Learning to Live

Chase's New Blog: The Adventures of Chase

2009-01-01T22:16:00.006-10:00

Because it's a new year, I decided to start a new blog. This time, it's Chase's blog. (Well, the real reason I started a new blog is because I've exhausted my photo storage limit to post pictures on this blog, so I just decided to start a new one, as I'm too cheap to pay for upgraded storage space.) It's more interesting to see and hear about Chase anyway, especially since he's growing up so fast! Chris can now add his two cents and feel like a part of the blogging world, which has become such a part of my everyday life for the past few years. Besides, our lives revolve around the little guy, and I could use an additional author's point of view!

So, the question is: Will I keep updating my current blog? Well, I have had it for about 4 1/2 years now. It would be sad to just let it go unedited. But, seriously... with a toddler, home improvements, a husband, and a teaching job, who has the time to update 2 blogs? Yes, life must go on.

That being said, please check out Chase's new blog at www.chasetales.blogspot.com

Oh, and Chris, Chase, and I wish you all a happy new year! Welcome to 2009 (I'm going to have to get used to writing that.)!

On New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T23:27:00.004-10:00

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.

Active Chase

2008-12-30T23:10:00.004-10:00

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!"

BLACKOUT! Chase is 18 Months Old!

2008-12-27T21:34:00.008-10:00

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.

Lots and Lots of Christmas Presents

2008-12-25T21:42:00.001-10:00

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??

Mele Kalikimaka!

2008-12-25T00:29:00.002-10:00

Thursday, 25 December 2008

Merry Christmas! May you, your families, and loved ones enjoy a wonderful Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

On Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T23:00:00.000-10:00

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!

Quarantined At Home

2008-12-22T21:43:00.004-10:00

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!).

Sick Boys

2008-12-21T19:07:00.004-10:00

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!

Winter Vacay Is Here!

2008-12-19T21:59:00.003-10:00

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.

Funny Chase

2008-12-15T21:54:00.002-10:00

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.

Does He Still Look Cute When He Does That?

2008-12-14T22:28:00.001-10:00

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.

A Rainy Date Day

2008-12-13T22:23:00.000-10:00

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.

Night At The Mall

2008-12-12T22:17:00.002-10:00

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!

Nasty, Wet Weather

2008-12-11T22:39:00.005-10:00

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!

ALS Support Group Christmas Party

2008-12-09T23:02:00.003-10:00

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.

Never Underestimate A Child

2008-12-08T19:24:00.004-10:00

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.

Crazy Costco

2008-12-07T17:19:00.009-10:00

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.

Christmas Parade & Honolulu City Lights

2008-12-06T18:01:00.003-10:00

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.

Peggy's Memorial Service

2008-12-05T22:17:00.004-10:00

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.

"Uh-oh"

2008-12-05T22:14:00.004-10:00

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"

Elmo!

2008-12-05T18:21:00.002-10:00

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.

Visiting Daddy's Workplace

2008-12-03T22:01:00.004-10:00

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.

2008-11-30T23:06:00.001-10:00

Sunday, 30 November 2008

My high school/college friend/roommate Chris and his wife Ali, along with kids Adam and Claire visited Hawai'i this past weekend. I hadn't seen Adam since he was 1, and this was the first time we met 6 month old Claire. I was laughing because here was a 6 month old 21 pounder, and then there was Chase, a 17 month old 21 pounder. She's solid, that Claire. Chase enjoyed "parallel playing" with the sand and toys, alongside the big kids. Claire enjoyed using Chase to pull herself up. While eating some Thanksgiving leftovers, Ali and I compared baby stories and were amazed that Chase and Adam had very similar sleeping, nursing, and temperament patterns as babies. She said that if I have a second one, it should be much easier. That would be nice!

Our visit was so short, but hopefully we'll get to see the Hendersons again if we make it to Seattle this spring.

33 Years and Counting...

2008-11-29T20:08:00.007-10:00

Saturday, 29 November 2008

Started off the birthday with a great yoga class this morning. It's always nice to do hot yoga when it's cold and wet out.
When I got out of class, there was a message on my cell phone. I never get phone calls at 7 in the morning. Checked my messages and it was Chris and Chase singing "Happy Birthday" to me, although Chase didn't really sing at all. I think I could hear him breathing on the phone though.

It turned out to be a day of eating. Chris made my usual scrambled eggs for breakfast. We met friends for dim sum for lunch. Miya had done a wonderful job of assembling people last minute to go eat dim sum. The 5 boys were there. The thing I love about dim sum is that the food just comes right out. You pick what you want and they just pile all the little tasty morsels on the table. It was faster than a fast food drive inn! We ate to our hearts' content, then Miya brought out a cake that said "Happy Birthday, Tanya" (When did she get this all done in the last couple of hours?) She brought candles and plates. The boys had fun helping me blow out the candles, though I REALLY blew them out because no one wants spit all over the cake. Chase was mesmerized by Aiden and his dinosaur toys. It was nice to get together and enjoy lunch with some friends.

We headed to the mall, and I shopped and got waxing done while Chris and Chase went to go wish Popsicle a "Happy Birthday" (Chris' dad has the same birthday as me.). It's always fun to have great conversations with your esthetician, as we gabbed about Halloween costumes and ex-boyfriends. Hairstylists and estheticians find out all the gossip, and then you return every month or so to continue the stories.

They picked me up, and off we went to dinner. We went to a nice Japanese restaurant recommended by my friend. We were the second table seated and we were there for a couple of hours. Chase only wanted to be seated for about 10 minutes. Then, Chris had to clean off all the sticky rice molded all over Chase's clothes and fingers. We took turns entertaining him because he just wanted to be loose. Chris did most of the entertaining (after all, it is my birthday), and I kept sending Chris out in the rain to go get wipes, go get a book, go take Chase for a walk, and go get this and that for Chase. It would have been better if we had someone watch Chase, but our other sitter option, Aunti Stevi had her birthday today too. Kinda hard when everyone has the same birthday. At least Chase wasn't fussy. He was just super active. But, the chanko nabe we ordered was delicious. Fresh veggies, tofu, chicken, shrimp, clams, crab, salmon, and mochi in a savory, simmering broth. We had a few of our favorite morsels of sushi (unagi for me and ume for Chris), and finished off with some udon noodles at the end.

Well, not quite...We actually finished off the night with Bubbies ice cream in sugar cones....Mmmm!!!...Got Chase home, bathed, and to bed. Took a couple more phone calls from friends, then watched a movie with Chris.

One of my friends in Seattle sent me a card and said, "I hope you have a terrific birthday - maybe Chase will be sweet and easy, you'll get some fun "me" time and dinner will be waiting for you on the table....a girl can dream right?!" Well, my dream must have come true because it was a full day of eating and fun with my friends and the family...a pretty terrific way to spend my 33rd birthday.

Black Friday

2008-11-28T23:49:00.004-10:00

Friday, 28 November 2008

I survived Black Friday shopping with a 17 month old toddler. Starting at 8:30 am, I left the house with a mission to get only the things on my post-it note. Bikram yoga studio was the first stop. Chase was super clingy to me, probably overwhelmed by the regular yogis trying to visit with him. My friend's daughter (a few months younger than him) tried to shove Scooby Doo graham crackers in his mouth, which he took of course. But, he just wanted to hang by me while I tried on clothes. I managed to find out that Chris had visited the studio before work and bought some items for me already, but somehow I still managed to get some things for myself as well. After all, it is my birthday tomorrow.

Spent the next few hours at Ala Moana Shopping Center braving the crowds. Again, stuck with my list. Went only to the places where I had a birthday coupon to use or a store that had a crazy % off deal. Made out with some Christmas gifts, a cardigan, and some sandals that I needed, all on sale of course.

Chase had one meltdown (too much time in the stroller). He wanted to swim with the koi, and those fish entertained him a bit while I ran into Stacy and her sister. I tried to hold him back from leaning too far over the wall, and he kept pushing my hand/arm away. He just wanted to get a really close up look at those fish, Mr. Independent! Chris met us at the food court for lunch, but was not crazy about the crowds, so he just watched Chase while I got and ate my lunch. By afternoon, Chase just wanted to be free. He tried to run all over the mall, but of course, I couldn't let him do that in such a crowded, big mall.

So, I let him run all over the shoe area in Nordstroms (which I'm sure they just loved, him making circles around the cashier area and jumping on their nice leather couches). At one point, I told Chase, "Okay, Mommy's going to go bye bye." And, of course, what did he do? He just waved bye to me.

He crashed on the way home. But he still had plenty of energy to run around at home the rest of the afternoon.

Chase is 17 Months Old!

2008-11-27T10:20:00.012-10:00

Thursday, 27 November 2008

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday to Chase! Hope all of you are spending quality time and giving thanks for good health, good family, and good friends. We will be heading to the Halsalls' soon (and then to the Hyatt to "hunt and gather" our turkey dinner...The boys will go of course. They only have one bullet, so they better know what they're doing. Ready to go meals that are loaded into the car are hard to come by these days.). Here's Chase playing with Daddy's favorite G.I. Joe toy. He likes putting the guy on the stand and putting the gun in the guy's hand.

Things He's Into These Days:

* Drinking whole milk from a bottle! (He enjoys milk more than water these days. Last week he went through one whole gallon jug of milk from Costco...in just 7 days!)

* Putting things into containers (wow, maybe he'll be organized and anal-retentive!). He gets really frustrated if he can't take all the crayons out and put them all back into the box. He'd much rather do this than actually color with the crayons. He also still likes putting rocks into bowls, putting lids on their appropriate containers, and trying to fit containers into other containers, putting shoes in their shelves, etc.

* Reading, reading, reading (We have books in his crib, books all over the house, books in the car, & books in his stroller.)

* Finding the littlest things: He'll always find the tiniest piece of lint on the ground, or the littlest rock, or the tiniest bug or truck in a picture of a book and point to it. He's very observant and has attention to detail, that's for sure.

* Pointing (He points to things when he wants something, and usually says, "Yes?".)

* Running and jumping and climbing and sliding (He now climbs up and down all our furniture without help, and he can climb the stairs without holding onto a railing or holding onto someone's hand. He also loves going down slides on his tummy.)

* Spinning round and round in circles (He loves "Ring Around The Rosy.")

* Building towers and stacking blocks, then trying to carry them around while balancing them

* Dancing (The boy's got rhythm. He'll start dancing if he hears music, whether it be music from a book or the radio. The boy likes to move!)

* Putting things behind things. He loves putting his toys behind the gate (and then asking me to get them for him) or putting things behind the couch.

* When I ask him, "Where's your nose?" or "Where's your head?", he points to the correct body part. He knows his eyes, head, ears, nose, mouth, hands, and toes. He also likes singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" with Mommy and Daddy.

* Mimicking what we say and our sounds. Every time I open the sticky front door, he grunts like I do and laughs. I even said "Oh damn!" the other day when I dropped something, and he copied what I said. Gotta watch what comes out of our mouths!

His Favorite Books:

* Five Little Monkeys: When I read, "Five little monkeys jumped on the bed..." he'll make a jumping, bouncing motion with his body. Then, I'll say, "One fell off and bumped his head" and he'll hit his head gently with his hand. I'll get to the part where Mama calls the doctor and the doctor says, then he'll go "No, no, no, no, no". It's really cute to see him interact with the book and understand what we're reading.

* Pop-up Books

* Little People books. These books have a lot going on, but he enjoys all the action. He likes looking at details. He'll find the tiniest bug or smiley face on the spine of the book and point to the same one on the back of the book. Or he'll find the little tractor in the background of the page. He likes finding the little things in the pictures.

Things He HATES:

* Having stuff on his hands. If he gets rice on his hands, he'll go, "Eh, eh, eh" and motion for you to clean his hands. The other day, he had a strand of hair stuck to his hand. He'll get sand stuck to his hands. He'll fuss until you clean his hands. Since when did he turn OCD?

Words He Says:

* This
* Daddy (with the emphasis on the second syllable...."Da-deeee")
* Yes?
* Down
* Done
* No
* Wow! (with inflection and expression)
* Whoa! (I think I must say this a lot.)
* Bark (when he sees a dog in a book or in person, he always says, "Bark, Bark")
* Moo (when he sees a cow in a book - though it sounds just like "Mmmm"/And if I ask, "What animal says "Moo"?, he points to a cow.)
* Hooray! (He says it when we're singing "If You're Happy and You Know It" and raises his arms towards the ceiling.)

Sounds He Repeats In His Babbling/Talking:

* Dugga, Dugga, Dugga (He must just like playing with his tongue.)

This is a really fun age. Chase understands everything and is so much fun! Plus, now that he sleeps through the night for 12 hours at a time, we can enjoy our dinner and a Blockbuster movie night uninterrupted (most of the time). On this day, we give thanks for having a healthy, funny, and very happy boy. My Uncle Jimmy called this morning to wish us a Happy Thanksgiving, and he remarked on how Chase looks like my father when he was a baby. That makes me smile, and I hope my dad is smiling down on us as well.

Here's the Thanksgiving dinner spread (compliments of the ready -to-meal from the Hyatt hotel, Chase playing with his vintage McDonald's plate (a.k.a. Chris' old plate), Chase frustrated because I'm taking a photo rather than reading his favorite drawing book, and Chase taking a bath after Thanksgiving dinner).

Visiting Lisa

2008-11-24T22:56:00.008-10:00

Monday, 24 November 2008

Picked up Divina this afternoon, and we went to visit Lisa. Living in the house she grew up in, down the street from where she went to high school, the young school teacher is now bedridden and incapacitated. But her mind is fully functioning, which is the hardest thing about ALS or Lou Gherig's Disease. It was a sad visit with Lisa. My dad always had a soft spot in his heart for dear Lisa. She always had a connection with him, as she looked up to him for advice when she was first diagnosed with the disease.

http://lisa.oceanit.com/mambo454/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Diagnosed with ALS in her late 30's, Lisa got hit hard and has been progressing fast. Unfortunately, she got the bulbar ALS, which affects the speech/respiratory first. She must be only 40, if that, and this horrible disease has taken her body almost completely. Her face is droopy, like Peggy's was. She has a feeding tube and a trach, totally dependent on the ventilator 24/7 to breathe. Her stomach is bloated like my dad's was (she joked that she is expecting). She can only move her eyes. It was frustrating for her to move her head to use the signal to beep. Her mom spells everything for her on a pad of paper, and goes "First half...A, B, C..." until she gets to Lisa's desired letter. She knows it's the letter when Lisa looks up with her eyes for "yes". If she looks to the side with her eyes, it means "no". It took about 5 minutes for her to spell out "He is adorable," referring to Chase, whom she met for the first time today. I apologized for having not visited her the past couple of years. It's been a busy time with baby.

