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We made it to the year and half mark. It is hard to believe…especially because we are still dealing with sleeping and eating issues. Shouldn’t we be over that by now…at least the sleeping part? (-: We must have upset the sleep gods (big friends of the water gods that are already NOT on our side).

Anyway, the big day, actually the whole “birthday” week, did not start in the best day. Keegan was very cranky, waking up super early, before 5am, and just not happy. On Tuesday he was particularly fussy: so much so we actually circled the FUSSY option in his daily daycare sheet. And sure enough, just after 8 we got a call to come and get him, as he had a fever. Matt is sure they called usall because we wrote fussy…I did see how they measure the temperature and it definitely not precise. In either case, he was miserable. We think it was teething since he was drooling quite a bit, but no new tooth emerged. Matt got him, and then Tizi came home at around 10.30. Keegan got a quick nap on daddy’s lap and he felt better. Fortunately we had a check up that afternoon, so with a signed doctor note, we were able to get him back to daycare the next day. And honestly, he was fine, even if he kept on waking up early, so he was more tired than usual. He did even got a small present: the Busy Ball activity center, now one of his favorite toys. We actually bought it a few months ago, but forgot to get batteries for it…ooops.

check out the drool spots

The check up went well. We didn’t wait quite as much, even if Keegan was more cranky as I had to wake him up from his car nap. The doctor found him well. He did not gain much in weight, so he is down to the 15% but he is still 50% for height and 25% for his head circumference. The magic numbers are:

23.3 lb (10.5 kg) in weight and 32in (81cm) in height. He is right on schedule with anything he is supposed to be doing right now, so we are happy.

Some of his milestones:

• he stacks tall towers of cubes, even if he still enjoys more knocking them down
• he feeds himself with spoon and forks (sometimes)
• he drinks from a straw, but he does not like it much. He prefers to drink from a real grown-up glass, and he is really good at it: almost no spills. He likes orange juice quite a bit.

• he points to most body parts: he is learning knees, neck, tight and ankles right now
• he imitates us, even noises. He tries to feed us.
• he is more vocal: he added “tate”(potatoes or patate in Italian) , “cocco”(coccodrillo or crocodile for his wooden dancing croc), “cacra” (coccole or cuddles), “tai(d)” (outside), “my” for mine (a words he uses more and more),”papup” (help up) accompanied by the help sign, and the sound for heart, “gackle” (coccole or cuddles),”pap pap”, while hitting his chest. He also uses a variety of sounds to make himself understood.
• he is trying to communicate more: besides the help sign, in the past couple of days he has been doing the I Love You sign, especially after one of us makes it first. He may not fully understands its meaning, but he definitely do it with intent. Sometimes he even blow a kiss afterwards

I love you mommie

I love you too daddy (check out the Cheerios’s explosion!)

• he lets us know clearly when he is bored with a place by saying Bye Bye and waving repeatedly
• he blew his first bubbles: the wind helped but he still blew them all by himself
• he takes toys apart and puts them back together, and puts lids on and off containers
• he “brushes” his teeth. He still will not let us brush them, but he likes to try to do it when mom is doing it. He must look at himself on the mirror, though
• he “dances” to music or when asked
• he likes to help. He enjoys helping mom to put on sunscreen, and sweeping outside…from the jacuzzi cover

should I do the floor too?

• surprising enough, he says Yeah much more often than no. In fact he never really said no, he just shakes his head. Unfortunately, he does not always mean it when he says yes, but he ALWAYS mean it when he says no. He looks like Tizi when she first learned English: there was a lot of smiling and saying yes even if she did not have the foggiest idea of what other people were saying
• he kicks balls around more
• he points to objects when we name them and makes connections between a photo in a book and the corresponding object in the house: such as the picture of a monkey and his stuffed monkey
• he dumps objects in containers, including throwing things in the garbage
• he follows two-steps requests…and he is usually putting his toys away when asked (or pick the food he is still throwing on the floor)
• he opens more doors

less fun milestones:

• he has temper tantrums when frustrated, which unfortunately happens quite often.

an expression we have become quite acquainted with lately

• he is still going through a big separation/stranger anxiety phase…
• he is very shy in social situations, even if if they are not totally unfamiliar to him. Other kids or other people in general intimidate him. He seems to be better with older girls (4+) but otherwise, he likes to stand and watch from a distance…for quite a while before approaching the situation
• he is definitely a toddler when it comes to food: picky and finicky…which explains his little weight gain. He enjoys playing more than eating

We also finally took him to see a dentist: I know some of you may think: what? he has 10 teeth! ( and we thought that too: in fact we did not add him to our dental insurance). However, after being reprimanded twice by our doctor because we had not taken him to see a dentist yet, we caved in. I have to say that the experience was less painful, for mom of course, than expected. The office is small, stocked with cool toys, and we DID NOT WAIT at all. The doctor was nice and quite gentle, and even if Keegan cried, he was pretty still and opening his mouth, contrary to some of his best exorcist interpretations that he reserved to his regular check up: screaming, thrashing from side to side, requiring 3 adults to get to see inside his mouth… It seems that everything is OK, no cavities, and nothing to worry about for now.He has a little bit of an overbite right now, but with so few teeth is hard to tell. I guess we are due in 6 months again…

So, overall Keegan is a normal toddler: it is amazing to see how strong his personality is already…We enjoy watching him become more and more his own person every day.

here he is: our super cute (if we can say so ourselves) toddler

It is supposed to be almost summer, according to the calendar, but of course, being San Diego, we have been living with grey skies since May. May gray and June Gloom are definitely not just an expression. Anyway, we still had the chance to go outside and play around with our little guy, enjoying the sun, when it breaks through in the afternoon.

