Almost 4 months

12-19-1986

Well, I changed your milk to soy-bean formula the other day.  Your nose kept running and you started to vomit, so I thought it was best just to change it.

Your babysitter quit babysitting, so I have to bring you over to Woodward now.  I have a lady named Simpson taking care of you now for 1.25 an hour. 

You finally roll over and love playing with your toys.   You also love watching TV, you spend a couple of hours a day watching it.

My thoughts:  I think 1.25 an hour is ridiculous low, but then again I have no idea what a normal babysitter goes for (all I know is that I would expect more).

Also… my mom has always told me that I never wanted to watch TV until I was 5 years old.  (apparently she has been lying to my for the last 23 years) 

Almost 3 months

11-15-1986

Your babysitter husband, Mike, dies at the end of October. He loved you very much. Everyday when I went to pick you up, he would be there in his chair holding you and talking to you.

You are really on a schedule now; you take 2 naps day and sleep all night.
You smile whenever anyone talks to you and you can hold a rattle all by yourself.

1 ½ months

10-9-1986

I go back to work tomorrow.
You finally slept all night last night. Yeah!!!
I moved you into the big baby bed 2 nights ago and you seem to be doing just fine.
You have been smiling a lot lately and you have started to make a lot of noise. You are growing so fast.

9-30-1986

Today, I took my 2nd post office exam. Hopefully by the time you realize that mommy works I will be working at the post office, instead of at Woodward. I go back to work in one week. I have been off now for 2 months; it seems just like yesterday that I started maternity leave. Time does go by fast.
A few more months it will be Christmas.

You go to the doctor tomorrow for your 1st appointment. You sleep about 7 hours a night, no more, sometimes less. If you do get up you drink a little milk, then usually you go right back to sleep.
I bet you weigh at least 10 pounds now. You have a very pretty smile and one dimple on you left side.
You poop once a day around 8 to 9 pm, you won’t go to sleep until you do. And you get very fussy until you get done.
Your Godparents, Dave and Lori, got you a $50 saving bond for your baptism.

Month Old

9-23-1986

Well, you are a month old today. Your sleep 6 ½ hours a night now, no more. You are awake most of the day and you hate to sleep on your stomach. As a matter of fact it takes me about 3 hours to get you to go to sleep in the night.

I received more gifts this time with you than I did with Kaci. I think Kaci was born to close to Christmas time, and people just couldn’t afford it.

I have about 2 weeks from work off yet. I don’t know whether I should go back early or just stay off and enjoy it.
I’m not doing very well at losing my weight and I go back to the Doctor in one week. I got a feeling he won’t be happy.

Jace and Gina had a baby girl on the 21st. They named her Whitney Nicole; she weighed 6 pds 2 oz, and was 19 inches long. She makes my Mom and Dad’s ninth grandchild. She was born the same day you were baptized.

9-17-1986

I just got back from a baby shower for Gina. Your Uncle Jace and her got married on 9-9-86. She received a lot of nice gifts.

You are almost a month old, and you haven’t started to sleep all night yet. The most I get out of you is 5 ½ hours. I am hoping you will start sleeping all night, before I go back to work on 10-10-86.
You are going to be baptized this Sunday 9-21, and we are going to have diner here afterwards to celebrate.
The food: 1 pound of baked beans, 1 pd of potato salad, 1 pd of 5-cup salad, and 1 pd of 7 layer salad is going to cost about $51. I wonder how much it will cost by the time you are 18. Plus I need to buy a ham, beans and a relish tray.

My thoughts: I’m past the age of 18 now and I really have no idea how much any of this would cost. But I do know if I was having a party I would probably make all this stuff (or one of my sisters would).

10 days old

9-2-1986

You lost your cord today, but your belly button is not healed. I am going to keep a close eye on you tonight ad tomorrow, we might have to make a trip to the Doctor.
You went to visit Grandma Nixon house yesterday. Aunt Jane fed you twice, while you were there. She is good with babies.

Today Ricky and Kassie started school, so it was just Kaci, you and I all day.


I cleaned the house and that is about all I got done today. I have a lot of weight to lose, so I have to start doing exercises. It will take me a long time to lose it all.

