Jumping and Diving

It was a very, very busy weekend this weekend. We had a lot of fun and Keegan got to try some new things. On Saturday we had a birthday party for my ex-coworker's son at Club Just Jump. It's a place where there are a whole bunch of inflatable play things. There is a classic giant inflatable jumping area. There were two inflatable mazes with climbing walls and slides. There was also a giant inflatable slide. It was awesome. I had a great time. Keegan had a really good time too, and so did Lyle. It was a great place for Keegan to play because if he fell down he just bounced around a bit. He loved the slides (so did I) and he loved the big jumping area. The whole time we were there Keegan was a man on a mission; he had so many things he had to get done :-) There were a lot of comments about how cute he was and how determined and observant he was for his age. It's always nice for people to tell you your kid is cute! We met a lot of people there and I got to see a lot of my coworkers who have moved to 3M. It was super fun. Sunday morning Lyle and I were both kind of sore. Too much throwing our aging bodies around on those toys!

On Sunday morning we got up and cleaned the house and got ready for people to come over to play games. Keegan was really good all morning and amused himself in his new pop-up ball pit that I put up in the living room. Keegan also spent a lot of time "reading" books. We played games until noon and then as everyone left we hurried up to eat lunch and headed to Keegan's first swimming lesson.

Lyle took Keegan in the pool and I took pictures. Keegan was a little concerned about the whole thing but didn't get upset. He had his "Blue Steel" face on most of the time. Anyone who has seen the movie Zoolander knows what I am talking about; yep, he looks just like that. Keegan's Blue Steel look means he is concentrating and taking in information but that he's not entirely sure he likes what's going on. Me, my mom, and my dad all watched from the sidelines and clapped for Keegan and the other babies when they got dunked or blew bubbles or whatever. I have to say that you can always tell where the "Tots 1" class is being held. There are lots of parents with cameras and lots of clapping for the babies. Babies love clapping and all that clapping made them pretty happy; Keegan even cracked some smiles. Keegan was by far the youngest one there. Most of the kids were over two. It was a little difficult for him because they were doing the hokey pokey and he doesn't really know left/right foot etc. yet.

It went well though. After that we went home and took a long walk around the lakes (3-4 miles) while Keegan chilled in the stroller. Then it was back home and time to make dinner. We sat down for a quick dinner and then I took Keegan down for a bath while Lyle got ready for hockey. Lyle had an early hockey game and Keegan and I were going to watch him play. We drove separately because Keegan was super tired and I was worried we might have a melt down. Keegan did really good. We sat right by the glass and watched up close for a bit. Keegan sat really nice on my lap and took everything in for about 10-15 minutes. Then he wanted to boogie.

We walked the bleachers and Keegan found some cheerios on the ground; he tried to eat them so I relocated us to a new area. Then Keegan found some popcorn. I relocated us again to a big area of concrete that overlooks the rink. He ran around there for a while. Then my parents showed up and Keegan wanted gpa to hold him. Then Keegan wanted down and spent a lot of timing standing up on the bar of the railing holding onto the rails and watching the game. It was such a Keegan thing to do. Anyway, in an hour the game was over (Lyle's team won 6-3). Of course a big fight had to break out at the end (which Lyle was not involved in); so we left and went home. At home we did the normal routine of bottle, jammies, and bedtime. I've been reading chapters of the Edgar and Ellen series to Keegan while he drinks his bottle. The chapters are short and funny and there are some pictures.

Keegan went to sleep and I went downstairs to work on the castle/dragon mural in Keegan's soon to be bedroom. That was pretty much it for the day. It was busy but lots of fun.

Now it is snowing outside and that is really a bummer. It looks like it's supposed to go into (and stay in!) the 50's later this week. We are really looking forward to that! We also moved Keegan's slide/fort thing outside yesterday. Hoping that it will soon be warm enough to go sliding outside!

It's a killer bunny!!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you all had a good time during the Easter weekend. We actually had a pretty easy one compared to some that we have done in the past. We made the rounds to both our parents houses, and were the only people to be visiting at both places. So needless to say there wasn't much going on since Keegan is still too small to go easter egg hunting. We just kind of hung out and enjoyed the company. Sadly Keegan and Karissa were both sick, so neither of them were their chipper selves. Keegan was really tired, and has been sleeping a lot over the last couple of days. Actually Keegan puked in the middle of Saturday night (1:30 or so) but that was the only really bad episode that he had. Anyway we all three got candy and other fun stuff for Easter, and look forward to rotting our teeth when we all feel better :).

Keegan has more teeth coming in as well. He has had three teeth for quite a while, the bottom front teeth and the left top front tooth. Now Keegan has the last front tooth coming in, and 2 more on either side of the front teeth on both the top and bottom. So basically 5 teeth all coming in at the same time. He was having some problems sleeping a week or so ago because of it, but has since been fine with the extra teeth now that they are almost all through the gums and sprouting out from there.

