After Peyton was born we definitely immediately noticed the resemblance between her and her big brother. Here's birth pictures from both and WOW, you can definitely tell they are cut from the same cloth.
Can't wait to see how they look alike and differ as they grow.
Peyton Jo Hackbarth arrived on Sunday, June 13th at 6:31pm at Evans Army Community Hospital on Fort Carson in Colorado. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 14 ounces and is 21 inches long. Both myself and our little princess are doing so well and just got home today.
Go check out the photo link (on the left) for all the pictures of Peyton's arrival!
I'll update again soon with all the details, but frankly I'm too tired at this moment to do so.
Lots of Love, K, L, G, and P
P.S. This will now become our new blog titled "Greyson and Peyton's Life" and the web address will be www.greysonandpeytonslife.blogspot.com
Well, yesterday was my 38 week check up and I'm already dilated to 3cm. So, clearly my body is starting the process of our little lady's arrival. They said that makes me a great candidate for induction and went ahead and scheduled it for when I'm 39 weeks on Tuesday, June 15th. My mid-wife did mention she wouldn't be surprised to find out she decided to arrive before than. So, basically we're sitting on pins and needles and over analyzing every little "sign" my body is giving me that she will be coming soon. Crazy to think that in less than a week we'll be meeting our little girl!
Stay tuned to the blog and your email as we'll send out any updates that way as soon as something occurs. Also, yes, we have named her (and some are in the know) but we're not going public with that information until her arrival....gotta keep a little element of surprise.
Looking forward to sharing the news of our little girl's birth with you all SOON!
May has been a busy and fun month for our family. First, we have to say how happy we are to actually have a spring season again. After spending the last 5 years in Oklahoma and Tennessee where it just suddenly switches from winter to summer we're loving the gorgeous spring season. Plus, we are heaven having NO humidity! Yesterday it hit the upper 80's, but with no humidity and a light breeze coming off the mountains it was still absolutely gorgeous! Such a joy to be back in the North again. Just one of the many reasons we're loving our new home here in Colorado.
Kyle got back from JRTC at the end of April so May has been all about family fun! We have enjoyed our weekends together with going to the park, running errands, going out to eat, and all and all enjoying family time. The great weather has allowed us to get outside as much as possible and we even got G his very first big boy bike. Decided to spoil him a bit with his little sister's arrival coming soon. He was so excited to pick out his bike and helmet at the store - so much so that he requested to wear the helmet the entire time we were shopping. Here he is in action on the street, and by action I mean he mostly just sits on it....we're working on the peddling.
He has also finally gotten up the courage to "drive" his Power Wheels F150 truck all on his own that Poppy and Nonny got him for his 2nd birthday. He loves to press the peddle and go cruising down our street and he's working on the steering. Thankfully we have pretty smooth curbs in our neighborhood that allow him to drive up on them. He's a bit of a crazy driver, but he sure does have fun! Check him out:
We also have spent a lot of time at parks around town. One we love is America the Beautiful Park in downtown Colorado Springs. We headed there the other week and Greyson had so much fun "playing slide" and even made some friends.
Greyson finished his school year at his Mom's Morning Out a few weeks ago and had a fun "graduation" party. His teachers are wonderful and he has gained so much through the program. He does amazing art projects, learns new concepts, and has made some great buddies. He will be participating in the their summer program for the last 3 weeks of June and then has 3 weeks off (good time to bond with little sister) and then will head back for 3 more weeks in July before having August off and starting back up for the next school year in September. Developmentally, especially in the language department, Greyson is thriving. He is quite the talker and uses simple sentences to communicate throughout the day. He's constantly observing all that is going on around him and has an amazing memory. If he's been somewhere once he remembers it when he sees it and can tell you about what happened when he was there. He also has a love of music and has some favorite songs that he likes to hear on the radio. He loves "GaGa" and the "Hey Sister" song by train. He also has memorized some favorite kid's songs and likes to sing "Wheels on the Bus", "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "Rock-a-bye Baby". He's getting more and more excited about the arrival of his little sister and tells us all the things he's going to do for her and show her. He says he can't wait to show her how he eats big boy food and to show her all his favorite shows like Baby Einstein and Toy Story. We're in awe of our amazing little boy and our really enjoying our final bit of time of just having an only child before we're a family of 4.
