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Our little guy is 4 months old. It is hard to believe it has been so long since we took him home, and even harder if you consider that the Coming Home outfit still fits him…well, it was a little big then, but still. We had our standard check up and everything is well. The doctor commented on how strong and reactive he is, so we are happy. He is still following his grow curve, that places him on the 5 percentile for his weight, but someone has to be at the bottom end of the normal range, right? So these are the magic numbers:

weight: 5.1 Kg (11.4lb)
length: 61 cm (24 and 3/4 in)
head circumference: 40cm (15.7in)

He got his second round of immunization shots and again he reacted quite well: just a low grade fever in the evening. Everything else is great: Keegan is a very happy boy, who loves to smile. So much so it is hard for mom and dad to feel special, since he smiles to everyone.

He can now be carried facing forward in the baby Bjiorn, and he likes it quite a bit. He went on walks, at Costco and the grocery store: he always elicit compliments and smiles. He even fell asleep in it a couple of times. He still appreciates punk rock more than any other music. Talking of rock music, mom and dadare planning on attending a couple of cool shows coming up in the next months.We are interviewing babysitters, and so far we have found a couple of good ones. Keegan sees to like them.

What a handsome pair

On other news, Tizi went back to work on Wednesday. it was not easy to go back to “normal” life, and to leave the little guy, but she was also happy to get back to a job she loves and to the people she missed. Everyone has been very supportive and made her feel missed and appreciated. This eased the transition. Now it is just a question of finding a new routine and the time to prep for class everyday.Usually Matt drop keegan off at daycare and Tizi pick him up aroud lunch time, when she gets off work. This is a great schedule, because he can still spend quite a lot of time with mom in the afternoon. With the beautiful days we had been having, this often includes nice walks on the bay or at the beach, or hanging out at the park.

fun in Balboa Park with mom and dad

not that we need a bib to tell us who is really the boss…

We are quickly approaching the end of Keegan’s 4th month, and we have been observing many changes in our little guy. While I can’t say he is now suddenly huge — he kept a steady growth rate: last week he was 10.15 lb — he has achieved a few milestones.

• He has been sleeping in his own crib, by himself for a couple of weeks now (we will upload pictures of the nursery/guest room soon). Mom and Dad were happy to regain control of their bedroom.

I love my crib!

• He has been sleeping in longer intervals at night time, with a record 6 hours on march 20. yes it is early in the evening, from 8/9 pm. but it is still an improvement. It allows us to have nice grown-up dinners together, maybe watch some TV, and express some milk to stockpile.

• He is now paying a lot of attention to the toys around him. He is grabbing them and often bringing them to his mouth. He has been playing musician with the little chimes we hung for him.

Pulling on and playing with the little chimes : a budding musician?

I can grab things and I like to taste them too

• He still wants to stand most of the times. He is putting some weight on his own legs. And he is still very curious, checking everything that is happening around him.

• He is very social. He likes new people and is not shy: he smiles often even to people he never met before. Are we sure Keegan is Matt’s and Tiziana’s baby? He was happy to hang outwith Matt’s friend Tony, when he came to visit a few weeks ago. Tony, the brave soul, actually spent the night at Matt’s ad Tiziana’s…and he claims he got some rest.

Keegan and Tony

• He spent a few hours with two different babysitters. Tizi and Matt finally enjoyed some time together, and a couple of date nights. He was quite good, and slept peacefully.

• And the biggest milestone: he started daycare this past week. We started with three days a week, only mornings, and next week we will move to everyday. He will go to two different places for the first couple of months (the place we liked only had a spot part-time till June), but we think it will give us the chance to check both places out and see which one he likes the best. So far he has been really good: he ate well, and he even took two naps daily, in his own crib: Tizi is very jealous: howdid they manage to do that? At home he will not be put down in his crib during the daytime. He seems also to take more afternoon naps when he comes back home.

So, while he seems to be adjusting well to daycare, it has been harder for Mom and Dad. Tizi, especially, misses the little guy quite a bit in the mornings. However, she will go back to work on April 9, and so it was best to start him a few days early, just in case. Fortunately, she will maintain her schedule: she will teach in the mornings and then be “free” in the afternoons. She will pick Keegan up around 1pm, so hopefully this will make it easier.

So all is well, beside a nasty cold we are all passing to each other. Now is Matt’s and Keegan’s turn. We will celebrate Keegan’s 4th month on Thursday, so stay tuned for some new pictures.

