The Haughey Family Blog

Love, Love, Love

2012-02-14T18:50:00.001-04:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

So many pictures of my little ones, and this one is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE without a doubt. I always see this in my rearview mirror and even on the dreariest of days, it makes me smile. At a stoplight the other day, I decided to play paparazzi and stuck my phone/camera in the backseat, and I luckily ended up with this shot. I love it and will always cherish it!

(If you're not sure, Keegan's hand towards the bottom holding Tatum's hand in her carseat, with her upside-down paci that Keegan put in her mouth for her)

Favorite Things of Right Now

2012-02-13T14:37:00.003-04:00

I just love the age that both kids are at right now and I don't want to forget the little things. So I thought I'd make a list of my favorite current things about my two little loves.

Keegan, at almost five, is turning into such a neat boy. I hate to say it, but he's not a baby anymore, not even a toddler, but a boy. And he is allllllll boy.

I love the way he loves. He has such a big heart and we are so lucky to see it every single day. He loves us, his family, his friends, his teachers.

His imagination has really blossomed this past year. During "quiet" time, as we like to call it, although it is everything but quiet, it is so fun to listen to him playing, talking, imagining. I may not understand all the boyish stuff, but it sure is neat to listen to and I love the way his little brain is working!

I love the way his vocabulary is growing! I will catch him saying words that I didn't even know he knew and is sounding like such a grown up.

"Wow, that smells awful!" (While talking about Tatum's diaper)

And sometimes he wants to use a word, but chooses the wrong one, which makes it very cute. "That would make me feel very annoyed!"

"Why would you be annoyed Keegan?"

"That's not what I said, I said that would make me embarrassed!"

He's such a little man!

I love when he finally decides to share details of his day with us. If we ask him, it's like pulling teeth to get something out of him. But if we let him tell us when he wants to, he doesn't stop. We love hearing about his friends at school and the games he plays with them.

Keegan can be the craziest little boy at home with us, but I still get raving reviews from his teachers at school, so I know he knows how to behave when he is not with us. That makes me happy. And although he wears me out (a lot), I love how full of energy he is! Oh, if only I could go nonstop from 8 am until 8 pm...

Although he is almost five, he still loves his mama! After talking about something that he didn't want to do, I asked him, "Keegan, what would you rather be doing?"

"Playing at home with you, Mommy!"

I do love this, and know I won't be hearing that for much longer. Boo Kindergarten registration in a week :(

Keegan loves to help me, and has really taken to the big brother role. He wants to change Tatum's diapers (as long as they aren't ones with poop!), he helps her in the bathtub, he helps me if she is crying. The other day I found him over her bassinet (where she was sleeping, emphasis on was), with her smiling and cooing at him. She loves him, plain and simple. As we all do so very much.

Keegan LOVES to talk, but mainly only when he initiates it. He will go on and on and on...and on. Love listening to his little stories! If he doesn't like something, he will let me know. "Mommy, this is borrrrrrrin'!"

I think I was afraid I would jinx myself if I said it before now, but Tatum is one happy happy baby! She wakes up happy, she goes to sleep happy. She is one smiley baby!

The only time she gets fussy is right before she wants to eat. She gets very hungry, almost frantic, and the second she knows she is about to eat, she begins to do this excited laugh. It seriously makes me smile every time. I asked Ryan if he hears it in the middle of the night, because what a wonderful sound to wake up to, if you have to be woken up!

When she does smile and giggle, her whole body shows it. Almost every picture I have of her smiling is a little blurry, because she doesn't just smile with her mouth, she smiles with her entire body. Love.

She just loves her play mat and will lay there hitting the toys and smiling at her Octopus friend. Of course, she hits the toys with her left hand. I wouldn't think she would do anything like mommy...

Tatum LOVES sleeping in her carseat! During the day this is where she will sleep the best, if we are out and about. Take her out, she'll wake up within minutes. She has been sleeping so much better for us at night, going sometimes 6 hours in her crib! Yay Tatum!

Tatum just loves the Baby Bjorn. Yesterday, I found Ryan vacuuming and Tater fast asleep in it! This was a first. Usually she is kicking those legs, so excited to be seeing the world like us!

Tatum has begun loving to sing, just like her mommy! I'm just hoping she can hold a tune a little better! She will sing right along with me when I sing to her. This past weekend at church she loved the singing and was joining in there as well. I could listen to this beautiful sound for hours.

Tater Tot loves to chat, already such a girl! Her little nostrils flare, she works that tongue, and coos like crazy. Some of her favorite sounds right now are gooooo, grrrrr, owwwww. Again, I could talk with her all day long!

I told the kids last night at the dinner table, my heart is so full right now with love for them I can hardly stand it! I never knew this kind of love before I had my family, and now I can't imagine life any differently. My heart may be just a little thing inside my body, but man, does it feel huge! What a perfect time to celebrate Valentine's Day, the perfect time to love!

We've Got a Laugher!

2012-02-05T13:02:00.003-04:00

She may not sleep through the night yet...

...and she may like to eat 'round the clock...

...but we've been so blessed with one happy little girl!

Today, she began laughing, and it was the sweetest little sound. She is so happy.

She loves to look at us, see how we talk, watch when we smile, and I knew soon enough, if I laughed enough, she would be joining in.

Oh, we're having so much fun with these two little ones!

I wish I could freeze time right now and keep them both little.

We have one handsome four-year-old who is the funniest little dude I've ever met, who makes me laugh non-stop, and who loves his little sister more than anything.

And a beautiful little two-month-old, who is just perfect in our eyes, who loves her family and whose smile lights up a room.

How I wish they both could keep this simple, happy life forever.

"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is"

Jedi Master Yoda

Super Bowl Excitement!

2012-02-04T10:02:00.004-04:00

It has been so much fun to have the Super Bowl in Indianapolis this week. We have been lucky enough to all get to experience it, and let me say I think it was something we all will never forget.

Kris was kind enough to get me and her tickets for Media Day (and actually told me about it the day I had Tatum!), so we headed downtown on Tuesday.

SO not a Tom Brady fan, but still had to get a pic. He was a tough one to listen to getting interviewed. We were given a radio for our ear, and could tune in to whoever we wanted to listen to. It was a toss up between him and Belichick...I think this is when we just went out and got in line for an autograph from Donald Brown :)

We were right at the start of the line, so didn't have a bad wait at all.

Then we headed back in to see Eli with the Giants. Eli was so much easier to listen to, and actually pretty entertaining! Of course, everyone from Indy is cheering for him!

After Media Day we headed outside to Super Bowl Village! It was a beautiful day and we were so excited to take in everything there was to offer!

On Wednesday, Ryan, Keegan, and my dad had their turn! They were ready to have some fun at the NFL Experience!

Ryan said that Keegan had such a wonderful time! All morning before they left he kept talking about how he was going to the football "game" and had to practice his football!

They got to see Adam Vinatieri! (In the white shirt)

And one of the most exciting parts of the evening...

the boys were front and center on the news!!! This video may be hard to see them, but they are for the most part to the left of the man talking. Keegan has on the blue jersey, Ryan is behind him holding him with a hat on. Dad is even more to the left, kind of hiding behind someone. SO EXCITING! Keegan loves watching the video and gets a big grin on his face every time. It's something we will always love to have!

We've been so lucky to live near such a wonderful city!

Two Months Old!

2012-02-01T21:12:00.000-04:00

Two months! Our little lady has been a blessing in our life for two months! We are having so much fun!

Keegan: "I just don't want them to hurt my sister."

