Back in the Eastern time zone!

It has been more than a year since I've been home. Home as in my parent's house...my home town. It'll always be home to me!

The 3 boys, my mom, and myself were piled into my car and loaded down. We were going to put some things (like L1's bike) into my Dad's car but forgot to before he left the house last night and were meeting up with him on the interstate. All the hours I put into Tetris appear to have paid off. 5 suitcases. 1 baby bath tub. 1 duffel bag. 2 tote bags. 1 roadside emergency kit. 1 Pack N' Play. 2 gift bags. 1 Boppy pillow. 1 bicycle. 1 baby mirror toy thingy. 1 bag of snacks/drinks. Probably some other things I'm not thinking of too.


The first bit went very well. We hit the road shortly after Keighan ate in hopes that he would be cooperative and sleep. It worked, woot! We made a potty stop quickly and he slept through that. Shortly later he was up. We pulled over at a rest area so while I fed Keegs the big guys could run around and get some energy out. K ate, pooped, puked all over my leg and himself, and then we were ready to get back on the road. We were a little west of Tallahassee at this point...probably right about 1/2 way.

The second half of the trip, well...let's just say that was trying. I think I may have escaped with a sliver of my sanity left, or maybe it's the insanity thinking I still have a little bit of sane left in me. Keighan hates his car seat with a passion. He was NOT a happy camper and cried the majority of the way. It was hard to listen to. We made 2 more stops and he was SO happy to get out and stretch out for a few minutes. I'm so thankful that my mom was in my car to help try to give him a bottle, paci, etc to soothe him. Sometimes it would work for a few minutes before he would start back up again.

Once home, in typical G's around fashion, Keighan was promptly wearing just a diaper. I had to take a pic and text my good friend Nina about it. She responded that soon he'll be playing in the mud! Back when we lived in Cape Cod it wasn't unusual for G to be visiting and we'd find her and Landon outside playing when I got home from work...him wearing just a diaper or a diaper and t-shirt stomping in a mud puddle made from the hose. Nina always used to give me a hard time about it because I tend to care a little too much about their clothing at times!

The boys, all 3 of them, were certainly wound up tight tonight. They got to sleep much later...it was after 10pm here! At least on their body clocks it was like it was after 9 though so not too far off from their normal bed time. They're both currently sacked out on top of a ton of pillows on the floor covered in Spiderman blankets.

This trip home felt a little different than others. From Mobile to Ocala we drive right through Pensacola/Milton. It's been 13 months since we moved away from there. Driving through on I-10 it felt like the clock had been turned back, almost felt like we were back "home" on that stretch of the road. I was half tempted to get off at our old exit. We're living so close right now (took about 90min to get there), but yet I haven't made it over to see our friends there yet. I really should try to do that before they start school in a few weeks!

I'm looking forward to our few days here, seeing lots of family and having Keighan meet everyone! It's going to be hectic and busy...I'll probably need a vacation once we get back to Mobile to recoup! I better hit the sack while the lil one is down and I have the opportunity to sleep.

Almost a month

*EEK*

It's been almost a month since I last posted anything! I guess this "mom of 3" life has me pretty busy. Just the day to day type of things have kept me running lately...laundry (oh my, it NEVER ends!), dishes, general cleaning of the house, feeding the kids (which also feels like a never ending process), and of course the occasional outing to playgroup or Target or the grocery.

So I'll do my best to do a semi-quick update on the past few weeks...and try to make it easier on myself by not waiting so long to do the next post! Here's what we've been up to:


We've had water some fun in the backyard...



Keighan turned 1 month old...


We did a quick project for Father's Day (which Daddy took to work and I never got a finished pic of it, oops)


We made a purchase I never thought I would.
Light up shoes.
Not just any light up shoes...
but character light up shoes.
Captain Rex (Star Wars) light ups from Stride Rite.
They came with masks too, the boys were super excited.

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit.
They went to Bellingrath Gardens,
the fish were the highlight for the boys.
Also checked out Daddy's airplane
The upstairs air conditioner was struck by lightning and fried.
So the boys camped out downstairs for about a week until it was fixed.
They had a blast and weren't ready to go back to their room!
Logan slept in the little tent most nights, Landon in his sleeping bag



We played in the rain as it poured off the roof,
finally some afternoon rain storms have been coming through.
We're over 20" below average for the year already and needing the rain!

