Merry Christmas, Sylvie!

We had a wonderful first Christmas with our beautiful baby! Parrish's mom, Dale, and her husband, Ronnie, stayed with us, as well as my parents, Ferg & JJ. We got to spend time with the whole family here in Andalusia, having meals at Aunt Jan's & Uncle Frank's and at Nana & Papa's house (Parrish's dad and stepmom). Another milestone...we had our first Christmas in our very own home (this was surreal...are we adults now??). It was fun to play hostess, a task that always makes me happy. Although Sylvie slept through opening her presents (how kind to let Mommy do this for her, since it's Mommy's favorite activity), she had a great time and was a very good baby, letting everyone hold her the whole time. As a matter of fact, she went to sleep on Christmas night without a peep, which NEVER happens. I guess we really tuckered the poor thing out. We're now settling back into our routine, which includes lots of tummy time with all of her new toys. She is getting so big!

Sylvie in her Santa suit!

Harry fought for the ottoman all day and finally won.

I really don't even know what to say here, but we've been seeing a lot of that tongue lately. Probably the favorite body part at this point.

How cute is this? Seriously, probably one of my happiest moments. I was VERY warm, inside and out!

We are next headed to the lake to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday this weekend. That's right, 60th! He doesn't look a day over 59, for sure! :) Happy Birthday, Ferg!

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and we wish you all a very Happy 2010!

God Bless,
Katie

Sylvie's Baptism

We had Sylvie baptized at the First United Methodist Church on Sunday, December 13, 2009. She was almost 13 weeks old. We also got to light the Advent candle of JOY (very fitting since we are so happy to have Sylvie in our life now). Brother Tim did a wonderful job, despite feeling a bit under the weather. We had the family witness this special event, then had everyone over to our house for lunch. Here are some photos from the day:

Fancy shoes & socks!

All dressed up (Sylvie wore Parrish's gown that his mom made).

Daddy and Sylvie

(Parrish wore pink to match the pink Advent candle and for our baby girl.)

Sylvie was so good and didn't make a peep.

Brother Tim sprinkles Sylvie.

God Bless & Merry Christmas!
Katie, Parrish & Sylvie

Sylvie sits

We tried Sylvie in the bumbo seat for the first time the other night. She is sitting up really well! I guess we'll add "bumbo time" to "tummy time."

Not really feeling it yet...

Now I like it!

God Bless,
Katie

More gorgeous pictures...

Here are some more beautiful pictures taken by Vicki Popwell here in Andalusia. Sylvie is 6 weeks old here.
Vicki was able to catch our sweet girl being sweet! We just love these.

God Bless,
Katie

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Birthday Bailey, Go Tigers & Oh Christmas Tree!

What a weekend! We traveled to Lake Martin to spend the weekend with my parents and sister's family. Sylvie did really well in a new environment (we're little worse for the wear after toting the ENTIRE nursery to the lake!). We had a great Thanksgiving, but more importantly, we celebrated our niece's first birthday! What a cutie. She received a little red wagon that she stayed in for the rest of the weekend. I can't wait for Sylvie to get to share the ride with her! We also cheered on our Auburn Tigers, who played a great game. Better luck next year. We topped the weekend off with a visit to the local Christmas tree farm. Sylvie did a great job choosing her very first tree. And we love the man that runs the place...he is such a cute old man who remembers his customers year after year.

We'll spend this week decorating for Christmas...our tree truly is beautiful even without ornaments on it! We hope everyone is doing well and enjoys this time. We LOVE Christmas!

Our next big event is Sylvie's baptism later this month. The Advent lesson for the day is "joy," which suits our family perfectly, as Sylvie is truly a joy to us. We are so blessed to get to share such a special time with family and friends.Too much turkey results in catatonic baby.

Uncle Nate & Aunt Carey

War Eagle!

Bailey's birthday cupcake!

Hat + Bailey=No!

JJ & Sylvie

God Bless,
Katie, Parrish & Sylvie

2 month check up

We had visit with our pediatrician this morning for Sylvie's 2 month check up (can you believe she's that old?). She now weighs 8 lbs. 14 oz. and is 22.25 inches long. Dr. E says she looks great...she has good eye contact and facial expressions and is proportional (thank goodness!). She endured 4 shots and a heel stick (yes, I did leave the room. Daddy held her and was the strong one). She was a champ, though, and only cried momentarily. We'll go back for her 4 month appointment in January for another round of shots and another check up. I can't imagine how big she'll be then!

Mimi (Parrish's mom) is coming for a visit this weekend. We are going to attempt a trip to Dothan for Parrish's assistant's wedding, as well as a stop in at our ballroom dance club's orchestra dance to introduce Sylvie to the foxtrot. A busy, fun weekend!

We hope everyone is doing well and getting ready for Thanksgiving! We are spending the weekend with my parents at the lake, with Aunt Carey, Uncle Nate and Bailey. It is also Bailey's first birthday. Wow, time flies when you have a baby!

