Just my usual update on my little family. It's been a couple months so I have lots to cover!
January-
Josh and I had some friends from VA visit us (former Cali friends) with their three children whom Mia loved playing with. Mia had a blast with their girls and we had a great time catching up! For the Super Bowl, we had some friends and Josh's parents over. It was fun but too bad we didn't win any $!February
- the kids and I went up to my parents twice...once for a surprise bday party when it was just me and Mia and the other for my dad's bday. The kids did great in the car overall each time. Keegan however had a rough time traveling up to my parents for my dad's bday since he came down with a virus. He couldn't sleep so he couldn't nap and was up for about 10 hours or so before he went to bed. He actually did very well staying up for that long! He is such the good with the flow baby! Anywho, we had a great time visiting them...the kids just love my parents!Mia and Keegan spent Vday with
Nana and Pop Pop and had a blast! 
They got these cute Potterybarn towels from them which we love! My parents gave them some magnetic books for Mia and they each got a vday outfit which they wore on Vday. We also went to a Vday party for the Moms Club I belong too and got some valentine's also. Mia also had a vday party at school with her friends.March-
For St. Patty's Day, we hung out with my brother and his fiance in Scranton which was fun! I got to see some people whom I haven't seen in years! The kids stayed with Grandma which she definitely enjoyed! Afterwards, my parents treated us to a nice dinner....thanks Mom and Dad!! Then today we got a visit from Josh's cousin from CO with her two 
girls, Josh's Aunt Lou and Grandmother. We all ate Chinese, had some yummy wine and good conversation while the girls played!Mr. Keegster
One active toddler!
Keegan is just about 19 months old (the 24th) and is crazy as ever! He loves to run around,
read books, put books etc in his dresser cabinet and
then throw his hands in the air as if to say "where did they go?". He loves to dance, watch Dora, Backyardigans, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Poo...anything that Mia is watching! He loves his big sister Mia and they get along pretty well. He however is now taking after Mia and hits when he can't have something. Oh no!! We tell him "no" but he doesn't listen. Hopefully he'll learn to not hit! Keegan also loves baby dolls and wear Mia's Dora backpack. Keegan loves to play in the playroom with the Dora kitchen and Mia's stuffed animals and loves to play in the childcare room at the YMCA. He just started to not cry when I drop him off as of a month ago. He started crying back in Jan after the New Year and not going to the gym for three weeks. He and Mia both cried and screamed when I dropped them off but would be fine usually withing 10 mins or so. The workers there were cracking up at him the other day b/c he was walking around sucking his thumb w/ his other hand down his pants! haha! He loves doing that and has been doing it for months! He is one silly boy!Keegan is almost back to himself after the Adenovirus which he had for about week or so....part of that time I had no clue he had the virus. When I took him to get his eyes checked out (all pussy on 3-12) and told the doc about his many #2's last week (when she asked me if he had any other issues) along with a bad rash she said he had the Adenovirus then and that the green pussy eyes are another symptom. It was weird b/c his rash went away after 5-6 days along with the other stuff and he was fine (even fine when he had the rash w/o no fever or anything). Then it seemed like the virus came back about 4 days later. Poor guy. His eyes were nasty (looked like pink eye which in a way it was/is) and he hated when we had to put the drops in his eyes. We had/have to sit on his hands/legs and hold his head still. It didn't take too long to get them in but he hated it. He was also coughing here and there but nothing major. His eyes cleared up in a matter of a day or two...those drops were great! Mia then got what he had the weekend of St. Patty's Day and was coughing and had pussy eyes. Her cough lasted about 5-6 days and we kept her home from school for two days.
This past Wed night, Keegan's cough got worse to the point where it seemed like he was going to hack something up. I was going to take him to Urgent Care b/c he was scaring us. It stopped thankfully but then he had a temp of 104.4. He was pretty lethargic and didn't eat or drink very well. I gave him some Tylenol, gave him a lukewarm bath and about 20 mins later, he was playing with Mia in his room and his temp was down to 102.8. His temp never got high again thankfully. I then took Keegan to the docs this past Thurs and he came out with Bronchitis. Poor guy! He's been on antibiotics since then but they aren't helping his cough. I'm calling the doctor tomorrow to see if we can get him on another antibiotic. I hope he gets better soon b/c his 1-2 wakeup calls are killing me! He usually passes out on me on the glider once I hold him but sometimes like today has a hard time going back down. It took 2 hours one day last week to get him to go back to sleep....that was so hard! He just started sleeping through again Tues morning...phew!
