Our First Christmas

December 25, 2009 - Keltan's first Christmas. We loaded up the van with a lifetime of clothes, some toys, and a few gifts and headed North to Oklahoma! Little did we know what an adventure our little man's first Christmas would be....
We knew the forecast was calling for a smattering of snowflakes across Oklahoma. I pondered the advantage of driving our Jeep, since it is 4*4, but Uncle Craig and my Dear sweet wifey talked me out of it. It is quite a bit smaller than the van, and Keltan's new car seat (he outgrew the little car seat/carrier and we got him a car seat/booster seat) does not fit in it. Plus, we had our entire closet, toys, and a few gifts to take. So, I relented and drove the van. UGH...
We left Texas Wednesday afternoon in 75* weather. Sunshine. Ahhhhhh nice.... We crossed the Red River and the temperature started dropping....RAPIDLY! By the time we got to Shawnee, we were at 40-something degrees. The rain started Thursday morning. The temperature continued to fall. About the time it hit the 20's and sleet started falling, I knew we was stuck! After a good layer of sleet was on the ground, the snow started. Beautiful white fluffy flakes being hurled through the air at super-sonic speeds from the hurricane-force winds. I think the only way snow go to the ground was after it got plastered to a structure and slid down. Regardless, Christmas morning we awoke to a calm, sunny, COLD, white Christmas. We were snowed in. The van was stuck in the driveway. All the highways in OKC were shut down, and the highways across the state might as well have been. In other words, it was a great time to be a tow-truck operator! Yes, Keltan has achieved in 6 months what it took me 36 1/2 years to achieve - he got a white Christmas! But, he didn't get to see Uncle Craig, Aunt Kim, Cousin Monkey, or Grandma. :-(
We finally got around to opening gifts in the afternoon. Grampy wasn't feeling too well from his surgery, and it took a while for him to get going. Of course, Keltan's favorite gift was the wrapping paper! He chewed on it like it was a t-bone steak! Then he performed so beautifully on the piano a tune known only to him, but wonderful nonetheless. I will post that video a little later.
I finally got my hands on a snow shovel Friday and got the driveway cleared, and went ahead and cleared walkways. I'm thinking a tractor and front end loader would have been a great idea! We loaded up Saturday and got out of the state before the roads re-froze. The carnage in the ditches was amazing. Oh, to have a tow-truck! I coulda made some nice cash!
We are going to Shreveport for New Year's. HOPEFULLY we will be able to meet up with Craig and family to have a "Christmas" with them. That, of course, depends on the next snowstorm coming into Oklahoma.
So chronicles Keltan's first Christmas....

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enjoyin' his play time

A sneezin' good time!

It's too bad my camera batteries chose this time to die. After the 2nd sneeze, he looked at me and grinned really big, but, alas, no more battery power. BOOOOO!

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Splish-Splash I was takin' a bath!

It wasn't Saturday night, but it was bath time! Keltan was in his jumper and had a little "incident" which required more than a mere change of diaper! He has, fortunately for us, always loved his baths, and this blow-up duck bathtub is perfect for him! As you can see in the video, he loves to splash. By the way, in my most correct of opinions, he is still the cutest baby on the face of this Earth!

Keltan in his jumper - AGAIN!

The Kman sure loves this jumper! He was squealing much more before I turned on the camera (of course!).

Keltan was SUPPOSED to be eating

Keltan was eating his oatmeal, until he saw Daddy with the camera! At that point, he decided performing would be a lot more fun than eating. Enjoy!

Keltan went to the doctor's office today for a little visit. He weighed in at 20 pounds, and he is in the 75th percentile in height and the 95th percentile in weight. Everything came in as healthy, and the doctor said he is perfect - I just don't understand why we have to pay her to tell us something we already knew....

As I type this update, we have his Sunday School CD playing, and he is bouncing away. Since I found out (refer to above picture) that he shouldn't be benchpressing just yet, I figure he can bounce himself to an NFL career!

Keltan jumping around!

As you can see in this video, Keltan is very fond of his little jump-a-round seat! Before I started filming, he was watching Raleigh and Asher play. He was laughing like I had never heard him laugh before! It is obvious he loves his doggy bros, which works out good because they are fond of him as well!

Update on the little man.

As you can see from the picture, we had a full house this weekend. Grampy/Nana/Aunt Greta, Uncle Craig/Aunt Kim, Cousin Jessica, and Grandma all came down to be a part of our "baby dedication service" at church today. It was a very short visit (all arrived at various times Saturday night), but it was a very good and fulfilling visit. The service was really great, with a slideshow put together by our minister's wife. In all, there were 4 babies born this year in our congregation, with Keltan being the baby of the group. After service, there was a mini baby shower for Inga, since there was no chance for the ladies in the church to have one prior to the Kman making his appearance. Afterwards, all the family gathered at the house and I fixed fajitas on the grill....mmmmmmmm....Then everyone left :(

Keltan has been really growing and advancing. He is growing out of his 3 - 6 month clothing and, really, getting close on some of the 6 - 9 month clothing. Like his daddy and granddaddy, missing a meal is not really something he enjoys doing. The little man loves to eat!

He LOVES to sit up. Try to lay him back when he is awake and he will strain to sit up, and will eventually tell you about how he is not enjoying the position. He loves his little car (walker). He will play in it for about an hour or 2 at a time, pressing buttons, and yanking toys and biting on the sides. Ah, yes, he is teething big-time, with all the drool and crankiness that comes with sore gums.

Keltan also LOVES his big doggie-brother Raleigh. Raleigh, in turn, loves him. We will walk away for a minute, and hear Raleigh slurping and Keltan laughing, at which time we know that Keltan is getting lots of big sugars from Raleigh. Of course, we tell him to stop, but it will happen again, and again.....The other day, Keltan was on our bed while I was getting something and Inga was getting ready. He got unhappy about that, and started wailing. After a couple minutes, he got quiet. I went to check on him, and Raleigh was lying on the bed beside him. That seemed to have settled Keltan down. As soon as Raleigh got up, though, Keltan started crying again. It is quite cute to see how much they like each other.

