A Two-Year old and a Two-Month old!

April & May Update

 

This is going to be short and sweet :) Both kids are sleeping right now and time is of the essence!
The past 6 weeks have been so fun. Scarlett loves her little bro, we had a Nonni visit, all our King/Larabee cousins came to visit, Scarlett turned 2, we hosted her bday party, Grady turned 8 weeks, and I celebrated my bday on Mother's Day! Busy busy!

Grady Update: 8 weeks

(One month photo that I forgot to post earlier)

      Two month old boy!

What he's up to: cooing, smiling A LOT, watching everything around him

Sleep: G is a great sleeper just like Scarlett. He's waking up once a night to nurse around 5/6am. So right now I'm getting about 6-7 hours of straight sleep! Awesome!

Personality: He is still easy going. Loves to be held, fed, or looking around in his bjorn bouncer or activity mat. He hates the car seat (just like his sis did). I carry him in the Ergo most often so I have 2 free hands to help Scarlett at the park, etc.

Everything else:  He is eating every 3 hours during the day. We just had his 8 week check-up which involved 3 shots. He was NOT happy about that :( He is weighing in at 10 lb 8 oz and 22.5" long which is 17% and 18% in size/length....MUCH smaller babe than S was! But, he's happy which is all that matters. We go back in 3 weeks for another weight check.

Scarlett Update: 2 years

 

What she's up to: TALKING non-stop (latest funny saying, "Mom, I want appetizer!"), running everywhere, reading books any chance she can, getting more and more comfortable with the water at Mimi & Bop's pool, playing with any big girl that she meets, becoming more and more brave & independent (if that's possible?!), and is pretty darn silly too (likes to pretend to be a superhero with the Knueppel brothers which involves pan lids as shields and bandaids as superpower buttons. Ha.)

Everything else: We had a great gymnastics bday party for S! Imagine 17 kids running around a gym? And then imagine them hyped up on cookies and cupcakes after?! Quite the sight.
Scarlett also went to the pediatrician with Grady for her 2 year appt. She's weighing in at 32 lbs (95%) and measuring 35.5" (96%). She also got a shot and a blood test, both of which she DIDN'T CRY FOR! Amazing what a lollipop will do :)



 
  

 

Happy almost summer!
Love,
the kings!

Life with 2!

Two kids is BUSY! All I can think is, "What the heck was I doing with all of my free time when we just had one?!" Laundry, dishes, nursing G, playing with S....those are my four most frequent daily events! Jeremy was home for a week which was awesome. Now it's back to "normal" with just me and the kids.


Grady 2.5 weeks
Favorite thing to do: SLEEP (about 19-20 hours a day! Crazy!)

Personality: Mellow like his dad :)

Newest Tricks: Tracking with his eyes, watching Scarlett when she entertains him, curls his lips like he's about to smile

Weight: today's appt he weighed in at 9lb 4oz (up from 8lb 8oz birth weight, and 8lb 0oz hospital discharge weight) which is 60%. Head and length will be rechecked in two weeks.

Physical Looks: Jeremy's exact replica. I orginally thought he and Scarlett looked so much alike when he was born, but after a few weeks I admit I was dead wrong. Grady is long and lean, has Jeremy's nose, chin, and mouth....and bascially NOTHING of mine! Ha. Jury is totally out on the eye color- they look like a dark grey/brown so who knows!

Simiarities with Big Sis Scarlett: raspy voice (Okay, that's the one thing they both got from me), pacifier obsession, tummy sleeper, and hip dysplasia (see below. Ugh!)

Scarlett 23 months
Newest Tricks:  Speaking in "complete" sentences! "What you doing, mama/daddy?" "I want go outside." Or as she said today on our way out of the Pediatrician's office, "Bye bye, kids!" to all the other children in the waiting room. This one is still a major chatterbox.

Biggest Thrill: We talk about Scarlett going to school in September A LOT. She seems quite excited about "no mommy/daddy" at school and having a teacher and friends :) Pretty cute. Other obsessions, the park, especially going "so high" on the swing, kindergym, music class, and playing at Boppy & Mimi's house.

Favorite Toy: After visiting me in the hospital and tagging along to a few of Grady's pediatrician appts, Scarlett is obsessed with "ouchies" and doctors. Allie came to visit and brought Scarlett the most perfect gift- her own doctor kit. She examines her dollies and stuffed animals daily, along with Hazel and myself. Today when we were at the pediatrician for Grady's weight check, she asked Dr. Lee to check her legs. Too funny.

Biggest Challenge:The first week of being home with Grady, Scarlett's tantrums hit an all-time high and Jeremy and I were about to jump ship. The tantrums were about the silliest things- food, socks, etc. But, after her routine went back to normal last week (daycare Tues/Thurs, playdates, daddy back to work, etc.), she actually seems to be doing 100% better- using big girl words, avoiding whining (with lots of warnings) and less tantrums. Keep your fingers crossed!

Biggest Highlight: Scarlett adores baby Grady. She loves to kiss his head, put his paci in his mouth, "shhhh" him nicely when he's crying, and asks to hold him countless times a day.  I hope this sweetness continues!!

