Wednesday, 31 December 2008
We just returned from a party at the Otakes', bathed Chase, and put him to bed a little after 10 pm - way past his bedtime. He had a very late nap around dinner time, so he wasn't too wired. He was still holding the little princess doll Sky gave him when we left the house, as it was one of the toppings on her birthday cake, as she turned 3 tonight. The fireworks in the valley are getting a bit crazy and LOUD, so it's a good thing we came home when we did. Driving through the smoke and pyromaniacs is not ideal. I am going to go outside on our lanai and video tape a bit so you can see just how crazy it gets. No matter how many times they try to ban illegal fireworks, people always do them here in Hawai'i. Let's just hope Chase sleeps through it all (and I think Chris is sleeping already!). At least it's rainy out, so hopefully my brother Jay won't have to fight too many house fires this evening.
Hope all of you are enjoying ringing in the new year. 2008 seemed to go by so quickly, as we watched Chase turn from a happy baby to a very happy and active toddler. I hear it gets even better. We're looking forward to 2009. It will be the year for home improvements and hopefully working full-time for me. May the new year bring you and your families much joy, luck, and good health.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Active Chase
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
It's been nice to go to yoga in the morning, so I have the day and evening to myself (although sometimes it wipes me out so I end up taking a mid-morning nap, which might not be so good, but hey, I'm on vacation...I deserve it.).
It's also been fun to play with Chase all day, since he's not at the sitter's this week (though I've still been sending him to the Halsall's a couple days so that I can get some house cleaning done). He's back to his normal, energetic self, over his colds and illnesses. He's so much fun at this age, always doing new things and always laughing. He is quite content playing by himself with his race cars, putting crayons in and out of boxes, or making towers with cups or blocks and then tearing them down (perhaps he's going to be a demolition man when he grows up). It's nice because i can clean the house and cook while he's playing (most of the time - as long as I'm in the same room as him. Otherwise, he follows me like he's my shadow and sticks to me like glue.) He's really into building towers and snapping mega blocks together. In the bath, he lines all his cups up and then stacks them in a tall tower before knocking them all down and laughing hysterically.
He is quite verbal these days too, speaking with a loud gurgling voice and mimicking everything we say...and he's so quick! Gotta watch what comes out of our mouths these days! Today, I was reading a book to him, and I went through the animals once. He pointed to a picture of a bull and said, "Bull". I said, "What?" I'm just amazed at the stuff that comes out of his mouth.
With all these viruses going around, there are always people sneezing and coughing everywhere we go. Chase always covers his mouth and pretends to cough whenever he hears someone sneeze or cough. He remembers to cover his mouth better than some of my kindergartners at school!
We have these Playhut tunnel things I bought awhile back off of Craigslist. You can arrange the tunnels however you want. He loves crawling through and playing hide-and-go-seek in them, running away from anyone that tries to chase him while going through the tunnels. It's nice because you can break them down and fold them flat when you're not using them. But if he sees them just laying there, he immediately wants you to set it up so he can play.
He's really into hiding things behind his back. We'll play this hide-and-go-seek/peek-a-boo game. He'll take toys and put them behind his back. Then we'll go, "Uh-oh? Where did they go?" He'll walk around and turn around, still with the toys behind his back. He figures that if they're behind his back, we can't see them...even though his back is to us. Suddenly, he'll take them and reveal them from behind his back, and start laughing, as if he's saying, "Ha ha! Fooled you! Silly guys! They're right here!"
It's been nice to go to yoga in the morning, so I have the day and evening to myself (although sometimes it wipes me out so I end up taking a mid-morning nap, which might not be so good, but hey, I'm on vacation...I deserve it.).
It's also been fun to play with Chase all day, since he's not at the sitter's this week (though I've still been sending him to the Halsall's a couple days so that I can get some house cleaning done). He's back to his normal, energetic self, over his colds and illnesses. He's so much fun at this age, always doing new things and always laughing. He is quite content playing by himself with his race cars, putting crayons in and out of boxes, or making towers with cups or blocks and then tearing them down (perhaps he's going to be a demolition man when he grows up). It's nice because i can clean the house and cook while he's playing (most of the time - as long as I'm in the same room as him. Otherwise, he follows me like he's my shadow and sticks to me like glue.) He's really into building towers and snapping mega blocks together. In the bath, he lines all his cups up and then stacks them in a tall tower before knocking them all down and laughing hysterically.
He is quite verbal these days too, speaking with a loud gurgling voice and mimicking everything we say...and he's so quick! Gotta watch what comes out of our mouths these days! Today, I was reading a book to him, and I went through the animals once. He pointed to a picture of a bull and said, "Bull". I said, "What?" I'm just amazed at the stuff that comes out of his mouth.
With all these viruses going around, there are always people sneezing and coughing everywhere we go. Chase always covers his mouth and pretends to cough whenever he hears someone sneeze or cough. He remembers to cover his mouth better than some of my kindergartners at school!
We have these Playhut tunnel things I bought awhile back off of Craigslist. You can arrange the tunnels however you want. He loves crawling through and playing hide-and-go-seek in them, running away from anyone that tries to chase him while going through the tunnels. It's nice because you can break them down and fold them flat when you're not using them. But if he sees them just laying there, he immediately wants you to set it up so he can play.
He's really into hiding things behind his back. We'll play this hide-and-go-seek/peek-a-boo game. He'll take toys and put them behind his back. Then we'll go, "Uh-oh? Where did they go?" He'll walk around and turn around, still with the toys behind his back. He figures that if they're behind his back, we can't see them...even though his back is to us. Suddenly, he'll take them and reveal them from behind his back, and start laughing, as if he's saying, "Ha ha! Fooled you! Silly guys! They're right here!"
Saturday, December 27, 2008
BLACKOUT! Chase is 18 Months Old!
Saturday, 27 December 2008
Well, Chase's 18 Month Birthday (as if we're even counting the months!) was a blur because we spent most of the day trying to find food. Why would we do that (other than Tanya being hungry all the time)? Well, like one news reporter said, it was supposed to be a successful Black Friday for retailers...But, it turned out to be "Black" for another reason. Last night, around dinner time, there was a huge lightning and thunder storm. Then, all of a sudden...
At about 7 pm last night, the whole island of O'ahu had a blackout. (Thank goodness we had just pulled the pizza out of the oven, and Chase was just finishing up eating!). The power at our house did not come back until about 2:30 pm this afternoon. With nearly 20 hours without electricity, the Honolulu airport had to cancel flights, sirens were blaring throughout the city (and I worried about our friends with ALS who depend on ventilators - some had to be ambulanced to hospitals, many of which were full), and the whole city basically shut down. Even Barack Obama and his family lost power all night at the house they are vacationing in. No one was spared. Every single house, business, restaurant, and hotel on the island was without electricity all night. Cell phones couldn't be charged, blogs couldn't be updated, the refrigerator couldn't be opened, and the washing machine couldn't finish its cycle. Our evening newspaper was only 5 pages altogether, an indication that no one could get much done with the power out.
We have a panoramic view of Waikiki from our lanai, and at 7 pm last night, all I saw was complete darkness. Surprisingly, a fireworks show still went on by the beach, but it was about the only light visible, as all the street lights in the valley, all the houses across the mountain and below, and all the hotel lights went black. The only lights we could see were the headlights from cars driving through a complete sea of black. We were not well prepared either. The last time we had a blackout was when the earthquake hit in 2006. I remember rushing to my dad's to make sure he was okay. They didn't have a generator to run his bi-pap machine on and had to run a power cord across the street to connect to a neighbor's generator. Even though that was 2 years ago, we didn't have working flashlights or lanterns in the house. Luckily, we found some candles and matches. We bathed Chase by candlelight. Our house sure did smell nice and fragrant by morning! Lots of revelers in the valley decided to light fireworks out of boredom.
I was hoping our power would be back on by morning (especially since I had a load of Chase's clothes sitting in water waiting to go through the rinse cycle.), but this morning, I heard the loud drone of my uncle's generator on the driveway. The power actually came on for a few minutes because I heard Chase's Christmas cd playing. But, it played about one song, then went off again. That was about 6:30 am. I called yoga to see if they had classes. I knew hard core yogis would work out as long as the heaters were working! When I couldn't get through to the studio, I went back to bed. But, I got up again for the 9 am class, and found out that they had electricity! In fact, at that time, much of Kaimuki town had electricity, but our hill did not.
Thank goodness for the solar water heater because I was able to take a hot shower when I got home. Kai and Jason met us to pick up baby furniture and other newborn baby things, then they took us out to lunch for Greek food. We headed to the mall after that, as we knew they were open. Lots of people were there doing the same thing we were, killing time and finding food to eat until the power came back on. Everywhere you went you could hear people talking about the blackout, and whether their houses had power or not. We called my aunt to see if the power came back on before heading home. When we knew the power was on, we went grocery shopping so that I could cook dinner. We only opened the refrigerator once during the blackout, so we figured our food was okay. All of our lights were on by the time we returned. We were able to dry the very wet load of clothes from last night, and I was able to cook dinner.
We had a productive day, amidst the blackout frenzy. I organized Chase's toys in the dark last night, guided only by his REI shark keychain flashlight. We got a new comforter, which we've been needing for these cooler winter nights, on sale at Macy's. And, of course, Chris bought some GI Joe toys at KB Toys, for himself or Chase, I'm still not sure, but Chase sure did have a blast playing with them and talking up a storm about them.
