Pumpkins and Owls

Welcome to the belated October edition of "It's All about Kellan"!  As Octobers go, this year's was very nice.  The crisp autumn air descended and the landscape took on a whole new look.  Sweaters and wool coats were pulled out of the closet.  The harvest smells of roasting corn and pumpkin seeds were so heavy you could almost taste them.  And for the second year in a row (which now makes it an official tradition), we joined the Jorgenson family for a trip to "The Farm" in Snohomish.  We enjoyed interacting with some of the animals, made our way through the hay maze, and found the perfect pumpkins for carving.

Mommy and Kellan at The Farm

Daddy and Kellan, just before starting the pumpkin hunt

The Gray Family, circa October 2011

Kellan with Lacey, post-discovery of the practically perfect pumpkins for purchase

Can't wait to go again next year!

When I asked Kellan what he wanted to be for Halloween this year, he said an owl.  What's a mother (who had just taken her first-ever sewing class a month earlier) to do but make her son's costume?  I found a particularly cute idea for his costume online and promptly copied every bit of it... then paraded Kellan around like I'd come up with it myself.  Eh, whatever.  He looked awesome.  Here he is, "hoo hoo"-ing it up!

I was thrilled he kept the hat on; he's usually very annoyed by head gear, but somehow understood its integral part in the costume.  Way to go Kellan!

Camping with the Freemans

Waaaaaaay back at the beginning of October, we took a camping trip to Deception Pass.  We rented a travel trailer and shared a site with Aunt Justyn, Uncle Ian, Cousin Finley and Cousin Thatcher, who had their own camper.  We lucked out with not much rain; however, the Freemans did end up dealing with a gas alarm at 5am our last day there (it was a very early morning for them).  The trip was still quite a bit of fun overall, though.

The best picture from the trip was the first one (ha ha)

Kellan and Mommy in a teepee at the beach

Lots of logs, lots of jumping, lots of fun!

Finley

Aunt Justyn and Cousin Finley

Finley sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" for Kellan, complete with all the movements (it's one of his favorite songs)

We brought Kellan's red wagon with us - doesn't it look like they're having a cozy conversation?

Thatcher konked out on the way back from the beach

Uncle "Hot Lips" Ian

It should be noted that no one was harmed by the pebbles Thatcher and Kellan threw over the rock wall...

A couple of family photos to end the trip... 



...and now all Mommy can think about is macaroni salad.  Time for a snack. :-)

"I Did It!"

Recently, we bought Kellan a special clock that has a side display which shows a boy sleeping at night and the same boy awake during the day.  When it's nighttime, the sleeping picture is illuminated.  Once 6:30am rolls around, the display switches to the daytime picture.  We bought the clock because Kellan had been waking up multiple times in the night and very early in the morning not wanting to go back to sleep; we hoped he would recognize that if the daytime picture wasn't lit, it wasn't time to wake up yet.  We incentivized things by adding that if Kellan did sleep through the night, he'd get to pick out two special stickers in the morning.  If he woke up once during the night but went right back to sleep, he'd still get one sticker.  If he woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep (or woke up multiple times), he wouldn't get any stickers.

It has worked very well!  Who knew stickers could be such a strong motivator?  About half the time he wakes up once during the night, usually because he can't find his pacifier, but lays right back down to sleep knowing he'll still get a sticker in the morning.  The other half of the time he's slept the whole night through!  Mommy and Daddy are getting more sleep, Kellan is so proud of himself, and stickers are cheap and plentiful!  It's been wonderful.  And in the morning when we go to get him out of the crib, one of the first thing he says is "I did it!".  It's so fun to see him reaching goals and pleased with himself.  We're crossing our fingers this continues!

Here's a random picture we caught one day during Kellan's nap.  It's of the display on his video monitor.  Notice how he's sprawled in the same manner as the sock monkey behind him?  Pretty cute, huh?

There are lots of photos and stories to add, but I wanted to keep up the tradition of having at least one post each calendar month, and today's the last day of November (where did the time go?).  So, keep watch - there's more to come!

The Kellan Collage

Recently, I needed some cheering up at work.  What better way to make me smile than to look at multiple photos of Kellan over his 2+ years of life?  So I put together a collage to add as my computer desktop background at work.  Now, whenever I'm feeling blue, I can see the collage and remember what a special, happy, joy-inducing son I have to come home to.

Incidently, there is one photo above from each month of his life through this past August.  There wasn't enough room to add a photo for September and October - so here's one photo from each month that I would've added had I extra room.

I hope these bring a smile to your face as well!

August 2011

I was reminded today that I have a lot of catching up to do on our blog, so to get started, here's a recap of a few things we did in August.

While Daddy spent a weekend in Bellingham, Mommy and Kellan took the opportunity to check out Cottage Lake Park in Woodinville.  We met up with Connie and Nash for a little picnic and to feed the ducks.  Kellan really enjoyed watching us throw bread bits and having the ducks gobble them up.  He tried a few throws of his own, but for the most part seemed happy enough to just watch.

Kellan, on the dock, watching the ducks

There was a playground on site, so we spent a few minutes testing out the equipment before heading home

Thankfully, that weekend was a very sunny one, so when Daddy came home on Sunday, we ventured to Madison Park.  Kellan was afraid of going into the water (yes, the phobia has reappeared), but as long as Daddy had him well above the water's edge, Kellan was OK.

