Out With A Bang!

Monday, 31 December 2007

I know it's New Year's Eve and all, but I guess Chase REALLY wanted to end this year with a bang.

OH BOY, DID HE!

At 9 am this morning, Chase was playing away in his new (but used) exersaucer when I smelled something all too familiar. How come he always leaves it for mommy AFTER daddy leaves for work?! It was a poopy explosion, all out his diaper, up his back, almost to his neck, and it was really stinky....and messy. I had to pretty much peel him away from his outfit and lay several diapers down and use many wipes, all the while preventing him from touching or grabbing any of it. That was the worst explosion to date. Then, right after I get him all clean and changed and soak his outfit, he starts to fall asleep while nursing. All of a sudden, he starts coughing, and I lift him up, and he spits up everything, all over him, me, and the sofa. It's a good thing I didn't bathe him yet (cuz I was about to after the first explosion). And it's a good thing I haven't bought a new couch yet (I have a feeling that having a dark colored couch for the next few years will work out just fine.).

Guess he figured he would make an explosion of his own since he can't take part in the fireworks festivities tonight.

Even though the bug light was zapping all night outside, and about three mosquitoes were caught in the indoor lamp, Chase still got two bites on his forehead and three or four bites on his leg (even though he was wearing a footsie sleeper). Darn! I'll still have to find a mosquito net to cover him up at night!

Well, it's only 10 am, and the morning has already started off very exciting (not to mention I got my own surprise...for the second time this month)!

It's super windy and overcast and drizzly today. That's good because the wind will help dissipate the smoke from all the fireworks tonight. Judging from the amount of fireworks that were sold at Costco alone yesterday and the explosions that have been already happening each night in the neighborhood, the valley below is going to full of fireworks tonight!

Tonight, we went to Chris Otake's house for her annual New Year's Eve party. Chris and my dad dated for many years when I was a teenager, and we spent many years celebrating new year's, birthdays, Halloween, Christmas, along with other everyday things at her house. I marveled at the fact that we "used" to be all the kids running around, and now all of us "kids" are the ones with our own children. There were many toddlers and babies, the next generation, along with Sky, Chris' granddaughter, celebrating her birthday (New Year's Eve baby) tonight. We left after 10 pm, when the neighborhood and the house started getting really smoky from all the fireworks, and Chase was super fussy from fighting going to sleep.

We bathed him, put him to bed, and stayed up to see and hear all of the explosions and illegal aerials in the valley below. I videotaped it for Chase to watch one day, since he slept through it all.

On A Mission

Sunday, 30 December 2007

Chris and I cleaned the house, did laundry, and then went on a hunt for bug lamps and/or mosquito nets. Our mission included stopping at Sports Authority, two City Mills, and Costco. We stopped for lunch at Bale and enjoyed Vietnamese sandwiches while a lady next to us admired Chase. We ended up getting an outside bug lamp, an indoor bug lamp, and a racket zapper (just like the one I had in Thailand and had fun swinging around zapping all the mosquitoes). We set up all the lamps at home, one inside Chase's room (It's more like a bug vacuum, with a black light and acts as a good white noise machine for Chase, as it sounds like a blowdryer on a very low setting when turned on.), and one outside the house. Chris had fun swinging the racket around zapping all the bugs and even brought it to his parents' to show them our new toy. There is some satisfaction with hearing the bug lamp zap away all night. Chris thought it would be bothersome at night, but I said, "No way! Zap 'em all!"

We went out to dinner with the Halsalls at Big City Diner and then drove by the Honolulu city lights, a big Christmas light display through downtown and around city hall and Iolani Palace. It was too late (and Chase was getting fussy and tired) to walk around, so we just drove by before heading home.

When we got home, I nursed Chase in his room, and immediately I got bit 4 times by a mosquito! I must have brought it in when we walked in the front door. I tried to use the racket, but couldn't catch it, and I didn't want to turn on all the lights to wake him up. Hope it doesn't get Chase tonight!

I HATE BUGS!

Saturday, 29 December 2007

Woke up at 6 am to the sound of Chase talking and playing in his crib. He does that quite often. I'd much rather hear him playing and talking than crying. He entertained himself for quite awhile and then I got out of bed to nurse him. I noticed all these mosquito bites on the right side of his face! Yikes! There have been lots of mosquitoes around the house lately because of all the rain. They've been eating me like crazy! I've always been afraid of them eating Chase. Looks like they chowed down on him last night. Poor baby has one on the back of his neck, five on his right cheek, one on his earlobe, and one on his wrist. Other than looking all splotchy, he doesn't seem to be bothered by them at all. He was all talkative and smiles and blew bubbles. I even went to 7 am yoga this morning (after a month hiatus, and boy did it feel good to stretch again, and it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be!), and when I returned, Chris said Chase was up most of the time, just playing and babbling away. He was probably swearing at that darn mosquito that got him! Perhaps he's getting back to his normal schedule again.

