Moving On

Ok, so I really hate to do this, but I am no longer able to post pictures on the blog do to running out of room.  So, I have decided to move the blog to a new address.  If you still want to follow along on the blog, I will continue it at the new address.  Please change the blog address in your favorites, and if you are a follower, make sure to change the address through blogger.  The new address is:

ochoa2.blogspot.com

Come on over and enjoy pictures and updates of our sweet little kids!

Thankful

We has such a special treat for Thanksgiving this year when Nick and Teresa came to visit.  Tim took a vacation week and we just played.  It was so great to just hang out and show them the area.  We took a day trip to DC and got to see more things that were new to us.  

Thank you so much for coming you guys.  It does our heart good to catch up with our besties from the past. XO

Oh Christmas Tree

Since Tim and I have been married, it has always been a debate as the whether we should have a real tree or a fake tree.  I always grew up with  fake tree.  I think we probably had the same tree my whole life, it lived in the attic in the off season, and I never thought anything about it.  Well, when I met Tim, he informed me that a fake tree was just not going to work for him.  So since then we have gone out every year and cut down a real tree.  When we looked into getting a tree this year, we realized it was going to cost way too much for a tree that was just going to be put in the trash in a few weeks.  So, Tim looks and me and says "Let buy a fake one."  What???  Are you stinking kidding me?  It was not even my idea.  

Can I just tell you how easy it is to put up a fake tree?  The lights are already on, it doesn't prick your hands putting the decorations on, and there are no needles on the floor!  Even Tim said that putting up a fake one was much nicer.

Carter loves everything to do with Christmas, and I think putting up the tree is a highlight of his year.  We had to put it up before Thanksgiving so Tim would be able to help since his schedule in so crazy in December.

5 Months

Little girls are so fun!

Mastering the sippy cup!!  Kinley can now get her milk from another source besides her Mama!!

This little boy says he wants to marry a lot of girls so they can have a lot of babies!  Maybe he has been watching too much Sister Wives!  But, he does say he wants us to have more babies.  When we ask him if he wants another brother or another sister, he replies "both"!

Kinley gets up on her hands and knees and starts rocking back and forth.  It will not be long now until she is in a full out crawl.  She already puts her head down and pushes with her feet to get where she wants.

So sweet!

We love you Kinley, it is hard to believe you are already 5 months old.  You and Carter are the best of friends.  When we pick him up from preschool, you start laughing and smiling as soon as he hops in the car.  Makes this Mama so proud!

Sweet Tater

Kinley got her first taste of sweet potatoes and it was a big hit!  She is going to be a good eater, I can tell.  I decided to make my own baby food this time, so Kinley will hopefully get only the good stuff.  This weekend we gave her bananas and boy did she like those!  I am trying to give her rice cereal right before bed in hopes that she will sleep longer...  It doesn't seem to be working since last night she was up every 2 hours. :(  We still love you sweet Kinley, don't worry!

4 Months

Where is the time going?  Kinley had her 4 month check up this week (at 4.5 months, so a bit late!)  She is doing great, we are still trying to figure out her acid reflux meds, but other then that she is doing amazing.  It seems like her breathing is improving while she is eating, so that is a good sign.  With LM, you expect their breating to contiune to get worse until about 6 months, and then start improving.

Stats

Weight: 13.3 pounds (30th%)

Height: 25.2 inches (65th% )

Whooop Whooop, we have a kid on the growth charts!!  Amazing!!!

We have decided to start her on food since she has been showing a lot of interest in eating.  I also wanted to start her on rice cereal at night in hopes that she will sleep a bit better.  Kinley still has nights where she is up every 3 hours!  Gosh, I am sure I am being punished since Carter was sleeping 12 hours by 5 weeks of age!

Sandy

We have survived our first hurricane!  Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast on October 29th.  We were told to expect some major damage here in Hershey so we prepared for the worst.  We were stocked up on water and canned goods, and we were ready for our power to be out for a few days.  Luckily, we missed the worst of it and Sandy was kind to us.  There was some strong wind for a long time, and tons of rain, but nothing else to complain about.  The power even stayed on for us.  Those who live closer to the coast are telling a different story however.  When I see pictures of the devastation in towns just a few short hours from us, it breaks my heart.  Our prayers are with them!  

This is what we found in our room during the storm since he was too scared to sleep by himself!

We were stuck inside for a few days, and it lead to some pretty crazy kids!

