House It Going?

It has been way too long since we’ve done a real update and uploaded pictures. So here's an update. Remember - you can click on each picture to see a larger version.

As I wrote earlier, we’ve moved! We’re still in Anaheim, closer to Kori’s side of the family, closer to Disneyland, and a couple of freeway exits closer to the office. We moved from our condo to a house - doubling our square footage - and are still settling in and working out the kinks. This has kept us very busy (and we got sick, too… nothing too serious).

Here’s Keelie a couple of months ago, packing herself for the move.

Our house has an attached garage, and plenty of parking space, too, so I won’t have to bother with finding a parking spot or moving the pickup to avoid getting a ticket.

There is a large room with a fireplace that was added on to the house, taking up some of the backyard.

When that happened, what had been the living room area, directly to the left once inside the front door, was walled off and given a door and became a smaller room with a fireplace.

Also when that happened one of the bedrooms lost its windows/outdoor access, so it is now like a giant closet with its own closet. That is my cave. Kori will retain control of the rest of the place, of course, like any wife. But I will have my cave in which to retreat and concoct my elaborate plans for world domination.

Look at that! Shelves already built in. Which is good, because we have more books than some bookstores. That was painfully obvious during the move.

Our bedroom has a bathroom with a shower. Hopefully someday, we can push the front of the house out a little (there is plenty of front yard) and give our bathroom a nice big bath. On the other side of our bathroom is another bathroom that does have a bath. However, it currently does not receive hot water (long story). Oh well.

Then there’s Keelie’s room and the baby’s room. Since there is no baby right now, it is storage space.

Before we actually moved ourselves in, we had the old heater removed, which gave us an additional closet, and we had a new HVAC system installed, extending it to the addition. Otherwise, the place was just going to be too hot on the warmer days.

We also had a lot of other work we needed to do, including getting a washer and dryer, and a gas range/oven. Kori’s father did a lot of work around the place (bless him!) but what he couldn’t do, the good folks at Rescue Rooter did, including taking care of several plumbing problems and installing the appliances. They were great.

The neighborhood is mostly single-family homes, and the way our street is situated, the only traffic is for the homes on the street.

Keelie has been enjoying the extra room. She’s fifteen months old now, after all. Both she and Shelby like having a bigger backyard. Also with the move, Keelie finally started to sleep in her own room. And to think some people with a fifteen-month-old already have another baby.

Based on the condition of the house and the finance history, it looks like someone tried to flip the place not too long ago. It also looks like someone wasn’t able to handle all of the costs of the place and stripped it (like taking shower heads) before they left. There are mostly new windows and carpeting, which is good. It is interesting to see what the house value was at the height of the market and compare that to what the bank ended up accepting.

In addition to Bill (Granddaddy) and Pam (Puma) helping out of a lot around the place, Kori’s siblings have all been of great assistance in doing such things as watching Keelie, helping with the actual moving, and getting the condo ready to rent out. Our friends Dave & Jenn were a great help with the actual move as well, and James and Chrissy babysat Keelie during a key day of the move, and Keelie had a great time playing with their son Isaac.

My mother (Nanny) has also taken Keelie to the Disneyland Resort at least three times now, making it easier for Kori and me to both work on the move. Before the madness really began, we’d all visited the Resort together and had a good time, though Keelie has a problem with experiences (like rides) that get dark and noisy – which is just about everything.

Whitewater Snacks is great. Now that I've said that here online, Disney will probably get rid of the place.

And here are the ladies at a very special place.

Speaking of madness, towards the end of July, our water heater in the condo decided to leak, and so we had to replace it. It happened at the end of a weekend that started with rushing Shelby to an emergency vet because we thought she’d broken some bones. She’s okay, but it sure took a lot of money to find that out. That was an expensive weekend.

Things got better though as August got into gear. We had a picnic with some of our friends that we hadn’t seen in a while. One of the families had been in Africa and was passing through town on their way to settle in another state, so we all got together. Jon and Jeni have two small children now, one older than Keelie (Gracie) and one younger (Isaiah). James, Chrissy, and Isaac were there, too, as was Dave, and Aaron & Cherise. Keelie had a lot of fun playing with the other kids and running around in general, and it was nice to see most of the gang again.

Here's Keelie leaning on Gracie.

And here's Keelie playing with Isaac.