As Chris made waffles and turkey bacon for breakfast, I carried Chase in my carrier and swept the entire house. I didn't want to put him down because we have been having infestations of bugs at night. They are attracted to the light and tiny enough to come in through the screens. Looks like they just come in and then die. They are all over the kitchen counters, the sink, the floor, and the blankets he usually lays on. I had just swept them up yesterday, and now there were thousands of more dead ones all over the place! So, I swept the floor, moved his toys and blankets, and swept all around his room and the bedrooms and living room. There are tons by the nightlights in the house too. Disgusting. That's the one thing I hate about Hawai'i....all the bugs! I've never liked them! And I don't want Chase lying in them! Gross! So, we bounced around the house sweeping and then I would bend down to sweep them up in the dustpan. It's a good thing Chase doesn't get motion sickness. Actually, all the moving around put him to sleep. And by the time I was done getting most of the bugs, breakfast was ready. So, I was able to put Chase down and eat!

Of course, when I'm done eating, I know my paranoid self will be on the search again for more dead bugs and mosquitoes! Disgusting, I tell ya! Now I know how I'll be spending my Saturday...

We went to dinner at Gyo-Kaku tonight with the old high school gang, Melissa, Joel, and David. We had fun cooking the meats and veggies and Kobe steak over the grill at our table, yakiniku-style. But, it was difficult sitting in a booth style seat with Chase. He was so wiggly, and we had to prevent him from grabbing all the little Japanese dishes on the table. It would have been easier to sit at more open seating...We don't do well with booths.

We enjoyed dinner and conversation nonetheless and had more to celebrate when Melissa announced that she is engaged (Her boyfriend Joe proposed last week), and then David announced that he and Amy are engaged (They also got engaged last week!). What a surprise from the both of them! Congrats to Melissa and David!....Now, we're just waiting for Joel to find a girl!

Hanging Out With The Big Kids

Friday, 28 December 2007

We stayed in most of the day since it was still rainy and windy out. We went out in the afternoon to mail something at the post office, and then we headed to Miya's. We hung out with Taiga and his cousins Nicholas and Aiden. Chase so wants to play with them, but he still is working on sitting up, flipping over, and scooting around on his own. He watched them play on the toy cars and was fascinated, but then scared by the talking Simba, furbee, and allosaurus, who were all nearly his size or bigger.

We hung out all afternoon there and tried to give him tofu, but he wasn't quite interested. He kept spitting it out. I'd put it back in, and then he'd spit it out again.

Miya says Chase will probably start crawling and walking once he hangs out with Taiga and the boys more regularly. He'll want to chase them around soon enough and join in all the fun! She's agreed to watch Chase a few days a week when I go back to work half-time mid-January (My mother-in-law will watch Chase two days a week.) He'll probably have a lot of fun hanging out with them each day. She's got a ton of toys and lots of space for him to move around. He'll probably come home exhausted each day from all the overstimulation!

After eating some corn chowder and chex mix with Miya and Jenn, we went home and picked up Chris, and then headed back out again for grocery shopping at Costco.

Crappy Weather

Thursday, 27 December 2007

The weather has been really crappy this week, with lots of wind and rain all day and night (I've actually worn fleece to bed, especially because I still need to get up in the middle of the night and nurse Chase). So I've been trying to do laundry, but have had to hang it up in the house since I cannot hang it on the line outside. I've been using the dryer a lot more too, and tonight, we actually had to turn our water heater on since we didn't have any sun all day.

We've been going out in the late afternoon just to get out of the house. (I've been watching the weather and escaping the house as soon as it's dry out!) We've been braving the malls, yesterday at Ala Moana and today at Kahala Mall. I've been returning gifts and browsing for ornaments on sale. I've also picked up some Sugar Bowl t-shirts in preparation for next weeks' big game. You know everyone is so excited for UH here that everyone is selling t-shirts. Chris met us yesterday after work, and we ate dinner at the food court.

Chase has been super vocal lately. Ever since we got back from California, he has discovered the sound "ah", and he says it loud and clear, all day long! It's really fun to hear his different sounds. He got so excited when a little boy sat next to us today, that he started kicking and saying "Ah....ah.....ah". He just wants to play with all the little kids, but he doesn't know how to crawl yet! Sometimes it just sounds like he's croaking like a sick duck.

I've been putting him on lots of tummy time since we're stuck in the house. He does the push up, but he usually gets frustrated after awhile. He is loving his new toys though. He's got ones that play music, ones that pop up, ones that light up, and ones that he can put in his mouth (well actually he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth if he can get his hands on them!).

The only thing that's not so good about being stuck in the house is that we've been sleeping in. I NEVER sleep in, but I haven't been sleeping well since we went on our trip, and the bed is just so nice and warm and cozy! I have to start breaking that habit though because I need to get Chase back on track and to his normal schedule before we went on our trip. He's going to need it when I go back to work in a couple of weeks. Poor thing, he's been getting mosquito bites too. I think because of the rain, there are a lot more mosquitoes around the house. He has a bite on his face and he's gotten them on his hands and arms and legs. They don't seem to bother him much, so that's good. They bug the heck out of me because they love me! Hard to believe that I'll be finally going back to work in a couple of weeks! I'm not sure I'm ready yet, but at least it's only half-day.

