Family

Already three and a half months old. Unbelievable how time flies! As I think back on these past few months I am so grateful for our amazing family and friends. In the past month Josh has had visits from my college friend Carla, his GREAT Nan Lowry, his Lowry and Sinnokrak uncles (including a visit from Uncle Nick all the way from San Diego), and his adoring Grandparents. I can't imagine how we possibly would have coped without our family and friends. I am beyond thrilled to report that we have officially out grown colic. Joshua is now a complete charmer. He smiles, coos, snuggles, and sleeps without scream-fests. He even flirts with his eyes (thats right ladies, watch out!) Our baby boy is the joy of our life and has been since his birth (we are just so thankful we can now enjoy his sparkling personality without being distracted by the Xena warrior cries that came out of his cute little mouth).

Our updates include:
A love affair with bath time (our sweet pea is a little fishy)
Lots of smiles
1-2 transition diapers
5-6 ounce feedings
7-8 hours of regular sleep during the night
Happy daytime hours (NO MORE COLIC!!!!)
3-6 month outfit sizes
Morning greetings of songs and smiles...I LOVE this!!!

EXTRA EXTRA

I can't believe I forgot to include our most recent development with baby Josh...
as of yesterday we have had 6 nights of sleeping from 10pm until 5am. Yahoo!!!
That's all...when you have a baby it really is the little things that are the biggest deal. xoxo

So BIG!

Josh is 10 weeks old today and I just can't believe how much he is changing. He gets more beautiful and lovable every day. My last update included lots of information about our struggles with GIRD (gastro-intestinal reflux disease) and I am happy to report that we currently have the reflux under control and have now officially transitioned into colic...a concept my mother finds entertaining since she swears GIRD and colic are essential the same problem. Other than the occasional scream fest our sweet baby boy is happy, healthy, and growing. At his two month check up last week he weighed in at a 11lbs. 7oz. 22inches. Right on target for where he should be...hooray!!!
Among my favorite changes in my little Joshua is his new found ability to smile and "talk". He has always been a lovely 'singer', but Chris and I much prefer his pleasant chatter and baby conversations.
Josh loves to move. We affectionately call him our mover and shaker. He loves to walk, bounce, sway, swing, rock, and roll. Anything but sit still. It has gotten so bad that even when I am not holding Josh I find myself swaying, bouncing, and the like...I guess Johnson's had it right, having a baby changes everything! The good news is that Josh has kept all of us on our feet and moving, and as such has contributed to more exercise throughout the day.
Back to the updates.
Halloween-Chris and I carved pumpkins for baby Josh-mine looked like a baby with baby hair and a signature baby tooth and Chris' just looked cute with cut out shapes for a traditional jack-o-lantern look. Odie went as a hotdog with mustard and relish (thank you Granddad Lowry) and Josh dressed up as a reigndeer. He will be wearing his reigndeer outfit for Christmas as well--yay for double use!
Christmas-has come to the Sinnokrak household. Now I realise that we are still at least 6 weeks out from the holidays, but I was so excited for Josh's first Christmas that I just couldn't contain myself. Josh even has his own baby blue decorated mini tree--he loves it! We have figured out Josh will stop crying for Oldies (thank you Grandpa Sinnokrak) and Christmas music-a true Christmas lover already. Poor Chris, he just smiles and lets me be excited. What a good man I married.
Other than outgrowing our newborn outfits life continues to be pretty predictable and quiet (minus our colic episodes). Our next big adventure is days with Nanny Lowry and an upcoming visit with Uncle Nick Sinnokrak.

Our growing boy

I know it has been a while since my last post and I apologize. Life has been busy. Since last writing Josh has taken his first trip to Chicago to visit his Grandma and Grandpa, outgrown his newborn diapers and graduated to size 1, and gotten his first hair cut. Josh is also getting much better about staying awake during the day and sleeping at night (big yay!!!) and has been handling his tummy issues with much greater ease. There is so much to update I am not even going to attempt to do it all tonight. So tomorrow you will find the details, but tonight I give you pictures...enjoy and thanks for reading!

That's my baby...

