7 Weeks

My little boy is becoming not so little. Happy 7 Weeks baby boy!!!

Easter 2011

Happy Easter to you all. We just got home from a great (quick) weekend in Twin Falls where we spent Easter with Grandma Judy. We went down on Saturday after having our Boise & Idaho Falls family members over for an early Easter brunch. Once we arrived in Twin, Drew and I left the baby (that's right, you heard me) and grabbed an ice cream and rented a movie for us all to watch. Even though we were gone only 30 minutes, it was the first 30 minutes that Drew and I have had to ourselves since Keegan was born. It was nice to walk through the store just holding Drew's hand and being a couple- thanks Grandma for the break.

We got up on Sunday morning to discover that the Easter Bunny had found us all the way in Twin Falls. And boy did he (she) spoil us. We all got goodies and I can't wait to wear my new flip flops, and we'll help Keegan use his beach toys soon. We got everybody ready and headed to church. It was certainly nice to see all our favorite Ascension folks and to be in that familiar place. After church we hurried off to join my mom and her boyfriend and his kids for Easter brunch. It was a lovely afternoon. After our drive home, Keegan enjoyed his nightly bath and Drew and I are recovering while watching Wall-E on the tv. All in all, a wonderful first holiday for my new little family. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday!!

Family Pictures

When I was young, I remember asking my parents if we could have professional family pictures taken. I love taking pictures. At Christmas time, I loved getting everyone's cards with their beautiful pictures of their beautiful families- I wanted cards like that. Unfortunately, the only pictures we ever had taken as a family were by Olan Mills for our church directory, and lets face it, those pictures were never great. The summer before my senior year of high school, I was finally able to convince my parents to take family pictures at the same time I got my senior pictures taken. It was awesome!! We had so much fun and we got some really nice shots out of it. But by the time we would get our next family picture, it was years later at my wedding, and by then, our family dynamics had changed. In my whole life, I have one nice family picture of the four Thoms. I will keep that picture forever, but will remember that it represents a time in my life that doesn't exist anymore. In my adult life, I want to capture as many family moments as I can, so that I can have several family pictures to look back on, before any family dynamic has the chance to change.

When we had Keegan's newborn pictures taken, I asked our photographer if she would snap some shots of us all, and I'm so glad she did. I look forward to all the family pictures we have in store for us during our lives, and to the people who will find their way into our pictures as our family grows. I have the most beautiful family, and I'll take every opportunity I have to show them off! I hope you enjoy these!!

Our New Routine

In our desperate quest to get rid of Keegan's colic, we've been trying anything we could think of to make him more comfortable. Drew's mom suggested we try putting him on the dryer and turning it on. Between the vibrations and the heat, she thought it might calm him down. Well, as you can see, it REALLY calmed him down. He was asleep almost immediately. We've been doing this every night for three nights now and have no intention of stopping yet. Isn't he just adorable!!

Bedtime

In hopes of getting a little more sleep at night, Drew and I have started a new bedtime routine with Keegan. As of right now, we give him a bath (which he LOVES) jammies, nurse him, swaddle him (the newest piece of the routine) and read three books. By the time this process is over, we can usually lay him in his porta crib and he'll sleep. Being in the porta crib is also a new things- he's been in it for the last three nights and it's great. No more sleeping in bouncers or swings in the middle of our room. Tonight, we read to Mercer Mayer books, some of Drew's fav. The last book we read was "I'll Love You Forever". I hadn't read this book in years, and I may not be able to read it often. I wasn't to the bottom of the first page when I started crying. I literally wept throughout the entire story. I even believe (though can not confirm) that I saw Drew wipe away a tear towards the end. What a wonderful testiment of a mother's unconditional, never-ending love for her child- something I didn't grasp until five weeks ago. I am so blessed to have this wonderful little man in my life, and am so grateful that he chose me to be his Mama.

Spring Cleaning

With all the "chilling" that Keegan and I have been doing, our house was starting to show it's wear. I know folks say that the housekeeping can wait when you have a new baby, but it couldn't wait any longer. So I brought in special forces from far away lands and asked my mom to come up from Twin Falls to help me. My mom is one of the best organizers I knwo. Every summer when Melissa and I would go to church camp, we would come home and my mom would have bought us new bedroom furniture, organized our rooms and put all our clothes away. I knew she would be the best for the job of helping me today. She got here last night and we got going on our projects this morning. We got the whole house cleaned (vacuumed, dusted, glass, bathrooms, mopping) as well as getting the fridge cleaned out, the appliance pantry organized, the linen closet sorted, and the drawers in Keegan's room re-organized with size 3 month clothing (already?). I also had time for a nap in the early afternoon while Grnadma Judy entertained the baby. To finish off the day, my mom made a casserole of fridge leftovers and I got to get some of Easter decorations out to enjoy. By the time the day was done, we were all tuckered out, not to mention the cute wee one. Thanks mom for all your help- I literally couldn't have done it without you!!!

Daddy Time

Drew came home from work yesterday and laid down with Keegan for a few minutes. They were so cute I couldn't resist getting some pictures. I'm gonna make every penny of super expensive camera completely worth it!!!

Our First Toy

This morning I joined a friend of mine form my pre-natal aerobics class at a First Time Mommies group. We talked about our babies playing on their tummies and sleeping on their backs. Each mom there shared about their baby having "tummy time" and how their baby will get tired and bored of being in their swings too long. I realized that other than being on my chest and with Drew, Keegan hasn't had ANY tummy time. I felt awful. All the other babies in the class were hanging out on their bellies and here was Keegan, chillin' on his back. I immediately flipped him over onto his stomach to see what he would do. He was ok with it- just kinda laid there- didn't scream, and he seemed to enjoy it.

We came home and I decided to try some more play time. I didn't do tummy time, but I got out a playmate that Grandma Marla got for Keegan before most people even knew we were pregnant. I put it together and Keegan had a lot of fun. He was able to reach the little toys that rattled and crinkled and moved around. I definitely think we'll start spending more time with this playmate. Thanks Gma Marla!!!!!

4 Weeks vs. 1 Month

As of today, Keegan is four weeks old. But his one month birthday isn't until this Thursday, April 7th. So what am I suppose to say when someone asks how old he is? "Oh, he's four weeks, but he'll be one month in a few days." That's just crazy talk! But anyways. Keegan is certainly growing. He's probably put on another few pounds and is getting longer every week. We had to buy new jammies yesterday for him that are 3 month size. I'll miss the cute clothes he has now, but I'm excited for the cute clothes he'll be wearing soon. He's able to follow me around the room with his eyes, which is awesome. I can start talking to him as I walk in the room and he starts looking for me- I love it! He's getting really good about holding his up, and is even starting to put weight on his legs when we hold him up. I can tell he wants to sleep longer at night, but we're all still working on making that happen. Right now, we have about two good nights and then a not so good night- but I'm sure that will change as soon as we get use to that routine. I mostly feel like I'm getting back to normal. I enjoy sleeping on my stomach again, and being able to see my legs when I shave them. I'm still in my maternity jeans, which I'm not happy about, but I know that will change soon. I have another two weeks before I can get back to working out, so for now, I try to remain patient. I look forward to regular water aerobics, and running again, and simply being able to walk faster than I am. It will all come in time. Oh, little one is waking from morning nap........MUST......HOLD.....CUTE.....BABY!!!

Somebunny Loves You

We had some more pictures taken this last Saturday morning, more of which will follow, but here's the ones we have already. Drew is embarassed for Keegan, but of course as the mom, I LOVE THEM!!! I promise, more pictures to come!