Kerstin's Blog

Ughh, I hate this time of year.  We loose an hour of sleep and when I go to bed at 6:30pm it is still light out.  I know that most normal people LOVE Day Light Saving time, but lets be honest, with my hours and lifestyle, I am anything but normal.  Don’t forget to turn those clocks before you go to be Saturday night.  It actually happens at 2 am Sunday morning.  I will likely be awake with Georgia at that point.

She has decided to regress a bit. She is up a few times a night now instead of just once . Dan has had to go out of town for work a lot lately so when he is gone I do the middle of the night feedings. It  has been easier for me just to grab her and breast-feed her in bed with me and then we both fall alseep.  But, that wont fly for long term. I don’t want to get in the habit of having her in bed.  It makes it so much harder to get her to sleep in her crib when Dan comes home.  The other night she woke up at 2 ready to play.  She was so dang cute, cooing and kicking, I found myself laughing in my delirium. Then I had to hand her over to my mother in law as I headed to work.  Grace had already gotten up and was sleeping with Gigi.  Now she had a baby in each hand. That woman is a saint.  She always said she wanted to be close and help us, but after a few long weekends of getting up at 3am and starting her day with 2 infants, I am expecting her and The Dude to move to Florida as soon as they possibly can!

Day Light Saving will impact them as well, the girls go to bed early,  6pm, so I am going to need to get some black out curtains for their room, so it isn’t bright as day when they are put down.

Good news, Spring starts in one week!  This is the last week of winter and it looks like Saturday will be our last winter storm. 80’s on the way!

A very happy birthday to Gianna Suter, 10 News This Morning Traffic Reporter.  She has been such an amazing addition to our team in the last year, but unfortunately she is leaving us next month.  Her young family lives up north and with this economy, the plan to have them move here just didn’t work out.  So, she is headed out. I am sooo happy for her since I am a big believer in family first, but I am heartbroken that my dear friend is leaving. Take a minute to wish her well.  She will be missed.

Your reply’s to last weeks blog entry about Chelsea King have been so touching.  Sometimes I wonder if what people say is true, that the media “makes” the news.  But, in this case I truly believe our community is driving the coverage of this story.  I haven’t heard from one person who hasn’t been impacted by the King story.  It seems everyone wants to see and know more, and that is why it is being so heavily covered by us here at channel 10 and,indeed, nation wide media.

Now another sad Monday. The body of Amber Dubois found near Pala.  Watching the Oscar pre-show the breaking news came on and I stood there with my mouth open,covered by my hand, in shock, but somehow, not at all shocked that her body had been found.

I only pray that this gives that family closure, and perhaps the person responsible is already behind bars.

What have we learned from these two tragedies?  I can’t tell you how many people have told me they have now been to Megan’s Law Web Site to see where offenders are in their neighborhoods.  This has also sparked so many conversations with parents and their children which, in itself, is a way to keep our kids safe.  Of course, those conversations in my house have  led to Dan and me wanting to just put microchips in our daughters so we can always keep tabs on them but something tells me that would be a human rights violation .

I just pray some good can come out of all of this tragedy.  Hug your children, tell them you love them and be thankful for every day.

kerst

This morning is a sad one for all of us at ABC 10, and it would seem, all of San Diego, as we learn of the body  found, believed to be Chelsea King.

People always say that once you have kids your reaction to stories that involve kids changes.  I always thought of myself as a very sensitive person, but now that I have two baby girls my sensitivity has truly intensified.

I was a reporter for years before I did weather,

and I remember being off camera getting emotional while covering truly horrific events, now I am doing the same thing in studio and from my own home as I watch the Chelsea King story unfold.

It impacts me on many levels, 1st as a mom to 2 girls.

I hold them at night, wash their faces, change their diapers, and I think Chelsea’s mom,  Kelly King, did this same things with Chelsea when she was a baby.  16 years ago Kelly couldn’t imaging this happening to her baby.  I become physically ill thinking of anyone hurting these children.  It is such a physical reaction, like a punch in the stomach.  I don’t know how I would be able to go on if something like this happened to one of my girls. I would hope that I could rely on my faith, and I know God never gives us more than we can handle, but how do you recover from a violent act commited on your child?

2nd This story also effects me because I am a runner.

