PAST DUE

Well, here I sit lying in bed at 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I must say I intended to write a blog post yesterday on Kenzie's due date, but it was a LOOONNGGG day to say the least. The day started out at 4:45 AM with heavy contractions. I waited it out until 6 and then woke up Dad-to-be. We both sat in bed timing the contractions and they were 5 minutes apart and we officially got our hopes up and our butts up around 7 to get ready for the hospital. It was very exciting and as we got ready the contractions seemed to spread out a little so after we were done getting ready I bounced on the exercise ball for about an hour and they were back to every 5 minutes and painful! We were officially headed to the hospital, we both KNEW that this was going to be the day we got to meet our baby girl. So we showed up and checked in and they began to monitor my contractions. The nurse had said they were booming, but there was no sign of anything happen down in the "girly area." So she had us bounce on the exercise ball and walk around for about two hours hoping that would help. No such luck...no dilation..still at 3 cm. So she made a call to our doctor who said she wanted to send us home, but first we had an ultrasound that showed that all the fluids were perfectly normal and enough. We were headed home by 4 PM with no baby and contractions that were painful. This whole birthing thing wasn't turning out quite as I had expected. We went and ate some SPICY chipotle and visited with the Knutsen clan and gave Holly her birthday gift. Went on a small walk hoping to break my water...no luck. By 7 me and dad were ready for bed! So we headed home to Yorba Linda, and lounged around hoping the night would bring lots of gushing water! And here I sit on Dec. 23, contractions still coming making it very hard to sleep, but not worse than yesterday and no water broken. I am one ready mama. Kenzie if you don't mind giving the water bag a little karate chop that would be fantastic. Mom could really use your help baby. I was so jealous yesterday being on the labor and delivery floor we got to hear the screams of a newborn and it brought tears to me eyes because I CAN'T WAIT. My heart yearns for you little girl. As do many others out here....come on out and join us for Christmas you will love it! So now I find myself begging my blog to help get her here. I guess anything might help...

On another note, I found out yesterday that I am having a neice and a nephew and Kenzie will be getting three more cousins in 2011. Very exciting news, babies are everywhere and I absolutely LOVE it! So here's to babies cooking and babies being born....may the Lord bless us today with the presence of an angel.

Waiting with hope,
Mom

Giving Thanks Today

So today is Thanksgiving sweet Kenzie Girl! You are going to enjoy some great food! We are having the family over to "our house." Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate everything that we have been blessed with and so this Thanksgiving I want you to know the things I am Thankful for:

~The amazing love of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice to die for all of our sins so that we would be able to live with Him for eternity. This earth is our temporary home and I have to remind myself of that everyday. Someday we will all be together forever in Heaven.

~Your dad. Words will never be able to describe the love that I have for him. He is more. More than I ever imagined, more of a man that I ever thought existed, more everything than this world teaches you to expect from a husband. I hope you find someone who loves you and wants to spend forever with you that is just like your daddy, because they don't get any better. We are so blessed to get to call him ours.

~I am thankful for the fact that is is 6:00 AM on Thanksgiving and I am wide awake, because that means that I have a little girl inside of me that I love more than life itself waking me up with leg kicks to the ribs. I am so thankful for those kicks, because it means you are healthy and happy in there. I can't stop thanking God for giving me you, you truly are my dream come true Kenzie Love Knutsen. I have wanted you since I could comprehend what having a baby meant. I am Thankful for your sweet smile that I watched on TV last night. I am thankful for all the people in this world that love you and have blessed you with all you could need in your first few months. We are ready for you lovey!

~I am thankful that there is a roof over my head and that is because your grandparents are the best! Living with them has been a blessing and we are so lucky to have been welcomed home with open arms and open hearts. The Lord has a plan and we will continue to follow Him and someday have our own roof, but until then I am beyond grateful to have this roof.

~I am thankful for all the doctors who have helped keep you healthy and safe while you have been growing inside me. They are wonderful!

~I am thankful for all of our family. No matter what happens, we have some pretty darn good family! You are going to love them all!

~There is so much more that I could write but it would take hours! Just know that everything that has happened has happened for a reason and I am thankful that it has! God has a plan, and for that I am thankful!

See you soon Kenzie,
Love Mom

2 Months Till the Official Due Date!

The clock is ticking and my belly keeps getting bigger and bigger with each new day. I am sitting here writing this blog with ice on my feet because yes, my feet are swollen. Typical pregnancy symptoms are starting to kick in. I guess I should feel lucky because they have only started to appear and I have had it pretty darn easy these last couple months. However, the days are getting more uncomfortable and HOT! Bending over and getting up off the couch or floor is slowly turning into a HUGE task! I officially FEEL pregnant. Luckily, I only have approximately two months left of these uncomfortable times.

