Growing Up

Saturday, 29 September 2007

Growing up means making important decisions and securing yourself and your family for the future. Chris, Chase and I went to talk to a lawyer this morning about real estate. I wanted to get a clearer idea of how our co-ownership (between my brother and I) works and what the implications are when it comes to loans, selling, renting, buying out, etc. It was very educational and worth the free appointment. We found out that our property is really complicated, with three houses and families on the property. And since everything has always been in the family, the little details have never been worked out. Much has just been verbally agreed upon. This is how many Hawai'i families have operated, but it can make things a little messy down the line. It was good to get advice on what to do for the future.

We went to Zippy's for lunch, then to Chris' parents' house to get all of his bike stuff. He went on a long-awaited afternoon bike ride with the guys. Chase and I went to Kahala Mall to get out of the heat. THIS time I decided to use the stroller, but since we don't use it that often, it always takes me awhile to figure out how to snap the carseat in it. Chase was screaming, I was trying to figure the dang thing out, and I decided to just throw the things I needed in the basket underneath the stroller rather than trying to fit the diaper bag inside. I was so glad to enter an air-conditioned mall and find a bench to nurse him, especially since I was a sweaty mess after all that.

Ran into Cindy, her mom Alice, and son Brandon. They visited with me and Chase and caught up. They have given me all of Brandon's hand-me-downs, which includes tons of clothes, baby toys, a Pack-n-Play, etc. It was fun to see them and for them to see Chase. They commented on how handy my nursing cover is and (when he was not covered) how alert Chase is. They noticed how he coos and responds to my voice. I told them that I talk to him and sing to him a lot.

After they left, I went window shopping at Kahala Kids and tried Chase in a variety of slings and pouches. I want to see if he likes sitting in forward-facing positions in these slings. He seemed to be fine. I'll have to decide if I want to get one or not, or if I should just manuever my carrier to a hip position. Chase wants to look at everything these days, so I need to find different positions for him so he can look out when I'm wearing him. He's really strong in his neck and head, so he seems to be fine in the slings. I tried on and bought a dress on sale at Macy's.

We headed home after 6:30 pm. By the time I got home, he was crying and hungry again. Aunty Jane heard us pull up in the driveway and she came out to hold him and bounce him while I took all my stuff downstairs. Chase was all smiles and talked to me a lot and laughed when I did "Dance Dance" with him (I'll have to catch that on video soon.). Chris brought home Korean food for me and I was already bathing Chase. Chris got to towel him off and we put him to sleep. It's so fun now that Chase is more interactive with us, and he's easier to handle now that he's getting stronger, supporting his head and neck better and growing bigger each day.

Alexis, the owner of the Bikram yoga studio I go to, called me to tell me she had a baby girl last week, just under 8 pounds. Her Bradley classes helped and she gave birth naturally in about 6 hours. We talked baby stuff and she asked the all important questions like "When will baby sleep through the night?" and "When did you take baby out of the house?".

I'm glad I'm almost through that phase. I definitely don't miss those sleepless nights. But, I hope Chase doesn't grow up too fast.

Swings and Things

Friday, 28 September 2007

Took Chase to visit a woman who does daycare out of her home. I saw her ad posted on craigslist and figured since she lived just 1/2 a mile up the hill, I might as well check it out, even though she's not taking any more infants at this time. She doesn't charge much, but she doesn't have much of a place either. Seems like daycare is hard to find though, so maybe this place is comparable to others?

Drove to Salt Lake afterwards to meet a gal who is selling a swing. Yes, I found this on craigslist too. She sold the baby swing to me for $30, so it was worth the drive, the heat, and baby fussing. (Chris' mom wanted us to buy one so she can have one at her house, since we have found that the swing works like magic!) I set it up at home and tried Chase in it. I'm not sure if he likes it as much as his other one. This one doesn't have lights and bright colored fish to look at. But, he still falls asleep in this one as well. We'll have to decide which one to leave at the grandparents' house.

3 Months Old

Thursday, 27 September 2007

Today, Chase makes 3 months! I took him to the HMSA building where Chris works so he could meet all of Daddy's coworkers. Since we're not allowed in the building, I had to park across the street at Wal-Mart, and they all had to come outside and meet us downstairs. It was funny because I walked up to about 15 people corralled in the atrium waiting for baby Chase. Show-and-tell time proved to be a success as they all adored him. He was very calm and just stared at people. He especially liked the patterns on one guy's aloha shirt and would track him whereever he moved. Chase has already been arranged for a marriage with one of Chris' coworker's daughter, who is 10 months old.

