We need a dog

This is Kellan and his "black puppy". He adores this dog statue. When we go to the park he will pet and brush it, give it food and water, and of course provide lots of cuddles and kisses. Now, doesn't this sound like a boy who needs a dog? Anybody willing to back me up here? Come on daddy, he needs a dog of his own!

Back to the park

Spring has returned at last! We've been outside all weekend. Kellan loves the park more than any other place and we're lucky to have five excellent parks within ten minutes of home. He knows each of them by their colour of slide and requests the "Blue slide" or the "Yellow slide" and so on. Yesterday we also took him to the Highland Games where his absolute favourite event was the caber toss. I only hope that it isn't a glimpse into his own future. What must that do to your body! Each time that they performed the event, Kellan shouted, "Stick -- boom! Again. More, more!". They thought he was hilarious and even took his photo.

Happy Mother's Day!

Its true, posting that self-portrait (see below) from early this morning sans makeup, sans hairbrush, sans flattering camera angle, is not something that I would have done prior to embarking upon this journey that we call Motherhood, but then I was a different person before Kellan. And, to be honest, I like this "Mom" person so much better. Kellan's best Mothers Day gift to me has been a fun and easygoing day despite his being two and a bit (which is a handicap in and of itself) and being stuck indoors most of the day due to freezing cold overcast rainy weather. I received some consumer gifts of course, but having had a bit of "me" time today and even just listening to Kellan and his dad play together in the other room while I am home! have been the best treats of all. Maybe next year we'll be able to cycle, go to the park, and enjoy a day outdoors, but you know, for all the ugly weather and lack of things to do in central Illinois on a Sunday, this has still been a really nice Mothers Day. Next stop, dinner at my favourite Vietnamese/Thai restaurant. Happy Mothers Day to all of you moms out there!

Retro Man

Nic said, "The 70s called -- they want their clothes back".






Grandma sent this cute Elmo baseball shirt, a favourite of course. He was monkeying around before his shower this evening.

Everything but sleeping...

Play group was at our place last week and the bed was the most popular place to be. Who needs a bunch of expensive toys anyway? Carmen and Dominic are the two friends pictured with Kellan here.

Farm Trip

This is the same farm that we visited last July. He's a bit bigger now! It was a fun day out and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful. Kellan's favourite part was the tractor ride (which I couldn't photograph because I was on it with him!).

Lots of new silliness from Kellan these days. He has started calling everyone (including his parents), "Guy". He frequently exclaims, "Lets go, Guy!", or "All right, Guy!". I might ask him if he's ready for breakfast and he'll say, "Ok, Guy". When my mom phoned the other day and he wanted to talk to grandma, he got on the phone and said, "Hi, Guy!". I have no idea where he got this, but it is hilarious.

He has also started saying, "I love you", which sounds like "La you!". When we leave the house he'll say, "La you, Daddy!". Or at bedtime he'll tell me, "La you". And you know what? I "la" it!

Breakfast is a challenge these days. He just doesn't seem interested. I offer him a plate full of healthy options (fruit, cereal, cheese) and he will sit at the table for an hour, touching none of it, before finally eating a handful of goldfish or animal crackers and heading off to start his day. Or, worse yet, he will demand either cookies or ice cream and go into full tantrum mode when these are obviously refused as breakfast options. On those days, he generally leaves the table without having eaten anything. Yet, this lack of a decent breakfast doesn't seem to impact his energy, outlook, or general morning demeanor. He eats a great lunch and dinner. And I have to admit that I have always hated breakfast and haven't eaten a morning meal since my own mother gave up and stopped forcing them in to me many years ago. Still, until he's old enough to make a sensible decision based on something more concrete than a desire for ice cream at 8am, we're going to keep up the battle. Maybe its just a phase...

Easter

A week late, but here are some photos from Easter Sunday. Kellan loved his first egg hunt. We also had a nice morning at the park and went out on the bike.

The One Year Anniversary of our Play Group

This new play group photo was taken last month. I have posted the photo from one year prior for comparison. Look how they've grown! We lost one member of the group last summer and gained a new mom and son (Kelly and Caden). Connor (the newborn) is an addition to Carmen's family. The difference in the kids is incredible. And some of us moms too! I will brag that I finally lost the last of my "baby pounds" during that year and actually now weigh slightly less than before I was pregnant with Kellan. I think its the fact that I work late and never sit down for a proper meal, but whatever works, eh?

The arm is healed!

Kellan got his cast off on Thursday and did wonderfully. He didn't shed a single tear, even with the saw and the x-rays. He favoured the arm somewhat for the rest of the day, but by Friday was using it as normal again. There is a slight bend in the arm, but the orthopaedic pediatrician said that this would correct with bone growth over the next few months.

The weather has been incredibly hot for April, so we've been enjoying lots of time outside with the new sand/water table. I haven't made a final decision on the merit of this toy yet. The sand is in the water, the water is in the sand, I'm not sure how difficult it will be to keep clean and functional, but he certainly is enjoying it so far. He had another haircut on Thursday to tidy things up and keep him cool in this hot weather. As with the first haircut, he did wonderfully, sat still, giggled when the razor tickled his neck, and generally enjoyed the experience.

New this week is numbers. He can recognise all of the characters from 1-10, he is counting objects, and he can tell you "how many" of something he sees. Obviously something that he's been working on in secret, as he never gave us any indication! A nurse at the doctor's office on Thursday gave him the peace sign and he shouted, "Two!".

Two week round up

We have been hosting my in laws over the past two weeks, so things were a bit hectic. Kellan had a wonderful visit and loved every minute. They truly do give him 100% of their attention from waking right through to bedtime. They entertain him all day, take him places, read him as many books as he brings, play the same game 500 times if he should wish it, sit with him through endless mealtimes, distract him from upset, and simply take all the work out of parenting! They really are amazing grandparents. They also talk to him constantly and his language advanced incredibly while they were here. They are Welsh, so have a very soothing sing-song way of speaking. I'm not sure if it was the quality, the repetition, or simply the constant bombardment of loving speech, but he is speaking more clearly and with far greater complexity than before.

My camera broke during their visit, so these were all taken on my father in law's camera. I liked it so much that I bought the same one on Monday. Kellan had a wonderful two weeks, Nic enjoyed seeing his parents, and I survived with my sanity relatively intact. All in all, it was a great success.