Grandparents

Grandparents are special people
with wisdom and pride.
They are always offering love and kindness
and are always there to guide.



They often make you feel
so confident and strong.
Their arms are always open
no matter what you did wrong.



They try to help out
in every way that they can.
They love all their grandchildren
the same whether you're a child, woman or man.



They are always there to listen
and to lend a helping hand.
They show you respect
and they try to understand.



They give their love, devotion and so much more,
that's easy to see.
Grandparents, what perfect examples
of the kind of person that we should be.

**Caleb and Kailyn are so very lucky to have FIVE wonderful grandparents. Each one of them are very involved in our kids lives and we feel very blessed to have them around. Caleb gets so excited anytime one of his grandparents are coming over or we go visit them...I just know Kailyn will be smitten with them too :)

Big Brother

Yes, Caleb has recently taken on a new role around here- Big Brother! He loves "Baby Sister" so much, we are so thrilled that he likes her so much. I would say that it was love at first sight. At the hospital, Caleb was so excited to meet her and since then always wants to know where she is. If Mommy moves where she is sleeping- for example moves her from the swing to bouncy seat, Caleb notices she is missing from the swing and demands to know where she is. If she is crying, he wants to give her the pacifier. He loves to give her kisses on top of her head. And the cutest thing of all is when he sees her and says, "Hellllo, Baby Sister!" in the sweetest, most excited voice. Mommy and Daddy were worried about the transition, and we have to say that it has went fairly smoothly. The only issue we have had so far is when Mommy first came home, she wasn't able to pick Caleb up or do much for him, which resulted in him wanting nothing to do with her. It made Mommy a little sad, but she had to heal and take care of sister too, so she let Daddy handle Caleb for a while! Mommy cannot imagine the days to come when Caleb and Kailyn will play together and fight, but she knows it is coming all too soon. Kailyn is one lucky girl to have such a sweet, loving, smart, energetic, and fun big brother!!! :)

Meeting baby sister for the first time:


Later that afternoon, holding Kailyn for the first time:

Baby sister got Caleb a big brother present:

Lounging at home with sister:

Kailyn Lindsey Gilmore

On Friday, February 3, 2012 Mommy started having some very mild, irregular contractions in the afternoon. Mommy and Daddy started timing them, but decided that they were just early labor contractions. Daddy was able to go to bed that night, but Mommy was a little paranoid that she would wake up in the middle of the night in full blown labor!! So she stayed up and made Kailyn's hairbow holder and diaper basket, which took until about 11pm, then she was so exhausted that she was finally able to go to bed and get some rest. At 2:30am, Mommy woke up to go pee- normal for the pregnant lady. Once she returned to bed, she noticed that the contractions had not resolved and they were then 5 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes apart. So she woke up Daddy and said that she was going to go ahead and get a shower and start getting some last minute things together. Mommy also called Gran Gran to go ahead and come over to the house to keep Big Brother, Caleb! Daddy finally stirred around and got up too and by the time they were both ready, Gran Gran had arrived to keep Caleb. So at about 5:30am, Mommy and Daddy got in the car and headed to the hospital, hoping to meet sweet Kailyn soon!

Mommy and Daddy about to enter the hospital:
(Mommy was 35 weeks 5days pregnant)



Once we were checked into the hospital, the nurse checked Mommy and said that she was now 4cm and still about 80% effaced. Mommy was excited to be making progress!! But, when the nurses called Mommy's doctor, she said that she wasn't sure if they should admit Mommy yet, so just to watch her for 2 more hours and recheck the progress. So what is the best thing to do to get labor going? WALK!! Mommy and Daddy walked laps around the OB floor for about an hour. Mommy's contractions continued, but luckily never got painful- just a little uncomfortable and tight belly/back. Once Mommy got back into the room and checked again, she was about 5cm...so the doctor decided that Mommy was definitely in labor and it was time to get admitted :) Then all of the "fun" started with needles- not Mommy's strongest point. The IV was horrible, by far the worst part of the whole experience. When asked when she wanted her epidural, Mommy said as soon as possible. The contractions were not bad at all, but Mommy was not interested in hanging out to see how bad they could get- bring on the drugs! Soon, Mommy was bent over Daddy's shoulder getting her epidural. After that, she was able to relax and not worry about anymore needles for a while. The nurse also added Pitocin to Mommy's IV, along with Penicillin (because Kailyn was so early, the doctor wanted Mommy to have the extra antibiotics).
Mommy after the epidural:

Contractions:

Excited Mommy and Daddy:


Soon, Aunt Kacie arrived, as she was Mommy's extra labor support and photographer/videographer for the birth. Mommy was so excited and relieved once she saw her best friend there. Yes, Mommy got a little emotional at this point, maybe because she was so worried about all of the needles and now they were finished. Then she was able to start thinking about how scared she was about giving birth again- the "what if's" that could happen, and also worried about Kailyn's size since she was going to be early. Daddy and Aunt Kacie quickly calmed Mommy down, and Aunt Kacie said the sweetest prayer that just lifted all of the stress off Mommy and we were able to just visit and enjoy the last few hours before Kailyn was born.
Mommy and Aunt Kacie:


Then came the mad rush of family members visiting! How lucky were they that it was a Saturday morning?! No one had to come in the middle of the night nor take off work to be there. We felt so blessed to have everyone there anticipating Kailyn's arrival with us. Mommy's labor room was full of excited energy :)
Pops and Nana:

The 3 Grandmother's chatted a little on the couch:

Big Brother was also ready to meet Kailyn:

The nurses moved Mommy around every so often into many different positions, trying to get Kailyn to keep moving down...this is the position that eventually broke her water...they called it The Throne, ha!


Everyone was visiting in Mommy's labor room when all of the sudden we heard a thud over the monitor- Kailyn had kicked and Mommy's water broke! After that, the nurses rushed in and sent everyone out. They didn't even have to check Mommy for progress...Mommy said she is right there- such a strange feeling. The doctor was called and the nurses began prepping for the birth while Mommy tried her best to relax and not push. Soon it was time- 3 contractions (6 pushes) later...our lives would never be the same. Our sweet, sweet little angel was born on Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 12:53pm.

Kailyn came out crying, pink, and healthy :) What a wonderful feeling, such a blessing! She weighed 5lbs 6oz and was 18 inches long.


Mommy and Daddy fell instantly in love:

Daddy with his little princess...already has him wrapped around her little finger :)

Proud Aunt Kacie holding Kailyn for the first time:

Words cannot describe looking into this sweet face for the first time.

Or maybe a picture can show how Mommy felt afterwards: relieved, excited, overjoyed, emotional, and more love in her heart than she ever knew it could hold!

Showering Kailyn

The wonderful girls in our Sunday School class threw Kailyn a sweet shower last weekend. It was actually a double baby shower with my friend, Ashley, who is due with baby Juliet a week after Kailyn. It was so much fun! The theme was brunch and the food was so yummy. We also all got together and made hairbows for each baby. I think the best part was just the general fellowship with all of the girls, gotta love some "Mommy Time" to catch up! Thanks again to everyone involved, we really appreciate all you did :)
(January 28, 2012)

The food table:

Making Hairbows:


Me (34 Weeks 5 Days) and Ashley at the shower:

Opening gifts:

Group Photo (minus Julie who had to leave early):

Last Weekend in Guntersville Before Baby!

A few weeks ago, we enjoyed a wonderful weekend in Guntersville before Kailyn's arrival. We knew it would be our last trip for a while!

Friday night we went out to eat Mexican with Grandmama and Grandad- yum!

Then, on Saturday, Daddy and Grandad took Caleb golfing while Mommy and Grandmama did a little shopping around town.





Saturday night we had a Birthday celebration for Grandmama. Mommy and Daddy hosted an Italian themed dinner with Lasagna and Chicken Alfredo and Garlic Bread...Grandad was in charge of salad and Birthday cake! Josh, Jessica, and Addison were there and Pepaw came by to eat with us too. Happy Birthday, Grandmama!!!



On Sunday, GranGran, Grandmama, Aunt Jessica, Grandmother, and Aunt Cynthia hosted a baby shower for Mommy and Kailyn at the Rock House Eatery in Guntersville. Kailyn is already so spoiled- she got lots of wonderful gifts :) Mommy had such a great time visiting with everyone, it was a wonderful afternoon!


Opening gifts:

Cute outfit from GranGran:


(January 20-22, 2012)

Touring the 787

Daddy had a chance to sign us up to tour the brand new Boeing 787 Airplane last weekend! We thought Caleb would really enjoy it since he is so into anything transportation lately. He was a little skeptical at first- probably because it was humongous, but then really enjoyed it. (January 28, 2012)