Friday, April 29, 2011
Update
Keltan slept well last night. The rash is still present, but has receded a little bit more, and he is acting like his normal self today. Inga talked to the pediatrician's office, and they recommended we take him to an allergist. So, we now have an appointment on Tuesday morning to see if we can determine what course of action we need to take.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Trip to ER...
What should have been an enjoyable, routine night was anything but on this Thursday night. As of late, the routine is me playing basketball at the church, and Inga having a hen party bible study, and Keltan gets to play with Mrs Margie a little while longer. Tonight, as we were about to ramp up a 2nd game of hoops, I turn to see Mommy bringing the Kman into the gym. I thought it was a "Hello Daddy" thing, but quickly I discovered it wasn't. The little guy was broken out head to toe in a rash, or maybe small hives. The index finger on his right hand was swollen, and it was obvious something had either bitten or stung him there. We decided to take him to an emergency room, and upon recommendations, used the new facility in Sunnyvale, just a few miles West of us.
We checked in about 7:15 or so, and the nurse took Keltan's vitals. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Up to this point, he had been acting a little lethargic. As we waited, that began to wear off. Pretty soon, we were up and down the hall, asking for Grandpa (Inga's grandpa is in the hospital in OKC, and he had been there to see him). Soon after, we were outside looking at flowers and stars and airplanes and walking around naming all the various vehicles in the parking lot. Time moved on, and we didn't.
Finally, as Inga and Keltan were on a journey looking for Grandpa, the girl across from me in waiting room said she had been there since 6 PM, and it was now 8:30 PM. Not good...then, after they returned, Keltan and I went outside again. It was then I observed an ambulance coming in, and I knew our wait just got longer. His rash was receding, and he was acting normal, so we made the decision to leave about 9 PM. He is now in bed, and seemingly fine. We will call the pediatrician in the morning to see if he needs to go see her.
Emergency rooms - so much fun!
We checked in about 7:15 or so, and the nurse took Keltan's vitals. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Up to this point, he had been acting a little lethargic. As we waited, that began to wear off. Pretty soon, we were up and down the hall, asking for Grandpa (Inga's grandpa is in the hospital in OKC, and he had been there to see him). Soon after, we were outside looking at flowers and stars and airplanes and walking around naming all the various vehicles in the parking lot. Time moved on, and we didn't.
Finally, as Inga and Keltan were on a journey looking for Grandpa, the girl across from me in waiting room said she had been there since 6 PM, and it was now 8:30 PM. Not good...then, after they returned, Keltan and I went outside again. It was then I observed an ambulance coming in, and I knew our wait just got longer. His rash was receding, and he was acting normal, so we made the decision to leave about 9 PM. He is now in bed, and seemingly fine. We will call the pediatrician in the morning to see if he needs to go see her.
Emergency rooms - so much fun!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Well, in one sudden adjustment, Keltan is out of his crib and into a "big boy bed." After he made his grand escape from the crib, I made it into a daybed, and we put a twin mattress on the floor in his room. I tried to put him down to sleep in his newly remodeled crib, but he wanted nothing to do with that. Instead, he likes to sleep in the twin bed. Si, that is where we put him.
Last night was a successful night, nightmare-wise. He got up about 2 hours after going to bed, and Inga brought him to me in the reclined, where we both slept for a bit. I took him to his room, and he slept ALL NIGHT in his own bed! This is the first time since his surgery, and we were so thankful. Maybe it had to do with the new prayer I helped him say where we asked Jesus to help him not be scared.
He is so much a daddy's boy lately. If I am around, he will hardly let Inga do anything with him. He just refuses and wants Daddy to do it. Of course, Daddy eats this up, while poor Mommy has to wait for Daddy to be at work for some Keltan time. I keep telling her it will change soon...
Tonight, while taking a bath, he kept pointing at things and asking "what this." I had fun explaining the difference between a towel (we dry with it), and a wash cloth (we scrubby scrub with it). And he discovered all the screws that hold the bathroom together, and showed me every one of them.
The little guy is an absolute pleasure to be a daddy to, and I hope and pray it gets even better.
Jeff Dickson
Last night was a successful night, nightmare-wise. He got up about 2 hours after going to bed, and Inga brought him to me in the reclined, where we both slept for a bit. I took him to his room, and he slept ALL NIGHT in his own bed! This is the first time since his surgery, and we were so thankful. Maybe it had to do with the new prayer I helped him say where we asked Jesus to help him not be scared.