Lisa still has her sense of humor though, even though the muscles in her face has atrophied so she can no longer form a smile. Her mom told us that she's smiling inside her heart.

I feel really sad for her. Her dad talked to me. He asked me how long my dad lived with ALS, how we knew he was dying, and the events that led up to his death. I told him about the oxygen, the respiratory failure, the morphine we administered, how we were all by his bedside when he passed. Lisa's dad expressed how he wishes it was him. Why does he have to see his young daughter go through this? It should be him, he said. He's ready to go. "Take me," he said. It must be so hard for her parents, to know that they will outlive their daughter.

Though Divina was at her bedside most of the time, I was chasing around my little guy, making sure he wasn't destroying the house. He took their white board pens and tried to throw them away in the garbage can, threw the coasters behind the couch, ran up and down the hallway, etc. When I wasn't chasing Chase, we were sharing with Lisa and her mother Jane about Peggy's condition before she passed. She also asked about Divina's husband Britt, who's been slowly progressing with ALS for almost a few decades now. I could tell by the questions that Lisa was asking, that she's trying to figure out what to expect for herself, when she will be able to tell it's her time.

Lisa shed a lot of tears. I think she knows her time is coming up. She's finding it harder to communicate. She doesn't want to be a burden to her family. She actually wrote a letter to her parents this past June and asked them to take her off the ventilator, but they convinced her not to. Now, she's holding on, hoping to see her niece graduate from high school next June. Her mom told me that an ex-boyfriend of hers (whom she dated for 14 years), recently found out she's sick and has been visiting her. You can tell from the photographs and letters around the room that she has a lot of friends who have been there to support her along the way. But, if she can no longer communicate, she would like to go.

She has made her own "bucket list" of things she would like to do. One she did a couple of weeks ago, when her family took her to see Cirque du Soleil. Next, she wants to drive around the island. She also wants to go in the ocean.

Before we left, her mom told us that she wanted to thank us for coming, that she wanted us to hold hands with Lisa, as we listened to Na Leo Pilimehana's song "Friends". As the local group sang the words "Friends are friends forever..." Lisa cried. In fact, it was hard for all of us to hold back the tears. I wiped the tears away from Lisa's cheeks, gave her a hug, and kiss. I know my dad would want to send a hug to her too.

A Day at the Beach House

2008-11-23T22:51:00.001-10:00

Sunday, 23 November 2008

Spent the day hanging out at the Waianae beach house with the Keane's, the Halsalls' Irish friends. Loved the stories spanning their 40 year friendship, the Irish accents, and the good food. Chase ran around like a wild child from the moment we got out of the car until we left. He literally ran around for 6 hours straight, barely sitting down to eat lunch or dinner. We took a nice walk down the beach as the sun set, stopping to visit with a local guy playing guitar on the rock wall. Chase loved picking up sticks and things. His favorite find (besides the feel of sand between his toes, which he loved more than playing in the ocean) was drinking from the spout from the outdoor shower. He thought it was so much fun! We dined on grilled steaks, potatoes, corn, salad, and macadamia nut brownies outside on a picnic table by the beach house. It's a good thing we bathed and changed Chase into his pj's before we left because he was out like a light on our 45 minute drive home.

...And it was completely dry today! So much for the flash flood/storm.

The Oceanarium

2008-11-22T23:32:00.001-10:00

Saturday, 22 November 2008

After a day of blustery, rainy, wet weather, and flash flood warnings statewide, we decided we should stay in no more. We went to dinner with the Halsalls at the Oceanarium, a restaurant at the Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki. This restaurant has a two story tall aquarium. They joked that it was my birthday dinner (both my father-in-law and I have the same birthday on the 29th). I'm totally fine with that. I stuffed my face with about 3-4 plates of food, and then topped it off with a plate of desserts. Chase liked watching the fish, though he wasn't quite phased when the man inside feeding the fish waved at him. This is the 2nd year in a row Chris and his mom have missed their opportunity to make a birthday sign for us in the aquarium. Chase had the most fun going up and down the stairs leading down to the restaurant. He played peek-a-boo with us from above.

Farewell, Peggy...

2008-11-20T13:19:00.005-10:00

Thursday, 20 November 2008

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081120/NEWS01/811200367/1001

Read the beautiful article written by Honolulu Advertiser's Lee Cataluna, a dear friend of Peggy Chun's. Peggy lost her 6 year battle to ALS last night. With deepest sympathy to the Peggy Chun Ohana.

No Running!!!

2008-11-19T22:57:00.005-10:00

Wednesday, 19 November 2008

After work, I picked Chase up at the sitter's and went back to school for a staff meeting. I don't usually attend staff meetings (since they're after my work hours and I don't get paid to go) but they said this one was an important one. I missed half of the meeting, but found out later that our principal (who has been on sick leave since the second week of school) is no longer going to be our principal. He was going to retire, and now he took a job as the director of Human Resources or something. So, now we're still on the hunt for a principal. The rest of the meeting was filled with less-than-encouraging discussions on budget cuts for next school year.

A few of us teachers went to the mall to hang out and talk outside Jamba Juice. We managed to just talk about personal stuff rather than school stuff, though my friend and I spent a lot of the time preventing Chase from running towards the parking lot (since we were outside) and throwing his ball into the bushes. He had fun running away from me, throwing his ball into mall-goers' paths, and jumping into the pretty bushes to fetch his ball. My friends quickly figured out why his "Kolohe" shirt he was wearing seemed more appropriate now. We noshed on pretzel bites and a Groovy Guava Jamba Juice. He drank about 11 ounces of milk prior to all this running and activity. So, when we went into Whole Foods later, he started coughing and threw up all over me and himself. It was nasty. He has never puked like that before.

I quickly called Chris (who was going to meet us at the mall because we were going to go visit friends with their new baby) and told him that we would need to come home first to bathe. I undressed Chase out of his puky shirt and shorts before putting him in his carseat. I tried to lay the dry parts on my shirt, so I wouldn't get puke all over the seatbelt. Then, we quickly drove home so we could get refreshed.

Once we were all cleaned up, we headed to Jared and Korin's house to visit baby Noah, who is only a couple weeks old. It was so neat to hold a tiny baby again. I forgot how little and light they are! And, so calm. This baby just slept while I held him and we all talked baby stuff. Chase wanted to climb all over the place to see him, but was more interested in Baby Noah's exersaucer and toys (which he won't be using for awhile, I informed the new parents.) It was fun. We took lots of pictures and went home to feed Chase and put him to bed.

Lesson learned: Don't let Chase run and play all crazy wild after he downs 11 ounces of milk and eats a whole cup full of pretzels. He HAD a really full tummy!

A Cranky, Crazy, Wet Monday

2008-11-17T20:01:00.011-10:00

Monday, 17 November 2008

Gotta have a crazy Monday to start off the week. It has just been one of those days. We started training Brenda to replace the almost 37 week pregnant Christina, my part-time teaching assistant for the ELL program. Though I'm sad to see Christina go, I know she's checking out about now, and needs some R&R before her baby boy arrives. Usually I finish work at 1 pm and take my time prepping stuff for the next day and picking up Chase. But, I forgot I was going to go visit another elementary school to check out their computer programs for a 17 page grant I recently wrote. So, off we went. We stopped at Zippy's for a 20 minute lunch, then I had to head home to meet Divina from the ALS Support Group. She just posted a new blog for our group (www.hawaiials.blogspot.com), but was having some technical layout issues, so she came over to the house to get some quick tips. We struggled through some of our own technical issues a bit, then finally got a few things figured out within an hour or so. Next, it was off in the rain to pick up Chase, trying to beat the clock so I would get there before 4 pm. I probably got there at 3:59 pm, the last parent to pick up her child.

It's a good thing I brought Chase a bottle of milk because he tanked it before we even pulled out of the driveway. I had to head to Costco in the rain to get groceries. We ran into the Halsalls, which was a pleasant surprise. Of course, they had to stop and read to him between carts (and we ended up purchasing a few books, because those are always good distractions for Chase). I was worried about toting Chase and the groceries down 80 stairs in the pouring rain by myself, so I tried to load the car quickly. As soon as I got everything loaded, then shook him clean of the layers of cracker crumbs and noodles and apple crisps (thanks to free samples from Costco!), we were off....

Well, almost. He started screaming and pointing to his empty bottle of milk. So, with the engine running, I had to look for the gallon jug of milk I just purchased and fill his bottle up (and of course, the jug was at the BOTTOM of all the groceries.) Chase tanked it down before we got to the second stoplight (but at least we got out the driveway this time). So, we're heading down Kalanianaole Highway, with a screaming baby. I told him he'd have to wait because we're almost home. Of course, "we're almost home" is kind of a lie because now it's commute traffic hour and it's raining, so the roads are quite busy. A few more traffic lights, and I just pull into a 7-Eleven so that I can pour him another bottle of milk (Thank goodness there's a whole gallon jug.) I told him that after this bottle, he has to wait until we get home. Yet again, he drinks that bottle, and starts screaming again. What does he do this time? Chase throws his bottle. I scold him and tell him "Oh well. No more milk because you threw your bottle." But then I get visions of spilled milk all over the car. So I pull on the side of the highway, where there's not much of a shoulder, and put my hazards on, to look for the bottle. Of course the bottle is upside down dripping on stuff. But, I think he drank most of it. (And yes, I've learned that I need to start carrying a bigger bottle now that Chase is into drinking from a bottle. This is all still new to me, this bottle/cup stuff.)

So, after cleaning everything up, I put that bottle away and offer him water. But, no. He screams. So, I tell him. "Well you're just going to have to scream all the way home." And, he did. (He was also tired though because he didn't have a second nap, so I figured part of this "tantrum" was from being cranky, and soon enough, he would fall asleep.) And wouldn't you know it? Just as we pull into the driveway at home, he STARTS to fall asleep.

But this is not good because it's pouring out. I have to figure out how to put a sleepy baby into my carrier in the rain. Then gather all the perishable groceries (Chris can get the rest when he gets home tonight), and attempt to carry them down 80 plus slippery stairs. Of course... Chase wakes up during all of this.

We walked in the door close to 6 pm. The next hour was filled with more screaming and tantrums. Chase didn't want to eat. As I tried to put groceries away, cook, and feed Chase at the same time, Chase proceeded to throw most of his food on the ground. I let him play for a little bit. That helped, until he realized that I was still cooking and not playing with him. So, he started bringing all of his toys and books and pillows into the kitchen, which was just not going to work. He tried to eat again in his highchair. I sat his crazy orange guy near him so he could be near him. Chase was eating noodles and started to feed orange guy the noodles. He started to get frustrated because this orange stuffed animal was not responding to his offer. I told him, "Chase, the orange guy does not want noodles." He threw noodles on the floor, and hit crazy orange guy on the floor, at which point crazy orange guy started breaking out into hysteric laughter as he does when you bonk him (I'll have to put a video of him on here one day...He really is a crazy orange stuffed thing.)

Finally, when dinner was ready (because I was famished and beginning to lose it myself), I sat down to eat with him. He was still more interested in playing. I gave him crayons to play with. He was content for about 5 minutes, until he realized that he could not fit 2 big crayons into the already full crayon box. He started getting really frustrated and impatient. He didn't want my help, and he was determined to fit those crayons in the box. He screamed and cried and grit his teeth. Stubborn child I tell you. I know my dad is smiling because this is just the sweetest revenge. (I used to have horrible tantrums when I was younger, and both Chris and I are stubborn.)

Soon enough, both crayons and food were all over the floor. So now the dining room and kitchen were a mess. I told him, that's it. We're done. Straight to the bath. But, first he had to pee all over the changing table, once I took his diaper off, and started laughing. Troublemaker, I tell you.

He thoroughly enjoyed his bath time. We sang our ABC's, "If You're Happy and You Know It" (and he really enjoyed stomping and raising his arms and saying "Oo ay!" (Hooray), and read books. He also tried to climb up the bath walls, stretching his legs into some pretty funny positions. He tried chewing on the bath faucet as well. He was happy and smiling, and near the end, gave me three big hugs. I think he just missed me all day (and he's REALLY tired).

I lay him down in his crib, told him "Goodnight. I love you," and he sucked on his blanket and went straight to bed. No wimper. No nothing. Out.

Which will be me in about half an hour (Oh, and did I mention that Aunty Flo stopped by for a visit today?). It was just one of those days..... just a cranky, crazy, wet Monday. I just told Chris the story of my day, and he gave me a big hug and laughed. Yeah, have fun cleaning up the mess, buddy.

Peggy's Early Thanksgiving

2008-11-16T00:19:00.008-10:00

Sunday, 16 November 2008

Chase and I are on our own today, since Daddy has to work with Keora again today at the park helping her do raku. He works at the park (where we met) a few times a year doing the hard labor for her. Today, he'll come home all stinky and sweaty after pulling hot ceramic pieces out of a garbage can.

This afternoon, Chase and I went to Peggy Chun's early Thanksgiving party at her house. Though we weren't close, Peggy is a well-known local artist who has been such an inspiration to others. She was gracious enough to "talk" to my dad when he was struggling with ALS, and now, close family and friends and others from the ALS support group, as well as many whose lives she has touched, will be thanking Peggy for being such a wonderful artist, friend, wife, mother, and grandmother. Over 130 RSVPs were sent in. Tents were ordered for the front lawn. A hospital bed was rented for her to join the activities outside. They rented a bouncer for the kids. We crossed our fingers that we wouldn't get drenched in the already wet neighborhood of Nu'uanu. It was a potluck. So everyone brought food and drinks to share. We brought chow mein noodles and got there at the start of the party, at 2 pm.

Over the next few hours, people came and went. I kept commenting on how I never saw that dish or that dessert. I guess the best thing would have been to wait till the end, but then again, you took a risk of food being gone. I described the day to Chris as being a celebration of life. It was almost like a funeral, except the person (Peggy) was lying there on her hospital bed under the tent, with her ventilator on and nurses close by. A friend gave a blessing. Other local celebrities, like Wally Amos, from Famous Amos cookies, was there. Her husband Elroy did a "eulogy". One friend got on his guitar and sang a song for her, the song that had inspired her to paint a cover. People went up to Peggy to say a few words to her. One little girl got on the microphone and told Peggy that she was her biggest fan and that she was so sad that she had ALS, such a terrible disease. I talked to Peggy's husband, son Eric, and daughter-in-law Kimi. Kimi said Peggy is loving today. This is exactly what she wanted, to be surrounded by the friends and family (many of whom, including her new granddaughter, flew in from the mainland to pay their respects) and have fun. Prayer flags hung from the awning of the house. People sang and played guitar. Kids jumped like crazy in the bounce house. Once Chase woke up from his nap, he thoroughly enjoyed petting Peggy's dog Maka, going up and down the slide, riding the swing, and dancing to the live music. He even got to go fishing for mud (since he missed all the crayfish) in the pond.

