Kai at 10 months

It is strange that in 2 more months Kai will be trying cake for the first time.  We have been trying to be so careful about giving him healthy, all-natural foods.. and soon, he will try CAKE! For now, he is trying more "real" solids like chunks of banana, peaches and plums, stews, cheese, egg, yogurt.
At the beginning of the month (actually 4th of July) Kai got his first fever.  It was quite an adventure for the 2 of us.  Poor little guy woke up burning hot and lethargic.  He just wasn't himself and wanted to just eat, sleep, and be held all day.  It was a Sunday, so Kai had his mama and his papa to give him some love.  The rest of the week was recovering and then getting a cold.  By the next week, he was all better, but boy was I ready to get out of the house...
Movin' and Shakin'
Kai has been crawling around more and more and FAST.  He is able to climb the stairs now... FAST.  He is pulling up and standing in his crib and with all the furniture.  If given the chance, he just loves to explore.  He especially likes to dig through the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen.  If it looks like it is not made for babies, Kai loves it. Good lord-- HELP!
"Look at me stand!"

"Whatcha doin, daddy?"

Summertime of Swimming
This month of July has been another busy month.  Kai has gone swimming a few times.  He loves to splash around in the pool.  Some girls from our high school babies group took their babies to a baby swim class at Clubsport.  They said that they dunked their little ones, so I tried it, too.  Kai did NOT like it one bit, but I think it is good for him to get his face wet.
Hanging with Tutu at the pool...

Keila came over to our house for her first dip in the pool.  It was a hot day, so we let them crawl around in their diapers.  The two of them looked so sweet and cute.
Babies and Mamas

Oooh, cell phone....

"Friends"

 
Kai's First Trip to the Zoo
We took Kai to the Oakland zoo for the first time and met up with the Price family, Bryan, Manal, and Zavin.  For the most part, I'm not so sure he really noticed any of the animals.  We would be looking at the tiger or bear and Kai would be looking in the opposite direction at a bush or a tree.  Oh well... we had a nice time anyways.
The Oakland Zoo

Our little monkey hanging out on daddy's shoulders

Family picture at the zoo

Price family picture at the zoo

"Wake up and see the giraffes, Kai kai!"

 
Kai's First Obon Matsuri
Ryuta's family sent Kai some yukatas (summer kimono.)  The only really fun thing during the summer in Japan are the matsuri (festivals.)  Everyone will dress up in yukata, eat festival food from the vendors, dance the obon dance, maybe hear some taiko drums, see some fireworks, play some silly kids' games.  We went with the Fukudas to San Jose Japantown for Kai and Keila's first obon matsuri.  They looked so cute in their little baby yukatas!  We ate some food and played some bingo.  We only spent $2 and we WON! It was my first time ever winning at bingo.  It was pretty exciting.  We got Kai a bowling set from the prize table.

Kai with papi

Kai and Keila in their yukata

Babies and papas

 WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!

 Family day trip to SF

Mom and dad have museum membership.  The Musee D'Orsay in Paris is currently shut down for renovations and have lent some of their exhibits to the DeYoung museum.  I had gone once to the D'Orsay in Paris and was blown away by all the familiar impressionist art collections like Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Toulousse Lautrec, Renoir, etc.  We went up to San Francisco to see the art exhibit.  After, we went to a nearby park and had a picnic in the grass under the trees.  It was a beautiful day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the museum

"Bye bye!"

9 months and time is flying!!

