Workaholic

Daddy made us lunch but Connor just couldn't stand taking a break - the little workaholic - and worked right through lunch while Momma and Daddy ate. He even made me bring the computer from the table to the chair where he explained he was "more comfortable". Good work Connor - keep knocking out those RFP's for Momma!

scooter-man

It's official - he has turned into SCOOTER, JR! We noticed about a week and a half ago that CFJ was "scooting" around in his sleep. I thought I was going crazy one morning I went in and his head was where his feet should have been. He has completely scooted around and was not at all in the same position I left him in. I had to rack my brain to see if maybe I had put him down the opposite way - but I knew that wasn't the case as the way I feed/hold him prohibits me from laying him down any other way without lots of jostling and risk of waking him. Almost every morning since then he has been in some other position - its pretty funny. Long gone are the days when he stayed put- I have a feeling in the months to come I will remember them fondly!

This is how I found the little monkey this morning...

Mind you - this is after he slept for 12 straight hours AND played HAPPILY in his crib for about 30 minutes. He is amazing. So, thank you to all who voted in my poll. You were right if you picked "when he is good and ready" because he defiantly did this one on his own. We may have helped my giving in and allowing him to sleep on his belly - but we will go with "he did it on his own". He is such a sweet little man - one of the highlights of the day is getting him up from a nap.

This was his "Oh, I am so excited Mamma's Here Routine" He was laughing and grinning and rolling back and forth on his belly with his legs going up in the air - I could eat him. It was the cutest little thing I have ever seen! He kept laughing and scooting up even further into the bumper pads - looks like we are going to have to put those puppies away for the time being. Close your eyes if you are reading this Granny D - we will protect your labor of love until it's safe to put them back!

Monkey Man

All I have to say about this is that I wish I looked cute with monkey ears on my head!

Cute!

I am working from home today - Bj is downstairs on the computer, I am upstairs at the dining room table - and Connor is sleeping. I have the monitor next to me - Bj must have forgotten it and I can hear my sweet boy "clicking" with his tongue. He is awake, happy as can be, entertaining himself in his crib and I can just hear him "cluck-cluck" coming out of the monitor. I don't think I could love this boy anymore than I do!

a day in the life...

so, as previously mentioned my poor bugster has been a bit on the sleepy side since his friday vaccinations - no worries at all, it's understandable - i don't feel well when i get shots either. i got home from work, said hi and goodbye to bj - fed the munchkin and we snuck out for a few minutes, i had to get one quick thing from the grocery store... (side note: by "we" i mean me, connor, scout and sedona all piled in the car - they have a dog gate that keeps them in the backseat and off little man) well, i came out of the grocery store to see sedona happily grinning away in the front seat. no scout though - until i rounded the corner and saw his head face down in my lunch box eating my carrots (weird that they were still left, huh?!). they had weasled their way out of the dog gate. i called bj as c-man was fussing in the back, sedona was licking him to make him feel better and scout was STILL eating carrots in the front seat while we drove home. that ladies and gentleman is a little snippet of my life. and you know what, i love every minute of it, and i wouldn't trade it for anything!

a few oldies but goodies...

i was going through the pictures on the camera and realized i had NEGLECTED to upload these two pictures - i knew the the old blogger wouldn't be the same without these - as i have hardly documented our baby's first four months in this world...!

HAPPY Man!

He is just such a happy baby lately - his little personality is REALLY starting to come through. Sometimes he can be a little on the dramatic side, I tell him he gets it from his daddy!

Self Portraits with Momma

CFJ was a little fussy this afternoon - I think his vaccinations really have taken a toll on him this time - that or the fact that it is 80* one day and 30* and snowing the next... His little cheeks were red, so I took off his outfit and we sat on the couch and looked out the window. From my vantage, he just looked so sweet - I had to take some pictures. Another thing I need to start doing is taking more pictures with Bj and I in them. He keeps telling me that I am never in the photos, and I really don't want to be that mom. 20 years from now Connor isn't going to think "oh my momma looked fat, i am so glad she wasn't in any pictures' he is going to think "gee, i am so glad we have so many family photos" - So, instead of hiding me and my 14 chins, I thought some self portraits of my baby and I would be appropriate. I actually think they turned out pretty sweet - I just love his big, sweet blue eyes - I could just stare at him all day long. And I do.