Besides the comfort issue, I have been hard at work preparing for a baby girl. Kenzie's nursery is coming along quite nicely! We are picking up her crib this week and then waiting on some bedding my mom ordered and it will be ready for her. Of course, she will be in our room for awhile, but there is something about finishing the nursery that makes it feel so close! I also made her a baby blanket last night. IT IS ADORABLE! Daddy helped me with the sewing and we put together a pretty cute blanket for her. I hope she saves it forever. It may not be the best, but it is made with love and care by the two people who love her most in the world.

This weekend we have another shower. A couple's shower! We are VERY excited to spend time with all of our close friends! It will be at Julie S. house and I am sure it will be tons of fun! Just wish Kenzie was here so we could introduce her to all of our friends.....soon enough! I also bought Kenzie's coming home outfit this last week and I must say it is GORGEOUS! I am sure she will look like a little angel in it! Well thats all for now, just a quick little update!

XOXO,
Kallie

A Blessed Shower for Miss Kenzie

Today was a Really fun day! Aunt Holly and Aunt Nicole threw Miss Kenzie a Beautiful Baby Shower! It was amazing the amount of love that was circulating at the Grey and Pink themed shower. My wonderful sister-in-laws are so creative and pay attention to every little detail making all events that much more special! From the grey and pink table linens to the grey and pink cupcakes it was ALL color cordinated! Adorable. And the gifts....wow what a huge blessing! Kenzie is already stockpiling a pretty great closet! And some cute shoes too! It is so exciting to know that with each shower we are getting closer and closer to the day when Kenzie will actually be here to receive all this love in person! I know you are going to be overwhelmed with love little one. 

Kenzie:

One of my favorite gifts today was your baby memory book that Elaine Toth gave to me. I have already started filling it out and as I was I came across a pretty cool detail. See originally we had been told there was a high chance that you were going to be a boy so we went ahead and picked out a boys name...Your dad and I had decided to name that little boys middle name after your grandpa Donald. We were so excited to tell him and he was very excited to hear that we had chosen that name for him. Well, turned out God wanted us to have a PRECIOUS baby GIRL! So the boy named after grandpa went right out the door, and in came Kenzie. I had never put much thought into what the name meant, we just knew that we liked Kenzie best. Today as I was filling out your baby book it asked for the meaning of your name, this is where the story gets cool. Turns out that Kenzie is scottish and means Handsome. Handsome is ironically the nickname I have called your grandpa since before I can remember. So it turns out his first grandchild will still be named after him. Pretty cool huh? I love him so much and am so happy to have such a huge part of him in your name. 

Can't wait to meet you baby girl,

love mom

Preparing to celebrate Aunt Brittany's Wedding Shower

Wow, it sure is crazy how time flies. I can't believe that it is almost September! Tomorrow we are gathering the family to celebrate Auntie Brit's Wedding Shower! I am so excited that I got to help plan it. We are having it here at Grandma Judy's house. It will be such a fun time! And then we have the wedding in just over a month! Finally these two are going to make it official! They will have been together for almost 5 years! I know you are going to adore your auntie brit and uncle kelby baby girl. They may be far in distance, but I'm not worried about that. You will definitely know who they are and you are going to fall in love with them! All the boys and your dad are at the river for the bachelor party. I hear they are having fun.....tsk, tsk, tsk~ 

I can't believe how much you are growing! It feels so surreal when you kick me and I only can imagine that you are flipping around like crazy in there. Today I went through a bunch of old baby clothes that Grandma Judy had saved from when I was a baby. Some of the clothes still had tags on them!!!! We are going to dress you in some of them! You will look adorable, ALL the time! You will be a mini fashionista! I can't wait for you to be here! God is keeping His eye on you and me and what a blessing that is! You are such a miracle little girl! I will tell you that everyday! You are a gift from God! 

I love you,

Mom

It's Been AWHILE!

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since my last post! Time has been flying lately. We just returned from a Hawaiian vacation on the North Shore. It was an AMAZING time with lots of family and a gorgeous wedding!! I have to say congrats to my beautiful cousin Ashley PIEKLO!! You looked amazing ASH and your ceremony was ideal! It was nice to take a vacation and spend so much time just me and my hubby. We are kind of obsessed with each other and my favorite part of vacation is spending all the hours of the day with him and not having to send him off to work! It was Kenzie's second flight and she sure was kicking! It is pretty awesome these days to feel her kicking away in there. She is pretty active right after meal time. I can't believe that we are almost at the 6 month mark! She will be here in no time and we can not WAIT!! I have started getting gifts and they are all SO CUTE! It will be a fun time dressing our little girl up in lots and lots of PINK! I just keep praying every day that our AMAZING GOD will continue to keep her healthy and growing! I know how faithful He is and do not doubt His unfailing love.

