Think I should make an update?

Yet again, it has been a couple of crazy, stressful, busy weeks. I don't think November could have gotten more frustrating and exhausting. I hope that the rest of December stays nice and calm.

~

After Christian was feeling better from the flu he got sick again!! He had a fever for most of the day (I lost track of which day of which week it was!!!) and he woke up about 10pm screaming. He was soaking wet with sweat and BURNING up! I took his his temp in his armpit and it was 102. So off to the ER we went because obviously the Tylenol I was giving him was not working. So after 6+ hours and 4:30am had passed we were finally on our way back home with more Tylenol and some Motrin. Christian managed to sleep a bit and we tried to get through the next few days.

But of course it wasn't supposed to be easy for us because the next day I threw my back out while lifting pop out of a shopping cart. What a bad day that was. I get home and immediately bust into tears and try to sit down. I was in shear pain and couldn't move. The next day I wasn't feeling any better so we started calling around to see if anybody did walk-in/emergency chiropractic. NOPE - of course not! Why would anybody think of doing that. :( So I had to make an appointment and go in for an x-ray to even be considered for an adjustment. Needless to say we were frustrated..and I was still in pain. But, FINALLY, we find a place that will see me the next morning and adjust me on my first visit. So it was looking like I would be feeling better...or was I? Again, nope. After 4 hours at the clinic I was still broke. But over the next three days of getting adjusted I was feeling better and on my way to walking up straight and being able to lift Christian.

Speaking of not being able to lift Christian...Matt had to be Mr. Mom for about 3 days. It was painful to watch him be the Mom. Not that he wasn't able to do it, but because *I* was the one that made sure his diapers were changed and that he was fed and that he had anything he needed while Matt worked. But now that he was home on his 3 days off (taking care of me and Christian) it was....different....to have to sit back and watch somebody else do MY job. I was so happy and proud though. Matt did a great job at trying to make sure that we were OK. I have no doubt that if something - God forbid - ever did happen to our family that he would be able to be the Dad AND the Mom. And Christian sure did love all the extra Daddy love he got!! :)

So now after a few weeks of back adjustments and lots of naps taken by Christian it looks like we are all on the mend. HOORAY!

~

15 more days until we fly home to South Dakota!!

~

And if some of you didn't already know - I'm about 2 1/2 months pregnant! We are super excited and I have a belly already. Not that I was a skinny mini and had my teenage body back after having Christian but I can already tell that I have that pooch of a baby belly! I like it believe it or not. I missed my belly as soon as it was gone and I am excited to be able to feel the kicks again. Nothing like knowing the woman's body brings forth life. It's a miracle and I love living every moment of it. Any bets on it being a girl or boy?!?! I'll have to post a link for everyone to make their guesses again like we did with Christian.

~

I have 1 final and one computer quiz left to do for school and then I can say that I am done with another semester!! Yippee!! It feels so good to be SO close to finishing college. I will have the Spring semester and then one class in the summer that I will complete. Then I graduate in August!
I will have to have some sort of virtual party or something because after:
- 2 colleges
- one marriage
- one deployment
- one move across SD
- one pregnancy
- a birth
- a move across the US
- a move to a new house
- a mini-TDY
- another pregnancy
- lots of sleepless night
- and SIX YEARS of school

I will be a College Graduate!! :) *Happy Dance* Trust me when I say, I will be shouting all the way over here in Hawaii when I get my diploma!!

~

Okay, I'm too excited for my own good thinking about almost being done with school. So I'm going to bake cookies!! Love you all :)

Crystal, Matt, Christian, and The Belly

Another tooth!!

Clear as day! And I didn't even know it... :-( I suppose we have been so busy with being sick the past week that I didn't have any idea that Christian cut another tooth. Now every time he smiles I see it. :-) It's on the bottom to the (his) left of the other two. If this kid keeps getting them on the bottom he will have one goofy smile.

So hooray for our big boy! I'll have to try and get a picture of it one of these days.

What a week!!!

Well, I think the flu has finally left the Keefer house!! Sunday morning I woke up quite nauseated. I thought I was pregnant!! But as soon as Christian vomited and had diarrhea I knew that something was up. If Sunday morning was an indicator of how things were going to go I should have called for backup! By Sunday night Christian had about 45 baths. The poor kid was spewing from both ends :-( Thankfully I just felt nauseous all day and I was able to take care of Christian. Come Monday I was feeling better but poor Christian was having a hard time. By Tuesday morning Matt was sick and couldn't stay out of the bathroom for more than an hour!

Christian was put on a BRAT diet - bananas, rice cereal, applesauce and toast. He did well on it after he was actually able to keep food down. For a while he wasn't even able to keep formula or Pedialyte in him. But Wednesday rolled around and he was able to eat like a champ while still having quite a bit of diarrhea. Now this morning (friday) he hasn't had any diarrhea yet- knock on wood - and I hope it stays that way.

AH! What a week! My poor babies were sick and I had to take care of them both. Hopefully this weekend will be a nice one and we can enjoy ourselves without getting sick again. It wasn't too bad but definitely a crash course in Parenthood! Never again do I want to clean up that much vomit or diarrhea again. But I know that that won't be the case....

Sorry this was such a gruesome update. It was sort of rushed because I'm trying to keep a baby happy while disinfecting my house! haha. Now it's nap time!

XOXO

Christian's ultrasound & Matt's graduation

First thing first - Christian's ultrasound (u/s) technician said that we should have nothing to worry about and that his little belly and kidneys are fine. During his u/s, Christian was quite baffled as to what we were doing to him. He was squirted with warm goo and then poked with a probe. He wanted to play with the cord so we gave him another probe cord to play with....nah uh! Christian was too smart and knew that that was NOT the same cord that the tech was playing with! haha

He was a bit agitated because he couldn't eat 4 hours before the u/s. So when I had mentioned that he was started to get a bit antsy from being hungry she said that I could feed him while she was doing the u/s because she had already looked at his gallbladder. So I fixed up a drink and Christian was able to hold pretty still while drinking. Overall the u/s took about a half hour. She looked at his gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, intestines and showed me all the milk in his tummy after drinking. :)

After we were done in the little u/s room I got him dressed and we headed out towards the waiting room. Everyone we passed, including our u/s tech, said that he was just so handsome and so cute. Everybody got a smile out of him. We even ended up in the elevator with one of the gals in the office and she would just stare at him and tell him out cute he was. Now, of course I already know he is the most precious little chubby cheeked baby boy in all the world but it was pretty fun to have a whole room of ladies tell me that as well!! haha

Anyways, I'll get the full results from his u/s after they send a full report to Christian's Ped on base.

~

So last night was Matt's graduation from ALS. It was SO fun to get dressed up and leave the house. Not so much fun to bring Christian to a babysitter. :-( Talk about one of the saddest Mommy moments I have had so far!! I gave him to Erin and told her some of the things she would need to do. Christian could tell something was up. He looked at Erin, then back and me, then back at Erin, then back at me. The look on his face was "Mommy, you should be holding me not her!" Then I gave Erin her last instruction, kissed Christian and then his floodgates opened and he BAWLED! I had to leave right then and there or else I was never getting out of there.

