My Cabbage Patch Baby

Meet Katie and Brenda: 

Long before I became Mommy to Caleb, Hadley, and Reid, I mothered these smiley Cabbage Patch Kids. Above all the toys I had as a child, these babies always rated at the top of my list. Not just any doll drew my highest level of affection either; none were more special to me than those dimple-faced Cabbage Patches. 

Since I was constantly on the lookout in the doll aisle at Walmart or at yardsales to find another one to treasure, I had quite a large collection of babies with Xavier Roberts' signature scribbled across their bottoms. They weren't keepsake items to sit on a shelf and stare at either. These babies went with me all over the place! After all, they were my kids and I was their Mommy. 

Even within the pile of Cabbage Patches I owned though, there were ones I favored over others. "Susie," named after my mom's older sister, was my original favorite. She was bald with green eyes and a bean bag bottom. Anywhere I was going, that doll was coming too! Then, I got "Brenda," named after Mom's younger sister (Imagine that! What creativity!), who also had a bean bag bottom and quickly became another best-loved toy. Thankfully, I had attached to this new doll  and considered her a good back-up option, because one day Susie disappeared and was never found again. (Ok, I'll admit it. Secretly, I am still hoping she shows up somewhere!) From then on, Brenda was the new favorite and was usually not far out of my reach. 

Katie, the red-head in the picture above, was also a special doll because she was my original Cabbage Patch. On my first Christmas, Mom and my Aunt Debbie (my dad's sister) went on the hunt to find these dolls for my cousin Allison and me. The paid top dollar for these babies that were so coveted in 1984, but twenty nine years later I still have mine! 

Last year, when looking for some special toy to buy for Hadley on her first Christmas, I considered purchasing her a Cabbage Patch of her own, but my Grandma decided she wanted to take that idea after I mentioned it so I let her do it instead. As I looked online, I saw a few vintage looking ones that I thought might be another option as a unique first Christmas gift and even found one that looked very similar to Katie. After considering the idea a while though, I decided rather than buying an overpriced vintage edition doll that looked like Katie, I could actually give Hadley the exact same doll I received on my first Christmas thanks to my mom who saves everything! It just doesn't get much more special than that!

With my attachment to and love of Cabbage Patches, you can imagine my excitement in the early part of June when one of my church friends posted a link on Facebook with a picture of a toddler with a Cabbage Patch wig. I thought it was adorable and was immediately in love with it! As I read the article that described how these wigs had gone viral, I found out that they were actually crocheted hats that a woman had created and was now selling patterns for on Etsy. As a child of the 80s, how could I resist wanting one for my baby girl too!

Since I have no idea how to crochet, I began asking around to find out which family members did, searching for someone who might be able to make this hat for Hadley if I ordered the pattern. My mom knows how to crochet some, but I knew she probably wouldn't have the time to make one for us. As a result, I turned to Dave's family who is great for making handmade items. From cross-stitching to knitting to sewing, they've got skills! 

Thankfully, to my excitement, I found out that his Grandma Swan knew how to crochet and even more exciting that she was willing to make the wig for us. When we went to visit Dave's family in Illinois in the early part of August, we gave her the pattern and took some rough measurements of Hadley's head. 

Not long after we'd all gotten back from the trip, Grandma Swan had whipped up the hat and had it in the mail ready for Hadley to try on. Since she doesn't live nearby, the only way to try to get a good fit was to try to use the measurements we gave her and then do a test run with the finished product to see what adjustments needed to me made. Here is the first trial wig she mailed: 

How cute, right? As you can see, it was a little too short in the front and the back (plus it was somewhat loose) as a result of the measurements I took, but it still looked pretty good. Grandma Swan thought she might be able to make it a bit more precise though and decided to try again. Rather than sending it back to make the changes, Grandma decided to start again from scratch using the the pics as a guide and got right back to work making a new one with the necessary adjustments. Once again, she had it mailed out in a jiffy, and Hadley modeled the new product for us.

Perfect!

I could just eat her up!

Great job, Grandma Swan!