I will leave you with a picture of Hawaii!

It's Gonna Be a Pink Christmas

Dear Kenzie Love,

Yesterday was a BIG day little girl. Around 3:30 me, dad, and both your grandma's made our way into the ultrasound room. I sat there as the ultrasound tech got the dvd ready and my belly. I had never been so anxious in my entire life! She measured all of your body parts from head to toe and said that everything was looking GREAT! Then she slowly scanned down to your thighs and before she even told us your dad already knew that you were a GIRL! She told us just a couple seconds after and grandma says she looked at me and I had a HUGE smile on my face! I was thanking God for you. After the ultrasound ended we made a shopping trip to Balboa Island. I think you might like the color pink when you grow up. I love pink, but who knows maybe you will like purple, or yellow. You can like whatever you want to like. I can't wait to see your face. I can't wait for you to finally be here. Your going to look like an angel...I know it. This life is a little scary, but you only need to remember that God is in control and that you have two parents who love you and will protect until the ends of the earth. As well as four grandparents who would do the same. And lots of aunts and uncles who are going to love on you  SOOO much! You are going to be the apple of everyone's eye! Your dad and I are going to try and give you the world little girl. I hope we fulfill all your dreams and I know that someday you will rock this world! By the way, your going to have the best dad any girl could ever ask for. He is going to protect you and love you, and probably teach you how to surf. My heart is so full right now I can't stop thinking about you. I think about you every second of the day. I give thanks every other second. I love you baby girl, love your momma

Psalm 92

What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks,
to sing an anthem to you, the High God!
To announce your love each daybreak,
sing your faithful presence all through the night,
Accompanied by dulcimer and harp,
the full-bodied music of strings.

You made me so happy, God.
I saw your work and I shouted for joy.
How magnificent your work, God!
How profound your thoughts!!


Amen!

12 AM and Still Awake

Three in the morning, 
And I'm still awake, 
So I picked up a pen and a page, 
And I started writing, 
Just what I'd say, 
If we were face to face, 
I'd tell you just what you mean to me, 
I'd tell you these simple truths, 

Be strong in the LORD and, 
Never give up hope, 
You're going to do great things, 
I already know, 
God's got His hand on you so, 
Don't live life in fear, 
Forgive and forget, 
But don't forget why you're here, 
Take your time and pray, 
These are the words I would say.


This is exactly what I am thinking about right now directed towards my sweet, strong baby. I love you, Mom.

Preparing for a change

Change is interesting thing...it brings about so many emotions, but in the end everything always seems to be better. Crazy how God always has Good in store for his children. As we finish out this week, hubby and I find ourselves preparing for lots of changes....I sit in amazement dreaming about what will become of our lives. I only imagine that love will multiply, relationships will strengthen, energy will grow, and God's faithfulness will be more present than ever before. Sometimes we get so comfortable with the idea that life is supposed to be one way, when really God has different plans...better plans. And we are called to pick up our cross and follow Him. And so me and my hubby will do just that. Follow the One who guides us and loves us unconditionally. Thanking Him every step of the way for being the center of our lives and loving us. Thank you Lord!

To my baby: Never be afraid of change. As Christians, we should be ever evolving in Him. Growing in our relationship with our Creator. Growing in our maturity. Growing in our relationships with others. Change will always continue in our lives, and we should not be afraid. Even if at times we don't understand we have the knowledge and wisdom of our Lord who "provides us with a peace that surpasses all understanding." Remember to always accept change with a smile on your face knowing that He has something great planned for you! I know this because you are His child. We love you forever...that is the one thing that won't change.

Love,
Mom and Dad

Work, work, work all day long!

So I find myself sitting here thinking about all the blessings the Lord has given me in the last year. I can hardly believe that my life is where it is today. Today I went out and worked REALLY hard to further expand my brand new business. See, a couple of months ago I started a business in hopes that it would take off and I would get to work from home for myself! The idea for The Christian Nanny Source was definitely one of those blessings from God. It's funny how He just drops things in your lap and asks you to follow His lead. It's fun and exciting every step of the way. I went out and passed out advertisements in Newport Beach and then stopped by two awesome baby stores in Costa Mesa. To my utter surprise, both stores were SUPER excited to receive my business ads and said they would be more than willing to pass them out. GOD IS SO GOOD! I had envisioned them saying politely, "No thanks, we see this kind of thing once a week." But, it was the complete opposite! I walked away from the stores smiling from ear to ear, excited to see what God has in store for this business! If only I could make enough to stay home with my baby, what a huge blessing that would be. "For all things are possible through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 Can't wait to see where this journey takes us as a family!!

Love and excitement,
Momma K