Tucker's 6 week pics

We had Tucker's 6 week pictures done right before Thanksgiving. They were done by J. Kathryn Photography in Frankfort, KY. (A link to her blog is in my "Blogger Buddies" list.) Joy is amazing! She does such great work and is so patient which is especially important with babies! ;) We are SO happy with the pics! Since I wasn't able to put them on here (copywritten...), I've been waiting for her to put a few samples of our session on her blog. She has recently done so. Click here to see a few. I wish you could see them all. We had an extremely difficult time picking out ones to order. We also had our Christmas cards done through her (see below). I highly recommend her! (And, if you have a specific location you want pictures done or would like them done in your home, she can drive to you as well!)

These are pictures of the card, so please excuse the quality.

Front of card

"In the eyes of a child, you can see the true meaning of Christmas"

Isn't that the truth?!

Back of card

Tucker's Thank You Note

Dear Santa,

I just want to say thank you for coming to see me this year! I tried so hard to be good for the past 10 weeks, and Mommy said that I must have done a good job because of all the presents I got! I LOVE my basketball goal you brought me! Even though the box says it's for ages 1 1/2 to 5 years, my Daddy says it's time for me to get started. The whole time Daddy put it together, I talked and cooed because I was so excited! Daddy says I should be dunking by this time next year.... Right now I'm just working on my jump shot. Well, that is when Daddy actually gives me the ball. (He's sort of a ball hog!)

Also, thank you for the new play yard. It's much bigger than my current one and will make tummy time way more fun! Oh, and Mommy says I should thank you for all the clothes because I need them since I'm outgrowing my clothes so fast.

I also want to thank you for helping me to get Mommy the perfect gift! She loved her opal (my birthstone) ring and earrings! She was SO surprised! She says I'm a good little shopper, whatever that means...

Oh, and Daddy loved the t-shirt that says "Tucker's Dad". I bet he'll wear it all the time! :)

Anyway, I'm going to try really hard to be good all year next year too. It might be hard since I'll have a WHOLE year....but Mommy says I'm a really good baby, so maybe it won't be so hard afterall.

Well, thank you again for helping to make my first Christmas perfect!

See you next year, Santa!

Love,

Tucker

2 Months Old

2 months! Oh my gosh! Why is it that it feels like decades ago that I was pregnant, but there's no way it feels like Tucker should already be 2 months old??!! Already I think, "Where did my little baby go?" He has gotten SO big! He weighs in at 11 pounds, 14 1/2 ounces (50th%) and is 25 1/2 inches long ("higher than 97th%" -- that's what the doctor said, not sure if the chart doesn't go higher than 97% or what...). Obviously, he is on his way to being long and lean like Daddy! But, don't mistake "lean" for skinny! No doubt about it, my Tucker Bug has some chunky monkey in him that I just want to squeeze and kiss every time I change his clothes! (see pic) Speaking of clothes, he is wearing 3-6 months now, mainly because of his length. He has some 0-3 month pants that he was never able to wear because he out grew them length-wise before they fit him in the waist.... Tucker may have some of the difficulties Daddy has shopping one day....

It still amazes me how this little guy has come into our lives and stole our hearts! I told Wes the other day that I would kill for Tucker without thinking twice about it. I would literally de-eyeball someone with my bare hands in about 2.5 seconds if they tried to hurt my baby, and I have complete confidence that I could do it too. I. Am. Serious.

Tucker is the center of our universe. As a matter a fact, he is our universe, one that only 2 months ago we didn't know existed. I loved Tucker from the moment I knew he was inside of me and that love grew over the 9 1/2 months I was pregnant with him, but never did I know it would grow into this!

Dear Tucker Bug,

I cannot get over how big you are! No longer do I look at you and see a newborn baby.... Everyone that we meet thinks you are older than you really are. It's because of how long you are, just like your Daddy! And, you continue to look just like your Daddy too! Every feature you have is your Daddy's. We have even compared the lines on your palms, and guess what? They match your Daddy's! We had your 6 week pictures done and some Christmas pictures and when I saw them, I could not believe just how much you looked like Daddy! I admit, at first Mommy was slightly disappointed that you did not look like her, but there isn't a better looking guy for you to look like than your Daddy! :)

Not only are you getting bigger, but you are changing and developing too! We think that you are going to be right handed because that's the first hand in your mouth, to swing at your toys, and to try to push your paci back in your mouth.

