Life is Good

Life is good. Don't ya think? In fact, our life is GREAT here in Lynamland today.

Want to know why?

Reason #1:

Keelyn is 5 weeks old today! During this last week of life, Keelyn learned how to do thee most amazing thing... she sleeps almost the entire night!! Yes folks, lil' miss Keesters over here has managed most nights to sleep from 10pm-5am, 10pm-4:30am, or 10pm-4am. Then, after a hefty 4oz. bottle, this little princess lays back down for another good 4 hour stretch of sleep. Ahhh... a girl after her Mommy's heart. Now, check out her sweet pj's we put her in last night. Now that I'm not having to change her every 2-3 hours (because yes indeed, she used to soak herself in that amount of time) we put her in her first pair of footie pajamas. Seriously, how cute is she??!??!

And what makes the pj's even better is to announce that yes, world... we have another Irish girl in our midst. She may not have the firey red hair like her Mama (thank you, God!), but she's livin' up to what her name means (lively & aggressive, for those who have forgotten) and showing us she's got true Irish blood pumpin' thru her veins.

Reason #2:

Mama's back!! Yes folks, for those of you who have gone through the process of living life as a preggers woman, to the life of a 'remember when I used to be able to wear those pants, ya know, before I gave birth', you will jump up for joy and celebrate with me. I am wearing jeans... jeans that I wore BEFORE I was ever pregnant! Man, does it feel good!!! Ahem, I won't tell you that they are a smidge more snug in the thighs than I remember, ahem, but I will tell you that the closures work and I'm feelin' GREAT!!! No, I'm sorry though, I will not post a picture of this momentous occasion... yet.

Reason #3:

It's Friday!!! Which means we will have Daddy home for 2 whole days!!! I've always loved the weekend, but I think I will be learning to love them even more now.

So, blog stalkers followers, tell me what makes today a GREAT day for you. You know you all have something you wanna leave as a comment :^)

How do you do it????

This is the question I want to ask any work from home or stay at home Mommy.

Today is day 1 of 180 for kiddos at school and I must say, I absolutely MISS my students!!! Don't get me wrong, I'm loving spending all this time with Keelyn (who wouldn't?!?!), but I truly miss getting up and heading into work.

I also want to ask that question because I've nearly finished all the laundry, cleaned the house, and watched WAY too much TV today and it's 2:31pm. What do I do next?? Of course, I know I have things to do (don't worry folks, I promise you'll get KeeKee's birth announcements before she turns 1!!), but really, seriously, how do you do it?

Better yet... what else should I be doing (of course, only in the times that she's sleeping. Can't do anything else when she's awake) during my days at home? Not too sure I want to go anywhere (like Target) because I will spend WAY too much money (it's an easy thing to do at Target, ya know).

OK, it's settled. I will start by finishing the birth announcements. Or maybe Windex the windows...

Wordless Wednesday--"Treats" for Mama

**Disclaimer: This absolutely CRACKS.US.UP. It's Mama & KeeKee's way of saying 'We miss you, Daddy!'

Sleeping Beauty Pt. 2

Apparently, I'm the only non-sleeping beauty in the house at the moment. Rough life Bogart & Edgar lead during the day, huh?

A Day of all Feelings

Today is a day of all feelings.

Let's start with Happy!

Keelyn is one month old today!!!!! At the age of one month, Keelyn now:

~enjoys her baths



~loves it when she spends time with her Daddy

~*so far* does not need a bottle when she wakes up in the middle of the night

~only waking up once in the middle of the night *knock on wood*


~smiles at her Mommy & Daddy


~does floor time like the best of 'em

~gets to have her Mommy home with her for another 2-4 weeks!

~is more loved than any other baby in the world!

Now, let's move on to Sad



Sean had to go back to work today. Yep, it's the first day of school for teachers in Des Moines Public Schools and he had to go. Keelyn and I are both missing him... a lot! The worst part is knowing that he's missing us more. We can't wait for 4pm when he comes home!





