Kaitlyn Elise Pitcher

Kaitlyn Elise Pitcher
Born Tuesday, July 26 at 5:14 a.m.
Community North Hospital; Indianapolis, Indiana
Weight: 5 pounds, 8 ounces
Length: 18.5 inches

First family picture
This picture makes me so happy! There really is nothing better in the world than family.

First picture with the parents (I don't look too glamorous, but I had been up all night.)

The proud dad

And mom

Sleeping

The two sisters meet
Initially Skylie was more interested in the buttons on my bed and the idea of getting to watch "Bears" on T.V. than spending time with her sis. She warmed up to Kaitlyn in not too long, though. Sky still has no idea how this baby is going to rock her world!

Kaitlyn's Birth Story...

Monday night at about 8 p.m. I began having contractions but didn't think they were the real deal since the baby wasn't due for another four weeks. At 10 I began tossing a few last minute items into our bags "just in case" and shortly after we arranged for Andrea to watch Skylie while we drove the 25 minutes to the hospital.

Andrea, by the way, has been nothing short of an answer to my prayers! The one concern I had moving to Indiana so shortly before having a baby was who would take care of Skylie while I had this baby. After knowing us barely a month, she answered a phone call late at night and willingly watched Skylie for "as long as we needed".

I thought the second time around I'd be confident when the time to deliver came. But I still had my doubts until nurses checked and confirmed that I was dilated to a six, 90% effaced, and that the baby was positioned ridiculously low. My two concerns when we arrived at the hospital were 1) that I'd be able to get an epidural in time, and 2) that our baby would be healthy. (I'm not proud to admit that my concerns were in that order.)

After what seemed like forever, I did indeed get the epidural. (The nurses were probably as thankful as me, because I might have been a little annoying before then.) Unlike the epidural I received when I delivered Skylie, this one took all my pain away. In short: IT ROCKED.

From there on out it was smooth sailing.

The delivery could have progressed more quickly, but the doctor wanted me treated for a bacteria that is checked for later in pregnancy. So Matt slept and I rested while we waited a couple of hours for the treatment to get into my body.

Dr. Crane broke my water and shortly after the time to push came. Within a minute, maybe two, our daughter was in my arms. I felt overcome with love for her and gratitude to our Heavenly Father that he'd entrusted another beautiful, healthy little girl into my care.

After showing a few signs that she might have breathing problems, doctors sent the baby to the NICU primarily for observation. She stayed there for four hours, was released back to us, and has been doing exceptionally well ever since.

I'm loving the one-on-one time I'm getting with Kaitlyn here in the hospital, but I'll be thankful when my family is sleeping under the same roof, again.

A Peek Into My World

Since becoming a mom, I've often wished I could glimpse inside other mother's homes and lives to see exactly how they handle the day-to-day life with children. How much TV they allow their children to watch; the amount of time they spend entertaining their kids versus teaching their kids to independently play--all these things, and more, I've often wondered.

My mom has occasionally referred to me as a "lady of leisure" since I quit my job a few months ago. While staying home with Skylie all the time is a lot of fun, I wouldn't exactly describe caring for an active toddler as "leisurely".

Here's a peek into my world. Will you show me yours?

Thursday, July 21
6:45 a.m.
Wake up on the couch. (Sometime in the middle of the night I made my way downstairs to the couch--more comfortable for my back.) I hear Matt getting ready upstairs and try to sum up the motivation to get up, turn the water on in the backyard, and workout. But last night was an exceptionally sleepless night in which I had lots of contractions, so the only motivation I muster is to kiss Matt goodbye and turn the water on before Sky wakes up. I know I'll regret my laziness later, but right now I could care less.

Our backyard (with grass seed) that is taking more time/money than we anticipated.

7:45 a.m.
Skylie wakes up and as usual wants to read books. We read in "Mommy's bed" for about half an hour, then I convince her to eat breakfast. Oatmeal topped with a few frozen berries, slices of banana, chopped walnuts, and milk is our favorite lately. We throw it all in a bowl and microwave for 90 seconds. Mmm, yum.