Speaking of our little girl, the pregnancy is moving along nicely. I'm about 36.5 weeks along and look like I swallowed a beach ball......see what I mean:
Our not so little girl is still measuring in the 90th percentile and they will make the official call on if we'll schedule an early induction when I go back for a checkup at 38 weeks. Think they will go with that so I'll be induced around June 15th or hopefully she'll decided to come on her own on or before then. Everything is set and ready for her arrival and we just can't wait to see our little lady. Kyle's parents are now living in town (they'll be "snow-birding" here for 6 months to get away from the hot FL summer and to help us out) so they are "on call" to come watch G when the times comes for Kyle and I to head to the hospital for her arrival. We will spread the word as soon as their is news to report and will do our best to get pictures posted as soon as we can after she comes into this world. I will be keeping this blog, just renaming it a bit, to have it work for both kiddos. So, that way you can continue to keep tabs on what's happening with our entire family.
Well, off to rest a bit while G is taking his nap. I have to take advantage of the down time to keep my energy up to keep up with him for the rest of the day. Happy Memorial Day weekend to all of you and remember all our current and past service members for the sacrifices they make serving our great country.
Lots of Love, K, L, and G
P.S. Don't forget to check out the May 2010 picture link on the left - lots of great ones of all the fun we're having!
First, wanted to share a cute video of a conversation I had with Greyson the other day while he played with his sand table. This is a great example of the conversations I have with him all day and everyday. He's so verbal and always wanting to share what he's learning or experiences. Enjoy him and all his cuteness.
Also, a little baby #2 update. Had an ultrasound today and she looks healthy as can be. We also got additional visual confirmation that it is most definitely a girl. Phew - Kyle was worried he may have to repaint her room. By the way, here is a pic of her nursery - not completely done but almost.
Back to the ultrasound results, the other main purpose of this ultrasound was to see roughly how big she was measuring due to my history of having large babies (G was 9 lbs. 6 ounces). Well folks, she seems to be following in her big brother's footsteps with being a big baby. Today she measured in around 7 lbs and typically babies at 35 weeks measure at 5 lbs. So, we'll see what the doctor has to say next week about possibly scheduling an induction a bit early due to her size. Now I really feel like a ticking time bomb knowing that she could come at any time now. Here's a pic of me today at a little over 35 weeks.....looks like I swallowed a beach ball.
Greyson wanted to wish all of the fabulous women in his life Happy Mother's Day! We enjoyed a great day of french toast in bed, a trip to the zoo, and we're hosting a BBQ at our home this afternoon on an absolutely gorgeous May day here in Colorado. Greyson and Kyle spoiled me rotten with super sweet cards, an adorable frame G made for me at school and a massage gift certificate to use after the baby is born. All and all it's been a wonderful day.
Wishing all the moms, aunts, and grandmas out there a fabulous day from Mr. G!
Greyson and Mommy
Grandma JoJo
Grandma Joannie
Nonny
Auntie LaLa
Great Grandma Bell
Great Grandma Hackbarth
Also Happy Mother's Day to Great Grandma Lee, Great Grandma Sheila, and Glo - sorry didn't have any pictures for you all.
I'm happy to say that April is over as it was our first taste of life with Kyle away. Kyle spent majority of the month April 6-29 at JRTC (joint readiness training center) at Fort Polk, Louisiana. It's a predeployment training that all brigades do in preparation of their upcoming deployments. Basically they are super busy down there doing everything and anything to simulate the situations they will face overseas. The training culminates with a 5-6 day force on force laser tag war where they are tested by opposition forces to see how well they do in a variety of circumstances. Overall Kyle found the training to be pretty valuable as a learning tool and he personally did very well. He was awarded the Fire Support Officer of the Battle award - recognizing that he was the best performing fire support officer in the entire brigade. It was a nice honor and recognition of how competent and skilled Kyle is in his specialty and that he is continuing to grow and develop as a successful officer. The month long training was good "practice" for what life will be like when Kyle deploys later this summer. Where he was he had NO cell reception so our contact was limited to when he found a place with a signal or when he could borrow someone's phone who actually had service. Greyson and I kept plenty busy while he was away, which you'll read about below, and overall the experience gave me more confidence in myself to hold down the fort while Kyle is deployed....granted then I'll have 2 kiddos, so it won't be quite the same, but still a good learning experience.
Before Kyle left for JRTC we were lucky enough to have my Mom and stepdad, Mike, come and visit over Easter weekend. Sadly Greyson was battling pink eye and ear infection during their visit so that limited our activities, but we still were so happy to have them around. They were able to celebrate Easter with us and watch G enjoy his egg hunt and eating far too much chocolate. We also got a chance to check out Ft. Carson, the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, and the Air Force Academy. Overall, a great visit and worked out so well that they were able to see Kyle before he left for training.
