fishy

Jai has had a really busy couple of days. We had the playdate on Thursday and last night we had a birthday party for Johnny. Jai didn't get to bed until almost midnight. He slept in pretty late this morning- until almost 10:00. Of course, he woke up multiple times last night to eat.

I got him this toy fish that really "swims" the other day. We put it in the bath with him tonight and he got a kick out of it. He is becoming so active. I hope he is going to be a handful. Kids are so much harder to take care of when they are like that, but boy do they make life fun.

We went to the big Farmer's Market today. It was quite the experience. I don't think I have ever gone on a weekend... and I will try to never do that again. It was rough. Really crowded. but we got some great deals on fruits and veggies.

Tomorrow we are taking Granny to a birthday party and Monday my cousin Cindy and her 1 year old son are coming to spend the night.

Busy, busy

playdate

We had most of the kids from gym class over today. It was such a blast. Everyone seemed to have a great time!
We moved all the furniture and turned the living room into a big play area. And a lot of our friends brought toys, too.

he, seriously, may be the cutest thing ever!

the best 8 months ever!

Jai turned 8 months old today... where has it all gone? I know I say that all the time- but I really am in awe of how fast time is going by. It makes me feel so desperately sad that this is all going to be over way too soon. Like some kind of cruel trick is being played that when my life finally turns into this amazing wonderful place, someone hits the super fast forward button.

We finally made it back to work today and worked our longest day ever- 7 1/2 hours. Which is pretty hard with a 40 minute commute (that is when there is no traffic at all... it has taken over 2 1/2 hours in bad traffic) added in and a baby. I feel so drained tonight. Jai did very well today, though.

We have a lot of upcoming plans in the next week, so I will try to keep the updates coming.

explosion

Jai has seemed to explode in his development lately. He is rolling all around, sitting up on his own, trying new foods, all sorts of stuff. I am so amazed by him!!!

He is going to be 8 months old tomorrow--- where has the time gone?

We have a really busy week. I will try to be better about posting. We are having a lot of people over on Thursday for a play date--- I'm sure we will have some good pictures from that. until then, enjoy this picture of the family from Bobby's going away dinner.

busy as a beaver

We had such a busy day!

Daddy took the day off of work and went with us on our first ever play date. At gym on Monday, I suggested that we all get together. So we met today and went to a park. Not everyone in the class made it, but quite a few did.

Later this afternoon we went to Home Depot and got some flowers to plant around our tree in front. We took Jai's pack n play outside and he got to hang out while we did some planting. It was a lot of fun! And now we have a little curb appeal!

Here are some pictures from our play date.

sittin' pretty

and here are some shots of Jai showcasing his new talent....

He is such a big boy!!!

super sized

About 2 weeks after Jai was born he started sleeping with us. We very soon realized that our queen sized bed was too small. So, we got a king sized bed. Amazingly, there still isn't enough room.... this is why-
and then, I had to do a close up of his little feet because they are the sweetest feet ever!

why I hate volunteer work....

so, as most of you know, I chair Chopstix for Charity and have been involved in many other Asian organizations that require that I attend meetings. Jai has to go with me as he is totally dependent upon me for food. I would probably take him anyway, as I can not bear to be without him even for a little while.

But the meetings are far away and Jai hates the car. HATES it. He had to spend a lot of time in the car last week and has seemed pretty gun shy about it this week. Usually he has to build up to being upset about the ride, but this week he starts off the ride in a bad mood.

After we left the meeting last night, he started crying before I even got to the road. He screamed the whole. way. home. He was so upset that he was choking himself. By the time I got home, he had thrown up all over himself and was a complete mess emotionally.

I hate that he has to do with this.

after bath pics

tennis

Today, the weather is gorgeous! And Nana just happened to be playing tennis right down the street from us. So, Jai and I went to watch and hang out for awhile... enjoy the pics!

it's official...

I guess we can say that Jai can now sit up. I'm kind of sad-- my little baby is growing up so fast! He is doing really well with his sitting. It's amazing at how fast he got the hang of it, once he started getting his balance.

