Shock and Awe

The past two weeks have been pretty laid back as we get ready to travel to Philadelphia for Christmas, which we are so excited about! We did manage a quick trip up to Nashville to see Hillary and Wyatt while they were in town (loved seeing them!!). But other than that, we've been homebodies - not always a bad thing, but I sure do get stir crazy! The good thing is that we've been able to really work on our routine - eating every 3 to 4 hours, then play, then nap. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the Babywise concept?! If you haven't heard about it and you plan to have kids in the future, talk to me about this...it is MAGNIFICENT. I will buy you the book. Seriously, I like it that much. It teaches your baby a predictable routine and promotes healthy sleep patterns...because, let's face it....Knox's first few weeks were NOT easy since his days and nights were confused. Life has been SO much better since we discovered Babywise. Anyways, enough of my infomercial ;)

Here are a few pics from the past two weeks...

He still enjoys his Bumbo, but he doesn't last real long in it. It seems like hard work!

He loves his bouncy seat (his Nana nicknamed it "The Vibration Station"). The toys sing to him and light up - it can keep him entertained forever!

We visited with Aunt Allison at her office one day while in Nashville. Isn't she pretty?!

Knox got to play with Callie, too. I'm pretty sure he thought it was pretty cool playing with someone other than his mom!

Gosh, Callie is SO stinkin' cute! She is quite the sassy-pants.

Knox has a tendency to spit up a lot, so he pretty much stays naked every day unless we go out. We call it "Naked Baby Syndrome" :)

I just love this kid. He is so sweet, it actually hurts.

Chillin' on his play mat. This is where he does all of his "baby yoga".

So, speaking of baby yoga...Knox has gotten pretty strong in the past few weeks. Our goal is to spend a minimum of 15 minutes each day doing tummy time, and it's definitely paying off. Check out how well he's holding his head up.

Good...

AMAZING!!!

And then this happened today. For my birthday back in November, my wonderful family (Kurt, mom, Jenn and Aunt Mel) gave me a "day-off" - a gift card to this beautiful Aveda salon for a haircut, pedicure, massage and facial. I broke it up into two days off; so this morning, I got a massage and facial. Ahhh, it was heaven! Well, when I got home, Kurt showed me this video:

Can you believe it?! He ALMOST rolled over all the way! I'm gone for TWO HOURS, and this is what happens?! I'm never leaving again!!!

Time Flies!

Is it really possible that I have a son...who is already two months old?! It feels like just last month that I found out I was expecting; that it was just last week that we were counting down the weeks and days until "Burrito's" arrival; and that it was just yesterday when we welcomed his beautiful face into our world. And now, here I am, two months later, astounded at how much has changed - our whole world has been flipped upside down and turned inside out, and I never, ever want it to go back to the way it used to be. Having Knox in our lives is BY FAR the BEST thing to ever happen to us. To say that he brings unspeakable joy to our lives is just a flat out understatement. He has done so much for us already - he has taught us how to love each other despite little to no sleep and frayed nerves; he has brought meaning to an otherwise mundane life; and he has helped to heal relationships that were seemingly irreparable (we jokingly call Knox "our little redeemer"). PRAISE GOD from whom ALL blessings flow!

I'm not even quite sure where to start with pictures and updates since it has been SO long since my last post. So much has happened! We've had countless visitors; we've been to Nashville twice; we celebrated our first Thanksgiving as a family of four (yes, four - you cannot forget that Rosie is really our first child!); and we've hosted a rather large Christmas party for the UAB Track & Field team. I think the best thing to do is just throw up some pictures, provide you with some commentary, and let you enjoy them. I'll be better about updating the blog more regularly so that one post will not be as overwhelming!

Oh, and Knox had his two month check-up and shots/vaccinations yesterday morning. OH. MY. GOODNESS. I do not like shots! The sweet little old nurse held down his legs, while Kurt held Knox's hands, while I held the paci in his mouth - then BAM! She stuck him not once, not twice, but FIVE times in his two little thighs. It was the first time I had heard Knox scream out in pain - and it was the first time in my whole life that I have experienced pain like that, too. I don't think I even knew the depth of my love for him until yesterday when I had to witness that. His pain truly was my own pain. It broke my heart to pieces. Now I'm closer to understanding God's pain when He witnessed His Son's pain on the cross. It brought me to my knees just thinking about that sacrifice He made...all to bring ME (and you!) to Him. I'm speechless...but beyond grateful.

Knox did recover quickly from the shots - he was such a trooper! He was a little lethargic during the day yesterday; but other than that, he was totally fine. He's a tough guy! He now weighs 11 lbs, 13 oz and is 22 inches long. His chubby cheeks are the darn cutest thing I have ever seen. I love that he is finally turning into my little chunky monkey! Also, Dr. Gleason put him on his tummy to test his neck and back strength, and he said he was as strong as a 3 1/2 month old! We knew he was strong!!

