One-derful

since moment one...

Happy Birthday Kellan!

4th of July

This is my song, O God of all the nations,

A song of peace for lands afar and mine.

This is my home, the country where my heart is;

Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;

But other hearts in other lands are beating

With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country skies are bluer than the ocean,

and sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine.

But other lands have sunlight, too, and clover,

And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

So hear my song, O God of all the nations,

A song of peace for their land and for mine...

(excerpt from This Is My Song by Lloyd Stone and Georgia Harkness)

3 Little Fishies

Today we went to Saguaro Lake with the Feuers and the Damkos...we all had such a blast! This was Kellan's first boat and lake experience and was definitely 2 thumbs up! He thought the life vest was about as good as a straight jacket but swimming made up for it.

Owen and Sammy get slathered up to go play in the sun

Our fearless Captain Scott...

10 Months

Last Sunday, Kellan turned 10 months old...10 months old is as long as I was pregnant. It is so amazing to see how Kellan has grown and changed in the last 20 months, between the two worlds he has inhabited, one in my belly and the other out here with all of us.

Pregnant Month 1: You were the size of a poppy seed and your organs were developing.

1 Month Old: You weighed 10 pounds and lifted your head up while laying on your tummy.

Month 2: You were the size of a kidney bean with webbed fingers and toes and your brain was just forming neural pathways, breathing tubes developing between your throat and lungs.

2 Months Old: You weighed almost 13 pounds, began to smile on purpose, cooed and started to track movement.

Month 3: You were the size of a lime and developed reflexes. Your intestines were just moving into your abdominal cavity and your kidneys started to excrete urine.

3 Months Old: You rolled over on your side, started teething, could hold your head up completely and loved being read stories.

Month 4: You were the size of an avocado and your heart pumped 25 quarts of blood a day. Your eyes began to move closer to the front of your head, legs were becoming more developed, the patterning on your scalp was forming and you had toenails.

4 Months Old: You tried food for the first time. You could put a toy in your mouth by yourself and were rolling over like a pro.

Month 5: The length of a banana, at 20 weeks pregnant we were halfway there. You were practicing swallowing.

5 Months Old: You tried to sit up for the first time and would inchwork across the floor, trying to crawl.

Month 6: The length of an ear of corn, you were developing taste buds and your lungs were producing surfactant to help your air sacs inflate when you were born.

6 Months Old: You army crawled all over the house, you liked to kick a soccer ball while hanging out in your Johnny Jump Up, you cut 2 teeth, could sit up and would get up on your hands and knees and rock.

Month 7: You were the size of a Chinese cabbage, your eyes had lashes and you practiced blinking. Your brain was developing billions of neurons and you were gaining more weight.

7 Months Old: Sat up on your knees, loved bathtime and playing with anything mechanical: wheels, doors swinging, drawers...anything that had joints or rolled.

Month 8: The size of a large jicama, you were gaining a half pound a week and hair was growing...though in your case, it was only a little itty bit of hair.

8 Months Old: Stuck your tongue out and would fake laugh, trying out different laughs to find one that suited you or you would copy our laughs. You tried to feed Mommy after she fed you. You began trying to stand and played with a tooth brush like you were brushing your teeth. You stopped nursing and began taking a bottle on top of eating 3 meals a day.

9 Months: You were as big as a crenshaw melon, your head was pointing down getting ready for the day you'd be born and you started to shed the coating that had been protecting your skin for all those months in my belly.

9 Months Old: You were standing, going swimming, being chased down the hallway. You went to your first baseball game, could drink from a cup, and drummed your own music with kitchen utensils.

10 Months: You were born...

Peach Pickin'

Sunday we went to Schnepf Farms Peach Festival and Kellan got to pick peaches with Daddy while Mommy supervised.

Baseball's Newest Fan

Last night, Kellan went to his first baseball game...Diamondbacks vs. the Braves and he stuck it out for 5 whole innings! I think we have a sports fan on our hands...true to his Cooney roots!

Takin' a stand...

My first Mommy's Day was wonderful. The boys and I went for a walk in the early morning, then to church followed by a delicious butternut squash and corn enchilada brunch. This evening they played me songs on the measuring cup drums.

In other news, Kellan decided this weekend that he likes to stand! It requires a constant spotter but he is on his way to greatness...

Children's Museum of Phoenix

For my birthday, the Tyrrells gave me an awesome 4-person membership to the Children's Museum. This place is SPECTACULAR! They have a ton of play areas made by artists and creatives, and a special area just for "under-3's" which Kellan got a kick out of. He actually squealed when we walked in the room. Thanks Amy, Dave, Luke and Danny for such an awwwwwesome present!
I'm ready! (This is the first time Kellan wore shoes. and they didn't make it out of the car once we got there...oh well. He's got the rest of his life, right?)


