Bed Time

So, we are getting settled in to our new home and to everyone living under one (one very small) roof.  Since staying at my parents house the past few months our bedtime routine suffered (Grandparents have a hard time listening to their grand-kids cry).  Seamus got in the routine of having someone lay down with him until he falls asleep, which with a second child and a husband who is working in the evening does not work.  He also has been and has always fought naps and fought sleep in general.   I am trying to get back into a routine and get a more normal bedtime for him. This has not been easy, sometimes he "naps" at 2:00 and doesn't wake up until 6:00 so putting him to bed at 7:30 becomes very challenging.  Other times he naps at 10:00am and is ready for bed at 6:00.  It doesn't seem to matter what time he goes to bed (even if its 10 at night) he wakes up between 5:30 and 6:30 (maybe 7:00 if I am lucky).

What are your bedtime routines/bedtimes.  Is there anything that you have found that really works?

Holiday Catch Up (and a BIG Birthday)

So, I have been offline for a while and now with the new year fast approaching I find myself trying to play a little catch up.

HALLOWEEN:

We attended our church's Trunk of Treat for Halloween and Seamus had a blast! He had just started walking and that evening he really took off. He was so excited to see everyone and make sure everyone saw him :)

Here are some pictures from that night:

I had every intention of making a very cute Charlie Brown costume for my little man's perfect Charlie Brown shaped head, but alas my mom found this skeleton outfit and when we put it on him we knew this was his costume and he ROCKED it :)

THANKSGIVING:

We went with some of Chad's family to the Hemlock Inn for Thanksgiving. The Inn is owned by his Grandfather and currently run by his Aunt and Uncle. We were married there (July will be 5 years WOW) and enjoy the time that we get to spend with wonderful family and good friends. The food at the Inn is AMAZING and Seamus enjoyed getting to try lots of new things.

Here are a few pictures from that trip:

CHRISTMAS:

OK, so I really haven't gone through any Christmas pictures yet so I will get those up at some point. We did our usual and traveled to both mine and Chad's parents houses on Christmas morning. We also all had dinner together on Christmas Day night (my parents, Chad's parents and two of his sisters and their families. It was a lot of fun to have everyone together and Seamus was worn out by the end of the day.

And now the BIG ONE:::

Shay's 1st BIRTHDAY:

Thankfully my college roommate came to visit and helped me get everything together for the party. The party was Robot themed with a lot of Toy Story also. I made a robot cake and a cake for Shay to have for himself. We had a great time and took a nice nap at the end of the day.

Here are pictures from the party:

So that should catch everything up through the end of the year. We are spending the New Year in our "new" basement, those pictures to come soon.

I am hoping to update at least once a week in 2011!! Happy New Year!!

Beach Days

Once again it has been more than a month since my last update.

And what a month it has been! Here is a quick recap:

Chad went to camp

Chad turned 31

Chad went to camp again

Seamus turned 7 months old (wow time flies)

My summer classes finally ended

We took our first trip to the beach with Shay

My new class started at work

While all of that may not seem like a lot considering Chad was gone for more than 1/2 of the month it was crazy! Now on to the real reason for this post:

Our First Family Beach Trip

My mom's side of the family has been going to the beach every year since 1989 and this was Shay's first year as a BeachNut :) We had a great time, Shay was a little scared about the waves, but he really liked the sand and his little baby pool. We had so much fun and can't wait to go back again next year!

Shay looking around his first time down on the beach.

Shay loved his baby pool. He really liked standing up but he learned that the water makes him slip and maybe standing up was not the best choice.

The aftermath. Shay got more than one face full of sand while we were at the beach. He didn't mind the sand so much but he did not like getting rinsed off with the cold water!

Since we were on vacation Dad and Grandpa decided to give Shay a little treat of Klondike bar. He loved it, but really who wouldn't!

We got to spend a lot of time together and there were smiles all day long!

Shay also got to spend sometime with his new Uncle Michael (my sister got married just before we all came to the beach) Shay enjoyed stealing his hat and wearing it!

Those are some highlights from our trip. I will leave you will a picture of the moon from our deck. The nights at the beach are so clam and this picture I think really captures that.

Independence Day

We had some friends come over a grill out on Saturday and then we went to watch fireworks at the Marietta Square! I hope everyone had a great 4th!!

Here are a few pictures from our day. Seamus got to meet a new friend! Baby Campbell, Campbell is almost 2 months old and his mom and I used to work together.

They were both a little tired from all the excitement of the day :)

We ended the night by taking in a nice fireworks show. Seamus woke up for the finale but snoozed through most of the rest.

**Sorry for the blurry cell phone pic!

6 Months! WOW

Seamus turned 6 months a couple weeks ago and it brought to my attention that I have been severely neglecting this blog. Summer has been so busy! I am taking 4 classes and Chad has been in and out of town. Two of my classes are online so that after finishing up work for those the last thing I want to do it be on the computer!

