Adventures of the Rozell bunch

New Year, new beginnings...

2012-01-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

Wow! Where did 2011 go? Hello, 2012! It's a new year and a chance for new beginnings, new resolutions, new promises and a chance to mark on the calendar the beginning of a new chapter.

For us, 2012 is bringing us a new addition to our family. I can't believe that our little Joshua Owen will be arriving in 37 days. Oh my! 37 days!!! I am ready to meet our little man. Lately, I have been a little slow. I was sick for almost 3 weeks and during that time I was not able to walk much or workout on my bike. So, when the day came that I finally felt well enough to workout, I was a little disappointed in how much I wasn't able to do. So, while everyone is making their resolutions to lose weight and buying memberships to a gym, I'm on the weight gain plan and propping my feet up more and more each day. For those of you that are just itching to know about how much weight I have gained, I am almost 35 weeks pregnant = 27lb weight gain. Not too shabby.

As for the holidays and family, everything was busy like it is every year. Christmas Eve was spent with my family. Christmas morning was spent with part of Roger's family and lunchtime on Christmas was spent with the other side of Roger's family. Let me tell you being sick on Christmas is not fun. I couldn't breathe, I was coughing and I couldn't hear out of my left ear. So, I just sat in the corner away from everyone and made very little conversation. I enjoyed watching everyone have such a good time, but all I wanted to do all day was curl up in a ball and sleep. Let's just say that I have had better holidays in the past.

On December 27th Roger lost his grandmother on his mother's side. I am so happy that we went to Little Rock about 3 weeks ago and saw them. I didn't know that seeing them a few weeks ago would be the last time I would see his grandmother alive. Kaitlyn and I did not go to the funeral because I was sick and couldn't travel and Kaitlyn was recovering from being sick.

As for Kaitlyn, I think this holiday break has really messed her schedule up or she is just going through a phase. I cannot get her to take a nap when she is supposed to take one. As I write this, she has been in her bed for 2 hours refusing to take a nap. On a normal day, she will nap from about 12:30 to around 3pm. Well, it's 3:30 and she is still refusing to take a nap. I know she is exhausted because she only slept 9 hours last night when she normally sleeps 11-12 hours each night. So, I don't know what the deal is with her. I really hope that I can get her back on her normal schedule because she goes back to school this week and I need her to get back into her normal routine.

So, that's a quick rundown of what has been going on in the Rozell household. I haven't uploaded any recent pictures of Kaitlyn, so I will leave you with this picture take in October of her "feeding" her baby. I'm pretty sure that she is going to be a very loving, nice big sister. :)

Wow...it's been a while!

2011-12-22T14:21:00.000-08:00

I'm back! I have been so bad about keeping everyone up-to-date on the pregnancy, Kaitlyn, etc. and I feel bad because people keep asking me to update the blog and I haven't. So, I have no excuse now. (Raising my right hand) I, Claudia, promise to update the blog at least once a week. However, cut me some slack in February when I am sleep deprived and covered in baby spit-up with a toddler clinging to my leg wanting me to pick her up.

So, here's a quick rundown of what has been going on. Kaitlyn is in her second year at First School and loves it! She is in the Mother's Day out program and is in the younger 2 year old room with Ms. Christian and Ms. Nicha. She loves going there and I love having a break to go and run errands and have some "me" time. Yes, even stay-at-home mommies need a break.

Kaitlyn is also in gymnastics at Hopes and Dreams in Springdale. This is probably the best $50 a month that I can spend. She LOVES going to gymnastics and loves practicing her moves at home. However, our little daredevil thinks that she can leap off of things in our house like she does at the gym and be ok. Umm, no. Our house is not covered in blue floor mats even though sometimes I wish it was so she could leap and jump and not hurt herself.

As for Roger, he finally is home from traveling. Yay! This has probably been the biggest blessing for our family. He was gone every week for 3-4 nights and it was tough. I have a whole new respect for military wives. Here I am complaining about 3-4 nights each week when those ladies have their husbands gone for months and months. Respect for you, ladies!! Ever since Roger has been home, it seems Kaitlyn has been more outgoing. Before she was talkative and wasn't very shy, but once "papa" was home, oh boy! She jabbers and jabbers and is so happy and energetic. I love it!

