1st Christmas

As for most 1 year olds, Christmas is all about paper and bows. Who really cares about what's inside? Here are a few photos from our house and Papa G and Memmy's house in Lynden.

First Haircut

Yep, KW is nearly a year old and he was long over due for a haircut. Juli had tried to perform a little trimming several months ago, but let's just say it's a job that should be left to a professional. Yesterday, we took him to a local haircut locale for kids called "Sprouts". It's a fun place with lots of toys and kid-friendly folk. Despite this we were both expecting lots of screams and flowing tears, but it actually went very well. Here are a few photos.


BEFORE:
DURING:




AFTER:

Pumpkin Patch

We tried to do a pumpkin patch outing a couple of times earlier this fall. The first time Kieren was sick, the second time it was raining and as Halloween got closer I'd all but given up. BUT on the day before Halloween, it all came together. Jeff had the day off, we were both tired of working on home projects and the weather was perfect!
The setting by Smith Rock was spectacular and Kieren had a fabulous time pointing out every pumpkin. Most things in our world these day are formally known at "DAH!" Here are a few favorite photos from our day.

How big is Kieren?

SOOO Big! And this was officially confirmed at his 9 month check up last week where he weighed in at just over 23lbs and almost 30 inches long. These put him in the 80-85th percentile though his head is still in the 90th. As Jeff said, "It's because he's so smart." :)
Over the last month Kieren has mastered crawling and is pulling himself up to his feet. He cut his bottom 2 teeth and from the recent gnawing on his crib I'm guessing that the top 2 are on their way. He's waving and saying "da-da" and "ma-ma" for Jeff and I (and most other things too.) :) But the biggest change, in my opinion, is that he's understanding more and responding. Just last week he started responding by smacking his mouth when I ask him (& sign) if he wants food. And this morning when we were reading his "I Spy Bunny" book I read the line "...a bunny so big & a bunny so small" and up went Kieren's arms to show me how big he was!
The big change for ALL of us, is that we've moved. We're all adjusting to our new space and we continue to plug away on updating it. We've had lots of help from my dad & brother Jason in the remodel/updating process and Jeff's parents have come to help unpack & cut wood for the winter. There's still LOTS to do but it's starting to feel like home.
I've been a bit delinquent in posting videos & photos and I promise to post some new images of our little dude as soon as I track down the box that the cameras are in... hmmm.

Look out World!

Kieren William is on the move! He started crawling backwards on his 8 month birthday (last week) and today, scooted across the kitchen floor going forward to grab my toe. He's quite proud of himself and this new mobility opens up SO many more options for things to find and stick in his mouth. :) As I write this he's working on getting from the kitchen to the living room to see what I'm doing. I promise to post video soon... gotta run before he eats my flip flop!

OOPS!

One thing that I'm getting better at as I get older is admitting when I've screwed up... so... today I made a big mom mistake. I'm sure it wasn't the first, nor will it be the last. So here it is... I tried to cut Kieren's hair today. I can almost hear all the veteran moms out there saying "rookie" as they shake their heads. It all started very innocently with just trying to "clean it up" around the ears, but one ill timed squirm turned into getting the clippers out and now it looks like I'm sending my 8 month old off to boot camp! Fortunately, Kieren doesn't know that it's himself in the mirror yet or he'd be sobbing in his room right now instead of playing happily on the floor. I guess we can save the drama for when he's 13. I'm confessing here first in hopes that it makes it easier to admit to Jeff how badly I screwed up... wish me luck.

addendum: Jeff barely noticed and Kieren's hair grows amazingly fast so two weeks later, life (& looks) are pretty much back to normal... guess I was the one being dramatic this time. :)

Home?

News Flash: The Labharts spent the weekend in Bend, without visitors!