Boo

Halloween in Hershey rocks!  This place loves candy and everybody here loves any excuse to celebrate Halloween.  Each town around here does trick or treating on different days, so if you plan it just right, you can get in a lot of treating!  I took the kids to a trunk or treat put on by some friends, and then we hit up a church Halloween party.  Kinley won a prize for super cute girl! (Duh!!!)  We also took the kids to Hershey Gardens for some trick or treating there.  We were also super excited about the parade since I hear the amount of candy they hand out is crazy, however they had to cancel it due to Hurricane Sandy.  We were surprised how many kids came to our neighborhood to trick or treat!  It was crazy out there, and Carter got so many goodies just walking down our road!

So this year Carter decided he really liked the Fighter Pilot outfit.  ( I think he was more obsessed with the fighting part than the flying part...)  But it was a perfect costume for him, and he got lots of complements on it.  Kinley was our little chickadee.  She looks so precious in her outfit  and I told Tim I might have to have another kid, just so I can use this costume again!

Hope you all had a great Halloween!

   

Hickory Run

When Daddy has a day off, we play hard.  It was a beautiful day at Hickory Run State Park, with lots of fall colors and lots of smiles.  Carter loves to go on hikes, and I can not wait to see the adventures him and Tim will go on in the future.  Kinley loved riding in the backpack, and thought it was pretty cool that Daddy was carrying her all day.  

Feed Me Mama

Thank you Lord for giving me a good eater!  Kinley has been eyeing our food lately, so we decided to try her on some rice cereal.  And, she loved it!  I hope she keeps up the good eating.  Gosh it makes my job so much easier!

Pumpkin Time

I think fall is starting to become my favorite time of the year.  Pumpkins, hay rides, apples, apple cider doughnuts...  Carter gets so excited when he starts to see the pumpkins out.  We recently went out to a local pumpkin farm to pick pumpkins, apples, and to take a hay ride.  I have been canning the apples this year, and have gone through a ton!  Carter loved seeing all the tractors.  I am thinking he has some farming in his blood!  Or, he just likes to play on the big boy toys like his Bampa.  

Stick it Out

Before they snipped Kinley's tongue: 

After the snip!  She can still scream just as loud! :)

The black line you see is the suture holding things together till her tongue heals.

This should help Kinley eat better, and kiss better too!

Scope It

10-10-12 started out super early so we could get Kinley checked in for her Bronchoscopy.  Our kind neighbor came over to take care of Carter, so we did not have to bother getting him out of bed.  Kinley was such a ham in the waiting room.  You could tell she was wondering where her milk was, but she really didn't make much of a fuss about it.  

The hospital was lit up purple for you baby girl!  (The morning before was pink Daddy said...  Too bad we missed it!)

This little lady was making everyone laugh in the waiting room.  It was kind of nice since people are always so nervous before surgery.  (Including this Mama!)  

Tim's program was so nice to let him off for the day so he could be with his family.  It was great having him with us, it seems like Doctors get extra attention.  And, we had a constant flow of friends checking in on us to make sure we were being taken care of.    

Ummm, Penn State really needs to get some cuter gowns for these little guys.  And, I would like to request a  pink one...

Fell asleep in her favorite spot waiting to be taken back to the OR.

Kinley woke up very, very angry.  She screamed at the top of her lungs for a good 45 minutes.  She would nurse for 30 seconds, and then be back to her screaming.  For some reason the nurse decided that Kinley was going to loose her IV, so she wanted to re-tape it.  So she took off all the tape from the IV, and then Kinley of course kicked it out of her foot at that moment.  Agh, hello!!!  Well, we got anesthesia to come in and say she was ok to be without the IV for right then, so we did not have to start a new one.  Tim was finally able to get her asleep after some long, stressful moments.  I was beyond thankful that he was with us!

Still a little sleepy...

Hospital policy is to observe these little ones for 24 hours after anesthesia if they have airway issues.  Well, we talked them into letting us go after 8 hours, so that was a relief.  

Mom, put the camera away and get me out of here before they decide to keep me!!!

The bronchoscopy went really well.  There were no tumors, or anything else found.  It did confirm the laryngomalacia.  Her larynx is very thick and U shaped which in not normal.  If she does not grow out of it, or if she starts falling off the growth chart, then we may have to consider doing the surgery to repair the larynx.  It also showed edema and redness, which is a result of her acid reflux.  She was also tongue tied, so they performed a frenectomy on her.  Now she has a whole new tongue!  (Before and After pictures to come!)

We were later informed that when they brought Kinley back into the OR room, she was just smiling and giggling at everyone.  Makes us proud parents!

You were a champ dear Kinley.  I am so sorry you had to go through this, and we just pray you will soon start breathing better.  I loved letting you sleep on me all day while we waited to go home!  You were such a snuggle bug.  Blessing sweet Kinley!  We love you sooooo much!!!! 