Here is a fun video of our girl, making us laugh as usual!

God Bless,
Katie & Parrish

Off to church we go!

We had a great day yesterday. We were able to take Sylvie to Sunday school AND church! It was the first time we'd been to church since she was born...almost 2 months. She did so well...she only fussed once so Daddy would hold her (she is quite the snuggle bunny). Brother Tim didn't disappoint and preached a great sermon on the end times. Very informative and realistic. Sylvie really slept well during this portion of the service (just kidding, Brother Tim!).

Sylvie got to wear a new blue dress.

Matching Daddy!

We are planning to have her baptized during Advent this year. We think it will be an appropriate time to dedicate her to Christ as came at this time to save us all.

We also witnessed Sylvie roll from her tummy to her back 3 times in a row! We don't know if this was intentional, but it sure surprised us! We do have proof of this on the video camera...at 8 weeks that's a pretty big accomplishment! I'm going to try to get her to do it again and post the video here...she cried the whole time, so it looks like we're torturing our child. A sad but necessary exercise!

We have to take her for her 2 month shots on Friday...wish us luck! Thankfully Parrish has the day off so I don't have to go alone...I can't stand the thought of her being hurt, even momentarily! But I guess it's better than getting polio or the mumps.

Don't you wish you could be this relaxed?

Hope you're all doing well!

God Bless,
Katie

A quick PS...I just looked over at Sylvie in her bassinet and she's just smiling at nothing...could she get any cuter???

Another PS...After I peeped in the bassinet, Sylvie started to cry for the next hour. Not so cute.

Sylvie is great entertainment!

Here are some photos of our baby, changing every day! She is progressing right on target and we love to watch her new tricks!

Pushing up!
(Only Daddy would put her on the counter for this activity. JJ played catcher on the other side, since Sylvie ooched all the way across the bar!)

And enjoying it!

And not really enjoying it!

Sylvie finally discovers the mobile Daddy bought her and likes it!

Sylvie loves to smile at us. We're waiting for the giggle!

God Bless,
Katie

A good report!

We visited Children's Hospital yesterday for a follow-up appointment with Sylvie's surgeon. Although it is NOT fun to get up at 5 am to make the drive to Birmingham (not to mention waking up a sleeping angel to quickly feed and bundle into the car), we had a very easy trip and great news...her doctor doesn't need to see her for a year! She's doing very well...7 lbs. 9 oz. and 21 inches. That puts her in the fifth percentile, but at least she's on the chart! She behaved so well and we are so proud of our baby.

We recently had pictures made with the talented Vicki Popwell here in Andalusia. Here is Sylvie's birth announcement that Vicki made for us. I know I'm biased, but I think it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!

We hope everyone is doing as well as we are (praise God!) and enjoying the cooler weather, Auburn football, upcoming holiday season and a great life!

Love,
Katie

Happy Halloween!!

Sylvie's First Halloween! We headed out to the square to pseudo trick-or-treat with the rest of Andalusia. I think next year we'll host a party for all the kids instead.

The Tooth Fairy in the first of MANY free, homemade-by-Mommy costumes.

Love ya'll!
Katie

Sylvie Sue

I just wanted to share some fun pictures this morning!

Sylvie grabbed her seahorse for the first time!

Big yawn.

Sylvie actually likes her bath. Daddy does a great job every night.

We head back to Children's Hospital on Tuesday for a follow-up with Sylvie's surgeon. Please pray that all is well and that we don't have to go back for a long time! I'm pretty sure we'll get a clean bill of health...she's about to outgrow her newborn diapers and get into a 1 (very exciting)!

God Bless and Happy Halloween!
Katie

A lovely October...

Good morning from the Kings! We are enjoying the cooler temperatures and hoping they will stay for a little while. Hopefully we'll get to go to "Halloween on the Square" this weekend...Sylvie will be the Tooth Fairy!

We have nothing new to report health-wise from Sylvie (THANK YOU GOD!) and are just enjoying watching her change each day. She has started actually smiling at us...it's not gas, I swear! It is such a beautiful thing to watch and literally brings tears to my eyes. She is finally fitting into some of her cute clothes, so it is fun to dress her up every day. She is such a good baby and really only gets upset when she's hungry or overly tired. She is 6 weeks old tomorrow...I can't believe how time is FLYING by.

Here are some new photos. Ferg & JJ came to babysit this weekend so we could help with a wedding shower. We had a great time and Sylvie performed beautifully as a granddaughter!

Happy family on the porch.

Sylvie in her overalls!
Bright eyes!

God Bless,
Katie

Getting fatter by the day!

