Happy Christ-Giving-Day-Mas

You know that song about the kid who only wants his two front teeth for Christmas? First of all, that's a ridiculous Christmas gift. Unless you're a beaver, what's the advantage of just the two front teeth? Why not a whole mouthful? At least then you could enjoy a steak, or at least a chicken wing.

Anyway, Keaton got his Christmas present in late November, while celebrating Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Siemers' house in Minnesota.

And believe us, it was FAR from a gift.

It's hard enough to get acclimated to unfamiliar surroundings, then these two little tusks poke through, causing enough pain to make three people lose sleep. And those three people were: Keaton, Mommy and Daddy.

On the upside, the early arrival of these chompers is yet another sign that Keaton is developing rapidly. He's already rolling over and trying to sit up. He's also writing this blog post. (He's not, really, but he probably could if he applied himself. The kid just sits around all the time.)

Despite the teeth, we had a nice time visiting family in Minnesota. Other than Turkey Day, the visit included Keaton's baptism (with Uncle Ken, Uncle Hal G. and Auntie Toni as godparents). We also took in the self-proclaimed "world famous" fish house parade in Daddy's home town of Aitkin.

Quinn spent good part of his trip learning about Paul Bunyan, he of wood-chopping fame. So it was only appropriate that we flew back to Oregon and the very next day chopped down a tree.

It should be of no surprise that Daddy would have never been able to chop that tree down were it not for Quinn and his plastic handsaw. We toppled that great fir tree, then celebrated with beer and cider. (Daddy had the beer, in case you're taking notes.)

The tree is now decorated, much of it by Quinn. Of course, that means the majority of the ornaments occupy the lower quarter of the tree, no higher than three-feet high, but he did a mighty fine job for a first-timer.

That's how the holidays started, and so far they are commencing with enough adventure to fuel these stories, so enjoy. That's your Christmas present.

Beats a pair of teeth. That song must have been about an orthodontist's kid.

The big 3, a night of ghouls, and a week of the icks

We've been remiss in updating you about all the activity aboard the U.S.S. Fussy Britches.

And there's been a lot to report.

First, there was Halloween. For his first year of trick-or-treating, Cap'n Quinn did what comes natural -- gave a hearty "aaarrgghh" and donned his pirate garb. With Mommy at work, the Skipper Keaton came along for the ride, dressed as a more-cute-than-scary skeleton.

Quinn knew the drill: Knock on the door, stand back a few steps, and when the door opens holler "trick or treat!" He had so much fun, Daddy thought he'd have to take him out every Saturday night.

Halloween was followed by something far scarier -- a week of the yucks.

First Mommy got it -- the fever, aches sinus headaches. Then it hit Quinn and then Keaton and, finally, Daddy. Luckily, Keaton's powerful young immune system dispatched the yucks in just a day. For Daddy, it lasted just two days. Unfortunately, it lasted a bit longer for Mommy and Quinn. But they're on the mend, and just in time to head to Minnesota next week for Thanksgiving.

But before we get to that, there was Quinn's big day.

A third birthday may not be as momentous the first two, but you'd have a hard time convincing Quinn.

First, he and Daddy made a special trip to the theater to watch "Astroboy" and eat popcorn. Then on Saturday, after we dropped Dexie off for a haircut, he picked out some purple balloons for his birthday party. Just after we got home, our party guests arrived, and Quinn had lots of fun playing with his friends Evelyn, Jonah and Lenore.

Mommy made some great food. And while most everybody left before we cut the dessert, the rest of us enjoyed some pretty tasty ice cream cake.

It was a fun day and Quinn was wore out when bed time came.

Let's hope he and his brother are just as tired when we step on a plane next week. Minnesota, here we come!

Quinn and his first round of birthday presents:



Quinn and Keaton show off their Halloween costumes:



Keaton cooing to his Mommy:


Dancing with the Star:

Action in October

It's been a busy month.

Grandma and Grandpa Siemers, Auntie Tara, Uncle Hal and Cousin Abby all came out to visit from Minnesota. It was nice to have so much company at once, even if the house was nuttier than usual -- and that's saying something.

The kids went to the zoo. Grandpa and Hal did some handiwork around the house. And Daddy and Grandpa helped build a sandbox for the U.S.S. Fussy Britches. All it needs is a little fine-tuning and a coat of paint and the sandbox will be complete.

This was the first time our Minnesota family has seen the Lil' Skipper Keaton. Understandably, they fell in love with him. The little guy is getting bigger and smarter by the day.