Last, the feelings of Nervous/Sad/Happy/Excited/Anxious

I would be the one with all of these feelings. You see, as I just mentioned, today is the first day of school for teachers in DMPS. But I am home. Spending much-loved & enjoyed time with Keelyn. However, this is the first time in 23 years that I have not gone to my first day of school. Some people would think I'm crazy for feeling nervous, sad, and anxious about this, but teaching is in my blood and it just feels, well, weird to not be with my colleagues. And it will be even more weird on Thursday when I am not there for my students' first day.

But, today is Keelyn's one month birthday, so she and I are going to spend time together and celebrate!

Sleeping Beauty

I wanted to get this post done earlier today, but *ahem*, I turned into a slacker and didn't get it done.

This is what the post was going to say...

Our Sleeping Beauty!!! Keelyn slept last night from 8pm until 3am this morning! A whopping 7 straight hours! When she woke up at 3am I got a bottle ready but much to my surprise, she didn't want it. She simply sucked on a binkie, and put herself back to sleep (in my arms, of course) by 4am. She slept until 7am then and was up for the day! My, my, my... what a beautiful sleeping beauty. Hopefully she will stay awake today and do the same thing tonight.

That is what the post was going to say.

Until now.

Lil' Miss Sleeping Beauty was a smidge bit off her schedule...again...because Mommy took her to see some friends again. And Lil' Miss Sleeping Beauty decided to live up to that title, and slept she did. All.Stinkin'.Morning!

And most of the afternoon and into the evening.

Crud!

And here I was hoping that we would have another night of 7 straight hours of sleep. Granted, it could still happen, but I'm not holding my breath.

4 Weeks Old!!!!!!

Yesterday Keelyn turned 4 weeks old.

I cannot believe how fast it went. This means that, as of right now, I have only 2 weeks left of maternity leave with her. It has been such a wonderful 4 weeks... full of hugs, poopy diapers kisses, poopy diapers, love, poopy diapers and tons and tons of staring at her!

That being said, I've decided when I go back next week to see my doctor, I'm asking for a note for an extra 2 weeks.

Afterall, would you be able to leave this precious thing in 2 weeks?

I didn't think so. :^)

Guess Who...

Guess who has the widest, most alert blue eyes in the world?

Keelyn, that's who!

Guess who has the bestest Daddy in the world?

Keelyn, that's who!

Guess who la la la LOVES to read books?

Keelyn, that's who!

Guess who loves to snuggle on her Mommy?

Keelyn, that's who!

Guess who smiles so sweet in their sleep?

Keelyn, that's who!

Guess who supports Mommy & Daddy's favorite teams?

Keelyn, that's who!

Guess who has the luckiest parents in the world?

Keelyn, that's who!

Happy Birthday Uncle Jason!!

Happy Birthday Uncle Jason! I hope you have a great day (and that it's not too hot in Austin today).

Love, Keelyn

Did you miss us? A big week recap!!

Well, we are all home and unpacked from our mini-vaycay to Minneapolis... obviously! It's 3 days later!!! Keelyn did amazing!!! She was a great traveler and an even better shopper! I was a bit nervous about how driving 4 hours with a 2 1/2 week old would be, and how shopping all day would be, but it was very apparent that I did not need to be nervous at all.


We all got some much needed school clothes, as well as a few extras *ahem* like a new Coach wristlet for Mommy and some new Oakley lenses for Daddy :) Really, these items were both needed. After all, Daddy's lenses has scratches on them and now that I carry around a diaper bag, I needed a wristlet that would hold a bit more. That's right... I needed a new wristlet. So much for the "once I have a baby I won't go to the COACH outlet anymore. Oops!

Monday, Keelyn helped me pack our bags and the van and we headed up to meet Grandma Sally & Grandpa Dale. Of course, before we left, Mommy had to have some fun with Keelyn :)

Keelyn trying on her new shades before we left.

Here are some pics from our time in Minneapolis...

Laying on the hotel bed with Grandma Sally & Grandpa Dale Monday night.

Sprawled out on Mommy & Daddy's bed after shopping the outlet mall on Tuesday.

Mommy put another bow in her hair. I'm trying folks...

