A Day of Love

We started Valentine's Day off right - the three of us snuggling in bed. There's something about holding a sleeping baby that makes the whole world stand still... even for just a few minutes. Gabe surprised me with a wonderful card (inducing mommy tears - of course!), a box of chocolates, and a coffee cup that I can use on the way to work (I've been using a regular cup, and on more than one occasion spilling it all over myself). Gabe got a card from me, and one from his son. This is the first Valentine's day I felt a different kind of love. Of all the Valentine's days... I think this one I'll remember. :)


After work, we stopped by Grandma K's and picked up the Z man together. Then we headed off to Promise Thai Cuisine (@ Greenwich & Kellogg). We figured it wouldn't be busy, and the, "Friendly Chinamen" (which is what we call him) is so nice, and you always leave there happier than when you came. The food is pretty awesome too, if you like Thai - check it out!! 

Zach slept for about the first 10 minutes... but was up for the rest of the meal. He was very well behaved - the perfect 5th wheel on Gabe's & I's Valentine's Day date. He of course had some food of his own (meeeealk!), because no way can he watch other people eat without eating himself. We pack a bottle even if he's just ate... because, not being able to join in at the dinner table just isn't fair!!

By the time dinner was over... Gabe & I's tummys were full... and so was Zach's diaper. Mommy took that as a cue, and went home with Zach while Daddy followed a few minutes later in my car. 

I had no idea of the great surprise I would get when I got home. My wonderful brother, and his very thoughtful wife heard this Matthew West song on the radio, and thought of Zachary. They decided to make a photo video with the song, and share it with Gabe & I. What an amazing gift - being able to relive the last 3 months... and the song, just perfect!! Thank you both for thinking of us, we love you!!

After watching the video a few times... and shedding even more mommy tears for the day... Zach got to eat (yes, again) and then went down for bed, without a fight. Mommy and Daddy got to snuggle on the couch and watch a TV show or two... can't remember the last time we got to do that. Just a few months ago, there's no way that we could both fit on the couch at the same time!!

I hope you all had a great day full of love - thank you all for your love and support for Gabe & I, but especially for Zachary. We're blessed to have you all in our lives!

Lots of Love,


Gabe, Tasha, & Zachary

We Knew It Would Happen...

Zachary got sick. :( I think about a month ago, Z had a stomach bug. He ran a low fever, and even threw up once or twice. He vary rarely even spits up much, so when he does, and he does a lot - we know something's up!! He got over this really quick though, and was back to his happy boy self.

Last Friday night we had our friends Brandon, Julie, and Adam in town. All three were so excited to see the little man. The little man was not excited to see anyone though - he was SO grumpy, the cranky monster had taken away my little boy!! He fought, and fought, and fought sleep. For hours, just wanted to cry, nurse, cry, cry, throw a fit... went on for hours. Gabe entertained our guests, and Zach and I rocked in his room. After about an hour straight of crying, Mommy was almost in tears!! I felt so bad for him!! Finally, he slept.

Saturday, his little smiles were few and far between. Our giggly happy little boy was no where to be found. Zachy was either crying, fussing, or sitting there with a frown on his chubby little face. :( We took his temp, and it was 102. We gave him Tylenol, and it almost immediately dropped down to 98. He seemed a lot happier... but soon enough the fever came back a few hours later.

Sunday didn't seem very much better. Still was running a fever, and couldn't even get a smile out of him. We knew something was up!! He has started drooling a bit, and he even through up once. We looked online, and saw that he might just be teething. My mom brought over a football teething ring, and we tried that. He'd suck on it for a bit, but lost interest pretty fast. :(

Zach did enjoy reading the paper with Dad on Sunday morning...

And he got to hang out with his Uncle Adam...

And sick or not, he was bound and determined to watch his FIRST SUPER BOWL!! :)

Monday morning he woke up smiling though, didn't seem warm - so off he went to Grandma K's. His report was good, she said he was an angel all day - even took a 4 hour nap!! I was so glad, thought he had 'kicked' whatever was wrong. He came home that night, smiley, and giggly - which made Mom/Dad SO happy!  Maybe he had started teething, and just had a few bad days?? Then, an hour later... fever was back, and the fussiness resumed.

He woke up Tuesday about the same as Monday, in a pretty good mood. I wasn't going to let him trick me this time though!! I got Dr. Chopra's office on the phone, and we went in later that afternoon. Dr. said that his ears were pretty clear, but his throat was really red. He said he must have picked something up from somewhere or something (probably from the Dr's Office the week before when we visited!!), and that he needed some antibiotics. He said he had an upper respiratory infection. :( He even tested him for strep throat - which I think is routine... and No New was Good News... because we didn't get the call that he tested positive.