So I go back to the house and we get dressed and ready to go. We left for the event and when we arrived there was a social hour before the ceremony began. We were able to move around the banquet room and find our table, mingle with the other graduates and guests. The tables were nicely decorated and we each had our own program with our names on them. *I wish I would have taken pictures of everything they had set up - like the place settings, the programs, and the stage. But I didn't want to be the picture happy freak that wouldn't stop snapping her camera. This was such a professional event that I felt a bit awkward whipping out the camera every 5 minutes!*

During a lull in the social hour I ran and called Erin!!! I couldn't handle not knowing how he was doing. I called and asked if he had settled down from when I left and she said he cried for only about 20 minutes. Longer than I had expected but I'm sure this was very shocking for him. But he said he played and smiled and had tummy time with Jake. She also said she was proud of me for only calling once in the two hours he had been there!! :-) I was proud of myself as well.

After the social hour we were all told to go to our tables for the National Anthem. It was sung very well and I got goosebumps. Following the Anthem was the Invocation and then POW/MIA tribute. Matt and I had to hold back tears. I wish I could remember all that was said about the table. I will have a picture and a description about it in our album sometime soon.

Introductions of the head table were made and dinner was served. It was a fabulous meal that, again, I wish I would have taken a picture of before I dove in and ate it!! We had ceasar salad, a marinated salmon fillet, grilled chicken breast with lemon rosemary suace, whipped potatoes, roasted veggies and a black forest cherry torte that was WAY to sweet for Matt to eat. It looked like a $28 dollar meal but I suppose it could have tasted a bit better. I enjoyed my salmon though!! :-) After the head table was finished with their entree it was time for Intermission. We were then honored with the presence of CMSgt Denise M. Jelinski-Hall. She had a great speech for the Airmen. After her speech was the Presentation of Awards and Diplomas. Academic Achievement, Distinguished Graduate, Leadership, and the John L. Levitow awards were presented to the Airmen that showed excellence in specific areas. Then it was time for Diplomas!

They were awarded in alphabetical order according to their Flights. Matt was in Flight C. His name was called, he went up and shook their hands, had a professional take their picture, and then Matt had to salute. It was so neat to watch. He looked so handsome and distinguished! I couldn't have been more proud of him. Then, I think the best part of the whole evening was when the Airmen stood and they all sang the Air Force song! **Off we gooooo, into the wild blue yonderrrr, flying hiiiiiiigh into the sun!!!!!** It was great and I couldn't help but smile!

It was a great night and we are so thankful for Erin for watching Christian. It was a great date night!

Keep watching for pictures! I don't have many since the lighting in the banquet hall made for great ambiance but HORRIBLE picture taking! :-(

XOXO,
Crystal, Fabulous Kidney Christian, and the NEW SSgt Matt K. Keefer!

Christian's 6-mo well baby visit - plus a general update

So Christian had his well baby visit on the 10th of October. I'm SO sorry for not getting this up earlier.

Here is a refresher for his 4 month:
Height: 27 inches
Weight: 17.5 pounds
Head Circ: 17.25 in

This is his 6 month (which happened about a week and half after he was actually 6 months)
Height: 29 inches
Weight: 21.7 pounds
Head Circ: 17.25 in

So, as you can see, Christian is sure growing!!!! He is in EIGHTEEN (18) month onesies and most of his shirts are in the 12 - 18 month range. But he is still skinny that he is in 9 month shorts. I have tried pants but he is too long to wear them when they fit around his waist. But who needs pants in Hawaii?!

His top teeth are starting to poke through as well!! I was checking them almost every day and yesterday I finally saw some white nubs underneath. Little Man is growing up so fast. :-)

He sits up well on his own but still falls over from time to time. He also *tries* to crawl but he only puts his legs straight with his butt in the air. I'll have to get a picture of it because you can tell he is trying SO hard to get something on the floor.

Also, at his checkup the Pediatrician felt a mass in his stomach. She wasn't sure if it was poop or a large kidney. So we have an ultrasound scheduled for the 23rd. Prayers for a great result would be appreciated.
~

Matt is almost done with ALS. He graduates on the 24th. I found a dress and my friend Erin will be watching Christian for us. I am very nervous to leave him with someone for so long. I don't even leave him with Matt for more than an hour!! Mommy nerves!!!

But Matt is excited to get done with class and then sew on Staff Seargent November 1st. Congrats to him for accomplishing this step in his military career!!


~

Well I have been doing a ton of school work as usual. Spring semester class lists came out online the other day and ALL but ONE class I need to graduate is offered this next semester. So I have emailed some people at school and asked about the one class that I have left to take. I am praying that I can take all 5 classes and be done with school THIS TERM!!! I would be thrilled to be done...but not for the school loans to follow! Not sure what I could do here in Hawaii for work but I will definitely be checking it out once I graduate. But first thing first....I must find out if I can take all my remaining classes in the Spring. Fingers crossed, people!

Well that was a short update for the Keefer family here in Hawaii. Take a look at a few pictures I added to the site.

XOXO,
Crystal

General Update

It's been a busy few weeks since we have all returned home. Quite a bit has been happening!

First and foremost I have to boast about Christian. He is doing so well and I am in awe of him every single day. To be a Mom.....Next to marrying the love of my life - this is the next best thing I have ever, and will ever, do. Nothing can beat being a Mom!!

If you haven't seen it yet, GO LOOK at the pictures and videos of Christian rolling over. He is super duper cute and he hasn't stopped doing it since. He will roll over his toys and everything. He has realized he can set his head down on the floor as well to take a breather. (I got a picture of it today and will post it soon.) He tries to stick his butt up in the air and move his one leg forward but hasn't figured out how to get on all fours yet. I figure he is such a chunky little man that he can't hold all of his weight yet.

I started putting Cheerios on his high chair now, too. Not only will it help with his fine motor skills but he will scream at us when he sees us eating and he isn't getting anything! So I will have him watch me put them in my mouth and then put one in his. It was cute to watch him today. He had a look of horror on his face with the new object in his mouth. And of course I got a picture!!!! I'm a picture taking fool, my friends! This kid will have a picture to capture every moment!! Anywho - he gets the concept of chewing but he gags on the cheerio once he tries to swallow it. He is used to his pureed baby food that has no chunks so I just have to keep at it with him. He'll get it eventually.

He has started to sit up on his own. Not very well but he will do it. If he falls backwards he is very good about correcting himself. Falling forward isn't as good though. He doesn't always have the oomph to get himself upright again. But he is sitting there for quite a while without falling over. Soon he won't need me!!!!! This month is rolling over and next month he won't want to hold my hand when we walk! Time is almost going too fast. :(

His teeth are in so far. No other teeth yet. These bottom two are enough! Sharp little suckers. His smiles are so precious with them, though. At first I didn't want him to have them and I missed his gummy smile, but now he has the cutest toofers in the whole wide world!

Well enough about the kiddo -

Matt started his Airmen Leadership School (ALS) this week. It is Monday through Friday and goes all day. They march, go to class, have leadership 'workshops' etc.

I'm still doing my online classes. So far, so good. I have passed all quizzes and exams thus far and hope to get all A's. This semester is going so much easier than I though it would. Thank goodness for that since Christian demands almost all my time. He is one needy baby some days!

We are looking for an elliptical machine. Since we moved we are not in walking distance of a gym and we have to drive. It doesn't take long but it doesn't help the motivation factor. Hopefully we can find one that holds our weight! If I had one in the house I could work out all the time!!