Josh was a month old yesterday! Needless to say, this past week has been quite a trip. To celebrate surviving the week/weekend we called the nurses exchange and got Josh scheduled for an appointment with our fabulous pediatrician, Dr. Felkel. The man is hilarious, kind, and smart...perfect for sick baby Josh and stressed out Chris and Kate. After what seems like a 72 hour marathon of nonstop screaming and bottles of Maalox and Tiny Tummy's Gas Drops later we finally have a diagnosis for our baby's unhappiness. It seems that our "little boy" (Josh weighs in a healthy 9lbs. 7oz. as of today!) has what is commonly referred to as G.E.R.D.-a painful baby disease that combines acid reflux and increased acidity of the stomach. Simply put our baby has projectile burps and a belly full of bubbles. While neither of us would wish anything bad upon our baby, Chris and I were both mildly relieved to learn that our child's banshee screams weren't from the fact that he outright hated us...yes, a week of nonstop shrieking has given us a complex. The medicines are suppose to take 2 weeks to take full effect, so we are praying that Josh's bubbles stay in control until the prescriptions can fully occupy his system. In the mean time we are using some good old fashion home remedies to keep our kiddo comfy for the next few weeks (i.e. elevating his mattress, holding him upright for 20 min. after feedings, applying warm blankets to his tummy, and occasionally slipping hard alcohol into his milk-just kidding, we have our limits). All in all we are doing just fine. We have been sincerely trying to enjoy every day with our baby boy and remember that our little one won't be little for ever.

More pictures to come....we are having a few issues with our computer, but I promise some updated photos soon! xoxo

3 weeks old

Phew! Time flies when you are having fun (and not sleeping). Amazingly, Josh turned three weeks old on Sunday, Chris and I both don't know where these last three weeks went, our baby is getting so big so quickly! This week was an exciting one. Josh and I spent two days with my parents this week . Chris was working several nights in a row and my parents graciously allowed me to "move home" for a few days so that they could help me with Josh during the night. Nana Lowry, much like Grandma Sinnokrak, has a knack for getting baby Josh back to sleep during my 3-5 AM feedings when Josh only wants to scream at his Momma. Thank goodness for Grandmothers! Granddad Lowry also lent a hand during the day so that I could nap and get some laundry done. Grandparents are a wonderful thing (for babies and new mommies).
Sunday brought our trip to Springfield. Josh did very well in the car-sleeping almost the whole way-again, another blessing. We arrived into town around 3pm, got settled at the hotel for an hour and then headed off to spend time with Dana, Teresa, Angie, and Jeff (our Missouri State buddies). From there it was off to Qdoba for a baby reunion with our Sunday school class-4 babies within 3 weeks of each other makes for quite a reason to gather! Zack, Ellie, Maddux, and Josh were fast friends, and it was fun for me to have the other new mommies to share stories with for a few hours. Monday Josh and I took Chris to court and spent the morning with the new mommies and babies for some more play time. After picking Chris up around noon we all went over to Ozark North for a quick visit with the Kindergarten teachers (who just ate Josh up!). It was SO much fun to introduce Josh to my North friends who were so sweet to both of us during my pregnancy. I was also able to see a few of my former students in the hallway on their way to specials which was so fun. All my kiddos have gotten so tall. I forgot that happens over the summer! After leaving school we grabbed a quick dinner with Dana and Teresa and headed home-happy but exhausted.
Monday night we didn't sleep-Josh was ready to play and thankfully Nana Lowry was willing to humor him.
Tuesday night we bought gas drops-and all of us slept...ahhhh! Life is good.

This week's updates:

Josh weights 8lbs. 1oz.
Josh is working on holding his head up on his own
Josh has mastered three baby cries (the billy goat, the piglet, and the chipmunk)
Mom and Dad have been able to sleep up to 3 hours at a stretch

2 Weeks Old!

It's hard to believe our little boy is two weeks old already. This last week was filled with activity. Last Saturday our dearest friends from Springfield, Dana and Teresa, visited and spent the afternoon with us talking, laughing, and playing video games (Chris was SO excited to have Dana and his toys up for a visit). Later that night Chris' mom came down from Chicago to spend the week with us and helped us with all sorts of odd jobs. From cooking to cleaning and babysitting too, she made our first full week at home as stress free as possible. Granddad and Nana Lowry also stopped by to get their baby fix and allow Chris and I time for much needed showers and Odie time.

While less exciting, this week holds numerous doctors appointments (Josh's first visit to the pediatrician tomorrow) and a trip down to Springfield/Ozark! Chris was summoned to testify for a court date on Monday 9/29, so Josh and I decided we would tag along. I thought this trip would be the perfect opportunity to introduce my little boy to our church friends and all my Ozark school buddies.