So, we've been drugging the baby the last few days, watching his temperature really close, and trying to get him to rest. Yesterday he refused to sleep for Grandma K - and had no nap at all! He was up from 7 AM in the morning, and I finally got him to give it up at 8 PM that night. He slept for over 11 hours though, and seemed so much better this morning. Grandma K checked in with me this afternoon, sounds like he had another low fever. Might be calling the Dr. again tomorrow just to make sure everything's ok. Looking forward to seeing the little man tonight - hopefully Mommy will get a smile!! :) We knew it was going to happen, and it did. I just hope he doesn't get sick again for a long long long long time!!!

Zachary Steven: 3 Months Old - No Way!

I remember growing up, and people saying to me, "You're so big! Growing like a weed! Your mom needs to stand on those shoulders!" I remember thinking Uh Huh, Whatever, Ok... ;) But SERIOUSLY, why do kids grow so fast?? I was honored to meet a friend of ours daughters the other day (the beautiful Reese Ybarra!). At that time she weighed over 9 lbs. She felt like a feather in my arms!! Which she wasn't!! She's a beautiful, healthy little girl - just born a few weeks prior. I just can't imagine MY baby 'that' small!! Which he was, even smaller than that! Why does time go by so fast, and what can I do about slowing it down? Probably next to nothing... so I've got to keep my camera close, and be better about writing things down... because it will be like 'tomorrow' Zach will be up running around the house!!

These pics were taken when Zachary was 3 months, 2 days old. :) I 'finally' got these awesome stickers to put on his onesies to mark his age! I've been meaning to do this before he was born, but wanted to wait to get either blue or pink stickers... and as you can see, it took me almost 3 months to get the darn things ordered after he was born. Next baby, I'm going neutral, and they're just going to have to deal with it!! The few months after a baby comes home with you - it gets a little hectic!!

The picture below makes me want to say, "Choo, Choo!!!!"

Just about a week before Zachary's 3 Month Old Birthday - we went in to see Dr. Chopra. At that time he weighed in at 16 pounds, 1 ounce, and was 24-1/2" long. Such a big boy!!

Sooooo uninterested....

Boo Boo :)

2 Month Check - Up: Shots :(

Was a MONTH ago... seriously? Where did January go?? Does anyone know??

Zach and I went - just the two of us - to his Two Month Check Up. I had NO idea how much this check up would effect me!! I knew it was time for Zach to start getting his shots, but didn't know how much it would <hurt> Mommy!! Dr. Chopra's nurse first came in, and weighed and measured Zachy. He weighed 15 lbs, 11 ounces, and was 23-3/4 inches long. Getting so big!! Then she went over what shots he would be given, and told me the Dr would come in and see him, and then she'd be back afterwards to give the shots.

Dr. Chopra came in, and checked Zach out... of course (first mom) had a few questions to ask him. Everything he assured me was perfectly normal, and that we were doing a great job. **Phhhhew** Sooo, Dhhhh Dhhh Dhh.... the nurse comes back. Until this moment, I didn't realize how much this was going to upset me. The nurse is so sweet, and kind, but I did not like the fist-full of needles that she had brought into the room. She told me I needed to put Zach down on the scale, and that I could go sit down if I wanted to, or I could stand there to soothe him. I told her that I wanted to be with him, and asked her if I needed to do anything... she said, nope, just talk to him, and hold his hands if I wanted to. Then she said, "It's Ok Mommy, we're going to get through this." Right at that moment I knew, this was going to be tough...

So, they began... 5 shots in total. The first one she must have nicked something, because he had a little stream of blood that went down his right leg. Talk about a shot right to Mommy's heart. Watching my baby turn red, and open his mouth as wide as I've ever seen him to let out his wails of pain... was about as much as I could take. The nurse probably had all his shots down, and Spider Man band aids stuck to his legs in all of 5 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. I would have rather gone through the entire labor process again than to watch my baby hurt. I'm serious. Not over emotional mommy - it hurt my heart that bad!! I picked him up, and he almost instantly stopped crying in my arms, just a few whimpers here and there. I was crying long after he had stopped.

I feel like God allows us to live our lives, so that we learn more and more as we grow. I believe being married you begin to realize that your life isn't 'all about you'. You have someone else to consider in everything you do. Almost every decision you make... you always keep the other person in mind while making up your mind. When you have children, you learn the ultimate meaning of selflessness. My little boy has only been with us 3 months now, but I would absolutely do anything in this world for him. I would happily lay down my own life so that I know he would not feel any pain. To know that God allowed His Son to die on the cross for us, to know that God knew what Jesus would go through in order to save ME from MY sins? Now that's a love that I will never be able to understand. As much as I love my husband, my son, my family, and friends... it will never be close to the love that my Father in Heaven has for me. That's so comforting to me. I never really understood God as my 'father'... until I had a son myself. Just understanding the love I have for Zachary, gives me a small look into the love he has for me, for Gabe, for Zach, for you... :)

Bath Time with Grandma Mc

Seems to be becoming a tradition that every time Grandma Mc visits, Zachy gets a bath! (We do bathe him more frequently than that, but Grandma always gets to do it when she's here!)