He is so much a daddy's boy lately. If I am around, he will hardly let Inga do anything with him. He just refuses and wants Daddy to do it. Of course, Daddy eats this up, while poor Mommy has to wait for Daddy to be at work for some Keltan time. I keep telling her it will change soon...
Tonight, while taking a bath, he kept pointing at things and asking "what this." I had fun explaining the difference between a towel (we dry with it), and a wash cloth (we scrubby scrub with it). And he discovered all the screws that hold the bathroom together, and showed me every one of them.
The little guy is an absolute pleasure to be a daddy to, and I hope and pray it gets even better.
Jeff Dickson
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Night Fears
Saturday night, we put Keltan in bed, and he was sleeping soundly. About 2 hours later, he woke up and started crying. We let him go for a while, thinking it was the normal little "I want to be around Mommy and Daddy" cry, but finally I looked at his monitor, and noticed that his feet were no longer touching the mattress! I hurried into his room, only to find him laying across the top of his crib, wanting to make the drop to the floor, but rather nervous about doing so. By the way, this was the 2nd trip into his room. Mommy had gone in to sooth him a few minutes earlier, and he was asleep when she left the room.
Well, I picked him up, and he was shaking, and had a wild look in his eyes. I knew it wasn't the normal night time upset, so, after I got him calmed down, I sat him on the changing table to talk to him. I asked him to tell me what was wrong, and he said "bug, bug." I asked where the bug was, and he pointed to the ceiling. I looked on the ceiling with him, and showed there was no bug there. He kept saying "shoo, bug", and hitting his leg like he was trying to squash a bug. Normally, he would laugh when he did the "shoo bug" thing, but this time there was no laughter. Apparently, the kid had "seen" a big bug on the ceiling that he was afraid of. After we talked and I got him calmed down, I attempted to put him back in his crib, but he kept trying to climb out. Finally, exhausted and nothing else to do, I relented and took him to our room.
Sunday night:
At bath time, I decided to try something I had read on the internet. I turned out the bathroom lights, and got a flashlight. At first, he was apprehensive, but when he saw how cool his various toys looked sitting on top of the light glowing, he started having a good time. We put all his toys on top of the light, and saw which on glowed and which did not. It was my hope that, by doing this, I could help him realize the dark could be fun. When I put him in bed, I also left his door open and turned on the closet light to increase the light in the room.
2 hours after putting him in bed, he woke up - screaming. Inga went to check on him, and he was kneeling in the back of his crib, hiding his face against the wall. When she picked him up, he was again shaking. She had to finish her work, so I took him, and rocked him and talked to him about what was going on, and how Daddy wouldn't let anything hurt him, and how Jesus would take care of him, but I don't think he was too much listening to that. There was surely a bug on his ceiling, and it wasn't going away. My bum got tired of sitting in his rocking chair, so I finally took him and laid him on our bed while we were getting ready for bed. I then took him in to his crib, and laid him down. Crisis averted!
Until 2:39 AM.
I woke up and heard him making noise. As I listened for him to cry, I heard a little "pitter patter, pitter patter", then our door flew open, and there was a little noggin running around the bed! He spent the rest of the night with us, and Daddy gets to convert his crib to a toddler bed tonight. Oh, and we are in the market for a twin bed with storage underneath so that we can sleep in his room with him when he has his night terror episodes.
In other news, Uncle Craig was down this weekend. Keltan had a blast with him! At mealtime, I allowed Uncle Craig to take my spot next to Keltan in order for him to have the FULL experience! By full experience, I mean the food from Keltan's plate being systematically transferred to Uncle Craig's plate, the hands being covered in cheese and ketchup being wiped down his arm, and the climbing up behind in the chair to put his ketchup-covered arms around him. Needless to say, you wear short sleeves when sitting next to Keltan!
Well, I picked him up, and he was shaking, and had a wild look in his eyes. I knew it wasn't the normal night time upset, so, after I got him calmed down, I sat him on the changing table to talk to him. I asked him to tell me what was wrong, and he said "bug, bug." I asked where the bug was, and he pointed to the ceiling. I looked on the ceiling with him, and showed there was no bug there. He kept saying "shoo, bug", and hitting his leg like he was trying to squash a bug. Normally, he would laugh when he did the "shoo bug" thing, but this time there was no laughter. Apparently, the kid had "seen" a big bug on the ceiling that he was afraid of. After we talked and I got him calmed down, I attempted to put him back in his crib, but he kept trying to climb out. Finally, exhausted and nothing else to do, I relented and took him to our room.