By the way, did I mention that Chase is 18 months old today?! Yep, with his new little boy haircut and tons of energy, our little baby boy is turning into quite an active little toddler!
What Chase is Really Into These Days:
* Watching TV (uh-oh): He actually stayed focused on watching "The Grinch" for about 20 minutes on Christmas Eve, and the next day kept pointing to his Grinch shirt. But, he prefers to read books for sure. I think he's just noticing that the TV has animals and kids on it.
* Playing Peek-A-Boo: He'll cover his eyes and stay still for a LONG time (at least 5 minutes), thinking that if he can't see us, then we can't see him. He'll stay real quiet and still and we'll go, "Where's Chase?" He'll slowly peek an eyeball out and start laughing!
* Making towers of mega blocks (big LEGO type blocks) or any four sided box/block. ...Then knocking them over!
* Saying animal noises when you ask him what sound a certain animal makes. His favorites: "ROAR!" for a tiger or lion & "Moo" for cow
* Climbing and jumping all over Mommy as if she is a human jungle gym. He also loves to climb up steps, run over suspension bridges, and slide down vertical and spiral slides on jungle gyms at parks. He'll do all that, and then run over to do it all over again, about ten times in a row NONSTOP!
* Using his signs and words to communicate:
Words he signs: milk, done, more, hot
He has about 15 words in his vocabulary (including "bus", "bath", "done", "yes", "no", "rice") and he mimics everything else we say.
Chase's main staple has been poi since he was 4 months old, but we're trying to throw more variety of foods into the mix. Although Nana did give him a See's candy chocolate lollipop to lick on Christmas day, we still frown on junk foods. Because he doesn't eat a lot of processed foods, or things with excess sugar or salt, he tends to eat a lot of bland foods. He tells us what he likes and what he doesn't like. We're starting to expand his taste buds.
Now that we have our power back on, we're so grateful for the power of electricity. I plugged in my cell phone, which was on its last bar. I was able to make a home-cooked meal. I could check email and update my blog. Think we better go get new lanterns and flashlights and a battery-operated radio so that we're better equipped the next time we have a blackout.
Tonight, Chase got introduced (meaning Daddy opened the gift for him) to his big Christmas gift, a Strider bicycle, which is a balance bicycle (a bike without pedals) for little guys. He didn't want to keep his helmet on, and he was a little intimidated by the whole balancing on a seat, but he loved spinning the wheels with his hand.
Well, Chase's 18 Month Birthday (as if we're even counting the months!) was a blur because we spent most of the day trying to find food. Why would we do that (other than Tanya being hungry all the time)? Well, like one news reporter said, it was supposed to be a successful Black Friday for retailers...But, it turned out to be "Black" for another reason. Last night, around dinner time, there was a huge lightning and thunder storm. Then, all of a sudden...
At about 7 pm last night, the whole island of O'ahu had a blackout. (Thank goodness we had just pulled the pizza out of the oven, and Chase was just finishing up eating!). The power at our house did not come back until about 2:30 pm this afternoon. With nearly 20 hours without electricity, the Honolulu airport had to cancel flights, sirens were blaring throughout the city (and I worried about our friends with ALS who depend on ventilators - some had to be ambulanced to hospitals, many of which were full), and the whole city basically shut down. Even Barack Obama and his family lost power all night at the house they are vacationing in. No one was spared. Every single house, business, restaurant, and hotel on the island was without electricity all night. Cell phones couldn't be charged, blogs couldn't be updated, the refrigerator couldn't be opened, and the washing machine couldn't finish its cycle. Our evening newspaper was only 5 pages altogether, an indication that no one could get much done with the power out.
We have a panoramic view of Waikiki from our lanai, and at 7 pm last night, all I saw was complete darkness. Surprisingly, a fireworks show still went on by the beach, but it was about the only light visible, as all the street lights in the valley, all the houses across the mountain and below, and all the hotel lights went black. The only lights we could see were the headlights from cars driving through a complete sea of black. We were not well prepared either. The last time we had a blackout was when the earthquake hit in 2006. I remember rushing to my dad's to make sure he was okay. They didn't have a generator to run his bi-pap machine on and had to run a power cord across the street to connect to a neighbor's generator. Even though that was 2 years ago, we didn't have working flashlights or lanterns in the house. Luckily, we found some candles and matches. We bathed Chase by candlelight. Our house sure did smell nice and fragrant by morning! Lots of revelers in the valley decided to light fireworks out of boredom.
I was hoping our power would be back on by morning (especially since I had a load of Chase's clothes sitting in water waiting to go through the rinse cycle.), but this morning, I heard the loud drone of my uncle's generator on the driveway. The power actually came on for a few minutes because I heard Chase's Christmas cd playing. But, it played about one song, then went off again. That was about 6:30 am. I called yoga to see if they had classes. I knew hard core yogis would work out as long as the heaters were working! When I couldn't get through to the studio, I went back to bed. But, I got up again for the 9 am class, and found out that they had electricity! In fact, at that time, much of Kaimuki town had electricity, but our hill did not.
Thank goodness for the solar water heater because I was able to take a hot shower when I got home. Kai and Jason met us to pick up baby furniture and other newborn baby things, then they took us out to lunch for Greek food. We headed to the mall after that, as we knew they were open. Lots of people were there doing the same thing we were, killing time and finding food to eat until the power came back on. Everywhere you went you could hear people talking about the blackout, and whether their houses had power or not. We called my aunt to see if the power came back on before heading home. When we knew the power was on, we went grocery shopping so that I could cook dinner. We only opened the refrigerator once during the blackout, so we figured our food was okay. All of our lights were on by the time we returned. We were able to dry the very wet load of clothes from last night, and I was able to cook dinner.
We had a productive day, amidst the blackout frenzy. I organized Chase's toys in the dark last night, guided only by his REI shark keychain flashlight. We got a new comforter, which we've been needing for these cooler winter nights, on sale at Macy's. And, of course, Chris bought some GI Joe toys at KB Toys, for himself or Chase, I'm still not sure, but Chase sure did have a blast playing with them and talking up a storm about them.
By the way, did I mention that Chase is 18 months old today?! Yep, with his new little boy haircut and tons of energy, our little baby boy is turning into quite an active little toddler!
What Chase is Really Into These Days:
* Watching TV (uh-oh): He actually stayed focused on watching "The Grinch" for about 20 minutes on Christmas Eve, and the next day kept pointing to his Grinch shirt. But, he prefers to read books for sure. I think he's just noticing that the TV has animals and kids on it.
* Playing Peek-A-Boo: He'll cover his eyes and stay still for a LONG time (at least 5 minutes), thinking that if he can't see us, then we can't see him. He'll stay real quiet and still and we'll go, "Where's Chase?" He'll slowly peek an eyeball out and start laughing!
* Making towers of mega blocks (big LEGO type blocks) or any four sided box/block. ...Then knocking them over!
* Saying animal noises when you ask him what sound a certain animal makes. His favorites: "ROAR!" for a tiger or lion & "Moo" for cow
* Climbing and jumping all over Mommy as if she is a human jungle gym. He also loves to climb up steps, run over suspension bridges, and slide down vertical and spiral slides on jungle gyms at parks. He'll do all that, and then run over to do it all over again, about ten times in a row NONSTOP!
* Using his signs and words to communicate:
Words he signs: milk, done, more, hot
He has about 15 words in his vocabulary (including "bus", "bath", "done", "yes", "no", "rice") and he mimics everything else we say.
Chase's main staple has been poi since he was 4 months old, but we're trying to throw more variety of foods into the mix. Although Nana did give him a See's candy chocolate lollipop to lick on Christmas day, we still frown on junk foods. Because he doesn't eat a lot of processed foods, or things with excess sugar or salt, he tends to eat a lot of bland foods. He tells us what he likes and what he doesn't like. We're starting to expand his taste buds.
Now that we have our power back on, we're so grateful for the power of electricity. I plugged in my cell phone, which was on its last bar. I was able to make a home-cooked meal. I could check email and update my blog. Think we better go get new lanterns and flashlights and a battery-operated radio so that we're better equipped the next time we have a blackout.
Tonight, Chase got introduced (meaning Daddy opened the gift for him) to his big Christmas gift, a Strider bicycle, which is a balance bicycle (a bike without pedals) for little guys. He didn't want to keep his helmet on, and he was a little intimidated by the whole balancing on a seat, but he loved spinning the wheels with his hand.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Lots and Lots of Christmas Presents
Christmas was a whole day event, involved with opening presents all day long. We started in the morning at our house. We actually left a few unopened as Chase was more than happy with his first gift, the dump truck of mega blocks from Aunty Melissa. Each time we opened something new, he kept going "Oooh!!! Ooooh!!!" We decided towards the end that we could just leave most of the gifts wrapped and store them away. Even if we opened one a month for the next year, he would be totally ecstatic an wouldn't know the difference.