It continues to be such a joy to have Keltan in our lives. There is a card that we were given at the shower today, and it describes the feeling perfectly:

"There's nothing like a baby boy to change the way you see things, to make the world a better, brighter place. There's nothing like ten tiny toes, bright eyes, and little ears, or the sweet expressions on his little face. There's nothing like the pride and joy of holding in your arms the miracle of life, so fresh and new. There's nothing that compares to the love that you will know and the happiness that's wished for each of you."

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Note: I try to link the title of each blog to my Picasa Web Albums. I noticed the last few were not working. I hope this one works. If not, here is the web address: http://picasaweb.google.com/jeffrey.n.dickson. There are HUNDREDS of pictures on there if you are interested in seeing any.

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Kman went furniture shopping.
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Keltan on thanksgiving day.
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It is Keltan's first Thanksgiving! We made the trip up today with all the other poor saps choosing to travel on the day before thanksgiving to Shawnee to be with the family. AAA said they estimated 38 million folks were traveling over 50 miles from home for the holiday, and I do believe 37 million of those were on I35 between Dallas and Denton at 2 PM today! It was a disaster! Needless to say, it is a good thing Keltan was asleep so he didn't hear his daddy tell people what he thought of them!

Thanksgiving: a time we should all pause and thank God for the blessings in our lives. It is a time of celebration and of getting together with family over some great food. So, if you will humor me a while, I would like to share my Thanksgiving thoughts.

We greatly miss the presence of Dad this year. This was a special holiday to me to spend with Dad - frying up a turkey with him, watching him interact with all the people at the dinner, and just spending some time with him. Last thanksgiving is when we announced that Inga was expecting, and although he had figured it out beforehand, he was thrilled at the "official" news. It certainly is not the same without him, but we are blessed and happy to have Karen over in Shawnee for at least Wednesday night before the big day.

Thankfulness:

1. I am thankful for my wife and my son. We are so blessed to have such an awesome little guy as our child, and he is well worth the heartaches we endured before he came along.
2. I am thankful that my family and Inga's family are friendly with each other. I know of too many families where the 2 sets don't get along very well. To have Keltan's grandparents all get along very well is a huge blessing!
3. I am thankful that Dad turned us onto the Total Money Makeover. Our marriage was saved, and now we can relax and enjoy the challenges that come with raising a rugrat.
4. I am thankful for our jobs. In this era where folks are laid off daily, we continue to have reliable jobs.
5. I am thankful for the people in my life that have been people I can look up to and that kept me from doing something too terribly stupid.
6. I am thankful that, though my parents are gone from this life, I can still remember them and speak of them with 100% love and respect.
7. I am thankful that my parents left a legacy where they are missed by more than just us, the immediate family. They touched lives, and gave us a goal to strive for.
8. Mostly, I am thankful for God's grace that he pours out on us every minute of every day.

As you can see, although we have endured heartache this year, and will continue to grieve, there is still so much to be thankful for. Yes, this holiday season will be a different one, but I am thankful for the wonderful memories and the wonderful family we still have.

If you care to share your thanksgiving, send me a comment and I will post it.

My Referee...

Just some musings...

Today, the Kman wore his first suit. As you can see, he made the suit look GOOD! I gotta tell ya - the little guy got more phone numbers in an hour than his daddy got in a LIFETIME! Those womens were all over him! (who can blame them?).
He woke up in an INCREDIBLE mood today. He is mostly a very pleasant baby, but when he woke up this morning, instead of crying to get some food, he was laughing and squealing - just having a great time. Eventually, however, he was ready for breakfast, and let us know about it. All day he has been just laughing and cutting up. As I type this, he is in his car (walker) playing with his toys and talking to anyone within a 500 yard radius.
Yesterday (Saturday), we took him on his first walk. I took the dogs, and Inga pushed him in his little stroller. We never realized how the sidewalks in this town are in such horrible shape. I mean, we knew somewhat, but we mostly walk the dogs in the street as opposed to the sidewalk, so we didn't pay a whole lot of attention. But, when you are trying to push a stroller on the sidewalk - UGH. We need a 4X4 stroller. Perhaps that is why Babies R Us carries the Jeep line of strollers and joggers? (Anyone from the City of Terrell Street Department or Engineering department reading this??)
I can't describe how blessed we feel to have this little man. Every time I hold him, I thank God that He has given us this wonderful gift. He brings more joy to our lives than we could have ever imagined. Having Keltan has changed our lives, but we are so happy and thankful for the changes. We were talking the other night how we were totally unprepared for the extent of the changes. We had prepared for some changes - less time to ourselves, less sleep, a change in priorities, but the depth of these changes is absolutely amazing. I was trying to explain it to a friend who is in talks with his wife about kids (or is she demanding of him?), and words failed me. I finally figured out why parents will say that you can not know the changes that happen when you have a child. Now I can say that....

New Wall Decoration!!

Today, I received a most AWESOME gift! The UPS man knocked on my door and left a package - from Amazon.com - a 2010 BARACK OBAMA CALENDAR! I am pumped about this, as I really want Keltan to grow up knowing who this guy is - undoubtedly our most awesome president to date. So, I took down his little airplane wall hanging and stuck this calendar right above his crib. I think babies learn to recognize faces, so this one should be etched in his mind.

To whoever sent this calendar - I say:

THANK YOU!!!!!

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Inga and Keltan came into Dallas and met me at lunch today. Hey, Uncle Craig - he LOVES Chuy's! We sat in the "fish room", and he was so interested in the colors and fish and fans that he would barely eat his bottle.
Needless to say, I enjoyed my lunch X3!!

