the keaths

christmas card preview

2011-11-19T21:00:00.001-05:00

Happy fall and holidays! We have been spending our time blogging over at our new site, Building a Cathedral. That's where we'll be sharing all the news about our newest journey — adopting a child! Join us over there to hear the latest. But here, for now, is a preview of our christmas card. Blessings!

Joy Love Family Christmas

Find unique and modern Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

and, three.

2011-08-07T20:25:00.013-04:00

and it's cooper's turn to celebrate. this boy has been melting our hearts for three solid years now.

our coop is sweet. helpful. caring. oh-so-social. he remembers everyone's favorite color, favorite food, favorite baseball team. (his, at least so far, is the Orioles.) he loves to laugh, loves to be tickled, loves to say "wet's do it to-ge-ver." he is always up for a game of baseball, but is also known to disappear into the playroom by himself and play with his trains -- silently -- for long stretches of time. but his very favorite game right now is playing chef. he got this play cookie set and this food set for his birthday, and he loves to take orders, "cook," and serve each person just what they want.

and he is still very fond of his pacifier-and-blanket combination, otherwise known as "PPB." the PP and Bs (he has three identical blankets) are required to stay on his pillow now, but he does steal moments with them throughout the day, announcing, "mom, i'm going to take a little rest now."

some frequent cooper quotes:
"Yep! You're prrretty correct!" (whenever anyone gives him a good answer. kind of like a game-show host.)
"I can not be-WIEVE that!"
"I wanna watch somethin'."
"Will you pway twains wif me?"

adam put cooper to bed the other night. as he was getting ready to pray for him, cooper said:
"I'll pray. Dear Cooper, thank you for having a good birthday. Amen." he paused and looked up at his daddy and said, "Wasn't that cute?" yes, indeed it was.

i interviewed cooper too. he was a little more ready to answer questions, though he got stuck on the more abstract ones, just like his brother.

Name: Cooper
1. How old are you? Free. (three.)
2. Who is your best friend? Toby.
3. What is your favorite thing to do? Play baseball.
4. What is your favorite color? Green!
5. What is your favorite food? Chicken nuggets.
6. What do you like to do with your family? Eat candy!
7. What is your favorite toy? My guitar. (this one.)
8. What do you want to be when you grow up? A baseball player. I'll bring my Orioles hat to my baseball game.
9. What makes you happy? Eating a cookie.
10. What makes you sad? When you don't tell me to eat a cookie. Sometimes you let me have a cookie, Mommy.
11. What is your favorite show to watch? Toy Story 3!
12. What is your favorite book? Car book. (this one.)
13. What do you love to learn about? Let's stop this. Let's stop this questions. (i did stop, and picked it up a little later ... he made it farther than his big bro.)
14. Where do you like to go? Tito's Tacos, and Toby's house, and Bana's house too.
15. Who was your teacher? Ms. Chris and Ms. Joy.
16. What is your favorite treat? Candy! (what is it with these kids and candy? not sure how this happened.)
17. What do you think about before you fall asleep? (i did ask this, but his totally blank face made me move on.)
18. If you could meet someone famous, who would it be? Jessie (from Toy Story). If we sometimes go in our TV, we will see Buzz and Jessie dance on the TV.
19. What was your favorite birthday present? My green soccer jersey shirt. And cookies.

five

2011-08-02T22:01:00.005-04:00

one word to describe this boy, who turned five today:

passionate.

since almost before he could talk, owen has been collecting obsessions. he devotes himself entirely to one idea or activity at a time, however conventional or obscure it may be. whatever he's focused on at any one time, we can be sure we'll hear about it all. day. long.

his many and varied passions have included: weeks of accumulating scrap paper to burn in a campfire; collecting free newspapers and re-delivering them to neighbors' driveways; filling up containers with water and then dropping coins in to make "money fountains"; playing backyard baseball; rock-collecting; state-quarter collecting; recycling; sorting his play and real money; memorizing states and countries; playing Angry Birds ... can't wait to see what comes along next. his current passion, actually, is collecting plastic lids of all shapes, colors, and sizes, to be used in his own version of construction projects.

we love this about him. he is driven, focused, stubborn, creative. praying that his intensity will one day be directed at glorifying God with his every word and action, and that God will use owen's single-mindedness to make a difference and bless many lives.

and now, for posterity, an interview with the birthday boy (who was a bit reluctant about being interviewed. but i -- forgive me -- pushed the issue and got my story):

Name: Owen
1. How old are you? Five years old. I used to be four years old.
2. Who is your best friend? Cooper. And Lydia.
3. What is your favorite thing to do? I don't want to do this anymore.
4. What is your favorite color? Blue. No ... (long deliberation) It's silver again.
5. What is your favorite food? Steak and steelhead (salmon).
6. What do you like to do with your family? This is hard. I want to do this later. (note: I did stop here and held off the rest until bedtime.)
7. What is your favorite toy? Baseball.
8. What do you want to be when you grow up? A recycler.
9. What makes you happy? Jumping off the end of the pier.
10. What makes you sad? When I fall sometimes and I'm bleeding and everything that makes me hurt.
11. What is your favorite show to watch? Wall-E. There's one guy that breaks Wall-E and throws him away. But then he gets fixed.
12. What is your favorite book? What Do People Do All Day? (Richard Scarry)
13. What do you love to learn about? Math, my favorite.
14. What was the best part of your birthday? Presents!
15. Where do you like to go? North Turtle Lake and South Turtle Lake.
16. Who was your teacher? Mrs. Lambert and Mrs. Kegerreis.
17. What is your favorite treat? Candy!
18. What do you think about before you fall asleep? Chewandswallow (the town from the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs).
19. If you could meet someone famous, who would it be? Treebeard. And Beardless is Treebeard's little brother. Grandpa told me they are trees that can walk ... they are from a book.
20. What was your favorite birthday present? Swimming goggles.

pillow talk

2011-07-03T16:09:00.002-04:00

post-nap cuddle conversation ...

me: "i'm so happy i get to be your mom."
coop: "i'm so happy i be your cooper."

wilderness

2011-06-05T21:12:00.003-04:00

adam and owen's first father-son backyard campout. their tent is pitched outside the fence ... so really, they're camping in the uncharted wilds. owen is over-the-moon excited. and i can't wait to hear their tales of adventure in the morning.

what they're doing

2011-06-01T16:15:00.002-04:00

lately ... cooper and his cousin isaac had the pleasure of playing in a massive puddle.

... owen has taken his geography passion overseas. he can now place more of the countries in africa than adam or i (like, WAY more)! he's been learning through these, this and especially this, which he's playing in the photo above.

also, lots of baseball ("mom, pitch! mom, pitch!"), lots of books, and lots of trying to stay cool during these hot days on our new deck. (click to see photos of super deck awesomeness.)

we have a busy summer of travel, t-ball, bible school, and camps coming up, but for now, we are just enjoying these early hot days, one by one.

easter joy

2011-04-25T08:36:00.004-04:00

owen lately:
playing backyard baseball with dad -- watching the Phillies on TV with dad -- just generally adoring and hanging out with dad -- trying to learn to be gentle and kind (it's hard).

cooper lately:
practicing letters and numbers -- trying to keep up with owen -- rocking his new bright green crocs (green is still his favorite color!) -- trying to learn to obey and share (it's hard).

adam and melanie lately:
praying for the grace and wisdom to teach our children the ways of God, talking of Him "when we are sitting in our house, and when we are walking by the way, and when we lie down, and when we rise." (deut. 11:19) so grateful for the mercy we receive in the cross and risen life of Jesus.

happy spring, everyone.

story time with owen

2011-03-01T21:19:00.006-05:00

first, a disclaimer: i read owen the real, un-prettied-up version of "little red riding hood" for the first time this afternoon. and now, on with the story he shared with us at the dinner table:

"once upon a time, the world was so cool that all the people, they just like droove to india, and then they fell into the mud. and then they all died. then, they rose again on the land. then, they ate their grandmother on accident, for a really good reason. the end."

(owen proudly requested a photo with his US license plate map and correctly placed state quarters)

care.

2011-02-03T09:02:00.003-05:00

The question is not, — how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education — but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?" Charlotte Mason, early childhood educator, 1842-1923

i want this kind of education for our boys. i pray they will grow up to care ... about life, about people, about all the many and varying things that go on all over this big world. no matter where, when, or how their formal education comes in the approaching years, we will be teaching them – by example – the things that matter. what will they learn by looking at, listening to, and living with us?

it's already winter.

2011-01-28T16:13:00.003-05:00

it would be no use even to try to fill in the wide, wide blogging gap i have created here. it was caused mostly by the home-life chaos created at the end of august when my poor husband shattered his femur in a mountain biking accident. (he is much better now, though still not entirely.) secondary causes for the gap include laziness, preschoolers, television, and getting in the best shape of my life with P90X (OK, i'm only on day 16 of 90 ... best shape ever has not arrived YET).

so we'll just jump to today, shall we?
cooper and i went along as owen's nursery school class took a walking field trip to our city's annual IceFest ... much wintry fun as Main Street is lined with lovely ice sculptures.

brothers on the Big Ice Chair

fun that owen will finally smile for pictures (sometimes)

cooper had to get in on this class pic with the big kids

owen's current loves:
• U.S. states, and all the ways to find them: on maps; on money -- not just state quarters, but also the engraving info on dollar bills, where pennies were "minted out," etc.; on flash cards; and our newest discovery -- license plates.
• reading, but only when his stubborn little self doesn't think his parents are watching. he knows we are thrilled at this skill and rarely wants to give us the satisfaction.
• sports, which he practices in our unfinished basement, wearing his self-designed uniform of "no sleeves and shorts," so he can be just like the "big dudes" who do real sports.

cooper's current loves:
• trains, which he will play for a really long time, especially if there is no brother around to disrupt. "mom, it's chugging down the track! i'm the conductor! see me, i'm in there (points to non-existent window on tiny wooden engine)."
• singing songs. he learned the lyrics to several christmas songs over the holidays and continues to favor us with them every day. (sort of learned, them, anyway. "Joy to a world, a ward is come. Wet Erf, we see, er key!")
• using the potty, with reasonable success. thank GOD!

hope to be back here sooner than later.

"i do not think it means what you think it means."

2010-09-14T11:35:00.001-04:00

today, owen asked me if he could have a little sister. i told him that maybe someday we might adopt a little baby who is already born, but doesn't have a family. he was excited about this idea. his thoughts on the adoption process:

"we'll go to the hospital, and they'll open up your belly and put the baby in, and close it back up, and -- wait, God puts the baby in, right? so God will put the baby in, and it will stay there for a long time, and then it will come out and be with me and Coop! and my FIRST little sister will be named ... Dave."

owen of many passions

2010-06-08T07:54:00.004-04:00

owen is just a few months from turning four. he still loves airplanes and money. he recently got a treasure trove of real-looking play "rectangle money," which has led to hours of sorting and piling and one over-stuffed play cash register (which daddy worked valiantly and successfully to fix).

his love for money has led to lots of learning ... he knows the names of all the coins and their values. also, he can now place the vast majority of his state quarters in the right spots on his quarter map without help ... he knows almost all the states by their quarters AND their spot on the map. interest-led learning at its best, i guess. we never would have considered teaching him any of that on our own!

to these passions, he has added a new love for building things. watching the builders work on the expansion project at the butcher shoppe has fueled this excitement. he says he wants to "be a builder for real at college." as we drive around town, we pay special attention to all the building projects going on: the new bank, the hotel, the house being remodeled, and best of all, our new SONIC (coming july 2010!). he loves to build with legos and blocks, and often carries play tools around so he can "build a new" door, wall, swingset, or cabinet. i'm on the lookout for a child-sized hard hat.

a few more loves ... newspapers and newspaper machines; rubber bands; sprinkles; and doing handstands.

walk and talk

2010-06-01T14:26:00.006-04:00

vanessa and i have known each other for more than 20 years now ... i suppose as the years increase, that might get a little easier to believe. we began as friends through gymnastics carpool and junior high youth group; grew together through high school mission trips and a college career of roommate-hood and overall inseparability; and have remained close as we have each gone through multiple jobs and moves, met and married our sweet guys, and given birth to two children apiece. what a tremendous blessing, to have a friend who has seen just about all there is to see of my life -- the old, the new, the ugly, the beautiful. so many jokes, so many stories and memories.

i e-mailed vanessa a while back and told her i had a secret dream that the two of us mamas might be able to get away to New York City for a few days and live like the grown-up girls we once were ... drinking coffee, walking slowly, eating at non-kid-friendly restaurants, and talking as long as we wanted to. and a few weekends ago, our husbands each held down the fort at home with the kiddos while we did just that.

we saw a wonderful show, ate several different kinds of special desserts, rode subways and walked all over the city. we spent time with a college friend and were so blessed by her hospitality (thanks, kristen!). but what characterized our weekend, more than any other activity, was genuine conversation -- a precious commodity for moms. just like in our college days, we found ourselves struggling to keep our voices down as we lay in bed chatting away long after we meant to go to sleep.

i love you, vanessa! so glad God has kept us together (in spirit) all these years.

blue

2010-04-28T16:06:00.002-04:00

cooper holds up each matchbox car, one by one.

"a-dis, mama?"
"that's an orange truck."
he nods in agreement. "blue cuck."

"a-dis?"
"that's a white car."
nods again. "blue car."

"a-dis?"
he holds up a red truck.
"that's an ambulance."
he looks suspicious.
"noooo." he shakes his head. "cuck!!"
"OK, bud. a red truck."
now he nods yes. "blue cuck."

doctor, doctor ...

