Jim and Evie's Adventures!

January Newsletter (Minus Contact Info [because that's creepy to post on the internet] and Pictures)

Jim and Evie’s Adventures

January 2012

Happy New Year! We pray that 2012 is starting off well for you and that you are all doing well.  We are loving our new addition—our sweet baby boy, Finn.  He’s growing quickly; everyone told us that he would, but we didn’t understand how quickly babies grow and change until we had our own!  Evie is staying home with him now and loving it.  Jim has started the semester this week at Southern Evangelical Seminary. After this semester, he should be about half-way through his Master’s.  He is still enjoying the program greatly and has been learning a lot.

Our biggest piece of recent news is that we have decided not to return to Ukraine for the time being.  Last year at this time, we wrote to you asking that you would pray for the Lord to give us wisdom regarding back to Ukraine.  Well, He gave us Finn, and that has certainly helped to make up our minds!  We have realized how much time and energy a baby takes, and right now, it’s exhausting working, taking classes, and being parents, so we can’t imagine adding raising support, preparing to move internationally, moving across the ocean, and living in a country where we don’t speak the language on top of that.  We want to be good stewards of what God has given us in this season—Finn and seminary—and we feel like that means staying in the United States for now.  We wanted so badly to return to Ukraine, but now we see, after much prayer and consideration, that returning right now is not what’s best for our family.

Since we are going to be in NC indefinitely now, we are considering different employment paths.  Right now, Jim is painting and the business is doing pretty well, but he would prefer something involving full-time ministry.  If he stays with painting, he will need to grow the business significantly to meet our increasing financial needs. Please pray with us as we look for ways to settle down further in North Carolina.  If you know of any job openings, please let us know!

We are so thankful for your prayer and financial support while we were in Ukraine, your prayer support while we have been transitioning here, and your willingness to continue supporting us if we returned to the field.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers!  We will continue to send out updates—let us know if you would prefer not to receive them.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray that Lord will continue to lead and guide us

Please pray for the upcoming semester of classes

Please pray for a new job for Jim or more painting jobs for the business

The Flowers are Bloomin’

It’s been a quiet week here at the Casa de Keatings.  (Please don’t judge me of that mangled Spanglish…I’ve been talking to a 3-month old all day.)  We’ve been enjoying it, though.  One thing we weren’t enjoying, though: my hair.  Well, Finn was.  Finn loves to run his fingers through my curls then wrap them up in his fingers.  Yesterday I couldn’t take it anymore.  Between that and my increased shedding, Finn, the couch, and I have been covered in foot-long hairs by the end of the day, and yesterday I decided enough was enough.  I toyed with the idea of scheduling an appointment with my normal hair guy, played with the idea of just walking in somewhere, and then I leaped at the idea of just chopping it of myself.  Muttering “Idiot, idiot, idiot,” I grabbed the craft scissors (I know), grabbed a chunk of hair, and chopped.  Makes you cringe, right?  Thanks to my teenage experiences cutting my friends’ hair and the curls that hide a multitude of sins, it actually came out pretty well.  After I showered I made a few additional snips, and now, a day later, I really like how it turned out.  And I saved myself $50 to boot.  And most importantly, my priceless sanity has been restored.

Sorry for the blurriness.  It’s hard to take a picture while holding a squirmy baby. One side is flat because I was lying on the floor talking to Finn earlier.  I just noticed.  Guess I could have fixed that before taking the picture.   And no, Finn didn’t have a run-in with some scissors.  He just has some funky bald spots.

My cousin gave Finn some cute baseball-themed sleep’n'play outfits for Christmas.  He’s modeling one in the above picture.  It’s a 9 mo, and already fits really well. Below Finn models another one.

This was his morning (pre-spit-up) outfit.  He still keeps his legs bent a lot.  He’s losing his newborn curl positions, but not  completely yet.  Look how big he is, even with bent knees!

And now I’ll stop before I start describing what we ate for breakfast and lunch today (Finn: milk; me: Cheerios, wheat things with sliced mozzarella and pesto).