5 days old

8-28-1986

Well, you are home. You got up yesterday morning at 5 am and didn’t go back to sleep until 9 am. Today you got up at 5 am, and it is now 6:30am and you are still not sleeping.
Tomorrow you are going to the babysitter because I have to go to Des Moines to get Kassie and Ricky’s uniforms for school.
You came home from the hospital weighing 8 pds 5 oz, almost the same as when you were born. The doctor said this was unusual, because most babies lose 10% f their birth weight after they are born.

During the day, you are excellent, I wake up every 4 hours, you eat and then you go back to sleep, just like clockwork.
You don’t like being woke up, if it is not feeding time. And if you are woke up, you don’t go back to sleep until after your next feeding time.
You are a really sweet baby and you are really cute. Ricky, Kassie, and Kaci think you are just great. Ricky always wants to hold you.
I’m going to have you Dad put the swing together tonight. I think you are ready and old enough to start swinging. It will be a lot easier to put you to sleep.

8-25-1986

Your dad didn’t make it up tonight, we had car trouble. Hopefully it will get fixed tonight, so he will be able to come and get us tomorrow.
With the other kids I stayed in the hospital about 6 days, now a days they want you out in 2 ½ days.
I was really depressed when you dad couldn’t make it up, yesterday he was only able to come for abut 30 minutes.
Two friends from work, Julie and Betty, came up today and visited me. Aunt Amy also came.

Your Aunt Melinda is coming home with us tomorrow and staying until Wednesday afternoon. Kaci is staying at the babysitters until Wednesday.
I am hoping people will wait until next week to come and visit, so I can get the house rearranged. You are a very good baby, you don’t cry much and you eat really well.

The 9th annual Town and Country days were this weekend in Perry.

8-24-1986

Well, Kelsey Jane you were born yesterday 8-23-1986; at 6:42 pm, you weighed 8lbs 5 ½ ounces, and you were 21 inches long.
Your dad played in a mud volleyball game on the 23rd from 3pm to 4pm.
We then went home and dad took the kids to Uncle Tom’s house and at about 4:45 we took my sister Melinda home and came to the hospital.
The contractions were coming about 2 to 3 minutes apart all the way to Des Moines. When we got here, I stopped downstairs and went to the bathroom; I lost a lot of blood in the toilet.

When I got up to the room it was 5:50 pm. They said I was in-between 5 and 6 centimeters dilated. They called the doctor right away, since I was moving so fast.
Doctor Sager was out of town, so Doctor Vallone delivered you.

When I was 8 centimeters dilated, they moved me down to the delivery room. I couldn’t believe how fast things were going; I started crying because I was so happy.
You were my only baby I didn’t get a spinal with and I delivered you all on my own.
When the water broke, it was a bad color, so they called in a baby specialist right away, in case something was wrong with you.

They wrapped blankets around you as soon as you were born, they didn’t even look to see what sex you were for at least 5 minutes. They were cleaning out your nose and mouth. To be honest, I didn’t even know if you were breathing when you were born. I’m going to ask the doctor about it tomorrow.
You were put under special care as soon as you were born. I didn’t get to see you again, until the morning at 9:30 am.

You are really cute, I think you look a lot like what Kassie looked like when she was born.
The nurse said you are a really big finger sucker. When you had a sonogram done in May, you were also sucking your fingers. We might have to use a pacifier on you when you get home.

Doctor

8-21-1986

Went to the doctor today, your heartbeat was 154 and I measured 39 weeks pregnant. Doctor said I was a good “3” centimeters dilated. He told me he was going away for the weekend, so for me to take it easy until Monday.

He took it real easy when he checked me. Told me when I went to the hospital to tell them that they baby has been breech, so they know.
Your Aunt Amy told me that my name is not registered to give birth at Mercy. Someone forgot to give me the forms; they are going to mail them to me. I’ll probably bet the forms to the hospital.

I know with Kassie I was 4 and 5 centimeters dilated when I got to the hospital.

Official Due Date

8-17-1986

Well, today is your official due date ad I think you are going to miss it. It is now 10:00 o’clock and you haven’t come yet.
I started losing some white mucus stuff today. This is the first time I have loss some with you. With Kassie I lost about the same amount about 10 days before she was born. I hope you plan on being born earlier then that.

We got back from eating at your Aunt Lori and Uncle Dave’s house. Kaci fell asleep in about two seconds after we put her to bed. She has hay fever, and this is a bad time of the year for her.
Your cousin Andrew is about 2 ½ weeks old, he still looks pretty small.