Lots of water fun. Keegan is fascinated by all sort of water. However, being the cautious little guy he is, he is also timid and somewhat reserving his judgment, most of the times. We have been exposing him to all sort of water activity in the past month of so. Of course there was the swim lessons: he did not learn much, but definitely enjoyed himself, and gain a new admiration for the Hokie Pokie Song, that we sang at the end of each class. See, he is already a real Hokie! Go Virginia Tech.

He had is first visit to SeaWorld as well. It was a quick stop, but we bought a Fun Card, so we can come back anytime for free.

The now have a great toddler area we did not have the chance to check out. We did spend most time in the tide pools: he loved dipping his hands in the water, and touch the cool starfish. Can you tell someone was having fun? We took him also to see the sharks, the turtles and the penguins, but nothing could beat the star fish.

We went back to the  beach as well, and this time we tried to re-introduce him to the ocean, after his traumatic first encounter last year: well, he did not go that much better this time. Not huge waves, but the water was freezing cold, and he (and mommie alike) did not like that a bit. He had a lot of fun playing on the shore and jumping on the pools of water there, but the waves did not fascinated him at all.

He still loves loves loves the sand, though. He makes castles, with some help, and knock them down and he enjoys getting his feet buried under the sand. Once home, one more water experience: the shower. He has watched daddies many times and he was curious about it, so we gave it a try. He was enthralled: I would not say excited but curios. He liked placing his hand under the shower head and getting wet. Not too thrilled about water in his ears, but he thought it was fun to be in there. We should also mention that he has been quite fascinated by how mommie and daddie look different from each other when naked. He finds that hilarious.

Last weekend it was finally mostly a sunny day, so our brand new solar system could actually warm up the pool to a nice 88 degrees. So it was pool time for all of us. Again Keegan was more excited about dipping his hands in it that actually playing in the pool, but it is his first try: we have learned already he needs some time to “absorb” new experiences, and we have the whole summer. We bought new water toys and we will be practicing some of the lessons learned at the swim classes…assuming the weather cooperates.

What do you mean I have to wait? I am all dressed and ready to go.

let me in, let me in, let me in

this floater is kind of fun…

but you can’t beat being in mommie’s arms

We have one more water surprise in store: we got Keegan a small water table to splash around. Judging from how much he loved splashing in the fountains in Balboa Park we think he will like it. And talking about Balboa park, he loved watching the Koi fish in the pond with daddy.

So we have not posted in a while. There are lots of cute pictures to upload and interesting stuff to talk about (of course, this is always relative: I am pretty sure the general population is bored to tears by our blog), but the truth is we have been really busy (and sleep deprived to boot) so we have not found the time to write. Hopefully there will be a few posts coming soon. We had a fun birthday party, more fun developments, and well-baby check up, and lots of goofie fun.

So stay tuned!

May 10: Tizi’s second Mother’s day. It was a great one…at this point mainly thanks to Matt, but still.The extended weekend started out with Keegan waking up at 6.30(!!) without crying (!!!!!!!!) on Friday. Which meant we had 9 hours of sleep. It felt nice!

It also happened to be Teacher Appreciation Week, so they had a nice lunch prepared for us at work after class. Later in the afternoon, there was a Mother Day Tea event at Keegan’s daycare. Since it was at 3.30, Tizi got an extra hour for herself, which is a gift in itself.

The tea was a cute event, but maybe geared more towards older kids: they had tables set up outside, where mom and their children could have muffins, cookies, teas and juice and the kids could run around, and play with bubbles. However, Keegan did not really want to have anything to do with it: maybe there were too many older kids for him, and he is definitely not the kind of kid that likes to sit down. So, we ended up visiting next door with his old teacher and in his old room (and toys) with one of his buddies that only recently moved into his bigger kids room. It was a lot quieter, and Keegan loved playing with his old pal Eric (who should be moving to his room in June) and running around. Tizi enjoyed quiet conversation with the other mom and the teacher.

Keegan “made” a nice big card, with foamy stickers and his hand-prints. Very cute. The challenge was keeping him from pulling all the stickers off and eating them. Anf of course, trying to get him to pose and smile for the camera…not quite as easy as last year.

On Saturday, Tizi met with two other mom friends, Jennifer and Lina, and their little girls, Hannah and Mila. It was really fun to see them, especially because it has been a little while. The kids played on the playground, not exactly together, but still, and the moms chatted and got all caught up.

The three musketeers
 

And check out what a difference a few months make! These two pictures collaged by Lina (thank you) are taken about six months apart. They all grew so much.

Yummy pasta lunch! |

One thing we have noticed latley, is that Keegan enjoys feeding other people. We could  see it as he likes to share, but we are not that deluded. He is not that generous. In fact he has started defining what it is his by using the word “ma”. However, he gives away his food when he does not want it himself.  So, he insisted in giving Hannah his apple: maybe he was trying to impress her. And he was quite insistent.

HEY, look at me cutie! Do you want some apple?

Here you go!