It's been a whirlwind of a month and officially 6 weeks since we'd had a weekend at home together. Don't get me wrong, it's been a wonderful summer and great to see so many friends and family, but I for one was ready to just hang out with my boys. We had a fabulously lazy weekend. Going for walks, playing with Kieren, checking out our neighborhood farmer's market and eating a coconut cream pie! Yes, Jeff and I ate an entire pie this weekend... :) Jeff had asked me to make him a pie in lieu of a birthday cake. I was hesitant because I didn't think that I liked cream pies. Well, it turns out that I DO if they're not made with Jello & Cool Whip. :) Whipping cream, coconut milk and eggs means that the diet starts today...

Kieren has branched into some new foods lately too and it's the perfect time of year to be experimenting with fresh fruits & vegis (no coconut cream pie for him yet.) He'll eat most any fruit and tried blackberries from the farmer's market this weekend. I thought they might be a little tart for him but he seemed to like them. I also tried a spinach, basil & mozzarella combo that he took down with gusto! We hesitantly gave him the first spoonful, he mulled it over and then opened up for more. I'm not sure why I was so surprised... as evidenced by his physique, he likes to eat. :)

So where has the last month gone???

A bridal shower weekend in Portland and then the next weekend Jeff and I were both in Kendra & Felipe's wedding at Willamette Valley Vineyard. It was a beautiful day and a little nostalgic to get to walk down the aisle together....

Jeff did a hiking & fishing trip in the Strawberries with his dad & uncle while Kieren & I got some bonding time in with G-ma Melanie....

A trip to Lynden for a baby shower and some family time. 4 generations together and all of my Grandma K's 8 granddaughters were there which made it a special day...

An "auf Wiedersehen" party in Tillamook for Megan, Jeff's sister, as she moves to Germany for 2 1/2 years...

Whew! And there's been a steady progression in Kieren during all this. He's starting to get mobile and has been getting up on all 4's and rocking. He's not moving forward yet, but he IS moving and therefore into EVERYTHING! He likes to eat magazines and has definitely mastered the idea of "the grass is always greener." He wants whatever you have no matter what he has in his other hand. He's especially fond of cell phones, grocery lists and remotes and he's certainly a curious & persistent one...

So I titled this blog "Home?" partly because we've not been home much this summer and partly because we're in the process of getting a new one. We're set to close on a house this week and though this means many more projects and weekends eaten up with yard work and home repairs, we're all getting excited about having a space to call our own again.

6 months & a Happy 4th!

Kieren had his 6 month check up on Wednesday and the stats are in:
20lbs 11oz & 27 1/4" long!

Here's a few more details of how out "little" one is progressing.

He can...
*sit on his own (if he topples he still can't quite get back up on his own yet.)
*stand with support from mom or dad
*grab for anything and everything placed in his reach and work at getting those that are out
*do the seal pose (he's started pulling his one leg up but hasn't gotten quite enough lift to get his belly off the floor.)
*spin 180 on his belly
*eat most things I offer: squash, sweet potatoes, apricots, peas (sometimes), bananas, oatmeal... a mango pit.
*jabber with emotion (it reminds me a little of having a conversation with an Italian cab driver.)
*nibble on his own feet (I'm quite proud of this as I tried it and it's really hard.) :)

He likes to:
*bounce like a crazy fool in his jumperoo
*dance
*play peek-a-boo
*gnaw on his sippy cup (he'll seriously protest if I take it away)
*go for walks
*stick his fingers in your mouth in the hope that they'll get nibbled

*make us laugh

He's at such a fun stage and we're having a blast getting to know his spunky little personality. He loves to laugh and is terribly ticklish so everyday things like getting dressed can turn into quite a giggle-fest. He's also getting more vocal and making his wishes known, but it seems like even when he is upset it doesn't take much to get him smiling again.

Sucking on a mango pit with mom on the 4th.

I started working very part-time for a friend of mine, so Jeff spent Thursday & Friday as Mr. Mom. It felt good to get out and to feel productive and creative again. Jeff did great and Kieren seemed to roll with it, all of which makes mom happy. So on this 4th of July I'm feeling a new sense of independence and am once again reminded how blessed we really are. Wishing you all a very happy & blessed 4th!