Always checking out what Grady is doing

Swim time at Mimi & Bops

"Nursing" her dolly

First family photo (poor G is tucked away in the carrier)

Scarlett was NOT happy to meet the Easter Bunny! ha.

Mimicking daddy by carrying dolly in her backpack

Being silly with Grady in her tent

Quick Hip Update for those of you that didn't hear the news...

We had our 2 year follow-up appt for Scarlett's hips last week with the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon at UCSF. Grady also had his hips sonogrammed, since he has a sibling with hip dysplasia.

Scarlett's left hip moved into "normal" range (barely, but we'll take it) although her right hip did not. Her right hip is still at 26 degrees (the highest it should ever be is 24 degrees to avoid surgery). Because life is crazy (keep reading, you'll see why) we postponed making a decision for hip surgery until she turns 3. There is a 95% chance she will have to have it, but maybe there will be a small little miracle that her body will self correct :) I can hope, right? The recovery is 6 weeks in a cast with no walking. BRUTAL.

The sonogram for Grady showed that both of his hips have shallow sockets. So, he was fitted in a Pavlik Harness yesterday (remember that pink thing Scarlett wore for 3 months?!). There are 11 straps and he must remain in it 23 hours a day (1 hour given for bath & clothing change). The harness pulls his legs up at a 90 degree angle in the "froggy" position to force the ball and socket into each other and deepen the sockets with constant pressure. It's a BIG pain- diaper changes, nursing, and  even cuddling Grady are very ackward with the harness, but it's life for the next 12 weeks. He will follow the same drill Scarlett did-- Re-sonogram in 6 weeks, xray 8 weeks later to determine the prognosis/need for another cast/harness?,  and final xray at 2 years old to see if the hips made further progress to avoid surgery...

Sporting his navy blue harness (hidden well with a navy onesie and baggy pants!)

Onto me....
Well, since I'm the mother of two pediatric hip patients, I also become a patient. So I had a standing pelvic xray too. I found out what I kind of always knew (since my mom and grandma both had total hip replacements)- both of my hip sockets are shallow. My right hip is at the lowest degree without needing hip surgery- was told to wait that one out until it becomes problematic. The left is  undeniably a problem. So, sometime in the next 1-8 years I will need to have my right hip socket carved out and/or resurfaced to avoid further problems down the road. I am last on the train for hip treatment...so more updates on that when we are ready for me to have a 3 month recovery on crutches. Not anytime soon!

Okay, that's enough about us. Wishing you all a blessed Easter this weekend and a wonderful spring!
Lots of Love...
the kings!

Grady is born!!

We have a BOY!!!

We are so excited to share with you our little boy, Grayden Evan King, who will go by "Grady"!

The induction on Friday went so much better than I think any of us could have hoped for. I dilated on my own to 5cm (with the help of the misoprostalin pill). The doc broke my water and then I got my epidural around 1:30 with contractions around 3-5 min apart. Around 2pm they put me on the lowest dose of pitocin (I was on the highest dose last time, so this was MUCH better!) and by 5pm I was at 10cm and ready to have the baby. Thirty-five minutes of pushing later, and Grady was born! (If any of you know Scarlett's birth story, this time was MUCH smoother & easier to say the least.)

Grady was born at 5:54pm on Friday, March 16th, weighing 8lb 8oz and 22 inches long.

We have ourselves a BIG boy :)

We are so lucky again that my mom and Peg were able to be there for the birth and Cliffy and Scarlett came to celebrate and meet G shortly after.

We were able to get discharged around 10am this morning. Luckily Nonni was there still to help with Scarlett and they welcomed us home when we arrived, and were able to spend a relaxing afternoon & evening together.

Scarlett is VERY excited about baby Grady. She loves to touch him, watch him eat & watch diaper changes, and tell me when he is crying. She also burps her dolly, Dot, everytime I burp Grady. I love the mimicking :) No meltdowns yet, she is just particularly excited that mama is home!  Our poor laborador Hazel seems a tad bit annoyed at her new roomate. She did give him a good sniff and lick though, but she seems to be rolling her eyes at us as to say, "Another one?!" :)
So far Grady has a loud, raspy cry just like his sis, although he seems a bit easier to soothe. He's just 2 days old, so I'm sure we'll be getting a little more "personality" coming through in the next few days.

Thank you for all the texts, notes, emails, and calls. We are so excited and blessed to share our little Grady with you!

PS-- Quick comparison photos between G & S:

Induction Day!

We have arrived at Induction Day and are all cozy here at Marin General on this very cold & rainy Friday. We are passing the time quite perfectly- Jer is watching some NCAA basketball and I am catching up on the celebrity gossip via US Weekly & People, & Star.