Sunday night:
At bath time, I decided to try something I had read on the internet. I turned out the bathroom lights, and got a flashlight. At first, he was apprehensive, but when he saw how cool his various toys looked sitting on top of the light glowing, he started having a good time. We put all his toys on top of the light, and saw which on glowed and which did not. It was my hope that, by doing this, I could help him realize the dark could be fun. When I put him in bed, I also left his door open and turned on the closet light to increase the light in the room.
2 hours after putting him in bed, he woke up - screaming. Inga went to check on him, and he was kneeling in the back of his crib, hiding his face against the wall. When she picked him up, he was again shaking. She had to finish her work, so I took him, and rocked him and talked to him about what was going on, and how Daddy wouldn't let anything hurt him, and how Jesus would take care of him, but I don't think he was too much listening to that. There was surely a bug on his ceiling, and it wasn't going away. My bum got tired of sitting in his rocking chair, so I finally took him and laid him on our bed while we were getting ready for bed. I then took him in to his crib, and laid him down. Crisis averted!
Until 2:39 AM.
I woke up and heard him making noise. As I listened for him to cry, I heard a little "pitter patter, pitter patter", then our door flew open, and there was a little noggin running around the bed! He spent the rest of the night with us, and Daddy gets to convert his crib to a toddler bed tonight. Oh, and we are in the market for a twin bed with storage underneath so that we can sleep in his room with him when he has his night terror episodes.
In other news, Uncle Craig was down this weekend. Keltan had a blast with him! At mealtime, I allowed Uncle Craig to take my spot next to Keltan in order for him to have the FULL experience! By full experience, I mean the food from Keltan's plate being systematically transferred to Uncle Craig's plate, the hands being covered in cheese and ketchup being wiped down his arm, and the climbing up behind in the chair to put his ketchup-covered arms around him. Needless to say, you wear short sleeves when sitting next to Keltan!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Carnival!
Today was the grand day! The Terrell Heritage Jubilee was in town, with all the smells of BBQ, the horrible traffic, the cotton candy, and the carnival rides! And, for the first time in the 6 years we have lived in Terrell, we were, simultaneously, (1) home, (2) doing nothing! So, we decided to roll down there and check it out. I was going for the BBQ, and I wanted to take Keltan on a ride or two.
Well, we walked right up through the middle of the BBQ pit, with all the wonderful smokey smells. I was all mouth-watering and slobbering everywhere, only to find out they don't sell the BBQ there - they only cook it for the contest. Bummer. But, wait...what is that I hear? A man on the P.A. system announcing they need more BBQ judges? Ah, I am an expert on eating BBQ, so I headed that way. When I arrived, I found out that I did not have time - Craig was coming to town, and I had to pick him up at 3 in Dallas, and the actual ribs and brisket judging wouldn't start until 1:30. So, I was once again bummed, and settled for helping the Boy Scouts with their fundraising by eating their catfish plate. Not bad, could have used some more spice - cayenne pepper, creole seasoning, something like that would have been grand - but, for a $5.00 catfish plate, I will drown it in ketchup and enjoy!
So, you say, what does this have to do with Keltan? Surely he is somewhere in all this, since this is his blog...well, glad you asked...
You see, I was excited about taking Keltan to the carnival. He is crazy about slides and swings, loves animals, and just generally loves having fun. What better place to have a great time than some kiddy carnival rides? I couldn't wait to get him to the carousel, with all the horses, giraffes, monkeys....so I bought us both tickets, because the sign said adults riding with their children must have tickets. Turns out I didn't need one, but, oh well. I could just use that extra one when Keltan had so much fun he couldn't stand to leave the ride.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Keltan cried the whole ride. He refused to sit on the horse once it started going up and down. He clung to me like a tick on a fat hound. He screamed for Mommy. Yes, my dear friends, Daddy was disappointed to find that his son didn't want to be on the carnival rides. I think I felt my heart fall into my shoe at some point. At least I wasn't alone - as we were leaving, another couple was having the same experience. Misery loves company, so I mentioned to the mother that our son did the same thing. I like to think I made her feel better....
I gave the other ticket to a family that had a son that looked like he couldn't wait to get to the rides. Maybe next year...