Rollin'

I left this little lady on her back, walked into the kitchen, and looked back at her and this is how she was.  So, at 3 1/2 months old, Kinley busted out her first roll.  This is our only proof that she did actually roll, seeing she has yet to pull out this trick again!

My Little Lady

This little lady sure has stolen our hearts!  I just can not get enough of her.  I am looking at her sleeping in her swing right now, wondering if I might be dreaming.  Did I really get this lucky???

This is the look Kinley gave me when I told her I had scheduled her bronchoscopy and frenulectomy for early in October.  I know little one, it makes my heart hurt also.  It is just a short procedure, but they do have to take her to the OR and put her under, and I hate that part!  It is a comfort knowing this is where her Daddy works every day, and they even allowed us to choose our anesthesiologist.  Hopefully they will let Tim have a few minutes off so he can at least be back there with her when she is waking up.  Any one want to come help take care of Carter that day? :)  

You are in good hands baby girl!  Mommy is praying they do not find anything we are not expecting.  Love you little Kinley Grace!   

And, being the second child, I am pretty sure you are extra tough!!

Sibling Reunion

I can't tell you how much it meant to me to have most of the Kay siblings make the trek to Hershey to visit us!  Heather, Andrea, Jason, and Aiden all showed up here for a week filled with tons of fun, seeing new sights, and baby kisses.  I love the fact that they got to meet Kinley before she was too old.  She was just a little ham for them, and got really spoiled with them being here.  I am still trying to explain to her that she can not be held every moment of the day...  Carter and Aiden played just like brothers.  They were constantly picking on each other, and copying what the other one did.  Carter was so sad to see  his buddy leave.  We were so lonely this past year living in Michigan where no one came to visit, that we really needed some good family time.  Thank you so much for coming guys!  And, please come back soon!!!  Love you!

Hershey

Baltimore

Where we risked our lives for some crab cakes.  Never again, never again!  If the parking lot is cheap, that would be a good indication that you should probably get out of that part of town.  And, the National Aquarium.

Chocolate World

We made a couple of trips to Chocolate World and got lots of chocolate.  If you don't know the story of Mr. Hershey and the kind of person he was, I suggest you look up Milton Hershey School.  He was a pretty amazing man, and not only because he made amazing chocolate! 

Intercourse

First time seeing Amish for the visitors.  And, really, who would not want to go to a town named Intercourse?  I can tell you a lot of eating went on here.

Harrisburg and Gettysburg

Harrisburg has an amazing capital building that is worth seeing.  And Gettysburg is a must for any visitor.  Very humbling knowing what went on in those fields and how much suffering took place.  Next time we will take someone who knows a bit of history... :)

Come back soon guys, it was amazing having you all here!!!  XOXOXO

Why do they grow so fast?

Carter: "Mom, I told you I wanted you to make chocolate cookies!"

Me: "Well Carter, these are chocolate, they are just red, which is kind of cool."

Carter: "But Mom, I wanted those beige ones, with brown spots in them."

Me: Really, who uses the word beige to describe cookies?  But, it looks like he enjoyed them anyways!

I love this photo.  It shows just how much Carter can make Kinley smile.  You can always tell Carter has come into the room, because Kinley just starts smiling.  She watches everything he does (kind of scary...).  I know they will be best friends when they grow up.  Makes this Mama's heart so happy!!!

This little one grows up so fast.  Kenai and Carter are so in love with their new baby sister!!  We love you Kinley, you make our family so happy!

The First Day of Many

Carter is officially a big boy!  I can not believe I sent my little man to preschool today.  Where has the time gone?  It seems like just yesterday I was holding him in my arms, all snuggled up in his blankets.  Carter is an amazing little person.  He loves to learn new things, he loves to play with Kinley, and he loves being outside all hours of the day.  I love you Carter.  No matter how big you get, you will always be my little man!!  XOXOXO  

Ricketts Glen

Ricketts Glen State Park is a few hours away from Hershey, so we decided to hit it up this weekend.  We went on a 3.5 mile hike to see all the waterfalls, and it was beautiful.  I realized just how much Carter is like his Daddy on this hike.  This little man loves being out in the woods and moving!  He actually hiked the whole way.  There were many parts that were difficult to handle, such as steps that were twice his size, but he kept going.  Kenai was also having a blast.  She loved swimming in the pools, and getting loves from lots of other people on the trail.  Kinley enjoyed sleeping the whole way and breathing in the fresh air.  

Carter, you are amazing.  I could not believe how tough you were, and that you did not fall asleep on the 2 hour drive home!  I know in a few years you and your daddy will be in the woods every moment you get.  Love you little man!!!  

Lucky

I think it is pretty obvious I am one lucky Mamma!!!  These kids are amazing.  And they are so excited to for our visitors to show up next week!