Ever heard of wonder weeks? I hadn't until we had John Geoffrey and he spent a whole Sunday morning crying non-stop from about 3am til about 12 noon. Exhausting.
Anyway, on Wednesday this week we had another full awake day. John woke for feeding about 7am, and went back to sleep (as per normal). However he then woke at 10.30am and decided he did not want to go to sleep again until 11.30pm. I hate days like this, and I especially hate it when there are a couple of them in a row. I bank on him having at least one nap during the day so that I have time to rest, eat, do dishes, laundry, work on my calling or just veg out if I feel like it. According to the wonder week schedule he was due for one so I figured I better just be prepared for a couple of days of this.
One of the things about wonder weeks is that you are supposed to see some huge developmental change in your baby once you have gone through them, and I'm pleased to announce that we have one clever boy on our hands.
This week he has learned to suck his thumb and self soothe. I have also caught him playing with the toy we have hanging from his crip (clip-clop). Nothing major just him reaching out to grab it and play with it's rattle legs. But then this morning, he was absolutely amazing. We have a playmat for him that has a little hanging monkey holding a ring with it's tail. When you pull on the ring it plays music. For a while now we have been showing John how it works - pulling the tail to play the music (I also dance along to the music when it plays coz I'm fun like that). Anyway, this morning, John Geoffrey pulled the ring. All. By. Himself. And not once, but three times people. Three times! He is just so clever!!!!!
Friday, 5 October 2012
Monday, 1 October 2012
Happy Anniversary
This weekend marked John and my first year wedding anniversary. It has flown by so quickly, and has been an amazing time in our lives. Sometimes I have to pinch myself, because no matter what is going on, I'm so happy to be married to John. I love him so much.
To celebrate, John and I went to the Marino Rocks Restaurant for dinner (my mum and dad watched John Geoffrey for us) and then to Royal Copenhagen at Brighton for dessert.
The Marino Rocks Restaurant is a special place for us. John took me there the night he proposed to me, and we also had our wedding reception there. The views from the restaurant are really beautiful, and because it's tucked away in a residential area, it's not noisy or busy on the surrounding streets, making it nice and peaceful.
The owner of the restaurant, Gulten, is so lovely. When she found out we were coming in for our anniversary, she went out and bought some non-alcoholic sparkling wine for us, as she remembered that we don't drink alcohol. She also gave us an awesome table with a beautiful view of the sun setting over the ocean.
When we were married I wore some beautiful handmade silk flowers in my hair that I bought from Twigs and Honey. My hope is that if we ever have a daughter, I can pass them down to her to wear on her wedding day (if she wants to of course). But in the meantime, I decided it would be appropriate to wear them on our anniversary, you know, as a physical reminder of the day (I also wore my wedding shoes). Yes, I'm sentimental like that, and luckily for me John likes it :) It actually made me feel really special wearing them again.
What you can't tell from this picture is that I spent an hour trying to curl my hair as I wanted to look really special for John (I'm sure he's sick of seeing me in my trackies, with my hair in a pony tail, baby slobber down my front and smelling of sour breastmilk). Let's just say, having a three month old baby is not really helpful when trying to do something special with your hair - but at least I tried. I'm sure many other women could have achieved it, I'm just not very dexterous when it comes to anything beauty related. I think it's probably because I just don't have the desire or patience to practice.
We had a wonderful night out, and I enjoyed being able to spend time just with John. John Geoffrey takes up so much of my time, that I feel hubby sometimes gets the raw end of the deal. Over dinner we talked about our wedding and reminisced about the year that had been. We've had some amazing highs - being sealed together in the Adelaide Australia Temple for time and all eternity, the birth of our son, travelling up to the sunshine coast for a wonderful honeymoon, John's parents visiting, and then just the beauty every day of waking up knowing that we are together and there for each other.
To celebrate, John and I went to the Marino Rocks Restaurant for dinner (my mum and dad watched John Geoffrey for us) and then to Royal Copenhagen at Brighton for dessert.
The Marino Rocks Restaurant is a special place for us. John took me there the night he proposed to me, and we also had our wedding reception there. The views from the restaurant are really beautiful, and because it's tucked away in a residential area, it's not noisy or busy on the surrounding streets, making it nice and peaceful.
The owner of the restaurant, Gulten, is so lovely. When she found out we were coming in for our anniversary, she went out and bought some non-alcoholic sparkling wine for us, as she remembered that we don't drink alcohol. She also gave us an awesome table with a beautiful view of the sun setting over the ocean.
