Just A Regular Update!

Just a regular, run of the mill update. Time has been flying by, and Trevor’s ship date is a little over a month away. In just 9 days Kara will be 4 months old! She will have a check-up then, complete with shots and a developmental assessment. We’re anxious to see how much she’s been growing, and we anticipate everything to go smoothly… well, maybe not the shots…

She sure is a wiggly one, and has found out that if she throws back to the sky she can almost wriggle out of mom and dad’s arms. She also has had a try of baby rice cereal, and she definitely enjoys that.

Mastering the belly-to-back roll took no time whatsoever, but she is still struggling a little bit to go the other way with it. She has laughed just once, but everything will come in time. The infant tub Oma and Deda got for her is now way too small. Her mouth has been the most recent discovery; hands, toys, blankets and mommy’s hair always seem to find their way in. At 6 months, she will get her ears pierced, so not only will she look cute but she will also stop being confused with a boy!

That’s everything going on in our neck of the woods, and we’re soaking up every minute together while we can. We can’t wait to see what the future brings!

A New Year!

Greetings! We hope this New Years finds you well, and that 2010 will bring you much happiness and joy.

Last night we brought in the New Year in style, starting at the Spurs game and ending it on the couch like your typical old married couple [haha!] Trevor received tickets to the Clear Channel suite, and Kara was just happier than a pig in mud; just sitting on our laps and following the game.

This morning Trevor ran in a New Years 5k along with a few of our other friends. Afterwards we went out for pizza [which we demolished, for the lack of a better term] and beers, hanging out for a few hours before everyone had to go their own way. For the rest of the day we're just going to take it easy and soak in the weekend. It's nice to have an extended weekend!

Who knows when, and where from, the next update will take place, but i promise it will be soon!

Halloween!

Yesterday Kara attended her first party. We went to a costume themed wedding reception for a couple that Natalie works with. She was the youngest one there, and to say our little penguin was a popular one would be an understatement!! Kara behaved very well, and was even asleep for part of the reception. She didn't fuss once, and enjoyed the company of everyone. As icing on the cake, Kara slept from midnight to around 6 am, and Natalie is happy to report that she has been consecutively been sleeping for 6 hours or more every night for the better part of a week now.

The Hopkins Household is very excited for events going on in the next couple of months. This Friday we're going to Austin to celebrate Brad's 30th birthday party with some college friends of Trevor's. In exactly a week, Kyle will be back in Texas since his move to Seattle earlier this fall. We don't know exactly which day he'll be here in San Antonio, but we'll be looking forward to it. His visit also overlaps with a visit from Grabue! We're also very excited to host her, and she hasn't seen Kara since she was born. Dad and Mom estimate that Kara has doubled her weight, so Grabue is in for quite the surprise when she gets here!!

This Thanksgiving we are ecstatic to have Deda and Oma in the house, and it's going to be their first time meeting Kara. Also meeting for the first time will be Brooke and Natalie, and of course both Brooke and Jasmine will be meeting Kara as well. We have a feeling November will go by fast, but with all the family visiting, we're thrilled to get it started! Of course, pending Natalie's work schedule, we anticipate going to Ohio for Christmas. This will be Trevor's first time visiting Dayton, and Natalie hasn't been back home since October of 2008. It's going to be a busy holiday season, but we can't wait to see everyone!!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

It's already WHAT day!?

Kara is one month old!! In a lot of ways it seems like just yesterday she arrived, but at the same time I have to admit I feel like a seasoned veteran at this whole parenting thing. It’s funny to see how different she is from her first day home. We also know what ‘works’ and what her little faces and grunts mean. She’ll sleep for hours in her chair, but she seems to have a sixth sense that comes out of nowhere when we put her on her back! We know what times she expects a bottle [so demanding!!] and we also know that there will be hell to pay if said bottle isn’t heated and within sight! Both Mommy and Daddy have also been on the receiving end of every bodily fluid imaginable, and for a split second parenting isn’t nearly as glamorous as the magazines make it out to be!