I took Chase to Ala Moana Center afterwards so that I could get lunch and walk around. Chase was fine sitting on my lap, until he realized that the view under the table was not so great. Then I had to carry him up on my shoulder, thus making it much more difficult to eat with one hand.

Now that Chase can see more, he just wants to look at EVERYTHING! So, if he has only a view of my chest (which is what he mostly looks at when he's in the carrier), he starts kicking and gets really ansy and fussy. Once I turn him around, he's fine. We walked around after I had to throw away my unfinished lunch. He was really gassy though, and I started bouncing him around, but it wasn't helping. I got a lot of sympathy stares from other mommies as they passed me and the crying, screaming baby. Others looked and said, "Oh, how cute." A nice old Japanese woman watched me "try" and calm him and talked to me in Japanese about him. The only thing I understood was when she called him cute.

When I realized I couldn't calm him, and I was tired of sweating in the heat, I just decided to take him home and hope that the car ride would put him to sleep...Thank goodness it did. (I was about ready to put the baby siren on the roof! --- Chris and I have this "inside joke" that whenever Chase is crying and we're driving in traffic or come to a stop, we need to pull out the siren. Don't people know?! Hello?! Crying baby needs to move! Move people! Keep it moving!)

All Smiles

Wednesday, 26 September 2007

Went to talk to the credit union about home equity loans after Jay and Shelly surprised us with putting an offer down on a house. He wants to take a loan out on this house, but I'm not comfortable with that, so I went to get all the details, nursing Chase in between (of course) in the lobby of the bank.

Then, off to school we went for a meeting. I have been asked to help proctor state testing next month for my kids, so I had to attend a meeting on the testing protocol. Chase was great. He just sat there calmly on my lap and looked around at everybody. Several people took turns holding him. Everyone commented on how he stares and looks at me when I talk...he knows his mommy! My teacher friend Michelle already offered to babysit. My other friend Lori gave us a cool toy/rattle that her daughter enjoyed when she was a baby.

Hung out on the driveway when we got home and talked to the uncles and aunties. Chase was all smiles with them too.

When Chris got home, we went to the Halsalls to eat fettucini alfredo for dinner. They had to get their last fill of Chase before they leave for their trip to Vegas tomorrow!

We have dinner at Nana's and "Popsicle's" about once a week, and sometimes we use their kitchen sink to bathe Chase.

Carrying Around Town

Tuesday, 25 September 2007

Met Miya and Taiga at Ala Moana this morning for an excursion and mommy time. We walked around and looked at the koi fish. We ate lunch at the food court while Taiga threw his all over the floor. The boys talked to each other with their cooing (I'm sure they knew what they were saying...probably ranting about their mothers' window shopping habits). I carried Chase in the Beco baby carrier, but that means I have to carry his diaper bag too. Although I can use the bathroom and try on clothes (bottoms) with him attached to me, I should've used the stroller just to carry his diaper bag. I think the carrier is great, but only if I have Chris to carry my bag for me! Ha!

We visited with Aunty Jane when we got home, and Chase fell asleep in her arms. (I think she misses her grandson Jake and taking care of him everyday in Seattle.)

If It's Not One Thing, It's Another

Monday, 24 September 2007

Went to the eye doctor and confirmed my pengeculum on my eye (I had diagnosed myself prior to going....google.com is such a wonderful thing!). It's actually on both eyes, but the bump is more pronounced on my right eyeball, so I have to use eyedrops for about a week and can't wear my contacts.

Chase spent all afternoon at the Halsalls.

Chris and I challenged each other to hours of Mastermind, the old game I used to love when I was younger.

Boy, are we getting old.

Chase has been showing signs of teething this past month, as he gnaws on just about anything he can get his mouth onto (his fist, people's shoulders, his burp cloth, or his teething ring), and he's constantly foaming bubbles at the mouth.

I'm sure he'll enjoy all these pictures of himself when he graduates from high school. (yeah, right)

Holding the sausage wrap of diapers (That's probably about one week's worth.)

Asleep in the Pack-n-Play (which we're using as a crib right now since he's grown out of the bassinet)

Nana tries to sit Chase in Chris' old rocking chair. He's a wee bit too small for it just yet.

Chase likes smiling with his mommy!