Kai is 9 months now and he is a boy on the move, a man on a mission.  This month, Kai has been crawling (and FAST!)  He started pulling himself up to standing and even cruises while holding onto furniture.  It is wonderful to see him exploring and curious about EVERYTHING around him.  We've been spending more time baby-proofing the house more and more and more.. This month was Kai's first time going into the baby class at church.  He did really well his first time and didn't cry at all.  It was good to see him being independent.
Kai had his 9 month appointment and his growth definitely slowed down since his 6 month.  He's on the short and light side which I find incredible.  I seriously can't imagine the babies who are on the large side because Kai seems so big and heavy to me now.  He has definitely trimmed down from all his crawling about and has lost a lot of the chunk from his cheeks.  The triple chin is turning into a slight double/single chin.  Kai also has just started to babble and says "Dada."  Ryuta is really happy that Kai's first word is dada. :)
Our little boy gets really happy to see us, but it is interesting to see who he has decided he likes and feels comfortable with.  He has already started forming opinions about people and what is comfortable for him.  I sometimes wonder about him-- if he is hard of hearing or has "selective" hearing.  He gets set on looking at something and won't always respond.  Kai is a calm, relaxed, gentle boy who opens up when he feels like it.  He can be serious at times and doesn't always feel like smiling.  I wonder if he gets that from me.  If I could figure out why blogspot won't allow me to post videos, I have some funny videos of his "camera shyness."  Kai grabs certain objects and doesn't want to let go.  He will crawl all around and refuses to let go of whatever it is.  If it is the end of the day and he is tired, it is really upsetting if he doesn't get to hold that precious something.  I'm hoping that he doesn't develop a temper.
Kai is still a great eater.  So far, he has eaten everything I've given him.  It usually takes a time or two for him to decide if he likes it or to think about it and then he'll dig in and eat everything.  I've found that mixing fruit into everything really helps, too.
Oh, what a long day...

We celebrated Ryuta's birthday on June 5th.  It was such a great day. We went into San Francisco, visited Mike and Cindy's new place (amazing), had a bento picnic at Crissy field near Golden Gate.  Then, we had some korean bbq with the Fukudas.  After, we stopped by Suju's to watch some musical performances and I surprised Ryuta at the open mic with a "rap" I wrote for him.  I had some friendly back-up from Nadia, Luis, and Katie. Ryuta was surprised and I think he was encouraged.
At Suju's NOVA open mic nite with the Fukudas

My cousin, Jacie, graduated from high school and we went down to San Jose to celebrate.  It seems like all of the cousins are pretty much grown up now.. There's just Monica and the kids of cousins left..
Kai with Jacie (the grad) and Tay

Kai had two more haircuts this month.  He has SO MUCH hair!! It's kind of crazy trying to cut it because he jerks his head around so much.  But, I'm grateful that he has hair.  It is fun to play around with it..
Our little Elvis man

Jenn and the fam came up from SD to stay with us one weekend for a funeral.  The first morning, Risa and Brooke were screaming.  Risa said that they were being noisy on purpose because they wanted to wake Kai up because they were just sooo excited to see him.  I told them that I wouldn't get him until 8:00.  The girls were so funny.  They just couldn't wait to play with their baby cousin.
Waiting for Kai to get up to play...

Yay!!!

Storytime with Jenn

My old sorority sisters/college friends, Judy and Kat, both live in the bay area with their families.  After MANY e-mails to get together and to firm down a date, we finally got together at Judy's house for bbq (really yummy kalbi) and the kiddies playing in the baby pool.  Unfortunately, as you can see, Kai did not really like being in the pool.  I don't know if it was being naked in front of everyone (our modest boy) or that he is scared of water or of the girls or being splashed water on.. Natalie, Kylie, and Naomi had a blast.  It was cool to see everyone and see the babies playing together.  The day would have been even better if the US team won their World Cup match.
I don't like being naked in the baby pool with girls, mom!!!

This summer, we're trying to get out of the house more to visit with people, go for walks, and swim.  We went this past weekend to go swimming at the tennis club.  Kai did really well in the water.  He was cautious at first and really didn't want to get water splashed on his face, but he started relaxing and kicking around in the water.
Swimming in the big pool with mama is fun!

