Indians fan? NO WAY!

Indians fans - no WAY!

My best friend, Christopher got me this great bat and ball from the best baseball team of all time: the New York Yankees. I mean, just because mom and dad grew up in C-town and dad (in addition to all my aunts and uncles and Ninang) are the biggest Indians fans doesn't mean I have to follow in their footsteps, right? I mean, the Yanks have Derek Jeter and A-Rod! So, maybe if I continue to carry this bat and ball with me everywhere (and I do mean everywhere), I'll get to join the greatest team in the world someday: the New York Yankees!

P.S. My friend, Mate, likes the Yanks, too!

And the cookies go to...

So, I was late posting an entry this week. Michelle emailed first thing this morning, so she will be receiving two dozen chocolate chip cookies. Thanks for playing along! :)

Oh Joy, What Fun, I'm ONE!

Numero Uno

This week was my birthday - numero UNO! Can you believe I'm already one? It's so fantastic! This means I'm no longer a baby, I'm a big BOY! Mommy and Daddy took me to Cleveland (again!) to celebrate with Grandpa....he turned 60 the day after me.

Tita Michelle got a cake for me. I didn't eat much of it, but it felt really good in my fingers. Gamma Darlene said she'd never seen someone tear up their first birthday cake like me. I guess I have skilz.

Mommy took me to plant an oak tree in honor of my birthday. It was a little cold on my birthday, but not cold enough to stop me from standing all on my own. I'm so big I don't need to hold onto anything (at least for a few seconds!)

When we finally got home, Mommy had a party for me complete with neighborhood friends, cake and gifts! What fun. Hope you enjoy the album!

My Christopher and Me

Everyone, meet my new best friend. His name is Christopher. He spends some afternoons with us and I really like it when he does. As you can see, he loves to play in my playroom with me, and sometimes I just watch him while he plays Guitar Hero.

My Christopher and Me

There's always music to dance to, you just have to listen!

(Kai's been dancing to the music on the car for some time - the first video we have of him is way back in September. And he learns new moves all the time. I think it's from watching Daddy and Mommy dancing!)

Movin' and Shakin'

I LOVE to dance. And laugh. Mom got some good video of me strutting my stuff. Check 'em out.

Movin' and Shakin'

In one video, I'm sitting in my high chair and I'm laughing. You can't see it (because Daddy wouldn't let Mommy video him), but Daddy is dancing and singing for me. I like having all the power to make Daddy do silly stuff!

Oh, and my Gamma got me for Christmas (Mommy couldn't wait until then, though!) a walking wagon. I sometimes walk behind it and other times I just push it. But what I REALLY like to do is crawl inside it and demand to be pushed around in it. I think that's the best way...wait for others to push the wagon while I'm in it!

Playing at Five Pennies

(From October, while I still work on getting the latest pics onto our computer...)

There's a park that's close to our house that has a great playground for kids. It has tons of things to climb on and for many different aged kids. Kai had fun playing with the slide, the tunnel and a truck. I didn't get any video of him literally flinging himself down the slide because I was too busy trying to catch him, but take it from me, he has almost no fear when it comes to slides.

Five Pennies Play

One video in this album is Kai doing what I call his "proposal" stance. It's his "I'm keeping my options open to move, but want to see what's going on" move. I think it looks like he's going to propose marriage at any second. Now, three weeks later, he's almost perfected the proposal stance so that he can rest his arm on his knee. It's very cute. Especially when he does it and "talks" to you.

Also on this album is a picture of our friend, Matthew (Mate), with whom we went to the park (and his mom, Monica). He and Kai are 6 months apart and get along very well. He's got his own blog. You can see it at: http://www.matthewstrada.blogspot.com/ (but after you visit Matthew's blog, don't get mad at me for not posting something every day. His dad is just ridiculous! :) )

Back to your regularly scheduled programming

Kai and I have been in Cleveland this past week while RJ's been in Russia for school. I know, Russia vs. Cleveland? Cleveland's been a little bit warmer than Russia, so I think Kai and I choose wisely!

I haven't been able to figure out how to get Mom's internet connection to work with our Mac (I'm fairly sure it's a simple problem that were RJ here, he could have figured out in about 2 seconds). But since he's not here, I can't access our photos to post to the web album page. So, you're stuck with the "old" stuff that was already on the web album. Next week, I'll have more entries waiting to post.

I guess it doesn't help that RJ took our digital camera to Russia (something about not wanting to "waste" film with all the pictures he was going to take. So, I've been trying to capture our week on disposable cameras. I've forgotten how awful they are after you get used to all the bells and whistles on a digital camera!

Stay tuned for next week's entries when our adventures in Cleveland (and maybe some from Russia) will be available for your viewing pleasure!

Snakes on a Page...

Snakes on a page

I LOVE to read books. And my favorite book right now is short, just the name and picture of animals. But, when Daddy reads it to me, I think it's hysterical! Seriously, he's a funny Daddy. If only you were there.

Beaches, this time of year?

