The Nutty Professor

Um, yes...that would be a pair of upside down glasses from Kai's Mr. Potato Head.

Diaper Wars ****UPDATED

Kai vs. his nightime diaper ~~~~ Mommy vs. Kai.
That is what it is coming down to these days, a battle of the wills.

My son, the boy who couldn't be bothered to remove articles of clothing in the daylight hours, has begun an annoying habit of stripping from the waist down while he is in his crib.

It started several days ago. I naively thought it was a fluke. Kai had a rough bedtime last week and pulled off his pants and diaper after a frustrating hour of not falling asleep. Luckily, he was voicing his frustration and I went up to check on him. I was able to re-diaper him and stay in the room until he fell asleep. Well, he removed the diaper first thing in the morning when he woke up (the time I use to shower, leaving his crib vulnerable to bed wetting until I discovered the problem).

This pattern continued. By the third night of these charades, I tried another approach. I put a second diaper, backwards, over his p.m. one to make the tabs harder to pull from behind. Well, that worked!....For one night.

I repeated the double/reverse diaper the next evening. Kai was relatively quiet falling asleep...Or so I thought. In fact, Kai was just stealthily working to outwit me. I was awoken at 2:00 a.m. to a crying baby (probably cold and disoriented by his half nakedness). Thankfully his bed was dry and he quickly fell back asleep once he was properly dressed. The next morning, the diaper was off once again...and soiled. I had to strip the bed and wash every toy and linen.

Tonight I have secured his little butt into his diaper with a belt of duct tape. I have little confidence in this solution. A determined toddler is a frightening opponent. I may have met my match, but I can't give up or I will be forever changing bedding in the twilight hours. My next plan is to use duct tape AND onsie pj's worn BACKWARDS.

I'll let you know the results of this heated battle: Who reigns Champion and who (better not be me) is met with defeat.

UPDATE: Two nights of success! Kai is happy and Mommy is VERY happy.

Water Baby

Kai sure does love his kiddie pool. He loves water, period. Being two years old, Kai still can feel a bit insecure about adult size pools, but the shallow kiddie pool gives him the confidence he needs to stay submerged for hours on end. I can fill this thing with ice cold water straight from the hose and he has no problem diving right in. Most folks would yelp or squeal when they make contact with the chilly water, but he gets right in there and does some serious playing.







Kai loves to act out scenes from books or create impromptu skits. Here he is doing his "boo hoo hoo, sad baby" act. Pretty darn cute. He really commits.

Friends Forever

Kai is growing and changing before our very eyes each and every day. He is a full fledged toddler now. We sadly packed away his highchair this weekend. He hasn't wanted to use it in months and doesn't even use his booster seat at the kitchen table any more.
Two weeks ago, Kai had his first drink from a juice box and straw. Juice is a rare treat for a boy prone to cavities and the "special box" was beyond thrilling for him. Because of the remaining fistulas in his palate, he hasn't been able to build up enough pressure to suck through a straw. He squeezed the box to move the juice up through the straw and was delighted to have the same drink as his friends. He has done this on a few occasions now and though his straw becomes mangled beyond recognition, he was all too happy to be the cool kid with a juice box. Yesterday at lunch, the waitress brought him a cranberry juice in a shallow, lidded cup with a very long awkward straw. I was just getting his sippy cup ready to transfer his drink, when he started sucking away on his straw. His oral pressure is now strong enough for him to direct the liquid up the straw without squeezing the container. This has been a long awaited milestone for him; go Kai!!!

On Saturday we had our One Year Reunion with our adoption travel group. Initially, we had settled on this date because it was the only one compatible with all of the families that fell before Kai's next scheduled surgery (tomorrow).Luckily, Kai's surgeon felt it was best to put off the procedure for at least a year, so that gave us something else to celebrate.
Well, the heavy rains prevented us from playing and eating outdoors, but we had a blast just the same. With the exception of our dear friend Cheryl and her daughter Alyssa (who live several states away), everyone was able to get together for a day of eating, sharing stories, and reliving memories of our travel experience. The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves, even though most did not have the opportunity for a midday nap. Kai told me countless times that the boys and girls were his "friends" and he truly enjoyed the companionship of all his Chinese brothers and sisters and their siblings.
When we were in China, most of the kids were too young and in too much shock to really interact together. Now, the boys and girls roll around the floor together, "work out their differences," play pretend, hold hands and call one another by name. With each occasion that we are able to come together as friends and families, our children become more solidly connected with one another. Their shared past will give them a sisterhood and brotherhood that will make each of them more resilient and proud. This connection will be a critical part of their autonomy as they figure out who they are and what they want to do with their lives.
Rob and I couldn't ask for a better group of families to be our life long friends and extended family. We are fortunate, as parents, to have a place in the lives of these beautiful, remarkable children and we look forward to many more years of laughter and joy.

Shop Boy

Kai loves being out in the garage with his Daddy. He enjoys using Dad's tools to "fix" the cars and work on his toys. This weekend, Kai put his trike up on the motorcycle lift to work on it. He is intrigued by how things are put together and loves to take things apart and reassemble them.

Imaginative Little Guy

Kai's creative imagination never rests. In some of these pictures you will note that Kai has invited his friend, Hippo, to join us for breakfast. Kai finds his toy replicas of what he is eating and fixes up a similar meal for his little pal several times a week. Unfortunately, he is such a thorough host that he often attends to the needs of Hippo more than his focusing on his own breakfast. All to often, Kai claims that he is done eating before he has had his second bite.
Another common occurance is that Kai walks around with imaginary balloons, musical instruments, snacks/drinks, and on and on. Kai "peels" these toys out of his books and then will proceed to use them as we read each page. Kai is nothing if not amusing. He has always been a creative little guy and his imagination continues to bloom as he gets older.

Kai's 1 year Home Portrait

On Saturday we headed out to get our 1st Family Anniversary portrait. Unfortunately, Kai was not in the right frame of mind for this project (teething and a slightly irritating photographer). When we viewed the few family shots that were taken, there was nothing worth framing, but we got lucky and found one cute picture of Kai alone. We will give the family portrait another try some other day. For now, enjoy a pic of our sweet pea.