Wide-eyed and ready for her first IKEA trip Tuesday night :o)

Chillin' with Daddy at the hotel after meeting Mommy & Daddy's friend Sarah at the MOA.

Thursday brought laundry, putting new things away, and getting back into the swing of things around here. Thursday night, Daddy gave KeeKee her bottle and read her a story before bed.

Friday was Keelyn's third week of life birthday, as well as her 2-week doctor check-up. Sean and I both took her so Sean could meet Dr. El-Dadah. When we arrived, there was a fire truck & ambulance in the parking lot. We both thought that didn't look good. Turns out one of our doctor's little patients (and by little I mean around 2-3 month old baby) was rushed to the emergency room (we met the paramedics, Mom & baby on the elevator). Poor thing...

Of course, this meant that Dr. El-Dadah was backed up. Our appointment was at 2:45pm... her name was finally called at 3:30pm. The nurse took us to our room, had me undress her, then came back 10-15 minutes later to weigh & measure her. The result? Keelyn now weighs 9 pounds (75th percentile & up 1 pound from birth), is 21 inches tall (55-65th percentile & up 1.25 inches from birth) and her head circumferance is 14.5 (75th percentile). We also found out that the newborn bloodwork came back from the second time and everything was normal, so no hypothyroidism for this girl! Needless to say, Mommy & Daddy have a weight lifted off their shoulders with this news.

The doc was very pleased with everything he saw and heard from her and told us to keep on doing what we're doing.

**Side note: I cannot believe it's been 3 weeks since Keelyn was born. Time is flying by faster than I ever imagined it would. I only have 3 weeks left to spend with her until I have to go back to work. And poor Sean... he only has one week left until he goes back to work.**

Today has been filled with laundry... lots of laundry. I don't mind, though, because I have the bestest helper in the world :)

And for good measure, a few more pictures of her showing off her Boppy pillow and her Panther Pride!!! (as well as the funny faces she's learning how to make)

First Big Trip

Today, we are heading out on our first big trip with Keelyn. We are driving up to my parents to pick them up then heading to Minneapolis for a fun-filled two and a half days of shopping!

We're going to the Albertville Premium Outlets, the Mall of America, and of course, an oh-so-quick stop at IKEA.

We're hoping that Keelyn does a wonderful job on her first trip... and I'm hoping that everyone else will get some sleep in the hotel room! When she gets up in the middle of the night, I can take her to the living room so Sean doesn't hear her. Not gonna happen in a hotel room, is it? Oh well...

Speaking of sleep, yesterday we went on a family excursion to my favorite store, Target, where I was looking for a particular baby item but saw something else. We have one of those sleep positioners for her in her crib and I saw one yesterday that had an elevated part to it. I pointed it out to Sean and said "I wonder if that would help her sleep better?", but kept on walking.

If Daddy's little girl needs something, Daddy's gonna make sure she gets it! So he bought it for us her. The end result? After munching down on 5 ounces at 10:30pm, she went to sleep in her crib and did not wake up until 4am!!! Can you believe that?!?!?! She slept for 5.5 hours!!!

Now, if Dr. El Dadah saw this post, he would probably beat me within an inch of my life because he told me last time that she needs to eat every 2-3 hours. Well guess what, doc? Mommy likes her sleep, and Mommy is NOT going to wake a peaceful, calm, serene, sleeping baby just to shove a bottle in her! The best part then was after I changed her and gave her another bottle at 4am, she went back to sleep... in the crib... and stayed asleep for another 3.5 hours.

Thank you Daddy for buying your princess her new miracle-working sleep positioner :) Hope it works this great in the hotel!

When we get back, I hope to have some oh-so-fun pics of our first family vaycay! Until then...

Our First 2 Weeks

Where does time go? I cannot believe it's already been two weeks (+1 day) since our daughter entered the world. We have been so blessed by her... words can't describe how much I love her!

