Father/Son Campout

This past weekend was the annual Father/Son Campout. We decided fairly quickly that Kai was too young to enjoy such a tradition, but Reid thought it'd be fun to do something at the house. So on Friday evening Kai and Reid set-up the tent, made s'mores, and had their own little campout. It was a good thing they were doing it at our house as Reid found that there's probably no way that Kai would actually sleep in a tent. At least not without a huge fight! In fact, by the end of the night Kai was saying "night night time" and when asked where he was going to sleep he said "In the crib." Yes, he's opinionated!

He loved the marshmallows, but when Reid put them into a s'more he got all bent out of shape. He didn't want anything that had touched chocolate! So Reid (and I) enjoyed the s'mores (and are still enjoying them if you want me to be honest!) and Kai just watched. Even calling it a marshmallow sandwhich didn't work.

All in all, the activities took about an hour. I guess that's a good start to what will hopefully become an annual tradition.

Building the Tent:

Trying (key word!) to get Kai to test out the sleeping bag:

Making S'mores and the "You want me to eat what?" picture:

Story time in the tent and finally ready for bed:

A Funny Video

There are some home videos that parents always find incredibly funny and the kids, not so much. I have a feeling that this will be one of those videos for Kai. As background, we had some friends over this morning and so we were doing lunch a little later than normal. Kai was tired and did not want to eat. So he decided to procrastinate by singing to me one of his favorite songs--Popcorn Popping. I have to apologize in advance for the bouncy camera that resulted from my attempts at stiffling laughter. The first thing that I thought was funny was the change in key, octave, volume, and well, just about everything. The second part that I thought was funny was......well, if you miss that you have to watch the video again. Happy viewing!

What we've been doing this month

Trying Sour Patch Kids for the first time

Curling up and listening to good music

Eating popsicles after spending lots of time outside

Reading good books

Covering our legs in stickers while Mommy's on the phone

Learning about hail--"Mommy it's raining balls!"

Nesting--aka starting to gather items for the "big boy room"

Playing in the ball pool

And we still have a few days left! Yippeee!!

Scary Seconds

We took a very normal trip to the park this afternoon that ended up not so normal. We started swinging and then Kai decided he wanted to climb on the play equipment. For the first time, Kai was able to climb up onto the playground equipment at this park (our normal one, we just haven't been in about a month) and he was excited about getting himself where he wanted to go. After a couple of trips down the little slide, he decided that he wanted to go across the bridge. He climbed up, and I went to my normal place next to the bridge to hold his hand. As he stepped onto the bridge, I reached for him, but he reached the other way and stepped in the opposite direction. (Maybe he was reaching for the hand rail?? I don't know.) The next thing I know he was falling off the bridge, under the hand rail and straight for the ground about two feet down. I let out a gasp, held my breath, and could only just watch as he fell. From my angle, it looked like he flipped completely over and landed flat on his back. (The other moms nearby tell me that he actually hit on his face and then kind of flipped over.) I immediately ran around the equipment to grab him as he started to cry. He was trying to sit up, so I scooped him up and he started crying on my shoulder and hugging me. And then I heard a deep breathe, and nothing.

I pulled him back to see if he had calmed down, only to see him completely unconscious. I panicked and immediately started asking the other moms around to call 911. As the cell phones were coming out, Kai's eyes started rolling in his head and he came around. The moms were so nice, gathering around Kai and helping me out. None of us really knew what to think, but it was nice to know that I wasn't alone. One mom stayed on the phone with the dispatcher to ask if they thought we should have an ambulance come out or if I should run him to the urgent care or pediatrician. After taking all of the information, they dispatched an ambulance to the park.

By this point, Kai was awake, talking, and very upset that I wouldn't let him go play. His face was scratched and bleeding, but other than that, he seemed ok. I held him on my lap for the 5 minutes or so it took for the paramedics to arrive, (much faster than it would have taken me to get him anywhere) and then we walked down to the curb to meet them. Oh, and in the middle of this I borrowed a cell phone to call Reid--I guess that's what I get for leaving my phone in the car. When Kai realized that all of the attention and sirens were for him, he was very upset and started to majorly protest. He just wanted to go play.