Does it get any cuter?

I don't know how she got it to fit so perfectly, but I guess Grandma Swan is just amazing! I am thrilled at how wonderful it turned out and am so excited to use it for Hadley's Halloween costume this year paired with one of my old dresses to give her that perfect 1980s look. 

Thanks so much, Grandma Swan!

Maternity Shots

Well, I missed "Throwback Thursday" this week on Facebook, so I'm going to start my own trend with a "Flashback Friday" post on McKinstry Moments. We won't really be flashing back all that far though, just four weeks ago to Marker Miller Orchards where my friend Shannon took some maternity shots for us in a pumpkin patch. I was so excited Reid was due in October because I thought this was the perfect backdrop for some keepsake photos! 

Despite our wiggly little ones, Shannon captured some pretty good impromptu family shots!

Cutie pie

On the hunt for the perfect pumpkin?

Hadley kept calling the pumpkins "apples."

No room on Mommy's lap for a pumpkin - only that rounded out baby bump. 

In love with this shot - Classic!

My cousin Addie had a photo taken like this at her maternity shoot and it was adorable. We tried to pull the same pose and came out looking a little goofy, but we had fun anyway!

Hadley just had to sneak her way into the picture to add some cuteness.

This one may be my favorite!

I love these three!

I had a bit of a hard time finding clothes for all of us because I had outgrown a lot of my maternity clothes this time and Dave's wardrobe is minimal since he hates to shop. Whenever I would find something for one of us, I couldn't seem to find coordinating outfits for the rest of us. It was quite an ordeal but I think I finally got us all semi-matching. Family pictures can be an ordeal!

It's hard to believe that this was a month ago and Reid has been out of the womb two weeks now! I'm so glad we took the time to take these photos while we waited on our new blessing.

Hospital Stay

The next few days after Reid's birth were spent trying to rest while we had some down time at the hospital before we were all reunited at home and things went back to their normal busyness. We took advantage of the stillness and alone time with our new son to cuddle and soak in those adorable features. He was uniquely his own person, but I also had this sense as I gazed at him that I'd seen this baby before. Dave also commented that he looked "familiar."

Mom thought he looked very much like Caleb, and through the mouth area, I had to agree. However, a lot of his expressions (as well as his long fingers and toes) looked more like Hadley. Through his eyes and forehead, I saw a lot of Dave, and he had a few of Dave's expressions too. Other times I looked at him and just saw Reid, a little person who was unlike any other. :)

One of the most unique things we noticed right away that set him apart was his cry. Not low and soft like I'd expect from a newborn, Reid had a high pitched squeal definitely unlike my other two. Dave started calling him a little pterodactyl, which was a very fitting nickname. Even at the pediatrician's office a few days later when Dave took him down the hall with the nurse to be weighed while I filled out the paperwork, I could hear his distinct cry all the way back in the examining room. While I doubted at first that it was him crying because it was so loud, sure enough it was our boy with the good lungs making himself known on his first visit to the doctor.

But, enough about my opinions! I'll give you a glance for yourself and let you decide who he looks like and what sets him apart. While my other posts lately have been more wordy than picture heavy, this one is getting back to my normal photo-crazed habits. So without further adieu, here is the abundance of newborn shots you've been waiting for! I'll try to start at the beginning.

First Bath: In the past the nurses have been pretty quick to clean-up my babies after delivery, but this time they relayed that new information is out about keeping the vernix on newborns for a few hours after birth because it's proven to be good for their skin. So, after waiting a bit, the tech finally came in to scrub Reid up, making him all pink and sweet smelling. Here are a few shots of his first bath, which he wasn't happy about as you can see, and the much more pleasant experience of warming up under the lamp afterward:

Meeting Grandma and Granddaddy Hockman: After such an eventful morning, we were able to keep resting the majority of the day, but as evening began to fall, my grandparents dropped by for a visit to see their new grandbaby. Reid wasn't feeling very social though and slept a good portion of the time they were there - so much so that I couldn't even get him to nurse. It had been a big day! But, even though he just snoozed in her arms, Grandma was content to snuggle this swaddled babe while Granddaddy looked on and talked away like normal. 