A bell! This box has a bell in it! (what you can't hear by looking at this picture is the 50 other children under 3 in the room...it was BEYOND Romper Room)


This is Alex who didn't speak English but who cares? because Kellan technically doesn't either. Kellan thought Alex's face was a scratch-post so their friendship was short-lived at best.


Washers spinning down a threaded steel post...who woulda thunk this would be the coolest thing? (And not just for Kellan, Mommy thought it was pretty amazing too!)


Wiped out!

Tomorrow...

...I will turn 31, and you will turn 9 months.
What a great year 30 has been.

I love you, Kellan.
Mommy.

Kid quotes from our Zoo trip

I couldn't help giggle at some of the conversations kids were having amongst themselves at the zoo. Two stuck with me and are still making me smile.

At the big-eared desert wolf exhibit, 2 boys came running up:
Boy 1: "WOW! DUDE! Let's look at these wolfs!...Why do you think they're ears are so big?"
Boy 2: "I don't know but that is a VERY good question."
Boy 1: "Those feet are FOR REAL man."
Boy 2: "Yeah...why are they chasing each other like that?"
Boy 1: "Probably to kill each other and eat the little one."
Boy 2: "Cool...Let's go!"


At the petting zoo, 2 youngsters were trying to pet a cow:
Girl: "Be careful...this cow just scratched me."
Boy (yelling to his mom standing across the yard): "MOOOM!!!"
Mom (responding to her son from across the yard): "WHAT?"
Boy: "THESE COWS HATE PEOPLE!"

Giraffes...eh, take 'em or leave 'em

This morning Kellan and I went to the zoo and fed the giraffes. I had a blast, Kellan was OK with them until they stuck their tongues out to get lettuce out of my hand. Funny thing was there was a sign as we walked onto the platform that said: "avoid sharp sounds and quick movements." Does that include babies screaming?

The petting zoo was also iffy...as long as the goats were asleep, Kellan tolerated them.

He did like cows and a horse named Smokey though.

Happy Easter!

Easter outfit courtesy of Aunt Bridget

Handmade tie courtesy of Martina Damko
Baby courtesy of Mom and Dad

The Breast Stroke

Kellan has been cooling off with some water toys outside since it's been so warm here already this season. We started off with some ziploc plastic containers and a pitcher...we've now moved on to a blow-up kiddie pool.

8 months old!

I can't believe it, Mom.

Interview with a Rocking Horse

Kellan rode his rocking horse for the first time a couple days ago. He would like to tell you all about it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

We received some awesome St. Patty's outfits from Grandma and Grandpa.

Here is outfit number one: "Daddy's Little Leprechaun"

Show Me the World

Kellan...first, I have to say: I love you so much I can't take it.

I love how much you love being outside...how you squeal just walking down the street seeing your own shadow.

You are delighted with the world that is delighted by you. I never thought putting you in a backpack would change my whole life...but you do that, every day.

$10 donations to Japan...easy and meaningful

You've probably all done this before to help with other disaster relief campaigns, but texting is an easy way to send help and adds just a little more to your phone bill. I copied this list from CNN...I'm sure there are other charities out there using the same tool for fundraising if you are partial to another entity.

The humanitarian group "World Vision" is helping Japan by sending personnel, food, water, medical supplies and shelter. They are also creating "child-friendly" spaces to help provide some sense of security to children affected by the earthquakes and tsunamis.

Text "4japan" to 20222 and a $10 donation will go to them and show up as an additional charge to your phone bill.

The Red Cross has a similar way to donate. Text "redcross" to 90999 to donate $10 to their efforts.

Salvation Army: Text "japan" or "quake" to 80888 to donate $10

Save the Children: Text "JAPAN" to 20222 to donate $10

Mercy Corps: Text "MERCY" to 25383 to donate $10

Convoy of Hope: Text "TSUNAMI" to 50555 to donate $10

The International Medical Corps assists in health care training and relief and development programs. Text "med" to 80888 to send a $10 donation.

Kellan's Portrait

This is a charcoal portrait I made for Kevin for our 1 year (paper) anniversary. It's Kellan at 7 weeks old. It's about 42 inches wide and 4 feet high.

Kellan's Perspective

Today as I lay outside with Kellan, I kept my face as close to his as possible...down low, in the grass to see the world at this point as he sees it.

While I thought it would all seem quite big, I now realize that's not the case. The world is in fact miniature...everything else is too big to be relevant. The neighbor's balcony is too high, Georgia's feet are far more accessible than her head, the grass is profoundly more important than the sky.

It's actually a very lovely, digestable reality.