Thanksgiving weekend was WICKED!

Family picture Thanksgiving 2009:


We had a great time at the Kirby residence, this past holiday weekend. On Wednesday, Reid's family from Texas and Osage Beach, MO arrived in town (Aunt/uncle, cousins, and grandma Peggy). I took Jack to see them while daddy worked that evening. It's always great to see extended family on both sides and for them to interact with Jack. He did so well with all the new faces and I think they enjoyed him too. Thursday (Thanksgiving), we actually just hung out most of the day. Reid had to work the morning, so we spent the day just chillin' and eating yummy food. Judy (Reid's mom) made Southwest Stew and pumpkin cake! YUM-MY! I cannot get enough pumpkin around the holidays. In fact, Reid's sister commented "My family is the reason for the pumpkin shortage in the US." We had pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, Pumpkin pilgram pies....you get the idea. What a spread we had at the inlaws. I tell you, the holidays do some damage on our waist lines!
Thursday evening, I spent an hour or so mapping out my Black Friday excursion! I went out with Reid's cousins and sister from 11:30pm (Thurs) to 7am (Fri). Jack went home with daddy and cousin Neil to play video games. We had a blast and really, getting only 4 hours of sleep (7-10am and then an hour long nap) didn't hurt me too bad. AND I'm 90% done with my Christmas shopping and under budget!
Friday afternoon we had Thanksgiving dinner with the Phillips' families. It was a wonderful time to spend with all of them. Jack even had his first Thanksgiving meal! He wasn't too excited about the real deal, but he sure loved his jar of sweet potatoes and turkey.

Most of the girl cousins and Grandma Peggy showed up to family dinner all in purple!:


"I want some more!":


On Friday evening, my mom and sister arrived in KC. My dad had purchased Wicked tickets for Maggie, as a surprise for her 17th birthday, and sent the girls to KC to "spend time with Jack" or so they thought was the purpose of the trip. On Saturday we spent the day shopping and then at lunch, my mom showed Maggie the tickets. It was a great surprise! We got to have dinner on the plaza at The Cheesecake Factory (let me just say that Chocolate Coconut cheesecake is the best I've ever had) and then enjoyed Wicked, the musical. What a great performance and an awesome experience for us girls.

Mom and daughters waiting for our seats at The Cheesecake Factory:


Sisters pic in front of the Plaza lights:


I couldn't be more thankful for the many blessings we've had this year. The time we shared this weekend with family was much needed.
We hope you had a blessed holiday, as well.
Until next time...

Excitement!

Well, this is my first real blog...in real time! I think this is going to be a fun way for us to share pictures and stories with our family and friends who don't have facebook or maybe don't check it that often.
We're anxiously awaiting the long weekend! Reid's working tonight, tomorrow night, Wed night and Thanksgiving day...and then OFF for 4 days straight! We'll have the Phillips (Reid's mom's siblings/mom) in town Wed-Sun. Turkey dinner on Friday and lots of family time throughout. My mom and sisters are coming to visit on Friday-Sunday as well!
I'm really anxious for both families to see Jack! He's just surprising us every day! He loves to clap now and gets a BIG smile on his face when he does it. I think he can tell I'm pretty proud. He's also standing a lot! He'll stand up and pull away from whatever he's next to. He's getting good at bending over and picking up things around him while standing, as well. He's starting to point at things too. Sometimes, I just like to watch him and I can only imagine the things going through his mind. He's sure to be the subject of plenty of attention this weekend. :)
We're still contemplating Black Friday this year. I went for the first time last year, but I don't really have anything I have to buy this year. Most of the shopping is done...yes DONE!
Until next time....

2 teeth/1st haircut/1st real people meal

Jack has 2 shiny bottom teeth! Check them out!:




Mommy's hair stylist cut Jack's hair! He did great and looks like a little boy now...no more baby flyaways...


All done!:


Showing off the new 'do:


Jack's first real people meal...Mac 'n' Cheese, green beans, and pears! He loved it!! AND...he started feeing himself. :)


OK--now I'm up to date...keep your eye out for new updates! :)

7 month old pics (10/17/09)

We took Jack for 7 month pictures at JCPenney's. They did a GREAT job! Here's a few for your viewing....