Getting Into The Swing Of Things

Friday, 21 September 2007

Not without some obstacles of course (not having my SS card and having to go home and get it, but I had to pump anyway), I finally took the test and got my Hawai'i driver's license yesterday. I didn't get to go to my eye doctor today to get the bump on my eye checked out. He was running behind by 2 hours, and I didn't have time to wait with Chase being at Nana's. So I rescheduled my appointment for today, and strike two again, because I got caught in a huge traffic jam (accident on the freeway), so cancelled my appointment once again and will go on Monday. I did start a savings account for Chase at the bank. They have a neat three-tier system for keiki (kids) which allows us parents to have more control over what kinds of things are allowed as he gets older. Right now it's just a savings account. When he turns 13, he can get a checking and an ATM card if we authorize it. When he's 18, he can get a Visa card, etc. And I got some free little gifts from the credit union and Chase got his first little piggy bank!

It was a productive week. Still have things to clean and move around, but it's getting there. And, I'm getting into the routine of cleaning and cooking while Chase is napping. The swing has been amazing, and is now one of our little tools to help us put him to sleep (and he'll sleep for a couple of hours in it if we let him!). It was not so easy the first month, but it's gotten a lot easier now that I've started to figure him out. I feel like I'm almost caught up now. I got to go out to lunch with Kai and do some shopping at the mall this week. Granted I always have to stop and nurse, usually in the car once I get somewhere, a couple of times in the mall, and as soon as I get home. But, it's nice to be able to get out of the house.

Tonight, we met Chris at the mall after he got his haircut. We ate dinner while Chase slept in my front carrier and walked around a bit. We ran into lots of people we knew and introduced them to Chase. There are a lot of other parents and babies and strollers at the mall! I'm sure we'll be hanging out there a lot! It's carpeted and air-conditioned!

Chase's Favorite Toy

Friday, 21 September 2007

Chase likes the bright colors and bells of the rattle. He likes the fish on the mobile of his swing. But, the toy he loves and stares at the most, spins round and round at different speeds and always catches his attention.

I broke Chase's favorite toy in the house last night.

My dad would scold me because he always warned me about pulling the chain too hard. He always told me one day it's going to break if I'm not careful.

And last night it did.

I yanked the chain too hard, and I broke the chain out of the ceiling fan in the living room.

It's Chase's favorite toy in the house.

For weeks now, he'll look up, neck all cocked back as I'm carrying him, and stare at the ceiling fan going round and round.

This morning, we walked out into the living room, and he cocked his neck back and stared at the fan, waiting for it to go round and round.

But, it didn't.

I had to tell him mommy broke it and daddy has to fix it now.

All the while, he stared at it, waiting for the blades to spin.

But, it didn't.

Good thing he doesn't understand what I'm saying. We'll just have to find another toy in the house until Chase's favorite toy gets fixed.

The Armoire Adventure

Sunday, 16 September 2007

Spent this past week cleaning and organizing the living room, searching Craigslist for furniture (and posting my own to sell), and cleaning and dusting and cleaning and dusting. Since I couldn't leave the house without a license and I was still itchy and loaded up with Caladryl lotion and Sarna to relieve my itchy shingles rash, I figured I had time to get things organized. In my quest to start babyproofing the house, I was extremely productive dusting and scrubbing the floors, the china, the moulding, etc. My ultimate task: To get an armoire for our TV and to get rid of all of our open shelving and glass furniture.

Chase has been sleeping 4-5 hours at night, so that has given me extra energy to be productive during the day. He is also smiling a lot more at people and looks at EVERYTHING. Plus, we got the new motor housing from Fisher Price for the swing (for free!), and we all love it because now he sleeps almost instantly and will stay asleep for a couple of hours just swinging away. Besides, he loves looking at the brightly colored fishes on the mobile above.

Yesterday, we went to look at an armoire that I was interested in buying, made the purchase and agreed to pick it up later with my brother's truck and help. But, overnight, I decided I didn't want to wait, and would rather get it done this weekend, so I sent Chris and his friend Jason to go pick it up.

It was quite an adventure. On the way home, Chris told me the armoire was insanely heavy and that it took them awhile just to get it into the truck. Uh oh. And it's got to come down 85 switchback stairs? Hmmm...I can see this is going to be a problem....

And a problem it was. To make a long story short, the armoire made it down to the house without anyone losing any limbs or falling down the mountain, but it got a few scratches and dings along the way and caused some bruising and battlescars on Chris and Jason. My brother came home to help halfway through the process, and with the help of carpet to drag the armoire down the stairs, another person to help guide it, and a lot of cursing, Shelly and I were less apt to close our eyes at the scary process.

I apologized profusely for it being so heavy. The guys admitted that they should have started the process with a better game plan and more help. Chris decided that next time we buy furniture, it needs to be in a box, and we need to assemble it ourselves inside the house.

