Macklan's a Big Cousin

With Hadley being in the NICU during her stay at the hospital, I didn't get a picture of Macklan holding her until she arrived home. He wasn't interested yesterday, but today when we visited I convinced him to hold her. It only lasted for about a minute. It was a precious minute though.

He gazed at her checking out his new little cousin...

Gave the biggest smile and announced, "I'm the big cousin!"

Tickled Hadley a little on her toes...

and then on her legs...



Then he was done with that and ready to play some more.

He's going to be a great big cousin.

Welcome Little Hadley

Good thing I took the maternity pictures of my sister when I did, because Hadley RuthAnn made an early (and much welcomed) entrance into the world! My sister's due date was May 3rd.

Hadley RuthAnn Stapp
Born April 20, 2010
3:09 AM
7 lbs. 6 oz.
19.5 inches

Here's the story from Aunt Kecia's point of view:

On Monday, April 19th around 10:30 PM (about an hour after I had gone to bed), the phone rang. I immediately had that feeling. You know, the one that you get when you just know something is happening or about to happen. As I looked at the caller ID and read my dad's name and number, I knew it was something important as we don't call each other late at night otherwise. As I picked up the receiver, it was my mom saying, "Are you ready to go to the hospital?" Well of course my answer was, "YES! I'll be ready!" My sister's water broke just minutes before and there was no time to waste. The women in my family are known for fast labor. Which is great, but it also makes you feel a little more rushed!

By this time in the conversation I was already out of the bed on my feet and my heart was racing. I was so excited for this little one to make her appearance. I immediately began rambling out a bunch of details to Scott (who was half asleep and probably didn't hear a word I said) as I made plans for the night and for the day to come. Adrenaline was rushing through my body, and I was ready in a record 10 minutes! As I grabbed my camera and camcorder, I rushed out the door with my mom who had stopped by to pick me up. We were like two giddy girls on the drive to Madisonville, talking the whole way! Our only obstacle was the insane amount of deer we had to dodge on Hwy. 70, but my mom wasn't even going to let them stop her. She warned several times, "If we hit one, we're going on!"

We reached the hospital only minutes after Kristen, Jonathan, Briley, and Jonathan's mom Shirley. Mom and I laughed as we pulled in at the hospital to see Jonathan booking it across the parking lot. He had let Kristen and Briley out at the emergency doors and then went to park the van. Entering into the emergency doors, there we saw Kristen in her nightgown resting in a wheel chair as she was admitted into the hospital. It didn't take long and then we were on our way.

From that point on we all had a job to do...
Kristen was delivering a baby. Jonathan was coaching and doing whatever Kristen told him. Ha! Mom and Shirley were encouraging and supporting the parents-to-be. From the waiting room, Briley was preparing to become a big sister as she waited with me;  I was there to answer all of Briley's questions (and she had a lot including, "How will Hadley get out of Mommy's belly?"), color Chipmunks and Chipettes with her, make HSM dance videos of her on my phone, and take pictures once Hadley arrived.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Hadley meeting her Mommy and Daddy

Dr. Briley checking out the patient! This was so cute. The nurse gave Briley her own medical gear to make her feel special. She loves pretending so this was right up her alley.

The doctor will see you now!

 

Big sister holding little sister for the 1st time...priceless!

Macklan was excited to come for a visit later that morning. He brought a book for Briley called,

"I'm a Big Sister!" He had to hide it behind his back and everything.

Uncle Scott's first time seeing Miss Hadley. I love the way Macklan and Briley have their hands on the glass.

Hadley was taken to the NICU not long after her birth due to swallowing some fluid during birth. It didn't take long  for her breathing to improve. Her next obstacle was her nutrition. She was not eating enough, so she remained in the NICU for a few more days.

It was hard to wait and watch as Hadley got better. Only parents and grandparents were allowed in the NICU. This was especially tough on Briley. We would visit with Hadley through the viewing window. 

 

Hadley getting ready to leave the hospital on Friday afternoon. Just beautiful. Thank you God for this special little girl. We love you Hadley!!!

As soon as school was out on Friday, I was on my way to see this little girl.

 

Welcome Little Hadley! You are LOVED by all who know you.

Plantin' with Pappy

Well, it's that time of year again! Time for plantin' all the vegetables. One of my favorite things about summer is all the fresh veggies--tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, potatoes, squash, zucchini, green beans...YUM! Makes me crave it just thinking about it!!!