2010-04-24T11:48:00.004-04:00

overheard as boys play with doctor kit. cooper is the doctor with stethescope ... owen, the patient, approaches quietly, pondering what his complaint will be. finally, he lifts the leg of his jeans and says:

"mr. cooper! mr. cooper! my whole knee just broke off."

bye-bye curls ...

2010-04-21T15:47:00.004-04:00

we said that when we started hearing "what's HER name?" as often as "what's HIS name?" it would be time for cooper to get a haircut. today was the day ... his long, shiny baby hair is now in a ziploc bag, and he is sporting a new big-boy look. what do you think? (sorry for the blurry photos ... moms should really get an extra helping of picture-taking talent, don't you think? i must have missed that one.)

p.s. he happens to be wearing the same shirt owen wore on the day of his first big haircut ... want to see? click here!

sweet boys, sweet spring

2010-04-06T23:41:00.000-04:00

this precious boy is three and a half years old! owen's life these days:

• loves nursery school, where he has recently been learning about shapes, dinosaurs, and gardens.

• at home, pursues his passions, which are many, fervent and oft-changing. they include, but are not limited to: money (especially coins, i.e. "circle money," but he enjoys "rectangle money" as well); counting and numbers; brushing his teeth; chewing gum (a newly acquired privilege); being outside, whether playing, eating or just sitting; singing along to his favorite songs; and bossing people around -- i mean, being a leader ;-).

• loves to talk, especially to grown-ups ... really knows his way around a MacBook (and an iPhone) ... and recently received the number one item on his wish list (a piggy bank).

• • •

and THIS precious boy and his dimples are 20 months old! how's cooper been lately?

• it's so much fun to watch his personality developing. he's a comedian, a charmer, a flirt. he loves to smile for any camera (especially liz willson's, which captured the two above photos and the next two below!). he's much more easygoing than his big brother, by necessity i suppose. he's also the messiest eater i have ever seen ... rubs food in his hair at nearly every meal, and requires at least two clothing changes a day.

• his vocab is growing rapidly now. but his favorite words are still the old stand-bys ... "No!" and "O-bo! (owen)" he's got the two-word sentences down pat now ... "o-bo juice." "bye-bye, daddy!" "puck aipee!" (cup airplane, as he "flies" his sippy cup overhead). and he knows all but three or four letters -- he must have learned them from elmo, because we haven't been giving lessons!

• favorite things to do: throw, catch, hit and kick balls, with surprising skill and accuracy; fill, dump and refill, especially his shape sorter; flip through books, especially about animals; cover sheet after sheet of paper with stickers (he sat in his high chair in silence for nearly an hour yesterday playing stickers while i cooked!); and doing anything his brother is doing.

• • •

three three-year-olds chow down at the park: lydia, owen and luke

• • •

owen's preschool easter egg hunt ... above: the bunny bag. below: his sweet teacher, mrs. kegerreis.

and his church and preschool buddies, norah and luke. these kids are together at least four days a week ... preschool, wed. night church, sunday school ... and will be for years to come!

• • •

pajama buddies on easter morning. easter was a different experience and a huge privilege this year as owen is finally able to understand a bit of what easter means. Jesus died, but then he came back to life! and he's still alive now! and if we know him and love him, we can live with him in heaven! so eye-opening to see the truth afresh through the eyes of this boy.

easter at grandma & pap-pap's house. cooper spies the egg ...

... goes after it ...

... and delivers it to its destination. it was a perfectly gorgeous easter day.

• • •

we had a fun picnic with our friends christy and mike and their sweet little ones, max and anna. so grateful for their friendship!

• • •

finally, on to today ... nearly 90 degrees in the first week of april! makes me really glad i bought a new kiddie pool on super-clearance at the end of last summer! it's just been in the garage all winter, waiting to make its debut. a little help from the air pump, a bit of sunscreen on the kids, and today was the day. cheers to the joy of more long hours in the sun.

snapshots of winter

2010-02-06T17:20:00.005-05:00

let's face it: i am a blogging slacker. there's lots to report about my family and my kids ... just mundane stuff, really ... but i'm not going to do it right now. just a little photo album today, with some of my favorite shots of what we've been up to the last few months. you can click "pause" to peruse at your own pace, or click a photo to get a better view. enjoy:

mirror

2009-12-22T15:09:00.002-05:00

cooper dragged my stockpot ...

from the kitchen to the living room ...

to admire his own cuteness.

the not alive guys

2009-11-30T07:43:00.001-05:00

owen's new favorite "job" is putting piles of coins into a truck-shaped piggy bank and dumping them back out. he's examining the pictures on the coins ... "mom, here's some boats! there's the sea! is that an airplane? there's the sun, it's almost coming up!" but his most common question is about the men on the coins.

"mom, who is that?"

"that is thomas jefferson."

"is he not alive?"

"yes, thomas jefferson is not alive. he lived a long time ago."

"does he not talk?"

"nope, he does not talk anymore."

yesterday he told me he was going to talk to the not alive guys.

"mommy, one day, this not alive guy was talking."

"what did he say?"

"he says, hi, did you do money? and i will say, YES! i did all the money! and he will say, YAY!"

"mommy, come and see daddy!"

2009-11-09T22:29:00.001-05:00

"see all the things i put on to him? it's a city."

deep questions

2009-11-06T23:12:00.002-05:00

owen and me over coffee and a pile of "table topics" cards ...

Mommy: Who is the most unusual member of your family?
Owen: Jesus! God! Jesus!
M: What was your most memorable meal ever?
O: Forty!
M: What makes you laugh the hardest?
O: (throws pile of cards on the floor) This!
M: What is your biggest complaint?
O: Um, hotels.

things to love about owen: fall edition

2009-09-28T21:50:00.006-04:00

he's a few months past his third birthday now. it's amazing to see him, tall and skinny like a little boy instead of a toddler. sometimes he still has the same personality as that little toddler ... going from one room to the next, picking up one thing, then another, always trying to explore the boundaries and "go really far away." but he also has his calmer, quieter moments these days, sitting alone with books, focusing on a "job" until it's done, or announcing, "i'm going to go think in my bed."

here are some things to know about this new big-boy owen:

1. he is an acorn worker. one of his favorite "jobs" to do is gather acorns and put them into containers. well, really, he likes to gather any small things (shells, legos, blocks) and put them in containers (boxes, bins, buckets, etc.). any new container he comes upon is a new vessel for treasures — "mommy! i can have this box and put stuff in!"

one evening as owen was putting acorns in a box in the driveway, adam told him it was time to get ready for bed. owen replied, "DADDY. i am the acorn worker. and there is more acorn work to do." since then, he has been a lego worker, a trash worker, a rock worker ... but acorns are still his first priority.

2. he loves airports and airplanes. particularly 737s ("seven-firty-sevens"), which are the planes flown by southwest airlines and thus the only kind he's ever flown on. he believes all large planes are 737s, and that they are all purple and red. and he often requests that we go to the airport to go on "ramps and special stairs" (moving sidewalks and escalators).

3. he loves to play computer games. PBS Kids has great games on their web site, and owen can play all by himself. his favorite are spelling games with the characters from "superwhy." we're amazed at how easily he took to working the trackpad and buttons ... eventually are babies going to just come out of the womb knowing how to double click?

4. he still eats very little. he's getting a bit more adventurous with the things he'll try, but overall, he almost never eats a full meal. nutritious snacks are our only hope for this boy's diet.

5. he goes to preschool two mornings a week. he's in a class with 19 other 3-year-olds, learning to play together, share, and clean up. he loves it ... looking forward to watching him learn.

6. he is still not completely potty trained. he has wetter days and drier days, but wow. i knew this was going to be quite a journey with my focus-challenged boy, and it definitely has been. hoping it won't be long before we can look back and giggle and say, "wow, remember when owen used to pee his pants all the time?"

7. he loves his swingset. adam and his dad built the boys a swingset for their birthdays in early august, and they love it. owen's favorite thing to do on the swingset these days is "stick work," bringing a pile of sticks up into the playhouse and sending them down the slide one by one. he has also done this kind of work with walnuts, blocks, and balls. he's really building his resumé.

8. he had a total blast at the beach. he played in the sand and the waves, played basketball in the driveway of our rental house, and played especially with daddy's vintage micro-machines, brought out of attic storage by adam's very clever mother. she knew they would be a hit with the little boys of our party, and heavens they were. the micro-machines are now known as "the beach trucks," and they are kept at bana and pap-pap's house but owen would play with them all day every day if he could. (another large pile of small things ... noticing a pattern here?)

9. he's working on giving up his nap. some days he naps, others he doesn't, but overall i can tell that he doesn't need it as much anymore. it's a much harder transition for mommy than it is for owen — going from three-ish hours of mommy/laundry/dishes/etc. time in the afternoon to an interrupted hour or less is quite an adjustment. taking it day by day ... and today he napped. *contented sigh*

10. he also loves to count, sing, dance, jump, yell, watch "little einsteins," listen to the imagination movers, go for walks, wrestle with daddy ... and we love him.

things to love about cooper: fall edition

2009-09-26T22:10:00.004-04:00

cooper is, of course, growing all the time. he's a toddler now ... so i bring you ten reasons to love 14-month-old cooper:

1. he can walk and nearly run. he also tries (in vain) to jump like his big brother.
2. he loves to eat, and really could use a bath after almost every meal. (whether he gets one is less certain.)
3. he still favors BALLS over any other toy and will drop everything to run to a ball and kick or throw it with surprising skill.
4. he now requires the presence of both his blanket and his pacifier ... one will not do without the other, and he will not do without them very long.
5. he is gradually learning to point to his ear, eye and nose and to make a few animal sounds ... (between you and me, i never knew how true all the rumors would be about the second child getting less personal attention ... we used to teach owen new things all the time ... not so frequent this time. sorry, coop!)
6. he has entered the phase i like to call "sitting in stuff." laundry baskets, boxes, toy bins, bowls, lids of any kind are fair game for cooper's little feet, and if he can swing it, his bottom too.
7. he is finally sleeping through the night, to our great relief.
8. he's beginning to develop a relationship with books. he used to grab them immediately from the reader's hands and chuck them on the floor. now he has the patience to listen to one, maybe two whole books! and "goodnight moon" is his current favorite. (good thing he has his own copy, since owen's over-loved copy is in three pieces.)
9. he has recently started imitating his brother. owen does a silly walk, cooper silly-walks behind. owen yells "YEAH!", cooper grunts back "UNGH!" in the same tone of voice.
10. he is handsome, sweet, easygoing, a good hugger, and an all-around incredibly precious boy.

summer photos

2009-08-12T21:48:00.008-04:00

this has been a big summer in our house ... and the longer i get behind on blogging, the more i avoid the overwhelming thought of catching up!

here are some photos, a broad but incomplete picture of our summer, wherein we have:
1. purchased and settled into a new house.
2. gone on a long vacation in illinois, iowa, and wisconsin.
3. celebrated owen and cooper's 3rd and 1st birthdays.
4. rejoiced in the births of a new nephew AND a new niece!
5. hosted visitors, taken small road trips, and had many normal, hot summer days.

please enjoy the album below! (click on it to see bigger, better photo versions)

backtalk

2009-06-11T07:38:00.003-04:00

conversations with owen have lately been taking a turn toward big-kid attitude-land.

"owen, you may not hit your brother."
"i MAY!"

"owen, it's time to take a nap."
"it is NOT!"

"owen, that book is not yours."
"it IS!"

so, we've introduced the concept of "talking back" and he's learning that talking back is not acceptable.

fast forward to the dinner table. without prompting owen sweetly says,
"daddy, PLEEEEEASE may i have a sip of your gatorade?"

daddy delivers the coveted drink, and after enjoying, owen says:
"see, mommy? that was talking FRONT!"

reasons to love cooper

2009-05-27T15:10:00.003-04:00

(*all photos taken by my friends christy and liz ... thanks girls and your fab cameras!)

cooper is always smiling ... almost always anyway.

in the month of may, he has gone from barely belly-scooting to speed-crawling, pulling up on everything, cruising all around and thinking about climbing stairs. he is transforming before our eyes. (i suppose that's what babies do. it always seems new, though, doesn't it?)

he just popped his first tooth ... at nearly 10 months old. hopefully they won't start coming rapid-fire now, but he wasn't too terribly upset by this first one.

everyone mentions his mohawk ... yes, folks, it just grows that way! pretty stylish, though.

cooper's favorites:
• balls ... he has a particular love for them. he starts bouncing and laughing whenever he sees one, and already understands that he's supposed to throw it.
• eating ... especially grown-up food or whatever is on mom's fork.
• being held ... he is a sweet cuddler, and for this mommy is very grateful.
• his brother! cooper always wants to play with owen and see what owen is holding or doing ... owen is still trying to get used to this new development.
• tossing things on the floor, thus creating opportunities to say his first word ... "uh-oh!"
• practicing his new clapping, pointing and sippy cup skills.

here are a few more photos from the memorial day picnic at our house ...
here, big girl riley watches over cooper and toby, who were born 7 days apart.

always a grin for the camera ...

reasons to love owen

2009-05-27T14:21:00.004-04:00

owen's favorites:
• ms. joy and ms. chris (his mother's day out teachers, whom he will dearly miss now that school is out for the summer)
• interstate 81 (a.k.a. "the big road," "where the trucks are," "81")
• going "on top of bridges"
• going under bridges (if you're going under, they're called "big ceilings")
• driving matchbox cars under big ceilings made of legos
• popsicles and jelly beans
• singing to his brother (ABCs mostly)
• SuperWhy on PBS Kids (who wouldn't love a cartoon where the characters have spelling and reading superpowers!?)

owen's recent/frequent quotables:
"mommy! i like your drink! i like you drink your drink!"
"daddy! i like your medicine! i like you eat your medicine!"
"you went potty? yay, mom! great job! now you need three jelly beans!"
"mommy, i really want to go where the trucks are on the big road and go on top of some bridges."
"i love grandma. grandma is my favorite friend." (owen has many, many favorite friends ... from daddy and mommy to cartoon characters, our realtor and the man at the appliance store.)

here are some pictures from owen's last day of mother's day out ... singing songs with the bigger kids ...

standing right next to his friend lydia (they've been playing together since birth and in the same MDO class for two years now!)

we made a paper chain this morning to count down the days until mommy's friend vanessa and her sweet little baby brielle come to visit! six more days ...

