Keller's SMILE Photo-shoot!

So the little guy is finally smiling.  However, it was hard at first to get a picture of it, because we never know when it is going to happen.  As you can see, now I have multiple photo memories.  My poor baby has thrush, and he is even smiling despite that (he is NOT however, a big smile-er...maybe once or twice a day if we are lucky)  Scott likes to laugh at me trying to get him to smile. In fact, I do sound and look like a looney what with the high voice and various funny faces.
But ya gotta do what ya gotta do to see that precious smile :)

Almost!

Getting better

There's a smile!

Trying out a new dance move 

Maybe I'll smile....wait for it.....

Cheese!

Visitors...yay!

Well I know this happened a couple weeks ago, but this is as soon as I could post.  My stepsister and her family came for a visit from Georgia. It was cute to see Olivia, who is growing up so fast!  Keller will be that big before I know it.

Olivia liked Keller's playmat

Aunt Melissa feeding Keller

Murphy and cousin Olivia

Playing with Murph's old Fisher-Price Little People

Uncle Brendon gets to hold Keller :)

Olivia loved the doggies!

Kiss good-bye

A New Year with a New Baby

     I haven't posted in a while... just trying to get used to our new addition.  I forgot how much time a new baby takes up.  Keller is a pretty good baby when it comes to sleeping at night.  He usually goes down around 10:30 or 11 pm and then doesn't wake up for 4 or 5 hours.  Then he eats and goes back to sleep for another 3 hours.  We're pretty lucky.  During the day, he has yet to get much "chill" time in. He likes to be held constantly. He had some trouble adjusting to his formula, so we changed it, but that boy loves to grunt and groan all day long.  We have had to give him some prune juice and gas drops throughout the day so he isn't so uncomfortable.  Changing him is a real challenge.  He is what I call a serial fountain pee-er.  If you are not ready...watch out!  I have never had a baby boy that does that at least 3 or 4 times a day LOL.  Needless to say, he is generating a mountain of laundry for such a little guy.
      The other kids are pretty enamored of him. They all want to hold him...unfortunately, he is still mostly crying when he is awake, but they don't care too much.  He has started to smile fleetingly, and he moves his arms and legs so much that it looks like he is in a karate class.  He went to his 1 month old dr. appt. this past week and is now 9 pounds 13 ounces...so he has gained 2 pounds already. Keller is a very good eater, obviously.
      He has taken a couple short trips so far.  I brought him for a visit to school to show him off and meet my class. His grandma and poppy from Arizona came for a visit and we went out to a restaurant.  Scott and I also went shopping with him.  He was a fabulous baby during these expeditions and barely cried.  Finally, I took him on a trip to my mom's last weekend, which was a bit scary, because it takes and hour and 15 minutes to get there.  He was a champ, though, and slept all the way there and all the way back home.  Not much more to report at this time.  I still have about 5 more weeks at home with him before I go back to work.  Yay!  I hope to post more soon :)

Happy New Year!

Daddy's boy

Chilling with Grandma

The whole bunch!

Proud big brother.

Keller's First Christmas

Well, Keller gave us the best Christmas gift ever...he slept from 12am to 5am Christmas morning.  Then he ate and went back to sleep from 6am to 8:30.  What a generous guy!  His Christmas was pretty uneventful, what with just eating, sleeping and pooping, so below, I posted pictures of how the rest of us celebrated :)
I hope all our friends and family enjoyed their holiday celebrations.

Getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve

Decorating cookies

Gifts galore!

Not a creature was stirring...

The stocking were hung...

Good morning little elf

Time to dance!

Nice shoes!

Hanging with big bro

Murphy's collection of Hero Factory

My kids....Merry Christmas everyone!

When a Child is Born...

I wasn't sure how I would feel once Keller was born, 
but the lyrics to this holiday song sums it all up:

A silent wish sails the seven seas
The winds have changed whisper in the trees
And the walls of doubt crumble tossed and torn
This comes to pass when a child is born

A rosy hue settles all around
You've got the feel you're on solid ground
For a spell or two no-one seems forlorn
This comes to pass when a child is born

Welcome Keller Scott!

     Baby Anderson finally did find a name about a week before he was born.  So now it's little Keller Scott Anderson (or Kel, Kels, Kelly who knows what nickname we'll go with...I'm just calling him "little froggy" or "little booger" for now in the cutest voice possible)  He was born on my Mom's birthday, December 18th at 6:47 pm.  He was 7 lbs. 13 ozs. and 20 1/2 inches long (for some reason the lady who first measured him didn't straighten out his little froggy legs all the way, thus the different incorrect measurement on my FB post.)  We went in to the hospital at 6:00 in the morning, and it took about 12 hours til the little bundle arrived.  He really didn't want to come out.  I was still at 4cm at 5:30pm.  Then I got an epidural and within 40 minutes I jumped to 10cm and he was ready to be born. Incidentally, don't wait on your epidural, I waited too long, and it didn't have time to catch up. Of course, as all mothers say, after they see their newborn's beautiful face-"you don't remember the pain".

Keller Scott

     We ended up staying at the hospital an extra day.  I was discharged, but Keller was not.  However, they let me stay with him to take care of him (how nice of them, right?).  The baby doc heard a heart murmur that she wanted to get checked out, so he ended up having an EKG and Echo and chest x-ray.  They had to send the Echo to All Children's for the neonatal cardiologist to read and then they had to take another chest x-ray b/c the first showed a mass near his spine.  The 2nd x-ray came out just fine, so they think something was under him when he got x-rayed the first time.  It took forever for All Children's to get back with their diagnosis, but they felt like the anamoly would correct itself within a short time.  They only want to see him for a follow-up in 3 or 4 months, so nothing pressing.  Finally, they had to check his bilirubin levels so he doesn't become jaundiced because our RH factor is not the same. If his color isn't right tomorrow, then I have to bring him back tomorrow for bloodwork. He has an appointment with his doctor on Monday, so she'll also check him then. After all that, we finally got to leave the hospital at 4:00 yesterday and it felt good to be home.

 Brothers!

  Daddy's newest boy

 I caught Tyler just staring at his baby brother for like 20 minutes...sooo cute!

  Big sis has been a big help...she just adores him :)

Best early Christmas gift ever!  

Keller is staring at the tree lights.

Ready, Set....

Okay...no GO yet, but I will be checking into the hospital @ 6am on Tuesday, December 18th.  They think they will only have to break my water to get me started.  I am so hoping they don't need to give me pitocin.  I have no idea how long it will take...could be a couple hours, could be 12 hours...ugh.  Right now this baby is moving a ton...there is no room left and he is up in my ribs.  He is ready to join this world.  I finished work on Friday and decided not to go in on Monday so I could clean...clean..clean.  I did most of my cleaning Sunday though, so maybe I will relax :)  I took one more picture of the belly.  Even though it's only about 9 days later than the previous one, the baby is obviously still growing.........whew!

Almost 39 Weeks!