Sunday was a really good day. Keegan woke up around 6, again with no crying. After the standard cuddles and reading in bed, Matt took him outside, so Tizi could get a couple more hours of sleep. Once she woke up, she of course called her mom (and dad) and we had a good Skype conversation. It was the first time we video called since they left and Keegan was excited and confused at the same time. He has been talking with grandma on the phone in the past couple of months…seriously: she sings to him or talks and he responds to her, either by repeating some animal sounds, or sending kisses or even mimicking some song. It is very cute to see. Skype, however, was different. He recognized them, and waved at them and smiled, but he still could not understand why he could not touch them.

Matt started cooking and Keegan went in the driveway and grabbed mommie’s newspaper and brought it to her.

Isn’t this pampering or what? Yes, he now recognizes our “stuff”, and he identifies it by saying mamma or baba. He has also become quite the helper. He now imitates a lot of what we do: this is the only way we get some minimal teeth brushing, for example.  In the morning, after his milk, when Tizi and Matt are getting ready, we all brush our teeth together.

Matt prepared his excellent breakfast, so we all ate together. Keegan was falling asleep in his chair, so we thought we had a shoo-in. Alas, no way. As soon as we got in the room, he started crying and screaming, and nothing soothed him, except us holding him and rocking him. So back to the car we went. We should have known better, and go straight to the car.

We drove to pick up an inflatable house with lots of balls (another Craigslist find), and then drove to sunset Cliff to park: at least we had a nice view. We brought a game to entertain us.

He woke up pretty soon, so off the zoo we went. This time we brought the backpack instead of the stroller, and I have to say he enjoyed more than usual. He was in there for more than an hour, without fussing. It was fun to see the animals from up there for once.

Back home Tizi and Keegan had some yummy strawberry cheesecake ice cream, with graham cracker. What do you think, did  Keegan like ice cream? This is a toughie!  He was a little surprised at first by the cold stuff, but then he could not have enough. So he got his own bowl. We don’t usually give him sweets, but it was Mother’s Day and Tizi really wanted to eat some ice cream in peace…which is not possible with Keegan around, as he begs for food (wahoo, he is fetching the paper, begging for food, whining for attention…do you see a pattern here? Hey, is Mother’s Day, so I can be mean if I want to. Come on, now, we do LOVE our little puppy…I mean little boy).

Then is was Ball Time! We poured some balls in the baby pool and let him go wild. He had a blast, and didn’t even throw them all out right a way.

And when he was done, he helped us putting them away, and he brought them inside. I am telling you, he is really helping. We even get him to help us bring his toys inside at bedtime!

Lately we have also noticed that Keegan is trying to communicate and talk a lot more. We started introducing more signs, but he also tries to repeat words. He even tried to say  “coccodrillo”(with limited success, but hey, it is a tough one). He says “bro” for book (libro), “ma” for mine (we think), and he says his second full word: “cackers”(for crackers). It is funny that when he is learning a word he repeats as a question, as if it was not sure it is the right word. He has also started saying “Baaa” and waving for BYE or ciao…It looks like , while he is understanding Italian slightly better, his words are mainly in English. We think because it is a little easier, but we are still hopeful he will speak both fluently.

One more big event on Mother’s day: we trimmed his hair for the first time. It was somewhat emotional…he has been bold for so long, that it feels weird to thing he now needs a haircut. Tizi was not too excited about this, but it needed to be done: they were down in his eyes. He did not like this much, but it was quick. It is amazing how a small trim make him look so different. Even the teacher at daycare noticed and mentioned he looks so much older. I don’t know about older, but definitely different…we will post an after picture soon, so you can see the difference.

After Keegan went to bed, Matt had one more surprise up his sleeve. He cooked an exceptional filet dinner, and  we had a beautiful romantic time, with the sweet smelling lilies and tulips he bought for me, and a good glass of wine. We played the Baby Smarts game, and we realized, that even after 17 months, there is still lots we don’t know about babies. (-:

I am really blessed to have such a wonderful hubby and son. They made my Mother’s Day a wonderful one. Thank you to my two favorite guys!

With summer approaching, we finally decided to take Keegan to swim lessons. The signs were all there: he really enjoyed playing in the baby pool we set up in the yard a couple of weeks ago, during the heat wave; he has been really enjoying washing his hair (something he hated for quite a few weeks), or at least getting water dumped on his head; the weather is getting nicer, and we are planning on FINALLY getting solar panels for our pool.

So, we thought it was time. We didn’t quite have the courage to take him to the heavy duty water safety course for babies, a real water boot camp. The idea of having Keegan tossed in the water concerned me a little.  To get an idea of what we are talking about about, check out this video:

We didn’t completely excluded the idea, as it is important he understand how to float if he gets in the pool accidentally, but we wanted a softer approach to begin with. So we enrolled him in a YMCA water class. The goal is to make the babies comfortable in water, and not afraid. The class is only 8 lessons, twice a week. It is not the best time, because it is pretty much around his dinner time, but we have managed so far, with big snacks.

The class is small, 5 babies, ranging in age from 15 months to past 2 years, and we are using a small, heated (87 degrees) pool. Parents are in the water too, and there are songs and small exercises. Keegan seems to like it so far. He, like most of the kids, does not necessarily want to do what the teacher would like, but he does not mind being in the water. We even got him underwater, and he liked that. He also loved when we dunk him in the water from the edge. It is fun.