Chelsea went running in daylight, in a “good area,” with no distractions like an i-pod. I would consider myself a strong woman, but if she couldn’t save herself would I be able to?  I walk to my car at 3am every morning (though my hubby comes with me) and that is scary enough.  Now I have to worry about running in broad day light? There are just so many questions with this story. How did the runner from Colorado allegedly fight off John Gardner, but Chelsea could not?  Is there a connection to Amber Dubois? I try to see the good in everything and believe that the Lord has a reason for even tragic events (read The Shack if you want to dive deeper into the subject of bad things happening to good people.) Did this happen so that we would find out what happened to Amber Dubois?

When I was 1st married I used to make myself sick with worry when my husband would go away on business.

I was convinced his plane would crash or he’d get in a car accident.  I have gotten over that ( though I still worry when he is away) but now I have that same sense of fear when it comes to the babies.

The thought of them in pain, scared, hurt, is unbearable.  I guess it’s true what they say, things do change when you become a mom.  That has to be why there were hundreds of parents out there searching for Chelsea. This could happen to anyone of us, and all we can do is pray for, and support, the Kings as they go through this living hell.

Okay, I know we need it. I know it’s good for our drought (which by the way is still at Level 2,)  but, could we get to spring already?  February is usually our wettest month and this year is shaping up to be no exception.  The problem is, when you have babies, your sanity usually depends on getting them in that stroller and outside!

When everyone is loosing their minds, I put G & G in the BOB ( and put P & G on their leashes,)  and we hit the town.  Everyone calms down and mom gets her vitamin D.

That is MY mom with Grace out during a break from the rain.

But, when it rains on and off for 5 days, getting out isn’t possible, and that makes our household a little cranky.

So what can you do?  Well, we’ve done the Big Bear trip, thats always nice when its stormy, since snow is more fun than rain.  Closer to home, Target is always a good place to go when it rains.  Any parent knows you can spend hours and way too much money in a Target.  Church works for us as well, that’s inside. Why not just stay for all 5 services, plus free child care!!!   Honestly, what we do is hunker down and watch movies, eat way too much, nap a ton and wait for a break in the rain.  When it does clear we get out as quick as we can.

Enjoy the stormy weather. It will be over next week. Hey, why not send me your ideas.  What do you do when its raining and you have kids!

We were driving home from a warm day at the zoo Valentines Sunday and had to turn on the air for our little girls.  I though, wow, this is so far the warmest day of Georgia’s little life.  Funny.

We kept the babies cool though.  We had them in their BOB, had them in hats and kept them in the shade.

They are a bit young to enjoy the zoo, but we had fun with our friends two year old daughter.  Plus it was a nice way to celebrate Valentines day with my hubby.

It was a gorgeous day to spend outside.  I need to start thinking about shorts once again and that kind of makes me cringe.  We put Grace in her bathing suit when she got home. What a beauty she is!

It was so warm in fact that we broke a record at the Wild Animal Park. It was 88 degrees, that shattered the previous record set in 1991. Im loving it!  Wish it would stick with us, but it looks like we will be back to rain by Sunday.

If you are new to the blog, go back to the beginning and you can read all about how Grace Isabella came into our lives.  Her birth mom and birth dad are different than her Mommy and Daddy, and different than her sister Georgia’s birth mom and birth dad.

We are in contact with Grace’s birth parents and this was an open adoption so Grace will always understand she is adopted.  This is something we think is a blessed part of her life and we want her to be proud of where she comes from and how she came to be ours.  Right now people see the two girls and ask if they are twins and then I explain that they are 5 months apart and Grace is adopted. However; I am getting concerned about what will happen a few years from now when she can understand what I am saying. It is by no means bad to be adopted but I know that being different can be a bad thing to a child.  I don’t want her to feel different. But, how do I explain two kids 5 months apart?

Sick Day

I got quite I’ll Sunday and Monday, I must have eaten something bad.  I think it was the soup that I made.  I just need to remember NOT to cook.  Anyway, I was in bed all day Sunday and I was hit by how impossible it is to be sick when you have kids.  My poor husband was stuck with two rowdy girls and I couldn’t even lift my head to help. I think my body is going through a bit of shock getting used to working full time and taking care of babies full time.