When we were married I wore some beautiful handmade silk flowers in my hair that I bought from Twigs and Honey. My hope is that if we ever have a daughter, I can pass them down to her to wear on her wedding day (if she wants to of course). But in the meantime, I decided it would be appropriate to wear them on our anniversary, you know, as a physical reminder of the day (I also wore my wedding shoes). Yes, I'm sentimental like that, and luckily for me John likes it :) It actually made me feel really special wearing them again.
What you can't tell from this picture is that I spent an hour trying to curl my hair as I wanted to look really special for John (I'm sure he's sick of seeing me in my trackies, with my hair in a pony tail, baby slobber down my front and smelling of sour breastmilk). Let's just say, having a three month old baby is not really helpful when trying to do something special with your hair - but at least I tried. I'm sure many other women could have achieved it, I'm just not very dexterous when it comes to anything beauty related. I think it's probably because I just don't have the desire or patience to practice.
We had a wonderful night out, and I enjoyed being able to spend time just with John. John Geoffrey takes up so much of my time, that I feel hubby sometimes gets the raw end of the deal. Over dinner we talked about our wedding and reminisced about the year that had been. We've had some amazing highs - being sealed together in the Adelaide Australia Temple for time and all eternity, the birth of our son, travelling up to the sunshine coast for a wonderful honeymoon, John's parents visiting, and then just the beauty every day of waking up knowing that we are together and there for each other.
Three Months Old
John Geoffrey turned three months old on Sunday. I can't believe another month has flown by! First a few cute pics of our beautiful boy:
And then here's what has happened over the last month to get you up to speed:
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| Growing so fast - we love his chubby cheeks! |
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| Cuddles with Daddy |
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| "You are getting very sleepy" |
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| Grumpy face - not impressed that we are trying to take pictures of him halfway through feeding. |
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| Already addicted to TV |
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| Scared of the camera flash - but boy does it make one hilarious photo! |
And then here's what has happened over the last month to get you up to speed:
John has really discovered his
hands now. Sometimes I catch him just staring at them. He puts them up in front
of his face, turns them over, touches them together, turns them over again, as
if they were the most interesting and curious things in the world. I think he
is starting to learn that they are his and that he can do things with them,
although his hand eye co-ordination still has a little way to go!
His desire to suck on things has
also increased. Last month it was mostly just his index finger, or his little
balled fist. Now at times he tries all fingers at once (which often makes him
choke for just a second), and last night John caught him sucking on both hands
at the same time!
He’s a wiggly little worm too.
He can now spin himself around about 90 degrees on his playmat while he’s on
his back. It’s amazing to me how they can do that.
He’s still a very happy baby,
and smiles a ton, but now he is also starting to giggle which is just
completely adorable. Last week I had him giggling for about 10 minutes whilst I
danced in front of him. I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or
be worried that he finds my dancing so funny!
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| Propped up using the pillows on the lounge - such a happy baby! |
He talks now. A lot. I have no
idea what he is saying, but it is fun to talk back to him and mimick his
sounds.
He’s enjoying tummy time a lot
more, and will stay there for a good 5 minutes before getting upset over
it. The other day he even turned himself onto his back 3 times in a row. It was only after those three times that I thought to get the camera out to capture it, but of course, he was a little worn out by then and so I didn't manage to get it on camera. Here's his last effort anyway. I’m
sure it’s just a fluke that he has managed to roll himself onto his back so many times already, but he does seem to have quite strong neck and back
muscles for his age.
John managed to get into a good
sleeping routine in the last few weeks, sleeping an average of 7 hours a night,
but even though I’m typing this now, I’m sad to report that the last 2 nights
that has not been the case L he must be due for another
growth spurt!
We’ve been outside a lot the
last month as the weather has been beautiful, and also because I finally got my
baby carrier (which is a lot quicker and easier than the hassle of getting the pram
in and out of the car). We go for walks in the streets around our house (mostly
to the shops for that odd grocery or run a small errand), around the mall with
Daddy and even been down to Glenelg in it.
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| At the mall with Mum and Dad. Couldn't believe the stores were already ready for Christmas in September! |
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| Our first trip in the baby carrier, getting ready to go to the shops for some eggs so we could make brownies. |
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| Close up of our cutey. |
We took John down to Brighton beach one afternoon. It had been beautiful weather all day and so we had intended to go for a walk, but was quite a bit cooler by the water so we ended up getting a quick bite to eat instead. We still went down by the water for a few minutes though, realising that it was our baby's first trip to the beach. He looked at the ocean for a few seconds, but then became fascinated by the sky. He does the same when we are changing him, just stares up at the ceiling. I wonder sometimes what he is seeing.