Well, that is about all for now. Check the site for some updated pictures. I should have some more up by this weekend.

XOXO
Crystal

Back in Hawaii

Hooray for being back with Daddy in Hawaii! The flight back was loooong and stressful. That is all I'll say about the flights...I'm just happy that I'm back home with Matt.

Christian and I had an absolutely wonderful time in South Dakota with friends and family. It went by way too fast. :( I can't wait for the next time when Matt can go with us! Yay!

I have a TON of pictures and it is going to take me a very long time to update the website. I am in classes full time online so with school work and Christian I have a lot going on during the day. When Matt gets home from work I don't want to be on the computer...so you get the idea here! LOL I'm going to add all the pictures I have before I update it and then I will email everyone to le them know that all bagillion pictures have been added. LOTS TO DO!

Well, Christian woke up from his nap so I must go.

Crystal

SD visit

As most of you know, Christian and I are back in South Dakota while Matt is in Korea!

We have been having quite a bit of fun here. LOTS of family to see and I feel like we have been on the go since we got here.
Some milestones have occured with Christian while being here:

~TOOFERS!!! His bottom two teeth are coming in. And guess who isn't happy about them? Christian has been a bit fussy but nothing a teething ring and Orajel can't fix!

~He has found his toes! He grabs them quite a bit. Pretty soon he'll have them in his mouth. Ick!

~He is enjoying baby food. Bananas and carrots, which were once on the 'bad food' list, are now some of his favorites! Yay! Sometimes he will even "mmm" when the spoon goes into his mouth. :-)

~He likes dogs. I have some very cute pictures of Christian with my parents dogs.

~He has ALMOST mastered rolling over. His arms get in the way and he doesn't quite have the 'umph' to get him over. SOON!


Once I get back to Hawaii I'll be able to post all the pictures I have taken. For now you will have to settle with an update or two :-)

XOXO, Crystal and Christian

4 month well baby visit

Christian had his 4 month visit on Thursday. He did great!

Height: 27 inches
Weight: 17.5 pounds
Head Circ: 17.25 cm

He did everything he was supposed to at 4 months. We just have to work a bit with him standing on his legs for more than a few seconds. When he does stand up he giggles...it's pretty cute!

That is about all for an update. :-)

Cute day!

It's days like today that I wish Matt was a stay-at-home Dad along with me. Christian has been so cute and I feel like Matt sometimes misses it all when he is at work.

For quite some time now Christian has been sucking on his hands and fingers. He hasn't really understood that they are his and he can control them. He will randomly grab for toys so it's a hit or miss. If we hold out a finger he will try and reach out for it.
Well last night he was chewing away on his fingers. He takes them out of his mouth and sticks out his hands in front of his as far as they could go. Then all of a sudden he goes a bit cross-eyed and sees his hands!! He literally turned them over and over and stared at them, stuck them in his mouth, took them back out and stared at them. It was one of the cutest things he has done so far.

Today I gave some cereal another go. (I don't do it every day because I'm paranoid of him getting an allergy to it. That is why many say to wait until 6 months of age to start rice cereal. I also haven't cleared it with his Pediatrician so I keep it to a minimum.) I took a few videos while I was feeding him and it was just so cute. He started opening his mouth for the spoon - on purpose!!! Before I would have to somewhat shove it in his mouth when he opened it a bit. But now he saw the spoon and welcomed it right in :-) That made me very excited and he would smile SO big and giggle. I only got one smile on video because he will just stare at the camera and not do much. So check out the few videos when you get a chance.

I can't wait to bring him home so everyone can see him. TWO MORE WEEKS!!!!!!!

We love you all and can't wait to get home for a while. XOXO

Crystal and The Eating Machine

Busy week

It has been an extremely busy week!! Matt and I packed up our house on Hickam and moved into Navy housing. Long story short about what happened - the list that we were on to get a bigger/better house on Hickam was thrown out when the entire base decided to have all their homes passed over to a private company. We had two choices - stay where we were for another year (sign the contract) or move off base. So we decided to look elsewhere and found a GREAT house. The Navy was GIVING a $1750 moving credit for people to move into their housing. So we took it!!

Once we get all the boxes out of here I'll be taking a ton of pictures. We are so happy to be in the new house. We can't wait to make it cozy :-)

Sorry I haven't been updating as much. Not a whole lot goes on these days. Christian is doing great and has an appointment on the 26th. Matt this week from 2 to 10pm. That will be a change. I'm used to him going to work at 7 am and being home by 5 pm. His new job is back to shift work so no more Monday through Friday :(

Hope to get some pictures up in the next few days!

Crystal

It has been a good few weeks!! Christian is talking up a storm (I posted videos) and he is growing like a weed. He smiles all the time and he loves to sit up and look around. He hasn't quite gotten a good control on his upper body to sit up but he is getting there.

For the past few weeks I have been putting some rice cereal in his night time bottle but I don't think it is doing much. He still gets up once at night to eat and then wants to get up and the crack of dawn. I also started to give him cereal with a spoon during the day. I figure since he has great head control and stares and us when we eat that it wouldn't hurt to have him give it a try. He doesn't quite like the taste so my Mom said to put a tiny bit of sugar in there to make it sweeter. I think I will give that a try next time. I'm excited for him to try real baby food.

So June is now gone and July is here - that means only a few more weeks until Christian and I come home for a visit!!!! I am so excited and I have my list all done of what to pack. I have my suitcase out and dusted off and ready to go!

Well, Christian is starting to wake up from his nap. We are thinking about going to the harbor on base to look at some of the fireworks :-)

Happy 231st Birthday of the USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crystal

We need an update!

I don't have anything to update really, haha!

We haven't done much around here lately except go to the beach with Christian. (Take a look at the page if you haven't seen it yet).

Matt is taking Friday off and we are going to use our Gift Card to Red Lobster...Thanks Keefers!!! Then we are going to give the beach a try again and get Christian used to it. I want a beach baby!

School is going well. I have a paper that I'm doing this week on 'assisted reproduction'. It's pretty neat. It has been a very long time since I have written a paper so it seems like I'm taking forever to get it done.

Matt is trudging along at work as usual. He is getting quite bored there.

Christian rolled from his tummy to his back yesterday! It was great - and I missed it. :-( So I had to get the camera out and take a short video of him. It was cute.

That is about all that is going on. I really have nothing cool to update on...sorry!

Crystal

Our growing boy!!

Christian had his 2 month well-baby visit today. The Pediatrician said he looked wonderful! :-) He did pretty well. He whimpered when he had to get poked and prodded by the Pediatrician and then he SCREAMED when he got his immunizations. Poor thing forgot to breath for a minute! So now he is home, had some baby Tylenol and is taking a snooze.

Here are his stats:

This was at 2 week -
Ht - 22.13"
Wt - 9.15lbs
Head - 15.16"

This was today at 2 months -
Ht - 24.5"
Wt - 13lbs 11oz
Head - 16.5"

Yay!! Baby is growing fine!

I also had to get a 'prescription' of formula. Most of the ones that I have tried have made his bowels not so fun to move. He used to grunt for hours in the morning trying to move them :-( But I found a Carnation brand that is wonderful on his tummy. Christian gobbles it down - he likes it :-)

I woke Christian up the other morning and I could have cried.... He looks older! :-( I want him to be my cute bundle of joy FOREVER! It was so cute though. He will usually have a big stretch and I will give him a few kisses and ask him how he slept. Then he will smile! :-) I love starting my day with him. Most of the time we get up with Matt so we all get to talk to each other and share some kisses.