Tatum got three shots today, as well as some nasty thing she had to drink. It broke my heart, but she took everything like a champ and only cried for about 10 seconds. Big brother was very supportive and hated hearing her cry. He's been preparing for this day for about 9 months, and I am not kidding at all :)

Baby's Weight: 13 pounds 14 ounces (95th percentile)
Baby's Height: 23 1/4 (75th percentile)
What size of clothing does baby wear? 0-3 months, or just 3 months fits a little better
Any milestones baby reached during the month: Hitting things with her hands. We went out and bought a new activity mat last week because she was so interested in swatting at things. She loves it! She also has an almost-laugh. She will get smiling, and you can feel it in her stomach. She wants to laugh, just not 100% there yet. She also has begun to nap in her crib and sleep there for a few hours before Ryan goes to bed at night. Not mentioning any names (Mommy) but someone isn't quite ready to move her out of her bassinet at night yet. I just love having her close to me. I know we need to do it soon, though.
Special outings baby had during the month: Tatum actually got out of the house much more this month! Yay!!! I figured since she already had bronchitis, hopefully it can't get much worse. Hopefully! We took the little lady to church with us all month, and she behaved so well! She went to Recreation Unlimited, one of Keegan's very favorite places, to let big brother run off some winter energy. Miss Tatum also had another trip to Target. What are your thoughts about the past month? This past month was exciting, as Tatum has grown so much and seems to have gained a lot of weight, which means I am doing my job in keeping her fed :) She coos, smiles, and kicks those little legs and we just love this age!
What was baby's routine? Tatum doesn't really have much of a routine yet. She sleeps. Eats a lot. But is doing SO much better at night. Last night she slept from about 10:45 until after 4! Of course, I was wide awake for a good couple of hours, wondering when she was going to wake up and eat. I was so proud of her for sleeping so long!
Reflect about the highlights of the month: One highlight was once Tatum and Keegan got healthy again, and I had two healthy, happy kiddos instead of two sick ones. We got to go on a walk around our neighborhood to enjoy the mild weather we are having.
Did any big changes occur, such as baby started daycare, stopped nursing, slept through the night, etc... Nope, not really!
What are baby's favorites - toy, food, person, etc... Doesn't seem to have many favorites yet. Well, she does like my boobs. A lot. Obviously, she loves her family, and especially her big brother. She always has a smile for Keegan, and she just loves when he gives her her paci when she needs it or just holds her hand. Nothing melts my heart more than looking in the rearview mirror and seeing Keegan's little hand reached over on Tatum's carseat holding her hand. Best thing ever.

My Well-Behaved Little Stinker

2012-01-27T09:44:00.001-04:00

Today marked the day of Keegan's annual Parent-Teacher conference at his school. Call me silly, I know it is only preschool, but I still get nervous each year when I attend these. Today was no different.

Keegan loves school and his teacher so much this year, so I was very curious to hear from Mrs. M how he was doing. Ryan and I have really stressed the importance of school to him, and along the way really tried to teach him good manners, kindness, good-listening skills, and sharing. But when they leave your sight, it is difficult to know how far those lessons went.

I can only pray that he makes the right choices when we are not around.

When I sat down with Mrs. M, she first wanted me to tell her how we thought the year was going, so I did. I told her how Keegan loves school, and especially loves her (and wants to marry her), but more importantly has learned SO much this year and LOVES sharing it with us at home! This is the first year he has wanted to play school and show us the things he does while at school. I talked to her about how much growth we have seen this year, and how neat we find it that he truly loves school.

Then it was her turn. Some of the highlights were:

*Keegan shows respect for people and property, impeccable manners, caring and considerate :)

*He is a good friend :)

*He is a GREAT listener (she wrote GREAT in all caps) :)

*He completes projects independently :)

*He is still on the quiet side (which is okay with us because he is on the LOUD side at home with us!) :)

*He is a role model to his peers :)

Mrs. M's words:

Keegan is a JOY to have in class! He is extremely well-mannered and genuinely kind and considerate to others. Keegan will love the opportunities and challenges of Kindergarten. I will miss that awesome smile and positive attitude!

I had a really hard time keeping the tears from rolling down my face. I was such a proud mommy. And this was one proud sister. I told Keegan she would always be his biggest fan.

As we all will.

Our Little Dribbler

2012-01-24T10:40:00.001-04:00

We had a great time last night watching Keegan at his first night of basketball. He is so excited to be playing something during the winter months, and basketball is something he has been wanting to do, so he had a wonderful time. He made tons of baskets, too, and was SO excited each time he did! The pictures we took are a little blurry at times, but that's because he was always movin'!

Last night he worked on passing, dribbling, shooting, and rebounding. The first two weeks are a clinic, then the third week he will start playing. His team is called the Pistons :)

We can't wait to watch him grow this season!

The Littles

2012-01-22T10:14:00.001-04:00

We're loving life with the littles!

Tatum sure has Ryan's and Keegan's mouth! We hear a lot how much she looks like them...not so much anything about looking like me...go figure. Ha!

Keegan and Tatum's yawn just like their daddy's

(Funny that Keegan's goes to right, Tatum's to her left. I'll have to check which way Ryan's goes!)

I do love how much they all look alike. It really makes me giggle, and I know Keegan loves it.

Just like he loves his baby sister.

Keegan absolutely loves when Tatum helps to put him to bed at night. He thinks it's a riot that she is in his bed, and has been talking about a sleepover since before she was born. He has it in his mind that when she is two she will sleep in his bed. So sweet!

Already sharing secrets

One thing we don't have enough of are family pictures. Well, for Monday, Keegan needed a family picture for school, so it was time for a few timed-family pics!

I just love my little family!

Four years, ten months and six weeks

2012-01-15T15:04:00.002-04:00

That's a little confusing. What it means is Keegan turned four years and ten months yesterday, the 14th, and Tatum turned six weeks on Thursday, the 12th. SO...I thought I needed to do an update on both of them!

This handsome little man is still loving preschool! He now wants to marry his teacher, and is fearing Kindergarten because he does not want to leave his beloved preschool teacher. He loves school and is learning more and more every day. Last week they began learning important things like their phone numbers and addresses, things we've been working on for some time at home. He was very proud that he already knew his phone number when his teacher asked him. Our address is kind of tricky, so we're still working on that, but he can quickly tell you the city and state he lives in, along with the name of the big city we live by as well.

Keegan is barely fitting into a size 5 anymore and is in that weird-in-between-two-sizes size. He wears size 12 shoe and has gone through more growths spurts this year than I can keep up with. He will be bigger than me in no time!

Keegan still loves soccer and will kick a ball around (and hopefully not break things) any chance he gets. We cannot wait until spring soccer begins in April! Like many boys, I am sure, he is really into swords, Angry Birds, Kung Fu Panda, and major imagination playing. It is so neat to listen to him playing. What an imagination he has! He has so much energy and is happy 99% of the time. He goes, goes, goes from the second he wakes up, usually around 7:30-8, until his bedtime, 8:30.

Most importantly, a huge change has happened in his life, and he has taken to it in the most beautiful way. He genuinely loves his baby sister and is such a big helper to me. He still has not shown a jealous bone, and is just happy to have her around with us.

Our little Tatum Lu is growing like a weed in more places than just her cheeks! We cannot believe how big she is getting. She is awake a lot more and is so much fun when she gets to smiling, imitating us sticking out her tongue, and just being a little sweetheart. But she does continue to be a great sleeper and eater for us, the two things she still does the most throughout the day and night. She is so easy going, and usually just lets out a yell if she's annoyed.

One of my favorite things is when I catch her just staring at me, we meet eyes, and she smiles. I can not get enough of that sweet little grin.

With her being sick, she's been sneezing all the time. Her sweet little sneeze is accompanied by her two tiny arms coming together in front of her chest, almost like she is fist-bumping herself. So stinking cute.

Around five weeks, it was like she turned on a mute button at night. Amazingly, she just became a silent sleeper! It was a wonderful thing for me and Ryan and it seems like she is even sleeping a bit more peacefully. She still wakes up quite a bit at night, as she does not like skipping a meal. Hopefully soon she will realize that sleep is more important! Right now she is eating around 11, 2, 4-4:30ish, 6-6:30ish. At that point, I am up for good, but she normally goes back to sleep and I just longingly stare at her and wish I were back to sleep, too.

Tatum officially is out of the Newborn diaper size and is in size 1 now. She has also grown out of her NB pajamas and clothes, so I've already packed all of those away :( I could not believe it! She is comfortably wearing 0-3 months or just 3 months clothes and pj's. We cannot believe how fast she is growing!

Ryan and I are having so much fun with our two little ones, and I think I am officially adjusted to life with two. I am so in love with both of them, and so happy that I am able to be at home with them every day.

I'll Never Forget

2012-01-13T15:29:00.000-04:00

Driving to the hospital today for my appointment with my doctor six weeks after Tatum was born, I couldn't keep the tears from swelling up in my eyes. My heart was beaming full of thankfulness, and I was just so full of emotions.

I pulled up at the hospital where I delivered my two babies. I walked into the hospital where I had so many heartbreaks during the two years that we wanted another miracle oh so badly. I walked up the stairs, the same stairs I walked up going to so many appointments, where I felt so much pain, heard horrible news, was told I needed surgery. Again. I thought about the tears that were shed right there in the lobby, so many times, because once again my heart was broken.

Remembering just six short weeks ago when our beautiful little girl came into this world, who we prayed for for so long.

I couldn't help but to be so very thankful. I had the most wonderful doctors, who listened to me and looked in my eyes like a friend. For the stranger who worked in the lobby, who offered me a Kleenex, when he saw I was crying. For the people who were always by my side.

But especially for those who I learned truly loved me when I needed them the most. I know I have the most wonderful husband, who never left my side and always reminded me how much he loved me no matter what happened. Parents and a sister who would stop anything to be by my side, to help or just listen. A miracle four-year-old who made me smile and always reminded me why I loved being a mommy so much. Friends who didn't run away from me because they didn't know what to say, but instead ran to my side when I needed them the most.

