Birthdays, an Anniversary, and Indy... Oh My!

Thanks to another new camera that Kori got for Mother’s Day (this being a “real” camera), we’ll have some better quality pictures to post here. Remember - you can click on the pictures to see bigger versions.


Puma is reluctant to let Keelie go.

Keelie is over 11 months old now and is getting smarter by the day. Since I was still days away from turning five when my youngest sibling was born, I didn’t remember how fast kids grow and develop new skills. Wow! She’s learning new climbing techniques; she has learned to point to things that are out of her reach, which is effective – as long as it is something we want to give to her. She's also started doing the sign for "more" when I'm feeding her, and developed a habit of sticking her fingers far enough back in her throat to gag herself (girls learn so early, don't they?).

My two ladies!

Keelie has figured out how to get around the gate we use to keep her in the living room. When Keelie does manage to get around the gate and I pick her up, she is okay until I take her back across the gate, thus thwarting her progress. Then she'll let me know she isn't happy. Her sulk mode includes sitting on the floor with her legs apart, leaning forward so that her face is nearly on the floor, and crying. She seems to be able to do simple counting, too.

One of the best feelings in the world!

She likes it when I'm home when she wakes up for the day, and she knows based on Kori's routine whether or not I am home and in the other room when they wake up.

There she is, no doubt plotting a way around that gate.

We bought some new clothes for Keelie since she's finally outgrowing most of the clothes she received as gifts. While we were in the store, we picked up a toy she likes because of the music, sounds, and lights. Stuff that lights up – like cell phones or buttons on a remote – capture her attention.

I wish they could stay this peaceful.


Adorable!

Who knows what she is plotting here? Look at her tummy peeking through.

Since our last photo update, we celebrated a belated Mother’s Day at Puma & Granddaddy’s, and we went to Nanny’s place to jointly mark my birthday and my brother’s. I spent a little time in the pool. Keelie didn't mind the water. She wasn't thrilled about it... probably didn't know what to think about it.

There she is with her Aunt Binky.

I took a couple of days off from work for my birthday/our engagement anniversary and so we could see a midnight screening of the Indiana Jones film with the usual suspects at the Big Newport in Newport Beach, as I wrote elsehwhere.

Oh, the places we go!

I like this shot below because Keelie is laughing, she's playing with her new toy, and the dog is in the frame, too. Me? I needed to shave.

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Ken's Indiana Jones Film Review Online

My film review (and a little bit of what we did yesterday) can be found over at my individual blog by clicking here.

Happy Mother's Day

It's Kori and Keelie's first Mother's Day since the umbilical cord was cut. Woo-hoo! Kori has been such a great mother to Keelie. She takes to it like a duck to water, or like a nerd to Apple products.

We've been keeping things simple around here. Hopefully, we'll be looking for a house before too long. If the prices continue to go lower, perhaps there will be someplace around here under the seven figure mark.

Now for a round of the game "Where's Keelie?"

Keelie has become very familiar and comfortable with the family room, and can navigate around it quite well. If we don't put the gate up, she'll make a beeline for kitchen. If we get the gate up before she make it there, she let's us know how disappointed she is in our protectionist ways. She's at the point where walking is becoming preferable to crawling, but if she elects to crawl, off she'll go! She also climbs into her little rocker, though she' s more apt to slide and wiggle off of furniture, or out of someone's grasp.

Shelby and Keelie seem to have arrived at a new level in their interaction. Shelby is still not always happy with Keelie, but is more open to playing with her. That's probably because Keelie slips so much of her food to her.

Below we can see Keelie inviting Shelby to join her in waiting for me to come home.


"Nope, that's not Daddy. He's coming. Mommie says so."

"There's Daddy!"

I like how both Keelie and Shelby express excitement at my return. The topper, though, is getting the welcome home from Kori!

We like these pictures below, because if Keelie ever wanders away, we'll have good "mug shots" of her.

"Look to this side, Keelie."

"Okay, now look to this side."

She's our little blue-eyed cutie.

I wanted to slip in some more photos of Keelie and Shelby waiting for me on a different day. Can you blame me?

"Hey, Daddy's almost here."

"Open...open....open..."

We decided to go to see my mother a day early and spend some time with her, Kim, and Kim's family. Here Auntie Kim is helping as Keelie learns "Patty Cake".

Keelie loves to play with lids. She'll bang two together to make noises. She's got rhythm.

Here's a short video clip of her playing in Nanny's kitchen.

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