First Hair Cut
Keegan got his first hair cut on March 19th at the Hair Cuttery. He did so WELL!! He just sat on Josh's lap while the girl clipped away. He'd turn his h
ead every now and then to see what she was doing and she did so well w/ being careful with the scissors. He liked watching his hair fall on his bib thingy and listening to the music on the speakers...and dancing too! He even got a certificate for his baby book. I think we were in there for about 10 mins if that. I'm so happy he did so well! Phew!! I wonder how it'll go next time! haha!!Weight/Height
As of 2 1/2 weeks ago, Keegan weighed in at 27 lbs (w/ clothes and shoes on standing on the scale for the first time) and 33 1/2 inches.
He's a couple pounds heavier than Mia was at this age but she was always in only a diaper when she got weighed. The doc said he moved up in his percentile for weight and is around the 75th percentile. He did very well when she checked his ears and his breathing. I asked her about giving him mandarin oranges b/c he got a rash the last time and she said it's ok and that he should get the Vitamin C. However, I tried giving him then again (it's been a few months) and he broke out in the nastiest rash ever and was miserable for days! Anywho, we didn't do shots once again and will continue to hold off on them. We feel he is healthier w/o those toxins in his little body.Sleep
Keegan is a great sleeper and napper! He naps once a day usually b/t noon and 1pm. It just depends how early he gets up in the morning (some days this week it was 6am b/c of the rash
and the mannnnny #2s he's had!) and if it's a preschool day. If he gets up at 6am like he did and won't go back down, he can last until noon. I tried to put him down around 9am when he got up that early but he just pooped and was content playing. If it's preschool day, he'll just take a nap after we pick Mia up at 1130 and eat lunch. He does VERY VERY well staying up until I need him to take a nap with Mia. It's amazing!As for night, Keegan will go to bed anywhere from 7pm to 8pm...just depends when he gets up from his nap. If he gets up early than 4pm, he'll go down around 7. Any later than 4, he'll be good until 730-8. Usually he'll go right down w/o a problem too. We'll read a book with Mia in his room and then I'll rock him on the glider (or Josh will when we rotate nights) for 5 minutes or so. He'll lay his head on my shoulder and I'll sing Sunshine to him or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which he did "more" to a week ago. I love my snuggle time with Keegan! It's so cute! :)
Keegan will sleep about 11 hours or so at night and wake up happy chatting his crib....or crying b/c of something else. :) I usually get Mia and bring her into his room, then change him and change her either in his room (unless she decides to change herself which she now wants to do by herself and she puts her clothes on the right way) or downstairs after breakfast. He'll then be good to go until around noon for a nap and just hang out with me and Mia.
Eating/Drinking
Keegan's an okay eater compared to Mia who ate better than he did at 18 months. He doesn't care for veggies at all but will drink carrot juice mixed with some OJ....
at least he's getting it somehow. I bought a book called Deceptively Delicious which incorporates pureed veggies into every day meals...and they have no clue! I love the recipes! So good! Anywho, Keegan also doesn't really like pasta noodles or the Gerber toddler soups. Keegan does like eggs, toast, cereal, cereal bars, fruit, sandwiches, applesauce, cheese, yogurt and snacks such as Kashi snacks ( I try to go all natural). He'll sign "more" if he wants more and it's so cute to see.
Keegan does drink milk but not 16 oz directly. He gets it from the cheese and yogurt too which my doctor said is fine and that she is not worried that he won't drink much milk. He is at a good weight so his doc isn't worried.
Attached to Mama!
Well as of lately Keegan has been pretty attached to me. He always is calling for me sometimes with his arms out so I could hold him. He just wants to sit and snuggle with me as he is doing right now while I am typing this! He's not to the point where he screams when I am out of sight but he does get a bit fussy if I walk away from him. He has been doing noticeable better with not being so cranky and clingy since this past weekend. Usually he calms down once he is distracted by daddy or someone else. I really think he is going to be a mama's boy! I love it!
