3 Months Old

My baby girls are three months old today!! Here are a few more facts about them not shown on their chalkboards.

-Only in the past month have we started reading to them. They are loving it though and just wiggle around when it's storytime.

-These girls LOVE their pacifiers and almost always have them in their mouths.

-They are smiling now, but it's rare and super hard to get on camera. But if you follow my Instagram account (@_cowgirlkaylee_) I post a lot to my story and you can see more smiles on there.

-Nicknames: Lately we've been calling Makell "Mini Marshmallow" because of her adorable chubby cheeks but we have always called her Miss Makell. For Zoey we stick with Zo or Miss Zo.

-My girls are on a specific "no spit-up" formula, but they almost never spit-up anymore even when we try them on other formulas. So yay!

-Zoram is now more into them and loves to lick their feet and hands, and the girls love him back. They stare at him a lot and seem to enjoy him. I'm glad my girls won't be afraid of dogs like I was the majority of my life.

-They love hugging blankets which is so like their mom.

-My girls are not afraid of strangers and will let anyone hold them or get near them. We think the NICU prepared them for that because of all the different nurses taking care of them.

-Chris and I think they're getting so big, but then we see other three-month-old babies and realize how little ours are. They're premies though so it makes sense. And little petite girls are adorable.

-They can both basically hold their heads up. I don't really have to support their heads anymore, but I also don't trust them in certain circumstances.

-They love going on adventures with mom and dad in their carriers. (See my Instagram account.)

-They are out of newborn clothes. The onesies they're pictured in are actually newborn, but tight, so this is the last time for these pink ones.

-They are very chill babies who can entertain each other and don't cry that often. But every now and then they just get irritated and it looks a bit like this. But still, they're very calm and quiet.

-Unless they're hungry, in which case, they scream.

-Starting this past week they sleep about ten hours straight at night, which would be lovely if my dog hadn't gotten used to middle of the night feedings, and now Zoram wakes me up instead of them.

-These pictures don't do their cuteness justice, so here's them with Santa.

(They're both looking over at me on the side. They honestly love staring at me. No complaints with that.)

Sunday Scrapbook | September 24th - 30th, 2017

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH

Our girls turned two weeks old while still in the NICU. But we got great news while visiting them... Zoey could come home on Tuesday!! 

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25TH

Zoram has just a few days left as the only "child" in the home. He also likes to lay on my laundry as I'm folding and getting ready for the girls to arrive. 

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26TH

So on Monday morning, the girls were given a new formula to try to help with their spit-up issue. Zoey's return home is delayed, but Makell's is moved up and both girls are able to come home on Wednesday!! 

Oh, and Chris and I visited Walmart and looked at Halloween costumes. These masks are awesome and I want them. 

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28TH 

We took the girls to the pediatrician, which was quite an adventure. Zoey weighed 5 pounds 10 ounces and Makell weighed 5 pounds 6 ounces. Both are bigger than their birth weights, but they're still tiny. The onesies they're wearing are preemie size, but I don't have much in preemie. They'll be wearing clothes a little bigger for a while. 

Our first day together was like a dream come true. I've waited for this for so long. I am finally a mother and my girls are better than I could have ever imagined. I am so truly blessed. 

You can watch their homecoming vlog on my YouTube channel HERE.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 29TH 

Chris worked most the day, but the girls got a visit from their Uncle Nick and Grandma Ostrowski. We all stayed in jammies all day and it was a lazy, comfy day. That night we all watched our Utah State Aggies beat BYU! Even though Chris and I no longer go to school at USU, we're big supporters.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH 

(Makell has a lipstick kiss on her forehead.)

My life is completely different with these girls in my life, but I wouldn't have it any other way. We had fun spending the whole day together. I love dressing them up in cute outfits (and getting through summery dresses like this while it's still warm, but the cold is definitely coming). 

Chris is such a good dad and he loves these girls so much. He works so hard to make sure they have the best life. We're struggling with me no longer working, but he is the best help by being such a hard worker and still volunteering to help out with the girls and having to deal with the needy Zoram. I love him. I married a winner. 