If you’ve cut your own hair, tell me about it!

home is where my books are

Cute Things that Finn Did Today (Or: How I Know Finn is Brilliant)

Today Finn:

*stared at me while I was talking to him,  paused while I waited for his response (I could see him thinking very intensely), then very purposefully began moving his mouth as he cooed, trying to replicate my sounds

*said something that sounded very much like a slurred version of “I love you,” then grinned when I said, “I love you too, baby”

*laughed hysterically when I sang “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (but not when I sang any others)

I love this kid.  I love being able to stay home with all day!  I do enjoy a good phone call during his naps, though.  Yay for having friends to chat with!

I was going to write about how I annoyed I get when people make comments about my being “lucky” that I can stay home.  But instead, I want to express my gratitude.  I’m thankful for Jim, who works hard so that I can stay home with the little guy, who realizes and believes in the importance of staying home, and who happily sacrifices things that he wants and that we want so that I can stay home.

And he loves Finn so much!

Baby Items We Especially Love

So over the past 3 months, I’ve developed strong opinions about some baby items and have made some observations about lots of other items.  Since we have so many friends having babies, I thought I would share what we especially like, as I looked for these kind of suggestions when I was pregnant.  Bear in mind that we were/are on a grad-student’s budget, so everything is in the Target price range rather than the fancier stuff.  Also bear in mind that all babies are different.  The pictures are not exactly what we have, for the most part, as I’m too lazy to search for specific colors.

Products We Love So Far:

*Sleep Bags

We love these.  Finn still sleeps in them more than any other type of pajamas, though he’s almost too big for them.  We have the Carter brand ones (like the one pictured).  These work for us because Finn likes to have something snug around him when he’s sleeping, but he’s way too fidgety for a blanket tucked around him and tucked under the mattress.  He’s also too fidgety and wiggly for swaddling, and swaddler gowns don’t work for him, either.  He got one from the hospital and promptly wiggled out of it.

*onesies in general.  We go through so many of these, as we layer them under anything that has snaps, buttons, or zippers to protect Finn’s sensitive skin.  Stock up!

* Whoozit

We got this toy from some friends, and Finn loves it!

*My Brest Friend

I had a Boppy, but I didn’t like it that much.  The lactation consultant that I went to, and the consultants and nurses at the hospital, recommended My Brest Friend instead.  My mom got me one, and I love it.  I still use it with Finn.  It snaps on, so it won’t wiggle off, and the area for the baby to lie on is much wider, which helps when you have a big baby.

*Graco Travel Lite Crib with Bassinet

This works great for our small apartment spaces, and it’s super easy to take down when traveling.  Finn is starting to get too long for the bassinet now, so if you’re looking for something that will last for years, go with a full-size pack’n'play.  I think the smaller size helped Finn sleep, though, since it was cozier. We also use pillow cases instead of sheets for the bassinet; they fit perfectly and they’re cheaper!

*Play Gym–ours was a hand-me-down, so no picture, but Finn LOVES his and has since we brought him home from the hospital.

* Bouncy chair and swing

We love both of ours.  Finn is getting too long for the bouncy seat, but he fits well in his swing (both by Bright Stars).  These have both been sanity-savers.

*Avent Soothies

The only type of paci that Finn will use.

*Medela Sanitizing Bags

Great for sanitizing pacis, bottles, and pump parts.  Much easier than boiling.

Nursing products that I recommend: Medela disposable bra pads (but not the washable ones–they bunch), NUK washable bra pads, lanolin, Medela nursing bras (look for sales), soothing gel pads

I can’t really think of anything that we really didn’t like, beside the Boppy.  The receiving blankets that come in the packs at the store are way too small; they only work for bitty babies.  We use ours for burp clothes.  Get bigger receiving blankets, or better yet, have people make them for you, like we did!  You’ll go through lots of blankets.

Feel free to leave comments with your suggestions!

Finn @ 3 months

Finn is 3 months old!  He’s a joy and delight, and he’s definitely growing and changing every day!  (Side note: aren’t his toes cute in the above picture?)  I’m still not getting too much done during the day, because he is so distracting and absorbing (who wants to clean when there’s a sweet baby to cuddle?), but I love spending time with him.  Today I was talking on the phone while holding him, and he was just babbling away and grinning at me–so cute!  Of course, he does cry and scream sometimes, too; I don’t want to make it seem like all we do is laugh all day!

