Our Trip to Utah

In the past week Joshua has experienced many firsts, which were probably more exciting for us as we watched to see how he would react. On Thursday the 20th we took his first airline flight to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Quickly our fears of angry passengers were subsided when we found ourselves surrounded by mothers who were very sympathetic and encouraging to our baby. Fortunately we worried for nothing because Joshua was incredible! He slept the entire 2 hours and never made a peep. And like the good baby he is, the trip back home from Salt Lake was equally as good. On Friday the 21st he made his first long car trip as we drove from Alb. to Dove Creek, CO (about 6 hours). He slept most of the way and when he was awake he was entertained by Grandma Tammy in the back seat. That night he went to his first basketball game and amazingly slept through the loud buzzers and crowds cheering. We spent Friday night in Blanding, Utah at my grandmothers house. Josh slept in a box, converted to a bed. On Saturday we celebrated our family reunion by making gingerbread houses, sledding, and caroling through town on a trailer filled with hay. Again, Josh slept through most of the excitement. Sunday was another day of traveling as we set off to Provo, Utah (another 6 hours). We spent the rest of our time in Provo at my Aunt Patty's house with 2 other babies under 4 months old, and a very excitable 2 year old. As you can probably guess, there wasn't a dull moment. On Monday Josh experienced his first snow storm as Provo got around 3 inches. Of course Tuesday was his first Christmas morning and while he slept his dad went outside and plowed the sidewalks in the neighborhood. We headed back to Houston on Wednesday around 3:30 in the morning. It was a fun trip and we are so proud of Joshua and how he handled all the traveling and change. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family and such a happy and healthy baby.

Wait for it....

Wait for it...

Getting closer...

And there it is!

Joshua is officially 2 months old! And with his new mature age he has begun sleeping longer through the night, which means momma is also sleeping more through the night! He has also started to make fun sounds. Our favorite is "Gee". We are pretty sure he is trying to say Maggie or Doggie. It's pretty sad when your son's first words aren't dadda or momma, but rather the name of the family pet. He has started smiling a lot and can hold his head up without much assistance. He LOVES his bath time and can spend 20 minutes talking to his "creatures" hanging from his seat. In his short life he has already started to experience Christmas. We went to the tree farm to cut down his first tree (he slept through the whole thing). He also had a chance to visit Santa!

Our Son the Science Experiment

Who knew that the scientific process of forming hypotheses, testing them, and finding conclusions could be used outside of an eighth grade biology class! Sure, engineers and medical researchers may use these methods everyday, but a stay at home mom? Well that is exactly what I find myself doing on a regular basis. Joshua is crying. My mind races with possible reasons: dirty diaper (changed), hunger (fed), too hot (undress), too cold (redress). Finally, I hypothesize that he is tired, so I will try putting him to sleep. He is now in his very comfy crib...crying harder. So I form some new hypotheses. Maybe his crib is not as comfortable as Mommy's arms, or maybe the room is too hot, or it could be the death swaddle he is in, or maybe he wants a pacifier. Well, each of these hypotheses must be tested. After 30 minutes of more crying I found my conclusion: crying baby+pacifier=happy sleepy baby.



However, unlike the very predictable equations I learned in chemistry, this equation doesn't always work, because while you can control the variables in a science lab, it is impossible in the daily routine of an infant. So just when I think I've figured him out and give myself a big pat on the back...he starts crying again. I guess the only solid conclusion I've come to is there are no solid conclusions. Each day is a new and different day, and for this I am grateful, because I get to spend it with my favorite science experiment-Joshua Paul!

