There's No Place Like Home

Where do I start? It's April now. My kid can walk. I just spent a week in Kansas. KU lost to VCU in the Elite Eight. That's the short recap... now for some details!

My father-in-law called on the 23rd of March and said he could come up and get Keaton and I to come home for a bit. My mom was having cataract surgery and I wanted to be around for it, and I also was a little homesick, so the timing couldn't have been better. Mr. K was feeling better at that point (although he still had a 'smoker's cough')... so we packed and were headed to T-town. I didn't really let many people know I was going, so we could have a more relaxing week.

We arrived late on Thursday night, in a thunderstorm. It was one of the more nerve-wracking landings I have been a part of, but pretty amazing at the same time- there was lightning all around us as we descended into Topeka. Luckily there wasn't too much turbulence, but it's still a little scary in a 6-seater plane. We made it to the Hetricks and were too wound up to sleep. I think Keaton and I both stayed awake until around 10... he didn't even nap on the plane! He must have known he was going to see his aunts and grandparents, and was too excited. I was, too. :)

Friday night, my mom, Mitch, and his parents all came out to the Hetricks to watch the KU game. It was a good one, and they made it to the Elite Eight. During the game, Keaton took a few more steps as he cruised the furniture. He was pretty proud of himself and proved to be an excellent source of entertainment. Between dancing, laughing at the dogs, and cruising non-stop, he was a very busy little guy. He enjoyed all the attention from the family, of course. Saturday we went out to Mitch's parents house to watch the KU game. This one was not as good... they played terribly and the officiating was horrendous! Needless to say, it was a depressing end to the season. To add insult to injury, when the game was over, it started snowing. I thought I went south for warmer weather, and instead I got snow! I was pretty bummed at that point. I was thankful that Keaton was around to cheer me up, though... he was a little ball of energy and joy, and helped us all get through a tough loss.

Mom's eye surgery was on Tuesday morning, so I spent the first part of the week at the Hetricks so I could go to my parents the second half to help my parents if they needed it. (Although I think they helped me more than I helped them by chasing after Keaton and keeping him busy.) Mom's surgery went well, thankfully. On Wednesday morning, Mom had to go back to the doctor for a recheck, so Keaton and I drove her to the appointment. For some reason the doctor was running behind, so we spent the better part of an hour trying to entertain Keaton... he was pretty restless and I did my best to preoccupy him so he wouldn't get fussy and bored. I think it worked for the most part. He showed off for people in the waiting room. Man, does this kid love attention!! He did really well when Mom was in getting checked. Her eye was already at 20/40 one day after surgery, and she is still doing well, with little pain and only a few irritations. She is having her gallbladder removed on the 11th of April, so she is gearing up for that now. I worry about her because she tends to push herself too much (like picking up Keaton and bending over, etc., when she was told not to) and this next surgery will be a lot more risky, especially if she doesn't relax like they told her to. My mother is not a person who sits still long (maybe that's where Keaton gets it??) so I know she is having a tough time thinking about having to stay in bed for an extended period of time. I think as long as she tries to stay positive, everything will go better than she thinks it will. But those are just my two cents.

Wednesday, while Mom and Dad were hanging out with Keaton upstairs and I ran down to the basement to throw in a load of laundry, Keaton took 9 steps. In a row. Unassisted. And I missed it. Of all the times to do it, he did it the 3 minutes of the day I wasn't with him. Joke's on me, I guess. But he walked, and from that point on, he took more and more steps. He took his first independent step on Monday, March 17th, and started walking on March 30th. I need to jot this down in the baby book.

We got to see a decent amount of people during the trip back: I got to see Lindsey and Sara twice, Jeremy once, both sets of Great Grandparents, my friend Sherry (who is expecting a baby boy this summer!), and spend quality time with my parents and Casey's before we headed back home this past Saturday night. I am so thankful that we got to go back- it was a nice, relaxing time. We also got to go to the zoo with Keaton last Friday, and enjoy some wonderful weather... it was in the upper 60s on Friday, and upper 70s Saturday. I actually got a tiny bit of sun!! Then we came back to the chilly Chicago weather... but it was so nice to be home with Casey. Keaton greeted all his toys with a squeak (which was hilarious- it was like he hadn't seen them in a year!) and enjoyed time with Daddy.

