getting closer...!

shot with iPhone

The framing is done! Jason laid down the boards to get them ready to cut, place, and screwed down! Muy exciting!

more deck progress

Grampa Joe came to help today...
boy oh boy did these two guys work hard!

Meanwhile... I was at the camera shop
working on getting some enlargements done...

The gal helping me accidently printed
the 24x36" size instead of an 11x14"!

Whoopsies.
Since they would have tossed it,
they offered it to me for $10.

Of course I couldn't let them toss it..! :)
Now... what do we do with this
monster way larger-than-life poster?

For now I think I'll put it above his crib
so he can admire himself. :)

this is a first

I've never (ever!) seen anything like this:

Can you see what it is?Must be quite a conversation piece.

My father-in-law, Joe Joe says
it's one heckava alarm system.

playing with daddy on the grass

shot with Nikon D40

all four teeth... and one messy baby!

seven months...

Our lil guy is growing growing. He's sitting up well enough that we can be hands-free to unload the dishwasher or dash to the bathroom. Heh. He's been standing up (with help) since he was three months old, which makes Jason suspects Kaemon Ze will skip crawling all together and move right into walking. I have a feeling he will crawl first... he gets a very excited look his in eyes that says, "I want to touch everything and be everywhere RIGHT NOW!" He seems anxious to explore the world around him (oh lordy).

Let's see... he has four teeth in - two bottom and two top. He's eating like a champ, too. Thus far, he's enjoyed everything (everything!) we've put in front of him including sucking on a lemon and a lime. Can you imagine? Jason liked lemons when he was a little boy... genetics, eh? We've given him carrots (Gramma said he LOVED them, but it took him three bites to decide), peas, peas with rice, bananas, pears, apricots, baby rice crackers, chicken (baby food mix), lentils, and brown rice cereal. (His poos are more solid, which is a nice side benefit. Heh)

He's kissed me on two ocassions. SUPER precious. It just melts my heart to see him share the love inside him, on his own free will.

It's just amazing to be witness to so much discovery and learning.

memorial day

I called my cousin, Dude, today - he's been on my mind this weekend - and left him a message thanking him for his military service for our country. Dude was in the Army reserves for many years and served in Afghanistan. I have a wonderful photo on our refrigerator of his daughter hugging him tightly when the troops first arrived back to their local base. Thank you, Dude.

Over the holiday weekend, Jason started on the deck expansion project. I think he made a lot of progress:

I finally got most of my plants in the ground and transplanted several plants to (hopefully) better locations. Kaemon Ze was pretty cooperative, too. He loves his Jump Up Jonny, and will spend good chunks of time in his play pen while we work. He likes to sit on the grass too, but that requires constant supervision as he loves to pull the grass and put it in his mouth. Heh. No son, you don't need that kind of fiber in your diet.

photos taken with iPhone

Kaemon Ze plays with mama this morning.

we took a chance...

...and took Kaemon Ze to his first theatre experience tonight. The production was "The Hobbitt" starring a young friend of ours, Aidan Jung. Aidan was AMAZING. He's just oozing with talent! I had him autograph my playbill (after elbowing my way through all the little girls who wanted his autograph too).


Kaemon Ze was enthralled by the production. Each time the energy rose, he became very excited and sometimes would vocalize that excitement. Heh. Luckily, it ~was~ a childrens theathre, so it wasn't entirely rude. After a little while, I put him in my sling and stood with him in the back. It was so warm and dark in the 100+ year-old building that he dozed off just before intermission.

photos taken with iPhone

Here's the sleepy thespian snoozing
during the intermission.

Considering it as a two-hour long production, our lil guy was soooo good.

Also today - Kaemon Ze's fourth tooth came through! His toothless smiles are (already) a thing of the past. I feel a lil sad about that... but super excited about the teeth. I wonder if I will ever get used to that feeling. Probably not.

talk about beauty... talk about being in one's own joy

Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o


talk about zen.

and the left one wins!

Kaemon Ze's two top teeth seem to be in a race with one another to see which one will pop through first; we've been waiting a full week and finally tonight I noticed white on the left side. Daddy kept saying, "it's going to be the left." He is right!

Our boy has been doing A M A Z I N G L Y well in cutting his first four teeth. No fever; no unconsolable cries; no misery. We feel so blessed that it's been pretty much a no-thing for him.

taken with Nikon D40
He's sitting up more and more these days... and getting better and better at it. I gave him his keyboard to play with while practicing his sitting tonight. He was having so much fun with it that I had to get a photo. :)

6 month update

Jason took Kaemon Ze to the doctor's office for this 6-month check-up. Kaemon Ze is 29.25" long and weighs 19lbs, 13oz.

Daddy was told Kaemon Ze's length is "off the chart," though he's in the 75-90th percentile for weight (leveled off a bit, but way fine). Daddy also noted that Kaemon Ze "still has a big head--but we knew that from the hats, heh!"

Daddy calculated he's a pound and a quarter from quadrupling is birth weight. Wow!

Looks like he's wondering what's going on...

But Daddy makes sure everything is okay... and fun!

shot with iPhone.
These are good shots of his two bottom teeth. :)

sitting up at gramma's

peek-a-boo!

