Tuesday, December 11, 2007

It's Time To Vote On Baby Keller's Gender, Weight and Length

With less than three weeks to go till Baby Keller's due date, it's time to weigh in on Baby Keller's gender, birth weight and length. We've set up a poll for you to vote as to whether Baby Keller is a girl or a boy, (the poll is located on the right side of the blog page), and ask that you post your comment here to cast your vote as to Baby Keller's anticipated birth weight and length. We can't wait to hear from you!!

Another Baby's On The Way...

Yep - you heard it here. Another baby is on the way... Our close friends Jennifer and Josh Bunkers are expecting #2. Jenn and Josh were blessed in May 2007 with their first daughter, Dagney Maria, and are looking forward to the arrival of another son or daughter in June 2008 to keep Dagney company. Best wishes for them!



Jenny Was Showered With Happiness

Jenny's sisters, Becky and Krissy, and mother, Colleen, were kind enough to host a Baby Shower for Jenny so that our family and friends could help us prepare for Baby Keller's imminent arrival. Becky, Jenny's twin sister, really out did herself with the preparations, centerpieces, and favors, and Teresa, Mike's sister, impressed everyone with her skillful coordination of various games and prizes for the guests. We were overwhelmed by every one's effort to make the day as special as it was, as well as by every one's generosity. It truly was a memorable event! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!







































Wednesday, November 28, 2007

School Is Officially In Session

We started our Labor and Delivery class last night - YEAH - and are now getting all the hands-on practical info we need to prepare us for the Big Event. The class we chose is focused on the Bradley Method of providing tools and coping mechanisms to help empower mothers to deliver through natural childbirth, and will also cover what to expect if an epidural or C-section becomes necessary. We chose to take a private class, so our class involves 3 one-on-one sessions with our instructor (Kim Collins) held in our home, each lasting roughly 2.5 hours.

Last night's class was great. We talked for a while about what to expect during labor and delivery, watched a movie of a labor and delivery using natural childbirth/waterbirth methods, and practiced some pain coping mechanisms, including gaining some insight into which methods work best for Jenny specifically. All in all, it was a very productive and informative night. We can't wait for Class #2 next week!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

The Nursery is nearing completion...

Yes - it is true - the nursery is nearing completion and looking absolutely gorgeous!! Mike has been working hard to turn our former guest room into a beautiful nursery for Baby Keller. We won't spoil the surprise by showing any photos of the nursery until the room is altogether done, but fear not, it should be soon. And rest assured future guests of the Keller household, we moved the former guest room to the unused bedroom on the 4th floor, so you still have a comfortable place to stay.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Barn Girls' Baby Shower

Jenny's close circle of friends of "barn friends," all of whom share her passion for horses, surprised her with her first Baby Shower. Joanne was kind enough to host the shower for Jenny, and Alyssa, Penny, and Lisa attended. Decorations were provided by Joanne's adorable kids, Marco and Gabby. Thanks to everyone for their generosity and for sharing such a good time!

Thursday, November 8, 2007

It's Time To Shower Baby Keller with Love

We're excited to post that it is indeed time to shower Baby Keller with love, or at least that's what Aunts Becky and Krissy say! They have graciously offered to host a Baby Shower in honor of Baby Keller, as follows:

Date: Saturday, December 1, 2007
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Place: Cryan's Beef & Ale House
24 First Street, South Orange, NJ 07079
(973) 763-7114

Formal invitiations should be mailed shortly.

And for those who have been asking... Yes, we plan on cloth diapering and breast feeding Baby Keller, and are registered at www.myregistry.com and Babies R' Us (see box on the left on this blog page for links and details).

Monday, October 22, 2007

Drum Roll Please...

We know many of you have been waiting on bated breath to find out our baby names, and since we have now finalized them (YEAH), here they are:

If we have a GIRL, she will be named GRACE SERENITY KELLER.
If we have a BOY, he will be named VAUGHN THOMAS KELLER.

Also, here are some Interesting Facts on Baby Keller.

Birth stone : Blue topaz, turquoise (December) or Garnet (January)

Chinese Year: Year of the Pig (fire) (2/07-2/08)
(FWIW, Mike was born in the Year of the Rat (water), and Jenny was born in the Year of the Tiger (wood).)

Astrological sign: Capricorn (12/22-1/20)

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

We're In Our Third Trimester

It's hard to believe time could have flown by as quickly as it has, but it's true, we are now in our third trimester - the home stretch. Jenny just had her gestational diabetes and anemia tests performed, as per standard course. We are pleased to advise that both tests came back negative, and she is well within the normal range. Jenny now sees her OB every 2 weeks until week 36, when she will switch to weekly appointments.

The prenatal nesting instinct has kicked in for Jenny as well. She is determined to rid our house of chaos and clutter before Baby comes. Tomorrow the Vietnam Vets are coming to pick up roughly 10 boxes of books and 12 bags of clothes for donations - and she's only just started! And that doesn't include the bags of garbage (stuff not suitable for donation) that we've already thrown out! Clearly she inherited her Dad's packrat nature, but she's determined to have a firm grip on it before Baby makes an appearance. Let's all wish her luck!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The techincal difficulties are over (we hope!)

