Ode to Payton

Everything she sees

she says she wants.

Everything she wants

I see she gets.

That's my daughter in the water

everything she owns I bought her

Everything she owns.

That's my daughter in the water,

everything she knows I taught her.

Everything she knows.

Everything I say

she takes to heart.

Everything she takes

she takes apart.

That's my daughter in the water

every time she fell I caught her.

Every time she fell.

That's my daughter in the water,

I lost every time I fought her.

Yea, I lost every time.

Every time she blinks

she strikes somebody blind.

Everything she thinks

blows her tiny mind.

That's my daughter in the water,

who'd have ever thought her?

Who'd have ever thought?

That's my daughter in the water,

I lost every time I fought her

Yea, I lost every time.

* This our new bath time and lullaby song! Payton seems to like it. Poor thing she is gonna be hearing her mom sing this song to her for the rest of her life!

No more swaddle PART II

So we tried the sleep sac! During the day Payton was fighting every nap and did not get much sleep. Theory says if they don't sleep well during the day they probably wont sleep well during the night! Payton went down OK that night in her sleep sac but did not sleep through the night as well as she usually does. I also woke up to a midnight feeding with her smiling because she had pooped through her p.j.'s AND sleep sac. I pulled another sleep sac out that we had that still lets you swaddle up the arms. She went down fine. So was it the sleep sacs fault? Or was it that she didn't sleep well all that day, and woke up because she made a mess of herself! Probably, but now we are hooked on the the sleep sac that can swaddle the arms still. Its weird that she has not busted out of that yet. Its amazing what in your head you think makes all the difference. So lets just say she is half swaddled half saced!LOL

Sleep Cues?????

So Payton is a really good sleeper through the night! yea, for us! Daytime is a bit different. One day she will take her naps fine and then the next it will be a different story! Everything I have read says "Watch for the SLEEP CUES!". I thought I new what Payton's sleep cues are but...........maybe not. There has been a few instances were I try to put Payton down for a nap (thinking she is overtired). We fight each other basically. Then when I give up on her napping and unwrap her she SMILES huge at me. Right when I am about to loose my mind because I think I am not doing something right to get her to sleep,she has the audacity to give a HUGE gummy grin! LOL Then we decide to play a little bit and she is much happier and falls right to sleep! Needless to say I have not got the hang of the "sleep cues" yet. Poor Payton all she wants to do is play and her mommy is forcing her to sleep. She will train me yet! Today after us fighting each other for a nap we watched our first Baby Einstein video together. She loved it! Smiled and laughed! With all of our big screen T.V.'s in the house we better get something educational on them!: )

No More Swaddle!

So my sister told me about what we like to call" The Miracle Swaddle". My Niece Isabel used it and it was now passed down to Payton. We have been swaddling Payton real tight every night since she has been born. It has been part of her routine for bed. So needless to say I have grown accustom to it. I basically give the swaddle the props for Payton sleeping so well at night. For the past week every time I wake up for a midnight feeding or to wake Payton to start the day, she has busted out of it. What is interesting about it is that you will always find her in a different position. Most times she has managed to pull both arms out , but still be wrapped tight everywhere else. I really don't know how she figured that out. I new it was the last straw when I found her this morning with both arms out and one leg! Tonight Zack put her down for bedtime and put her in a sleep sac. We are a little nervous on how she will sleep through the night.Knock on wood, she went down for him no problem. Our little peanut is one strong girl already!

Christmas Fun!