Until then, I'll enjoy staying home and playing with Chase all day, even if it's yucky outside.

Our Own Little Tree

Tuesday, 25 December 2007

While we were in California, I reminded Chris how I am not used to "traditional Christmases". Chris got a little Christmas tree when we were gone, and we started collecting ornaments for Chase. When we got back, I looked in the closet for a box full of old ornaments and had fun decorating our tree with old ornaments my mom and dad had for us. I discovered homemade ornaments we made in elementary school, the yarn Christmas trees my mom used to crochet and sell at craft fairs, and even stockings and specially made ornaments that were engraved with our names. I had to throw a lot of stuff away as they were disintegrating in the box, but it was fun to go through things and conjure up old memories, memories of when my mother and father were still together and we used to do fun, festive things during the holidays, like driving around and looking at the popular light displays in the neighborhood and having people over for fun parties.

I even found the placemat we used to leave for Santa. Mom used to bake cookies and leave some on a plate with a glass of milk on the placemat. I remember waking up Christmas morning and being so surprised that some of the milk was gone and the cookies were eaten (even though Santa has to come through our front door here, since we don't have chimneys here in Hawai'i).

After my mom moved back to California, when I was 12, we never seemed to do the "traditional" things anymore. Towards the end of high school, we didn't even get a tree anymore.

It was strange to wake up this Christmas morning, in the house that I grew up in, but without my mother and father, or even my brother here. Instead, I now I have a husband and a baby, and we have our own little tree. Our tree is decorated with some old ornaments from the 80's, but we also have many new ones labeled with Chase's name and the year "2007". I gave most of our friends' kids ornaments as gifts this year, and I think I'm going to make it a tradition every year. We had fun finding new ornaments at places we visited during our trip to California this month. Hopefully, one day, when Chase gets older, he will enjoy looking at the ornaments, decorating the tree, and waiting up for Santa.

It's time to start our own traditions now. Even though we have a little tree this year, it's our own little tree (and there's a good reason why it's "little" --- Remember, we do have 85 stairs the tree needs to be carried down before it gets from our car to our front door!). After opening presents this morning at our house (and discovering we now need to make one of the bedrooms a toy room for all of Chase's new toys!), we made our way to the Halsalls to open more gifts and to eat dinner. We laughed at Chris' "traditional" wrapping of gifts (just think, lots of duct tape, masking tape, plastic bags, etc.), as we passed around the gifts (many collected from trips over the past year, and some even wrapped and forgotten from last year) and opened them one by one for hours.

Although Chase is still too little to even know what was going on for his first Christmas (but he does love his new blinking ornament!), our little tree is a symbol of our new little family, a symbol of new beginnings, and a symbol of new traditions.

We wished Dad a Merry Christmas, and although he is no longer with us, I know that he is looking down on us, watching over our little family, and smiling for our new beginnings.

Christmas Eve

Monday, 24 December 2007

Chris went to work today, but called me in the afternoon to let me know that he would be coming home early. Chase and I hung out at home all day. Auntie Sharon and Joel dropped by to drop off presents. We got some presents in the mail, along with the two boxes my mom sent from California with the remainder of our stuff from our recent visit.

We went out to Kailua to pick up an exersaucer from a woman selling it on Craigslist. She threw in a walker as well. For $25, it was worth the drive. Chase has been in need for more entertaining toys, and everytime he goes into an exersaucer at someone's house, he just loves it. So, we decided to pick this one up. We picked up baby food at the grocery store and headed home. It’s rainy and windy tonight. Perfect for cooking at home, wrapping gifts, and watching “A Christmas Story,” one of my favorite Christmas movies.

For the first time, I fed Chase poi. He ate three tablespoons of fresh poi, though we bought the powdered one as well so we can make our own in smaller amounts if we want. Such a Hawaiian boy…his grandfather would be proud!

Laying Low

Sunday, 23 December 2007

After our busy Friday and Saturday nights, it was about time we layed low. Cleaned and did laundry. Went to dinner with the Halsalls at Big City Diner and decorated their Christmas tree. I went to the mall at 9 pm to do some last minute Christmas shopping. It was packed, with even lots of families and strollers there at that late hour!

Jay & Shelly's & Some Flipping Fun

Saturday, 22 December 2007

Chase slept in until 6 am! That’s the longest stretch he’s ever had so far! And, I slept like a rock as well, which would be why I felt like a rock too. Though I could have gone to yoga this morning, I opted to go back to sleep after feeding Chase, and we all slept in a few more hours, catching up on some much needed sleep.

The most exciting thing happened today...Chase turned over for the first time! Chris watched him do it a couple of times in the crib. Of course, it's like a dog doing new tricks...We just kept watching him to see if he would do it again. Of course, he flips from his tummy to his back (the easy way babies usually do first), so we're trying to make him flip from his back to his tummy. He tries, but he usually just ends up rocking on his hip back and forth, trying to flip his leg over, but not quite getting enough momentum to make the complete turn. So, Mom, even though it was your goal to make Chase flip over before we left California, I guess he just needed a week's more time!