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This is his car with the front clip attached. Vrrooom vrrooom!!
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Keltan enjoys his car. The picture above shows the car assembled all the way, but he is still a bit young to drive, so we removed the front clip and let him play with his toys. He will usually hang out in this for a couple hours before he gets malcontent.

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Last night, the sweetness that is Keltan cam oozing outta his britches - all up his back! We had to bathe him and wash his clothes, changing table cover, and his jumper.
He seemed to like it all. This is a picture of the result.

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Pictures

13 Weeks!!!!!!!!!!

Keltan will be 13 weeks of age as of Friday, October 2! WOW! Time is just rolling by - much too quickly, in my opinion. This little man has been an incredible addition to our lives, and I look forward to many more incredible weeks, months, and years with him!

He continues to grow, and while each stage is cute and fun, I wish he would have stayed my little "floppy monkey" a bit longer. He has gotten to the stage now where he loves to push up on his legs and stand up (with a little steadying help, that is). Still a bit wobbly on those little legs, but he doesn't do too bad a job.

His favorite thing at this point is to lick. He thinks it is just a hoot when we put him on his changing table, take his clothes off (but leave the diaper!), and then he likes to lick my face, and then just grin like a possum eatin' briars! He has giggled just a tiny bit a time or two, but mainly just ginormous grins.

He has been doing really well with Ms Margie. Inga takes him there much too early in the morning, and picks him up much too late in the evenings, but he likes her, and she likes him, so at least he is in good hands.

If anyone has a way to slow down time, let me know. This baby-hood thing is going by tooooooooooooo fast!

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This is the Kman in his glider. 12-1/2 weeks.
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72 Days and Counting!

Wow! 72 days! I still look at the little man and can't believe that we really have a baby! Everytime I hold him, everytime I think about him during the day, I keep being humbled by this great blessing in our life, and I am so thankful that we have him.
In my last entry, I mentioned we were traveling to Oklahoma to Inga's parents' house. We were both somewhat skeptical about how it would go having a little baby to travel with - would he sleep, would he fuss, would we have to stop a time or two to feed him? We were also curious about how it would go staying in a hotel room with him.
Well, he did pretty good in the hotel room. He was a little fussy throughout the night, but we all managed to get some sleep (at least I think we all did - I know I did). The other interesting factor for the hotel room was that we had Sierra with us (our oldest dog). But, true to how awesome she is, she was very good in the room.
The trip went just as well. Keltan slept about 98% of the way. He woke up for a couple of minutes on the way back, but I was able to reach back and rub his little noggin and get him to go back to sleep. So, I would have to grade the trip as an absolute success!
Today he had his 2 month pictures taken. Be looking for photos in his OSU ORANGE and LSU PURPLE! I must say - he looked sooooooo good in that blazing orange! GO POKES!!!!!!! (although they really disappointed me yesterday).
He continues to do well in church - sleeps right through it!
Overall, we are pretty well pleased with the little fella, and have decided we may keep him for a little while. It has been a truly amazing 72 days!

Debt-free Friday

Keltan is, as of yesterday, 2 months old. Today he is officially 9 weeks old. What an incredible ride this has been! Watching him walk around, carrying his algebra book that he is writing, wow.......oh, wait, I shouldn't be bragging like that. Some may feel their child is deficient if I keep talking about that. ;-)
Inga returned to work Wednesday. That was emotional day for both of us. The only time we had left Keltan with someone was for short periods and with family. She dropped him off at Mrs Margie's house Wednesday morning and went to the office. I certainly missed being able to call her and hear him in the background, which made for a longer day. She tried to keep very busy so she wouldn't think about it. Needless to say, we were very glad to get home o our Kman! Everything was fine, but we sure missed him! I'm glad she will only be going into the office 2 days/week.
Today is Friday. Inga, Keltan, and I will be going to Oklahoma (Shawnee) this weekend. I get off work early today, and we will drive to Sherman, Texas this afternoon. I have a football game to work tonight in Sadler, Texas (20 miles due west of Sherman). On the way, we will listen to the Dave Ramsey Show. I get excited about Friday shows because it is "debt free Friday", where folks call and write in to give their testimony about paying off all their debts. The thought came to my mind that this is the first time Keltan will be listening to the show. Then the thought came to my mind - I hope he never gets to experience getting out of debt. Don't get me wrong - it has been one of the most satisfying events in our lives. We are brought nearly to tears when we remember where we were, see where we are now, and when we hear callers sharing their experiences. (Let me pause here to encourage anyone that is burdened with debt to consider having a Total Money Makeover - you will never regret paying off your debts! But if you do, it's easy to get that way again.). I hope Keltan never experiences this feeling because I hope he never makes the mistakes we made. In fact, that is part of my daily prayer for him - not just financially, but spiritually and in life in general. So, today will be special. Mommy and Daddy will be rejoicing in the fact that we have been freed from the prison, while we, at the same time know that we are equipped to guide Keltan in staying out of that prison altogether.
By the way - this is our first trip with the little guy. Going to Nana's house! Grandma will be coming over Saturday and hopefully Uncle Craig and family will make it. Wonder how the Kman will do on the trip?

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Lucky Man

I have days where I hate my job,

This little town and the whole world too

And last saturday when the tigers lost

Lord it put me in a bad mood

I have moments when I curse the rain

Then complain when the suns too hot

I look around at what everyone has

And I forget about all I've got

But I know Im a lucky man

God's given me a pretty fair hand

Got a house and piece of land

A few dollars in a coffee can

My old jeep's still runnin' good

My tickers tickin like they say it should

I've got supper in the oven

A good woman's lovin

And one more day to be my little kid's dad

Lord knows I'm a lucky man

This song, sung by country duo Montgomery Gentry, hit home today. Every morning before I leave for work, I go into Keltan's room and look at him in his crib. He is usually lying there asleep, his head to the right (sometimes left), all bundled up, with his hands in the "stick-em-up" position. It is at that time that I feel truly blessed, and I thank God for the blessing.