Happy Holidays to everyone! Zack, Payton, and I started our Christmas Eve off at Zack's moms house. We opened gifts from each other and visited for a bit! Then it was off to church for the Christmas Service.Payton decided to sleep through all the crazy loud music and be awake for the sermon. What a good girl! LOL I LOVED our Christmas service. We always end the Christmas service by singing silent night by candle light. Listening to all the voices in the room and remembering what Christmas is really all about brought tears to my eyes. It was absolutely beautiful! From there it was to my Mom and Dad's house. They have an annual open house on Christmas Eve which is tons of fun. Food , Fun, and Family.Then for Christmas Day we were back at my parents house. We opened gifts and relaxed for the day. one of my gifts was a  Kurieg coffee maker. Which really helps out early in the morning when I need a caffeine fix while waking up with Payton! Zack and I told each other no gifts but my husband spoils me! Somehow he said Santa came and left gifts under the tree for me. I got an AWESOME watch (Juicy Couture). Got to love it! Some pics from our holiday fun............

Yea! I am 2 Months Old!

Oh wow were to begin!? As you can tell she is a pretty happy baby! Payton is eating up to 7 ounces of formula at one sitting.She is a big eater! Sometimes just to throw mommy through a loop, she will only eat 4 ounces. for the past week though byt the days end she eats up to 31 ounces in a 24 hour period! Holy Cats! Since she is taking in so much she seemed to get a little gassy on us. We have started to give her some gas drops and they seem to be helping out. She likes to hold her #2 up for one big blowout of the day. This means she is getting to ge through her new wardrobe pretty quickly. Payton smiles more and more everyday. She mostly really stares at things and takes it all in. You can almost see the wheels in her head trying to see and recognize everything.She is definitely a cuddler and seems to like watching Hector (our dog) and Harley (our cat) more then her own toys! Here are a few more pics from the past month

"California Dreaming"

Yea! Uncle Nick came home from California and it was his first time meeting our little peanut. Right away she took to her Uncle Nick, giving him smiles and talking to him! I think he might have taken to her a little bit too. They both seemed a little in love. So cute. Payton was already grabbing at Uncle Nick's hair! Lets just say when she gets into her teeny bopper years and driving us crazy I am sure she will be able to run out to California to visit her cool Uncle Nick!

Kerruish Family Christmas!

Payton got all dolled up for her first Christmas gathering. Diane  (my mother-in-law) got Payton her plaid dress, and I think she is the cutest thing EVER( I know i might be a little bias).We went over to Diane's house and had a great time. Payton was on her BEST behavior.We had food, fun, and presents. It was a house full of kids and babies. Can't wait to see next year when all three babies are going to be one years old and on the move! OH BOY!

8 Weeks and Moving In!

Payton passed her 8 week birthday and Zack and I decided to move her into her room. We have had her in a Pac-N-Play in our room since she has been born. Payton has been doing AWESOME in her crib at night.I think she really likes her room too. We start our night time routine with a bath or wipe down. Payton can't have a bath with soap every night because she gets a bit dry due to it being winter time.After that we due what we like to call a "baby massage" with lots of good smelling lotion. This is when we get to notice all those little chunky creases starting on her arms and thighs. She eats and then we read a book. I remember reading to my niece " Goodnight moon" and thought this book is kinda rare. Bel my niece loved it but I remember saying to my sister " Its boring", my child will get a different nighty night book. Thanks to my sister's awesome shower planning, Payton has a whole library of books! We have tried a few different books but guess what Payton likes the best.........Goodnight Moon! So now it is mommy's favorite too! LOL We swaddle her up for the night and off to bed she goes! Payton goes down between 7:30-8:30pm right now. Mommy is gonna try to get this more consistent and meet somewhere in the middle at 8:00pm. She usually sleeps and wakes up for a feeding between 2:30-3:30am, and then back to sleep to wake up for the day between 6:30-7:30am. She is a pretty good sleeper!

Smiles Smiles Everywhere

Payton is really starting to show off her smile! She wakes up in a very good mood and smiles away. Her mom is NOT a morning person , so once again she is taking after daddy. We got a new camera but unfortunately I don't know all the ins and outs of it. They are a little blurry but you can catch her gummy smile!

Mommyhood just hit!

Yes it is hard to believe that this tiny little thing could spin your life upside down!