A huge thank you to my lovely visiting teachers for bringing over dinner. Honestly, do you see that picture? I could never make something as amazing as this. That's homemade bread! It was all so delicious and I am so truly grateful for all the kindness and generosity of my neighbors in these crazy first few days with the twins. 

32 Weeks Pregnant | Little Life Stories

I've had your fairly standard pregnancy thus far. You know, get pregnant while living with your parents (awkward), move into a beautiful (albeit at the top of your price range) apartment, are fantastically sick, learn the reason you're so sick is because you're actually pregnant with twins, realize the beautiful third floor apartment you now live in is impractical for both pregnancy and having two babies (so... many... stairs...), your car breaks and you have to purchase a new one (which is a great car, but now you have more monthly bills), impress everyone with the way your morning sickness vanished and you're suddenly doing just fine, surprise everyone with how well babies are doing and how your belly isn't as big as the moon (though your feet begin to swell to the size of the moon), and are still able to participate in summer family vacations and get around just fine.

You know, standard pregnancy.

Until 31 weeks hits you like a ton of bricks and you're suddenly faced with your belly aching because your girls don't have enough room, feeling like your ribs are broken, waking up twice a night to pee and struggling to get out of the bed, barely being able to breathe, feet bigger than King Kong's and hurt with each step, back pain, pelvic pain, stressing over all the things you have to do and/or buy before babies arrive, doctors appointments twice a week taking up your time, and just living with general discomfort and pain.

You know, standard pregnancy.

Today I am 32 weeks pregnant, went to my doctors for one of my twice a week non-stress tests, and told my doctor that I was done. With work. See, I've been working full-time up until this point and while I enjoy my job, and am good at my job, being in the office 40 hours a week is beyond exhausting. I'm up and down out of my seat all day, don't have time to put my giant feet up, and when I get home am too tired to tackle the long list of things I need to do (partially just from all the stairs I have to climb to get home after work).

I can't clean my home after 8 hours of work, which leaves cleaning for the weekend, but my weekends are often too busy with baby or bridal showers, vacations, and other tasks that need to be done. I haven't had a full weekend at home in probably a month, and my apartment shows it.

Chris does so much to help out and typically he's the one doing the cleaning. But that's not always fair. Yes, I'm pregnant, but I'm ridiculously stubborn and hate having people do things for me. I hate admitting I may need help and having Chris do all the work around the house makes me feel like a bad wife and a lazy human being.

And let's not even get into what'll happen after babies come and I will be leaving my job, leaving Chris to be the sole money maker in the home (unless this blog finally starts making me money at some point). I've always been someone who wants to work. Being a mom is a job, but transitioning out of full-time employment in an office to full-time mom duties will definitely be a change for me. But in having twins, it would not be possible for me to continue my job. Trust me, I've looked at it from every angle, this is the best solution for me and my girls.

Anyways, today I got my doctor to write a note saying I can only work 20 hours a week up until my official maternity leave, which is only five weeks away. My boss was super accommodating, he understands my situation and wants what is best for me and my babies (which, reading through pregnancy forums, is actually a rare thing, I'm pretty lucky I work where I do).

Switching to part-time is a huge weight off my shoulders, despite the financial strain this causes. But I believe that things will work out. I've been looking for part-time online positions I can do from home for some extra cash and have been researching on how I can make money through this blog (because over 5 years and not a single cent is pretty sad). But also, from experience, I can say that I blog a lot more when I'm not working. Like today. I'm actually posting something because I didn't have to work. Therefore, working part-time and when babies come, I'm sure I'll have a lot more blog posts for you guys.

This post was mostly me complaining/venting, which John Tesh told me I shouldn't be doing. But I hope you'll forgive me this one time and I'll work on less complaining on this blog in the future.

