Miller Family Blog

Trying to stay cool on this 90+ degree day!

2010-06-23T19:29:00.003-04:00

Weekend at Grandma's--Thunder over Louisville

2010-04-19T22:35:00.009-04:00

I love the view up here in Grandma's and Aunt Kristin's Office!

Sean and Kristin making Keaton giggly...

Aunt Kristin and Keat--the laughs and smiles

It's raining, it's pouring!

Keaton and Grandma on the way to a Lousiville "Practice Game"

We aren't "that" rural...are we?

2010-04-19T22:26:00.004-04:00

Yes, it is true. We had a 2-day visit from a Rooster. The kids and I drove around on day 2 posting "Rooster Found" signs, and we eventally found a good home for Mr. Rooster...even though we never did find where his original home was. It was quite a site...Eric and I had the kids buckled up and in the car while we chased the rooster around the yard for a good 15-20 minutes before we trapped it into a laundry hamper. We'd get close and then he'd take off. I swear he was like the Roadrunner cartoons. Beep! Beep! Who knew? Roosters are QUICK!

Oh the car rides are LOUD and FUN!

2010-04-19T22:22:00.002-04:00

More pics

2010-04-19T22:10:00.005-04:00

Can you say "Tractor," Keaton?
Keat says..."Vroom Vroom!"

He loved the "messy" part of dipping the eggs

Keaton and Cliffy

A few pics from this spring...

2010-04-19T22:05:00.006-04:00

Do we look like sister and brother?

Keaton working on his golf swing...

Oh, the serious look. This is the look of him hearing a duck in the sky...but can't find it. Duck?

Keaton and my cousin Gwen Middleton (Dad's sister's daughter)

Crawling through the tunnel at Independence Park (a mile away)

Our family

2009-12-22T17:00:00.001-05:00

I enjoy waking up each morning to the wonderful life God has blessed me with… I am so thankful for so many things.

Christmas Tree Pics

2009-12-05T20:46:00.006-05:00

We made our annual trip to Twin H Tree Farms in Bloomington to pick out a Christmas Tree. Eric is a bit picky about the type of tree we get, so we finally picked out a fir that we could all agree on. It is the tallest (and widest) tree that we've ever had. It practically takes up half of our living room. I asked Madde and Keaton to pose together in front of the tree, and I was excited to get a couple of them both smiling.

Blood Draw and Shots

2009-10-29T22:30:00.002-04:00

We went to the doctor's office this morning so Keaton could get another follow up blood draw to test his liver enzymes. While we were there, we also got his seasonal flu shot (they were out at the last doctor visit). He was not a happy camper--to say the least. After the wails and screams at the doctor office, I took him to daycare. He performed his normal "don't you dare leave me" routine that makes me feel so guilty about going to work. (He's fine about 5 minutes after I leave, but he really has the bad separation anxiety thing right now)

I picked him up today, and he had 2 incident reports. I saw them in his folder, and I thought that he had managed to bite 2 kids (instead of the traditional one kid/day). Oddly enough, neither of the reports were "against" him, they were just "for" him. He'd been bitten by another little kid on his right hand, and he had a series of red teeth marks still on his hand. The other report was because he had fallen while trying to climb on some of the toys--leaving a bruise by his left eye. Poor little guy. He had a rough day.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. He has his "Fall Party" tomorrow at daycare. I think food is involved...so he should like that! :)

Zoo Boo

2009-10-27T21:45:00.002-04:00

Bath Time WARS!

2009-10-27T21:41:00.005-04:00

Keat loving the fall leaves

2009-10-27T21:34:00.005-04:00

We're ready to turn Keaton loose on the tractor soon. The leaves are falling in full force, and we're doing our best to keep up with them. Gather, Dump, Burn. However, one person in our family wishes that the leaves could stay. Keaton loves them. He enjoys the sound of the leaves crunching underneath his feet. He has so much fun running (and subsequently falling) into the objects that magically fall from above.

Elevated Alkaline Phosphatase

2009-10-01T23:09:00.002-04:00

During Keat's wellness check visit last week, the doctor went ahead and ordered a blood draw to "confirm" that his ALT and AST levels (liver enzymes) went back down to normal (as they were trending). We received confirmation that these two liver enzyme levels did, indeed, return to normal (ALT-14 and AST 34). However, the the doctor said that there was another liver enzyme that was elevated above the normal range that raised her concern--abnormal Alkaline phosphatase levels. Ughh.... She wanted to talk with Keat's liver doc, and she would get back to us. After a worry-filled 24 hours (yes--mom's a worrier!), Keat's pediatrician called to let us know that she talked with Keat's liver doc (Riley's Dr. Molleston). Dr. Molleston didn't seem particularly alarmed with the elevated level, but she did tell the pediatrician that she wanted to continue to moniter his liver enzymes...and that means more blood draws (Sorry Keat!).

