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February and March has been quiet and crazy at the same time. Matt, unfortunately, has not been healing as fast as we wished and he was not able to get back to work till the end of February.

Keegan has been really great during this difficult time. I do not know if it is because he grew up and matured, or maybe because he was worried, or maybe because we are all a little changed from what happened, or maybe because the parenting techniques we have been trying are starting to work, but he cut down on whining and tantrums, and he is A LOT more compliant, and less demanding and moody. I guess it does not really matter why: we are just enjoying it!

Our normal life, whatever that is, has been put a little on hold as we all recovered, but we still found a way to do some fun stuff. Haircuts are a necessity, but Keegan is happy to go because he sees his favorite stylist, Breanda, who is really funny, and then, he knows that we will have some junk food lunch afterwards.

He did not like the style this time, claiming it is too short, but I think he is very handsome.

My friend Meggie came to visit in the middle of February, and we enjoyed some quiet time together and beautiful walks. She also brought Keegan 2 red envelopes for Lunar New Year, $10 total. What a generous gift! This year, is the year of the Goat (or sheep or ram), and according to Chinese horoscope is a year of peace and calm after the “galloping horse” of last year. We hope so.

Keegan and I celebrate the new year at Seaworld. We enjoyed rides and the usual exhibits, including the 3d “helicopter ride” over the Arctic, and the turtle ride. Looking at these cool sea turtles and tropical fish I thought about Hawaii…I really  wish we were there now! Hopefully we will be able to get back soon.

They also had a cool celebration, with special food, decorations and shows, such as the Chinese acrobats – amazing- and local Taiko drummers. I think I have found the instrument for Keegan! Combine powerful drum hitting with jumping around and dancing: can you think of anything that is best suited for him?

Talking about drumming, Keegan had been practicing for most of February for a special show, called the Doo- Daa parade. Each kid was supposed to create his own drum, meaning, each parents had to go crazy trying to build one. Then, by class, they performed a show/competition, on a chilly, breezy Friday afternoon. Even if his class did not win, I know he had fun. He is the one with a green hat, orange shirt,gray/green pants and red shoes on the left side.

Keegan also had the chance to experiment some firsts:

•  Matt showed him how to play pool. For as bad as he was, being his first time, he still a lot better than me.

• We finally went to the circus. Keegan has been asking a lot about it, so I took him to Circus Vargas with Sara, her boyfriend and their girls. It was pretty cool. Of course, there were no animals, but the artists were spectacular.

Keegan liked all the acts, especially the trampoline guys. By the end of the show, he got to pose with the two motorcycle guys, that rode inside a cage…pretty insane.

While it is not a first, he even got to spend a really fun afternoon with his friend Ezra: movie, pizza and then sleepover. So it was a great time for us too. Again, we did not do anything spectacular, but we watched a nice movie in the theater and had a quiet dinner, and most importantly, we got to wake up with no rush in the morning. By the time we picked him up at noon he was still all wired up and playing. When we got home, we had a quick lunch, and then we rested. Keegan was so exhausted that he passed out and slept more than two hours, like he has not done in a long time. Sleepovers: the gift that keeps on giving.

On March 2, National reading Day, as well as Dr. Seuss’s birthday, they had a fun celebration at school. All the kids wrote funny hats again, and they read to preschooler kids.

Then the teacher cooked green eggs and ham, and they had a nice feast.

Lego building is still one of Keegan’s favorite activities, beside reading, as in US reading to HIM. He has gotten a lot better, and now he actually builds his models, at least in part, (and he is much more careful with them, since he knows how much time it took to make them). It is a little sad, because now I do not get to build anymore…I guess I will need to buy my own models.

the Star Wars Cantina (collaboration)

The x-wing fighter (collaboration)

As Matt got a little better, we took Keegan to Legoland. He made us promise we will go as soon as Matt was better, so to raise the ante, we secretly booked a night at the Legoland Hotel for the Star Wars  Weekend: Legoland was unveiling the model of a large Death Star to complement the Star Wars Section of miniland. Keegan was so excited. What a great surprise! We headed up north on friday, after school, and enjoyed the rush hour traffic.