Ahhhh...sleep

The number one piece of advice given to me before Joshua's birth was to get as much sleep as possible. This is fantastic advice. However, all the sleep in the world prior to birth hasn't really helped with the lack of sleep post birth. While some babies give their parents longer sleeping hours at night very early in life, our little Joshua has remained fixed on his three hour schedule. Last night, on the verge of 8 weeks of life, our main man decided to sleep for FIVE hours! That is five, wonderful, life-giving hours of consecutive sleep. The funny thing is, while he enjoyed his five hours, I did not. You see, my body is now very used to the three hour routine (I didn't say my body enjoyed it, only my body is now accustomed to it) so I was wide awake and waiting for him to join me. He did fuss around hour four, but went back to sleep. I did not. So now before I go to sleep I will cross one set of fingers for his prolonged sleep and the other set of fingers for mine!

Daddy to the Rescue

Superman, Batman, and Spiderman...have nothing on our superhero-Daddy! For those who don't know our wonderful son Joshua has had some real tummy problems since week two, which often leaves him in a...well...not so happy mood. Believe me we have tried many things, and everyone is very kind to offer us super gassy baby advice. Usually the soothing and rubbing works, but on Thursday morning Joshua just couldn't get comfortable. After five hours of one again off again crying I called Kevin at work, crying myself, asking for prayer. I wanted to be sympathetic and patient with our tiny son. It was hard. So like any real superhero would do, he flew home to the rescue. Of course I didn't ask him to come home, but I have to think the crying on my part may have hinted we needed him. Well, the moment daddy walked in the door and took his son, the world was bright again. We had three wonderful hours of peaceful napping (all three of us) and gas again in the evening. But somehow it all seems easier when you have a superhero on your side. We are very blessed.

Long Awaited

So I've been told this blog of ours needed an update! Well, I guess since our family is officially three now we should have new pictures and a lot of new information. The pictures I can easily supply, the information however may not be as exciting. Basically our day consists of wake up to feed (way too early...and be careful of any smart aleck remarks via email...Uncle Joe, because I'll be glad to give you a call during one of these early morning feeds), change dirty diapers, play a little (but not too much for fear of over stimulation and never ending crying) and then hope and pray with fingers crossed he can fall back to sleep. And if you are curious what we are doing tomorrow the plan is basically the same. However, every minute of this new and exciting routine I am extremely in awe of God's creation and thankful to Him for our new gift. His perfect little face, and sweet little smiles, and soft little coos, and top of his lung screams, are all amazing to me!
We are doing very well. We actually have a doctors appointment today to get shots and check up on his gas...poor guy.

I will try much harder to update on a weekly (maybe daily basis) but please don't hold me to it!

Numerical Data for the month of September

Here are the Kennedy numbers for the past month:

• 4 baby classes
• 1 ten year High School Class reunion-Kevin
• 3 guests to use the new guestroom
• 1 Palm Tree removed from our backyard
• 2 baby showers
• 29 years Kevin has spent on this earth
• 5 English classes Misty taught at night
• 1 extremely overpriced bill to check blood pressure
• 7 trips to the Frisbee golf course
• 1 Frisbee Kevin owes Keith for throwing his in the lake
• 4 trips to College Station for Aggie home games
• 1 first haircut for our nephew Owen by Misty's mom

• 12 pounds gained by the expectant mother (ahhhh)
• 5 loads of laundry for the upcoming baby
• 1 can of red paint for the nursery
• 3 pillows Misty uses every night, leaving little room for Kevin in bed
• 2 friends from Dubai visit Houston
• 1 book completed for this months bookclub
• 4 quilting classes
• 3 times we borrowed a friends t.v. to watch football
• 120 minutes on average Kevin spends in traffic a day
• 45 barks of warning Maggie provides daily as she looks out the window guarding the house from evil neighborhood cats, large trashcans, and blowing leaves 50 yards away.