* credit to my sweet friend christy for the great photo of owen at the top of this post!

picture post

2009-04-21T22:28:00.009-04:00

another month comes and goes, and here are some pictures of our sweet boys!

first, a short list of what recent days have held for each of our little people ...

owen:
• potty success (lots)
• potty accidents (lots)
• talking, singing, playing blocks, vacuuming, asking, "but, why?"
• asking each morning: "where we going today, mom?" (church, school, exercise ... each comes with its own excitements and friends to see)
• highlight of the week: seeing "shooters" (parachuters) while on a walk with grandma. Most frequent quote of the last few days: "cooper, guess what? i saw shooters!"
• correction ... MOST frequent quote is actually, "NO!! I NOT do [whatever parent asked him to do]!"
• more sayings ... "mommy/daddy, build a bridge really high!" "no, mommy, DON'T SING." (he does love when we sing ... but only at owen-appointed appropriate times. no singing along with the sesame street theme song.)

cooper:
• mobility (army crawl, getting faster by the day)
• laughing, smiling, imitating noises (dada, baba, etc.)
• eating like a champ ... more in quantity and variety than some 2 1/2 year-old boys i know (ahem ... not that i compare them ... no, not me.)
• deciding to really, really like his pacifier after months of ambivalence
• all-around sweet, pleasant and calm temperament ... except around 4 a.m. each day, when he still awakens wishing (loudly) that i would feed him. sometimes i do, sometimes i don't.

now, on with the photo show ...

easter buckets ... owen got lots of outdoor toys

and dinosaur stickers.

hunting for eggs

daddy and coop before church

"Bana" and the boys

daddy home from work just in time to cuddle both boys at once

cooper and his rediscovered beloved "peacepipe"

bro hug

i found cooper sleeping like this during his nap today ...

and a bonus video ... my parents came to visit at the end of march, and we took the kids to a hands-on science museum. owen's favorite part, by far, was standing in a bubble (sorry it's sideways):

happy birfday

2009-03-29T13:48:00.003-04:00

happy birthday annie! by the way, that's a thumbs-up at the end :-)

tasty

2009-03-22T21:23:00.002-04:00

this morning, owen found a dry piece of macaroni on the kitchen counter ... it must have fallen out of his bowl of mac and cheese before i cooked it yesterday.

he picked it up and said:
"Look, mom! A mac-and-chee."

little boys are really cute.

2009-03-10T15:21:00.004-04:00

mine AND everyone else's all included! but here are two fine examples.

cooper's first sink bath ... owen helped, and they both laughed the whole time. definitely the most amusing use ever for a kitchen sink.

owen admiring his potty reward stickers. we're still in the thick of training ... i'm not ashamed to say I HATE IT, but i am so proud of him. we're working hard, and he's doing a great job.

owen said ...

2009-03-02T09:41:00.002-05:00

O: mommy, i poopin'.
M: oh, are you pooping?
O: no, i not.
M: you're not?
O: no, i not poopin'. i'm just cool.

•••

it's morning. owen awakes, and i tell him daddy is downstairs on the couch with the stomach flu. i ask him if he would like to pray and ask jesus to help daddy feel better. here is his prayer:

"dear Lord. daddy's feeling sick. he might puke. my thomas (the tank engine) book, it's broken, it needs batteries. they at target. in jesus' name, amen."

visitors

2009-02-17T14:52:00.004-05:00

From feb 09

My sister Anne and her son Jackson, along with my mom, came to visit last weekend. It was fun to watch the kiddos play together, and for each to get to know their aunt better too.

From feb 09

my sis and me

From feb 09

getting Jackson accustomed to sharing his mommy's lap ... his baby sister is due in June!

From feb 09

my baby loves to cuddle!

From feb 09

grandma asked owen to make the same face as his angel is making ...

From feb 09

cousin bath time

From feb 09

"hi, cooper, i wearing glasses. whattya doin'?"

seeing my sister as a mom is surreal and fun. but even crazier than that, i'm sure both of us would agree, is how since we've become mothers ourselves we see our own mama in a whole new light. it's only now that we can understand part of what her life felt like when she was home with the two of us little girls. and it is quite a trip to be grown-ups together, all three of us, friends laughing our heads off the same way we used to when we all lived under the same roof. thanks for coming to visit, mom and annie! i love you.

half-birthdays

2009-02-06T11:04:00.005-05:00

owen and cooper had their half-birthdays this week ... turning 2 1/2 and 6 months, respectively. here are my sweet boys:

owen's still rocking the cheese smile.

OK, this just in ... as i'm typing this, owen grabs the remote and says:
O: "i wanna watch something. i wanna turn that on."
mom: "no, we're not going to watch TV right now."
O: "i wanna turn that on and watch the man."
mom: "the man? what man?"
O: "barack obama (bocko bama). i wanna watch him."

earlier this morning, he came up to me and said:
O: "mommy, i put that in!"
mom: "put what in?"
O: "i put in one more, in the laundry!"
mom: "put in one more what?"
O: "one more cloe!"

this is particularly funny to me because i still remember a preschool friend who said the same thing. there isn't really a convenient word for one piece of clothing, is there? cloe does the job very well.

as for cooper, he's working on sitting, rolling, eating veggies, fruits and cereal. he's adorable and hilarious. he's just now feeling better after a feverish and fussy run-in with the flu vaccine.

my mom and sister are coming this weekend with owen and coop's almost 2-year-old cousin jack. more pictures are sure to follow.

big little boy

2009-01-30T08:25:00.005-05:00

owen and daddy, circa feb. 07

last night, i held cooper on my lap as we sat next to owen, reading bedtime stories. owen was holding "goodnight moon," which has fallen out of heavy rotation lately as we've moved on to other literary pursuits. but on this night, i was trying to keep the littlest boy happy, so i said to owen, "hey, let's read goodnight moon for cooper." owen opened it up and said, "i read it!"

so he proceeded through each page -- he has it memorized, just like adam and me -- talking to cooper a little as he went ("there's a mouse, cooper!"). i thought back to reading these words, night after night, when owen was as small and quiet as cooper is now, a little bundle cuddled in my lap. somewhere in between "goodnight cow jumping over the moon" and "a quiet old lady who was whispering hush," he stopped and said, "i reading! i'm a big boy, mom." and, a couple of motherly tears confirmed it ... oh, my goodness, he's right.

christmas pictures

2009-01-24T07:01:00.004-05:00

here, finally, are a bunch of pictures from christmas! we had some serious travel time ... but got to see my parents, my sister and her family, both my sets of grandparents, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. aside from my parents, everyone we saw was meeting cooper for the first time. it was a very worthwhile trip!

the moon

2009-01-15T06:50:00.003-05:00

yesterday morning, we looked outside and saw the moon still bright in the sky, not round but a little over half full. owen studied it for a long time, and then said:

"Mommy, that moon is broken."
"Broken?" I said.
He nodded. "It's a bad one."

***
i'm way behind here, clearly ... someday soon i'll post some pictures of christmas, 5-month-old cooper, and a few stories of how we're doing. today, both boys are coughing and owen has pinkeye ... we'll be laying low.

impromptu christmas

2008-12-19T07:58:00.006-05:00

christmas is the busiest time of year at the butcher shoppe ... praise God that lots of people choose to feed their families with the fabulous food made fresh in our store! but it means many long hours for adam. we'll be traveling to see my family in illinois on christmas eve, so it's been hard to set a time to have christmas with just the four of us, considering adam doesn't get home till after 7 most days and our kids are in bed around 7:30. so, on the spur of the moment last night, we decided just to have our family christmas ... no wrapping necessary -- i just piled owen's gifts into one huge gift bag.

at my baby shower before owen was born, we were given a soft toy nativity set. i was excited to pull it out for the first time this year ... as you see in the picture above, before the gift-opening extravaganza, we ate some christmas cookies and adam and owen talked through the "jesus' birthday party" story (nativity scene in language a 2-year-old can relate to).

then owen got to open his gifts ... the big one was this singing animal train. i've been wanting to get it for him for years, and it's really a toy for littler kids, but he is in LOVE with it, and i figure it can pass right down to cooper as owen gets too big.

owen has one more big gift coming -- a train table (can you tell he's excited about trains?) -- but due to the sudden nature of our celebration, we didn't have time to put it together. i figure, two-year-olds don't stand on ceremony, so we can get it ready one of these nights and bring him down in the morning, say, "look, owen, you've got one more present!" and he'll never know the difference. he's going to have at least four christmases already anyway!

as for cooper, it's a good thing i took those pictures of him yesterday, because he wasn't feeling photogenic at all during our little celebration. some of you will recognize the christmas hat that owen wore when he was cooper's age. cooper didn't have much going on during this christmas event ... he's been enjoying his big gift, a new exersaucer/jumperoo, for a few weeks now. (you can see it in the background of the full-train shot above.)

looking forward to posting more christmas cheer as it happens in the coming days.

time for a spoon

2008-12-18T16:02:00.003-05:00

mommy decided today was the day to take cooper's diet to the next level ... and his first tasting of rice cereal went pretty well. he didn't get upset, just smiled as he opened his mouth and let each bite dribble out onto his brand-new bib. i think he even swallowed a little bit of it.

OK, he did get a little annoyed at the end, as seen in this last picture. but i think he'll be ready to try it again tomorrow.

happy christmas to all

2008-12-13T23:16:00.002-05:00

it's been quite a while since i've updated you all on life at the keaths'. suffice it to say that christmas preparations have put me over the edge into survival mode — blogging apparently hasn't made it onto the list of essential tasks. so, here's a mini-update in the form of a christmas scrapbook/card. wishing all of you a sweet christmas!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

before and after

2008-11-12T18:05:00.002-05:00

owen got his hair cut today ...

here's the wild, crazy "before":

and now the after, as of 3:00 this afternoon:

it's not his first haircut, but the first time we've really cut it like a big boy. adam says he looks two years older. to me, he actually looks a little like a baby, because the last time his hair was this short was when he was 12-15 months old (like in this photo) and it was just growing in for the first time.

i started missing his curls yesterday, before they were even gone. he looks grown-up and very handsome this way, but i don't believe his hair will see scissors again for a long, long time.

three months of cooper

2008-11-07T08:39:00.003-05:00

Cooper is three months old this week! he's growing so much -- getting nice and chubby. he loves to eat, and loves to take naps -- it's very easy to get him to sleep at naptime (a delightfully different experience than with his big brother, who would get so wired and hyper that basically had to go in the closet and shut the door to get him to calm down enough to sleep!). nighttime sleep is a little tougher -- we have good nights and harder nights, but we're averaging two wake-ups ... we'll see how the next few months develop. i have to keep telling myself, he WILL sleep through the night eventually and i won't feel like a walking zombie for the rest of my life!

as far as his reflux, he seems to be doing a lot better. he still spits up often, but it doesn't seem to upset him the way it did when he was very small. i'm getting much more lax about laying him down after he eats, and he doesn't seem to be any worse for it. praise God for this progress -- it really helps us to be able to relax in the way we treat him.

he smiles and coos a lot now, and doesn't cry *immediately* at tummy time anymore -- he'll play at least 2 or 3 minutes before tiring of it. yesterday he rolled from his tummy to his back for the first time!

cooper's big brother loves him a lot ... lying down with him on his playmat is a common practice. daily, when cooper is playing, owen says, "owen lay down on him?" and i have to tell him, "no, not ON him. you may lay WITH him." he wants to bring him toys and give him his pacifier, to see him and kiss him when he's awake. but you can tell he has a few conflicted feelings as well ... especially at tired times of day, i have to constantly watch for the pats and kisses to turn into smacks. i'm sure it's just the beginning of a lifetime of brotherhood, both the gentle and the rough.

here's a little playtime video -- owen's teaching cooper one of his favorite activities: answering the phone at the butcher shoppe (he says, "hello, butcher shoppe, help you? okay! bye-bye."):

elmo and the duck

2008-11-07T08:32:00.005-05:00

halloween 2008 was pretty uneventful ... owen was elmo, and cooper wore this adorable yellow duck costume, borrowed last-minute ... couldn't bring myself to buy a costume for such a tiny little guy who would sleep through the whole thing! but also couldn't bring myself not to dress him up at all :-).

along with cousin pierce the candy corn, we went to a local church harvest party and only stayed until the pre-meltdown stage. a good night was had by all.

in the leaves

2008-10-23T13:12:00.003-04:00

just some snapshots from out in the yard ...

mommy and boys ... looks like i was talking

is daddy telling cooper a story?

this week was owen's first time playing in leaves ...

quite a thrill. actually i think the big stick was the thrill right here.

and speaking of thrills ... here's what owen and daddy did after the leaves were removed:

vacation

2008-10-19T16:11:00.004-04:00

we're just finishing up a week of at-home vacation. adam didn't take all that much time off when cooper was born, so instead he decided to take a whole week out of the blue ... it has been delightful, restful, busy and exhausting all at once. needless to say, we've all gotten used to him being home around the clock, and i am not looking forward to the resumption of regular life on tuesday morning!