Truly, through Keltan, I feel the effects of God's grace to me. I count my son as a 100% gift from God. I know I haven't done a whole lot of anything to deserve this kind of gift. Certainly I have done things I am not proud of, but yet God has found me to be trustworthy enough to raise one of His children. The thought is overwhelming to me at times.

When I heard the above song today while driving between jobs, I felt the full impact. And again, tonight, as I sat at the dining room table reading up on football rules, and he was in his glider making baby noises and reaching for the dangling toys, it hit me again. Particularly at this time of the year, people in my profession complain of the heat. Then, when it does rain, we complain that we can't get our jobs done. Then, when it is cold, we complain about there not being enough work to do. And, with football season here, I tend to get caught up in LSU and OSU. But, when I stop and put everything in perspective, the thing that truly matters is that little life we've been blessed with, and the wife that God made for me. I have to disagree with one aspect of the song, however - I am not a "lucky" man, but a "blessed" man (but that doesn't fit in the tune, so we'll let "lucky" suffice.)

Keltan is growing good these days, pushing 10 pounds. Grandma came down Friday and left Monday. Grampy and Nana came down Sunday afternoon and left today (Tuesday). We took Keltan to church service for the first time Sunday - he didn't do so well. As it was put by a couple others - he was singing along. Not content to stop singing when everyone else did, he was taken by mama to the quiet room. She brought him out for the last song and prayer, and he fell asleep promptly as the last Amen was being said. Figures.

Monday, Inga went to her old boss' funeral. Dr G died Friday morning, and was put to rest Monday. Grandma kept Keltan at home until the other set of grandparents came in to relieve her so she could head home. He actually did very well for them, which was a relief to us.

Inga gets to go back to work Monday morning - I'm interested to see how that will go over.

Our first church day

Little Kman is 6 weeks old. Man, time flies! Inga gets 2 more weeks until going back to work, then she gets to experience how much is sucks to leave the little man while slaving for the man for 8 hours. He is getting bigger (about 9 1/2 pounds now), his cheeks are getting chubby, and he is eating us to the poor house! I cannot fathom how much this kid is going to eat when he is 14! It seems everytime we blink, he is like a baby bird - mouth open, chirping, and looking for something to latch onto.

Uncle Craig, Aunt Kim, and Cousin J were down again this weekend to see the little fellow. It has come to my attention that they may be just a tad bit on the smitten side with this little guy that looks just like his dad - adorable, handsome, irresistable....or so I'm told. :-) Uncle Craig closed down Ham's Orchards Saturday in his usual way - emptied the shelves and the ice cream machines. I hope they don't set up next year's budget based on this unusually high income summer - if he doesn't frequent here like this summer, they may fall upon a great disappointment with sales. Saturday we all went to Chuy's in Dallas for dinner - sure hope Keltan grows up liking Mexican food (and peanut butter) (but not together). Hmm, although peanut butter tacos..........

We intended to take Keltan to church last Sunday, but hit a small snag. As I came in the house about 8 PM from working in the yard, I was met with the news that the water heater had sprung a leak. That set me on a journey to find one. Thing is, it was a 30 gallon heater, which is rare. Home Depot in Terrell had 40 and 5o gallon heaters, but no 30's. So, I turned to Lowe's in Forney. Too late to go get it Saturday night, so it was showers in the RV, and Sunday morning found me checking out at Lowe's with the last 30 gallon water heater. Whew! Sunday afternoon found me finishing up with the water heater. As has been the case with everything in this house, it was not a quicky fix.

So, we missed church last Sunday.

Well, we took him today - to bible class at least. It was awesome to get back to church, and to show him off - I always love that opportunity! He did very well. The class leader (David) put him to sleep rather quickly. I think it was right at "Hello" when he decided to check out. He awoke in time to tell us it was time to head out of the classroom. Who needs bells in the church to let us know the time? My boy has a great internal clock! We did not attend worship, but hope to next week. We kind of figured we would test the waters slowly to see what to expect. I'm not into having a screaming baby in church - looks like he may need to chug-a-lug before service, as he was in a full fury by the time we got home (about 45 seconds from the church). Next week, maybe Nana and Grampy will want to attend with us to see just how well he does at church.

Some of you are aware that Inga and I are Ramseyites; I usually listen to his radio show pretty much everyday while at work. On his show, there are a lot of calls about "life" - those calls have more to them than just money situations. One particular call this week really got my attention, and got me to thinking. A lady called in to see what should be done about a situation involving a sister and an elderly mother. The mother was apparently legally incapable of handling her own affairs, and the sister in question had power of attorney. The other siblings were asking her to open the books and show where the mother's money was going. She was reluctant, and it appeared that legal action was going to have to be taken.

I hear these stories often on the show and run into these situations from time to time. It makes me think of how blessed I am to be in a family where we realize the family ties and relationship is so much more important than a selfish need to be in power or that the family is too important to ruin the relationships with selfish corruptness. Uncle LC Curt was talking to me about how Mom's family was after Grandmother died, and how things were handled without hard feelings. I look at how Craig, Karen, and myself are able to deal with the estate that Dad left behind, and how we are able to work together to fulfill Dad's wishes. I am so thankful that Keltan has this kind of legacy to inherit. As I told Craig this weekend, we are truly blessed. We still miss Dad and Mom like crazy, but the knowledge that we are so blessed helps to heal the hole in our hearts.
Another thought came to my mind on the last 2 visits of Craig and family - we sure miss our 4th player! Dad, Craig, Jessica, and I always loved to play games when together - Uno, SkipBo, Hearts, Spades, Dominoes, Rummy. Now, we play just the 3 of us, and it doesn't seem right. Hopefully Keltan will grow up to take the place....