It is so interesting to watch Kai with his baby friends, Jacob and Keila.  They are SO much more interactive with each other, grabbing at each other and grabbing for toys together.  Long are the days of just lying on the rug in a circle while the moms ate cookies and brownies...
Being busy bees: Kai with his buds, Jacob and Keila

Mama and Kai, the camera shy cutie 

Family picture at the Jerdee house for a BBQ.. Kai still being camera shy

4 more months of "baby-hood"

This past Saturday, the oldest baby in our baby group turned one.  Dylan, the leader of the pack, had a BIG, carefully planned, delightful birthday party to celebrate his first year.  Sharon and Alby did an amazing job planning and setting up a special party for their son.  The whole restaurant was CLOSED for the private event and everything was decked out in the monkey theme.  Sharon and Alby even made monkey faces out of fondant to put on each cupcake for the guests.  Monkey balloons, banana cake, monkeys on the gift bags, Dylan even wore a monkey aloha shirt... They thought of everything and even had a play area for the babies and a crafts table for the kids near a TV playing cartoons.
Anyways, it got me to thinking how all of the other babies will soon be turning one, too.  This first year will be over and they technically will not be babies anymore.  All of these firsts for Kai and for us will just be some nice photographs and nice memories.  Kai will get bigger, smarter, more independent.  His pudgy little toes, tiny little hands, baby nose, squishy kissable cheeks will be gone! :(
One of my friends keeps asking me when I'll start planning Kai's first birthday party.  Well, I guess I can say that NOW I have actually started thinking about it.  I know that there are still 4 more months until then, but after this weekend's party, it got me thinking...
Jacob and Kai "partying" it up!! (Don't they look so cute in their party hats?!)

 Happy 1st birthday, Dylan!!

 

It has been so cute to watch Kai and Keila over the past 8 months. Ryuta and I think that they will be like the girl and boy at the beginning of Up.  Keila will be the more aggressive, talkative one while Kai calmly follows along.  We can see Keila saying to Kai, "You're kinda quiet, kid... but I like you!"

Keila establishing her position in the relationship:

Today Kai is 8 months!!! I can't believe how time is flying by.  Kai is crawling a lot more.  He has started to pull himself up in the pack and play and on his radio flyer wagon.  He is still a mama's boy which drives Ryuta crazy (hehe.) He has been trying more and more foods (apple, banana, pumpkin, pear, apricot, peach, potato, lentils, corn, blueberry, and chicken) and is still a good eater. This month has been a challenge for me to be more consistent with Kai's day-time schedule, especially naps.  Kai has always been a great night-time sleeper, but he was really fighting being and sleeping in his crib during the day.  We may be now just starting to get a good nap routine.

Other than Disney World, we haven't really taken many pictures this month.

When we came home from Disney World, we couldn't resist taking one more Mickey picture of Kai.

Happy 8 month birthday, Kai!!

7 months and counting...

Since the last update, we have been busy, busy, busy! Auntie Sarah and cousin Andrew made a visit in early April.

Kai's been eating a wide variety of new foods and has been generally a very good eater (like his mama!) It's always funny to see his facial expressions the first time he tries something new. Of course, he loves the sweet fruits like apples and pears.  Whenever he eats, he says, "Mmmmmmm!!!" It's so cute.

Kai has been turning into a bit of a mama's boy, which is endearing and troublesome at the same time.  I feel so loved when he is so happy to see me and tries desperately to get to me or when we're in a room full of people, my boy only has eyes for me.  However, it's hard when I need to go to the bathroom or get a bite in the kitchen or something and oh horrors, mommy has to walk AWAY or go out of sight! Oh my! It is so traumatic.
Here's one of Kai's first attempts at standing on his own (sorta):

 Kai turned 7 months on April 26th.  He started crawling the day before on Keila's 7 month birthday and also the day of her baptism.  He has had so much fun being mobile and exploring.  He has a strange interest in the wall.  I don't know if I just think in a weird or philosophical way, but I think Kai is fascinated with the wall because it shows that there are concrete limits, there is a space that can't be passed.  He also, like any dude, loves electronics, things that are metallic or shiny. He loves cell phones and remote controls and will cross the room to get his hands on one.
Here's Kai making a funny face, "Huh?!"