Did you know that people on the East Coast actually go to the beach almost the entire year 'round? It seems crazy to me, but it's true! And since going to the beach seems really foreign to me (must have been the growing up in the middle of the country thing), we actually didn't even go to the beach until September!

I love the beaches

There are two sets of pictures, one from our day in Sept and the other when Kai and I joined Matthew and Monica for lunch on a day in November! Both days were gorgeous, bright, clear, and not crowded. Just a little chilly...

Cowboys and Monkeys

Cowboys and Monkeys

We love Halloween when we get to dress up the kid and walk around getting candy! He made a very cute Monkey. And even though there's not a picture of me (I'm going to have to teach RJ how to use the camera!), I made a pretty cute Ginny Weasley. Kai also loved checking out the costumes of everyone else. He was so fascinated with Sarah's "scary-angel-witch" costume, we couldn't get him to look at us.

And finally, we all love carving pumpkins. But Kai didn't need his carved, he was just as happy dragging it around and talking to it. I had to try to keep quiet so you'd hear him talking instead of me laughing. It was really cute! We also forgot to get a picture of the pumpkins we carved, but RJ's had a "BOO," I had a pi sign (pumpkin pie!), Cosmo had a bone, and Kai's was a scary face. They turned out very cool.

My Eating Time

My Eating Time

So, I'm not the best eater, but I know what I like and what I don't like. I LOVE cheerios. I don't like it when Mommy puts the camera on me.

Mommy says I'm going to have to learn to eat more, but when there's so much else to do, why would I want to eat? I guess I'll just have to learn how to eat while I do other things...maybe when I can keep it all in my mouth!

Kai's Greatest Hits June-August

Still catching up...
July-August 2007

Seven Months

So, even though this is three months late it still has some classic stuff! First, there's Kai laughing; the first time he pulled himself up to standing on his own; chasing a ball; being a messy eater, playing by the stairs (no, don't climb them yet!); wearing Daddy's hat; wearing nothing; crawling through the tube; fun with the sand; tug-of-war with Cosmo; "gonna get you game"; and finally making noises. It's sort of a "Kai's Greatest Hits" album.

Enjoy! :)

Boston Loves the Ducky

Boston Loves the Ducky (M)

Catching up...
July 2007

In July we went to visit with the Boston crew. Here's the album from that trip. It was tons of fun. The Duck Tours were a great way to see the city. We might have to take another one the next time we go to a city that has water nearby.

New Weight Class

And in this corner, wearing two new bottom teeth, able to crawl and pull himself to stand, and weighing all of 14 pounds and 15 ounces: KAI. (crowd cheers loudly).

Yup, you read that right. Our boy now weighs just less than 15 pounds at 9 months old, which means the doctor's worried about his weight again. The doc said we could put butter (in addition to olive oil) in his food and start to feed him cheeses and full-fat yogurt. Boy, if only his mama had the same problem. But, two of the reasons his weight has leveled off again is that he's using more energy to crawl and "walk" around everywhere (he's a highly active little guy), and that because he's teething (finally has two bottom teeth), he refuses to eat when his teeth are bothering him. Have you ever tried to force sweet potatoes into a wiggling and head jerking nine-month-old? He also has seemed to stop wanting to drink his formula, which has the most calories for its volume. Oh well, I'm sure he'll soon be back to the 3% growth line! :)

Cutting teeth really hurts!

Kai was crabby for most of the day today. He wouldn't even touch his bottle first thing this morning. I suspected teeth, and sure enough, we could finally feel one trying to work its way out (it was just under the surface of the gums). I think by tomorrow, we'll finally have a one-toothed boy! And since everything by his mouth hurt, he wasn't all the interested in food or formula for most of the day. That is, until dinner. He ate so much his little belly was FULL! Maybe now that one tooth is out, he'll start to eat (and gain some more weight) again. Maybe, just maybe.

When you're up you're up

When you're up, you're up

I got this REALLY fun chair for my baptism from one of Lola's friends. It makes all this music and noise when you push its buttons. I love it, but Mommy says I love it a little too much. She's taken it out of my playroom and will only let me play with it when she's with me (and even then she sometimes still lets me fall!) She says I'm too dangerous with it by myself. I guess it has something to do with the fact that I love to stand on it. I mean, what else is a singing chair good for?

Man, Can I STAND!

Man, Can I STAND!

Crawling is, like, so YESTERDAY. Check out what I can do now: STAND! I started to pull myself up on the amplifier for the TV. That was on July 6! Now, I'm an old pro and I don't even wobble anymore.

I guess I surprised Daddy by greeting him one fine Monday morning (August 6 to be exact) on my feet. Daddy said I was grinning ear to ear because I was so proud of myself for standing in my crib, but little did he know that I was smiling that wide because I love him so much! At first I could only stand by things that had easy places to hold onto (like my crib or the "jail" Mommy puts me in). But now I'm SOOOO good that I don't need any "hand holds" anymore! I can stand up next to the wall (or just this morning), the fireplace! I've learned, too, that it's best not to just let go, but to gently let go, so I don't fall. I can go from a standing position to a sitting position very easily.

