Family Time

A family adventure to pick out our pumpkins 

Good Morning!  It has become my routine these days to get up for the day after Thompson's first "morning" feeding.  This gives me time to accomplish things without interruption: laundry, picking up the house, dishes, A SHOWER ;-).  Today I sat down on the computer and realized it had been some time since I updated the blog.  So, here we are.

We are getting a bit closer to Thompson sleeping through the night.  His last feeding for the day occurs between 8:30 and 9:00pm and we put him to bed.  From there, he hasn't been waking up until after 1:00am, and then again around 4:30/5:00am, which allows for some pretty long sleeping stretches and makes for really only one feeding over night.  His fussiness continues, and while we are diligently working to figure out what is the root cause, regular visits to the chiropractor have helped tremendously.  Its hard to watch him tense up and cry, and not know what is causing it and how to fix it.  He is growing like a weed...much quicker than his brother did.  We have already moved out of the newborn clothes and onto 3 month clothes.  Thompson is wearing clothes that Vinnie wore at this time of year, and they are a month apart.  Someone even made a comment to me the other day when she learned he was 6 weeks old, that I had a "big baby."  I just about fell over.  Ha!

Second cousins enjoying the fall leaves at the Keimig Family Reunion.

Just as I feel I am settling into a routine and more able to manage both boys on Vinnie's no school days, we are preparing for the next transition...mom returning to work.  AHHH!  On Monday, October 19th I will head back to work.  For that week, Jon will be using his last week of paternity leave and will be home with both boys, and then on October 26th Thompson will venture to daycare, and Vinnie will return to school full time.  All along I have been anxious for this transition, ready to dive into this routine and learn how to function in our new normal, but as it draws closer and closer, I am dreading it.  Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to go back to work and see all my students and co-workers and jump into the school year that is already in full swing, but I sure do love my time with my boys, and I am hope that we can find a balance between work and family time.

Thompson meeting his namesake.

Knowing that it will take some time to adjust to these big changes, and finding so much enjoyment in our time together, Jon and I have been conscious of making the most out of our special family times, and have done some pretty fun things together this fall, when we are both home.  The first weekend in October we packed up the car and made Thompson's inaugural trip to Nebraska for the Keimig Family Reunion.  Thompson proved to be a good traveler, sleeping well between feedings in the car, and Vinnie enjoyed his movies on the iPad.  Once there, we took in all the family time, enjoying games and the company of all of Jon's siblings, along with aunts, uncles, and cousins.  It was so great to have everyone together, and to have the chance to introduce Thompson to everyone!

We have also been enjoying our family time right here in Minnesota.  On a special day off, to take in some fall color, we ventured as a family to Minnehaha Falls.  Living here most of our lives, neither Jon or I had ever been, and now we are not sure why we let it go so long!!!  What beauty!!!  Not only did we enjoy the falls but we ventured around the area and found a fantastic restaurant called Sassy Spoon to enjoy lunch, and visited the Indeed Brewery where we discovered the most delicious beer that had been aged in wine barrels, offering a delicious balance of both beer and wine flavors...best beer I have ever had!  It was on this day that we decided we needed to be better about taking advantage of and enjoying all that our amazing state of Minnesota has to offer.  Each month, we will "Explore Minnesota" and enjoy, as a family, some local activity, scenery, food, etc.  We cannot wait!

Today provides another day of special family time.  Jon has taken the day off so we can enjoy some time together before I return to work and no longer have any personal time!  We plan to head to the Minnesota Children's museum.  Vinnie is excited and has just risen for the day...so long mom time, the day must begin!

Same-same brothers!