We continued to open gifts at Nana and Popsicles (aka The Halsall's). We spent 6 hours there, opening gifts eating dinner in between, and opening more gifts. In fact, we weren't sure we were going to be able to finish opening! Chase got a rocking horse from Nana and Popsicle. But, so far, he likes to pile all his stuffed animals on the horse and bounce them around. He is not so sure about sitting on it himself and bouncing around on it. Chase loves his race car track set and his Elmo Live. He's interested in the Strider bike Chris got him, and always says "bies" for "bicycle" when he sees it. Like the horse though, he's a bit intimidated by the whole balancing thing, so as long as we hold him on the bike, and push him around the house, he' fine. He mostly likes to spin the wheels with his hands.
This year, we probably could have gotten away with less presents for Chase (as he really doesn't know what Christmas is all about anyway), but we went a bit overboard. Perhaps I could still put some away and rewrap them for next Christmas?? His birthday??
We continued to open gifts at Nana and Popsicles (aka The Halsall's). We spent 6 hours there, opening gifts eating dinner in between, and opening more gifts. In fact, we weren't sure we were going to be able to finish opening! Chase got a rocking horse from Nana and Popsicle. But, so far, he likes to pile all his stuffed animals on the horse and bounce them around. He is not so sure about sitting on it himself and bouncing around on it. Chase loves his race car track set and his Elmo Live. He's interested in the Strider bike Chris got him, and always says "bies" for "bicycle" when he sees it. Like the horse though, he's a bit intimidated by the whole balancing thing, so as long as we hold him on the bike, and push him around the house, he' fine. He mostly likes to spin the wheels with his hands.
This year, we probably could have gotten away with less presents for Chase (as he really doesn't know what Christmas is all about anyway), but we went a bit overboard. Perhaps I could still put some away and rewrap them for next Christmas?? His birthday??
Mele Kalikimaka!
Thursday, 25 December 2008
Merry Christmas! May you, your families, and loved ones enjoy a wonderful Christmas!
Merry Christmas! May you, your families, and loved ones enjoy a wonderful Christmas!
Send your own ElfYourself eCards
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
On Christmas Eve
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
I unsuccessfully tried to get a Santa picture with Chase. Last year, we passed altogether. This year, I had a feeling Chase would just be scared by Santa since he was scared of the one at Chris' work gathering, and he is scared by most men in beards anyway. But, I figured we could try anyway. Well, for starters, I took him at a bad time...on Christmas Eve, in the middle of the afternoon, when Chase was grouchy and ready for a nap. We actually waited in line, but after 10 minutes of Chase fussing and wiggling, I decided it was time to get out of line and go home. By the time we pulled out of the mall parking lot (and my great parking spot on such a crowded, busy day!), Chase was fast asleep. Probably a good thing we didn't wait to see Santa. It wouldn't have been a great picture. Guess we'll just have to wait till next year.
The best part of today was going to visit Uncle Jay at the fire station. My brother has been a fireman for over 6 years now? But, we haven't yet brought Chase to the fire station. He's about the age where he would start to appreciate it. So, we headed over to the station. We had to wait a little bit until they got back from putting out a fire. Then, we watched Uncle Jay empty the hoses, and he asked if we wanted a ride (but don't tell because civilians aren't supposed to ride in the fire trucks!). We hopped in the back, and Uncle Jay drove the truck into the street and stopped traffic so that he could reverse it the huge ladder truck and park it in the fire station. Chase got to try the steering wheel out for himself afterwards (when the truck was not moving of course).
But, the best part was when Chase noticed the basketballs on top of the lockers. He had fun throwing the ball to his uncle, playing on the exercise equipment, sitting in the jet ski, and hitting the lockers to hear the loud sound they made.
We had dinner at the Halsall's tonight. We decorated the tree after Chase went to sleep, making sure that all the unbreakables are at the bottom and taking a BIG step back to admire the tree (from afar) with the bright blue LED lights. Chase is going to have an exciting day tomorrow....And I wonder what his favorite gift will be? (probably the empty boxes and tissue paper) He's getting lots of new toys and things! What a spoiled kid!
I unsuccessfully tried to get a Santa picture with Chase. Last year, we passed altogether. This year, I had a feeling Chase would just be scared by Santa since he was scared of the one at Chris' work gathering, and he is scared by most men in beards anyway. But, I figured we could try anyway. Well, for starters, I took him at a bad time...on Christmas Eve, in the middle of the afternoon, when Chase was grouchy and ready for a nap. We actually waited in line, but after 10 minutes of Chase fussing and wiggling, I decided it was time to get out of line and go home. By the time we pulled out of the mall parking lot (and my great parking spot on such a crowded, busy day!), Chase was fast asleep. Probably a good thing we didn't wait to see Santa. It wouldn't have been a great picture. Guess we'll just have to wait till next year.
The best part of today was going to visit Uncle Jay at the fire station. My brother has been a fireman for over 6 years now? But, we haven't yet brought Chase to the fire station. He's about the age where he would start to appreciate it. So, we headed over to the station. We had to wait a little bit until they got back from putting out a fire. Then, we watched Uncle Jay empty the hoses, and he asked if we wanted a ride (but don't tell because civilians aren't supposed to ride in the fire trucks!). We hopped in the back, and Uncle Jay drove the truck into the street and stopped traffic so that he could reverse it the huge ladder truck and park it in the fire station. Chase got to try the steering wheel out for himself afterwards (when the truck was not moving of course).
But, the best part was when Chase noticed the basketballs on top of the lockers. He had fun throwing the ball to his uncle, playing on the exercise equipment, sitting in the jet ski, and hitting the lockers to hear the loud sound they made.
We had dinner at the Halsall's tonight. We decorated the tree after Chase went to sleep, making sure that all the unbreakables are at the bottom and taking a BIG step back to admire the tree (from afar) with the bright blue LED lights. Chase is going to have an exciting day tomorrow....And I wonder what his favorite gift will be? (probably the empty boxes and tissue paper) He's getting lots of new toys and things! What a spoiled kid!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Quarantined At Home
Monday, 22 December 2008
Though all my Seattle friends are quarantined in their houses due to snow storms (and I'm so jealous of their amount of snow this year...though lucky I don't have to drive in it), we were quarantined in the house today due to Chase still being sick. It didn't make sense to bring him out, where there's only going to be crowds of people, some of whom are probably sick anyway. He's already battling enough of his own viruses, and I want him to get better by Christmas. So, other than a few errands, we pretty much stayed home most of the day. He watched Signing Time videos so he could learn a few more signs and laugh at all the kids in the videos. He snacked here and there, but still didn't eat a substantial meal. He had more energy today, but I was still worried he might have croup. Doctor thinks it's probably just a wheezing cough and that we should just continue with the nebulizer.
Chase absolutely refused dinner and screamed through his bath. He held on for dear life to the changing table as I struggled to get a diaper and clothes on a screaming baby who was clenching his fists and ankles so tight that I couldn't even properly clothe him for bed. At least we don't have freezing temperatures out. It's okay for him to go to sleep in just a diaper. It took him some milk and mommy's hugs to get him to fall asleep. Poor baby. Late this afternoon, though, he actually had fun playing. But of course, his version of playing was ripping up bits of paper towels and taking tissue out of the kleenex box and throwing them behind the sofa. He definitely found humor in that. And then I brought out my old wooden train pull toys that we've had since we were little. Chase had fun with that too. But, he much preferred climbing all over me and sitting in my lap or kissing me on the lips and hugging me, rather than playing with all of his toys. I know he's getting better. Let's hope he's better by Christmas (for his sake and mine!).
Though all my Seattle friends are quarantined in their houses due to snow storms (and I'm so jealous of their amount of snow this year...though lucky I don't have to drive in it), we were quarantined in the house today due to Chase still being sick. It didn't make sense to bring him out, where there's only going to be crowds of people, some of whom are probably sick anyway. He's already battling enough of his own viruses, and I want him to get better by Christmas. So, other than a few errands, we pretty much stayed home most of the day. He watched Signing Time videos so he could learn a few more signs and laugh at all the kids in the videos. He snacked here and there, but still didn't eat a substantial meal. He had more energy today, but I was still worried he might have croup. Doctor thinks it's probably just a wheezing cough and that we should just continue with the nebulizer.
Chase absolutely refused dinner and screamed through his bath. He held on for dear life to the changing table as I struggled to get a diaper and clothes on a screaming baby who was clenching his fists and ankles so tight that I couldn't even properly clothe him for bed. At least we don't have freezing temperatures out. It's okay for him to go to sleep in just a diaper. It took him some milk and mommy's hugs to get him to fall asleep. Poor baby. Late this afternoon, though, he actually had fun playing. But of course, his version of playing was ripping up bits of paper towels and taking tissue out of the kleenex box and throwing them behind the sofa. He definitely found humor in that. And then I brought out my old wooden train pull toys that we've had since we were little. Chase had fun with that too. But, he much preferred climbing all over me and sitting in my lap or kissing me on the lips and hugging me, rather than playing with all of his toys. I know he's getting better. Let's hope he's better by Christmas (for his sake and mine!).
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sick Boys
Sunday, 21 December 2008
So far, winter vacation has started off with a bumpy start. Chase has been sick all weekend: feverish, clingy, has hardly eaten any solid food, and only late this afternoon, did he start to perk up and want to play (by throwing all my clean clothes behind the sofa, and laughing). And, looks like Chris has caught his cold again. I seem to be okay, but I'm taking my vitamins and my Emergen-C.