ONE MONTH OLD!

So, today, I looked at my phone. The date was 8/3/2009. I thought "something happens on August 3". Then I just thought I was crazy and forgot about it. A few minutes later, it hit me...Kman is 1 MONTH OLD today!

This past week, we have had a few visitors:

Wednesday - Friday Grampy and Nana (Inga's parents)

Friday - Sunday: Craig/Kim/Jessica

Saturday - Sunday: Curt/Sherri/Steffani/Megan down here.

We had a blast with everyone being here, and I think Grampy is quite ready to return. According to Inga, he was asking Nana when they were going to come back down. Funny, because until July 3, 2009, we used to have to bribe peeps to come down. Now, we have to bribe peeps to stay away! :-) No, seriously, we love having our family come down to see us, I mean, Keltan. In fact, I think Uncle Craig may be a regular on the US Air Force Express from Tulsa to Garland each month with Uncle LC Curt (no longer Uncle Sgt Curt - he was promoted and I was behind the times!).

Keltan is growing so well. We weighed him Saturday evening, and he was up to 8#4.6 oz and about 22". The little fella LOVES to eat. And, I have discovered something else about him - he loves music! I was sitting with him on the couch Sunday night, and turned on Pandora Radio on my Blackberry. The little guy started grinning, and just instantly relaxed. So, tonight, he was fussy and malcontent, and I once again turned on the music. He stopped fussing and just laid there to listen to the music. Inga got a new CD for him today "Baby's First Sunday Songs", and we put that in the CD player. It wasn't long before he was CONKED!

Inga and I continue to be so thankful for this little blessing. Craig asked a question the other day - how many years was this in coming? The smarty answer, of course, was 35 1/2 years. But, the deeper answer is about 3 years. We started in 2006 getting our lives back on track both financially and marriage-wise. We went through several disappointing miscarriages, the last of which was just downright heartbreaking for us. Inga had to have some medical procedures, and we finally found the cause of the miscarriages - blood that clotted too quickly. So, we were able to remedy that situation, and were blessed with a baby that stuck around. In the great anticipation and excitement, we lost Dad. Once again, a heartbreaking blow. Then, the joy of the birth! What a roller coaster ride! All this brings me to a word: Passion - a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything. The noun version is defined as the object of such a fondness or desire. I think the ups and downs we have gone through the past 3 1/2 years, and especially the past year, has brought passion to our lives for Keltan. It is hard to describe the feelings I get when I have to leave the little sleeping guy in the mornings, and the anticipation of returning home to him in the evenings, or the satisfaction of napping in the recliner with him asleep on my chest. Yeah, I'm lovin' having this baby around!

K-Dog's Moving Experience

This is K-dog's movement face. This was at our dining out experience.

Dining Out

Dining out will never be the same...
Tonight was the 2nd dining out we did with Keltan. The first was at PJoes with Uncle Craig and Uncle Sgt Curt this past weekend. There, he slept the entire time. Tonight, a different story.
We went to the Yellow Rose Cafe here in town (which, by the way, is HIGHLY recommended). Keltan started off the evening in his car seat, just looking around, having a blast. Wouldn't you know, as soon as our food arrived, he wanted some eats. So, Inga took him, I made him a bottle, and we all commenced to eating our respective meals. After a minute or so, what else would he do but let loose with an odiferous movement of his bowelic materials. The odor overwhelmed Inga's meal (but fortunately did not come in conflict or contact with my chicken fried steak sandwich). At about that time our waitress was at our table. As she turned to leave, Keltan ripped a good sounding motorboat toot that would make many men proud! It was so loud, I was wondering if maybe, perhaps, Inga or the waitress had cut loose, but it was my boy! You know, after that movement, he had such a peaceful look on his face. Inga took him to the Jeep and changed him (no changing table in the restaurant).
Dining Out will never be the same...

I miss my baby! It seems like 2 days at home on the weekend is never enough! When I have to go in on Monday mornings and tell him good-bye, it stinks (no, not the diaper - the situation). But, it is sure great to return home to him and my baby-momma!

Yesterday, Sarah, Katie, and Zach (cousins) stopped by while en route to Shreveport from Zach's basketball tourney in Fort Worth. (Congrats on almost making it Zach! You'll get the midgets next time!). And, yes, Joan, I'm afraid Keltan I cuter than even your little giant Zach was as a baby!

With Uncle Craig gone, last night I actually got to hold K-dog! I guess I have to be careful what I say - I told Craig I wanted Keltan to know his uncle and he took that literally! Heh heh. Looks like he gets to be here 2 weekends in a row - he, Kim, and J-bird are coming down Friday, crossing paths with Inga's parents, who will be here Wednesday - Friday. Busy time, but good to have family around!

Here is the link to my Picasa web albums:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jeffrey.n.dickson



One more thing:

Some may know of Luke Chisholm. He is the infant son of the pastor at our church. He was born with heart/lung defects, and has been in NICU since birth (about 10 weeks). Check out his blogsite, which is to the side on this page (praying for Luke). I urge you all to pray for this baby. He is at an important crossroads right now. Depending on the next 2 weeks' developments, he may have to have a trach and a feeding tube put in. None of us want that, of course. We want Luke to come home with no tubes or wires attached, and we're praying for that. Please remember him in your prayers, and check out the website for him.





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Link to Picasa albums

http://picasaweb.google.com/m/albumList?uname=jeffrey.n.dickson&start=0&fgl=true&pli=1
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Uncle Craig is spoiling Keltan!