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Surgery News
Ah, the much anticipated surgery day! Here is the story of how it went:
Keltan could not have anything to eat past 1:30 AM, and nothing but clear liquids until 4:30 AM, nothing at all after that. So, we made sure he got plenty to eat before bed - banana, strawberries, orange, and, of course, thin mints. At 1:15, we woke him up, and stuffed him full of formula. Just in case you wonder about the sanity of doing that, we thought it best to get his tummy full, since he wants his milk daily at 5:30 AM. Since his surgery wasn't until 8, we figured that would be a long time to keep him otherwise occupied. Our ploy worked - he only asked for crackers once. Before we left the house, Inga and I said a prayer for our nerves. I, especially, am very skeptical and paranoid about anesthesia, particularly when it is my little man involved!
We arrived at Medical City Children's at straight up 6 AM. He was all kinds of excited by the lights on the outside of the building - purple, orange, and blue. When we walked in, and he saw all the butterflies hanging around from the ceiling, he was impressed. The large blue ant on the front desk was awesome! But nothing compared to the clouds on the walls upstairs! Oh, those clouds were incredible! And the blue, purple, red, green, and orange lights on the ceiling just made it that much better! Clouds everywhere!
After we checked in, we had to go back to get weighed, measured, and look at the fish. Wait, no, not look at fish...yes, look at fish. After we finished looking at the fish, we moved to the holding pen. In there, the nurse wanted to put a monitor on his finger to measure his vitals. At first he was reluctant, but when she produced Thomas the Train stickers, well, that convinced my little Keltan that she was alright. So, he got a "sticker", AKA monitor, on his finger. Now, this monitor had a glowing red light on it, and that was a pretty cool deal! Fortunately, the nurse was observant enough to realize that a blood pressure cuff on this little fellow was not going to be conducive to a calm about the room, and she opted out of it. Good to see common sense still exists!
While Mommy finished up with all the details, I took Keltan to the play area. We got to see the fish again, but, even more importantly, we had all kinds of toys to play with. Then, to top it off, in walked little "Peanut", AKA Grant, a 15 month old that was there for the same procedure. Turns out Peanut's Mom and Dad were Dave Ramsey Kool-Aid drinkers as well, and Keltan thought Peanut was pretty cool! After Peanut had to go (he was first in line), it was just Keltan, Mommy, and Daddy in the play area again. After a bit, he grew tired of the toys and wanted to see the clouds again. So, I took him out to the lobby so he could look at the clouds. And the lights. And the zebra. And the pig. And the tree. I would ask if he wanted to go back to see Mommy, and he would reply "no no no Mommy." Boy, those clouds were amazing!
Anyway, after quite a spell of looking at the clouds, I took him back to the play area where Mommy was, and there was Andrew, a 2 year old boy that was there for another procedure! Keltan had someone else to play with! Until the nurse came to get Keltan. This is the point where Daddy's heart went to his throat - it was serious time now. We went to the holding pen, got his bed, and we went to the 3rd floor. There, we walked into the 2nd holding pen. They asked the same questions for the 6th time, and we gave the same answers for the 6th time (next time, I will have all the answers on an index card and just hand it to them). After a couple minutes, in walks the nurse with some "goofy juice." This was some kind of Tylenol PM or something that would relax him, so he wouldn't freak out when he was taken away. I ended up getting most of it down his throat, some on my shirt, quite a bit on his shirt, and some in his hair. But, in the end, he got some goofy juice! Then it was a waiting game. And it was funny! He was floppy, smiley, goofy. He kept squeezing my cheeks between his hands, putting his nose against mine, and trying to give me sugars, but I guess his mouth wouldn't work right. Then, we played bumblebee, where he was trying to grab my hand while it buzzed into his chest. He had about a 50% success rate. He was laughing at everything, so the nurse decided it was time. We told him bye bye, and he must have been feeling alright since he did not fuss at all as they walked away down the hall. We went to the parents' holding pen to wait.
After what seemed like 6 days, but was really 15 minutes, they came to get us. I thought the nurse was walking really slow - I was ready to sprint down the hall to get my boy. As soon as we got in the vicinity of the recovery area, I heard him crying. They had warned us he would be grumpy for a few minutes, and, boy was he! Dr Chung was standing there, and started to hand us some drops, but I figured that could wait. Papa Bear had to rescue his baby bear! And that baby bear was a bear! Still not fully conscious, he was flopping and crying and fighting. The nurse brought some Advil in, and I ended up just taking it from her and giving it to him. About 99% of that made it down the hatch! After that kicked in, he was much better. I held him till he quit fighting so hard, then Mommy took over. He downed 15 ounces of "purply juice", AKA cran-grape juice, and settled down. At that point, we were able to move downstairs to the discharge holding pen.