In other news, he is talking a little more now, almost real words. Beside using the sign, he now says “MO” for more, and he says “PA” for ball (palla in Italian), and his favorite now, “BOBBLES” for bubbles (bolle di sapone in Italian), his new obsession. He really likes them. And he likes saying the word. he would say it in the car, or for no apperent reason. He likes to repeat it, with a crescendo…bobbles, bobbles , bobbbles, BOBBBLEEEEESSS, almost in a frenzy. We have to get a video of that. So I guess we will have to buy some automatic bubble maker, so he can make them himself. He is also “talking” quite a bit, in his own language of course. It really does sounds like a language, with sentences. It is so funny. We even have conversations…so, he is more and more a little boy now.

While we are still working  through the pile of toys we accumulated in the past few months — and the grandparents definitely helped in that department — and slowly revealing a new thing every few weeks, Tizi went to a parents’ swap meet last week and ended up getting a few fun things for dirt cheap. She got some really cool books including a music playing, pop-up Old McDonald book. Keegan loved it, and guess how long it took him to destroy the pop ups? A whole 2 minutes! Well, it is recommended for 3+ years, but he enjoys playing the song and hearing the dog bark. Tizi also got a rocking giraffe. It is the cutest thing ever. Keegan is not quite that taken by it, but he will go on it for a few minutes. He also thinks it is a weird looking cow, so he moos every time he approaches it.

He’s still going through his separation anxiety, especially from mom, who can’t even go to the next room without causing tears. And, more surprising, he has become very shy. Every time there are other kids around, he initially hangs on to us, even if is the same kid at daycare that he sees every day and that always comes over to hug him in the morning. It is very surprising to us, since he has always been quite a social baby, and he is still very interested in other people…just a little shy. We are sure it will be a phase, and we will try to put him in as many social situations as possible.

So we are happy to report that all is well, and following the expected path. Now, we are looking forward to summertime and more fun in the sun.

It is tough being a toddler, but someone gotta do it, right? Between playing, eating, goofing around, running, climbing, throwing the occasional tantrum, making weird noses, and chasing mom and dad around there are simply not enough hours in a day. Maybe this is why he resists his naps!

Jokes aside, not counting the constant cold and the teething, Keegan is healthy and happy. We are posting some images just to give you a glimpse of his life as a toddler.

His eating preferences vary daily, and now he LOVES apples. Yes, the same fruit he refused to eat before: now he loves it, at least today, especially if he can eat it biting it off.

He is quite proficient at washing his hands, and most times, after changing a poopie diaper, he will go to the diaper pail (too bad he can’t actually drop the diaper in there), and then straight to the bathroom for washing his hands. He enjoys climbing on the step stool and playing with the running water.

You can’t be called a toddler without some goofing around. Keegan thought it was hilarious to explore both of his nostrils at the same time (instead of eating, mind you)…no, he did not pick any winners.

At his new daycare room they have plenty of art time, so we tested his skills at home with some washable -we hope-, no toxic – we REALLY hope, since he proceeded to put them in his mouth right away-, crayons. What a masterpiece! And I guess he is not left-handed like mom after all.

Some of his favorite games right now are pushing and pulling toys around, especially the wooden ones that make such a fun noise, throwing balls over handed, stacking cubes really high, and then knock then down, shape sorting, and of course boxes and lids and filling and emptying container. He also loves when we sing to him (and his daddy’s Tarzan interpretation). And if he LOVES being outside, either in the yard, the street, the playground or anywhere else. Good thing we live in San Diego, and can enjoy outxdoor time most of the year  (sorry for rubbing it in).

And right on time, he is showing some major jealousy, so every time mom sits with daddy, he comes right over, make sure we are not too close by pushing us apart and sits right in the middle for a group hug.

I can’t believe is Easter already, but here we are. The first week after the grandparents left went OK. We are definitely back to normal: no more sleeping in till 8am for Keegan. In fact he started his random schedule again, which usually means WE are not getting any sleep. We had in order: a 6am wake up, a midnight wake-up with him (and us) staying awake till 3.30am, another wake up at 4.30 and 5.30, and then the next day a midnight and 1.30 and then 5.30 wake ups…and of course, while he sleeps fine at daycare, he does NOT want to nap at home. We tried again the crying out method on saturday, and guess what, he cried 2.5 hours, and no nap. So once again, it is back in the car and he fell asleep right away…We definitely need to find a way for him to nap, since he is very tired. We can try to get some kind of cot, like they have a daycare, so maybe it will help. At this point we are open to everything. (-:

Anyway, this too shall pass.

Easter, while still did start with a somewhat sleepless night, turned out to be a very fun day for all of us. The weather was once again beautiful and sunny, so we started the day with a small Easter hunt. Matt hid some colorful eggs filled with treats in the yard, and we got Keegan out there to find them. We did not do anything too elaborate, but he had a blast. “He” made a small basket at daycare, so he was  ready to go, and he quickly got the hang of it.

let’s store them all in the basket

I have found another one

He was such a thrill to watch him and to hear him shriek in delight, especially when he started shaking them, and he realized that there was something inside…and something edible at that.

hey, they are making a fun shaking sound

what’s in there?

Yummy Strawberry Puffs

yummy!!!

enough, let’s save the loot for later

It was so much fun! After both mom and Keegan had a nap, it was off to the playground. He did have a good time, climbing stairs, going down the slides, playing with the sand, and petting doggies. He even crawl though the tunnel, something he usually does not like to do. Then is was time for more playtime at home.

We hope all of you had as fun as a Easter Day as we did.