Keat 15 Month Well Check Visit

2009-09-26T21:59:00.003-04:00

Keaton had his 15 month wellness checkup on Friday. He got two immunizations, but didn't get his flu shot yet. The office had run out of them.

Here were his "stats":

Height: 32.5 in (75-90%)
Weight: 23.6 lbs (25-50%)
Head...well...it was off her chart

Keaton and Madde

2009-09-26T21:40:00.005-04:00

After a morning filled with errands, Eric and I made it a point to spend Saturday afternoon outside playing with the kids. Keaton just adores Maddelyn, and he mimics her every move. Monkey see, Monkey do. It's so funny to watch, and Madde is a very good "sport" about it. The two kids spent the afternoon throwing and batting at walnuts that had recently fallen, chalking up our driveway with lovely pictures and lines, and peddling and/or pushing the hotwheels around the driveway. We feel so blessed to have two happy and healthy kiddos!

Keaton loves NOISE

2009-09-21T23:01:00.008-04:00

Keaton is our rowdy little guy. He absolutely loves anything that makes noise....tractors, motor cycles, loud trucks....even this cart at Lowe's was a little "louder" than normal carts...which made the shopping trip with Grandpa and Grandma much more tolerable. He likes to swirl and splat his food, throw things, and bang his hands on anything that will make noise (including the dog). He loves it when people clap, dance, and he squeals with excitement when he's startled by an unexpected "BOO!" He loves to bang golfballs together and will run towards a broom, bat, stick or anything that can act as a bat or club...the golfballs seem to be just the right size for his hands (but not small enough to fit into his mouth).

We're trying to "harness and embrace" his LOUD and MESSY preferences by exposing him to some "constructive" loud and messy activities...there are pics above from a recent Louisville Cardinal Football Game, a finger painting session, and some good ole' spaghetti dinner fun. Oh...the daily joy and challenge he brings to our crazy-busy-always-moving-never-quiet-high-five-you're-it lives....

Few Pics from the Trip to NJ for Eric's G-ma's B-day Celebration

2009-08-16T23:56:00.005-04:00

Madde's Barber Shop

2009-07-28T20:20:00.004-04:00

Madde is enjoying giving Keaton a "good" hairdo as he sits patiently in her pretend Barber Shop. I leave tomorrow for Florida (for work meetings), and I will be missing everyone at home!

Kids and Lasagna

2009-07-18T18:15:00.006-04:00

We had lasagna for dinner tonight--one of the kids' favorite! Madde had it on her face too, but she wanted to make sure she was all "clean" before the picture was taken. I honestly think Keaton ate more than me. We had lots of giggles and laughes, and both kids went STRAIGHT into the tub afterwards!

Keat update

2009-07-18T18:13:00.001-04:00

The doctor "covering" for Dr. Molleston said that these elevated levels didn't sound any alarms to him. He did, however, say that he wanted Dr. Molleston to review the results, and that she would be in touch when she returned from vacation.

more test results back...

2009-07-11T10:30:00.000-04:00

We received a phone call back yesterday (at 5:30 pm) from a nurse at Dr. Molleston’s office. She said that Keaton’s plasma carnitine level came back mildly elevated. His acylcarnitine levels came back normal. Dr. Molleston is out of the country, but one of the other specialists will look at these results and let us know the next step (if any) on Monday.

More Cheese Please?

2009-07-09T18:40:00.004-04:00

Keaton absolutely LOVES his cheese. Mac and cheese, goldfish crackers, mozzarella cheese, string cheese, american cheese, colby jack cheese, cheesy potatoes, grilled cheese sandwich--if it has cheese in the name--he'll like it. He would be a perfect spokesman for an "Everything tastes better with cheese" commercial. He's even "cheesing" for the camera when prompted...SAY CHEESE!

Keaton's Levels

2009-07-01T10:12:00.004-04:00

I just received a phone call from Dr. Molleston's nurse, and she said that they received some of the results--but not all of them. We're still waiting on one lab that had to be sent out.
Liver Enzyme Levels:

June 29th:

AST 54 (normal is 5-40)

ALT 35 (normal 7-56)

May 18th:

AST-51 (normal is 5-40)

ALT-26 (normal 7-56)

His lactate levels came back "okay"--which is awesome news.

We should find out the results from the Acyl Carnitine test next week.

Thanks for all of the prayers and well-wishes :) He had a very good day yesterday!

Update from Dr. Molleston's Office

2009-06-29T23:56:00.004-04:00

We had a scheduled return visit to Dr. Molleston's office yesterday (Keaton's Liver Doctor at Riley). This was a very timely visit because Keaton has been acting a bit differently again lately. He's been much more fussy, he's starting to have more frequent bowels, and he's not wanting to "play" at daycare....he'd rather retreat to his bed. He still gets pretty rowdy at home, but it definitely comes and goes in spurts.