And here's the group (Kori took the picture).

It had been too long since we’d seen Bob and Julie, and we needed to meet Katie, so all six of us had dinner together at the Disneyland Resort. Keelie had fun dropping crayons on the floor.

There isn’t much else to say. Life has been about moving and settling in to the new place and getting the old place ready to rent out. Hopefully, we’ll be settled in and squared away soon.

Thanks for stopping by and reading. Keep us up to date on that you’ve been doing. As always, you can reach us at KEPellman [at] yahoo [dot] com, and you can submit a comment to the blog as well. You can find us on MySpace and Facebook - the links are in the column here on the right.

Four Months Old Today!

Today is Keelie’s 4-month birthday!!!

Okay, okay – so it has been “forever” since a Keelie Pic Update. Sorry. I know everyone’s life revolves around seeing new pictures of our baby.

We've decided that Keelie gets her hair, feet, lips, and dimpled chin from me, and her eyes and nose from Kori. We have no idea where her ears came from.

As I wrote earlier, she has started to turn over on her own. She’s hitting all sorts of developmental milestones, which is good, considering she’s turning Four Months Old. She’s gaining weight and height, and is where she should be as far as that goes. All of this means she is much more interactive with us, and cute as a button.

Especially when I have work the next day, Kori has been tending to Keelie when she wakes up in the middle of the night. Sometimes, when I’m home and Kori needs more sleep in the morning, I’ll take Keelie out of the bedroom and try to keep her entertained and fed.

For some reason, Keelie likes football - certainly more than me. Must be the colors and movement and men and noise - she likes white noise. Sometimes, when she falls asleep in a noisy room, I want to say “Could everyone please keep it UP?”

So, when Kori is catching some sleep and I am holding Keelie on a Saturday morning, I can try to watch the History Channel, and not hear anything because Keelie is screaming, OR I can watch football with a quiet baby. She quite often prefers that the person holding her walk around the room, and will fuss if they stop. Maybe she's going to be a personal trainer?

Her temperament has improved a lot. We figure she was dealing with some pain and have treated the likely cause. Hopefully, this will make her more comfortable and she can be entertained more by her toys while we do some chores.

Besides holding, feeding, and changing Keelie, what else have we been up to? Not all that much.

Closing out September, I read and reviewed a book for LaughingPlace.com in a short amount of time. Kori was supportive of that, thankfully, and she had some extra homework to do herself, as if tending to Keelie wasn’t enough!

We’ve finally made it back to the main service at church – the first time since Keelie was born. Previously, we’d gone to the group meetings only. This time, we chose going to the main service instead of the group meeting. Then we caught lunch with my mother and Kim, who were clamoring to see Keelie in-person again. Mike and Macon were also there. Blaine is driving now, so he’s scarce. Later that night, Kendra and Steve dropped by. It had been a while since they’d seen Keelie.

During the following week, we dropped in at Pam and Bill’s.

Last Friday, we met up with the Friday Night Group that we’ve only met up with one other time since Keelie’s birth. It was a larger group and a lot of people took their turns holding Keelie. We declined to join the group back at the house after dinner, as it was getting late and who wants a screaming baby in a home theater?

Over the weekend, we went up to my mother’s place for lunch and stayed through dinner so that everyone could see Keelie again. I also got my hair cut. Haircuts are becoming a lot less frequent since I grew “Apart of the Mouse”. Here's a cell phone pic from my mother's place...

We had dinner at Pam and Bill’s again this past week.

We also had some appointments over the last couple of days, including getting Keelie’s 4-month immunization shots. She was very, very upset. We heard a cry we hadn’t heard before! But the good news is that the doctors say she’s doing well overall. They have been very happy with her progress.

We're still getting gifts, and people have been so generous. THANK YOU! We are still trying to get birth announcements out to a few people. Thanks for your patience... Keelie has been quite a handful.

That’s all for now. You can read some of my thoughts about fatherhood over on my personal blog here.

Thanks for reading! You can e-mail us at KEPellman [at] yahoo [dot] com.
-Ken

Keeping Cool As Summer Winds Down

Every year, August and September get really, really hot in southern California, yet we tend to forget that until we experience it all over again every year. We’re thankful for air conditioning.


My sisters and mother are constantly requesting we visit so that they can fight over holding Keelie.