In summary, being pregnant isn't my favorite and hasn't been easy on me. I'm beyond thrilled for my girls to arrive and to be a mom. They have stayed very healthy through this whole pregnancy and I couldn't be happier about that, but me, personally, I'm falling apart at this point. But I have five weeks left until I'm being induced and I want them to stay in until them to give them the best chance at a healthy delivery and life.

Well, if you've made it to the end of this post, congratulations! Here's your reward: a couple of photos from an impromptu, unofficial maternity shoot from one of my favorite photographers, and my friend, Mariah.

BTW, that dress is too short now because of how big my belly has gotten and these were taken a month ago. I'm growing like crazy! Good for babies, not so good for me personally.

Also, please check out more of Mariah's photos on her Instagram page by CLICKING HERE. She did my sister's engagement photos and they were so gorgeous and she's a Farnes family friend so she's done a lot for us. If you live in Utah, particularly Davis County, check her out. She's amazing.

Lastly, up until recently, this dress has been my go-to for a comfy, cute outfit. Here are some similar dresses, all $50 or less, that I would have also loved.

Four Years

Photo courtesy of Mariah Mae Films

Chris,

Happy four years of marriage to my best friend. Four years ago I could have never pictured what our lives would be like now. Through every trial, every heartache, every fight, you've made me laugh through it all. Together we've gone through a lot of pain in our short marriage together, but we're the perfect team, and you are the one I always want by my side through the good times and the bad. I'm so happy that we're months away from starting our family on earth. I know you'll be a great dad to the twins... you're already a master at the lame dad jokes. You're such a hard worker, so strong, so brave, and you treat me like a princess. I would say four years ago today was the best day of my life, but honestly, every day with you just gets better and better. I love you more than I can explain. You are my life. Happy anniversary baby!!

Kaylee

Thanks Mariah for these photos! You're amazing and I absolutely love these!

Happy 1st Birthday Zoram!!

Today is my pup's first birthday! As many of you know, we were able to get Zoram as an emotional support animal after my miscarriage. And when I think of the timeline, it's incredible how it all worked out. I learned about my miscarriage the beginning of November, but had lost my baby about two weeks prior... around the same time Zoram was born. Zoram was meant to come into our lives and he's my little baby until I can have a real one.

Here's a little bit about my pup in honor of his birthday:

-Zoram likes tennis balls, but if it's bigger than a tennis ball he's terrified of it.

-He barks way too much.

-He loves playing with my parent's dog Molly and my in-law's dog Max, though most the time Max and Molly don't seem to have as much fun with him.

-He loves to chew on things a bit too much and if he starts, he's determined to destroy it.

-Zoram loves being outside.

-His best trick is bowing to Chris.

-He loves snuggles and hugs, but only when he wants them.

-He's a fast runner and a lot of the time he seems to jump around while running.

-While he can be a big pain most the time, he really does do his job as an emotional support animal. If I'm ever crying, he knows to calm down and comes over to snuggle.

-He's afraid of everything. Just like me. And when he's scared he always comes to me to protect him.

-He's a mamma's boy, and I love it, though Chris is his best friend and playmate.

-Zoram is the cutest dog in the world. No contest. Don't you dare try to convince me otherwise.

OUR FIRST MEETING

Daycation in Pineview, Utah

Last Friday Chris and I spent most our time at Pineview Reservoir. We swam, ate wonderful food, and did a lot of searching for Pokemon. I forgot to take pictures the second day we were there, with  jet ski and paddle boards, but here are the pictures I did take from our "daycation."

THE MAD MOOSE CAFE:

Sunday Scrapbook [Feb. 21st - 27th, 2016]

Hello friends! Today I am started a new segment on my blog that will hopefully help me keep up with blogging. Part of the reason I started this blog was to document my life and I feel like that portion has disappeared. So I've decided every Sunday to do a quick recap of my week with pictures. Kind of like a scrapbook, but without all the prettiness. Let me warn you now, I don't do anything with my life. Most the pictures and videos I'll post are me playing with filters on Snapchat (cowgirlkaylee22), but regardless documenting my life is important to me which is why this is happening. I hope you enjoy it and if you do something similar to this on your blog let me know, I'd love to see more examples of ways to make this better and make it my own.