We learned that Keaton's genetic screening results were received (this is the one that took over a month to receive the results). From what I understand, this is a very comprehensive series of tests. They did find one "abnormality" in these tests. These blood work and urine tests from May 18th showed that he has elevated lactate levels. This might suggest that he an issue with cellular functions. We also discussed how --according to the tests results so far-- his ALT and AST levels are continuing to decrease. This is really encouraging news. She wants to run a few specific tests because of the elevated lactate levels and she also requested an additional ALT/AST level test because of his recent change in behavior.

She told me not to do any searching around on the internet about elevated lactate levels. She wants to get back some more tests before she feels like it would do us any "good" to worry about these elevated levels.

12 Month Well-Check Visit

2009-06-23T11:15:00.003-04:00

Keaton already recieved his immunizations last week (Maddelyn had shingles when we picked her up), so this well-check visit was pretty pleasant.

Height: 31 1/2 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 21 lbs 5.5 oz (25th percentile)
Head: 95th percentile (still got the big 'ole noggin)

The doctor said that she'd like to see him consume a few more calories to increase his weight a bit...but she said that he looks, acts, and sounds great.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEAT!

2009-06-16T16:20:00.006-04:00

It's so hard to believe that our little guy is already turning one! Although he's not quite walking yet, he sure does get around quickly. He is always on the go, and he loves to be around people. He giggles and laughs more often than he cries, as he has undergone quite a transformation in this past year!

"The Girls"

2009-06-16T10:36:00.002-04:00

It was great to see "the girls" this weekend in Monticello.

Pool time

2009-06-11T18:02:00.003-04:00

Both kids absolutely LOVE playing in the pool. It's

not too appealing to Eric or me yet (still a bit chilly), but it's fun to watch the kids play.

Game Night

2009-06-11T17:58:00.002-04:00

Madde, Keaton, and Eric had a great time playing a board game the other night. Keaton kept trying to move the pieces ahead...but the cheating was innocent and cute.

Baseball Game Pics cont.

2009-06-11T17:54:00.001-04:00

Indians Game Fun

2009-06-11T17:41:00.005-04:00

Liver Enzyme Levels update

2009-05-22T11:20:00.004-04:00

We were back at Riley on Monday afternoon for some follow up bloodwork, and we just got some more tests back yesterday. The liver enzyme levels are much improved—although one of the liver levels is still not normal yet. The AST level is still a bit high, but the ALT level is well within the normal range. We haven’t spoken to the doctor yet, but the nurse told me the results. We have a follow up with the doctor in a couple of weeks.

Liver Enzyme Levels:

AST-51 (normal is 5-40)

ALT-26 (normal 7-56)

On a non-medical note, Keaton is acting "himself" again--with bowel frequency back to normal (1-2/day) and he's ornery and rowdy like his father. He's been acting "normal" for over a month now. If he's not banging on pots with a plastic spoon or zipping across the floor on his hands and knees to chase the dog's ball, then he's probably throwing a fit about something. He is always on the go, and he loves to be LOUD! In the rare instance he's sitting quietly, I always go to investigate... It's pretty unusual for him to be "content" just sitting. If he is quiet, he's usually got something that's a "no-no" in his hands...and he'll immediatly start shaking his head "no" when I approach him. He keeps us on our toes, and we get so many laughs. We adore our little guy!

We have baby foxes!

2009-05-07T12:56:00.006-04:00

We've seen a fox running through our yard around dusk a couple of times this spring. Today, I was on the phone with work, and I looked outside to see 6 baby foxes hanging out with "Mommy" by our shed. It was so sweet. I tried to take pictures after I got off of my phone call, but they were easily spooked. The mother has built a den underneath the beautiful shed behind our house.

WHAT ABOUT BABY FOXES? Red foxes only use dens when they have babies to protect. The rest of the time, they find an open place in the grass or brush to rest, so they can watch out for predators. A fox den is usually an old burrow from another animal like a woodchuck or armadillo. The fox makes it bigger and adds extra tunnels. The den can have as many as five entrances, so the fox can make a quick escape if it has to. Also, red foxes have more than one den, and they usually move the babies (kits) around to different dens while they are growing up. Red foxes usually live and hunt alone until the breeding season (in December). Then the male and female stay together. She is pregnant for 52 days, and five babies are usually born in March. They are blind and helpless for about two weeks. During this time, the female (vixen) stays in the den with them all the time, and the male brings her food. She feeds milk to the babies and keeps them warm and clean. When the babies are about six weeks old, they start coming out of the den. They fight with each other to decide who is the strongest. When they are about three months old, their parents bring mice back to the den so the youngsters can practice hunting and eating. After six months, the kits are fully grown. In October, they head out on their own. Sometimes the daughter foxes will stay with the mother and help her raise the next litter of kits during the following spring.