Greyson and I have a pretty busy schedule Monday through Friday with preschool twice a week, playdates, a playgroup on Ft. Carson, and Diaper Gym. Now I'm sure you're wondering what on Earth is Diaper Gym? It's a tumbling/gymnastics class for children under 3 and G loves it. He gets to walk on the beam, bounce on the trampoline, and do rolls. His favorite part of class is at the end when Ms. Cindy, his teacher that he loves, puts stamps on their hands on feets and they get a sucker for a doing a good job. Here's a video of him in action at Diaper Gym showing off his roll skills.
We also like to get outside as much as we can, especially when he have nice weather...which has been hit or miss this month with crazy weather ups and downs. On nice afternoons Greyson loves to visit the pond at a local park to feed the ducks and geese.
Greyson, like all 2 year old little boys, is full of plenty of energy and he's quite a quick runner. Check him out running a loop at the park after feeding the ducks. We're thinking toddler soccer next spring will be a great activity for him and all his energy.
We also did a variety of things around the house while Kyle was away to help Greyson cope with Daddy being gone - another preparation for the upcoming deployment. We made a calendar showing our daily activities in pictures and when Daddy would be home on it and he loves marking off each day and seeing what we're doing. We also had Kyle make a DVD of him reading some of G's favorite stories. His favorite activity was getting a "kiss" from Daddy each night after supper. I made a jar with pictures of him and Kyle on it and filled it with the number of Hershey kisses for the amount of days Kyle would be gone. Then each night he got to eat one to count down to Kyle's return. Check out how we did this in the video below....so cute!
We were also lucky enough to have even more visitors this month. My Dad was able to come out for a weekend to help keep us company while Kyle was away. We enjoyed going for hibachi, taking Greyson for Dairy Queen (keeping with family tradition), visiting the Dinosaur Museum, and feeding the giraffes at the zoo. Greyson had lots of fun playing with his Poppy and thinks he's very funny.
Shortly after my Dad's visit, Kyle's parents (Daryl and Joyce) arrived to visit and watch Greyson while I headed off to Vegas for our annual family girl's trip. Greyson had so much fun with his PopPop and JoJo going to Diaper Gym, going to playgroup, playing outside, and going shopping. I had a fun filled weekend in Vegas with my mom, sister, aunt and cousin seeing lots of shows, eating at fabulous restaurants, shopping, and doing LOTS of walking around the strip. I definitely could have used a vacation after my vacation to catch up on my sleep.
Enjoying a DELICIOUS brunch at Bouchon at The Venetian. Best pastries ever! We even got to spend sometime with President Obama....ok, just kidding...we did have a great time at the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Big thank you to PopPop and JoJo for helping me out and coming out to watch G while I was away enjoying a bit of "me time". I was able to relax and have a great time knowing that he was in great care. We're excited that later this month they will be moving out here to their apartment for 6 months to be around to help us out when the baby is born and after Kyle deploys. They truly are lifesavers and we're so appreciative of all the help they give us. Greyson doesn't mind all the attention and spoiling either :)
Last, I guess I should update you on my pregnancy progression. As off tomorrow I'm 7 weeks from my due date...yikes! Sudddenly, it seems like this pregnancy has hit fast forward and we're in the final stretch. I'm scheduled for an ultrasound in a few weeks to check on the size of our baby girl and the midwife said if she's still measuring large they may schedule an induction at 39 weeks....meaning I could really be 6 weeks from delivery day. Kyle and I are working hard on all the final preparation of her room. We're pretty much set just need to finish a bit of decorating and getting a rocking chair. I must be in the nesting stage as I did about 5 loads of laundry of her stuff this weekend washing everything in Dreft so it's ready for her to wear when she arrives. I'm definitely feeling large these days and getting up and down is not so easy. I once again have one "cankle" (my left), but my midwife reassures me my blood pressure is great and it just must be how my vascular system copes with the weight gain. Especially, since I had the same swollen left ankle with Greyson....not a very good look. At my last check up she was already in position with head down and I feel like this little lady is sitting super low so if I'm supposed to "drop" later in this pregnancy I have no clue where she thinks she's dropping to. Sleeping is a bit of struggle with not being able to get comfortable and the joy of having to wake up to go to the bathroom. We'll keep you all posted as the pregnancy progresses with any updates and we can't wait to meet our little girl SOON!
Love to you all, K, L, and G
P.S. Don't forget to check out the April 2010 photo link on the left.
