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.