The armoire looks really nice in our living room and adds a contemporary touch to our furnishings. Everything is put away, we have more space, and it even hides the shadows on the wall of the previous entertainment center that was going on 30 years. Well, we better be happy with it, because that thing is not ever moving back up the stairs. It will have to be chopped up and thrown over the lanai if we ever decide to get rid of it.

And the best thing that happened yesterday afternoon (besides everyone coming out of this situation in one piece): Chase slept in his swing through all the chaos.

Chase was hungry during bathtime, so Daddy decided to put his nose in Chase's face and Chase started sucking it! Gross!!!

Nicknamed "Little Butt" by his Nana, Chase's most comfortable and cute sleeping all cuddled up on his tummy with his frog legs all tucked in and his butt sticking up in the air.

Chase on tummy time, looking at himself in the mirror!

Now that we've gotten the temperature right, Chase loves his warm water baths!

Chase is all smiles (even with a little scratch on his face....the little guy's nails need to be filed daily!) during a visit to his grandparents' house.

North Shore

Saturday, 8 September 2007

This morning, we picked up my Seattle friends Heather and Paul for a drive to the North Shore. They are at the tail end of their honeymoon here in Hawai'i. It was nice to see friends from Seattle again and for them to meet Chris and baby Chase. We drove to Ka'ena Point, Haleiwa, ate at Kua'aina Burgers, Waimea, and then stopped at Waiola Shave Ice in town for an afternoon treat. We had to stop a couple times so that I could change diapers and nurse, but it was a beautiful day and nice to tour around.

We started using the video camera, but I'll have to spend more time trying to figure out how to make it work on this blogsite. I didn't even notice that Chase spit up when I was taking the video! He added some music for more effect. It is so funny, that I think we'll be taking lots of more videos now.

I've Got What?!

Friday, 7 September 2007

Today, I missed Miya's debut on the radio as she talked about the great care Taiga received while he was in the ICU for over a month. She expressed how she was "truly grateful" for everything they did for Taiga.

I made a last-minute doctor's appointment for myself, at the urging of Chris and his mom, to check on my very itchy rash I have had all week. It's only on my stomach and part of my back, and although I had to drive there without a license, wait for over an hour to be seen, and I was actually nursing when I was called in (and a nice woman waiting in the lobby helped me by carrying my diaper bag and carseat in), I was SOOOO glad I went. I lifted my shirt up, and one look at the rash, and the doctor said, "Oh honey, you have shingles."

Great. I thought only strange people get that. Or old people, or something like that.

Well, that explains the numbness and pain I had in that area of my back the week before (guess it wasn't from the carrier and from carrying Chase).

She called my pediatrician to make sure that it was okay to give me a medication since I'm breastfeeding. I asked a lot of questions out of concern for baby Chase. My peditrician said there's no need for him to see the baby. As long as I don't open up a sore and then touch his mouth or eyes or nose, he shouldn't catch the virus. And, although the medication will go through the breastmilk, it won't do any harm.

And, I thought I just had another one of my rashes because I have such sensitive skin. But, all my other ones were going away and this was getting worse. Plus, it's excrutiatingly itchy.

I just have to make sure that area is fully covered when I'm breastfeeding, especially since he sits with his legs around that area of my stomach and back. I don't want him to get the chicken pox this early!

I have to take this medication five times a day, but the doctor said not to worry about the middle of the night one...I said, "Hey, I'm used to getting up in the middle of the night anyway!". She just laughed.

It's good to know that I'm not that contagious and don't have to hide in a bubble (though I probably shouldn't go to Bikram yoga, as all that sweat and lying down might aggravate things and get my sores infected)...as long as no one licks my sores or rubs their open cut on my sores, they shouldn't get the virus.

If it's not one thing, it's another with me. Like Miya said, "Makes life interesting, I guess."

Not Letting Go

Thursday, 6 September 2007

These days, trying to get errands done around the house is quite difficult. I can put in a load of laundry, but not have time to hang up the clothes. I can prepare a meal for myself, but not have time to eat it. I can start to clean a corner of the room, but then leave everything dissheveled because Chase is hungry, wet, needs burping, or is tired. He still favors cuddling up on your shoulder, all curled up like a little frog, which is very sweet and endearing, but makes it hard to do things. If he's not in a DEEP sleep, I cannot put him down, because he knows when I am not holding him anymore or when I walk away from the room. And, then the crying cycle starts all over again. I'm trying to let him cry it out, learn to sleep without having to have my scent or touch nearby, but it's not that easy. Plus, he's still my sweet little baby.