As for me, this pregnancy is going by so fast. I was super sick the first 12 weeks, had lots of energy the 2nd trimester and now I am starting to drag. With the exception of the last 2 weeks (I've been super sick), I have been diligently riding my little exercise bike at least 5 days a week. I don't like that bike and probably never will, but once I have my workout over I feel great. And yes, I watch music videos or Beyonce's concert tour while working out. There is nothing more motivating for me than watching Beyonce and her dancers shaking and doing their thing while I workout. It might be cheesy, but it keeps me going. I mean, come on, who doesn't want to be able to have moves like Beyonce or look like whatever celebrity that you admire? :)

We have a little more than 6 weeks until little Joshua Owen makes his way into this world. I still don't have the nursery completely done. I still have things to make and sew for him. So, sorry, no nursery pics to post just yet. But I will have them up soon. As for any pregnancy pics, the closest you'll get to seeing that right now will be our pics taken at the end of October. I'm just not into belly pics. If I don't see you on a regular basis, then just know that I do look pregnant and I'm not as big as I was with Kaitlyn (thank goodness!!) and that if my weight gain stays consistent the last 6 weeks, then I will be under my "recommended weight gain" that my doctor set for me. Whoop whoop! See...my nemesis (the stationary bike) is helpful after all.

Well, I hear a little girl starting to wake up from her nap and is asking for "mama". I'll leave you with a few pics from our October session with Beaty Photography.

Where has the time gone...

2010-07-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

I have obviously not been doing a good job keeping up with our blog, so I apologize. Kaitlyn is growing up so fast and it's so much fun to watch. In a way, I want to slow time down in order for my baby to stay small, but I can't wait to watch her grow up and become a wonderful woman.

On July 2nd, Kaitlyn took her first 3 unassisted steps. This was quite an accomplishment. She has been letting go of the table or other furniture and take 1 step and then sit down, but that was the first time that she took consecutive steps. I was so excited! All I could do is sit there and watch. I was afraid that if I said something then she would sit down. My silly girl!

Today I bought her a pusher/walker. It took her no time to take off with it. It is really getting her to walk now. She walked all over the house with it today. It's no wonder that she took a 3 hour nap and was still tired. It's not going to be long until she is walking all over the place by herself.

So, to get everyone up-to-date on her milestones. Here is what has happened since the last blog post:

Kaitlyn weighs around 17 lbs. At her doctor's appointment a few weeks ago, she was in the 25th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. So, we have a tall, skinny girl on our hands.

Kaitlyn started officially crawling when she was 6 months and 11 days old. Prior to this, she was on all fours and rocking back and forth before she took off. There was no stopping her after that!

Kaitlyn has 2 teeth. Her 2 bottom teeth came in. She is teething again and I think it is one of her top middle teeth or top canine.

And, I found out yesterday that there is a strong possibility that Kaitlyn is taking after her daddy and is allergic to cats. I have taken her 4 different places with cats and have had the same reaction every time (i.e. runny nose, sneezing, eye watering and rubbing, etc.) This is not good considering that most of my family has cats. So, it looks like most future family get-togethers might be at my house.

Happy Kid

2010-03-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

We have finally stopped using the swing. Kaitlyn's feet are starting to hang off the end and it is really hard to travel with her and the swing too. It's amazing how much stuff we take out of town. I thought we had a car with a large trunk... I was wrong. The next vehicle for Claudia will be a SUV - never a minivan. No offense to minivan drivers. I just can't do it.

2010-03-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

Kaitlyn decided that she didn't want to be in her high chair anymore... Thankfully, she was strapped in. After a long day at Cabela's...

Laughing

2010-03-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

Claudia took this video on March 8th. It is a wonder she kept the camera as still as she did. I think she was laughing harder than Kaitlyn.

February 27

2010-02-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

We put Kaitlyn in her highchair for the first time today. It's scary that she is growing up as fast as she is. Claudia and Kat came to see me in Branson this week and she tried to walk for us. The video isn't very clear, but she was purposely taking steps. She has been eating sweet potatoes for almost a week now and seems to love them. (I think they are nasty)

Roger

Ouchie!!