In discharge, we turned on some Disney Junior, and drank some more purply juice. We hung out there for about 30 minutes, and by that time, he was eating some Teddy Grahams and feeling much better. We got our papers, and were freed! (about 9:30 AM) We stopped at Whataburger for some food, and got him a "tia" to eat. I think he fell asleep mid-chew about 5 minutes down the road, and, as I type, he is sleeping in the bed with Mommy.
Anyway, my fears were not realized - everything was fine, Keltan is still himself, and the world didn't stop. I am thankful for the prayers of everyone.
The picture of him at the play table is in the play area of the hospital, before his goofy juice journey.
I forgot to add - when we were going to leave the hospital, the nurse went to remove the "sticker" from his foot, but he refused. So, we wore a lead home. And it is still on his foot. Daddy is going to have to try to make it light up with a battery - but there are a LOT of pins in that plug!
Keltan could not have anything to eat past 1:30 AM, and nothing but clear liquids until 4:30 AM, nothing at all after that. So, we made sure he got plenty to eat before bed - banana, strawberries, orange, and, of course, thin mints. At 1:15, we woke him up, and stuffed him full of formula. Just in case you wonder about the sanity of doing that, we thought it best to get his tummy full, since he wants his milk daily at 5:30 AM. Since his surgery wasn't until 8, we figured that would be a long time to keep him otherwise occupied. Our ploy worked - he only asked for crackers once. Before we left the house, Inga and I said a prayer for our nerves. I, especially, am very skeptical and paranoid about anesthesia, particularly when it is my little man involved!
We arrived at Medical City Children's at straight up 6 AM. He was all kinds of excited by the lights on the outside of the building - purple, orange, and blue. When we walked in, and he saw all the butterflies hanging around from the ceiling, he was impressed. The large blue ant on the front desk was awesome! But nothing compared to the clouds on the walls upstairs! Oh, those clouds were incredible! And the blue, purple, red, green, and orange lights on the ceiling just made it that much better! Clouds everywhere!
After we checked in, we had to go back to get weighed, measured, and look at the fish. Wait, no, not look at fish...yes, look at fish. After we finished looking at the fish, we moved to the holding pen. In there, the nurse wanted to put a monitor on his finger to measure his vitals. At first he was reluctant, but when she produced Thomas the Train stickers, well, that convinced my little Keltan that she was alright. So, he got a "sticker", AKA monitor, on his finger. Now, this monitor had a glowing red light on it, and that was a pretty cool deal! Fortunately, the nurse was observant enough to realize that a blood pressure cuff on this little fellow was not going to be conducive to a calm about the room, and she opted out of it. Good to see common sense still exists!
While Mommy finished up with all the details, I took Keltan to the play area. We got to see the fish again, but, even more importantly, we had all kinds of toys to play with. Then, to top it off, in walked little "Peanut", AKA Grant, a 15 month old that was there for the same procedure. Turns out Peanut's Mom and Dad were Dave Ramsey Kool-Aid drinkers as well, and Keltan thought Peanut was pretty cool! After Peanut had to go (he was first in line), it was just Keltan, Mommy, and Daddy in the play area again. After a bit, he grew tired of the toys and wanted to see the clouds again. So, I took him out to the lobby so he could look at the clouds. And the lights. And the zebra. And the pig. And the tree. I would ask if he wanted to go back to see Mommy, and he would reply "no no no Mommy." Boy, those clouds were amazing!