It was a productive day, as we cleaned house today. I reorganized and relined and cleaned out the kitchen cabinets. It helps that Chris is here to watch and entertain Chase. I can get housework done uninterrupted. He helped carry up lumber, and then he baked macadamia nut brownies too. I went to the mall to get gift certificates for tonight’s yankee swap game.

We got ready to go and packed lots of alcohol up (since I haven’t been drinking for awhile now) to take to Jay and Shelly’s new house in Kailua. I conveniently ran into my friend’s mom outside a grocery store and handed her my friend’s Christmas present as she was preparing to ride away on a motorcycle. What timing! Once at Jay’s house, we unloaded all the presents and boxes of alcohol, enjoyed appetizers, chatting with old friends, and showing off the baby. He was in a really good mood. Hayley held Chase for awhile so we could eat dinner. We played the yankee swap game (with the $40 gift minimum) and ended up with some kitchen knives and Starbucks and Subway gift cards.

Their house is really nice, and Kaliko is so much happier there. She has lots of room to roam around, and she hardly barked at all. I think she enjoys her freedom more there rather than being chained up at our house barking at the pigs for entertainment.

After entertaining Chase with the robot someone won (and of course showing Shelly Chase's new trick of turning over), we left close to 11:30 pm. Another late night indeed.

It was fun, but I know we’re all going to sleep in tomorrow too. I think yoga is out for me once again.

Caroling and Partying

Friday, 21 December 2007

This morning, I went up to Auntie Stevi’s to see if she could help me come up with a cookie recipe. She ended up helping me bake the cookies, shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate and macadamia nuts. My friends are having a cookie exhange tonight, and I am so not a baker.

After “we” baked cookies, Auntie Stevi and Uncle Gary took me, Chase, and Auntie Jane out for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. They wanted to treat us for watching the house and their dog Selena while they will be gone on vacation.

We enjoyed lunch, then came home just in time for me to have another handyman take a look at the repairs that need to be done around the house. He may be able to build us a shed for starters, and will consult his brother for bigger jobs we may have.

I wrapped presents, while Auntie Stevi finished the cookies, then got ready for Chris to come home. Once he came home, we bathed Chase (during which we got a call that the carolers were already at the first house! Yikes!) and then hurried off to meet the carolers from the ALS Support Group. We missed the first house, but went on to the convalescent home and then to another home where we sang to bedridden clients who have had ALS for awhile. They are on ventilators and feeding tubes. In the pictures, Chase enjoyed holding Peggy Chun’s arm. Her house and room is always so festive and full of life. Though we didn’t get to stay and talk, I’m sure she enjoyed the visit, as did her cat Boo who sat quietly at her feet.

I wanted to go on to see Lisa, the young gal in her late 30’s who has ALS. She and Dad always talked to each other about their experiences and Dad always felt for her because she was so young, stricken with this awful disease. But, it was already past 8 pm and I had to stop to feed Chase, who was getting fussy, as were we since we hadn’t eaten dinner yet. I knew it would be another hour before we got to our next party, so we passed on seeing Lisa and went on to my friend Jenn’s house for our final stop of the evening.

Though we were late arrivals to Jenn’s Christmas party, we ate some food and got to take part in some games and the cookie exchange contest and exchanging of gifts. Our cookie didn't win, but we had fun tasting the six other unique creations. Chase was exhausted and slept some while the other kiddos ran around and played all night. By the time we got home, it was 11:30...a late night for all of us!

Back to Hawai'i

Monday, 17 December 2007

We had a safe flight back, after getting to the airport at 6:30 this morning. Even though the flight was a little delayed, Chase was really good. Everyone commented on how well behaved he was on the flight. Chase was super active, so I spent most of the time bouncing him up and down the aisle and at the back of the plane where the flight attendants hang out. He had fun making faces and smiling and cooing at everyone. As people would go to the back to go to the restroom, they would blow bubbles and make funny sounds to make him laugh. We napped here and there. And, I was lucky to have asked for an extra seat next to me, so I had room to lay him down and spread out all of his things.

As we landed, I checked for a summery outfit to change him into, but I had forgotten to pack one in the go bag, so I decided to just take his winter outfit off and carry him in his birthday suit. I handed him to my mother-in-law in a diaper and a bib, perfect for Hawai'i weather anyway.

He was fine all the way home. But, when we got home, there was a problem.

I was locked out of the house! I had left my keys with my uncle, but Chris had taken them back when he got back. Now, they were inside the locked house! After several failed calls to Chris at work, I called my brother, and he just happened to be off of work and happened to be in the area, so he came home and opened the door for us. We chatted a bit, then Ron and Audrey took me grocery shopping (since Chris had totally cleaned out the fridge and there was no food in the house either!). We got a late afternoon snack as well at the new Safeway and headed home. I was exhausted! It was a long day for sure!

Even though I was tired, I knew I was going to stay up late unpacking and cleaning and putting everything away before I could go to bed. Chase was super fussy tonight and still has wind burn on his cheeks. We'll see how the evening goes. Mom called to see if we got in okay, and she told me they're already having Chase Withdrawals! Gary says he misses bouncing Chase around the dining room table to put him to sleep. And, Mom says she misses bathing him and playing with him and hearing his sounds (as the house must be pretty quiet now!).