And I've gotten so skilled, I can stand just about anywhere and I only have to hold on with one hand. (Gosh, I'm so amazing I sometimes even impress myself!) I'll be nine months in about two weeks. Until then, I'm trying to learn balance. Then maybe I can give Mommy and Daddy the gift of WALKING for their anniversary!

I can CRAWL, y'all!

I can crawl, y'all!

I've been crawling for quite some time (started in the middle of June). I'm pretty much a pro now, but Mommy thought it would be nice to let y'all see my progression from my first creepy crawls to my quick paced "gotta get there" crawls. So, enjoy this web album!

Whiteman Overbite

So our boy clings to his "white" roots by continuing to do the "whiteman overbite." For those of you who might not know what it is, think of a white man dancing to disco and you'll get it! (View the album if you're still not able to conjure up what it looks like!)

Kai, apparently LOVES this look, because we've caught him on camera again and again, with his mouth contorted as such. I guess it's better than the alternative: the open-mouthed "duh" look on his face (last picture)! :)

whiteman overbite

How are we related?

Ugat Faigao '07

RJ's family had a reunion this past weekend. Their reunions are so large and require so much preparation and planning that they only happen once every five years. So, we headed off to Chicago to meet up with the fam.

It's a very intense weekend. We arrived Friday afternoon in time to get ready for the Welcome Reception. Dinner started at 6:00 and the evening was supposed to end at 10:00. Kai's bedtime is at 6:30 (and Chicago's an hour behind). But, when we got to the dinner, Kai had fallen asleep in the car! (a very rare occurrence). I thought he'd stay asleep longer than he did, but alas, with so many people interested in seeing him, he didn't sleep for long. I finally drove RJ and Kai back to the hotel around 9:00 and Kai only woke once for a feeding that night.

Saturday, we went to the Shedd Aquarium and enjoyed walking around. The aquarium was featuring the coral reef from the Philippines, so it was great timing on our part. Saturday night was the main event, with a full reception. Again, it began after his bedtime, but as bad parents, we dragged him to it (when else was he going to meet the fam?). And again, he fell asleep in the car on the way there! But, with the music so loud you could hardly hear your own voice, it's no wonder he woke up. The rest of the night was spent trying to get Kai to sleep and stay asleep and helping him deal with the loud music. He did a great job overall! Finally, we left for the hotel around 11:45. By 12:30, we were all sleeping soundly....that is, until 1:30 when Kai woke screaming! I brought him to bed and that was the first time Kai's slept with us in bed. Thank goodness for a king size bed - he moves a lot when he sleeps!

Sunday brought the picnic and our trip home. We were supposed to leave Chicago around noon, but RJ decided at the last minute that he wanted us to stay for the picnic (which wasn't supposed to even start until 11!). So, we switched our flight to a later one and stayed to play in the sun and relax a little bit. When we checked in, we saw that our flight was delayed until 9:30 that night! So, we got picked up again, ate dinner with the family, and then finally returned to the airport to await take off. It was a long day! We didn't get into bed until 3:00 am Monday morning. Needless to say, RJ worked from home on Monday!

Kai was such a trooper through all these late nights and non ideal sleeping conditions. But, his poor body couldn't handle it all and on Monday morning, when he woke up for the day, he had a stuffy nose! His poor immune system had been compromised. We've learned our lesson. We will only ever fly during the day (not too late, not too early), and if there's something already planned for the day, we'll leave the next day.

It's great to see family. And in 2012, the reunion will be in Texas!

Getting my Sleep-On

Many people say I take after Mommy, that I look a lot like her (except for the eyes). But Daddy says I take after Mommy because I love to sleep.

Since we went to Chicago this weekend for Daddy's family reunion (Mommy will tell you all about it later), I didn't get to sleep so much. So, I decided I'd make up for lost sleep once we finally got home and so that's what I did, all day Tuesday.

I woke up Tuesday morning at my normal time (around 7:00). Then, I took my morning nap, again at my normal time (9:00). But, I decided I really needed to just sleep, so that's what I did. I woke up 5.5 hours later at 2:30 that afternoon! Mommy said she was a little worried about me, but the video monitor Lola and Grandpa let us borrow reassured her I was ok, just really tired. Then, to prove that I was ok, I took my afternoon nap from 4:00-5:30. Daddy got to see me for a few minutes before I went to bed for the night at 7:00.

So, I was up for about 3 hours total on Tuesday. It felt really good. I don't think even Mommy can compete with me for my sleeping world championship! I totally RULE!

Getting on the God Team

Still catching up...

June 24, 2007

Baptism Weekend

Kai was baptized in Cleveland with his cousin, Nathan. And while Nathan is three months younger than Kai, he's quickly caught up to and surpassed his weight. (Come on, Kai, keep eating! ) Kai was very lucky that Vickie and Alan agreed to be his Ninang (godmother) and Ninong (godfather).