Uncle Craig arrived Friday night, via our tax dollars, AKA, Air National Guard - he rode down with Curt, who is at his monthly "playing soldier" meeting. This has really cut into my "daddy time" with Keltan. The man just can't seem to leave him alone! The good thing is, I haven't had to change too many diapers with him around! :-) He bought a wi-fi sd card for my camera, which automatically uploads photos to Picasa Web Albums. So, if you care to see the latest and greatest photos immediately, go to Picasa.com and find my album. I don't know the link, but if you would like to be added to receive alerts for the updates, let me know and I will add you - either text message alerts or email alerts - your choice!

Uncle Sgt Curt came out after his GI Joe time today. We all went to eat at PJoe's Cajun here in Terrell - Curt approved! Now, as you can see in the picture, Keltan is grinning while Uncle Sgt Curt is holding him. Uncle Craig pinched him or something and made him start crying. As soon as Uncle Sgt Curt got him, he hushed and started grinning. Either he is a funny looking man, or....hmm, Yeah, I think that is it. Anyway, Uncle Sgt Curt seemed to approve of the little man.
This doesn't have much to do with Keltan, but....

If you have never burned bamboo, I recommend doing so! But, you may want to be prepared for the judge to show up wondering what the gunfire is all about. Craig and I burned some bamboo I cut down in my yard, and as each little segment gets hot, it explodes and makes an incredible sound like a .22. AWESOME! I highly recommend it!

Back to Keltan...

He had his 2 week check up on Thursday. He got a clean bill of health! We are very thankful and count ourselves as very blessed. Inga is continuing to heal on schedule - again YAY! Keltan was up to 7# 9oz at his Thursday weigh-in, putting him 5 ounces over his birth weight.

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Uncle Craig rode down with Curt this weekend.
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Keltan after a bath and Daddy tusseling his head

Here is a link to Keltan's 2 week old pictures in black/white and sepia. Be patient - the website takes a while to load up. I will be posting a link to the color photos shortly. We will be getting a CD with all these photos on it, and I will upload several to the CVS website. I think you may also be able to buy prints from the link. ENJOY!!!!! (we did)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=9r0h5wvv.a5798xob&x=0&y=-gnw65v&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_button

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This evening (Tuesday) I gave Keltan a bottle of formula (he eats like crazy!). This is the aftermath - an awesome baby content on his daddy's lap. THIS is what life is all about and just another really good reason to want to come home at night (like I needed yet another reason.)
Keltan is such an awesome baby! I took him over to the neighbor's house last night to show him off and made the women ooh and aah over him. The fellas over there tried to be all "macho" and keep their distance, but I know they were dying to hold him - who wouldn't!?!?!
Yep - his daddy is crazy proud of him, and I know his grand daddy would have been, too.
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It has been an incredible 13 days! Keltan has been a huge blessing in our lives. The little monkey is growing now, probably back to his birth weight of 7#4 oz - we should find out tomorrow at his 2 week well-baby checkup. With his jaundice being pretty much cleared up, he is awake and active much more than previously, which is really fun to watch. He is very active; looking around all wide-eyed, picking his head up and moving it around (looking like a snapping turtle when he is on his tummy), and moving his little bird legs and monkey arms like crazy.

Tuesday, we had the photographers come out and do a little photography session with Keltan, Mommy, and Daddy. Those photos should make an appearance in the next couple weeks - keep your eyes peeled! Aside from pictures on Tuesday, as Inga was getting him dressed for his session, his umbilical cord fell off! Now we can see where the Indian shot him.

Since he no longer has an umbilical cord hanging around, we gave him his first bathtub bath tonight. He was not a happy little feller about that at all! But, we got it done, and he is much fresher now :)

Grandma was down and spent some good time with Keltan. I'm not sure, but I think she may be a tad bit fond of him. ;-)

Inga is recovering very well. She is sure enjoying being home with the little floppy monkey. Judging from how hard it was for me to leave and go to work, I am not sure how much she is going to like doing that.

Keep us all in your prayers.

WOOHOO! FREE AT LAST!

Oh yeah! Jaundice levels came back at 11.8, which is definitely on the decline (from 19). Doctor said we don't have to struggle with Keltan's nemesis the light bed! Not he gets to sleep on his little mattress in his jammies. That makes Keltan a very happy little man! Everything else with him still looks good, and his 2 week well-baby check up is on Friday.

Ok - time for some bragging now.

He has been accepted to LSU as a star linebacker. No, not yet - that will be a couple more years. But, he is doing really good about holding his head up in "tummy time." The pediatrician was somewhat amazed, but me ? Shoot, I expected that. This is MY boy we're talking about here! And, last night, he rolled over. Yep, that's right - 9 days old and went from his tummy to his back all by his lonesome. THAT'S MY BOY! Ok - he had a little help with the rolling. I was leaning on the bed and Grandma was sitting on it, so it was sloping a bit to that side, but hey - a rollover is a rollover, right?

The little guy is a lot of fun. He makes some of the funniest facial expressions, and loves to watch stuff in the room - lights, fans, dogs, daddy.... What a blast we're having with him!

Oh, and he is up to 6 pounds 11 ounces. He is on his way to growing up - bummer. I kinda like him little like this.

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It took a while tonight, but my patience finally won over his reluctance to fall asleep on his lightbox. The poor little fella hates this thing so much. We are praying that the test results will come back tomorrow with news that he can quit using this. He is looking so much better now - his skin is a healthy color and he is not as lethargic.
What an awesome kid!

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1 WEEK OLD!!!

Keltan turned 1 week at 18:11:39! We had a huge celebration. Yes, indeed we did! He slept on my lap as I also slept and Inga looked up something on the internet. Party animals! I talked to Inga about renting a bounce house, but we couldn't come to agreement on that or her suggestion of a big ball pool. So, we slept.

Keltan continues to fight with Jaundice. He has been sleeping (haha) on a billilight, and not digging it. Inga and Aunt Greta took him to the pediatrician today, and his levels had fallen from 19 to 14.8, so we are making progress! His skin does look better.

