Happy Mother's Day

My Mother's Day was full of delicious treats, lovely gifts and baby snuggles. According to Keegan the best part was clearly and most obviously the gelato!

a glimpse into the future

Grayson wanted to hold Keegan, Keegan wasn't so sure he wanted to be held- what resulted was the first of what I anticipate to be MANY wrestling matches between our sons. 

Squish

Squish
Grayson muchly enjoys squishing and holding his little brother. Keegan's reception of this squishing varies but in general he is amazingly tolerant and I think on some level he knows he is much loved. I can only hope he never doubts that is loved, ever, because he always will be.

Schmitz Family Christmas

We celebrated our little family's Christmas on 12-23 just the four of us.  It was lovely- Keegan had a blast hanging in his seat and watching his big brother open packages and wildly spin around the living room.  We spent the day at home in comfy clothes- just hanging out and letting Grayson explore his new toys while we all watched- Keegan included :)
Happy Holidays indeed

Brotherly Love

Grayson so very much loves his brother. He loves to hold him and help him. He loves to wipe his face with the burp cloth, wash him in the tub, hold his head while he is nursing, sit with him on the couch, talk to him in his crib, play with him during tummy time.... honestly he is just the most lovely boy and kindest big brother. There are certainly moments of jealously, certainly moments of frustration at having to wait but honestly Grayson is so kind and caring and concerned about Keegan- it warms my heart and I feel so blessed.

One Week Old

Keegan is already one week old.  His scratches on his face are healing rapidly, his bruising from birth is fading, his yellow cast is nearly gone and he is looking fabulous!
He is fabulous as well- he is eating really well, nursing seems to pretty much be second nature to him, and once he has a full belly sometimes he will sleep for almost 3 hours.  He likes to be awake and look around at his brother and the lights for up to 30 minutes at a time and then nurse and sleep and snuggle.  He even sleeps on his own on occassion in the Rock n Play - though he much prefers to snuggle in bed with momma.
Mimi has been here most of the week to entertain Grayson while the family gets used to our newest member- and it has been super helpful.  When Grayson gets up from his nap he and Mimi have been going for a walk or heading outside to play while Mommy and Keegan nap. Then we all reconvene for dinner and the evening time.
Grayson is being a wonderful big brother so far- he loves his baby, asks for his baby when he wakes up in the morning or after nap, helps his baby get momma milk by 'holding' the milk for Keegan and patting his face with the burp cloth, he pets Keegan's head while his diaper is changed, sits next to us on the couch while Keegan is nursing and brings his blue baby (toy) to get milk on the other side.  Grayson has been doing a good job of being patient so far and of sharing his momma- though I am trying to make a big effort to make special time for him each day.  Grayson is more worried about Keegan being happy and getting milk and snuggles than he is about himself- what a lovely and kind big brother! Hopefully we can manage to make special time for both boys and they keep getting along as well as they are so far.

32 weeks

Grayson came with Mommy to the midwife this week. It was quite the adventure!
Grayson doesn't like it when other people touch "his" mom and gets pretty upset- so Cheri and I have been planning some practice runs at midwife appointments and dr visits to try to prep him for when mommy is in the hospital with the new baby.
Grayson got to help take my blood pressure (still well within normal range), push the buttons while I stood on the scale (still gained about 6 pounds this pregnancy), hold the doppler while we listened to Baby B (solid heartrate of about 143) and play with cars on the floor while Cheri and I talked. All in all G did much better than I expected- he will come along with Ry as well to the next appointment and hopefully there will be even less crying and moments of general distress.
Cheri can't tell which way Baby B is pointed this time around, and I am measuring a little bigger this pregnancy than I was at this time last pregnancy yet haven't gained any more weight (though I honestly haven't worked out as much either so...) Cheri said that if she cannot tell what position Baby B is in at the next appointment she would like to do an ultrasound to see where he is and how big he is getting. We have tentatively scheduled that ulatrasound for my 36 week appointment but can move it up if need be.
Good appointment, good news, good days and already 8 months pregnant :)