we did take a few day trips ...

on thursday, we went to the national zoo in washington, DC (a little less than 2 hours away). it turned out to be an AWFUL travel day for the parents ... less-than-careful planning does not go well with traffic, train delays and a breastfeeding schedule. owen had fun ... though he didn't care much about the zoo. mostly, he wanted to touch the letters on the placards in front of each exhibit (pointing to signs, saying "owen play with it?"). we saw a few animals, but he wasn't very excited about them, so we decided to beat traffic and head out after seeing about a third of the zoo. maybe next year ...

we did ride the metro (subway), which he enjoyed, but the MOST fun he had was on the interstate to and from the city ... "big truck! here it comes big truck! where is it, big truck? i don't find it, big truck! oh, THERE it is a big truck!" his other favorite is going under overpasses ... also known as "big ceilings." ("here it comes, a big tee-in!") big ceilings are both thrilling and a little scary to him, unlike regular indoor ceilings, which are just flat-out scary (who knows how that came about). on the way home, we joked that we should have just driven on the interstate all day ... owen would have had more fun.

the next day, we headed to state college for a short trip to visit friends, introduce cooper, and show owen the much-talked-about "PENN 'TATE." our quick homecoming-weekend drop-in included a lovely dinner with dear friends the hesses (who are soon to experience firsthand how much tougher adult conversation becomes when your child is nearby ...) and a visit to the navigators weekly meeting. in between, we met friends the martins and took in a tiny bit of the homecoming parade, which owen loved even more than the interstate. (every time something new went by, he'd shout, "look, owen! look, owen!")

couldn't get them both smiling at the same time:

back to real life this week ...

cooper, 8 weeks

2008-09-30T13:20:00.008-04:00

cooper is growing and growing. he's 8 weeks old today, will hit two months on sunday. (above picture taken by my mom during her visit this weekend.)

i sure wish i could say something like, "our days have fallen into a nice routine," or "cooper's sleep is starting to organize into a predictable pattern" ... but i definitely can't. when owen was this age, i knew just when i wanted him to eat and sleep; i was starting to train him to fall asleep on his own, in his crib, for naps; he nursed every three hours, no sooner, no later. i had all the time in the world to plan and organize his days. well, there has been no such pattern in this second child's life! he takes many, many naps in his swing; he eats anytime, anywhere, at any hour. i don't have the time or freedom to give him his own ideal schedule ... his days have little pattern other than fitting into the pattern of owen's big-boy life.

much of this has to do with his reflux ... he has a hard time finding comfortable positions, so anywhere that i can get him to "allow" me to put him down throughout the day is a gift. (hence the swing!) it's also recommended that he eat smaller meals more frequently (so there's less in his belly to come back up), which leads to uncertainty on my part (he's crying ... is he hungry? did he eat enough last time?), so i just feed him. which is probably why he's getting chunkier and chunkier. :-)

he's sleeping pretty well most nights ... not long, but well. he's been stretching it out a little ... from 2.5-3-hour sleeps to 3-3.5-hour sleeps (better than nothing). someday, someday, he'll sleep through the night. but not yet.

he's starting to smile, coo, and focus on faces a little. it's fun to start interacting with him ... i feel like so far, i've spent most of his life "managing" him (pneumonia, sleep troubles, feeding troubles, reflux) at the expense of enjoying him. so i'm trying to make a conscious effort to notice his incredible cuteness, to talk to him and smell his sweet little head.

here are a few more pictures ...

one of his first smiles, caught on film

chilling in his beloved swing

he's becoming quite devoted to his pacifier ("peacepipe")

does he or does he not look exactly like his daddy? (baby-size of course)

grandma gets some cuddle time

and a few owen shots from this weekend ...

we are penn state! (owen is, anyway ... mom's really not.)

a REAL smile! on grandma's pillow

14 kisses, or scenes from a day with owen

2008-09-17T12:55:00.008-04:00

First thing in the morning. Mommy and Daddy awake to the sound of Owen’s bedroom door opening. He stands at his safety gate. A few minutes pass and I know he is holding his” bwee-o” (blanket) and sucking his fingers, gathering his thoughts. Then …

O: Daddy watch football.
Or …
O: Yucky raisin.
Or …
O: Owen flush! (a common request)
Or …
O: Thomas Train.

Always a glimpse into his widely varying waking thoughts … but the randomness is soon followed by something very much like:

O: See it a-Mommy? Hi Daddya! Hi Mommya! Owen weedup. (Owen wake up.)

****

Here’s how Owen talks on the phone:

First of all, he is always listening when I’m on the phone, so he always knows who I’m talking to … immediately after discerning who is on the other end, he begins yelling:

O: Talk a-Dama? TALK A-DAMA!!! (my mom, or “bana,” adam’s mom, or “great-bana,” adam’s grandma … etc.)
He gets the phone, and quickly his face changes from excitement to “very important grown-up business to take care of.”
Grandma: Hello, Owen! How are you?
He points to his sippy cup.
O: Milk.
G: What are you doing today, owen?
O: Cwackers. Gwapes. … Hee-hee (cheese). Yogurt.
G: Are you eating lunch?
O: Spoon. Fork.
His eyes dart around, looking for any more pertinent objects to point out.
O: Refrigerator.
G: Okay, Owen, well, be good today, I love you.
O: Wuh woo, Dama.

****

When Owen sees his grandma or pap-pap or aunt or uncle or a good friend, he runs up to them for a big hug. But if we are out and about and a stranger speaks to him, his reaction is almost always the same:

Stranger: Hi there, little buddy! You bein’ good for your mommy today?
Owen looks nervous for a moment, and then, with businesslike demeanor, stares down at his feet.
O: Ju-jues. Ju-jues.
I translate for the stranger, who is confused.
M: He’s saying “shoes.”
Stranger: Oh, yes, wow, buddy, those are very nice shoes. Are they new?
O: Ju-jues. Ju-jues.

What the stranger doesn’t know is that he’s not particularly excited about his shoes. It’s just his icebreaker when he’s feeling shy … apparently he finds it a safe topic to discuss in uncertain company. Everyone has shoes, right?

****

Bedtime. Owen and mommy are in his big bed.

M: Give Mommy a big kiss?
Owen obliges with a loud smooch.
M: Give Mommy TWO kisses?
Two little pecks.
M: Give Mommy THREE kisses?
Owen pauses, in thought …
O: FOURTEEN kisses?
Mommy cracks up, fourteen kisses are counted out with delight, and then …
O: Fourteen kisses again?

“Fourteen kisses” has actually become a part of our regular bedtime routine (when mommy puts him to bed) since the first night the above scene played out. In the ensuing months, however, fourteen has been replaced as Owen’s idea of the highest possible number, and so we sometimes have “TWENTY kisses” instead. (“ten, a-yeven, welf, too-teen, fourteen, fourteen, fourteen, TWENTY!”)

****

so that's our big boy these days. i'll post about cooper soon ... as adam said, he doesn't really do anything. he's still very sleepy, and we have good days and bad days with his reflux and fussiness. owen loves him, and so do we. i'll leave you with what owen calls his "beeeg smile." (the hands, you'll notice, are enthusiastically clenched for emphasis -- that's what makes the smile "beeeg." ask him for a "tiny smile," and you'll get the same face, with no hands.) and a bonus shot of cooper last week, at about 5 weeks old.

surgery update

2008-08-29T09:52:00.002-04:00

just an update ... my surgery went GREAT! it turned out that there was almost no calcification at all ... the removal of the stents was very easy, and surgery was far less complicated than the surgeon had expected. i was wheeled into the OR a little after 11, and i was at home in my bed before 2. my post-surgery pain has been minimal, and i'm SO grateful to report that overall, i'm feeling really good. it's easy to forget that i'm also still healing from a c-section that took place just 3 1/2 weeks ago ... but that soreness is pretty minimal too. God is taking great care of me!

thanks all for your thoughts and prayers ... they were answered!

medical

2008-08-26T22:16:00.002-04:00

everything is medical around our house these days ...

as an encore to his post-birth 5-day hospitalization (a family record, and at such a young age!), cooper had an upper GI exam today (had to swallow some radioactive stuff and then have his digestive system evaluated by x-ray) to evaluate whether he has gastric reflux ... which it turns out he does. we are glad just to have the conclusive diagnosis, so he can be treated and hopefully start sleeping longer than an hour at a time at night. (from all i've heard, treatment with Zantac is pretty simple and quite effective -- please pray that this is true!)

and as for me, my medical saga is (Lord willing) hitting its big grand finale. tomorrow morning, i'm having surgery to remove the stents that have overstayed their welcome in my urinary tract. the surgery will be done under general anesthesia (my first experience with this), and could last anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours, depending on the extent to which the stents have calcified into my body.

please pray for ...
-- safety in surgery and under anesthesia
-- skill and precision for the doctor -- the removal could be slow and precarious
-- quick and full recovery and a return to pain-free life (i've had daily pain since easter!!)

thank you -- hope to bring good news in an update very soon.

say cheese

2008-08-18T21:23:00.004-04:00

photos are finally ready ... click here for a slide show of cooper's arrival into the world!

HOME!

2008-08-13T12:56:00.002-04:00

just a quick note to say we are home from the hospital! hooray and praise GOD. cooper was released yesterday early afternoon (tuesday). it is so comforting to be home, and owen loves his baby brother cooper (beebee budder dupa). he loves to touch his hands ("hold it, heen? hold it, other one heen?") and give him tiny kisses on his head.

can't think too well beyond that ... the baby haze is very thick. but i just wanted to say thank you for all your prayers, encouragements, and help of all kinds -- so very appreciated.

more pictures will surely follow, but not quite yet. the one above was taken just moments ago, cooper in his sling with me right now on the couch.

waiting ...

2008-08-10T21:57:00.002-04:00

after two days spent almost entirely in the hospital, i (melanie) am writing from home. on friday afternoon, cooper was moved from the special care nursery on the OB floor to a private room on the pediatrics floor. his new room has a bed, where mom or dad can sleep and stay by his side all the time. it has been a great blessing to be able to stay with him so i can nurse readily, and really not do much else -- with sweet nurses taking care of both cooper and me, i've caught up on a lot of rest.

i've missed owen terribly, though ... so this afternoon, i decided to come home and stay tonight with him and my mom. adam is at the hospital, feeding cooper bottles of mommy's milk, and i got to read my big boy bedtime stories, sing night-night songs and lie down with him till he fell asleep (we usually say no to this last request, so it was a special treat for him -- and for me). i'll go back tomorrow.

this morning, the pediatrician came through and, after checking cooper out, gave orders to take him off his monitors ... hooray!! since the special care nursery, he's been hooked to many wires, monitoring his heart rate, breathing rate, and blood/oxygen saturation ... all of which showed up on a computer screen next to his bed which was constantly beeping and making us all worry ... it was really hard not to look at it every minute. adam should sleep very well since the monitor won't be beeping all night long.

so now, he's only hooked up to the IV in his tiny little foot, delivering the antibiotics he needs, as well as fluids and little bit of sugar for calories. barring unforeseen circumstances, the doctor expects to release him on tuesday -- his one-week birthday -- when the five-day course of antibiotics will be complete.

thanks so much to everyone for your prayers ... they have been felt and we are so grateful.

Rough Start, Positive Outlook

2008-08-08T11:30:00.011-04:00

Well, a lot has happened in Cooper Joseph's first 3 days. Things have been different than predicted even after he was born, as his breathing never really fell into a normal range on its own and he began to labor more and more just to take these tiny, rapid breaths. After about 36 hours of "keeping an eye on it" (which is just about the least comforting thing you can hear a medical professional say, ironically just as they leave the room), his breathing seemed difficult enough that it was time to look into it a little further. Our nite nurse agreed, and it wasn't long before little Coops was taken to Chambersburg's Special Care Nursery (kind of like a minor league NicU) for some tests, oxygen and monitoring. We were so fortunate that a Pediatrician was actually in the hospital at 1 am, and she was there to see him in minutes. She told us the options of what a diagnosis could be, and did a chest xray, some blood work, etc. None of the possibilities sounded ideal, but also they didn't sound long term or life threatening. It was still a scary 3 hours without Cooper while we paced laps around the L&D floor (later we found out that most of the 3 hours was spent getting an IV into his tiny little veins...I can't believe there are people who can actually do that). Initially, his lungs were clear, and it was assumed he had a condition called TTN, which usually clears up on its own in 48 to 72 hours. But as he wasn't really improving into the next day, and a new chest xray determined "infiltrates" had developed in his lungs, it has been determined that Cooper has pneumonia. He's been on antibiotics for about 24 hours now, and has improved basically to normal. Praise Jesus, the Great Physician! He'll be in the hospital, though, until Monday or Tuesday so the full course of antibiotics can be administered.

Melanie is home, and doing really, really great! So, we are heading back and forth to the hospital to feed and just hold our little guy. After a scary and sleepless couple of days, everything seems headed in the right direction, and for that we are so grateful--not to mention catching up on sleep for the next 20 years or so. Thanks for your prayers and so many offers to help our family. So, Owen's got the best of both worlds...he kind of knows he has a little brother (Dupa), but he doesn't have to share any of his toys (yet).

................

Even though Pennsylvania has no helmet law, Owen chooses the safer option. Just after this picture was taken, the weight of the helmet dropped him right off the bike (ironic), but I caught him in time.