Keaton greeting himself in the mirror

2009-04-30T21:20:00.002-04:00

Keaton LOVES the mirror. He's a bit like his daddy in that way! :) He ended up getting a big red mark on his forehead from bumping up against his new found friend. We cracked up for a while over this one. We would make him stop, but then he'd crawl right back over to himself.

Mushrooms!

2009-04-23T19:51:00.002-04:00

I literally stumbled across these mushrooms in our hillside/front yard. They were all within a few yards of one another. Too funny. Too bad I can't eat them (I'm allergic). Eric said that he doesn't trust that they're the "right kind." That's a Kentucky boy for you. He didn't grow up around any "mushroom-huntin' folk"--- like I did! The old man that lives down the road must have missed these! He goes "hunting" in our yard every spring.

Sailing in the yellow ship

2009-04-21T21:48:00.004-04:00

Keaton was thrilled to be hoisted into the air in the clothes hamper "ship." Eric and Keaton went sailing around the house, and Keaton couldn't stop laughing.

Keaton loves to eat!

2009-04-21T21:40:00.006-04:00

Keaton's rolls are starting to return! Yeah! He's still a skinny little guy, but he's starting to gain a bit of his weight back. Besides the croup cough that he's had for about a week now, he seems to be doing pretty well. He's back to his normal sleeping and eating patterns, and his bowels are more regular...

Keaton at the Park

2009-04-21T21:23:00.010-04:00

Easter Pics

2009-04-21T21:16:00.002-04:00

Keat Health Update

2009-04-13T10:36:00.002-04:00

Dr. Molleston’s office called, and they want Keat to come back in for some follow-up tests on May 18th. CBC, CMP, and genetic urine screen are the 3 things that she wants checked.
We “get” to collect Keat’s urine in a sterile medicine container and store it in the freezer until we go to the appt. We need at least 1 oz, so she said to keep “adding to” the frozen urine until we reach this mark. He gets to wear a urine collection bag (under his diaper) for a while until we get reach the 1 oz mark…it’s better than the alternative, though—being cathed!
Then, we have a follow up appt. with the doctor on June 29th. We may not have the genetic urine screen results back yet…as she said they may take 1-2 months to get back, but we should have the liver function tests back. In general, Keat seems to be doing very well right now. He's not having his long sleep spells (where he wants to sleep all day/night long), and he's keeping his BMs around 6 per day or less. Yeah! :)

Keaton at 9 1/2 months (part 2)

2009-04-07T21:30:00.003-04:00

Keaton at 9 1/2 months

2009-04-07T21:17:00.006-04:00

Keaton Update

2009-03-31T22:06:00.002-04:00

Quite a bit to update since I last posted...

Keaton had 103 degree fever for 3+ days 2 weeks ago. My mom came to watch him for the week, as he could not go to daycare (and I really don't have any sick days at work because of his previous bouts with illnesses). We went to the doctor on the first day, and she suspected that the fever was being caused by a viral illness again. We also received the tests from the Alpha-1 and Celiac tests. Both came back negative **YEAH!! We also had another follow-up ultrasound on his liver. The ultrasound was still showing that his liver was echogenic (abnormal--although I'm not quite sure to the degree of the abnormality). Most recently, he had a blood draw on Monday (yesterday). Although we don't know the full results, we do know that his ALT and AST levels have gone down a bit. This is very encouraging news. The levels were 114/85. (Normal levels are <40/45, class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">intermittent bouts with problematic BMs (aka 3-4 blowouts/day, and then he'll be fine for a few days). He's also been sleeping much more than normal. He slept all day at daycare yesterday, minus the 2 hours when I had to wake him up to take him to the hospital for a blood draw. We're hoping that this is just due to a growth spurt. Thanks for all of the prayers!

Keaton Update

2009-03-11T17:07:00.000-04:00

We’re still waiting for the 2 out of the 3 test results from his blood work at Riley Children’s Hospital on Friday. We did get his AST/ALT levels, and they’ve gone down a bit to 191/191. We were excited to learn this, but the doctor cautioned us that the variations that we’ve been seeing are minimal in the grand scheme of things. She said that the results, medically speaking, have been pretty much the same since the first test 3 weeks ago.
We’re still hoping that the elevated liver enzymes were caused by a virus, but Dr. Molleston at Riley wanted to run few other tests based on some of his symptoms. These are blood work tests we’re still waiting for:
· Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD) tests http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/alpha/l/liver/diseases/alpha-1-antitrypsin.htm
· Celiac test http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/celiac-disease/DS00319
They also want us to keep his appointment for his abdominal ultrasound next Tuesday at St. Francis.
Also…the doctor went ahead and took his 9 month measurements. He has lost quite a bit of weight over the last month or two, so she told us to keep putting food down him as often as he’ll eat.
· Length: a bit over 30” (95th percentile)
· Weight: 18.4 lbs (15th percentile)
Thank you for your prayers!

