Friday, August 31, 2007
Where did the day go?
My goal for this month is to see a chiropractor. I've never seen one but I think I should. My back has really felt out of whack since I was pregnant with our 10 million pound baby.
Our first football game is next weekend, hopefully, as long as they find us fields outside of Vancouver (due to the strike).
I should be acting like Gary and I have a life as I believe its Friday night but we have free cable for one month and I think we are watching the Lions game tonight. By the way, I have really realized that I am an introvert. As time goes by, I believe I am more and more introverted. This is not a bad thing. Really.
It's always exciting for Kai when the newspaper comes....
Here's his silly face...auntie Jantina has taught him to do this on command.
His newest word is `Up! Up! Up!' so here is trying to make daddy's chair go up.
Kisses from daddy
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Kai's `new' shoes
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So, I've been back to work for two days. We have staff meetings this week and start teaching next week. I have to say that I love where I work and its great to be with my second `family' again. The only hard part is leaving Kai and I have to say that so far, its easier than I thought. I think its a lot more tiring for him but he appears to be doing well. Today when I dropped him off and started walking out the door, he ran after me and fell face first on the hardwood. He was really crying and then we saw that he had a pretty bloody nose. Oh boy, his first nose bleed as I'm about to leave. We got him fixed up and left a few minutes later. Apparently he was a good boy and he took a solid 2 1/2 hour nap. Phew. He loves that blankie. As soon as work is done though, i can't wait to see him, that's the hardest part...just the drive to go get him:)
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Sammy the Salmon
So far, going back to cloth diapers has been awesome. It is waaaaaaaay easier at this stage. I've also seen re-usable cloth swimmers which we should've gotten at the beginning of the summer. This morning I hit the garage sales at 8am and I bought him the cutest jean jacket (its brand new!). Sure, its for a 2 year old but when I roll up the sleeves, its perfect! One more day and then its back to work! Wow.
Friday, August 24, 2007
PNE
Thursday, August 23, 2007
A few more days..
We discovered this pathway that winds amongst trees and long grass just seconds from our house. It looked sort of garbage-dumpish and that's why I was pleasantly suprised to find a path with beautiful trees! We picked some blackberries which reminded me of the good ole days. We would pick tons and either sell them to the produce store for some good money, or, my mom would make us pick an icecream bucket each so she could make jam and pies. My dad would put us in the tractor bucket to ensure that we got all the good, juicy ones.
My dad (opi) with the two grandkids. My dad was tempting Kai to eat a bug and it was driving me crazy as he would've eaten that millipede in a second!
ani
A few more days and then...I'm back to work! I'm sort of looking forward to it so that's good! What else is new? Kai is a monkey, and is into everything but I LOVE it. Except for the toilet, I don't love that he's into that. He just makes me laugh. I ask him to get me something and he gets about a foot away and then he pulls it away, giggles, and runs. Maybe I'll get sick of it, but for now, I think he's funny! He is a squirmer and when I try to change him (on the floor), he starts rolling and rolling...Talking about diapers, we are back to cloth again (I'll have him disposables for daycare) and I'm wondering if there is any advice for covers vs. all in ones. Is anyone selling any?
A little more on Kai, he's got another word. Door, but he doesn't say the `r'. He has been saying `daddy' all the time and only mama if i really, really encourage him. He is still eating bark mulch at the park, therefore, our visits last about 5 minutes.
Yesterday I had the whole house to myself for about 8 hours. It was crazy! I have not been alone in the house for more than an hour IN OVER A YEAR! I let doors slam, I went shopping, I read for 2 hours straight, I scrapbooked 4 pages, I ate at the appropriate times (with kai, I usually forget i'm hungy until he's napping or something). Wow, I felt single again. By 4pm I was eagerly awaiting the return of my boys, that's for sure!
On Tuesday we had a family dinner for my birthday. Three of my sisters were there (one's in Namibia, but her boyfriend came) as were the signifigant others/boyfriends etc. It was really fun as we questioned the newest `man' about his inentions with my sister and why he was attracted to her etc.
Football practices started again yesterday, fun times. I'm excited to play again this fall. I'm really excited because we now have two people that can QB which takes off some of the stress/pressure!
Here's a video showing his `fun' crawl.
