Introducing Kennedy Lee born February 2nd, 2019. Which by now makes her nearly five months old! I’ve been soaking up little Kennedy with her chubby cheeks, sweet disposition and endless snuggles (let me tell you, the girl likes to be held). But I’ve decided that it’s finally time to break out of my baby bubble and at least share these photos from Kennedy’s newborn session and also give you a little life update!

Kennedy was born on Groundhog Day at 11:13 pm after I had been induced that morning.  It was a bit strange to know that if my contractions didn’t start on their own, that our baby girl would be here on her scheduled induction date.  Our son had arrived three weeks early, so in my mind going the full forty weeks seemed like I was already past due! During the weeks leading up to her due date, I kept having intense Braxton Hicks contractions and made a number of unplanned visits and late night calls to my OB, but they were all false alarms.  Apparently Kennedy was pretty comfortable and in no rush to make her debut.  During those final weeks of pregnancy, I packed my hospital bag daily and carted it back and forth to work, in case I went into labor in my office or somewhere in between.  Being perhaps overly prepared, and waiting on Kennedy to arrive was an experience so different from when my water broke with my son at 37 weeks.  When we ran around the house like chickens with our heads cut off, grabbing a random assortment of items while rushing out the door to deliver.  First time parents! LOL

So on the date of her induction, a Saturday morning, we headed to a local favorite, Snooze, for a quick breakfast before checking in to the hospital.  In true pregnancy fashion, I ordered a plate full of bacon, a bowl of fresh fruit, and my usual iced vanilla latte.  Cravings, or just a solid excuse to order a la carte!?  It was a slow and calm day waiting for the Pitocin to escalate.  Thankfully my bag of water was still intact and acted as a cushion while things progressed, so I couldn’t feel the severity of the contractions.  During our time in the hospital, we grew to love our nurse Katie, ate Potbelly sandwiches for lunch and watched a terrible, yet strangely captivating movie starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron.  That evening, I got an epidural, pushed a total of 9 times (crazy, I know!), and our girl was born!  The doctor joked that we delivered her hair at 11:11 and a beautiful baby girl at 11:13.  Kennedy weighed in at 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 20.5 inches of cuteness.

I feel very lucky that I had such a calm and easy delivery with Kennedy, and as well with Carter.  Lucky that both of my babies are healthy.  It’s truly such a blessing.

 

The sweet and talented Jennifer Oman took these photos on Valentine’s Day when Kennedy was 2 weeks old.  Jen also did my maternity photos when I was pregnant with Carter, as well as his newborn photos, which I’ve treasured for the past three years.  Can family photos be considered a love language?!  Because if so that’s totally mine.  Family photos are my thing.

I had my heart set on fresh peonies in Kennedy’s photos which were not easy to find mid-February when they are not in season.  Again luck was on my side and the florist I used at work just happened to have some spare stems in the warehouse which she gifted me.  Such serendipity and I just love how they turned out!

Along with welcoming Kennedy into the world, we’ve made some pretty monumental changes over the past five months. We sold the spa that we opened five years ago, the day before our daughter was born. And I resigned my position in commercial real estate to be a stay at home mom! It’s a little crazy, but Scott and I aren’t currently working and are enjoying a lot of quality time with our children before we dive into opening our next business venture… whatever that may be.

This year our lives have been turned upside down, in the best ways possible. Although my new bosses may be a bit bipolar ;), they’re a lot cuter and I am so incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to stay home with my children. Family first.
XO,
Libby