Continuing Education

We are in our final weeks of 'Baby 101' at our delivery hospital. The classes have definitely opened our eyes to the joy and blood of childbirth. While most of the class is done with an instructor teaching, she does play videos from time to time. I find most of the videos I have my eyes closed asking Kevin what is happening, only to find out he has his eyes closed too...so I'm not so sure how this is going to work out come delivery time. Two weeks ago I may have had a slight emotional breakdown in class when I learned the baby wasn't the last thing I have to deliver. Between fits of crying and laughing, I managed to scare our instructor and embarrass Kevin (who of course stood strong by my side, letting me wipe my tears and snot all over him!) I think it was more of the realization that our baby is actually coming, and won't stay in my belly forever, and I REALLY need to get the nursery ready! Tonight we take a tour of the labor and delivery rooms and starting Friday I begin visiting our doctor on a weekly basis.

Continuing on the topics of the baby. We had a wonderful weekend full of baby showers! My mom flew in for the events and spent the weekend with us. On Saturday Kevin's family had a dual shower for his cousin and me. She is expecting a girl, while we are having a boy, which made a for a very pink and blue shower. We got some amazing gifts and it was great to see so many family members. Kevin's Granny always makes a quilt for the new great grandchild, and if you look closely at the picture you will see that in her wonderful sense of humor she put little 'accountants' all over the quilt to honor our baby's CPA Daddy! On Sunday the ladies of our church also threw us a shower. They were so kind to put it together quickly so that my mother could attend while she was in town! I was amazed at what a wonderful church family we have, when half the women in attendance were ladies I have only met upon our return to the states in July. Needless to say, this weekend definitely made us feel extremely loved and special.

Moving Right Along

Well the last few weeks we have been moving and growing in more ways than one. My belly has definitely gained momentum! And while the added inches have increased the moans and difficulty in moving around, it has also brought on additional movement! Our boy is a mover and a shaker, and it is so much fun to watch my belly and play Name That Body Part! We really like our doctor here and so far everything has been very normal and right on schedule with the pregnancy.
Our Dubai shipment finally arrived last week, providing the chairs we have so desperately needed. While picnicking on the living room floor was fun and romantic for the first few weeks, I was definitely ready to sit at the table again!
Kevin is still working for KBR and has finagled his way into a prime-time work related golf tournament. What a smooth talker! Now he just needs to get out and practice a bit to make sure his game is as good as his word. He is also on cloud nine with his new season tickets to the Aggies. And with a very pregnant wife unable to use the second ticket, he lucked out and will spend the games with football fanatic buddies instead!
I am doing really well. I spend my Tuesday mornings learning to quilt with Kevin's granny (an important skill every housewife should know!) I have also just signed up to teach English classes to both kids and adults. It is a wonderful opportunity to do what I love, plus I make my own schedule which gives me the freedom I will need with a new baby on the way.

We're Back!

We are officially back to the US and moved into our new house. It has been a crazy month of transition, but it safe to say that Kevin, Misty, baby boy and Maggie are all adjusted and happy! Kevin is back at work, driving into downtown everyday-yuck. I have started my new job as a stay at home wife and soon to be mom. And Maggie has taken her new position as guard dog extremely seriously, fending off stray cats and evil neighbors from 200 feet away. Actually, we have really great neighbors and have enjoyed evening walks in our new neighborhood. We live 2 doors down from Kevin's brother Keith, his wife, Jen and new baby boy, Owen.
Well, we may be in the house, however a lot of furniture is not! In fact we would personally invite each of you over to visit, but currently have nothing to sit on but an old piano bench and a step stool. Our Dubai shipment is due mid-August and that should help. Of course anything we could need is always supplied by Keith and Jen.
On a much grander scale, our wonderful God and Savior has shown Himself in providing for and keeping care of us over the last month as we transitioned. We continue to find support from our church with fantastic people and in-depth teaching. He has also paved the way for my medical treatment in the US. Jen's doctor accepted me as a patient, and we had an immediate bond (thanks to Jen!). The hospital is about 7 minutes from our door and we start labor classes in September. The baby is doing really well, with everything right on schedule. He is moving and kicking up a storm, except when his daddy touches my belly, when he promptly stops! Already he is a comedian!