Sunday February 21st:

Umm.... I'm pretty sure I did nothing today. Yeah. Nothing. But I did blog! You can find the post called Becoming A Warrior HERE. It's a personal favorite and was pretty popular on my Twitter. I'm so Twitter famous *wink wink. I also got an email through this blog which means something exciting is happening soon!!! ...it's a giveaway. I couldn't wait to spill the secret. Start liking my social media pages now to get more entries into the giveaway! I'm not sure exactly when it'll happen, but soon.

Monday February 22nd:

I did way too much shopping today. Ross, American Eagle, and Cotton On. I will be doing a haul video soon so you can see all my purchases! Also, I replaced Chris with my bear Oso:

Tuesday February 23rd:

Today was apparently National Toast Day. (How would we ever know about these obscure holidays without social media? Thanks Twitter for the heads-up.) So I posted this photo on Twitter in honor of the holiday:

And I'll be honest, I was really upset that no one liked my Tweet. Does no one care about Nacho Libre? Sure you may not be able to quote it as easily or often as my husband, but doesn't it still just make you laugh? It's Jack Black for crying out loud!!

Wednesday February 24th:

So last night I slept with my hair in braids so I would have wavy hair and, yeah, it was insane.

(Sorry for the blurry picture) This picture is even tame compared to the way it looked right after I took the braids out. It's been a long time since I've done this with my hair and considering how annoying it was I'm pretty sure I remember why I stopped. Although this kid at my work said it looked nice.

Also, I need to get my ombre fixed. In pictures it always looks like I'm in weird lighting so the top is randomly dark. I want to go back to my cousin since she originally did my color, but she lives to far away it's hard to justify a long drive just for a hair dye. So if you live in Cache Valley and want to do my hair for cheap you should let me know.

So last Saturday Zoram started his puppy training classes, which he embarrassed us in. But we got some pointers on leash walking, which previously Zoram would have nothing to do with. This week he picked it up quickly. Honestly, Sunday Chris was dragging Zoram around on the leash and today:

He's a little professional. We spent our lunch break walking him around the block. It's a short walk, but he's doing fantastic and he loves it.

Thursday February 25th:

Work is hard. Being an adult is hard. And when you're tired, nauseous, and have a headache, there's no better day to wear your hair in pigtails and pretend you have a weird mustache.

 

Friday February 26th:

Today I built a metal shelf thing I bought at K-Mart's closing sale that goes above the toilet. But it's slightly lopsided and I couldn't get one of the shelves to fit. I'm upset.

Then I went into Chris's work with Zoram and let him wander the aisles. Whenever Zoram saw his reflection in a refrigerator or oven he would freak out and it was pretty funny. I'm pretty sure he technically shouldn't be wandering Sears, but I'm grateful that Chris's boss hasn't said anything about it.

When we got back home I was making Chris watch My Fair Lady with me, but he fell asleep before "The Rain in Spain" which is lame. I stopped it at intermission anyways because it was already midnight. I grew up with musicals, I love musicals, and I love introducing them to Chris even though he's never a big fan. Except with Phantom of the Opera, because let's be honest that movie was incredible and the music is just so dang good!! Anyways, here's a Spotify playlist of my favorite musicals, it's fun to put on shuffle and great to sing along to.

Saturday February 27th:

Today I woke up at like 11, because Saturdays are my sleep in days, then immediately took Zoram on a long walk, then spent forever getting ready while watching 13 Going on 30, then took Zoram on another walk to PetSmart for his class. Zoram was great in his class today because it was on loose leash walking... which we walked to the class so he didn't need too much extra help. I don't think he is going to have his bad reputation in class anymore! Yay!

