huge surprise for me. The florist called today to tell me they had a delivery. I was stumped all afternoon and once they arrived, I was even more confused. The attached card was blank. I gave the florist a call and our conversation went something like this:

Me: I just got a delivery... beautiful flowers, but the card was blank. Did you guys accidently forget to attach the message?
Florist: The person who bought them said "she'll know who they're from."
Me: My first guess... my dad?
Florist: Nope.
Me: Second guess... my mom?
Florist: Nope.
Me: Third guess... my husband????
Florist: Yep.
Me: Really??
Florist:Yep.
Me: Are you sure??
Florist: Yes, ma'am we're sure. Is there a problem?

Needless to say, I was surprised and elated.  Things have been really tough lately trying to balance Louie's work schedule with our family and he did a great job today.  It's not so much the flowers, although I think they're beautiful, it's more the fact that my husband found the time to make me feel special in the midst of his unbelievably busy schedule.  I love my husband more than words can say.

So I end this day feeling incredibly content and blessed.  My precious baby girl smiling and giggling as she watches "Cars" for the umpteenth time, dinner with my Rochester family in about an hour, and the visual reminder of what an amazing man I married.  I'm ready for this next chapter in my life.  Bring it on 30s! :)

-Catherine

Watch Me Grow!!

Wow! Our baby girl definitely hit a growth spurt.  She is now 15lbs 9oz and 26 inches long (47% weight, 57% head circumference, and 72% length!!) She gained a pound and one inch in 3 weeks! :) I'm so glad she caught up with her weight but am ready for her to slow down a little.  She's already wearing 9 months clothing b/c of her length. She's so long!!

6 Months!

Our baby girl turned six months old yesterday!  I can hardly believe how quickly time has passed.  It seems like just yesterday we were bringing our tiny little bundle home from the hospital.  I feel so blessed!  Kinsley is such a joy and I am truly head over heels for her.  I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to stay home and be a part of her everyday growth. 

This past week, I made the decision not to return to work until we get back to Texas in 2012.  Louie got a pediatrics rotation in Florida this Oct-Dec.  I'm so excited that Kins and I get to go.  I'm already planning our Disney trip!  The FL assignment helped me make my decision and, although I do get a little cabin fever during the winter, I would have been heartbroken to have to miss this precious time with Kinsley.  So, yipee!! 

At 6 Months Kinsley:

-Eats about 6 ounces from the bottle and is attempting to hold the bottle on her own.

-Eats rice cereal every morning after her bottle and has tried peas and green beans which she seems to like.

-Is working on the sippy cup. (See video)

-Is getting much better at tummy time.  She is using her arms to help hold herself up but gets frustrated after about 10 min.

-Likes "driving her car" when she is on her tummy. (See video)

-Really has a bedtime routine down.  It consists of eating "dinner," brushing her teeth (more like her gums), changing her diaper, being swadled, and having her bedtime bottle.  If she's in a good mood, I will read her a book before her bottle.

-Loves books and is still very into the movie, Cars.

-Is becoming more interested in the dogs and loves to pat them on their nose.

-Still LOVES to bounce and will bounce even while she is standing when holding her. 

-Is sitting up on her own for about 10 seconds and longer with the boppy pillow around her.

-Reaches and grabs at everything in sight.

Yesterday, Kinsley and I had the opportunity to go for a fun photo shoot with our friend, Rachel and her daughter, Kaia.  Rachel dabbles in photography and offered to take some of Kinsley.  It was so much fun and I was much more laid back than when we go for our professional pics.  I think that made a difference for Kinsley because she was a ham.  She was all smiles and giggles, until I started tickling her... she got a little pissed about that.  Here are some of the pictures from our photo shoot.  Thanks Rachel!!

If you live in the Rochester area and are interested in some inexpensive but AMAZING photos, feel free to contact Rachel at http://www.rachelsviggumphotography.blogspot.com/  So fun!!!

Have a great week!
Love,
The Stryker's

Happy HEART Day!

A kiss from my Valentine! 

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Love, The Stryker's

Pass the Peas Please...

We decided to make the move from rice cereal to baby food last week.  This is our shot at peas.  I thought she was going to make a huge mess so I put a heavy duty bib on her.  She looks like she's ready for a down pour or maybe a canvas and some paint. :)

This is the before shot.

Trying it out...

Playing with it and not really swallowing anything...

The after shot.  Not too big of a mess... I think I might have over-estimated the size of the mess. :)

Louie's consultant was out of town this week, so although he still worked 80 hours, we got to spend a LOT more time with him.  It was great!! :)  We also got a sitter for the first time on Saturday night.  Everything went well so that's good. We will just need to have a "babysitter budget" each month.  It's strange factoring in this additional money so that Louie and I can go out. 

We went to a comedy club to celebrate Rebecca's birthday and then out for a couple of drinks afterwards at Chester's.  We had a great time!  That makes two weekends in a row that Louie and I were able to have a "date night." The weekend before, my mom was in town and she was a HUGE help.  One night she watched Kinsley so Louie and I could go to dinner.  We went to a local pub and had a couple beers.  It's strange but for some reason it's frowned upon to bring a baby into a bar.

There are a couple slideshows below of Emily and Rebecca's birthdays and some pics we took when my mom was in town.  There is also a video I took (sorry it's so long) of Kinsley laughing.  We were having a fun time.

We're headed to Texas (Dallas & San Antonio) at the end of this month.  Hope to see many of you! :)

I love this video b/c of Louie's voice in it... He's such a goof!  He's going to LOVE that I put this on the blog. :)