In just the past week Keaton discovered how to use his hands. He seems to favor a toy dinosaur named Spike. The dinosaur is almost as big as him. He grapples it like he's on the losing end of a wrestling match. Finally, he just gives up and chews on its nose.

We got back into our normal routine this weekend.

Each Saturday we have some sort of family outing. Normally, it's just a trip to the farmer's market or out shopping. But this week we visited the Roloff Farm pumpkin patch. The Roloff's are our famous neighbors, the stars of "Little People, Big World" on the TLC network.

The film crews were busy Saturday following the Roloff family. Meanwhile, Quinn's hand was nearly eaten while trying to feed a baby cow. Unfortunately, the film crew didn't get that on camera. Once Quinn settled, we had a good time climbing a haystack pyramid, checking out the ponies and running through a maze of hay bales.

We picked out two pumpkins -- one Daddy carved, and a little one Quinn chose and painted with his finger paints.

They're outside the house and all lit up.

Hopefully, they'll manage to scare away any stray cats.

Girls not allowed

Mommy is back to work now, leaving Daddy and the boys to man the U.S. S. Fussy Britches on the weekends.

In just three weeks of duty, Daddy has managed to keep the ship on course. The boys get fed. Nobody gets hurt. We even sneak in a trip to the park.

Daddy will be the first to admit, he doesn't run as efficient an operation as Mommy, but he does alright, which is about all you can ask.

With Mommy back in the swing of things, that means daycare comes back into the picture. Despite a few hiccups in the process -- which included Keaton going a day at one daycare with almost nothing to eat -- we're back to where we started, taking the boys to the same place Quinn has been going to since we moved to Oregon.

This wasn't an option to us before. Quinn's caregiver didn't watch newborns. But seeing that we were desperate, she gladly took on both boys, and so far it's working perfectly.

We've been trying to find alternative to the TV as an entertainment choice for Quinn. Lately, Mommy decided to turn him into an artist, making pictures out of macaroni glued and painted on paper plates. He's quite a talent. The kid also has some improv skills. He enjoys modifying nursery rhymes. To wit: "Jack and Jill Went up the Hill to fetch a pail of ... sandwiches! ... poop! ... blocks! ... basketballs!"

Keaton is also becoming more animated. If well rested, he enjoys sitting up in his bouncy chair and looking around at the world with his big round eyes. He likes it when Daddy stares back and asks him to talk. It usually elicits an approving coo or gurgle. Come to think of it, that could be gas.

We've grown concerned about the shape of Keaton's head, which is significantly flatter on one side thanks to two months of holding him in the same position.

We're working on evening it out a bit.

But that's what weekends with the boys are all about. A little bit of rough-housing is the perfect cure for an unbalanced head.

Skipper TV

It's been a while since we posted any video of the little Skipper and Cap'n Quinn. So here's a little something to satiate your demand.

Mommy is back to work now, leaving Daddy to take care of the boys on the weekends. We're doing alright so far, though it's only been one day.

Daddy has had his own excitement. That is, if "excitement" is an appropriate description for stupidly stepping on non-reinforced sheetrock in the attic and nearly falling through the ceiling. Luckily, just one leg dangled from the sky before Daddy pulled himself back up to safety.

He still feels stupid because of the gaping hole in the ceiling, but he'll get over it.

Anyway, on with the show.

Small talk

Keaton, the Skipper, our cute little ball of flesh, has googly eyeballs.

He likes to sit in our arms and stare at us, as if there's something hanging from our noses and he's too polite to say anything, but not polite enough not to stare.

This is the sign of a curious young mind; an observer of the world, taking it all in through wide-eyed stares.

Just a week shy of being two months old, he's not expected to say much. He's not expected to say anything, really, which explains my surprise when one day, out from his pursed little mouth, came this noise:

"Coo."

So he cooed, in an ever-so faint way that made you think twice before you realized he wasn't passing gas.

A "coo" is baby talk, so technically we can't consider that his first word. But it was certainly his first noise other than crying, so it's worth documenting in the annals of time.

Cap'n Quinn, by contrast, is a verbal jukebox filled with coins.

What did you do today Quinn?

"Went to the park and saw the kid... then the purple guy and the shark ... and, and .... the pirate and the pirate and the blue guy ... and chicken and fries and then ... (spinning in circles) whoa! whoa!"

As bright and articulate as a nearly three-year-old can be, he still has more in his brain than his little mouth can handle at once.

The doctors say Quinn has mono, a virus which typically makes you lethargic and miserable. Quinn is ebullient and generally cheerful. I wish everybody had his kind of mono.

Certainly, he's worth staring at with googly eyes.

A spot of mono

Nobody likes to be sick.