In her first two weeks of life, Keelyn has:

*wrapped her Daddy around every.single.one of her cute little fingers (and maybe her Mommy, too)

*taught me not to sweat the small stuff anymore

*shown that her favorite thing to do is snuggle right up in her Mommy & Daddy's chests

*become quite the lil' piggie :)

*been to Menards, Target 2 times, Valley West Mall, PerMar Security, Garton Elementary 2 times, the chiropractor's office, the doctor, the hospital 2 times (once for bloodwork, once to visit a very dear friend)

*let Mommy watch some great infomercials in the weee hours of the morning

*spent time with lots of family

*shown that she la la la LOVES when her Mommy sings to her

*shown her overall love of music

*had 6 or 7 baths... and is getting better with each one

*had a blow-out for both Daddy & Mommy

On Friday, Keelyn got to meet her great Aunt CJ when she came for a visit. Later that night and this morning, Grandpa Larry, Grandma Pam, Aunt Mandy, cousin Marshall, great Aunt Sharol & great Uncle Bill came to our house to set up for a garage sale they had this morning. She had a great time seeing her Daddy's side of the family.

Today, Keelyn is dressed to show off her team spirit... to cheer for the New York Yankees! See, when you become a Lynam, you have no other choice but to LOVE the Yankees. And well, we're hoping that she's the good luck charm that will help them win today and sweep the Sox!

Poor thing is too tired to know she's supposed to be excited :^)

She's so beautiful.

In other good news, these last two weeks have brought good news to Mommy!


#1: I can wear normal pants again!!! This was an exciting day for me ... I almost forgot what I looked like as a non-preggers woman!
#2: I got a letter today that told me I get ALL my student loans paid off due to me teaching in a shortage area! WOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

As promised... enjoy :o)

Tuesday Recap

Today, Keelyn and I took my van up to Karl Chevy in Ankeny. Why, you ask? Well let me tell you. There had been this annoying knocking sound for the past few weeks, but I never thought much of it. That is, until Grandma Sally and Sean drove my van while I was in the hospital and both commented on it.

YIKES!!!!! I thought maybe it was something that had been there that I just hadn't noticed much of due to my loud music & loud singing. Nope. Now that I'm driving around precious cargo (don't get me wrong... she was precious when she was inside me, but she's much more precious now that she's out!) I thought I'd better get it looked at.

So off we went today. She, of course, was oogling and ahgled over by the workers (one dude thought she was 2 months. Umm, no, try not even 2 weeks!). We sat for 2 long hours (not for her... she took herself a nice little nap. Lucky.) and waited for someone to come tell me what the damage was.

Turns out the mom bomb needed a new strut & new strut mount. Luckily the strut was covered by my warranty... the mount, you ask? Not so much. Oh well... Momma's gotta have safe wheels now, right? Right.

They gave me a rental car and off we went to run some much-needed errands, then headed back home. I thought we both would be able to get in a nap. *Ahem* I was wrong. Keelyn decided she was going to stay up, so we read books, sang songs, and played with a few toys instead. Daddy came home at just the right time... for me to go back to get the van and not have to haul her with me.

The night ended with me making supper, doing the dishes, giving Keelyn a much needed bath, cleaning the kitchen, doing some laundry, and obviously, a little blogging.

The bad news? Silly Mommy forgot to take pictures of my beautiful baby girl today :(. I promise I will have PLENTY of pictures for you tomorrow!

While Daddy's Away...

...the girls will play.

Daddy got to go golfing this morning with friend and Keelyn's godfather Matt, so Mommy and Keelyn had a girls morning. We layed on the floor and watched Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood (note to self: I do not want weird nicknames like Monkey and Buggy for my daughter, but I do need something... have to start thinking), had some tasty Similac-filled bottles, took a nap together, and sang some good ol' Rascal Flatts. Seems that Keelyn calms down quite nicely when Mommy starts singing to her. I'm so glad I have an audience now :)

But nothing was better than the snuggling time...

This lil' peanut la la la LOVES to snuggle her head right up into your neck. What could be a better way to spend a Sunday?

New Layout

Well.... what do we all think of the new layout???

It's quite possibly a work in progress.

Super big thanks to Missy for sharing a most splendid website to create the header. I hope to get an even better family picture there (ya know...one with me being showered, clean teeth, hair not-so-crazy from an oxygen mask, and not laying in a hospital bed), but we do need to show off our first family portrait to the world, right?!!??