A Little Slice of Heaven

Today I had quite possibly one of the best moments of being a new mom. For nearly 6 months I have waited for my little man to be calm and still enough to lie still to cuddle with me. Those that know MJ well know that he constantly wants to be standing, bouncing, etc. Today he was very relaxed and cuddly. He woke up from a nap but still seemed a little tired so we laid down on the couch together. He spent about 30 minutes just lying on my chest like this. He was cuddling with his bear, head laying on my chest, and just staring at me. Mat took this quick video. I don't think the sound captured it, but I was singing "You Are My Sunshine," to him. He truly is my sunshine and especially brightened mama's day today! Ahhh, I will always treasure this and hope there are more of these cuddle moments to come. What a sweet boy.

Me Loooove Baby Einstein!!.....And Sweet Potatoes!

Yes, we've created a monster. MJ has come to LOVE Baby Einstein DVD's. Well, really only one DVD that he likes to watch each and every single morning. Who are we kidding? He likes to watch it later in the day too! But morning time is becoming a must have. He has the Baby Mozart DVD and he'd watched it occasionally in the past, but as we were moving in and unpacking boxes we began to play it more often. It was a great way to get 30 minutes to accomplish something while keeping him happy! Well, apparently it worked because now he's hooked. In the mornings after he eats breakfast, he sits in his little jumper--also Baby Einstein (thanks Jill and Daniel) while we eat breakfast. He's content playing for a few minutes and then he starts just staring at the TV and making little "uh, uh" sounds. As soon as we push play this is the look on his face...

Mouth drops in amazement and arms straight out with excitement. It's like it's the best thing he's ever seen! Then, he settles in with a little more seriousness and intently watches, with an occasional break to chew or suck on a toy.

Oh yea, and he's also decided that he loves sweet potatoes. They're his new fave! He can't get enough of them.

Picture Time!

Well, I finally uploaded all the pictures taken while we were in St. Louis for 3 weeks. Mathew was able to meet so many of our friends and family and get some good quality time with all of his grandparents and great grandparents. Enjoy all the pics. Pics of the new home will be coming soon!

http://keyeswindingroad.shutterfly.com/469

Happy Birthday Professor Keyes!

Happy Birthday to my Hubby! This picture was taken today at Loras College in front of Mat's new office. We enjoyed the afternoon with my parents and gave them a tour of Loras. Mat's birthday was pretty low key today since we've been so busy and tired, but he knows that he has so much to be thankful for and to look forward to during the year ahead. It's been a tough transition the last few days, but I am so incredibly proud of him and this huge accomplishment! It's great to see him excited about a job. I know he will do wonderful and I am really looking forward to the lifestyle change in store for us. Happy Birthday Mat. Thanks for giving me the most wonderful gift ever this year...our beautiful son! I hope this new beginning brings you much happiness. xoxo

Iowa or Bust!

The bags are packed, the little U-Haul is loaded and tomorrow morning bright and early we roll out! Our moving trailer is supposed to be delivered at noon and the moving men show up at 2pm. I hope to have pics of the new house to post soon.

I feel like I have done waaaayyy too much packing and unpacking in the last 6 weeks. I'm looking forward to unpacking for the last time...for quite awhile at least. I have really enjoyed our time here in St. Louis. We've gotten to spend so much time with our friends and family. It's been great to see everyone interact with MJ. He's been an absolute trooper and we're so thankful for such an easy going baby.

Tomorrow is a tad bittersweet. If we were still in Florida it would be my first day back to work. I'd be excited to see my friends and set up my classroom-something I always thoroughly enjoyed. However, it would've also been the first day taking MJ to daycare, which of course would've been tough. I will definitely miss my friends and think of them throughout the day, but yet I think God has me right where I am meant to be. I must admit though; I am already looking forward to my first Florida visit! (this winter perhaps???)

Watch out Dubuque...here come the Keyes'!

