Updates

March, 2008

Kellen has learned the fine art of jerking Mommy's chain.

• He tells me he doesn't know any of his letters; then when he plays with his alphabet toy, he pushes the letters all correctly.
• When I tell him to go to sleep, he gets that sad look on his face and says 'Hears da pwobwem, Mommy...when I twhy to close my eyes, they just pop back open again'
• He tries to be funny when I'm trying to correct him, which I misinterpret as defiance, so I get mad and yell, then he gets that boo boo lip and says "why are you mad, Mommy?" and then I feel like a jerk
• His tendency to incorporate poop, pee-pee, or puke, making it hard for me to discipline him without smiling

He's now FOUR. Its hard for me to believe how much he has grown. He is learning sign language from his wonderful teacher, Miss Julia. He has learned how to snap his fingers. He has outgrown his trike. He can jump and climb and and use the bigger equipment on the playground.

Can't wait to get him a new 'big kid bike'!

 

January, 2008

Kellen has had such a huge change in his growth and development since October; its hard for me to believe how quickly our little ones change.

Things about him right now:

He has passed out of that phase that some call 'terrible twos'...but for us, it was more like the 'learning to be independent threes'; he does things when he's asked to more of the time now. He is able to control his impulses most of the time, even when angry. He does his chores, even when his play is interrupted. ..and best of all, he is able to tell us what he's feeling so we can help him work things out.

He's so affectionate. When I ask him what his favorite part of Christmas is, he says 'being with my FAMILY' and 'spending time with you'

He often says 'You're the bestest Mommy in da whole world!' and 'You're the bestest Daddy in da whole world'

He loves his big sister. I worry sometimes that she doesn't get enough time without him because if she goes to the bathroom, after a minute he asks 'where did Iris go?'

He loves playing his Tonka computer games, and he's finally pretty independent on it. I'm still trying to find a more ergonomic setup for him, but we're careful to limit his time on the computer

He and Iris have begun making up their own games; some, not so good. Like the game where they bounce on their ball bouncers (the ones with handles) and try to knock each other down. Or, the game where they scale the 'slide' in his closet and slide down. Others, just pure fun to listen to and watch. They are so close now I'm so happy to see what buddies they've become.

He LOVES his cape that his Wonderful Grandma Lin made. It is, without a doubt, his favorite present from Christmas. It gets more use than any other item in his managerie of toys. He wears it all day long when we're home. I haven't allowed him to take it out of the house because I want to minimize washings if possible; when the weather's warmer, he can take it outside on walks.

He has started telling jokes; some he's heard, some he makes up. He loves knock-knock jokes right now. The times that Peter gets the most frustrated with him right now is when Kellen's trying to be funny, but Peter doesn't realize he's just trying to be funny. My frustration is usually when I've asked him not to do something and he does it anyway; so we're working on trying to have a better sense of humor for some things, trying to be more firm about others.

He can write his Name! His characters are still wavy, but he knows quite a few of his letters and we're working on more. I've been having him work on more fine-motor building toys/activities during quiet times at home so he can build up those muscles that will allow him to gain good writing ability. I don't want him struggling needlessly as so many grown men do because they didn't have the opportunity to develop those when they needed to; I suppose I won't see the effects of these efforts for many years but my hope is that he achieves as much potential as he can.

Kellen seems to be right handed.

 

October 15, 2007

There's so much going on in our lives right now that it is very hard for this tired, full-time Mommy to update our site. But I'm trying. Thankfully, my insomnia seems to be getting better. The downside is that I'm not up in the middle of the night posting.

Anyway, Here's what's going on in Kellen's life right now:

• Tomorrow is Dr. Dabash's last day as our children's doctor. I'm so angry and sad that my children are being deprived of his care by the jackbooted thugs in Lisa Madigan's Office that I feel sick at heart. May the sorrow they've created in all our lives never touch their children's lives.
• Kellen just had his first assessment and he's right where he should be for developmental milestones. We're so proud of our little guy. He's working through the changes inherent in switching daycares.
• Kellen is still needing diapers at night.
• He seems to have finally kicked the chronic sinus infection he's had for the past two years, and we're enjoying the first long bout of health for him since he started daycare. As is he. His asthma seems managed well and he is getting a lot better about washing his hands; two things that definitely are making a difference. As is being in several larger rooms where he's not on top of other kids who are sick too.
• Kellen has decided he doesn't like gymnastics, just the trampoline. So I've stopped taking him and instead allow him to have some active play with Daddy while Iris is at her lessons.
• Kellen has been challenging us a lot with backchat but is responding well to more hugs and attention...just the opposite of what one would expect

March 1, 2007

I've updated his blog, and have finally gotten more caught up on scanning photos. Watch for them in early summer.

While there is a list of things I want to do, I don't think these will happen soon but here's the scoop:

• I still want to convert our video to DVD...
• I want to create an RSS feed for all the blogs or move them to a searchable format
• I've create a page for his shoes (and Iris's) so we'll have a neat archive of them

My little guy is now 3 years old!

Watch for new pics this summer once we get the old house fixed up and on the market, organize the new one, and I finally have some time and energy to devote to scrapbooking and scanning his pics....

Historical information of this site, Spring, 2006

It was time, the guilty-mommy voice inside my head screamed. He wasn't our baby anymore. When I'd ask him, "Are you Mommy's little baby?" I began getting an emphatic "NO! Mommy's BIG BOY!!!".

Where did the time go? In Spring, 2006, he simply changed. My little guy began running. Climbing. Talking. Talking back. Was learning to use the potty. Was wearing size 6 diapers only sometimes, sometimes big boy underwear. Actually brushed his hair, teeth (sort of). Communicated his needs quite effectively...his wants, emphatically. He deserved a site that reflected his journey from babyhood into full-blown toddler.

The Scoop

I felt like I just HAD to do a new site. The old design was 2 years old...that's his lifetime! Of course, it's a lifetime for the web in terms of technology advances, as well. Mommy's learned a few things since I started being a webmaster. Glad for a little chance to use my skills for just plain fun.

This site, believe it or not, has NO tables. Just pure Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Of course, my sheets are a mess while I'm tweaking it, but again, am working hard to stretch my design skills.

Latest News

Here's his new blog. It will be much easier to download & read, and easier for me to edit and upload. That's the idea, and thankfully, I think it's working.

About Kellen

All about our little boy...at least, as much as is safe to post about him. ;>

Don't worry...ip tracker safely in place.

Archives

The online repository of his life's history. His old site is located here.

Gallery

Lots of pics here, eventually. That's what we're paying for the site for! Oh...and movies, someday. Just gotta get a new hard drive so we can convert them from 8mm to DVD. ...or find the cash to pay 30.00 a piece. *sigh.

Favorites

His favorites...with links where appropriate.

We try not to watch a lot of television...anything we do watch is tivo'd so as to spare our young children the contamination of commercialism.

Sites

Other sites that are relevent to his happy life.

...or at least, a plug for sites his Mommy finds helpful for parenting.

Hobbies

Can a toddler have hobbies? Of course they can! Kellen's got several favorite time-wasters.

Site Map

This is the sitemap for our entire mcmeekan.net site.