You smile all the time! You are such a happy boy! Your smile absolutely melts my heart! I.Love.It!!!! And so does your Daddy! You don't stop at just smiling, you literally crack up. It is the cutest thing! Usually you're laughing at Mommy or Daddy, but sometimes you smile at the ceiling fan or your friends, such as the bears on your swing mobile or the mobile that hangs above your crib or your friends that Mommy sets up around your blanket when we do tummy time. I think you have little inside jokes with those friends....probably something about how silly your Mommy and Daddy are!

Speaking of your crib, you are not sleeping in it yet, only for the occasional nap. You are still in your bassinet beside our bed. And that's okay by us. We like you close. You are sleeping through the night, usually 7 - 8 hours at a time. You're like your Mommy, a night owl who likes to sleep in! That's because you usually aren't asleep for the night until about 11 pm, then you get up around 6 - 7 am for a quick snack and then sleep until about 10 am at which point you're ready for the day. That schedule works perfect for Mommy! :)

You are so observant! You like to just look around and watch the world around you, taking it all in. Of course it's because you are so smart and you are learning about everything around you! You love for Mommy to walk you around the house and tell you about things, like the pretty boy in the mirror that your Mommy is always holding. He must be a funny boy because you always laugh at him! Or the birds outside the window and the pictures around our home of all the people who love you.

Another thing you love is bath time. I love bath time too! We play and splash and talk about what we did that day. A very special time! You also love your swing and have recently really started to love your paci. Good or bad, Mommy's not sure. It happened when you weren't feeling good and Mommy gave it to you a lot for a couple days. Now, you're hooked!

Since last month you have started tolerating tummy time much better. Still not your most favorite activity, but you're doing better! You would much rather prefer to spend tummy time on Mommy's tummy! And you do spend a lot of time there because Mommy loves holding you and rocking you while you sleep...

You are OBSESSED with the TV in the basement! Okay, so the TV is huge and it hangs up on the wall, making it an easy target for an obsession, but when Mommy's trying to talk and laugh with you, you twist yourself around to see that TV, ignoring Mommy! Can you at least pretend to be interested in what Mommy is saying!

Your favorite cd is the one with the rainforest music. Your favorite books are "I Am a Bunny" and "Me and My Daddy." Your favorite songs are our wake up song and you still like "You Are My Sunshine" when Mommy's rocking you to sleep.

Tucker, you will never ever realize how very, very, VERY much your Daddy and I love you! You are truly our world and that world is wonderful!!! :) Thank you for showing me how complete and wonderful life can be! I thought I was happy before you, when it was just your Daddy and I, but I had no idea I could be THIS happy!

Mommy loves you, Bubby!

xoxoxoxo

Corny Mommy

One thing I've realized is that becoming a Mommy will have you doing weird things.... The topic for today's "weird mommy thing" is corny songs made up just for your little one. Tucker and I have a ton of these songs. We have a Wake Up song, a song for bath time, a song about "Mommy and Bubby", and a few other little tunes that Tucker gets a kick out of. Hey, whatever puts a smile on my baby's face! :) I have our favorite songs written down in Tucker's notebook for him so he can one day look back and laugh at his Mommy like Daddy does!
The one that always puts a smile on Wes's face is our "T-U-C-K-E-R" song. I'm going to prove to y'all just how corny of a Mommy I am and share it with you all.

(I would tell you it goes to the tune of some famous song, but it kinda has a tune all of it's own. Besides, I'm not talented enough to sing a song to the tune of another song!)

Tucker, Tucker, Tucker is your name
T is for Top of your class
U is for Undeniably cute
C is for Cuddles, hugs and kisses
K is for Ketchup for the fries that you'll eat
E is for Extra special to Mommy
R is for Ready to eat/sleep/play/etc.
Tucker, Tucker, Tucker is your name

Yeah, I know.... LOL! :)

Surely I cannot be the only corny mommy out there! Please affirm my Mommy-ness and tell me there's other corny mommies out there! :)

Visit with Some Big Cousins

Last week, Tucker and I visited my sister in Lexington. (This was pre-cold, when Mommy was brave enough to get out a little...)

Here are a few pics of Tucker's big cousins, Joshua, O'mauri, and Makenzie, who absolutely LOVE him! I had so much help. Help changing his diaper, help dressing him when he peed all over his clothes, help entertaining him, and help putting him in his car seat. It's going to be interesting in a couple years when Tucker's big enough to try to keep up with these 3..... :)

Our First Real Scare

Yup, it happened a couple nights ago...