We made it by 5pm, so we had plenty of time to explore. We did not hang out by the pool, but it was still fun. The first impact was a little traumatic: imagine Las Vegas for kids. Even Keegan remarked on how loud it was. The lobby included a huge bricks fountain, where kids can build and visitors are greeted by a large Lego dragon.

Even before getting to the room, the fun had already begun with the disco elevators, featuring a disco ball, strobe lighting and 70’s music. The room was awesome, though, at least from a kid’s perspective. He had his own sleeping area, with bunk beds, and there were Lego sculptures everywhere. Too bad they did not have a door separating the adult area. The theme of our room was Adventure, which I thought it was great. It was a little like Indiana Jones, with an Egyptian theme.

As Keegan explored the room, Matt and I enjoyed a beautiful sunset. We were lucky enough that our room was overlooking the ocean.

We started the stay with a small treasure hunt, which gave us the combination for the room safe: inside Keegan found chocolate coins and two mini-figures. How fun.

He immediately started building for the Building competition, and put a lot of effort in creating his cool ship.

Alas he did not win, but he still had fun, and participated with enthusiasm. I am proud of his good attitude.

We had a buffet dinner, and then there was a pj party for the kids…wow, what an exciting afternoon. Even all this did not keep him sleeping, and he was up at dawn, as always. Fortunately we have brought our movies and every room has a bucket of Legos to play with. What did Keegan build? Two Lego guns, of course.

After a delicious free breakfast, we headed to the park.

Being Star Wars day there were lots of activities related to the movies, especially lots of characters walking around. Keegan did not want to take photos, but some were really cool, such as the Imperial guards, the Sand man, and Darth Vedar himself. I had to get a shot with him, since we never saw one before.

There were also contests, raffles and fan art. I loved the Darth Vader Pool Table.

They also had competition, and Keegan eagerly participated in the Star Wars Trivia challenge twice. Again, he did not win, but he was undeterred. I hope he will remain like this. Nice attitude.

We finally got to see the much anticipated Death Star replica. It was really cool, more than 13 feet tall and 8 feet wide, and made with more than 500,000 bricks. Very well done, and completed with some of the most famous movie scenes, recreated and animated. Darth Vedar and the Imperial Guards were at hand.

We also enjoyed some of the regular rides, such as the small driving course, the storybook creek and the laser shooting. Keegan is not afraid of roller coasters anymore, so we took a few rides together. It was a long day, but we all had fun.

Before we knew it, it was St. Patrick’s Day. It is not a huge celebration, I know, but Keegan always gets a kick out of it. When he went to school that morning, a tricky Leprechaun has made a big mess in his classroom, and left little empty pots and gold coins for all the kids to discover…what a trickster. Yes, Keegan knows there are no Leprechauns, but he still enjoys the antics.

Back home, the Leprechaun made a mess on his room too! After the pool, Keegan enjoyed some chalk drawings…look at this beautiful Shamrock that says: #1 Mom. Isn’t he sweet??? Here he is, in his “bikini pose”, as he explained.

With Matt feeling better, we also had the chance to go out on a real date, the first in a few months. We went to see the new Cirque de Soleil show, Varekai, which was amazing as always.

After, the show, Matt reserved a table in a wonderful restaurant on the bay, and we had “normal” dinner. It was nice to see him eat a regular meal again, and his mood reflected his better state. With his feeding tube finally removed last Friday, we are really hoping that we are starting the long road to full recovery. We are trying to stay cautiously optimistic.