Dr. Molleston--Riley

2009-03-03T20:45:00.003-05:00

Keaton has an appointment with a liver specialist, Dr. Molleston, from Riley Children's Hospital at 1pm on Friday. Dr. Molleston directs the Pediatric Liver Program and serves as Medical Director of the Pediatric Liver Tansplant Program. She conducts funded research of NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis) and hepatitis C in children. I'm pleased that she's the one who will be helping Keat out. They really wanted to get him in to see her this week, so she's cutting her lunch short on this day so we could be "worked in."

Keat's liver enzymes not going down...

2009-03-01T09:39:00.002-05:00

Keat’s liver enzyme levels are still not going down—ughh. We had another trip to St. Francis Hospital on Friday. (The blood draws are getting a bit easier for Keat...I think, but any time they draw blood from your head, it cannot be pleasant.)

We will be seeing a specialist at Riley Children’s Hospital, Dr. Croffie.
(Levels should range between 0-40)

Friday's Levels:
222/268

Concerning Enzyme Levels

2009-02-24T22:14:00.002-05:00

We had another trip to the hospital for a blood draw after our appt. in the doctor's office on Monday. (They were unable to get a blood draw on Keaton after two failed attempts, and they sent us to the pediatric unit at St. Francis)

The AST/ALT results came back higher than they originally were...(we expected them to continue to come down).

History of his Liver Enzyme Levels:
208/228 (feb 19)
194/197 (feb 20)
221/247 (feb 23)

We have a nother blood draw at the hospital on Friday AM, and if the levels do not go down, then we will go to Riley for more tests/evaluation.

Back at Home

2009-02-21T10:32:00.002-05:00

The doctor let us go home from the hospital last night, with the expectation that Keat's vomiting/diarrhea would probably not end. Keat is/was pretty well hydrated from the fluids that he has been receiving from his IV, and we are going to do the best we can to keep him filled up on pedialyte again. We are to go back to the doctor on Monday to have more blood work done. Right now, the doctor believes that a viral infection was causing the damage to his liver (which caused a spike in his enzyme levels). She said that we're going to anticipate that his liver enzyme levels will continue to go down, which indicates that the liver is recovering from whatever was "attacking" it. We are hoping to confirm this with blood tests on Monday. If his levels do not continue to decrease, then he may have something more--possibly an underlying liver disease/disorder of some sort. We're praying that this was a viral attack...and nothing more.

Waiting for results

2009-02-20T11:00:00.001-05:00

Keat had 2 more blood draws this morning, and we just got his liver test results back. They've gone down a bit, but they are still very elevated--190.

They just came to get us for the ultrasound.

In the hospital...

2009-02-19T20:54:00.003-05:00

We had a return trip to the doctor this morning, and she sent us to the hospital for Keat to be admitted. He's lost too much weight--

She wanted to run some bloodwork tests and get some fluids in our poor boy. After many many attempts to get a good vein (6, I think), we finally have Keat on some IV fluids.

Anyhow, we learned that some of his bloodwork came back abnormal...specifically the liver enzyme levels.
Normal range: 0-38
Keaton's level: 208

They will be running many more tests tomorrow to try to determine what is causing these escalated levels. He continues to vomit and have diarrhea, so hopefully these fluids will nourish and hydrate him. I'll post info here as we learn more.
Best website I've found so far for info:
http://www.medicinenet.com/liver_blood_tests/article.htm

Stomach Flu?

2009-02-18T13:54:00.002-05:00

Keat has had the stomach flu since last Thursday. He’s lost so much weight. We had to go to the ER on Sunday and he had to get hooked up w/ an IV for fluids. They had a difficult time finding his veins...looked for an hour, and then ended up pricking him a couple of times before they were successful. He’s miserable…
Eric and I also got smacked with the flu--both of us started vomiting early Sunday morning. It was HORRIBLE for us, so I can only imagine what it's doing to him. I took Keat to the hospital in the midst of my bout with it, while Eric waited for Madde to be "rescued" from our sick home by her step-dad. I ended up fainting at the hospital too, as I had been vomiting all night…and was probably dehydrated myself. It lasted for Eric and me for about 24 hours. Madde must have gotten a touch of it...as she threw up once, and then was okay. Keat has been to the doctor on Monday and yesterday, and he'll probably have to go back today. They are in the process of running tests on his BM at the lab to see if he (we) might have something different than the flu. They might have to admit Keat to the hospital if he keeps losing everything. He’s still not keeping things in...and deyhydration is what we're battling. He vomited last night, and had diarrhea again this twice this morning. He nursed around 12:30, and so far, he's kept it in. I'm praying that the end of this sickness is near.... He finally fell asleep. Some of you have called/emailed, so I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you! I've just been so overwhelmed with trying to get him well!

