An orthopedic bed for men! (FINALLY)

An e-mail sent to me by my sister-this is pretty hilarious.

"Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming!"

An Orthopedic bed just for men.
(Or better yet, I think Kai will be in this stage for awhile- as I am unable to wean him!)

Perhaps this is what he dreams of?

Available only at Butts, Boobs and Beyond

Pool fun, attempt at toilet training, and morning scare!

Kai is more brave of the water. Since he has learned that he can stand on his own in the shallow end, he will wander from us. He has swallowed water (and puked his peaches too, which I caught just in time) but continues to try new things- like leap from the steps into our arms, and better yet to leap from the pools edge into deep water. And he always thinks it's great fun, even if he goes under.

Kai just loves balls and will attempt to get it no matter where.

This morning, I was way too tired to get out of bed even though Kai would attempt to pull me out of bed by my finger, and if that didn't work- hit me on the head with my slippers. This is becoming an everyday technique of his now.

So instead Greg got up to feed Kai breakfast and had a big scare. Kai was eating his usual slices of orange, but has a tendency to shove as many as he can into his mouth. Usually Kai would spit out the orange carcasses until Greg realized Kai was not able to make sounds and was choking on his food instead. Greg initially went blank and didn't know what to do, then his recent CPR training kicked in. Just as he pulled Kai out the highchair and lowered his head so his body was on an incline, and just before he could start smacking Kai on the back- the food popped out!

Kai didn't get upset or cry- but returned to eating as if nothing happened! And yes we are relieved! And yes I am required to be CPR certified due to my medical background, but I am so grateful that Greg decided to take the CPR class willingly and on his own time.

***People with kids, do take CPR class- it will make life less worrisome!***


Can you guess what's on his head? No, it isn't a cervical pillow or a headrest, or a sparring helmet...



It's a toilet seat cushion!

I decided I would at least get Kai familiar with this 3-in-1 potty chair. I saw a good write-up on it on Amazon.com as it converts from a toddler potty and can later be fitted to an adult toilet, and also can be used as a step-stool.

A good time to start would be now, as Kai has been hinting me and daycare sitters that he needs a diaper change. The hint: he grabs his crotch or pulls on his diaper! And it's usually a big poop in there for me too.

Jen will walk 3-days in Tampa in the fight against cancer.

Meet Jennifer Cripe.

This is my brother Derek's main squeeze (girlfriend). She not only bakes wonderful castle-shaped chocolate cakes, but knits these beautiful baby blankets as she did for Kai, which he loves to snuggle every night.

~

Jen also works hard for Federal Signal Corporation where her job makes her travel at times. We were lucky to have her visit us here in California (from Chicago on a business trip) as it gave her an opportunity to meet Kai when he was a couple months old (and she beat my siblings to it also!)

~

Anyway, she did the 3-day Susan B. Koman Breast Cancer walk last year and raised $2,200. This year her goal is to raise $2,500 and to complete the 60-mile journey in Tampa Bay, Florida.

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Please support her in achieving this goal, as this takes a lot of dedication, faith, physical and mental strength, and of course a truly good spirit. All donations are tax deductible and will help to win the fight against cancer.

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Please visit her link at www.the3day.org/tampabay07/jcripe

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I made my donation, please make yours. Thanks!

***

Cohen's Card to Kai

I thought this was the cutest card to Kai from his cousin Cohen, inviting him to the waterpark. Obviously 10-y/o cousin Adira was the mastermind behind this.

Kai Update

1. Dools excessively. 2 canines are coming in.
2. Likes to sink new teeth into clothing and skin.
3. Gets excited and calls out "ball", "dog", "bird", "duck" and STOP! and recently because of a song I sing to him by Andy Z..."sticky, sticky, sticky, sticky bubble gum, makes my hands stick to my..." his then cries out...CHEEKS!
4. He chases after balls and will claim it. He has come back with balls as small as his palm and bigger than his body (those physioballs). He also likes to play with his balls.
5. Likes to chase and be chased.
6. He has learned to blow my belly today. That was weird.
7. He also learned to pull my pajama pants down to my ankles...several times. He thinks it's funny- I feel violated (ha)
8. He is learning to turn on the radio and may dance behind my back at times.
9. He loves to climb and has learned to pull the grill off the stove top.
10. He kisses, with his mouth wide-open and drooling. He refuses to kiss daddy on the cheek and tries to plant one on his mouth too just as well. Daddy is just ecstatic about the wet remains.

11. He is a little gymnast. Today he did a somersault on the couch- probably watched me when I did a flying one unto the bed after a hard days work today. Will leap from the stool or table to my lap, especially when I'm not looking. Can carry his body weight by hanging off stair handrails and is learning to do the trapeze and gymnastic rings. He will also jump and land directly on his butt with his legs in long-sitting and with intention.
12. He also throws tantrums and will either do the dance-on-the-hot coals, or the land- on-your-butt move, or just plainly run and hit something. In fact, a 3-year old told me that Kai was hitting him in daycare. I said they were just love taps, and he asked why just him then? I walked away...
13. And his eyelashes have gotten thicker and longer as other people tell me. The girls always swoon about this.
14. But he is still cute ( I can say that, I'm the mom) as he still sucks his thumb and drags his blanket around when he tires.

We tresspass into someone's historical home! (oops!)

A caboose donated to the Pinole Historic Society and Museum.