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My birthday happened on a Saturday, which means, of course, more time to celebrate! Jokes aside, with Matt not feeling too well, we did not have an extravagant bash, but Matt’s sister Sue flew in to visit for the long weekend, so we had some relaxing days. I received  pre-birthday flowers when she arrived on Friday and a nice card. In the morning, while I was catching up on my beauty sleep, she took Keegan to Target and they got a full celebration ready for me. Sue and the boys wrapped my presents and got everything ready.

It was great. Matt this year bought both my Christmas and birthday presents at once, pretty early too, so he was ready. I got a nice cheese slicer, books, CDS, and my long wished for necklace, hand created with sand from Pacific Beach. It was quite an endeavor: we collected the sand, we cleaned it and shipped it, and the necklace did not even arrived till mid February…but it is the thought that counts.

Sue and Keegan got me a super soft blanket and a fun game to play together, and the best pop up card. How sweet.

It was a warm, beautiful day. Surprisingly enough, most of the times, it is sunny on my birthday. We decided to go to the beach…again. We have never been at the beach so often like in the past couple of months. (-: Sue and I took a nice, long walk, and then Matt and I did the same. We played on the sand and climbed on the cliffs with Keegan, and simply relaxed and watched the waves.

Back home, I enjoyed the sun on the deck and kicked back. Matt cooked a wonderful dinner for me (poor  Matt, he could not even taste it) and we had a great cheesecake, one of my favorites. I blew the candles and made a wish. Happy Birthday to Me!

Listening to and reading all the birthday wishes from family and friends completed a very nice day. Thank you all!

The next day, we went to the Natural History Museum. They have a new exhibit about the Southern California environment, which was very interesting. In a follow up visit, Matt realized that you can see our house from the large map they have as part of the new California exhibit.

A program Keegan really likes at the Museum is the live Ms. Frizzle show, based on the character from the magic school bus series. She is an eccentric science teacher and she explains real scientific facts in a fun, entertaining way. And she always asks for volunteers, which Keegan LOVES. They were learning about volcanoes, and he got called to play the part of “gravity”.

That night Keegan had a sleepover at Daniele’s house, and we had a quiet evening at home. Monday was a holiday, so we were all home. After picking up Keegan from Daniele, we went home for some lunch, and then I took Keegan to the Science Museum: wow, two museums in two days! We had a good time, and watched a cool movie about the South Pacific. We both want to go there!

Back home, Keegan and Sue played and read, and then we went to Keegan’s favorite restaurant, Chili’s. More bedtime cuddles when we got back: they look so cute together.

Comes Tuesday, we were back to the routine. Sue flew back home in the afternoon. It was great to have an extended celebration and to spend it together in beautiful San Diego. It almost makes me  forget I am one year older.

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Happy 2015! We, obviously, were not able to make a holiday card, with everything that happened, so this image from the beach must do.

We went back to the beach on the first of the year, and there is no better way to kick off 2015. The weather was nice, but not as warm as we hoped. Still, Matt and I took a nice, long walk on the beach, and then, my sister and I did the same. Keegan, of course, stayed where he was. We all know that too much walking can really hurt, right? He managed to build a cool sand castle, though, with some help from the adults, well myself excluded.

Back at home, we relaxed a bit, and I prepared the cinnamon coffee crumb cake we prepared for Matt’s birthday. Cinzia cooked some delicious dinner and we celebrated the new year with a very festive table, and even more festive Mimosas. Yum.

Keegan is trying to photo-bomb…but he is not fast enough

new year hug

On January 2nd, Cinzia volunteered to take Keegan to Seaworld. While he would have prefered Legoland for all its rides, Seaworld it was. I had to take Matt to his doctor’s appointment, so I dropped them off, bright and early when the park opened. Keegan wanted me to stay, and honestly, with such a pretty day I would have liked it too, but I could not. I walked them in, just to check out the cleaner fish.