The past couple weeks I have been struggling with mommy hood. I have been worrying and second guessing myself from anything as small as should i use diaper cream to as big as does she have reflux,sleep apnea,milk allergy,etc. There were a few breakdowns which thanks to my great supportive family always had me laughing in the end. She is a GREAT baby.Sleeps well,eats well, and seems to be pretty darn happy.uh oh, don't want to jinx us. ; ) I have never felt worry like this before. I guess it goes with that unconditional huge amount of love everybody talks about.LOL! In the end I decided to throw away all the books that tell every which way you SHOULD raise your child and am leaving it up to me and Zack. What a novel idea! To a new mommy out in the world: Don't drive yourself crazy with the books. You know your child better.

I have to say I am always like, do I know my child better? I have only known her for a short period of time! But guess what? I do!

I have always respected mothers before , but now I am amazed by them! I am proud to be part of the club now. I think we should have a secret wave like people who have Jeeps. Or like the people who ride motorcycles. We have the battle scars of not sleeping,worrying,complete selflessness,etc.

If you pass me on the street and I give you a wink,just know I am amazed by you in every way!

Christmas Photo Shoot!

Mommy and Daddy decides to get our Christmas gifts on Black Friday! We got a new camera which is amazing. We decided to put up our Christmas tree and Payton was so alert and interested by the lights that we started taking pictures. She was doing so good so of course I had to dress her up and turn it into a photo shoot! Poor thing! Needless to say we got great pictures. here are a few

Lets go see the Doctor!

I know I know! I am SOOO behind! BTW i am typing this up a couple days away from Payton's 2 month birthday. Oh boy! Lets see if we can catch up . Payton's 1 month Doctors appointment went well! All that eating has done her body good! LOL She weighed in at 9lbs 8 oz and now is 22 inches long! She got a vaccine and took it like a champ. Not looking forward to the 2 month doc appointment. She will have to get 4 shots and an oral vaccine. Oh Boy! Love this little girl! 

Fabulous and 50!

My mom is THE BEST MOM in the WHOLE world! She turned 50 this year. Me and my sister took her downtown Chicago to see one of her favorite artist, John Cougar Mellancamp, in concert. We had an amazing time together, but unfortunatly John didn't show up to play so much. I love my mom SO much. She is not only my mom but one of my very best BESTIES! Mom, you are an AMAZING women! I want to thank you for just being you. I only wish I can add up to half the women you are.

My mother is one of the most caring, unselfish,beautiful,loyal,Godly,and MOST much fun women I have ever met. Here is to FABULOUS and 50! Love you Momma!

Glug Night!

Day After Thanksgiving is ALWAYS Glug night at my mother-in-laws house. We make basically a spiced liquor (Glug) and eat a traditional Swedish dish Lapskus (cooked down meat and potatoes). Poppy was the man to always make the Glug. Zack took over the tradition this year and did a great job! Can't wait for Payton to be old enough to try her first spoonful of Lapskus!

Zack starting up the Glug. It consists of Port Wine,Merlot,Brandy, Everclear, and spices. Oh boy. It really can clear up the sinuses! lol

Great Aunt Denise got all the babies matching Christmas Jammie's. We just HAD to do a photo shoot.

We have from the top to right: Reese, my lovely Payton, Blake, Rylee, and Bruno the cabbage patch! LOL

Happy Thanksgiving!

Payton's first Thanksgiving! The weekend before Thanksgiving was with my family at my parents house. We had a great time and Payton got to meet her Great Uncle Terry and her Great Grandpa Joe for the first time. Lots of food and good wine. Never gonna hear me complain about that. Isabel ( my niece) really likes Payton or I should say "Paytee". Bel has coined the new nickname and I find myself saying it now too.