See me sit up!

I can lean forward ...

and get myself back up again. YAY!!

Gramma sent Daddy and me these photos of Kaemon Ze today, with the captions. She also wrote:

He spent about 10 minutes sitting and playing before he listed over and over a half hour in the Johnny Jump Up jumping and giggling ... he made me tired just watching him. LOL!

good bye sweet carmen

Carmen Martinez (center) passed away early this morning.
She was a phenomenal woman who will forever be remembered in my mind as a soul who lived so fully; loved so deeply. What a gift it was to know her.

way to go, guys!

Jason and his dad, Darwin, completed the 77 mile bike ride from Salem to Pacific City today! The ride is a benefit for the American Lung Association.

Uncle Ryan, Kaemon Ze, and I drove to the coast to pick the tired guys up after their ride. Here's Kaemon Ze with his Gumpapa D.

More fun news: this afternoon Kaemon Ze seemed to very purposefully kiss me on the cheek - twice (with that wonderful open mouth baby kiss). He then leaned over and kissed me on the mouth. Uncle Ryan seemed to be as surprised and delighted as I was to watch this. :) :)

four generations

Aren't they cute? The Four Generations of Leeks:
Great-Grandpa Marston; Gumpapa Darwin; Daddy; Kaemon Ze.

Uncle Ryan and Mommy, too!

Uncle Ryan feeds Kaemon Ze his lunch.

been on my mind

this song, from one of my favorite singer/songwriters (out of Austin), has been in my mind for days (that is, when "wheels on the bus" and "you are my sunshine" and "twinkle, twinkle little star" aren't playing repetitively over and over in my brain...).

"airplane"

we lit the pancho villa candles
said the pancho villa prayer
conjured up the black snakes out of nothing
there were black snakes everywhere
she said, "do not pick them up. they'd just fall apart in your hands"
none of this is real, do you understand?"

i'm on the airplane now
i'm on the airplane
yea, i'm getting smaller smaller and smaller
as it flies away

we put ashes on our foreheads
it wasn't lent; it wasn't easter
we weren't even really catholic
it was the middle, you know -- the exact -- middle of the night

and she said, "none of this is real - and it's pretty clear you don't understand"
well, she had me there
i did not understand

i'm on the airplane now
i'm on the airplane
yea, i'm getting smaller smaller and smaller
as it flies away

we went down to the river
walked in knee high weeds
laid down in the slow green water
we were floating like two leaves
and she said, "what, don't pick it up; see how it slips right through your hands? None of this is real."
and I began to understand

i'm on the airplane now
i'm on the airplane
yea, i'm getting smaller smaller smaller and smaller
and it flies away
and it flies away
and it flies away
and it flies away
flies away
flies away











http://www.jondeegraham.com/

Happy, Happy Birthday

K E L L Y !

Here's wishing you a year filled with so much love, joy, prosperity, laughter, fun, and health!

I love you!

mother's day

taken with iPhone
I opened the fridge with Kaemon Ze on my hip - an egg in the door caught his full attention and he grabbed the shelf. He would have supported himself, if I had let him. He's so strong!

We fed Kaemon Ze rice cereal for the first time today and he ate like a champ. He ate so much and so naturally that it's like he's been ready for solids for a while now. *grin* We've been following his lead; letting his interest be the guide post for when to start on solids. Last week we gave him (baby) rice crackers - he gobbles each one up in less than a minute, it seems. To make the experience last longer, daddy got him some (baby) maple teething bars. Hmmm Mmmmm... they sure smell good. Kaemon Ze approves, too!

taken with Nikon D40

We enjoyed Mothers Day dinner at Gramma and Grampa's: glazed ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, and salad. Yum! Kaemon Ze sat at their table for the first time in Auntie Katie's old high chair that daddy retrieved from their attic. He enjoyed a first-time meal of (baby food) chicken with veggies, and squash. He seemed to really like it all. Wow!

In other news... I just found that I've been announced as the "2009 Mother of the Year" (click link to see the amazing video). Thank you Lucy, for sending!! :) :)

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mama's out there...
Mamas to babies;
Mamas to children;
Mamas to adults;
Mamas to pets.

Here's a video of Kaemon Ze bouncing in his Jump Up Jonny while we enjoy the lunch Jason barbecued for us:

helping in the yard

taken with iPhone

He stole Daddy's hat... he likes to do that now.

six month photos

b i g, w e t w o r l d

shot with the iPhone

It's a big, wet world out there, Kaemon Ze

for uncle warren

Jason called me into the dining room and said I need to get this on video - Kaemon Ze DRIVING A RACE CAR, complete with shifting. We've never seen him do this before (and I'm sure he's not imitating the way I drive...). Heh.

sweet sunday waffles

Zamir catches a thumb and a few zzzz's

Elayna is getting very sleeeeepy....zzzzz

Kaemon Ze hangs with Grampa.

Helping Grampa read the sports section.

I talked Najam into holding all the boys at once.

The beautiful Joy Circle.

Auntie Shannan, I want YOUR glass of water!

All shot with the Nikon D40