About time!

Alright, looks like it has been since December 18 since I gave any kind of update on Keltan.  So, here you go...
He had Christmas.
He had New Year's.
He watched the Cotton Bowl.
He watched the BCS National Championship.
















Eh, you know I won't leave you like that.  Here's the more detailed scoop...
Christmas!  We were looking forward to Christmas with Keltan this year.  He has really become aware of things, so we were anxious to see how he would be when he discovered there were cool things behind all that fancy paper!  
We left Wednesday night to head up to Shawnee to Inga's parents' house (Grampy/Nana).  Unexciting trip - Keltan slept, Daddy slept, Mommy drove.  Good times!  
Grampy and Nana had a blast seeing the Kman all day Thursday.  As usual, he did not fail to entertain!  We went ahead that night and opened up the gifts, since we were leaving decently early Friday to held to Bixby to Uncle Craig's house.  Again, he did not disappoint.  We started him tearing a package open, and small piece by painstakingly small piece, he tore the paper off.  He was impressed with the toys, but the boxes - ah, that was something to be totally intrigued with!  Oh, and the "balls", known to you and me as Christmas tree ornaments.  Yes, the kid loves the ornaments!
We left for Bixby about naptime.  We thought this was a brilliant strategy, as he could get his nap while we drove, leaving us for a peaceful drive, and him in a very pleasant mood for the family.  Well, little did we know that he was to veto that plan.  Yes, turns out that Mommy and Daddy aren't too bright, and Keltan decided to let us know how un-bright we are.  For almost the entire trip to Bixby, in fact.  Yes, he berated us rather well.  About 15 minutes from our destination, he decided he had voiced his opinion enough, and went ahead and took a short nap.  We hung out at Uncle Craig's for a short while, then loaded up and went to Greg and Shannon's house (Aunt Kim's brother/sister in law) for some dinner and family gathering.  They have 2 boys ages 9 and 7 (or is it 8 and 6?), and Keltan thought they were awesome!  He had a lot of fun trying to keep up with them.  At one point, he was able to lay his hands upon the microphone for Lego Rock Band on the Wii, and commenced to singing for all the world to hear.  Yes, it is quite plain to me that the makers of the game do not know pitch, for the game insisted that Keltan was not on pitch.  I say they need to rework that game, and get it to be more accurate!  Anyway, after a while on the vocals, he decided to try his hand at drums.  Again, the makers of the game need to be aware that their inaccuracies in tempo knowledge could lead to some confusion in the little people.  I refuse to believe he was offbeat by that much.  Yes, the game was inaccurate...
Anyway, he absolutely wore himself out there, and we took him to the house to get some sleep.  He did ok, until he discovered that Mommy and Daddy were in the bed only mere feet from his pack and play.  How dare we try to sleep comfortably!  Yes, he decided we must invite him over to make things a little less roomy!  So, he slept and pushed while I did a great balancing act on a single thread of mattress. But, I did NOT hit the floor!  Oh, and the next night, as well...
Christmas Day!  I fixed breakfast for everyone (deer sausage omelets - yummy), and then we got around to tearing paper.  Keltan was overwhelmed!  Again, he, piece by tiny piece, opened the gifts to find...LEGOS!!!!!!  That's right - he is a boy after my own heart.  He loves Legos!  We are, in fact, going to have to have a little chat about the way he keeps destroying the things I build and stealing blocks off the creations.  Indeed, it is high time to teach that boy some Lego etiquette!
Christmas night, the boys (Uncle Craig dubbed them Ping and Pong), came over.  They got a couple toys from Uncle Craig/Aunt Kim, one being a Hot Wheels race track.  Keltan LOVED that toy!  He watched the cars vroom in and out, and was delighted when they collided or flew off the track.  Again, a boy after my own heart.  Crashes are cool!!!!!!  We let him stay up till way too late - about 10:30 PM.  Surprisingly, he was not cranky or grumpy, probably because he was having such a great time.
We came home Sunday - nothing great to tell you about there..........


New Year's Eve:
We went to some friends' house for New Year's Eve.  There were several other kids there, ranging from just a little older than Kman to 13.  This allowed for some good times for Keltan!  He ran around the back yard with them, swung in the swing with them, dug in the ice with them, and even boogied down in the "dance hall" one of the girls had set up in her room.  Oh yes, Keltan loves to boogy!  Again, we allowed him to stay up late.  It was about 11 PM when we got him to bed that night.  


The boy is growing just too fast!  Last friday, he went for his 18 month checkup.  The pediatrician asked Inga if he was talking (yes) and if he was saying at least 20 words.  Well, let's see...
rhino, touchdown, yep, nope, yes, no, doggy, woof woof, truck, vroom, door, knock knock, mommy, daddy, plane, moon, star, cloud, cracker, yogurt, milk, drink, eat, more, water, down, up, book, block, horse, neigh (horse sound), sheep, bah, duck, bam, quack, fish (to mean the animal and the crackers), rabbit, frog, ribbit, phone, shoo bug, ouchy, hot, mess, light, outside, diaper, Asher, Raleigh, swing, baby, bye bye, night night, bear, growls like a bear, bath, that, no-no, ball.. that is all I can think of at this moment, but I do believe he is exceeding 20 words at this time, and adding a new one every day!  He has also been attempting to put words together - the other day he said "mommy phone."
I mentioned being alert to things now.  Sunday evening, we took a ride to look at the snow.  Inga had brought him some crackers and a cup of water.  Along the way, he wanted them, so she gave them to him.  After a bit, he started saying "mess" over and over, so Inga looked back to see what was up.  He had some crumbs on his shirt, so she brushed him off and told him it was ok.  When we got home, we found out he had made a mess - he had spilled his water all over his jeans!  Also, he is starting to realize when he potties in his diaper.  He will come tell us "diaper", and sure enough - he is wet or worse!
While watching the Cotton Bowl, I got him to raise his hands in the air and say "Touchdown!"
He has a piggy bank in his room that I have been putting quarters in.  I started showing him how to do it a while back.  Now, whenever he finds a coin, or when I give him one, he runs to his room and puts it in his piggy bank.  This is really exciting for us, considering the work we put into getting our financial lives straightened up.