Yay to a kid-free getaway, and yay to grandparents!!!

Toddler adventures

Eli climbs the magazine rack in his Halloween dog costume

Since my last “Eli update” post, we’ve had quite a few toddler adventures, including our first visit to Urgent Care at Children’s Hospital. A few weeks ago, we picked up Eli from daycare and he’d had an ‘incident.’ Apparently, he was climbing a magazine rack and tumbled off of it, hitting his eye. We took one look at his face and figured that he’d earned his first shiner. None of this necessitated a trip to Urgent Care, and Nate wasn’t even concerned enough to show me or bring home the incident report from school. He just told the teacher that it would be fine, and we went on our merry way.

But an hour later, as we were home feeding Eli dinner, Eli started projectile vomiting. Uh-oh! That’s not supposed to happen! Immediately, Nate and I started thinking about a possible concussion. We checked his eyes, we looked up ‘head injuries’ on the Children’s Hospital website, and we called the nurse’s line. As could be expected, the nurse helped us come to the conclusion that you don’t want to take any chances with a possible head injury. Even if the bruise was under Eli’s eye, he may have bumped his head and nobody realized. Better to go into the Children’s and get him checked out. So we did. And Eli was a trooper.

Turns out, we were “lucky” enough to have the onset of a cold/flu bug coincide with a tumble at school. Lucky us! Nate, me, my folks, and our dear friend Marina got to juggle Eli while he stayed home from school, sick and clingy, for the rest of the week. He got better just in time for the snow to fall, so we had even MORE days at home with him. With that much time together, we got a pretty good handle on Eli’s newfound communication skills.

Eli’s verbal words and signs

As I’ve noted before, he says “no” very clearly.

He can also say “up” very clearly, but usually he’ll just stand at your feet, hold up his arms and grunt. We ask him to say “up,” but his vocalization depends on his mood.

He’s gotten into this habit of pointing, grunting with a “ehhh! ehh!” and crying when we say “No,” or “Not now,” or “I don’t understand what you want.” Sometimes, he’ll cry himself into a fit, and it’s funny and annoying at the same time.

Most often, he’s asking for his Lovey or his Binky. Both have achieved proper noun status in our household.

• For whatever reason, Eli’s named his lovey “Rah” for rabbit. It amuses me to no end that Nathan and I and everyone who deals with Eli on a regular basis calls the thing his “Lovey” and he’s decided to call it “Rah.” I guess it’s because he rarely eeks out more than one syllable, and his likes to know that “Rah” goes “hop, hop, hop” like all other rabbits. He does this on occasion—makes Lovey hop around—and it’s totally adorable.
• “Bi” stands for “Binky,” and to this object, Eli’s grown more attached that I would like. He asks for his “Bi” all the time, but he only really uses it for bedtime and sometimes naptime. If we’re not diligent in keeping it out of sight, he’ll insist on having it in his mouth. In the morning (6 a.m.—much earlier than we’d prefer), he’ll wake up crying and asking for it. We’ll hear him wail, “Waaaaa! Ahhhh! Bi?” over and over until one of us decides to get up. He’ll give it up willingly once we sit him down for breakfast, but if he sees it after he’s done eating, he’ll ask for it again.

Sometimes, he’ll ask to be read to by pointing to the pile of books and saying, “book!” This would be hard to decipher without the pointing, because he doesn’t enunciate the “k” very often, but Eli loves to have stories read to him and I’m thankful for that!

Eli’s food vocabulary isn’t very large, but he’s a really good eater. When you ask him if it’s time to eat, he’ll often repeat “eat!” eagerly. And he’ll tell you pretty quickly if we wants something that’s not yet in front of him.

• “Da!” – Eli will point to what he wants and you can hold up items until he agrees… Or you can just place something in front of him. You’ll know quickly enough by his adamant response if he doesn’t want it.
• “Nana” or “Ana” for banana, which he’ll also sign for. (Holds up an index finger and runs his other finger up and down it, as if he’s peeling a banana.)

• “Apple” – but usually what he wants is pineapple. I guess our visit to Hawaii when Eli was 6 months old has a lasting impression on him…
• “Cheese” for, surprise! cheese – but he doesn’t say this too often.
• Cookie – While not spoken, Eli signs for this quite often. Eli holds one hand open and points at his palm with the index finger of his other hand.