Yesterday, while my car was in the shop getting new brakes, we tried to decorate the Christmas tree, but we realized that it's easier to decorate the tree when Chase is asleep. We've already had a few ornament casualties since Chase didn't realize that the glass ball ornaments are a bit fragile when you throw them. And he's getting frustrated seeing the big gate around the Christmas tree.
Today, when Chase wasn't laying on me, he wanted to be carried. Usually he's fine entertaining himself. But today he was just like a zombie on me. So, I looked for these videos I bought him. The only thing is they were already wrapped. I had to unwrap three Christmas presents before I finally found the right one. I put in the Signing Time videos (which teach sign language), and he was only minimally amused. He watched the yardmen weedwack our hill, and then he copied us as we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening whacking mosquitoes in the house. Chris took him for a walk to the park, where they played for a bit. I stayed back to clean the car (Thanks Uncle Gary for washing!)....We did load after load of laundry today, and Joel and Sonyei visited (and we stood there just whacking away at mosquitoes) to drop of a Christmas present for Chase. You know the kid is sick when he is not running, jumping, and laughing all over the place, and he absolutely refuses any kind of food!
I got Chase to eat some rice, but that's about all he wanted to eat. He took a bath and fell asleep on the changing table. We won't send him to the sitter's tomorrow, as I know that's probably where he's been picking up these viruses anyway. Hopefully, everyone is healthy by the time Christmas rolls around!
So far, winter vacation has started off with a bumpy start. Chase has been sick all weekend: feverish, clingy, has hardly eaten any solid food, and only late this afternoon, did he start to perk up and want to play (by throwing all my clean clothes behind the sofa, and laughing). And, looks like Chris has caught his cold again. I seem to be okay, but I'm taking my vitamins and my Emergen-C.
Yesterday, while my car was in the shop getting new brakes, we tried to decorate the Christmas tree, but we realized that it's easier to decorate the tree when Chase is asleep. We've already had a few ornament casualties since Chase didn't realize that the glass ball ornaments are a bit fragile when you throw them. And he's getting frustrated seeing the big gate around the Christmas tree.
Today, when Chase wasn't laying on me, he wanted to be carried. Usually he's fine entertaining himself. But today he was just like a zombie on me. So, I looked for these videos I bought him. The only thing is they were already wrapped. I had to unwrap three Christmas presents before I finally found the right one. I put in the Signing Time videos (which teach sign language), and he was only minimally amused. He watched the yardmen weedwack our hill, and then he copied us as we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening whacking mosquitoes in the house. Chris took him for a walk to the park, where they played for a bit. I stayed back to clean the car (Thanks Uncle Gary for washing!)....We did load after load of laundry today, and Joel and Sonyei visited (and we stood there just whacking away at mosquitoes) to drop of a Christmas present for Chase. You know the kid is sick when he is not running, jumping, and laughing all over the place, and he absolutely refuses any kind of food!
I got Chase to eat some rice, but that's about all he wanted to eat. He took a bath and fell asleep on the changing table. We won't send him to the sitter's tomorrow, as I know that's probably where he's been picking up these viruses anyway. Hopefully, everyone is healthy by the time Christmas rolls around!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Winter Vacay Is Here!
Friday, 19 December 2008
I am officially on Winter Vacation. Though we don't have any snow like in Seattle, it does get darker earlier, and it is rainier in the winter. I'm hoping we have some drier days ahead so that I can take Chase to the beach (thankfully it's still warm out). Since we don't have any travel plans over the next three weeks, and my Christmas presents are all wrapped (though we still haven't decorated the tree yet), my goals are fairly simple:
1) Get 50+ report cards written
2) Clean the house
3) Clean the house
4) Clean the house
I hope Chase gets better soon so that we also can spend some quality time together and decide whether he's going to visit Santa or not. Poor Chase has just finished his antibiotics, but we visited the doctor's again today because he's had slight fevers the past couple of days. It's nothing he needs medication for though. Just looks as though he's fighting another "virus". I've managed to stay healthy so far (knock on wood), so hopefully he gets better soon.
Ah, my other goal is to figure out a way to add more pictures to my blog without having to pay for more storage. I may have to start another blog under another name. I guess after 4 years of blogging, I'm taking up too much space in the blogosphere. Just give me a couple of days, and then you'll be able to see Chase sporting his new little boy haircut.
I am officially on Winter Vacation. Though we don't have any snow like in Seattle, it does get darker earlier, and it is rainier in the winter. I'm hoping we have some drier days ahead so that I can take Chase to the beach (thankfully it's still warm out). Since we don't have any travel plans over the next three weeks, and my Christmas presents are all wrapped (though we still haven't decorated the tree yet), my goals are fairly simple:
1) Get 50+ report cards written
2) Clean the house
3) Clean the house
4) Clean the house
I hope Chase gets better soon so that we also can spend some quality time together and decide whether he's going to visit Santa or not. Poor Chase has just finished his antibiotics, but we visited the doctor's again today because he's had slight fevers the past couple of days. It's nothing he needs medication for though. Just looks as though he's fighting another "virus". I've managed to stay healthy so far (knock on wood), so hopefully he gets better soon.
Ah, my other goal is to figure out a way to add more pictures to my blog without having to pay for more storage. I may have to start another blog under another name. I guess after 4 years of blogging, I'm taking up too much space in the blogosphere. Just give me a couple of days, and then you'll be able to see Chase sporting his new little boy haircut.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Funny Chase
Monday, 15 December 2008
Chase was in an incredibly good mood this afternoon/evening. I didn't pick him up from the sitter until almost 4 pm since I had to attend an IEP meeting at school. We went to the mall to check out KB Toys, who was having 30% off the whole store due to its soon-to-be-closing. Chase has always admired the little pig that oinks and moves its tail and walks. I wanted to get him a doggie one since he loves dogs so much. I asked the cashier to put in batteries for me so I could test it out (since the dog that flips over scares Chase). This one worked out. Chase didn't even let me put it in the box. He held it and hugged it the whole time, during grocery shopping, in the car ride home, and of course, once we got home, he just threw it on the ground once he saw all his other toys. I put the dog back in its box and wrapped it up, adding it to the collection of other presents for Chase. Yeah, he's not spoiled at all. He's only got about a dozen boxes under the tree...And that's just from our household.
We had fun playing during dinner. I'd lean my head to the right. He'd lean his head to the left. He'd start dancing in his highchair when he heard music. He was in such a good mood that I was able to cook and prep dinner AND wash dishes, while feeding him. He had fun saying the word "rice", really enunciating the "s" sound. He watched me pour the rice in the rice pot, wash the rice, and when it was done, he pointed to it immediately, and asked, "Rice?". It's nice that he feeds himself now. He loves using his fork and spoon to feed himself. The only mishap was that he dropped a plate that had food on it...and it wasn't a childproof plate. It was one of our nice salad plates. But, oh well. That's what I get for not watching him more carefully. It probably won't be the last plate to go.
Chase was super funny in the bath too (and he kept saying the word "bath", really enunciating the "th" sound.) He must have spent 20-30 minutes in the bath. He had fun playing with containers, filling them up with water, drinking the water, blowing bubbles in the water, and making towers (then hitting them down of course). He covered his ears with his cups, like ear muffs. Then he handed them to me to try. He just laughed and laughed as we went through every color cup there was.
He went down really easy. I ate dinner, wrapped more gifts, and watched Anthony Bourdain until Chris got home from work(s). The only thing that sucks now is that my allergies are driving me nuts. There has been so much rain that everything is blooming and growing now. Plus, there's probably a lot of moisture and mold around. Everything I'm allergic too. Great.
Plus, there have been lots of black ants around the house lately. After putting Chase to bed, I spent an hour on my hands and knees, spraying Simple Green around the kitchen floor killing ants that were devouring crumbs from Chase's dinner. Then, I discovered a container full of ants. It wasn't washed good. Guess all the rain we've been having are driving the ants indoors. I HATE ANTS.
Chase was in an incredibly good mood this afternoon/evening. I didn't pick him up from the sitter until almost 4 pm since I had to attend an IEP meeting at school. We went to the mall to check out KB Toys, who was having 30% off the whole store due to its soon-to-be-closing. Chase has always admired the little pig that oinks and moves its tail and walks. I wanted to get him a doggie one since he loves dogs so much. I asked the cashier to put in batteries for me so I could test it out (since the dog that flips over scares Chase). This one worked out. Chase didn't even let me put it in the box. He held it and hugged it the whole time, during grocery shopping, in the car ride home, and of course, once we got home, he just threw it on the ground once he saw all his other toys. I put the dog back in its box and wrapped it up, adding it to the collection of other presents for Chase. Yeah, he's not spoiled at all. He's only got about a dozen boxes under the tree...And that's just from our household.
We had fun playing during dinner. I'd lean my head to the right. He'd lean his head to the left. He'd start dancing in his highchair when he heard music. He was in such a good mood that I was able to cook and prep dinner AND wash dishes, while feeding him. He had fun saying the word "rice", really enunciating the "s" sound. He watched me pour the rice in the rice pot, wash the rice, and when it was done, he pointed to it immediately, and asked, "Rice?". It's nice that he feeds himself now. He loves using his fork and spoon to feed himself. The only mishap was that he dropped a plate that had food on it...and it wasn't a childproof plate. It was one of our nice salad plates. But, oh well. That's what I get for not watching him more carefully. It probably won't be the last plate to go.