As I sit here in the waiting room I've sat in so many times, I have the most amazing little boy and the most precious little girl over at their Grammi and Papa's house right now and my heart is so full. I know from the bottom of my heart that everything I went through was worth it when I see my little boy love his sister, truly love her and tell her he'll never let anything happen to her. But I will never forget everything we went through over the years because it changed the person I am today for the better. I know that God put me in that situation for a reason, put Keegan in our life at just the right time, and blessed us with Tatum exactly when He was supposed to. I know I am a better me because of everything I have experienced in my life, and I am so thankful for everything, the good and the bad, because it put me exactly where I am today. But I will never forget.

A Little of This...

2012-01-08T20:12:00.000-04:00

Update (Tuesday, Jan. 11):
I took the kids to the pediatrician this morning. Had a bit of a scare with Tatum choking on her mucus and spitting (throwing?) up quite a bit, and I was tired of worrying. Dr. H is so wonderful and we just love him. Tatum has mild bronchitis, and unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing we can do for her that we aren't already doing (humidifier, saline drops, snorkler *is there an official name for that blue thing because I just call it the snorkler*, sitting and sleeping upright). It breaks my heart to see her struggle and Dr. H said it could be a few weeks until she is better. We just have to keep a close watch on her temperature and if it gets over 100.5 we need to take her in. Thankfully, she has not had one yet.
While there, he took a look at Keegan too, who has a sinus infection and the beginning of an ear infection. Thankfully, he was able to prescribe Keegan some medicine and I am hoping he is on his way to a quick recovery. It has been tough, and at times I just want to cry because I am tired and stressed, but I know this too shall pass and I am so thankful for my two beautiful children and the help I have received. I know it could be SO much worse, and I am thankful for little sicknesses like bronchitis and sinus and ear infections.

This past week has been a crazy one, and I hope the worst is behind us. Tatum did end up catching Keegan's illness, so we had two sick little ones starting on Friday. Thankfully, I had my mom who was willing to help me, and it was almost the weekend, meaning Ryan would be home for a few days to love on our little ones with me. It just broke my heart to see my munchkins suffer. Keegan missed the entire week of preschool, and finally today just went back after a looooong Christmas break. They are both still not back to perfect health, but Keegan is almost there and hopefully Tatum will be soon. We were so thankful that Tatum never got a fever like her big brother, and she was still eating like crazy despite not feeling good. Our little girl is quite the eater and we are so thankful for that!

Before Ryan went back to work, the four of us were so excited to get out of the house and head to the Museum to ~~pick up a nasty bug~~ enjoy Jolly Days, our favorite Christmas event at the museum. Keegan and I loved going down the slide, while Ryan and Tatum watched us.

We made our usual stop by the dinosaurs, another of Keegan's favorite exhibits.

Before we left the museum, we headed back to Jolly Days where Keegan had been looking forward to being in a snowball fight all day. He had a blast and said this was his favorite part of the whole day. That did not surprise me in the least, throwing fake snowballs at other kids and some adults. It was a hoot to watch!

Our 6th annual (the first one was when Keegan was still in my belly, but Rylan and Camden were just infants) Best Friends Since Bellies Christmas party was over Christmas break as well. Maria hosted our wonderful lunch and party, and I am not sure who had more fun, the adults or the kiddos. I love these girls like they are my own sisters, and I know that Keegan feels the same towards Rylan and Camden. It was so neat this year to involve all SIX of our kids, and I was so excited to have Tatum there with me, even if she had no idea what was going on.

The Three Amigos

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends to grow old with, go through happy times and sad times with, all while having a good laugh and a good time. It was as great day!

Mini Update on Tater:

*Not spitting up as much!

*Not making as much noise while sleeping at night!

*Still happy as can be and a cooing, smiling girl when she feels horrible! We just love her so much!

Newborn Pics

2012-01-06T19:28:00.000-04:00

We had such an exciting opportunity when Tatum was just 8 days old. A wonderful photographer was looking for a newborn model to use while teaching a class to other photographers. A friend of mine saw that she was looking for baby between 7 and 10 days old, and contacted me, knowing what a beautiful job this photographer does with newborns! I was a little nervous on how it would all play out, but Ryan was off of work still and he urged me to go ahead with it. I was so happy we did! It was such an amazing experience and we will forever be thankful for these pictures that Rachel captured of our beautiful Tatum Lucille.

These beautiful pictures are courtesy of Rachel Vanoven Photography

These pictures make me smile, just like our little girl does every single day :-)

Time of My Life

2012-01-05T15:07:00.000-04:00

I know this first photo is fuzzy, but I just had to post it. That is how much he loves his little sister.

It's been a rough week, I'm not going to lie. Keegan, the boy who never, ever gets sick, came down with something major on Monday, the day before Ryan had to go back to work. Of course.

He has been sick all week, missed school, and is just miserable. The hardest part is trying to keep Tatum healthy.

So far, so good. He is still the only one sick, but it breaks my heart to see him suffer, and me not able to completely love on him like I would like to do. He coughing like crazy, boogers are coming out of his nose like crazy, his poor little ears hurt, and he had a fever for two days straight. Of course, the doctor didn't want to see him until he had a fever for three days straight.

So it's been hard. But in that same thought I want to say that a year ago I would have done anything to have this problem, so today I am counting my blessings. Sure I smell because I can hardly get a shower in. And sure I'm starving because Tatum doesn't like to be put down. And sure Keegan is watching a lot of tv, more than I would normally like. But I have two kids who are the love of my life. They are happy and very loved. I have an amazing husband who is great to be on a team with. And I have a wonderful family who will drop anything to come and love on my kids, even if they are sick, when I need help.

This time right here really is the best time of my life. Ryan and I were just talking about this the other day (before Keegan got sick, of course!), how this time, today, is the best time of our lives, when our kids are little and the four of us live under one roof and are truly happy. Oh well that I smell, or haven't put on a drop of makeup in four days. Or that I had a Poptart and a cup of coffee for breakfast. Who cares that I have barely slept because when one kid is asleep, usually the other one is awake. This too shall pass, and I will look back on this time and smile. Because I am so darn blessed to have these "problems"that I could not be more thankful for!

A Few Firsts

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

We've had a few firsts during the last few weeks...

First bath.

What a wonderful big helper Keegan was giving Tatum her first bath!

I just love this picture! Tatum is showing her love to Keegan just like Keegan always does to her. I love what this captured!

First snow.

The boys had so much fun playing in the snow while the girls stayed in and prepared the hot cocoa for them.

Such beautiful big snowflakes!

First New Year's Eve.

And we partied HARD! Ha!

What a fun time of firsts it has been!

One Month!

2012-01-01T12:23:00.001-04:00

One month ago today our life forever changed, and we feel so blessed to have had Tatum in our life for the month of December! What a wonderful, exciting month it has been, and of course, it has absolutely flown by!

We have had many firsts during this first month:

*First smile :)

*First Christmas

*First New Year's Eve

*First bath

*First doctor's appointment

*First time at church

...and I am sure many more that I am forgetting!

At one month Tatum is:

*Eating A LOT, still! She likes to eat about every hour and a half, and since I am nursing, that makes me a busy mama! And a tired one, since she loves eating all night long. But honestly, I never really feel too tired until about 6 o'clock, when it begins to get dark outside. At that point, I am ready for bed! But not Tatum! Her favorite time of the day to be awake and active is still around 8 o'clock! Her and Ryan spend a lot of special time together during this time because after we put Keegan to bed, Ryan lets me go to sleep and he stays up with our party girl. I get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep and Ryan and Tatum get some time to bond. Works for us right now!

*Sleeping A LOT! Like I said, she is a great sleeper, but loves between the hours of 8 and 11 to be awake. And when she does sleep at night, in the bassinet next to me, she is LOUD! Grunt! Squeak! Moan! Grunt! My goodness does that little miss make some noise!
Every day, we see her spend more and more time awake, which is so neat for us. We love seeing her little smile, hearing her sweet sounds, and watching her copy us while sticking out our tongue.

She smiles just like Keegan did!

*Since she has been with us a month, I think Keegan (hopefully) realizes she is here to stay, and he loves her just as much as he did the first day! She has now taken my place as his "favorite girl" and I am just fine with that! He sure loves his baby sister and it makes my heart so happy to watch him love on her!

Okay, I'm done with this photo shoot! Time for a nap!

First Smile

2011-12-27T12:25:00.000-04:00

Miss Tatum Lu had her first smile last week and has been smiling ever since. Last Tuesday, December 20th, when Tatum was 19 days old, she knew just what her mama needed on a long, dreary, and rainy day.

