The Latest Baby Inventions

I get this magazine in the mail called "One Step Ahead" with all the latest baby gadgets and inventions. I stumbled across these two products that made me laugh. Come on...really?? Are we this desperate? (sorry for any of you that own these!)

The Bumper Bonnet



The Stay Tuct

Hopping Down The Bunny Trail

Mae, Brad and Brianna thought it would be a great idea to venture out to the mall to visit the Easter Bunny. I did not know what to expect since Keegan has not had an encounter with a larger than life animal.

I hate to admit this, but I was once Winn Dixie's Easter Bunny. I thought it would be loads of fun but what they did not tell me is that the only place to breathe was through the mesh eye holes. Within an hour I would be drenched and for breaks I would sit in the meat locker. Towards the end of the day, I was one unhappy bunny, and scared children were the source of my agitation. The parents would make them sit with me and they thought it rather amusing for them to have pictures of them clawing out of my lap.

Of course you can see my pity for Easter Bunnies. So, after the picture was taken with the bunny and Brianna, we put Keegan in his lap. Keegan did not flinch and kept looking up at the humongo ears. He did great and at the end of the trip we got a very cute 5x7 picture and the Easter Bunny made a nice profit of $15. (The bunny better be hiding some gold eggs this season!)

So whoever you are Mall Bunny, you did a fabulous job holding a newborn and a squirmy baby. I hope you enjoyed us dancing in front of Keegan to make him smile! (even if you were dying in that sweaty costume!)

Keegan and Brianna


Keegan was laughing at Mae shaking her head back and forth and dancing!


He never knew these ears were on..I guess it felt like the helmet!

Cast Your Vote!

We need help in choosing a picture for Keegan's entry into the baby calender. Voting lines are open until Friday, March 30th.
There are no fees to vote...so for all of you blog readers that are shy about commenting...this is can be your debut. (note: you do not have to be a blog member!)

Here are the finalists:
A

B

C

D

E

F

G


If you would like to look at this years 2006-2007 calender, check out this link. I thought only 12 babies make it but they actually choose smaller pics to sprinkle under the 12 that made the big pic. So cross you fingers...I guess we will find out later this year. A special thanks to Aunt Fitine Photography (Christine Mangrum) for all these lovely photos.

Helmet No More!

Yes..it came off today! I have found that helmet very endearing. I almost don't recognize my own child with it off! The "helmet people" asked today if friends and family were ready for it to come off and I told them that they could not imagine Keegan without it. They were a little shocked and then they added, "Well, he is one of the cutest!" Of course he is! They want us to enter Keegan into a calendar contest. The makers of this particular helmet put out a calendar every year of the twelve cutest babies. They think he could win a spot. Keegan will have a photo shoot with Aunt Fitine one last time with his helmet to get a calendar quality photo! We will post them soon for you to choose your favorite.

We are ready for the helmet to come off. I think I have almost had a bloody nose twice from him bonking me with it. It has the worst smell about it that never leaves and no amount of rubbing alcohol will do the trick. (yes, that is the only way you can clean it!) Also, the helmet has seen better days. Take a look at what happened when Keegan starting rolling on our tile. He was rocking his head back and forth and before I could stop him I saw all the little paint chips on the tile. After that day, It just got worse. I guess it has earned its character. (For those of you wondering..that is not Keegan's head. It is the mold they took and they put it on a stick. The named it the "head-sicle")


I will miss some things that people say, like "Where did you get that helmet?" and sometimes they added "How much?" I had fun with that one. I would usually reply, "The Woodlands for $4000." The most popular one was "Look at that little Aggie!" all the while trying to figure out what the heck it was. My all time favorite is when little kids asked their parents, "What's wrong with his head?" I felt bad for the parents but I liked to see those confused dear faces.


Looking back at my old posts, I was so worried and scared for nothing. We are so glad that we moved forward with it.

before:

after:


Keegan will never forget you little helmet and soon he will realize that you are off...as soon as he hits the floor.

How the tables have turned!

I was looking through pictures today and trying to imagine that Keegan was smaller than both of my nieces at birth. I came across one of Janelle's baby, Ella, up next to Keegan when he was two weeks old. It reminded me that I forgot to post the sweet pictures of Keegan with his brand new cousins. (Check out the onesies that mom made..she is so creative!) It is amazing that Keegan used to be that small and now he is soooo big! I miss those days, but I am starting to like the developed muscles in my arms.