Tizi and Keegan in matching clothes. Guess who picks Keegan’s outfits?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I know we are not Irish, but Matt’s has some Irish blood in him, Keegan is a celtic name, after all. No green beer this year, but Tizi and Keegan celebrated by taking a nice walk on the beach, with Matt’s and Tizi’s friend Jennifer and her daughter Hannah. Keegan was stylish with an original Irish onesie: a gift from the grandparents coming straight from Dublin. Keegan got weighted as well: 10.10lb…he is growing, slowly but surely.

It is hard to believe, especially by looking at the little guy, but Keegan is already 3 months old. He definitively wanted to make the most of it, so he decided to skip most of his naps and stay up and enjoy the day…mom enjoyed it a little less. He received best wishes from Grandma and Grandpa, who miss him dearly, and from “aunt” Lori, and old friend of mom. The weather was magnificent, warm and sunny, just like the day he was born, so Tizi and Keegan went out for a couple of walks.

By now, Keegan can pretty much support his head by himself, he laughs out loud and gives us big smiles. He like to propel himself on his back, by using his feet as a lever, and he likes to stand, supported, all the time. He is more and more entertained by everything going on around him, and he spends more time on his own, looking at objects and toys. He is mesmerized by mirrors and he is vocalizing more and with more complex sounds. He discovered his hands, and enjoys sticking 2 or more fingers in his mouth.

Uhmmm, tasty!

He also enjoys flying around, and dad is more than happy to oblige. Maybe he took after his mom, and will become an adrenaline junkie…Matt can already imagine Tizi and Keegan, jumping together from an airplane!

Volare, oh oh…

And we finally found a swing he likes: Tiziana’s friend Daniele lent us his swing that moves side to side besides back and forth; Keegan really liked it and he even falls asleep in it, occasionally. This was a huge relief, as he still not sleeping in any of his beds, unless is night time. So, thank you Daniele!

a rare sight: Keegan sleeping during the day

The dreaded moment has arrived: Grandma Margherita and Grandpa Armando had to leave to go back to their life in Italy. They left on Saturday, and are already missed dearly by all of us. We are so grateful for all their help, wisdom, love and care. Their parenting experience really helped enormously. We appreciated their patience and their willingness to share without imposing and to respect pour choices even if they were sometimes different from theirs. They also gave us the gift of time, a scarce comodity among new parents: they kept Keegan to give us a few hours to get things done (or simply nap), sometimes they stayed the night to allows us to get a few uninterrupted hours of sleep, and allowed us to go out on dates, and to celebrate New Year’s Eve, Tizi’s birthday and Valentine’s day, beside the weekly weekend dinners. Last, but not least, we were able to feast on delicious, homemade Italian food everyday. Matt was happy to finally take a little break from the kitchen, as Tiziana, despite being Italian, can’t cook…

nonna margherita

nonno Armando

Tizi especially had the chance to enjoy their company, and their moral (and not) support, which was essential, particularly during the first few weeks. Keegan also enjoyed their undivided attention: he will miss the sweet melody of 60’s italian music from Grandma that was lulling him to sleep and all the games Grandpa was creating just for him.

Thank you for leaving all behind to spend two wonderful months with us. All the great memories will keep us company during the future months until we meet again. We can’t wait to see you again and we miss you so much.

sunset in Pacific Beach

A Presto! Come back soon

Babies’ smiles are really their saving grace…How can you stay mad at them, despite their crying, and lack of sleep they cause when they are flashing their beautiful, toothless smiles? You simply can’t. And now Keegan has started laughing out loud, and smiling when he recognizes us. We were able to get a couple of those fleeting moments on camera…Keegan is a pretty happy baby, but he is also fascinated by the camera, and he stares at it intently every time, so it is very difficult to capture him smiling or laughing.

keegan laughing

Keegan smiling with Happy the Dwarf (a gift from Aunt Desi)

The two months check up went well: the doctor noticed he is holding his head up at 45 degrees or more, and he is almost turning over when on his stomach. He has grown tall, but has not gained too much weight. He is now 58.5 cm in length and 9.1lb. A tall, slim fellow. The doctor was not worried, but she said to keep it in check. So Tizi and her parents went to weight him again, at Sharp Hospital, (to get a starting point) and she will try to go back and weight him every couple of weeks. Amazingly, Keegan didn’t mind getting naked and being put on the scale.

our little guy

He also got his first round of vaccinations. He reacted well: in fact, not only he didn’t have any side effects, but he slept better, longer and more peacefully. Too bad the next round is not for another two months.