The appointment went well, and Matt was feeling pretty good, if a little tired, so I figured I could reach Cinzia and Keegan at Seaworld. I did not want to miss the Christmas Dolphin Show, after all. So, after making sure Matt was settled in the sun, I left. Keegan was so excited when he saw me, and said his wish had come true. So sweet. I made it in time for the Dolphin Show. It was not quite as good as the regular show, but it was OK.

Cinzia made sure we did everything: the sea lion show, the sharks, the aquarium, the turtles…and they did much more in the morning, including keegan’s favorite: a simulator helicopter ride in the Artic. Keegan even squeeze a ride in: we tried the turtle ride, which was quite fun, but probably not worth thew 30 minutes wait. By lunch time, the park really filled up.

We were there till closing time, finishing off with the Holiday Shamu Show, that, as always, was pretty lame. The night, however, was magic. The moon was almost full, and the lights of the park made it look even more spectacular.

big hugs at the Shamu Show

We had fun and even managed to tire him out. Amazing! He got a quick dinner and went straight to bed.

We had two more days with Cinzia, and we made the most of it. First off, we took advantage of her babysitting and Matt and I went for a walk in the nearby canyon. It was so nice…we used to come here a lot, BK (before keegan), but he does not enjoy it as much as we do. The fresh air, and the sunny sky made wonders for our mood. Keegan, on the other hand, was a little bit of a handful and getting him out of the house was a real challenge. We finally convinced him to walk to Jamba Juice: magic of Cinzia and her stories and games. She got him to walk to the square about 4 times…he never wanted to come with us.

For Cinzia’s last day, once again we headed to Pacific Beach. We saw that beach more in the past 10 days than in the previous six months. Matt brought the backpack this time with his food pump, so we could stay longer.

Another beautiful day, but very windy. Good thing I brought my warm hat. This time, Cinzia and I walked first, and we must have gone quite far, since Keegan was not happy with how long we were gone. Then, Matt and I walked to the tide pools near Tourmaline beach. It was low tide, and it was breathtaking.

We could not see too much marine life, but we did spotted the tentacles of a small octopus pushing sand away. It was beautiful, and our spirits were high.

The afternoon was busy, with lots of errands and packing. Our sitter Jennifer and her fiancee Jeremy stopped by to visit and to bring us the “prayer quilt” the church group made for us. She did ask us if we wanted one, and, even though we are not religious in the more traditional sense, we accepted. Positive energy, in any form is always accepted. A prayer quilt, we found out, is a quilt made by a church group for a specific person. Information about the condition are provided and as the quilt is made prayers are said for the recipient. Threads are added: each knot represents a prayer. His name is added to the back of the quilt as well. They even asked us for our favorite colors. What a nice thought, and the quilt is quite nice.

I have to say that, throughout the whole ordeal, Jennifer has been very present, and, besides offering to help, she also touched base with me a few time to ask how we were doing. She is very nice.

Just before nighttime, Cinzia got her wish: to see Keegan without BOTH front teeth.

Little Dracula

For our last night together we went to eat at Chili’s, one of Keegan’s favorite. We were all tired, but it was nice to spend another dinner with each other.

Keegan shot this picture. Not bad…and notice the giant Sunrise Margarita. I think I more than deserve it.

Back at home, we tucked Keegan in and zia Cinzia had the chance to say her goodbyes. This is always a little sad.

I dropped her off by 6am at the airport. Of course, Keegan woke up in time to see her off, but fortunately went back to bed right away.

It was very sad to think that Cinzia was leaving, and no one of us felt ready to face “reality”: going back to school and work, and daily life, by ourselves for the first time in almost a month. We are so very grateful to her for dropping everything off, and giving up her holiday time with her family and facing the long trip to be with us. Her presence here allowed us to really have a happier holiday time and to enjoy many moments in an otherwise difficult period. I also enjoyed having so much undivided time to spend together, and last, but not least, I really enjoyed feeling spoiled and pampered by her.

Thank you again, zia Cinzia, we love you, we miss you already and and we hope to see you soon!!!!

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