Curly Sue

Here is Kenya last night after the first time her dad bathed her. She is still cute as ever!!!
Kenya cuddling her dad while mom showered the other day! These two make a great pair. What a proud daddy Robert is.

So, these next three pictures are to show that Kenya really does have curly hair. Before I ever gave her her first bath we thought it was odd that she had straight hair. Well, when it is wet it is definitely curly, as seen below. Her hair is so fine that when it dries it goes straight.



Kenya had a weight check on Wednesday and is up to 6 pounds and 14 ounces. Although I think she is just getting longer and not thicker at lot. Grow little one grow.

Baby Blessing

Kenya's baby blessing will be Sunday April 12 here in Rexburg at the 8th Stake Center. That is Easter Sunday. Church starts at 9:30 and the blessing will be first.

2 week check up

All is well with Kenya. The doctor listened to her tummy and said it sounds normal and without a fever or vomiting he thinking it is just gas. That is what we expected, but thought we would ask the doctor. He suggested pumping some milk off before she feeds to take the pressure down. So, we are going to try that and see if it helps. Thanks for the prayers and concerns!
She is back above her birth weight and has grown about quarter of an inch. We give thanks to God for our healthy baby!!!

Bugs? Maybe

Well, the other day Robert came down with something that made his stomach ache. Poor guy just kept going through life like everything was normal. He didn't eat much because his stomach hurt and that made him more tired than normal. What a trooper!
About a day later I began to have stomach cramps. It only lasted an hour or so, but then I realized that I had been constipated for a few days already. YUCK!
So, needless to say I think we all have some sort of bug, including Kenya. Every time she needs to pass gas she gets all worked up and cries/screams. This cry is different from her normal I need attention, we can hear the pain in her cry. It makes me so sad!! But then after the gas passes (usually only a few minutes) she is happy, perfect baby Kenya again.
My poor little girl!! She has her 2 week check up tomorrow and I am going to talk to the doctor about it, to see if there is anything we can do to help her. As of right now, Robert and I just comfort her and rub her belly.
Pray for Kenya so her poor little belly feels better and so that she won't have to go through those pains anymore!

Short stories and comments made about Kenya.

When my dad walked in the door Friday before Kenya was born he said, "My baby girls having a baby."

Grandma would tell people before Kenya was born that if it was a girl she would be some special girl because her father would teach her how girls should be treated. She was saying that Robert would treat her like a princess and show her how women should be treated. Then she said that I would teach her not to take anything from anyone. That I would teach her to be independent and strong. What a great combination this will be, Grandma would say with slight teary eyes.

One of the first things that the doctor said about Kenya was, "Wow, she has really brown eyes!" Dr. Hopkin and the nurses were all surprised to see how dark brown her eyes were at birth.

When she was born the umbilical cord was wrapped around her torso twice and once around one of her legs. Towards the end of the delivery/labor her heart rate would drop and this was caused by the cord being wrapped around her.

After they took her out of the room and in to the special care nursery Robert went with her. He was able to have Kenya grip his hand while they put an IV in and while they were cleaning the mucus out of her lungs. While in the nursery Robert said that she responded to his voice. When he would switch sides of her she would turn her head to find him when he spoke. What a smart little girl!!

Robert saw Kenya's feet for the first time and her said, "She has Lois's finger toes."

I pumped some milk that first night so that she would be able to have it in the nursery and she drank it out of a cup. Our little girl drank out of a cup for the first time when she was just over 12 hours old.

Also, while in the hospital she was laying on her back on my bed with the slightest decline and rolled to her side. She has also done this a few time since then. (Once being today.)

Grandma and Grandpa took Robert and I to Idaho Falls on Friday and we went to Sams Club. While there Kenya got to ride in the front of Grandpa's power chair. Grandpa zipped away and when he came back he said that he loved hearing people stop him and tell him how beautiful she was. He truly is a proud Grandpa. He admitted that he took off without us so that people would comment on her.