Weekend Visit

Our friend Jay who lives in Eugene came for a visit this last weekend. He & Ellen got married the end of May and she was having a friend in town for a few days. Seems he's learned enough over the last month to leave girlfriends time to catch up. Lucky for us, he headed for Bend!

We had such a great time catching up, going for walks, grabbing a beer and of course doting on our little guy. Here's a few photos from our weekend and one thrown in from Jay & Ellen's wedding.

Cousins

One of the benefits of NOT being gainfully employed is the freedom to go with Jeff when he travels for work. I've passed up on trips to Lakeview and The Dalles (go figure) but when he had a trip planned to La Grande a few weeks ago, I jumped. Not only do Jeff's grandparents live there but as of late, so do Annie, David & Aden. For those of you who don't know, Annie is my first cousin and Aden is her sweet little guy who's 8 months older than Kieren. (Not to be left out of the fun, my mom, our Grandma and my brother Jeff came down too.)
Annie and I grew up together, playing and giggling... mostly giggling, so it's been fun to have little boys close in age. It seems like every time we get together, whether we're 13 or 30, there is at least one thing that will send Annie & I into fits of laughter... this time it was an impromptu photo shoot of Aden & Kieren at the park. Not only were their little personalities in full effect, it appeared that Kieren didn't want Aden to get up and go. He made attempts at keeping Aden there by grabbing a handful of his goldilocks and getting a death grip on his pant leg.

It obviously doesn't take much to get Annie & I laughing, especially when it comes to our boys.

New sounds

I'm guessing that eating solid starts the process of different tongue/mouth movements because soon after he starting eating with a spoon Kieren started some new sounds. It's been hard to capture on video but it's at the very beginning of this clip. (the "crying" at the end is definitely not new to us.) :)

1 tablespoon = 1 hour

We knew the transition would come. We were planning on waiting until about 6 months to start Kieren on some solid foods but when he started waking up every 4 hours again during the night we did a little reading. Most books suggested trying some solid foods. Now, for those of you out there that consult parenting (and especially sleep) books I'm sure you know that each new book will say the exact opposite of the previous book you've just read. It can be a bit confusing as new parents when even the experts don't agree. Both Jeff and I are numbers people (degrees in finance & math) and when things come up Jeff researches and I process. Unfortunately Kieren doesn't always follow our logic... if "a" and "b" then "c" approach and since the experts don't agree we often end up with the "guess and check" approach.

I like to sleep at night so I promptly hit the store for baby cereal & spoons. I wanted Jeff to experience this "first" in Kieren's life so I got everything ready and waited for him to get home from work. On with the bib and we were off... sort of. I know that the box of cereal that I bought said it was rice but I swear it turned into plaster of paris. I added a little more liquid and it went completely runny, a little more cereal and it seemed ok but only for a couple of minutes after which it went runny again. Once I finally got the texture right and a spoonful to Kieren's mouth he promptly grabbed the spoon and chewed on it for 5 minutes. He did manage to suck the food off first so I didn't fight it. We went on like this - spoon to mouth, chew on spoon, get bored, give spoon back, reconstitute cereal, spoon to mouth... for nearly an hour and he ingested less than a Tablespoon of food. Now fortunately those same books had prepared me for worse so I called it success! What they didn't warn me about was that no matter how runny the cereal is, it dries to a super hard finish. A washcloth seemed insufficient so it was off to the tub with my little munchkin. By the time I had Kieren bathed, booked, fed and in bed I was tired too. The payoff came and went as we passed midnight without him (or I) waking up... true success.

Over the last week or so Kieren seems to be taking to solids like a pro. He's getting better at keeping the food in the mouth, I'm getting better at mixing the cereal and it still takes us a long time to get through a feeding. It's exciting (and a little sad) as he graduates but more than anything I'm so happy to have a healthy, giggly little boy who sleeps.