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And this shows how much kaisie loves Daddy (aka Zooper as Gary has been calling him) as he will leave anything as soon as daddy's ready to play! By the way, I know our mirrors are very dirty, it seems to be one of his fav. things right now so I'm not cleaning them everyday!
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Saturday, August 18, 2007
GC Photography!
Above is the advertisement that we are handing out. We are also available to do on location shots, whether they be candid or posed. If you haven't seen Gary's photos before, he's pretty talented. This has def. been a team effort and I look forward to seeing what we can do. Don't worry, I won't be advertising on here at all, but if you know anyone that would like pictures taken, please contact us!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Doggie kisses
A nice relaxing stroll?
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Happy Birthday to....me!
Cute birthday picture from friends! Thanks guys!
My birthday was yesterday so it seemed to be celebrated with a whole lotta food! For breakfast, Gary, Kai and I went to IHOP. I never eat large breakfasts but boy, did we get our money's worth! Kai also enjoyed sausage, eggs, french toast etc. Then, Trisha (my sis) dropped off some DQ concoctions and my dad dropped off a milk chocolate hazelnut bar. My sisters all got Gary and I a gift certificate to Vij's in Vancouver so we went there tonight without Kai (thanks for babysitting Grandma!). If you are looking for good indian food, you probably want to check it out. Dinner starts at 5:30 but when we got there at 5pm, we were 9th in line. By 5:15 the line up was a block long. They were so friendly and efficient there and the food was AWESOME. I had beef tenderloin with a chesnut and mushroom sauce, garlic mashed potatoes with cumin and some greens. It was probably the best meat I've ever had in my life. Gary had the duck with a mango curry which was also amazing. They give you tons of naan bread (although I actually like Gary's better because I don't like cumin seeds in my bread) and chai to drink. Yum yum.
Finished off tonight by watching `So You Think You Can Dance'...no idea who is going to win but I sure thought Danny's solo was amazing. Bon nuit!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Pros and Cons
Pros: yummy food and great variety, don't have to cook often, don't spend a lot of money on eating out, great pictures, fun to be creative together
Cons: good food can be quite expensive (only real parmesan cheese for him), no excuse to go to a restaurant when he can make it himself, lotsa trips to the grocery store (walking 95% of the time which I like...a fun-ish family outing), we're not really `allowed' to buy macoroni and cheese or hot dogs (but I do when he's gone!!), expensive camera stuff, always new computer programs to learn, always one more piece of equipment needed for the camera or computer.
Please don't think I'm complaining, I'm not. Just showing both sides to something.
What did we do today? Gary ran a 7 km in 30 something minutes which pumped him up for the day and then we went for a walk around Mill Lake where Kai learned the word `duck'. We've been super busy getting our little business together and it should be ready to go by the end of the week!
Kai has turned into a big little boy in the sense that he no longer will go happily if I remove him from something, he now acts like he might die. If I'm carrying him away from the computer or something else he shouldn't be touching, he pushes himself away from me with all his might while verbalizing his anger with screaming. If I don't let him eat some food that I may be eating, oh boy, watch out. He likes to throw things and eat everything (today he ate some leaves and grass and would've continued to do so regardless of the taste or texture). I know little boys can be a bit wild so I'm getting a little nervous about what's to come. I have to say that I cannot wait to discipline him (I heard you should start at about 18 months, no idea where I got this from but sounds good to me)! Time outs, here we come! For now, its just the firm `no'.
Here's a cute photo of Kai that was taken a couple days of go by my lovely personal chef and photographer; Gary.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Tessa and Simon's Wedding
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Random
1. People who don't wear helmets when they are biking. This is especially annoying if they have it dangling from their handlebars. If you have it, just wear it. Why does this bug me so much? I've seen a biker hit by a car who wasn't wearing a helmet AND I'm the mother of a little guy who will hopefully always wear his!
2. The sound of people eating corn on the cob. I can't enjoy the corn on the cob because I'm so distracted by the sounds of people eating it. Besides, what about all the gross white stuff that gets stuck between your teeth. I like my corn cobless thanks.
What's new with Kai?
1. He's decided that he wants to go back to wall walking and appears quite scared to be walking by himself. Could it be because of all the times he fell (evident by the bruise on his forehead that continues to get re-bruised)?