Though Peggy has had a huge support network of friends and family (often referred to as Peg's Legs) that have been by her side over the past 6 years she's had ALS, members of the ALS support group came by to visit and bid her farewell as well. Even Vi Jones-Medusky brought all her kids, including her eldest daugher, model/surfer Malia Jones. I had fun talking to Malia's husband about my baby carrier and baby stuff, since they're expecting their first baby in a few months. Vi, who recently had a fun run/adventure trek to raise money for ALS (check it out on the support group's new 'work-in-progress' blog: www.hawaiials.blogspot.com), still can feed herself, but is in a wheelchair. It's always so heartbreaking to see these healthy athletes afflicted with such a debilitating disease.

Today was a big day for Peggy and her family and friends. It was a bittersweet day filled with lots of music, kids, art (We got to take away her 2008 calendar filled with her paintings.), love, and laughter. I'm fortunate to have been able to spend some time with her. As I told her before we left, she has been such an inspiration to everyone, through her love of art, life, and laughter. Even though I never knew her pre-ALS, I can tell from today's celebration what a wonderful person she is. Happy Thanksgiving, Peggy, and to the rest of the Chun Ohana!

"Yes?"

2008-11-15T23:07:00.000-10:00

Saturday, 15 November 2008

Chase has been sleeping so good, that I successfully snuck out of the house at 6:45 am so that I could get to 7 am yoga on time without him realizing I was gone. It was a productive rest of the day around the house, which was fine since it turned out to be a wet day. I wanted to take Chase to a couple of school fairs around town, but once we got working on our house chores, time just flew by. While I did load after load of laundry (I think I did about 5 altogether), Chris took Chase to Home Depot to get a new sprinkler system for the yard and those ring things and dishes for the stove burners. While Chris was cleaning the bathrooms, I took Chase up to Auntie Stevi's so he wouldn't be in the way. He had fun playing with trucks and blocks and his car ride-on toy. He also had fun trying to run away from me as I tried to take out the piece of lint he was sucking on in his mouth.

Speaking of sucking, he's been doing less of the boob this week. Much less. I think he tried once today, but only for a couple of seconds each side, before he returned to playing. So, I think he's weaning himself, and I'm drying up. He's been wanting more and more milk from his 4 oz. Dr. Brown's bottle. He drank about 5 bottles today. His favorite word these days is "Yes?" He'll point to something or just look at me and nod his head repeatedly and say, "Yes?" in that cute little voice with his high inflection. He'll say "Yes?" to just about anything, whether it be a book he wants me to read to him, a drink he wants, or a food he wants. He says it before I even ask him a question! Guess he knows that if I ask if he wants food, something to drink, or if he wants to read, he'll most likely answer "Yes?".

Nordstrom's Cafe

2008-11-14T23:02:00.000-10:00

Friday, 14 November 2008

Chase and I met Daddy after work for an early dinner at Nordstrom's Cafe, which is just a walk from his office. Chris pushed Chase around in the stroller after dinner, so that I could do a little shopping (for sale things of course!). Of course Chase had the most fun taking crayons in and out of the box during dinner (He would point towards the floor when one fell out and keep grunting and pointing until we picked it up for him. You know, you can't have only 3 crayons in the box, when there is space for 4.) After dinner, he had the most fun playing with the foot measuring tools when Daddy was window shopping for shoes.

Round and Round We Go

2008-11-13T14:47:00.000-10:00

Thursday, 13 November 2008

Chris took Chase to the doctor's this morning because we were worried that his screaming in the middle of the night meant he might have an ear infection. But, turns out he just has a cold. His ears and lungs are fine. So, I cancelled the afternoon "Madagascar" movie with Miya and Taiga, and picked Chase up at the Halsalls.

They were sitting eating lunch when I got there, so I finished mine as well. I taught Chase how to do "Ring Around the Rosy". He loved it. We would fall down, then he would come over to me and grab my hand and say "Yes?", indicating that he wanted to play again. We spun round and round about ten more times....

That is, until he threw up his lunch.

Ha! Guess we shouldn't have spun around so many times after eating.

Went to yoga tonight, and it just about kicked my butt. I mean come on now... when there's humidity in the air from all the vog outside, there really is no need to turn on the new ceiling heaters along with all the floor heaters!. It was so hot in there that I thought I was going to pass out. And from looks of everyone else after class, I know others were suffering too. I swore under my breath the whole time for the teacher to open a darn window or door! And, Alexis, the owner, told me afterwards, "But don't you feel like a rock star when it's that hot?"...

Yeah.....NO.

Chase wasn't the only one going round and round today. I felt like I was going to get sick as well tonight.

Running Non-Stop

2008-11-12T14:40:00.001-10:00

Wednesday, 12 November 2008

Now that Chase is at a daycare where I can pick him up as late as 4 pm, sometimes I get errands done (like grocery shopping, cleaning, getting work done at school, or cooking) before I pick him up. Other times, like today, I pick him up around 2 pm so we can spend time together.

This afternoon, I took him to Kahala Mall. One of his favorite things to eat there is plain pretzel bites from PretzelMaker. He can eat about 15 of them in one sitting! He started running circles around the table we were at. Then, he ran away towards the bright kiosk in the mall. He didn't even look back for me. I had to chase after him. People were probably wondering where this baby's mother was.

He ran circles and circles around the kiosk, laughing hysterically as I played hide and go seek with him.

It's a good thing all those pretzel bites and running around tired him out for an afternoon nap.

When we got home, my brother Jason was watching TV in the house. Once Chase woke up, he was a bit groggy to say hi to Uncle Jay, but he perked up once we headed upstairs and saw the dogs. They visited the dogs, and then Chase ran more circles around the driveway.

People had told me that I better watch out if I name him "Chase" because that's exactly what I'll be doing. Sure enough, it's true.

It's Snowing!

2008-11-11T12:45:00.008-10:00

Tuesday, 11 November 2008

It's snowing near our house! Well, kind of. I can pretend anyway. I've had to close the windows on one side of the house, but always end up sneezing and scratching the upper side of my mouth anyway, when the wind blows. When we walk up the first flight of stairs, it's like we're walking on snow, as the stairs and the ground surrounding the stairs, are covered in white. The bees are buzzing overhead, and the fragrance of the white flowers are so strong. It's that time of year again when the mock orange tree flowers are blooming.

Yoga wiped me out this morning. We're just hanging out at home with Chase. We may go out and get some yogurt at my yoga friend's new yogurt shop. Then, we'll drop the kid off at the Halsalls, and the rest of the evening is ours. Looking forward to seeing Cirque du Soleil - Saltimbanco tonight!

Box Car Racing!

2008-11-09T16:47:00.002-10:00

Saturday, 8 November 2008

What do you get with a dozen kids, a race car track, and one-wing and two-wing box cars? A lot of fun riding and friendly competition. Today, after a great yoga class and a quick stop at a neighborhood craft fair, we headed out to Kunia for Box Car Racing for Taiga's 3rd Birthday. We enjoyed good food and a couple hours of riding. I teased Chris for bringing his full face bike helmet, but then I wore it when it was my turn to ride. Chris had fun doing rides with Chase (and I tried it out a few times as well), but Chase is a little too young to really get into it. Half the time, his helmet was falling over his eyes during the rides. Chase had fun laying on the cool concrete, playing with sticks, and pouring cupfuls of ice cold water over himself.

We went to visit Vince. Again, Chase had fun playing with weeds and running up and down his driveway. We went to Waikele Outlet Mall, since we were in the area. I bought a pair of $10 shoes and a cute dress for work. Vince joined us for dinner at Chili's. Chase had fun taking crayons in and out of the box they gave him. It was a long day. We didn't get home to put Chase to bed until after 9 pm! Boy was he tired!

What Do You Say?

2008-11-07T22:27:00.003-10:00

Friday, 7 November 2008

What do you say when you know someone is dying? She has definitely lived and fought a strong battle. After 6 years of being afflicted with the horrible disease (and hers a familial one - as she lost her twin sister, mother, and grandfather to ALS), Peggy Chun has decided to move ahead with her "end-of-life plan". I remember when my dad first was diagnosed with ALS. We arranged to visit her. She graciously met with us, and started giving us advice on everything my dad should do and check out. Since my dad had already lost his fine motor movements in his hands, I frantically took notes on everything she had said. Two and a half pages later, we had walked out with lots of helpful information, from a veteran if you will. She told us everything from who the best doctors were to the best foot massager to help the circulation in the legs. The spellboard she used back then and her ERICA computer system (where she moved the mouse with her eyes to type the letters) is no longer operable. In recent months, she has lost her ability to control her eye movement, the only movement she's had in years. Since her ability to communicate is failing, she has decided to start the weaning process from the ventilator.

Chase and I met a few others from the ALS Support Group as we visited Peggy in her colorful, eclectic Nuuanu home this afternoon. An artist with a flair for drama and a love of color, Peggy's room has always been full of photos, paintings, lights, funky decor, and now, a decorated Christmas tree. After the nurse fixed her eyes and strapped her chin so her mouth would close, we stood around Peggy's bed and talked to her. Divina rubbed her cold hands, which were wrapped in socks to keep the heat in. Chase warmed up (after waking from his car ride nap) and was interested in her cat and all the angels hanging from the ceiling, the Christmas decor, and of course Peggy. I held him in front of her so she could see him. I really didn't know what to say, but she moved her eyes a bit to where Chase was, so I knew that she was interested in him.

We chatted a bit about ALS support group stuff, the Christmas caroling, donating a turkey for Peggy's early Thanksgiving celebration, and visiting another friend Lisa, who apparently is also losing the battle with ALS (which is so disheartening to hear as my dad always had a special kinship with Lisa). Peggy's family and friends are surrounding her with love these days, and they're trying to fulfill her "bucket" list of things to do by partying it up. Coming soon, they're taking her on the Superferry to Maui, and having a pajama party at her place so they can roast smores (since she's always wanted to go camping, but will have to camp "in" this time.).

I showed Chase Peggy's book, The Watercolor Cat, which covers the story of her battle with ALS, along with her colorful watercolor paintings. It was a nice distraction while we were in traffic with a fussy Chase. I am grateful for meeting Peggy and knowing her, even if it was for such a short time. She was an inspiration to me when my dad had been first diagnosed with ALS. Her courageous and positive attitude has always been so wonderful to see (as it was to see her dressed up in costumes for almost any occasion!). Her team of "Peg's Legs" and family have been so united in supporting her 24-7 through this journey. Her lively spirit will be missed, but she has touched the hearts of many, and so I know her spirit will live on.

Sportin' A New Do

2008-11-06T17:07:00.000-10:00

Thursday, 6 November 2008

This afternoon I spent three hours in a salon getting a new do: short hair with layers, highlights, AND bangs! It's a cute do. I really like it.

Chase saw me blowdrying my hair and looked up at me with endearing eyes and said, "Wow!"

It was really cute.

Obama!!!

2008-11-04T18:58:00.007-10:00

Such an exciting time, and history-making for sure, as I watch Obama's moving victory speech and hear fireworks in the neighborhood....Obama has just been declared the President elect, proving that it is possible. America has its first African American president. Though our votes cancelled each other out in our household, I have always been an Obama supporter. Too bad they didn't have the right size t-shirt for Chase that said "Obama 'Ohana" (Obama Family)...It's a bittersweet victory for Obama tonight since his beloved "toot" ("tutu", or grandmother, in Hawaiian) passed away yesterday (and they said they WILL count her vote even though she passed away). Who would've predicted that an African American man raised in Hawai'i (and who graduated from the same high school as my brother and husband) would become our next president?

As Barack Obama said in his speech,

"America can change. Our union can be perfected....

...Yes, we can."

Well, it's about time change has come to America.

Election Day

2008-11-04T11:39:00.005-10:00

Tuesday, 4 November 2008

I was regretting not turning in my absentee application so that I could have voted already. But, it's really not that big of a deal since Hawai'i made today a state holiday. So, I didn't have to work anyway and find time to vote. It was nice to not have to rush and get ready this morning. I actually had time to eat breakfast (not that I slept in or anything), and Chris took Chase to his parents' on his way to work (yeah, poor guy still has to work). I went to 9 am yoga, came home and ate lunch, then headed out to vote. I could have walked the several loops up the hill, but I decided to drive (after all, I sweated enough already this morning). Then I worried about finding parking at the small little park, but luckily one of the three stalls was free. To make it even better, there were no lines to vote. My friends working there said I chose a great time to vote because it was slow.

Half an hour later, I'm back home, deciding what to do with my day. Chase is at the Halsalls, and geez, I could go shopping or clean the house. Shopping it is. I hear I can get free coffee at Starbucks (not that I really drink coffee) and get free ice cream at Ben & Jerry's this afternoon, just for voting. Wow, life is rough.

So, who did you vote for to be the future president?

Who Has Time Anyway?

2008-11-02T20:54:00.007-10:00

Sunday, 2 November 2008

While Chris worked for Keora today and went hunting and gathering for things up trees (an annual thing he does to help out the Parks & Rec's class for wreath making), I went to yoga in the morning (though my neck and shoulders are still so stiff - thanks to carrying a toddler - that I can't quite get into my backbends as easily as before) and then came home to do 5 loads of laundry. I remember a time, when Chase was an infant and I was home on maternity leave, when I used to be able to clean the house, do load after load of laundry, cook, and even have some "me" time. But, now, with an active toddler, time just seems to pass on by.

So, it's not often that I have the whole house to myself (Chris had dropped off Chase at his parents before he went to "work"). Usually the dust piles up as much as the laundry. When you juggle tasks of cleaning, cooking, and watching a toddler, piles just end up being moved around the house. After all, our house is really just littered with Chase's toys and things. So, it was nice to finally put all those piles of things away in their appropriate places. It's a start.

By the time I picked Chase up at noon, he had eaten two breakfasts. He had 2 eggs, oatmeal, honeydew melon, and pancakes. Then he slept for an hour and a half. My goodness! The boy definitely has my appetite. He was so active this afternoon, playing in the dirt in the yard while I hung up clothes, reading books, throwing golf balls (yeah we stopped that one real quick after he threw them directly at me and laughed), and climbing all over furniture. My attempt to put him down for an afternoon nap was unsuccessful. By the time we met the Halsalls for dinner at Big City Diner, he had fallen asleep. He slept halfway through dinner. But woke up just in time to finish my salmon and brown rice entree. With a full tummy, he should sleep good tonight. And perhaps I can carve out some "me" time.