I think over the next few weeks we'll start branching out into foods other than rice cereal but it may be good to keep on hand if I need to touch up the texture on the walls or mortar a few bricks in a pinch. :)

"Swimming" at Typhoon Lagoon

As previously mentioned we spent an afternoon at Typhoon Lagoon while in Florida and took Kieren "swimming." We all had a great time and it never ceases to amaze me how many times I can bop my head, coo and generally make a fool out of myself just to get one smile from our little man. Even better, I don't care. :) Enjoy!

Mickey Mouse here we come!

Now, we know that Kieren is a little young for Disney World but we figured if we took him now it would be cheaper and we could check it off the list. :)

NO... Jeff's sister, Megan, works for Disney Cruise Line in Orlando and will be moving to Germany later this summer so we wanted to get in a little family time before she left (and to soak up a little sun.) We had a great 4 days and managed to hit Epcot one evening, spend an afternoon at Typhoon Lagoon where Kieren got his first swim in and on to the Kennedy Space Center.


Jeff and I even managed a romantic dinner out at Jiko (an African inspired restaurant in the Animal Kingdom) while Megan acquainted herself with Kieren's lungs. We owe her a lot for sticking it out through that one! Thanks Auntie Meg!

Our final day was Mother's Day and we spent the afternoon at Clearwater Beach. A little sun, sand and good food was the perfect way to spend my first Mother's Day and Kieren seemed to enjoy it too!


It was a great trip, wonderful to see Megan, fantastic to get some sun and we now completely understand the value of direct flights... 6 flights across the country & back, a flight mix up and a run through the San Francisco airport with a 4 month old in tow... traveling with a child is a little different than schlepping backpacks... lesson learned. :)

Catch up...

It's been a busy month in the Labhart household... a trip to Florida, my first mother's day, a wedding weekend in Portland and now we have a cereal-eatin', bouncy chair lovin', hair pullin' 5 month old on our hands... my goal this week is to get as much documented and posted before he changes yet again.

Thank you Granka Mike

For those of you who don't know, Granka Mike really isn't our Grandpa and you are probably wondering why the word Grandpa is spelled like I missed my third grade spelling class. We'll get to that in a minute, but first we must thank you Granka Mike for Kieren's John Deere cowboy boots and western shirt. They are pretty adorable.

I must admit, we have yet to break out the Wrangler jean shorts that Granka Mike also gave us. Even though it's May 3rd, we had snow here in Bend today, so perhaps we'll break them out in Florida next week. It should be quite a sight seeing those chunky little legs in Village People-esqe shorts. Stay tuned for photos.

As for Granka Mike, he is actually my uncle who lives down in Houston. And he is known as Granka, because his first grandson had a tough time pronouncing Grandpa, so Granka stuck...even with us adults. We are thankful he shared a bit of Texas with a new Oregonian. Thanks again, Granka Mike! Jeff

4 months

Last week Sunday was Kieren's 4 month birthday and he celebrated in true Labhart form... with a hike. :) Our friend Bruce, a fantastic gent that we met in Spain, was in town and even though the air was cold, the sun was out... the perfect day for a walk along the river trail.


That evening my parents (the Stremlers) came into town on their way back from a trip to California and Kieren got yet another dose of grandparent lovin'... always a great way to celebrate.

And today he had his official 4 month Doctor's appointment and the results are in: just over 18 lbs. and 26 inches - still consistently in the 90-95th percentile and one very big boy!

The eyes have it

I ran into an old work friend at the grocery store the other day and of course, we had to stop in the middle of the aisle to ooh & aah over Kieren. After he graced us with a few good giggles & smiles she commented... "I love it! He smiles with his eyes!" I thought it was such a great comment that I attempted to capture a few of those looks...