And of coarse we are continuing to get nothing be great comments on about how beautiful, cute, gorgeous, and adorable she is. I hope to be able to remember to write small things like this from time to time.

Please, if you remember something that was said or something you have been told about Kenya, leave a comment so we can keep a record of it. THANKS!

Pictures from the Draper Home.

Guess who missed the spotlight? This and That must have been missing the spotlight because as I was trying to get Kenya's smile I looked and found them sleeping.


Dad and Kenya enjoying a quick nap.

Just a gorgeous little girl.
Right after Kenya's first bath.

Three generations. Grandma (Juanita), mom (Lois), and baby (Kenya).

Here is Kenya with her signature pose. She uses her index finger a lot. This is Kenya on her first day of church. She was looks adorable for the first time wearing a dress.Look at how wide eyed she is when she is awake.


I got lucky and caught a huge smile while she was sleeping with a full belly. SOO CUTE!!

First day of church.

Kenya's first babysitters

Yesterday was Robert and my 5 year anniversary. WOW!! We have been married for over 5 years now. We decided to take advantage of free grandparent babysitting. Robert and I went out to the arcade here in Rexburg. We had a good time to be out together and enjoyed a few games of air hockey. We use to play air hockey in high school and so we had a fun celebrating our past. We were gone for about an hour and Kenya survived.
Okay we really weren't worried or anything, but it was fun to pretend that I was one of those crazy parents. Really, it just felt normal to be out without a baby attached. I am sure here in a few months that it will be weird to not have a car seat as an extra appendage.

Today Kenya is a week old! THEY GROW UP SO FAST!

Doctors Follow Up Apt... almost done

Today Kenya had to yet again go to the hospital to have a check on her jaundice. The results are in and it is getting better!! YEAH for pooping!!! The doc says no more testing.
So, we came home on Monday and on Tuesday we had to go back to hospital for testing. Then Wednesday we had to see the pediatrician AND get her testing for jaundice. Today again as mentioned before, we went to the hospital. I am so excited the doctor said that because of her improvement no more jaundice testing!! However, we have on last appointment tomorrow with her regular doctor. Then this should be the last of our running around for awhile. (At least that is what I am praying for!)
Everyday since Kenya and I have been home from the hospital she has had adventures of more than 3 hours running around town. What a busy life. She has been great the whole time though!!! Just like when I was pregnant she just seems to fit into life and go with the flow. She never interrupts my plans or what I need to do. What a blessing she is in my life.

As you all have requested..... more pictures

Here are pictures of Kenya's last day in the hospital.
This is her going home outfit. She sure looks good in lime green!!

Mommy dressing Kenya to go home.

What a fitting blanket Grandma Evans made. It is very colorful and makes Kenya look amazing.

Mom and baby sleeping Monday morning.


Thank you whoever made and posted this sign!! It was nice!!

Kenya at home. She was pondering what life is going to be like.

Isn't she cute! This little outfit is so warm, but HUGE on her. Today, we had to go back to the hospital to get her checked out again for jaundice. She is still improving, but we are going back again tomorrow for another check.

Captain's log...The eagles have landed!

WE'RE HOME!! The hospital was going to keep us overnight, but Kenya has improved so much and Lois is doing so well they let the girls come home to roost. However, now there are going to be a bunch of doctor visits to keep track and make sure all stays well. More pics to come...so keep on keepin' on.

This just in...

The Draper family will be staying another day at the hospital for Kenya's observation. The pediatrician says she's doing very well, but he'd rather be safe than sorry.

Also, due to the high demand of pictures here are more of them!