We still don’t have a scale (they aren’t my favorite things) and he won’t see the doctor until next month, but I’m guessing he weighs around 15-15.5 pounds.  He’s been gaining about 1/2-1 ounce a day, and I imagine that has continued.  He seems to have grown another 1/2-1 inch, too.  He’s so big now!  He’s wearing 6-18 and 12-24 month socks now, too, mostly because his ankles are a little large and smaller socks cut into his legs too much.  He’s a good eater.

He’s wearing a wide range of clothes.  Some of his 3-6 month onesies still fit, though I think this is the last week for them.  Mostly he wears 6 month clothes now, but yesterday I put him in a 9 month sleep and play that fit perfectly in the torso but was long in the legs.  He has his mommy and daddy’s long torso.

Newest developments:

*he’s able to reach out and grab toys now, though his little bitty hands can’t grasp bigger toys.  He loves to swat at his toys hanging on his play mat now that he can grab and yank them.

*speaking of his play mat: he loves to pick up the arch out of its socket and knock it over.  He does this over and over if we’ll play along.

(sleeping, not playing)

*he loves to suck his thumb when sleeping

*he has started to sit up, though only when we’re holding him.  He hasn’t started doing it when lying on the ground yet.  He now much prefers to sit up when we’re holding them than recline.

*He sleeps about 10 hours at night, and he’s starting to go to sleep earlier in the evening, which is nice for me.  I’ve been putting him down earlier then doing a “dream feed” right before I fall asleep.  This works well for us. We’re still working on getting a nap schedule established, but he’s been taking around 3 naps a day.  All in all, he’s a great sleeper!

Jim and I could not have asked for a better baby; we love our little guy so much!

Finn’s first Christmas

We had a busy, sometimes-stressful, sometimes-relaxing, overall-good Christmas and New Year.  The most stressful part, really, was the build-up and anticipation of traveling with a baby; it was our first time traveling any distance with Finn.  Thankfully, Charlotte is perfectly situated between family groups, so we never had to drive more than 3 hours at a pop.  And it turns out that Finn is great in the car.  For the most part, he would just fall asleep and stay asleep once we started driving.  I only to feed him in a parking lot one time .

We did our little family Christmas before we left.  Finn got a new sleeper in his stocking!

We then spent a few days at my grandparents’ house and enjoyed seeing some extended family.  It was Finn’s first time meeting his great-grandparents!  My camera is acting up, so our 4 generations pictures are on my aunt’s camera.

(Opening presents Christmas Day in his fancy duds.  Apparently I used to love to play with coasters, and claim them as my own, so my aunts got him some to play with in the future.)

Christmas Day we left to head home, re-pack, sleep in our own beds, and then hit the road again the next day!  Finn did so well sleeping in an unfamiliar crib at my grandma’s, but he was ready to sleep in his own bassinet again.  On the 26th we headed to Jim’s parents’ for the day, and Finn met his aunts and uncle there for the first time.  It was pretty overwhelming for him with lots of kids running around, but he did pretty well.  I don’t have any pictures because I was too busy soothing Finn to take any.

The rest of the week we spent at my parents’ house, shopping, eating, and seeing lots of friends.  Finn enjoyed getting lots of cuddles from his grandparents!  (I’ll have to ask if I can post pics of them.)

We enjoyed seeing friends in the area–thanks for coming by!  New Years Eve we spent relaxing and taking it easy, as Finn had a little congestion, hopefully just from the heat being on.

(Sorry it’s blurry; I had to move fast to capture the smiles!)

New Years Day we visited Jim’s family again and celebrated his sister’s birthday, but we didn’t stay long, as poor Finn was again overwhelmed.  Thirteen little kids is an awful lot to try to watch for a baby.

All in all, we had a great time, and are now enjoying being home and getting back onto a schedule.  (I’m tired now, as this post has been written in bits and pieces throughout the day; hence the semi-abrupt ending.) Happy New Year, everyone!