Sadly, the time has come to say Arrivederci again. The grandparents left for Italy last week…just in time for the biggest earthquake in Italy in 30 years. Fortunately they are not in harm’s way, and thank you to all of you that expressed concern. Neither they or anyone in their direct circle has been affected.

We had a wonderful time, and spent many days enjoying each other’s company. We all miss them a lot. Keegan has been occasionally pointing to the door, waiting for them to show up at any time. He has been looking for their car, and its keys, since he had a lot of fun playing in it, and pretending to drive it…oh- oh, are we in trouble?

I am getting the hang of this driving thing

For us, it has really been a treat seeing how well they get along, and how much fun they had together. It could have been a simple stroll in the neighborhood…

…or a shopping trip in mama’s mothership: Target…

I love this shopping thing… check out my mug

Making mama proud: Keegan is a Target lover already

… or simply playing in the yard

man, this is a REALLY big ball

or enjoying an old-fashioned passtime as  paper dolls (and grandpa is a master at it)…

…no matter what they did, they had a ball. Unfortunately, the last week, has been spent tending to Keegan who got sick, and was out of daycare for 4 days. We are very grateful for Grandmma and Grandpa that took such god care of him so we could still go to work. It was nothing serious, just a combo cold-cough-fever-teething thing. He was well enough by Friday to enjoy one last day with his best playmates.

We are looking forward to seeing them again soon, possibly in Italy. Thank you again for everything  you have done, and see you soon on Skype!

…and Easter is around the corner. While the calendar says it is indeed spring, the first few days has been quite unpredictable: some sun, some rain, some warm days, some cold ones, lots of wind…I guess this is what spring is supposed to be. We still took the chance to take Keegan out as much as possible, even if it is our yard or a quick stroll around the block. And when you do walk around the block, you may meet some interesting fellows. Like a friendly gentleman walking a lamb!

Let me give you some background: for the past few years, we have noticed that, around Easter time, one of our neighbors up the block had a cage with one or two lambs in his garage. We could not believe it: we are living in the very definition of suburbs, at least the 60’s idea of it, so keeping wild animals as pets is not really standard.However, we saw it enough time to know we were not hallucinating. The lamb/s always disappeared after Easter. Well, so what is a rational person supposed to think?????

I guess we can add this to the “never judge a book by his cover” series. On Wednesday, we had the chance to talk to the guy and his lamb, Daisy. it turns out that he is a photographer and every year he gets a lamb from a farm around Easter time and bring it to different schools to take pictures of the children. After Easter he returns it to the farm….and we don’t want to know what happens after that, nor we want to ask.

So, on Wednesday, our friendly neighbor, was kind enough to bring Daisy the lamb around as he saw Keegan playing in the front yard: what a treat it was for him (and for Tizi as well).

Keegan, meet Daisy

The little lamb is only two weeks old and she was very friendly as well. Keegan was somewhat perplexed at first, and Daisy did not know what to make of him either.

Grandma, are you sure about this petting thing?

well, I feel safer with mom

But after a short while they slowly warmed up to each other…maybe a little much. After 20 minutes, the lamb was running away begging for mercy, as Keegan was chasing her and patting her on her butt.

Hi there!

let’s play catch

Of course we had to film the whole thing, it was too funny. Tizi even learned something new: lambs jump, and it means they are in a playful mode. Also, by three weeks they are basically teenagers, and never listen. We tried to convince our neighbor to let us hire Daisy, as a weed eater, but we got shot down: I guess that weeds don’t sit well in their stomach, literally, and even if lambs love them, weeds make them sick…oh well it was worth a try.

Are you sure we can’t hire her to eat our weeds??

By the way, yes, we will eventually take care of the front yard. We want to actually eliminate the grass and replace it with some local, drought resistant plants, but we have other projects that take priority. So, for now, we will have to rely on random lambs and Matt’s lawnmower to keep weeds under control.

Once again, while the grandparents are around, Keegan is going through some big change. Nothing stratospheric, mind you, but after almost 5 months of quiet he is finally sprouting new teeth. Not one, not two, but three: two top front ones, and a top molar! We honestly didn’t noticed the first two, as his sleep has been erratic plenty times before without reason. I just put my finger accidentally into his mouth and felt them. While at first I was not too thrilled about losing symmetry, with the new top tooth, she was relieved to see that the other top tooth is about to poke out. Relieved till this morning that is, when Keegan woke at 5.30 crying and could not be soothed. Oh well, hopefully it will be over soon.

The weather has been good, and we have very warm forecasts for the next few days, so Keegan has been enjoying lots and lots of outdoor play and walks with grandma and grandpa. This a great thing because he absolutely LOVES being outside, and he will clamor to go outside as soon as we get back home from daycare.Tizi on the other hand has been enjoying a few hours of free time each day, and just at the right time too, as she has been somewhat buys at work.

goofing around in Mission Bay

how did this got on my head?

slides are still Keegan’s favorite

Keegan has also increased his vocal repertoire, as far as animal noises goes at least. He now grunts for piggie, makes “mmmm” for cow, “oh,oh,oh,oh” for monkey, “awooo” for cat, “ssssss” for snake, “ah, ah, ah” for crows (or any other bird), “awoooooo” for dog (we must have hounds in the neighborhood). No much more progress in talking, even though he can now say “mama, dada, nana (for banana)” quite well. His signing has improved as well, both in quality and consistency. Milk, more (referring to anything, not just food), food, and all the others we mentioned already, and now even “shhhh” (hand on his mouth). Of course he also has lots of other ways to let us know what he wants.