We estimate that she is up around 8 pounds, and she seems to be developing right on schedule. She is lifting her head for a long periods of time, as well as pushing off surfaces with a decent amount of force. Kara also likes to practice kicking and “standing” while making up dance moves with Daddy, and she is not shy when she reaches for her bottle. She seems to want to hold it, but will let Mommy and Daddy do the busy work for now. We think she’s starting to smile, but we also can’t tell if it is gas… she smiles more in her sleep, and has even let out a small chuckle – we can’t wait until those are genuine!! Her little game for the moment is playing copy-cat; sticking your tongue out to little miss Kara will result in her tongue sticking right back out at you! Maybe Mommy should start watching her language… haha!

Yesterday, Brandon and Samantha welcomed Preston Barrett into the family at 7:40 am. We are excited to meet him, and to watch him grow as well!

Introducing...

KARA DIANE HOPKINS

Our little girl came into this world on September 20, 2009 at 11:28 am, weighing in at 5 pounds 10 ounces and measuring 18.5 inches long.

Words cannot express the feelings that I have towards this little one, I am so in love and ready to watch her grow.

We had a follow up appointment with the pediatrician this morning, and Kara has already gained 3 ounces of weight, and grew a quarter of an inch. Her growth is a week ahead of schedule and my little Bean sure is sprouting; I am so proud of her!!

Right now my parents are in town helping out and I really think Trevor and I would have lost our minds completely if they weren't here. Kara sure has some awesome grandparents, and we can't wait for her to meet Dida and Oma!!

I'm sorry this entry is so short, but I had to scramble to put it together. She's going to be up any time now and I must be ready!

Until next time. :-)

the weight has been lifted!

I'm happy to report that I'm back from the doctor's and everything is great!! The doctor confirmed that we are indeed expecting a girl [huge relief there, haha...] - and that she's measuring right on target!!

The nurse took various photographs of everything, and I was shown that she has hair on her head. There are 4 chambers to her very healthy heart, they checked her blood flow in the umbilical cord [they had a hard time with this, she kept kicking it around] as well as kidney function. Unfortunately, Kara takes after her mommy and does not like pictures taken of her, so she had her hands up defensively the entire time. She currently weighs 6 pounds, 2 ounces and the doctor "wouldn't be surprised" if I had her in the next couple of weeks. Guess I should pack that bag...

On another note, I got a text message today from my nephew that reads, "I get my [driver's] permit!!!!!!!!" - my eyes about bulged out of my skull. I don't know when he grew up, but it seems WAY too soon for this... I remember when he was born!!!

Earlier this week we also got confirmation that Trevor's side of the family is making the trek here for Thanksgiving, and we can't wait!!! Hosting everyone for a pretty big holiday is going to be awesome, and there will be TWO new little ones for everyone to play with. For Christmas we'll be heading to Ohio, and we're very excited for that as well! Big things happening in the next few weeks.

I think that's it for now, I have another appointment on the 15th so I imagine I'll be updating shortly after that. We're planning on taking the laptop to the hospital with us, just so everyone can be emailed pictures as soon as we gather time after The Big Moment. :-)

Have a great weekend!!

pardon the interruption...

Hello everyone!

I have some updates on our darling Kara. Pretty nerve-wrecking stuff, but Trevor and I are confident that everything is going to be ok. I had a doctor's appointment last friday and we found out that Kara is measuring very small - about 4 weeks behind, to be exact. This was determined by the ultrasound that my doctor gave me after the fundal measurement [length of baby, but taken from the size of mommy's belly] came out to be smaller than expected. Just after this ultrasound the doctor administered a non-stress test on Kara, which she then passed "with flying colors" and the doctor said she looks "fabulous". We also then went on to family history; and knowing that smaller babies run on my side seemed to solidify the doctor's confidence that everything was going to be fine. "Some women just make small babies" - this made me feel a *little* better, but the doctor still wants me to see a specialist, to ensure everything's relatively on track. Fortunately that appointment is tomorrow afternoon so our minds won't be wondering for too much longer!

That's all I have for now. Tonight we're hosting Kyle, Terri and Leon as they make their trek to Seattle and this weekend we're celebrating Zachary's birthday. Lots of things going on, we'll keep you up to speed with how the appointment goes tomorrow!