Zach loves his baths. So excited for summer to get here, because I think he'll have a riot splashing around in the pool!!

Telling Grandma a story no doubt....

It's all fun and games until they clean the back end.... exit only folks!!

Alright, there's a smile!!

Grandma Mc got to go with us to one of Zach's Dr's appointments while she was down visiting. Then we ate at Il Vicino, and Zach and Grandma spent the rest of the afternoon together while Mommy went to work. When I came home, Zach was still holding onto his Monkey hat - he loves using those hands - and watching Daddy's TV in the man cave!

The Chunky Monkey Man!

Very rarely do we get a photo of our little man's big smile! As soon as you whip out a phone, or camera to take his picture, he's back to looking somber. He's probably just an opportunist... thinks he should get something out of it. Maybe if we start putting $1 in his piggy bank, he'll keep his 'cheese face' on!! :)

How cute is his hat?? Our friend Christa makes these!! She can do any animal, but I thought a Monkey suited him fine!! Want one? Click Here - and tell her I sent you! My parents always called me 'Chunky Monkey', sorry Z Man, some things just get passed down from generation to generation.... ;)

Grandma & Papa Mc Visit!

Gabe's parents came to stay with us the weekend of Mary's birthday. Oh, what a fun weekend it was! We started our Saturday morning off with breakfast at the table. Zach thought he would take his own seat at the table (such a big boy). He likes getting his cup of coffee, and chatting it up with his Grandma whenever he can!

You all are looking at Zach, and not the mess of a table I had in this pic - right? Aren't you? I'll tell myself you are... the table is kind of a landing/launch pad for Zach, so we accumulate things here! I know you'll definitely be looking at THIS smile...

In deep thought... trying to figure out if he wants to talk sports or politics....

That Saturday afternoon we got some light shopping in (or what I would call light shopping) - Daddy & Zachy, and Papa might have thought otherwise! We got to shop for some clothes for Grandma, K-Cups for Mommy, and even stopped by Daddy's favorite store, Menards! We finished the day with a YUMMY birthday dinner for Mary at Longhorns. SO GOOD! If you haven't tried it - you should!! That evening we all gave it up pretty early, including Zach!

Sunday morning (January 22nd) we went to church, and boy, was it a pretty day outside!! We thought it was only fitting that we should take a trip to the Zoo. It would be Zach's FIRST trip, and it's one of Grandma Mc's favorite places to go - so it only seemed right!! It was warm, but the wind was still a 'blowin, so we decided to dress Zach in his bear snuggle suit (not sure WHO bought this for us? but it's awesome - so thanks again!).

I couldn't believe this next photo... how in the world is my baby half the size of his Grandma already??? They grow like weeds I tell you!!

It was Zach's first time to the zoo after all, so we (might) have taken a few too many pictures....

Up until this part, Zach was still taking his early afternoon nap. He woke up once we got to the food court though... Yes, he is his Daddy's son!! 

Next photo makes me laugh! This is his ninja baby moves - he was kicking and punching!! 

We all had some snacks, and Zachy was included... cashed a bottle of milk!

Milk does a body GOOOD!

Loves a kiss from Daddy!

Might be a little milk drunk... so what! It's Grandma Mc's birthday weekend - gotta party!! ;)

Checking out the stinky penguins with Mom....

I'm as big as a King Penguin... making next trip I'll be Emperor Penguin size!!

Grandma & Papa & Little Bear...

Checking out the animal that may or may not look like his Daddy... ;)

Little confused... isn't Daddy the one holding me... who's that...?

Ah, forget it... give me some more milk (hand to mouth)....

He was pretty interested in Zach! Stared at him the whole time we sat there....!

Napping on Grandma Mc while we were looking at the Tigers... Safe and Sound!

About right! Between 10-20 pounds! :)

Well, that includes our fun Granda & Papa Mc weekend!! They had to head back home after our trip to the zoo. We're so glad they came, and we can't wait for our next adventure!!! 

Sleep Tight Little Man...

After reading that starting a sleep pattern early can set babies up to be good sleepers for life - we decided to get started! Every night Gabe sits down with Zach (after eating mind you - our little one does not skip any meals!) and reads him a story. Then we read a little Bible verse along with a poem that goes along with it (Thanks Pasha & Val - my favorite book!). Finally, we pray for Zach, and put him to bed.

