Birthday Count Down!

Kai is approaching his THIRD birthday! We can hardly believe it and the preparations are already underway. One way we are hoping to make it special for Kai is to maila homemade card into Sprout to (hopefully) be featured during their daily birthday segment. Sprout is a channel, owned by PBS, that runs t.v. programming for preschoolers. This is a picture of the front/inside of Kai's card. I had to whip it up last night because it needs to be there at least two weeks in advance for it to have a chance to air. They read through the cards and sing a special version of "Happy Birthday" to the kids. Kai will be elated if his card is on t.v.

Last year, Kai had his 4th surgery on his birthday (sad, but he needed the procedure to move forward with his speech and that is what was available). We had a little family party for him the week prior, but with the craziness of Christmas and many loooong nights with a kid that still hadn't fully recovered from the surgery in September, it felt rushed. I hadn't the opportunity to really celebrate or reflect upon the significance of that date; it is a day that carries a lot of weight.

Sadly, many children from China do not have true knowledge of their actual birth date. Because there is no legal method of surrendering a child, parents or family members must find alternative means of leaving their child in the custody of the government. They are unable to leave contact information and fear the risks inherent with an unregistered pregnancy/birth. Children often come into the orphanages with no birth history and doctors are compelled to make up a birth date based on physical development.

In Kai's situation, he was found with a playing card tucked into his blankets. On it was written the date of his birth. It may seem trite to most, but given how little of his beginnings Kai will ever know, this piece of his birth story is priceless. We shall never know who wrote it, and it will remain one of the many unanswered questions of his past, but having record of this date will be a treasured gift, always.

I am forever grateful for the little boy we have with us today. Somewhere, in a land that feels at the same time distant and yet wholly familiar, a child was born into this world. Three years ago, on January 14th, the world changed for the better because Kai was a part of it. In science, the Butterfly Effect considers how one small change can alter the course of life for everything else in its path. The birth of a child has that same consequence. Kai has affected people on two continents. Kai is an integral part of the lives of his family and friends. As he ages, Kai will affect a still greater population. With each passing year, more people will be touched by the little boy I humbly and proudly have the privilege to call my SON.

Each evening at bedtime we read a few books before shutting off the light. One of Kai's favorites is titled, "On the Night You Were Born". It begins like this: On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, "Life will never be the same." Because there had never been anyone like you...ever in the world.

Happy Birthday, Kai Kai. It may not be January 14th just yet, but it is never too early to celebrate the night YOU were born.

Merry Christmas!

Jingle Bells!

It has been far too long since I have picked up a camera, let alone post to the blog. Ugh, I wish I didn't let so much time pass...
Anywho, Kai has been in full-on Christmas mode these last few weeks and is loving the carols, the decorating, and the promise of new toys.


Despite last year's utter discomfort at the sight of a Santa figure, Kai ventured to sit on Santa's lap during a family Christmas party. He was a bit shy with the pressure of on-lookers and being in such close proximity to Mr. Clause, but this was the year for Kai to understand that Santa=presents. He broke out into smiles once he climbed down, gift in hand, but the shutter was too slow and I missed the picture. :)


Kai gave me a hand in the kitchen this morning. We were baking muffins to bring over to a neighbor for the holidays and as Kai stepped down from his stool, he remembered that he wasn't wearing his pj bottoms anymore. He thought that was the FUNNIEST thing and was roaring with laughter. Ahhh, he's one cute kid.

Snowsuits to sweatshirts

This is a quick view of what our couch can look like once Kai has deemed it home base for all his treasures. Cute, highly inconvenient, and a total pain in the butt to put it all away just to find a seat. And yes, that would be a pool toy in our living room. Kai absolutely LOVES that thing and snuggles its scary, plasticy face to death. I throw it outside and Kai always finds a way to get it back into the house.




Just before Halloween, we had an incredible snow storm that left us without power for a whole week. The snow was incredibly deep, but the sun was bright and warm the following day and Kai was eager to do some serious snow consumption. Unlike last year, Kai willingly donned his snowsuit and boots and hit the snowbanks. He LOVED every minute of it. He ate his weight of the frosty stuff, made snow angels and a snowman, and giggled with delight. Our poor snowman only lasted a hot second before Kai sent his head off and rolling. We made a quick repair, but a boy only has so much self control and quickly decapitated our friend once again. Ten minutes to make him, two 1.2 seconds to destroy him. {boys.sigh.} Anyway, the snow was short-lived. The beautiful weather melted our 14" of the white stuff pretty quickly




Last week, we headed out for a local playground. Kai made a little friend, climbed everything, and had a great time. Kai was intrigued by the massive tree limb downed by the snowstorm.




Kai has been braving the gymnast rings on our swingset and gets a kick out of holding on as long as his little fingers can grip the rings.






Sometimes he sticks the landing...

...sometimes not.

Happy Halloween!

Alive and well.

Well, we sort of fell off the face of the Earth there for a minute, but we're back! My computer charger kicked the bucket and blogging became impossible. That, coupled by Kai coming down with a lovely little virus called Hand, Foot and Mouth. Good grief that was a disater! That poor kid was in serious agony for a solid week. He had open sores covering his tongue and couldn't eat or drink. Following that, we had to transition Kai into a toddler bed because he had become too used to sleeping in a big bed while he was ill. Soooooo, my nights have seen extended hours upstairs in his room waiting for him to fall asleep. Or should I say, watching him run back and forth across the room doing things in hope of a reaction from me. His room is fairly stripped of anything he might use to delay falling asleep, but he continues to find new ways to procrastinate the Zzzz's. Tonight, I observed him rolling his 5'x7' rug up and heaving it into his bed. Ugh. Well, here are a few pictures that have been sitting around for a couple weeks.
PHOTOS:
Kai has been going to toddler soccer for the past few weeks. Here he is learning to hit the ball or balloon, in this case, off his head.
In the next few, Kai is just being a busy boy and as you will see, getting into some wet mischief.
The last few are of Kai helping Rob convert his crib into a toddler bed. Kai filled it with pillows and blankets. In Kai's world, more IS more.