Whenever I nurse Chase, he has such a voracious appetite, that he grabs on and clings to my shirt with his two hands just to make sure I'm not depriving him of anything. It's quite humorous actually. Well, today, I attempted to vacuum the sofa after he fell asleep on my shoulder, so I put him down in the crib....And after 5 minutes, he was crying hysterically, so much so that I could hear it above the drone of the vacuum. So, I went in and put pacifier in his mouth, started vacuuming again, and within minutes, he was crying again....I tried to let him cry it out, but ended up picking him up because he had sweat on his brow, and he had sweat through his clothes because he was getting himself all worked up.

Now in my arms, of course he's fallen asleep again, but this time I think he's holding on and not letting go...

Or perhaps it's Mommy that's not letting go of her sweet little baby.

Busy Life As A Mom

Tuesday, 4 September 2007

Last week was a hectic one. I discovered early on in the week that my driver's license and state ID card was missing. I spent the rest of the week calling the places I've been, scouring the house, car, and clothes looking for them, especially since I just got a new state ID card. But, no luck. So, I took the steps to put on a fraud alert just in case. Now realizing that I am stuck to the house once again and must wait for Chris to take me places, I didn't really do much last week, except for try to clean and organize the house and window shop for furniture on Craigslist.

We took Chase to his 2 month appointment with Dr. Sia on Friday. He weighed in at 9 lbs. 11 oz. and measured 20 3/4 inches. So, he's growing well. Dr. Sia talked to us about Chase's sleeping, feeding, and pooping patterns, and then showed us how to force the poop out if we have to (not so pleasant sticking something up his behind, so don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon. I'm okay with the little guy pooping only every few days.) Chase did fine with the two shots (and got cute little Curious George bandaids on each thigh as a souvenir) and slurped up the liquid vaccine. He was a bit lethargic all weekend, but not feverish at all. He did really good with everything and is now an "ex-preemie" because he's all caught up with where he should be growth-wise.

Off we went to a wedding at the Halekulani. My cousin Mike and Susan got married in a small ceremony on the Hau Terrace lanai, with his boys as his best men and her sisters as her bridesmaids. Strange to go to a wedding on a Friday morning, but most of the guests were from Seattle, so they were all on vacation. Chase was the best behaved kid there, as the other kids chased each other around and untied Chris' shoes under the table during the reception. Although Mike's dad passed away from cancer a week prior, it was still a joyous event. It was a simple ceremony and the food at the reception was awesome! My Aunty Jolene got to hold Chase, and everyone admired his blue eyes. And in true local style, Mike was already in shorts and slippers for the reception!

This past weekend, I FINALLY went back to Bikram yoga for the first time. Although my back has been tender from carrying Chase, my entire body is now sore from Saturday and Sunday morning classes. I've been wobbling around ever since. But it felt good to finally be able to feed Chase and then quickly hand him off to Chris so that I could go torture myself. After 5 months of doing absolutely nothing, I could still do most of the poses, but definitely have lost the endurance to hold the poses and am not as flexible in my hamstrings or my back. It will take me a month or so to get back in shape. The worst thing was any pose where I had to lie on my chest because I was super engorged and sore. Alexis, the owner of the studio, said that perhaps we can fit in 45 minute sessions in between classes after she has her baby in a couple of months. Then we don't have to wait so long to nurse.

Saturday afternoon, we took Chase to the Okinawan Festival at Kapi'olani Park. My friend Joel, president of the Young Okinawans, let us camp out under the club's tent in the shade. We enjoyed eating noodles and andagi and drinking Jasmine tea. I missed all the bon dancing however, since I was sitting down and nursing most of the time. But everyone around us was amazed at how alert Chase was (when he wasn't nursing that is). He was looking all around and enjoying the taiko drum beats.

Yesterday was the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. Chris, Chase, and I went down to the TV studios, after watching it all day long, to say hi and to drop off thank you notes to people who came to Chase's welcome party. Bernice was there to answer phones. During the local portion, they put together a memorial part for those who have passed. They made a nice tribute to my dad, with parts of his vignette that was taped a couple of years ago. It brought silence and tears to everyone's eyes.

As life goes on, I still find myself getting emotional when I see Chris' dad play with Chase, or when I see how fiesty and strong Chase is. I often play out in my head what my dad might say or envision the smile on his face. I talk to Chase and show him all the photos of my dad around the house. And when the memorial tribute played on TV yesterday, we told Chase that was his grandfather, a great, loving, and humble man whom hopefully Chase will grow up to be like.

Chase's tiny feet poke out underneath Uncle Vince's hands as he sleeps on his shoulders.

Chris is modeling some of the unusual baby gifts we've gotten. Chase might be able to use that horse backpack when he's five years old, but it might scare the bejeebers out of everybody.