Kai's First Easter

Kai's first Easter was celebrated with Grandma & Grandpa Planty and of course Constant and I.
All decked out like dad in matching duds, we headed to our town church. It was an absolutely beautiful day.
There was a bagpiper at church outside of the entrance and I did my best to hold back the tears. The bagpipes will always remind me of my Grandma Joy. It's a bitter sweet sound. My boy Kai was wonderful in church and got really excited when the choir sang and one of the members shook the maracas!


Kai's First Easter Basket!

Looks like the bunny did good!



Amber Teething Necklace

When Kai was about 3 or 4 months old, I heard about a product called the Amber Teething Necklace. It's not a necklace to chew on, but rather one that is suppose to help reduce the side effects of teething. Apparently amber has healing properties in it and when worn, something in the amber rubs into the skin which helps to mitigate excessive drooling, reduce fussiness and swollen and irritated gums. Overall, it is suppose to lessen the ill effects of teething. I have nothing to compare the teething experience to, but I really do believe this product works and would highly recommend it. Kai's teacher accidentally broke his necklace prior to our trip to Hawaii and I swear that him not having it was partially to blame for our horrible flight. This necklace has become part of him. I am not a big fan of "man" jewelry, but am a fan of holistic remedies and for around $12-$15 it's totally worth it.

Check it out here Inspired By Finn  and let me know what you think!

To date Kai has his two bottom teeth and his upper left tooth is poking through.

Busy Like A Bee

From a trip to Hawaii, to eating solids to making a lot of noise, to getting teeth and almost crawling, this guy has been busy like a bee. And yes, that's busy and not buzzy. No wonder I haven't had time to write.
Where do I begin...

Kai's first flight. When I heard that I had to go to Hawaii for work, every part of me insisted that Kai and Constant join me. I didn't give much thought to the length of the flight or that fact that I would be traveling coach rather than business class. I was thinking that I was going to HAWAII, a place that none of us had ever been before and that my boys must join me. I guess I didn't realize how aggressive of a trip this was for Kai's first flight until we loaded in Boston and were on our way to Houston. It was the wee hours of the morning on St. Patrick's Day and my Kai was dressed up properly of course in a green checkered shirt and a onesie that said " I'm a Mc Cutie". Thank God I had the foresight to dress Kai up so cute or we would have all been most likely thrown out the exit row door mid flight. Without a doubt, this flight was worse than giving birth. The flight from Boston to Houston was great, but once we landed in Houston it all went down hill. Our flight from Houston to Honolulu was delayed over four hours, Kai was overtired and overstimulated by all of the happenings in the airport. When we finally did take off in Houston, it was almost immediate that Kai decided that he wouldn't just fall asleep like in my fantasy mother world I imagined him to do. The 8 hour flight did not go as planned. Thank God for the lovely lady that sat next to us who must have had really great headphones. Kai even got a tooth during that flight! I am sure that alone describes just how horrible the flight was. The good news is, the flight home was wonderful and it was as if we brought a different child home. We had a lovely time...and together, the three of us, got to explore a new place that we hadn't been before. Next stop for Kai will be Mexico!





My boys



Love my shades!



I love baby feet.

Bluest Water I've ever seen!

Kai in front of the Kai (Ocean in Japanese)

snoozing

I can't get enough of him!

First Flight!

6 Months, 3 Weeks and 4 days Wellness Appointment

And the stats are...

Kai weighed in at 20lbs, 5 oz, 27" long and 45cm head circumference!
He's absolutely growing like a weed. His first tooth is slowly but surely popping through.
I say that his tooth is like a turtle head :-) Kai is very happy and laughs up a storm! He's still not a huge fan of solids. We've tried peas, squash, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, egg yolk and avacado and haven't found a winner yet. If he's anything like Constant and I, he'll be a foodie in no time!

I still find the miracle of birth absolutely amazing. After nearly seven months I still can't believe that I made this little guy, no less birthed him. He truly is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Every day is richer and richer and the simple things in life are much more appreciated. I love having the opportunity of living life through my child's eyes.  Most days when I look at him I see a very strong resemblance to Constant, but other times I see my brother's smile and see a glimpse of myself. Some days I even see my grandmother and her inquisitive look. She's no longer with us and just for a moment Kai brings back a great memory of a lady that means so much to me.  This child has brought me so much joy. I find myself wondering what the days and months a head will bring, but caution myself to enjoy every moment. I once got a birthday card that said "live life one cupcake at a time". Very simply put, but absolutely true. The older I get the more I realize how special each moment truly is. I love being a mom. It's way beyond the best role and title I've ever had.