There are some great pics from that weekend. Some of my favorites are Kai almost sleeping on Vickie during the ceremony (he kept opening his eyes every time I clicked the camera), Kai trying to grab for Lucas (we're not sure why he was fixated on Lucas), and the one that looks like Kai is going to give Vickie a high five.

Kai's outfit was borrowed from his cousin, Lucas (thanks to Michelle and Tom for letting him borrow it). He wore the same barong (traditional Filipino top) that Lucas wore for his baptism.

The last picture in the album is when Kai and I were hanging out at LaGuardia airport, waiting for RJ to come and pick us up with the car. He had jumped on the shuttle to the parking place before Kai and I could say "We'll miss you" and off he went. Kai and I went to sit and wait and since it was one of Kai's first times in the city, I decided to take pictures. It was in the searching for the camera that I realized that we had what RJ was going to need: the keys to the car! :) Being the supermom that I am, I called RJ to tell him to stay where he was (he had already made it to the parking spot), and Kai and I got on the bus. I had Kai, the stroller, and a bag to get on the shuttle, but I did it!

Rachel + Brad K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Still catching up...

May 2007

Rach + Brad's Wedding

My sister, Rachel, got married to Brad on May 26 in Cleveland. Of course, we were there and had tons of fun. The amazing thing about the wedding was the weather. The ceremony was planned to be held outdoors around 3:00. That morning, it was raining. In fact, it was raining off and on right up until 2:30 or so. When people started to sit down is when the clouds parted and the rain stopped. And it held out until after the ceremony, in fact, it held out until dinner started (when we were inside eating, anyway!). It was a pretty special day. And although Kai was exhausted (see last picture in the album), he was pretty good the entire day, until the ride back to the hotel (30 minutes of screaming!).

Great Grandma Hanson had all of her great-grandkids visiting, so we got some pictures of that. It was difficult to get them all looking at the same time!

The last picture worth telling a story about is the one with Kai trying to catch the water drops from the shower at the hotel. Now we know why babies get baths, not showers: they are VERY slippery!

Clicking for tunes

Clicking for Tunes

My cousin, Jake, got me a cool gadget for Christmas. (Thanks, Jake!) And I just finally figured out how to use it. See, Elmo's holding blocks and if you press the blocks, tunes start to play. And every time you push the blocks, a different tune plays. Daddy called it a baby ipod, but this one is an Elmo, not an ipod. He's a silly Daddy!

Mommy got me on camera clicking for my tunes. Maybe someday soon Daddy will get me a REAL ipod!

I'm not a creep(er)

I'm not a creep(er)

Mommy wanted me to write to tell you all that she's freaking out a little. I'm not quite sure why. All I did was greet her this morning on my knees while my hands were up on the crib. I was holding on to the bumper so I could see her better. I think I'm starting to understand why Mommy and Daddy are upright all the time: you can see much better!

Daddy thought I was cool when I pulled myself up on the stereo stuff he has in front of this really big, thin box that shows neat pictures sometimes (Mommy calls it the tele). I really was just trying to touch the pretty blue light. Maybe I'll be able to start to use this new power of mine for good!

Well, gotta go so I can practice some more. I think I'm going to set it as my personal goal to walk before I turn one.

Creepy Crawly

Creepy Crawly

It's over: Kai is mobile! And we're not just talking rolling to get places. No, no. He's on his tummy pretty much all the time now. (Diaper changes have become a wrestling match to get his butt to stay on the ground!) He started "army crawling" the other day and now he's good enough to be on his knees and one hand while the other hand is reaching out for things. It's only a matter of time before he learns to put that hand down in a different spot, and it will propel him forward. Yup, we're in trouble! :)

We're slowly transitioning the sun room/foyer into his playroom. This means I've taken out all of the other furniture: the entry table I made, the plant stand, the "extra" coffee table. So, the only things left in the room are his toys, books, and a rug we bought for the space. Next steps are to spackle and paint the room and buy a safety gate for the big doorway.

Then there'll be at least one place in the house where I can put him down and use the bathroom without worrying for him or the house! And Cosmo already knows he is NOT allowed on the new rug. Now we only need to worry about childproofing the stairs...

Half Birthday in June

Half Birthday in June

So my six month birthday was on Monday, June 11. Mommy celebrated by baking me a cake that 1) was done baking after I'd already been put in bed and 2) I couldn't have eaten anyway because I'm still just drinking formula! Oh well, maybe for my next half birthday in June I'll be able to enjoy some.

I'm getting so big! Daddy, Mommy and I went to Boston (my first trip to Boston) for my new friend Ben's, bris. While we didn't get any pictures of the bris (Daddy wouldn't let Mommy take any), Mommy did get some videos of me trying out my knees. I like getting up on my elbows and knees. Pretty soon, I hope my knees will take me places. Right now, though, Mommy says she's glad my knees are just for bending to get my toes.

Mommy and Daddy keep feeding me this thing called rice cereal. They mix it with my formula in hopes that I'll like it, but I'm not fooled. It sort of rolls off the spoon and it feels really soupy. Maybe soon they'll figure out I don't like rice cereal and will finally try something else!