2. He got his shots yesterday and Gary got to come and observe for the first time. I cried one tear as he wailed in pain for 2 minutes. Then he played with the toys there and was fine. I asked Gary if it made him sad to see his son in pain and he just said it didn't really bother him because he knew he was okay. We are soooooo different and its so weird how I hurt when Kai hurts but Gary doesn't. It doesn't mean Gary is unloving, it just means he's less sensitive maybe? Again, this isn't a bad thing because a house full of sensitivity could be a little crazy at times but ya, another way in which Gary and I differ. Another thing I struggle to understand.
3. He's invented a type of crawl that I have never seen before. He was never a crawler so this is a cross of walking and crawling. He keeps one leg upright as if its walking and the other is curled under him for leverage. I tried to get a picture of it and will post it below.
4. His stats were: weight 25lbs, height 30.5inches. His 5th tooth is approx. a nanometer from popping through. Below is a picture of Kai flirting with himself in the mirror. He likes to give the head tilt and smile.
5. He now smiles a lot at people when we go out. Well, if they smile, he give the hearty `haaaaa' sound with the face below.
Hmmm...what's new with Gary?
1. He painted all last week.
2. He has been working out and running lots. I'm trying to encourage him to run a half marathon in October but he likes to think about things for a while, so, maybe I will just sign him up.
3. He has been reading a lot on photography lighting
4. He has enjoyed running around, doing errands with me. Really, he has.
5. He's getting his hair cut by me tonight! This allows for it to grow out a bit before school starts again in case it looks a little scary. Every time it gets a little better.
What's new with me?
1. I read `The curious incident of the dog in the night-time' and give it a 7.5/10. It's written from the perspective of a boy with autism. I'd recommend it, it's a quick read.
2. Just wrote my sister Jackie a letter, she is safe and sound in Namibia.
3. Going to a wedding of good friends from UBC this Saturday, it's going to be a beautiful one!
4. Low blood pressure. Always have it but seems worse lately, prob. because I'm not drinking enough water. I know its good to be low, but when systolic is always below 100, I keep getting dizzy.
5. I turn 29 next week. Not a very exciting birthday, 30 will be the big one I guess. Gary and I are planning on going to Vancouver for fancy dinner, we love our food:)
6. I really enjoy watching `So You Think You Can Dance'. Results tonight!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Monday, August 06, 2007
Family Time at Aldergrove Lake
Yesterday we went to Aldergrove lake with all the Chapman family. The kids all played in the water and Kai was LOVING the water and the sand. I thought that once he got a mouthful of sand, he would realize it was gross and never eat it again. Nope. That kid continued to try to eat it and everything else. When does it end?! Anything he finds, he puts into his mouth. It can't be that he's hungry because he eats so much. Talking about eating, he always has baby cereal for breakfast (like wheat cereal with grapes and bananas), when do you switch to toast or something? Or is it good to keep giving him cereal for the high iron content?
Then we went to gramma and grandpa's for a bbq where Gary got Kai to hang from the basketball rim...oh boy. Kai is so in love with any ball or balloon that he sees and calls it `baw' which is not to be confused with `beh' which is bed. He also really loves his `beh' as long as his blankie is there.
Being that it's August, I'm starting to feel nervous as I'm heading back to work in 3 more weeks! For those of you that don't know, I'm going back to teaching part time. That means I will be there M,W,Fri one week and then T, Th the next. Kai will be at daycare with a friend's sister who lives 3 blocks away from us. I'll be bringing him there next week to get him to start adjusting and I'm sure he'll be fine. He's really good in any environment without me, as long as there are toys of some sort to play with. The thing we are working on right now is that it appears he is switching to one nap. It's not working too well as he wants to have his nap earlier than later so we keep trying to extend how long he is up in the morning. It seems that his one nap is from 10:30-1 or so which makes for a very long afternoon. Fun times.
Hope you all had a good weekend. We keep thinking of going camping but there seems to be something going on every other day which makes it difficult. Oh well, day trips are good.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Happy Birthday to Gary!!