Reading books

Asking for more berries

9:00 a.m.
Skylie is talking to herself and/or the animals in the book she's looking at. She seems pretty enthralled in the conversation, so I sneak out to take a shower. I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm able to shower, dress, and brush on some mascara before she's asking for me. I ask her if she'd rather read books of play with toys together. She chooses books. No surprise there.

Talking to herself/the animals

Insisting on reading with a blanket over usPicture #1 before we read books

Sky saying "No!" when I try to get a better shot. She really wants to read.

10:00 a.m.
Sky plays while I get lunches ready, then I get her dressed and ready for the swimming pool. I'm proud we're ready in plenty of time to meet our friends, but then a perfectly timed messy diaper nixes that achievement. Oh, between 8 and 11 a.m. I move and later turn off the water in the yard, do a few dishes, make our bed...

Stacking all the books she can find. I thought this was cute and not a problem until she started doing it at the library the other day.

Water, water, water...

11:00 a.m.
(Two days after buying a new car our old Sable died, so we're a one car family for now. Matt's work is 20+ minutes away, so I only take the car when I have doctor appointments. For someone who likes to be on the go I thought this circumstance would be awful, but thanks to a nearby swimming pool, library, and park, we're managing better than expected! Most days we're out of the house between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.)

Today we walk to the pool and meet up with friends. Don't let these pictures of Skylie fool you. She may seem content and careful in the water, but this girl has no apprehension! She prefers to be chin deep in water, with the big kids.

Sky and Kate

12:00 p.m.
Lunch time at the pool! Skylie eats a granola bar, 1/2 an orange, 1/2 a cheese stick, and some gold fish. I have a peanut butter and honey sandwich. We return to the pool. It's a hot day and feels great. One of the things I am working on lately is to really "be there" with my family, fully enjoying them as much as I can. I have a lot of fun with Skylie and definitely like the two women and their kids who have joined me.


1:00 p.m.
Normally we'd be heading home from the pool, but Skylie is happy and it's nice out so we stay until 1:30. She's tired and doesn't even ask for an otter pop when we get home. Eating an otter pop, changing clothes, reading books, and nap time is usually the routine. But Sky desperately needs a bath so she takes a quick one, gets dressed, we read two books, and then it's off to dreamland.

A tired girl on the walk home from the pool

Bath time
Check out those tan lines!

Cuddling Teddy Bear as she resigns herself to the fact that it really is nap time

2:15 p.m.
Sky's in bed. During her nap I usually do one or two of the following: 1) prep dinner 2) do laundry on Monday or Tuesday; deep clean on Friday 3) workout 4) nap 5) check email or blogs 6) make freezer meals (a new "to do" since we're on the countdown for Baby Sister's arrival)

Today I have my second course of lunch and sort the mail. Salads have been my latest kick. I'll make a big one at the beginning of the week and eat it for lunch most days. Asian Noodle Salad was the choice this week. Highly recommend it, but it's Thursday so I'm getting a little sick of it.
Since my morning was non-productive, I have to make up for it now. I pop in a work out DVD; today I opt for Turbo Kick. My effort is sub-par to say the least. But in my defense I bashed up one of my legs last Saturday when an uneven sidewalk jumped out and tripped me on a run, and it hurts to bend my knee much. (See proof below.)

My lame excuse for pretty much anything I don't want to do.

One of Chalene Johnson's Turbo Kick DVDs

3:30 p.m.
Done working out. I hop in the shower and am disappointed when I get out to hear Skylie crying. Most days she'll sleep 2 and sometimes 3 hours, but today it's only 100 minutes. When I open her door she asks for "book" in the "chair". I comply. Then I try to do her hair, but she's got all these opinions about which colors of hair ties, clips, and bows I put in. She rips them out. Twice. I give up. Pictures or no pictures, this is real life.

Her first words to me are "Book. Chair. Book."

Reading more books

4:30 p.m.

She's entertained with play dough and sings "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" while I put away clean dishes then start this blog. Matt's planned dinner for tonight (Nice!), and it's a welcome break.

