The Keene Family

JT just loves getting his tooth brushed. He opens wide when he sees the little finger brush coming. It's nice not to have to battle that twice a day. We'll see how compliant he is when he's five and it's more like a chore. Here's a Flip Clip of brushing in action: This week JT got a couple of shots (no tears!) and I took the opportunity to have him weighed and measured. He's 18 pounds, 28.5 inches long. That means he gained a lot of weight this past month, and we are glad. For his age, he continues to be long and lean. Which means his nine-month clothes fit great in length but are baggy on his waist. Maybe he needs a belt. :) While dining at Red Robin, we had another wonderful opportunity: to get his picture taken with Red, the big red bird. So cheesy! But of course, I couldn't help myself. Here they are together: Since JT isn't swaddled anymore, he is a crazy sleeper. I find him side-to-side, stuffed in a corner, on his tummy, and with his head at the o...

If you've ever been the only adult with your child in a store, you know what these things are. It's a chair you're supposed to put your child in while you use the bathroom, so they don't sit on the floor. How is this seat cleaner than the floor, exactly? Does it get sterilized when they clean the bathrooms? Does this look safe to you? I spent the whole time concerned that he would tip over and get caught in the not-so-snug straps while he dangled above the floor. Anyway, that's not the point of the blog this week. But I think it's a little strange, and so does JT! This week we have had marvelous weather, especially for February. We went out in the boat twice and spent time at two parks. As expected, JT loves the swing! I took video of him swinging, but it made me dizzy just watching it once. In our neighborhood park, Jim and JT played tic-tac-toe, went on the slide, and slid down the fireman pole. Afterward, JT got a ride home on my shoulders. He also likes his ...

Turning seven months old this week brought with it a few changes for JT. First of all, he got his first tooth! There is a bit of white glistening through in his lower middle gumline. He plays with it with his tongue and obviously knows something is there. His snotty nose hasn't been for nothing! All that work has made him a little extra sleepy. He even slept through the last half hour of The Bourne Supremacy the other night, surround sound and all. :) The other big news is that he is swaddle-free at night now. For months now, JT's nighttime routine has been set: go to sleep about 9 PM, wake up around 6 AM and talk to himself for a few minutes, fall back asleep, and be to get up about 8 AM. I was very nervous to lose this wonderful schedule... especially since he is on his own to fall back asleep at the 6 AM time slot with no binky or help from us. But he must have been ready for the big change, because I didn't swaddle him Saturday night and everything went like normal. Ph...

Post #3 this week... it's been busy! It is so fun to watch JT learn and grow. Now when I make the sign for water, he looks at his sippy cup and reaches for it. He has recently decided that previously frozen banana is icky, while fresh pureed banana is fabulous. Tough cookies, JT. Mommy isn't going to puree new banana every day. He's just going to have to learn to live with it! Here's our little man ready to play ball. Onesie courtesy Kim Pham... hat courtesy Eli Hollander, who was sad to give it away. :) JT still loves his laundry basket rides. Here he is (left) now, and (right) only three weeks old. Wow, what a change in such a short time! People have been asking me if JT "says anything." Of course, he makes lots of sounds that mean something to him. Some days he never stops. He does freeze up a little when he's put on the spot, or on camera, but I managed to catch some action here. The other day it really sounded like he said "i-er" when th...

JT's Great Grandma Keene passed away this week. She was 85 years old. We are so thankful that we got to spend Thanksgiving with her this year, and introduce JT to her. I'm glad that we will always have pictures and video to show JT when he gets older. We will miss her emails, cards, and passion for all things Alabama.

Last Wednesday was so sunny and warm! What a nice change. JT, Slider, and I went on a walk and spontaneously decided to stop at our neighborhood park. There are two play structures, and one is for littler kids. Turns out, JT loves the slide! It was so much fun. He even started anticipating going down and would laugh right before the big fall. (Watch for yourself on the video clip.) We had a great time! Now I really can't wait for spring... JT's new shades - very important on a sunny day! Testing out the slide Sitting at the top. Seriously, those eyes... Dangling off the side of the play structure (that's right, my child is several feet in the air upside down...) Finally got that hat off! All that playing makes for a tired little boy.