I grew up helping both of my Papaws in the garden, and I'm so happy that Macklan gets that same opportunity to trudge through the dirt, follow in footprints, water the plants, dig holes, and spend time with his Pappy in the garden.

Watering the tomato plants...

from the looks of his legs, he needed to water them!

Briley enjoys helping out too!

Every last drop...

"How's that Pappy?"

"What's that you say? We get to do this ALL summer long?"

 

Someone's Having a Baby...

and it's NOT me! Well, at least for now. I'm getting baby fever though and have been working my magic on Scott (trying to convince him it's time), so we'll see. Macklan will be 3 in July, and I don't want him to be years older than his sibling(s). Maybe soon! I'm crossing my fingers and praying for God's timing...

Anyway, this post is not about me. It's about my little sis Kristen.

She is expecting daughter #2, Hadley RuthAnn,  any day. Her due date is May 3rd, but she has been making progress for a few weeks now. I'm super excited to become an aunt again, and Macklan is already talking about being the big cousin! I know Briley will be the best big sister. She's had lots of practice with Macklan. Our family can't wait to meet precious Hadley!

Kristen has grown into a beautiful woman and has an adorable baby bump. She is my best friend and such a great example of a loving mommy. I can't wait to watch her in action with two precious girls.



I was honored to take these outdoor maternity pictures of Kristen with Jonathan and Briley (oh and of course Hadley). These are a few BUNCH of my favorites!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Grand Visit to Grand Rivers

Our Spring Break finale consisted of traveling to Grand Rivers to Patti's 1880's Settlement and the Jetty at Lighthouse Landing. You couldn't ask for a more beautiful day, and the foliage on the settlement and around the lake was in full bloom. We arrived late afternoon so we could enjoy some time walking around before sitting down for an early dinner. Macklan loved tossing coins into the water surrounding the water wheel, observing the oversized goldfish, and throwing rocks into the lake. He also loved just running wild on all the sidewalks through the gardens at Patti's. It was fun!

Our planning was impeccable because we only had to wait about half an hour for a table. Of course Scott ate ALL of a 2" pork chop, I had Michael's Shrimp Pasta, and Macklan ordered grilled cheese (but didn't eat one bite; instead he ate some of my pasta and an entire flower pot of bread!). For the first time, we also ordered the fried cheese sticks. Delicious! I ate most of those!

After dinner we window shopped, tetter-tottered, and visited the animals before driving over to the jetty. I knew Macklan would love the jetty with all the water, boats, and ROCKS! There's no telling how many rocks he threw into the lake. What a grand visit to Grand Rivers, Kentucky!

checking out the goldfish...

sitting by the stream...

throwing coins into the water...

tetter-tottering...

climbing...

walking through the gardens...

admiring the lake...

skipping rocks...

tossing rocks...

laughing...

smiling...

family of three!

 

Spring Break Sleepover

A recent promise I made to Macklan and Briley was that they could have a sleepover during Spring Break. I kept my promise, and it was worth it. Being on Spring Break means these two don't see each other every day which results in withdrawal. By today, they were craving some together time! My sister dropped Briley off around 4:00 PM, but Macklan was not up from his nap yet. He soon woke to Briley lying next to him (she couldn't wait any longer). He was SO excited to see her! The evening started with Scott making a Pizza Hut run so we could have a pizza picnic in the living room floor. Everyone knows it's a must to have pizza at a sleepover! We had to do it right!!!

*Yes, there is a bottle next to Macklan. I assure you...he does NOT drink from a bottle; he feeds his stuffed animals with it.
After a few hours of playtime and dinner, we had a nature scavenger hunt outside. It was good for them to run out a little energy before settling down for bed. Here's Briley collecting her yellow dandelions!

Of course Macklan had to blow his white dandelion!

Little Cousin + Big Cousin = Best Buddies

 

They found everything on their lists!

It took the kiddos a while to fall asleep because of the thunderstorm, but once they feel asleep they slept all night! Briley woke up around 6:30 AM, but Macklan still had an hour of sleep left in him. She tried to wake him up but he prefers to wake up on his own. He demanded, "Leave me alone. Get out of here!" and rolled over in the bed. It was actually quite funny. When he's ready to wake up though, he's in the best mood! See for yourself...

  

After a homecooked, country breakfast prepared by Scott (per request of Briley), we enjoyed this live entertainment. These two love to perform. I think we might just have the next professional family act here! Watch out world! Introducing Macklan and Briley! They sing...they dance...they play instruments...

 

I can guarantee we'll do this again before next year's Spring Break! These two are so much fun and bring so much joy to so many lives, including each other.