Chase was super funny in the bath too (and he kept saying the word "bath", really enunciating the "th" sound.) He must have spent 20-30 minutes in the bath. He had fun playing with containers, filling them up with water, drinking the water, blowing bubbles in the water, and making towers (then hitting them down of course). He covered his ears with his cups, like ear muffs. Then he handed them to me to try. He just laughed and laughed as we went through every color cup there was.
He went down really easy. I ate dinner, wrapped more gifts, and watched Anthony Bourdain until Chris got home from work(s). The only thing that sucks now is that my allergies are driving me nuts. There has been so much rain that everything is blooming and growing now. Plus, there's probably a lot of moisture and mold around. Everything I'm allergic too. Great.
Plus, there have been lots of black ants around the house lately. After putting Chase to bed, I spent an hour on my hands and knees, spraying Simple Green around the kitchen floor killing ants that were devouring crumbs from Chase's dinner. Then, I discovered a container full of ants. It wasn't washed good. Guess all the rain we've been having are driving the ants indoors. I HATE ANTS.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Does He Still Look Cute When He Does That?
Sunday, 14 December 2008
I couldn't go to yoga this morning because Chris had to be out of the house by 4 am this morning. Why on earth would Chris actually set his alarm to get up that early?! Well, he only does it about once a year. He went to go bike ride as a wheelchair escort for the Honolulu Marathon this morning. It was raining like crazy again all morning, so the runners must have been drenched, running through mud puddles and flooded streets. I actually found out that two of my students, a third grader and fifth grader, finished the marathon. Way to go!
After Chris rested up, we took an antsy Chase for a ride (so that he could finally settle down for a nap!). We went to Toys-R-Us to get him an Elmo Live. This one was $10 off today, so I wanted to buy this one (and return the other one that I already wrapped!). No more Christmas presents for him already. That's what I keep telling myself anyway. We'll see if it actually happens.
The big event today was that Chase got his very first haircut! We went to this kids' salon called Pigtails and Crewcuts. He got to play with the trains and balls while waiting for his turn. When he was up, he got to choose what kind of vehicle to sit in. I chose the fire truck for him. He stayed very still the whole time, with a worried look on his face. He was so overwhelmed (and scared) that he didn't even move. Once he got in the chair, he didn't want to play with the trains (that he was clutching ever so tightly in his sweaty fists), nor did he want to turn the steering wheel on the fire truck he was sitting in. Chase was so frozen, that the hairstylist even cut layers in his hair. Finally, at the end of 15 minutes, when it was all done, he broke down and started crying.
We were shocked. He looks like such a little boy now! He's not a baby anymore! He doesn't have his mullet/rat tail anymore. We kept it of course, and split it up in three sections, some locks of hair for each set of grandparents and ourselves. The rest of the afternoon, we kept asking each other, "What does he look like doing this? (the hulk, for example)"..."What about that?" "Does he still look cute doing that?" His face is much rounder without all that hair. He looks different, but in a good way. We both agree that he's still cute. He just looks more like a little boy now.
The funniest thing was that we told Chase not to tell Nana about his haircut, so that we could see if she would notice or not. Within minutes of seeing her, Chase touches his hair, and she goes "Oh, you got a haircut today!". Silly kid.
I couldn't go to yoga this morning because Chris had to be out of the house by 4 am this morning. Why on earth would Chris actually set his alarm to get up that early?! Well, he only does it about once a year. He went to go bike ride as a wheelchair escort for the Honolulu Marathon this morning. It was raining like crazy again all morning, so the runners must have been drenched, running through mud puddles and flooded streets. I actually found out that two of my students, a third grader and fifth grader, finished the marathon. Way to go!
After Chris rested up, we took an antsy Chase for a ride (so that he could finally settle down for a nap!). We went to Toys-R-Us to get him an Elmo Live. This one was $10 off today, so I wanted to buy this one (and return the other one that I already wrapped!). No more Christmas presents for him already. That's what I keep telling myself anyway. We'll see if it actually happens.
The big event today was that Chase got his very first haircut! We went to this kids' salon called Pigtails and Crewcuts. He got to play with the trains and balls while waiting for his turn. When he was up, he got to choose what kind of vehicle to sit in. I chose the fire truck for him. He stayed very still the whole time, with a worried look on his face. He was so overwhelmed (and scared) that he didn't even move. Once he got in the chair, he didn't want to play with the trains (that he was clutching ever so tightly in his sweaty fists), nor did he want to turn the steering wheel on the fire truck he was sitting in. Chase was so frozen, that the hairstylist even cut layers in his hair. Finally, at the end of 15 minutes, when it was all done, he broke down and started crying.
We were shocked. He looks like such a little boy now! He's not a baby anymore! He doesn't have his mullet/rat tail anymore. We kept it of course, and split it up in three sections, some locks of hair for each set of grandparents and ourselves. The rest of the afternoon, we kept asking each other, "What does he look like doing this? (the hulk, for example)"..."What about that?" "Does he still look cute doing that?" His face is much rounder without all that hair. He looks different, but in a good way. We both agree that he's still cute. He just looks more like a little boy now.
The funniest thing was that we told Chase not to tell Nana about his haircut, so that we could see if she would notice or not. Within minutes of seeing her, Chase touches his hair, and she goes "Oh, you got a haircut today!". Silly kid.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
A Rainy Date Day
Saturday, 13 December 2008
Today's yoga class was great. It's always nice to do yoga on a rainy day. But it's not so nice to have rain on a day out. Today was Date Day. The Halsalls watched Chase while Chris and I went to see "007: Quantam of Solace". It rained like crazy, thunderstorming, and flooding the streets. After Kua'Aina burgers for lunch, we killed time in a store. That's when we heard the thunder and the rain pounding the pavement. We got caught in a huge storm, without our umbrellas, and had to run across two huge intersections, completely soaked before we got into the theater. We ended up eating dinner at the Halsalls, so we could have some leftover turkey soup, perfect comfort food for a day like today.
Today's yoga class was great. It's always nice to do yoga on a rainy day. But it's not so nice to have rain on a day out. Today was Date Day. The Halsalls watched Chase while Chris and I went to see "007: Quantam of Solace". It rained like crazy, thunderstorming, and flooding the streets. After Kua'Aina burgers for lunch, we killed time in a store. That's when we heard the thunder and the rain pounding the pavement. We got caught in a huge storm, without our umbrellas, and had to run across two huge intersections, completely soaked before we got into the theater. We ended up eating dinner at the Halsalls, so we could have some leftover turkey soup, perfect comfort food for a day like today.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Night At The Mall
Friday, 12 December 2008
Congratulations to my part-time teacher Christina who gave birth to a healthy 8 pound baby boy, Raiden, this morning, on her birthday! What a special day!
Today was drier, but it's still wet out. My slippers were still wet when I put them on this evening. Went to CPK for an early dinner with some teacher friends. Chase was a bit overwhelmed by the new faces and chose to stand on my lap rather than sit in his high chair. Brenda (my new part time teacher) and her boys tried to entertain Chase. The two boys held Chase's hands as we walked through Macy's, but he started crying when he saw me. After a bottle of milk, he soon warmed up to the boys and started running around with them in the clothes section.
Met up with Chris and the Halsalls for my 2nd dinner of the night. We watched the 5th graders perform Christmas songs on stage at the mall. Great singing, choreography, and lots of Christmas cheer. It was a fun night. We woke Chase up from a slumber to give him a bath (because boy did his feet stink!). Then straight to bed!
I've been told that I'm over my limit for picture posting. We'll have to investigate further and see what I can do. The funniest thing today was when Brenda's son put his sunglasses on Chase. He just stood there and drank his bottle. He had the whole "I'm cool" look going on. It was funny. I'll post the picture if I can figure out how to do it for free!
Congratulations to my part-time teacher Christina who gave birth to a healthy 8 pound baby boy, Raiden, this morning, on her birthday! What a special day!
Today was drier, but it's still wet out. My slippers were still wet when I put them on this evening. Went to CPK for an early dinner with some teacher friends. Chase was a bit overwhelmed by the new faces and chose to stand on my lap rather than sit in his high chair. Brenda (my new part time teacher) and her boys tried to entertain Chase. The two boys held Chase's hands as we walked through Macy's, but he started crying when he saw me. After a bottle of milk, he soon warmed up to the boys and started running around with them in the clothes section.
Met up with Chris and the Halsalls for my 2nd dinner of the night. We watched the 5th graders perform Christmas songs on stage at the mall. Great singing, choreography, and lots of Christmas cheer. It was a fun night. We woke Chase up from a slumber to give him a bath (because boy did his feet stink!). Then straight to bed!