2008-11-01T22:27:00.001-10:00

Check out Chase's stash of Halloween goodies. Not bad for a 1 year old. But, guess who gets to eat all the candy...he he he...Chase helped carve a pumpkin the day after Halloween. I wanted him to feel the pulp on the inside and help me take out the seeds. He had a lot of fun putting the seeds back into the pumpkin and would just laugh. Chris talked to him through the pumpkin head, and Chase was quite curious about that. He must have thought Daddy turned into a big pumpkin head or something. We enjoyed eating the pumpkin seeds afterwards (well what was left of them since Chase discovered, during the washing procedure, that it was much more fun to throw seeds all over the kitchen.)

Celebrate Kaimuki

2008-11-01T20:11:00.002-10:00

Saturday, 1 November 2008

Growing up in Kaimuki was nice. It's always been a neighborhood full of mom n pop shops and the main thoroughfare for buses. Now, the mom n pop shops are disappearing. More trendy shops and restaurants are appearing, with my yoga studio and a few others in the vicinity. I don't really spend too much time walking around the neighborhood. But, this afternoon, we walked down the hill (about ten minutes to get down and about 20 minutes to get up). It was my idea. I must have had a spurt of energy from yoga class this morning. But Chris ended up pushing Chase in the stroller each way! (and now our shins are paying for it) HA! The main street was closed for a fair/block party. Stores had set up camp on the street. Restaurants were selling food outside. I enjoyed dim sum from Happy Days Restaurant, strawberry tapioca from Cafe Laufer, and Korean food bento from Kim Chee 2. There was live entertainment. Chris found his favorite G.I. Joe toy (I'm assuming it will be a collectible) at Toys & Joys. We checked out the craft fair at Kaimuki Park, where Chris' mom was selling her ceramic coasters. It was nice to park the stroller and Chase at their booth so that we could stay out of the sun when we wanted (while spraying a few coasters for customers of course). We window shopped. Actually, I got to shop for a necklace since the vendor wanted to trade for some coasters (and Audrey didn't want anything). We spent the whole afternoon there. Chase was super active, running all over the place, playing on the playground, and he loved the water fountain. Auntie Stevi and Lauren came down. They ended up buying Chase a couple of cute local t-shirts. My favorite: "My name is Kolohe." (Kolohe means "rascal" in Hawaiian) . Rented a movie tonight..."The Bank Job". An interesting movie full of surprises.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T22:31:00.005-10:00

Friday, 31 October 2008

I managed to catch glimpses of the Halloween parade at my school while I was holed up in my classroom writing a grant. Some kids couldn't figure out what I was dressed up as today, while others said I looked too nice as a pirate. Chase was the only one at daycare who wore his costume for half an hour without ripping it off. He came home with a bunch of goodies - much more than I would have thought a one year old would get for Halloween.

Tonight, we dropped him off at Kahala Mall with the Halsalls so that we could go out. We figured he's too young to understand Halloween yet. Chris and I went as pirates again and headed to the Honolulu Academy of Arts for their annual Halloween party/Art After Dark. We met friends there, ate, walked through museums, and danced. We saw two Juno couples. That was cute, especially since we just watched the movie last week. It wasn't too late of a night. Our "Incredible Hulk" was fast asleep by the time we picked him up. For a one year old who didn't go trick or treating, Chase sure did end up with a lot of candy! And, he stayed asleep until 7:30 am the next morning!

2008-10-29T22:19:00.000-10:00

Uncle Gary had the avocado tree trimmed since it was going into the neighbor's yard. This huge tree has been giving us grocery bags full of plump avocados for years. We used to climb up and play with my cousins on top of the roof of the carport when we were little. Now, you can actually look up and see the blue sky through the branches of the tree.

Arrgghh!!!

2008-10-29T21:17:00.005-10:00

Wednesday, 29 October 2008

5 pm Chase and I get home from daycare and take a shower.
5:30 pm Chris gets home from work and feeds Chase while I get ready
6:15 pm We head to Kahala Mall with pirate costumes
6:20 pm I think I should head to school to get paper to make pirate ship. Chris doesn't think I have time. I go anyway.
6:40 pm Back at the mall with construction paper, scissors, glue, and tape (So glad my school is across the street from the mall!) and we sit on the floor and start constructing while Chase is entertained by the Halsalls
7:00 pm Get takeout from Panda's and eat on the floor of the mall amongst the hundreds of dressed up kiddies
7:45 pm After the "Under 1", "1-2", "2-3", "3-4", "Kindergarten-Gr.1", we're finally up: "Family/Group"

Running around in the afternoon for last minute outfits, and rushing to school in the complete darkness to grab construction paper to fashion a boat around the stroller, worked out well since we won 3rd place at Kahala Mall's annual Halloween costume contest tonight. We figured Chase didn't have a fancy enough costume (You can't just put the kid in a simple store bought costume) to enter him as an individual for his own age category.

So we decided to enter the "Family/Group" category. That worked better for us since there were only about 10 other competitors compared to about 50 in his age category. Though there was another set of pirates, I think we won because we had a lot of pirate paraphernalia (It WAS probably the gigantic skull-n-crossbones flag and red skull adorning the stroller that clinched it. Though the last minute life preserver and anchor were nice touches as well.).

And when the emcee asked me for a comment, all I could say was, "This kid's ready to jump ship." And he sure was. It was way past his bedtime (8:30 pm) and he was about ready to lose it by the time we got off the stage. Some of my parents and students and the Halsalls were there taking pictures. Guess we'll have to save our Popeye-Olive Oyl-Sweet Pea idea for next year. It's worth putting in a little effort for the $65 worth of gift cards we got as our prize. Plus, just seeing all the creative costumes out there was hilarious.

My faves (though I have to admit we were so busy entertaining the kid, eating, and getting the stroller boat ready that I hardly took any photos): The hot air balloon kid, the clown standing on his hands, the kid in a porta-potty, the box of crayons, the King Kamehameha baby in a boat (wagon)- which was so awesome I wanted to borrow it for our costume, the colorful peacock, the Coppertone baby.

Parents go all-out for this competition. It's like they've been sewing and constructing these costumes for a year! So, I was surprised our last-minute put together costume won a prize (We actually spent more money on our costumes than on Chase's since his were pajamas). Thanks to a husband that loves skulls and anything pirate related! Go figure. Arrggghh!!!

First Dentist Visit

2008-10-28T20:29:00.000-10:00

Tuesday, 28 October 2008

Chase had an excellent first visit with a pediatric dentist today. Though we got a list of recommended dentists from our doctor, we chose Dr. Emily Bordner because Chris and I both worked with her as Summer Fun leaders when we were in college. Plus, she got some good reviews from other Honolulu Mommies. So, we went to see her today. Chase wasn't quite sure what the whole thing was about and who these strange people were, so he sat on my lap in the dentist chair.

As soon as she reclined us in the chair, he looked up towards the ceiling and saw Curious George on the TV overhead. He was entranced! He opened his mouth while Dr. Bordner looked at his teeth. He didn't even move. She said, "Well I usually don't clean teeth at this age, but hey, let's try." So, she proceeded to brush his teeth, and he still didn't move. He was so good! She said his teeth look fine, but to try to brush them after middle-of-the-night feedings. He's just waiting for his canines to come in, and he should have his full set of teeth. Since he got his teeth early, he may lose his teeth earlier. But, everything looks good!

They took his picture and we left with a postcard of his first dentist visit, along with a new toothbrush, which he just loves of course.

Chase is 16 Months Old!

2008-10-27T22:01:00.006-10:00

Monday, 27 October 2008

Chase got a happy report from Aunty Susie's daycare today. He went down for his nap easier today (less crying), and she said that everytime she looked at him, he reminded her of her new hapa (half Caucasian/half Asian) grandson who has such a good disposition like Chase.

Though he has been sick a lot this past month (no swimming and water play outside in over a month now!), with 2 ear infections, a cough, and 2 rounds of antibiotics, he has managed to keep his smile most of the time.

Chase's Latest Things:

* Still breastfeeding (yeah, the illnesses have really interrupted our weaning process)
* Dancing & Clapping his hands
* Wearing shoes (whenever he's ready to go somewhere, he brings us his shoes and sticks his feet out so we can put them on him)
* Throwing tantrums (uh-oh....Could this be a sign of the "Terrible Two's"?? Especially this week, he's been throwing a fit when he doesn't get his way or something he wants)
* Sleeping 12 hours each night (all the way through...It's a dream really...Amazing. Makes me actually not mind the tantrums so much because I am not so tired to deal with them. I can actually clean up, have "Me Time", watch a movie with Chris, AND check email/blog BEFORE I go to bed at a decent hour when Chase goes to bed so early (Since returning from California, he's pushed up his bedtime to 6:30 - 7 pm.)
* Mimicking with detail: He's always mimicked our actions and routines - brushing hair, reading newspaper/magazines, using the remote control, dancing, etc. - But, now he's starting to pay attention to more detail. He'll mimick the little sounds I make to imitate an animal (saying "Mmmmm" for "Moo" and "Buh Buh" for "Baaa" and "ticka ticka ticka" for a gecko crawling on the glass).
* Rolling his tongue (He likes trying to copy me when I roll my tongue. Since Daddy can't do it, I wanted to see if Chase got the genetic trait. Sure enough he did, though he can roll his fancier than I can.)
* Putting things in things - transferring objects from one container to another - and twisting lids/covers on and off things
* Saying "Yes", and really enunciating that "s" at the end. He used to just say "Yeah" all the time. The other day I asked him if he wanted to go home, and he replied, "Yesss". I turned around and asked, "What did you say?". Ever since he's been enunciating his "s"s, and it's really cute.

He's still a very happy-go-lucky kid, but I've noticed that he's definitely got Mommy & Daddy's stubborn temper and Mommy's frustration with perfectionism. If he can't fit a block into a toy or its correct space, he'll get really frustrated and just fling it across the room. He's not doing his signs, like "All done", as much anymore. So, it's hard to communicate with him. When he gets frustrated trying to communicate something he wants, he starts freaking out.

Chase has got almost a full set of teeth (He's going to visit a pediatric dentist for the very first time tomorrow!), loves smiling, laughing, and dancing, and still has an appetite like his Mommy!

Taking Care of The Boys

2008-10-23T20:10:00.004-10:00

Thursday, 23 October 2008

Chris stayed home from work today, and I made him an appointment to see a doctor. He never skips work, and he never sees doctors, so he must be really sick. By the afternoon, he was on an IV for dehydration, and he was given a lot of medication. Turns out he's got the flu.

Chase felt miserable today. After I picked him up from the Halsalls, he was just glued to me like an 'opihi (limpet). He nursed all afternoon. When he wasn't nursing, he was screaming inconsolably. I think his ears really hurt. Poor thing. He read a few books and played in handfuls of rice during dinner before playing in the bath. He did laugh and smile a bit tracking the geckos crawling on the window jealousies. He would copy me and say "Tick, tick, tick" and stick out his tongue to show how they eat bugs. During the chaos, I managed to cook a huge pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. But, again, it's 8 pm, the house is quiet, the sick boys are asleep, and I have a nice quiet meal to myself.

Guess it's time for "Grey's Anatomy."

A Long Day

2008-10-22T20:02:00.000-10:00

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Well, we found out the hard way that nebulizing Chase in the late afternoon is NOT a good idea. At all.

We all got only a few hours of sleep. It was like Chase was a newborn again. (Oh how I do NOT miss those days.)

Chase was cranky and hyper in the middle of the night. I tried nursing, fed him 1 1/2 containers of poi at 1:30 am, almost slept on the couch because he was kicking Chris in the face when I had him in the bed, and when we went into the living room, he just wanted to play with all of his toys.

Our crazy night made for a long day today. Chris put Chase to bed at 6:50 pm tonight. Chris skipped dinner and was in bed by 7 pm.

It was actually nice to have a quiet evening. I watched back to back episodes of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" while eating leftovers. I fell asleep by 9.

Nebulizing

2008-10-21T21:22:00.003-10:00

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

After a nice lunch with Kai after work, I picked up Chase from the Halsalls and took him to the doctor's. His coughing and wheezing, congestion, and fever have been lingering. After the doctor's visit (where Dr. Sia said, "At least he's a good sick kid," because you wouldn't know he's sick based on how active he is), we picked up the "kitchen sink" of medicines. I paid $136 (thank goodness the pharmacy called and said I could get most of it refunded with the insurance approval of the equipment I had to pay for upfront) for a whole shopping bag full of stuff.

Now, Chase has antibiotics and the same cough medicine routine he had last month. Plus, Dr. Sia went a little more aggressive and put him on a nebulizer. I was familiar with this machine since Miya's son Taiga uses one. Basically, we put Albuterol (used to treat asthma, though we have no history of asthma in our family) in the machine and it steams out the medicine into his nose and mouth through a fishy mask. It will help him to get rid of the bad cough. We can use it any time we want to attack the cough more aggressively.

The doc advised us to use it as soon as we got home since the medicine can cause hyperactivity. Thankfully, Chase went to bed at his usually time (probably from exhaustion since he hated the mask and and all that stuff blowing in his face.)

A Growth Spurt

2008-10-19T21:51:00.005-10:00

Sunday, 19 October 2008

This past week has gone quite well since we got back from vacation. The house was a mess (since I was so stressed and frazzled upon leaving). But, somehow I've found time to clean up a bit. Chase started his new daycare at someone's house this week. He was still getting over a cold. But, he did fine on Wednesday and Friday. He loves "Auntie Susie's" dogs (which often distract him to make the transition easier when Chris drops him off in the morning), he's a great eater, and he gets along with the other kids. The only thing we're working on is napping. He's such a light sleeper, that he has to get used to taking a nap in a separate room. The first day, he didn't take one until after 12:30 pm, a couple hours later than he usually does. The second day, he took a short one, but she had to let him cry it out for about 10 minutes before he finally went down.

Even though Chris has to wake up an hour and a half earlier than he usually does (we actually get up around the same time now!), having two carseats definitely helps with the picking up/dropping off. Besides, it's about time Chris woke up early!

We think Chase is going through some sort of growth spurt. This past week, he's been eating huge amounts of food at each meal. Plus he snacks throughout the day on Cheerios, cheese, crackers, and yogurt. He's also been (but I don't want to "bachi" (jinx) it) SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! And in a major way! He'll usually take an afternoon nap (one day this week it was even for two hours!), and then he goes down around 6:30 - 7 pm (a little earlier than usual). He doesn't wake up until 6:30 - 7 pm. A couple times, we've had to wake him up to leave the house.