Meeting The Rest Of The Family

Sunday, 16 December 2007

Gary took me to pick up my Christmas photo cards at Costco, then I came home and prepared a salad. We had guests coming for dinner, Gary's side of the family whom I've heard so much about over the years but I have never met. There was his sister Lynda, who's been a devout blog reader since my days in Thailand. Then there's Gary's daughter Andrea, who's close in age to me (and will be my new stepsister), and lives about half an hour away from them, with her newlywed husband Tom. We had an early dinner at 3 pm. It was a nice time, getting to finally meet those I had heard so much about. We had fun eating gnocchi and salad, laughing, talking about Andrea and Tom's application for The Amazing Race reality show (using their May-December relationship as their schtick), and watching football, while Chase entertained us all. Chase was hilarious, and Gary and Tom were good at making him laugh. I captured some good video of him practicing doing all of his calls as a referree, with Gary controlling his arms of course.

After they all left, it was packing time for me! How to get all of the gifts and clothes and goodies into 1 suitcase? Hmmmm.....

Spicy Treats

Saturday, 15 December 2007

Today, we all went to the Cash-n-Carry store to get spices and containers and things to put together our own homemade food gifts for Christmas. Mom let me use a lot of her spices they had to make "Emeril's Essence" to give away. It will be something people can use, and since I haven't been working (Gosh, the last time I was actually working daily was in April of this year!) and am on a tight budget, it's something useful I can give without spending a lot of money. Gary and Mom helped me scoop out the spices because I was carrying Chase in my carrier at the same time (which he soon fell asleep in) and the spices were starting to get to me (and I didn't want Chase to start sneezing). We had to open up a window, and Gary actually had to go out in the garage to whisk the tub of spices together so that they didn't make us crazy in the house!

Chase ate half of the sweet potatoes and half of the pears, gulping them up. He's doing very well with eating his "solids" these days. In fact, I managed to feed him three times today, along with nursing, so he's doing pretty good. Hopefully, despite all the spit ups (he's still having issues with coughing and spitting up a lot), he's gaining weight. We'll see when we go to the doctor next, at the end of January.

Tonight, Mom and Gary went to a Christmas party of one of his accounts from work. It was an "adults only" party, so Chase and I had to stay home. I ate leftovers, and then I walked him over to see the other houses that were lit up in the neighborhood (and after about 5 minutes of walking in the freezing cold, went right back to the warm house). I fed him and started to bathe him, but it's a good thing they came home soon after that, because I needed help holding him up in the sink (a little hard with one person).

Chase was in a very good mood today, very talkative, playful, and observant as usual.

Winter Wonderland

Friday, 14 December 2007

Chase did not sleep well last night. He was up every two hours, and then after 4 pm (when Gary left for work), Chase was up like every half hour. He was super fussy, and as a result, so was I. So, I knew for sure we wouldn't make a drive down to the Bay Area today. In fact, Chase and I slept in our pajamas until nearly noon catching up on much needed sleep.

Gary got home by that time, and I took Chase for a walk in the neighborhood, to the grocery shopping area and to walk past the canal with the ducks. When Mom came home in the early afternoon, we went for another walk again to the grocery store. After our brisk walk through the cold, clam chowder was the perfect supper.

The highlight of our evening was going to see the Christmas lights. There was a huge spread in the paper on the best Christmas displays in town, so we went driving around looking for them. First, we went to Gary's truck at the truck depot to get his map guidebook, then we made various drive-bys through different areas, mainly near midtown Sacramento.

The first house we went to gave us candy canes, and most homeowners were sitting outside near their firepits, waiting for passerbys (even if there is a fire ban in certain areas because of the pollution). The best display was the 20 houses that were decorated in a four block display. After feeding Chase, who screamed in the car through most of the ride, we parked and walked through that neighborhood. There were lit arches on the sidewalks in front of the houses, and we heard that one of the houses even came with the lights when it was sold to its most current owners. You would need to have grand Christmas displays to reside in this neighborhood. There were numerous limousines going through the area, which did not help the traffic jam in the streets, along with a horse drawn carriage taking people for rides through the area. A Santa held Chase so we could take his picture (Santa also helped to direct traffic.) There were SpongeBob SquarePants and The Cat In The Hat blowups, swirly designs on rooftops, musical lights, fancy wooden cutouts adorning the lawns, and even tiny elves holding lights. It was like walking through the Electrical Street Parade at Disneyland...everything was so lit up! It was quite beautiful!

And, this time, Chase was awake for the whole thing!

Once we got home, we changed into our warm clothes, Gary made popcorn (the old fashioned way of course, in a pot on the stove), and we enjoyed snacking on popcorn, hot chocolate, ice cream, and Gary had his hot toddy, while the pellet stove heated up the living room.