Daycare has still been a struggle, but not as much of one as it was when we first came back from Florida. Yesterday when I dropped him off he wasn't happy about it, but didn't through a complete fit before I left the building, which is much better than what had been happening.

Other than that, not much is going on. I am switching contracts on 4/1 to ECMC in downtown St. Paul, which should be fun. I don't really have much left to do at work, which is kind of nice sometimes. It should mean that I write a couple of more blog posts, but sadly that hasn't been happening.

Fears of a 13 month old.

We discovered a couple months ago that Keegan really likes whipped cream. We are talking the real stuff here, not canned Ready Whip. We were at a Sunday brunch where I was eating a waffle with strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Keegan wanted to try some of it, so I let him. He loved it!

Fast forward to our trip to Florida. Everyone is sitting around the table at my grandparents' house eating fresh strawberries and Ready Whip for dessert. Keegan saw the whipped cream and wanted some. I squirted some on his highchair tray. He reached for it and (of course being Ready Whip) the little pile of Ready Whip collapsed. Keegan starting crying and was really upset. We figured it was because he had a long day and was tired. We had to clean the Ready Whip off of his tray before he would calm down. Same thing happened the next day when we tried to give him some Ready Whip.

Okay now it's a couple weeks from that event and it's my dad's bday. We had chocolate cake with cherries and Ready Whip. Keegan got some cherries and a little chocolate cake. Not thinking, I squirted some Ready Whip onto his tray. He reached for it, it collapsed, and he started crying and leaning away from his tray. Once again, the crying didn't stop until my mom cleaned the Ready Whip off of his tray.

We really don't get it. I mean is our kid such a snob that he only eats "the real stuff"? Is he upset that the Ready Whip collapses? Does Ready Whip offend him somehow? We can't figure it out. For a while though I think we will have to accede to Keegan's wishes and *not* squirt Ready Whip onto his tray. Poor kid somehow we are creating trauma here...I just wish I knew how and why!

Strange Red Asian Statue on the Doorstep

The last couple days we have noticed something red by the steps leading to our front door. Last night we went to see what it was; thinking it was trash or something of the neighbors that had blown over.

Well it was neither. It was a little bright red Asian statue of a little girl in a kimono. We looked at each other puzzled wondering where it had come from. The next part reveals maybe a little too much of my and Lyle's personalities. I said "Wow, that's creepy. I wonder where it came from. Maybe someone is trying to hex us." Lyle said, "Cool, someone probably put it there to bring us good luck." Hence why we work well as a couple. Lyle assumes the best and I assume the worst.

I went online when we got in the house and looked to see if little red statues symbolize anything; I didn't really find anything. So, I decided to send a note out to our friends and see if anyone had left a little statue on our doorstep. I know, I know, it was a weird question but I figured people would get a kick out of it. I know I got a kick out of some of the replies; it was interesting to see people's response to such a odd random question. No names have been included; but some of the replies I got are quoted below:

"I have no Asians currently working for me, neither real or ceramic."

"Sorry, We did not leave a doll on your patio. Does it seem to be Japanese? A red kimono doesn't symbolize anything bad from what I am aware of. Red is the traditional color of bridal dresses, and is frequently represented in the media as a symbolic color for married women. The color is associated with sexuality in marriage relationships through its connection to heat and fertility. It is also the color of wealth, beauty, and the goddess Lakshmi."

"I'd take it as a sign of good luck! *laughing historically* When did said statue appear on your patio?"

"Why is it that whenever something weird and unusual happens, I'm one of
the first to be accused of knowing something? First the numerous
people at work (admittedly they had reason to be suspicious), now you?!"

"I didn't do it, but I wish I would have :-)"

"I demand pictures"

"Wasn't us, but it sounds pretty funny! Red is a lucky color to Asians so I think you're being blessed! If you start getting white Asian statues then you should worry. ;-)"

"How big was it?"

"Karissa,
I know a lot more about blessing people than cursing them so not sure about this one.
The only advice I have for you is : Do you feel at peace when you think about it or when you are near it? If not, than get rid of it."

"Very interesting."

So these are most of the replies that we got about this crazy mystery. Of course, we found out one of our friends did put it on our doorstep thinking that it was cute and we would like. Which it is cute and I do like it; now that I know one of the neighbors isn't trying to curse our house :-) Mystery solved. Maybe I should send out random questions ever week and see what weird responses I get back from people. I'll try to get a picture of it posted tonight.

Okay now it's time to go back to work.