Anyway, after quite a spell of looking at the clouds, I took him back to the play area where Mommy was, and there was Andrew, a 2 year old boy that was there for another procedure! Keltan had someone else to play with! Until the nurse came to get Keltan. This is the point where Daddy's heart went to his throat - it was serious time now. We went to the holding pen, got his bed, and we went to the 3rd floor. There, we walked into the 2nd holding pen. They asked the same questions for the 6th time, and we gave the same answers for the 6th time (next time, I will have all the answers on an index card and just hand it to them). After a couple minutes, in walks the nurse with some "goofy juice." This was some kind of Tylenol PM or something that would relax him, so he wouldn't freak out when he was taken away. I ended up getting most of it down his throat, some on my shirt, quite a bit on his shirt, and some in his hair. But, in the end, he got some goofy juice! Then it was a waiting game. And it was funny! He was floppy, smiley, goofy. He kept squeezing my cheeks between his hands, putting his nose against mine, and trying to give me sugars, but I guess his mouth wouldn't work right. Then, we played bumblebee, where he was trying to grab my hand while it buzzed into his chest. He had about a 50% success rate. He was laughing at everything, so the nurse decided it was time. We told him bye bye, and he must have been feeling alright since he did not fuss at all as they walked away down the hall. We went to the parents' holding pen to wait.
After what seemed like 6 days, but was really 15 minutes, they came to get us. I thought the nurse was walking really slow - I was ready to sprint down the hall to get my boy. As soon as we got in the vicinity of the recovery area, I heard him crying. They had warned us he would be grumpy for a few minutes, and, boy was he! Dr Chung was standing there, and started to hand us some drops, but I figured that could wait. Papa Bear had to rescue his baby bear! And that baby bear was a bear! Still not fully conscious, he was flopping and crying and fighting. The nurse brought some Advil in, and I ended up just taking it from her and giving it to him. About 99% of that made it down the hatch! After that kicked in, he was much better. I held him till he quit fighting so hard, then Mommy took over. He downed 15 ounces of "purply juice", AKA cran-grape juice, and settled down. At that point, we were able to move downstairs to the discharge holding pen.
In discharge, we turned on some Disney Junior, and drank some more purply juice. We hung out there for about 30 minutes, and by that time, he was eating some Teddy Grahams and feeling much better. We got our papers, and were freed! (about 9:30 AM) We stopped at Whataburger for some food, and got him a "tia" to eat. I think he fell asleep mid-chew about 5 minutes down the road, and, as I type, he is sleeping in the bed with Mommy.
Anyway, my fears were not realized - everything was fine, Keltan is still himself, and the world didn't stop. I am thankful for the prayers of everyone.
The picture of him at the play table is in the play area of the hospital, before his goofy juice journey.
I forgot to add - when we were going to leave the hospital, the nurse went to remove the "sticker" from his foot, but he refused. So, we wore a lead home. And it is still on his foot. Daddy is going to have to try to make it light up with a battery - but there are a LOT of pins in that plug!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
A Day at the Zoo!
Today was Keltan's first trip to a zoo (other than the Terrell Zoo, aka Wal-Mart). Mommy was crazy excited about taking him, and Grandma was here for the excursion. We decided on the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas for the trip.
Since Keltan is having ear infection issues (more a little later on that), Inga got him a little safari style hat, and sewed on some ear flaps to keep the wind out of his ears. The little flaps had elephants on them, so he was ready for his safari! This morning, while I was getting ready, I heard a knock knock on the door, and opened it to find a big-grinning Keltan in his new hat! He was very excited about it, and ready to visit the zoo!
When we arrived, he started calling it the "farm." Not sure where this came from, as there were no animals visible from the parking lot, but that is what he was calling it. We started with the birds, where we saw colorful pairs of Macaws, flamingos, ducks, and a swan! The kid loves birds, so he was in awe of the bright colors! We moved on to a display of some very small monkey, but he was unimpressed. I think he never did really see the monkey in branches, as it was so small. Next, the anteater! This animal was very intriguing - it was lumbering around, using it's 24" snout to sniff everything. We stayed in front of that exhibit for quite some time....
Then came the cheetah! This was an even more intriguing exhibit! One came up to the glass, and he was able to see it up close! Of course, as far as he was concerned, it was a "dog." Although I got him to say "cheetah", he insisted on it being a dog. Of course, this exhibit paled when compared to the next exhibit...
The RHINOCEROS! I think this, in his book, has to be the most interesting animal in the world! We talked about it, he learned how to say it a little better, and we watched it. And watched it. And watched it. And watched it. And watched it. And watched it...I think you get the point. Anytime we tried to leave this exhibit, he would start saying "more rhino more rhino..." So, we stayed there for some time, moving around the area to get different points of view. Finally, we convinced him we needed to see some other stuff.
He loved the giraffe and elephant area! We were very close to the giraffes. There was a body of water about 10' wide, and there were the giraffes right on the grass on the other side! There were benches there, so we took advantage and watched the giraffes and elephants for quite a little spell. We also saw zebras, which he liked as well.