I have more pictures that I need to post on the website. Hopefully I will get that done sometime this weekend. Matt has a 4 day weekend so we might do something with the neighbors.

That is all for now! I'm going to eat some lunch...I made lasagna yesterday for supper and it was good!

XOXO - Crystal

So far away!!

Christmas, that is!!

Matt's leave has been approved for December!!!!! :-) Now let's hope that they don't royally jip him out of it like that have been known to do. So it is set to come back for Christmas in December and we can't wait to see all of you!

Other than that bit of wonderful news nothing else has happened. Christian is growing so well and I am anxious to see how much he weighs at his next appointment. He is sitting in the saucer as I write this...looking around and bouncing a bit. He looks soooooooo cute I could eat him up! He is starting to hold onto things a bit better and is jabbing at the animals that hang from his Pooh mat. I'm not sure if he is doing it on purpose...but I'll assume so until I see otherwise. Haha!

He is eating wondefully, too. This boy is definately not a bird when it comes to his bottle. He will guzzle down 6 or 7 ounces sometimes! Going to be big like his Daddy :-) His eating habits also help when it comes to bedtime. He will only get up once in the middle of the night for a bottle and go back to bed for at least 4 more hours. WONDERFUL for Mommy! She likes to get a good nights sleep as well.

Matt is at work on a 12 hour shift right now. They are having a base exercise again. He will have a few more 12's this week too. Can't wait for him to get home...season finale of LOST is on tonight! YAY!! We are absolutely in love with this show.

Well, that is about all for now. Updates to come after his appointment!!

Crystal

I S'pose it's time for an update!

It's been a while so I better let you all know what we have been up to!

Mother's day has come and gone :-( It was such a great day! I'm so glad that I'm finally a Mommy and I get to celebrate it every year. I'm sure Matt is excited for Father's day. There is a picture up of my card I got from Christian and Matt - It has my first drawing :-) I also got flowers and a balloon.

We went fishing on Mother's Day as well. It was pretty fun but Christian didn't enjoy it very long. We also went fishing a few nights ago here on Hickam and that was neat. I think fishing here on base will become something we do more often. Especially when Christian will be able to understand what is going on.

Summer school started for me on the 15th. I'm taking a few simple computer courses and then a Medical Coding class as well as an Ethics & Law class. The coding class is quite something! Very interesting. LOTS of numbers! Hopefully it goes well because Medical Coding is something I could do from home if I wanted. :-)

Matt is still trucking away at work. He is very excited about fishing and wants to do it every evening after work. He still works out on days that he can. We have both ourselves on a 'diet' so we will see how that goes for us. Fingers crossed!

Christian has started to 'talk' a lot more. He smiles more too! We have an exer-saucer that he enjoys. He can sit up and look around while sitting in it like a Big Boy. He needs a few blanekts to help him sit upright in it but he is using his legs and bouncing a bit. (check out the video of you get a chance).

My dad is doing well. He is going to cardiac rehab and his minutes on the treadmill keep going up. So he is getting there!

My sister bought an apartment with a girl friend of hers. They move in the 1st of June.

My mom is doing well. Back at work and loves every minute of it.

My grandma just had her 75th birthday! It was nice to talk to them a bit this week.

~

Well that is about all for now. Christian and I are going for a walk now. Love you all!

Crystal

It's Official!!!

Christian is now an official member of the United States of America!! We recieved his Social Security card in the mail today!!!! :-) How exciting to know that he is a REAL person of this world now. Well, of course, he always was - but you know what I mean ;-)

Other news - Anne leaves tonight :-( It was fun to have her here. We went out a few days and it was nice to have yet another set of hands around the house. I think she enjoyed being here with her new nephew. We took some video and pictures and I will hopefully be able to post them in a day or two.

We have some fun video of Christian trying to roll over. Of course he won't be able to do it for a while but he sure tries! When he has tummy time he tries to move but can't. It's cute when he gets frustrated :-)

That's all for my quick update. Nothing TOO exciting has happened this week...just watching Christian get bigger and bigger!!

Love you all,

Crystal, Matt and Christian

Dad is home!

Mom called this morning and said that Dad was able to go home. :-) That makes me SO happy. Dad is excited as well. They got home and took a slow walk around the block with the dogs.

Mom said he is on 7 different meds. He will have to carry around nitroglycerin for the rest of his life as well as a card that says he is a Coronary patient. His blood sugar is also a litle out of whack so he will have to monitor that twice a day by poking his finger. If he can't control it with lifestyle changes he will have to be put on a med for it.

I asked Mom when his last cigarette was. She said he smoked his last one before he went into the hospital Tuesday morning. He could have stopped to get more on his way or he could have pulled another pack out. But it was his VERY last one. Mom told him that was a sign and an omen...NO MORE SMOKING!!!

Dad is officially an old man this year. He became a Grandpa and will turn 50 in July. ;-)

Many thanks for all the prayers and thoughts for Dad. He is doing great and will hopefully keep going in this direction.

Update on Dad

I talked to my Mother and my Dad did have a heart attack. He was having pains here in Hawaii and Monday night he was having more pain. He had an appt with the family Doc, had a stress test and the results weren't what they were hoping. It showed that he did, in fact, have a heart attack and was rushed to surgery to get the stint put in.

I was able to talk to him and he is doing great. He feels much better after the surgery and is happy to be moving around. He might get to go home early (rather than Friday) if all keeps going well. Many blessings for his heart attack NOT happening here! I don't know if any of us could have handled that. He was home and our Doc was able to stay with him in the hospital to make sure things continued to go smoothly.

~~

Nancy left today. It was pretty sad. We miss her already. So does Christian...he wants him Grandma Nany to hold him! :-) We had a GREAT time with her here and can't wait to see her again.
Before she left we headed to my friend Erin's house for a few pictures with Christian and Grandma. Here are a few:







Erin does a great job each time she takes pictures. Can't wait to see what others turned out. :-)

~~

Well that is about all for now. Matt and I will be preparing for Auntie Anne to get into town! Christian is going to go shopping with us girls when she gets here. Yay!

XOXO - Crystal, Picture-Perfect Christian and Matt

It's about time for another update!

Well...

Nancy leaves tomorrow. Matt and I are sad. We did well trying not to think about it all week, but it was always in the back of our minds. It won't be a fun day. Christian has changed so much this past week while she was here and we are thankful that she was able to witness it. Christian will miss Grandma too, I think! :-)

Anne gets in on Friday. I'm excited to go shopping with her. Matt isn't one to walk around a mall so this will be fun! I have quite a few gift cards to use for Christian so she can help me pick out some useful items for him. Christian can't wait to meet his Auntie!!

On a more serious note - my sister called me this morning and informed me that my Dad was in the recovery room at the hospital after just getting a stint put in his heart. I'm quite shocked by this and don't know what to think. She said that he was having chest pains while here in Hawaii and had called and made an appointment for a stress test back home. So this morning was his test and I guess they found something that they didn't like and they rushed him over to surgery to get the stint put in. My sister said he is doing fine and cracking jokes already. So that is a good sign! My mom is going to call me later and I will get more details and have an update.

So keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers - for save travels and speedy recoveries!!

Crystal

My family left on Saturday. It was a pretty sad afternoon. Christian was taking a nap and every few minutes Mom would go into the bedroom to stare at him in his crib. This is the last picture she took of him before they left:



He was sleeping so nice! She put the duck under his arm and he slept like that for another hour.

I'm sick :-( I have a sore throat and a stuffy/runny nose. It's hard to stay away from Christian! I basically have to change him and feed him then either set him down or hold him far away from my face so I don't breath on him. That is a challenge when all I want to do it love him and give him kisses. So hopefully with the rest that Matt let me get on Sunday and the nap I took this morning, I will be on the road to recovery!! I haven't been sick...in a while! It is NO fun.

Grandma Nancy comes into town today!! I have been telling Christian how excited she is to see him. I think he is in for a treat! He will get all the attention he needs :-)

Christian also got his tongue clipped. It went well...if you can call sharp objects coming towards your face a 'good' thing!! Poor kid cried a bit but then settled down once I cuddled him. He seems to be better with it and his tongue actually can go outside of his mouth now. So that will be fun to get him to make faces :-)

That is about all for an update. Christian is getting a bath soon so he will be nice and fresh for Grandma! Can't wait to see you!

Christian's Well Baby Checkup

Christian had his well baby checkup today. I was a little worried about his weight going in since we have had some issues breastfeeding. We just weren't working well together. Grandma Linda thought his tongue might be tied and I agreed. So today we asked the Doc and she put in a referal for us at Tripler. Little Man is going to get his tongue clipped!! Eek!! I had it done when I was young (it is hereditary) so hopefully now with this it will help us in the breastfeeding department.

Other than that - he has gained a little less than a pound and has sprouted TWO whole inches!! I think we have a weed on our hands! Any bets on how tall he will be? I think he might be passing up Matt in the near future.

So Christian's first well baby appointment went well :-) He is good to go until his 2-month appointment. He will get more shots then...which Mommy does NOT look foward to :-( Not sure who these appointments are more traumatizing for...

Family leaves tomorrow. We are not looking foward to the goodbyes. It will be hard to do it all over again when Grandma Nancy gets into town. We have had so much fun and can't wait to get back to SD sometime. We miss everyone a lot.

But we have been blessed with the time spent with family here in Hawaii. We can't wait to do it again!

XOXO, Crystal and a healthy Christian!

Busy, Busy!!

It has been a pretty busy week since my parents and aunt and uncle got into town! Today is a relaxing day for Christian and I...while Matt goes back to work for the first day since Christian was born. :-( It was a sad morning and I tried to sleep with Christian to pass the time but only got an hour nap with him.

I have uploaded more pictures to the site. Here is the link in case you missed it on the home page:

http://www.notoriouskeef.com/vacation%20with%20grandparents.html

There are some cute ones in there! My parents also have a lot more pictures that we have yet to get onto the computer. So be patient....we have MORE!! :-)

Christian looks bigger every day. He holds his head up when he can and he is so strong already. We arent sure who he is turning out to look like!! Either way - he is cute as a button!

We can't wait to post more pictures for you all. We miss you!

Crystal, Matt and 2 week old Christian!

Almost one week old!

I can't believe it has almost been a week since we had Christian! He looks so big to me and it is hard to imagine that I held him in my belly for so long. He is absolutely perfect and we can't wait to watch him grow.

The first days back home were a rough start. I barely got any sleep and it seemed like he was feeding 23 hours out of the day. But now coming up on a week it seems to be getting better (knock on wood!!!) He let me sleep a good few hours last night so that was nice of him :-) Feedings have become a lot better as well. I can't wait until he sleeps for more than a few hours at a time. But for the time being I will have to take some cat naps during the day. I'm not looking foward to when Matt has to go back to work.... Hopefully there will be some sort of schedule going by then.

This Thursday my parents and aunt and uncle will get to the Island. We are so excited and can't wait to show Christian his extended family. Matt and I can't wait for Grandma Nancy to get here either! We are so excited to show off our wonderful little Miracle. Christian is blessed with a wonderful family!

Check out some more pictures that we have added!

Birth Story!!

I can't believe that I'm finally a Mommy!!! The experience is one that I will NEVER forget. It was perfect in every way.

Sunday morning I had some wonderfully tasting castor oil (blech!). It didn't really do much so I just went on with my day and kept busy. Sunday night I went for a walk and thought I might have been peeing myself! Haha!! Nothing came of that so Matt and I watched a movie then we went to bed. As normal I would get up to go pee every hour but this time it was more frequent that I was getting up to pee. I was so tired that I didn't put two and two together that I was having strong contractions. I was so tired and out of it that I kept going back to sleep!! So at 3:20am I went to the bathroom again and this time my water broke. Yay for it NOT being in the bed! :-)

I wake Matt, grab the bags and head out the door and were at Tripler about 10 minutes later. I get to my room and wait. So from 4 to 7am I really didn't have much of a dilation change so I got pitocin. By 9 am I needed that epi!! Half hour later I'm good to go and happy as a clam!! I thought for sure I would see 6pm roll around. But about 2 hours later they check me and I was complete and ready to push. Boy was that a shock. Matt said that is when he got nervous. He was thinking he might have a bit more time to process that we were there to have a baby. But the time had come!!

At 11:35am I started pushing and at 1:58pm on Monday March 26th, Baby Christian was born!! 8lbs 5oz, 19 3/4in (but we are going with 20!) and all 10 fingers and 10 toes. PERFECT! I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I was smiling even through my last push!! I would do this ALL over again in a heartbeat. Matt was great, the doctors were great, the nursing students that were there were great! JUST GREAT! I was tremendously blessed with a perfect birthing experience.

We can't wait to post some more pictures! :-)

Still no baby!

Another OB appt this morning. A little progress - but not much.....better than nothing! Due date is on Monday and I'm hoping I don't make it that far. I talked to the OB about possible induction dates just in case I went over. Since we will have family here on the 5th of April I don't want to STILL be pregnant! Eeek!

So now I'm home, relaxing, and have my swollen tootsies up with a cold washcloth on them. My poor little sausage toes look like they have had a beating this week.

If you haven't seen them yet, I have a picture of the finished nursery and of the new stroller!!

OB appt today

I'm so exhausted!! I knew that the end of pregnancy was a little rough...but sleeping just isn't working for me!! I do my best and I will have to try and take some naps these next couple of days.

I went to my OB appt this morning. She walked in and said I was supposed to have a baby by now!! You aren't kidding, Doc! I wish... But she checked me and I was at a solid 3cm and a bit more thinned out than last time. She also tried to break my water but wasn't able to get it. So She stripped my membranes and sent me on my merry way. She said to just relax and take it easy. I'm still going to walk when I can and bounce on my exercise ball to see if that helps bring him back down and open me up more.

So...STILL PREGNANT!!

~

On a side note...our neighbors got a new dog. It's a Weimeraner. Absolutely beautiful dog. He is 5 months old and reminds Matt and me of Abby. I almost cried when I first saw him just because we had been talking about Abby earlier that day. Although cute...this puppy sure is noisy! He stands and howls at the door when the neighbors leave. We are going to have to work on this problem...because when they wake up Christian, THEY can put him back to sleep!! ;)

~

Okay, off to do another week of homework!!!