So, without further ado, here is a photo recap with Knox telling you from his perspective what's been going on the past few weeks. Enjoy, and have a FABULOUS weekend!

I've started sitting in Bumbo! It's kinda hard to hold my head up sometimes, but I'm always up for a challenge.


I got to meet my great-grandmother for the very first time. I love Nanni!

How I love my naps? Check out my new buddy that I like to cuddle with.

I was the special guest at a party my Pop-Pop and his wife, Kristin, threw after Thanksgiving. I kinda slept through most of it, but I did have a lot of fun seeing everyone. Plus, look how much my mommy and daddy love me!

I ate my very first Turkey! Well not really, but I heard it was really good.

Every night, my daddy reads me two books after my bath and before I go to bed. It is my favorite time of the day because I get to spend it with my dad.

Ooooo, I LOVE my baths! And my ducky towel!

I started smiling, laughing, and cooing, too. I have conversations all day long, and my dad makes the funniest faces!

Here's the proof that I can hold the bottle up ALL BY MYSELF. I'm just that hungry all the time, so I get kinda pissy when they take the bottle out of my mouth. Instead, I just hold it myself.

Isn't Aunt Mandy Rue soooo pretty?! Her sweet sister, Casey, sent me that cool outfit!

I went to church for the first time. I LOVE the loud music that mommy and daddy praise Jesus with!

My godfather and great-Uncle David and I have gotten to see each other three times the past few weeks. I love getting to lay on his chest and take naps!

Rosie is still figuring me out, but we're going to be best friends in no time. She barks really loud, but it doesn't bother me. It makes me giggle when she licks my toes, though!

I wish Aunt Jenn and Uncle Kyle lived closer! I guess that just means mommy and I will have to take many trips to San Diego soon...bummer ;)


BOO! Mrs. Gatlin (Cynthie) gave me this scary outfit that I wore for Halloween!

I got to meet Uncle Pud, too! He sounds SO much like my daddy that I was often confused about who was talking. I loved listening to him talk - he is going to teach me how to be cool when I grow up.

Playing with Uncle Pud was so fun!


Go ahead and say it...I'm a ladies' man already! My dad has the coolest job EVER! Go Blazers!!

And I had a small professional photo shoot again. Sadie's (Rosie's friend from the dog park) mommy, Ann Wade, brought her camera over one day and captured some pics of me just chillin' with my Santa hat on. Merry Christmas!

With love,

Knox and my parents (K-to-the-T and Jill-asauras)

This Week in Pictures

I've been MIA lately - I'm SO sorry! I know you have all been holding your breath waiting for me to update you on our crazy lives ;) Unfortunately, typing a meaningful blog post right now would require brain power that I most certainly do not have (Knox had an upset stomach last night, so we were up ALL NIGHT LONG). HOWEVER, the pictures we've taken over the past two weeks are way cuter than any words I can type; so I'll just let you enjoy our little blessing via photos instead! We've had lots and lots of wonderful visitors; we've cheered the Vols on to a victory; and we've even ventured out a few times to the pumpkin patch (which was closed when we got there) and to our Ballbuster softball game. We LOVE showing him off! Enjoy - more to come later, promise!

Quick picture

Once we get on a regular sleeping pattern, I will get back to regularly posting blog updates...don't hold your breath for that ;)

In the mean time, our sweet photographer friend stopped by yesterday to meet Knox. He was so well-behaved until it was time to snap a few pics. Then he screamed and screamed and screamed. He was just a little hungry! But being the fabulous professional she is, she STILL managed to capture a beautiful shot of my beautiful guy. (You're not supposed to call boys beautiful, huh?? Oh well - he's beautiful to me!) Thanks, AW, for coming by and for letting us share this sweet picture. More updates and pictures soon...I promise!

Our Boy is here. AQUI!!!!!!

He's Here. All the months, all the wondering, all the waiting and curiosity of what our son is going to look like, what he will do when he gets here, WHAT THE HECK WE WILL DO WHEN HE GETS HERE. Well, he's here, he's beautiful, healthy (so is mom) and he's a really well behaved boy.

It's true what our parents always said "you don't realize how much you can love someone until you have your own child". Well moms and dads everywhere, you are 1million percent correct. I'm not a blogger (daddy Kurt is writing this, not momma Jill who is presently nursing Knox), so i'll stop and let the world see the best boy God could have given anyone.

PS. Yes, we are officially calling him Knox, but Toliver Knox and Burrito will never be too far away.

Enjoy our awesome day and Knox.