Fantastic Five

Mathew turned 5 months old this past Sunday. We celebrated with a little rice cereal. :) Yep, it was his first time eating "solids." I don't really classify it as a solid since it's so runny, but it's a start. Here's a couple pics of the big event:

As you can see there was a mix of emotions but for the most part it was a huge success! He seemed to know just what to do as far as taking the spoon, not biting it, and swallowing well. We'll probably try a couple other foods once we move into our new house and get settled.

I feel like MJ has really changed just in the few weeks that we've been in St. Louis. He seems to have thinned out a little bit and lengthened quite a bit. His 3 month shorts are suddenly quite big in his waist and many clothes he's outgrown simply due to the length. He's mostly wearing 6 month clothes now simply due to length. He seems to have grown more hair although it's still hard to tell what color it will be. He is making all kinds of sounds and lots of screams and shrieks. He gives us smiles and so many cute faces throughout the day. He is grabbing things pretty easily now and brings his hands together a lot too. He's discovered his feet as well. He just loves his Johnny Jump Up. He can stand, run, bounce, and swing in it. He's still rolling from his belly to his back and although he seems quite close he hasn't quite figured out how to roll the other way yet. He sits up with assistance but much prefers to stand. Everything he can get his hands on seems to go into his mouth. We think he might be beginning to teethe, but not really sure. He went from being a sleeping angel (sleeping through the night since 8 weeks basically) to waking multiple times a night! Not sure if it's teething, a growth spurt, or just being out of sorts. We're hoping it stops as quickly as it started, but we'll see.

Blogger Slacker

Well, well....where do I even begin? I've been a complete slacker when it comes to blogging lately. Mostly because we have been on the go non stop it seems like and when we are home I try to spend time playing with MJ or doing a quick load of laundry.

It's hard to believe that just 2 1/2 weeks ago I was packing in FL and preparing for the move. Now we've arrived in St. Louis, went to Dubuque, bought a house, came back to St. Louis, I got a job offer, and seen countless friends and family members. I've taken lots of pictures and captured many great moments of people meeting Mathew for the first time. Unfortunately I have no idea where my camera cord is at the moment, so I haven't uploaded any.

I'm so thankful we have this time in St. Louis. I can't imagine if we'd only been here for just a few days and we were trying to squeeze all the meet and greets in during that time. The timing of this trip worked out perfectly! I'm excited to get into our new home and begin settling in, but for now it feels pretty nice to just hang out and spend time with lots of loved ones.

One reason I finally feel more relaxed I think is because I finally found a job! It's the job I really wanted too and I feel like it's going to be a great fit for me both personally and professionally. I will be working for Loras College as well. My official job title is Clinical Instructor, but as far as I know I'm not really "instructing" anyone so I think that's a little misleading. The way I understand it is that I will be doing a combination of things related to reading education for elementary students that are funded by a grand that Loras has received. I'll be doing some research on reading programs, possibly some additional grant writing, and mainly serve as the liaison between Loras College and the local elementary schools. I will help organize after school reading tutoring that takes place in the elementary schools, local Family Reading Nights, and a summer Reading Camp. I think it will be a good step for me professionally that will allow me to use my skills in a bit of a different way while developing some connections in the public schools should I wish to go back into the classroom in the next couple years. Plus, quite possibly the best perk is that the job is part time-20 hours per week and based on the college school year calendar. I can make my own hours so I can work around Mat's teaching schedule and between the two of us we should be able to spend a lot of time with MJ and alleviate the need for a daycare. We'll have the same holidays off and both be off during the summers. I think it will be great for our family and a perfect job for me as I transition to a new town and being a new mom. I can have more time to get settled in and comfortable with the area and not have to rush into finding a good daycare or be stressed with starting over in a new school district. I think it was an answered prayer!

More updates to come later, and hopefully some pictures as well. We're certainly missing our Florida friends and my brother, Jeff and yet so happy to see all of our St. Louis family and friends!