Tuesday, Kim and Vicky came down to see Keelie and we all went to dinner at El Cholo in La Habra. Kim picked up the check – bless her! Kori and I had to get our green corn tamale fix.

Thursday evening, we dropped in at Kendra & Steve’s. Steve hadn’t seen Keelie in a while and neither had Pam & Bill, who were there for dinner.

Friday, we took Keelie for a follow-up appointment with a specialist. The drive to and from the office, which was not hampered by slow traffic, was longer than the visit. Keelie is getting heavier and longer, like she should. Kori and the doc went over some of Keelie’s symptoms/likes/dislikes and thought she might have silent reflux. So now Keelie has “yummy” (like mouthwash) medicine to take.

In the evening, we went to bid farewell to Jeni, Jon, Graci, and Isaiah (in utero) who are moving to Kenya. Jon’s family is there (he was actually born in Africa). Jenn & Dave hosted the send-off and most of Homecoming was there.

This is Jenn holding her.

Jon, Jeni, and Graci...

Aaron and Cherise...

Cherise, James, Chrissy, and Dave...

Saturday, we went to the Keel household so that Bill, Pam, Toby, and Kirby could see Keelie again, and then we went to my mother’s place for dinner, where my mother, my siblings, nephews, and brother-in-law caught up with Keelie. My mother loves to feed us - bless her!

Here's Auntie Kim with Keelie...

As you can see, Uncle Mike is as sociable as ever...

Another one with Auntie Kim...

With Nanny...

Yesterday, Kori noticed the earthquake that hit about 10:30am. No big deal, thankfully. We stayed inside the condo all day as it was hot outside and we weren’t feeling our best.

On Daddy's shoulder earlier today, thinking hard about what Daddy should write...

We hope all is well with you and your loved ones. Write us at KEPellman [at] yahoo [dot] com.

No Screaming During the Bath, But Then Came the Shots

Last Sunday, Keelie hit the two month mark.

This week was the first time we were able to give Keelie a bath without her screaming her head off. Progress! I’m also enjoying the “Daddy & Keelie” time I get with her after working.

Changes have been afoot while we have been recuperating at home. We really enjoyed our friends from church that would meet as a group called Homecoming. The situation settled into six regular couples, three of us having young kids, and we’d meet weekly in homes. However, the group decided to go in a new direction and was basically absorbed into a larger group that meets on the church campus. One of the Homecoming families is about to move “permanently” to Africa, and they are expecting their second child. We're going to miss them.

Here's Keelie sleeping hard in a "nest" of pillows, Kori couldn't resist taking a picture!

Kori took these shots below when she noticed Keelie rising up off me during Daddy & Keelie time. Shelby couldn’t resist getting into the shots.

A kiss from Shelby?

"More pictures, Mommie?"

"Daddy, why does Mommie take so many pictures?"

Here’s Keelie reaching nine weeks of age on Tuesday, and raising her arms in victory.

Kori, Keelie, and I checked in with the lactation consultants again. Well, I didn’t need to be there, but I was. Things are looking good. Kori is doing a very good job and is producing a lot.

Yesterday, Keelie went to the doctor again so she could get her first shots. Four times, she had to endure needles being stuck into her thighs. Even though it was done as quickly as possible, Keelie was not happy about it. However, she’s doing well at gaining weight and getting longer. For her age, she’s at the 20th percentile for weight (as she was at birth), and 50th percentile for height. For hair, she’s off the charts. And she seemed to be in a good mood for most of the rest of the day. She was probably hoping that she could avoid more shots that way!

Kori ventured out for the first time without Keelie. She ran some errands while I stayed home and had some Daddy & Keelie time. Kori was happy to be fitting back into her “ultra-skinny” jeans. But then, she was looking like her pre-pregnancy self very soon after giving birth.

As you can see below, we’ve started to try out putting things in Keelie’s hair. You know - to get people to notice it. They seem not to see it, otherwise.

For dinner, we met up with Bob and Julie at the PCH Grill, located inside the Paradise Pier Hotel at the Disneyland Resort. They brought a present for Keelie - so nice! We hadn’t seen them in the longest time. The PCH Grill is where Kori and I ate on our first date, and look what happened to us! (Of course, we did go into Disneyland Park, too, on that date).