Tucker has had some sort of congestion since he was about two weeks old. Our pediatrician (who I LOVE!) says it completely normal, some babies get that way and it's just from their small nasal passages and all the "new" stuff they have to breath in. That's pretty much what my google searches for "infant congestion" have yielded as well. Most of the testimonies that I've read indicate that somewhere around 4 months or so, the baby magically stops being congested. I've asked if this is an indication that allergies are in our future and our pediatrician says 'possibly, possibly not.' Apparently only time will tell...

Tucker's congestion does not stay in the nose, nor is that even it's primary residence. He never has a runny nose and I can rarely get anything suctioned out of his nose. His congestion is more in his throat, or by the sounds of it, somewhere in between his nose and throat (if that makes any sense). The most aggravating symptom is that he has a hard time swallowing the congestion when it drains. I've suctioned more "stuff" out of his mouth than his nose. It's very painful to watch him have so much trouble trying to swallow the thick mucus/saliva.... But, it's never been too much of an issue.

However, over the past few days, Tucker has been more congested than usual. And, he has just been acting like he doesn't feel good. He has also been sleeping more through the day than usual. Then, about midnight Tuesday night, I heard him in his bassinet making some noises as though he was struggling to breath. I jumped up and quickly picked him up. I held him close and patted his back telling him, "Get it down Baby," assuming he was having one of his moments where he has difficulty swallowing. (As a side note, the head of his bassinet is elevated and he sleeps on a sleep wedge/positioner to help with the congestion and the drainage, and we have a cool mist humidifier in our room.) He was having difficulty swallowing, but it was so much mucus/saliva that he was having a lot of difficulty breathing. I tried to remain calm and suction him out. Seeing how fast I bolted to the nursery to grab his suction bulb, Wes got up and followed me. I suctioned him several times and it didn't seem to be helping him to breath... Tucker's eyes were watering and he was looking at me and I could see the fear in his eyes. I felt myself start to shake, but tried to remain calm. After suctioning him a few more times I said to Wes, "I'm starting to get worried!" Thankfully, my husband is very grounded and told me to just keep doing what I was doing and stay calm. A couple more suctions and Tucker was able to breath easier. He was okay, but Mommy wasn't... Seeing that my baby was going to be okay, I broke down a little, completely relieved that he was breathing and realizing how scary the whole ordeal was. Wes held both me and Tucker until Mommy calmed down. (If Wes had not been there, I think I would have called 911, that's how scared I was!)

After that, Tucker seemed much better. I sat in the bathroom with the hot water running to help loosen up his congestion and held Tucker upright on my chest for the rest of the night. I finally did doze off at some point. The next morning, I called our pediatrician as soon as the office opened. She saw us right away. After testing Tucker for H1N1 (negative, thank God!), checking his ears (everything's good there), and running some blood work, it turns out he has a viral infection (basically, a cold). While that's not necessarily good news, it is in that it's not something worse (like the flu or a respiratory thing -- his lungs sound great). The bad news is that there's nothing you can do to treat it other then let it run it's course... So, Mommy has been sleeping sitting upright with my Tucker Bug on my chest and we've been doing a regimen of saline drops, sitting in the bathroom with the hot water going, keeping him near the humidifier, and using a Vapor Rub plug-in, along with keeping him elevated as much as possible.

If a few sleepless nights is all it takes to keep Tucker breathing, it's completely worth it! However, after going through the scare we went through last night, I'm not sure when I'll be able to sleep soundly again...and if Tucker will ever make the transition to his crib. I can't even imagine him in a completely different room!

This picture shows how my Bubby feels...

And here's a picture of his 'boo-boo' from where the blood was drawn.

Even after all that, and not feeling well, Tucker's still smiling! :)

Almost Forgot!

I completely forgot that I took this picture for the sole purpose of bragging on my awesome husband! Wes made us our own personal Thanksgiving dinner the Sunday following Thanksgiving. I'm slightly embarrassed to show you just how much food I had on my plate.... Turkey (he made a WHOLE turkey just for us!), dressing, greens, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and some cranberry sauce! Mmmmm! Makes me hungry just looking at that and remembering how good it was!!!
I'm definitely hoping a second Thanksgiving meal cooked by Wes just for us becomes a family tradition!