Yesterday we had a great "last day" spoiling Scarlett.
The rain let up, so we made two park trips, a kinder-gym session, a trip to the library, and ice cream out with Dad. Then, Nonni arrived and we had chicken tacos at our house with Mimi & Boppy too. A great day if you ask me! Scarlett knows that the baby comes today, but more importantly (to her) that tomorrow is Raiden's bday party and the Easter bunny is only a few weeks off :)

Here's a quick pregnancy update:

How far along: 40 wks, 1 day
Weight gain: final weigh in this morning = 26 lbs
Dilated: 3cm as of 7am
Delivery Plan?!: I took misoprostol (prostaglandin) at 8am and am already getting some nice mild/medium contractions, then Pitocin and/or breaking my water at noon. Baby hopefully tonight?!
Scarlett's plan: S spent the morning with Nonni and is off to daycare at Angela's til 4pm so my mom can join at the hospital. Mimi & Boppy are in charge from there!
Names: yikes! We are looking at girl names as we speak!

Thanks for all the texts, calls, and emails!
We are so excited and can't wait to share the good news web we can!

40 weeks!

HI all! We've arrived at the end of the pregnancy road- HURRAY!

Here is a quick 39.5 week photo comparison:

                      Baby #2                     

Scarlett:

 

Tomorrow is my OB appt, and my induction is all set for this Friday at 8am! Last week, I was a little more than 2 cm dilated, so I'm hoping for some more progress to make Friday a little smoother than Scarlett's 72 hour induction :) Dr. Voss thinks that the baby will arrive before dinner time, so I like her positive thinking! My mom arrives Thursday to help with Scarlett and will be there for the birth.

We are SO excited to find out if it's a BOY or GIRL!!

In our last weekend as a family of 3, we hit the SF zoo....

And, although it was freezing, we trucked warm water outside for Scarlett to have a "spa" and play...she had a ball practicing her "swimming"!

Wish us luck with tomorrow's appt!

Love, The Kings!

38 week mama & 22 month Scarlett

Happy March! We've finally reached BABY MONTH!!! Hurray!!

FYI-- This is going to be an abbreviated post...mostly because I'm tired and lazy :)

Here's an updated 38 week photo of my big belly:

And a comparison from last pregnancy (I'm even wearing the same shirt!):

Pregnancy Update in a Nutshell:
How Far Along: 38 weeks
Weight Gain: 23 pounds
Baby's Size: 6-7 lbs, 19-20" long
Movement: Still just lots of sharp jabs. I'm still not sleeping :(
Measuring: On track! Baby finally slowed down and is measuring exactly where it should.
Mama's Health: All is good. Only complaint is I can't get comfortable.
Gender Prediction: BOY....I think?
Names: Packed the baby name book. We do well under pressure :)
Etc.:   Check out photos in the email of our updates- trying to make room for a 4th body in a 2 bd house is quite a task!
Labor Progress: Well, there is none. Hopefully something will change before my Monday 39 wk appt! Due date, March 15. Tentative induction date, March 21.

Scarlett 22 Month Update in a Nutshell
Miss Scarlett is 22 months! She seems excited about feeding the baby "babas" but we are still not sure how much she understands?! She definitely knows that mama's big belly gets in the way of her sitting on my lap and me carrying her as often.

Talking
This kid never stops talking! Yesterday's newest word was, "Fire engine." Where did she learn it? I have NO idea. This week's newest phrase is, "Mama, what that?" She now is constantly asking me what things are all day long.

Independence
We went on our preschool tour last Monday with Mimi & Daddy. Scarlett walked right into the 2's class, past 5 "big girls" and made herself right at home with the toys. The other girls just stopped and stared and this confident little toddler. It was hysterical. Then, soon after, she made herself comfortable, sitting in between a group of boys and one of the teachers with the playdough at the craft table. We got the impression that preschool is right up her alley :) She is all signed up for the fall!

Scarlett loves spending time with her people with, "no mommy, no daddy." She constantly asks to see Mimi & Boppy without us. When Kailyn the babysitter came over earlier this week, she immediately told me, "Mama, bye-bye. Scarlett and Kailyn play." Ha. I took the hint and left while she was happy!

Biggest Challenge
The foot stomping and whining has arrived. All month our constant reminder to Scarlett has been that if she wants something she needs to keep her feet quiet and use her big girl voice. This is a DAILY/HOURLY reminder.  She definitely tests Jeremy's and my patience! It is quite exhausting to talk so calmly and repeat the same rules over and over again. We are trying to keep it simple with her....hopefully it gets easier?!

Biggest Highlight
Scarlett's memory is amazing! She can point out places all over town that we've been to only once or twice! I.E. Driving by Casa Grande High School back parking lot (where she has watched only 2 of Jeremy's basketball games), she pointed and said, "Daddy basketball!"

And, yesterday driving by New Yorker Pizza she pointed and said, "Bodie & Harry pizza!" since we ate pizza with the Knueppels there two weeks ago. It's crazy! I'm constantly amazed at the new words, phrases, recognition, etc. from such a little person!

Scarlett's favorite activity, music class!

Hiking with Daddy!

First ice cream cone!

Warm, Feb evening walk

Happy Hazel

First haircut!

Ta Da! A cute, blonde bob!

Happy March! Wishing you all a warm and enjoyable month.
We are thrilled to meet our new little one and can't wait to share the news as soon as it happens!
lots of love,
the kings!