Cousins Amanda and Tyler and ah lao e Chanh came by to visit Jai today. They brought him a cute little counting/ teething book. He has really enjoyed playing with it.

Jai ate very well at dinner tonight. He had some crackers, fruit puffs, banana and tried a little juice. We usually only give him water in a sippy cup, but we tried juice tonight. He wasn't too sure about it and seemed to prefer the water. But this is the most he's ever eaten in one sitting, I think.


It seems like only yesterday, I was at the hospital meeting him for the first time... and now he's nearly 8 months old.

dare I speak it???

Jai had a great time at gym today... I am so nervous to even say that out loud. I'm scared I may curse it, but he did. He had a lot of fun. He smiled and laughed and didn't cry at all. And everyone was very impressed with his sitting skillz! He was getting praise left and right. I have my fingers crossed that we have turned a corner.

I set up a playdate for our whole class on Friday. We are all meeting at a library and then going to the park. It should be a lot of fun!

start of the week

Jai is sleeping right now... hopeful getting into a good mood forthe vortex of evil the little gym. I'm still remaining optimistic that he will have a good time.

Johnny and Prinn came over last night and made egg rolls with noodles, vegetables and sauce. It was so good! Johnny did a really good job on the sauce.

I know I said I would post some pictures--- I will one day, I promise.

Jai is so funny when he wakes up in the morning... he is so happy to see his Daddy and me. He gets this big perma-grin on his face and reaches out to touch us and cuddle us. It is so sweet. I love him so much! Being a Mom ROCKS!

Happy Saint Patty's Day

Well, we have had quite the week... that is why I am so behind. Sorry to those of you that check frequently for updates. (Uncle Richard :)

I will try to take some new pictures of Jai to post tomorrow. Maybe it will be nice weather and I can get him out a little.

Jai is just starting to get the hang of sitting. He still leans forward quite a bit, but he is doing a little auto correcting now. If he starts to tumble over, he lifts his opposing leg to counterbalance, or puts his little itty, bitty, chubble hand out to catch himself. Oh, there is nothing like parenthood. How a kid not falling over excites me- don't you envy my life? Even though I was totally being facetious there, it really does excite me.

We went today to meet with our accountant for taxes (boo, hiss) and he has this cute, little dog. Jai really enjoyed playing with Chelsea. She was just this ball of fur in constant motion. When we got home, Scout was sad that his Mommy and Daddy had cheated on him... but when he found out that Jai had cheated on him, I think it broke his heart.

We got out Jai's pack n' play today. He seems to like it so far. It makes me kind of sad, as he looks like he is in baby jail.

Jai officially has two teeth now. But he is still in a bad mood. I'm really hoping that it is some residual teeth issues and not a phase. He is so sweet and good natured-- I wouldn't know what to do if he turned into a fuss budget.

Speaking of the word fuss- when Jai fusses a little (not when he is crying over anything real) I always jokingly say to him, "Shut your fuss hole." Which is really funny and makes him laugh and stop fussing. But I can just picture him saying that to a fellow preschooler one day and getting kicked out of whatever school he is in. Reason #847 why I am nominated for Mother of the Year. Just after reason #846--- I let my son chew on a tylenol bottle as a toy. As you can see- I'm a shoe in.

this little piggy...

Jai's new thing is grunting while he nurses, if he is tired.... it's is very hard for me to not laugh. He does it so enthusiastically-- he sounds just like a little pig.

Last night, Mr. I Refuse to Eat Solid Food, ate some strawberries and liked them. I am cautiously optimistic.

walks and teeth

Jai and I needed a break... I've had a lot going on with P being out of town and then Granny getting sick. And we've had some major issues with the charity that I co-chair. so I put Jai in the car this morning and we went to a nearby park to enjoy some of this beautiful weather. We just took a short walk around part of the park, stopped and played on the swings for a few minutes, but it did me a world of good to just have a little down time.

We also went for a little walk around the neighborhood with Scout. Many neighbors were out, so we smiled and waved a lot.