Notable tweets of the week:

8 years ago I decided not to commit suicide. While I still have daily trials, I am so grateful for that decision. #SuicideAwareness

— Kaylee ♡ (@cowgirl_kaylee) February 23, 2016

I just wish I had a work best friend like @JoslynDavis and @lily_marston. My grown up job is too lame. #friendshipgoals

— Kaylee ♡ (@cowgirl_kaylee) February 25, 2016

It takes all my will power not to freak out when #zoramgerrard is licking my hand. My fear of dogs is better, but not fully gone. #puppy

— Kaylee ♡ (@cowgirl_kaylee) February 25, 2016

It's funny how I used to hate the love songs in musicals and thought they were boring. #musicals #love

— Kaylee ♡ (@cowgirl_kaylee) February 27, 2016

#zoramgerrard's second puppy class went better. He still has a lot of work though. #puppy #puppytraining #petsmart pic.twitter.com/PYWqNMzTBY

— Kaylee ♡ (@cowgirl_kaylee) February 27, 2016

My Broken Ring // My Proposal Story

So on the day exactly one month from my one year anniversary of being married to my amazing husband, I'm at work, as a janitor, and what happens... a diamond falls out of my ring and is lost forever.

And I am devastated!! 

I looked around for a while but it's a tiny diamond and I had just vacuumed a huge area, I didn't know exactly when it fell out or where it could be, and I just stood there staring at my ring and wanting to cry!

Yes, it may be a tiny diamond and not very noticable, but this is my ring! My most favorite possession in the world! Literally the only time I take this ring off is when I'm showering and then it immediately goes back on. I have been wearing this ring for a year and a half and I'm so incredibly in love with this ring and even the tiniest problem with it breaks my heart!

I told my husband and he, being the amazing hubby he is, immediately know just how sad I was and did everything he could to comfort me. We're going in to the jewelry store tomorrow to see how much it will be to get the diamond replaced, but we're incredibly poor right now so if it's too much we'll have to wait. But that just makes me so sad!

So here is the worst picture of my hand ever (it looks super swollen or fat and also red) that shows how the diamond fell out.

Oh my gosh, my hand looks awful! But you see that black spot on the left side? That's the missing diamond. Super small right? But it's still killing me! I'm just so depressed!! I want to cry!!!

So let's reminice back on the day I got this ring, back on November 3rd, 2012.

Picnic for my birthday.

Here's your present, some beautiful earring, why don't you try them on? 

But wait, what's underneath...

The proposal!! And one of my most favorite pictures in the world! Thank you Chris for having my family hide and take this picture!!! 

Jumping up for a hug because I was so excited! 

This was such a long, tight, wonderful hug.

And the first kiss picture we ever took together. 

I really like this picture too. 

And finally I got to put on my ring! 

So many pictures of my butt. Good thing I was wearing my favorite red pants. 

This is me in shock that my family was walking over. 

Such a happy moment!! 

Then Chris painted my nails because I wanted a picture of my hand and the ring but my nail polish was messed up so it needed to be fixed. I married a guy who will paint my nails, totally the right thing to do. 

The first real picture of my ring!! (And Chris's nail painting job, which isn't much better than mine, but really makes me want to paint my nails black again...)

Making fun of all the cheesy photos like this. My goodness I want to be that skinny again... 

A slightly pregnant looking photo, but really is just an engagement announcement photo. 

And then I started doing cartwheels out of excitement. 

Seriously I was amazing how warm it was that day, this is November in Utah! 

Jumping for joy! 

It's amazing to me that I love him more now than I did then, I didn't think I could love him any more. 

Chris examining the ring to make sure he did a good job. 

Finally, one from my engagement session with Amy Bennion Photography. (She did a fabulous job and was such a nice person to work with, and I won the engagement session so it was all free!!)

Well, one of the main reasons for all those pictures is because I honestly don't think I've shared the whole proposal story with pictures before... and I'm too lazy to go searching for it. So this post turned into my proposal story. 

Anyways, I'm very upset about my broken ring and I hope we can get it fixed soon and cheap. 

THANKS FOR READING!!!