I was in the kitchen, trying to frantically get the Christmas cards done and out in the mail, while Tatum was asleep in the papasan bouncer and Keegan was working on the iPad. Tatum was up on the kitchen island right behind me, and I turned around to see if she was awake yet. Sure enough, she was up and when we met eyes, she greeted me with a huge smile!

It was the most amazing thing, and ever since she's been throwing out smiles every now and then. Melts this mama's heart.

And the way big brother loves her....

melts this mama's heart, too.

Keegan with his Oreo face

Tatum sporting the infamous Ryan/Keegan crooked yawn

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T13:58:00.001-04:00

If you would have asked me a year ago what I would be doing on Christmas in 2011, I never in a million years would have guessed I would be spending it with my entire family, my four-year-old miracle, and a brand new baby girl miracle.

On Christmas 2010, I sat in church, with my family, and I thought about it. I thought maybe one day, but probably not by 2011.

Boy was I wrong.

This year in church, I had my Keegan to my right, and my Tatum to my left, being held by my dear husband. I fought back tears the entire service, because I could not believe it was my life. I certainly cannot be this lucky.

Miracles do happen :)

We have had a wonderful couple of days getting ready for Christmas. As we have done in the past few years, Keegan got a very special email from the man in the red suit. He was even more excited this year than last, if that's possible.

And he was VERY excited when he found out he was on the NICE list!

I look at these pictures and I still cannot believe these three are my family. They are such beautiful people and I am so blessed to be their wife and mommy.

After church on Christmas Eve, my three beautiful loves!

Christmas morning began (after a pretty sleepless night) around 6 am. Much different from last year, when Ryan and I were downstairs, drinking our coffee together, waiting on Keegan to wake up, until he finally did close to 9:00! Like I said, what a difference a year makes!

Keegan was so very excited to see that Santa came and he could not wait to get downstairs! I think part of the reason why I didn't get much sleep was because I was so excited...but I will just say it is because Tatum was eating all night...

There is no greater joy in my life than being a mother to these two sweet blessings. I know I was put on this earth to be their mommy.

Happy Holidays from the Haugheys!

2011

Gifts

2011-12-25T09:50:00.000-04:00

The best gifts I've ever been given.

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

~ 2 Corinthians 9:15

A Look at Christmas Past and Present

2011-12-18T14:52:00.001-04:00

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

We were so excited to go and see Santa yesterday, and to take Tatum with us. She may not know it yet, but she will eventually love Santa and Christmas just like the rest of us Haugheys do! :)

This year, though, she slept through all of the excitement.

But before we left, we were able to tell her a little about the big guy in red and she was verrrrrry excited. And a certain little four-year-old was even more excited. It's going to be a great Christmas!

Two Weeks Old!

2011-12-17T12:36:00.001-04:00

Tatum turned two weeks old this week! We feel like she's been with us forever, and sure have fallen in love with her like she's been with us forever! Life is at a new normal, and we love it. Keegan and I are having so much fun with the three of us during the day, and count down the minutes until Ryan gets home from work in the afternoon. Keegan is the best big helper, and nothing has changed with him, other than showing even more of his big heart on a daily basis. His new favorite thing to say to Tatum, whispering in her ear: "You're cute!"

Sleep is still pretty non-existent for me. Tatum is a hungry girl, but her belly is still so little, so she likes to eat a little bit every hour-and-a-half to two hours, if I am lucky. It makes for a long night, but by morning I can hardly remember. Mornings and days are good for me, as I've always been a morning person, but by 5 or 6 o'clock at night, when it's starting to get dark outside, I'm ready for bed!

Tatum had her two week appointment yesterday! We knew she was gaining weight like a champ, and couldn't wait to see how much.

Weight: 9 lbs 5 oz (Up 2 lbs in two weeks!) 75-90%

Height: 21 inches 75%

Head size: 35 cm 25% (Yes, she has my small peanut head!)

Dr. H said everything looked wonderful with her!

Her umbilical cord began falling off in the middle of the night on December 14th/15th. There's still a little bit left on her belly button, so we are still just doing wash cloth baths for her. We can't wait to put her in the tub!

Tatum is a wonderful nurser, and just like Keegan she will take a bottle as well. Keegan loves that because he loves to help feed his sister and he has found out that "his boobs don't have milk". Yes, quote from him...

It is the most amazing thing to be sitting on the couch, holding one miracle in my arms while holding the hand of my other miracle. I can't believe how much our life has changed in a year, and I could never say thank you enough. This right here is EXACTLY where I've always wanted to be, and I could not wish for anything more.

Christmas at Preschool

2011-12-15T17:42:00.000-04:00

I still find it so hard to believe that we are within 10 days of Christmas! We have been having so much fun getting used to our family of four that we kind of have forgotten that our favorite holiday is right around the corner! That and the fact that it's been raining...and 60 degrees outside at times...makes it hard to think about the holidays! It still kind of seems like September around here :-)

Yesterday I headed to Keegan's preschool for their Christmas party. It was so much fun!

I loved hearing all of their songs that they have learned this year!

Keegan's favorite song:

"Hat, whiskers, belt, and boots, belt and boots

Twinkling eyes and a little cherry nose

Hat, whiskers, belt, and boots, belt and boots"

(Sung to the tune of Keegan's long time favorite Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes)

Keegan is now officially on Christmas vacation! Ryan is not done until next Wednesday...yuck. I just want my whole family hunkered down together for the holidays! I can't wait!

Just Hanging Out

2011-12-11T18:41:00.001-04:00

It's been so nice to have Ryan home this whole past week with us. We have made such nice memories as a family of four.

It's been really cold outside, some days rainy, which make for long, dark, tired days, others full of sunshine, which we love! The only challenge of having a newborn in the winter for me is how early it gets dark every evening. When it gets dark, I'm ready for bed...but my four-year-old is nowhere close ready!

Keegan has still been going to preschool three days a week and his life has pretty much remained the same, if that's even possible! He plays, giggles, is crazy, and still manages to find time to love on his baby sister. He has loved having visitors to our house, especially when it involves any of his friends!

Little Tater has still been sleeping. A lot. It makes me wonder what in the world I did when Keegan was a newborn and slept all of the time. Hmmmm....

She continues to nurse like a champ and it seems she is always hungry, which is great! Hopefully at her two week appointment we will see some major weight gain!

We had our second round of pictures taken today. The first time was a very special opportunity that we had with a very talented photographer who needed a newborn model ten days or younger. Today we had pictures taken of both kiddos for our Christmas cards. We are so blessed to know so many wonderful photographers to capture these moments that we will forever savor.

I've always thought that this time in my life is the very best. I love being married and having little kids. Keegan has brought us so much joy the past four years, and we cannot believe that we are now doubly blessed!

So hard to believe in two weeks it will be Christmas! We are so excited for our Christmas this year. I have a feeling it will be the best yet!

One Blessed Woman

2011-12-08T19:18:00.001-04:00

Life is so good around here. I am so lucky to have had Ryan home all week and it has been my dream come true to all be at home together as a family of four. Tatum is such a good baby, who loves (LOVES) to eat, sleep, and poop! She nurses like crazy and is just a good-natured, happy baby! Keegan has been wonderful in the adjustment to having her at home, and his love for her grows every day. We are so proud of him, because we know how much this has to be turning his life upside-down, but it seems for the best, so we will savor these moments!

First Few Days

2011-12-06T12:42:00.001-04:00

I'm still having a hard time believing that we have sweet little Tatum at home with us, and that she is ours. This all seems sort of surreal still, but I guess that is to be expected. She is a wonderful baby who is eating and sleeping and pooping like crazy! Our nights have not been so bad, and last night we actually got a little bit of sleep! She is nursing about every two hours at night, but goes right back to her bassinet for me, so that is wonderful! I cannot explain how much I love having Ryan home with me. He has been such a great help and we make such a great team. I am so lucky to have someone so wonderful to do this with, and I'm not sure how I would do it without him. Keegan is still doing wonderfully, and is so in love with his sister. So far it seems as if his life hasn't been too disrupted, which I was really worried about. He is still happy as can be and going with the flow!

I have never been more proud of my little boy. I always knew he had a huge heart, but I love seeing his love towards his baby sister. Some things I've been overhearing:

"I love you Baby Sister!"

"I will never let anything happen to you!"

"When you are two years old, you get to sleep in my bed with me!"

December 1, 2011

2011-12-04T20:16:00.001-04:00

It began just like any other day. Well, almost. Let me start from the beginning.

Wednesday evening, around 5, I began having contractions. This was the first time I really had contractions that were regular, although they were coming every ten minutes. Nothing special. Ryan and I decided that night that the three of us would head to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, to try to speed things up. I had contractions all throughout dinner, but still, they were ten minutes apart. That never changed, and around 9 pm, they completely stopped. Stopped cold, nothing else. It is safe to say we were a little disappointed.