Keaton trying to figure out how to crawl

2009-02-11T21:44:00.002-05:00

Strength is not the issue...it's coordination. Keat just doesn't have it yet. He cannot figure out how to move his legs so that the rest of his body will move forward. He's still pretty dependent on his rolling skills if he really wants a toy across the room. I'm sure he'll be crawling soon! He's almost 8 months now!

Oh...I love myself

2009-02-11T21:39:00.002-05:00

Keaton loves to "kiss" himself in the mirror. It's hilarious to watch him as he dives towards the little boy that he sees in the mirror.

Friday night family fun

2009-01-31T09:31:00.003-05:00

Keaton's first big snow!

2009-01-28T10:22:00.004-05:00

Keaton and I went outside to check on Eric's progress with the driveway. It'll take a while! Once he gets the driveway cleared, I have no idea what he's going to do about the neighborhood road. It's still not been cleared!

10 inches of snow!

I wish I could bottle up this laugh

2009-01-27T19:21:00.002-05:00

Keaton has been getting into these giggling spells lately. He loves to hear himself, and so I'd much rather hear him giggle than cry. We've had plenty of crying, so I hope this giggling is a new phase!

Bare-bottomed to bundled-up

2009-01-25T15:08:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple of pics from the last couple days. Keaton is still enjoying his baths, and he's really wanting to sit up more. This makes bathtime a little more interesting, as he loves the reactions he gets when he splashes. The other picture is from one of our trips out into the frigid outdoors. He LOVES to be outside, and he doesn't seem to mind the cold air. Every now and then, we'll still go out together to get the mail from the mailbox.

Keaton Weigh-in

2009-01-18T20:00:00.003-05:00

Keat weighed 18.4 lbs at his Dr. Appt on Tuesday (1/13). We thought he had a scratch on his eye, but they diagnosed him w/ pinkeye. It seems like it's always something! The pinkeye has gone away, but now he's struggling w/ a pretty rough head cold.

Saturday mornings

2009-01-18T18:12:00.002-05:00

It has become a "thing" that everybody crowds in our bed on Saturday mornings. This is a quick snapshot of the kids and Eric. Madde took the time to put on her "favorite" Christmas items with her PJs (pink vest and rainbow headband) before she came down to our room. She's such a mini-fashionista (she sure didn't get that from me!)

Again, another picture of Keaton loving the camera's red light/flash...

Up in Monticello

2009-01-18T18:03:00.003-05:00

These are a couple of pictures from a few weeks ago at my parents' house up in Monticello. He's an absolute "ham" when it comes to taking pictures. I think he enjoys the red "glow" that the camera emits before the bright flash. It's so funny.

Keaton's Teeth

2009-01-10T13:13:00.002-05:00

I just got a quick snapshot of Keaton showing off his pearly whites...

...and yes, they are sharp!

Flying back to INDY

2009-01-10T12:23:00.006-05:00

Keaton proved to be quite the happy little traveler. This confirms our declaration that he's happy when he's "on the move."

Orlando, FL

2009-01-10T12:10:00.006-05:00

Eric and Keaton (6 1/2 months) both went to Orlando with me, and they wore each other out. I had Pearson product training meetings from early in the morning until late into the evenings, but we did get a chance to take a walk on the boardwalk one evening. Stressful? Yes, very. However, we made it! Although Eric and Keaton enjoyed some great weather in FL, we are all glad to be back home.

Eric strolling Keaton in the new Indy Airport

2009-01-10T12:02:00.002-05:00

No crying over spilled milk

2008-12-31T06:01:00.002-05:00

Keat enjoys being ACTIVE! He loves pounding, crinkling, slopping, screaming, laughing, pulling, tearing, tugging, shaking....and spilling things!

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...

2008-12-31T05:36:00.003-05:00

Keaton has been fussing, gnawing, and drooling like crazy over the last few weeks. In the last week or so, his two bottom teeth have started to poke through his gums.

Ready for Christmas..

2008-12-21T20:00:00.003-05:00

Keaton Turns 6 Months Old

2008-12-16T15:11:00.005-05:00

Wow. I cannot belive that he's already 6 months old. Feeling so blessed...
Here is a quick video from last week of our "entertaining" pride and joy.

Keaton's Stats at 6 months

2008-12-09T11:37:00.002-05:00

Keaton's 6-month well-check visit stats:

27 1/2 inches long
16 lbs 13 oz

Length = in percentile 75
Weight = between percentile 25 and 50

GIGGLES

2008-12-07T20:47:00.002-05:00

Keaton's flushed-face smile

2008-12-04T20:07:00.003-05:00

Here are some quick pictures of Keaton during one of his few smiley-times over the past few days. He's been a tough guy, but this croup cough is really wearing him down. He seems to feel quite a bit better during/after a bath. I think the warm water and steam helps to clear up some of his congestion.