The Human Jungle Gym

Toys, Nah! Exersaucer, Nah! V-tech toys with annoying singing voices, Nah! Give it up for the latest invention! The Human Jungle Gym! I have so many attractions. My skin makes a fun noise when it is slapped. When you put your hand in my mouth I chomp on it. Blowing raspberries on my legs makes a great slip and slide. Honking my nose is one of my best noises and surprises him every time. My shoulder makes a great teething ring and mommy gets to sport a wet shoulder all day. Oh yes, and lets not forget Keegan gets to practice his pincher-grasp on me because I scream and say "NO!"... he thinks that is funny. I make a great object to hold onto and practice standing. I also teach mimicking skills. I wave my arms up and down, shake my head side to side, stick my tongue out and he does the same. Eskimo kisses are also an added feature that the exersacuer can't live up to. Let's not forget that I am one of the very few gyms that comes with music that sings on key. Of course, he has found other Jungle Gyms that are fun. Auntie Johnnie has proven to be one of the favorites. Wherever I go he has some entertainment...that is until he starts crawling. Let the fun begin!

Welcome Brianna Arenal!

If one could not get enough of one baby love in a week...try two!! Exactly one week from the birth of one niece, another one arrives! Brianna moved slow at first giving her mama hard contractions for 8 solid hours, but then surprised the world when she decided that she wanted to come out and play. Try dilating from a 3 to a having a baby in 30 minutes. I have never seen such a bright-eyed baby with so many facial expressions! She is such a cutie and while we hoped for a full head of red hair like her mama, her brown hair is fabulous. Keegan is getting a tad jealous that his cousins have more hair than him..but I reassure him that to be bald is beautiful. I look forward to the many play dates and of course becoming her favorite aunt. Well...okay...one of them! Brad and Mae have been such good babysitters and they are going to be incredible parents. (I owe them many date nights!) They are naturals!

Welcome Baby Brianna!

Welcome Jacey Rene Winn

I am so excited to introduce you to our newest member of our family! Miss Jacey came into this world Monday, March 12th at 1:14 p.m weighing in at 7lbs 6 oz. I am so proud to be an aunt and my heart was overflowing with joy when I got to hold her and love on her today. She is absolutely beautiful and it is incredible that there is a small piece of me in her. My favorite thing about her is her dark hair that adorns her little head and her small perfect features.

Matt and Jenifer are taking parenthood in stride and God has completely equipped them. It seems that they are handling things much better than we did. I felt like I read every page of "Baby Wise" in the first 24 hours and slept with "Baby 411". They are super laid back and there is such a peace that resides with them.

I love being an aunt and I could hardly contain my excitement when she was born. I was in Houston scrubbing my floors just to keep my mind off not being there. I pray that God gives us a special relationship that lasts a lifetime.

Welcome Baby Jacey!

Keegan at 8 months

I am always trying to get somewhere....

I am trying my best to crawl.

I love anything that my parents use alot...the telephone and remote control.

I hate sitting in the grass...it is itchy!

But dad makes it better...because I love playing airplane.

Starting to Sweat (again)

2 weeks strong and moving forward. We have committed our bodies and pocket book to LA Fitness across the street. I am trying "working-out" for the fourth time in my life. I had such promise when I was little to be a great athlete. I came in the top three in our tiger trot and could climb up a rope quicker than anyone in my class but that was short lived. I have never been the athletic type and in fact the last "real" athletic venture (prior to college) I can remember is in middle school. I tried tennis until one day I was sitting on my couch with my knees to my chest and one of them decided that it would not extend. It stuck in that position until my mom came home 30 minutes later and she had the lovely job in popping it back. I had some sort of something floating around in my kneecap that would wedge itself between my plates. Fun huh? So, that took me out of anything athletic for a while because I had the pleasure of sporting a huge stiff brace on my leg. Then in high school somehow my marching band practices counted as a PE credit. Not sure how they justified that being athletic because the only thing making you sweat was the hot sun scorching you on the field while standing still. I am still a little embarrassed that I was in the marching band...so hold back your snide comments. :) Since then, I took a weight lifting class in college and I actually enjoyed the buzz you feel after getting a good workout but was quickly extinguished when I moved to Houston. I soon married a health nut that loves working out and I decided to go for it again. If you work at HFBC you get a free membership to the gym... it just was not enough motivation for me. It was just not the right time because pregnancy started rounding out my tummy and I felt like that was my ticket to exit the gym and I was happy to take it. So, here I am...2 weeks into my gym membership and I am actually enjoying it. I am starting to know people there and my favorite so far is this sweet lady in the kids klub that loves on Keegan. She says he is her favorite, and asks every day if I am coming back in the afternoon. Ha! An hour workout three times a week is enough for me. So I am hoping that I stick with this and drop some of that baby weight that Keegan so generously left me.