Smiling mom, Smiling baby!=>

The Name Game

So we officially turned in the application for the birth certificate, which means had to choose a name...We did. So...What's your guess? Here are your choices:

a. Remi Irene Draper
b. Jasmine Irene Draper
c. Kenya Irene Draper
d. Geraldine Irene Draper
e. None of the above
f. Cletus Lapidus the Fetus






































Okay, Just kidding...You don't really have to guess! Her name is Kenya Irene Draper

News Flash & More Pics

Here are more pics our little girl taken this morning. With Mom and Grandpa holding her. She is now nursing, but the hospital is going to keep her here to give her antibiotics every 12 hours. So we should be taking her home tomorrow afternoon sometime. Lois will be staying overnight also to nurse periodically. Here are the pics.

Captain's log...here are the stats...

Thank you, everyone, for keeping up with the play by play reports. Here are the current stats Baby Girl Draper is 6 lbs, 6oz and 20 inches long... She will be staying overnight in the nursery due to a build up of mucus in her lungs however, she has been improving overall from the delivery. She remains nameless until Lois gets to get a good look at her. That is all for the updates. More to come tomorrow. This has been an extremely joyous experience! Glory be to God, The Eternal Father! This is Robert Draper signing off for the night...Oh yeah, don't forget to set your clocks ahead an hour! Over and out!

Here's Baby....

Here are some pictures of the new baby girl, Robert cutting the umbilical cord, and Lois holding the baby temporarily.

Captain's log...

Okay, I will stop being mean...At 8:57pm Lois delivered a beautiful baby girl...name to be decided later... so don't ask!

Captain's bad...

Oops! Those weren't twins...The second one was just the placenta! Suckers!
It is a beautiful baby....infant....newborn.....to Be continued!

Captain's log...

Twins!!!! We had twins everybody!!

Captain's log...

It's a beautiful baby......with a full head of hair that is....Still not out! Stay tuned!

Captain's log...

At 7: 40 I saw the hairy head! Keep on pushin' Lois!

This just in...It's game time!

She's at a plus 1! I am signing off for now!

Breaking news...

Lois is now dilated at a 10 and is pretty much ready to push. We are waiting for stronger contractions to make the pushing easier. Next stop...baby town!

More guesses...

Shannon Evans guesses 8:47, Jayde gueses 8:01, and Josh guesses 2am tomorrow! Kelsey sorry about the whole "disgusting" guess thing, cuz Josh takes the cake! Just horrible! A.J. Hammond guesses 6:15, Matthew guesses 8:40, and Sam apparently wants to keep the baby if he wins! After all that work, Lois wouldn't even dream of giving it away! Nice try Sam.

Photo News Flash...

Here are some on scene pics of the action here at the hospital. Also Kira guesses 5:48pm MST or 7:48pm EST. Leslie guesses 8:35pm





Lois
Lois and Corinne
Lois and Amy
Lois and Meg

Pitocin update...

It has been brought to my attention that there are some of you wondering if Lois is on Pitocin...yes, yes she is.

More guesses and an update

Brother Aaron guesses 9:15pm and Kelsey guesses a disgusting 10:30pm.

The update is that Lois is now dilated to an 8. So keep those guesses coming.

Latest guesses...

Cheri guesses 8:15pm, Amy guesses 8:23, Corrine guesses 8:45pm, Dad (Evans) guesses 7:30pm, Mom (Evans guesses 6:47pm. Keep'em coming!

New incoming event...

Listen up Lois Labor Log Lovers... The polls have now opened...post your guess on what time you think the baby will be born to the nearest 15 minutes without going over...the grand prize is to claim clairvoyance and extreme bragging rights! So shake your tail feather, rapido, haga-naga quickly, move it, get goin' and cast those times!

News Flash...

Lois is now dilated to a 7. She's doing great. That is all.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Okay all you blog followers...the epidural has landed...Nap time is underway...so if you are reading this, maintain cell phone and radio silence until notified. I like to think of this time as...the calm before the storm. Signing off for now... I'm Robert Draper for Lois's Labor Log.

Breaking news...

The epidural has been given and... All is well...stay tuned.