Thursday morning Keegan had preschool at 9 am. I took him to school like any other Thursday, while answering to texts, "Have any contractions?" "How are your contractions?" to which I answered, pretty frustrated, "Nonexistant." Ryan thought I was joking, but I was not. There were no contractions and it was just as last night never happened.

Once back at home, I was relaxing, just doing a little innocent googling, stuff like "How to start contractions" and "How to get your water to break". I am not kidding. Pretty embarrassing, but I was curious. As I am doing this lovely googling, I have to use the bathroom, so I get up and go, only to find blood. Holy crap, I thought. But I wasn't excited, it made me really really nervous. I freak out, call Ryan, and tell him I am calling my doctor, which is my next call.

To make a long story short, I am told that I really shouldn't worry, but that if my contractions continue (they kind of began at this point) and become more regular, to come in to labor and delivery, since I was already four centimeters on Monday. Once I hung up, I begin to feel crampy, a lot of pain in my back, contractions beginning, and just off. Ryan and I finally made the decision after a while that we were heading to labor and delivery. He finished up at work, came home, we did everything we needed to do just in case we weren't coming back, and then hit the road. Keegan had preschool until 1 pm, and my mom was already set to pick up the soon-to-be big brother.

Once checked in to Triage, it showed that my contractions were TWO to FIVE minutes apart already. I guess I am tougher than I think I am! The doctor on call came in to check me and talk with me. I was still at four centimeters. He told me because I was only 38 weeks and 5 days, there was nothing he could do because the hospital policy is not to induce until 39 weeks. To be admitted into labor and delivery, I would have to show progress on my own. He told me to get up, walk the floor, and he would be back to check me in two hours.

So, that's what Ryan and I did. We walked. We talked. We hobbled. I peed. I really didn't want to be sent home, so this continued for what seemed like forever. I just had a feeling, though, that we were going to be heading back home that day.

Dr. W came back in about 2 1/2 hours later, around 4:30 pm. My contractions were still about 2 to 5 minutes apart, most being 2 to 3 minutes apart. He did what he needed to do, and sure enough, I progressed on my own! I was almost five centimeters and went from 50% effaced to 70% effaced. I wasn't going anywhere is what he said to the nurse. "Get her over to labor and delivery, we'll have a baby here by midnight!"

First thing up: Epidural!

After being admitted to L & R room 4, Dr. W wanted to get me comfortable (since I had been such a tough guy up to that point. Ha!) so the first thing he ordered was my epidural. It was at 6 pm that the anesthesiologist came in, kicked out Ryan and Kris who were in my room at the time, and stuck me in the back. Ouch! I did not remember it being so uncomfortable with Keegan, but it was quicker, so that was good.

Next: Break my water!

With Keegan, my water broke naturally, which was what began labor. This time, Dr. W had to break it, but because I couldn't feel it, I didn't mind! Ryan said he took a small glance and it was kind of scary. :)

This was around the time I began to feel really weird. I knew something wasn't right, but I couldn't really explain or put my finger on what it was. Ends up, my blood pressure took an extreme plunge. I kind of felt dead. I just wanted to close my eyes and lay there. Until the nausea hit. Then I wanted to throw up, and that's just what I began to do. It was probably the worst part of everything feeling that way. The nurse (Wendy) had to give me a shot in my leg, which eventually helped for a short while.

One of the neatest things about this whole experience was that Keegan was with us almost the entire time at the hospital. I have never seen a more excited big brother, and it was so nice to have them there with us.

Around 8:45 Dr. W came back to check me again. At this point, I was 90% effaced, but still only 5 centimeters dilated. Sheesh! Was this going to happen before midnight? We were kind of beginning to doubt that.

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family, who drops everything and sits at the hospital with us. It was so special just to know they were there and loving on Keegan.

11:00 pm: Dr. W wants my nurse (now Amanda) to check me. Holy cow, 10 centimeters, she sees the head, 100% effaced, +2 station. I think I was ready to push! At this point Ryan sends a text to the family to let them know it could be before midnight! Nurse Amanda reminds me that it still could be over an hour before she is born.

11:05 pm: My nurse wants to see how well I push, so we try out one contraction, three pushes. She says I'm a great pusher! (Don't they just all say that?!)

11:10: Next contraction, another push. Oh boy, there's her head! Stop pushing! We need to get the doctor!

Dr. W conveniently is next door delivering another baby, so they do all they can to stop our baby from coming before the doctor can come and deliver her!

11:20 pm: Tatum Lucille Haughey enters the world on the fourth push, with Dr. W there to catch her!

Tatum Lucille Haughey

7 pounds 9 ounces

21 inches

Tatum: Cheerful, Bringer of Joy

Lucille: Name of my grandma (mom's side) and Ryan's grandma's middle name (dad's side)

The proudest big brother in the whole world!

A family of four! I could not be more blessed!

After Tatum was born, the nurses had to clean her up and do all of the weighing and measuring, and Dr. W had to sew me up. Of course, I was able to hold her right away, and Ryan was able to cut the cord. It was such a peaceful, relaxed environment, and very surreal. I just sat amazed the entire time that this precious little girl came out of me, and was now our daughter. As soon as we could, we sent for Keegan, who would come in and meet his new sister! We told him her name right away, and he got a big smile on his face. He actually thought we were saying Taylor or Liam...but after a while he got it! After the four of us were able to hang out for a while, and I was able to nurse Tatum, we sent the boys out to spread the news and gather the family. It was pretty late by this time, but they were all so patient and so excited!

Everyone came in and met our little miracle, the nurse got some food for me, because I was starving, and then the troops headed home to bed around 1 or so. At this point, my nurse wanted to get me out of bed and to the bathroom, so that I could be moved up to the recovery floor. Everything was going well until I sat back in the wheel chair and was holding Tatum, ready to get wheeled upstairs. My hearing started going weird, and I just felt off. I said to Ryan, "Can you please take the baby? I don't feel right."

He grabbed her, and before I knew it I heard my nurse calling for help and then the next thing I knew I was waking up in my bed again. Yes, I fainted. Fun, fun, fun!

My blood pressure was low again, so we had to wait even longer to get moved upstairs. I felt so bad! And all I wanted to do was sleep! After a while, everything was regulated again and we tried one more time to move the three of us upstairs.

We got upstairs, fell asleep around five, only to wake up to me having to go to the bathroom at six. One hour of sleep! We thought we'd be able to go back to sleep, but soon after Dr. Harper came in to check Tatum, nurses were coming to check me, and so on. You know how hospitals are! Let's just say that first full day of Tatum's life was a very foggy one for her mommy and daddy! But so worth it!

I have so many emotions going through me right now, and it is so hard for me to grasp that this all occurred just days ago. I knew I was so blessed when I married Ryan, then had Keegan, now Tatum. I thank God every day for all he has given us. I know I do not deserve it, but will work hard every day to show Him how much I appreciate it all.

More pictures to come!

38 Weeks...And Things I Don't Want to Forget

2011-11-29T16:00:00.000-04:00

(Update: Went to doctor today, Monday, the 28th, and I am FOUR centimeters dilated! Holy cow! I knew I felt like I was making progress...but FOUR?! We are ready anytime!)

38 Weeks! It is so hard to believe! There are so many things I want to remember about this time, and even though the last few weeks have been a little difficult, I always want to remember this special time.

*At exactly 36 weeks 1 day, I came down with a bad sinus infection. It is the worst I have ever had, knocked me on my bottom literally, and I am still fighting it exactly two weeks later. I have never been more scared that I was going to go into labor and feel horrible. Thankfully, I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and she is still in my belly. Thank you God and thank you Little One! I honestly think she knew I was not ready for her. I am also so very thankful for my wonderful husband, who has been the biggest help around the house, with Keegan, and with caring for me, for my mom for helping love on Keegan during the day so I could sleep, and for Keegan for being such a good little boy for me. All I could take was Tylenol, Tylenol Cold, Afrin Nose Spray for 3 days...Ugh. I am done with being sick for a least a few more years!

*I think this little girl is either stronger than her big brother was...or I am a bigger wimp!! She is one tough cookie and her kicks HURT! Her favorite place to kick is my right side ribs and hip, along with my bladder and some other places down below that feel like she is putting knives into. Some nights I am so uncomfortable I have to get on all fours just to let her do her thing.

*Keegan loves his baby sister in my belly so much and takes such good care of me and my belly. I can only hope this carries over to when she is OUTSIDE of my belly! :)

*My Braxton-Hicks contractions have been a lot more painful with #2 than #1. They are bugging me in my back, in my front, down my legs...pretty much the whole area. Sometimes I get such bad ones at night that I think they are the real thing. Obviously, they aren't and I am just a big wimp.