Baby Pattern Balding

Baby Pattern Balding

One of the things I loved about Kai was his hair. I say "loved" because if you've seen him lately, you know how bald he is. In order to show you how dramatic his baby hair loss has been, I've put together an album of pictures (double click on the picture above) to show you just how much hair he had when he was born versus now. I'll let the captions speak for themselves.

While I still love him madly, I hope his hair grows back very soon!

Back in the Saddle Again (or should we say "Stroller"?)

It's a good day in the ol' Fontilla household. Mommy has decided to stay home with me all the time. While this means I'm going to miss all my friends at day-care, it means I get to be with Mommy and Cosmo all day long. I've got lots of things to explore: the TV stand, the fireplace, the staircases, and the dog's food and water bowls. Can't wait until I can actually crawl to see them on my own, instead of waiting for the Momma to take me over to them. Sometimes, she's just not fast enough for me.

Today was the first day I could sit up all by myself for a few seconds. I'm getting stronger and stronger. I've really been working on my core, Uncle Alan. It's all the pilates Mommy subjects me to. Can't wait till you see me so I can show off how well I can balance now!

Rawwr! I flex for you!

Mom says a big update is coming soon! Stay tuned!

[edit]

It's already started! See below. More is on the way! Yippee!

Four and Fabulous

Four and Fabulous

We had some visitors and we went to visit others. First we went to Kim and Deborah's in Brooklyn, NY. It was our first trip into the city. Then Aniq and his brothers came to check out Yale's campus. And finally this month, we met friends in Hartford. The last few pics in this album are in Kai's car (thank you, cousin Lucas!), which he LOVES. And lounging in Mommy and Daddy's bed.

Visits from Auntie Vickie and Dave

Auntie Vickie and Dave Visit

NEW! Posted June 30!

We had visitors in May. Vickie and David came mostly just see Kai. They stayed for a weekend, and while it was a short weekend, I took lots of pictures. Here are a few. Overall, I'd say Kai loves his Auntie (soon to be Ninang) and Uncle! I know I enjoyed having them here.

Showers of Family

Showers of Family

We went to Cleveland in April (the first of our four-month series of monthly trips to the midwest) for Rachel and Brad's wedding shower. We got to see lots of family and take lots of pictures. The first video was at the shower and my cousin, Dawn's daughter, Leah, was making Kai giggle. Luckily, I got it on video. The amazing thing about that is Kai was a pretty sick kid that day. His eyes were red and puffy and he was all congested. Lucky us Leah was able to help keep his spirits up, even though he was sick and exhausted.

Another favorite video of mine is the one with Lucas "flying" through the air by his jumper. He was "super Lucas," even if it was only for 45 seconds!

We forgot to take pictures on Kai's very first flight (must have been first-time parent jitters, worrying about Kai and flying). So, we got pictures on the flight home (technically his second flight).

Later in April, we got to try out some rice cereal. For Kai, not so much. He didn't like that it wasn't getting to him through a nipple! Perhaps he just wasn't ready...

If only I didn't need sleep...

Not Quite Four

Easter

(I wrote this post way back in April, but kept forgetting to attach a web album and then post it. I "re-found" it and decided to post it. So, even though it looks like it's old, it's actually new to the blog.)

So it's been so long, I can scarcely remember the last time I wrote for the blog. Who would have thought that 40 hours a week at work (ok, so it's really only 37.5 hours!) would mean this blog wouldn't get updated all that often? Needless to say, the transition of me going back to work has been a bit rocky at times. And we're still trudging on...

Kai's been sick this past week and therefore not sleeping well. I've spent three of the last four nights sleeping with him on me propped up in the comfy chair in his room. Thank goodness we bought the chair that reclines! Last night he slept ok, but tonight we can hear him coughing so I'm gearing up to another night in the chair. I think that although he's stuffy, if he didn't cough, he'd be able to sleep ok. Why the heck do colds love babies so much?

And to make matters worse for Kai, we're due to be on a plane to Cleveland tomorrow. So, for his first plane trip he won't be feeling as well as he could. I hope he won't be too cranky on the plane...and good thing it's not that long of a flight!

So, some of the pictures and videos in this posting are over the last month and a half. Kai hasn't gained all that much weight over this time, but he sure has continued to smile and be interested in things. He's following more and more things with his eyes and he loves it when Cosmo comes over to smell him when he's laying on a blanket for his massage.

We can't wait to see our families again in Cleveland this weekend!

Long time no blog...

Small Update

Yep, it's been a while. I guess you can blame me for that (rj). See, got Ruth a new mac laptop and it wasn't too friendly with good ol' picassa and web albums. However, being the genius that I am, I now have it up and running for her. This will be my first, and for your sake, hopefully last, update from me. There are few pictures in this one but two really good videos. It's a good thing digital video doesn't degrade with the amount of times you view it because the video of him laughing is priceless. I have probably watched it at least 50x...no joke. In any case, enjoy the pics. Hopefully Ruth will get some really good narrative for you all in the future.

