Tiny fingers and toes

These photos were taken on the first day of his life!

So I have decided the worst thing about raising Keagan is trimming those fingernails and toenails.  I will take sleepless nights, screaming right in my ear, or having the sprinkler (or worse yet the disposal system) go off when not covered rather than trap those little fingers for a nail trim.  We both hate the prospect of nail trimming.  Now to my defense, Keagan has his dad's fingers and I just don't know how to trim them.  I keep my nails very short so they are easier to clean since I have a job where I need to wash my hands alot!  The one time I trimmed Jeff's nails, he whimpered about me trimming them too short.  Jeff always has his nails longer than mine and I think it has to do with how our nail beds are shaped.  So, when I go to trim Keagan's nails I always worry that I am trimming them too short.  He fusses about his nails being trimmed, but I think it is just keeping those fingers quiet for 5 minutes that drives him nuts.  Those hands are always active right now...grabbing toys, my hair...anything he can get his hands on is fair game as far as he is concerned.  Every day is a learning experience for both of us.  I never thought this would be the worst thing I would have to overcome. The books don't prepare you for real life... I wonder what is next!

Maybe we should have tried for a water birth

 

Look at the mohawk mom made!

Maybe we should have tried for a water birth as I think my son is half fish.  He LOVES the water.  There are so many uses for bath time here at the house.  First and most importantly we take emergency baths to cool down.  It has been in the 90's here this summer and there is nothing like a bath to reset the hot baby :)  Then, even if it's ok temp-wise, a bath  calms the fussy baby.  When Keagan gets in the water, its all smiles and play time.  He kicks and splashes so hard that we loose half of the water.  But we don't live in California any more, so he can use as much water as he wants!  I can't wait until we start swimming lessons!

Skype please

We love to Skype to keep in contact with our family so far away.  Keagan loves to hear Grandma Diane, Great Grandma Charline and Grandpa Roger's voices on the computer.  He seems to know when he is doing a performance and hams it up.  He chews on his pony on the activity mat, plays with his pig/kitty on the exersaucer and does his little dances with his feet.  It is so much fun to share his growth and development with others as we don't have any family that lives close by. Not to mention showing off my latest bargains from garage sales.  If anyone would like to Skype with us, just let us know by emailing me.  We would love to visit.  Right now though, it is well past due time for a nap so out to the car we go. 

When did I sign up for boot camp?

I am not sure when I signed up to carry a 15lb weight around all day.  My muscles feel like they are growing everyday as Keagan keeps nursing and gaining weight like a heavy weight champ.  Here is a recap of his growth so far. It is hard to believe that we worried right after he was born because he lost a lot of weight in the first 3 days.  It is amazing what milk can do:)

Birth: 7 lbs 1 oz; 21"
2 weeks: 7 lbs 12 oz
1 month: 9 lbs 4 oz
2 months: 12 lbs 4 oz; 23"
3 months: 15lbs

So with the quick growth by Keagan, I don't feel as if I have been given adequate time for my muscles to develop the strength needed to keep up with my growing boy.  And it isn't just me....even Jeff has a hard time lugging the car seat with Keagan in it!  My morning walks with the Baby Bjorn are getting increasingly more difficult.  I would like to think it is the high temps that are making me so sweaty, but really the 15 lbs of dead weight (because he loves to sleep in the carrier) is what is making me work.  Don't get me wrong.  I love having a boy with a healthy appetite.  But don't be surprised if the next time you see both Jeff and I we may look like we have been body building....I wish!  Somehow all the heavy lifting has not resulted in buff biceps yet.  We can only hope!

A recap of 3 months of growth



6 days old

2.5 weeks old

2.5 weeks old

6 weeks old

2 months old

3 months old

The lilly pad is getting too small!

Here is Keagan practicing his tummy time on his lily pad. 

My baby prision is getting smaller

3 days old

10 days old

2 months old

3 months old

Keagan and Kermit

My parents took pictures of me with a Kermit when I was an infant.  I decided to carry on this tradition and got Keagan his own Kermit.  Above are pictures from 1,2 and 3 months of age

Sleep is the nectar of the Gods!

I have decided to start a blog to record my memories of raising Keagan.  It seems like a fun way to keep everyone up to date without boring everyone with the same stories over and over again each time I talk to my family and friends.  So I have decided to choose SLEEP as my first topic to tackle.  I didn't realize how sleep deprived I would get being a mother.  I thought I was prepared with being an equine vet and getting called out in the middle of the night for many nights in a row, while still needing to see all of my appointments during the day.  I thought being a mom with no job to attend during the day while I am on maternity leave would be a piece of cake.  Saving lives all night long is easy in comparasion to nursing your child every 2-3 hours all day long for weeks on end.  Luckily Keagan started sleeping 6-8 hours a night consistantly when he was a little more than 6 weeks old.  I think reading him the Happiest Baby on the Block (a book on how to get your kid to sleep) must have worked as he is the happiest baby on the block...or at least the happiest baby on 5 acres since we don't really have blocks out here in the countryside!  We have hauled him to Yellowstone and out to Wisconsin on 2 seperate trips this summer and he didn't mind where we slept.  Transitioning him to the crib in his own room didn't even bother him when we got home at the begining of August.  But for the last 2 nights he has woken up in the middle of the night a few times as he is a horrible napper and has gone to bed about 6-7 pm. So today I have had to fuel up on lots of caffine as I wasn't able to get enough nectar (aka sleep) for the last 2 nights.  And we are working hard on naps today...if all else fails putting him in the baby carrier (Baby Bjorn) and vaccuming always does the trick for us.  Happy sleep to everyone out there:)

 

Here is Keagan on May 12, 2011 only hours after he was born.  We were so excited for him to be awake for the pictures.  Little did we know we would soon be wishing for sleep!

The sleep collage...otherwise known as the first month of sleep!

Grandma Diane is a master at getting him to sleep
May 20th

Grandpa Roger (the master napper) is teaching Keagan how to nap anywhere.
May 16 (4 days old)

Sleeping with mom May 20th

Dad makes a good pillow May 18th

Don't wake me up !!! May 18th

Sleeping the day away June 5th

We know he is asleep when those arms are above the head
June 11th

Sleeping baby May 22nd

Sleeping in his birthday suit...plus a diaper
June 25th

Sleeping with my "sister" Princess

We will take sleep anyway we can get it!

Here is an example of how we will take sleep anyway we can get it.  Although I never fully sleep with him on me, it is a nice rest.  I love our morning cuddle time.