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| Staring at the sky |
John's passport arrived early in the month, and then Mummy's new one (making her an official Keaton on her travel documents) arrived a few weeks later. So, apart from actually buying our tickets, we are all set to come to the USA for Christmas to visit Grandpa and Grandma Keaton as well as Uncles, Aunts and cousins on Daddy's side.
John also had his immunisations in
the last month. Grandma was on hand to give Mummy some emotional support but
all in all it went pretty well. John cried pretty hard with the first needle,
and so the second one was pretty awful. He was a good boy though and settled
down fairly quickly and went to sleep. Thank goodness we don’t have to go
through that again until the beginning of October.
Lastly, John has been a little sickly the last week. It started with Mummy getting a sore throat and cold last weekend, which luckily only lasted a few days for her, but it seemed to pass onto John Geoffrey and give him a very stuffy nose, and then onto Daddy who managed to get full blown bronchitis :( We've had to administer the saline drops to John Geoffrey (which most of the time he HATES us giving to him) and then try the aspirator to remove the mucus from his nose. He HATES that too, and it is awful to try and do. I can't wait for him to be over this cold! I'm guessing it's one of the firsts in a long line of doing something you know will be good for your child in the long run, even if it is causing them discomfort now. Welcome to parenting :)
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Future NBA All Star
On Saturday, Uncle Neal and Aunty Elissa came to visit before we all headed over to Jaiden's house (John's cousin) for his 6th birthday party. Uncle Neal thought it would be the best time to start John's training for the NBA:
All I can say is that the kid has skills.
All I can say is that the kid has skills.
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Home Movies
I have been trying to take a few little home movies on my phone so that I can share them with Mom & Dad Keaton, who I know would love to be around and play with John Geoffrey. Here are a couple I've taken so far:
Play time on the mat (trying to catch him talking):
Sucking his fingers (soooo noisy, soooo cute):
Early smiles (he smiles a lot more and a lot bigger now):
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Father's Day
Today in Australia it was Father's Day (yes, we have it on a different day than the USA).
It was a special day for us for two reasons:
1. It was the first Father's Day for both of my boys.
2. John Geoffrey received a name and a blessing in church today, given by his Daddy (read about this here).
We had a family lunch at Grandma and Grandpa's as part of the Father's Day / Baby Blessing celebrations.
John Geoffrey also decided to show us his muscles:
And his unhappy face:
John gave his Daddy an M&M dispenser (with plenty of M&Ms to fill it with) as well as some Hershey's miniatures, as he knows Daddy misses those from home. He also got him the cutest card ever, and told mummy what to write in it (seeing as he can't hold a pen yet). He thanked Daddy for talking to him, holding him, singing to him and burping him - oh and for teaching him that Mummy is a knucklehead.
Mummy gave Daddy an Atlanta Braves sweatshirt to thank him for being such an awesome husband and Dad. I was so proud of myself for getting a gift that I knew was awesome AND for not ruining the surprise before giving it to him (as I am notorious for not being able to keep presents a secret). I will post a picture when I have one of John wearing it :)
This picture has nothing to do with Father's Day, it was just on my camera from a few weeks ago, and I realised that I hadn't posted it yet. My baby boy fast asleep on his playmat - he is just to cute for words sometimes!
It was a special day for us for two reasons:
1. It was the first Father's Day for both of my boys.
2. John Geoffrey received a name and a blessing in church today, given by his Daddy (read about this here).
We had a family lunch at Grandma and Grandpa's as part of the Father's Day / Baby Blessing celebrations.
 |
| John and Daddy on their 1st Father's Day together |
John Geoffrey also decided to show us his muscles:
And his unhappy face:
John gave his Daddy an M&M dispenser (with plenty of M&Ms to fill it with) as well as some Hershey's miniatures, as he knows Daddy misses those from home. He also got him the cutest card ever, and told mummy what to write in it (seeing as he can't hold a pen yet). He thanked Daddy for talking to him, holding him, singing to him and burping him - oh and for teaching him that Mummy is a knucklehead.
Mummy gave Daddy an Atlanta Braves sweatshirt to thank him for being such an awesome husband and Dad. I was so proud of myself for getting a gift that I knew was awesome AND for not ruining the surprise before giving it to him (as I am notorious for not being able to keep presents a secret). I will post a picture when I have one of John wearing it :)
This picture has nothing to do with Father's Day, it was just on my camera from a few weeks ago, and I realised that I hadn't posted it yet. My baby boy fast asleep on his playmat - he is just to cute for words sometimes!
A Name and a Blessing
“Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name” (D&C 20:70).