Little Stinker:


Showing off his standing skills:


Our little cheeser:


Freaky Franky:

7 months old (10/17/09)

Well folks- in the short time from 6 - 7 months, Jack has developed by leaps and bounds! He's crawling, pulling himself up on things, he has 2 teeth, and he's smarter than ever! He's started to say "blah, blah, blah, ma, ma, da, da..." etc, all in the same "sentence". I have a feeling "ma-ma or da-da" will follow in it's own entity, soon. Jack is an absolute joy in our lives. He keeps us VERY busy since he's all over the house. He loves cords/controllers; put one in front of him and off he goes! It's hilarious to watch. He stood up (with the help of a crate) when we took his pictures the other day. I would venture to guess he'll be walking by Chritmas. :)

We hope you are doing well. Thank you for checking up on Jack!

Jack's first NW football game:


Big Grins:


Frankenstein on Halloween:

6 months old! (9/17/09)

Well, today my little bubby is 6 months old! I can't believe how time has flown. He's growing bigger by the minute and turning into quite the little character. He's wearing 12 month clothing and I've got to get on the ball with finding something for him to wear and sleep in, or he's going to be in a diaper! :) And sometimes I feel like his diapers aren't even big enough and we're in size 4's people!

This past week has been marked with a few 1st's...1) he's found the thumb! While I think it's just a chew toy at this point, he sure likes to have it in his mouth alot. I'm praying he doesn't get hooked on sucking it, like his mother did. I might as well start saving now for orthodontia! 2) Jack has learned how to pound and make LOTS of noise. When he's in his exersaucer, he'll take his pacifier or teething ring and pound it all over his exersaucer. It's funny to watch because he just goes around and around to make sure he's hit every part of it. 3) Jack has been getting up on all fours now for a little over a week. Pretty soon he'll be mobile. He's figure out how to 'lunge' forward to grab what he wants. He's getting VERY strong and we love rooting him on. 4) He's definitely learned that he can follow things and 'find' things when he 'loses' them. He'll toss his pacifier over the side of the exersaucer and instead of just play with something else, he tries to peak over the ledge and whines for it to be picked up. If he drops his pacifier in his chair, he knows to lean back and find it. He's very smart!

We're still battling reflux....we had to make a medication adjustment this past week. I tell you what...my prayers are plenty that God will just make the child stop throwing up. We average 1 load of Jack's laundry ALONE, every other day, if not each day. The med change has helped with his fussiness for the most part, but we're still seeing the puke. And anyone that knew me growing up (my mom especially) knows how much I HATE puke from a baby.

My job change has been really good so far. I went back to 5 day work weeks about 2 weeks ago. I'm REALLY enjoying being home by 330 and being able to spend more time with Jack. I also enjoy getting to spend a short 10 mins with Reid before he leaves. I feel like I get to see him more, even if it is only an extra 10 minutes.

No real big plans in the near future. We've got some get togethers coming up with friends that we're looking forward to. Hopefully we can get Daddy to take a Saturday off and get Jack to Maryville for a Bearcat football game. We also are trying to plan a trip to visit cousin Emery! Hope this finds you well and enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having!

Lots of love and thanks for coming to visit Jack's page-- Lauren

Happy 6 months old:


Trying to crawl:

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears...OH MY! (5/27/09)

We took Jack to the Kansas City Zoo on Memorial Day! He was wonderful, the rain held out, and we got to see some fun animal exhibits!

Daddy and Jack checking out the peacocks:


Family Pic at the Zoo:

Go Royals! (5/21/09)

We took Jack to his first Royals baseball game last night, Royals vs. Indians. Sadly the Royals lost, but Jack was great and enjoyed almost every minute of it! We were somewhat nervous about taking a baby to a game, especially because of the heat. But, our seats were under the overhang, section 216 right up from 3rd base, so no sun! Reid's boss offered his season tickets for last evening and it was an offer we couldn't pass up! It was really fun and Jack wore his "Li'l Slugger" uniform and baseball cap. The cap was huge, but he looked darn cute in it. He even got a certificate commemorating his first Royals game. It says "Official Royals Fan" and it's definitely going in his baby book. I'll post pictures later this evening. Oh...and the best part about the Royals game, it wore Jack out! He slept from 10:30pm-6:30am!!! That's a record at the Kirby house.