*I had pretty bad acid-reflux for a few weeks around 35 weeks, but now it's disappeared. It was strange because I've never had it before, but I learned it's not too fun and would be happy never having it again. Thankfully popping a Tums before bed helped every night.

*I have been SO thirsty! I feel like a camel and cannot stop drinking, which leads to peeing all day long and all night long. I love drinking my Smart Water, orange juice, or milk with Nesquick. Obsessed. My nights consist of getting up to go to the bathroom anywhere from 3 times to about 10. I am not kidding.

*Although this pregnancy has been a little more "exciting" than Keegan's was, I am so thankful for it and am sad that it is about to be over. I know that as uncomfortable as I am I will miss this time so much. She is safe, she is warm, she is well fed, and for the most part, comfortable. But I sure can't wait to kiss on those adorable chubby cheeks!!

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so we are very excited to see what is going on! Tomorrow will be the first time that I will be getting checked, so hopefully my doctor will see some progress. With Keegan, I was at 1 cm for a very, very long time...I have a feeling this one may be a little quicker, based on how low she already is and that this is my second, but I could also be completely wrong. That's the amazing thing about pregnancy--it's SO out of my hands and COMPLETELY in God's hands. And I love that.

:-)

Tree Lighting Friday

2011-11-28T15:55:00.000-04:00

Keegan and Daddy headed down to the tree lighting Friday night, as part of our annual tradition. I was so very sad to miss this year, but just didn't feel up to it so the boys headed down on their jolly ways.

They had a wonderful time, it was a beautiful night, and really put the boys in the Christmas spirit!

Keegan LOVES Rudolph!

I can hardly believe this time of the year is upon us again already! We are ready for SNOW!

Thanksgiving!

2011-11-27T15:31:00.001-04:00

We headed to my mom and dad's for Thanksgiving this year, staying close to home as possible as I wasn't feeling all that wonderful (more on that later).

Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures on Thanksgiving...and the ones I did get don't really show too many family members. That and Keegan was the photographer for some of these as well :-)

We had a great Thanksgiving, despite the fact that we just may have been wishing that a certain little baby girl would have been *with* us and not *inside* me...but we are thankful for her just the same!

Keegan giving a thumbs up about Grammi's brownies!

Keegan was so excited that his buddy, other Keegan and his family came to Grammi and Papa's for Thanksgiving. He just loves having other kids around!

Keegan taking a picture of his favorite TeeTee...with Grammi in the background :)

(This was the least close-up he took of her. The others just got closer...and closer. Ha!)

And another by Keegan. I think he was secretly dreaming he could have Keegan's brownie.

We had such a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving, feeling overwhelmed by all we have to be thankful for this year.

Christmas Tree Hunt!

2011-11-26T10:38:00.000-04:00

We headed out Wednesday before Thanksgiving to cut down our Christmas tree! It was a little early for us, but we want our house ready when the little lady decides she is ready to come. We headed back to the same place we went last year and had so much fun. Keegan picked the most perfect tree and then after Ryan cut it down, we headed back inside the shop to have popcorn and hot cocoa.

Searching for his perfect tree...

Getting closer!

Found it! Perfect!

Then came Keegan's favorite part--Daddy on the ground so Keegan can jump on him. Makes us crack up every year!

Action shot--Here I come Daddy!

Tim-ber!

Keegan giving Ryan a thumbs up for a job well done!

Back at home. Of course, the most important part, getting the train under the tree!

Keegan sharing his decorations with a very excited Guiness

Keegan is learning how to take self-portraits!

We continued Thanksgiving morning, decorating the house and the tree.

Keegan has something about the star--he loves putting it on the top of the tree and feels it is the most important part of any tree! :)

Such a big helper!

Not sure why...but Keegan ended up pretty much naked while doing his decorating. That's why I didn't get many pictures after this. Ha!

We can hardly believe it is this time of the year again. Wonderful Thanksgiving, with so much to be thankful for, getting ready for Christmas, and in all of this hustle, bustle, and excitement, a baby who could come at any time! I still have a hard time believing it! We are so excited, nervous, happy, worried, everything we could possibly be feeling right now, the most important being BLESSED. We are so thankful!

Keegan's Thanksgiving Celebration

2011-11-25T10:19:00.001-04:00

Wednesday was Keegan's Thanksgiving show and feast at school, and Ryan and I were so excited to go. Last year, Keegan was sick for it so this was a first for all three of us! It was a great morning!

Keegan was so excited to be an Indian and to play his drum that he had made in class.

The class sang many songs about Thanksgiving. So stinking cute!

(Check out that big belly! 37 1/2 weeks)

It was such a neat little show, the kids had a yummy feast together, and it was a great way to kick off our Thanksgiving. What a wonderful time of year with so much to be thankful for this year and every year!

We are so thankful for our little guy!

Meet Baby Haughey #2

2011-11-13T19:11:00.005-04:00

Hee hee! Baby Sister looks just like Big Brother! We couldn't be more in love!

I was lucky enough to get some 3D/4D pictures of our little sweetheart while the doctor was checking for signs of preterm labor. I have been having quite a bit of Braxton-Hicks, just like I did with Keegan, and they wanted to measure the length of my cervix to make sure everything looked okay. It did, and then afterward we were able to get some pictures of Mini-Keegan, I mean Baby Sister :) We could not believe how much she looks like Keegan, which means she looks just like her handsome daddy! The tech could not believe her chubby little cheeks and her beautiful strong chin, just like Keegan and Daddy. It was really quite a funny ultrasound, that left us so excited to meet and see her beautiful face in person. I think she's ready!

Weights and Dates Fun

And no, I did not go into labor during the full moon. Guess she needs some more time to bake! My official guess: November 29th, 7 pounds

(reason for this guess: this is the same time Keegan came, 11 days before due date)

I just realized 11 days before my due date is the 29th! Shoot! Pregnancy brain!

Other guesses:

Ryan: 12/1, 7 lbs 4 oz

Mom: 12/10, 8 lbs, 3 oz

Dad: 12/2, 6 lbs 5 oz

Lynn: 11/25, 6 lbs 3 oz

Kris: 11/17, 6 lbs, 3 oz

Maria: 11/24, 6 lbs, 12 oz, 19 inches

Dawn: 12/9, 7 lbs

Shannon: 11/30, 7 lbs (Shannon, I put you at your original guess since mine changed!)

Some fun facts:

*Keegan came 11 days early when my water broke and he weighed 6 lbs 10 oz

*My birthday is December 3rd. I would love to share a birthday with her!

*My doctor said they would induce me starting on December 3rd, at 39 weeks, and let me go until 42 weeks, if I so choose.

*Abby's birthday is November 30th

*My parents anniversary is November 26th

*Dawn's anniversary is December 9th, the reason for her guess!

*Two people guessed that she would weigh 6 lbs 3 oz

*Three people guessed she would weigh 7 pounds

*Shannon and I both guessed November 30th, 7 pounds. Since mine was already written down I asked her to pick a new weight or a new date.

We would love to have more guesses! Just leave a comment and I will add you to the fun!

Special Visitors at Preschool!

2011-11-09T17:03:00.001-04:00

Keegan was so excited to bring his two Grammies to school this week to make gingerbread houses! It was such a special day for all three of them, and I felt so lucky that I was able to share it with them!

It was such a cute project. Keegan had so much fun putting on the icing and candy to decorate his house.

And of course he had to act goofy because his two special people were there!

Keegan is such a lucky little boy to have his two grammies so close by and so in love with him! We are so blessed to have all of our family so close and the amount of love he receives from them is so special! And while I am saying just how lucky we are, we are so lucky to have Keegan at such a wonderful preschool that involves the parents and extended family in their schooling. I love all of these memories that are being created for him. It's November...a great month to be thankful, right?

:-)

Keegan's 1st Colts Game!

2011-11-07T20:02:00.003-04:00

Keegan has the best TeeTee in the world. She gave Keegan and Ryan her Colts tickets on Sunday so Ryan could take Keegan down for his first Colts game! And what a great age to do it. Ryan said he had the best time, of course, asking millions of questions, eating tons of food, and pretty much just having the time of his life. And I think Ryan had a pretty great time, too, despite how the Colts have been playing!

Keegan was so excited before they left!

Keegan loves Dallas Clark. He kept cheering, "Go Dallas go! Go Dallas go!"

And of course, the boys missed the only touchdown the Colts scored. Because they were getting cotton candy. Of course.

Keegan and Ryan came home so smiley (actually Keegan was passed out in his carseat, due to way too much excitement!) and were so excited to tell me all about the game. We are all so lucky to have a TeeTee in our lives! Thank you TeeTee--you are so good to my boys and we are so lucky to have you!