July 25, 2007 Wednesday
On the drive home from work, I decided to enjoy the sun and the outdoors with Kai, so I stopped in Pinole at the Bayfront Park. Near the entrance was this gated grounds with antiquities on display in the front yard. And behind them loomed, apparently, a very old mansion.


Ruins from a ship raised in 1976.

This was not easily seen in the overgrowth. Sorta creepy this plaque dedicated to the mayor of Pinole who had long passed away in 1999.

I was a bit confused if this mansion was open to visitors, due to the odd cars on the driveway, the unkempt grounds and the antique display. But then I saw a sign that indicated this was the Fernandez Mansion erected in 1894, Pinole city's birthplace. And this house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

So we made our way up the stairs through the yard. Kai didn't mind- he had a snack of goldfish crackers to keep him busy.

And I saw the front door was open and clarinet music was drifting through. We climbed another flight of stairs to the front door and walked into the foyer. I could see old decor and antiques were everywhere, interesting cluttered as it was. A watchful cat sat at the end of the hallway, and Kai excitedly called out "BALL", to which he pointed out a globe sitting in an adjacent room. I turned around and a young teenager stood there with eyes wide and looking at us while with clarinet in hand.

.

I asked if she was hired to play music as part of the show or if she lived here. She confirmed the latter- she had lived here for 5 years now. I apologized and she said it was OK- a lot of people had walked through the door thinking it was open for viewing and that they only show the house once a year.

.

Hmmm...then maybe she should keep her front door shut?

After leaving the premises, we took a stroll at Bayfront along the waters edge and enjoyed the acrobatic feats of the swifts that flew all around. I'm surprised we didn't get bird crap on us. And we stopped to watch the trains go by, as Kai appears to be mesmerized by it.

The USS Midway Aircraft Carrier and Timesquare Kiss

July 22, 2007 We leave the hotel and head for the airport. Kai insists on handling Ale's suitcase and actually makes it down the hallway to the elevator. He is quite a little trooper.

We have a couple hours to spare before we turn our rental car in, and we see this huge aircraft carrier taking up a lot of space at the dock.


Oh by golly! It's the USS Midway- this ship was deployed to the Persian Gulf for the Gulf War- and was floating out there where I was. I was a petty officer third class serving my time as a physical therapist on the hospital corps ship the USNS Comfort. I was only in the Gulf briefly during the Operation Desert Shield and when war was declared, it became the Operation Desert Storm.


I had known the USS Midway was out there not too far from us, and found some comfort knowing that we had such huge guns and several airplanes to protect us.


The USS Midway. 59,901 tons of metal, launched in 1943 and decommissioned in 1992 sitting in port in San Diego.



The aft of the carrier.

Kai and daddy head towards the ship.

A Blue Angel plane.

The aircraft can carry up to 100 planes. We are just below the deck and are walking towards a- hey wait a minute! that's a T-6 Texan. Greg was all smiles when he saw it, having operated one on his birthday.

Video: panorama of the USS Midway.

All hands on deck! I remember hearing this a lot when I was working or trying to sleep in my triple bunk with about 100 other military women in the sleeping quarters.

(San Diego buildings in background.)

The brains of the helicopter.

Inside the bowels of a plane. I had ridden a C-140 much bigger than this that flew me from Puerto Rico to Virginia (and that was just for fun!) Me and a couple of military buddies of mine decided to take a weekend trip over Easter break ('89?). Who needs Key West when you can do a C-140? :) Only bummer was we had to wear our dress uniforms.

And from the deck I could see this towering statue of the ever popular V-J Day Kiss at Times Square- the sailor who kissed a nurse.

35 years after this kiss, Edith Shain came forward to claim that was her in that world renowned picture. She finally did so as it was considered undignified back in those days. (She was 62 at the time, now passed away in 1995 at age 96).

They are still trying to identify the sailor in this picture as at least 10 men have stepped forward to make their claim to fame (i.e. one kissed hundreds of girls at Times Square, another claimed he was drunk it could have been him, one thought it may have been him but his wife said that was a picture of a much taller man, another said that was his awkward way of clutching a woman.)
(photo credit to Life Magazine, 1945)

Ale about ready to be devoured by a shark(or sucked up by the intake) . She said it was a bit intimidating to stand there.

Can you identify if the people here are real? Sorry Martin, but I think Ale found someone else to carry her baggage!

"Remove Before Flight" . Makes me think of those plastic tags you have to pull off a battery operated toy. Quite funny if you ask me.

Sound asleep on daddy's shoulder. This marks the end of a long day and weekend for Kai (and for us!)

Torrey Pines State Beach

Sunday July 22, 2007
I am such a good boss...not only did I take Kai out of the room by 7 am this morning so they could sleep more, but I also fetched breakfast for nanny Greg and my photographer assistant Ale. We ate a delicious meal poolside, one of Greg's wishes to be fulfilled- and with coffee too! Could you imagine how much of a challenge that was for me to get food and to carry Kai while holding piping hot coffee also?

So later on we go to the beach just a couple miles from the hotel. It was great to relax and not have to worry about the wedding anymore. Now it was time to play!

Is this the start of something that I should be concerned about? (Kai's little crack)

Video: Torry Pines Panorama.

Kai back with mama again. I have to play this role again (the photographer is hung up in the closet for now)

Several surfers here today!

Daddy and Kai, ol' buddies.

Shells everywhere.

Hey you! You're in my way!

Kai points out his BIG pee-pee to his godmother Alejandra.

Fly-fishing or is this surf fishing?

Ale and Arleen (it appears I am so tired, I am leaning on her? heehee)