Josh highlights from this week include:

Umbilical cord falling off

Josh's 3 hour stretch of sleeping through the night

Circ. cap falling off (despite my 4 calls to the pediatrician-ah, to be a first time mom!)

Our first "bath"

Our first walk in the stroller

It's a Boy!!!

We are thrilled to announce the birth of our son!

One week ago yesterday we headed to St. John's Mercy Hospital to be induced. Chris and I were both very excited to meet our baby and schedule an induction date since we were a week past our original due date. 10 hours into the induction doctors decided it was not safe to continue labor as the baby's heart rate continually dropped below safe levels during contractions. After a successful c-section, we welcomed our beautiful son, Joshua Michael, into the world. Josh was born at 10:18AM and was a healthy 6lbs 15oz 20 in. He has dark brown hair and his father's eyes. We came home Thursday afternoon and have since been trying to re-adjust to life with our brand new little boy. Thank you for all your warm thoughts and wishes during our pregnancy and Joshua's birth. We are thrilled to share our newest addition with you! We know this is only the beginning of what is to become a blog dedicated to our newest (and greatest) love.

Chris and Kate

September 1, 2008= No Labor Day

That's right, our due date has come and gone, much as we expected it would given the last three weeks of doctor's visits. Despite threatening to play hooky from today's visit I made an appearance at the OB office in hopes of some happy news. While I can't report any substantial progress with baby I did leave the visit surprisingly upbeat. Not only did I get another ultra sound (to check fluid levels) but the doctor fed me a chocolate chip cookie (to encourage movement during the non-stress test)...which officially makes this the best visit to their office ever! The baby enjoyed the cookie so much that he/she actually moved for close to 15 minutes-which is amazing considering how little room he/she has left. To top off my visit the doctor officially set an induction date- yahoo!!! Should baby S. not make a debut before Saturday afternoon, the hospital will gladly assist us in welcoming him/her into the world. So, the cute part is while I didn't get to have labor on labor day, if all goes according to plan we will make our parents grandparents (again) on Grandparents day (Sunday, Sept.7th). How fun!

Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs

So I bet you can guess which dwarf personality I am sporting this week. I guess I would like to think of myself as the happy dwarf, but as the days tick by I find myself morphing into a not so pleasant combination of Sleepy and Grumpy. Last on my list of favorites is Doc, who unfortunately after a very long week has no good news to share. Week 39 visit yielded only slightly upbeat reports of two pounds lost and a robust baby heart rate at 145. He/she is still not low enough to get excited about, however, my sweet OB assures me that it is nothing some spicy food and lots of walking can't fix. Here's to hoping and looking forward to a happy ending.

America's Got Talent

Okay, folks...Chris informed me that I need to update our blog about that "apparently well known opera singer" we saw at the baseball game back in July. For those of you who watch America's Got Talent, you might have recognized him as one of the finalists...obviously, we are not patrons of the show so it wasn't until I saw him on a commercial that I got all excited and decided to watch the show to cheer on our Cardinal's Celebrity Spotlight victim. He is still wonderful...even on TV (go figure!)...and...while we were watching we got to see another cool group called The Cadence (I think...). Anyways, they are a percussion group that perform acts very similar to what the Broadway show "STOMP" showcases. The best part is that they are from Missouri State University (GO BEARS!!!). Since I am now officially an alumna of the university I felt a ting of pride when the Hoff gave good ole MSU a shout out. Dork or not, I don't care....its cool to "know people" who are semi famous. Its kind of like those cheesy Olympic commercials that discuss how we cheer for people from other countries because their victories are victories of the human race....same thing. (Insert smile!)

2 weeks and counting...

Today was our 38 week visit to the OB. We had our ultrasound and regular appointment with Dr. Ruggeri and everything looks good. Baby is growing nicely, fluid levels are normal, and Mommy only gained one pound this week (yay!). While our little one was very camera shy we did get to see his/her little toes, fingers, eyes, nose, and mouth on the ultrasound screen . His/her most distinctive feature is by far his/her humongous checks (which are SO precious). We have ourselves a little chipmunk! Unfortunately, the chord was in the way of the baby's face making a good picture nearly impossible. We were informed that baby Sinnokrak has long eye lashes and peach fuzz around the back of his/her head, which Daddy was most proud of considering his genetic contributions in that department. While we didn't get any really great photos we don't mind so much because it will make the grand arrival all the more exciting. Baby weighs approximately 7lbs and 4 ounces and "seems long", although Mommy's short torso definitely makes "long" a relative term. So that's the update. In the meantime....we wait!