The safest place when you're walking along the beach?  Daddy's shoulders, of course.

There was a playground full of fun slides, climbing structures, and swings, so we spent a hefty portion of time testing everything out.

Kellan, gearing up for the next piece of unexplored playground equipment

One of the things Kellan loves to say these days is "I'm taaaaaaaall!" - so you can imagine the words he used to describe the above experience

Kellan "hiding"...

...found you!

This wheel-type contraption provided several minutes of dizzying spins and giggles for Kellan

Another weekend, we decided to meet Grandma and Grandpa in Deer Harbor (Orcas Island) when they docked there in their boat.  We stayed the first night on the boat, then spent the second in one of the units at Deer Harbor Resort, which overlooked the marina.

Kellan got to take his first ride in the dinghy while we trolled the edge of Orcas Island

Deer Harbor Resort had a swimming pool, and since it was such a warm day, we readied ourselves for a dip.  Kellan got to put on his new swim trunks and shirt, along with his swim shoes...

But don't let this big smile fool you.  It was all a ruse, as once we actually got to the swimming pool, Kellan refused to get in the water.  When Daddy eventually picked him up and carried him into the water (thinking it would help ease him in), the screams were heard around the entire marina.  So, that was the end of that.

Before dinner in Eastsound, Daddy, Mommy, and Kellan ventured down to a rocky beach and spent some time throwing rocks into the water and enjoying the scenery.

Kellan, sporting his uber-cool shades

Family photo!!

On the ferry ride home (and to the island, actually), Kellan climbed over rows of chairs, finally ending in a "ta-da" stance at the last chair

TA-DAAAAAAA!

We should probably enroll him in gymnastics, as he really has perfected that "end pose"

More photos and catch-up to come...

Hives Update

We have good news - finally, Kellan's hives seem to be diminishing.  After phoning the on-call pediatrician over the weekend, a trip to the ER yesterday, and a visit to the doctor this afternoon, it appears that Kellan's hives are likely to a virus, since it's so prominent and has covered his entire body.  I have to say, the nice thing about going to all these places is they have all said Kellan's hives are significant, so I don't have to feel like I've been overreacting.  Today his regular doctor said we could stop Benadryl (his last dose was around bedtime and he was up all night long, plus it didn't really seem to help at all) and start him on Children's Zyrtec instead.  Within a couple of hours, Kellan's skin looked better.  Less swelling and more discoloration (which we were told meant healing).  Just in case it doesn't continue to go away, we have a third line of defense in a prescription medication, but have yet to fill it since we want to wait and see how the Zyrtec does on its own.  I'm so much more at ease knowing that the hives weren't from something in our home or something we might have to avoid; and what a relief to see something providing him help from the itching and swelling!  So, knocking on wood right now, but it appears that things are getting better.
I have to say, we are SO BLESSED to have such a wonderful little boy that continues to keep his chin up and be a trooper through all this discomfort.  It's amazing what he goes through, all the while remaining sweet, thoughtful, and nearly without complaint.  I continue to ask myself, how did we get so lucky?

Hellish Hives and Catch Up

At this very moment, our poor, sweet Kellan is suffering from an onslaught of hives over his entire body. We have no idea why they appeared, as it's been a very normal weekend, but could be the result of an allergen in the air at the zoo yesterday (pollen, perhaps). We gave him a dose of antihistamine, but when he woke up this morning, he was covered head to toe in welts. I know I'm not supposed to worry - especially when Kellan is in his usual good spirits - but it's hard to see the red splotches make their way up his face, down his legs, and spread over his torso like a sunburn. Please send good thoughts his way...

So, what's Kellan up to these days? Other than the hives, he's been doing really, really well. It's so fun to hear him sing songs from school, count, and say his ABC's. He doesn't do any of them perfectly, mind you, but he's definitely getting there! He's shy, but very polite and kind - if he thinks Mommy or Daddy has been hurt, he'll ask if we're OK, then give us a hug and kiss to "make it better". He has his defiant moments, but most of the time, he can be reasoned with - especially if it means he gets something he wants. He amazes us with his memory and comprehension of things, too. I doubt anyone would be able to tell he was a preemie now!

Here's Kellan "hiding" from us

At the beginning of July, we went to Bellingham for a visit with Grandma and Grandpa and to enjoy the nice weather.

There is a duck that visits Grandma and Grandpa's beach on a regular basis - Kellan and Grandma decided to drop some bread for him to eat

Grandpa, Grandma, and Kellan hanging out on the beach

Don't you want to hit the shore first thing in the morning? Kellan didn't even wait to change out of his pajamas...

The end of the dock is a good place to soak up some sun

Do you like Kellan's impression of the sunbathing mermaid to his right?

Hopefully one of the few instances we'll say Kellan has a "dirty mouth"...

Remember Kellan's first kiss, Faith (she's also Jared's goddaughter)? She and her parents (Barbi Jo and Egan) came out for dinner while we were in Bellingham. It took quite awhile before Kellan warmed up to Faith, but the "Wheels on the Bus" toy certainly helped break the ice.

Check out the tall tower Kellan and Daddy made!