Parrish and I took Sylvie to get a shot at the doctor on Friday. She did very well (obviously, since she's healed from laproscopic surgery...what's a little shot?). She is up to 6 lb. 10 oz. I'm hoping she'll hit 7 pounds by next week! She'll go back for more shots at her 2 month check up, so we'll see how much she's grown by then. Other than that, we are just continuing to watch her change and grow each day. Parrish swears she giggled at him today...

We were so lucky to get a visit from my sister, Carey, and her 10-month-old, Bailey, this past week. Besides LOVING having someone around the house for a few days (welcome distraction from nurse, chore, nurse, chore), first cousins Bailey and Sylvie got to meet for the first time! We know they're going to be best friends. Bailey stayed in the pack n play a lot so mean Harry couldn't get to her, but she learned to pull herself up on the sides, so it was a bonus!

Here are some pictures from the visit:

Sweet cousins!

Bailey in the playpen (or jail, depending on the perspective).
Sylvie LOVES her daddy.

God Bless!
Katie

Happy Birthday, Sylvie!

Sylvie is 4 weeks old today, weighs a whopping 6.4 pounds and has graduated to newborn size diapers from her preemies! I guess it's the only time in a girl's life when weight gain and getting older are celebrated! We are so happy with her progress. She's getting chubby cheeks and knees and feels heavier by the day. She is very alert and has bright eyes when she's awake (not so cute at 5 am, but she is a doll nevertheless!).

My sister, Carey, and her baby, Bailey, are coming for a visit this week, so the cousins will get to meet. I can't wait to watch Bailey with Sylvie...she is a very intelligent and curious little girl and I'm sure it will be hysterical to watch!

Hmmm...
(Sylvie is a very suspicious baby.)

Morning nap (if I'm lucky).

Stroller outing.

Happy Fall!
Katie

Settling in to a new kind of normal.

We are now settling in to a routine here at the King house. I'm learning a lot about Sylvie each day, and we make a good team! I manage to shower every day, and I consider that a major accomplishment. Other than that, we mainly eat, sleep and use lots of diapers. Sometimes 3 at a time, no joke. Why can't I tell if she's really done??

She does participate in the "witching hour" each day from about 3 pm until bedtime. This means she is a witch (just kidding, but you could fool me. Screaming, anyone?). If any moms out there know any ways to soothe a fussy baby during this time, PLEASE let me know!

Parrish turns 29 tomorrow! I can't believe how old we're getting. I'm still a mere 28...

We will have a quiet dinner at home with Sylvie and lots of presents. Hopefully I can get dinner on the table before it gets cold (this task still alludes me since it's bath time at dinner time!).

Here are some photos of Sylvie from today. She is getting fatter by the day!


God Bless,
Katie

Growing...

What a wonderful day! We had our first visit with our pediatrician this morning and guess what? Sylvie is 5.6 pounds and 20 inches long! That's an increase of 6 OUNCES since Monday and a whole inch since birth. I'm so proud of her progress and will continue to fatten her up. She was declared healthy and a "normal" baby by the doctor, so I'm thrilled, to say the least. She is clearly bigger...her preemie onesies that we bought are just about skin tight! YEAH!

My mom has been spending the last few days with us, but left today. We'll see how it goes being here with Sylvie by myself during the day...it is so nice have an extra set of hands as well as someone just keeping me company. Thanks, Jane!

We hope everyone is doing as well as we are right now. We're looking forward to a great fall (maybe we can now focus a little more on AU football!).

God Bless & War Eagle,
Katie

Home, sweet home...

We are home. I can't really believe it! I sat in my glider yesterday and nursed Sylvie and just cried. I have the most beautiful home, husband and child in the world! We are now just spending time eating and sleeping, and I am attempting to change Sylvie's schedule...the NICU had her living like a night owl!

Praise God.

Katie

Coming Home Today!

Everyone that needs to sign off has agreed that Sylvie is ready. We are just waiting on a few things to be prepared for us and we will be on the road. It seems like forever since she was born in Enterprise and flown to Birmingham, but it really has been a short journey. She was born, had the diagnosis, surgery, and recovery in less than 2 weeks!

Please continue your prayers, we all will need them as we return home as a family of three and try to get settled.

Holding pen...

Well, we made it to the "rooming in" portion of our stay at Children's. We moved to a private room yesterday afternoon, and I'm officially in charge of my own child! Parrish arrived yesterday, so we're back to being a family once more. Although the accomodations leave little to be desired (think concrete bench for a bed), it is great to be able to snuggle, feed and love on Sylvie. She is doing really well...we are mainly waiting for her to gain weight so that we can go home. It could be as early as Monday, or as late as the end of the week. I am of course so ready to come home, but I want to make sure she's ready as well. Her surgeons continue to marvel at her progess, and she seems just like any other ole baby now!

Our prayer request now would be that Sylvie gains or at the very least maintains her weight over the next 2 days. This will be our last hurdle at this time. As always, we give all thanks and credit to God for her health and good progress.

God Bless,
Katie & Parrish