Anyone who checked the blog for the last day or two would have noticed that the pictures in our last two posts were not working properly. Hopefully we have fixed this issue, and everything looks as it should on the blog.

Sorry about that folks.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Bump

After much request, here are some preggo bump pictures that Jenny took during Week 26 (a couple of days ago). Enjoy!





(sorry for the poor quality pics - they were taken by her cell phone)

Thursday, September 27, 2007

To my Fellow Cat People



Here's are some pictures of our beloved Furry Felines. Pictures of Wally the Chihuahua to come.

Romeo

Romeo

Romeo & Gonzo

Gonzo

Merlyn

(sorry for the poor quality pics - they were taken by Jenny's cell phone and of uncooperative targets - especially Romeo!)

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Nursery update

We'd be overly optimistic to say that work on the nursery has begun, but we can at least say… we’ve ordered the nursery furniture (ok, at least some of it). Here are preview pics of our crib (converts to a toddler and then full-size bed), changing table with hutch, and bureau – all will be a warm chestnut-colored mahogany wood:





And here's a preview of our bedding/nursery theme - It's called "Mommy and Me" by Lambs and Ivy:

Monday, September 24, 2007

Fun games we can look forward to playing with Baby Keller

We saw the following on-line and though we'd share since it's oh so funny. It's a list of games we can look forward to playing with Baby Keller:


Kick the Head
Players: 2-3
Rules: Lie in bed and kick mommy or daddy in the head.


Put Things In Your Mouth You Can Choke On
Players: 2
Game Pieces: Dice, pennies, ticket stubs, dog biscuits, cat litter, game pieces, paper clips.
Rules: Mommy goes and does something like wash dishes or read blogs. While her back is turned, you put something in your mouth from the dirty floor. She has to find out what it is before time runs out.


Poke the Dog
Players: 1 human, 1 skittish canine
Rules: When the dog goes to her "leave me alone" place, crawl right under there with her and poke her in the face. If you can get your whole fist in her ear before she turns into a quivering, wimpering mess, you win.


The Water Game
Players: 2
Game Pieces: Cup of water
Rule: Point towards a cup of water. Take a big sip. Then spit it at the adult who gave it to you. Repeat.


Shrieking
Players: The more the merrier
Rules: Go with your parents to a restaurant, preferably a small quiet one. Just as the food arrives, shriek as loud as you can. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.


I Like To Put My Fingers in My Poo
Players: 2
Rules: While your diaper is being changed, reach down and stick your fingers in your own excrement. Then, make sure to touch everything around you as fast as you can.


PlayStation 2
Players: 1
Rules: When daddy leaves the Playstation controler on the floor, try and fit as much of it in your mouth as possible. Extra points if your excessive drool jams the controls for good.



Ahh - can't you just not wait??

Gonzo is Gonzo for Babies

Over the Labor Day Weekend, Jenny's best friend, Jennifer Bunkers, and her then 3-month-old daughter, Dagney, stopped by for a visit. Since our cats (Merlyn, Romeo and Gonzo) and dog (Wally) had never seen (or heard) a baby before, we were quite interested to see how they would react. Merlyn and Romeo were interested in smelling Dagney up close, but otherwise enjoyed hanging out from across the room. Wally ignored Dagney altogether, and was happy as along as he was getting as much cuddle-time as she was. Gonzo, however, fell madly in love with Dagney right from the get-go. He couldn’t get enough of her! He wanted to sit as close to her as he could, and offered to play with her toes and give her sweet little kisses. What a little baby-love-bug! Dagney seemed to enjoy Gonzo's affection for her, especially since her own furry felines at home don't appreciate her!

Oh yeah, and here's a few belly bump pictures for your viewing pleasure as well.










Wednesday, September 19, 2007

100 days to go...

Today marks a milestone - 100 days until Baby Keller's estimated due date of 12/28/07 - so it seems befitting to start our new family blog today. We plan on updating our blog regularly to share with you the notable events of our lives, through the end of our pregnancy, arrival of our much-longed-for Baby Keller, and so on.

As most, if not all, of you know, we have been through much in this pregnancy already. From an emergency surgery at 7 weeks (Baby Keller briefly had an unexpected twin, who was stuck in Jenny's fallopian tube, thereby causing the tube to rupture and internal bleeding, resulting in a life threatening situation for both Mommy and Baby) , to a subchorionic hematoma (bleeding within Baby Keller's placenta) at 9 weeks, to pre-term labor at 22 weeks (!!) - and more doctor-ordered bed rest than we can even count, it truly is a miracle that Baby Keller is healthy and doing well in utero. Baby Keller sure has proven already that he/she is a fighter, through and through!

And yes, it still is true that we do not know, and are not finding out, the gender of Baby Keller before he/she chooses to make an official appearance. The Easter Bunny and Santa Clause conspired to bring us this New Year Baby, and we won’t ruin their surprise.

Stay tuned for upcoming additions, Baby Keller’s name revealing, and of course a poll for you to vote in as to Baby Keller’s weight, length, and birthdate.