I managed to catch her singing on video. You may not even really think she's singing, but if you listen close there's definitely the tune to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".

5:00 p.m.
Matt's home. Skylie latches onto him. He grills chicken and handles pretty much everything (except starting the rice, which I do) while I sit on the counter typing on his laptop. (I like to think I'm usually more helpful, but today seemed especially exhausting.) We eat. The marinade he made is great, and we're both surprised Skylie's eating the chicken.

Daddy's home

Dinner

6:00 p.m.
Matt reads books to Skylie, per her request (Have I ever mentioned this girl loves books?) while I clean up dinner. I join them. Matt and I, both tired, are glad Skylie's playing on her own for the time being. He tells me about an article he read. I tell him about a blog I read.

7:00 p.m.
We go outside to turn on the water and stay to play for a few minutes. Sky wants to sing "Wheels on the Bus" and play with my shoes. At 7:40 we begin the bedtime routine. She cleans up her toys, gets on PJ's, and brushes teeth. We read books and say prayers.

Matt and his helper

Singing "Wheels on the Bus"

8:00 p.m.
By 8:05 the little one is asleep. Matt eats an otter pop. I finish typing this blog but don't have the desire to add the pictures. Tomorrow, I think....

We talk, nix our plans of putting together Skylie's birthday present, he makes me watch a little of "Homestar Runner" so I understand where phrases like "no probablo" come from. We're in bed and I'm asleep by 10:00. It's been a good day.

And that's a day in my life.

Sometimes by the end of the night, I feel like a bad mom. I regret moments I've been impatient or feel bad when I've allowed Skylie to watch too much T.V., etc., etc.. But today I'm content. I feel a twinge of guilt that I let Matt carry so much of the load this evening--but even that I don't feel too bad about--I am 35 weeks pregnant after all and he'll be MIA three nights this week. :)

Now, can I have a peek into your world?

Month 21 and 22

Skylie,

You are getting to be such a big girl. I love the phrases that come out of your mouth! Saying, "Good girl, Mommy," when I agreed to read you more books seemed pretty cute, but later when you told Daddy, "Good girl, Daddy," that one topped the charts! You are now well aware that you and I are girls, but Daddy is a boy. You remind us of those facts often. Sometimes if we are lucky, you still praise us on being a "good girl" or a "good boy". Thank you.

You're quite the song bird. Dora is your hero and you will belt out part of the theme song, "Do-do-do-do-da-Dora!" at random. The other day you were playing with your hair bows and flowers (a favorite activity of yours). Once you'd emptied them all out of their container, you proceeded to sing "Clean up. Clean up." while you tossed those accessories back in their box. You are surprisingly good--on occasion--at helping clean up your toys.

You are quite the opinionated little lady and want your voice heard. You care about everything from wearing the "blue flower" to demanding a "big cracker" (the entire graham cracker as opposed to half) or drinking from the "Dora cup". It is treacherous territory we walk, when you don't get precisely what you want.

When I invite you to play with chalk, play dough, the blocks, or color, you'll often say, "Mommy do it", to ensure that I have just as much fun as you. That trick of yours, as well as pleading to sit on "Mommy's lap" while you watch a show or eat are two sure ways you work to get virtually every moment of my time while you're awake. I may indulge your requests too much, but soon my time with you will be shared with your sister (and during your teenage years you might want to do anything but spend time with your mom) so I figure I will enjoy my one-on-one time with you as much as possible.

You spent eight days with your grandparents while your daddy and I took a vacation. From what we hear, you handled the separation well. When Dad and I arrived back you were sleeping. When you woke and we excitedly greeted you, your only request was to "read books". (That's what you ask for every single time you wake, so I'm not sure why we were surprised.)

We moved from Iowa and are now living in Indianapolis, Indiana. Between driving from Iowa to Utah and back to Indiana, you rode over 40 hours in the car. Thanks to a portable DVD player, you handled the car better than we anticipated!

We love you so much!

Love,
Mom