Dozen weeks, anyone?

Twelve Weeks

Kai turned 12 weeks this week. Can you believe it? We surely can't!! That means we're back to "normal life" which includes work for Ruth and "school" for Kai. We had to get up at 6:30 to start the day on time. Gosh, we haven't purposefully gotten out of bed at 6:30 since we were 7 years old! Kai was wonderful all this week. He'd wake up about 7:15 on his own, giving us plenty of time to get ready first, and then get him all ready for the day. It was pretty hard saying goodbye to him on Monday, but we know he's in good hands at "school." Besides, by Friday, all the teachers in the school knew him by name. And since he's the newest addition to the room (and the smallest), he gets held a LOT at school.

We also went to Kai's friend's, Eliza, first birthday party. Kai also got to meet a new friend, Sean. And Ruth got to see a friend she hadn't seen in a long while, Michelle. We hope to see them again soon.

In order to get Mommy to stop video taping Daddy reading to Kai, he tried to rhyme like Dr. Seuss, but as you can imagine, he desperately needs to work on his verse. (Click on the picture above to see the whole album and the short "RJ Seuss" video.) Maybe RJ should stick to just reading the books, huh?

Kai's still enjoying his massages. He gets one about every other day. And since Kai got a bath right after his massage, I decided I wanted to see him in his robe, since it finally fits him! RJ thought it made him look like Hugh Heffner, but I think it just made him look cute!

Lions and Tigers and Birthdays

Eleven Weeks

(Click on the picture above to see more pictures of me!)

Mommy turned 31 this week, so we celebrated by doing lots of stuff. (It's also Mommy's last week at home, before she has to go back to work.) So, we went to see my good buddy, Eliza and her mommy, Wendy. Then, Mommy's friend, Eli, came to visit us. Eli took us to the Bridgeport zoo! I got to see lots of cool animals, like tigers, owls, wolves, and bison. But my favorite were the prairie dogs because they made these cool tunnels for kids to go in and peek out. Mommy took me inside it and I got to feel what it was like to live in the ground. Maybe I'd do better as a bear; don't they hibernate for part of the year?

TEN weeks brings Grandpa, stomach bug and some rolling

RJ got sick on Sunday night (2-18) and that Monday and Tuesday spent the majority of time (besides walking to the bathroom or coming downstairs and immediately going back up) in bed. He couldn't keep anything down or in for a few days. I got by unscathed...that is until Thursday evening. Just as RJ was getting ready to go to NYC for school, I started to feel the same things RJ was feeling on Monday and Tuesday. Luckily, Grandpa Adolph was here so he could help take care of Kai while I was inbetween the bathroom and bed. I felt almost back to my normal self by Saturdary evening, when RJ returned from school, go figure!

On Saturday morning, I changed Kai on the floor on a blanket (I was too sick and got dizzy changing him at his table). After I was done, I put him on his tummy for some "tummy time" and went to the bathroom. I heard him starting to fuss and by the time I got back, he was on his back! I missed his first rolling over experience. And other than seeming to be mad because he wasn't on his tummy anymore, he seemed to be just fine. He hasn't rolled over since, but I'm hoping he'll do it before Monday, when he starts day care!! :(

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

I remembered it was Mommy's birthday (she's still young, 31 years young) and gave her a gift I know she loves: sleep! So, I started to sleep at 8:30pm last night and woke up this morning at 6:20am. That's almost 10 hours of sleep! I even started to stir around 4:30, but I put myself back to sleep, so she could get even more rest. Aren't I the best kid?

Don't worry, I told Mommy not to get too used to this. I know I'll be going through another growth spurt or teething very soon and I won't be able to sleep the whole night.

7 ate NINE WEEKS

Nine Weeks

Ok, so I know it's been a while since there's been a post. And even this post is fairly outdated, but it's really cute!

Kai turned nine weeks old this week (Feb 12). We got three great videos. He's laughing more and I think he'll be turning over very soon! (Check them out by clicking on the picture above.)

In the first video he's laughing while daddy asks him if he wants his momma or his daddy. In the next one, he's on his belly on the changing table lifting both his head and legs! He's really working on building up those muscles. You'll see he's in his red g-diaper (thanks Vickie and Dave). It didn't seem right to put him in the green on V-day.

In the final video, it's Valentine's Day and we were snowed in for the day (even RJ stayed home!) He was dressed in his Valentine's Day outfit from Grandma Darlene (thanks, gramma!) and we were playing on his rocking chair in his room. If you have your speakers turned up, you can hear him talking, but you might get dizzy. This is when I learned that he prefers to swing forward and back, not side to side. He talked it up so much, I changed the swing we have for him downstairs so he could start to swing forward and back. He seems to enjoy the swing a lot more now! He used to just tolerate it for a few minutes. But now, he'll even sometimes fall asleep while he's swinging.