AI Predictions-Week 3

Here are my predictions. This time, they are based on who I think should go. If any other than these two girls go home, I will be quite upset. I am pretty sure that Antonella will go on for another week because of her media hype and a good vocalist will go home in her place. I am also sure that there are tons of 17 year old girls texting over and over for two hours for Sunjaya, and he will be shocked once again that he gets to stay. BUT maybe America will side with me this week...come on people...this is a singing competition!

Guys:
Sunjaya Malakar
Sundance Head

Girls:
Antonella Barba
Haley Scarnato

My top favorites are Blake and Melinda again.

Sweet Dreams

I am happy to report this morning that after 1 1/2 bad nights of sleep, Keegan has learned to sleep a little better. He is still whimpering in the middle of the night some, and still cries a little when put down, but we woke up this morning getting a full night of sleep for the second night in a row! Praise Jesus! I am sure he will only get better.

I slept so well last night that I dreamed that Amanda Jones and I were at American Idol try-outs and we both made it to the second round. The judges loved us! I am not sure what she sang because I was searching for her for almost the entire time. When we were finally reunited, she was jumping up and down because she was not going home. In my audition I sang "Shout to the Lord" because it was the only song that I could remember the words to at the time. (Yes, I can't seem to come up with the words in my dream either.) The funny thing was that I was in the long white dress and I had long pulled up hair with a glowing tan. I looked sensational...for just a try-out. Randy was singing along and Paula stood up and clapped at the end of the performance. Then I heard Jonathan say..."You want to feed Keegan?". Short lived fame. Only in a dream.

Wanted: Earplugs

We are starting all over tonight with the "cry it out" program with Keegan. Can I just tell you that I hate this method? I know it works, but my poor little boy gets so upset that we have left him in his crib by himself. We have really done him a disservice the in the last couple of months. We started out strong and then over time we gave in. We go into his room at least 2 times a night putting his pacee back in his mouth and his lamb (a.k.a. lovie) back into his arms. That did not bother us too much until recently. Now when we put him in his bed he cries so hard that it forces us to pick him up and rock him. 7pm bedtime became a 10pm bedtime last night. My mother says that he can now command us to get what he wants. So after a really hard night last night, we have adopted once again the "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" philosophy. I am not sure that it equals happy parents, but maybe if we stick to it, we will be become that way.

As I am writing this, I decide to go check on him. He cried for 25 minutes then asleep for 30. This is a start. So, as I am cracking open his door, which squeaks now, and the phone rings. Immediately he starts crying. I answer the phone and it is a mom of one of our 6th graders. She asks, "Sorry for calling so late, did I wake the baby?" Holding back the aggravation, I lied and said "no". Not that it is her fault, but just bad timing. We talk on the phone for a while and he is screaming from the other room. I do most of the talking so that she does not hear him. I would hate for her to feel bad, especially after I lied. I was able to tune him out and by the time I got off the phone...silence. Yeah!! Keegan fell asleep on his own. I am proud of him. So will we make it though the night without giving in? I might need to find some earplugs.

AI Predictions-Week 2

Okay, so my predictions were a little off last week. I only got one right. So, I will try again to see if I can get a little more accurate! Here is who I think will go home tonight:

Girls:
Antonella Barba (great voice, but no originality)
Haley Scarnato (she confuses me)

Guys:
Sanjaya Malakar (he is just too young and not enough charisma)
Brandon Rogers (just because he chose a bad song...I still think he can hang with the top few)

My fav's from this week were Blake Lewis and Melinda Doolittle.