I don't nurse him in the morning or at bedtime. For some reason, he wants to nurse in the late afternoon. So I usually nurse him once a day, around 4:30 pm.

He's also going through a major tooth spurt. He's got nearly all his bottom teeth in, including his molars in the back. It seems like his top molars are coming in quickly too. It's like he's sprouting new teeth daily!

We've never seen him eat or sleep so much before. Perhaps he's just getting older. Is this what happens when babies (I mean, toddlers) get older?! Wow. I like it.

It's been a productive week as well. Went out to dinner one night to celebrate my teacher friend's upcoming nuptials. It was a short three day work week, so it was a nice way to transition back into the teaching routine. I had to play mediator at a Professional Development Day on Friday for one of our grade level teams that have difficulty getting along. Had the windows guy come over and give me suggestions on getting our deck fixed and our windows updated. I also went to Bikram yoga 3 times this week. I would have gone a fourth time, but they were putting in new carpet at the studio on Thursday so the studio was closed. I'm still working out the stiffness in my neck and shoulders. My practice is still not tip-top shape, but if I can go 4 times a week like I used to, I should be good.

Today, we had to cancel from going to a 1st year birthday party for my Honolulu Mommies friend. I was so looking forward to taking Chase to the Water Adventure Park too, but he still has a cough and a runny nose (and for some reason had a low-grade fever yesterday), so we opted out. We took Chase to see the pumpkin patch instead. Though he was a little groggy from his nap when we got there and wasn't quite sure what all the pumpkins were about, he did enjoy picking up hay and he liked the goats and rabbits in the petting zoo. Got some good pictures and quickly chose three pumpkins for us to take home and hurried our dusty selves back to the car because it started raining. We stopped at a store to look at Halloween costumes. We already got Chase an Incredible Hulk one, but I'm still not convinced that's the one for him. Chris and I hope to have a date night on Halloween, so we're trying to figure out a couple costume for ourselves. Popeye & Olive Oyl? Pirate & Pirate Maiden? Salt & Pepper? Hmmm...things to ponder this next week.

Although we didn't agree on costumes, we did agree on one thing: Chase may be going through a growth spurt these days, but he's not quite old enough to enjoy things like a pumpkin patch. Let's hope he enjoys Halloween enough this year to even let us dress him in a costume! (Yeah, good luck!)

No Sleep Actually Isn't So Bad (Sometimes....)

2008-10-12T21:39:00.001-10:00

Sunday, 12 October 2008

After a fun-filled week of entertaining Chase and trying to get him to sleep at night (staying at three different places in 8 days didn't help provide any routine for the poor little guy), visiting relatives, aquariums, and enjoying long car rides, we were exhausted and ready to board the plane - especially because we all got about three hours of sleep last night. Perhaps our neighbors did too because the hotel rooms on either side of us both had their "Privacy Please" signs on their doors when we checked out of the hotel.

Chase was such a social bug this trip and would go with any of my relatives without us. I think he thought he ruled the hotel. After playing with his cousins and saying bye bye, my Auntie Shelley drove us to San Francisco Airport. We knew we had a long road ahead of us, with heading into the city on a Sunday. We were informed that Fleet Week was happening, as well as a 49ers game. So, we better prepare for heavy traffic. Our flight was leaving at 3:20 pm. We left El Dorado Hills (which is north of Sacramento) at 10 am. It took us 3 long hours in the car to get to San Francisco. We only had to stop once so Chris and I could switch seats so that I could console a grouchy baby. We had several GPS systems working with us, as well as suggestions from others on which route was the best to take in our journey. We cheated (by accident) by using carpool bus lanes and the Fast Track card to bypass the toll booth and about a half mile length of cars (Auntie Shelley hasn't received a ticket, so we think we're in the clear). If we hadn't taken our cheating route (by mistake of course), we would have been late for sure.

Checking in at the airport with all of our luggage and our newly purchased car seat and jogging stroller was no problem. Thanks to Chase, he gets an allowance of luggage at no charge (now that's surprising these days!). Chase was so exhausted from his lack of sleep, that he passed out for the first three hours of our flight on my lap. When he woke up, he was in a great mood, so we just had to entertain him for the last couple of hours until we landed in Honolulu. Chase was an excellent traveler today. Yet, I don't advise sleepless nights as a good plan to prepare for such travel.

Mom & Gary's Wedding - El Dorado Hills

2008-10-11T23:49:00.003-10:00

Saturday, 11 October 2008

It was a nice wedding ceremony today, atop a hill overlooking the Miraflores Winery. After we helped set up yesterday afternoon and discovered how cold it was going to be, we made a last minute run to Target to get Chase a sweater, hat, and mittens. He still had a rash on his right eyelid, ended up with a scratched up nose from falling on the rocks by the end of the day, and was nursing a cold he just caught. But, he did manage to have some fun rolling around in the grass, when he wasn't bundled up under a fleece blanket in his new BOB jogging stroller.

Gary's City Councilman friend got a 24 hour license to perform the ceremony in his white suit, which had been sitting in his closet for 20 years and had never been worn until today. Mom wore a suede skirt and boots. Gary was very emotional and spoke candidly about those close to him who had made today such a special event. He tearfully mentioned how Mom had brought Gary's daughter Andrea back into his life after the bad trucking accident he had a few years back when he had had a heart attack on the road. The rings were held in a gold jewelry box that Gary's stepmom had given Mom before she passed away. Gary spoke about a ring he had from his father that he hoped to pass on to baby Chase (if his daughter Andrea and Tom don't have kids). There were lots of tears and lots of laughter among the 85 guests.

Mom had a "Fall" theme, with lots of pumpkins, fruit, and food from the region. Everyone took some home before the end of the day. The only drawback was that because it was all outdoors, the only single restroom was down in the winery, so unless you wanted to hike back up the hill, we drove and waited in the long line to go to the bathroom. Chase enjoyed eating strawberries, cheese, and crackers. The luncheon featured delicious Italian food consisting of grilled vegetables, salad, a couple different types of pasta, and beef. The seven different types of cupcakes were decadent. I enjoyed the red velvet one. Each table had a blind wine tasting, with a Syrah, Zinfandel, or Merlot. There was a cork game (I think there were over 780 corks), which my brother Jason won. Many friends toasted the happy couple after the nuptials. They all said how warm Corky and Gary are and what fun they bring to any atmosphere. When the sun was shining and the breeze wasn't blowing (notice I'm wearing my long leather coat in most of the pictures), it was beautiful. Frank Sinatra music played in the background. Gary danced with his daughter Andrea, and then Mom, before the guests left. The pictures say it all...

2008-10-10T13:44:00.002-10:00

As usual, Chase is all bright and chipper early in the morning, while Daddy is still trying to sleep.

Here's Chase enjoying a neighborhood park near GlamMa's house (on a blustery October afternoon) in Sacramento, California.

2008-10-09T13:43:00.001-10:00

Here's Chase exploring his grandmother's (affectionately known as GlamMa) backyard in Sacramento, California.

2008-10-08T13:47:00.001-10:00

Here's Chase exploring his great-grandmother's backyard during our visit to California in October.

On The Road Again

2008-10-08T08:33:00.005-10:00

Wednesday, 8 October 2008

Chase was bright and chipper at 7 am. We ran around outside and inside, ate breakfast (he ate two bowls of jook again plus cereal and eggs!), and waited for Daddy to wake up. Now, it's 11:30 am, and we're all packed up and heading on the road again this afternoon to my mom's in Sacramento. We're going to take the scenic route and go through Berkeley to the REI on our way up north. Hopefully Chase will not be too fussy in the car. We've already missed our window of opportunity for his morning nap.

Just waiting for Chris and Chase to get back from taking Popo to the bank. Then we're off! My brother Jay and Shelly will get in tomorrow morning. They will be bringing Popo up for the wedding on Saturday in El Dorado Hills.

Children's Discovery Museum

2008-10-07T16:27:00.008-10:00

Tuesday, 7 October 2008

Today, we spent a beautiful sunny day indoors at the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose. Chase loved the water play, making balls float and bounce on water. He loved climbing all over the fire truck and steering the wheel. He paddled in a round Vietnamese boat. He played with dirt, sat on a bench in the garden, and pointed at airplanes flying into the airport overhead. He sat relatively still for storytime, and loved bouncing on the blocks. We explored every nook and cranny of that place for over three hours.

The ride home (though Chase was fast asleep) was exciting because there was a 50 car police chase on the freeway. We picked Popo up and headed to Costco so she could buy some books for Chase's early xmas present. We picked up a pizza and took it home to eat while watching the debate. Chase scarfed down Popo's jook (Chinese dish of chicken, rice, and carrots) and ended his night doing circles (so many that he'd get dizzy and fall down laughing) and running back and forth in the living room.

2008-10-07T13:41:00.000-10:00

Here's Chase (in funky action - I had the video camera in some crazy mode) who has discovered the piano at his great-grandmother's house in Mountain View, California.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

2008-10-06T20:23:00.005-10:00

Monday, 6 October 2008

Because Chase loved the aquarium so much yesterday, we decided to take him to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which I always loved as a kid. Turns out, I loved it as an adult as well. It was so worth the $25 admission. And, I just kept thinking what a terrible aquarium we have in Honolulu. It was worth the 1 1/2 hour drive, even though it wasn't the most scenic drive, but we did get to stop at a Target (Of course, Chris drove while Chase and I slept in the car).

We took over 4 hours to go through the entire aquarium. We got to see the penguin feeding, fish feeding in the two-story tall aquarium, and we met a nice couple from Scotland who had an 18 month old who loved playing on a bench just as much as Chase did. What we loved about this aquarium that differed from yesterday was that it was so kid/toddler friendly. In every large exhibit area, there was an area for toddlers and kids to play in with developmentally appropriate toys and things to explore at their level and in their size. Chase got to touch the dead man's fingers seaweed, the cow tongue seaweed, and the kelp. He loved spinning levers round and round. He pointed at all the birds and fish and laughed at the sea otters playing and gliding in the water. He just ran around and wiggled out of our arms if we were carrying him. He wanted to look at everything! Plus, he got to jump on a trampoline/water bed, stand under a wave (and not get wet!), slide down slides, crawl in tunnels to see moray eel and clownfish, sit in a turquoise clam shell, make stamp books and bookmarks, stand in a penguin egg, and get another magnet and keepsake ornament. We took lots of pictures and videos. This is definitely my favorite aquarium I've ever been to. It was such a fun day. And it was nice to see the Pacific Ocean again (we're so spoiled, but it is weird driving around and not seeing the ocean for such a long time).

On our way back, we stopped by the Gilroy outlets for about half an hour, then headed back home so we could get Chase fed, bathed, and to bed (because by that time, he had already woken up from his second nap and was tired of being in a car). He's been going to bed close to 9 pm each night. I guess he's still on Hawai'i time. He should sleep through the night tonight. He had a VERY busy day.

California Academy of Sciences

2008-10-05T20:09:00.003-10:00

Sunday, 5 October 2008

Chase woke up at a decent hour after a good night's sleep. We ate and played until Chris finally woke up at 9:30 am.

Today's plan was to drive to San Francisco to check out the new California Academy of Sciences museum that just opened last week at the Golden Gate Park.

Although we got to the city in an hour, it took us more than an hour to find parking. There was just so much going on at the park today. The garages were full, the streets were full, and the residential area was way too crowded. We just about gave up after an hour or so of driving around. (Thank goodness, we timed it well so Chase took his morning nap during the drive.) Finally, we ended up parking at a pay lot and walking into the park.

Of course by the time we got our tickets and made it inside, I was starving and in need of food. By the time we made it through that long line and ate, it was already 2 pm. So, we knew we had 3 hours to make our $25 admission worth our while. There were lines everywhere! It was like Disneyland. Lines for elevators, lines for exhibits, lines for the bathroom. That's what we get for going on a Sunday, close to opening week.

It was really cool though. The aquarium was very neat. Chase loved it. We didn't get to see any planetarium shows, and we missed the rainforest because the line was too long. But, the Living Roof was awesome. They tested 30 different native species for two years to see which would sustain without fertilization or irrigation. Now, those plants and flowers are growing on the roof, keeping the roof of this amazing structure cool and GREEN. We bought a souvenir magnet and took lots of pictures. There were over 6,000 people in attendance today, which was close to the grand opening day's count. Crazy. It's too bad we didn't have more time to see everything, but it was worth it.

We got back to Mountain View in time to pick up mom and Popo and head to the Chinese restaurant on Castro for dinner. Popo treated us to a banquet dinner with the family, which included a few of my aunts and uncles and a few of my cousins. My cousins took turns taking Chase to see the fish. They were amazed at how much rice Chase ate. My mom taught him how to play the drums with chopsticks on the table and his tea cup (great...). We all went back to Popo's and had dessert while watching Aunty Shelley and Uncle Keith's video of their recent trip to Europe. My great aunt Esther and great uncle Roger came over to visit Chase too, though he had to go to bed. Of course being the first great grandchild in the family, he's been getting more toys and treats from everyone.

Chase's First Red-Eye

2008-10-04T18:33:00.005-10:00

Saturday, 4 October 2008

After going to the doctor on Thursday to get antibiotics, earplugs, Sudafed, and nasal spray so my head doesn't explode on the airplane, and working till 3 pm on Friday finishing my 1st quarter report cards for my 50 + students (cuz there's no way I'm looking at them during intercession), we finished packing and got safely to the airport last night.

Of course, because we were flying on a red-eye, Chase missed his 7:30 bedtime. I tried to keep him away from the action, but he was still too overstimulated by all the people and the lights of the plane and the lobby area. So, by the time we sat down in our seats and were ready to take off at 9:45 pm, he was overtired. He screamed and cried. I tried to put him on the boob, but he refused and just screamed and arched his back and tightened his legs like he does when he's frustrated. Chris and I looked at each other like "Uh oh". Thank goodness, Chase only screamed until we took off. By the time we were in the air, he was nursing and quickly fell asleep.

It's much harder to travel with him on our laps now that he's bigger and not an infant. He's SO wiggly! He tossed and turned in his sleep, crying a little bit each time until he found a comfortable position. But he managed to sleep all the way through the flight.

Of course, we arrived at the crazy hour of 5:30 San Francisco time (which is 3 hours ahead of Hawai'i time, so it was really 2:30 am for us.). Chase was up by the time we landed because of all the bright lights they turn on in the airplane. He wasn't too fussy though. He actually enjoyed running around the baggage area in his glow-in-the-dark skeleton pj's (Thanks, Thuy! They're so adorable (and make it so easy to find him)!). By the time my mom picked us up at 6:30 am, he was wired and full of energy. You'll be happy to know that my mom taught him a new trick (while standing outside the baggage claim) - how to stick your finger in your nose. Lovely. We're not even here for an hour, and now he knows how to pick boogers out of his nose. Hopefully that trick won't stick.