At times I have been really sore. These past two weeks you have been really struggling to get out. I think you will be a fast labor, like Kassie was (about 3 hours)

3 days left?

8-14-1986

3 days left. I went to the doctor today. He said I probably would go another week. Maybe, maybe not, it depends on how easy I take it. He took it really easy when he checked me, so he wouldn’t disturb me to much.

Your heart rate was 163 today and I measured 38 weeks pregnant.
Your dad is going to the dog races Saturday, so hopefully you will wait until after that to

Still Waiting

8-7-1986

Your heart rate was 154, so it sounds like you are a girl, 10 days left to go. You are not positioned right and my cervix is still closed. The doctor won’t know until I go until labor whether your head is in the right position or not. He said that my body has been so stretched that you just move around as much as you please, and that you might never settle down to be born.

I measured 36 weeks pregnant, which is normal; you always drop a couple of weeks right before birth. My weight has been around 192, with Kaci I got all the way up to 210.

Andrew

8-4-1986

Your Aunt Lori had a baby boy on 7-30-86. He was named Andrew Joseph and weighed around 6 lbs 15 oz.

I have been loosing just a little amount of fluids, not really as much as I lost with the rest of the kids at this time. We have 13 days left until your due date. I will bet money you will be born a couple days either way.
Your heart rate was 153 at the last doctor appointment. The doctor said he thought you were going to be a girl.

I have my suitcase packed, film in the camera, and bills paid so I am already to go. I have been doing a lot of housecleaning, getting rid of a lot of stuff.
I haven’t been able to sleep very good at nights. The most I sleep is two hours at a time. I still have a cough, but it is not nearly as bad as it was the last time I wrote in here.

Waiting

7-30-1986

Well today your aunt Lori is supposed to have her baby. They are going to induce labor. I started maternity leave today; we have 18 days left until your due date.
I have been having trouble sleeping at night.
I have also had bronchitis for the past two weeks; I think I’m finally getting over it.
I got my suitcase packed and ready to go to the hospital, whenever you’re ready.
Your dad has been on vacation these past two weeks. He hasn’t got much done though.

First Entry (apparently) = Longest Entry

7-19-1986

I bought this book to write stuff in that won’t fit in your baby book. I’m keeping one of these books for each one of you kids, I hope to give them to each of you when you are older.
You are to be born around August 17. You have an older brother, Rick who will be 9-Sept. 28, and two older sisters, Kassie who will be 6-Oct. 1 and Kaci Jo who will be 3-Nov. 11. Rick was born a day early, Kassie two days late and Kaci Jo was born right on her due date. So chances are you will be born between Aug. 15-20, are pretty good. Your dad works at Weise, he has been there 13 years, and I work at Woodward State School and have been there for 15 years.
If you are a boy your name will be Adam Jacob “AJ”, if you are a girl your name will be Kelsey Jane.

I had one really bad scare with you since I was pregnant. I had taken Ricky to a wrestling tournament in Emmestbury and I started bleeding. I thought for sure I was going to lose you. Someone must have been watching out for me, though.
After I stayed in bed for 3 days, the bleeding stopped. The rest of my pregnancy has been really good. I get tired faster, but I am also older this time. Your dad is a really good father; he takes your brother and sisters everywhere. He plays ball with them and everything else. You are a lucky kid to have such a father.

Your brother Ricky is a very active person, Kassie is shy and never causes any trouble. Your sister Kaci is still in the terrible twos. I think you will be an active child also, I have never carried a child as active as you. You move all the time and you are so strong, you actually hurt me when you kick.

Your aunt Lori was due July 13, and she hasn’t had her baby yet. She had the same number of kids as I do and in the same order; boy, girl, girl, so I am waiting to see what she has, so I will see what I am suppose to have.

My last doctor appt was this past Thursday. I was 35 weeks pregnant and measure 37 weeks pregnant. This whole pregnancy I have measured bigger then what I am suppose to. But I think the reason behind it, is because you will probably weigh between 8 and 9 pounds. All 3 of your brother and sisters have weighed in-between 8 lbs 15 oz to 9 lbs 1 ½ oz. Your heart rate was 160, which is supposed to mean you will be a boy. But then, who knows. It’s probably just an old wise tale. Everybody at work is taking guesses on what you will be. I think it is running about 80% girl. I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks, then after that I will be going every week. I started working just 6 hour days at work. My body just couldn’t take 8 hours anymore.