News update

The hiccups have arrived! I repeat...The hiccups have arrived! Over.

This just in...

Contractions are getting stronger, she gets a little nauseous, and she is dilated to a 6! In other news... Lois's mom is very sadistic! She wants Lois to have pain and to cry in payment for Lois's birth! She laughs like a giddy, school girl as Lois squirms in discomfort. Talk about one sick individual! Stay tuned for details... but not too detailed details.

tick... tock...tick...tock...

I know some people are just waiting for some news, but there is NONE!(Kelsey) Just small, steady contractions. That is all for now.

Labor Logging...

As per Kelsey's request, Lois is blogging during labor. So... She was dilated to a 4 and then her water was broken a little after 8am. She is now having small contractions about 5 and a half minutes apart. To be continued....

Its a....

Here are pregnancy pictures of me.These are one day shy of my due date, taken this morning.

Well, it all started yesterday while I was enjoying my last day of work. I got a voice mail from the hospital telling me that they were going to move my inducing up to 7:30am. Okay, that was not ideal, but we will make it work. Robert had to be in class today at 10:15am because he had a presentation.
Last night I was so excited that I was done with work I invited friends to go to DQ with us and have ice cream. It was also the last night that Robert and I would have not being parents so going out sounded great! We had fun!
This morning just after 6:00am the hospital called to tell me that their labor and delivery unit was full and that they would have to bump me back on the schedule to be induced. People say that storms bring babies and it snowed over night so this was not surprising. Anyway, now Robert could go to class and things were back to the original plan. The hospital told me they would call me at about 10:00am to tell me when/if to come in. Well, they called just after 11 and said that all the ladies were still laboring and that they did not want to start me after 1pm. So, here I am at home because those ladies used more than their share of the hospital. Honestly, I scheduled my birth and I am the one to get bumped. How rude! Just kidding.
So, I now have an apt to start at 7:30am tomorrow morning. And they did ask me to call first to make sure there was room. I have been telling the baby all day that it should come out today anyway so that they have to make room, or that is should come in the middle of the night just to spite the hospital and Dr. (Wow, look what I am already teaching the kid. Look out world!)
So, its a...... another day to wait to find out who/what Cletus Lapidus the Fetus is.

Last Dr Apt

Today I went in for my last Dr appointment. I am still dilated at 3 cm. So, Friday at 11 am I am checking into the hospital to be induced. We were planning on it for tomorrow, but it seems to work better with schedules if we do it on Friday. The doc says everything looks good and ready to go. So, in less than 48 hours we may be parents! Really that is the only update. Still no contractions from what I can tell.
Robert has been amazing at working hard to get ahead in school! He is such a hard worker. THANKS honey!
Me, I have 5 hours left of work (tomorrow) and then I am done with work for at least 12 weeks!! There are just a few things that I need to do before the baby comes and I will get those done tomorrow.

Thanks!

I just wanted everyone to know that my brother Chris came home from Iraq last month and I am so grateful!! He served our country and I am proud of him and what he has done! I know that he could have a hard time adjusting back to life here, but I am glad that what seemed to be the dangerous part is over. Welcome home Chris!!!
Thank you Heavenly Father for your protective care over my brother and many others who are serving this country!!!