We talked to the paramedics for a minute, explaining the situation, and then they had us climb up in the ambulance so they could look at Kai. I held him on my lap, sat on the stretcher and Kai cried. The handed him a monkey named Mo, and he stopped crying and started talking to them. They just watched him as we talked and asked him questions. He was a chatterbox as normal...just a little upset and clutching his monkey. He was acting normal. They noted that he is going to have a nasty bruise on his face, and they thought there might have been something with his teeth, but on looking in his mouth they decided he was fine. They also told me that when little children get very scared or hurt, they will at times hold their breathe until they pass out. We figure this is what Kai did.

Kai, of course, broke the tension and had us all laughing. I asked him if he had a "booboo" and he said "Yes". Then I asked where it hurt and he started to look at his hand (where he had a little scratch about a week or so ago). The paramedics told him that they didn't see anything on his hand and he then began to look at his fingers and finally said "I have a broken nail." They all had a good laugh at his concern over a broken nail. At that, we got out of the ambulance and they offered a tour of the fire truck, which started the crying and screaming again. He was fine in the ambulance (as long as we weren't driving--he was very concerned about that) and wasn't ready for a change. We decided to just load up in the car and head home. He tried to return Mo the monkey, but the paramedics threw him into the car for me.

So, now we're all home watching TV and I'm just trying to take deep breaths. Kai has told me that he's "all better now" and so I'm trying not to dwell on it. The paramedics said to watch him for any vomiting or funny eye dilation and to take him straight to urgent care if that were to happen. Other than that, they thought his range of motion in his neck was good and he's acting completely normal other than being a bit tired. I figure we'll go back to the park, and the bridge, later this week just so Kai and mommy aren't scared. I have a feeling I won't sleep well tonight--I'll probably spend the whole night making sure he's still breathing--but I'm so glad he seems to be ok. When I think I about what could have been, I feel very lucky.

I know that lots of kids get injured at the playground, but it kills me that it happened while I was standing right there. I keep thinking I should have told him he had to hold my hand or maybe I should have been on the other side. But there's no point in that I guess....I was on the side I always am and I did what we always do. There was nothing I could have done once he started to fall, even though it seemed he was falling in slow motion. And I feel horrible that I didn't say thank you enough to the kind woman who let me use her phone. To whoever she is....THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Kai's going to be ok.

The battered face (from the forehead all
the way down to his lip, poor kid)

What does this look like to you?

This is some artwork that we have hanging on our wall by the dining table. (Sorry, the view is from sitting in a chair. ) To me, it's just artwork. But Kai frequently tells us that it's jellyfish eating flowers. Creative little guy. I have no idea where he got it from, but now I can't look at it without seeing the jellyfish eating the flowers.

A Sneak Peak

Yesterday we were able to get our first sneak peak at baby number 2. It was a family affair as we all headed to the office to meet our little one. After weeks of telling us he wanted a "baby boy" and a "sister" (clearly, he doesn't understand the words "sister" and brother"), Kai spent the entire morning telling us that he was going to see his "sister" and her name was "Darby" (a character from his favorite show--My Friends Tigger and Pooh). Well, the ultrasound technician says that he should stick with his initial choice--a baby BOY!!



We're very excited for Kai to have a little brother and a playmate. I've had to exert great self-control to not start buying cute little boy things or to start planning their childhood together! We've started a few basic discussions, but we're doing our best not to get ahead of ourselves, as we know we still have 20 weeks to go. Our littlest boy is measuring in pretty much right on time (only one day ahead of schedule), so we just need to make sure he knows that and shows up then. We're still wanting to avoid a Halloween baby!!

We also got a quick 3D view of him which was fun. We'll have another longer 3D ultrasound in 8 weeks. It was interesting to compare this ultrasound to Kai's. This little boy was much more subdued. The technician said he was just "chillin'" in there. He also didn't want to be seen. He spent a good deal of his time with his arm over his face. Interestingly enough, we never saw his thumb go near his mouth. Not a thumb-sucker??
We're so excited for our boy and can't wait to meet him in October!!