• “Mil” for milk – The sign for this is opening and closing one’s fist, like you might be milking a cow.
• “Jue” for juice – We try not to give him this, and if we do, it’s extremely watered down. But my parents give him watered down juice every Wednesday, and if he sees us drinking some, he’ll ask for it.
• “Wa” for water – Eli’s sign for this is a pointed index finger hit against his cheek a couple of times. He asks for water more than he asks for milk.

Favorite foods

This kid eats just about anything (thank goodness we have a good eater!), but here are a few of his favorite things:

Eli tries pistachios... and likes them!

• Greek honey yogurt (or any flavored Greek yogurt). We find the thick consistency of the Greek yogurts more toddler-feeder-friendly than regular yogurt. But he likes those too
• Dry cereal, especially when he can dip the pieces in the yogurt. Cheerios and Puffs work really well.
• Fruit. This kid really loves his fruit, especially bananas, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and mandarin oranges (like satsumas or clementines). He’s less a fan of pears and apples, but a lot of that depends on how they’re cut.
• Eggs, especially scrambled. There have been times where Eli’s eaten two scrambled eggs, plus yogurt, plus fruit for breakfast. It’s as if his stomach just expands to fit whatever he puts down!
• Pancakes and waffles. These are special occasion breakfast foods, but over Christmas, we made these more often and even gave Eli some maple syrup to dip. He LOVED it.
• Rice, especially with some sort of gravy. Amusingly enough, he love Thai food with rice.
• Pasta. When I was pregnant with Eli, my favorite thing to eat was Mac’n'Cheese. Even the gross Easy Mac would satisfy my craving. So it should be no surprise that Eli likes pasta… of all kinds!

Recognizing animals and body parts

In my last “Eli update” post, I shared a video of Eli sharing some of his animal sounds. He’s kind of over giving animal sounds on call, but he’ll do it if he’s in the mood. Rather, he really likes pointing at the animals that he knows while you call them out.

He does like to make his Rabbit aka Lovey go “hop! hop! hop!” which can sometimes sound like “hup! hup! hup!” and could easily be confused with “up! up! up!” His hand motions for this are index finger pointed and moving his hand around like he’s hopping. He’s not quite dexterous enough to get two fingers up in the air like bunny ears, but he’s working on it.

We’ve been working with Eli on naming his body parts. He has some of them down pat, but he still gets confused on cheeks, lips, chin and ears. He’s a pro at pointing to his nose, he really knows his teeth (because we brush them every morning and every night), and he knows his head and hair pretty well. He can usually point to his eyes, and he definitely knows his feet and his toes. His where his tummy, arms, elbows and knees are remain a bit fuzzy in his mind, especially when they’re covered in clothes!

Naming body parts will probably be a fun exercise for us for many months to come.

Until next time…

OK, are you tired of reading yet? Are you even still with me? I’m tired of writing, so, until next time!

Ballard didn’t even have a trace of white. But that all changed on Wednesday, early in the wee hours of the morning. Outlaw woke me up around 4:30 in the morning (one thing this pregnancy has plagued me with is insomnia), and after a second of lying in bed wide awake, I realized that there might be something to see outside our window.

Outside the Kaiser home at 5 a.m.

Outside the Kaiser home at 7 a.m.

YAY! SNOW!!!

I sat and watched the snow flurries accumulate while feeling sorry for the all news reporters on the highways and overpasses who were broadcasting with up-to-the-minute, inch-by-inch tallies. And then I went back to bed, strategizing how we might sneak away to go skiing the next day…

I have never in my life played hooky from work to go skiing… until yesterday. And it was SO. WORTH. IT. My legs still ache from all the powder tele-turns. Very rarely does one experience fresh powder at the Summit at Snoqualmie, but we did yesterday. And I’m blissfully dreaming of the terrain at Mission Ridge that we’ll get to experience this weekend. YAYYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!! Can you tell I’m stoked?!?!

Even better? Next weekend, we’re going to Whistler with some friends. Thanks, Mom! For a perfectly timed condo reservation, cuz the snow is falling hard, and I can’t wait to take advantage of it! Eli is going to spend the weekend with his Grandpa and Grandma (Nate’s folks), and I’m going to enjoy a kid-free, winter-wonderland weekend to the fullest.

But what of Eli and the snow, you ask?

He LOVES the snow.

"SNOW!"

"Huh. I just slid down, and I liked it."

Wheee!!!

