4-H Fair

We went to the 4-H County Fair last Friday. It took a few minutes for Kai to warm up to it (he was look'n pretty sleepy when we got there). Perhaps our 164 lb. Newfoundland is responsible for Kai's affection towards the larger animals; whatever the reason, he was all too excited to cozy up to them.



Kai was invited to pat this little boy's chicken. The 4-H kids were so polite and invested in showing their animals.

Kai could hardly contain his enthusiasm for the large livestock.

Kai was gingerly trying to feed this goat an nice, juicy stick. It was a no go for the goat.

Kai took a few minutes out of his busy afternoon to collect some rocks and arrange them on a bench.


Kai was helping his Daddy clean out the garage this weekend. He has made himself right at home in there these days.


Just a couple of cute pictures of Kai playing in his room.

Kitchen Gadgets and Empty Drawers

My usually over-stuffed kitchen drawers are now quite empty. Their contents are all over my kitchen floor, in Kai's toy box, and occasionally tossed at our unsuspecting dog. Kai had two unfortunate "finger pinches" before he learned to pull his hand away when closing the drawers. After allowing him to empty them and play with the spoons, spatulas, Tupperware, and thing-a-ma-jigs, I am surrendering these spaces to him and am going to find an alternative space for my stuff. I can't imagine where I am going to put it all, but I don't seem to have an a choice. He loves putting stuff into them (note the little sheep he rediscovered) and the baby-proofing locks we have just don't fit them well. The score: Kai 1, Mommy 0. [smile]

Uggh!

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my day. Kai had an apt with Children's Hospital today to have his ears examined. Bless his little heart, he really had a tough day. Our poor baby has experienced so much loss and has undergone two surgeries without the love and support of a family; now, anything that remotely looks like a medical procedure results in a crisis reaction. Despite how well he has bonded with us over these three months, that brief time can not extinguish the painful memories and associations he has with his past. The pain and trauma that overcomes him when he is examined rips my heart to pieces. I put on the brave face and can handle the "medical" stuff (i.e. restraining him so that the doctor can look into his ears), but his anxiety around the non-threatening stuff really leaves me feeling helpless. Before he saw anyone in a white coat, we met with the audiologist for a hearing exam. She needed to consult with me in the hallway because he caught sight of her equipment and lost it. This was supposed to be the "fun" part of the testing. He was to sit on my lap in an observation room while interesting sounds were introduced from different corners of the room. Each time Kai looked in the direction of the sound, his response was rewarded with an electronic pig or sheep being lit up and dancing to music. Sadly, these cute animals were not enough to calm the hysterical baby within my arms. Next we met with the Ears, Nose, Throat doctor. This was again, unpleasant for all involved. In the end, it was determined that Kai has good hearing and will not struggle to learn English. Because his ears fail to properly drain fluid (a common problem for cleft affected kids), he will require ear tubes at the time of his next surgery. Thankfully each time we were left alone in the exam room, I was able to calm Kai and he would engage in play. His resiliency astounds me. I expected the long car ride home to be difficult given that he was hungry and in need of a nap.
Our commute home went well up until the deafening "KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK,KNOCK" of my ENGINE!!!! Thankfully, I was able to make it to the breakdown lane. So the hungry, tired, emotionally spent little boy in the back seat was tested for his patience yet again. We were rescued by our friend, thanks again Jessica, and my car was towed home by Rob's friend, Pat. Kai took it all in stride. The engine will need to be replaced, and that rots, but Kai is safe and clear of medical visits for the next couple weeks. I'm wiped out so I don't have any new picture today, but I am taking Kai to a fair tomorrow and will have some for the next post.

Portraits: Kai at 1 1/2 years old

These were taken a few weeks ago. Sorry that they are so small -I couldn't enlarge them any further. Kai is wearing his green t-shirt and jeans, his red Chinese outfit, and a Harley top that Rob's friends bought for him. Enjoy!

Things that Go Bump in the Night

Kai. Kai goes bump in the night. He goes "bump", "bump", "bump" for over an hour after bedtime these days. He is cracking me up as I write this. Even though he has had a full day of play and, as of late, very abbreviated nap times, he just will not settle in to sleep. I'm not complaining by any account. I know all too well that I could be dealing with an anxious non-sleeping toddler. Instead, the little boy that is clearly tired when we are going through our standard "night-night" routine suddenly comes alive at lights out. Now I have witnessed this noise making behavior. Initially I presumed him to be donkey-kicking his crib, but after some stealthy eaves dropping, I discovered that our little wonder starts off in the kneeling position and then WHAM! He sits up on his knees, stretching his tiny arms high in the air and with all his might slams his body down into the mattress. Thank goodness for Serta, otherwise I might worry that the mattress wasn't absorbing the shock he produces. He is sooooo funny to watch (or listen to from my current spot on the couch below his room). He does this off and on for 1 to 11/2 hrs. Intermittently he will break out into laughter or babbling. Just when you think all is quiet and that the Sandman has finally arrived, BINGO, we hear da-da-da, WHACK! I shutter to think of what tales we will have to share once Kai has outgrown his crib and is challenging the liberties of a toddler bed. I need an aspirin just thinking about it. For now I will just sit back and enjoy the sweet sounds of a happy little guy, thump'n around in the dark.

Toddler = Emotional Rollercoaster

How cute is he? It took me about 2 seconds to shoot these, that's how fast he was turning it on and off that afternoon. These photos are almost two months old, but when I put them into the collage post in early July, most people couldn't access them. I've been meaning to re-post them because they are so adorable.

Our Little Smartie

33. Yes, that is the number of signs Kai is able to spontaneously sign without help in just 5 short weeks. Wow, this kid continues to surprise me. He uses them all day to let us know what he needs and what he would like to do. We pair the English words with the signing to help him learn the language and also give him a tool to communicate with us/you. Kai will struggle with his speech for many years. Even after his palate is reconstructed, it can take many, many months for his palatal muscles to function properly. Kai meets with his speech pathologist each week and will continue this through his school years. Every child is different, so there's no knowing what speech sounds will be problematic for him until we come to that road. I will continue to list each word as he learns its sign so that those of you with close contact can learn some of them. It is really quite easy to pick up the basics. (I don't pretend to know ASL, just single words/phrases). Here are links to a couple of online signing dictionaries (complete w/ videos and illustrations).http://www.lifeprint.com
http://www.signingsavvy.com
Keep an eye on the right hand column for a continuously updated list of signs!

Two weeks of photos...I'm trying to catch up.

Kai takes walk through the trails at a local park





Daddy only looked away for a second. Oh, what a toddler will do with yogurt with only a second's time.


Kai is proudly showing us were his belly is located.

Kai has been using the radiator covers for seating. He's "hanging out" with his little figurines.