We also had visitors the end of this week. Christine, Aiden and Dillon came to visit. Although Dillon wasn't a happy camper unless his mom was in the same room or holding him, I think he liked Kai. Dillon at one point looked like he might want to squeeze Kai he liked him so much. And Aiden kept saying "He's so cute!" :)

Eight is a busy week

Visit with J, C, and Sam

The Big Ate

Kai had visitors the beginning of this week. Chuck, Jess, Sam and soon-to-be Baby Boy came for a short visit. The Daddies duked it out over Wii boxing and bowling. Sam was pretty interested in all the "non-toys" we had in the house, namely the fireplace doors! And Kai was pretty happy just to have a new pair of arms holding him. (Click on the pic above to see more from the visit.)

Eight weeks has also meant for Kai that he can start to move his arms when he wants to, not just from a reflex. He played with the set of baby chimes we have for quite some time. The web album (you can access it from clicking on the picture above) has a video of him playing the chimes. Ok, some of it might have been from relex. But some of it, I'm sure he intended!

I decided that since turning eight weeks is such a big deal, we should celebrate. So on Wednesday, Kai and I went to the Norwalk Aquarium (well, we were also invited for a "play date" by our friends Monica and Matthew). Actually, it's pretty amazing, we lived within walking distance of the Aquarium for 3 years. Not until we move 1/2 hour away do either RJ or I walk inside. (I guess that's what having kids will do for you, change your priorities. We were always walking past the aquarium to get to the bars!) Kai and I saw seals, turtles, otters, sharks, starfish and tons of types of fish. But I think Kai's favorite exhibit was the jellyfish! I mostly think that because the room of the exhibit was dark and secluded and had comfy benches so that's where he got nursed. :)

Friday brought Kai's first trip to the movies. Yup, popcorn, dim lights, big screen, we had it all! And he didn't cry once the entire movie, even though he only slept for 45 minutes of it. We saw "The Pursuit of Happyness." If you haven't seen it yet, both Kai and I thought it was a great movie and highly recommend it.

We're going to end this week with our final infant massage class. Kai is turning out to be a very good masseuse! :) Seriously, Kai has been enjoying getting oiled and rubbed down during his massages. We're supposed to be doing it once a day to get him used to it, but I hardly have time for twice a week! I just don't know how moms who stay at home do it all. You should see my kitchen floor - in DESPERATE need of a wash. Oh well, we each have our talents. Right now Kai's seems to be being so cute I can hardly stand it.

Big Kid Now!

Ok, sing with me: "Mommy, WOW! I'm a big kid NOW!" Yup, I did it. I slept 7 1/2 hours last night. I slept from 9:45 to 5:15. That means I'm getting bigger and bigger. And the best part is that Mommy and Daddy finally took advantage of me sleeping and went to bed at 11:30. That means Mommy got almost 6 full hours of sleep before she had to come and feed me! They're finally learning, those parents of mine. Pretty soon, I'll have them completely on my schedule, which by then I will no doubt have to change, just to keep them on their toes.

Oh, it's fun to be the baby in the house!

The things we'll do for a smile from an infant

Giggling with Mommy

So in a rare instance when Kai had his belly full, his diaper clean, and he wasn’t sleepy, he played with me! He started to giggle and respond when I made some funny noises (the things we’ll do for a smile from a baby!) and kissed him.

The second picture in this web album (just click on the picture above to access the web album) is a video. The most impressive thing about this video is that I was supporting Kai’s head with one hand and holding the camera with the other. Therefore, I couldn’t look at the display to see if I was actually capturing him or not. Luckily, I have pretty good aim with the camera when I’m not looking (maybe I should try that more often!) The result is about 15 seconds of him smiling to my silly antics. It’s darn cute, if I do say so myself!

The meaning behind it all

So I found out when I was talking to the woman who will be teaching our infant massage class, that Kai is a European name, too. And here we thought it was just a Hawaiian (meaning ocean) or African (meaning attractive) name! After doing a little more research, I discovered there was more to the name Kai then we originally thought. Here's what one website said about Kai:

The boy's and girl's name Kai \kai\ is pronounced kye. It is of Welsh, Scandinavian and Greek origin, and its meaning is "keeper of the keys; earth". Variant of Kay. Also possibly (South African) "beautiful". Kai is also a Hawaiian name meaning "the sea".

Since Kai's middle name is Stone (yup, you guessed it, meaning: stone), then in one of the meanings, we in effect named him "Earth Earth"! Oh well, the best intentions of parents!

But does anybody have any idea what "keeper of the keys" means?

Turning seven weeks is hard to do!

Sucking and Swaddled

Kai prefers to sleep on his tummy. I know, a big no, no, but when I can lay the boy down fully awake and within 5 minutes he’s sound asleep, this is not something I want him to forget how to do! (And me and all my siblings survived and we were put to sleep on our tummies all the time!) So, he gets to sleep one nap during the day on his belly. And yesterday I caught him sleeping so soundly that after FOUR hours, I had to wake him up! But not before I got a few pictures. Doesn’t he look so peaceful? Apparently, turning seven weeks takes a lot out of a boy.