Finn is 2 months old!

Finn, you are two months old!  You actually turned 2 months a few days ago, but today we had your official checkup, so I decided to wait for the stats.  You weigh 13 pounds 7 oz, which puts you in the 90th percentile, and you are 23.5 inches long, which is between the 50th and 75th percentile.  Your head is 40 cm, right in the 50th percentile.  You are a big boy!  The doctor said you are growing wonderfully.  You’ve had some developmental milestones the last couple weeks:

*You have started smiling much more often.  We love your smiles!  You giggle some now, too, though we often aren’t sure why you’re giggling–they come randomly.

action smile shot

*You have been pushing yourself up with your arms when you’re on your tummy for awhile, but you’re getting higher now.

*You can roll over, though you don’t do it too often yet.

To roll over or not to roll over, that is the question

*You love to stare at our mouths as we talk and try to imitate us.  You’re getting pretty good at mouthing out sounds!

*You sleep from about 11:30 pm (after your last feeding) to 5:30 am, wake up and eat, and then go back to sleep for another 3 or so hours.  We’ve been trying to get you to go to sleep earlier, but you seem to be a night owl!  At least you’ve moved it back from 12:30 am. That was a killer.

*You still don’t nap as well as I’d like during the day, but we’re working on it!  I try to block 2-4 pm off for you to eat and sleep.

*You love to “talk” to us and coo at us.  It’s cute.  You also try to communicate with your hands.  i think you’re a genius.

*You are wearing 3-6 month and 6 month clothes.  I had to pack away your 0-3 month clothes!  You have a really long torso, so onesies tend to run short on you.

You are so sweet and wonderful, and we are so thankful for you!  I prayed for a calm, cuddly baby, and I got one!

It’s the holiday season…

And I am done with cookie baking.  I take my Christmas cookies very seriously–heaven forbid I skip a year making them.  Last week I frantically whipped up a batch a night as Jim hung out with Finn after work, and this weekend I finished up the goodies with a little help from my mom and Jim.  Now we just have to give them away so we don’t eat them all.  They aren’t the prettiest cookies this year–I mostly did bar cookies for the sake of time and ease–but they taste good, so that’s all that really matters.  I’m looking forward to the days when I have little kids baking with me like I used to bake with my mom; I had so much fun each year with my mommy!  (Note: we still have fun baking together, don’t get me wrong, but it just doesn’t happen that much anymore.)

So, the cookie list:

*snickerdoodle blondies

*double-chocolate mint brownies

*toffee squares

*chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons (my mom made the macaroons while I fed Finn and then I dipped them)

*inside-out peanut butter cup cookies (Jim made the dough for me, I formed them, baked them, and filled them)

*linzer bars

*nutella fudge

*white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies

Finn just put himself to sleep while playing on the floor (on a blanket, of course), so I’m writing while admiring his cuteness.  He is adorable.

In case you missed it on Facebook: 

Saturday night we went to a Winter Ball at the seminary.  We couldn’t stay too long, since Finn had to eat and I needed to feed him (if you get my drift), but we had fun.  There were two other couples at our table, and we were all about the same age, so we ladies chatted the whole time.  The men were a little quieter . It was formal dress, so I wore my bridesmaid dress from Ashley’s wedding with black stockings, black heels, a black and gold scarf, and gold earrings.  I got some new makeup for the occasion, including primer, which I hadn’t used before and loved, and dark cabernet-colored lipstick.  I loved the color; Jim needed some time to get used to it.  It didn’t help that when I came out to feed Finn wearing it I had forgotten to put on blush, so I looked like the undead.  Poor man thought I wanted us to go as vampires.  I was quite pleased by how we looked, though.  We’re pretty good-looking .  And I was pleased that the whole outfit was inexpensive to pull together: my mom bought the scarf with JCpenney cash, I got the shoes and earrings for less that $20 with Kohls cash, and the stockings were a couple bucks at the drugstore.  The lipstick was the most expensive part! (I got the 24 hour long last stuff and it really did last the whole time.  I had to rub and rum with vaseline to get it off.)