Trying to walk

Wednesday, he walked around all day saying, “SNOW!” which sounds a bit like “no,” except with a very nasally “n.” You can easily tell the difference between “SNOW!” and “no” by his body language: finger pointing outside with joy on his face vs. adamantly shaking his head from side to side. It brings Nate and I never-ending joy to see how much Eli likes playing in the snow.

Today, with the help of my dad (Eli’s Gung Gung), we all walked to the park and did a little sledding. Eli liked sledding on Nate’s lap much more than on my dad’s lap.

Eli does love his dad

"This is gonna be FUN!"

Sledding with Dad: Part 1

Sledding with Dad: Part 2

Sledding with Dad: Part 3

Victory walk

The snow is STILL falling after 2 solid days.

Seattle is getting restless with cabin fever. We never have snow that continues to fall for more than 2 days. Seattle isn’t sure what to do with itself, and the city has literally been reduced to pedestrians, snowmobiles, and cross-country skiers.

We may get a lot of crap for the entire city shutting down, but I’m still enjoying myself.

And who knows, maybe Snopocalypse 2012 will continue a bit longer. It doesn’t matter to us though, we’re off to the cabin tomorrow in our sturdy 4WD truck.

Sledding with GungGung: Part 1

Sledding with GungGung: Part 2

Sledding with GungGung: Part 3

A successful sledding experience

Wearing Dad's Sailing Cap

With one of many knit caps!

This counts right?

Look, I am wearing another knit cap.

All Hat, No Cattle

Can't have enough!

This last was was given to Eli by Rand and Geraldine. Thanks you two!

]]> http://kaisertales.com/2012/01/18/eli-does-love-his-hats/feed/ 1 http://kaisertales.com/2012/01/15/2012-begins/ http://kaisertales.com/2012/01/15/2012-begins/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:03:55 +0000 Marissa K. http://kaisertales.com/?p=1800 I should say that 2012 has begun! It’s nearly mid-January, and I have so many words in my mind… it’s been a wild ride just to break through to this new year, and I’m looking forward to things to come. In the meantime, I’ll cheat and give you some joyous highlights from the holiday season.

The day after Thanksgiving, the Kaisers ventured to Bellevue Square Mall in order to take pictures with Santa. Thanks to Susie, we’ve done this for as long as I’ve been associated with the Kaisers. This year was especially sweet, because both Hazel and Eli are at an age where they can interact with Santa. As we waited in line, the Kaisers enjoyed each others’ company. (Please forgive the repeat of some pictures, but they’re just too great not to share.)

A glimpse of Santa's workshop

Heralding Hazel and all her candy cane assessories

Eli wonders what all the fuss is all about... he'll find out soon enough

OK, I said “sweet” but maybe I should have said “hilarious.” For the second year in a row, we set the two cousins by Santa, and for the second year in a row they HATED the entire experience. Hazel definitely leads the charge on loathing Santa. See how Hazel’s disdain for Santa has grown from one year to the next? Side-by-side here are 2010 versus 2011.

Her loathing only increases with time.

Fast forward to actual Christmas when we opened presents with Eli on the morning of Christmas Eve. Eli was a little hesitant about ripping off the wrapping paper, but I think he liked the end result.

Mom! Check out my new toy!

Eli and his dad figure out the "microwave" features

And his favorite present by far was his new microwave. He found multiple uses for it… drum set, weights for strength training, and the actual microwave features. (Anything food-related makes this kid happy.)

We reseted up after opening a few more presents, and made our with to Keith and Susie’s house for more Christmas Eve fun. The plan was to celebrate Brian’s birthday, enjoy a light buffet, open more presents and head to church. We made it through all but the last activity.

Now that I look back on it, there’s no wonder Eli put his head down at 6:30 that night completely ready for bed. After starting his day with waffles and presents, and ending with Kaiser family Christmas chaos, I should have seen an early bedtime coming. But I didn’t.

Let the box races BEGIN!

Wheee!!!

We spent Christmas Day with my folks, Eli’s Gung Gung and PoPo as well as his Uncle Josh. It was small, intimate, and lovely. The best part was that we still had some time in the latter evening just for us.

Our New Year’s holiday, errr,  pre-New Year’s since it was the day before NYE, was spent in Lake Joy with Mike, Shannon, and Alison Swift, and Shannon’s folks, Neil and Mary Lou. SO relaxing, and we absolutely adore the Swifts. Going to Lake Joy has always been a bit of a time warp, and this visit was no different. We had a great dinner on Friday night, enjoyed a NYE brunch on Saturday morning, and a lovely crisp walk around the lake. We ended our visit by heading to Woodinville for some wine tasting. Eli and Ali especially had fun, getting all the adults in the room to adore them.