Today was a special day for us, John Geoffrey was blessed at our local church during the sacrament meeting by his Daddy. It was a beautiful experience for us, and made me so happy to see and hear my husband blessing our beautiful boy.
For those of you who haven't been to a baby blessing before, men who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood* gather in a circle and hold the baby in their hands. One person then addresses Heavenly Father and gives the child a name and a blessing as the spirit directs. As well as his Daddy, Grandpa Fitton and Uncles Craig, Boyd and Neal participated in the blessing.
Daddy gave the blessing and blessed John Geoffrey that he would be healthy and strong, as happy and contented as possible and that he may grow and learn the things he should know as quickly as possible. He also blessed him to know that he was loved (which of course he is, VERY much).
John Geoffrey was so good during the blessing. I heard him make a few gurgling happy sounds just before Daddy started giving the blessing, but he was quiet while Daddy was talking. Grandpa Fitton was naughty and had his eyes open during the blessing and told me afterwards that John Geoffrey smiled up at his Daddy the whole way through. That just melts my heart right there. To me it was if he was trying to let Daddy know how much he loved him, and give him some encouragement, as well as him being happy that he was receiving the blessing.
I bought John a special outfit to wear for the day. He looks so grown up in his big boy clothes (he otherwise lives in growsuits at the moment):
Grandma also took this photo of our little family after church today:
John Geoffrey was lucky to have lots of his Australian family there to witness his blessing:
Grandma and Grandpa Fitton, Aunty Carla and Uncle Craig Davison and cousins Shelton, Ashton, Sarah and Jaiden, Uncle Boyd and Aunty Sarah and cousins William, Noah and Kai, Uncle Joe and Aunty Rachel, Aunty Laura and cousins Jasmine and Annabelle, and Uncle Neal and Aunty Elissa and cousin to be (due Oct).
I wish we had been able to get a photo of everyone who came, but the Davison's had to leave part way through sacrament to go back to their ward (Craig is the Bishop and Carla also had to go back for her calling in Primary), and Aunty Laura also left soon after the blessing.
I also wish that our American family could have been there too. It is hard to be so far apart when milestones like this come up. Just know that we were thinking of all of you at the time.
It was a good, good day :)
Today was a special day for us, John Geoffrey was blessed at our local church during the sacrament meeting by his Daddy. It was a beautiful experience for us, and made me so happy to see and hear my husband blessing our beautiful boy.
For those of you who haven't been to a baby blessing before, men who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood* gather in a circle and hold the baby in their hands. One person then addresses Heavenly Father and gives the child a name and a blessing as the spirit directs. As well as his Daddy, Grandpa Fitton and Uncles Craig, Boyd and Neal participated in the blessing.
Daddy gave the blessing and blessed John Geoffrey that he would be healthy and strong, as happy and contented as possible and that he may grow and learn the things he should know as quickly as possible. He also blessed him to know that he was loved (which of course he is, VERY much).
John Geoffrey was so good during the blessing. I heard him make a few gurgling happy sounds just before Daddy started giving the blessing, but he was quiet while Daddy was talking. Grandpa Fitton was naughty and had his eyes open during the blessing and told me afterwards that John Geoffrey smiled up at his Daddy the whole way through. That just melts my heart right there. To me it was if he was trying to let Daddy know how much he loved him, and give him some encouragement, as well as him being happy that he was receiving the blessing.
I bought John a special outfit to wear for the day. He looks so grown up in his big boy clothes (he otherwise lives in growsuits at the moment):
Grandma also took this photo of our little family after church today:
John Geoffrey was lucky to have lots of his Australian family there to witness his blessing:
Grandma and Grandpa Fitton, Aunty Carla and Uncle Craig Davison and cousins Shelton, Ashton, Sarah and Jaiden, Uncle Boyd and Aunty Sarah and cousins William, Noah and Kai, Uncle Joe and Aunty Rachel, Aunty Laura and cousins Jasmine and Annabelle, and Uncle Neal and Aunty Elissa and cousin to be (due Oct).
I wish we had been able to get a photo of everyone who came, but the Davison's had to leave part way through sacrament to go back to their ward (Craig is the Bishop and Carla also had to go back for her calling in Primary), and Aunty Laura also left soon after the blessing.
I also wish that our American family could have been there too. It is hard to be so far apart when milestones like this come up. Just know that we were thinking of all of you at the time.
It was a good, good day :)
* The Melchizedek Priesthood is authority given to worth male members of our Church so that they can act in God's name for the salvation of all people (men, women and children). They do this through righteous leadership and by performing saving ordinances.
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