OBX 2008

There are few things better in life than a week at the beach and it is safe to say our 2008 Outer Banks experience was as close to perfect as imaginable. We had our the entire Lowry/Haley clan under one roof, a week of sunny days and cool nights, and crystal clear, warm, boogie board beckoning water. I am pretty sure I speak for the whole family when I say that it was a picture perfect week!

Some of my favorite parts of the trip included the girls afternoon at the house, investigating the Currituck lighthouse, taking walks on the beach, swimming with the boogie boarders, flying kites, watching Elizabeth teach Richard to kayak, and playing with Sammy (the family dog) in the waves.

Other memorable moments included my cousin's engagement on the beach (yahoo!), putt-putt golf with the cousins, the old time family photo (pirate style--oh yeah), and the night of the undercooked crab.

All in all it was a vacation to remember. The photos I am uploading are from Chris' camera. Most of the really good family pictures are on Dad and Uncle Charley's cameras, but these are pretty too. These are pictures from the sunrise our last morning in NC. We got up really early (4:30 AM) to watch the sun rise together-something I have wanted to do since we first got married. Also included is a picture of our house "Seas of Sun" and my favorite place to visit Duck, NC. Enjoy!

Red birds and Fred birds

Our 1st Cardinal's game of the 2008 season

Cards V. Brewers

July 22, 2008

7:10 pm

Busch Stadium, St. Louis

Chris and the Arch...and someones backside. Kate's photography at its best!
FRED BIRD!!! This would be the part where we didn't catch a t-shirt. Fred bird must not have seen us jumping up and down like the children in the front row...bummer.
Go Cardinals!
This was SO cool. Apparently this gentleman is a well known opera singer. He was discovered in the crowd during the "celebrity spotlight" in the 6th and was completely caught off guard by the Cardinal's spokesperson who introduced him to the crowd. In true cardinals form he stepped up to the plate (like the baseball pun...oh, yeah, I'm good) and sang the most beautiful rendition of God Bless America. Needless to say by then end of his song he had the whole stadium on its feet cheering...it was incredible! Bottom of the 9th and Chris is still smiling. Cardinals lost but we had fun anyways!

Home Sweet Home

Front view of the house
Our own mailbox...one of those things we took for granted until we had to share a box with the rest of the neighborhood.
This view is from our kitchen table. The front door is just a little past the stair case.
A second view of the family room.
The view from our kitchen table. We are one of the few houses to have a deck...and we LOVE it!

I promise to post more pictures of the other parts of the house as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I am still trying to figure out how to add more than 5-6 pictures at a time. Kitchen, loft, master bed, master bath, and baby's bath are coming soon!

Baby's Shower

This weekend was so much fun! Chris' mom and dad were able to make it down from Chicago for the weekend to see our new place and spend some time visiting with us. We kept busy the whole weekend visiting with Matt and Braydan, going to the zoo, and walking the streets of Old St. Charles. While Chris did have to work part of the weekend he made sure to spend his time in the evenings showing off our new home town to his parents. We even got a surprise visit from Officer Sinnokrak (and his FTO) Sunday morning. It was great!
Baby Sinnokrak's Saint Louis shower also happened this weekend. My mom and several of her terrific friends hosted a baby shower for the littlest Sinnokrak on Saturday. The party was beautiful and (of course) was absolutely ducky with its sweet green and yellow theme. It was a wonderful time and a memory I will cherish long after our little one arrives!

Belly Update

Thanks to my very patient sister-in-law's idiot proof instructions on how to navigate the technicalities of this blessed website (thanks, Erin!), we are finally ready to share some pictures. While we still don't have too many photos of the new house, due to some unpacking that still needs to happen, we do have nursery and belly pictures to contribute. As I am sure you will gather from the pictures our baby's room is ducky themed--yellow and green and as neutral as I could possibly get. We do have plans to add a few more pictures and creative touches to the room once our little boy or girl finally arrives.

Welcome

Despite initial hesitations to take the plunge into cyberspace we officially joined the 21st century by creating this page for you to enjoy. So, welcome! We hope this page will provide you with a little glimpse into the happenings in our life and will provide us with a way of keeping in touch with those of you we can't see every day.