Wed. OB appt.

I had my OB appt this morning. Things were good! I'm 2cm dilated and 70% effaced. She said he is 'right there'. :) A little grapic here....but I got my membranes stripped/sweeped and I have been having contractions all day ever since!!

I am using my exercise ball to help with rotating my hips...it supposedly helps with laboring. And I'm drinking as much water as possible. A walk might help things along as well.

Hospital bag is packed...cameras charged...I am ready!!!

New Blog

This is the NEW blog website. The other one was just being so slow and I couldn't get much done in it. So this one will be getting a trial run to see how I like it. So far, so good.

Reminder - 'New' cell number for us. We only have ONE now. It is Matt's number: 605.484.0109

That is about all for now. My brain is too mushy to think of anything else to update with!!

Crystal and Christian!

OB appt update!

Original 02-22-2007

I had an OB appt yesterday morning. It went very well! I'm measuring fine, baby is head down..and I'm 1/2 cm dilated!!! It's a start...I'll take it. I also signed up for a'Sweep Study'. If you want to know more about it, email or call and I'll tell you all about it!!

So the highlight of my day yesterday was...I thought I was going to have this baby! About 11pm last night I thought he was just pushing and moving around quite a bit. He does this often and he is quite a squirmy tkye. But after my stomach and sides started to hurt I felt around and my entire stomach was ROCK hard! For about 10 minutes of homework this was going on and I didn't have a clue. But when I realised and started timing..they were about 5 minutes apart. Matt was at work and I was chatting with him and almost gave him a heart attack. But I layed in bed and they settled down. So far, so good today! But now I want to run a marathon and meet this little guy.

Wish I had more pictures

Original 2-14-2007

I wish that I had more pictures to add to the photo albums!! I have been so busy with school work online and with Arbonne. Then when I get free time I hang out with Matt and we don't go anywhere. We are relaxing as much as possible before the end of March!

