Lasting memories.... Future NHLer? or maybe a Swimming gold medalist?

First off the NHL part. I was reading an article about Cal Clutterbuck who plays for the Wild. I thought it was interesting in two parts....

In fact, Jocelyne, while pregnant with Clutterbuck's now-18-year-old sister, Megan, used to play goal as 2-year-old Cal practiced shooting. "So Megan's blocked the odd shot, too," quipped Tim Clutterbuck.

Sounds familiar around our house. Thought that it was kind of funny, of course Keegan isn't quite two yet, he is pretty close, he has gotten quite a bit of time shooting, and being goalie around the house. The article also mentioned that Cal started skating around 2, which Keegan has done once, and I am hoping to get him out again this weekend if it is nice out. Karissa and I were talking about taking him for his first outdoor experience, and I thought I might bring his hockey stick along.... and his helmet ;). I doubt that he would be able to skate and play hockey, but we might get some boot hockey time in if he wants to.

Ok, now for the memories. Karissa and I were hanging around the house on Sunday, and talking about going swimming. Keegan's swimming lessons are in the afternoon, and while asking him if he wanted to go swimming, he asked if Auntie Kimmie would be there. We explained for about the billionth time that Kim is very far away, and that he would see her again much later. But every once in a while he brings up Kim and asks about her. So Kim if you read this, you are not forgotten :). This kind of surprised me since Kim was here for about a week during Christmas and New Years, and though he spent a lot of time with her, I didn't think he would be asking a month later where she is. I am glad that he likes his aunt though.

Also at swimming Keegan was excited the moment that the teacher said that they would be doing "Jack be Nimbles" during class. This is basically a large styrofoam platform that they run from one side to the other and jump in the pool when you reach the jumped over the candle stick part of the rhyme. He remembered this from the last time he was swimming, and that was like a year ago. I am constantly amazed at his memory. Anyway he did really big jumps into the pool, I think his butt was almost touching the platform at the low part of his jump. The teacher was very impressed, and shouted over to me that he does so good in class. Considering he is the only one of the three kids in his class that will actually do a backfloat without us having to hold his ears in the water, it shouldn't be a surprise that he is a teachers favorite.

Either way Hockey and Swimming both seem to be pretty high on his list of things to do. Sadly swimming is not as easy to do at home. He tries to do some swimming in the bath tub, but we really don't fill it full enough for that :).

Imagination begins...

Keegan is getting really big into imagining things. He likes to imagine things scare him, or imagine he is a doctor, or imagine that he is pretend eating.

This weekend he came walking out with his safety goggles on (from his Black and Decker workbench) and a stethoscope (from his vet hospital kit). I am not sure what the goggles had to do with the stethoscope but I guess if you are a vet things can sure get messy. He walked up to me and "Mama, I listen to kitty's heart." Then he proceeded to chase the cat around yelling at the top of his lungs "Kitty hold still, won't hurt." I don't think he ever did catch the cat.

Then yesterday on the way home from daycare he started making funny munching noises in his carseat. He loudly stated, "Keegan is eating, now mama's turn to eat." So then I made munching noises and he liked that. Then it was daddy's turn to eat. So daddy made munching noises. To which Keegan exclaimed "Silly daddy!"

This morning (at 6:15am) we were getting ready to leave for daycare. Keegan ran and got his hockey stick. "Let's play hockey, dada!" Daddy told him we had to go to daycare. "Bring hockey stick?" Keegan inquired. It's a small hockey stick so I didn't really care one way or another but Lyle said "I think you need to leave that at home." To which Keegan replied, "But I Neeeed it daddy I really neeeeed it." Sometimes it is so hard not to laugh when your kid is disobeying you.

The at dinner tonight I was trying to convince Keegan to eat some black beans. Getting him to eat veggies is nearly impossible so we usually focus on fruits because he loves all fruits. I was trying to cajole him into eating those beans when suddenly he screamed at the top of his lungs and grasped his hands to his heart and exclaimed; "Mama, the beans are scaring me. I can't eat them." I actually lost it this time and snuck into the kitchen so I could laugh...Lyle had to turn away for a few seconds too and giggle. How can you convince your kid to eat his beans when they are so darn scary!!!

So, the Keegan stories continue to get more and more fun and interesting. What a silly boy *he* is.

A bird in my ear...

Okay so it's been a long time since I've posted anything, of course that doesn't mean nothing has been going on...quite the opposite actually.

Christmas was crazy and getting ready for Christmas was crazy. Lyle's half-sister Amber visited the weekend before Christmas and we haven't seen her for 8 years or so. Then my sister came in a few days before Christmas and we hung out with her. Of course we had to go to Lyle's parents' house, my grandparents' house and then to my parents house. As much as we love our family we were relieved to spend some time at home with just me, Keegan, and Lyle on New Years Day.

Christmas used to be my favorite holiday, but it just getting to be too much work and not enough fun! I suppose it is kind of a kid's holiday so as long as Keegan is having fun all is good. Keegan got a billion toys. We finally opened the last of the toys this last weekend. I am losing my mind trying to figure out where to put them all. Keegan doesn't know what to play with, he has so much stuff. Of course his birthday is coming up in a month so...we have to figure this toy thing out.

The good thing about Christmas is that no one was sick!!! In fact no one was sick for 6-8 weeks from mid-Nov until now. Yesterday Keegan had a fever of 103oF. On Sunday and Monday he kept telling me owie ear. We had swimming lessons on Sunday so I thought maybe he had water in his ear. Then Monday night his fever started and I thought "uh oh, betcha' he's got an ear infection coming on".

While we were waiting for the doctor last night, I jokingly asked him if he "had a bird in his ear". There was a Dr. Seuss book we'd been reading where the guy can't hear cause there's a bird in his ear.

To my surprise Keegan said "Yes! I have a bird in this ear (his right ear) but not this ear (his left ear)." When the doctor came in Keegan pointed to his right ear and said "I have a bird in my ear." The doctor looked at me quizzically and I explained where he had got that from. Then the doctor said she was going to use her scope to see if he *did* have a bird in his ear. He was pretty agreeable to that. He told her again he had a bird in his right ear.

The doctor looked in his left ear and no infection...then she looked in his right ear and he has a horrible ear infection going on. She told Keegan "Wow buddy you were right you *do* have a bird in your right ear." So we ran to the pharmacy to get some antibiotics for Keegan.

He didn't want to take the medicine, so I told him it would help to get the bird out of his ear. Then he said "Okay, get that bird out." and took his meds.

Really there is a point to this rather funny story. I put him down for nap today and I heard him say "Mama, I scared." over the monitor. He said it a few times so I went downstairs. He was pointing at the window. There is a bush outside the window and the sun was reflecting the shadow of it onto his curtains the wind was making it blow back and forth. I said "Keegan it's just a bush." Keegan "No, mama it's a bird and it'll get in my ear." It kind of did look like a bird. So I opened the curtains and showed him the bush. He was okay with it then. He settled down for his napping crumbling about how, "The bird hurt his ear and he wants it out."

On a positive note we now know that when Keegan has an ear infection he'll have a bird in his ear; so that should help us figure out what is going on. On the other hand Keegan is now convinced that a bird is going to get into his ear and is convinced that anything that looks like a bird is a threat. Well, what can you do. At least he is napping now that the scary bird is gone. Hopefully he'll be better tomorrow so that mommy can go to work.