The first week of May, we went on our first official BIG family vacation!! We went to Orlando, Florida!  It was great because we got to use our United miles, free car rental coupons from Ryuta's work, and mom and dad got a timeshare for all of us.  We stayed at the Marriott Grande Vista and it was soooo nice!! Thanks, mom and dad!!
Our first day there Ryuta and I thought it would cool to drive to the beach since it has been a really, really long time since we've been to the beach.  We kind of got lost and had a bit of an adventure, but finally found the beach (sounds dumb, but it's true.)  I don't know if it's because we are so used to Hawaii and our idea of a real beach is from our memories of Hawaii, but Daytona beach isn't the best beach for families with little ones.  The beach itself was nice and long and the ocean was blue and warm, but the human environment was kinda gross.  People were driving up and down the beach and cars were all parked on the beach.  We found parking and had to walk through the "Hawaiian Inn" to get access to the beach (ironic, huh?)  Lots of the people there were tattooed, unhealthy-looking smokers (yuck!) Anyways, enough of that..
Kai got to see and touch his namesake, the OCEAN, for the first time.  We put his feet in shallow water and he smiled when he saw the water moving and rushing over his toes.

On Monday, Papi, Tutu, Uncle Ryan, Auntie Sarah, Andrew, and our family went to the magic kingdom! It was really hot, really crowded, but I love Disney.. so magical :)
We're here!!

 Trying on some Mickey Mouse ears

 I feel silly like this!!!

 We went on lots of rides. It was cool to do all the fast passes plus they have a rider swap for parents who need to wait behind with the babies.  My favorite rides from the trip were Splash Mountain, Everest, Aerosmith, and Tower of Terror.

My mom made t-shirts for everyone with our names on them.  It was funny because the Disney workers would say hi to us by name.  I was like, "Hey! How'd they know that?!" and then, I'd remember that we were wearing the shirts.  When you buy a multiple-day pass at Disney World, they scan your fingerprint.  When someone said hi to us, at first, I thought that they had a radar-like machine that could tell your fingerprint and your name.  But, again, the t-shirts.  The shirts were really clever, too, in the large crowds because it was easy to find one another with our red t-shirts.
At the happiest place on earth..

On Wednesday, we all went to Animal Kingdom.  It's a humongous park with lots of lush greenery everywhere.  The two main parts of park were divided into Asia and Africa.  We went on a train to the petting zoo.  We went on the animal safari which was really cool to see animals in a natural-like environment.  This day was broken up well because we stopped twice to watch two shows, Nemo and Lion King.  It was good to get out of the heat and to just sit down and relax for a bit.  My favorite of the day, the Everest ride, is a bit like the Thunder Mountain railroad ride, but better!
In front of the "Tree of Life"...(Happy Pre-Mother's Day, mom!)

 On Friday, Ryuta and I last minute decided we'd join the gang to the Hollywood Studios park.  The people working the registers at Disney are so helpful!  The first day, I left my tickets at our room and they helped us out so we wouldn't have to go all the way back.  This day, I was planning on just buying individual tickets and the girl gave us the 3rd day rate.  Surprisingly, I had the most fun at this park.  The car show was AWESOME!  I really, really enjoyed Aerosmith because I totally didn't know what to expect. The Tower of Terror was cool, too.  At the end of the day we saw American Idol experience and Ryuta laughed at me because I said I would try it.  When we went, I realized that I probably couldn't because it was very realistic and the contestants were MUCH better performers than me. I probably would have just sang "Pants on the Ground."
The car show "Lights, Motors, Action!"

 Kai's view of the trip

 One of the ongoing jokes during our trip was Ryuta's explanation of a meal at Chili's.  He said that we could get a great meal for $10.  The only thing was that.... it wasn't that good... or it wasn't really, really that good.  I know what he means, but we were giving him a hard time.  The last night of our trip, we ate at... Chili's!
Ryuta with his beloved Chili's menu

Thanks for a great first family vacation!!!