Got to my Popo's, ate breakfast, and Chase explored the house and the yard. Our sleep schedules were all messed up today, but once we took naps, we were energized enough to go out in the afternoon. By the afternoon, Chase had found a ball to play with in the backyard, had explored all the ant patterns and had seen his first squirrel, and he had already broken a magnet and a couple of things in Popo's living room. Turns out my grandmother's home is not that babyproof.

We went to the Los Altos Fall Festival, about ten minutes away. It was a little street fair where we ate food, saw Halloween games and crafts (that were too old for Chase), and we admired the classic cars. Chase loved seeing everyone with their dogs, and he loved the music - a band called Live Wire, who was singing covers from AC/DC to Michael Jackson. Chase clapped and bopped his head and knees to the music. One guy even commented that he has good rhythm. Must get that from his mother. It's definitely not from his father. Ha!

We found a new elephant and piggie book by Mo Williams to add to Chase's collection. We love those books. They're so simple, yet have so much voice and that bit of adult humor that just makes them hilarious. My mom treated us to dinner at Chili's (though Chris really was hoping we could go to Chevy's). Chase was so exhausted that he slept like a log on my lap the entire dinner. That's what you get for flying a red eye.

Chase is 15 Months Old!

2008-09-27T21:01:00.007-10:00

Saturday, 27 September 2008

Usually, a drive up Tantalus is a beautiful, scenic drive, especially when the baby is asleep in the back, the sun is shining, and we know that we've had a productive morning of cleaning and packing (getting ready for our trip this weekend to California). But, I didn't realize that my sinuses were so plugged that the drive up the windy road would make my ears hurt, my head ache, and leave me feeling quite nauseous. Needless to say, we headed back down the road quickly and pulled over on the side of the road so that I could get some fresh air and collect myself. Next stop: Food for Tanya. Must get food. Nothing unusual, I know.

And, after food, of course we ended up doing some window shopping.

What a productive Saturday.

Today Chase is 15 months old!

What he's into lately:

* Sitting down on ledges, steps, and chairs. He likes to climb into his chair (and then stand!).
* Climbing up onto the bed (or couch) and backing down off the bed to get down.
* Climbing up stairs (He can get up our first ten stairs by himself, and then he looks up and starts crawling hand and knee because he realizes he has like 90 more stairs to get to the driveway!) and our hill of a yard (He likes climbing up the slope, but then usually falls down backwards or flat on his face into the dirt because it's so steep!)
* Picking at Mommy's underarm stubble and picking at her mole on her tummy and pretending to eat it.
* Dancing and stomping his feet. He loves to do "If You're Happy and You Know It".
* Laughing at his goofy Mommy and Daddy "trying" to sing and dance. He went into hysterics watching us do "Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" (and I was in hysterics trying to teach Chris how to sing the song in the right sequence).
* Nursing (so much for weaning...with two colds this month, he's been back to the boob quite often)
* Drinking from a straw and a straw sippy cup
* Using his spoon (though he gets frustrated with trying to pick things up with the fork) to eat his food (left or right hand, doesn't matter)
* Chewing on things and putting things in his mouth (Though I thought we were over this stage months ago, turns out he's got molars and new bottom teeth coming in.)
* His new Crayola electric toothbrush (He loved brushing his teeth before...but now he loves it even more, and now we can really get at those molars!)
* Watering the grass (and shooting the hose at Nana!)
* Pushing the Swiffer or any push toy or play vacuum around the house
* Turning the TV on and off. He doesn't watch TV. He just discovered that something happens when you press the button. So, he'll press the button to turn it on, see the picture/hear the noise come on the tube, then turn it off, and wave his hand "All Gone!". It's that whole cause and effect thing...He's figuring things out in that brain of his! Uh oh!

His Favorite Books These Days:

* Goodnight Moon
* Five Little Monkeys
* Today, I Will Fly
* The Tiny Tadpole
* Peggy Pig's Dirty Day
* any pop-up book with sounds (especially Corduroy, Elmo, & Snappy Sounds books)

UW Mini-Reunion

2008-09-26T23:25:00.001-10:00

Friday, 26 September 2008

Call it our own UW mini-reunion. We celebrated the day we met, 15 years ago, at the University of Washington's Freshman Orientation at the HUB, by going to dinner at Buca di Beppo. Sitting in the restaurant, you could have thought we were in Seattle by Lake Union. There were a few of us from Kamehameha and a few of them from Punahou. We were sitting one row away from each other in the auditorium. The people said to turn around and say hello to those around us. That's when we figured out (along with the local inflection) that there were other people from Hawai'i sitting right near us. We introduced ourselves, then realized we were actually in the same dorm as well. That was the beginning of our lifelong friendship.

Kai, Stacy, Melissa, and I enjoyed chatting about our friends, laughs, fights, men, dramas, roommates, and houses we shared (of course we didn't share our men) over the years while living the college life in the U-District. Most of us stayed in the Seattle area for years, and slowly, we're all returning back to Hawai'i to start our own little families. We did some window shopping afterwards, stopping at a maternity store and Nordstrom Rack. Our night ended when we realized we are all getting a bit too old to stay out past 9 pm on a Friday night. Geez...

(Though I took the opportunity to do some shopping at the Rack for the next hour. By the time I got home, I realized I hadn't seen Chase for about 15 hours today...ended up nursing him most of the night. I think he missed his mommy. I missed him too.)

The Multi-Purpose Rice Pot

2008-09-25T20:22:00.001-10:00

Thursday, 25 September 2008

Yup, I'm now sick again. Probably with the same sinus infection I had a couple of weeks ago, as I'm blowing out the nasties again. Lovely. Chase seems to be okay, a bit plugged up, but still as active as ever. I skipped yoga tonight (as I don't think people want me draining and blowing my nose around them in a hot room.).

Chase enjoyed playing with rocks and dirt on the driveway this afternoon. He found another use for the rice pot (that is often used as a stool for when the uncles are weeding... Yes, it has been long retired from making rice.)....pounding on it like a drum and collecting pebbles.

Budget Cuts

2008-09-24T11:19:00.001-10:00

Wednesday, 24 September 2008

We had an emergency staff meeting at school this afternoon. As we watched the Superintendent of our public schools give a speech on TV, we realized how serious budget cuts will be this year and next. If grade levels didn't use their funds this past year, they lost 75% of them. By next week, the superintendent needs to send in a proposal of how to cut over $31 million from our schools. The public is welcome to submit ideas and thoughts on what should be cut by going to the Department of Education's website (www.doe.k12.hi.us). Suggestions will be taken through this weekend.

Back Into The Groove

2008-09-23T23:16:00.000-10:00

Tuesday, 23 September 2008

Chase is sick again, with a sneezy, runny nose. Poor baby. I'm sure it's not too long before I catch it again.

I had an awesome 6:30 pm yoga class tonight. I felt strong and aligned. I had a great rabbit pose, and I must have snapped something back into place because my back feels better now.

Cruising and Dancing

2008-09-22T11:13:00.000-10:00

Monday, 22 September 2008

Chase had fun running around the mall this afternoon. He enjoys looking at all the doggie stuffed animals in the kids store, and we enjoyed a pretzel. Got home from grocery shopping and Jay was watching TV in the living room.

He played with Chase. Chase threw the soccer ball to him and brought him books to read to him. He danced to the music from his toys and books. It was nice to see Chase more at ease with his Uncle Jay.

Beach Fun and Belly Dancing

2008-09-21T16:59:00.002-10:00

Sunday, 21 September 2008

Today was Vaihiti's 1st Birthday barbeque at Kaimana Beach Park. It was the perfect day for a beach barbeque. The sand was hot, but the ocean was cool, and there were lots of tradewinds. The water felt good. Chase liked playing in the sand with the shovel. He slowly started to work his way into the water. Vaihiti, daughter of Alexis (my friend who owns the Bikram yoga studio I go to), slept most of her party, even during the singing and cake. We got to paint a square to contribute to the larger photo mural of Vaihiti. The guys went stand up paddle surfing and played in the water. Chase ran around and chased the birds and bubbles. Us yoga regulars got to see each other in plain clothes rather than sweaty yoga clothes. It was a nice, relaxing time.

Tonight, we went to The Pyramids restaurant to try and get a glimpse of the belly dancers again. At first, we weren't sure if she was going to show up. We had already eaten and were told she would come out at 7 pm. It was ten past seven already. Finally, she came out. Chase was just entranced. He clapped and danced and stared at her. This one wasn't as beautiful as the last one he saw, but she definitely could shake those hips. Chase loved it. We stayed for a second number too, until the blaring music and one excited baby told us we better get him home, otherwise, good luck trying to get the boy to sleep.

Reunion with U'i

2008-09-20T23:11:00.003-10:00

Saturday, 20 September 2008

Skipped yoga this morning because I overslept and my back is still tender. Chris, however, was up at 7 am to feed Chase breakfast and was out of the house by 8 am. He was going to meet his bike buddies for a morning hike. He took Chase and his hiking backpack up to the Kuli'ou'ou trail.

This meant I got to sleep in...for the first time. And, boy did I...until 9 am! WOW!

I ran some errands, and they returned in time for a late lunch. I took Chase for the afternoon. We went to meet my good high school friend U'i and her two sons. I recently found her on Facebook, and am so glad that I did. We were really close in high school, yet we haven't seen each other since practically high school/early college years. Now, we're both married with kids. We found out that both of our parents (her mom who raised her and my dad who raised me) passed away last year from tragic illnesses. We enjoyed lunch, catching up on our lives, and we walked around the mall, stopping to look at the koi fish and shopping for makeup. She tried to get me to wear makeup by taking me to the MAC counter. While her sons read the books I gave them, and us mommies got our faces made up, Chase had fun looking at his reflection in the walls and dancing to the loud pop music playing in MAC counter area. He didn't even care that we were there for over half an hour. U'i's boys though (3 and 7) started to get a bit antsy. Guess they just don't know how to boogie to the music.

We promised to keep in touch and get together again. Hopefully next time, Chase wouldn't be so clingy to me (as he was having a bit of the stranger danger with U'i and wouldn't really warm up to her), though he did enjoy looking at the fish and walking around Ala Moana.

Chris met us around dinner time. We went to Build-A-Bear for the first time ever. As novice bear makers, we had no idea how to go through the store and choose a bear and fill it, etc. Chase was a bit too young to have any sort of preference for a stuffed animal. We both went through the many choices with him several times. But, even after his hugs with certain stuffed animals, we weren't sure if we could just leave the choice up to him. So, we decided on an elephant for him. After all, that is his favorite animal at the zoo. We didn't buy a sound for it. I mean, you can't put a different animal sound with an elephant. No, we didn't fluff the bear, or elephant. He kissed the heart before the gal put it in and sewed the elephant up. But, I highly doubt he'll remember the heart being in there. We didn't buy clothes for it. Clothes for an elephant? No, that's just too weird. We didn't even know you're supposed to name it and go to the computer to get a birth certificate for it. But, eh, Chase won't care. I did decide to get the baby elephant as well. It was more Chase's size because he could hold it in his hand. Besides, by the time we had gotten to the cashier, he had already sucked on its tail.

Eh, so we're novices at the whole Build-A-Bear Workshop thing. I mean, we didn't even come out with a bear. We came out with two elephants. But, we had a gift card from his birthday. Besides, he'll probably be more interested in the process when he's older and can actually have more input into the whole "building" thing.

Date Night

2008-09-19T23:00:00.001-10:00

Friday, 19 September 2008

Chris took off early from work this afternoon so that he could join us in checking out a potential daycare. She's licensed and experienced. Turns out her son actually knows my brother from their young soccer playing days and high school. She even remembered my mom's name and knew that my dad passed away last year. Got to meet the three other two year olds she watches. She gave us a very detail oriented handbook. Seems great, and she even provides USDA approved meals and snacks. The only drawback is that her house is out of the way for us. She lives about 15 minutes in the other direction (not including traffic, which in the mornings would be horrendous after we drop Chase off, so Chris would probably have to do the dropoffs so that I could get to school on-time). We'll have to see. This might be our only alternative to securing something so that we can transition Chase from Miya (since she is nearly 5 months pregnant), even though I know the Halsalls still want to watch him a few times a week.

Chris and I had a much needed date night tonight. It was great. We enjoyed Happy Hour pupus and drinks at Ryan's (thanks Maila and Lyon for the great gift!). Then we enjoyed the movie "Burn After Reading". Brad Pitt just cracked me up. Yes, the storyline was dumb, but it was still hilarious.

Unfortunately, Chase was still awake at 10 pm when we picked him up from the Halsalls. He spent most of the night sleeping, waking, nursing, sleeping, waking, nursing.

Afternoon at the Mall

2008-09-18T22:53:00.001-10:00

Thursday, 18 September 2008

After I picked Chase up from the Halsalls, we went to meet my teacher friends at the mall for some coffee (though I had some delicious tomato bisque soup instead). Chase napped almost the entire time, for an hour and a half, which allowed us to chat about girl stuff and marriage stuff. When he woke up, Chase was shy with Emily and Michelle, wouldn't do any of his cute tricks, and just stared at the kids all around us.

Then, as soon as we started walking around, Chase suddenly got a burst of energy. He got all fiesty and started running down the aisles, thinking I was chasing him. He would run, turn around to look for me, and then laugh. Sometimes, his body would get ahead of his feet so that he'd fall flat on his face. He loved looking at the dogwood bench again, while running circles around the white picket fence that surrounded the exhibit.

It's Hot Out

2008-09-17T21:43:00.000-10:00

Wednesday, 17 September 2008

Had a salesperson come and give me an estimate on putting in a solar attic fan. Our house is just so darn hot, especially with the late afternoon sun. We get blasted with heat from 1 pm till 6 pm. And with single wall construction, our house just heats right up. It always has, for the past 30 years. But now I'm trying to change that. Let's add that to the list of things to do. Then prioritize and budget what needs to be done first. I'm up to Windows, Lanai, and Solar Attic Fan. Now, where's the money to do all these things?

Chase played in the pool twice this afternoon. After he played in the pool, I dried him. Then, he played in the driveway. After that, he decided to go for the pool again, with clothes, diapers, and shoes on. Oh well. It IS hot outside.

All that water play must have tired him out because for the first time, Chase fell asleep while sitting and eating in his high chair. I was even cooking stir fry on the stove at the time. So, it was loud in the kitchen. Then, Chris goes, "Omigosh, I think he's asleep." I look over, and sure enough, the kid's got his eyes closed, head bopping and all.

