Hayden Shane Arrived September 3

Hayden Shane Keefer arrived on September 3, at 7:19 a.m. He weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. It's been so long since I've posted anything because I just couldn't put him down when I was home on maternity leave!! I am back to work - I returned on Monday, October 19. It was a difficult first week - I hated being away from him, but I'm glad to be back into a routine.

Hayden is an awesome baby!! Noah and Lexi really adore their baby brother (so do mommy and daddy)!! He has started smiling and cooing (or as we say - talking) which is a lot of fun. Here are a couple of pictures of our hospital stay. I will post more soon!!

Baby Countdown - One More Week!!

So it's official - I have one more week of pregnancy and then Baby Keefer will be here! I'm really hoping I go early - I decided on Wednesday that I was done being pregnant! However, this little guy doesn't seem to agree right now!!! My c-section is scheduled for September 3 so I will be done working on September 1. It seems crazy that we'll actually have a little one in a week - I am so excited!!!

Lexi started first grade in Spencer last Friday. She is loving school and is already learning a lot! It's a lot of fun to see her reading and thinking things through. It's amazing how much they learn in such a short period of time!

Noah starts preschool on Monday, August 31. I'm really struggling with him being old enough for school, but I know it's time. He has become such an interesting little man and I can't wait to see what school does for him! Plus, it will be nice to have him in the same building with Trenton and me.

I will write more soon - hopefully I'll have baby pictures to upload also!!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

It's Almost Time for Baby!!

So it's been forever since I've been on here!! The summer is almost over. Trenton was busy with baseball and grad school for most of it!! I kept busy with the Ruthven pool. Now we're getting ready to go back to school - Trenton starts football next week and we start inservice on August 17!!

The baby will be here before we know it!! We have a c-section scheduled for September 3 - hopefully we make it that long!! After all of our ultrasounds and tests we learned the baby is healthy - the amnio came back clear and the baby's kidneys seem to be normal. So - now we're just waiting for our little guy to join us!!!

I will post more soon - and put some new pictures of the kids up! I'll be home quite a bit for the next couple of weeks since I will be staying off my feet and resting until school starts!!

It's been a CRAZY month!!

So May has just flown by!  We've been keeping busy with work, the MS Walk, Lexi's t-ball games, Trenton's baseball practices, and Noah just being a busy little 3 year old!  We are definitely looking forward to being done with school and spending lots of time with the kids this summer!!  Trenton is coaching baseball again this year.  He is also taking a lot of grad school classes so he'll have fun doing homework.  I am managing the pool again this summer and taking two grad school classes so I think I'll be ready for maternity leave in September!!  I am attaching a couple of pictures of the kiddos.  Lexi has learned how to ride her bike without training wheels and Noah has stopped being such a nervous wreck when riding his!!  Lexi has started t-ball games and we're still trying to work on stepping with the left foot when she throws!!

Doctor Updates

Trenton and I traveled to Sioux Falls last Monday to have a level 2 ultrasound. When we had our first ultrasound the doctor noticed choroid plexus cysts on the baby's brain. We were really concerned when we heard this, but in Sioux Falls they let us know that these cysts go away on their own - usually by week 28 or so - and they will not do any damage to the baby. We were very relieved to hear this! However, during the level 2 ultrasound they also noticed some fluid in the baby's kidneys, a bright spot on the baby's heart, and an area near the umbilical cord that was a little irregular. The doctor said the fluid is more common in boys (which is what we're having!) and it normally goes away. If not, the baby would possibly need additional treatment after birth. She said the bright spot on the heart appears with some babies and it's nothing to worry about. The area around the cord should heal itself once the little guy is born since the cord area clots after birth.

These three extra things did cause us some worry, but Trenton and I opted against getting an amniocentesis - we know that this baby is a blessing and we would never dream of ending the pregnancy if there was something seriously wrong with our child. So - we have another ultrasound scheduled for June 17 which will give the doctor another look at his kidneys. The doctor did say that we are at a really low risk for the baby having Down's syndrome or Trisomy 18 so we are continuing to pray for the best!