Keegan is already two months old! It is unbelievable how quickly time goes by, and it has been great to watch him grow and change. He has already lost some of his new born attitudes and behaviors. He has been smiling more and more, and he started some laughing as well.

with mom, dad, grandma and grandpa

with mom and dad…who is getting all the Ferrero Roches?

Aunt Sue, uncle Dan and cousins Rachel and Hannah, came visit him during the weekend. We were very happy to see them, and grateful they made such a long trip to meet little Keegan. They were staying in Pacific Beach, so we were able to take nice walks and enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Enjoying a beautiful sunset in PB with daddy

Uncle Jim and Aunt Dyah, and little cousins, Kirana and Jim Jr, and Grandma and Grandpa were at hand as well, of course to celebrate the two months mark. Everyone came over for some delicious lasagna, one of Matt’s specialties on Sunday, a gloomy, rainy, superbowl afternoon. It was a great time. The boys were also able to check out some of the game, and Aunt Sue, Aunt Dyah, cousin Rachel and cousin Hannah took turns holding and calming Keegan during his fussy time. Mom and Dad were grateful for the break!

with cousins Rachel and Hannah

Aunt Sue was great at rocking Keegan, stunning in his little hooded jacket

a nice group photo

Keegan also started his social life: he went to the movies with mom at one of the Mommies Movies event and he was very good: he slept the whole way through. He also slept through lunch at a busy PB restaurant. He finally went to visit Platt College, Tizi’s workplace, to meet all of her colleagues: everyone was happy to see him and…he also slept the whole time. We start seeing a trend: he sleeps when there is company or when people wants to meet him. His awake hours are reserved for the parents…especially in the middle of the night. Just Kidding. He has actually been pretty good lately, and has been sleeping a few consecutive hours block during the night. He is now on a 3/4 hours feeding schedule, with occasional 5 hours stretches.

We will have a doctor check up tomorrow, and the first round of vaccines. We will keep our fingers crossed.

As we get closer to the two months mark, we are uploading a couple of more pictures of the little guy. We finally got some nice picture of the grandparents, that have been so great with little Keegan (who adores them already). They have been so very helpful and we are deeply grateful to them for all they have done. They play with him, sing with him, dance with him to calm him down, and they are really doing a wonderful job, with endless patience, giving mom and dad a much needed break. Thanks to them, Tizi and Matt were able to go out on a real date, dinner and a movie to celebrate Tizi’s birthday: for one day, it was not all about the baby! And Tizi finally got a nice glass of wine, for the first time in 9 months…

Keegan is growing fast, and learning new things everyday: he is finally enjoying watching the mobile that Aunt Sue got him and following the little animals twirl around and he started rolling over, from his tummy to his back. He likes to do it when he is lying on someone’s chest: he pitches his feet, and throws himself on one side or another, landing on his back. He seems to be very amused by this, and so are we. He also likes to likes to practice his new skill during tummy time.

We are very excited about his progress. Now, if he only would sleep a little more…

Grandpa and Grandma at Tizi and Matt’s house

Grandpa and Grandma at the beach house

testing his lungs despite an adorable outfit (gift from Tizi’s sister in law, Martina)

Tizi’s birthday cake

Happy 2008! It is definitively going to be a very different year for us, and we are looking forward to the all the excitement (and hopefully the more abundant sleep) that the next few months will bring us. Keegan is now more than a month old. We celebrated the “monthiversary” with some pictures and a little candle.

He has been growing quite a bit: he is starting to outgrow the first outfits and wearable blankets. According to our, imprecise, measurement, he is now 55cm long. He is a lot more alert and likes to spend more time awake, looking around and practicing his smiles. He seems to recognize mom and dad and he enjoys his time with grandma and grandpa. He loves his stroller, and in fact it is is favorite place to nap. Uncle Jim and Aunt Dyah came visit and brought his little cousins, Kirana and Jim Jr. along. They loved meeting the new addition to the Moore family. Unfortunately Keegan slept through it and didn’t get the chance to greet them.

He is also starting to enjoy his baths more, thanks to the grandma’s techniques…we are definitively learning a lot from them and their experiences. He is also slowly discovering new toys, even if he seems more interested in eating them for now. His next check up is not till February, but we will upload more pictures in the next few days/weeks.