After we moved on from the giraffes, we entered the meerkat manor. He had fun watching those little critters run around and be silly. One came up to the glass and posed while Grandma took pictures. He learned how to say "meerkat" while we stood there.
The snake house - oh yes he loved the snake house! There were green snakes, brown snakes, and moving rattlers! "Nake nake" was the chatter from the excited little guy...And the turtles and fish in the same area - he loved these creatures!
After a few more animals that he wasn't as impressed with (he was getting tired), we exited the zoo. We found a place to eat some sandwiches, and drove to Marshall, Texas (about 75 minutes east) to meet Uncle Ed and Aunt Glo for a late lunch at Cajun Tex. It was a little funny there - he kept telling us about a duck, and pointing. We never saw the duck. He kept insisting there was a duck. Finally, I had him walk me to the duck, and, sure enough - there on the back of a booth was a decoy! We showed off his meal time prayer to an audience, and had some awesome food! Needless to say, we had a very fun day.
About his ears - he has been battling with ear infections quite often lately. We finally decided to visit with an ENT, and it has been decided that he needs tubes. So, that surgery is scheduled for this Thursday morning. Mommy and Daddy are pretty nervous, but we trust everything will be fine, and he will be much more comfortable in the long run.
Since Keltan is having ear infection issues (more a little later on that), Inga got him a little safari style hat, and sewed on some ear flaps to keep the wind out of his ears. The little flaps had elephants on them, so he was ready for his safari! This morning, while I was getting ready, I heard a knock knock on the door, and opened it to find a big-grinning Keltan in his new hat! He was very excited about it, and ready to visit the zoo!
When we arrived, he started calling it the "farm." Not sure where this came from, as there were no animals visible from the parking lot, but that is what he was calling it. We started with the birds, where we saw colorful pairs of Macaws, flamingos, ducks, and a swan! The kid loves birds, so he was in awe of the bright colors! We moved on to a display of some very small monkey, but he was unimpressed. I think he never did really see the monkey in branches, as it was so small. Next, the anteater! This animal was very intriguing - it was lumbering around, using it's 24" snout to sniff everything. We stayed in front of that exhibit for quite some time....
Then came the cheetah! This was an even more intriguing exhibit! One came up to the glass, and he was able to see it up close! Of course, as far as he was concerned, it was a "dog." Although I got him to say "cheetah", he insisted on it being a dog. Of course, this exhibit paled when compared to the next exhibit...
The RHINOCEROS! I think this, in his book, has to be the most interesting animal in the world! We talked about it, he learned how to say it a little better, and we watched it. And watched it. And watched it. And watched it. And watched it. And watched it...I think you get the point. Anytime we tried to leave this exhibit, he would start saying "more rhino more rhino..." So, we stayed there for some time, moving around the area to get different points of view. Finally, we convinced him we needed to see some other stuff.
He loved the giraffe and elephant area! We were very close to the giraffes. There was a body of water about 10' wide, and there were the giraffes right on the grass on the other side! There were benches there, so we took advantage and watched the giraffes and elephants for quite a little spell. We also saw zebras, which he liked as well.
After we moved on from the giraffes, we entered the meerkat manor. He had fun watching those little critters run around and be silly. One came up to the glass and posed while Grandma took pictures. He learned how to say "meerkat" while we stood there.
The snake house - oh yes he loved the snake house! There were green snakes, brown snakes, and moving rattlers! "Nake nake" was the chatter from the excited little guy...And the turtles and fish in the same area - he loved these creatures!
After a few more animals that he wasn't as impressed with (he was getting tired), we exited the zoo. We found a place to eat some sandwiches, and drove to Marshall, Texas (about 75 minutes east) to meet Uncle Ed and Aunt Glo for a late lunch at Cajun Tex. It was a little funny there - he kept telling us about a duck, and pointing. We never saw the duck. He kept insisting there was a duck. Finally, I had him walk me to the duck, and, sure enough - there on the back of a booth was a decoy! We showed off his meal time prayer to an audience, and had some awesome food! Needless to say, we had a very fun day.
About his ears - he has been battling with ear infections quite often lately. We finally decided to visit with an ENT, and it has been decided that he needs tubes. So, that surgery is scheduled for this Thursday morning. Mommy and Daddy are pretty nervous, but we trust everything will be fine, and he will be much more comfortable in the long run.
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