It's too bad though, because it was only 6:15 pm. So after a shower and to bed for him. But, this only means he's going to be up all night because he doesn't have a full tummy of dinner. It's only 9 pm, and he's already been up several times to nurse.

The Growler

2008-09-16T22:33:00.000-10:00

Tuesday, 16 September 2008

Chase is always into whatever Taiga is into. Taiga is fanatical about cars, ever since he saw the movie "Cars". He has become quite the car collector. Chase wants to play with Taiga's cars. But, Taiga always tries to give him a ball instead, even though he has hundreds of cars. Taiga likes to line up his cars all in a row.

Today, Taiga's grandparents took him out for a little bit. So, Miya and Chase were all by themselves. Miya said that Chase would wimper for Taiga and point at the door. In order to distract him, she took him for a walk to look at the turtles and fish at the church/preschool around the corner. When they came back, Chase entered the living room and suddenly realized that, because Taiga was still out, he had ALL the toys to himself!

Miya said Chase let out a rascal, growling laugh and headed straight towards the row of cars. He started to mess up the whole row of cars Taiga had neatly arranged earlier.

That's my son for you.

It was too hot to be inside the house this afternoon, so we played in the pool in the yard. Uncle Gary, Geoff, and Daryl came by to watch Chase. Chase loved filling the pool up with water, holding the hose, spraying himself with it, and laughing over and over again.

Chase growled all day today. He has a growling, sneaky laugh. I think he also does it to experiment with his voice.

Even though my back was sore, I went to yoga tonight. Just took a prescription pain pill before I went to bed.

Is That Really A Dog Made Out of Wood?...As Long As It's Not From A Hazelnut Tree...

2008-09-14T21:16:00.005-10:00

Sunday, 14 September 2008

I had a great yoga class this morning. One good thing about being injured is that I don't need to do all the sit-ups and can take it easy on poses when I need to. It's kind of frustrating, but I need to let my body heal. I think if I start going at least 3 times a week to Bikram yoga, on a regular basis, then I'll get my strength back and heal my sciatica in time. I've got to go now that I've paid a whole chunk of change for a year's worth of membership. Since I didn't have to pay last year's membership, I figured I'm really getting a 2 for 1 deal. I have no excuse now.

Chase ran to the door when I got home and gave me a couple of big hugs. He didn't care if I was all sweaty and stinky. That's what makes kids great. After his nap, I took him to see Aunty Chris. Chris, my dad's old girlfriend, has always remained a close friend of mine. We went to check out her new place. They turned her garage into a studio apartment, with its own kitchen and bathroom. It looks great. Her son and wife and granddaughter are now living in the big house, remodeling it and making it their own. She treated me and Chase to lunch at CPK. Chase loves the bread there.

After we parted ways, Chase had fun running around the mall. He loved running around the bench exhibit because there was a bench made of dogwood. It was a dog head and tail statue, with the body (in the shape of a bench to sit on) made of dogwood. He had fun pointing at it and kept tippy-toeing to get a good view of it over the picket fence. It seemed to be the main attraction for toddlers at the mall. He was running so fast down each corridor. A couple of times, he fell and hit his face. But he'd get back up and start going again. One time, though, he fell and hit his face on the tile floor (the rest of his body was still on the carpeted side of course), so now he has a fat bottom lip.

I thought, okay, good, he's tired himself out so that when we get home, he'll take a long nap.

But, no. He kept running around at home. He had fun throwing a soccer ball. So, I started dribbling and kicking it down the hallway, and he thought that was hilarious. He'd do a "throw in", and I'd kick it around. He also had fun biting off pieces of foam from this huge tubular foam thing we have lying around (It was originally for packing a bicycle.). When I scolded him, he would spit it out and give it to me. Then, he started noticing that I was throwing it away in the garbage can. So, he began purposefully taking bites out of it, would walk over to the garbage can, and tap on it, asking me (in his own little language of course) to lift the lid so he could throw it away. He's quick, that kid. So quick, that he managed to take the night light out of the socket while I wash washing dishes. His quietness alerted me, so I asked, "Chase, what are you doing?" It must have been that teacher tone in my voice because as soon as I turned the corner, he had this devlish grin on his face and went running down the hallway and into the bedroom and bathroom with the night light in his hand.

After a few hours of running around, reading books, exploring his new and old toys, and snacking on things, I knew the only way I could get him to fall asleep was to take him for a car ride. So, off we went for a 20 minute drive to Costco. It was perfect. I got to get groceries for the house, and he got to sleep. I happened to park in the stall right across from my stepmom, and she said hi and asked if I needed help, as we both seemed to be leaving the parking lot at the same time.

Chase had a good dinner, and Daddy came home just in time from his rainy, wet bike ride in order to bathe Chase and put him to bed.

Hazelnuts are REALLY nuts

2008-09-13T21:40:00.002-10:00

Saturday, 13 September 2008

Note to self: A hazelnut is a nut. Hazelnuts grow on trees. Do not eat hazelnuts ever again.

7 am yoga class was a riot as we surprised our teacher with a birthday cake and broke into song at the second to the last posture. Went to lunch with a bunch of yoga regulars at the trendy restaurant Town. We got together to celebrate Janice's recent nuptials and to look at her beautiful wedding pictures. A family friend, Justin Young, was actually our waiter (Hawai'i is just way too small). I have only been here once before, and thought it was overpriced for dinner. But, today's lunch was good, and Justin was right. The fries with all those organic herbs (They grow their own garden and have their own compost area on their property.) were tasty.

After lunch, I went to afternoon tea at the Kahala hotel with teacher friends from school. We were celebrating Emily's birthday. I ordered the only decaffeinated tea, a sweet blend of flowers and herbs, they had on the menu. Yeah, I know, hard to think we're drinking hot tea in a hot climate in the middle of the afternoon (and today was especially humid). It nicely paired with all the delectable treats though....about four different sandwiches and four different sweet things.

That is until I almost went into anaphylactic shock.

Well, just kidding. Not exactly. But, I did have an allergic reaction to something I ate. Within a few minutes, got all congested, my nose starting running, and it was draining into my throat. I started coughing a lot. My throat got all scratchy, and no matter how much tea or water I drank, I couldn't clear it. Slowly, my throat started to close up. I was like, "I think I'm having an allergy attack to something."

I stopped eating and drinking. Within a half hour to an hour, the itchiness in my throat went away. But, my throat was raw from coughing so much.

I headed to pick up Vietnamese pho soup for dinner (the third time this week!) to soothe my throat and congestion. Ran into friends from UW that I haven't seen since college! Lately, I've felt like it's been a reunion summer. Actually, this year was my 15th high school reunion, but I didn't know about it, nor really care to go. Though I've lived in Hawai'i for 3 years now, I haven't really run into so many people from my past until recently.

When I got home, I tried to think of what was on the menu. I called my friend and asked her if there was hazelnut on something. She said that one of the bread thingies we had was coated in hazelnuts.

I know from my previous allergy tests in Seattle that I'm allergic to all sorts of Northwest trees: Alder, Birch, Hazelnut, Oak, Poplar, etc. I love the flavor hazelnut, but I guess hazelnut syrup in your latte wouldn't give you an allergic reaction. I've just never eaten an actual hazelnut before.

Now I know. If I'm allergic to hazelnut trees, then yes, I'm allergic to the nut. So, I probably should avoid eating hazelnuts. At least I know what will happen if I do.

Eating Foam

2008-09-12T14:53:00.001-10:00

Friday, 12 September 2008

Chase has been eating everything, from crackers to foam mats. All of a sudden he's started putting things in his mouth again. He hasn't done that for months. A lot of it is to get a reaction though. He'll stand there with a rock and make like he's going to put it in his mouth, while making sure I'm looking, just to hear me say, "Not for Chase." Lately, he's been taking bites out of the foam borders from his alphabet mat and foam thing we have laying around the house. At least he's good about giving it to me after he takes a bite out of it. I swear we feed the kid. Honest.

We went to the mall to wait for Chris after his evening haircut. Stopped by Whole Foods and ran into an old high school friend and my cousin's friend Traci. It's always nice catching up with people you haven't seen in years. We also ran into the Halsalls and another friend (actually their family dentist they grew up with), Bruno, a thrillseeking traveler who shared his crazy tales of heliskiing and diving and avalanches.

We had dinner with the Halsalls at Panda Express. Then Chase ran around the mall until we decided we better get home because it was way past his bedtime. Thank goodness the weekend if finally here.

Learning Chores

2008-09-11T14:48:00.000-10:00

Thursday, 11 September 2008

The principal (interim one, since our actual principal has been on sick leave since the beginning of school) read the Patriot Day declaration today.

Chase had fun watering the grass (and himself) at the Halsall's today. He takes the hose and flicks his wrist up and down so he gets a lot of the plants and grass. He also loves pushing around the carpet sweeper on the lanai. I tell you, by next week, we'll have him doing all the chores around the house. He's got to earn his crackers some how!

I blew out a bunch of nasty stuff today, which tells me I've had an infection, but at least I'm getting it out. Went to yoga tonight, but took it easy since my back/hip still hurts. A couple of yoga teachers think it's probably my sciatic nerve. It's going to take time for it to heal. I felt better after yoga.

Leaky Pipes

2008-09-10T14:40:00.001-10:00

Wednesday, 10 September 2008

Today was a day of leaky pipes.

Though I wished I could sleep all day, I worked all day with a sneezy, runny nose and tissue in my hand. I picked up pho for myself and Miya. Since Chase fell asleep in the car, we went to check out the new Whole Foods. Our first one on the island just opened today at Kahala Mall, close to home, replacing the Star Market grocery store that was there previously. Of course like any new thing that opens in Hawai'i, everyone flocked there for the grand opening. So the aisles were jam-packed. I just looked around, got some samples, tried a smoothie from the cafe, and picked up menus from their To Go section. The prices seem okay for a mainland store. I wouldn't buy all my groceries there, but it's nice to see a lot of local vendors selling products there.

Chase missed out on the whole thing (no pun intended). He woke up when we got home an hour later. We came home to a wet kitchen floor and a flooded cabinet under the sink. It's a good thing I have family as neighbors. Uncle Ray came to the rescue to fix and replace the rusted pipes. Uncle Gary had to stop at the hardware store for us. An hour or so later (I don't know because I was sleeping), we had new drain pipes for our kitchen sink.

I had to wake Chase up at 11 pm to nurse him because I was super engorged. I've noticed this at yoga too. I guess my supply is up. It wasn't the only thing leaking today.

Taiga's Shadow

2008-09-09T21:25:00.000-10:00

Tuesday, 9 September 2008

Today was Chase's first day back to Miya's since he's been sick. Miya said he just followed Taiga everywhere. He would crawl up the two flights of stairs and run all over the house looking for him. If he couldn't find him, he would wimper. She's trying to work on teaching him Taiga's name so he can call for him. They like to play with Taiga's hundreds of cars, but if Chase tries to take one of a set, Taiga gets mad. In exchange, Taiga will give him a ball to play with. Chase puts up a fight though if he really wants something.

I got a relapse (or perhaps never fully recovered from the last sickness a week or so ago) and am all congested again. So I opted for no yoga tonight. It's probably not too sanitary to be wiping my nose after each pose. Chase was a busy boy playing on the driveway this afternoon. He loves squatting in the dirt, playing with all the gravel and little rocks. While washing the car, Chase wanted to help hold the hose.

Tonight, Chase ate some avocado from our tree. But he only ate it if I mixed it in really good with his poi. I've noticed that if I give him his own empty bowl and spoon, he gets distracted stirring and I can feed him more.

Doing Everything Himself

2008-09-08T22:17:00.000-10:00

Monday, 8 September 2008

After school, I took Chase to check out the new Wee Play & Learn at Ward Warehouse. Similar to Gymboree (though I've never been to Gymboree, so I can't really compare), the 10,000 square foot brand new facility has an art center for older kids, a huge room full of tumbling apparatuses for toddlers, a yoga/kickboxing room for moms, a nutrition bar for healthy snacks, a cute salon chair for keiki (child) haircuts (which are actually going to be done by the Halsalls' hairstylist Debbie), and lots of music, balls, puppets, and fun. Chase woke up in the middle of our tour and wanted to get down and play immediately. They did a mini class for us, which included circle time with songs and playing with scarves and wands. Of course, my Chase was the only kid who left in the middle of circle time to go run and climb and jump on the climbing apparatuses. I thought I wasn't going to be able to leave. He loved all the huge balls and playing in the ball pit. I'm going to check out the numbers and schedule and see if we can fit this in. I think he would really enjoy going there a few times a week. Plus, it's brand new, so everything is clean!

Chase ate nearly three bowls of poi tonight, plus noodles, fruit, and other things. He's into holding his own spoon and putting into the bowl and feeding himself now. During bathtime, he takes the washcloth, asks me to put soap on it, then he pats his face gently and smiles. He also takes the toothbrush and brushes his own teeth! We had fun playing peekaboo behind the shower curtain during bathtime. Such an independent little guy. He's definitely got a mind of his own!

Zoo Regulars

2008-09-07T22:57:00.000-10:00

Sunday, 7 September 2008

We went to the zoo for "Jungle Adventure", a Hawai'i Children's Cancer Foundation fundraiser. It was the first time we got to see the animals so active. It was feeding time, so many zookeepers were out in the cages and could tell us more about the animals. We always see animals we've never seen before when we go to the zoo. The giraffes got real close and stuck their tongues out to get the leaves off the branches. Met the Halsalls at a new Mexican eatery tonight for Sunday dinner, though it wasn't as good as Taco Del Mar or other places around town.

2008-09-07T21:36:00.000-10:00

Here's Chase showing off his "Incredible Hulk" moves at Big City Diner. He learned it from Taiga, and if you say, "Incredible Hulk," he'll do it on command.

Boys I Tell You

2008-09-04T21:40:00.003-10:00

Thursday, 4 September 2008

Even though this week was a short work week (Labor Day on Monday and a professional development day for teachers tomorrow), our family is still getting over our colds, so it turned out to be a pretty long week. Many sleepless nights with a screaming baby, which meant rolling out of bed in the morning (no tumbling baby this time though), and rolling on in to school (I seem to be getting there later and later this year without having time to eat breakfast - unless you count my scrambled eggs in a ziploc bag as "breakfast on the go" - or make my lunch).