My Awesome Brother

There he is - my sweet brother. For those of you who don't know, he is in Montana training to be a firefighter. He has amazing stories and pictures already - I know this is just the beginning of the lives he will touch throughout his firefighting career. In the middle of March he did the Scott Firefighter Stair Climb in Seattle, Washington. He climbed up 69 floors with his full firefighter gear to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This is a foundation that is really close to our hearts - he proudly displayed a picture of our dad on his helmet - and he walked in his honor. I know that he would be pretty proud of "his kids" and equally proud of "their mom". Dave's team came in first place and he said it was an amazing experience. My mom just sent me the You Tube video - needless to say I am crying at my desk... at work. You can check it out - I just have to say I am pretty proud of him. Not only is he an amazing brother, he is going to make an amazing Godfather to Mr. Connor Francis Johnson. Love you, Bubba!

Team Connor

Unfortunately when we woke up this morning for the March of Dimes, it was cold and rainy! (We secretly don't mind though as it's great for the grass!) It didn't deter us though - we were ready to walk for the preemies.

Connor helped me pick out our walking outfits last night, complete with his "running shoes"! The whole family piled in the car and we made it to the park just in time for the countdown. It was a really great event! It was so moving to see how many people made it out to help raise awareness and find answers/treatments for premature babies. It may not seem like much, but after everything Connor went through his first month of life, I am so thankful for those that have worked to make those rough few weeks a little easier on the babies and their families. You never expect your baby to have to spend more than the two or four days in the hospital after birth - you certainly never expect to wake up in the middle of the night to your baby crying because they are having to have their IV changed. Sweet little babies shouldn't have to worry about any of this. So, I will do anything in my power to continue efforts to raise awareness and make like a little easier.
We plan on doing this again next year and a HUGE thank you to Granny D, The Rice's, The Bray's and The Kepplinger's for your generous donations. We really appreciate it!

4 Month Check-Up

We just got back from Connor's four month check-up! My poor bugster had to get two more vaccines and he is upstairs sleeping away. Poor man, he does not like getting those shots. I have to say we were so excited to see Ms. Jill and Ms. Roberta - it has been two months and we miss them! After our appointment, we went to the NICU to visit our nurse friends and it was really crazy. There were teeny tiny twins in Connor's room and I was stunned again at how little he was when he was in there - and now look at him. Four months old and big as can be! It was nice too, I worked the system and got a hospital grade nasal aspirator from them as I learned the hard way that they don't steam sterilize and they don't sell them anywhere!

Drum roll please...

Connor's FOUR month stats:

Weight: 13 POUNDS!!

Length: 24 1/4 in.

Head Circumference: 16 in.

Holy, big man! My guesstimate was 12 lb. 5 oz. - I was SHOCKED when he was 13 big ones. He has tripled and added a pound to his birth weight - way to go! He is again in the 50% all across the board. Ms. Jill said he is looking great, she couldn't get over how big he is. Nothing new until his six month check-up!

This Sweet Angel...

(Wednesday April 23rd, 2009) SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! We are talking 7:30pm until 6:30am. Yep, that's right. 11 STRAIGHT HOURS of uninterrupted sleep! I almost wrote a post a few weeks ago talking about how he was sleeping for 6-7 hours at a time with no problems, but am I glad I waited. It was so funny I got up and thought I must have slept through him waking up and Bj had gotten him. Nope, no diaper on the changing table or bottle downstairs. I was giddy for him to wake up to play! He started talking about 6, but wasn't full force awake until 6:30. I ran into his room and he was sideways in his bed with the biggest smile on his face. I about died on the spot! I picked him up and hugged and kissed him for about 10 minutes and told him how proud I was! We ran in to tell Daddy - who was also quite excited! We couldn't stop laughing and smiling...what a big boy we have!

I just can't believe how many milestones we have had and how many more we will have in the future. I can honestly say I see what people mean when they "live through their kids". We were insanely proud of a seemingly small milestone in his life like sleeping through the night. I think we might fall over at the pride in our chests when he scores his first goal in a soccer game, gets an A on a test (all of his tests for that matter, he IS going to be the smartest boy alive) and gets into college. We just love you sweet pea.

I Love the Tub!

We LOVE bath time at our house. I LOVE this little bathtub! The hammock is so cute and now that C-man is starting to fill it out, he hangs his cute little legs over the side and splashes. Darling. I know we don't have many more baths in the hammock so I had to snap a few photos! Little man has recently started grabbing things (other than my hair and necklaces) and when I gave him his friend Mr. Frog to play with he starting smiling and giggling! On a side note...please notice that belly button!! I did not for one second believe the doctor that Hern-Dog was going to go away - but it looks a whole lot better than it did here!

Hanging out in my Onesie

Again with the legs...he just looks so cute, he launches up and rolls back - I love it!

He looks oh so very surprised! In the picture before Sedona was running behind him - I think he was going what is my silly doggie up to now?!