Grandma and Grandpa bought his first hockey jersey for him. He's the cutest little UNH wildcat I've ever seen!

I just love dressing up my boys in matching shirts. How can you not love their smiles? I'm not sure who is beaming more! I love my boys!

These sunglasses are from Grandma for our up coming trip to Hawaii. This kid is just way to cool for school

My little nude picasso!

Life is Great

We've been so busy watching Kai James grow and develop. I'm still amazed each and every time that I look at him that we actually "made" him and I gave birth to him. This morning waking up, it dawned on me (again) that not only did I make this little person, but that I have to teach him to speak, read, write, and the list goes on and on. Wow, what a big job. I love him to pieces and can barely remember life without him. He brings me incredible joy. His smile lights up a room and his giggle is absolutely contagious. I have such wonder about the days and months to come.

The last week or so he's been able to sit up on his own for 30 seconds or so before he starts to teeter off. I can see his little core muscles working so intently. He's taking an interest in Bentley and Sophie and I catch him following them around a room with his eyes. His sleeping habits are still not "optimal", but I do welcome the early morning cuddle. I can still hold and stare at him for hours. He really does have the cutest little smoochers and his eyelashes are getting so long and lovely.

Kai's First Christmas

I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew that Kai's first Christmas would be one that he wouldn't remember, but I hoped to capture as many memories for him as possible. It was really amazing and I can only imagine what the years to come will bring. Christmas made me all nostalgic this year, thinking about what life was like when I was a kid, when I believed in Santa. I have so many fond memories of Christmas as a kid. Whether it was the glass Christmas lights hung on our tree that I so loved or the projects that I did in school that would help me count down the days to Christmas. I remember Christmas Eve was amazingly fun with my huge family. I remember going home from my Aunts house on Christmas Eve and my dad would religiously tell my brother and I that he saw Rudolph's nose beaming in the night's sky. I especially remember the feeling of waking up Christmas morning and running down the hallway to the living room and seeing the presents sparkle under the tree...

Bentley Claiming his territory.

to be continued...

Kai's 4 Month Check Up

Kai had his four month checkup this week and I am proud to report that he is 16lbs 8oz, 25.75 inches long and his head is 16.75 inches in circumference. He is growing like a weed.

Over the last couple of weeks I've really noticed his transition from an infant to a baby. If that makes sense to anyone. He's really coming into his own and his personality is really shining through. He has a contagious smile and his giggles are worth a million bucks. He is really starting to hold objects and reach for them. He has actual interest in playing with toys. He can sit in his swing or bumbo for awhile and actually enjoy these things. He's very strong and loves to kick his legs. We are enjoying every minute of him. I feel that I am starting to get into a groove...but I am sure that since I just typed that he will shake up our world soon and will leave me feeling insecure.

I am still breastfeeding and thankfully was able to improve my milk supply some. I started taking fenugreek a couple of weeks back and while I am still not the milk producing goddess like I imagined myself to be pre Kai, I was able to improve milk production. Also, thanks to my wonderful network, I learned some techniques to improve milk expression from the dearly dreaded pump. I am still tweaking this though and hopeful that I will be able to yet still improve my milk production and expression--stay tuned. When I was at the pediatrician earlier this week with Kai, she mentioned to me that sometimes milk production can improve with the next baby.  I'm wondering if anyone out there with multiple children that have breastfed noticed this? I'm hopeful this is the case. She described this as if it was like your body was already primed and ready to go.

Kai was suppose to have a couple of shots this week, but I declined them at this visit since he's been sick. I think the pediatrician was somewhat annoyed with me, but I really don't care. I have my strong opinions on vaccinations in the first place, but since Constant and I agreed to vaccinate Kai with an alternative schedule that we both feel comfortable with, I didn't think it would hurt him to hold off a couple of weeks until he was back to normal. I guess I just find it odd that it would be OK to vaccinate a baby when they were sick. As the nurse pointed out, "as long as they don't have a fever" we can vaccinate. Then this nurse politely lectured me about cleaning Kai's gums after he got a bottle. Are you serious???  It's amazing at work how I can be interrogated and speak eloquently on Missile Defense without seeming squeamish, but when it comes to my son's Doctor's apt's and checkups and things of this nature it makes me feel anxious and inadequate. I'm also amused by the fa sod that some of the Nurse's have when they question you on the growth and development of your child. The Nurse told me that Kai should start to say Mama and Dada any day now. Now I know my son is advanced and just accepted his full scholarship to Harvard, but this just seemed a little advanced. So I pushed back and questioned the seriousness of her statement. "Well, I am just saying, this is something that you will notice in the future". No shit Sherlock.


Couldn't you just get lost in those eyes?