We are really looking forward to the end of August so we can finally meet this little guy! Trenton has the nursery all ready to go and I am slowly adding to the baby's wardrobe! Online shopping has become my new obsession since Spencer doesn't have a lot of options for boys clothing! We will keep you posted on everything!!

Mad Butcher Salsa Fundraiser

Mad Butcher Salsa is working with Team Rowly to raise funds for the MS Walk this spring. If you are interested in purchasing Mad Butcher Salas let me know - it's the BEST salsa in the world!!! The cost is $26.00 for a case of 12 bottles of Mad Butcher Salsa. You can mix your case to include mild, medium, or hot.

All of the profits will be donated to the National MS Society. Let me know if you are interested!!

Noah's Chin!

Noah and Lexi were playing basketball with Daddy on Saturday night and Noah decided to run into his train table! He got an owie on his chin and thought it was the end of the world! We had to get a band-aid and take a picture so we could send it to Grandma Ann and Grandma Jo!! He's turning into quite the dramatic little guy!!

Perfect Weekend!!

It was a great weekend at the Keefer house! We got to spend a lot of time just hanging out! We picked Lexi up from school on Friday and met with her teacher - she's doing GREAT in Kindgergarten!! It was fun to see Lexi running around her classroom showing us all of the cool stuff she gets to do every day! My parents stopped for supper Friday night so they could see the kids. We had pizza and watched basketball - the games were pretty dull that night!!

Saturday was a lazy day in our house. Trenton slept in which allowed me to actually clean the house - haven't done that in a LONG time!! The kids played while I cleaned - luckily they were hooked on playing basketball this weekend so they didn't make a mess of the newly cleaned living room!! We went for a walk Saturday and took both the dogs. Lexi drove Noah in her Barbie Jeep - he's becoming quite the backseat driver! He kept yelling at her to stop and slow down - I wonder where he's learned how to do that!?!?! Kate and Brian came over Saturday night and Kate made some awesome cheese dip. Another night of relaxing and watching basketball - perfection!!

We actually woke up Sunday and went to church! We've started going to the Methodist church in Ruthven and really like it. We went to get Chinese food after church and then met my mom to take the kids to Monsters vs. Aliens in 3-D! The kids loved it!! It was really nice to have such a low-key weekend - we don't get to do that very often!!

My Two Boys!

One of my new favorite pictures - both of my boys are smiling and looking at the camera! That never happens!!!

Trenton drove the show choir bus to Vermillion so Noah and I tagged along. This is our way of killing time while we waited for the show choir to get done!

MS Walk

As most of you know our family has been active the past years in sponsoring a team for the MS walk each year to raise funds for research for those living with Multiple Sclerosis. We are still hoping that you would be interested in donating to help in this cause for those with MS. Until my sister Katie was diagnosed, we never realized how many families are impacted by this illness and that within our community there are a number of individuals that are living with MS.

If you are interested in donating to Team Rowly in the fight against MS I have attached a WEB page were you can pledge or donate online. If you would prefer you can donate through our family we will make sure the funds are donated the day we go to Des Moines for the MS Walk.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/NTHWalkEvents?px=4614092&pg=personal&fr_id=10336

Thank you for your support as we continue our fight against MS!

Trenton, Kelli, Alexis, and Noah

Good News!!

So we made it to the doctor on Monday afternoon and he only heard one heartbeat which is exciting. Hopefully there was nobody else hiding in there - I don't think my hubby could handle more than one baby in the house!! Noah was with us when we heard the heartbeat - he thought it was pretty cool!!

Also - I have more good news! We caught a mouse - thank goodness. I'm praying that was the only one, but I'm assuming there's probably more that we will encounter!! Our dog, Roxy, was going crazy at 4:30 a.m. and then again at 6:00 a.m. which is unusual for her. I heard some strange noises while I was straightening my hair this morning so I decided to check it out. When I opened the kitchen cupboard I let out a big scream! There was a mouse on the top shelf squirming around on the sticky trap! Totally freaked me out!!! I'm assuming that is what was making Roxy go crazy all night!! We have more traps set so hopefully any of the mouse's friends will find their way to the traps soon!!! Noah thought killing a mouse was pretty cool too - he's such a boy!!! Thank goodness I have a husband who can take it outside and dispose of it!!

