Kathryn Jean Kees

Well you know it's been a while since you blogged when you forget your login and password to Wordpress! It's been a whirlwind couple of months, and I always stand amazed at the Lord's provision. Here's a quick Kees family update since the last post (before we get to the good stuff...the birth of Kathryn Jean Kees!).

Jason and I moved to our new apartment just down the street in mid-March (and let me tell you ladies, the best time to move is when you're pregnant...nobody lets you lift anything!). We absolutely love it, and it's such a treat to be able to open the refrigerator door without bumping into Jason as he's washing dishes and us BOTH being able to stand in front of the mirror in the bathroom at the same time. It's the little things! :)

In May, the Lord graciously provided Jason with a wonderful job as the Campus Pastor and Bible teacher at a private Christian school about 20 minutes away. He started last week and absolutely loves it! God's provision enabled me to quit my job at SWBTS (though I loved it :)), and start preparing for my dream job: being a mom!

Who better to help me prepare than the world's best mother...my own! Mom came down 4 days before my due date as we all anxiously awaited baby Kate's arrival! Every time my stomach tightened in the least bit, I would start the timer to see how far apart my contractions were! (And yes, I was one of those who went to the hospital and got sent home...wahh!) As my due date came and went, we scheduled an induction for August 12th, ten days past my due date. Nobody was more ready to have this baby than I! (okay, maybe Jason so he could stop hearing the "but I'm pregnant!" line. Hahaa!) Love that man!

The good thing about inducing is that the fam got to be here for the birth without middle of the night phone calls and racing from LA to TX (On second thought, with dad driving, they were probably still racing :)).

They're finally here to join the party!

Countdown to baby: 2 days!

We all piled into our apartment and created so many sweet, sweet memories. Here's Grammie cooking dinner with Baby Grant!

Jason practiced giving a bath to an infant, and he did such a good job (sorry everything is pink, Grant :))

Our last Sunday together as a family of two. CANNOT WAIT to make it a party of 3!

The best (and cutest) mommy to show me how in the world to care for a baby!

Unbeknownst to us, there's a 9 1/2 pounder in there!

The day before my induction, the family all went to BJ's to get dessert for our last outing. Everyone wrote down their predictions for time of birth, length, weight, and hair color. Jen won time and hair color, I won length, and me and dad tied for weight! Guess we three will be Kate's favorite! :)

That night, we all gathered in the living room, and everyone prayed for baby Kate and her safe delivery. What a blessing to be part of this family! Then, Melissa and Jen kept asking if I was nervous and if I had any questions. I wasn't really nervous...I mean the epidural takes care of everything right?? WRONG! Total new respect for all you mothers out there... Childbirth is stinken hard! And that's coming from someone who had TWO doses of epidural!

August 12th finallyyyyyy came! Mom, Jason, and I woke up at 3:30AM to be at the hospital for 4:30AM (surprisingly, I slept like a rock!). Here's a shot, a rather unglamorous shot ;), of me and the parents after the epidural!

(Besides Jason), this was my most favorite man in the hospital that day! Here's Wes giving me my second dose of epidural. Double thumbs up!

Last photo as a couple!

After about 11 hours on Pitocin, it was finally ready to push! Before they left the room, both our families gathered for prayer (except Melissa who was apparently taking pictures...tsk tsk.  :))

Again, not the most flattering photo :), but Jason was SUCH A WONDERFUL NURSE/COACH. Here he is, so concentrated, feeding me my ice chips. Soo presh! After they broke my water and before I got the epidural, my contractions became super intense where I could hardly breathe. Jase sat there with me, held my hand,  and started doing the breathing techniques with me. It was really romantic. Until the part when I told him he had coffee breath, and he told me I had morning breath...HAH!! LOVE LOVE LOVE that Jason P Kees!

Jase and mom stayed with me in the delivery room, and at the last minute, Jen and Melissa asked if they could stay too! It was such a neat experience that we all will never forget. Well finally, it came time to push! I'm pretty sure I came close to breaking a couple of bones in Jason's hand because I was squeezing it so hard! The labor was super intense and lasted for about 45 min. And here's a shot of us when we heard Kathryn's first little whimper!

That picture still makes me tear up when I see it. This little miracle, our sweet Kathryn, was finally here. Our hearts exploded with love for this tiny little person we hadn't even known for a minute. I'll always remember that moment and that sweet feeling.

Sweet Jase WAS NOT interested in cutting the cord haha, so Jen and Melissa decided to do it together! (Look at Melissa's face in the 2nd photo..hah!)

This is the first time I held my own little baby girl! Absolutely. Surreal.

9 POUNDS! 10 OUNCES! Woohooo, I think I broke the family record!

That is one proud daddy. So glad he's all mine :)

 Fresh out of labor. This is as au naturel as it gets, folks!

Everyone was so ready to meet her! Here's the wonderful Kees family with the new addition!

Wake up Kate! It's Grammie and Pops and Jenny and Lissie!

 

The next morning was all one big blurrrrr. I don't remember taking half of these pictures haha. Here's all the girls!

Hello, world!

The gorgeous, ginormous wreath Lissie made! You couldn't miss us even if you tried!

Getting the princess ready for her photo shoot.

Shuuuut up, right?? How adorable are these little shoes! Her feet may have been cold, but at least she looks soo cute!

And she loved every part of dress up ;)

Get ready for life with these two, Kathryn Jean! It's a blast :)

Grammie and Pops with the 2013 grandbabies. Just missing our Luke Henry! God is so good.

The three sisters with their three babies. Can you imagine what Christmas will be like this year?? I cannot wait.

Our sincere prayer is that we rear Kathryn to love the Lord with all her heart, all her soul, all her strength, and all her mind. We have no idea what's ahead, but we cannot wait to see what God has in store for our family. And it is so true that "many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Prov 19:21). We planned to wait a few years after marriage to begin to start to maybe entertain the idea of possibly starting a family. BUT THANK YOU JESUS FOR HAVING OTHER PLANS FOR US! Baby Kate has already stolen our hearts, and we can't wait to do life with her!