I love this one with a close up of my Grandma's hands holding my precious child.

Grandma and Granddaddy got the privilege of being there for Reid's first dirty diaper.
Daddy was the winner and got to do the clean-up. :) After all, the boys need these special bonding moments, right?

Fixed up and back in his great-grandma's arms

Day 2: The next day afforded a lot of opportunity for us to have one-on-one time with Reid before we got more visitors late that afternoon. I don't think it gets much sweeter than these pictures of Dave loving on his son:

Sweet fellas

Proud Papa

Eskimo kiss

We both just want to look at him forever! What a precious face!

You can just tell this man is a wonderful daddy!

Playing pat-a-cake

Dave was making up for lost time, of course, since he hadn't had the privilege of carrying this little one for the past nine months like I had. However, though I'd been blessed to feel his movements from within, this momma was still very eager for some more bonding time with my boy now that I could finally hold him in my arms and dote over his perfect miniature features.

More Visitors: Around 3 o'clock that afternoon, more grandparents and Reid's siblings came for a visit. Granny was the first one to get her hands on him.

I love her smile here.

Hadley and Caleb had been napping in the car with my dad for a bit at first, but when Hadley woke up, Dave brought her up to meet her little brother too. She grinned from ear to ear! The sweetest part though was the delicate kiss she placed right on top his head, and thankfully I caught it on video:

She loved Reid at first sight.

Just as all of us were, Granny was especially excited to see Caleb and Hadley's reactions to Reid. I was glad that she got to ride over with Mom and Dad to be a part of this introduction.

Checking out how small his toes are

That smile says it all!

For some reason, she was a bit grumpy at Mommy, who is usually her favorite person. I'm not sure if she was upset with me because Granny handed me the baby when she tried to get in my lap, if she thought I looked strange without a big belly, if the hospital bed threw her off, or if her Daddy getting her out of the car after being away from us a few days made her cling to him instead, but she was Daddy's girl that day and gave Mommy the cold shoulder.

She wasn't sure quite what to think when Reid let out his high pitch cries. The first time she heard him, she even made a pout lip and started to get upset herself. We weren't sure if she was empathizing or scared. 

After being reassured that all was well, she began to giggle at his fussing.

Finally, Dave went down to carry up our sleeping three-year-old, and Pop got his chance to meet his newest grandson.

Proud pair!

Caleb, who was still super tired, was not excited about being woken up to meet his brother. Despite Granny's best efforts to introduce them, Caleb kept trying to rest more instead. To be honest, he didn't want much to do with me either and clung to Pop and Daddy most of the time. The funny part though was that, after they left and went to Country Cookin' for supper, he told the waitress all about how they had gone to the hospital to see his brother, that his name was Reid, and that he had his own bed. He must have been more excited than his tired body revealed earlier.

There's a smirky smile.

NaNa, of course, got in more snuggling too! This smitten grandma just didn't get enough sweetness the day before.

Despite her excitement over Reid, she didn't forget about me either. What pretty flowers!

Photo Shoot: While we loved having a few visitors, the good thing about delivering 35 minutes from home, is that you don't have too much company, making it easy to recuperate and spend as much time as you want staring and snapping pictures of your beautiful bundle. The whole next morning, that's exactly what we did. Here are a few of my favorites:

Yay! I caught a sleepy smile.

After all those pics and a long morning waiting for the pediatrician to do the final check, it was finally time to put on that "coming home outfit" and snap a few more!

Heading Home: Though Reid had dropped some weight (coming in at about 7lbs even) and was a little jaundiced, they gave us the go ahead to head home, suggesting we make an appointment the next day with our pediatrician. How exciting!

It was finally time to strap that tiny person into his carseat and bring him home! Hooray!

The attending nurse even complimented Dave on his wonderful job securing our boy snugly in his carseat. (This isn't his first rodeo!)

Keep watching for photos and more details about Reid's first days and our new experiences adjusting to being a family of five.