Out for a stroll - another hat from my stash!

Blah, blah, blah...

I don't have too much to report...just some random thoughts.

Time is flying - I can't believe my maternity leave is over in 5 weeks...I'm not complaining because I know I have it pretty good, but I'm definitely starting to feel a bit sad about it coming to an end! I received an e-mail from a friend today that was an essay by Anna Quidlen and it really resonated with me today. It's really long, so I won't include it and I can't find the original source...but I've done the google search for you. Check it out (just click on the first link)...it's a great one! Thanks, Megs!

A couple things spoke to me...first - I don't want to spend these next 5 weeks being sad about having to go back to work - I really want to "live in the moment" the next 5 weeks and forever. The second is about how all the books can't tell you how to raise your child - you need to trust your instincts and your child to show you the way! This has been SO true for us - well me! I've probably read too many books and googled too many things because I wanted to do everything perfect when in reality all the information was just overwhelming and stressing me out! Once I put the books down and stopped relying on the internet to show me the way...it all just seemed to work out! So...my boy is going to wake up soon and I want to get some pictures up here for you all to see. Enjoy!

Our dear friends, Mel and Macen were in town for a visit a couple of weeks ago. Macen was so cute with Kellen. She had her feelings a bit hurt at first when baby Kellen wouldn't say "hi" back to her. In no time, they were the best of friends! My favorite was hearing her sweet little voice saying "hi mister" to Kellen (we call him mister a lot and she picked up on that quickly!)! We can't wait to see them again! Note to self...never slouch in that position again - not a good look and not good for the body image!!

Some of Kellen's favorite times are on the changing table...sometimes we hang for awhile and just play! I thought that second picture was pretty funny!

Kellen has a basket full hats and Aaron pulled this one out the other day - we just cracked up! So cute...

Okay...the boy is still not awake, so here are some more random thoughts...

1. I'm dying for something sweet - a burgerville chocolate hazelnut milkshake (thanks for reminding me that they are in season, jamie!), a coconut creme st. cupcake, a little piece of dark chocolate...I can't wait until April 7th!

2. I am in major need of a good concealer. These middle of the night feedings have created major bags under the eyes. Anyone know of a good one?

3. We're signing the boy up for swim lessons starting at the beginning of April - i can't think of anything worse than getting in a swimsuit right now. ugh...but i know he'll love it, so it'll be great!

4. GO DUCKS!!

...and there's my boy...so with that I say goodbye!

Rolling Over Part 2

Breaking news...the boy is now rolling over from his back to his tummy! Yes, these are the things we get super excited about in our household. Here's the video proof:


It's just so amazing (at least to us!) how much he's changed in these few months. I weighed him today at the Baby and Me group - he's now tipping the scales at 14 lbs 2 oz! I think he's around 24 inches long. It's pretty funny because he gets weighed and measured each time we go to the doctor (and we've been 7 times already in his short life!) and his length has gone from 21 inches to 23 inches to 24.5 inches back to 23 inches...meaning it's near impossible to accurately measure a squirmy baby or else he's shrinking!

okay - I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow. I'm off to bed and hoping that the boy might decide to get a long sleep tonight!

Check out my shades!

It was sunny on our run today so mom put these on me. I didn't love them so much!

First Run With The Boy...

We went for about 40 min and who knows how far...certainly not as far as I would have liked but I guess when you haven't really ran for about six months and you've had a baby any amount should be good! It's just a far cry from my marathon in october 06! The thing is back in November when Kellen was still four weeks from joining us I thought it would be a good idea to sign up for a half marathon in May...so here I am 2 months from that race and nowhere near in shape enough to run a half. But I have 8 weeks so I'll give it my best! The boy liked it! I think he was lulled to sleep by my huffing and puffing!

Kellen's Room

I thought I'd post some pics of Kellen's room for all to see - Grandma Jan just brought us a ceramic wall hanging of his name that she made for him - it's SO cool! I wouldn't say that we were going for any specific theme in his room - just wanted it bright and cheery. Most of the pictures we found on Etsy. There are so many great things to be found there! We scored on the three animal pictures above his crib - those we won in a drawing at Good Night Room!! Far and away the best purchase in my mind was the chair - it reclines, rocks and swivels! We spend a ton of time in that chair between nursing, reading books and just talking. Early on we spent a few nights trying to sleep in that chair and we've also taken plenty of naps there, too! Kellen's favorite place is the changing table! It's amazing how happy he is lying on that table! He smiles, laughs and thinks it's party time on the changing table.

Public Declaration and Challenge

Here it is...our household is giving up sugar for a month - starting today March 6th. This means sugary sweets (chocolate, ice cream, cookies, etc.), not everything with sugar in it - that would be near impossible I think! Anyone care to join??

I love these boys!!

1 Down - ? To Go...

Not sure if anyone is still with us...we were wiped out with the cold/flu bug for about 11 days! They say that within the first year of a baby's life they will acquire between 6 - 10 colds. Well, after what we've been through, I don't know that I can handle another!!! It's been a tough week and a half, but we made it (knock on wood)! Kellen and I both came down with the same cold last Wednesday and Aaron just caught a bit of it. He seems to be faring a bit better than we did. It's heartbreaking seeing your baby get sick - Aa and I both agreed that if we could, we would physically suck the snot out of his nose so he could breathe better - yes, we mean stick our mouths to his nose and suck it out. It didn't get to that extreme, but that is what I call true love! We did figure out rather quickly how to use the snot sucker - it helps to use it along the saline nose spray. Our boy HATED both - we had to hold him down and that was just not fun! I found myself constantly trying to sterilize everything he touched - pacifiers, toys, burp clothes, etc. In my sterilizing frenzy, I tried to sterilize the snot sucker in these cool Medela Quick Clean Microwave bags I have and here is what I ended up with:

We also had to figure out taking the temperature in the butt - that was awfully fun. Last Saturday was the peak of the illness - the boy had a 101.6 degree temp and we found ourselves on the phone with the doctor. So stressful, but the doctor walked us through everything and we were able to get the fever down quickly with a little tylenol.

In other news...the boy is getting so big. Everyday we notice new things that he can do - he's now grabbing and holding onto his toys. They all go right into his mouth (hence my sterilizing frenzy during the sickness!).

Here are some pictures:

1 week old/12 weeks old:

1 week old:

12 weeks old:

Someone's checking out his toes!