Our New Holiday: December 29th

We welcomed Kyle Reed McAfee into the world Thursday night. He arrived at 9:40pm weighing 8lb. 10oz. and measuring 21 inches. His official due date was Jan. 6th, but it appears he couldn't wait to meet us. We are so in love with our little man.

I started having contractions around lunch time on Thursday. Mind you I had a doctor's appointment at 11am that day and was dialated about 2 cm with no clue what would happen once leaving the office. I tried to lay down with Claire when she napped around 1:30, but kept having some pains. As with Claire, I was unsure that they were even contractions or that they were the real thing. Once they started, they happened about every 5 minutes, so I took that as a cue to finish packing our hospital bag and change the sheets for Aunt Mimi to stay, just in case.

Lucian started texting family to let them know, even though I said I'd rather wait. By maybe 3:00 or so, I was convinced this was it. At 4pm we called the hospital and they had us come in. I was around 5 or 6cm upon check-in and Lucian and I guessed we'd meet our little boy before 11pm.

One last bellly shot

Unfortunately, my Dr. was on vacation, but I was familiar with the Dr. on call. I wish they had called her in a little earlier, as I had to wait for her to arrive while I was ready to push. That was by far the hardest part. It was all worth it, however, as we met baby Kyle at 9:40pm.

He had Claire's familiar face (to me) but was a pound lighter and seems to have a smaller frame. I forget how small a newborn looks and feels. Even an eight pounder:)
We are learning his personality and soaking in this precious time. Claire loves being a big sister and has been an amazing help. She gives him kisses and hugs non-stop and is very attentive to her little bro. Here are a few photo highlights. I'm sure they'll be plenty more:)

Proud Dad

Spen is a pro at being a big bro. No surprise:)

Claire reading Kyle her I'm a Big Sister book

Proud Auntie. We are so grateful to Aunt Mimi for staying with Claire while we were at the hospital and bringing her to visit.

Meeting Nana Barb

And Papa Joe

The Countdown Begins

In the back of my mind, I've been focusing on making it until Christmas before baby boy McAfee arrives. There are plenty of things I need to get in order at work, some cleaning and furniture arranging at home, and general holiday preparations (gift buying and wrapping, baking, etc.). Oh, and choosing his name! We are still waffling. Realizing this weekend that Christmas is nearly here, I started to freak out a little.

Friday night I stayed up late wrapping all the gifts I had purchased. I was feeling pretty miserable and seriously wondered if this baby would make an appearance over the weekend. He did not. I finished gift shopping and wrapping last night, got my hair cut, got a pedicure (I need pretty toes to look at while in labor:) and I'm almost done packing my hospital bag. There is still cleaning and furniture arranging to take care of, but I suppose I could tell people what I want done while sitting cuddling our new baby at home. All in all, we are nearly ready.

Aside from the above, here's a few highlights from our weekend. Lucian participated in a bike ride called the Santa Rampage on Saturday. He and several hundred of his closest friends dressed like Santa and cycled around the city stopping at a few establishments for food and libations. A good time was had by all, although I think I put a slight damper on Lucian's time with planting the seed that baby may make an appearance this weekend. (I was feeling better Saturday and even better Sunday.) Sorry Lucian.


Aunt Mimi, my personal shopper, picked up a waffle iron for us on black Friday. We opened the box Sunday morning and enjoyed a great breakfast.

Claire chose whipped cream and chocolate chips for her toppings.

I went with syrup, powdered sugar, coconut flakes, butterscotch chips and whipped cream. Nothing fancy;)

After our breakfast feast, we headed to an ice rink to watch our friend Cait play hockey. There was also a speed skating event taking place, which was pretty cool to watch. We're lucky to have an Olympic training facility right in our backyard. Lucian used to opportunity to take a some cool photos.

Weekend Happenings

This post is a bit of a mish mash. Updates on all the things we've had going on. Two Saturdays ago Lucian, Spencer and Papa Dave drove to West Bend to pick up a swing set extended family offered us. Unfortunately, it had to be picked up on a rainy, cold Sat. in December. The guys were able to keep the majority of it in tact while transporting, so re-assembly went fairly smooth. We haven't had much time to enjoy it yet, but I'm sure it will be great come spring.

Thursday evening we headed to Spencer's winter band concert. Claire enjoys music and is now at a better age to sit through a performance. The music is also quite loud so she is drown out:) Spen participated as a member of big band (a before school "class" he is in) as well as a member of symphonic band. He's second from the end on the right in the photo below.

Here's a sample from the big band performance.


I had a Groupon I needed to spend at Whole Foods over the weekend. We planned dinner out on that side of town Saturday evening and headed to Whole Foods for dessert. They have gelato I am a big fan of. We picked up a few items and sat down in the café to enjoy. Claire also dove into the fruit she picked out in the store.

On Sunday, Aunt Mimi and I attended a cookie exchange at our cousin's about an hour away. We had to bring 8 dozen cookies to the party, and as you can see, left with that many as well. I'm grateful it motivated me to bake in a timely manner and now we have treats to enjoy and give away!

Lucian and Claire went to brunch with Santa while I attended the cookie party. Cousins Lucy, Lydia and Geremiah went as well. As you can see Claire kept her distance from the jolly man in red. We have been reading about him and watching Polar Express, so I thought maybe there was a chance she would interact. He even had M&Ms to give her, but it was a no go. I think we'll skip the trip to the mall for a photo this year.

Cousin Lydia had no qualms with Santa. She must have been good this year:)

Claire dancing near Santa

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

Last Sunday we ventured out to find a Christmas tree. Claire woke up with a stomach virus that morning, so we went to a nearby garden center and kept our trip short. I think we seriously contemplated 5 or less trees before choosing the one and heading home. We began decorating while she napped. Spencer did a great job stringing all the lights and everyone hung ornaments when Claire woke up.
We made sure to have our stockings out since St. Nick was coming on Monday night. It's really fun to interact with Claire this year explaining which stocking is hers and that Santa will come and bring presents. It's a very fun age to experience Christmas.

No More Nuk

I was feeling brave last Saturday and decided I would confront the task of officially weaning Claire from a pacifier. She was down to just nap and bedtime use, exclusively in her bed. Following a suggestion from her doctor, I cut the tip off so she could no longer use it. She had me look in her drawer for other ones, but they couldn't be found. (Little did she know, I was only brave enough to cut one, saving two working pacis without her knowledge.)

There was some crying, attempts to use the broken one and many extra books read to fall asleep. But once she fell asleep, she did great. Bedtime that night was better, just a few whimpers and requests to see the "broken one." Claire has suggested that we "fix it," "get batteries for it" and "get another one at the store." However, she has been without it all week and is doing just fine. We'll see how she feels about it when baby brother starts using one, but we'll deal with that as it comes. I'm very proud.