Uhh Huston we have a problem

So Keegan gets back from vacation, and goes to daycare last Friday. Of course he was unhappy to change from being with us and having a good time in Florida all week to suddenly going back to daycare where there is such a limited environment. That makes some sense. When we got his daily report, it said he was "not himself" that day. When I asked what that meant, basically the teacher said he was crabby all day. Of course this was a new teacher again because the other teacher that was in the Infant B classroom went on maternity leave. So that is cool and all, but I wondered if she really knew what she was talking about. Anyway we chalked that one up to him being tired and cranky from the trip, and no longer having his freedoms. We figured it would be fine by Monday....

Well we were wrong, Monday came and I dropped him off like normal. Well when I set him down he just started crying, and wanted to be picked up and carried around. So I picked him up for a minute, and tried to get him to calm down, which he did in fairly quick order. But the moment I set him down, he started bawling again. So I decided I should just leave, and he would stop in a few moments. So I left, but I checked in through the window really quick on my way out. Well he was still crying up a storm. I left, and when we picked him up that night, he was happy to see us, and we got a "not himself" that day as well, with the teachers saying he was still very crabby, and wouldn't nap.

Tuesday, he spend at Grandma's house, and had a good day. Grandma said he was happy, and napped pretty well, though only took one nap instead of his normal two.

Now today, I dropped him off at daycare again. He did the same as Monday, crying and wanting to be held. I tired to get him to settle down again, but he really didn't seem to want to be there. Anyway I left him there, and went to my interview. I then get a call from Karissa saying that daycare called and wanted to know what was wrong with Keegan. I guess they said he was still really crabby, and wasn't taking naps again today. Of course we don't know what to tell them, because as far as we know nothing has changed.... but in Keegan's little mind, something must have changed. We are not sure what it is, but we have a couple of theories.

We are thinking that, since one of his buddies moved up a level (into the toddler classroom), he is bummed since he and that kid were always together when we went to pick him up. Another idea is that since he is having a development leap, he has been crabby, like he has been every time that he starts doing something new. Lately it is talking, and understanding that when we say stuff it actually means something, and is not just babble :). There are a couple of other ideas, but at this point, we are not sure what else it could be attributed to. We can only hope that he gets out of this funk soon, and becomes happier when he goes to daycare Friday, and next week.

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

...but not in Florida! Down there it was really nice. In fact there was only one day where it rained for a little bit.

Lyle summed up a lot of the events pretty darn well. What we did in chronological order was...
Day One: Celebrated my gmas bday and went to the pool. We just kind of hung out.
Day Two: Drove in my parents' camper to the Gulf of Mexico and spent the day on the beach.
Day Three: Went to Sea World for the day.
Day Four: It rained so we went swimming in the morning and then went to the mall for the afternoon.
Day Five: Went to Busch Gardens
Day Six: Went home!

Okay so Lyle went through all the good things about the vacation. A couple of bad things happened too. First of all we found out that Keegan doesn't like to sleep on the plane. He would sleep for about 30 minutes and then he was ready to rumble. All I have to say is I have a new respect for people in general. I respect people who travel with babies this age and retain their sanity. I respect all the people on the plane who; gave Keegan hi-fives, waved back at him, humored him by taking an offered toy and then handing it back to him, smiled at Keegan when he (while walking down the aisle in the plane) grabbed their knees or shoes. Also thanks to the guy who had a sense of humor when Keegan grabbed his boarding pass at the gate and took off with it and thanks to the lady who let Keegan stand by her seat at the gate and hold on to her shoulder while he looked out the window at the plane.

So I guess all in all I meet more "strangers" on this trip than ever before. This was all due to Keegan's lack of shyness and new found ability to run off at a moment's notice and go over to people and yell "HI" with a big smile on his face. You really get to see the "good" in everyone when you have a cute little friendly kid :-)

Other "bad" thing that happened was that I lost my wallet during the Shamu show at Sea World. Between juggling Keegan, ice cream, and a diaper bag I lost it somehow. We quickly found out that the cleaning guy found it under the seat at the stadium. Within a couple of hours he had returned it to customer service and it was intact. All the cash was in there, everything! Still I was stressing for a while there; hoping I wouldn't have to call and cancel all of my cards!

Then when we got back to the twin cities I went down to baggage claim and Lyle took Keegan to get the car. As soon as I got to baggage claim there was an announcement that Karissa Eckert needed to report back to the Gate G2 to get her driver's license. Well I couldn't really do anything about it. So I got the luggage. Then Lyle drove me to ticketing. At ticketing they gave me a gate pass to get back through security. In the line in security they wanted my ID. I explained to them that I was going through security to get my ID. The security guy actually chortled at me (like this was the funniest thing to happen to him all day) and told me I was "red flagged" and needed to undergo a stricter security check. The good thing about this was I didn't have to wait in line anymore. Bad thing was they did a full pat down and rubbed everything I had with me with chemical sensitive paper to make sure I wasn't carrying any explosives. The guy doing the check was really nice but he had to call female security down to do the pat. I tried really hard to not get irritated but it was tough.