We've gotten more smiles from Keighan...
just haven't gotten that good at grabbing the camera in time to catch them!
We went to a birthday party at The Watermelon Patch
The boys had a blast
I certainly see visits there in our near future!




We had a pretty low key 4th of July.
We bought some fireworks and grilled out burgers.
The boys had fun with the sparklers and snap its,
then we ended the night with a sugar rush from cupcakes.









It's hard to believe we're already into the month of July almost a whole week! Keighan hit the 7 week mark yesterday, time has just flown since he was born! He's been doing great with sleeping at night (please, please, please don't let that have just jinxed things!). He's a trooper when it comes to his big brothers wanting to hold him or "pet" him. Not a fan of the car seat, I think right now he just gets too hot in it...he's certainly a sweaty guy! Life as a family of 5 now feels normal and we're in a pretty good routine. Soon the routine will change up as Landon starts Kindergarten next month!

Adjusting to 3 boys

I've had 3 days now of being on my own (well, during work hours) with the 3 boys.

L1=5yrs 5 mos, L2=3yrs 4mos, K=3 weeks {already, eek!}

Day 1-We ventured out to WalMart and WinnDixie. It had been several weeks since I had made a grocery store run and we were in need of several things, especially fresh fruits and veggies. We managed to survive, although I'm quite certain the outing took about 5 years off my life expectancy! It was tough, but just like going from one to two children there is a learning curve and an adjustment period.

Day 2-Tuesdays are playgroup day. I wasn't sure if we were going to go but decided it would do the big boys some good. Once I told them to get dressed because we were going they got SO excited. We went to the park, Keighan was not happy being in his car seat and cried the whole way. Landon did his best to calm him down (they sit next to each other in the car). The L's were happy to run around and got ridiculously sweaty and hot. K was happy to be out of his seat.

Day 3-Another day in which we ventured out. We headed to the pediatrician this morning to have Keighan checked out for GERD. Having been through it with both of the others I was confident in my mommy diagnosis. The Dr agreed with me. After the ped's office we hit up Target. Panera Bread is in the Target parking lot and for some reason Landon LOVES Panera. So even though it was only about 10:20 we went to Panera and waited until they started their lunch menu. Brought it home to eat. I survived another outing, and this one was a little easier--but I'm sure it helped that we only had a few things to grab instead of a long list.

By the time the hubs comes home from work I'm usually pretty exhausted. The 3 of them have kept me on my toes, and being out every day hasn't made things any easier either. But we're getting there. The bigs are learning I can't just drop everything and get them a drink/snack/etc if I'm feeding Keegs. They are continuing to be huge helpers and love to pick out which diaper he's going to wear. Keighan has gotten better with his days and nights and we're sorta getting into a predictable feeding routine. My self-imposed bedtime is earlier than it's been since oh, middle school maybe? At least it is when K allows me to go to bed! I think overall we are all adjusting as well as can be expected. It's not easy, but we're getting there and used to a new normal!

The boys are both still so into Keighan.
Landon always likes to lay on the floor with him.
Well, actually both of the L's do.
Then they'll fight over which way K is going to look
and who he is going to look at.

Logan is always asking to hold Keighan.
Of course he always wants to when K is sleeping...no bueno!

Landon loves to hold him also,
they usually end up arguing over who gets to hold him and when!

Keighan at 3 weeks

Captain Underpants Batman Cowboy

I think Landon would swing all day if we let him!

The Boys are Back in Town!

G and the big boys got back to town yesterday! We were so excited to have them back home, and they were excited to get here! It was also Dan's first day back to work. Keighan turned 2 weeks old and had his weight check. He is now 7lbs 7oz (birth weight was 7lbs 5oz, discharge was 6lbs 13oz). So he's back to birth weight + 2oz which is what they were looking for, yay!

Keighan and I started the day with a bath.
Had to get him smelling good to get snuggles from everyone later!
For the first time he didn't scream during his bath but actually enjoyed it!