Aunt Glo, Uncle Ed, Aunt Doris, and Sharla (Sha-Sha) came over yesterday. You know, if I had known that, in order to have Aunt Glo and Aunt Doris do my dishes, all I had to do was have a baby, I might have done that a few years ago! Uncle Ed had cooked some chicken, Aunt Glo brought purple hull peas (mmmmmmm), made cornbread and tater salad, and Aunt Doris bought a cake from the freezer section at Wal-Mart (coincidently, it is the same section that Aunt Glo purchases her pie crusts). We had dinner and passed the baby around - quite the fun little gathering! Aunt Glo brought a quilt that she finished for Keltan. Turns out, Mom started it after Inga and I were engaged in anticipation of having a grandchild. She knew she couldn't finish it, so she had Aunt Glo keep it and finish it for us. It has become the morning-in-the-recliner blanket. It is nice to have something for him that my mom made.

Aunt Greta came down to help Inga today. Momma was able to get a little bit of sleep as a result. YAY! Meanwhile, I got to spend lunch with my son - I was working in Terrell today (a rare treat). I ate lunch at home and spent time with Keltan and Inga. Again, YAY!

And another YAY! Grandma is coming down Sunday evening. This will be a big help because Keltan has another pediatrician appointment at 8:20 Monday morning, and Inga has a neurologist appointment at 10:45. We had been trying to figure out how this was going to be accomplished. Plus, we have been wanting Karen to be able to spend some time with Kelt.

Alright, that is enough idle chat I guess. Keep us all in your prayers.

Oh, and to right a wrong - Aunt Doris hand-made the cake. No boxed mix even! And supposedly Aunt Glo does not use frozen pie crusts - I'm watching to catch her slip up and get busted. :-)

5 Days Old!

Keltan is 5 days old. 5 days of the most fulfilling days of my life to this point. Keltan is truly a blessing for Inga and me.
We took him again to the pediatrician today. They are watching his Billirubin count, and today it had gone from a 10 to a 19 from Monday. 20 is the serious level. We have the little BilliBed - a light box they lay on that does whatever these lights do. He needs to stay in it as much as possible, which is kind of hard when Mommy and Daddy want to hold him all the time!
Tomorrow (Thursday) I return to work. I am dreading that. Tonight I took Raleigh and Asher for a 20 minute walk, and just being away that short amount of time was bad - I am not looking forward to 10 hours!
Greta bought us an audio/video monitor to watch him while he is in the crib. The portable viewing unit has an output on it, and last night I plugged it into the 25" TV in our room. That was pretty fun! We watched him squirm and wiggle until we finally fell asleep. How in the world did our parents raise us without the aid of technology?
I got a comical voice mail from Brandon (my cousin) last night. He and I play an old board game called Stock Market. We have developed a way to play this over the phone (we have to trust each other a lot!). He left a message wondering where his Stock Market partner went. Well, Brandon, that partner is busy trying to catch 1 1/2 hour naps! Check back in, oh, 2 years?
We are digging this parenthood thing (at least until the teen years). Can't believe Joan didn't try to talk me into it earlier! (hehe)
Keep his jaundice situation in your prayers, and if you can sneak Inga and me in there as well, we would appreciate it.

Living the Dream...

We brought Keltan home Sunday afternoon. It was much later than I desired - I wanted to leave by 11:00, Inga was apprehensive to leave, and the hospital staff was in no hurry for us to leave. Finally, at 3, we got out of there! It was time to begin our life at home with our new blessing.

For months, I have dreamed of the day I could lay in my own bed, in my own house, with my dear wife, and my own son on my chest. I did that Sunday evening. As soon as we got home, I took Keltan to the bedroom, laid on the bed with Inga, and put him on my chest. My words were "I'm living the dream right now."

This is a crazy emotional time for us. Dad looked forward to his grandson, and I looked forward to my son having a crazy granddaddy. He isn't here now, and that makes me incredibly sad. Yet, through all the sadness, there is extreme joy and blessings. My son is healthy, my wife is healthy, and we have a very supportive family. And Dad left a legacy...

I think every man in the world wants to leave a legacy to his children. The question is - what kind of legacy will we leave? In a church bulletin recently, there was a quotation about what we leave our children, and the best thing we can leave is a good name. Dad left us that good name, and now my son can carry on that name with no shame. He can proudly say to people that knew Dad "My name is Stanley Keltan Blaine Dickson, grandson of Stanley Elbert Dickson" and never have to hang his head or want to hide. Thank you, Dad, for that legacy for Keltan. It is truly the best gift any grandparent can give.

Dad also left another legacy, perhaps without realizing what he was doing at the time. Inga and I were so deeply in debt that it was affecting our marriage. He introduced us to the The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, and our world changed. We can now say we have changed our family tree. We paid off our debts and put our marriage back on track. Now we have a beautiful result. God truly does reward those that follow His will. We can now pass this way of living down to Keltan, and hopefully one day he will pass it down to his children. May he nor any of his descendants be plagued by the curse of crushing debt! Again, thank you Dad.

Inga and I are so blessed. We thank Jesus for our beautiful boy, and we pray that we will be good parents to him, and teach him to continue the legacy of Stanley Dickson.

We're just living the dream, baby!

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Keltan's going home!

And he is 1 day old...

So, at 6:11 PM Central time, Stanley Keltan was officially 1 day old! He has been in very good health, but is having difficulty with some choking. The nurses took him to the nursery where they cleared his lungs with some tubes, and we hope this will help him. Tonight, we will have him stay in the nursery so they can watch him in case he chokes in his sleep. The thought of this happening in our room while we are asleep has especially Momma Bear very nervous.

The audiologist came by today and ran the hearing tests on him - he scored perfect (of course!).

He is still the most beautiful baby ever born!

Keep him in your prayers that he will grow to be a very healthy little fella!