Speaking of work, we’ve heard your concerns that the blog will go away, and as of now it will stay  But, it will go through a transformation.  It’s no longer a maternity blog, and I want to be sure I give you, not only a glimpse at my crazy life, but also weather related info.  So, if you have any requests on what you want to see me write about please let me know.  I am also looking for new title suggestions.  Keep those comments coming.  Don’t forget to tune in 4:30-7am to ABC 10 for your most accurate San Diego forecast. – Kerstin

Thank you all so much for the wonderful emails and comments over the last 8 months!  It has been such a joy to share this life changing experience with you.  You have matched my candor and honesty with your own, and your words of encoragement and advice have been invaluable.

I am back to work now, maternity leave (twice in one year) behind me.  I was really dreading the return, not because I don’t like the job, but because my heart hurts when I am away from my girls (and my husband, I really got used to being around him all day long.)  The good news is ABC 10 keeps me SOOOO crazy busy that I don’t have much time to miss my babies.

I bit the bullet and went shopping for some new, bigger clothse.  The good news is they are already getting baggy, so the baby weight is still coming off.  I joined the gym down the street from ABC 10 so I have no excuse to work out, and I have become a pro at pumping all day long so that my chubby little babies don’t go hungry while mom is at work.

The girls have been adjusting well.  We have my mother in law with us all week, and a wonderful “daddy’s helper” 4 hours a day.  She is AMAZING.  The babies love her and she helps clean non stop which makes me so happy because it allows me to just spend time with the girls when I get home instead of spending hours cleaning. We have alot of help right now,here is a picture of Grace’s God Mother trying out the 2 baby juggle.

The best moment of the day is when I walk in the door and both girls light up.

It’s more subtle with Georgia but Grace is the most animated child.

We are getting into a routine at night where the girls and I go to sleep at the same time, sometime between 6 and 7.  Grace is sleeping through the night now and Georgia is only up once, which my wonderful husband takes care of.  They are both in the same room now in their matching mini cribs.

Yes, we have a very small 2 bedroom home, but we have made it work. Its cozy and intimate and we love it.

Keep those comments coming and don’t forget to watch me in action every morning from 4:30-7 and then again 11-12 on ABC 10.

That’s me, the queen of multi-tasking.  Ive got Georgia in the Baby K’Tan and Grace is being fed in her Bumbo seat.  I get a bit of a thrill out of being able to do 25 things at once.  I like to have both babies hanging off of me and be cleaning the house and blogging at the same time.  Danny, not so much.  He is more of a one thing at a time guy.  He is such a great jungle gym for Grace and he is amazing taking care of the girls. He doesn’t get caught up in making sure everything is picked up and in place, he just hangs with the babies and gives them his full attention.  He is amazing. But, I know if I come home from a full day of work and the house is a disaster and my first born is still in her P.J’s I will not be a happy mom.

So, we have spent the last week or so trying to find a “Daddy’s Helper.”  Were bringing someone in for a few hours each day to be extra hands.  Dan is now working from  home full time and traveling a bit, so this new addition to our family will let Dan get some work done and hopefully help keep the girls happy AND get the house picked up as well.  This will prevent me from loosing my mind when I get home, and as they say…”a happy wife is a happy life.”

Dan and I got to have a date night last week and I really wanted to do something different then our usual dinner and movie.  What I really wanted to do was go somewhere and sleep but that wasn’t really an option so I spent some time looking for a couples massage or something relaxing like that.  Massages were so expensive but in my Google search I came across Happy Buddah Foot Reflexology.  It looked very relaxing and it was relatively cheap, plus I figured, that way, we could still talk on our date.  It was AMAZING!  All the reviews in Yelp are right.  It was one of the most relaxing, energizing things I have ever had done.  Plus it was a fun adventure with my husband.  When we drove up it looked kind of shady, funny musak was playing, there was a big screen TV with Animal Planet from 1992 with Chinese sub titles.  Yet, despite the funny surroundings, It was honestly one of the best dates ever.  I will admit, I did miss my baby girls.  It is so hard to be away from them, but it is so important to give my other “baby,” my husband, the attention and love he needs and deserves.  Its so easy  to forget about your relationship when you are building new relationships with babies.