Logan was so excited to see Keighan.
He is always asking to hold him or feed him.

My how they grow!
This reminds me of a pic we have of Landon and Logan
when Logan was just a few days old.
(I need to find that somewhere!)

So now my family of 5 is back together. Soon G will be leaving then our new normal (err...whatever normal may be/become!) will begin. My bed time is getting increasingly earlier trying to keep up on some sleep thanks to Keegs having his days/nights apparently mixed up. We're working on it though! He really is a great baby other than sleep issues. He's even gotten better about diaper/outfit changes and doesn't always scream during them. But when he does he has 2 big brothers that come running to check on him and see what is going on. I hope the novelty of a baby doesn't wear off too soon for them!

A little update :)

On Monday my parents left town. With them went Landon and Logan to "Camp G." So it's just been the 3 of us. Takes us back to 5 years ago when we had just moved to Mobile the first time around, Landon was a newborn, and Dan was just beginning his USCG journey. So much has happened in those 5 years!

Landon was hanging out with Keighan on Sunday

Keegs napping in Mommy's arms

Yesterday afternoon I began to get cabin fever.
We needed a few things from the store so we headed out.
Of course by the time we actually got ready,
lil man fed, etc it was already past 5.
So we also did something we haven't done in a while,
went out to eat!
It was like it was just the two of us again,
except people kept stopping at the table to check out K.
He amazingly slept through the entire dinner, yahoo!
This was the result of me taking him out of his car seat when we got home.
He actually loves his car seat after the first minute of being in it,
he scrunches up and gets comfy and will sack out
{hope I didn't just jinx us there...}

Today we made a quick trip to the base.
We needed to get Keighan enrolled in DEERS and set up with Tricare,
and Dan needed to pick up some stuff from his office.
Every time I dress him I am amazed at how the clothes just swallow him up!
I had to roll these shorts over just so they'd stay up on him!

Decided to try some tummy time
for the first time today.
I was preparing for him to get upset.
Instead he just hung out there for a while.
He'd look around and just seemed so content and happy!

I weighed myself and Keighan today, according to our scale he is right around birth weight again. Yay! We will go to the ped at 2 weeks for an official weight gain check. I'm doing my best to sleep as much as possible. He likes to have marathon feeding sessions in the middle of the night which have been rough. At least right now the house is quiet without the big boys running around so naps are pretty easy to get in.

We can't wait until L1 and L2 come back home. It's taken some adjustment for us to get used to not having them around! Never before have we been home without them. Before when they've stayed with G & Grumpa it was like last summer when we were moving so things were out of whack anyways. Dan is planning on painting their room while they are gone, then we will finally have another room checked off our list as being done. I have the artwork we got from the Strawberry Festival framed and ready to be hung now but have been waiting to get it painted. Just hard to do their room while they are here because of naps, etc. I know they are having a great time though. G has been sending us video updates of them swimming, their new fish, and keeping us in the loop. Just hope they aren't being spoiled too much {although I'm pretty sure it's inevitable that they are!}

Keighan Alexander Knauss has arrived!

Baby Boy #3 has arrived!!!!

Keighan Alexander Knauss
May 17th, 2011
12:51pm
7 pounds 5 ounces
21 inches long

There are moments that I felt as if May 17th would never arrive. Then there were many moments where I felt we were in a constant state of fast forward and time was going way too fast. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the hospital to have baby K!

With the c-section scheduled for 12:30, we weren't required to be there until 10-10:30 that morning. It was nice to not have to get up before dawn and head in. Of course, with my boys, we were up about 5:30am anyways just like every other morning. It was great to have them come down and climb into bed with us. We had a while of cuddle time as just the 4 of us one last time.

Landon and Logan knew that the big day was here. They were both so excited and kept asking if it was time to go yet. My parents came over around 9 and a little after that we said our goodbyes before heading to the hospital.

Our family as 4, one last time!

Landon and Logan playing before leaving for the hospital

Trying to give the soon to be big bro a kiss!

My now required thumbs up pic before surgery

My last ever baby bump pic!