March will actually be a busy busy month for me! I have many things planned with Arbonne and I'm very excited about that....that means that I will potentially be making some money!! Then of course ANY time in March this baby could show up. But I'm ready. I have my bags packed!

~~~~

Well, today is Valentine's day. I hope that I can get some pictures of us and post them later this week.

I will even try and get some pictures of the Arbonne booth at the base carnival this weekend...I would love to show you all what I've been up to this month.

XOXO, Crystal and the Peanut!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Original 02-09-2007

So this week has been a little busy! Matt worked quite a bit and has a couple days off. They are still on shift work and they aren't quite sure when (or if) it will go to M-F. I sure hope they get their ducks in a row and figure it out. No one is happy with the situation and they want something to come of all the talk and waiting.

Saturday morning, Matt and I are going to take some more pictures. Erin is going to take some portrait type pictures for us and maybe a few outdoor ones. I'm pretty excited...Matt isn't too fond of pictures LOL

Saturday night I'm going to a Bunco game!! It's a really fun dice game. We will have a Valentine theme so I'm hoping they give this pregnant lady some chocolate!!

I have also had this entire week be filled with Arbonne! I'm a new consultant for this company. It is sort of like a Mary Kay, but the products are all natural, never tested on animals, pH balanced....just some GREAT products that I'm so excited to sell!! They also have a baby care line that I'm going to try once the little one gets here.

For those of you that have not seen most of the pictures from my photo shoot with Erin, here they are. There are over 100 pictures so it may take a few minutes to load all of them: http://crissyscloset.spaces.live.com/?_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaHandler=TWljcm9zb2Z0LlNwYWNlcy5XZWIuUGFydHMuUGhvdG9BbGJ1bS5GdWxsTW9kZUNvbnRyb2xsZXI%24&_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaFolderID=cns!3024DBC69F04A10D!738&_c11_PhotoAlbum_startingImageIndex=0&_c11_PhotoAlbum_commentsExpand=0&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentExpand=0&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentFocus=0&_c=PhotoAlbum

I'm a supermodel!!

Original 02-02-2007

Okay, not *really*... But yesterday (the 1st) my friend Erin took some pregnancy pictures of me. She is trying to start up her own photog business so she is taking pictures of whoever she can find for her portfolio. So of course I wanted some pictures just as much as she did... We went to Ko'Olina Resort to the lagoon for a few pictures of me in the water and on some rocks.

Now, Erin is no professional (yet) but she made me look SO good! I'm so proud of her and I can't wait to see all the finished pictures after she edits them. She did a few last night and sent them to me in an email so I have one to share with you all!!

~Click to make the picture bigger~

So there I am! Doesn't she make me look like an angel?!?!

Can't wait to show you all more!

It's a baby Herbie!

Original 01-27-2007

As I posted before...we had a minor mishap with the original Herbie that resided in our kitchen. Well, tonight during our movie, an adorable little gecko decided to join us. Baby Herbie has set up shop in the living room!! He is a cute little guy if I do say so myself. Fast, too! But I managed to get a few pictures of him. Baby Herbie isn't as big as Herbie (hence the name) - about 2 inches long. Big beady eyes and long suction-cupped feet.

Say hello to the new addition! (click on pictures to make them bigger)

We are happy to have him and can't wait for him to eat some bugs and grow big and strong!!

An update! TGIF!

Original 01-26-2007

Sorry it has been so long since an update. It feels as if Matt and I have been in the On Mode for the entire week. With Matt working quite a bit and myself trying to get my online classes underway and the house cleaned up we just feel super busy. Have I mentioned how many dirty dishes only two people make? It is crazy! But thank goodness it is Friday!

But some good news came of this week!! My loan company finally figured out what they were supposed to be doing with my money. Long story short: They were not putting MY money in MY account. After 3 months...they got it right!

We got our car fixed, finally! It took us a few weeks to find someone that would do the work and for us to bring it in on Matt's day off. To Tuesday was the big day for the car to get some shiny new parts (I have pictures in the Photo Album of our day). They mechanics did a two day job in a little less than 12 hours for us. They were SO nice and I'm going to send them a Thank You card. They worked their butts off and we are VERY pleased with the work they did. Now we just need to get some new brakes and the car is good to go!

I had an OB appt on Wed. Everything is fine. He is growing well and I'm a bit of a tubby girl...but who says baby weight is a bad thing? Maybe when he chubs up more, he will take MY chub! A girl can dream.... Just a few more weeks and I will be considered full term! Can't wait. Matt asks me all the time if I'm done with him yet so he can have his turn with him. I don't blame him. I have had all this time with the baby and Matt just sits there watching me get fat...sure can't be all that fun for him. His day will come soon!

I have the car seat all ready for the baby too! I even tested out the fit with a teddy bear.

How does it look? Good, ya? We can't wait to put it in the car. Not too much longer. 59 more days!

Well that is all for an update today. Matt works all weekend. I will most likely do school work and sleep...I need to get in all that I can!!!! Love you all.

Matt, Crystal and the Baby

Hello!

Original 01-16-2007

It's been a while since I have updated!! We are all doing very well. The past week has been quite uneventful. We tried to go bowling a few days ago but the power went out towards the end of the first game. So that ended our fun for the night. Good news is....I WAS BEATING MATT!!!

I got my package from you today Nancy!! So many cute things in there. I squeeled each time I pulled out something new. I love the sweater vest Winnie the Pooh outfit...he will be the cutest kid on the block wearing that.

My dad had knee surgery early this morning. He did fine. Doesn't remember much and he is happy about that. And the big guy that he is...he almost fainted TWICE!! The pain was too much for him at times. He had to scoot up the stairs backwards and on his bum to get to the living room. He goes back for therapy on Thursday and is NOT looking foward to bending his knee. But he is a trooper and he will get better. He must if he is coming to Hawaii!!

----------------------

Oh!!! I have had a new revelation! I, Crystal Keefer, am going to cloth diaper our baby. I have been reading a TON on it and not only is it better for baby's bum and the environment...it will save us LOTS OF MONEY! Big plus there! I'm excited to try it out and figure out which diapers will work for the little guy. Matt is even all for it too. We figure it was done forever, up until 20-some years ago when they made disposables. If my grandma and mom can do it...I can too!! Very excited to try it out.

Well that is about all we have for an update for us. I have an appointment on the 24th..then I think I might go to every two weeks after that. Not too sure. I hope I go twice a month after this one because I know it will make time go a little faster.

We shall see!

Don't worry!! Matt, the baby and myself are fine! It's the pet gecko in our kitchen that we are worried about...

Original 01-06-2007

Don't worry!! Matt, the baby and myself are fine! It's the pet gecko in our kitchen that we are worried about...

As mentioned in a previous post, we have a gecko living in our kitchen. We rarely see him and occasionally leave a tupperware lid of water out for him. After all, he is doing us a favor by eating the other bugs, so the least I could do is hydrate him!

Well late one night as Matt and I were in the living room we heard our friend Herbie making his loud chirping-type noises from the kitchen. They were unusually loud (and close!) but we thought nothing of it. A few minutes later matt ran into the kitchen to get himself something to drink. To my shock I hear Matt scream a big, "Oh No!!" He comes back to the living room with the most pitiful look I have ever seen! He was on the verge of tears and looked quite frightened.

"I think I killed Herbie..." On Matt's run into the kitchen, Herbie happened to be very close to the living room door and was almost crushed by Matt. I asked if he was still on the floor. Herbie squeeled at the pressure of Matt's foot and had run off. We haven't seen or heard from Herbie since.

This may sound a bit odd, but please keep Herbie in your thoughts. For Matt's sake, I'm hoping Herbie is still able to eat our bugs and live happily beneath the appliances.

Happy New Year!!

Original 01-01-2007

Well, our new year got here.....slowly.....

We went to the church service Sunday morning on base. It was a very good sermon and we enjoyed the gospel music to bring in the last day of the year.

Then we went to my friend Erin's house on Pearl Harbor. A few other couples went as well, along with their kids, and we all just sat around, watched some tv, had some food and watched the time drag on....and on....and on....

It seemed like it took midnight FOREVER to get here. But FINALLY it came, we watched the ball drop, gave each other kisses, Matt kissed the belly...and then we left their house about 2 minutes later! HAHAHA! We were dog tired; I didn't get my nap that day and Matt had been up since quite early that morning. So we went home, gave a few more kisses and went to bed.

It doesn't feel like 2007 but we are SUPER excited for everything it has to bring!!!

God Bless and Happy 2007!!!!

End of the year...

Original 12-29-2006

My OB appointment went well. I passed my glucose test and I am NOT diabetic! That is one less thing to stress about the last 12 weeks of this pregnancy. Now I get to worry about weight gain, contractions and possible preterm labor! Yippee! Okay, I'm not that worried about anything. I feel great and can't wait for these next few weeks to get moving. So I hear...the last trimester goes by quickly. Lets hope!

Other breaking news....Saddam is dead! That is all.

The 26th has come and gone...

Original 12-26-2006

...and so has my massage.

It was a good one! One hour just isn't long enough, either, so I will be getting another one before this baby comes. I was so relaxed and the hour flew by too fast. Wondering if they have an hour and a half one because I think I'll do that next time. My massage lady thought I looked pretty darn good for 27 weeks!!

I have an OB appt tomorrow (27th). I have the glucose test beforehand that I'm not looking foward to. But I'm VERY excited for the Labor & Delivery tour afterwards. I want to see where I'll be having this little guy. 13 MORE WEEKS!!

All for now...I'm relishing in my relaxed state and watching tv!!

Merry Christmas!!

Original 12-25-2006

It's been a pretty darn good year. Matt and I were sort of bumming the approaching holidays, but I think we are happy that they are here now. We can't wait for 2007 to start up and bring new adventures for us both.

Matt and I got some great gifts and we can't wait to put them all to good use. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful families that love us from afar!!

We hope that you all had ag reat Holiday Season and you got what you wished for. God Bless you, from the Keefers!

Can't wait for December 26th!!

Original 12-22-2006

Okay, I know that the 26th is *after* Christmas, but I have a very good reason for being very happy about this day!