Big Day

Last Thursday was a big day in Kieren's life. Sure, he went to the doctor and got a couple of shots but the big news was that it was the first day that he wore jeans & shoes! There had been a little debate in our house on whether shoes are necessary for kids who can't walk yet... obviously mom won out. :)


*Check out the ultimate in cool hand-me-downs - Dad's vintage cap... stinkin' cute.

Sad Story

Grandma Mem (Marilyn) has requested some new footage, so here we go...

Kieren likes to "talk." There are days when he gabs nearly every waking moment. His conversations can take on very different tones depending on his mood, hunger level or sleepiness. I've been trying to get a good gab session documented for weeks but he gets a bit camera shy. ("Smiley Boy" is not nearly as smiley as he really is, but we took what we could get.) Anyway, I finally got one of his sad stories on camera. This is the story that he told me before one of his morning naps last week. It takes awhile to get started but I'm sure you'll find it very engaging... well, Grandma Mem will anyway. :)

THE END

As many of you know, due to my history of blood clots I had to do injections twice a day for the duration of the pregnancy and 6 weeks post partum. I'm not complaining but am thankful that these injections allowed me to have a baby with less risk and am really thankful that they are done.

When I first starting giving myself the injections I couldn't imagine doing them for the whole pregnancy. It felt daunting, so I decided to keep the empty syringes. It gave me a certain satisfaction to add to the pile with each injection done and to be able to visibly quantify how far I'd already come.

So before I figure out what to do with them all (art project anyone?), I thought a photo was in order for posterity...

Mr. Smiley

Here is some hot of the press footage of our smiley little boy.

The Statue Of Liberty

As demonstrated in a previous blog post, Kieren loves to cast spells in his sleep. It now appears his American patriotism is already shining through and through. Here he is showing the world his best Statue of Liberty pose...and in his sleep at that.

Split Personality

We have quickly learned over the last eight weeks that Kieren has both a softer side and a bit of a rough and tumble side. Oh, yes, he most definitely does adore his fluffy bear suits and lounging around the house sipping on a bit of warm milk. But the other day we came down the stairs to find that our little boy had stripped down to his white T-Shirt and snuck a beer from the fridge. Juli was appalled, but I was impressed by his nearly perfect technique on the lower belly scratch. However, we both had to admit that indeed his mid-section has grown to resemble that of a late aged man who has hit the grog just a tad too much. Good thing for Kieren that his drink of choice does a body good!

And in this corner...

...at 23.5 inches & weighing in at 13 pounds 8 ounces we have Kieeeeren Willllliam! Ladies & gentlemen at just 7 weeks KW has joined the heavy weights.

Great "Greats" & the beauty of Genetics

...not exactly the title of an intriguing novel but these are my random thoughts for the day...

Kieren is lucky enough to have 5 fantastic "Greats" and has been able to meet and get some love from all of them. My parents took my grandma down for a visit in late January to meet #25. Yes, Kieren is her 25th great-grandchild! We had such a nice couple of days ooing and ahhing over his every little move. It seems there is no shortage of love whether it's #5 or #25.

The thing that struck me with having both sides of our family here right after each other is how they each want to take credit for this little boy. My mom came armed with baby photos of my brothers and young pictures of all of us, ready to stake her claim. I may have fueled this by telling her that the Labharts only see Jeff in Kieren. I'm guessing that there is some rooted biological reason for wanting to call "dibs" on a new offspring and one thing is for sure, it's better than no one wanting to take credit for him.

All of this debate has become a bit of a joke with Jeff & I considering he's only 7 weeks old so we decided to set up a poll over the next year just to see what you all think. Feel free to vote or change your vote as he gets older. I don't think he looks particularly like either one of us yet but I do see my brothers & Jeff in little things he does... a quirky little smile, the furrow of a brow or a mischievous sideways glance. Maybe that's the beauty of genetics, that Kieren gets to be a mixed up jumble of all of us that's uniquely him. But just for the record, I voted for me. :)

New Video Posts

Kieren has some pretty good poses while he sleeps. We call this one the "Spellcaster"

Kieren Hits the Road

The other day Kieren told us he was already getting the itch to bust out of town and hit the road for a bit of traveling (he must take after his mom and dad). We thought it might be too much work to get him a passport this early in life, so instead, we headed over the Valley to visit some friends and relatives.