So here is the birthday boy doing what he loves best...playing Madden football in the basement. He thinks that because he named his quarterback Louise and the main receiver Kai that I would take a greater interest:)
We ate some cake that Kai decided felt nice on his belly. This birthday boy was a chunky 25lbs at his one year mark. I won't say how much today's birthday boy weighs:)
Then we went for dinner at Red Robins...so family friendly with the little ones. I told them it was Gary's bday so they made him stand up and they all sang and clapped. I'm surprised Gary wasn't more embarrassed because he really doesn't like being the center of attention like that. We got a free Sundae out of it too! Also, due to the great money making this morning, we celebrated the special day by getting a drink other than water with dinner. I'm very hesitant to post this fact as I really don't want to be made fun of. Growing up we would always get one large pop at McDonalds and split it amongst the 7 of us:) Whenever we go out, Gary and I always get water. But today being Gary's birthday, I had a coke and he had a strawberry lemonade...we are WILD!!!:) Then, we went for a walk at Campbell Valley Park which was a nice way to just talk and breathe some fresh air. We wanted to go out to see the new Bourne movie but will have to wait til family is available to watch the little guy.
Happy birthday Gary!!! For his card I wrote `32 Reasons why I love Gary' (because he's 32)...so I will post them here (there are many, many other reasons but here are a few):
1. He helped me make a beautiful baby boy
2. He makes me yummy dinners (he is seriously the best chef ever)
3. He goes on walks with me
4. He watches `America’s next top noodle’ with me (Gary makes up `interesting' names for each show and it sticks in my head, like `Okra' for Oprah) By the way, we honestly watch this show for the photos at the end and not all the model hoopla and walking etc...
5. He agreed to get rid of cable to save $50.00 and spend more quality time together
6. He is a good photographer
7. He is a hard worker
8. He loves sour cream and onion chips too
9. He is reading a book with me
10. He understands computers and fixes them for me
11. He listens to my venting
12. He agreed to have a garage sale
13. He listens/agrees to my creative suggestions
14. He goes on runs and takes care of his body
15. He takes kai on runs
16. He comes up with cool nicknames for kai and i
17. He loves his family
18. He is a good teacher…
19. He is a good basketball coach and puts in lotsa time
20. He appreciates his friendships as he’s had the same friends for years
21. He dresses, changes, and plays with kai
22. He tries to bike to school when its sunny
23. He composts and recycles
24. He is tall, dark, and handsome
25. He smells yummy
26. He’s a good painter and can `cut in’ without using tape
27. He would look up different fonts instead of just using this one
28. He’s good with kids
29. He talks nerdy to me (we really do talk sciency to eachother)
30. He cleans the bathrooms, the kitchen floors and does laundry!
31. He is uber patient
32. He loves me and tells me so all the time
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Happy First Birthday!
Happy First Birthday Monkey!!!! (Mr. Teething pants wasn't giving me too many smiles today)
Wow. I feel like this should be a very special post. I am the mother of a one year old! Wow, just remembering what I was doing exactly one year ago isn't the greatest memory but boy, is it clear. Let's see, it's 10:24pm as I'm writing right now. I was about 9cm dilated and sucking back on the gas. I had spent cm's 6-8 in the shower, well, more like on the floor of the shower with an exercise ball. 1am I pushed for 1 1/2 hours and was then given an epidural to `relax' and try to sleep. 6am I pushed for another 1/2 hour. I ended up having a C-section at 8am the next morning.
This year. Wow. I'd have to say that the first 4 months were the hardest months of my life. Lack of sleep was probably the greatest contributor with crazy hormones coming in as a close second. Gary and I had to work on a lot of stuff that seems to come up when both people are sleep deprived and suddenly a little more sensitive. Oh boy, I'm not making this sound very positive yet, just wait, I'll get to the nice stuff! I was proud of our guy for being so big but really, nothing else. He cried a lot. All the time. Getting him to sleep took an hour of rocking back and forth in my arms or using Gary's special method of pulling him back and forth on a blanket on the floor. I never really thought about what it would be like to have a newborn, I just knew I wanted to be a mom. I really thought that it would be easier. I loved being in the hospital (you're in there for 3 days with a C-section) and it was tough getting my mobility back. It's amazing how you use your abs for everything.
Once home, we walked a lot. I would walk to Extra Foods and by the time I was about to cross the last street to get to the store, he would usually stop screaming and fall asleep. If he wasn't asleep by that point, I'd head home. It was weird recovering from abdominal surgery as I couldn't even do one leg lift. However, I healed quite quickly and was able to do a 5km run after 2 months (and play football too around the 6 week mark!). Back to Kai. He had a very, very good appetite and loved his milk. He would eat at least every 3 hours although on those lovely growth spurt days, he'd eat every hour.