And nobody likes to be sick with lymph glands swollen to the size of grapes, a 100-plus degree fever, massive flaming tonsils, chapped lips and a faceful of spots.

Quinn, however, doesn't seem to mind. It's 9:15 p.m. on Saturday -- way past bed time -- and the Cap'n is spinning in circles, looking to play with his bubbles and finishing a movie. I'd enforce some kind of curfew if I wasn't so pleased that he isn't miserable.

Because yesterday afternoon, I was worried.

Constant complaints about a sore mouth and a sore belly, coupled with the high fever, precipitated our second visit to the doctor in a week. Initially, the doctor was visibly worried -- the massive size of his lymph nodes led her to fear the worst. But a favorable blood test showed he is more likely fighting off a virus, and he has the symptoms of mononucleosis.

Our hope, naturally, is that this mono (or whatever it is) runs its course quickly, rather than the months-long lethargy that can come with the illness. So far, our fears are subsiding. Despite difficulty sleeping and periodic fevers, the good Cap'n Quinn has been his normal ebullient self, albeit spotted and bored from being stuck indoors.

Perhaps the most challenging part has been keeping him away from his little brother.

Keaton continues to fill out nicely. The little Skipper loves to look around at the world, his big eyes wandering at whatever moves, no matter the hour.

Naturally, we'd prefer he stick to eating, sleeping and pooping in regular intervals, but a little human curiosity isn't something to discourage.

Makin' progress

We're past the three week mark in the young Skipper's life and, not surprisingly, he's getting cuter by the day.

With every bottle of milk our wee little man fills out even more. What was once a tiny little sprite with scrawny little frog legs is already showing signs of becoming a big strong boy. Along with that comes a growing curiosity to see the world, to look around a bit. Unfortunately for us, he seems to like the time around 2 a.m. best.

The adventures continued this weekend, as Keaton and his big brother, Cap'n Quinn, ventured to the Washinton County Fair. After visiting the regular collection of farm animals, and after a few nibbles of a corn dog, Quinn took his first crack at carnival rides. Depite Daddy's initial apprehension, he proved yet again that he's no longer a baby boy. He rode a helicopter ride with his Grandma Smith, and motorcycle, alligator, space ship, and construction truck rides all by himself.

Seeing that, Daddy realized his little guy is growing up -- even if he still tries to fit in Keaton's infant carrier.

The little gentleman

That handsome devil you see there is the Skipper, posing like the young gentleman he is for Mommy's talented photographer friend Jessica.

We made a big trip up to the Seattle area this week to have some professional shots of our wee little Keaton, and he performed admirably.

You can check the rest of Jessica's work, including the complete Keaton photo shoot, on her Web site here.

In just two weeks, Keaton has grown to 7 pounds and stretched a whole two inches to 20 1/2 inches long. The doctor gave him a clean bill of health this week and told him to keep up the good work.

Cap'n Quinn, meanwhile, is well on his way to mastering the potty. We've got a ways to go before we can completely abandon the diapers, but we're working our way there.

He's been busy trying to help Daddy out around the house. He's used his toy screwdriver, wrench and hammer to help build a table and a desk. He helped with some landscaping and, as you can see in the pictures below, he mowed the lawn. He's a busy two-year-old.

Natural evolution

There are lessons being learned daily here on the U.S.S. Fussy Britches.

Consider, for example, the Good Cap'n Quinn. Just a few weeks ago, he went on a slapping rampage, smacking other kids across the face unprovoked just to see the reaction. Later, he would constantly repeat to Mommy and Daddy: "I smacked that baby."

Today we took the whole family to the zoo. Quinn was standing next to a pretty little girl about his age. He started to stare right in her eyes, a familiar preface to a slap, based on his three previous infractions. But instead, he moved in for a kiss, a delightful and innocent moment we hope is a sign that he's moved on to more peaceful forms of expression.

That urge to kiss and nuzzle has no doubt been borne from his love for his new little buddy, the Skipper Keaton. As you can see from the pictures below, the boys have become pretty comfortable with each other, though, admittedly, Keaton doesn't say much to confirm this.

Still, they're good boys and they're learning every day. Today, for example, Keaton and I learned that cute babies are far more interesting than any zoo animals.

We were a popular exhibit.

Night and day

The Skipper has found his way home.

Nearly a week old, Keaton has settled nicely into a routine: sleep all day, up all night. But compared to his big brother the Good Cap'n Quinn, Keaton is a piece of cake.

You could say it's the difference between night and day.

As a newborn, Quinn's crying never ceased. Want to put him in a basinet? Scream. Hold him? Scream. The only time he didn't scream it seemed was when he was being fed. He learned how to sleep at six months.