Jai's teeth are really bothering him today. I'm hoping this is the last day of the bad pain. Tooth #2 feels like it is really breaking through today, so hopefully tomorrow will be much better. My poor little one.

ER, Granny and demons, oh, my

We had gymnastics today and Jai did pretty well. That second tooth that is coming in was really bothering him today, so he had a couple of moments that we thought were going to result in melt downs, but he made it the whole class. I hate how this is going. Everyone kept saying "oh, he did well today" like I have some sort of demon child that is incapable of being let out of a cage to join society. I keep telling them (parents and workers) that the little gym is the only place that he ever sheds a tear. (outside of getting hurt, such as a bump to the noggin.) I don't think that they believe me.

When we got home Granny was having a very bad spell. After a phone call to her doctor, we rushed her to the ER. While we were there, she started doing better, but it was pretty scary. She was released to come home, but I will need to follow up with her doctor tomorrow.

It was a really long day for all of us.

back to abnormal

Well, now Baby Daddy is home and all is well. We can get back to our abnormal lives.

Jai has gymnastics today... no one will be touching him but me or Daddy. I do not want any melt downs. And yesterday wasn't good anyway with the teeth issues.

Jai was so happy when he woke up this morning and looked over to see his Daddy. It was the sweetest thing!!!

oh happy day!

the Baby Daddy is home!!!!

and a great rejoicing poured forth from my heart!

my poor baby

Tooth number 2 is trying to make an appearance in the mouth of Jai. He is not a happy baby this morning. I feel so bad for him. And I think he misses his Daddy. And I'm probably not a bowl of cherries to be around since I've been stretched pretty thin. Poor little guy. Tough world for a baby.

Long day

Well, lunch was a tremendous success. We all had a really great time and some of the gang headed back here afterwards to hang out for awhile. It was so great to see the one classmate that I had not seen since senior year! We all had a blast catching up with each other.

I am so utterly exhausted though. I feel as if I am on the brink of collapse. I have had Jai full time by myself since Wednesday morning and I had such a long day. We spent about 6 hours with my high school friends and I spent a lot of the morning cleaning up. I didn't even get dinner made for Granny and me until 10:30.

I can't wait for Panya to get home tomorrow night.

still missing dad

Jai and I slept pretty well last night. He was really tired. Today I'm trying to get the house cleaned before I go to a late lunch with a bunch of friends from high school. One person I haven't seen in 14 years. I can not believe that I graduated from high school 14 years ago. Life is going by much too fast for my taste.

I'm really lucky that I'm kind of in the middle of everyone, so we are meeting close to me. I think that some of the gang wants to come over after lunch, hence the house cleaning. It's not that messy or anything, but it could use some cleaning.

one more day down...

well, we have made it one more day without Panya. This one was really hard. I have been very stressed today. I had a really long talk with cousin Holly today and that helped some.

Jai and I dropped Granny off to get her hair done this morning and then came back home for him to take a quick nap. Then we went back and picked her up. Later we went to the police station to get the police report from Panya's identity theft case, but it wasn't ready. And we stopped by CVS to get Granny some lotion that she has been wanting, but I have had a hard time finding it. (this is the 4th place I have looked!)

We talked to Panya a couple of times today. He is tired, but having a good time. Apparently, San Francisco has a great China Town. He said that all the souvenirs are craptacular, though. He picked up a couple of things for Jai and me.

When I was at CVS to get Granny's lotion, I found a great sale on swim diapers... $2.12 a pack. They usually sell them for over $8.00! I picked up a pack for Jai. I can't wait to put his little chunky monkey legs into some swim trunks! (He already has 4 pairs of swim trunks!) We got him one pair and Mom has got him 3.

Jai was so cuddly last night. He's always cuddly at night, but I think he is even more so with his Daddy gone. We've been sleeping pretty well, despite the three lights that I leave on.

Scout was a bad dog today and ate Jai's favorite ball. I don't know what I'm going to do with that dog!

Well, I'm off to join my little one in the land of slumber.

Two more days to go..........................