35 Weeks and a Cute Policeman

2011-11-05T17:50:00.001-04:00

Of course, first a picture of my cutest little policeman. I never thought I could feel so much love!

Thanks Grammi M!

35 weeks today! Holy moly! I am so excited to finally get to this point. I have been so paranoid about (everything!) preterm labor, so 35 weeks is such a great place to be! I know my little sweetheart would be just fine if she decides to come today...or anytime soon.

I have my first prediction--my water will break on November 10th, she will be born on November 10th or 11th.

And here's why.
There's a full moon on November 10th.

My water broke with Keegan when there was a full moon. The entire labor and delivery floor was full and I had to remain in a triage room until 2 am. The nurses all said it was pretty normal for the night of a full moon, and most of the girls there in labor had their water break.

But it's just a thought. I wouldn't mind it at all if it came true. If she's ready.

I had my appointment this week for 34 weeks a little late. The doctor said she is probably just over five pounds, is verrrrrrrrrrry low (yes, I feel every bit of that lowness), and getting ready to come. She always seems to favor my right side, just like Big Brother Keegan did, and the doctor thought it was quite funny that my stomach was so lopsided!

There's not much left on our to-do lists, just a few more things that have to be done before she arrives, but we are so ready for her. Keegan is so very excited and he's even told me that he will get up with me all through the night when she does to help me. We'll see how long that lasts... :-)

Halloween Night

2011-11-01T07:45:00.001-04:00

Keegan was, by far, the most excited about Halloween than he has been in the past. He could not wait to trick-or-treat with all of his friends! We began the night by passing out candy, which Keegan just loved. He even had the idea to run inside and get dog treats for any dogs who came by. He's so thoughtful!

Papa stopped by after work to see Keegan

(We had lunch with Grammi earlier in the day at Robbin Robin (Red Robin), but of course, I forgot to bring my camera)

TeeTee came to see Captain Hook!

Candy, anyone?

Grammy Lynn wanted to give the Captain a hug, too!

Keegan and his best buddies in the neighborhood, Sean, Cole, (Keegan,) Taylor, Allie, and Eryn

This is the 3rd year they have all trick-or-treated together! They have grown so much!

Captain Hook and Tinkerbell

After making their round of our growing neighborhood, the kids all huddled in a circle to devour their candy! So much fun!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T16:35:00.001-04:00

From our most handsome Captain Hook!

We have had so much fun over the last week or so getting ready for Halloween. Ryan's fall break fell over Halloween weekend, so we were able to do all of our fun stuff we like to do every year. Here we are at the Children's Museum. Keegan really wanted to go to a haunted house this year, and the museum had one with a special lights on time each day for the little ones. It was perfectly scary and he loved it!

Keegan with Camden and Ella

Then we headed over to the zoo for the annual Zoo Boo! It was a beautiful day! Keegan loved pumpkin bowling, jumping in the bounce house, watching the bat feeding, and seeing the elephants eat pumpkins. It was such a fun day for all three of us!

Today was Keegan's special Halloween party at school, and I got to go with him! After having to wake him up at 8:15 and pull him out of bed, he finally realized what day it was and asked me at least five times, "Mommy, is it really Halloween today?!"

Keegan with Mrs. Marris and Mrs. Wagner

He is so excited to go out with his friends trick or treating in the dark this year! It's a beautiful Halloween day and it's a fun day to be around a child! :)

Daddy Date Night

2011-10-30T13:28:00.000-04:00

Keegan was so excited to take Daddy to his school for Daddy Date Night. It is such a special time because he gets to bring Ryan to school and because he gets to go to school at night...when it's dark out!

Ryan said it was such a good time, just like last year. Keegan is always so proud of his daddy and we are just as proud of him.

This brought tears to my eyes. Such a nice keepsake!

I'm not sure who had more fun, Keegan or Ryan, and I just love hearing about it from both of them when they get home. We just cherish this time with Keegan in preschool, and just love watching him grow and love school more and more each year.

Fall Family Photos + A Little of Maternity Pics :)

2011-10-26T17:23:00.000-04:00

I think it's pretty obvious how crazy I am about my family and I absolutely adore taking pictures of them, which is one of the reasons I keep this blog. But, I hate being in pictures. When I was pregnant with Keegan, I didn't allow many pictures taken of me. Fast forward about a year, and you would have found one very sad, disappointed mommy with not many memories of being pregnant. At least caught on film. So this time around, I told Ryan right away that he would help (force!) me to have my pictures taken very regularly, to capture this beautiful, miraculous time, even if my insecurities are put to the test, because in the end I would be happy that I did.

So here they are, our fall family shoot, and a few of just me. Yuck, but what a miracle it showcases, huh? And my two guys sure are handsome! :-)

Thank you to Kate Leach, of Kate Leach Photography for capturing these beautiful photos of my family.

Pumpkins and Lil Punkin

2011-10-25T12:54:00.000-04:00

We've been so busy lately with lots of pumpkin (Halloween)/punkin (Baby Sister) stuff, and it's been so much fun! We (especially the boys) have been working so hard to get the little punkin's room ready for her arrival. The other night while I was gone for the evening, the boys were busy painting, and made the room look so beautiful! Ready for a little princess!

Keegan is such a proud big brother already!

And here is the little punkin herself at 33 weeks and 2 days. Growing like a weed!

Loving my bump, but ouch! She is so very low and getting ready to come out that it hurts! Mainly all areas under my belly hurt, but I love it so much. I can't believe that in just a few weeks she will be out of my belly!

Last night, we got busy carving Keegan's pumpkin. He had specific instructions, of course, and the main one was that he didn't touch the goo inside. This from a boy who picks up worms, rips them apart, picks his nose, and many other gross things I feel I shouldn't mention. He won't touch the pumpkin guts.

This is how he really feels about it...

Stinky!!!

Sketching his plan for his pumpkin

Holes in the nose "for the boogers"

Unfortunately, the booger holes were a little too advanced for daddy.

He was still happy as can be with the finished product!

We are so excited for Halloween! Keegan is going to be the cutest little punkin and we can't wait to do some haunted housing, Zoo Booing, and trick or treating!

Lucky Girls

2011-10-17T08:21:00.002-04:00

There are two very lucky girls in this family right now. This little girl in my belly is already so loved and so longed for, and I was shown, once again, what a lucky girl I am this weekend. My best girlfriends and close family members threw me the most special shower on Saturday evening, and I am still not able to get over how special it was for me. For us.

To begin, the theme was CHRISTMAS. Ha!

When I opened Abby's front door, everyone was inside singing, "We Wish You a Happy Baby!" to the tune of, of course, We Wish You a Merry Christmas. I could not believe it and was shocked.

The beautiful host, Abby, along with the other hostesses, Maria, Kris, Mom, and Dawn, decorated Abby's house in the most Christmasy way and had the most wonderful food and drinks for all of the guests. They did so many sweet things just for me.

And Baby Girl was so spoiled and loved by everyone. As if this party wasn't, enough, the gifts that people brought for us was way too much. I still am in disbelief how much everyone did for us.

Mom, me, Lynn

Angi, Stacy, Julie, me, Danielle

Maria, Abby, Kris, me, Dawn

Abby showing off her most fantastic Dickey at the end of the night. The girls had bought Christmas Dickies, hair scrunchies, and were wearing Christmas outfits. Priceless.

There are so many emotions going through my mind today and that kept me up last night when I tried to fall asleep. I know how precious life is, and how special this little baby is to our small family, and our large family. Everyone who has walked this journey with us is so very dear to us and I couldn't have celebrated her arrival with people I love more dearly. I am so thankful to God for family who I love more than anything and friends who are family to me.

Soccer Season Has Come to a Sad End

2011-10-16T20:20:00.001-04:00

This weekend Keegan had two soccer games, which marked the end of his fall soccer season. It was a wonderful weekend for playing soccer and we all had so much fun, us watching and Keegan playing. We sure are going to miss our Saturday soccer games!

Saturday: 4 goals

Today: 1 goal (tough team!)

Keegan's goal

Luke, Monty, and Keegan made an awesome team today!

He has so much fun!

The wonderful cheering squad!

(Aunt Jeanine and Sarah got to watch his game yesterday! We were so happy they came into town and were able to see a game!)

Talking with Coach after the game about the wonderful season. He was such a great coach!

The boys got trophies, and this made for one verrrrrrrrry happy little boy!

Keegan is getting his name called here and handed his trophy. So happy!

We are so proud of how far he has come in just a few months. And the neatest part was watching how much he thoroughly enjoyed playing!

Keegan is one lucky boy to have so many cheerleaders who love him so much!

We may be nerdy, but we are so very proud of our little boy. We love you little stinker! You make us smile, you make us proud, and we love being your mommy and daddy!