I've been told that I'm over my limit for picture posting. We'll have to investigate further and see what I can do. The funniest thing today was when Brenda's son put his sunglasses on Chase. He just stood there and drank his bottle. He had the whole "I'm cool" look going on. It was funny. I'll post the picture if I can figure out how to do it for free!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Nasty, Wet Weather
Thursday, 11 December 2008
Talk about a super nasty day! I don't remember it being this bad in a long time. I think the last time it was like this was when I came on vacation from Seattle in the winter time, expecting sunny, blue skies, and all we got was wet, wet, wet. Wet is actually an understatement. Many schools on the North Shore were actually cancelled today due to no electricity and flooding. Never have I had to use my umbrella to walk around out campus. But, since we have a totally outdoor school (not housed under one main building like schools on the mainland), EVERYTHING was getting wet. I had to catch coats that were flying around in the rain, backpacks had to be brought inside the classrooms, and when you entered a classroom, you had to close the door real fast before the rain and wind slammed you against the door! One kid even borrowed my umbrella to go to the bathroom. I brought my Seattle boots out just for the occasion. Good thing I did, because the lawns were so full of water, that they were flooding onto the sidewalks/footpaths. We decided to just go into all of our classrooms today instead of pulling out kids and having them walk down to our room through the wetness. When I left school, the rain had died down, but it looked like a hurricane had gone through the town. Many branches and debris were on the road, lots of traffic lights were out, and it was just a wet, wet day.
When we got home from the doctor's/pharmacy (Chase, yet again, thanks to the VOG, sick season, and being in a daycare setting with other kids, is dealing with a sinus infection and a bad cough/wheezing.) to get Chase's antibiotics (He actually really loves the medicine!) and cough medicine, I came home to a very wet lanai. Thank goodness we had closed all the windows before we left. Everything was strewn about. All the shoes outside were soaked. Buckets were full of water, and stuff had blown down into the yard. It was pretty crazy, not to mention Chase scared me when he flipped over a bench backwards and fell flat on his back, hitting his head on the tile floor of the mall. But, he's okay. He ran around like crazy after a bit of consoling from Mommy. I think the kid's got a pretty hard head.
It would have been a great night for hot yoga, but I debated going Christmas caroling with the ALS Support Group, and when I passed on that due to Chase's sickness and the inclement weather, I passed on yoga as well.
Let's hope tomorrow is a drier day! Shucks, we really should have planted more grass seed though. It would have gotten a good watering today!
Talk about a super nasty day! I don't remember it being this bad in a long time. I think the last time it was like this was when I came on vacation from Seattle in the winter time, expecting sunny, blue skies, and all we got was wet, wet, wet. Wet is actually an understatement. Many schools on the North Shore were actually cancelled today due to no electricity and flooding. Never have I had to use my umbrella to walk around out campus. But, since we have a totally outdoor school (not housed under one main building like schools on the mainland), EVERYTHING was getting wet. I had to catch coats that were flying around in the rain, backpacks had to be brought inside the classrooms, and when you entered a classroom, you had to close the door real fast before the rain and wind slammed you against the door! One kid even borrowed my umbrella to go to the bathroom. I brought my Seattle boots out just for the occasion. Good thing I did, because the lawns were so full of water, that they were flooding onto the sidewalks/footpaths. We decided to just go into all of our classrooms today instead of pulling out kids and having them walk down to our room through the wetness. When I left school, the rain had died down, but it looked like a hurricane had gone through the town. Many branches and debris were on the road, lots of traffic lights were out, and it was just a wet, wet day.
When we got home from the doctor's/pharmacy (Chase, yet again, thanks to the VOG, sick season, and being in a daycare setting with other kids, is dealing with a sinus infection and a bad cough/wheezing.) to get Chase's antibiotics (He actually really loves the medicine!) and cough medicine, I came home to a very wet lanai. Thank goodness we had closed all the windows before we left. Everything was strewn about. All the shoes outside were soaked. Buckets were full of water, and stuff had blown down into the yard. It was pretty crazy, not to mention Chase scared me when he flipped over a bench backwards and fell flat on his back, hitting his head on the tile floor of the mall. But, he's okay. He ran around like crazy after a bit of consoling from Mommy. I think the kid's got a pretty hard head.
It would have been a great night for hot yoga, but I debated going Christmas caroling with the ALS Support Group, and when I passed on that due to Chase's sickness and the inclement weather, I passed on yoga as well.
Let's hope tomorrow is a drier day! Shucks, we really should have planted more grass seed though. It would have gotten a good watering today!
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
ALS Support Group Christmas Party
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Though we didn't get to go to the North Pole, there was great food (and desserts), a one-man band, Christmas carolers who practiced on us (and are going to go caroling for patients who are bedridden at home this Thursday), and catching up with old friends and new ones. We did Christmas crafts, a little light bulb angel ornament, as well as Christmas card gift bags. And, of course, we came dressed in our Christmas hats. Chase had his Santa hat with his Grinch shirt and Elmo tool belt (the tool belt was merely for entertainment for the kid). I had my funky spiral hat, which I got lots of favorable comments on. Chris wore his black Scrooge hat of course.
My brother Jay came and got to meet some of the new clients with ALS. There are a few new families with diagnosed loved ones. It's always nice to meet them and talk to them about their symptoms, their outlook on life, and living with ALS. It was nice to meet Chester, who is spending his time with his family, traveling the world to many exotic locations, while he is still mobile. And, Paul, who is still driving (until he crashes his car, he says). It's nice to see people still maintain their sense of humor with this dreadful disease.
Chase loved running around the place, making a mess during dinner time (you can always tell where a toddler sits), and dancing during the caroling with maracas and bells in hand.
Though we didn't get to go to the North Pole, there was great food (and desserts), a one-man band, Christmas carolers who practiced on us (and are going to go caroling for patients who are bedridden at home this Thursday), and catching up with old friends and new ones. We did Christmas crafts, a little light bulb angel ornament, as well as Christmas card gift bags. And, of course, we came dressed in our Christmas hats. Chase had his Santa hat with his Grinch shirt and Elmo tool belt (the tool belt was merely for entertainment for the kid). I had my funky spiral hat, which I got lots of favorable comments on. Chris wore his black Scrooge hat of course.
My brother Jay came and got to meet some of the new clients with ALS. There are a few new families with diagnosed loved ones. It's always nice to meet them and talk to them about their symptoms, their outlook on life, and living with ALS. It was nice to meet Chester, who is spending his time with his family, traveling the world to many exotic locations, while he is still mobile. And, Paul, who is still driving (until he crashes his car, he says). It's nice to see people still maintain their sense of humor with this dreadful disease.
Chase loved running around the place, making a mess during dinner time (you can always tell where a toddler sits), and dancing during the caroling with maracas and bells in hand.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Never Underestimate A Child
Monday, 8 December 2008
Chase stayed home from the sitter's today, but his Nana watched him a couple of hours, then Chris came home from work to watch him, then I came home from work to relieve Chris. Chase was in a good mood and super hyper all day (Being sick does not slow this kid down one bit...In fact, right after we nebulized him in the morning, he did about 8 laps from the front door down the hallway to the bathroom to wave bye to me.). Besides the awful cough he has, you can't even tell he's sick. So, we just played. We went to a park, and he had fun running on the suspension bridge and sliding down the slides. The thing that amazed me today was how fast he's learning and picking things up. He had fun taking baby food containers off the shelves of the kitchen cabinet and stacking them into towers. Whenever they fell over, he would say, "Uh oh!" He showed me the sign for "milk" today. He said "dog" and "bird" when he pointed to them in books, and he said many of the animal sounds when he pointed to the different animals (his favorite sound these days is "roooooaaarrrrr!" whenever he sees a picture of a lion or a tiger).
I think we can start potty training Chase soon. We've always asked him if he needs his diaper changed. Usually you can tell by the concentrating look, the pause in activity, the grunting face, or all of the above. The past couple of weeks he's been pointing at his private area when he goes #2. So, he'll point, then we'll ask if he needs to change his diaper. He'll run to the appropriate diaper changing area (his bedroom in our house, or the quilt at Nana's house). He'll even lie down for us to change him.
Well, this afternoon I gave him a warm bath so that he could play and help loosen up the congestion in his chest. He gave me "the look", and he pointed down there, and I asked him, "Do you have to go to the bathroom?" He gave me this concerned look which affirmed that, yes, he probably does. But, he knew that we don't like him to go in the bath because that just ends bath time all together. So, I said, "Wait, don't go yet," as I frantically started fishing his bath toys out of the water. I told him, "Here, try to go on the potty." I showed him how mommy uses the toilet, but when I tried to carry him and hold him over the toilet, he wasn't down for it. He was probably scared of that big bowl of water. I told him, "You either have to go in the toilet or in your diaper. Don't go in the bath." I asked him if he was all done with bath time. He gave me another concerned look, as he didn't know what to do. He started to pee a little. I said, "Chase, don't go in the bath. Do you want to come out?" And, before you know it, he had pooped in the water. But, at least I was prepared for it. He was a little mad that bath time was over, but he had fun checking out his new monster pajamas in the mirror.
So, perhaps it's time to get a potty of his own, and he can try it out for himself.
I always underestimate what my kid knows. Since he's only saying words and babbling, I just don't know how much he remembers and learns from time to time. But, boy was I surprised when he taught me a lesson tonight. Because we bathed early, I fed him dinner, and then we got to play a bit and read books before bedtime. He was looking at this Baby Einstein Santa video someone gave us, and started pointing and talking to all the animals on the back of the DVD case. I named the animals for him: a dog, a penguin, and mice. Then, he pointed to the tiny 1 inch Baby Einstein logo/trademark: a bright, colorful caterpillar. I told him, "That's a caterpillar." He pointed to the bins of toys and books in the living room. I said, "No, I don't think you have a caterpillar," thinking about all the various stuffed animals and books he has. Then, he got down, walked over to a bin of books, and pulled a book out and gave it to me.
