Hey crazy lady - put the baby books down!!

It's been a while since my last post, so thought I'd give an update:

Andi is in her crib! YAY - although she still has nights where she is not loving it. For a while there I got pretty obsessed with the baby book world - YIKES! I think these books can be helpful, but they can definately be overwhelming.

Lesson learned: Your baby is not in the book - the book is a reference and it's methods do not always work - you know your baby best and can trust God and your motherly instincts - if the book starts to stress you out - put the book away!

So we started with the "cry it out" theory and lasted 3 nights then realized - it was not really working and - we HATED it. Why do it if we can do things another way? So since then we have tried a lot of things to get her down. I've found that there are awesome nights when she does exactly what I want her to do, and then there are challenging nights where I realize that my baby is not a robot and wants to do things her own way (amazing concept!) - overall, I feel I've embraced her as she is rather than trying to "fix" her and make her book worthy -after all, I'm not book worthy and I like me just fine!

Ryan and I are heading to Waco tomorrow for our first traveling trip with Andi! We'll be staying at Ryan's parents house and going to Baylor's homecoming game and weekend events!

Oh - also got a new cut/color - I'm a brunette - YAY!

I'll post pic's soon.

You can do it!!

So, have finally decided it is time for Andi to sleep in her crib on her own. Up until now she has been in bed with us (I know - so controversial) anyway, it has been great - we have had plenty of sleep and have loved the time together. However, Ryan and I decided that it is time for her to move into her own bed which means it's time to transition!

We decided that we would let her cry for 10 minutes in her crib and then pick her up, soothe her, put her down, let her cry 10 min., pick her up, soothe her, put her down etc, until she falls asleep. I've read a lot of books and feel that this is the best option for us right now. Hopefully, we'll have a few tough nights, but will eventually get Andi sleeping on her own.

So - PRAY for us! Last night was a doozie - she was relentless. Ryan's been on sleep/soothe duty tonight from 8:00 to midnight and then I have the all night shift - hopefully she won't be up all night again! We will see!

Andi is 1 month old!

I can't believe that Andi is already 1 month old! I feel like I have known her my whole life! We are getting along great! We headed out for lunch with our friends Laura and baby Caroline Krauss and then spent the evening with Gigi, Baba (my grandparents) and my Mom. Sadly, Ryan is out of town for the week on business and missed apple pie and icecream!

We are looking forward to Daddy's return - it has been a little wierd with just the two of us but we have kept busy. It's been great that Andi has been sleeping through most of the night. She usually wakes me up around 4:00 to eat and then back to sleep for another few hours.

Also, I wanted to give an update on her medical condition: We decided to transfer her care over to Medical City, hopefully we will be more satisfied. Our next appointment will be in November with the Urologist and we will get more information regarding Andi's condition. At this point we know that she has reflux in her right kidney and an enlarged left kidney. We have been giving her a daily antibiotic which will hopefully help prevent urinary tract infections so that she can remain healthy and her kidney functioning will not be stressed. It looks like she will be on antibiotics for 1 year and then we will do another VSUG - a test - to see if she still has refulx.

So, thank you everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers - I am feeling better about the situation. At first it was very hard to get used to the idea that I don't have a "perfectly healthy baby" but then I realized that this is just a minor obsticale that we can deal with and we are blessed and lucky to at least know about it so we can take preventative care! Either way, she is beautiful and I know she is in God's hands!

Love, K

Married 6 Years and Counting!

Today, Ryan and I have been married for six years! I can't believe it! Time has flown by and we have loved every minute (ha ha - well at least most of them). Ryan was awesome and planned a great night out last night. We got babysitters, my Mom and Dad, and left Andi for a few hours to enjoy a night out on our own. It was great to have the time with Ryan but it did feel a little wierd leaving Andi for the first time. But, once we were out of the house, we really enjoyed the night. We decided to go to Nine - a steakhouse in downtown Dallas. It was a great experience and Ryan and I had an amazing meal.

Here is a great comparison:

Ryan and Kate - 10/12/02

Ryan and Kate - 10/11/2008

Andi's Newborn Pictures - Slideshow!

YIPPEE! I am so excited - we recieved Andi's newborn pictures today and they are amazing! Check them out by going here: "Worth A Visit - Kate's Links" - (located on the right side of the blog)

Enjoy!! Love, K

We love visitors and I love BOB!

The latest update around the Dodd home:

Well the past few weeks have been great! Ryan was able to stay home for the first week and then he headed back to work. But, it was great having family time around the house - he's the best daddy ever! Here are a few pics of Andi and Ryan:

She's definately a snuggle bunny! Notice the pink camo -in honor of this years duck season!

Here's a few of the two of us:

In the meantime we have had a lot of friends stop by to visit Andi and have really enjoyed the company! It has been great to have so much support and I am loving the time off. Here are a few pic's of some of Andi's guests:

We also finally had our "sushi night" that I had been craving. We went to our favorite spot in Richardson: Sushi Sake and ordered our favorite item: spicy tuna hand rolls - here's the moment I had been waiting for! Andi was 2 weeks old and slept through the whole experience -it was really nice to get out of the house and enjoy a date night (well sort of) - the people next to us thought we were crazy bringing her out when she was so young, but I'll tell you now: we're probably not going to do it "their way". I'm trusting my motherly instincts and listineng closely to Andi - we'll find our own groove!

Yesterday I finally got my BOB jogging stroller - and I am so excited - Andi has been on two long walks already around the neighborhood and we are loving it. This may be one of our daily "to do's" since she sleeps through most of it! It has been great getting out and I know Moose (our Lab) is loving seeing those tennis shoes come back out of the closet! Next goal - start running again - I've been thinking about running with Luke's Locker's running club starting in January - if anyone is interested in joining me I'd love the company - FYI - I'm in the slowest group - it's early on Saturday's but sooo worth it!

Andi is 3 weeks old!

WOW - I can't believe that Andi is already 3 weeks old! These past few weeks have gone by so quickly and I have LOVED every minute! A few things we've learned:

1. Andi is a great sleeper - well, sort of - I have found that she has really created her own sleeping schedule - it goes like this: Eat at 12, 3, 7 followed by sleep in between -well, that is as long as she is snuggling with one of us - as soon as we put her in her bassinet or crib she wakes up at lets us know she wants out. So, I'll keep trying to put her down and hopefully she'll be sleeping on her own in no time. We're shushing, singing, swinging, swaddeling, pacifying... what else could she possibly need???

2. Andi is a great eater - for a while there we had a bit of trouble with her latch because her mouth was so small - but she has breastfeeding down and LOVES it - this baby is definatly an oral baby - she always wants something in her mouth - preferrably my nipple - YIKES - Thank God for pacifiers!

3. Andi is a super pooper - I think it must be her size - she "blows out" of everything - we have her in preemie diapers and they are still too big. Girl needs to get some junk in that trunk and fill out those diapers.

4. Andi LOVES bathtime (and Kate does too) - this may be one of my favorite times with her - it's amazing how she can be so relaxed and alert at the same time. We've been bathing together and Andi loves to float - wide eyed she looks all around the bathtub and makes the best faces - would show a video -but no need to see me in the bath!

So, there you have it - newborn life is really busy - we're doing our best to keep up with stuff around the house and get out at least 1 time a day. I'm really looking forward to the idea of playgroups - I already know I need adult interaction! Also looking forward to getting to know Andi better - I can't wait to see her personality become more aparent - I already know she's a snuggle bunny!

Well, I'll post some pic's soon!

Love, K