Finally he has kept on eating more and more food, and more and more on his own. He is now quite good at eating with a spoon, even dipping it himself. And tomatoes have made a triumphal return. He finally likes pasta!!! Tizi is excited about that.

We have another week and a half with the grandparents and we are all planning to enjoy every minute of it. You don’t need to tell Keegan twice. He is having a ball with them, his favorite playmates. He plays all afternoon, and laughs out loud, and squeal in delight at all the games grandma and grandpa are inventing for him. It does not hurt that they are bringing lots of gifts, big and small. We will definitely had to hide some when they leave, and rotate them. For now though, is great to see him light up and play with them.

having a laugh with grandma’s musical book

Tizi and Matt are also enjoying the extra free time. Saturday we had our first night outside the house. Grandma offered kindly to sleep over so we went to a funny comedy show at 4th and B and then stayed the night at the Sheraton Hotel at Symphony hall, in a nice king suite, with awesome view of the city. We were even upgraded and got a wonderful free breakfast buffet. By the way, the Sheraton restaurant is the place where we first talked about/decided to get married in 2002.

The best part of it, though, was the chance to actually spend time together, as a couple, without worries, and really only focus on each other, without being interrupted. And let not forget the chance to get a nice night of sleep. Even if we were not able to sleep in till 9/10am straight as we used to (we still got up earlier) it was wonderful not to have to get up right away, and just lie down and talk and cuddle with no rush. Plus, we got back home early enough not to miss the little guy too much. Seeing how happy he was when he saw us really was touching: it almost compensate us for the perennial lack of sleep… almost.

So thank you grandparents for such a great gift!

our little angel

Another Well Baby Check Up (another grueling 3 hours experience…as soon as he gets 2 we are changing doctors). Keegan is healthy and well developed, and he actually showed more patience than mom and dad during the eternal wait to see the doctors.

These are his measurements:
• Weight is exactly 23 lb (10.2kg) >> 25–50 percentile
• Height  is 30.1/2 inches (77 cm) >> 50–75 percentile
• Head circumference of 14.5in. >> 25 percentile

So he remained on his growth curve, after the big jump last time. he seems to hit all the developmental milestones, except for talking and we never tried scribbling, so we are not sure about that.

These are milestones he was checked for :

• he walks fast and almost run
• he stacks objects on top of each other. His record was 5 before collapse.
• he responds to simple commands (when he wants to)
• he self feeds, and use utensils (he can, but only when he wants to)
• he picks up objects while walking without falling down
• he waves bye
• he holds out arm or lifts a leg to help us dress him
• he points at body parts when asked (again if he wants to)
• he matches lids with containers
• he imitates us somewhat
• he points
• he walks backward

Other things he does:

• he finally started signing back in a clear way! it only took 9 months!!! He now clearly signs for milk. He also knows how to sign for More, and Finished, but he does not use them consistently. He makes up his own signs as well: lifting his arm to indicate trees, and one arm to indicate he wants up on the couch; shakes his head to say no; bangs on the fridge or his high chair when he is hungry; rubs his hands together when we tell him to go wash his hands; clap his hands or feet when asked.
• he enjoys washing his hand. He gets up his little steps, and helps out.
• while he is not really talking, he says “nanana” for banana, dadad for dad, and mummmmm for mom. He also started grunting for pig: of course of all animal sound we have been doing he has to pick the pig. He also makes a distinctive sound and put his hand on his hear for telephone.
• his understanding increases every day: he now sits down when asked, and also when we mention it is time to put our shoes on.
• he is throwing balls…or anything else in his hands
• he getting a lot better at shape sorting. His favorite toy right now is the Shape Sorter Hyppo: not only he gets to sort the shapes, he gets to press down a button that eject them out from the mouth. Of course he enjoys the pressing the button more than shape sorting, but still…

• he has learned to open doors. Fortunately, some of our handles are higher than others, so out of his reach. We also got some handles lock, just in case
• he is slowly eating more foods. We are cautious in saying it, but he has started getting more chunky foods and self feeding himself more.
• he has started walking backwards and sitting in between our legs when he wants to be read a book: I guess they do this in his new daycare, and he may like that a lot
• he still quite the daredevil. He enjoys standing on the coffee table, and crowd diving: this keep us on our toes, because he dives regardless if there is anyone there to catch him or not. He loves to climb and go up and down stairs.
• he still loves books and keeps on turning pages on his own. He has been doing this for a long time now, and it makes it difficult to read to him.
• he is starting to throw tantrums when frustrated, usually when we stop him from doing something dangerous or take a way a toy (or not take him outside)”
• of course he more and more interested in his penis, now every time we change him
• he “dances” when he hears music, especially the banjo sounds from his leap frog table. Well, he bend his legs and goes up and down, but hey, he is a white boy, and white boy can’t dance, right?

In other news, he is getting adjusted to his new daycare. He has not been crying the past couple of mornings when we left him, and he seems more involved. I saw him interact with the other kids more when I pick him up, and they told us that he loves to eat. He has been eating a lot more there and different foods: he probably likes to eat with all the other kids: they are so cute, sitting together at their little tables, with their little chairs. He must enjoy the social eating: we really need to make an effort to share some meals together.