Doctor Appointment Today!!

We go to the doctor today after school for our first official appointment. We should be able to hear the heart beat. Noah is coming with us. Hopefully keeping him involved in the process will help him adjust once the baby is here. He's so used to being a mommy's boy and it's going to be hard for him to adjust to sharing my lap with someone else! Luckily his daddy is training him to be a football, basketball, and baseball player so he can help daddy coach all of those sports when mom is busy with the baby!

The kids had a good time seeing their Aunt Katie and cousin Carter this weekend. We also had Brian, Kate, and Wyatt over last night for Trenton's birthday supper and some ice cream cake. He turns 24 on Tuesday, but we won't get to celebrate that evening because there is a boys' basketball game. I actually made cheese dip and chili - it's been FOREVER since I've made anything!!

We have a mouse in the house and we are sick of trying to catch it! We ended up emptying our entire food cupboard and placing 6 or 7 traps in there to catch that darn thing. Maybe now that it can't get into our food it will find one of the traps. It gives me the creeps to know it's still in our house. If we don't catch it this week we may just have to suck it up and call an exterminator!!

Well I should get going! I'll write soon to let you know what the doctor says!! Have a great week!!

TGIF

So it's finally Friday - thank goodness!! It's been a long week - not sure why - but I'm exhausted. I think being done with basketball has been a bit of adjustment for both Trenton and me. We've been so used to going to practice every evening and now we actually have free time in the afternoon! So far I've been using that free time for naps and Trenton's been getting things done around the house. Hopefully once I'm through the first trimester I can get some energy and help him out! (I'm sure he would keel over if that actually happened! He's been so helpful lately - I don't know what I'd do without him!!)

Exciting news - we bought a minivan on Wednesday!! My hubby wasn't crazy about the idea, but with three kids it was a necessary purchase. The kids LOVE it! It has a DVD player which keeps them busy whenever we're on the road.

We are heading to Des Moines tonight to spend the night with my sister. The kids miss her tons and are excited to see her new apartment. Trenton is picking out somewhere good to eat for his birthday dinner which is exciting. It's nice to get out of town and have options for dining! Our children tend to pick Sports Page and McDonald's whenever we leave it up to them!!

When we get back on Saturday night Carter, my nephew, is coming to stay at our house. It will be an interesting night - three kids being crazy. I guess it will be good preparation for years to come. Noah and Carter are crazy together - it's like having 3-year old twins in the house!! The picture above is of Carter, Lexi, and Noah at Christmas.

Well - that's about all I have for now! I'll try to get some pictures of the kids with Aunt Katie and add them on here next week. Have a great weekend!

Something New

So after viewing the blogs of numerous friends I decided I'd join them and create one for all of us! Now's a perfect time to start one since Trenton and I are expecting a baby in September. I figured this would be a great way to keep everybody up-to-date on what's going on with our family and the new little one.

We go to the doctor next Monday so then I will have more to report on the new arrival. All I can say right now is that I am showing with this baby WAY earlier than I did with Noah!

Lexi and Noah are growing up like crazy! Lexi is in kindergarten in Spencer and absolutely loves it. She has learned how to read this year and it's totally amazing to listen to her! She loves to play school with Noah and teach him everything she's learned from her teacher. Noah is 3 and has really grown up this past year. He loved being waterboy during basketball season and is now looking forward to helping Daddy with baseball. Both kids are SO excited for the new baby, although I think Noah might have a breakdown if the baby is a girl. He repeatedly says that he will throw the baby in the garbage if it's a girl!

Trenton and I had a busy winter since we both coached the high school girls' basketball team. We are settling into some quiet time now and really enjoying it. It's wonderful to be able to come home after school and have the entire evening free!