I am sure I'm forgetting tons of details, especially about Keaton's milestones... so I'll try to remember a few I may have missed. He is in LOVE with my parents dog, Yuki, and said "doggie" quite a few times in reference to her. He loved playing with her and cracked up anytime she played with her rabbit toy or licked his fingers after a meal. We probably need to look into getting a dog sometime before next winter... he is completely enthralled with them. Again I will mention that Charley Brown would have LOVED this stage... and I know Keaton would have loved having him around, too. But I guess I shouldn't dwell on that, and look forward to the next dog that will become a part of our family, whenever that may be. I don't know that I'm ready for a toddler and a puppy. I guess we'll see!

Other Keaton moments: Saying "Hi Doggie!" to a barking dog at Great Grandparents (Hetrick), saying "fish" while feeding fish, learning how to take snacks out of the small plastic snack holder, mimicking noises like Grandpa Harding and repeating them if asked later, coloring with crayons, going down a water slide (not by himself!) at the YMCA pool, opening and shutting any door he could get his hands on, cutting yet another tooth (bottom one, finally!),... oh my gosh, I know I'm forgetting plenty. I will try to remember and recap later. Today, he has taken 2 naps already this morning, and has been eating a lot today- another growth spurt? I think so. I think he also got more hair while we were in Kansas! Who knows what else. The kid is blowing my mind.

Anyway, that is way more than enough for one day. Now I am going to work on organizing all the photos/videos I took while at home and updating Flickr/YouTube so I don't lose any of the moments I caught while we were away. Hopefully I'll be able to update more often and not have a crazy, jumbled, long entry anytime soon... I'm sure it's not all that fun to read and pretty unorganized. On that note, more later!

Love,

Ash

Update on Mr. K

Keaton and I just got back from the Pediatrician. They think he has a virus- there are a lot going around- and it should run its course in the next day or so. We are supposed to come back if his fever isn't gone by mid-week. I'm glad we went, just so I could be certain it wasn't an ear infection or any other nasty thing. He didn't even have a fever when we went- isn't that always the case? Kids feel better when they go in for a sick visit, and the parents look paranoid. Well, I'd rather be paranoid (and I fully admit that I am!) than find out that he got worse because we didn't take him to get checked. I think it's $20 well spent for a copay, darn it.

Not much else is going on around here. Mr. K is napping (thank goodness.. he really needed it!) and I just got done eating lunch. I have plenty to do around this place, although it could look a lot worse.

I canceled my second photo session tonight at the salon since Keaton is sick, so hopefully I'll be able to do it one night this week instead. I just don't want to leave the house if he's not feeling well- he seems to prefer being in my arms when he doesn't feel well. I think I prefer it, too, because then I know how he's doing all the time and don't have to keep going in to check on him or staring at the video monitor. Casey has his own things going on with the computer he's building and various things that aren't working, so I would rather focus my attention on Keaton and let Case figure out what's going on with his stuff. I know he will be much more relaxed and happy when that all gets worked out. And I will be when Keaton feels better and we can get a decent night sleep again. Last night was not one of those times! He was awake at least once an hour, so I finally brought him out on the couch with me around 1:30 and finally got him to settle down around 2 or a little later. He moans and groans when he has a fever, and between that and the coughing, he didn't get much sleep at all. I propped him up next  to me and  I think we got about 2.5-3 hours of sleep before he woke up again at 5:45. No fun for anyone in the Hetrick household.

In other news, KU beat Illinois last night so we are headed to the Sweet 16! That made the night a little better, for me at least. We play again at the end of the week. I can't help but get a bit nervous/anxious during this time of year; every game makes my blood pressure rise. I just want to see another Championship game and not have to hear about how the team 'chokes' in the early rounds. Some people on Facebook can be pretty harsh (not you, Chelsea!) and it takes all my energy not to say something to them or block them completely when they start the trash talk... but I normally stay out of it and just fume in silence. I get tired of hearing how KU fans are not classy and how we throw things in other teams faces. I think everyone does it the same- KU fans are no exception. Anyway, I am glad the team pulled through last night, with an amazing performance by the Morris twins! They were pretty spectacular.

I should go be productive now. More later!

-Ash