The new schedule is more structured, and maybe he likes the predictability of it. They do art, and music and outdoor play, and so far he has been sleeping a couple of hours each afternoon. In the weekends we have some trouble keeping him up till 11.30/12. On Saturday he feel asleep at 9.30 on his high chair (and of course, bad parents as we are, there he staid till he woke up  an hour later). His night sleeping is still a little off, but it seems like the daylight savings change helped, and he has been sleeping a little longer in the morning (maybe because it is darker).

So, all and all he is a healthy, happy toddler, and we are deeply grateful for that. Plus, isn’t he adorably cute?

We made to the 15th month already…and what a beginning to the new month that was: grandma and grandpa arrived from Italy, and Keegan moved to the bigger kids room and changed his daily nap schedule.

Bye Bye Infant room…I’m off to the big kids room

He is actually is taking all in stride. The first day we took him to the new room it was harder for us (or should I say Matt since he has the unpleasant task if dropping him off) that Keegan. Of course he cried, and of course he was super clingy, but the teachers said he did OK, considering. He played and ate all his food…in fact he wanted some pieces of the pizza the other kids were having…we were not aware of Pizza Monday, I guess. When I picked him up, he was sleeping!!! He took a 2.40 hours nap. All the other kids were very nice and friendly, Matt said, and came over to greet him, despite his tears.

Once I took him home, another surprise was waiting for him: grandma and grandpa were home! He was of course not sure what to make of them, and very shy and he kept running to mom, but it took him less than one hour to warm up to them, and start playing. Mom had to be in the room, at short distance, but he let them grandparents hold him and play with him. They have the magic touch: they know just how to handle him. Before we knew it he was running around and giggling and laughing and playing all sort of games.

playing with grandpa

I hate posing for pictures, but check out my super cute Superga shoes

Each new day he got friendlier and friendlier and learn top spend more and more time with them alone, without mom present. After a week we are up to more than an hour, without complaints: well, who wants to complain when you have two playmates that spend every minute just trying to make him laugh, play with him non-stop and indulge every whim? It will be a rude awakening when they leave as mom and dad definitely do not give him this much attention. It is great to see them together, though. And mom is finally starting to have some time for doing her own stuff (or just relax).

And let not forget the awesome home made Italian food we are getting every night. Or the cool toys and gifts they are buying  for all of us. Or the babysitting so we can go out on date nights. We don’t know how is getting more spoiled, us or Keegan..

The time has come: Keegan will move to the bigger kids room, the Ladybug room, starting on Monday. While this is an exciting milestones, we are not too excited about the timing. It feels like he did not have enough time to transition, as he only been over there a few times, for an hour or two at the time, and now, all of the sudden he will be in a new room, without his beloved teachers, and his best buddies. As strange as it seems, it looks like he really bonded with one of the kids, and he is entertaining long conversation with him. It will be sad to separate them. He has been sleeping in a cot and not a crib for the past few weeks, and he seems to be doing OK with that.

Also, the schedule is quite different: all the kids sleep at the same time, between 11.30 and 2.30. He has been doing a single nap before, but he usually not very happy about it. Also, this means that lunch is at 11 am, while we prefer it to be around 12.30.  They do provide snacks, but we can also bring our won: which is a good thing, because they were offering corn dogs the other day!

However, his teachers seem to think he is getting bored over there: which probably means he is getting into trouble. I know that they transitioned many kids so they must know what they are doing, but still, we are a little nervous. When I came to see the new room, of course, Keegan would not let me put him down, and one other kid that moved a few months ago, run to greet his old teacher, like he missed her.

We know he will be fine, and at least three of the kids used to be in the infant room; also, he may learn to talk more, being with the older kids, and may learn new skills, like sleeping on his own and eating more and he will do more age appropriate games and activities. I guess they have art scheduled every day. Plus he will be good for him to learn to deal with change (hopefully he will be a lot better about that than mom and dad)…still we are nervous. Maybe this is more about us than him, and it will be harder on us that him.

To make things more complicated, Monday is also the first day Keegan will see his grandparents again: so we have two big changes happening at the same time. Fortunately they will still stay at the apartment at the beach, so at least his sleep routine will be the same.  And we are sure that the doting and extra attention will help as well.

So we are keeping our finger crossed as we approach this big milestone. Good luck little man!

After the warmest January we could remember, with summer-like temperature, we are now back into winter time. A series of storms has been hitting San Diego, and while we are still blessed with temperatures not lower than 40/50, it has been a bummer to be indoor, especially with Keegan. He is getting a little of cabin fever…and we are not too happy either.

Tizi has been trying to take him out as much as possible, even if it is only a quick stroll in the neighborhood or a grocery store run: he enjoys the diversion. All of us have also been dealing with a nasty cold: stuffy noses, low voices and heavy coughs: it has been two weeks and we are still not out of the woods.

So we are longing for sun again…yes we are spoiled, and we have no rights to complain…we know that, but still… So, dreaming of warmer days, we went to finally get a backpack carrier: better late than never. We are looking forward to do some hiking: it has been a while. We are hoping Keegan will cooperate. He did not seem too crazy about it when we tested in the yard, but I am sure he just needs some time to adjust to it. He did enjoy being able to pull daddy’s hair, though.

pulling daddy’s hair is so much fun

I am not too sure about this contraption: let’s signal to the plane for help

Some new things in Keegan’s life: he has discovered how to turn on the TV, and he is quite fascinated by it. As you may know, we are not usually watching TV when he is around as we are trying to limit his exposure as much as possible  so the TV is a mysterious and intriguing thing, and one of the few things that captures his undivided attention. He seems to be interested by the same shows that daddy likes: Modern Marvels and the like. He has also started enjoying drinking form a straw and recently had his first Jamba Juice smoothie, just like mama’s.