I don't really love him, can you tell? He is going to grow up and go "Momma, why didn't you love me enough to take ANY pictures of my early months?!"

Frog Legs

I could seriously butter up those legs and eat them! I think they are about the cutest little things I have ever seen. He is such a sweet little angel. It is nice and warm today and no blanket was needed at naptime - all the more opportunity for momma's to stare at sweet baby legs!

Tell It Like It Is

Baby Weight. I know I have mentioned it before, but as the weather is getting nicer and nicer (76* today!) I am thinking about it more and more. It can be discouraging seeing women in the media who sneeze and all their baby weight is gone - and they look better than they did before they were pregnant. Their skin is glowing and they look fantastic. I on the other hand am loosing my luscious pregnancy hair, I have dark circles under my eyes and I am nowhere near looking fantastic...yet. Well, my Baby Center Bulletin for today was "Real Women and Baby Weight - Tell it like it Is". I have to say that I felt a whole lot better knowing that it takes most normal women awhile to shed the pounds. I know it took 7.5 months to gain it all and it will take that if not longer to lose it - but sometimes I wish it fell off a little easier than it is. That is it - I promise not to talk anymore about it until my "I look FANTASTIC" post-partum post!

Monday Morning Funny

I just saw this and got a chuckle out of it! Not that my sweet pea would need anything like that now, I can see myself a few years from now digging through the garage for Scout's kennel...

An Afternoon at the Park

We had another spring storm come through on Thursday and Friday and the poor doggies were stuck inside. By Sunday it was 67* and beautiful so we took advantage and went to the park! We played with the flying squirrel, walked, ran and all got a little tired out. Connor was so tired he slept the whole way home and took a two hour nap! As I am writing this Scout and Sedona are asleep at my feet! It was a really nice Sunday spent with the family!

Big Crib!

I may look at him and think he is HUGE, but pictures like this make me realize he really is still my little man in a big crib! There is still plenty more growing to be done!

Sunday Morning Snuggle

We love the weekends around our house, and we love to snuggle! Sunday mornings are usually reserved for waking up, getting the little man, and hanging out in bed. As you will see below, the whole family likes to snuggle in bed, Scouters and Sedoners too! Connor is usually really happy when he wakes up in the morning and is pretty happy to be reunited with us after so many long hours.

He likes his tummy time too, especially on momma's chest! He can lift himself up so high now, he is so proud of himself! We might be a little proud too.

We had a nice snuggle this morning and were lucky because daddy cooked us a delicious breakfast, with pancakes and everything. We were talking about how fun our Sunday Snuggles are going to be when Connor is requesting the "C" pancake for Connor man!

Four Generations

I just realized that I had not made it a point to talk about this picture. When we were in St. Louis in February, Connor had the pleasure of meeting his Great Grandfather for the first time. In my opinion Connor has some big shoes to fill, as he has some wonderful male role models to look up to throughout his life. It is so neat to see these four generations of men who will surround him and help mold him into the man he will become. We can't wait to watch him grow up with his Great Grandpa, Grandpa and Daddy! He is one lucky little man.

March of Dimes

I was searching around on the internet the other day, I couldn't tell you what I was looking for, and I came across this website. The March of Dimes is promoting the health and well-being of premature babies. I mean...you don't get much closer to my heart. So, I registered for the walk and next weekend Connor, The Bob and I will be walking five miles to help make the first days, weeks and months for premature babies and their families a little easier. I know that all the work that has been done thus far is what helped Connor's transition from my belly to the world go as smooth as it did. Without the surfactant shots in my bum I don't know that he would have been able to breath on his own. So, I feel as though it is my duty to help those preemie babies and their families that come after us. You can follow my journey on my personal page and please pray that I don't perish before the five miles is over :)

The Daily Camera

I was going through and updating Connor's baby book this weekend when I realized I hadn't gotten the newspaper when his birth was announced. We did it from the hospital, but they had no idea when it would run, so we never got the actual paper. I found the birth announcement section online and thought I would post it. The little boy, Mason, at the end was also in the NICU with us. He left the week before we did - his family was one of the first families we connected with! It was so exciting to see the little man's name in the paper!

4 Months!

I still can't quite believe it, but this little man is 4 months old! I just look at him and I am amazed at how fast he is growing up. I know four months doesn't sound all that big, but to think that he started out so small and is now filling out three month clothes - it's amazing and wonderful!