Zach... like me (or so Gabe says).... can be a little stubborn. If he's not ready for bed, or would rather be up seeing what's going on... sometimes bed time isn't as smooth as it may seem. Just the other day he cried for over an hour on/off because he refused to go to sleep. I sent Gabe in to check on him (no way could I - I'd pick him right up!). Gabe said he'd go in there, Zach would instantly stop crying, give him a huge smile (he thought Daddy was there to rescue him), and promptly start another meltdown once he leaves the room. Sounds familiar... Mommy knows how to throw a fit, and ends up smiling too after she gets her way... have to keep an eye on this Monkey-See-Monkey-Do already, huh?? ;)

Zach is getting so much better. The more we stick with the routine, the better Zach is. Last night he fussed for about 5 minutes before zonking out for over 10 hours! YES - 10 Hours!!!! We got in a little Mommy/Daddy time, but were still in bed before 10:00. Oh, being and mommy/daddy is such hard work!! :)

No matter how much/how little sleep we get... there's nothing like picking a smiling baby up out of his crib. Sure makes you wonder what in the Earth we did before Zach was here?? Funny in just 3 months how much life can change!! (And how much more sleep we get now than in the first few weeks!!) Oh, how he is worth it all!!

Sometimes when he wakes up a little too early, Daddy will go get the Munch Man, change him, and then bring him to bed with us. (Yeah - from the parents who said 'he'll never sleep with us'... I think we all break the rules!) That way I can hold the little man, nurse him, and we ALL get more sleep in the morning! Then, I can get up, pass baby over to Daddy while I get ready for work. Dad gets to snuggle with Zach a few minutes before his alarm goes off. Then, I'm on baby duty... washing his little face, and changing his diaper and outfit for the day. Mommy gets to love on him, load him in his car seat, and give him a quick kiss before Dad is ready to head out the door to Grandma K's. It's amazing how fast routines just 'happen'. I love this pic of an early morning snuggle session of Daddy/Zachy...

A (Dark) New Year's Eve... for a Bright New Year

Gabe & I had planned on spending New Year's Eve with friends in Tulsa, OK. This plan sounded so good before Zach was born, before Mommy had to go back to work, before I realized how much I would miss my little man!! The closer and closer it got, the sadder I got thinking I wouldn't be able to kiss both of my men (one big, one little) when the clock struck midnight. My wonderful husband cancelled our plans with our very understanding friends (Brandon & Julie - thank you!), and we decided us three would stay in, eat junk food, and watch the ball drop in 'the' Man Cave.

Around 7:00 that evening, I had the queso dip warming up, snacking on pita chips & hummus, and Gabe was also busy cooking away. We knew that my parents, and Uncle Linn, and Aunt Belinda were going to stop by after 5:33 service to bring Zachy yet another gift (so spoiled - that kid!). Once everyone got there, we got to take our Aunt/Uncle on a tour of the house. They live in Seattle, and were back for the holidays, so we were excited to show off the house - especially Zachary's nursery! After our tour, Gabe & I continued our snacking, and everyone was just chatting it up in the Cave. Then, the lights go out. All of them! Gabe even went outside to see if our neighbors had lost power - the entire neighborhood was dark. Seems like we've lost power on/off a few times since we moved to the house on Somerset, but it usually only stays off about 10 minutes or so, and then comes right back on. Not this time!

An evening we thought we'd be watching the excitement in NYC on TV, and just snuggling on the couch turned into a much more memorable night. We lit candles and scattered them around the house. We used flashlights on our phones to move from room to room. My poor family gets lost in our house with the lights on, so it was a pretty funny thing watching them move around by candle/flash light. The men (Gabe, Dad, and Uncle Linn) found entertainment on their Phones/iPads/etc, while my Mom, Aunt, and I sang nursery and Sunday School songs to Zach. Zachary was so content laying on Belinda's lap, just watching her while she sang sweet songs to him! He stayed awake the whole time, just taking everything in. :)

The power was out for over three hours... I think three and a half to be exact. I think it was around 10:30 or 11:00 the it finally came back on. Mom, Dad, Aunt Belinda, and Uncle Linn left shortly after - they had another stop (Denny's @ midnight) before heading home. Gabe, Zach, and I spent the last few minutes of 2011 cuddling on the couch - just the three of us. When the ball dropped, I got to kiss my two favorite McKeevers. Zach and I even did a little dancing to the music on the TV.

It was so surreal that just a year ago, Gabe & I were in NYC celebrating the New Year. As wonderful as that was, dancing with my son in our own home was so much sweeter. How our lives have changed so much in 2011. The blessings in our lives - I just can not count. If you're reading this, you're no doubt one of our many blessings. We appreciate you so much for being part of our lives. Thank you for following our silly little blog about our huge (little) blessing.

God Bless You All in 2012!

Lots of Love,

Gabe, Tasha, & Zachary