Words
Keegan can say Mama, Mommy, dada, daddy, mia, kitty, sock, light, ball, pop pop, nana, book,
juice, milk, chomp, birdie, eye, grandpa, cheese, doggie, dog, clock, Mimi (for Mia), backpack (he dances as he says it), tweet, shoe, sock along with some others which I can't think of. He tries to say whatever I say and two days ago he called Aunt Neena a nana. :) I'd say he can say about 30 words. By this time though, Mia could say well over 50 words. I guess boys are a bit delayed in this area too at least that's what my doc said.MISS MIA
Mia is one active 3 1/2 year old! She loves to play with her little brother and
loves him so much! She'll give him hugs when she does something wrong to him (hit, push etc) and watch her shows with him. They both dance along to Dora and it's so cute to see!Mia loves to play with her Dora puzzle book from G &G Manarchuck along with her cash register, legos and most of all her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse from Nana and Pop Pop. Both kids love it and we just wish it had a lower volume switch! haha!! Mia also likes to play pretend with her play food in her playroom and pretend she's eating cookies. She definitely has one active imagination!
Sleep/Nap
Well since this past weekend, Mia has napped pretty well and even passed out on the car ride
home on Sunday...prob b/c she wasn't feeling well. However, she didn't nap in over a week as of last Friday and just played in her room in her bed. I have a feeling her naps are starting to disappear but I am not giving up! At least she sleeps well at night with and w/o a nap...about 11-12 hours! :)School
Mia still enjoys pre-school and loves her teacher Ms. Tabitha! She is so great with the kids especially when Mia decides to hold on to my leg for dear life!
She's been doing that since Jan when we came back from Christmas break and I am not sure why...even though Mia says it's b/c she wants me to stay. Ms. Tabitha gently takes Mia from me although it requires some work...haha! Mia usually is fine once she is unleashed from me and doesn't really cry anymore...it's just more of a fuss when I release her grip and she has got one good grip! :) Anywho, Mia also loves to print her name which can does all by herself as of a few months ago I think and make cute crafts for mommy and daddy. She also loves to play outside when the weather is nice with her classmates Noah, Kylie and Jace.Tantrums Galore!
I definitely feel that it isn't the terrbile twos, but the terrible threes! Mia loves to throw tantrums when she does not ge t her way and throw things like she did with the control and broke it on the hardwood floors. She also loves to hit and pull when we say "no". We then put her in timeout where she usually stays w/o a prob for 3 1/2 mins or until she stops crying/screaming and then the timer starts. She used to get out of timeout until recently when I told her that she gets a spanking (which we don't do unless we have to..and not hard of course) if she leaves timeout or if she has a bandaid on (she likes to wear bandaids over healed boo boos), then we tell her that
the bandaid comes off if she moves. She loves bandaids so we try to use that instead of a spanking. Once her timeout is over, we ask her what she did wrong and then what she needs to do. She then says "say sorry and give kiss and hug". It's too cute and she is usually 100% better after her corner time. However, it gets quite old having to do this many times each day. Today, she had a timeout first thing in the morning b/c she couldn't get her way and had about 2 others which is good for her (she had a ton the past few days). We try to explain to her why but she just hits us and that's when she gets her timeout.MOMMY AND DADDY
Josh and I are doing great and enjoying our amazing kids! They keep us on our toes and although it's pretty stressful dealing with Mia's tantrums, we somehow get through it. One of these days she'll learn to not hit or push her brother. We love them so much though and being able to stay at home with them is the best job ever!Well Spring is definitely in the air and I am so loving it! It is still windy here in Middletown and I don't know when it hasn't been? I hate wind, especially when it is cold, but I deal with it. The trees haven't started to bud yet unlike the trees in Cali where Josh just was a couple weeks ago. He said it is so nice there and really misses it...so do I! Will we ever move back West (either to Cali or CO)...most definitely!
I am still working out at the Y and love it. I haven't been there in 1 1/2 weeks b/c Keegan's been sick. I would have gone during nap time last week but I napped too b/c I was so exhausted from Keegan getting up numerous times.
Josh is getting better and working out too since he found out his triglyceride level is wayyyy high! We think it's b/c he was eating sour patch kids the night before our blood work. :) He is getting it rechecked in April but likes eating healthy (I mean breakfast, lunch and dinner along wtih two snacks which he never did before) and getting back into shape! Go Josh!
Josh and I look forward to spending Easter with my parents this year. Patsy will be joining us too (yay!) and will be here from April 8th to the 15th!! Woo Hoo! Keegan and Mia definitely miss their cousin Bella!! We are also getting company tomorrow night....Josh's cousin from Colorado will be visting us with her two little girls whom Mia loves! Can't wait to see them all!Hope you all have a happy Easter!
Love,
Cathy, Josh, Mimi (as Keegan would say) and Keegster (as Mia would say)