Chase and I will be sleeping in the living room tonight, since we relocated his swing to the area early this morning when he wasn't sleeping well. I dragged all the blankets to the couch and will probably fall asleep in front of the TV. It'll be like our own little winter slumber party. Maybe I'll even keep the Christmas tree lights on so that I can dream like we're still in our own "Winter Wonderland".

Social Bug

Thursday, 13 December 2007

This morning, I went to a mommy gathering/kids' playdate. I heard about it through a gal, Erin, I met on Honolulu Mommies, the online forum network for stay-at-home-moms. It's been a great resource to field questions for just about anything from breastfeeding to daycare to discipline. I had been chatting with Erin about tutoring online to make money at home. When Chase had a little cold at the beginning of our trip here, I posted a question about sick symptoms and got a lot of responses from the mommies, including Erin, who happens to live (she moved back here from Hawai'i but still checks the forums often) in Elk Grove, a neighboring town to where my mom lives in Sacramento. Erin invited me to a get-together with the moms and kids today.

Chase was the youngest baby there, with most of the kids ranging in age from 1 1/2 to 3 years old. We were there for the kids to watch a holiday movie, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", but the kids either played with toys, while the moms watched them and chatted. Chase was so excited to see other kids there. He blew bubbles and kicked his legs and just watched all of them playing with all the trucks and train set. He can't wait to join in the fun with them (He just has to learn how to crawl and then he'll be running right into the action for sure!). The moms talked about things like discipline and babysitting. It was nice to meet a few other moms and get that "adult time" that we SO need, as taking care of our babies is a full-time job!

Picked up Mom from work in the afternoon, ran a few errands, and ended up eating a late snack at a Chinese restaurant because Mom hadn't had lunch. It was a generous meal more than a snack, so much so that we didn't have quite the appetite for dinner a couple of hours later. We met The Waters (good friends of Gary's, Jodie and Robbie Waters - Robbie is a city councilman in town) at a good pizza joint. Chase was just all bubbles and smiles for the two hours we were there, and they commented on what a good boy he is.

What a social bug Chase was today! Hopefully, he'll sleep good tonight!

Trader Joe's

Wednesday, 12 December 2007

Since Chase and I got a better night's sleep last night, I debated whether to drive down to the Bay Area today to see my Popo. But, after feeding Chase, cleaning his spit up, and then haphazardly putting some things in many bags, I missed my window of opportunity to drive down. So, we're trying to convince my cousin and grandmother to come up to Sacramento for a visit this weekend.

Instead, we killed time at home until 2 pm, and then I drove down to my mom's office to show baby Chase to her coworkers. The security guard promptly asked who I was here to see when we entered the door. The Environmental Protection Agency is definitely well protected. Mom escorted me up to her floor, where we showed off Chase, though he was asleep most of the time.

Afterwards, we went to Trader Joe's so that I could pick up some goodies for people back home (again, it's one of those stores that we don't have, and unfortunately will never get, in Hawai'i). I got stopped by two moms in the store. Both asked about my Beco baby carrier and how I liked it. Of course, Chase had fallen asleep in it again, so I raved about it.

Mom cooked dinner and we watched TV. Chase was fussy on the way home today (He just doesn't like being confined in that carseat.) and was fussy in the evening. After Mom tried to encourage me to put him down in bed, she learned how he will wake up the instant he is off of your shoulder. The swing is the only thing (besides your bouncy shoulder) that will keep him in a deep slumber or put him to sleep. He was all pouty-lipped after that, and again, just wanted me to console him. Once Mom handed him over to me, Chase instantly stopped being pouty, put a smile on his face and started batting at my face.

The most entertaining part of the night was watching Chase (in our effort to teach him to flip over) pivot on his head and left side of his body in a complete circle on the floor. He didn't flip over, but he did manage to get all the way around from where he started and situate himself so that he was facing and staring at the TV...terrible, but funny nonetheless!

It's Just Me And You, Kid

Tuesday, 11 December 2007

Chase and I stayed close to home today. It's harder to go out now that my mom and Gary are at work all day and I'm here by myself with baby Chase (especially since I don't have Chris here to drive or navigate and Chase has not been sleeping well the past couple of nights).

I took Chase for a walk around the neighborhood, around the greenbelt, past the Portuguese Community Park and to the shopping area with the grocery store and coffee shop and such. It was a nice sunny day, and it was neat to see the houses for sale in the neighborhood. We stopped to look at the ducks playing in the canal along the bike path. Chase just stared at them. We visited them again in the afternoon, and then again around dinner time with Mom. In the late afternoon, a woman was feeding them, and about a hundred ducks and geese were climbing out from under the fence and going into her yard to get food from her. I wish I had my camera then! Perhaps I'll try to catch them tomorrow. Chase was not so sure about those geese honking so loudly, on the other side of the fence, about a foot away from his nose!

Mom, Gary, Chase, and I walked around the neighborhood checking out all the Christmas lights before heading to dinner at a popular Japanese restaurant. Chase was not too happy when we got home and I was getting cleaned up though. Once I got out of the shower, he just wanted me to calm him down.

We'll see how tonight goes! It's a lot harder when "it's just me and you,kid."