It's Still Thanksgiving Y'all!

At first I felt like such a slacker being so late on my Halloween post and now my Thanksgiving post. So many of my blogger buds got these posts up the DAY of. So impressive! Truth be told, if I could get my pics from my camera to my laptop a little more timely, I would probably have my posts up in a more timely fashion...

With that being said, I no longer feel so bad about this post being delayed. Why? Well, I've decided that I don't need one day to be thankful. I am thankful all year long. I have SO much, so many undeserving blessings to be thankful for that one day just isn't enough anyway. So, November 26th 2009, today, and every day are days of Thanksgiving.

* I am so thankful for my faith. Where would I be without it? Without God?

* I am so thankful for my amazing, absolutely AMAZING husband.

* I am SO thankful for my beautiful son and for his health.

* I am so thankful for my family and friends.

* I am so thankful for my milk. (Sorry if tmi, but it's true!)

* I am so thankful for my home.

* I am so thankful for my job (even though I completely dread going back...)

I could go on and on and on. And while I did say that every day is a day to be thankful, it is nice to have a day dedicated to reminding us of how extremely blessed we are.

Here are a few pics of our Thanksgiving...

The Keene Family

Tucker Bug enjoyed his Thanksgiving meal :)

My boys after too much turkey! :)

Well, even though this post is delayed, I hope that I have given you a 2nd reminder of how blessed you are and how much you have to be thankful for, on Thanksgiving, today, and every day! I love y'all, and I'm thankful for you! :)

Just a Few Pics of My Winter Baby...

Tucker's First Halloween

With all my new Mommy Duties, I'm quite late on several posts. I was hoping to get Tucker's Halloween costume picture up at least before Thanksgiving... That didn't happen, but better late than never!

Isn't he the cutest pumpkin you ever did see?

Lacy sure thinks so! :)

What could a pumpkin be thinking so hard about?!

Of course, being so cute can make you tired!

Maybe I'll have a Thanksgiving post up by Christmas.... I do have some pics I want to put on here. :)

Help From Big Cousin Makenzie

A few Fridays ago, I kept my sister's little girl, Makenzie. She helped me to take care of Tucker. Makenzie is a little over 2 1/2 (she'll be 3 on March 12th) and like many kiddos that age, she is hilarious! She NEVER stops talking and every other thing that comes out of her mouth is something that you can't help but to smile over.

Here are a few of our conversations:

Me: When Baby Tucker wakes up, we'll give him a bath.

Makenzie: Baby Tucker's sleeping?

Me: Yes, he's sleeping right now.

Makenzie: Is he a boy or a girl?

Me: (hearing that she used the correct pronoun) You tell me, Kenz, is Tucker a boy or a girl?

Makenzie: A boy!!!

Me: Right, and who else is a boy?

Makenzie: Jay and Maurie (her two brothers), and Daddy, and Lacy! (Lacy is one of our dogs, both of which are girls...)

Me: Good, but Lacy is a girl.

Makenzie: Oh.

Me: Is Baby Tatum a boy or a girl?

Makenzie: A girl!

Me: And who else is a girl?

Makenzie: Makenzie! And Mommy, and Holli, and Baby (our other dog) and you! (I'm not sure why she assumes Lacy is a boy and Baby is a girl.)

Me: Good!

Makenzie: (out of the blue) Do you have a bathroom in your house?

Me: (Now, of course Makenzie knows where both of my bathrooms are!) Makenzie, you know I have a bathroom!

Makenzie: I gotta poop! (and she takes off running into the bathroom).

Later conversation:

Me: I like your hair, Makenzie. It's pretty!

Makenzie: Thank you. (Smiles and shakes her head as though throwing her hair behind her and smooths it behind her ears, then looks at me with a very serious face.) Your hair is a mess.

Me: (laughing because she was right!) Yes, it is a mess.

Later conversation while I was nursing Tucker, which I got my sister's permission to do in front of Makenzie and attempted to do so as discreetly as possible.

Makenzie: What are you doing?

Me: Feeding Tucker.

Makenzie: From your belly?! (I'm thinking she thought I was feeding him from my belly because she knew that he used to be inside my belly. I actually thought that was a pretty good conclusion from a 2 year old!)

Me: Why don't you go get a book and read it to me. (Adverting the question. That's one for Mommy, not Aunt Tiff!)

