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 And even this post is fairly outdated, but it's really cute!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?