Keaton sleeping

2008-12-02T19:53:00.002-05:00

Keaton has been miserable while battling this croup cough. They said that he slept most of the day at daycare. He was only up for 15 minutes at a time--at the most. He would try to sleep, but they said that he would wake himself up with coughing. The whole family has bags under our eyes--as none of us are sleeping well while Keat battles this cough. He's very fussy right now (understandably), and he falls asleep everywhere because he's so tired. This is a video of him when he fell asleep in the Baby Bjorn with daddy. We're trying to keep him upright as much as possible to keep him more comfortable.

Keaton battling Croup

2008-11-30T15:10:00.002-05:00

Keaton was diagnosed with Croup this morning. (When it rains, it pours!) He is horribly hoarse, and he has a seal-like cough. He's been battling a runny nose for the last few days, and he started to get a bit hoarse last night--but no fever. He hacked and struggled all night, so this morning I took his temp again. He had a fever this time, so we called the doctor. She actually heard him over the phone, and she said that she is 99% certain that he has Croup. We picked up the steriod prescription, and he'll start that today. Poor Keat...

Spike passes away

2008-11-30T11:13:00.003-05:00

Our beloved family cat, Spike, passed away last night. He was five years old. This is a drawing Madde made for him when he was at the emergency vet clinic. We had to leave him there overnight, and he passed away about 3:30 am this morning. We didn't get a chance to "give the picture to him" so we're posting it online to share. The second picture is a snapshot of our "sassy" cat bullying a mouse that had fallen into the pool. Of course he didn't harm the mouse--he was just intrigued. Spike will be greatly missed by all (even Eric).

Back to work

2008-11-26T14:41:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm back to work now (finally). The doctors have restricted my physical travel (because of the sitting involved), but I'm working via email and phone.

Happy Turkey Day!

Grandpa and Keat

2008-11-18T13:58:00.003-05:00

Keaton and his "buddy"

2008-11-18T13:32:00.003-05:00

Keaton loves to play with (and feast on) his rubber ducky at bathtime.

Giggling Keaton

2008-11-11T19:04:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of giggling Keaton pics. He's been battling a stomach virus or something these last few days--and he's been vomiting. He seems pretty unaffected though--here is some picture proof right after he made a mess.

Madde playing with her Barbie makeup

2008-11-11T18:58:00.003-05:00

Madde had some fun on Sunday "painting" her face with some of her play-time makeup. Eric caught her in the act as she was trying to suprise us with her new look.

Keat and Kris

2008-11-11T18:52:00.004-05:00

Eric's sister, Kristin, came to visit this weekend. It was great to see her, as Keaton and I haven't seen her since Labor Day Weekend. She laughed and played with the kids, and we were sad when she had to leave!

Caleb and Stacey come over to visit

2008-11-11T18:39:00.003-05:00

Stacey and Caleb came over to visit on Friday afternoon. It was great to see them both. Keaton was pretty mellow during their visit, as he took great interest in watching Caleb move around and play.

madde's faux recital

2008-11-08T17:25:00.004-05:00

Eric and Madde were having some fun with Keaton's toys. I taught Madde the beginning of Jingle Bells. She's anxious to learn the rest, but our ears were getting a bit fatigued by the end of the evening. Eric's introduction made me laugh, so I had to post it.

Keaton enjoying the warm weather

2008-11-05T11:07:00.003-05:00

I'm so glad that Keaton has a genuine love of the outdoors. He loves to investigate everything--including our dog, Yogi. It is great for him to go outside during this warm spell and enjoy the wonders of nature. We have trees all around our house, and he loves to watch it "rain" leaves. We usually are swatting at mosquitos, but since we've already had a freeze, we don't have to worry about that anymore.

post-surgery update

2008-10-30T21:35:00.003-04:00

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday, and things are healing "okay." Dr. Del said that I am not quite where she was hoping I'd be at this point, but she said that the next couple weeks of healing will be critical. In the next 2 weeks or so my stitches will begin to deteriorate and my body will need to "hold together" on its own. I'll continue to spend the majority of my time in bed on either one of my sides, and she wants me to continue to avoid sitting. I will start physical therapy in 2 weeks in Carmel. Who knew? As a side note--I also have a small hernia that she found right above my belly button. I have had a protrusion here since Keaton was born, and at times it can send some pretty sharp pains. Most of the time it doesn't bother me at all, but every now and then...well...it hurts pretty bad. At this point, this is very minor and so far--very manageable.

Grandma Brenda, Great-Grandma, and Keaton

2008-10-27T12:02:00.001-04:00

This is a pic of my mom and grandma with Keaton in his Halloween costume.