Yesterday was an ok day. We took Granny out to run errands. She wanted to go to the book store and the dollar store. Other than that, I'm just trying to do some organizing to keep myself busy. And because I want to get it done. So far, I've managed to keep myself and Jai pretty clean. The way we bathe Jai makes it really hard for me to do it alone, but I managed.

Jai sat up for about a minute yesterday. He was leaning forward and bracing himself with his arms against the floor, but that's the longest he's done that. His tooth was bothering him a little yesterday. That darn thing just won't seem to come through all the way.

We are taking Granny to the beauty shop to get a perm this morning.

We really miss Panya.

we miss Panya.....

we're makin' it!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we survived our first night without the Baby Daddy! We did much better than I expected. Usually I am scared half to death to be by myself in the bed at night. (yes- I am still a 12 year old girl, apparently) But, I didn't even get scared last night. Ok, I did sleep with about 3 lights on, but I didn't get scared!

We really miss Panya, though. It's so weird without him coming home at night. He made it to San Francisco and said that his hotel is really nice. He has a plasma tv right in his room. I went with him to this conference last year and had a lot of fun. It was in Disney last time. I think next year Jai and I will go... well, depending on where it is next year.

This is a picture from last year's trip... Jai is in my tummy.... seems so long ago! Like a whole other life.

spring has sprung!

or at least it feels that way!

Jai and I dropped Panya off at work this morning and then did a little shopping on the way home. We stopped by the kids consignment store and scored some great deals.

Later in the afternoon we took Scout to the off leash dog park and we all had a great time. Scout got into a couple of scuffles for trying to hump another dog. She did not feel like being violated by my pup-- and she let him know that! "no" means "no".

And we went to visit ah e Touy (Panya's aunt) on the way home.

I even managed to get a shower in.

So far, things haven't been too bad. But I'm used to doing it by myself during the day.

Oh, and Jai is doing great today despite the teething. That stubborn tooth still has not broke all the way through, but he has been in good spirits all day. I haven't even given him any Tylenol.

I can admit when I'm wrong

apparently, this is not the first time that Panya has been away since Jai was born. He had a business trip to Saint Louis last year.

I know that he went because he was very lucky and attended the World Series and brought Jai and I fabulous t-shirts. I don't remember him leaving, being there or coming home. This could mean one of two things....

A) Panya's being gone wasn't all that bad, so it doesn't stand out in my memory.

B) Panya's being gone was so horrendous and horrible that I have completely blocked it out.

Wonder which one it was..........

woe is me

Panya will be leaving in a little while. He and Jai are snuggled together in the bed right now, sleeping in. They look so sweet together. He has his arm around Jai and they are both snoring softly. It melts my heart.

I am really dreading Panya leaving for his trip. I know- I am such a baby. But, I am just so dependent upon him. This is the first time he will be away from us. He will be gone until Sunday night! I miss him so much even during the day while he is at work. I can't believe how much I will miss him while he is gone.

I will just have to look at it as an adventure. Jai and I will have the whole big king sized bed to ourselves--- which I can assure you, I will still be sleeping on the edge and Jai will be pushed right up against me- all appendages touching me. I may not shower for a few days, but we will have fun together. And when Jai looks back on things that's what I want him to remember... a mom that he had a lot of fun with. Hopefully, he will forget the whole stinky, non-showering part.

playing on Granny's bed

a daily activity of ours is to visit Granny and play on her bed......

going backwards

so, Jai is not having a great time with the teething. (Who would?)

He was getting better on the sleeping. He had started almost regularly sleeping for 3 hours at a time. Which might not sound like a long time, but it is oh, so much better than two hours at a time. But with the teeth issues, he is really restless all night long and has to be touching me at all times. I think he got up about every 30 minutes last night. He and I both took a morning nap and now he is on his second nap.

In between his two naps we spent our morning at Bank of America trying to handle Panya's ID takeover. It is insane. First he had someone claim to be him and open an additional account. He put a fraud alert on his credit and BoA put an alert on his account. Then someone stole over $6,000 in cc checks from him. And now, AFTER the alert, BoA let this person open up two more accounts under his name!!! And, surprise, surprise- the dude didn't pay. Poor, Panya.