Our printer is out of ink and I was not able to print out his four month sign, but just know it was there in spirit! He looked a little too cute in his Jr. Rockasaurus shirt and jeans from Aunt Steph that I took about 400 pictures of him! Bj came up about half way through the photo shoot and was helping me get him to look at me - from the beginning Scout and Sedona have LOVED all of his toys - and Sedona could not resist trying to get the toy when she saw daddy holding it over Connor's head. It was pretty funny!

We have seen so many changes in Connor this month. He is just talking up a storm and he loves to "talk back" to you. He is singing and giggling, laughing and smiling all the time. He is eating between five and six ounces at a time - a long way from the 3cc's he started out eating! He is starting to notice the dogs and realizes they are pretty funny creatures! He loves taking baths and has started kicking his legs and splashing in the water! He is just getting his own little personality and we love it! He came be a bit dramatic sometimes - but we mostly find that amusing. We just love him all the time and can't wait to see what five months brings! Happy four months, sweet pea!

Happy Boy!

It's a little long - two minutes - but it's a cute little video of the happy boy in his bouncy chair!
He just loves this thing - he gets in and just smiles and laughs and has a grand old
time entertaining himself! We love it!

Holding Hands

I don't know if you know this about me, but I love to hold hands. I don't know what it is, but I love it. Poor Bj takes the brunt of this obsession but now that Connor is around I can hold his hand too. Well, we have noticed in the last few weeks how much he likes to have his hand held - particularly when he is eating. It is so sweet - he just holds/plays with your hand while he eats. I admit that I could sit there all day and watch his little fingers playing with mine. I just look at them and can't believe that one day those little hands will be drawing me pictures, playing outside, throwing the ball around, petting the doggies and so many other things. It is so amazing that you can pick out what your child likes/doesn't like, what comforts and soothes them and makes them happy and sad so fast. The hand holding and watching you while he eats is a source of comfort for him - and I think a little source of comfort for momma too!

My Fingers!

Sweet pea has found his fingers! I know I am the momma - but I think it is one of the cutest things I have ever seen! He hasn't quite gotten that if he stretches his fingers out he could actually suck on a thumb and not the side of his hand - but hey, to each his own! I don't know why it's so cute - because it's Connor or because his hands are so small - but it is so sweet. He just sits there and sucks away, happy as can be. You can hear him too - we laugh when we hear it through the monitor! He has this week starting really grabbing things (other than my hair and necklaces) and it's so exciting! He has a solid grip - perhaps a future baseball player? He is very proud of himself - as are momma and daddy! One of these days its going to be those cute little feet that make their way into his mouth!

Talking Back

In the last few weeks Connor has really started "talking"! It is so fun - you can talk to him, sing to him, whatever and he just talks right back to you! He laughs and giggles and talks like he knows exactly what is going on. It is a so sweet and really funny! We were laying on the bed with him telling him what we were going to do yesterday and he was excited about the plans. He was just staring at us - telling us all about what he thought! I just can't get over how much he is growing and changing. Everyday is something new and wonderful and we are just so happy. He is a sweet little bug - and for now I love that he talks back to me :)

Happy Easter!

A very happy easter from the Johnson's!

We had a great day. The Easter bunny made two trips to our house (once when Granny was here and once last night) and surprised us with some very special treats!

Our baskets!

Sedona got a special bone from the Easter bunny - it didn't last long!Scout enjoying one of his treats from the Easter bunny!
Connor and his baskets! He got two outfits, a book, a lamb, new wrist rattles and a little chickie! He was pretty spoiled!
With his new best friend Mr. Lamb from easter bunny granny and his new favorite book, "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" - he had a great easter! He looked so handsome in his Baby's First Easter outfit - I can't believe how many first holiday outfits we have already gone through. Sweet boy is getting big!! We are so thankful for all of our wonderful friends and family and we hope you all had a lovely day with your families!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

We woke up this morning and we were so excited to sing daddy happy birthday! Connor was all smiles and laughs - he was pretty excited to share in daddy's big day! Daddy and his gifts from Momma, Connor, Scout, Sedona and the Easter Bunny!
Connor picked out the "Daddy's All Star" jammies to wear while he watches the Cardinals with daddy!
Daddy and his sweet boy
Erin, Sally, Connor and Daddy

We had a lovely day-we had breakfast at Lucille's, came home and opened gifts, and went to Ryan and Erin's for Easter brunch. Daddy was so surprised with his massage, new shorts for softball and outfit from Connor. We think he had a pretty great birthday. Thanks for being such a great daddy...we love you!!

Waiting for the Easter Bunny...

Just a few pictures from the day before Easter - we were hanging out and getting ready to meet the Easter Bunny!


He was all ready to go - we even had his bib on so no spit-ups on the picture outfit!