Makenzie went and got a book and as she "read" it to me, every page began with "One day...." and then she would say something about what was in the picture. Too cute! :)

Another funny thing Makenzie did was to answer everything for Tucker, as though she knew exactly what he was thinking. I would ask Tucker during his bath, "Does that water feel good?" and Makenzie would answer, "Yes, it feels good." I would ask Tucker, "Are you hungry?" and Makenzie would say, "No, he's not hungry." I would ask Tucker, "Do you want to sit in your swing?" and Makenzie would say, "No, he wants to sit in his bouncy seat."

That girl cracks me up! Here are a couple pictures of her eating toast with peanutbutter, one of her favorites. :)

Tucker sure had fun with his big cousin Makenzie!

Happy 15th Birthday Nick!!!!!

Happy Birthday Nick!!!! The baby of my two baby brothers turned 15 today.... Wow! It blows my mind that he is 15! (I must be getting old...) In case you forgot from Luke's birthday post last month, this is how I still think of my brothers from time to time:

And this is Nick today. This pic is from his birthday celebration. (Note: Nick is not a Louisville fan, nor is anybody in my immediate family - or I would have to disown them! - If you look closely, there is a black "X" over his shirt. He is not sure where this shirt came from, but the last time he had it on, we were sure to put that "X" there. I don't know what he was thinking wearing it on a UK game day, but it's his birthday, so we'll let it pass this one time! lol!)Here Nick is with Dad and Mom. Nick doesn't smile in pics. See, when you're a big, tough football player, you don't smile. Every pic is like a football pic....at least when you're 15!

As you can see, Wes's gag gift got a smile out of him! :)

Happy birthday Nick! We love you!!!!!!

Love, Wes, Tiff, Tucker & the girls :)

Play Time!

Tucker has started to enjoy his toys more and more. It started that he would just follow them with his eyes, then he started cooing and growling at them. Play time has definitely gotten more fun and it's fun to see how Tucker responds to different toys. We have a toy hanging above his changing table and about 2 weeks ago, Tucker started reaching for it. At first I thought it was coincidental when his hand swiped it, but then I realized he was doing it intentionally!

See for yourself:

First, he studies it. Then he begins to coo and growl at it.Then he goes in for the strike!A little closer.....And SCORE!
He is SO CUTE when he does this! Every time we put him on his changing table, he looks at that toy as if to say, "Hey! I thought I already took care of you! What are you doing back?!"

That's my Tucker Bug!!! :)

Tucker's 1st Bath (a little late being posted!)

Tucker's umbilical cord stump didn't fall off until he was 4 weeks old! I began to think that thing would never fall off! I thought I would be giving my 2 year old a "sponge bath"! Fortunately, on the day he turned 4 weeks, it came off (with a little extra twisting from my mom!).

The following day, Tucker had his first real, whole-body-in-the-water bath.

We definitely started out as beginners, that's for sure! Wes and I were so awkward trying to get him clean and keep him warm. I had been doing his sponge baths in the guest bathroom on the sink counter. It's small and I would turn the heat up and shut the door to get it nice and toasty in there. I should have stayed with that for his first bath. Wes and I put the baby tub over the kitchen sink instead.... Tucker was looking at us like we had lost our minds and was probably wishing he had more experienced parents!!! He didn't cry, but if the chaos had lasted any longer, he probably would have! Here are some pics to commensurate the day:

Can I escape this mess?
Okay, I've had enough!
This picture shows how wet I got, with both water and pee! (Please ignore the fact that I have no make up on and my hair is mess! It was a Saturday morning!)
Daddy and Tucker
It wasn't easy, but I'm clean!

The second bath went much more smoothly. We went back to the guest bathroom. Tucker LOVED this bath and every bath since. He just lays in the tub and enjoys being cleaned and hearing the water splash. He especially loves water poured over him from a cup. (I think it helped that we didn't use that stupid thing that goes over the top of the tub....I now think maybe that's what I was supposed to use to do the sponge baths???) The most important thing is that we've got it down! We know have a nice little routine and bath time is enjoyable for all of us! :)

This is the life!

While we've definitely gotten much, much better and coordinated with his baths, here was what the bathroom looked like after his 2nd bath. I had to laugh because I felt we did so much better the 2nd time around until I walked in the bathroom to clean things up!

And because I can't resist posting cute pics of my Bubby:

Things are much better now and I think Tucker would agree! :)