Then I finally got down to the gate and, of course, they were just starting to board the plane. So I had to wait line to get to the front desk to request my license. I met Lyle on his 7th lap around the airport. It had taken me exactly 17 minutes to re-acquire my license. Oh well. At least I got it back. Hopefully I never do that again.

Keegan was, excepting the plane ride, an awesome baby. He was interested in everything and actually watched the shows we went to see. We all liked Sea World a lot better than Busch Gardens. Sea World had nicer exhibits and wasn't as crowed as Busch Gardens was. My mom was nice enough to hang with Keegan while me, Lyle, and dad went on some of the roller coasters. The Kraken at Sea World was by far the most awesome roller coaster we went on. We also road that Mamba (I think that's what it's called) and Shreikra at Busch Gardens.

All in all it was a fun trip. I kind of underestimated how much work it would be to travel with Keegan though. I felt like I was constantly making lists of what we needed to pack in my head. It was like okay, let's pack for the beach. Then the next day we packed for Sea World. It was a constant estimating of how much milk we had, how many diapers, did we need swim diapers, and did we have enough wipes. I imagine that traveling with your child gets easier as they get older.

Keegan really didn't want me to leave him at daycare today. Keegan was really excited to get home but I think he liked all the time with mommy, daddy, gma, gpa, greatgma, and greatgpa. I had to pry him off of me and then distract him and sneak out of daycare. I felt bad about it but well, it's back to the old everyday routine. Anyway, that being said I have some more work to do. So hope everyone enjoyed the updates!

Feelin' fine in the sunshine

Hey all, we are back from Florida! Hope you all had a nice week! We are back in Minnesota where it was cold, while we spent a fair amount of time in shorts in the 70 degree weather. Overall we had a great time, it was good to see Karissa's grandparents since we don't get to see them too often. Also we made a couple of day trips out to see Sea World, Bush Gardens, and The gulf of Mexico. All three were fun days, but we also had some relaxing time by the pool! You can see all of the pictures we uploaded on our picture site (link is still on the right hand side!).

Keegan overall I think had fun, but it is kind of hard to tell sometimes :). Since he seems to have fun doing almost anything, I think that we could give him a rock and he would have a good time.... oh yeah, we have done that..... Well either way, Sea World was way more fun than I thought it would be. I think Keegan was overwhelmed by the shows because he just sat their and stared with his mouth gaping. Karissa's parents came along and it was really great to have them there to help with Keegan duty.

The beach was probably Keegan's favorite time, he kept trying to eat the sand and then spit it out when it tasted just awful. Then he would scrape his tongue to try and get the sand off only to put more on from his hands. Finally he would be happy again, and then try to eat more. I guess what they say about leading a horse to water is correct when it comes to a 1 year old. Keegan smiled a lot when we were at the beach, and had a really great time overall. The water was cold, so we didn't go "swimming", but we did walk out a little way into the water, and he had fun picking up rocks that were in the water. The picking up rocks was a theme through the whole vacation!

The swimming that we did do at the pool, went over ok the first time, and much better the second time. Keegan starts swimming lessons later this month, so we were happy to get him in a pool earlier than that to gauge how he would react. Well being that he doesn't like it when he is not in control..... must get that from his mommy.... he didn't seem to like not being able to touch the bottom. Well of course there is only one spot that he can really touch the bottom, and that is on the stairs at the beginning of the pool. So we spent a lot of time on the stairs. The flotation device that we brought along was not a huge hit, but he did ride in it for a while on both occasions. The pictures on the site are from the first day we went swimming, we didn't bring the camera the second time, thinking that 74 pictures of him in a pool would be enough. Well it would have been nice to have a few more from the second day because we had a lot of fun with him sticking his face in the water and trying to blow bubbles. I was showing him how to do it, and he just kept trying it over and over again. Most of the time he would push me out of the way to get to the same spot I had done it like that was the magical spot to blow bubbles.

So that was a quick summary of what we did. Keegan also learned a few new things while we were out of town. On the first day we got there, we were driving to the aforementioned grandparents house, and we drove by a Target. I pointed it out to Karissa and said that we could go to Target if we needed anything and then we hear "Target" coming from the back seat. I guess they pick their allegiance to Target or Wal Mart early these days. I mean really! Keegan has also been trying to copy other things we say, but hasn't gotten a lot more down yet. He said duck a lot, basically for every bird that he saw (at the prompting of Karissa). Keegan was saying dog for everything that is close, like a lion, or hyena. His pointing and saying "dat" went on a lot on this trip as well, and we told him what everything was to the best of our ability to figure out what he was pointing to.

The nicest part was returning home from the trip. It was nice to be home again. Keegan also seemed really happy to be home, and was basically a wild man last night from the time we got home till he went to bed. He was babbling a lot, and was having a good time chasing the cats and dog around. We also played with his ball, which he seemed to miss while we were gone.