Finally, I’ll end this post with a picture of a gift that arrived this week for Keelie, sent by Adam, whom I consider a professional and creative mentor (even though he was never a PIO for a County of Los Angeles Department).

Meet Moxy. Now that’s a “stuffed animal”. Thank you, Adam.

As always, you can e-mail us at KEPellman at Yahoo dot com. A note to our less tech-savvy friends and family: By clicking on most of these pictures, you will see a larger version of the same picture.

Mid-July Update From the Pellmans

Wow, it has gotten harder to provide updates now that I’m back to work. The last entry was from July 3. Keelie will be a month old in just a few days, and thus, officially no longer a newborn. Considering how fast my nephews grew up - one just turned 15, the other will be turning 17 next month – I believe people when they tell us that time will fly by.

The evening of July 3, we discovered that Keelie doesn’t like taking a bath. Then again, she cries almost all of the time she is awake anyway. She must be working on her lungs - she does have singers in her family, after all. She’s quiet once she’s settled in to eating, riding in the minivan, and being held by a “new” person (usually), and when sleeping. Dirty diapers don’t bother her. Hiccups don’t bother her. She cries most of the rest of the time, including when those diapers are being changed.


That's Keelie on her first Independence Day.

Being the wild and crazy bunch we are, we stayed home July 4th and watched KCAL 9's fireworks show. They were 13 minutes into it before someone figured out that the sound (music, narration) wasn't hooked into the broadcast. It was also odd that the spectators interviewed to fill time talked about "HD" being one of the reasons they were happy to be there. Uh, they were in person. Only the audience at home would care about KCAL's HD capabilities.

Below you can see Keelie in her bassinet.

She likes the one side for some reason. Notice the pacifiers. She almost invariably hates them. She tries to stick her own hands in her mouth, but that hasn't quite worked out yet. She prefers one of Kori's fingers, or a knuckle of my pinky, or she'll pretend to be hungry, only to fall asleep when in position to eat.

On Thursday, July 5th, Jenn & Dave brought over dinner - bless them!

We drove up to have lunch with my mother (Nanny) and sister (Aunt Binky) on Friday the 6th. Aunt Binky is especially ga-ga over Keelie.


My mother likes to share meals with us - bless her! I pack on the pounds, Vicky has done a good job of dopping pounds and keeping them off.

Speaking of dropping pounds, Kori is has been doing very well and is pleased with herself (I'm pleased, too!) with the progess she's been making in losing the prengancy weight. She fits into almost all of her tight clothes now. We'll have to get a good picture and upload it soon.

Also on Friday the 6th, James & Chrissy brought over dinner - bless them!

On Sunday the 8th, we drove up to Glendora for Homecoming and another couple got to meet Keelie for the first time - Aaron and Cherise.

This past week, I went back to work on a regular basis. It was hard to peel myself away from the two ladies. I didn’t use Family Leave for my time off, so I still have that to fall back on if needed.

Aaron and Cherise brought over lots of yummy food this past Tuesday – bless them!

Wednesday evening was Kendra’s birthday dinner, so all of us were at Puma and Granddaddy’s. Puma and Granddady sure love having the gang over and feeding us all - bless them!

This past Friday, I made a run for Costco. Going alone is a little dangerous, because I can spend forever in the media section looking books, CDs, and DVDs. In the evening we went to introduce Keelie to everyone at Donna B’s monthly Hometown Buffet get-together of current and former cast members. Keelie showed off her crying skills. A lot of people assume that a crying baby means hunger, a dirty diaper, or being too hot or cold. That isn't always the case. There are babies that simply cry a lot, often to release energy, and only so much a parent can do to quiet the crying.

So, things are not so exciting right now, other than enjoying the new, noisy life we get to hold in our arms. There are some movies I’ve wanted to see, but those will have to wait. Heck, we weren’t getting to the cinema before the birth, either.

I’m also going to miss going to see “Weird Al” Yankovic and his White and Nerdy Band at the Orange County Fair this week. But... that's life. Kori has been doing a wonderful job mothering Keelie and withstanding the lack of sleep. Eventually, a new normal will set in. We'll have to give Keelie her first Disneyland visit before too long. We can keep it nice and short. Unless the place stops her from crying.

Thank you all for your ongoing advice, assistance, and prayers. We're working on "thank yous" for all of you who have given gifts, but let us also say here... THANK YOU!