I have added a lot of photos of Keltan to the slideshow on the left, with more coming, I am sure.

Aunt Kim and Keltan

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Jessica and her new cuz

A proud grandpa

Incredible!

Yesterday was the most incredible day of my life! That was the MOST incredble experience anyone could ever imagine - watching little Keltan make his grand entrance into this world! At first, my heart stopped beating when I saw the little limp gray body - I did not realize that newborns were so un-pink when born! But, when Dr T said it was a healthy baby boy, my heart once again started beating. I was terrified that the little fella had been born dead or something what with the lack of color, but he was and is all fine and dandy!
He did get his grand-daddy's lungs. His "little" cries completed dominated the delivery room. Inga could not hear the good doctor as he was trying to give her final instructions, so we had to repeat everything to her.
We are in the recovery room now, and Keltan is doing wonderful! He is a very content little boy at this time (hope that lasts). Mostly, he just wants to sleep and cheer for the OSU Cowboys. As for Mom and Dad, we are sick of people trying to take our baby all the time! Just as we get settled in, they come and take him for some other kind of testing or other procedure. I just want to take him home where they will quit bothering me!!!!!!!
Thanks for all the prayers. Everyone is so healthy and beautiful - he is, in indisputable fact, the most beautiful baby that ever has been or will be born.

PS - I have decided that he is way too perfect to be called Little Barak any longer, so he is officially Stanley Keltan Blaine Dickson.

Video of Keltan in the nursery (Friday)

Click here to view a 1:15 minute video of Keltan in the nursery on Friday. He is on the other side of the glass from the camera, so you can't hear him.

Keltan's already a fan!

He's a grabby fellow - won't let go of the nurse's glove

He's healthy with all his toes and fingers!

7 lbs, 4 oz, born at 6:11 PM.

A proud papa!

Keltan is here!!!

Praise God!

The time is approaching...

Hopefully the next post will contain a picture of Keltan! - Uncle Craig

Shouldn't be much longer

2:15 PM. Dr T just came in for a quick check-up. Said Inga is dilated to a "9" and Baby Barak should be arriving within about 3 hours. Inga is trying to rest up for the big push.

She had to give in and take the epidural. Turns out that induced labor pains truly are much more intense than "natural" labor pains. Everything to this point is looking great with her and the baby.

And we wait....

It is now about 10:30 AM, Friday, July 3. The good doctor checked in this morning about 9:00, and said she was dilated to a 3. He expects to be back at about 12 noon, whereupon he expects to see her dilated to a 6 or 7, though Joan thinks that she will be at about 8.

Her contractions are increasing in intensity and regularity, but as of now she can still talk through the pain, so apparently they aren't as bad as they will be! WOOHOO!!!! I'm gonna be a daddy in a few short hours!

GO TIME!!!!!

It's a GO!
Today, Inga was disturbed, so she called Dr T's office. The nurse wanted her to go to the hospital for a checkup, since the 4th is coming up and Dr T is off duty. With her being on the Heparin shots, we have to make sure that she doesn't unexpectedly go into labor.
We arrived at the hospital labor and delivery department about 5:00 PM. We checked in, and went to the Triag area. Dr T arrived around 6:30 PM. He looked at Inga, did his inspection, and told her "Well, you're going to be a mom!" He decided that, since the baby was a good size, she was 38 weeks, she is dilated to a 2, and we were here - let's do this!
So, now we are in the Labor room. She is hooked up to all kinds of monitors and machines, and the IV is pumping Oxytosin into her.
We are really excited! I am finding sleep a near impossibilty. We have several different family members coming in - Joan from Shreveport (my cousin), Craig, Kim, and Jessica (my brother, wife and daughter), Grandma (Karen), Nana (Inga's mom), and unknown (Inga's dad), and Greta (Inga's sister). The only one we'll be missing, of course, is Dad, but I am sure he is grinning ear to ear right now.
Dr T expects Little Barak to arrive by no later than 3 PM Friday, July 3. We will do our best to post information here and/or on Facebook!
Keep us in your prayers - besides the usual pains and stuff with delivery, we are all dealing with a big bag of mixed emotions right now.

8 to go????

Today (Monday), Inga had another appointment with the baby doctor to check on Little Barak's progress. Inga has been cramping this week, so she told the doc this. Then he started talking about not letting her go past 39 weeks for sure, so I started lobbying for Thursday, July 2. We almost had him convinced, but he said since the baby is a boy, he wants to go as far along as possible before inducing. Personally, I think he just wants to wait until after July 4 so his weekend doesn't get interrupted by a delivery that might have problems, so he is saying next week. Whatever the reason, her next appointment is Monday, and he will determine which day next week to put her in the horsepistol. We are thinking he may have her go in on Tuesday afternoon, then induce Wednesday, July 8. We will know for sure next Monday, unless Baby Barak decides to come early.

It was a little comical trying to hook up the fetal monitor today. Usually, Baby Barak doesn't move that much, so Inga ate a piece of candy. Doctor T had trouble keeping the heartbeat on the ultrasound, since the candy apparently made the little fella move around. Well, on the machine, it was even worse. The nurse worked and worked, finally found a heartbeat, kept it for a few seconds, then he moved again. This went on for a good 10 minutes, until he finally went to sleep, as Dr T put it. It took a while, but we finally got the information he needed from that test, and all was well with baby. But, no contractions at all at this point.

Grandma, Uncle Craig, Aunt Kim, and Cuz Jessi were all down this weekend. Kim, Inga, and Karen worked on lots of sewing - blankets and such. Karen made a pattern for a changing pad cover, and made one out of some monkey fabric. Jessica worked on some airplane appliques on canvas, and then she and I hung them up in Barak's room. Just need to hang some curtains now, and the room is done!

Baby Barak is now up to 7 pounds 4 ounces.