Our Little Mathematician

2011-10-14T09:00:00.001-04:00

Keegan was having a blast last night before bed writing his numbers on his chalkboard. He just started all on his own, and then just kept going...

...all the way to 23. And only stopped because (obviously) he ran out of room!

He was so excited to be able to write all of his numbers and Ryan and I were probably more excited for him. He is growing so much this year, with preschool and with our practice at home. He absolutely loves preschool and loves his teachers, and loves sharing "school" with us at home. Every night, he has "calendar" for me and Ryan. He is the teacher, and he goes over what day of the week it is and then the full date. He is obviously copying what they do at school, and it is really neat for Ryan and I to see. "Is today Monday?"

"Noooooooo!"

"Is today Tuesday?"

"Noooooooo!"

In his short life, this is the most change I have ever seen in Keegan in such a short time. From knowing what letter begins most words to beginning to read and sound out words to adding and subtracting and writing his numbers, and at the same time, being SO excited about it, we are just having so much fun! I guess that's one of the things about having two educators as parents...we get a little excited about learning in this house!

We are so excited for our little pumpkin and just love watching him learn and discover something new every day. He is such an amazing boy and we love being on this journey with him!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-11T17:57:00.001-04:00

Sunday we took our third (I think?) annual trip to the pumpkin patch. We LOVE this time of year and LOVE the pumpkin patch! We also love our dear friends, the Esterlines, who we have made this a yearly event with the past two years. The kids have so much fun together and it's a great memory to have.

These two boys...loves of my life. Can't wait to bring the little lady here next year!

So happy Ella is coming on to bounce with him!

He's gonna be such a good big brother!

Coming down the new slide! He loved it!

Of course, we had to get not one, but two apple cider slushees! I am obsessed with these things, and someone else is, too!

Such a beautiful, wonderful day and we are so thankful for another beautiful weekend to spend together.

30 Weeks, Holy Cow!

2011-10-02T13:34:00.000-04:00

Seriously...this pregnancy is going so fast :(

We had family/maternity pictures this morning. I'm not a huge fan of pictures (of myself) but hopefully when we get them back there will be a few to share. It was a beautiful fall morning, that's for sure!

Still feeling great, loving this little wiggle worm inside me, and can't wait to have her here with us!

Soccer Stud

2011-10-01T14:49:00.000-04:00

The three of us are having so much fun with this soccer stuff! The season just keeps getting better and better, and Keegan just shocks us every week with how much he has improved. And he is having fun, too!

Week 1 & 2: 0 goals, but much fun!

Week 3: 2 Goals, and wow, this is really fun scoring goals! Especially when pregnant mommy does a toe touch like she promised!

Week 4: One goal, right at the last second!

Week 5: Four goals!!! Best game yet, barely took a break, major concentration, hustling down the field, and scoring like a maniac! Such a fun game!

Ryan and I (and the family and friends who come watch him) are having so much fun watching Keegan and his team play this season. They are such a neat group of boys, who grow so much every game. His two coaches are wonderful and we are going to miss this so much when it's over.

We are so proud of the little dude and love watching him have so much fun at something. Today the coaches even commented to Ryan about how much Keegan has improved every game. It's like watching a different kid from that first game or two.

Even Ryan, who never really was much of a soccer person, has admitted how much fun this is watching him play.

What a beautiful fall day it was!

Keegan going to score a goal!

Another goal for Keegan!

Congratulations Sea Dragons--such a fun game!

September Joy

2011-09-18T16:18:00.000-04:00

September begins with a trip (or two) to the apple orchard, and starts off one of our favorite times of the year! We absolutely love finding new orchards, although this one is in the town that Ryan is originally from, so it was neat to take Keegan to it. It was a nice, fall-like day and the three of us had such a wonderful time picking apples, eating apples and popcorn, and drinking my favorite thing, apple cider slushies!

If it were up to Keegan, we would have picked hundreds and hundreds of apples! He loved finding the perfect apple, and of course, loved sampling them along with me and Ryan.

We are planning one more trip to a different orchard, and then to our favorite spot for pumpkins in Early October. Such an exciting time of the year!

28 Weeks!

2011-09-17T19:49:00.000-04:00

28 weeks! Really?! Holy cow!

Time has just flown by, and as excited as I am, it's also a little bittersweet because I just love being pregnant and having this little sweet pea inside of me. As much as I want her to be in my arms, I love having her inside me being safe and warm and content.

A few months back, while at an appointment with my doctor, she said something about 28 weeks. At that point it seemed SO far away and SO far along, I could hardly imagine it. And now here I am.

The third trimester!

I feel great! Sure, I've got aches and pains. This little lady buries herself nice and low and makes me pretty uncomfortable at times. Sometimes after a day of working out, running around with Keegan, doing chores around the house, and not really getting off my feet until 10 o'clock at night, I am hurting by the end of the day. But I even hate to document that, because I don't ever want to sound like I am complaining. I am so thankful for the aches and the pains because it means that I am pregnant.

But I'm also 32, which is a little different from 27 :-)

My belly button is beginning to pop out. It popped out really far with Keegan, but since I had him I have had two surgeries, in which they went through my belly button...so, I'm not sure if it is really able to quite pop the way it did last time. It may have been sewn up a little tighter!! I'm excited to watch it and see!

Still craving sweets, having fun eating cookies and donuts, something that I really have never enjoyed. Moving a little slower, breathing a little harder, but LOVING each and every day that I feel her squirm around in my tummy. TWO months from today we will hopefully be much closer to meeting her, loving on her, and kissing her beautiful lips. I can't wait!!!

Happy

2011-09-13T09:44:00.000-04:00

While cuddling in bed this morning:

"I'm so happy I'm with you, Mommy, and watching LazyTown!"

(I know what he means...minus the LazyTown part!)

Keegan with my belly :)

Nothing is really new, just getting back into the schedule of going to preschool, which I am really disliking this year. Not preschool, just Keegan being away from me during his last year before Kindergarten. But he loves it...and I know it's good for him, so I guess I will just deal with it. I just miss the little guy. Will it EVER get easier?

He's such a happy and loving little boy, who I am so in love with. We are so excited for our little lady to be here to share our love with, as well. We can't wait to add her to our fun days and nights!

Happy Tuesday! We are so thankful for today, for each other, for Daddy, and for the fact that we get to be together! It's a good day to celebrate!

Last Year of Preschool

2011-09-07T17:48:00.000-04:00

Preschool, take one!

Take two!

And take three!

I can really tell that my baby is growing up in this last picture from today!

Today Keegan began his last year of preschool. I was a little emotional, and had to hold back the tears all morning. Really, I was wishing it was sunny out so that I had an excuse to wear my sunglasses! I just cannot believe that today marked the beginning of the last year he will be attending preschool. And at the same time I am such a proud mommy for how big, smart, and kind he is growing to be.

Yay preschool!
(That's really what he was saying!)
:)

Keegan is a Rainbow this year, and his teachers are Mrs. Marris and Mrs. Wagner. I have heard wonderful things about this class, and we are so excited to watch him in another year of school. He has many friends in this class from the past two years, including Carter, Daniel, Owen, and Brighton, and he made a new friend, Lucy, who was in his two-year-old preschool class. Of course, he would meet a new little girl. He always seems to find a cute little girl who he continuously talks about throughout the year. His first year it was Prue, last year it was Emma...we'll see what this year brings us! :)

As a four-year-old going into preschool, Keegan knows:

(For my keepsake purposes)

*Abc's, reciting and recognizing, working on writing

*How to read his name, Cubs, Haughey, stop, really beginning to become interested in reading books

*How to add and subtract little numbers (under 10, using pictures or fingers)

*How to recognize numbers

*Can count to 30 or 40, with a little help along the way he could probably go to 100

*How to connect the dots, following numerical ordered dots

*How to write his name

*All of the colors

*How to finish patterns

*How to figure out what number(s) are missing in a list of numbers

*All the colors

The Unofficial End of Summer Party

2011-09-06T17:15:00.000-04:00

We're not partying because summer is almost over (although I'm getting a tad bit excited about fall...), but love another excuse to have a pool party over at Grammi and Papa's house with family and great friends! Sunday was no different, and we had a wonderful time swimming, playing, and visiting. Oh yeah, and eating, too! Of course!

Keegan LOVES any chance he can get to be with his friends, and he was really looking forward to Sunday. Three of his favorite friends, Camden, other Keegan, and Rylan were all able to come, and those four boys sure do love to play together!

We love when family comes into town and we are able to spend some time together. Keegan was so excited to see Aunt Chris and Uncle Scott!

It was a great day, and one of our last warm days for a while. The very next day it turned cooler...and more fall-like. So we headed to a huge park and did some hiking, picnicking, and playing. Pics coming soon!