He immediately pointed to one of the colorful insects on the cover of the book, Ten Wriggly Wiggly Caterpillars.
"Oh, you're right Chase! We DO have a book about caterpillars! THAT is a caterpillar." So smart I tell you.
(...And I thought he didn't know what he was talking about.) Never underestimate a child, especially your own.
Chase stayed home from the sitter's today, but his Nana watched him a couple of hours, then Chris came home from work to watch him, then I came home from work to relieve Chris. Chase was in a good mood and super hyper all day (Being sick does not slow this kid down one bit...In fact, right after we nebulized him in the morning, he did about 8 laps from the front door down the hallway to the bathroom to wave bye to me.). Besides the awful cough he has, you can't even tell he's sick. So, we just played. We went to a park, and he had fun running on the suspension bridge and sliding down the slides. The thing that amazed me today was how fast he's learning and picking things up. He had fun taking baby food containers off the shelves of the kitchen cabinet and stacking them into towers. Whenever they fell over, he would say, "Uh oh!" He showed me the sign for "milk" today. He said "dog" and "bird" when he pointed to them in books, and he said many of the animal sounds when he pointed to the different animals (his favorite sound these days is "roooooaaarrrrr!" whenever he sees a picture of a lion or a tiger).
I think we can start potty training Chase soon. We've always asked him if he needs his diaper changed. Usually you can tell by the concentrating look, the pause in activity, the grunting face, or all of the above. The past couple of weeks he's been pointing at his private area when he goes #2. So, he'll point, then we'll ask if he needs to change his diaper. He'll run to the appropriate diaper changing area (his bedroom in our house, or the quilt at Nana's house). He'll even lie down for us to change him.
Well, this afternoon I gave him a warm bath so that he could play and help loosen up the congestion in his chest. He gave me "the look", and he pointed down there, and I asked him, "Do you have to go to the bathroom?" He gave me this concerned look which affirmed that, yes, he probably does. But, he knew that we don't like him to go in the bath because that just ends bath time all together. So, I said, "Wait, don't go yet," as I frantically started fishing his bath toys out of the water. I told him, "Here, try to go on the potty." I showed him how mommy uses the toilet, but when I tried to carry him and hold him over the toilet, he wasn't down for it. He was probably scared of that big bowl of water. I told him, "You either have to go in the toilet or in your diaper. Don't go in the bath." I asked him if he was all done with bath time. He gave me another concerned look, as he didn't know what to do. He started to pee a little. I said, "Chase, don't go in the bath. Do you want to come out?" And, before you know it, he had pooped in the water. But, at least I was prepared for it. He was a little mad that bath time was over, but he had fun checking out his new monster pajamas in the mirror.
So, perhaps it's time to get a potty of his own, and he can try it out for himself.
I always underestimate what my kid knows. Since he's only saying words and babbling, I just don't know how much he remembers and learns from time to time. But, boy was I surprised when he taught me a lesson tonight. Because we bathed early, I fed him dinner, and then we got to play a bit and read books before bedtime. He was looking at this Baby Einstein Santa video someone gave us, and started pointing and talking to all the animals on the back of the DVD case. I named the animals for him: a dog, a penguin, and mice. Then, he pointed to the tiny 1 inch Baby Einstein logo/trademark: a bright, colorful caterpillar. I told him, "That's a caterpillar." He pointed to the bins of toys and books in the living room. I said, "No, I don't think you have a caterpillar," thinking about all the various stuffed animals and books he has. Then, he got down, walked over to a bin of books, and pulled a book out and gave it to me.
He immediately pointed to one of the colorful insects on the cover of the book, Ten Wriggly Wiggly Caterpillars.
"Oh, you're right Chase! We DO have a book about caterpillars! THAT is a caterpillar." So smart I tell you.
(...And I thought he didn't know what he was talking about.) Never underestimate a child, especially your own.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Crazy Costco
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Note to Self: Do not go shopping at the busiest Costco in the nation on a Sunday afternoon.
We just happened to be in the area and needed a few things, so we stopped at Costco....It was nuts! I probably got stink eye from people as I fought for a parking stall. I thought I was going to ram my cart into someone, as I waited in traffic to navigate the aisles. I didn't even stop to get samples. It was just too crazy! We had to take a food break afterwards so I could refuel myself from the craziness.
At least I found one good buy today (not from Costco though): A fun spiral, bouncy hat for myself, and a black Scrooge hat for Chris. (We were advised to have Christmas hats for our ALS Support Group Christmas party on Tuesday night, but since my husband needs convincing to wear a hat for such an occasion, I thought the Scooge one was most appropriate.)
Chase has been coughing all last night and has a runny nose. When we got home, he had a 102.7 degree fever. Poor guy. Chris was under the weather this weekend too, so hopefully I don't catch it. We'll have to keep Chase home from the sitter's tomorrow. I would try to nebulize him, but not at this late hour, since it will keep him wired all night. So, let's hope that Tylenol helps him out tonight, and that he sleeps okay and we will reassess the situation in the morning.
One amazing thing he did today was when I was feeding him lunch. I asked him if he wanted more, and he showed me the sign for "MORE". I had never seen him do that before, and I've been using the sign for months. At least I know he's been paying attention! It was pretty neat to see him using his signs again.
Note to Self: Do not go shopping at the busiest Costco in the nation on a Sunday afternoon.
We just happened to be in the area and needed a few things, so we stopped at Costco....It was nuts! I probably got stink eye from people as I fought for a parking stall. I thought I was going to ram my cart into someone, as I waited in traffic to navigate the aisles. I didn't even stop to get samples. It was just too crazy! We had to take a food break afterwards so I could refuel myself from the craziness.
At least I found one good buy today (not from Costco though): A fun spiral, bouncy hat for myself, and a black Scrooge hat for Chris. (We were advised to have Christmas hats for our ALS Support Group Christmas party on Tuesday night, but since my husband needs convincing to wear a hat for such an occasion, I thought the Scooge one was most appropriate.)
Chase has been coughing all last night and has a runny nose. When we got home, he had a 102.7 degree fever. Poor guy. Chris was under the weather this weekend too, so hopefully I don't catch it. We'll have to keep Chase home from the sitter's tomorrow. I would try to nebulize him, but not at this late hour, since it will keep him wired all night. So, let's hope that Tylenol helps him out tonight, and that he sleeps okay and we will reassess the situation in the morning.
One amazing thing he did today was when I was feeding him lunch. I asked him if he wanted more, and he showed me the sign for "MORE". I had never seen him do that before, and I've been using the sign for months. At least I know he's been paying attention! It was pretty neat to see him using his signs again.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Christmas Parade & Honolulu City Lights
Saturday, 6 December 2008
We took Chase to a Christmas parade downtown and to see the Honolulu City Lights. Tonight, they lit the Christmas tree in front of Honolulu Hale (where our city council is), and all the decor downtown. Many downtown buildings have huge displays. My favorites are the red and green Japanese paper lanterns that line 'Iolani Palace grounds. I also love the Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Hawai'i style of course, with their bare feet, flashing their shaka signs.
The Christmas parade was awesome. We found a nice little nook to park our stroller and eat while we watched the floats. So many creative floats. The funniest was the police department vehicle with the policemen signing Christmas carols (and they said, "Can you tell this is not our day job?"). When the parade stopped for awhile, they joked that they they knew two songs..Where are the policemen when you need them to keep the parade moving?! The pimped out Handi-Van was quite hilarious. The other float I liked was more a hydraulic sled. The kids riding inside had fun I bet. Besides, there are not too many sledding opportunities here in Hawai'i. And, of course, only in Hawai'i would you see someone (a girl no less) throwing flame torches in a winter parade. I wanted Chris to bring Chase up to the curbside so he could get me some candy from the parade people, but he didn't want to pimp Chase out for my sweet tooth. We ended up near a concert area, where local musicians were playing music, families were getting into the Christmas spirit, and people were eating and picnicking around the grounds. We stayed just long enough to let Chase run around, get some food, and head back for our half mile walk back to the car. It was well worth it.
We took Chase to a Christmas parade downtown and to see the Honolulu City Lights. Tonight, they lit the Christmas tree in front of Honolulu Hale (where our city council is), and all the decor downtown. Many downtown buildings have huge displays. My favorites are the red and green Japanese paper lanterns that line 'Iolani Palace grounds. I also love the Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Hawai'i style of course, with their bare feet, flashing their shaka signs.