There’s another picture in the album (just click on the picture above) that proves he does sleep on his back. But before he agrees to sleep on his back, he has to be swaddled tightly (we have on loan a blanket to rival all swaddling blankets: the miracle blanket) and wedged in between two wedges. All I have to say is thank goodness for other parents who’ve shared our sleeping issues and invented the tools we need to help him sleep!

The last picture in the album shows him earlier tonight. He was getting some tummy time while I was folding his clothes. He started to fuss, but I was almost done with all the folding, so I let him be for a little bit. The next thing I know, he’s not fussing anymore because he found his fist! He was sucking away, happy as can be!

An apple a day

 

I think from Kai's point of view, the old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" would have him begging his mama to eat more apples! We had Kai's six week check-up today. Everything went fabulously! He now weighs 8 lbs, 8 oz. And he's getting longer, too! The doctor was impressed by his neck and shoulder strength (he's holding up his head high when he's on his tummy) and by how alert and watchful he is (he followed her wherever she went in the room).

He did get two vaccinations today, though. So, he screamed up the wazoo for the first shot in his right leg. Then screamed down the wazoo for the second shot in his left leg. Poor guy. But now we're home and doing fine. And he doesn't need anymore shots for another month!

Weeks are flying by!

4-5-6

So this picture is from Kai's fourth week birthday! Ironically, he's in the same outfit he was wearing when he turned one week old (see post below). He's just gotten a lot bigger. In fact, I think this day we decided it was about time to retire this outfit! :( He's growing so quickly.

If you click on the picture above, you'll get another web album. The rest of the pictures on the web album are from the other week birthdays he's just had: five and six! We can't believe he's already six weeks old!

We've learned a lot about each other over the past few weeks. Kai's learned how to hold up his head really well and Mommy's learned that right before he's about to spit up a lot, he makes a very distinct sound so she can get a cloth ready to catch it! Unfortunately, we've also learned that Kai prefers to sleep on his tummy. When he does sleep on his back, he wakes himself up within fifteen minutes of being put down, even if he's sound asleep when he's laid down. So, we've taken to swaddling him in a tight bundle and that seems to be working for the time being. Who knows how long that will last? We can't wait for him to be able to roll over on his own, so we can worry a little less about him when he's sleeping. But then I'm sure we'll be worrying him a little more while he's awake! Oh, the joys of parenting!

Squeaky Hiccoughs

We captured Kai while he was in the throes of a hiccough (or hiccup) fit. If you listen closely, you can hear a small "squeak" after each hiccough.

This was taken on January 5, just under four weeks old.

The hiccup

The K(a)ing and his Entourage

So it's felt a little like a revolving door here the past few weeks. We've had many family and friends come to visit and stay with us. In order of their arrival (and where they were from), they were:

12/12/06 Uncle Alan - Mommy's brother drove 2.5 hours to visit us in the hospital for 2 hours to turn around and drive another 2.5 hours! (Providence, RI)
12/14/06 - 12/17/06 Grandma Darlene - Uncle Alan came back when Grandma Darlene was here for a few days. (Cleveland, OH)
12/19/06 - 12/21-06 "Aunt" Vickie - Mommy's best friend stayed for a few days between her finals and before her review class for the bar started. Yup, she's gonna be a social worker AND a lawyer soon! (Baltimore, MD)
12/23/06 "Uncle" Aniq - Daddy's best friend stopped in for a day visit while he was "watching" Chuck and Jess's place in Boston. (Cleveland, OH)
12/23/06 - 1/1/07 Lola Fe and Grandpa Rudy - They spent the first Christmas in CT with us. They stayed about a week and also got to spend time with other relatives on the East Coast. (Cleveland, OH)
12/27/06 Papa Osrox, Tita Genevieve, Tito Willy, Cassandra, Alexandra and Luke - Daddy's family came in for a quick visit to meet Kai. They enjoyed playing our Wii! (Westbury, NY and Orangeburg, NY)
12/27/06 Deborah, Kim and Gretchen - Mommy's friends from work arrived to pick up their car. They stayed long enough for a few pictures! (New Haven, CT)
12/27/06 - 12/30/06 Aunt Marlinda and Aunt Rachel - Mommy's sisters arrived to spend a few days with us. We had adventures getting Kai's footprints and handprints. (Cleveland, OH)
12/30/06 - 1/3/07 Tita Michelle and Tito Tom and Cousin Lucas - Daddy's sister, husband and nephew came in time to celebrate New Year's with us. It was a pretty low-key New Year's, as you can imagine! (Cleveland, OH)
1/7/07 - 1/13/07 Grandma Darlene - Mommy's mom spent another week with us in January when Daddy was away at school. Yup, you read that right, Daddy left Mommy for an entire week! (Cleveland, OH)

So, as you can see, we've had a very full house! We hope to have a few more visitors before Mommy goes back to work. Just maybe not all at once again! :)

To see some more pictures of all of Kai's visitors, click on the picture of Uncle Alan and Kai.

K(a)ing and Entourage