2008-08-05T21:52:00.006-04:00

Cooper Joseph

After long last (38 weeks is exactly long last), Cooper Joseph Keath has arrived. There is much more to come, but your needed basics are as follows: 12:06pm, 8/5/08, 7lb. 1oz., 21in., male, baby...Melanie and he are doing GREAT--both completely healthy so far with no complications. The day was quite routine, aside from a new life being brought into the world, and for that we are forever grateful. Thanks for your prayers and in advance for your visits. A few quick pics for your oogling pleasure...

cookie monster and pool time

2008-07-31T20:11:00.005-04:00

so, we watch sesame street ... owen loves it ... and it's a nice respite for me as mornings are usually the hardest time for me with kidney and pregnancy pain and nausea. so we chill on mommy and daddy's bed, and owen is getting to know elmo and abby caddabby, as well as our old friends bert & ernie, big bird, oscar, and cookie monster.

if you're not familiar or don't remember, each day cookie monster encounters the letter of the day, convinces himself that it's a cookie, and eats it with great gusto. here's owen's take on this daily scene ...

***

a fun milestone from last week -- owen went swimming ("fwimmin," as owen says) with daddy and did quite a bit of kicking by himself! he wore swimmies/water wings/arm floats (what did you call them growing up?), and he let adam let go of him. this is particularly significant because for several weeks prior, owen and i had been swimming at the same pool, with the same swimmies on, and he would not allow me to even let him dip down to armpit level -- just clung to me and said, NO! NO! ... so, apparently a little more trust in daddy's ability to physically protect him -- totally understandable. here's a look:

***

just one more bit of cuteness to report ... owen loves when i sing him a song after we pray, before bed. he has a few top requests: number one is "I-hi hear!" otherwise known as the hymn "Jesus Paid It All," the first words of which are "I hear my savior say ..." but the up and coming favorite is "Jesus Loves Me (This I Know)" -- better known to owen as "Jesus, I No Know!" we hold back giggles every time.

***

five days till baby!! ... please keep us in your prayers for safety, peace, preparation, no anxiety, trust in our Father. we cannot wait until we can hold him in our arms.

three weeks.

2008-07-05T10:20:00.010-04:00

i'm a little overwhelmed with how many pictures i want to show you all of owen ... he's growing so much, and he won't be our only little boy in the house for much longer. i've posted a slide show (with commentary) on facebook ... click here for a visual tour of owen's current passions and current events.

here is a quick run-through of owen's world ...

• big boy bed/room: we moved owen into a new bedroom and a big boy bed (a full -- the only spare bed we have!). he had basically no trouble with the transition, praise GOD. we couldn't do it without the baby gate we put up at his door at naptime and bedtime ... who knows where we'd find him otherwise. he already points at the crib back in the nursery -- his own bed just weeks ago -- and says, "tiny baby
night-night."

• youtube: owen has discovered that this "pe-teh-teh" (computer) that mommy and daddy stare at so often holds some excitement for him too -- in the form of youtube videos. among his favorites: "moush" (theme to toon disney's "mickey mouse clubhouse), "waw-wee" (trailer to the film WALL-E, beloved only for the moment that wall-e says "woah."), and "elmo night-night" (operatic tenor andrea bocelli singing elmo to sleep -- mommy and daddy's favorite too ... surprisingly beautiful.) we try to limit media consumption, but this type is tempting for mom and dad because owen is actually still and cuddly on our laps during youtube viewings!

• "Bana": after all this time of not calling his grandmothers anything at all, a month or so ago he suddenly started calling them "bana." in the last week or so, he's been throwing in the occasional "gama," so who knows whether bana will stick. but we like it. he got to use it a lot when my wonderful mom came to visit in late june.
other favorite phrases lately ...
"hello, everyone!" "hello, people!" "how-a you? GOOD!"
"buckle you!" started from me saying, "owen, it's time to buckle you!" he is currently obsessed with doing buckles himself, whether car seat, high chair, backpack, etc. when he's insisting on buckle independence, he cries, "owen buckle you!" sometimes, when he says it fast, he drops the -le ... "buck you." adam and i giggle and hope he doesn't say it in front of anyone else.

• haircut: finally, we reached our limit for hair craziness as owen's curls reached several inches off his head in all directions. daddy had the honor of giving his son's very first haircut ... see pictures in the slide show. (it's already really long again.)

as for adam and me, our time is short as a one-kid family. my scheduled repeat c-section is less than three weeks away ... and i am SO grateful. as the baby grows bigger and settles in lower and lower, the pain from my stent is increasingly hard to predict and control. but my eyes are on the prize (in the long and the short run!) ... and we will be meeting baby number two very, very soon. praise GOD!

a look inside

2008-06-18T20:45:00.006-04:00

we had an ultrasound today, just to check the baby's growth. everything seemed normal ... we'll find out details sometime next week from my doctor. but we were grateful for the chance to see our son's face -- the blessing of technology.

we didn't get to have 3D pictures like this taken in state college -- amazing! you can see his arm over half his face. but still, when i saw this, i said to adam, "he looks exactly like owen!" (adam said, "oh, come on ... every baby looks the same!" of course, everyone knows this is not true.)

below ... the little guy practices his swallowing, unaware he's being watched.

moth

2008-06-16T22:58:00.003-04:00

a moth flew through our kitchen this morning and has remained on the wall all day.
owen, thrilled, pointed to it ... here's our conversation:

O: BUTT!!!
M: Yeah, a bug!
O: BUTT! Teet-teet!
M: Tweet-tweet bug?
O: Teet-teet!
M: Yeah, the bug was flying like a bird ...

all day long he kept returning to the kitchen to check if the tweet-tweet bug was still keeping watch, high on the wall ... "uh deer!" (up there!)

through all his meals, he offered the tweet-tweet bug various morsels of food ... "hi, butt!! brock-rie? (broccoli?)" as well as drinks from his sippy cup. oh, so generous.

floods

2008-06-14T10:20:00.003-04:00

just a quick addition ... please pray as you read this for relief in cedar rapids and iowa city, iowa. you may have heard about the major flooding wreaking havoc there.

cedar rapids is my family home ... my parents were born and raised there, and i was born in iowa city, just a few miles away. a good chunk of my extended family still lives there. though i haven't heard about any direct damage involving members of my family, such a good portion of the town has been damaged or destroyed that it will certainly affect everyone in very significant ways. after hearing from family, my mom said this morning: "this is like a mini Katrina."

please pray for:
• the drinking water to be pure and the water system to be quickly salvaged and running smoothly
• the flood waters to recede quickly
• anyone who is still in physical/health danger
• community, kindness, courage, joy in struggle as people help one another rebuild

thank you.

go to www.gazetteonline.com to see pictures and stories.

peeshe, puppy, jeshush

2008-06-09T14:43:00.005-04:00

owen has been spending some fun times with his 16-month-old cousin pierce (he just recently started calling "peeshe" by name). they've played together in the "gwacoo" (water), watched a little baby einstein, taken rides in pierce's wagon, and headed to target with their mommies (as you see above). anne (adam's sister, pierce's mama) and i agree that these two will probably be best friends in the coming years, considering that they'll be growing up about 1 1/2 blocks apart. at the moment, owen is scaring pierce a bit with his unwillingness to share and his toy-grabbing ways. we're trying to help owen learn ... his intense and independent temperament probably isn't going to change, but maybe having a baby brother will help him learn to use it for good, and not for evil. maybe eventually. hopefully. Lord willing.

a few more examples of owen's turn of phrase at 22 months ...

most meals end this way ...
owen holds up empty yogurt container or uneaten strawberry.
O: da din!
M: are you all done with your yogurt? (attempts to take item)
O: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! da din!!
M: trash can? YOU want to put it in the trash can.
O: (grinning and jumping in high chair) da din! da din!
(when task is completed) ... ahh yight!

nose pressed against our back door ...
O: Ah-dat?
M: No, buddy, we can't go outside now, we just came in ...
O: AH-DAAAAAT!!!!! Wheeee! (actual tears form)
M: I know you want to go down your slide, but it's time for dinner ...

owen gwacoo/meh/joosh: owen's water/milk/juice
daddy dat: daddy's hat
daddy doot-doos: daddy's shoes (woe unto the dog or person who touches -- or sniffs -- daddy's shoes ... one of owen's self-appointed purposes is to make sure that doesn't happen.)
mommy hewoah: mommy's phone
puppy and yah: camden and bella (our dogs)
ah-peen/heh-ca-coo: airplane/helicopter (he now knows the difference)

his passions for socks, shoes and phones have faded a bit, being replaced by all things with wheels (for your translation pleasure ... cuck! choo-choo! cao! mow-mow! bock!)(most exciting is the beeeeg cuck ... aka tractor-trailer.)

we get a kick out of one other new favorite thing of owen's: "Yaaaaayyyyy" music.
when i got sick of the only song owen ever wanted to hear (how many times in a row can one listen to a 1-minute-long ditty called "snuggle puppy"? it's very sweet, but a 1/2 hour meal gets pretty long with that on repeat ...) so one day, i switched it up to some live worship music ... you know, the kind with cheering, screaming college students praising God in the background ... and after a short protest, owen LOVED it.

"Yay! Yaaaayyyyyyy!" he shouts along, and bounces and waves his arms in his chair. adam and i sing along too, and try to tell him a little about the music. so now he'll say, "Jeshush! Yay, Jeshush!"

•••

we're doing well. i had surgery as scheduled may 30 to exchange my stent for a new one, and i'm pretty well recovered from that now. it turns out that the doctor wasn't able to get the original stent completely removed -- part of it had already calcified into my body! so that will have to be taken care of after the baby is born -- i'm hoping it won't turn out to be much of a big deal, and i'm trying not to think about it. it's been pretty easy, too, because i'm actually having a lot less pain and trouble with this new stent than i had before. praise GOD for that! an unexpected respite.

so now, we're just trucking along toward my repeat c-section date, which will be either 8.5 or 8.12 ... it's our choice, and i'm leaning toward the earlier one, just because i know i'll be so ready to meet this little boy and get my body on the road to recovery.

adam's news: he got a motorcycle. he's been longing for one for years, ever since he sold the one he used to have. it has been quite exciting for him, and for owen and me too ... the enthusiasm is contagious. in the mornings we stand by the window to see daddy leave on his "bock"...

"Bye-bye, Daddya! Cya, Daddya! Daddy dat (helmet)! Daddy beeeeg bock! Bye-bye, Daddya!"

eegh, nan, TEN!

2008-05-10T21:52:00.005-04:00

owen was in his high chair the other day and i left the room. i could still hear him, and a few moments later i heard him say, "uh-oh ... uh-oh ..." (still one of his favorite things to say.) so i went to check out the situation, and this is what i found:

here's a video of it too ...

my mom was here to visit last weekend ... we had a nice, relaxed visit as always. here's owen and grandma (he called her "HI," which is what he calls his other grandma at the moment as well ...)

i've started writing down all the words owen is learning. i won't even begin to report all of them here, but it's so much fun to hear him talking. he can count to 10. (i credit this completely to toys that talk.) actually, he doesn't attempt to say "1" or "7" ... just leaves a space in the lineup for them. so, walking up or down the steps, he counts and it sounds like this ... "(silent step), doo, pree, phoh, phaph, tic, (silent step), eeegh, nan, TEN!"

a few things you might overhear owen say (with translation):

• "cuck" (truck) "bee-bah" (baseball) "heh-woah" (phone) "buff" (bus) "baff" (bath)

•"Eh-em! eh-em! ... bye-bye, eh-em." (I want to watch Elmo! Is Elmo on? No? OK, maybe we'll catch you later, Elmo.)

•"Mommy! Meh. Dat!" (Direct translation: Mommy! Milk hat! Or, Mom, put my sippy cup on your head and let it fall off so i can laugh till tears run down my cheeks.)