The Christmas parade was awesome. We found a nice little nook to park our stroller and eat while we watched the floats. So many creative floats. The funniest was the police department vehicle with the policemen signing Christmas carols (and they said, "Can you tell this is not our day job?"). When the parade stopped for awhile, they joked that they they knew two songs..Where are the policemen when you need them to keep the parade moving?! The pimped out Handi-Van was quite hilarious. The other float I liked was more a hydraulic sled. The kids riding inside had fun I bet. Besides, there are not too many sledding opportunities here in Hawai'i. And, of course, only in Hawai'i would you see someone (a girl no less) throwing flame torches in a winter parade. I wanted Chris to bring Chase up to the curbside so he could get me some candy from the parade people, but he didn't want to pimp Chase out for my sweet tooth. We ended up near a concert area, where local musicians were playing music, families were getting into the Christmas spirit, and people were eating and picnicking around the grounds. We stayed just long enough to let Chase run around, get some food, and head back for our half mile walk back to the car. It was well worth it.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Peggy's Memorial Service
Friday, 5 December 2008
Attended Peggy's memorial services today at Kawaiha'o Church. Such a beautiful church. I think the last time I stepped foot in that church was for my high school baccalaureate services. Since it's the Christmas season, the church was beautifully decorated with lights and holiday decor. Chase and I sat towards the back, near all the other families with kiddos. There was beautiful music, singing, and eulogies. After the first twenty minutes or so, I had to take Chase outside and listen from the front entrance. He was okay sitting on my lap at first, but then he began climbing and standing and yelling. So he played outside with his toys for awhile, until the family that was in front of my car said they were leaving. So I took the opportunity to go as well. Chase is just way too active to sit still at a funeral. There were specials on TV and in the newspaper honoring the local artist for her work and contribution to Hawai'i. Even a few of her Peg's Legs got dressed in penguin costumes and antlers for the occasion, just as Peggy would have had she been here. But, she was there for sure, smiling down on everyone for her celebration of life. She has finally earned her wings.
Attended Peggy's memorial services today at Kawaiha'o Church. Such a beautiful church. I think the last time I stepped foot in that church was for my high school baccalaureate services. Since it's the Christmas season, the church was beautifully decorated with lights and holiday decor. Chase and I sat towards the back, near all the other families with kiddos. There was beautiful music, singing, and eulogies. After the first twenty minutes or so, I had to take Chase outside and listen from the front entrance. He was okay sitting on my lap at first, but then he began climbing and standing and yelling. So he played outside with his toys for awhile, until the family that was in front of my car said they were leaving. So I took the opportunity to go as well. Chase is just way too active to sit still at a funeral. There were specials on TV and in the newspaper honoring the local artist for her work and contribution to Hawai'i. Even a few of her Peg's Legs got dressed in penguin costumes and antlers for the occasion, just as Peggy would have had she been here. But, she was there for sure, smiling down on everyone for her celebration of life. She has finally earned her wings.
"Uh-oh"
Friday, 5 December 2008
Chase has a new phrase this week.
"Uh-oh"
I use the phrase often after I drop something (trying to refrain from cursing).
He's picked it up. Earlier this week, he would try to mimic me and would say "Uh, ooh, uh, ah".
He's been working hard on it ever since.
By today's he's got it down. Now whenever he drops something, or if I drop something, he goes
"Uh-oh!"...
Plus, he's added a few more words to his repertoire: "bath,", "bye," and "bus"
Chase has a new phrase this week.
"Uh-oh"
I use the phrase often after I drop something (trying to refrain from cursing).
He's picked it up. Earlier this week, he would try to mimic me and would say "Uh, ooh, uh, ah".
He's been working hard on it ever since.
By today's he's got it down. Now whenever he drops something, or if I drop something, he goes
"Uh-oh!"...
Plus, he's added a few more words to his repertoire: "bath,", "bye," and "bus"
Elmo!
Friday, 5 December 2008
We visited Taiga this afternoon since it's been awhile. Taiga shared one of his favorite cars with Chase (which he never ever would do before!). Miya found out about Chase's love for Elmo and decided to give us a lot of Taiga's Elmo paraphernalia (especially since they're trying to make room for Taiga's baby sister to arrive after the new year). We came home with a fuzzy Elmo chair that spins, an Elmo tool set belt, and an Elmo car. She's going to figure out a way to get the Elmo tool bench out of his room too. Chase must of thought it was Christmas (as if he even knows what that is anyway), because he was having a fun time sitting in his new chair and wearing his tool belt. Thanks, Taiga and Auntie Miya!
These pictures show Chase walking around with his blankets too. Reminds me of when I was a kid and would walk around with my baby blanket wrapped around my neck. Chase loves his Luna Lullaby and Aden & Anais muslin blankets. We have to keep one in almost every room of the house (or he'll end up putting it there anyway) and keep one in the car. They're super soft and comfy and big..perfect blankets for our hot and humid Hawai'i weather.
We visited Taiga this afternoon since it's been awhile. Taiga shared one of his favorite cars with Chase (which he never ever would do before!). Miya found out about Chase's love for Elmo and decided to give us a lot of Taiga's Elmo paraphernalia (especially since they're trying to make room for Taiga's baby sister to arrive after the new year). We came home with a fuzzy Elmo chair that spins, an Elmo tool set belt, and an Elmo car. She's going to figure out a way to get the Elmo tool bench out of his room too. Chase must of thought it was Christmas (as if he even knows what that is anyway), because he was having a fun time sitting in his new chair and wearing his tool belt. Thanks, Taiga and Auntie Miya!
These pictures show Chase walking around with his blankets too. Reminds me of when I was a kid and would walk around with my baby blanket wrapped around my neck. Chase loves his Luna Lullaby and Aden & Anais muslin blankets. We have to keep one in almost every room of the house (or he'll end up putting it there anyway) and keep one in the car. They're super soft and comfy and big..perfect blankets for our hot and humid Hawai'i weather.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Visiting Daddy's Workplace
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
For a couple hours this afternoon, I got to experience what it is like to work in an office. Security badges to get through every hallway and doorway, cubicles galore, and because it's the holidays, much Christmas decor (no I did not mean for that to rhyme). I admit that cubicle culture is foreign to me, having only worked as a teacher in schools and in restaurants/bars. I wonder how anyone gets any work done. (Though I have to admit, the Christmas decorations were quite impressive. Perhaps I can get some people to come over and decorate my classroom.) I teased Chris about his desk because it's just as messy as he is at home, with about 3 pairs of random shoes strewn about and papers covering his desk. Why did they put him near the front of the aisle? Peer pressure, I said. "Perhaps you should clean your desk." Chase found some nice treasures in Daddy's cubicle. He left the office holding a little reindeer and bright blue Peeps stuffed animal.
Today was Keiki Arts Festival. It is the only day the entire year that kids and spouses are invited into the building. Though we didn't submit a drawing for Chase, the biggest thing is getting to take a picture with Santa Claus (which Chase just hated and whimpered through the whole 5 second sitting, even though a kind elf tried to distract him with her colorful bells), the balloon making (which took us half an hour, though some people waited an hour), and of course, the refreshments. We sat Chase down for the face painting while I saved his place in the balloon line. Amazingly, he sat very still to get a Christmas tree painted on his leg and a red stocking painted on his hand. There were such neat balloon things made, like a rattle (with two little balloons inside a clear one and a handle that the baby could shake), Elmo, and reindeer. We got a dog made for Chase. He loves it, and immediately made the doggie walk on the floor and said "Woof woof".
Daddy was so excited for this day because he got to show off his son to all of his coworkers. They all told me how proud a Daddy he is, and they tried to figure out who Chase looked like, me or Chris.
We celebrated our belated birthdays tonight at the Halsalls with fettucine alfredo, the ritual of magic candles on birthday cakes (which Chase thought was just hilarious!), and presents. Of course, Ron (my father-in-law) and I had to have our own cakes.
For a couple hours this afternoon, I got to experience what it is like to work in an office. Security badges to get through every hallway and doorway, cubicles galore, and because it's the holidays, much Christmas decor (no I did not mean for that to rhyme). I admit that cubicle culture is foreign to me, having only worked as a teacher in schools and in restaurants/bars. I wonder how anyone gets any work done. (Though I have to admit, the Christmas decorations were quite impressive. Perhaps I can get some people to come over and decorate my classroom.) I teased Chris about his desk because it's just as messy as he is at home, with about 3 pairs of random shoes strewn about and papers covering his desk. Why did they put him near the front of the aisle? Peer pressure, I said. "Perhaps you should clean your desk." Chase found some nice treasures in Daddy's cubicle. He left the office holding a little reindeer and bright blue Peeps stuffed animal.
Today was Keiki Arts Festival. It is the only day the entire year that kids and spouses are invited into the building. Though we didn't submit a drawing for Chase, the biggest thing is getting to take a picture with Santa Claus (which Chase just hated and whimpered through the whole 5 second sitting, even though a kind elf tried to distract him with her colorful bells), the balloon making (which took us half an hour, though some people waited an hour), and of course, the refreshments. We sat Chase down for the face painting while I saved his place in the balloon line. Amazingly, he sat very still to get a Christmas tree painted on his leg and a red stocking painted on his hand. There were such neat balloon things made, like a rattle (with two little balloons inside a clear one and a handle that the baby could shake), Elmo, and reindeer. We got a dog made for Chase. He loves it, and immediately made the doggie walk on the floor and said "Woof woof".
Daddy was so excited for this day because he got to show off his son to all of his coworkers. They all told me how proud a Daddy he is, and they tried to figure out who Chase looked like, me or Chris.
We celebrated our belated birthdays tonight at the Halsalls with fettucine alfredo, the ritual of magic candles on birthday cakes (which Chase thought was just hilarious!), and presents. Of course, Ron (my father-in-law) and I had to have our own cakes.
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