We heard from Panya's mom last night in Thailand. She is having a good time, but says that it is very hot.

Panya leaves tomorrow to go out of town until Sunday evening.... I don't know how we will survive without him. :(

is little gym a vortex of evil?

Jai is a very good baby.... we are very, very blessed in that department. He rarely cries. When he is tired, he gets a little whiny. (He sounds like he's German and repeats, "Nine, Nine" over and over again.) But rarely do we get a full on cry. Unless he's hurt--- or at the Little Gym.

He loves gymnastics. Has a great time. Flirts with all the little chick-a-dees. Does his exercise and has a ball. Except when I'm not touching him. Then Jai turns into something that I have no way of describing.

It has happened three times. Today being the third. The first time, the teacher took Jai and used him to demonstrate a move to the newbies.... it resulted in us having to leave gymnastics. Last week, Panya and I both took Jai to class and then I had to leave to take Granny to the doctor. They had to leave the class. Today we played pass the baby... and guess what? I had to leave the class. He just has a complete and total melt down. And he can not be consoled... at all. He gets so upset that his little face breaks out. But the second we walk out the door, all is right with the world again.

Silly baby.

the agony of de teeth

well, it's official-- Jai has a tooth coming in on the bottom. That was why he was whiny all day yesterday. Poor baby!

Seriously, people... this is bone coming through skin. Can you imagine? I would be a complete terror if this were happening to me. If I had pieces of bone poking through my skin, you had better stay very far away from me, unless you had a really sharp stick or something. That's me- a grown woman, and we are talking about this happening to a 7 month old baby. Oh, the injustice of it all!

Here are some pics of the little munkin for y'all to enjoy....









Jai on his playmat- "reading" his book.












Look at those sweet eyes!

cousins

Amanda and Tyler came and spent the night with us last night. We had so much fun with them. It was like a little glimpse in the future. When our home is full of children and they have gotten a little older. It felt so nice. and it felt right. Like the way our home should be.

We baked cupcakes and the kids frosted and decorated their own. (It was decorations left over from Christmas) We watched a movie and Panya played game cube with them. oh, and I burned some popcorn.

Amanda and Tyler really enjoyed the guest room with the king sized bed and TV... we didn't hear a peep out of them this morning. They just turned on the tv when they got up and waited for us to wake up.

They really enjoyed playing with Jai, too.

Jai has been a little whiny today, which is really unlike him. We think that he must not be feeling too well. He has also slept a lot today.

Lately, Jai has discovered his tongue. He sticks it out frequently, but just a little bit. It's very cute.

Jai has also become very fond of paper... any paper. We give him pictures that we have extra copies of, wax paper, and circulars from the newspaper. He will just sit and look at them so intently.

I got out his foam puzzle, that I bought while pregnant, today and put it together on the floor of his room. It is very colorful, so he had a good time rolling around on it.

We gave Jai some banana tonight... which was horrible disappointing to him. oh, well.

My sweet love is asleep now... hopefull for more than two hours. I better get to bed and get some sleep myself.

First things first.

This is a blog about the life and times of ai Jai. (Mr. Jai)

Jai's is just over 7 months old now and is really starting to let his presence be known. He shrieks with delight, but rarely cries. He only cries when he is really tired. (Usually)


Jai loves to eat- a lot! But, he still isn't a fan of solid foods. He would much rather eat from Mama.

Jai rolls over a lot now. He is very fast about it and getting very good at getting his arms out from underneath him.

Everyday we play on the floor in Jai's room. We listen to our music (mostly the Wiggles) and play games and read.

We had our first trip to the library yesterday. We got three books. One about Dim Sum, one about opposites and another book about weather that is in French and English. That one is for Daddy to read to Jai. They were very cute reading it yesterday.

Cousins Amanda and Tyler are coming over tonight for a sleep over. This should be a lot of fun.