2010-02-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

Look at the cute band-aids on my chubby, little legs!! This picture was taken of me after we got home from the pediatrician today. See...I'm still smiling even though I have ouchies on both legs.

Today wasn't a fun day for Kaitlyn. We went for our 4 month check-up and Kaitlyn got 2 shots and a oral vaccine. Kaitlyn cried for a minute, but completely stopped when Daddy picked her up and cuddled with her. I am so proud of her. We have a tough kid. She did a whole lot better this time than at the 2 month shots. Roger likes to think it is because he was there, but I like to think that it had to do with both of us being there.

Our little girl is growing...

As of today, Kaitlyn now weighs 14 pounds and 8oz. This puts her in the 60th percentile for her age. She is 25 1/4 inches long. She is in the 75th percentile for her height. Her head is 16 3/4 and this puts her in the 80th percentile for head diameter. She must have a big brain growing in there.

The next appointment will be a 6 months. I can't believe how fast time flies and how big Kaitlyn is getting. I am enjoying her at every single stage and can't wait to watch her grow up.

Feeding #3

2010-02-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

The third solid food aftermath...

February 21

2010-02-21T06:24:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how quickly Kaitlyn is growing. She has officially given up on her playmat and only wants to be sitting up or standing. She loves her bouncer. We have started feeding her rice cereal. That's not going too well. She hasn't decided if she likes it. (I tasted some... not that good). Here is a video of Kaitlyn's first experience in the bouncer.

Roger

2010-02-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while since our last update, but my crazy munchkin has been standing on her own at our coffeetable for about 2 weeks now!! No, Kaitlyn's not some genius that can pull herself up to the standing position, but when I put her little hands on the table, she just latches on and hangs out. I can't believe that my little baby is standing up.

Lately, she has been fighting sleep at night. So, this makes it hard on me because I don't like to hear her cry and it breaks my heart knowing that all she needs to do is go to sleep. So, our routine usually involves me rocking her to sleep or putting her in her swing and then moving her to her crib. Fortunately, Kaitlyn sleeps anywhere from 8-10 hours straight...which is AWESOME!!

Next up: our 4 month check-up and shots. :( I didn't cry at her 2 month shots, so I'm hoping that I don't cry at the 4 month shots. Roger is going with me this time, so that should help us out some. I know that they are for the best, but geez, I feel so bad that they hurt.

2010-01-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

Here's Kaitlyn hanging out in her bumbo chair last Sunday. She is such a happy baby! She is now to the point where she loves her hands and can't keep them out of her mouth. I get the best baby squeals out of her when I have her on her playmat with her flashing star playing. It's sad...Roger and I can sing all of the songs in the correct order even when it is not playing. I guess if we run out of batteries one of us can improvise and sing for her.

2010-01-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I have finally decided to start a blog for everyone to keep up with our crazy life as first-time parents. I hope that this blog won't be disappointing. Like parenting, everything has a learning curve. Right?

I can't believe that Kaitlyn is going to be 3 months old in a few days. It seems like yesterday that I was bringing this little, precious girl home and scared that I wouldn't be able to figure out what she wanted. I have always been amazed that moms know exactly what their newborns need and now here I am - listening for certain cues and cries and knowing exactly what she needs. Well, I know what she needs 90% of the time. The other 10% of time is spent running around trying to figure it out. It's amazing that something so small can have 2 grown adults rushing around and getting all worked up trying to find what makes things all better. Good times!

On Sunday, we are having Kaitlyn dedicated at church. I am really excited about this. I am excited to make a commitment in front of God and everyone that Roger and I are going to raise Kaitlyn according to God's word and submit her to God's will. What an amazing thing to be able to do!!

A little over a year ago, I was wondering if it was even going to be possible for Roger and me to have children. Exactly one year ago today, I had just finished my 6th round of fertility drugs and was waiting for my doctor's appointment with the reproductive endocrinologist to see if we had any success with the cocktail of drugs that I had to take. And now, one year later, I am holding a beautiful 3 month old girl. Amazing what a difference a year makes!!

Oh, and for those of you that saw American Idol tonight..."pants on the ground/pants on the ground/lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground" LOL!