Welcome Kennedy Rachel Co

Will be a longer post and for good reason. You'll get to see the journey thus far with our little one. The narration of these images could go on and on but kept to a minimum. Kennedy is about to turn 6 months old, so it seemed right to revisit memory lane.

First Born

The joy of parenthood. Kim and I dove right in, wasting no time after our wedding in the same year. December came around quick as expected and we were able to welcome Kennedy into the world and to our families. There is no shortage of family time with parents, cousins, and doggies. We've greatly benefited and appreciate the help from our family throughout.

Meeting Everyone

Kennedy has made her rounds with our inner circles. Kim and I had the goal of staying social and being sure to bring Kennedy along. We always try to have others hold her so she can get comfortable - doesn't always seem to be the case though. Our friends are a big part of our lives so we want the same for Kennedy.

Trials and Tribulations

Kennedy like most babies has had her difficulties. Early on she had the dreaded colic behavior. That ends up being a viscous cycle of being unable to eat, which then she's unable to sleep because she wakes up hungry or for another reason unknown. She was at one point eating less than an ounce a feeding and would have to feed every hour. We had quite the setup for her with swaddle and pillow configuration to try to make it easier.

She also had no chance of sleeping in a bassinet for naps or at night time. We resorted to having her sleep on us, either in ergo or just skin to skin and on the bed in her own little "dog bed". For those wondering, the Snoo did NOT work for little girl. Here are some of those moments of exhaustion, late nights, and wild tactics to make it through. Personally, I always loved taking photos of her sleeping on us.

Also photoed both of our dogs had to go to vet in this stage (Benji in cone) and once stepped (claw mark on Kenny's forehead) on her head. Essentially are already taking care of a family of three kids with these two crazy fur children.

Also photoed doing a little sunning for her diaper rashes.

Blessings

Through it all, the blessings of our newest family member has outweighed any other emotions or life changes we've had to deal with. They say parents by nature subconsciously forget the early stages (mainly the tough times) in order to have the desire to reproduce again. So separately I've been documenting the good and the bad progressions week by week; like sleep regressions, how she starts eating a ton one week, and other milestones like solid foods etc. They're all memories we want to be able to look back on, one day even with Kennedy herself.

Life Lessons

• Your time becomes your kids, they'll rule your entire world after they're here.

• The roller coaster of life, going from defeat to bliss, only gets more extreme with a newborn.

• Constant worry and stress is inevitable. Coming to terms and dealing with it together with your partner is essential.

• Schedules worked really well for us and Kennedy. We're all creatures of habit, especially Kim and myself. Seems to be the case for our child at least for now.

• Sorting out life on top of care for a newborn takes time to figure out. Make the decisions that improve this, no regrets!

• I've loved documenting everything as it has helped organize ourselves, our thoughts, and navigate these times.