Kellen's Big Weekend-Pictures to Come

On Saturday Kellen turned 4 months old and had his first 'solid' food, rice cereal. I have pictures from our excursion to the park and the rice cereal experience. As soon as I can get them on a disk I will share (I'm hoping tomorrow). He wasn't so sure about the rice cereal at first but then we could tell he liked it. If only more would go in his mouth rather than on his chin! The second try he was really into it and wanted to hold the spoon for himself. He doesn't quite have the coordination to feed himself yet but he enjoyed trying. Happy Monday!

4 Months Old

Kellen will be 4 months old tomorrow! Lately he has really started to set his own schedule. Bedtime has become earlier than it used to be now that he goes to day care. What I've found is that if he doesn't nap at day care for at least an hour then he is asleep by 8:00pm. If he does nap at day care he is asleep between 8:30 pm and 9:15 pm. He's been getting up sometime between 1 am and 3 am wanting to eat. So I'd say we are up with him for about an hour once a night and then he is back down until around 7:30 am. Not too bad. I like knowing about when he is going to need to go to bed and get up. It's just another sign that he is growing up. I weighed him at home last week and he came in at 16 lbs. 8 oz. He goes to the doctor on the 14th so we'll find out officially then.
Our exciting news for this weekend...Kellen will be having his first 'solid' food tomorrow! Rice cereal! This should be fun for all of us, I'll be sure to document with pictures. I hope he enjoys it. We are looking forward to a family weekend together with nice weather! Tom and I are going to baptism class on Sunday afternoon so we can learn all about Kellen's upcoming baptism.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Precious Time

There just aren't enough hours in the day! Honestly I never really felt like that before. It seemed I always had time/made time to get done what I wanted/needed to get done (except when I was restricted from doing a lot of things I wanted/needed to do while on bedrest). But now, everything feels rushed. If Kellen is awake when I leave in the morning, I get to give him a quick kiss goodbye, but usually he is asleep. By the time I get home from picking him up at daycare it's at least 6:30 pm. Just enough time to feed him, change him, bathe him, change him again, put him in his pj's, maybe a quick playtime, and it's off to bed. He has not been napping at daycare more than about 20 minutes. Because of that he is more than ready for bed at 8:00 pm. An hour and a half in the evenings with him is just not enough time!
I ended up asking my work about a possible reduced schedule (30 hrs. vs. 40 hrs. a week). The answer was 'no', they can't spare me even for just 10 hours. Though it feels nice to be needed and appreciated at work, it made me sad to know that it wasn't an option. I don't want to/can't quit my job. I enjoy it and we need the income. Also, I know I am lucky to have a job. Especially a job that I really enjoy. So, I'm stuck. I do not like to complain. But in this situation, I'm a bit more vocal. It's about more time with my son. And I think that is important. I know millions of people all over the world deal with this same situation. I know I am not the only one. But that doesn't make it any less of a big deal to me.
Well, enough of that! Kellen will be 16 weeks old tomorrow! Ah, I can't believe it, Saturday he will be 4 months old. He has the cutest laugh and smile and we are loving every minute with him. Soon he will be taking his first trip to the mountains, I hope he enjoys it as much as we always have. I will hopefully be posting some recent pictures soon. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

15 weeks

Kellen is 15 weeks old today. Oh my, time has flown by. On one hand I can't believe he is already almost 4 months, but on the other hand I can't imagine life without him and it seems as if he has been here longer, and in a way he has.
This week is his first full week of day care and it seems to be going pretty good. I feel as if I don't have enough time with him at all. I may look into working part time if it is at all possible. Even if I could cut my day down by an hour I think it would help. We'll see, I don't think my company has any part time options but it couldn't hurt to ask.
Kellen is growing and changing everyday. New this month:

• teething (so soon, I know!)
• laughing (the funniest little laugh I have ever heard, I'll try to get it on video for you)
• "watching" tv
• saying "ah-goo"
• "holding" his bottle (he can do it if it doesn't have much milk, but if it does, it's a bit too heavy and he needs help)
• playing with the toys hanging on the carseat handle
• discovered his feet (right now he just likes to lift them up and look at them)
• chewing on his hands (probably a part of teething)
• holding (and wanting to sleep with & chew on) his 'blankie' (a cloth diaper we had been using as a burp cloth)
• hugging his stuffed green dinosaur
• smiling a lot and seeming to really recognize certain voices & people

I can only imagine what his 4th month will bring!

Good Morning!

Good morning!
Tom has training Monday and Tuesday this week so I have taken Kellen to day care yesterday and today. It has gone smoothly and I have had no problem getting him there and to work early. Today I got to the day care and decided that since I had plenty of time before work I would stay and give Kellen his morning bottle. It was a good decision because not only did I get to spend that time with Kellen (and he is so charming in the morning!), but I got to chat with one of his caretakers there and get a better feel for the place. I felt comfortable and I felt that Kellen felt comfortable. When I left I put him in his crib and he was smiling up at the mobile.
The transition is going well so far. I am tired at the end of the day though! The hard part is after not seeing him all day I want to spend my time in the evening just hanging out with Kellen (and Tom when he is home!). But there is much to do to get ready for the next day which takes up my time with him. If only I could get off work a couple hours earlier, I think it would make a big difference.
My mom has helped by getting Kellen early on these days that I have taken him so that he does not have to spend the entire day at day care. That eases my mind so much. Knowing that he is getting some quality family time in the afternoons. Well off to do some actual work! I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

This Day, Last Year

This day last year was Easter. This is a photo I took on our way home from Easter dinner and festivities at my mom's house last year. March 23rd, 2008 was a special day for the Boyer family, it marked the first day of the fertility cycle that led to Kellen. I remember thinking that day how poignant that was that it was Easter. It seemed like a good sign. And it was!

Back to the "Real World"

Hello all!
I am officially back to work this week. My first day back was March 16th. I was extremely nervous; both for me going back to work and for Kellen starting day care. My transition back to the 'real world' of work has gone smoothly and I am happy to be back. I miss spending my days with Kellen, I miss mommy/baby yoga, and all the little things we did together. I have to admit I do not like sending him to day care. He went on Monday but was out Tuesday and Wednesday with a cold. When I picked him up on Monday he was the only baby left, I guess all the other parents get off work earlier and therefore pick up earlier. I got him home and he just didn't smell like himself. I gave him a bath and he was back to that 'baby' smell! I hope that over time it becomes easier. I love my job, I just wish working didn't mean that he had to go to day care. As this first week nears an end, I feel as if we have run a marathon. It is hectic scheduling all the drop off and pick up.
I hope everyone is doing well! I hope to post more often now that I am back on the computer more.