a year ago today...

A year ago today, our sweet son was born Sunday, October 26 at 4:34 am. He weighed 7lbs 12ounces and was 21" long. The sight of him made his Daddy cry, and our hearts were overwhelmed with this new life; this new love. We wondered at the sight of him. Who are you? Who will you become? We welcomed him into our lives, to our world.
















































What an amazing year he's given us! Now that Kaemon Ze is in our lives, I cannot imagine life without him. And... I can see why people would have 20 babies! Each is a unique expression of the love between you and your partner. Every days is filled with smiles, laughs, and sighs. He is so amazing in our eyes.

Happy Birthday, Kaemon Ze!

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more firsts

More firsts to capture before I forget:

While Jason was changing Kaemon Ze this morning, he noticed that Kaemon Ze was pointing to the hand-made copper mobile that Najam had gifted us with. Jason said, "mobile" and Kaemon Ze said, "obile". Very cool.

Then later that morning we had our last play date with Najam's wife, Susan, and their son, Zamir. They are flying out tomorrow morning to DC, where Najam is now working. Zamir is about a month and a half younger than Kaemon Ze, and is as cute as can be. At one point "ZZ" (that's what Susan calls Zamir) crawled up a standing Kaemon Ze and planted a kiss on his face. His mommie was so surprised to see that! I think she said he just doesn't plant kisses on people. :)

Then, later when I was feeding Kaemon Ze some lunch, I used baby sign language to ask him if he wanted a "banana." He replied by signing "banana" for the first time! Susan exclaimed her surprise and delight. She was as thrilled as I was.

And later still, when we were hugging our goodbyes, I asked Kaemon Ze if he wanted to blow kisses to Susan and Zamir (Grandma practices this with him every day), and he did!! He blew them several kisses, much to Susan's delight. I think he melted her heart. What a nice send-off gift.

Susan, Najam, and Zamir: I'm just a wee bit sad to see you go (I'll miss you and will miss watching ZZ grow up before my eyes), but mostly I am happy and excited for you to be on this new adventure. Many blessings!

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awesome hand-me-down

Thank you, Pam!
The moment Kaemon Ze saw me come through the door with the table and chair, he reached for them like he knew they were his. He's been having soooo much fun exploring it, and especially likes to remove the drawer. :)

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rub ba dub dub

Rub-a-dub-dub

mama caught her boys in the tub!

looking for something fun on friday?

Our friend and songstress, Amanda Richards, sent out this promo for her performance for the Zombie Apocalypse. Earlier in the year at Sunday Waffles, Amanda honoured us by reciting several lyrics of a song she had written for her upcoming concept album...it was HILARIOUS. Entirely clever and tongue-in-cheek. I'm sure her performance on Friday will not disappoint!

From Amanda:
I’ve been having so much fun playing in zombie blood lately, preparing for my show this Friday at the Ponderosa Lounge. This will be a show like no other. Many of the songs we are performing are unreleased, unrecorded or just unreal. I’ve got a new line up of undead musicians for the evening featuring Max Skewes (aka 2 drink Max) on Banjo, Susanna Lowbeer on fiddle, Dan Sullivan on bass and Simon Lucas on Drums.

This is gonna be a lot of fun for us and probably a lot of fun for you too if you want to come out. There is no cover and they’re serving $3 bloody Marys and $2 PBR’s in honor of the Zombie Apocalypse. We will be sharing the stage that evening with Chris Kelly’s Mortal Remains for some more totally inappropriate country music. The show starts at 9 and we will likely be on around 10 or 10:30pm.

The Ponderosa Lounge
(located in Jubitz travel center)
10350 N Vancouver Way
Portland, OR 97211

Feel free to come as a zombie or a zombie slayer. All are welcome (as long as you’re over 21).

xoxo,
Amanda

Bohemian Country Songstress
www.amandarichards.net

a symphony of zzzz's

Jason said his own snoring woke him up last night. hehehe. It's always a little shocking, I think, to wake up and realize you've been snoring. He went on to say that not only did he wake himself up by snoring, "everybody was snoring: you, me, the baby, the cat."

I guess we were all pretty tired. Heh.

happy autumn!

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i saw a shooting star

While the baby was asleep,
draped over his daddy's tummy,
both laying on the bed,
I stepped out into the surprisingly mild night,
and slipped into the luxuriously heated waters of the hot tub.

When I looked up,
I was even more surprised by the sky --
the stars were shining bright
(a treat here in the Great Northwest).

I laid back and looked
for satellites
amongst the occasional aircraft.

They're easy to spot,
tiny balls of dim light
moving purposefully along their trajectory.

After a few minutes of searching the heavens I was rewarded: a shooting star!
It's been a long time since I've seen one.
I was delighted!
I wonder if this is why I saw it:

The Orionid meteor shower is expected to put on a good show tonight into the predawn hours Wednesday, weather permitting.