That said, I promise here in the next few weeks that I am going to start posting at least once a week and get finished revamping everything so that anyone out there reading has something to enjoy!

Here is what we found out at the doctor:

Height: 28.4inches (97th percentile)

Weight: 20lbs 10oz (90th percentile)

We have one BIG BOY on our hands!

He is crawling all over the place we can't seem to keep him contained! He also love to pull up on anything he can, although some things are not a secure as he thinks they are. We already have lots of bruises, it makes me a little sad when I see one and I have no idea how or when it could have happened. He also LOVES to eat and chew on anything, and at times anyone.

He finally has a tooth, although he won't really let us see it I sure do get to feel it A LOT!

Seamus has also stared Day Care three days a week. He seems to like it alright and luckily for me I am right down the hall so I can just think of it as dropping him off to play with his friends :) I get to see him at lunch and feed him if he has not already eaten. We are so blessed to be able to send him to such a great place with such great teachers who work there.

There has been so much going on and I will try over the next few days to bring everything up to date! Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!!

5 Months and Growing

My Sweet Little Baby Boy :)

Seamus turned 5 months old on Saturday and I cannot believe how fast he is growing up!

Everyday is a new adventure as he explores the world around him.

He loves to go on walks and watch the trees and animals pass by outside.

He loves to watch Trixi (Grandma and Grandpa's Pomeranian).

He loves his newly found toes and feet.

He loves getting on all fours and trying to crawl (getting closer everyday).

He lights up our lives each and everyday.

This weekend Chad was out of town on a retreat for middle schoolers.

Seamus and I had the weekend to ourselves so we cleaned up and organized and then went to Grandma and Grandpa's house. While Grandpa played with Seamus I helped my mom and sister make key chains that they sell and donate a portion to relay for life. After several hours of trimming and sewing we decided to take Seamus on a little walk and then go to the local Mexican restaurant. We had a nice dinner and Seamus enjoyed some people watching while we were eating dinner. After dinner Seamus and I headed home and got ready for bed.

After a great nights sleep (he usually sleeps for 8-10 hours) we got up and had some breakfast.

Then YAY! Daddy got home from his retreat and we were so excited to see him. I love the way that Seamus' little face lights up when he sees his daddy and hears his voice. Words cannot describe the joy that I feel when I see the two of them together.

Life is so wonderful right now. God is so good! We are so thankful for all that we have and for our wonderful little family!

4 months Old

This is a little late :) Seamus turned 4 months old on April 15th and we went to the doctor for his 4 month check up on the 20th. He is getting so big!

Here are his 4 month stats:

Height: 26 1/2 inches (95th percentile)

Weight: 16 pounds 9 ounces (90th percentile)

We realized that he has already outgrown his Graco infant carrier. Luckily we another carrier that he

can still fit in as well as a convertible car seat. I really don't understand why they would make an infant carrier that

is only for infants up to 26 inches. I mean aren't most babies longer than 26 inches before they turn 1 year old and can be

turned around in their car seats. It just seems silly. Luckily the Graco car seat was a hand me down from one of Chad's sisters,

and we have the larger infant carrier that we received from the baby shower. So when it comes to registering/buying things the next time

around we will be sure to check the weight and height restrictions of whatever we buy. I would recommend to anyone that is expecting to

check the limits and go to the store and try out the strollers and look at everything before you register or buy anything.

OK, that was my little rant, now back to Seamus...

The doctor said that everything looked good he is a big boy and growing the way he should be.

He keeps doing new things everyday, he is still sleeping on his tummy, and sleeping SO much better than when he was on his back.

He is really trying to scoot on his tummy and reach his toys when they are just out of his reach. He also has the sweetest little giggle and loves to smile, laugh and flirt with everybody.

The weather has been so great lately we have been trying to get some walks in since Seamus loves to be outside and feel the breeze. I am so excited to take him to the beach this summer!

Here are some recent pictures:

On Friday we took a little family stroll and Seamus wore his shades since the sun was so bright! He is the coolest kid around!!

On Saturday we took a family outing to the grocery store and Seamus had his first experience sitting up in the shopping cart. He loved it, and this will make our lives so much easier for him to just sit in the cart!!

Sleepy Time

Recently Seamus has started sleeping between 6-8 hours at night. Every now and then he will still wake up about 3:00am or 4:00am. So I decided to try him sleeping on his tummy, he loves it! He loves to rub his little face on the sheets and nuzzle his little nose to get comfy. It has made such a difference in his sleep! Not only in the length of time that he sleeps but he also seems so much happier during the day, he it not only sleeping longer but he is getting better sleep since he is comfy. Now I know that a lot of people would gasp at the fact that my 4 month old is sleeping on his tummy and not on his back like American Academy of Pediatrics recommends. But they don't know my baby he is so strong and he can roll over (from tummy yo back) he has been trying so hard lately to roll from his back to his tummy and he is almost there just not quite yet. Just think about it... how do you sleep? I sleep on my stomach and when I try to sleep on my back it's just not as comfortable and I don't sleep as well. What do you think? How do you and your baby sleep?