Baby Update

So, I went to the Dr. on Wednesday and he said that I was dilated 3 cm. I was so excited and thought I was on my way to having a baby and maybe even in February. This made me VERY excited because on Friday and Saturday I had 10 hour shifts for work. I thought the baby would get me out of work. Then on Wednesday night I began "spotting." Again this showed me signs of labor and getting closer to having this baby. I didn't say anything to anyone other than Robert that night because I know you can spot for a week or more before going into labor. Then Thursday I spotted all day and told some people about it. We were all thinking any day now and any time now I would start contractions and labor. I continued to spot through out Friday and I am almost positive that I have lost my mucus plug. So, surely I would not have to work on Saturday is what I was thinking. Maybe I would not have the baby by then but I thought I would be in labor or miserable and have an excuse not to go into work. Well, Saturday morning rolled around and I woke up REFRESHED. I felt sooo great that morning. Which, in talking to other women, have said that they feel that way right before they start heavy labor. Again this was my chance to get out of working a long month-end shift. So, in the morning I went grocery shopping and walked the long way around the store to try and walk myself into labor. While walking it got more and more uncomfortable, but still nothing that would be like a contraction. So, then at noon I went into work. All day I waited for something that I could justify going home for and other associates encouraged me to because I am less than a week away from having a baby and surely I should not be required to work. I felt the same way, but knowing that we will need the money while Robert is finishing the semester and has only one job, I knew the best and right thing to do was to stay at work and get us any money that I could. (Also, I really did feel just fine. If the baby wasn't so sweet to nudge me and remind me that it was sharing a body with me I would not have even know I was pregnant.) The one thing that did suck about working yesterday was that the restrooms were closed down because there was a clog somewhere in the drainage. So, I had to walk all the way outside and across the street to use the restroom and that was about every hour or hour and a half. So, I got home yesterday being tired, but made it through with no baby and still no contractions. (I did have a few pains during the day, but I think it was more gas or hungry pains. It was nothing of what I am told a contraction could feel like.) Today, I woke up and went to church. I have not felt anything that would allow me to think that I was going to have a baby this week. I walked to and from church twice today and I waddled the whole way. As my mom would describe it I was walk like there is a grapefruit between my legs.
I feel like my body was getting ready and the the baby decided it wanted to wait to have a March birthday. Well, I guess that is okay with me as long as it is within the first few days of March, other wise we will be choosing its birthday.

Baby Shower Feb 7

A couple of my friends put together a great baby shower! Meg Hebdon, Jenny Miller, and Natalie Messano did a wonderful job. THANK YOU SO MUCH! A lot of people showed up and we had a blast! We played some fun games and Meg made sure that I had all of my favorite food there. They made rice crispy treats, muddy buddies, cup cakes, and nachoes. YUMMY!

There were 16 guests including myself! Thank you so much everyone for your support and excitement.
We played a game where we had to guest the baby food out of the jar. I did not do so well. Maybe I will learn in the next few years. We also drew a letter out a hat and the each person was to write down as many names as they could think of beginning with that letter. Then I was able to take those names and read them over. The last game we played was to cut a piece of string to guess how big around I was.
The best part about any shower is opening the gifts! THANKS again everyone! He is a picture of the items that we got. Lots of diapers as Robert was asking for and of coarse adorable baby blakets, clothes, binkies, and well you can see the rest.
It was so much fun!! I cannot say thank you enough.

10 year dating spree and counting...

Today marks the day in history that Robert finally got the guts to ask me to be his girlfriend! It was at Mazama High School right before Lois' geometry class ten years ago. Well, the rest is history...
We have been together ever since. There were rough times when we were separated by hundreds if not thousands of miles, but we have learned and grown a lot, only to make life all the sweeter.
(Fall 1999. Mazama High School. Klamath Falls, OR)

It only took Robert 5 more years to get the courage to ask me to marry him on this same date.
(March 13, 2004. Moore Park, Klamath Falls, OR)

Now it is 5 more years after he proposed and yet still seems like only the beginning of our time together. The time that we have spent together seems so short when compared to the eternity that we are sharing together.(October 16, 2008. Near the Idaho Falls falls, Idaho Falls, ID)<=What a mouth full!

Robert, I love you!!

Update on Christmas tree solutions.

So, we got one of the bags off line to store our Christmas tree in. It worked pretty well. It seems that it might have even helped store it in a small space. I was able to put it at the top of the spare rooms closet. YEAH!!!!
Because of putting the tree away I began to clean out the closet. I went through every box and junked a lot of things. It sure is nice to have more room in that room because now we might even be able to fit a baby in there in a few months.