I think we'll be attending a few more games this season.... :)

Jack in his baseball outfit/hat:


Jack and mommy cheering on the Royals:

Mother's Day/Our 1st Anniversary (5/10/09)

Well, it's my first Mother's Day! And, I'm sort of in awe of it, really. I've found myself extremely loving towards my son today. If he was older, he'd probably be whining "MOM...STOP KISSING ME!". :) I just want to hold him and squeeze him and cuddle with him today. I am so thankful for this amazing gift of life and I'm happy that I made the decision to become a mother. I always knew I wanted kids. In fact, I changed my "goal" in life from medical school to mother about halfway through my college career. God sure knew what he was doing. I had to stay an extra semester for ONE class and that was when I met Reid. Now, today we've been married for one year AND I'm celebrating my first Mother's Day! What an awesome plan that has unfolded. I feel truly blessed with an amazing husband and a beautiful son. I am excited for all the joy that our little boy is going to bring us. I know there will be many days where I want to kiss/cuddle him, I just pray I cherish each moment.

I also have a new appreciation for my own Mother. I hope that we've shown our love and gratitude to her enough on this day. For the past 25 years, she's been a mom! In fact, she spent her first Mother's Day in the hospital after my birth! My dad was graduating from KU and she got to spend the day with me. I can just imagine the thoughts rolling through her head as she stared at her tiny infant. I have now felt those feelings and thought those thoughts! I know what its like! It's simply beautiful. Your heart leaps out of your chest with love.

To all you mothers out there, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I pray that the Lord continues to shower blessings in your lives.

All my love,

Lauren

Stretched out before bathtime:


Happy Mother's Day:

Jack is HERE! (3-20-09)

Well, if you haven't heard, Jack Gerrard Kirby was born on 3/17/09, St. Patrick's Day. He weighed in at a whopping 11 lbs and was 21 3/4 inches long!! He is simply beautiful!! We couldn't be more excited that he's in our world.

Jack was born via c-section (thank goodness for mommy) and things couldn't have gone smoother. Mom and Dad went to the hospital at 7am on Tuesday morning and mommy got prepped for surgery. I was nervous, but very ready and knew I just needed to get through the prep work and then it'd be a piece of cake. The worst part was the local anesthetic for the spinal block. But, then my legs got warm and I was numb. The doctor got right to work and Reid got to sit next to my face. Daddy was nervous and excited and anxious to get first pictures! I just kept waiting to hear his first cry! After some tugging, Dr. Reynolds pulled his head out and said, "You definitely made the right choice". Then a press on my sternum and a huge tug and then PLOP, I felt my stomach deflate and a big weight added to my legs. Everyone in the operating room was like, "WHOA! That's a big boy!" Reid got to take his first pictures while he was on the warmer and I could see him across the room and he was nice and pink and crying!! I couldn't help but cry. It was a beautiful moment. The wrapped him up really good, so good in fact that I couldn't see his face. But, Reid brought him over to me and as soon as he heard my voice, he stopped crying. His big hands were reaching for my face and he put his fingers in my mouth. It was awesome to meet my son.

They took Jack off to the nursery to weigh him and finished sewing me up. We were wheeled into the recovery room and waited on our little one and started telling friends and family. Then..the nurse wheeled Jack in and said, "Here's your toddler". :) It was awesome to hold him. We attempted to breastfeed and he latched right on. I just couldn't believe he was here...and not inside me!

Over the last 3 days in the hospital we've been blessed with many friends and family visiting. It's been fun to see Jack's mannerisms on the outside of the womb. He is INCREDIBLY strong. He already holds his head up and kicks away from being too scrunched up. During pregnancy, his little legs would kick me up into my ribs and he'd fight back as I'd try to push them down!

We came home today and we're getting settled. Mom is still waiting on milk to come in and so feeding is kind of a challenge, but we're working on it. Well, the little guy is waking up from a nap. I better get ready...more details and pictures to come!

Much love~ Mom and Jack!

BEFORE: 6am-- heading to the hospital 39 wks and 4 days pregnant


AFTER: Our first family picture


Getting ready go home from the hospital

Oh boy, I'm a blogger!

Well-- my previous website that I've used for updates for Jack is closing Dec 1! SO-- it's time to get a blog. Instead of just for Jack, this will be a way to update on our family in general! :) Thanks for visiting...bookmark our page and check back often.

PS: I'm going to transfer the old posts from the old website...to get you up to speed.