I am getting a prenatal massage at 3pm that day!! I'm so excited. I have been getting very uncomfy at night and my back hurts quite often so this is going to be a real treat. I can't even describe how much I'm looking foward to this. The massage that I got for my birthday a few years back from Nancy and Kerry was absolutely wonderful and I have been wanting to get one since. I can't want to get another hour of pure bliss!!!

A few things on Matt's days off...

Original 12-14-2006

It has been a decent few days off. The first day was a little rough because we both needed to switch back to day shift. That was a doozy and we sure felt the blow of it. I think I felt it more than Matt did, though. But more on that a little later.

On Matt's second day off we went out to a few places. First stop was the gun store. We just browsed and found out about the VERY strict gun regulations here. Hawaii (and California) are the worst places to live if you are all about your gun collection! Second stop was the card store. Matt wanted to pick up some things but, alas, for the second time in a row that we have visited there, it has been closed. So since it was closed we walked down the strip to a pet store. There were two of the cutest little puppies in there that I wanted to take home with us. But of course we don't need THAT much excitement around this house! After the closed card store and the pet shop...it was Walmart!! I would be going to Wally World every day if it weren't so far away. It takes a bit to get there but, boy does the place tickle my fancy!

At Walmart we bought a cute crib set for the crib. I was just getting frustrated looking at an empty crib...and now it's decked out in a cute little animal themed set. I'll have to take a picture and add it to the webpage. After we put that in the cart I added just a few things that were adorable and just oh so precious. Matt added some 'I love Daddy' bibs and I threw in some cute bobby socks. Can't wait to put some cute little piglet toes into them!!

Now this is where my day went downhill. I think, for the first time, I felt my contractions! Crystal does NOT like contractions! Basically felt like my stomach was getting stabbed with a few million needles. I was done for from that point on. I had to come home and lay down and ended up sleeping for about 4 hours. The joys of pregnancy!!! So now for the past two days I have felt completely off and my tummy is quite achey. I feel good...just tired.

Matt and I got the lawn-care done before my tummy started cramping today, though! And it needed some work. The trees are losing all their leaves and they ALL fall in OUR yard. Matt mulched them with the mower and we filled four HUGE bags. Good thing it was trash day today, too, because we missed it last week....again. So now that the outside has been spruced up...it's the inside that needs some working on. I swear the kicthen is messy every day. We use SO many dishes for just the two of us. Oy vey...pretty soon there will be baby bottles galore!!

Not much else went on during our few days off. Just a lot of browsing the regular shops we go to and enjoying the time spent AWAKE together rather than sleeping together. Friday is another day off for us and we might try and hit up the nice resaurant on base. We heard it has some awesome food and the view of the beach is quite nice as well. If I remember the camera I'll take some pictures of that as well!

Enough of my ramblings... Hope you all are having a great week! Hugs and Kisses from myself, Matt and our Little Peanut!

A night out for us!

Original 12-10-2006

All-in-all, Matt's night off went well! The journey to our night, on the other hand, was quite stressful. We left our house early because we wanted to make a few stops before we went out to dinner at a Mexican place I found on the internet. Good thing we did, becuase an accident caused a literal back-up of traffic on the entire Nimitz highway. It took us over 2 hours to go less than 10 miles to downtown Honolulu. As we are sitting...going an inch a minute...our gas light dings on!! We freaked out a little bit as traffic was bumper to bumper for as far as we could see....but luckily we found a gas station and filled 'er up!

Then we finally found our Mexican restaurant after a couple rounds around a few blocks. Buildings here are definately not like back home. They are all scrunched together and nothing is marked clearly. It's either in this building or that building with no signs on the outside. But after a few phone calls to the restaurant and asking a few parking guards, we got the right building and found our way. And boy was our food good!! Hawaii isn't known for good Mexican food but this place was very much to our liking. I had enchiladas and Matt had a huge quesidilla. Mmm, tasty! We enjoyed our dinner out on the lanai with a nice breeze and Christmas singers down below. It was a great meal.

Then after dinner we walked back towards our parked car and decided to catch a movie.... Boy was that a mistake. We didn't choose a good movie. It was called The Fountain. It was a lot of back and forth 'back flashes' and 'time warps'. Very trippy if you ask me. It was a story going off of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden and it was just...all wrong. haha. This one need to go right to the .99 cent rentals.

But after our movie we went back home and kept on with our night shift schedule. We watched another movie on TV and cuddled on the couch. It was a great ending to a pretty darn decent night!

A few random things, The Nativity and my first MOPS meeting!

Original 12-06-2006

Since Matt has been on night shifts I have been trying to stay up later and later at night. This way I can sleep with him in the morning when get gets home..and it feels like we are 'spending time together'. Granted we are sleeping but at least I'm not in the other room bored to death while he is out cold. This has been working out well so far! He has a few more 12 hour shifts to go and then I think we might be able to go back to normal.

I am on a crafting kick the last few days. I have been making a lot of greeting cards and have been looking into expanding my collection. Maybe I can start selling my homemade cards on eBay and get some money back?! What do you think?

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Last night, I joined a group of people from Bible Study and we went to the movies. The Nativity is what we saw...and it was fantastic!! Maybe not a movie for the younger kids (Herod, the murdering of the babies, etc) but it was definately a movie that us Christians need to see and promote. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

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So today (the 6th) I went to a MOPS meeting. Mothers of Pre-Schoolers is what MOPS stands for. And of course, I do not have a child yet but there are many pregnant women, along with the moms, who have heard about me (my friend Blanca watches their kids in a playroom during the meetings) and have wanted to meet me. I had struggled to get out of bed since I was sleeping most of the mornings due to Matt's schedule...but I am SOOO glad that I went! It was so much fun to meet other mothers and I think I will enjoy going back. This group is all military wives and very Christ centered. Each week is different, this week being a craft week, and other weeks being Bible Studys and/or discussion groups. I can't wait to learn more about these women and this wonderful group.

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Well that is about all for now. Now I'm just waiting around for Matt's one day off so we can spend it doing nothing I'm sure haha. But he is looking foward to it a lot. As am I. I think the baby misses hearing his voice as well. Hope you all are having a great week so far!

Gecko...and NOT the car insurance!

Original 12-04-2006

Geckos are considered good luck here in Hawaii. If you find them in your home consider yourself blessed. We happen to have a gecko living in our kitchen. He goes from appliance to appliance and hides out underneath. Not only is he cute...he will eat the bugs that come in from the backyard!

Now for the gecko that tried to kill me tonight...

I was on my way to get my weekly craving of chicken nuggets from McDonald's tonight. It was nice and breezy so I thought I would open the window. I reach for the button, push it...then I see him!! A little one inch albino-looking gecko sitting on the top of the window ledge. Maybe he wanted McDonald's too. Needless to say, I about ran off the road, almost hit some cars and almost had a heart attack. I compose myself and sit still do he doesn't go leaping for me and then REALLY run me off the road!

Well I finally get to McDonald's and in the drive through. The window is already down so I get my pocketbook and try to shoe him out. He gave me a glare and scooted to the outside of the door. Phew, I'm home free! So just as I'm about to pull up and order he tries to get back IN the car with me. "No way, Jose!" I shoe him back out and he makes his way to the hood of the car...."and stay there!" I order, pick up my food and head back home.

As I pull up to a light...I see him again! He scurries to the windsheild wipers, plants his feet and wedges himself into the groove of the wiper and window. I think he is holding on for dear life for the journey back home with me. A few lights and right turns later...the gecko and I are safely back home. This little gecko sure didn't want to ask me about my car insurance.

A few relaxing days

Original 12-01-2006

Yesterday, and most likely today and tomorrow, will be relaxing days for us. Matt has to switch over to night shifts so he can work the exercise that will be happening at work. Twelve hour shifts for two weeks in a row...guess who isn't thrilled about this? Since most of his office is working these same shifts maybe they will make it easier on all of them for the following weeks (and upcoming Holiday)? One can only hope.
So to make up for the upcoming stressful weeks we have been watching movies and just hanging out.

Thanks to my Mom and Mum...I received some great gifts for the baby in the mail! You should see my face and hear my little squeels when I hold up cute onesies and toys! I have a large bin that is already starting to fill up with clothes. He will be dressed to impress! We now have a height chart as well. SO CUTE!
Speaking of the baby, I have a Labor and Delivery tour scheduled in a few weeks. So I guess that really means I have to pop this baby out, huh? We take the tour of the labor rooms, the recovery rooms, and all the general places that we will be visiting as the months progress. It's quite exciting but also nerve racking at the same time. I have passed the point where this baby could now live outside my body and possibly survivie if I happen to go into a spontaneous early labor...scary! Matt and I watched a "Birth Story" last night and there was a one pound baby (which is what our baby is at now) that was born and it was SOOOO tiny. "So bake all the way, mister!"

Well I suppose that about covers it for the last day...not much to update on when we haven't gone anywhere! Matt and I will most likely be going to the gym today. He is dragging me along...joy! Hugs and Kisses to everyone!

Crystal and Peanut

Welcome to our first family blog!

So Matt and I made this website to keep in touch with friends and family back on the Mainland. There is only so much that we are able to update on a site...so Blogging here we come! We are going to try and blog as often as we can to let you know of the happenings here on Oahu.

Not much has happened this past week except our power went out for the third time since being here. Of course the first thing I thought of - "The MILK!" haha Milk is $4.99 a gallon and I just cringe every time I have to buy more. But luckily the power was out for only 10 minutes max.

I also had another OB appointment this morning. Everything is fine. I feel fine; baby is fine; Daddy is fine!

That about wraps up the first blog. Maybe tomorrow I will have more exciting news!