His attention span is still quite fickle, so we are also turning to old school toys, such as wood toys and the one and only Slinky: it is amazing to see how classic toys never go out of style, and still capture the imagination of the newer generation.

what does this thing do?

pretty cool!

Not much progress to report in the tooth brushing or eating: he is still very erratic in his eating habits, and while today he ate tomatoes and pear chunks once again, he still prefers smooth foods to chunky. Could it be the texture? So for now we are still putting everything in soups and mixing fruit, strictly pureed, in yogurt…waiting for Grandma and her miraculous cooking. Tizi’s parents will be here for a month starting in March. We are looking forward seeing them, and showing them how much the little guy has grown in these few months.

I know we are not counting months anymore, but hey, Keegan is 14 months today… we will take any excuse to celebrate him. Plus, he loves the Happy Birthday song: they told us that every time he hears it at daycare, as babies turn one, he starts smiling and laughing and clapping his hands… He does not realize it is not all about him.

So what’s new? Not too much. Some happy notes: he now knows how to sign “Washing Hands”(he rubs his hands together) and he is starting to give kisses. For now he is simply making the sound and puckering up, somewhat, but it is a start. He is also biting a lot less. He seems to understand more and more everyday:he recognizes when we are telling him we are going home, or when we are going out for a walk or outside in the yard. I guess it is time for mom and dad to stop cursing. This will not be easy (-:

He recognizes Matt’s truck’s noise and when he thinks he is coming home he runs toward the door; he knows how to wave goodbye, even if he not always timing it right. And he seems to associate the computer in the living room with calling Grandma and Grandpa with Skype, as he starts waving at the screen.

He now really enjoys playing at the playgrounds (lucky us) and getting in the way of everyone, and of course sliding down. We bought him a small climb and slide for the yard. Another excellent find from Craigslist ($25): we had to drive all the way up to Escondido, but it was worth it. Those things are expensive, and from experience, he will get bored with it soon. Plus he slept all the way though. He seems to like it, even if for not more than a few minutes at a time, and he is getting the hang of it.

 Check me out: I am on top of the world

I can climb all by myself

I am all ready to go

no activity is more important that signing for EVERY passing plane.

He also loves to climb, and now he really enjoys being on the couch, or side tables…good thing he has learned how to get down, after a couple of spills: not head first, but feet first.

Keegan is also really set in his ways…already, and very stubborn (someone suggested he is taking after mom… Tizi says she is determined, not stubborn, and that it is a great quality to have). This brings us to a slightly less positive note: a lot of things are still a big struggle with him.

His sleep is a little more erratic, but he is still sleeping at least through 5/5.30 am, and usually 6/6.30. Naps are a hit or miss: some days he takes two 1.5 hours naps a day (Sunday) others he only has a 30 minutes nap the whole day. This means that he still fights us for every nap, and we solemnly observe the rule: Never Wake A Sleeping Baby (even if we have to let him sleep in the car, inside the garage). Sometimes, when he skips is afternoon nap, he so exhausted that he can fall asleep anywhere…like in his high chair.

Of course  I don’t need an afternoon nap

And the other two big battles: eating and brushing his teeth. He refuses to open his mouth so it is impossible to brush his teeth. We tried to show him how to, to let him try, to give him a finger brush, to play with the toothbrush…nothing worked. We have  few other tricks up our sleeve, but no guarantee they will work. We will take him to a dentist soon, and hopefully we will get some better ideas.

Food is another fun issue. He is the pickiest baby in the universe (again, is he taking after mom? Is he taking anything bad from dad????). He does not like most food. Matt has been cooking delicious meals for him and he snubbed them all. We tried all sort of toddlers recipes, to no avail. His favorite food so far: soup, as in broth, with anything in it (we even tried tortellini and he ate them, with the broth); cheese, pretty much any kind; yogurt, even the disgusting plain one (he ate the yogurt, and spit out the fruit chunks); eggs, with anything in it; pureed fruit (he would not eat most of the fruit in chunks); pineapple; bananas; bread; cheerios and similar; cereals with milk. Oh yeah, and all sort of sweets mommie is eating. In fact, he comes and begs for food ANYTIME we are eating something. He is smart, though: when we try to eat healthy food in front of him, he will snub it.

As you can see no much veggies here. He ate tofu chunks last week, but it may be a fluke. He used to love tomatoes, but that has passed as well. So he does not like chunky foods, he rather eat purees, and being fed (lazy bum)… all we can do is to pack nutritious stuff inside his soups and eggs and hope he will learn to eat more.

He is definitely growing though, so we are not worried, just frustrated. Dinner time is a pain.

Last positive note: the weather keep on being summer-like, with no humidity…which cause quite a few static “problems”. (-:

In fact there has been more days in a row with  temperature above 70 (about 15) in January that it has been last July (4 only).  I know we will be paying for it later on – water rationing is on the horizon for this summer- but we are enjoying it nonetheless. We went to the zoo on Saturday with Krista, Eric and little Torin and we had a great time. Did not get any decent pictures because it was super crowded and when we set the little creature free, he did not stop a second…so here the best we got.

running around at the zoo