Dinner Time

We started giving Seamus rice cereal about a week or so ago and he has really taken to it! I was feeding him the other day and we had to break out the video camera because he had lots to say during dinner!

I was very hesitant to start the rice cereal since everything I read said that you should wait until 4 months to start. There are too many reasons why the "experts" say you should wait and not enough to tell you what to do if your baby needs more food! I spoke with someone I work with who sees the same pediatrician we do and she told me as long as your baby has doubled their birth weight then you are good to start stage one foods. Seamus has always had very good head control so I knew that it would be no problem getting him to start using a spoon and sitting up a bit more. He wanting so much to eat during the day that I knew I needed to start giving him something that would stay in his belly :) Needless to say he enjoys his cereal and is a much happier little boy now that his belly can stay full!!

If you are questioning whether or not to start solids, ignore the internet, ask your doctor and go with your instinct. The Gerber website still tells me that Seamus is not ready for solids, and that the milestones he has hit (being a supported sitter) are not typical for his age (just over 3 months) and that I need to call them for assistance to find the right milestone group for him (the only one lower is newborn).

Through all of this I have learned that all babies are different, do not let a website tell you that your child cannot have reached the milestones that he has because of his age.

Crusin'

At one of my baby showers we received an awesome car activity walker. We have started putting Seamus in it every now and then and he LOVES it!

Seamus has discovered that he can bounce and use his feet to push the wheels and move around the room. He loves sitting up in it and looking around at us, the TV and anything else he can see.

He is one cool dude sitting in his little hot rod!

His smile just warms my HEART every time I see it!

He has developed the sweetest belly laugh and my little boy is quite the little flirt!

He looks at people, smiles and then turns and buries his sweet little face!

Oh so happy!

Snow Day

This past week I realized that I haven't posted in over a month...OOPS!!

On Tuesday we got to come home early from work and got to take some pictures of Seamus in the snow. They were all pretty similar, but this is my favorite!! I promise I will update more from now on!

Gowing Up

My little man seems to be growing so fast! It seems like just yesterday I saw him for the very first time, and now I find myself almost 6 weeks later looking at him with the same wonder as those first moments. He has changed so much over the past 6 weeks and it amazes me every day. He has started smiling and cooing and it warms my heart every time I see his smile and hear him coo. I put him in his Bumpo seat for the first time yesterday and he sat up and just looked around at the world in wonder. There is such innocence when you look at a child and see the wonder that they are and the amazement as they discover new parts of the world. I never really understood my parents when I heard them say how fast we grew up...I completely understand now. It is truly amazing to see Seamus grow up before my eyes.

The love that I feel for this little boy is indescribable. I see him and think about the wonderful gift that God gave us in Jesus. How blessed we are! He gave the life of His Son so that our sins would be forgiven. And Mary...right after I had Seamus Chad's oldest sister came to visit and we had a talk about Mary (she has 2 boys of her own). We talked about Mary and how she gave birth to Jesus knowing he would die for our sins...How!! The faith that she had is amazing! I see my son and cannot even imagine it. The gift of Jesus Christ is one that we should be thankful for all year and not only during the holiday time. I am happy to be raising a son and a child of God.

We will raise Seamus is a home where he will know everyday the gift of Jesus Christ.

Seamus Knox 1 Month

Last week Chad and I went to our friend Jennifer's house and she took some pictures of Seamus for us. They turned out AMAZING. We are so thankful to have such talented friends who are willing to take pictures of our sweet little boy. He is already growing so fast and we want to capture as many moments during this time as we can. I have about 2 and a half weeks left until I return to work... My classes have already started so I am getting slowly used to being away from Seamus for little bits a few days a week. I am hoping that we can get a little more of a schedule down before I start back to work. I have been letting Seamus take the lead up to this point and it stays the same most days. He will have one long sleep time at night (somewhere between 5 and 6 hours) which is great...if it didn't start at 8:00 at night :) We are hoping to move this time up to about 10:00 so that we get some more sleep along with him. He makes the cutest noises and faces!! We are so in love and it only keeps getting better!

Here are some of the pictures:

Lack of Sleep

WOW!! Who knew such a tiny person could make such changes in your life. We are working on a schedule...not only for Seamus but for mom and dad as well!! Chad and I try to share the nightly responsibilities and that helps both of us get more sleep. Our sleep deprivation could be blamed on me since I really like to have him sleep in my arms during the day and at night he wants the same treatment. When he wakes up at night I may sigh and not really want to get up but then I see his little face and it makes me SO HAPPY!! I never thought that I could give so much love to something so little but he gets all that and more! I am so thankful for both of my boys and I am so in love!

One of the few times I put him down during the day :)

My little Angel!