Fun To Do

This past weekend was filled with things that are "Fun To Do" (one of Kai's favorite primary songs"). Friday I decided to take Kai to a park that we had not visited yet, but figured we needed to see. So we drove into Colorado Springs to visit Memorial Park. I have to say that I had some mixed reviews on the park. The playground equipment was fantastic! Normally Kai won't climb on the playground by himself, but he was all over this playground and having a great time. I was proud of him for being such a good climber and not needing mommy to climb the whole thing with him. But on the other hand, it was in an area that left me a little worried. Let's just say that at one point, I thought Kai and I were the diversity at the park. I forgot my camera (bummer, with all that climbing Kai was doing) but I probably wouldn't have taken it out of my bag anyway. Who knows? Maybe we'll go back another time with Reid. Not so sure I want to do that by myself again.

On Saturday we finally were able to take our long-awaited trip to the North Pole. We got there first thing and were excited to find that we were one of the few families there, and there were absolutely no lines for the rides. You could literally walk right up, get on the ride, and ride it by yourself!!! So fun! Except for the fact that Kai was scared of all the rides. He cried and cried and wouldn't get on....at all! We walked the entire park and were only able to get him to go on the train (with protests the entire time) and down the Peppermint Slide with Daddy once. On the way back we finally forced him onto the carousel and he had a good time. The first time around he rode a horse with Reid standing right there. The second time he rode on the bench with me. That was his favorite! He still wants to ride the bench again--silly kid. After that we hit lunch (hot dogs for all of us) and he sat there in his high chair and said he was riding the rides and began to rock back and forth. Good grief!! After lunch we went back to the front of the park and forced him on the cars--first with me and then with Reid. He cried while standing in the now short line, but did fine once he was buckled into the car. We finally ended the day with one more trip down the Peppermint Slide. The video is from his second trip. You'll notice that he says "Noooo" all the way down, but there's also a smile on his face.

The motorcycle that he wanted to ride until they buckled him in!

Finally, on Sunday we had an early church meeting, and so we decided to invite friends to dinner in the afternoon. Kai had a blast with his friends and really didn't eat a drop of his dinner. We were happy to have some company and to enjoy our dinner together. While I was in the kitchen getting ready, Kai pushed a chair in and then started saying "I want down!" I turned around to see him on top of the chair--for the very first time! I had to take a picture of my little guy's new-found climbing ability. It was a busy weekend and I think it helped Kai find a bit more of his independence and reach outside of himself a bit. A successful weekend in my book!

"Lucky" Mom

Over the last several weeks I have caught myself several times thinking just how lucky I really am. And then I think I shouldn't use the word "lucky" but "blessed". Kai is such a wonderful little guy and really just a delight all-around. I'm not saying he's perfect, or that I'm always thrilled with some of his choices, but he's just a good kid.

Some of the things that I've been especially grateful for lately include:

*helping me grocery shop--he loves to push the cart and pick the items off of the shelves and into the cart. I love that he's doing this instead of whining and complaining about shopping!
*not throwing a fit at a store--cross my fingers, he has yet to throw a huge fit at a store (at least that I can remember). Last week he was very intrigued by the toys at Wal-Mart. I let him play for a while and then told him we had to leave. He didn't budge. So, I gently warned him and then picked him up. Instead of kicking and screaming, like I expected, he gave me a hug, got in the cart, and was on to the next aisle.


*bedtime routine--I have LOVED bedtime for the last month or so. We have a new routine of drinking milk while reading books with Daddy, brushing his teeth, saying his prayer, and then shouting "I love you!" at Daddy until he's out of earshot. Then Kai and I rock and cuddle for about 5 minutes or so and then he's in the crib, wide awake, saying "I love you" to me, "Good night", "See you tomorrow", and other cute phrases. He then falls asleep on his own on a pillow under a blankie!
*his uncanny ability to understand what I say--at the Doctor's appointment for his birthday I asked how you teach them to sleep with a pillow. The very next night Kai told me he couldn't sleep without a pillow and has slept with one every night since. Did he understand what the doctor and I were talking about?? Or is it just coincidence?
*his joy in helping me with my chores--dishes, laundry, vaccuuming, whatever! Kai's always right there with me! Yes, sometimes it slows me down but he's learning and I love that he likes to be with Mama.
*his smiles, love, and hugs--Kai is extremely cuddly. Enough said. It melts our hearts.

I'm sure there have been more in the last few weeks, but I can't seem to remember them all. I just know that I sure am one blessed Mama--and I'm so very happy to be Kai's Mama.