We hit the snowy road at 6AM for Salem after an early rise. I had a a meeting for a few hours so Juli and Kieren hung out in the local Safeway cafe and got to meet some locals. Around noon, we headed to Great Grandpa and Grandma Labhart's house in Keizer for lunch. I think they thoroughly enjoyed meeting their fifth great grandchild and we snapped a few photos to remember the occasion.

Our next stop was a visit to Beaverton, so Kieren could meet his Great Aunt Jan. It was a informal visit, since we were at the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store (Juli needed a a new coat). Auntie Jan carried Kieren around the store shedding a few tears of happiness while we shopped. We were also followed by a few store employees who wanted to pinch Kieren's enormous, but very cute cheeks. Thanks to Jan for escaping work for a bit to come hang with us, although I don't think it took too much convincing.

Our final stop was in NE Portland where we visited Juli's cousin, Annie and her husband, David. Kieren also wanted to meet one of his new best buddies, Aden, who is Annie and David's nine month old son. How cute is he? Kieren told Aden he would have to take a rain check on playing with the little ceramic wizard that Aden so loved, but he promised it wouldn't be long before they would be building forts and playing hide and seek.

We returned back to Bend around 10 PM, all a bit tired, but Kieren was a trooper. I think Juli only wishes she could sleep as well as Kieren in the car. We'll give Kieren a few more years before we throw a backpack on him for a more worldly adventure, but I do hear they have backpacks at REI for two year olds :-)

G&G Labhart Meet Baby Kieren

Grandpa and Grandma Labhart made their first visit over the hill last weekend to meet their new grandson. They arrived late in the evening and Kieren was already sleeping upstairs in his cradle. We all snuck into his room to take a peek for the first time. Needless to say, it was a special moment to watch my parents meet their new grandson for the very first time.

Their visit was low key and relaxing and although they didn't get to experience a diaper change they got lots of lovin' in.

Chunky Monkey

This is my new favorite term of endearment for Kieren. It joins the ranks of baby barracuda, fluff head, little man, peanut, sweat pea, squawk box... but Chunky Monkey seems to fit best these days. At his 2 week check up Kieren weighed in at 9 pounds, 5 ounces (2 pounds more than at birth) and 22 inches (2 inches longer than his initial measurement.) He's also managed to grow a legitimate double chin. We're so proud! So the "chunky" part we've been working on, but the "monkey" component he didn't have a fighting chance with us as parents. He has long arms & legs as well as fingers & toes. If you've seen Jeff or my toes you'll understand... sorry Kieren. :)

Out & About

Well, it's official. Kieren has a lot of his daddy in him.

Over the last week he's starting to be awake more and when he is, he wants to be on the move... none of this "sitting around" thing. I can't say that I didn't have fair warning. In utero he was the most active little being. The movement tracking that they have you do late in the pregnancy was a joke. He'd have his kicks, turns & punches met for the hour in sometimes less than a minute. Now that he's on the outside he's still getting his kicks & punches in but has broadened his favorite activities to include rides in the car, walks around the neighborhood (even if it IS to the doctor's office), dancing to "Say Hey" by Michael Franti (what can I say, the little man likes to groove), and on the occasion that I can get him to sit still while awake we bond over a good book or two.


The better I feel, the more we get out and about which Kieren loves and is great for my sanity, but more importantly it allows me to put Kieren in his white bear suit. :) I'm sure that at some point when he's grown I'll be forced to explain why I thought this was a good idea and convince him that it is not the root cause of any neurosis. I'll deal with that when it comes up. For now I'm going to use any excuse to put him in it because he's just so darn cute I can hardly stand it!