Keaton and his newest trick

2008-10-27T10:57:00.002-04:00

Keaton is figuring out how to mimic us. Watch him mimic the sounds that Grandma Brenda is making...

Talk w/ the Doc

2008-10-21T15:10:00.002-04:00

I spoke on the phone w/ one of the doctors who helped with my surgery, and she suspects that I may have an infection. She prescribed some Cephalexin, and Eric picked that up for me this morning. If this doesn't help eliminate some of my symptoms by the end of tomorrow, I'm supposed to go back to the doctor's office on Thursday.

My Surgery

2008-10-20T13:51:00.002-04:00

I'm recovering from surgery at home. I can't move around too much, and I'm spending most of my time on either one of my sides in bed. It's painful to lay down on my back, and I'm not able to sit.
These physical restrictions make typing pretty tough, so these updates are going to be very brief. I think that I might have pushed myself a little too much on Sunday, so I'm trying to take it even slower today.
I go back to the doctor for a post-op checkup on 10/29.
Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Keaton and Grandma Brenda

2008-10-20T13:48:00.003-04:00

Keaton loves to try to stand up. Forget crawling...that's way too restrictive. He thinks he wants to try standing right away.

Maddelyn and Keaton

2008-10-20T13:46:00.001-04:00

Picture of Madde and Keaton from 2 weekends ago.

Keaton the Dino

2008-10-09T21:44:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture of Keaton in his Halloween costume. Now if we could just get him to ROAR!

Doctor's Appointment--4 month well-check

2008-10-07T20:43:00.002-04:00

Keaton got his second round of shots today, and Eric said that he was quite the trooper. He held a firm upper lip during the first poke, but he broke down in tears by the second one. He received a total of 4 shots. He also was measured and weighed...

His height: 26.7 inches (97%)
His weight: 14.8 lbs (50%)
His head: 43.5 cm (95%)

He didn't eat very well at daycare after his shots (only 2 ounces), but he nursed like crazy when I got home from work.

cereal attempt

2008-10-06T17:09:00.003-04:00

We tried cereal! He was all excited about eating it, but he ended up spitting more out than he actually swallowed. This picture was from Saturday night.

AppleWorks Orchard

2008-09-27T17:40:00.004-04:00

We went to AppleWorks today. It is an orchard located in Trafalager, IN. We got gobs of apples, some pears, and Eric got his favorite--pickled okra. (Yuck). Then we came home and the kids hung out an a blanket in our yard for a while. Keaton loves to be outside, while Madde would much prefer the indoors (unless she's swimming). We were all outside, but Madde wanted to go inside. So...she asked if she could go swimming, and we didn't think she'd really get in...so we said okay. She immediately went inside and put her suit on. She took at least 3 "dips" in the pool. Eric said the temp was reading in the upper 60s. FREEZING! I couldn't believe it. She suprised us all! I wish I would have gotten a picture of it.

Chatty Keaton

2008-09-27T17:32:00.004-04:00

These are a few images of Keaton while he was in his co-sleeper. He was quite "chatty."

High Chair

2008-09-23T22:48:00.003-04:00

This is a picture of Keaton sitting in his highchair. We got it out of the box this weekend. He doesn't like sitting in it for too long, but he'll play by himself for a minute or two. He loves to clang the toys on the tray. He's going through a phase where he's gnawing on everything. He loves to put these rings in his mouth. We're wondering if he might have some teeth on the way???

Bath Time at 3 mos, week 2

2008-09-23T22:37:00.004-04:00

Keat's cold is subsiding, and he back to his "normal" sleeping habits. Thank goodness! My mom came down this weekend to help me "catch up" on housework. This helped tremendously. I'm a bit overwhelmed with trying to balance my time...with my job taking up most of my "awake" hours. It's great to have a home office...but it's also tough during the busy seasons of publishing. My sales numbers are a bit down right now, so there's that added stress...and extra time spent at the computer trying to catch up from my maternity leave this summer. I'll get back on top of things...but the house, of course, was the first thing to get neglected. It felt good to have a clean house for a while. I'll do my best to keep it "up" this week...

Before Work

2008-09-17T21:09:00.004-04:00

Here is a picture of KJ before we took him to daycare. He has some of his happiest moments in the early mornings! I wish we all did...

Record Eating

2008-09-17T18:17:00.002-04:00

Keaton had a GREAT day of eating today at daycare. Yippee! He ate a whopping 9 ounces today. These are record number for him! He's still battling with the cold, but we're hoping it will go away soon. He slept pretty well last night...considering.

Keaton starting to eat more

2008-09-15T22:57:00.004-04:00

Keaton had a better day of eating today at daycare. He ate 5 ounces. He barely napped all day...he only took two 20-minute naps. Hopefully he'll sleep okay tonight.