Daddy and Baseball

Daddy was very excited to take Kathleen to her first baseball game last night. They have enjoyed watching several games together on television this summer with the college world series going on and the discovery of a new local channel just for the Durham Bulls ball field. The weather was perfect for our family outing and over 9,000 people showed up to cheer on our favorite home town team. Kathleen loved hearing the noises of the game and seeing all the lights and people. You can't beat $1 hot dog night. The Bulls won, Daddy now has a new hat, and Mommy enjoyed Rita's Italian ice. Who could ask for more?

Waiting in line for hot dogs and nachos.

"Stop taking pictures Mommy, we're trying to watch the game! "

Happy Father's Day

This year Father's Day has a whole new meaning since it includes my husband. Kathleen's arrival made for a sweet sweet gift in May and made my first Mother's Day absolutely perfect. Everyone in my family spoiled me and went above and beyond to make this first Mother's Day extra special. Calvin of course gave me an incredibly sentimental gift by awarding my 2nd Awesomeness Award "For exceptional results in the area of awesomeness. Specifically for the awesomeness that transpired on and prior to May 3, 2011." Both awesomeness awards from 2008 and now 2011 are framed in our kitchen.

So on Father's Day this year I would like to take a moment to recognize just how wonderfully awesome the "Director of Awesomeness" truly is. I feel so incredibly lucky to have you by my side as my teammate, my friend and my husband. Thank you for all that you do for me and our family. Whether it's making sure there's food in the pantry, clean clothes in the closet, rubbing my feet for hours on end in the labor room, giving Daddy manicures and pedicures to Kathleen and Rascal both, or making sure your sweet daughter has had enough cuddle time for the day. You're on it, and I appreciate you trying so hard to make our daily lives as stress free and enjoyable as they can be together. I'm so proud of  you, all that you've accomplished, where you're headed, how you lead and take care of this family, and how you do it all with a calming, reassuring presence.

In honor of you, I would like to post the video of your first father, daughter dance here. I'm sure this is the first of many. We love you.

First Bath

Last night Kathleen had her first bath! Don't worry, we were previously keeping her clean with daily washcloth wipe downs; however, this was her first experience sitting in the water and feeling it poured over her little body. Of course, Daddy was there with the video camera to capture the moment. Kathleen seemed to enjoy the water. I'm sure as she gets older we'll have fun playing and splashing around with our nightly dip in the tub.

Newborn Photos

Below are some of my favorite pictures from Kathleen's 6 day old newborn photo shoot. We took her to see Tracy who owns Memories by TLC for our first family outing. It was so much fun and Tracy was amazing to watch as she worked with Kathleen to get her to pose so beautifully. The studio and office where she works are in two of the upstairs rooms of her home. This set up makes you feel comfortable as soon as you walk in the door with your newborn. Tracy keeps it 90 degrees in the studio with a heater so that the baby is cozy and sleepy throughout the session. With a handful of other baby calming tricks up her sleeve, Kathleen was incredibly happy to be there soaking up all of Tracy's attention. It was so impressive we even took a home video of how a couple of the poses came together. (I'll be adding an edited clip to this post a little later on.)

As a proud Mommy, I have to brag that Tracy loved Kathleen's sweet, "mellow" attitude so much she asked if we could come back the following Monday for some additional modeling shots. That's right - my little girl was asked to come back so the photographer could try out a couple new poses, props and fabrics on her!

Kathleen Margarette Dickenson: May 3, 2011

Throughout my pregnancy as we prepared for Kathleen's arrival I had April 30th in my head as the day to have everything done by. We prepared the nursery over our Christmas break and got the remaining details in order as spring approached. With baby showers in March and April, all of our friends and family helped us celebrate and prepare as we anticipated the birth of our first child. With all the preparation behind us by the end of April, the plan was to sit back and enjoy as we waited for Kathleen's arrival in May. Now I can say that I am certainly glad we decided to prepare early.

When I woke up at 6:15 on Monday, May 2nd my water broke. Calvin and I made the necessary phone calls, finished packing our hospital bags, cleaned up the kitchen, and then continued to wait the rest of the day for contractions to pick up to 3-5 minutes apart. At 6 pm we headed to the hospital and Kathleen was born at 11:30 am on Tuesday, May 3rd. She was 7 lbs, 2 oz and 19.5 inches long. We were all impressed that she waited to arrive on the 3rd! Also - we were in the Labor and Delivery Room number 7. 

The hospital story I already love telling most is how strong Kathleen was as soon as she was born. When I took her in my arms for the first time to lay her on my chest she promptly grabbed and pulled out the IV access that had been started in my hand and taped down in case of emergency. All of a sudden the doctor looked down and saw her waving it around. I had not even noticed. They had to pry her little fingers off it in order to take it away. I was ultimately glad she took it out for me. I had not enjoyed the fact that it was in my hand the entire time anyways.

We are so thankful and blessed to have this healthy, beautiful little girl with us now. She's amazing and already has such a sweet aura about her. Kathleen is great at being a baby. She took to eating right away. She has regained her birth weight and seems to be going through her first growth spurt over the past few days. It doesn't matter who's holding her, she's always laid back and calm. The only time she fusses is out of hunger. Otherwise she currently doesn't even cry for a dirty diaper. 

As we get adjusted to creating and refining our routine, there are still several times a day where Calvin and I stop whatever it is we're doing at the time just to declare to one another how awesome our baby is. I still have random moments of unbelief that she's really here with us, that we're living our dream together as a family. I am doing all that I can right now just to live in the moment. I want to enjoy it for all that it's worth. One of mine and Calvin's biggest life dreams has been fulfilled in becoming parents. God has truly given us a gift that will bless us for the rest of our lives.

Below are some pictures from the hospital and bringing Kathleen home:

Pop Pop holding her the day she was born. 

Hanging out with Mommy in the hospital on Wednesday.

  

Finally headed home on Friday morning! 

Waiting for Daddy to bring the car around. 

Kathleen's outfit was complete once we go a little Rascal hair on it.