We were so ready and excited!

G with her baby ;)

The boys were really concerned about my IV

Thumbs up with Landon!

Killing time before surgery.
My friend, Tracy, came up on a moment's notice-
she helped my Dad watch the boys so G could be in the OR too!

Here I am...ready to go!
I was freezing so the anesthesiologist took
some of the warm baby blankets and wrapped them all around me ha!

Dr. Wood and crew starting the surgery

Here he is!!!
Keighan came out screaming.
He screamed for a good 10 minutes straight at least.
He also peed as soon as he was out,
so at least we knew the plumbing was working right!
There was a true knot in his cord,
ends up I'm glad we went ahead with the c/s instead of the VBA2C!!!

Mommy getting to see the babe for the first time

Mommy, Keighan, and Daddy!

Proud Daddy and Keighan!

Landon looking through the nursery glass
at his newest little brother

G and Logan checking out the newest addition!

Everyone looking at Keighan as
he got warmed up and checked out

The glare makes it hard to read
7 pounds 5.3 ounces
Our smallest by a bit weight wise!

Grumpa, Daddy, and Keighan

5.18.11

The first night went well. Keighan is an incredibly great sleeper for a newborn! The next morning the big brothers were anxious to get up to the hospital to check on everyone.

They couldn't wait to hold him!
I was SO happy they wanted to.
I was always disappointed that Landon showed no interest
in holding Logan when he was a newborn.
I'm sure part of it was the age though (barely 2 yrs old).
I had been looking forward to this picture
from the time we found out we were expecting!

Logan loves checking out all of Keighan's parts.
"Look at his itty bitty feet"
is what he was talking about in this shot.

Logan giving Keegs kisses

Landon checking out his baby brother up close

Love this guy so much!

This is a preemie outfit,
it swamps him!
Well...almost everywhere.
He has giant feet and his feet are too big for this outfit ha!

The boys with some of the flowers they picked out for me

G and her 3 grandbabies!
The boys had talked a nurse into getting them some chocolate milk

5.19.11

On Thursday my folks headed out of town for the day to see some friends. So Dan went home to watch the big guys. I got to spend a whole day with just my little one. He's so precious!

He isn't awake much, but when he is
he loves to look at his mama!

5.20.11

The 20th was Keighan's due date...and the day for us to go home!

Mama and her newest baby

Daddy and his baby boy
(this reminds me of a pic we have
the day we went home with Landon...almost identical!)

Strong like bull.
Keegs is being a true Schaap-Knauss baby and
showing off his strength

Checking things out waiting for discharge

My Big Foot!

The nurses were finishing something up with the boys arrived,
so we had them wait outside.
They were so anxious to bring their brother home!

Ready to go!

He looks so tiny in his seat!

I have a car full now!

L1 and L2 were so happy to have K in there with them!

As soon as we got home Logan was asking to hold Keighan.
He LOVES to hold his baby brother and wants to all the time!

Landon also took a turn holding him.
His favorite thing is having Keighan grab ahold of one of his fingers

Pratt and Whitney are NOT fans of the newest human in the house!

Family of 5 at home!

Logan and Landon wanted to get in some snuggle
time with Keighan after their bath and before
heading to bed the first night home.

5.21.11

Present day...finally caught up here :)

It was a pretty lazy day around the house. G and Grumpa spent most of the day here. The big boys played outside a bit with some friends. Keighan and I camped out inside most of the day. I finally got my pic program working again and sorted through over 500 pics we have so far. I would have blogged sooner but was unable to upload any photos onto the computer until today when I had a moment to call and get it fixed. So here are a few pics from today, love this lil one so so much!

Keighan really is a wonderful baby so far. He sleeps great, nurses great, and puts up with his brothers constantly touching him! He's a little guy (weight wise) compared to what his big brothers were. He only cries if he's hungy or when he gets cold. He doesn't like being cold one bit, which has made diaper changes rough! A lot of times when he wakes up he will just look around for a while without even making a sound. I am recovering great from the c-section, it's been about the same as the first two so nothing new there! We're all so happy to have him here and looking forward to all that the future has in store for us as a family of five!