***

as for me, i'm feeling OK. i have hard days and good days with pain from the stent. i'm nearing 26 weeks pregnant now ... about three months to go (i will in all likelihood have a c-section early in the second week of august). overall, i'm moving pretty slowly, trying to get as much rest as i need to and not expect too much of myself. all of this is making me look even more forward to this little boy being born ... i can't wait to meet him, and i can't wait to have a new baby instead of just a medical problem! in the meantime, i have surgery scheduled for may 30 to have the stent changed. i'm not looking forward to it ... it was quite uncomfortable the first time. please pray if you think of it, for safety, comfort and quick recovery.

mini-me

2008-04-06T22:19:00.003-04:00

this is kind of fun ... and a little addictive, for a few minutes anyway. you can go on this website (meez.com) and design your own "meez," complete with skin, hair and eye color of your choosing, not to mention a whole lot of shopping for clothes, shoes and backgrounds for your mini-me to hang out in. i guess people who really get into it can use it kind of like a facebook status ... showing their meez in the bathroom if they're taking a shower right now, stuff like that. but i just wanted to make a little self!

don't worry, just a little glitch

2008-03-27T14:17:00.009-04:00

aside from going into 12 days of overtime, my pregnancy with owen was pretty darn perfect. hardly any nausea; no aches and pains beyond what one would expect from gaining a front-heavy 40 pounds; all the kicks and movements and hiccups and heartbeats in the right places at the right times. going into this second pregnancy, i had no demands that God bless us with the same smooth sailing, but also no reason to fear that it would be any different. in reality, it's pretty funny how i was going on in the last post about wishing for a medical concern that would score me a gender-determining ultrasound ... be careful what you wish for.

to make a long, medical story long and medical:
(skip to the boldface if you don't want medical. or long.)

fast forward to the sunday before easter ... we had just gotten home from church and i was trying to cook eggs and bacon, but i was being slowed down by a sudden and rapidly growing pain in the right side of my back. the food made it to the table, but i couldn't eat much and i soon found myself lying on the couch in excruciating pain. i realized i'd felt pain like this before -- when i had a kidney stone several years ago. being the self that i am, i had to do just a tiny bit of research ... so from the fetal position, i googled "kidney pain pregnancy" and found that "a kidney infection is one of the most serious complications one can have in pregnancy -- get checked out immediately." so, less than an hour after the pain began, we passed owen off to the grandparents and headed to the ER.

the doctors there used ultrasound to diagnose that my right kidney was under stress and that though ultrasound isn't able to see a stone, that's probably what it was. so they sent me home with a prescription for preggo-safe pain pills and lots of water-drinking, and hopes that the stone would pass quickly on its own.

through monday, tuesday, and wednesday, the pain came and went ... which i know happens with kidney stones. the pain medication didn't work very well, but i just kept trying to guzzle water and be normal.

thursday morning, the pain reappeared with such a vengeance that i knew i wouldn't be able to take care of owen. i called adam and asked him to come home from work. i tried for the better part of the day to bear the pain, but finally after a call to the doctor, we swallowed our pride and headed back to the ER -- i was in probably the worst pain of my life. ("say 8!" anyone? actually, i said 9.)

this time, my OB met us there, admitted me, and said that after a urologist consulted on my case, i would probably wind up having surgery the next day. yikes! (i was just glad to get some stronger pain medication.)

the next afternoon, the urologist sent a scope into my kidney looking for a stone. he didn't find one ... so instead of a kidney stone, they think i have what i've learned is called "hydronephrosis" of pregnancy ... the uterus grows and blocks some of the kidney's natural flow to the bladder. which leads to the same seriously serious pain as a kidney stone does. undiagnosed/unchecked, this condition can (rarely) lead to "spontaneous renal rupture" -- yes, kidney explosion. so, to avoid such a disastrous end, a stent is inserted to keep an open pathway from the kidney to the bladder. the stent will have to stay in place for the duration of my pregnancy (the uterus is only getting bigger, after all).

so, that's where we are now ... i've been recovering from the surgery this week, and still figuring out what pain is from the procedure and what discomfort will be sticking with me through the rest of my pregnancy. AND, they say to remain effective the stent must be changed every two to three months ... which (i think) means at least one if not two more of the procedure i'm currently recovering from. whew ... we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

•••

all this to say, i guess i now have my first pregnancy complication. we are very much praising God that it's not an issue that causes us worry about the safety of the baby, who is completely unaffected by all these goings-on (and in fact insists on nonchalantly kicking my poor, ailing bladder all day long).

one other thing of note to mention. during all of this medical intervention, we found out something very important via two ultrasounds ...

it's a BOY!

owen is going to have a little brother, and we are going to have two boys. i thought it would be tougher news to take, because i was really excited about the idea of a girl, but i am pretty much thrilled ... and not only (but significantly) because i don't have to get all new stuff! and i just bought an awesome new green camo diaper bag.

i don't have any really good ultrasound photos ... oh well -- look at owen's from a few years ago. they look pretty much the same. ;-) thanks for reading ... feel free to pray for minimal pain and no new complications for me.

picture post

2008-03-06T14:34:00.007-05:00

here's my belly so far, at 16 weeks ... i think size wise i'm about where i was at 20 weeks last time.

i felt this little baby move for the first time the other night! a long-awaited development. and let me say, we are so excited to find out the gender. if i had an ultrasound today, the boy/girlness would be clearly identifiable ... that just kills me!! i know i should be grateful that technology even allows us to do so at all, but i find myself anticipating my appointment on monday (i'll be 17 weeks) and wishing they'd find a reason to do an ultrasound right then. (most likely i'll have one scheduled for around 20 weeks ... first week in april.) i'll try my hardest not to invent any medical concerns, but it's so hard to be patient! it's in the Lord's hands in any case, but i'm just excited to get an idea of who we'll be meeting in a few more months.

a few catch-up pictures to show off to you all ... in chronological order.

i never posted christmas pictures ... we hardly took ANY!!

owen's reaction to santa claus (really owen's friend lydia's daddy, mark, but none of the toddlers knew that ...). we'll try again next year.

cousins ... owen checks out my sister's baby, jackson, who will turn 1 in a few weeks.

next, partying with aforementioned friend lydia ... they look like they're yawning, but they're actually eating NY Giants cupcakes at a super bowl party

a few weeks later these jet setters hit the rink at a birthday party

adam and his friends tyler and ben during their boys' time in colorado. i'm told the snow you see behind them is not a pile from a plow. they are standing on ground level, and that snow is the evidence of the record snowfall crested butte has gotten this year.

the boys had a fabulous time together

finally, the last week in february, adam and i took a 4-day trip to north carolina to visit adam's brother kyle at school (appalachian state u.) and to take our first (and last) kidless trip in QUITE a while. we were blessed to stay in a beautiful, awesome, amazing bed-and-breakfast and be pampered and just sleep, eat, read and visit. (and watch american idol.) as is our (bad) habit, we took almost no pictures. but, here are a few.

daddy tickles owen as we say "bye-bye" before dropping him off at the wonderland that is grandma and pap-pap's house

(BAD) self-portrait in front of the blue ridge mountains

view from the viaduct on the blue ridge parkway (outside boone, NC)

thanks for reading ... hope to update with earth-shattering baby gender news ASAP.

bathtime

2008-02-19T07:40:00.003-05:00

my mom was here to visit this weekend while adam was in colorado having an awesome time with great friends. we had a blast at home too, as evidenced in this here video ... if you can make it through the general bathtime fun at the beginning, owen's extreme giggle will be your reward.

pop quiz

2008-02-13T16:08:00.010-05:00

Question: Can you identify the subject of this photo?

if you guessed a gummy bear made of cotton balls, i'm sorry, you're wrong.
if you guessed a BABY, YOU'RE RIGHT!

yes, keath baby number 2 is on the way! we're gladly through the first trimester and moving on to better (and bigger) times. owen's little brother or sister is scheduled to appear in mid-august. no photos of me and my belly yet ... suffice it to say that while still small, it's popped out a whole lot quicker than last time.

adam and i are thrilled. we do marvel regularly, though, at how different the whole pregnancy experience is the second time around. as in, all the times we've looked at each other and said, "oh yeah! there's another baby in there." the first time, "PREGNANCY" seemed like my only thought, waking or sleeping; every action or activity was undertaken with acknowledgement and consideration of my condition. this time, my days and actions haven't changed at all ... feeding, dressing, chasing, singing to, talking to, teaching owen are all required (and generally enjoyable) components of the day, regardless of my "condition." i can surely be grateful that morning sickness (though significantly worse than last pregnancy) left me quite functional overall, because even if it hadn't, owen stops for no one. (not even a barfing one.)

speaking of owen ... (so pleased with himself for stacking his cups like that)

i wish i could say, "owen is really looking forward to being a big brother!" but all i can say is that he has no clue what a big brother even is, let alone an inkling that he must prepare for duty. he does love babies, and i try to show him my belly and tell him that there's a baby in there, but all he wants to do is push my belly button. i have no expectations or demands about how he will respond through the rest of the pregnancy ... if he gets it, he gets it; if not, it just doesn't matter. we just pray he'll be a sweet and loving big brother when the time comes.

here's a little live-action sample from a few months back ... nothing special, just owen being owen.

a mini-owen update ... just in the past couple of weeks, he's started saying a lot more words. a few new favorites:
"na-na" (banana)
"uh-oh" (a constant refrain in which he delights, and creates opportunities to say)
"daddy" (he's not just dada anymore)
"tee-tee" (most often cookie, but also "i want to brush my teeth." occasionally also means keys.)
"bwew" and "re-row" (blue and yellow, the only two colors he knows and the interchangeable answers to "what color is this," regardless of actual color).

his ever-increasing inventory of animals still consists only of sounds, not titles (i.e., when i point to a kitty and say, "who is this?" he says, "MEOW!")

we'll keep you posted on both of our little people as they grow.

christmas bonus

2007-12-21T08:28:00.000-05:00

one more thing ... click here for a big yuletide giggle.

noel, noel ... (it means "good news")

2007-12-16T21:08:00.000-05:00

it's Christmastime ... we put up a a beautiful tree a few weeks back -- fourth Christmas of our marriage, but our first tree. i cut some lovely paper snowflakes, elementary-school-style, and hung them as ornaments -- they make me smile every time i look at them.

in our little family, we're enjoying one more year of blissful ignorance on the part of our child about presents, santa and all the other trappings of the american holiday. so instead, we're hoping to find some peaceful family time (hard to come by with extremely un-peaceful owen, shown above helping me decorate our living room a few weeks ago).

a year-in-review christmas letter would be certain overkill on this blog ... if you want to know, you have only to read down to your heart's content. instead, i'll give a little list of some of the yet-unknown milestones reached in the keath family this year ...

ADAM:
• is about to be officially named as president of NETWork Ministries ... NETWork reaches out to kids in the poorest neighborhood in our county, which happens to be in downtown chambersburg. just a few miles from our house, these kids (black, white and hispanic) are growing up in what is essentially inner-city poverty. adam will lead the ministry's board of directors to serve the two (dedicated, loving, over-worked) staff women.
• took up a new hobby this fall: home-brewing beer. as a complete brew cycle takes 4-6 weeks, he's only done one brew so far. but he really enjoyed the process and is looking forward to his next attempt.
• will be groomsman in our friends Griffin and Sharon's wedding Jan. 12.
• we have both been enjoying the small group Bible study we're leading bi-weekly at our house -- it's been great to get to know new friends and to study the word with them.

MELANIE:
• will be the matron of honor in dear friend Christine's wedding January 5.
• read all seven harry potter books marathon-style in july/august -- it was so much fun to stay up till 2 a.m. reading like i used to from age 10 to age 25. post-potter, i've been fulfilling literary cravings by listening to "the classic tales podcast" and NPR's "selected shorts" on my ipod.
• discovered the world of Facebook this spring, and am loving the ability to keep up with the minute details of my friends' lives at the touch of a keyboard.

OWEN:
• finally found a veggie he's willing to eat ... FROZEN CORN. he'll also do frozen peas. it's like a whole new veggie world has been opened to us. all in all, though, he doesn't have much time for food in general -- and there's no chance he'll eat a food that is a combination of more than one thing ... i.e. pizza, casserole, oatmeal w/stuff in it ... anything that looks multicolored or too mixed-up. nor will he touch anything even a degree warmer than room temperature. (as previously implied, frozen or refrigerated goes over much better.) as this choosiness stresses mommy out, i foresee challenges ahead.
• really, really likes to press people's noses to see what noise they make. (if you should happen to meet owen anytime soon, you'd do well to be prepared with a nose noise.)
• will travel with mommy to illinois, wisconsin and iowa the week after christmas. the busiest time of year at the Butcher Shoppe will sadly keep Daddy at home, but owen has MANY, many relatives and friends to see in the midwest.

please pray for our family: for adam's service to the Lord through NETWork, for our Bible study, for adam and i to love and serve each other well as husband and wife, and for both of us to be loving, patient, godly parents to owen. and for owen to grow normally, to be strong and healthy in every way.

how can we pray for you?
merry christmas, and praise God for the birth of His Son.

BONUS PICTURE: owen loves frozen blueberries too, and these are the results.

sitting in stuff ...

2007-12-07T07:37:00.000-05:00

... this is owen's main obsession these days. anything ... baskets, bins, boxes, lids (as long as there's room for both his feet, he'll give it a try.) here's a sitting in stuff photo gallery:

drum

drum #2 ... he actually does this every single day.

he flipped the ottoman over by himself to create some kind of boat

his toy bucket ... not a very stable seating arrangement, and after a few head bumps we try not to let him get in here any more

mom and dad's rolling laundry basket ... he has progressed from pushing it around the room to pulling all the clothes out and climbing in ...

this time i just put him on top of the clothes because i didn't want to put them all back in.

my favorite: the lid to a decorative box ... he will climb into ANYTHING, and as you can see he is quite proud of himself.

he makes us laugh every day!

baby or big kid?

2007-11-15T18:58:00.000-05:00

sitting in daddy's chair ... imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
(don't worry, we couldn't make him sit like this for more than four seconds even if we tried!)

more "kid" and less baby every day ...

owen's favorites at 15 1/2 months old ...
• raisins ... who knew?
• "MA-DA!" i.e. music ... he doesn't even say "hi" in the morning anymore when we go to get him ... he just points to his CD player and commands, "MA-DA!" he's not too picky about what music, as long as he can dance to it.
• learning to climb -- onto chairs, into boxes and laundry baskets, over toys, etc.
• trucks ... as well as trailers, tractors, buses, RVs, the occasional van or dumpster ... all make him shout for joy and attempt to hurl himself out of mom's arms to get closer.
• books ... the one thing for which he will sit still longer than a few seconds. he doesn't have much (any) patience for being read to on someone's lap, but he loves to sit in the center of a pile of all the books he owns and pick them up at random to page through. he has his favorites, though ... he knows the ones that have babies or monkeys inside just by looking at the cover/spine. and Lord have mercy on the book that becomes owen's favorite ... being gentle is not a strong suit of his, and many of his favorites have chew marks, pages torn out, covers hanging by a thread. poor, poor Goodnight Moon is all i can say.

he is such a joy that sometimes we can't stand it ... we are so grateful to God for the blessing of Owen.

how does the monkey go?