Besides our sleep deprivation returning, we've also realized that weaning Chase is going to be more difficult again. It seems as if every time he gets sick, we take a setback in our sleeping/eating/drinking routine. Chase has definitely been nursing round the clock. Tonight, he screamed for at least half an hour after being put down in his crib. But we let him cry it out, and when I discovered, after my shower, that he was still screaming, I decided to nurse him. After awhile, he just wanted to be wide awake and play, the wiggly monkey boy he is. He started crawling and climbing all over me, kicking me in the face, pulling my shirt down (after I'd pull it back up), and rolling all over the place, jumping up and down (all the while still attached and nursing now). After half an hour of that (and trying to pretend I was asleep), I finally gave him the sign for "all done" and he gave me this surprising blank look. Suddenly, he lunged over, opened his mouth, and bit me on the shoulder! Then he gave out this devlish, growling laugh. Bad boy! I picked him up and headed straight to the crib. He knew it was coming and tried to bite me a couple more times, but I just put him down in the crib screaming, told him "I love you and goodnight" and shut the door. This time, he only screamed for a couple minutes before going out.

Boys I tell you....They love the boob, but then they turn around and bite you.

Tumbling To The Zoo

2008-09-01T20:11:00.000-10:00

Monday, 1 September 2008

Chase took a tumble off the bed this morning. In our usual morning slumber, I always try to corral Chase towards the middle of the bed because he is always jumping and bouncing and kicking around while we're trying to wake up/sleep. Suddenly, he bounced right off the bed, and fell in between the bed and the desk. He was not hurt, but more shocked from falling. Minutes after we consoled him, he started bouncing all over again. That's why my mom used to tell us "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Yeah, that woke us up and got us up out of bed real fast.

I decided to go to 9 am yoga after my long hiatus of a couple of weeks. My back and hip pain are gone, so I figured I could ease back into it this Labor Day. It was a good practice. I stayed in the back row and did my own thing (though the teacher scolded me once for cheating on triangle pose..eh, who cares). I didn't push it today, and rested when my back was sore.

This afternoon, we went to the zoo. The last time we went, we didn't get to visit the Keiki Zoo, so we took Chase there today. He absolutely loved the pigs, tippy-toeing over the fence and pointing at them. He probably thought they are his own personal pets since we have them all over our mountain of a yard, though ours aren't quite as cute. We went to pet the goats, and though he was interested, by pointing and grunting at them, he wasn't quite brave enough to pet them on his own. We were a bit disappointed by the petting zoo. Although it has been remodeled, it doesn't seem like there are as many animals you can pet, like when we were kids. The best part of the day for Chase was probably playing in the dirt and grass with sticks and rocks. Even the playground full of kids couldn't steal him away from his sticks.

We went across the street to the Waikiki beach to wait for the Parade of Champions. Since the Waipi'o baseball team won the 2008 Little League World Series, we were anticipating a huge parade down Kalakaua Avenue. Once again, Chase enjoyed playing in the dirt and people watching. But, after an hour of waiting to just see a line of radio station cars, the Boy Scouts, and a poopy diaper (and his bad parents left the diapers and wipes in the car), we decided to get Chase home, fed, and ready for bed.

Hopefully, no more tumbles this time.

Sweet Tooth

2008-08-31T20:01:00.000-10:00

Sunday, 31 August 2008

After doing the mandatory house chores for the weekend (laundry and cleaning bathrooms), we decided to try the new Yogurtland by UH. We chose our yogurt flavors (I think I ended up with about 5 different ones - tart, cheesecake, taro, etc.) from the dispensers, and then topped it with a variety of toppings (Chris' bowl looked like a splash of rainbow treats from Farrell's, with gummy bears, sprinkles, and other sweet things on top). I kept it simple and just sprinkled graham cracker crumbs and fresh blueberries on mine. We ran into friends, Linh and Alan and Jordan, joining them at their table to enjoy our afternoon dessert treat. For about 40 cents an ounce, it wasn't bad. I like how you can choose your own goodies. But I think I'm still a Yami Yogurt fan.

We ran a bunch of errands afterwards, then took a long windy road trip up Tantalus, to put Chase to sleep and to take in some city views from the picturesque lookouts. We met the Halsalls for Sunday dinner at Big City Diner. Chase made our server Sarah laugh with his "Incredible Hulk" impression. He surprised us with his love for brown rice, eating nearly an entire scoop all on his own, before he started decorating the floor with food.

Met high school friend David for, my third dessert of the day, ice cream at Bubbies. We talked about things to do in Thailand for his upcoming trip, Chase, his wedding details, and caught up on friends. He was only here for a long weekend before heading back to California.

After my sweet tooth today, it's no wonder the dentist found a small cavity on Friday. Better brush and flouride rinse good tonight.

The Okinawan Festival

2008-08-30T22:04:00.004-10:00

Saturday, 30 August 2008

Last night I was so tired that I went to bed after nursing Chase at 8 pm. I didn't wake up (well actually I woke up twice in the middle of the night to nurse Chase) until 7 am. I feel much better, still sick, but I needed the sleep.

Chris went bike riding all day.

I took Chase for a walk up to Maunalani Park, now that my hip and back pain is gone. It felt good to finally exercise without pain! Chase fell asleep on the walk. I enjoyed looking at new houses and construction around the neighborhood, just dreaming of what I can do to our house. Chase didn't wake up for 2 hours, until we arrived at our next destination...Kapi'olani Park, for the annual Okinawan Festival. We ran into friends Joel and Sonyei. They gave us scrips to buy food. We enjoyed some shaved ice, Okinawan soba, and sushi. We planted ourselves under a shady tree and enjoyed the breezes and people watching. Chase took pictures with Uncle Joel and his taiko drum. After lunch with Miya and Junji and Taiga, we walked around to see the art and cultural exhibits. I made a headband for Chase while he slept in the stroller, with the musical entertainment in the background. Chris joined us at 4:30 pm, just in time for the bon dance. He took Chase on his shoulders for some dancing in the concentric circles. Onlookers commented on Chase's cute yukata, a gift from Chris' friend in Okinawa.

It was a fun-filled day of sun, food, culture, and dancing.

Baby's Sick, Mommy's Sick

2008-08-28T22:03:00.000-10:00

Thursday, 28 August 2008

So, now I caught Chase's cold. My ears hurt, my throat hurts, and I've had a sneezy, runny nose all day long. Great.

Chase is 14 Months Old!

2008-08-27T21:47:00.001-10:00

Wednesday, 27 August 2008

Chase is doing much better today, but his ears still really hurt at times. The Halsalls took Chase to Costco so that I could go to my physical therapy appointment this afternoon. Of course, Chase wanted everything in the store. So what did Chase get? A toy. But, Nana was so happy to be reminded that today is Chase's 14 month birthday, so we'll just call the new train a "birthday present".

Chase's latest things:
* Playing with rocks and twigs, the garden hose (with water coming out of it, is even better), tires, and just about anything he can pick up in the yard.
* Running up and down the gravel driveway (I actually have to Chase him so that he doesn't run into the street!)
* Knocking us in the head when he shows us how the birds eat
* Throwing food on the kitchen floor (for mere amusement and to show us how the birds eat)
* Bringing us his shoes when he wants to put them on and go for a walk

Things Chase is REALLY into:
* pinwheels (He doesn't really watch them spin. I think he just likes them because he can hold them in his hand..they're just his size!)
* feeding the birds
* looking for helicopters and airplanes in the sky when he hears them overhead
* cheerios, bread, pasta, poi
* ice chips/cubes (He likes to eat them on hot days, and then throw them all over the floor.)
* cuddling up with his stuffed animals (and then tossing them WWF-style on the floor)
* growling (when he's happy and doing his "he he he" laugh, and when he's frustrated and angry and making his "Incredible Hulk" face)
* following us all over the house
* crawling off the bed
* playing with water (puddles, the hose, the bath, the beach, the pool, ice, rain, the faucets in the sink, etc.)

To put it simply, Chase is one active little toddler. (And according to our doctor's visit yesterday, he's only 19 pounds!)

Sick Baby

2008-08-26T21:40:00.001-10:00

Tuesday, 26 August 2008

Decided to take Chase to the doctor's this morning after feeling rattling in his chest and wheezing. Chris took off the morning from work (easier for him to do than for me, as I'd have to write sub plans) and took him to the doctor's and to get his prescription. Turns out, he's got bronchiolitis and an ear infection. This is the first time he's ever had a sickness this bad, and his first ear infection. Now he's on antibiotics and cough syrup for the next couple weeks, so we'll see how it goes giving him medicine.

Chase is still as playful as always, but occasionally screams because of his ear infection, and he's been tugging at his ear more. It's so hard to see him scream, but he's been nursing a lot more lately for the fluids (and probably for comfort)...Do I even have any milk left? I guess so...

Auntie Stevi and I caught up this afternoon about the addicting Korean drama we've been watching. We're on a mission to finish it. Perhaps I can nurse and watch at the same time?

Korean Dramas

2008-08-23T23:41:00.001-10:00

Saturday, 23 August 2008

Chase slept through the night till 6 am, as he has this entire week. He caught Taiga's cold though, as he's been coughing and sneezing all day, with a runny nose.

We managed to have a productive day. This morning, Chase played in the driveway. Then, we noticed a garage sale a couple houses down and stopped by to check it out. I bought a wooden activity cube for $5. He's been having a lot of fun exploring it. The rest of the afternoon was spent going to Office Depot to get mouse and keyboard pads, Nordstrom Rack for a quick shopping stop, Home Depot to get grass and fertilizer for our yard, and Kua'aina Burgers for lunch.

I watched some Korean dramas in the afternoon, as I watched for the entire night last night (giving up my Olympic watching because I'm so hooked on this show now!). We almost decided not to go, but after seeing Chase running amok in the house, decided he was feeling okay to go to the zoo.

Tonight, HMSA (Chris' company) had a 70th anniversary family celebration at the zoo. They rented the whole zoo out and had live Hawaiian entertainment, many inflatables and jumpers (and even the Tumblebus) for the kids, arts activities and games, hot dogs and hamburgers, a popcorn and shaved ice station, and the movie "Ratatouille" on the lawn. It was fun to ride the Waikiki Trolley to and from KCC to the zoo. We had fun hanging out with his coworkers from his department. The company put on a fun party.

Got home after 8:30 pm and Auntie Stevi said she had been watching the K-drama going on 6 hours! She even came down to our house to borrow one of the DVDs because hers was skipping (and there was no way she was going to miss out!). Their dog Selena followed us home, and I brought her back up to the house only to tease my aunt and uncle that their poor dog has been wondering why her family has been so busy watching K-dramas that they forgot about her! But, I can't tease, because right after I came downstairs, I turned on the TV and DVD and watched more K-dramas myself.

Chase's Latest Things

2008-08-22T10:28:00.000-10:00

Friday, 22 August 2008

Chase is like his mommy - He eats all the time, even if he just had a full meal; and if someone else is eating, he doesn't want to miss out. What goes in, must come out though....and he did that a lot too.

My back is feeling much better today. It's not excrutiatingly, unbearable sore, and so it's easier to walk and put pressure on my left leg. But, it still is tender.

As he approaches 14 months of age, Chase is doing lots of fun things...

Chase's latest things:
* Saying "bah bah", meaning "bark bark" when a dog barks. As soon as he hears or sees a dog, he goes "bah bah".
* He nods his head repeatedly to mimic how the birds eat. It's cute, but not so much when you're holding him and he bonks you on the head.
* He still loves giving Mommy hugs. If I bend down to squat, he'll come running over, put his arms around my shoulders, lean his head down on my shoulder, and give me a hug. It's very cute.

While I was cooking popcorn on the stove today, Chase decided to grab his milk bottle from the counter, pour milk all over the floor, and play in it. Fun times!

Exploring

2008-08-21T22:22:00.000-10:00

Tuesday, 19 August 2008

Chase played around and explored the driveway today. Since we have three houses on our property, our driveway holds about 7 cars. Chase always manages to find the little screws and nuts and bolts from cousin Geoff's "garage" work on his truck. He's discovered the rocks and pieces of wood by Uncle Ray's garage. And he loves carrying the hose attachments.

Thursday, 21 August 2008

Chase stayed at the Halsalls all day. I went to get acupuncture in Chinatown this afternoon. I figured, I've tried everything else. Let's try this. My back feels better now, but it's still tight.

Chase is enjoying facing forward while riding in the car, now that we've turned his carseat around. He had fun throwing pebbles and splashing in puddles on the front sidewalk.

Back to Books

2008-08-18T22:15:00.000-10:00

Monday, 18 August 2008

My back was so sore today that I sat on a heat pack all day during our workshop. The only comfortable position has been lying on the hard floor. Chase thinks it's funny, and of course, starts jumping all over me.

Chase's favorite books at the moment: Today I Will Fly by Mo Wililams (a gift from Stacy - thanks Stace!), and the I Can Draw book Nana got from Costco. Even though the drawings are so sophisticated, Chase loves looking at the colorful pictures in the drawing book. Nana, being an artist and all, is trying to train him early to get into drawing, since his daddy is not so much of a drawer. Chase wants to read both of these books all the time and will sit very quietly and intently as we read him the books.

Chase pooped in the bath tonight. After cleaning him and the bath up, I put him to bed early because my back couldn't take it any longer, and Chris wasn't home from work until late. Surprisingly, Chase slept through the night from 7:30 pm - 6:30 am! Wow!

Trying Out For "LOST"

2008-08-16T12:31:00.000-10:00

Saturday, 16 August 2008

Since my back is still hurting, I didn't do yoga this morning. Instead, we decided to go stand in line for the open casting call for "LOST". Yes, we stood in line for 2 hours total. With my hurt back/hip..i'm suffering now. So, perhaps that wasn't such a great idea for me to stand for that long. There was a huge article in the paper yesterday, so of course Chris wanted to go audition. They were looking for local people, so Chris was sure that me and Chase were more likely to be of interest than himself, but we all had to try anyway. Chase was a champ while we were in line, and we were smart to have brought an umbrella to keep us shaded from the sun. We fed him in line, and tried to entertain him with the weeds and grass around us. He only started to lose it towards the end when we made it into the school cafeteria for our second line of waiting to get our pictures taken. We were #782 and #783. We had to fill out applications with our measurements (I actually had no idea what my waist and hip measurements were, and after calling my aunt and cousin, just took a wild guess - and I was way off), any experience we have, our hobbies, and if we'd be interested in "EXTRA" work. Then they took a picture of us, asked if we speak any other languages. They were looking for local people, so all the haole people like Chris, they just smiled and said "Thank you for coming." They talked a bit more to me. Since Chase was with me too in the picture, they asked if I wanted to include him on my application too. The guy said that I have a great smile and asked if I can speak a little Hawaiian. Even if we don't get picked, at least it was worth a try for the experience. (And you never know...a couple of my coworkers were extras in past seasons)...

My back was killing me afterwards and so Chris and Chase went on the Costco run on their own while I slept in the car.