Hungry Boy

Monday, 10 December 2007

I was exhausted from waking up every two hours last night with Chase. He hasn't been getting his four or five hour stretches of sleep he usually gets back home. So, once he went back down at 8:30 am, we both slept in until about noon. I knew that today wasn't going to be a productive day.

Mom called at 1 pm to say that we could pick her up from work early and do some shopping. So, we headed into downtown and picked her up, stopping by Target on the way home. It was nice and sunny today, so we hung out on the front deck, watching a hummingbird feeding in the tree. Chase was mesmerized by the water and sounds of the fountain in the yard. It was then that I noticed that his hair is growing, with little spiky parts coming up near the back of his head.

After mom put a pot of jook on the stove, we went to Burlington Coat Factory to return some winter clothes that people bought Chase. We figured that at this point, he's not going to wear them and won't use them in Hawai'i, so we had fun looking for summer clothes instead and got a bunch on sale.

Chase was super bubbly (and I mean literally foaming at the mouth)and talkative today. Mom helped feed and bathe Chase tonight. The funniest thing was watching him eat, as he would totally go for the food (rather than waiting for the food to go into his mouth), leaning into the bowl and spoon (often getting the food all over his nose and face) each time, mouth wide open. It was as if he hadn't been fed in days! He had such a voracious appetite...We were all laughing because it reminded us of my favorite movie "A Christmas Story" where the mom makes the kid "Eat like a pig!", getting food all over his face with his nose in the bowl! Such a Mau I tell you!

Once he went to sleep around 8 pm, I enjoyed watching "Jon & Kate Plus 8" and catching up with Chris on the phone.

A Holiday Soiree

Sunday, 9 December 2007

We took Chris to the airport at 7 am this morning. Time to head back to work for him. He took my suitcase full of gifts, as well as my carry-on. Chase and I will be here for another week in California. We'll probably have to mail a box back, unless I can manage to carry another suitcase and carry Chase's carseat to the gate, when I travel back on my own next week.

Got home and enjoyed some warm apple cider, and then snuggled up back in bed for a nap. Chase had a huge explosion (as is his weekly duty), while grunting away sitting in the exersaucer once we got home. It was pretty funny. Too bad Daddy wasn't here to change his diaper!

We both slept most of the day, catching up from the week's busy schedule. We went to dinner at my mom's friend Judy's mother's retirement home. They have an annual holiday buffet dinner. We feasted on things like lamb chops and shrimp and delectable treats. Chase, donning his Santa hat, had fun entertaining the elderly. One fellow named Bill even held him and played with him, and we found out that he used to live in Kailua, on the windward side of O'ahu in the 50's.

On the way home, we stopped by the 33rd Street Bistro to pick up Chase's changing pad that we had left there on Friday night.

Checked email and messages and found out that Chris had gotten home safely.

Apple Hill

Saturday, 8 December 2007

Mom had a few friends over today, Diane and Frank (who introduced Gary to mom a few years back), Judy and Scott (coworker friend, along with her sister and husband visiting from Ohio), and Julie, Michelle and Ashton (friends of my mom's ex, Tosh). We enjoyed a light brunch of muffins, croissants, coffee, and juice. We opened baby gifts and talked about things like camping, traveling in Southeast Asia, and living in Hawai'i.

After everyone left and we cleaned up, we headed up to Apple Hill, appropriately named because there are acres and acres of apple orchards. Around this time of year, families come and drink fresh apple cider, go trout fishing, cut down Christmas trees, go for pony rides, and buy homemade apple pies and apple fritters or just plain apples to take home with them. We got there kind of late, at 3 pm, and it was super cold. We walked around and drove around a bit to find different places that were open. Many were closing as the sun started to go down. But, we did enjoy taking pictures in front of the fall leaves, drinking apple cider, eating apple donuts, and taking home some apple juice.

On our hour drive back to Sacramento, Gary jokingly commented on how there was another REI on the way that we could stop at for one last shopping spree before Chris headed back home. I thought he was only joking, but we ended up pulling into the parking lot of the Folsom REI. The Santa fairy got some stocking stuffers and gifts for myself and Chris (It's a good thing I was able to ask Chris what cycling socks he already has or doesn't have.)

I caught up with Miya on the phone and got her order of Trader Joe requests (one place I haven't stopped at yet).

Tonight, we stopped for dinner in the downtown Sacramento area and ate at Crepeville, a cool place with savory crepes and dessert crepes, as well as yummy salads and potatoes. All of a sudden, Chase started coughing and choking...and Chase blessed Daddy again with a huge spit up all over himself and Daddy's pants. It's a good thing we carry lots of extra clothes for Chase. But, we discovered that we must have left our changing pad at the restaurant on Friday night.

We got home late and finished packing all of our gifts and omiyage as Chris leaves for Hawai'i in the morning.

More Shopping

Friday, 7 December 2007

We went shopping again today, but this time I introduced Chris to IKEA. We spent a few hours there, eating swedish meatballs and exploring each department of the relatively new store in West Sacramento. We also went to the other mainland stores that we don't have in Hawai'i: Target and Linens N Things, etc. Chase was super-spit-up-baby all day today, from the moment we tried to put him in the car, to getting out of the car seat, to walking around the stores. It may have been due to the Mexican food I ate yesterday. We all went through several changes of clothing before we even got out of the house. I even caught a couple tablespoons in my hand when I wasn't wiping milk off the kitchen floor, carpet, or sofa.