2007-11-01T10:08:00.000-04:00

owen spent yesterday as a monkey ... his first real halloween costume. adam taught him that a monkey says "oo-oo-AH-AH-AH!" (owen shortened it to "hah! hah!") we visited with lots of family and friends, and also hit a "fall festival" party at church. for some more photos, click here for a little halloween photo album.

visit from mam-muh

2007-10-23T22:36:00.000-04:00

a sweet little series with grandma -- the tongue is one of owen's current interests:

my mom came to visit us this weekend. it was a lovely few days of talking, relaxing, eating, shopping and giggling at owen. owen recognized her right away and was thrilled to be with her ... when i tried to get him to say "grandma," he would say "mam-muh" instead. OK, he said it at least once. at least sort of said it once. i'm pretty sure. though it's tough sometimes to distinguish when we have "moo-moo," "muh-muh" (animal), "muh" (meow), and "moh" (more). no worries, however, about him confusing mam-muh with "ma-ma." he doesn't call me ma-ma. he calls me "mmee," as in the second sound in "mom-MY." that one, i have no problem sorting out from the rest of the "m" words ... it's a sweet, sweet sound.

here's a video from our weekend. owen has really been having fun with mobile peekaboo lately.

and finally, a goodnight kiss for da-da:

speaking of da-da, adam's eco-challenge triathlon is this sunday morning! if you're so inclined, drop him a line of encouragement this week. keatham@yahoo.com. let's hear it for team "everyday's sunday"!

pumpkin patch

2007-10-11T21:12:00.000-04:00

they never both look at the same time ...

owen was saying "meow" to the donkeys in the petting zoo. most animals say "meow" or "moo moo" now.

pierce was being much cuter so he got a solo shot.

emma? elizabeth? marianne? elinor? or one of the ones i don't know?

2007-10-11T20:30:00.000-04:00

if these names ring a bell and if your interest is piqued, then you know you better take the quiz for yourself. and then tell me who you got! yes, we all want to be elizabeth bennet, but apparently it wasn't in the cards for me ... truly, however, elinor is one of my favorites -- lovely and admirable in her own way.

Take the Quiz here!

i fiddled with the blog today ... it's white now. sweet that i can change it on a whim.

lounging

2007-10-11T10:08:00.000-04:00

owen took the top off his play table and climbed in ... looks, um, comfy.

owen's dance party

2007-09-27T12:12:00.001-04:00

my first foray into imovie ...

i hope it plays well. it's about 3 minutes long. grab some popcorn.

mommyhood, a.k.a. "am i going to cry at stuff like this for the rest of my life?"

2007-09-21T15:11:00.000-04:00

like us, so many of you have new babies in your lives ... this little video was very sweet and touching. it's an artist's portrait of his son from in utero to age 4 ... if you're staring into the face of a growing baby every day, this will look very familiar. it's called "you won't remember this." very sweet viewing for people not in daily baby contact as well.

cousins

2007-09-14T17:21:00.000-04:00

my sister-in-law anne and i took our little boys to get their pictures taken together today. it was really fun, and despite owen's ever-present drool, i think they came out pretty stinkin' cute. pierce is almost 7 months old, and owen is 13 1/2 months.

most recent cuteness

2007-08-28T15:36:00.001-04:00

august has been quite a month for the keath family ... especially for owen, shown here in what are probably the cutest pajamas ever made.

• he turned one! with two birthday cakes, one in chambersburg and one in illinois
• we took another trip to the midwest, for my sister's wedding and a vacation with my parents
• he started walking!
• he went to his first major league baseball game.
• he swam in a lake for the first time (we're lake people, so it definitely won't be his last!)
• he's also learned to clap and decided to use a few adorable baby signs (made up his own for "hello" and uses the sign for "more" to mean "eat," "drink," and "more.")
• his love for dancing is developing more and more ... turn on the music, and he busts a move better and more cutely every day. shoulders, bottom, bopping, twisting ... you ought to see it.

if you are so inclined, scroll down: i've made separate posts for the various events of the second half of our summer. many pictures and much elaboration included.

just a few extra pictures here of most recent times ...

we traveled to charlottesville, VA, last weekend to witness the baptism of ella mercy porter, daughter of dear friends ben and anna. it was a lovely, surprisingly relaxing whirlwind trip.

owen doing what he does best -- pushing a stroller -- giving his friend kamryn a ride while their mommies exercise at stroller aerobics class.

owen and lydia in a rare stationary moment at thursday morning playgroup

ice cream ... owen's most recently discovered passion

like i said, scroll down if you want to see more (way more) about our summer. we love you!

up north, wisconsin

2007-08-28T09:51:00.001-04:00

after annie and brad's wedding, they headed off to jamaica for a week of much-needed R&R. they entrusted their son jackson into my mom and dad's loving care for the week, and we all -- mom, dad, adam and I and babies jackson and owen -- went on vacation to my parents' cabin WAY up north in wisconsin. "up north" is a land unto itself, especially to wisconsin residents ... one girl we talked to on a plane asked where "our up north" was ... we told her it was near mercer, WI. she said, "oooh, that was on the way for us; my up north is in bayfield." (which is even farther north than we went, on lake superior). the area is full of more lakes than land, and is so thick with pine forest that i get disoriented as we drive around on the county roads. my parents have fallen in love with it, and purchased a lakefront cabin there three years ago. we were thrilled to take owen up for the first of what, Lord willing, will be many, many happy weeks spent there.

first stop, on the way up north, was owen's first baseball game ... phillies at brewers in milwaukee. owen definitely didn't see much of the game, but after we left in the 7th inning, the phillies rallied from a 6-1 deficit in the 9th, to beat the brewers in the 11th!! yes, adam was quite bummed that we left early.

so ... "our up north" is winchester, WI ... look to the top for rhinelander, and we are north and a little west of there, just three miles from the michigan border. quite north.

swimming in north turtle lake, off mom and dad's dock

owen's new life jacket

the screen porch: any visit to the cabin includes many meals eaten and much time spent out there.

one day we went to a nearby lake because it had a little beach where owen could stand in shallow water. so cute!

do all babies have to try sand at least once?

owen and grandma

we took the babies shopping in a cute nearby town called boulder junction. note jackson's improvised sun gear ... a baby cap and shades.

coming in to the dock after dad took us on a boat ride

owen was cautious and wary about it, but i think he enjoyed it overall.

pier-sitting on a lovely evening

"my cousin is so cool!!! isn't he!!! look at him!!"

hooray for vacation

we had a great time hanging out with my parents, eating good grilled food, reading tons, watching the babies play and playing with them, getting to know baby jackson much better. it was at the cabin that owen decided he was going to become a walker. he took his first steps way back in the beginning of july, but was undecided about the whole thing until we were on vacation. he also practiced clapping a lot while we were there ... especially during audience applause on Jeopardy, which we watched every day. :-) we're already looking forward to whenever we might be able to get up north next.

the wedding

2007-08-28T09:05:00.001-04:00

my only sister, anne, was married to brad hastings on august 4 in rockford, IL. we were so blessed to be able to be there with so many family and friends and to share in the celebration!

getting mani/pedis with the girls (me, mom's best friend dawn, annie, and mom)

rehearsal ... "will you?" "i will."

grandma and grandpa leighton congratulate the soon-to-be couple while baby jackson eats some dinner

wedding morning -- the making of a beautiful bride ...

... and matron of honor

courtney (maid of honor) and tracy (bridesmaid) -- annie's high school friends -- annie; brad's sister beth (bridesmaid), childhood friend taylor (bridesmaid) and me

mom and daughters with lovely hair ... we ate some wendy's after this.

sisters in our finery

post-ceremony: the little hastings family

love this pretty cake!

as did the bride and groom ... how cute is this.

daddy and daughter

out on the dance floor ... owen had had just about enough ...

... as evidenced here.

the happy happy couple, off to jamaica on their honeymoon.

congratulations, mr. and mrs. hastings! we love you.

one big birthday

2007-08-27T22:06:00.000-04:00

august 2, owen's first birthday, coincided with our TRAVEL from PA to illinois for my sister's wedding. since he didn't know it was his birthday, i don't think he minded much. for mommy, though, it was mixed emotions ... you never picture your baby's first birthday being spent in airports and cars! on the upside, though, we got to celebrate the day with far-away family -- once we got there! here's a little photo-story of owen's big day:

in the harrisburg airport, owen pushed the stroller ... his absolute favorite activity, and one that always attracts a lot of "oh-isn't-that-cute!" attention.

two flights later, we arrived in milwaukee, WI. my mom picked us up and we drove about 45 minutes to my grandparents' house, in lake geneva. they gave owen his birthday present, a book which he TOTALLY loves.

we took a little walk down to the pier, and then ...

back into the car!! day's not over yet, buddy. we drove on 45 more minutes to rockford, IL, where my sister annie lives and was getting married two days later.

once we got to rockford, my mom and sister and dear family friends dawn and taylor celebrated owen's birthday with us. yum, another cake!

mommy and her birthday boy ... getting pretty tuckered out

finally arrived at the hotel, and daddy might have been tired, but owen was ready to play a little more ...

talk about a big birthday. we are so glad owen got to spend it with grandma van hoeck, aunt annie, cousin jackson, great-grandma and grandpa leighton, dawn and taylor ... it was a good day.

birthday party

2007-08-27T21:50:00.000-04:00

we had a birthday party for owen with chambersburg friends and family a few days before his birthday ... and here's the proof.

first it was SUPER HOT, so owen and his cousins and friends went swimming (owen, grant and pierce)

then it was rainy ... the babies had to come inside to eat. (owen, luke and lydia)

the polka-dot cake

trying to blow it out before he grabs the flame

mmmmmmmmmm

double mmmmmmmmm

here, mom, want to try some?

we were grateful that so many of our family and friends could be with us -- thank you everyone for loving our son!

telly vision

2007-07-10T11:58:00.000-04:00

addendum, lest anyone think us nobler than we are: we still have cable! we just got rid of our fancy version of digital cable, with the extra channels, onscreen guide and digital recording. it's a step, though ... i haven't turned the TV on yet today. :-)

the longest (and longest-awaited) update ever

2007-07-09T23:01:00.000-04:00

we've been all over the place in the last 2 1/2 months ... and owen is less than a month away from his first birthday! it's hard to believe this year has gone so quickly. thanks for keeping up with our family!

some pictures to get started:

biiiig smile

owen and his baby cousin, jackson

the exersaucer, repurposed. it's not fun the other way anymore ...

owen is a busy, busy man these days. on his agenda ...

• crawling up the stairs with great speed
• dancing to music (bouncing up and down and shaking his bum)
• cheering for himself when he makes a basket in his Little Tikes hoop
• eating CHEESE, blueberries, grapes, turkey sandwiches, yogurt (while trying to avoid veggies and chicken)
• barking and oinking when prompted ("how does the puppy/piggy go?" or seeing a puppy or pig in a book. or real life.)
• practicing saying, "uh-oh!" and waving bye-bye
• flipping the pages of his board books. (when he finds a favorite page, he gets up on his knees and pushes the book across the carpet as if to say, "this page is SO AWESOME that it must go on tour.")
• walking behind his sesame street push toy. i must say, i have no idea how close he is to his first steps ... we'll keep you posted.
• dropping his sippy cups. he also drinks out of them from time to time.
• working on his seventh tooth.
• standing up and falling down and standing up again in the bathtub. (see below:)

unsuspecting ...

woah!!!! (i don't know HOW my mom caught this shot!)

moments later ... don't worry, all was obviously well.

other recent events in owen's life ...

• in early june, we took a trip to wisconsin for my uncle's wedding on Lake Geneva, a very special place for my family. it was fun to show owen the lake for the first time!

the keaths with dana and chris, the bride and groom

beautiful lake geneva

grandpa gives owen a dip ... can't tell in this shot, but owen was giggling!

could we be more blessed?

such a lovely place

• the following week, my mom came to visit. we had a great time, despite owen getting a CRAZY rash (a harmless reaction to amoxicillin ... it didn't look harmless!)

here's his rash ... his whole body was like this. you can also see it in those bath pictures above.

• a few days later, owen spiked a fever, unrelated to the rash ... he was a sick boy for about three days. i hate to say it, but we sort of enjoyed "sick owen" ... he was so STILL and CUDDLY, a rare treat for his parents.

• July 4th, we went to a birthday party for owen's friend luke -- he beat owen to age one by about a month.

birthday boy luke and his big sister, riley

lydia (9 months), owen (11 months), and luke (1 year); they're not looking happy, but at least they're looking.

• this saturday and sunday, owen had his first trip to our nation's capital ... we went to D.C. to visit our friends jason and amy and jon and joy who are there for the summer (sorry we missed you, joy!).

next on the agenda for the keath family: a trip to illinois for my sister Anne's wedding. owen's first birthday, august 2, will actually be spent in airports and airplanes ... i had to get over that one a little bit. but i'm glad we'll be with family on his birthday! after Anne and Brad's wedding, we'll spend a week with my parents at their cabin in the north woods of wisconsin.

as for adam and me ...
• we lost a bunch of data when the hard drive on our computer died ... :-( very sad. we had most of our photos backed up, but we still suffered significant losses. we will know better next time! BACK UP ALL YOUR STUFF FREQUENTLY! (friendly reminder.)

• adam has begun training for the MTEC team triathlon -- a run in the woods, mountain biking, and a team canoeing/navigating challenge. it takes place at the end of october. call or e-mail him and encourage him to go running!