This annual meteor shower is created when Earth passes through trails of comet debris left in space long ago by Halley's Comet. The "shooting stars" develop when bits typically no larger than a pea , and mostly sand-grain-sized, vaporize in Earth's upper atmosphere.

"Flakes of comet dust hitting the atmosphere should give us dozens of meteors per hour," said Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.

People in cities and suburbs will see far fewer meteors, because all but the brightest of them will be overpowered by light pollution. The best view will be from rural areas (the moon will not be a factor, so dark skies will make for ideal viewing).

When and how to watch

The best time to watch will be between 1 a.m. and dawn local time Wednesday morning, regardless of your location. That's when the patch of Earth you are standing on is barreling headlong into space on Earth's orbital track, and meteors get scooped up like bugs on a windshield.

Peak activity, when Earth wades into the densest part of the debris, is expected around 6 a.m. ET (3 a.m. PT).

Read more from the source: space.com

mama's little artist

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fall haiku

puddles energized

rain drops pure droplets leaves dance
colours beauty Fall

new firsts

I have lots of photos to share, but for the quick moment that I have I'll just jot a few notes:

Kaemon Ze took FIVE steps towards me today!!! Wow!!

Update: he just took SIX steps!

This morning Kaemon Ze got off the couch completely by himself, bum first, like we've been teaching him. :)

Last night when I used baby sign language and also verbally asked if he wanted to "eat," he repeated "eat" after I did. :)

This past week in our home and at Gramma's, Kaemon Ze has been taking one and a half to two steps! My goodness, he's going to be walking soon!

Oh, and while we were waking up in bed with lots of cuddles, snuggles, squeezes, giggles, touches, and babbling, I said to Kaemon Ze, "this is the BEST way to wake up, isn't it?" But then I remembered Daddy wasn't with us, and before I could correct that statement to include him, Kaemon Ze quietly said, "No. Daddy." I giggled and told him he was right. :) :)

visiting great uncle don

Aren't they cute?

Kaemon Ze and I had a wonderful lunch and visit my Uncle Don and his girlfriend, Arleen today. Arleen brought out some toys for Kaemon Ze to play with: vintage Tonka trucks - made of metal, not plastic. They were awesome and in great condition. Kaemon Ze had fun playing with them in the kitchen. Arleen took him all over the house and let him touch many things. She asked me if he's always "this good." I beamed and said, "yes."

u n c l e b i l l

Uncle Bill,
Happy, Happy Birthday!
New adventures, laughter, joy, and prosperity -
may this next year be filled with all that,
and so much more!

f r a n c i s

Francis,
wishing you the BEST of all that is GOOD in life,
now and always.

gail gail gail happy happy birthday

Happy Birthday, Gail!
Here's wishing you much love, joy, laughter, and warmth
on your very special day!

Love you!

for the wizard

Happy Birthday, Wizard!

we love daddy

We love you, Daddy!

three new photos

(Taken on 10/6 by Jason using a Nikon D40)

(Taken on 10/7using a Nikon D40)

(Taken on 10/8 using a Nikon D40)

Happy Birthday, Rowan!
You are soooo loved!

double one

I drafted this before his 11-month birthday, but didn't get around to actually finalizing & posting this on September 26, so I'll post it now:

Today our son is 11 months of age!

We can hardly believe that he is almost a full year old. Amazing. Kaemon Ze's developing personality really cracks us up. He's such a joy. We love watching him explore his world and learn what works and what doesn't work; we love watching him figure things out; teaching him new things.

Kaemon Ze seems to very interested in connecting with people. He's very good with making eye contact. When we go shopping, for example, it's people he seems to be most interested in looking at. And my, people respond so positively to him. I was in a grocery store over the weekend and it seemed like every other woman stopped to interact with him and tell me how cute he is. (He was looking exceptionally cute, wearing a light-brown plaid print flannel shirt under dark brown corduroy overalls, I imagine he was too much to resist. haha) When I mentioned this to Jason, he said it reminded him of the woman who, when she saw Kaemon Ze said, "he makes my ovaries ache." That's probably as good of a compliment as it gets. *grin*

11 months and he's ...
...beginning to repeat what we say. He's said, "up," "hi," "how do," and my favorite, "rectangle." He says "mama" often, especially around daddy. hehe

...now standing up on his own and can even wave both hands energetically in the air and maintain his balance. I can set him down on his feet and he will stand.

...."this close" to walking. I predicted it would happen by the time he's 11 months. :) It seems like those first steps are going to happen any minute now.

...slowed down on the weight gain. At 25.8 lbs, he's really close to the size of his 2 year old twin cousins. Wow!

new word: more

More
Kaemon Ze stayed the night at Gramma and Grandpa's last night. His Auntie Katie reported that he said, "more" while being fed. So fun!