We went out to dinner with Chris' friend Cami, a gal he used to work with at the bike shop back home. She lives and works as an attorney for the state now. We had a great meal at the swanky 33rd Street Bistro in Midtown, an area of downtown Sacramento. Chase was the hit of the restaurant. Our waitress held him at every chance she could get, showing him off to the others. He got a little ansy midway through dinner though, but the beautifully decorated Christmas tree was a great distraction for him. He wanted to touch all the colorful ornaments and put the red ribbon in his mouth.

Outlet Shopping

Thursday, 6 December 2007

Chris, Chase, and I went to the Nut Tree Outlet stores in Vacaville today, about a 45 minute drive from my mom's house (but longer for us, since we took a roundabout way of getting there). Chase slept through most of the day, waking up when I was trying on clothes (with him on me in my carrier). Bought some omiyage, Christmas gifts, and a couple of gifts (on sale of course!) for myself.

I caught up with cousin Stephanie in Seattle. She's counting down the weeks already until baby # 2 arrives. I told her how Chase always unlatches when he hears me talking and will look up at me and smile and laugh. I have to remind him to "Stay focused!"

It was a foggy, cold, rainy day today. Gary went to a crab feed with the guys tonight, so we took mom out to eat at a local Chinese restaurant that has a reasonable set menu (5 course dinner for 4 for $25). We ate a lot and had fun chatting with the table next to us.

Sutter Creek

Wednesday, 5 December 2007

We were planning on going to Lake Tahoe today, but it was super foggy this morning, so we cancelled. It was fine by me because I was super tired from the night (Chase was up every few hours last night). We decided to take drive (45 minutes to an hour)to the old gold mine towns of Amador County, Sutter Creek, and Jackson. There were cute boutiques and cafes, but a bit of a sleepy town for the winter. The highlight of our day was walking in and out of the antique shops and enjoying lunch at Chatterbox Cafe in Sutter Creek. Thankfully, Chris drove because I slept most of the way. Once again, Chase slept through most of the cool things, like our visit to the music box shop. I managed to feed him at each stop though. He did pretty good today.

We got back at 4:30 pm. Gary had picked up Mom from work. Although we were planning on driving up to Sierra Nevada to check out the Charles Dickens' Christmas parade and people in period clothing, we decided to stay home and eat another homecooked meal prepared by Gary.

Just as well because we were able to enjoy dinner while Chase slept, then feed him his oatmeal, bathe him, and then have time for the grandparents to play with him while we washed up.

Old Sacramento and Tree Lighting at The Capitol

Tuesday, 4 December 2007

After sleeping most of the night (I actually had to pump at one point because he didn't wake up), Chase seemed much better this morning. We woke up at 7 am, and he had fun playing with Mom as she got ready for work (and I think she had fun playing with him too, as she went in later to work). He was laughing, playing in his exersaucer, seemed to be less congested, and his eyes were no longer red and puffy. He seemed to be in a lot better mood, that is until about lunchtime.

Chris and I couldn't figure it out, but all of a sudden he was inconsolable. He didn't want to nurse, didn't want the swing, didn't have a dirty diaper. He was just screaming and getting himself all worked up. We thought perhaps he was hot, because we had a couple of layers on him. So, after about half an hour of crying, we shed his layers so that he was only in his diaper. He seemed to calm down soon after, but it was really strange. Teething? Hot? I don't know. That's the first time he's acted like that (in a long time anyway).

Because we missed our opportunity to catch the bus downtown, we decided just to take my mom's car and drive. It was already 2 o'clock and we hadn't left the house yet! Turned out fine. We toured around Old Sacramento, visiting the old shops, taking pictures by the trains, getting an ornament for Chase at The Railroad Museum, and buying some saltwater taffy. We even found a sock store and got some funky socks for gifts!

We got a late lunch/early dinner at Johnny Rocket's. Mom met us there after work, and then we all headed down to the capitol building to see the Christmas tree lighting. Katherine McPhee (American Idol star) and her mom sang a duet of "Silent Night", and Trisha Yearwood performed a song as well. Ahhhnold ("The Governator" as some novelty shops nicknamed him on t-shirts) and a little girl with Down's Syndrome lit the tree, and his wife Maria Shriver did a speech as well. We left when Chase started to get fussy. Funny thing is, he slept through our entire walk through Old Sac and the tree lighting tonight! He keeps missing all of our Sacramento tour!

We just snacked for dinner tonight. Chase was super fussy, spit up baby tonight. But, he did eat pears and oatmeal. He totally loves those pears. I've been chatting on the forums of Honolulu Mommies and am wondering if perhaps Chase is not really "sick" but may be cutting a tooth. We'll see.

We're planning on making a day trip to Lake Tahoe tomorrow. We'll see what time Chase lets us get started in the morning! Ha!