• we got rid of our digital cable and DVR ... mostly to save money, but i also want to make TV less of a main feature in my days ... so call or e-mail me and encourage me to read a book!

we are so blessed and grateful for the gift of our life, our marriage and our precious son. we are sustained and supported entirely by the mercy of God ... HE ALONE has control of our circumstances. "every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father ... " we stand with our friends who are experiencing tragedy, loss, pain, seemingly unanswered prayers. we grieve with you, and we trust God that His mercy is at work in your lives as well.

thanks for reading ... we're grateful for you.

three-quarters

2007-05-04T10:13:00.000-04:00

after a weird, short, late winter that gave us snow into april here in pennsylvania, we're so grateful that spring is truly here. we are enjoying the chance to be outside, to feel the sun and the breeze, to plant things and watch God make them grow. my sweet mother-in-law has helped me outfit my patio with beautiful flowers. now it's up to me to take good care of them, which will be a first for me and plants. adam is VERY proud of our grass ... it's looking good.

we visited state college this past sunday and monday -- how wonderful to see our friends and one of our favorite places of all. if we missed you -- we're sorry! we hope to come up again soon.

owen is nine months old -- 3/4 of a year! he is growing up so much ...

• pulling himself up to stand at crib, coffee tables, mom's leg, etc.
• lots of imitating sounds we make ... i've also noticed that if he hears a sound (whistle, crying baby, car horn) he will often try to imitate it with his voice. he has pretty good pitch.
• his grandma has taught him how to bark! she says, "how does the puppy go?" and owen usually responds ... any kind of forceful exhale of breath is taken as a bark. :-) once in a while he will "bark" when the dogs walk by him!
• eating finger foods ... gerber puffs, cheerios, and little pieces of cheese are favorites.

here are two videos ...

first: adam was holding owen while swatting flies with a flyswatter ... you just never know what owen will think is the funniest thing in history.

next: many of owen's special talents displayed in just one video. aside from eating cheerios, see if you can spot the arm shake (he does this ALL the time), the head lean (both directions!), the sound imitation, and the vigorous shake-your-head-like-you-mean-it.

and now, the nine-months photo gallery ...

from down ...

... to up.

"hey, luke -- nice shoes!! can i try them?"

"yummmmmmmm."

reflecting on spring.

a giggle for the camera

jackson album now playing

2007-04-24T09:44:00.000-04:00

finally ... click **here** for a little photo album of pictures from jackson's birth and the days following!

owen is pulling up to a stand nowadays, which makes life just a little crazier around here ... but it is very adorable to see him standing at his crib rail waiting for us to get him in the morning!

baby jackson bradley

2007-04-13T13:54:00.000-04:00

hi everyone ...

our newest nephew, jackson bradley hastings, was born!
9:24 p.m. wednesday, april 11, 2007
6 lbs., 12 oz.; 20 inches long

at 2:30 a.m. on her scheduled induction day, annie started feeling some major contractions. she didn't arrive at the hospital until 6 a.m. (her induction time), but she was already in labor! she labored all day (with an epidural, which made her very numb and sometimes nauseous) ... after some slow going, she finally started pushing a little before 8 p.m. after about an hour and a half of pushing, jackson was born! thanks to a very crowded maternity ward, they were happy to come home thursday night, when jack was just a little over 24 hours old.

owen looks huge compared to his new baby cousin! more pictures to follow sometime soon. owen and i have been enjoying our time here in the midwest, but we've been missing adam very much ... he arrives in chicago tonight, so we're on our way back to naperville to meet him. then we'll be back to rockford tomorrow so adam can meet our newest nephew.

love to all!

more grown-up all the time

2007-03-30T10:15:00.000-04:00

here's our big boy ...

mommy and owen on the first nice day

"you lookin' at me?"

"ummmm ... what is that thing?"

almost 8 months

2007-03-29T21:58:00.000-04:00

owen loves to be tickled ... (sorry it's horizontal ... just lean your head sideways)

the camera is fascinating ... but so are camden's paws.

he loves to bounce. note the funny "backwards" noise he makes ... weird!

owen's got four teeth now ... the bottoms have been in for almost two months, and the top two just broke through last week. he had a little trouble sleeping as these new ones were coming in. but he's doing better now. he is such a good boy.

owen and i will be heading to chicago for easter and the week following -- my sister's baby is due any day now and we're hoping to be able to meet him. adam will join us at the end of the trip for the weekend after easter. we're looking forward to seeing family and friends.

hope this finds all of you well and enjoying spring's rebirth and renewal.

video

2007-03-05T10:44:00.000-05:00

technology is something else ... here's owen, living his new mobile lifestyle.

"crawling" for the ball ... watch his uniquely developed mode of transport.

if he can't get something in his mouth, he slaps it instead.

owen turned seven months old on friday ... he is changing so much. he is really starting to look like a little boy now. i love every stage, but the last few days i've found part of me wishing we could fast forward just a little. he has been more fussy than usual lately, and i think it's at least partly due to frustration at not being able to move as skillfully, gracefully and quickly as he wants to.

he surely can move, though, as you saw in the videos. i couldn't get him to sit still for seven-month pictures!! but i still got a few.

other milestones lately ...
• his bottom two teeth arrived about a month ago
• lots and lots of babbling and every other kind of noise you can imagine
• some definite fear of strangers and being left with babysitters
• starting to eat a few finger foods ... can pick them up about 50% of the time.

thanks to many of you for your concern for our dog camden. she is doing MUCH better!! it's just like her to bounce back from the brink of death, and she's done so again. she's now on more medications than the rest of our family combined, but she's still here and a favorite of everyone from owen to our friends to the ladies at the vet.

baby pierce is doing great as well ... after a few days' return to the hospital to be treated for jaundice, he's home, nursing well, gaining weight and sleeping all the time. what a blessing he is.

i'm reminded of all the tragedy happening daily all over the world ... we're praying for more than one family who have lost loved ones in recent days and months ... God chooses to take people in His own time, and we can't predict even a moment of it. every day adam and i have with owen is a gift of grace -- He gives and takes away; blessed be His name.

day 2 for pierce

2007-02-23T15:35:00.000-05:00

more pierce pictures ... they'll be leaving the hospital tomorrow morning.

pierce is here!

2007-02-22T22:58:00.000-05:00

hooray, baby pierce is born!

leo pierce schoenhofen was born at 8:14 p.m. thursday, 2.22.07. he weighed an even 8 lbs. and measured 21 inches long. anne went to the hospital around 11 this morning. adam and i were able to drop owen off at a friend's house and be at the hospital to wait with his parents starting at 7:30 ... it was 9 before they came out and told us we could go back to the room and see everyone. anne did a fantastic job and is recovering well. we're amazed at our new little nephew.

it seems like pierce looks a lot like his mommy ... anne's nose, dark, curly hair and a big, beautiful mouth. he seems so little and it makes owen seem so huge ... it's like i'd forgotten how much he's grown. we can't wait until they can play together, but for now, pierce is at the hospital, spending his first night in the big world. praise God!

the groundhog and camden

2007-02-19T15:46:00.000-05:00

winter has hit us here in chambersburg, finally — we actually have a shiny, icy covering of snow. however, on feb. 2 (which happened to be owen's half-birthday), pennsylvania's famed punxsutawney phil did not see his shadow, signaling an early spring. for owen's sake and mine, i hope he's right — because i'm sick of pulling his coat on and off, and i'm sure he's sick of wearing it. adam would disagree and hope it stays snowy for another three months or so — he always feels cheated when we don't get a high-quality winter. however, he quickly gives in to spring when it comes, for one reason and one only: baseball season.

here are owen and daddy celebrating the arrival of pitchers and catchers at spring training. (for owen, goodnight moon is a great way to celebrate any special event.)

owen is destined to be a born-and-bred baseball fanatic ... here he is in his white sox hat. my mom came to visit this weekend, so we all got some quality time together. my dad wasn't able to make it this time, so he'll have to teach owen the basics of curveballs, sliders and fastballs later this summer.

we've had some other visitors recently ... some girls from my bible study at penn state came and had a sleepover at our house a few weeks ago ... it was lots of fun, and too short! i miss them very much. we also got to see a bunch of navigators friends last weekend when they came to chambersburg for the annual regional conference.

elyse, leah, karen, beth and beth had fun oohing and ahhing over owen

my dear friend christine stopped by for a visit

lots of other updates ....

adam's sister anne has been having painful contractions for almost a month ... waiting for them to become "regular" is starting to wear on her, as you might imagine. please pray that baby pierce would be born soon and easily, with no complications.
my sister's pregnancy is progressing well too ... she's due in the beginning of april. i'm planning to go visit once the baby is born.
our sweet dog camden is sick — again. she is a sickly soul with many allergies and diseases ... another newly-discovered condition, hypothyroidism, is causing her major issues and causing her main condition to flare up as well ... she just lies around, trembles, doesn't eat much, and just basically looks pitiful. she has a way of bouncing back from every infection, attack and crisis that hits her body, so we have hope that she'll be fine this time as well, but she's in a sad way right now. we know many of you love her as much as we do, and thought you might like to know how she's doing. blessings to all of you.

cammy loves to lick owen, owen loves to be licked by cammy ... grosssssss

cammy last night on her "sickbed"

owen charles keathmonster

2007-01-19T22:34:00.000-05:00

that's what his daddy calls him. :-) the keathmonster is 5 1/2 months old now, and he's changing so much every day. things he's doing lately ...

• moving CONSTANTLY ... he is still scooting/inching forward and backward, and i've also spotted him up on hands and knees for a split second here and there. ... he can roll over both ways and all the way around. if he goes back-tummy-back, it's usually by accident, but i have seen him do it on purpose as well. he's learning he can have some control over what happens to him. if he's not rolling, he's kicking or flailing or bouncing or wiggling. essentially, he never relaxes until he gives in and falls asleep.

• however, he is becoming a great sleeper. he sleeps at least from 9 to 7 pretty consistently, and takes two to three great naps most days -- helped tremendously by his "sleepy fingers," pictured at left ... if he gets those fingers in his mouth, i know he's serious about going to sleep.

• putting a few syllables together ... i've heard a lot of ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba today.

• eating baby food pears, peaches, squash, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, applesauce ... pears are his favorite. he is also eating his toes any chance he gets.

• growing slowly but surely ... he's up over 16 lbs. now. he moves so much that i think he burns every calorie he takes in!

• going to a playgroup -- just four moms and five kids. it's great for the moms and toddlers now, but as the months go by the babies will start playing too. at left are the kiddos ... lydia -- 3 months, luke -- 6 months, owen, and luke's sister riley -- almost 3 years old. not pictured is "big owen," 2 1/2, who's expecting a brother or sister in february. notice the TOES in the next picture.

adam and i are doing well too ... went on our first "long date" to a george strait concert in hershey, PA thursday night (free tickets through the butcher shoppe) ... by long date i mean adam's parents were the ones to put owen to bed. we had fun, and owen did great. he's not old enough to really know the difference quite yet.

christmas was great for us -- got to see pretty much all my relatives and introduce them to owen. i'm glad he's now spent time with all 8 of his great-grandparents. what a blessing! (pictures: right, with my parents and my dad's parents; left, owen with my mom's parents.)

now we're awaiting the birth of two new cousins for Owen -- adam's sister is having a boy in march, and my sister is having a boy in april! adam's cousin is also expecting a boy this summer, so owen is going to have a lot of buddies to play with.

but for now, this is owen's best buddy ... since about two months old, Green Turtle has made him laugh every time. he LOVES Green Turtle.

and we love you all!

baby in motion

2006-12-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

this little baby is four months old! and he is becoming mobile ... check this out:

"i see that toy ..."

face down, butt up, knees under ...

a big push ...

"woah, there it is -- i'm going for it ..."

success!

we're going to have to start being much more careful. he's getting pretty good at rolling over as well ... it's amazing.

we went to the doctor on monday for his 4-month checkup and shots. he did very well, and he weighs 15 lbs. 2 oz (50th percentile), but he's 27 inches long (97th percentile!!). he's long and lean. we'll see if he stays lean, though -- we got the OK to start trying solid foods. here's owen after his first bowl of rice cereal:

he was more interested in the spoon.

here are a few more shots ...

on his 4-month birthday

owen and his friend luke

big boy ... could he be any cuter?

sleepy boys

the keath family on thanksgiving ... so grateful for our family and all God's blessings.

merry christmas to everyone ... looking forward to seeing many of you soon.

the promised wedding pics

2006-12-07T10:11:00.000-05:00

hi friends and family ...

here are the promised pictures from adam's sister anne's wedding, nov. 4:

anne and adam with leo schoenhofen, our new brother

owen and aunt anne, the beautiful bride

one more and a tip

2006-11-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

here's one more ... i can't resist:

by the way, if you click on any of the pictures, it should open a new window with a much larger version of the photo.

owen's world

2006-11-05T13:48:00.000-05:00

owen's making some great strides, folks!

• turned THREE MONTHS on nov. 2 ... he's actually almost 14 weeks old
• laughing a little! we're still waiting for the big one, though
• blowing spit bubbles -- he thinks it's hilarious
• entertaining himself for long stretches
• outgrowing even some of his 3-6 month clothes -- he is VERY tall
• standing up to play in his exersaucer, which he loves until he tires out

he's doing great. we're looking forward to thanksgiving (my parents are coming) and christmas (we're heading to the midwest to introduce owen to all of my side of the family, who haven't even met him yet. can't wait to see you, family!!)

we had a wonderful weekend, celebrating the marriage of adam's sister anne to a great man, leo schoenhofen. it was a beautiful event and we're so grateful to have been there. owen was SO good ... didn't cry at ANY crucial times from rehearsal through reception.

i'll post some wedding pictures when i have them, but for now, here are a bunch from my mom and sister's visit, halloween, and three-month-old owen.

owen's aunt annie

grandma van hoeck

owen was a pumpkin for halloween ...

rockin the exersaucer

tummy time

lots of love to you all.