Keaton, however, is a mime with a squeaky hinge. He stares and observes his surroundings silently while awake, his hands waving wildly as if conducting an orchestra. Then, when he wants something, he utters this subtle yet steady screech that builds to a crescendo the more you bother him.

One of those moments came today when Mommy and Grandma Smith gave Keaton his first bath. He's a gentleman, you see, and gentleman don't like to show their business off so cavalierly. But there he was, bits exposed, getting sponged by Grandma while Daddy held the camera. Clearly, he was mortified. But he survived, looking even more handsome.

Quinn reached a milestone of his own today when Daddy took him out for a special day at the movies, his first time at the big theater.

Upon entering the theater to see the latest "Ice Age" film, he looked around and, awestruck, said "what is this place?" With his buttered popcorn and fruit punch in hand, he sat through the whole movie like a champ, leaving Daddy to say, "We need to go to a lot more movies."

Quinn agreed. We could even bring Keaton.

He won't make a peep.

Excuse me sir, but do you know the way to Casablanca?

Tomorrow we depart from this den of cleanliness and nice ladies in scrubs. Off we sail to our White House, as we call it, or "Casablanca," in the parlance of the two worldly adventurers at the helm of the U.S.S. Fussy Britches.

We shall lift anchor by 11 a.m., with The Skipper Keaton buckled in tightly to his hand-me-down car seat.

His third day on this planet was routine by the previous days' standards, but full of its own landmarks. Keaton is eating more, though still on a quest to gain weight. He's discovered the benefits of the pacifier, and has begun opening his eyes and scouting out his surroundings a lot more. With each day, his curiosity grows.

The Good Cap'n Quinn is still fond of his new sidekick. Uninstructed, he likes to lean down and nuzzle his nose against Keaton -- a gentler form of hug. He's driving his Grandma Smith nuts, but that's what 2.5-year-olds do.

Mommy is enjoying the service at the hospital, if not the food. She'll miss being waited on, though it's even odds that Daddy will take over some of those duties. He's probably happiest to return to the White House after three nights sleeping on a pull-out bed that could easily be classified as a mild form of torture.

But mostly, it will be the Skipper's big day. It's his maiden voyage to Casablanca, and Sam's gonna be playing his tune.

Here's lookin' at you kid.

Day 2: Smooth sailing

And on the second day, he slept. Then slept some more. Still sleeping. Woke up a bit. Ate a little. Back to sleep again.

That's pretty much been the Skipper's routine on Day 2 of his thus far, not-so-exciting life, save for the 10 minutes when a doctor and a sharp knife declared war on Keaton's privates. They won, the pirates, but one day we shall meet again.

Mommy is recovering nicely and was able to get up and shower. She has complaints about the hospital meatloaf, which I contend is not really meat, but is decidedly loafish. It still beats the liquid diet she was on before, which consists of jello, some sorbet, and a variety of broths that I imagine to be comparable in taste to the IV fluids that were pumping through her veins.

The good Cap'n Quinn is still getting used to his new sidekick. He enjoys holding Keaton on his lap -- "Put him on my pants, Daddy?" -- giving him nuzzling little kisses on the nose. It's cute for all of five minutes, when he resorts again to the rambunctiousness that comes with being two-and-a-half years old. It's clear, though, that he really loves his little brother.

As you can see in the picture above, Keaton is just starting to take a look at the world through those big beautiful eyes.

There's a lot to see, buddy, and a lot of time to see it. Take your time.

Go back to sleep.

The journey begins

He arrived blowing bubbles, as if to tell the world, "hey man, no big deal."

That's our man, Keaton. The Skipper. Actually, a pretty big deal.

He makes a perfect sidekick to our hero, the Good Cap'n Quinn, his big brother and partner in crime. The two met for the first time today, just a few hours after the Skipper breathed his first breath, squeaked his first squeak.

The Cap'n is brave and in control. He approached his new partner tenderly at first, then smiled that knowing smile, right before taking charge.

"Can I hold him please?," he asked Mommy.

Of course you can. Take him under your wing. Show him how we lead this mighty ship of ours, the U.S.S. Fussy Britches, through the rough waters and dirty diapers of life. Show him what it means to take and ball throw it, to race a car, to play with the dog, to beg for ice cream and then get it.

Yes, Keaton, Skipper, you have arrived. Blow your bubbles, young man. Tell the world, "no big deal." Then take it over.

This ship has set sail.

Keaton's first bath



Quinn meets Keaton



Quinn and Daddy hang out with Keaton