On the big Thanksgiving day we were at my mother-in-laws house. She had about 18 people including babies for dinner! We had a great time there also eating 25 pound turkey and lots more. Way to go Diane! Zack, me and Paytee were over for the whole day. If it was up to us we would have stayed another couple of hours but Payton thought different. Weather she was overstimulated or we got a our first stint with what people call " The Witching Hour", Payton decided to start crying at not stop. It took us a bit but we got her in her car seat and drove home. By the time we got home it had been a good hour of straight screaming. Zack took one look at me and told me to step out and take a break. That was it. Mandy had her first new mommy meltdown! whats wrong with her? she was fed.....check. no dirty diaper.....check. burped a million times....check. what am i doing wrong? whats wrong with me? is she in pain? Is she gonna be a colicky baby? How do you deal with a colicky baby? Did she sleep to long during the day? Did she not sleep enough? And the list goes on and on and on. This consisted of a lot of crying and an emergency phone call to my awesome sister Annie. Thanks sis. by the the time i got off the phone (reassured that everything is fine with Payton and me) Payton was sleeping for the night like a peach. Zack was able to get one more mini burp out of her and she passed out. I think God is slowly teaching me through Payton to stop worrying about things you can't control.

"Save BIG money at Menards!"

   Zack and I LOVE Menards as well as any other home depot store! We love to walk around and just plan our next DIY project either in our condo or dream about what we are going to have in our home one day! Thats why Payton's second shopping outing with Mom and Dad HAD to be Menards. She slept through the whole thing! I don't know if she is planning on becoming a DIY'er herself.

Happy One Month Birthday P.K.

I can't believe our peanut is One Month already! It one sense it seems like it is going by fast. Probably because this past month has seems like one long day of a three hour or so turn around. Around every three hours Payton and I go through the routine. Wake up, change diaper, feed, play a bit, and then back to bed. Payton is starting to have a bit more awake time. which is fun because we play in her play mat for a bit. Just a week ago or so I put her in there while I was making bottles for the day and heard her first cooing. To a first time mom that's A LOT of fun. Its always nice to hear something else besides crying : )! She likes to spend about 10 minutes or so in her play mat. In the beginning you would put her in there and she would look around for awhile and then fall asleep. Now I put her in there and her friends ( cartoon animals) piss her off after awhile. it is funny to hear her talking (cooing) at them in the beginning and then just when she has had enough she starts really yelling at them ( just straight on loud "AAAAAA's"). As if one of the animals really did something to make her mad! She REALLY loves to eat also. She is eating around 4 1/2 oz at every feeding time (which is around every three hours). When we go to her one month follow up I can't wait to find out how much she weighs! I am very excited because when I change her I can start to see the beginning of some chunk on her baby thighs. Growing baby is a healthy baby! Payton does a few long stretches of sleeping for me through the night. She is kinda deciding on her own at least right now that her bed time is somewhere between eight and nine in the evening. From there I wake up to do one middle of the night feeding and we wake up for the day between six and seven in the morning. She is pretty good to her momma. I have never been an early bird so I am getting used to starting my day so early, but I know I should not complain! Payton is also holding her head up on her own a lot more now. When she is awake she is REALLY awake. We laugh because sometimes we just wait for her to blink. Everyday is a struggle for me as a new mom not to over worry about EVERYTHING!. As time goes on , with the support of awesome family, I can say I am beginning to get better with that.

P.K.'s Bath Time!

    Can't believe that we are on week two already! Payton had a weepy eye and I called the doc who ordered up and antibiotic for it. They think she could have an eye infection, but it also could be a blocked tear duct! Oh Boy, welcome to parenthood. She is a trooper and takes the ointment twice a day very well.
Here is our little peanut at bath time. Grandma Davis takes charge of this because I am still a little nervous. Payton's belly button fell of this week, AND at tummy time she lifted her head and turned it 90 degrees. What a big girl already!

Happy Halloween

   We were so excited Payton graced us with her presence on mommy's FAVORITE holiday! We ended up having an open house for friends and family to come and see her. It was a little overwhelming after a night out with hubby, but we had a great time showing P.K. off!