Are we going to parents? Really?

So, last night as I was going through some baby items Cheri sent me I was thinking...
"These are cute and will come in handy someday when we have kids. I will just need to find somewhere to keep them." Then, all the sudden I realized that I will be putting a baby in these clothes in just a few weeks. WOW! Is it ever going to seem real before the baby comes?

Then this morning Robert and I were getting ready for him to go to school and he said, "You are having a baby shower this weekend and your not just going to it, it is for you." Isn't he so cute! Robert is going to be a daddy!

I think that we are in for a real shock when we have a baby in our home, I hope that we don't forget about it then.

Pink or Blue?

So, I am not a great blogger and don't know how to do fancy things with my blog, so this is the best I got.
Leave a comment and let us know what you think the baby's gender is going to be. We are hearing mostly boy from people around here. Robert nor I really have any idea.

Okay I figured it out. Feel free to leave a comment as well and/or vote with the poll to the right.

Great Daddy to be! (and other baby updates.)

As you all probably know we are getting excited about having a baby! Along with the excitement comes other emotions as well. We are both still feeling very calm, but also in our heads is the thoughts of being ready with baby stuff, and the anticipation of when it will happen. Really, we are only 5 weeks away and so, anything could happen and this baby could come.
Robert this past week had planned a few days in advance to have our family home evening. So, Monday night came around and I had no idea what we were going to do. So, for the activity he had planned to put together the hospital bag. It was fun searching the house for things that the list suggested. It was kind of like a treasure hunt. So, we are now "ready" to be able to just pick up the bag and get the hospital if needed. Granted we still need to get the house ready and get the car seat and thing ready for when the baby comes home, but at least at the hospital I will have what I need and a few things for the baby.
It was actually a few weeks ago that Robert started to ask me about what is needed to put in the hospital bag and I told him I had no idea. So, then I found a list in a magazine and told him about it. It is nice to hear him express his concerns and thoughts about having a baby. He really wants to be part of it and is doing a great job at supporting me, when/if I need it.
This pregnancy has been very different than I thought it would be. Really, it has not affected or changed our lives much. Just recently I have had the pleasure of the multiple trips to pee at night, but really that is it. It has been such a blessing!

Other things Robert has said that I am grateful he said and shows his support to me:

He as asked when/if I need help tying my shoes.
Tells me it is okay to sleep as much as I do and does not complain about the lack of sleep that he gets.
Doesn't complain when I don't get up at 4:00am to get him some breakfast.
He humors me when I tell him to feel the baby kick or watch my stomach move. (Of coarse the baby always stops and so he does not get to see/feel it very often, but he will do it anyway because he knows that I want him to experience it as well.)
He talks to me about baby names.
He has gone to every doctors apt.
He shows his love for me and tells me he loves me everyday!

Last thing I wanted to mention is that I had a doctors appointment this last Wednesday I talked to my doctor about being induced. He said that he is fine with it as along as I am past 39 weeks. I had to ask him because I think one of the only things that I have stressed out about is going past my due date a week or two and having an almost 11 pound baby. (So, Kelsey I don't think I could be as brave or strong as you.) So, I was glad to hear my Dr. say he would induce me if we wanted. So, Robert and I have begun to think about asking him to do it on March 7 because it works well with our schedule. (That makes it sound so easy to have a baby, but I doubt it will be.) My next appointment with the Dr is February 11 and we will talk to him about it then.

Sorry for the long blog, but I will try to keep everyone posted.

Christmas Tree Storage Help

So, our Christmas tree is still up in our apartment. I put away all the rest of our Christmas decoration a few weeks ago, but the box that our tree came in was so torn up and out of shape, that we tossed it out. Now, we are not sure what to use to store the tree. Any suggestions? I found that online they have tree storage bags, but I am not sure how well those work.

No new updates. Robert started school and I am still working. Just under 7 weeks till my due date!