I love you
Gramma, Jason, and I have heard Kaemon Ze say, "I love you" several times. It sounds more like he's just repeating the sound of what we're saying (not real distinctive), but - still - it's so precious.

Baby Signs
He's signing "more" at meals and I'm teaching him to sign "eat." He's signed it once. Super cute. I'm also introducing "thank you" and "please."

Nuh-uh
He's at the age where he totally knows if he's not supposed to touch something; he'll nearly touch the object and then look at you and shake his head. He sometimes say, "nuh-uh" - repeating what we say when we shake our heads at a 'no-no' object. :) Sometimes he decides to really test the boundaries and he finds himself in the playpen, both in our home and at Gramma's. Biting and pinching are sure ways for him to garnish some alone time. :) Oh... and he's *this close* to walking. Oh boy, oh boy! We are so in love with this little bundle of energy.

a peek

My friend, Shannan, sent us this video from Burning Man 2009, showing time lapses. It's a good peek into life on the Playa:

sweet bond

daddy started a fire for us this morning

Daddy started a fire for us this morning before
he left for the office. It was soooo nice.

Little Dude can't get near.
He may be disappointed, but we're not! :)

time with gumpapa

taken on 9-22-09
Age 50+ and almost 11 months.
:)

he swiped my loaf of bread

and wouldn't give it up for 15 minutes!
From 9-12-09
Age: 10 months

warm and snuggly thanks to ginger

getting into drawers

From Sept 24, 2009
Age: almost 11 months

'soul is the ultimate g-spot for happiness'

"... I firmly believe caretaking the soul is incredibly important for happiness. I describe a soul mate as a 'soul-nurturing mate.' Someone who nurtures your soul, thereby promoting insight and growth. I pushed folks to find soul mates because, in my opinion, real happiness only comes when you stimulate your core self -- and grow into your highest potential. Basically, the soul is the ultimate G-spot for happiness." - Karen Salmansohn from her book, Prince Harming Syndrome.

3 Kinds of Relationships

According to ancient philosopher Aristotle, there are three kinds of relationships, only one of which will bring you true happiness. Find out how your relationship measures up!

1. Relationships of Pleasure
Partners who are about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. You share soulless, passionate sex and playful banter—but they're about the body or ego. They never soul-nurture you with insight and growth, so they never bring real-deal happiness.

2. Relationships of Utility
Partners you spend time with in hopes of garnering status, power, money and beauty like the rich guy with a trophy girl. Again, this is about body or ego and doesn't bring true joy.

3. Relationships of Shared Virtue
Partners who challenge and inspire you to grow into your highest potential and nurture your soul. A good example is when Jack Nicholson's character in As Good As It Gets says, "You make me want to be a better man." When you prioritize seeking a partner who supports you becoming your best self—instead of crushing on "superficial lures"(hotness, funniness, smartness, success, etc.)—you wind up with a soul mate/a Prince Charming/a definite keeper!

Read more:
http://www.oprah.com/article/relationships/dating/20090914-orig-prince-harming

getting in to things :)

yukon gold, baby

I thought this was pretty clever of Kaemon Ze:
he's using the playpen to hold his bottle.
Heh.

Later, Little Dude and I went out to the garden to pluck some tomatoes. I remembered that I had seen a few of the Yukon Gold potatoes poking through the soil when I was showing Cousin Jenn my "fall garden" as she calls it. (I call it "a mess" since I haven't had time to do much of anything with it...). Here's the first potato I brought in.

Hello little potato! I have to say I'm super excited to see these potatoes; this is the first time I've grown them.

Peek-a-boo!

This is just a few of what seems to be there! I didn't want to harvest many... just enough for dinner tomorrow night. Jason's talking grilled steak. Now... how to prepare? Fried? Baked? Mashed? Mmmm mmm mmm! Can't wait to taste!

With the fresh tomato, I suggested BLTs and soup. I was happy that our outdoor grill is still set up (I'm still preserving food from the garden) so I could cook the bacon outside rather than stank up the inside of the house. Problem was, I cooked it too hot. Dern. Next suggestion: grilled cheese sandwiches, cooked indoors. STILL cooked the first one too hot. It was NOT my night to cook well. I made two sandwiches and on each, I thought I'd try something new and add some salty spice. My third mistake. Sheesh. I added too much. I had to ditch my sandwich. Not sure that Jason finished his either. :) Tomorrow night is either steaks (which Jason will cook) or tacos (I will cook). If we go with tacos - wish me luck!

i'm sooo glad this wasn't my experience!

19.2 pounds!
19.2 pounds!!
19.2 pounds!!!

Did you see this? Good gawd! I'm SO glad this was NOT my experience!

See more of the hefty little guy:

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Woman-gives-birth-192-pound-baby/ss/events/hl/092409indonesiababy

Photo credit: Associated Press