And finally, as a parting note, a picture of “Outlaw,” Eli’s little brother. Outlaw grows, as my belly grows, and I hope he’ll be as sweet and wonderful as his brother!

"Outlaw"

]]> http://kaisertales.com/2012/01/15/2012-begins/feed/ 0 http://kaisertales.com/2011/12/21/eli-kaiser-17-months/ http://kaisertales.com/2011/12/21/eli-kaiser-17-months/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:05:09 +0000 Marissa K. http://kaisertales.com/?p=1784 It occurs to me that I should write down some of Eli’s milestones, before I forget them and let them blur into the nebulous “past.” So, Eli is 17 months old now, and I’m about to list some boring facts that might be relevant to only me and his family. But you can just deal.

Eli in the snow. It's winter time!

Eli started walking at about 14 months, and that was none too soon in my opinion, because he was starting to get awfully heavy. Now, with him walking, at least I don’t have to carry him everywhere. He only asks for “Up! Up!” when he’s cranky or super cuddly or when he wants to ‘help’ cook.

I would say “up” was definitely his first word, but that was quickly followed by “ball” and “dog.” A few cute and memorable (to me) things about Eli’s first few words: He’s been saying “up” for quite some time—long before he started walking, which served him well. But he would draw out the u, so his request would always sound a bit more urgent, “uuuuup!” or maybe even “ahhhhhhup!” So cute. And for awhile there, everything was a “dog.” In early October, Nate took Eli to Portland to play with his cousin Hazel. They went to the zoo and Nate couldn’t convince Eli that other names existed for animals…

Nathan would point out, “Look Eli, an elephant!”

And Eli would reply, “Dog!”

Nathan would ask, “Can you see the giraffe?”

And Eli would reply, “Dog!”

The funny thing about the way Eli says “dog” is it sounds a bit like “daww.” When he learned his next work, “duck,” there was barely a difference between the two. We have these flash cards, and one is of a yellow lab and another is of a mallard duck. When asked, “What is this?” Eli would very definitively say “daww” or “daah” depending on the picture. Go on, try it. Say them out loud. Not much difference, huh? But HE knew the difference, and I guess that’s all that matters

Eli’s also learned what sound a dog makes, “Whoo! Whoo!” And thanks in large part to a marvelous book that his Aunt Ailey gave him, Eli’s learning other animal sounds as well. I highly recommend, “The Little Blue Truck.” We love to read it as much as Eli likes to have it read, which is usually several times a day.

A giraffe, zebra, and horse all go “klop, klop, klop!” (Eli clicks his tongue and trots. SO CUTE.)

An owl says, “Hoo! Hoo!” which sounds only slightly different than the sound a dog makes

A cow says, “Moo!”

A sheep says, “Baa!”

And according to Eli, a duck says, “dahh!”

One of the best right animal sounds right now is for chickens, only because Eli will motion a wing flapping along with his, “Bok! Bok!”

Lest I forget, Eli also knows the word “no” quite well.

“Eli, do you want to go to bed?”

“No.”

“Eli, let’s get you dressed.”

“No.”

“Eli, did you go pee pee in your diaper?”

“No.”

I have to say, his “no” is so incredibly sweet and high pitched. One day soon, I’m sure it will get demanding and insistent, but that day isn’t now. But speaking of demanding, Eli threw his first tantrum last week. A part of me wonders if he learned this from Hazel, because Hazel threw a few tantrums during the long Thanksgiving weekend, which Eli observed. Hazel would fall onto the floor, kick her feet, and say, “No! no! no! Waaaaa-haaaaa!”

Hazel helps Eli with his hat. See how he looks up to her?

And sure enough, the next day as we were preparing Eli for school, he got upset, dropped to the floor, kicked his feet, and said, “Ahhhh-haaaaaa!” Nate and I couldn’t help but turn our heads and laugh. How amusing while it’s still novel.

Some other words (and his vocab grows every day, so this list will expand by tomorrow):

• Ball
• Ma
• Da (for Dad)
• More
• Eat
• Wa-wa (for water)
• Ooo! (for “that’s mind-blowing amazing!”)
• Ah da (for all done)

And signs that he knows and uses frequently:

• Please
• More
• Eat
• Milk
• Water
• Cookie
• Fish

Oh, and Eli’s also a really good eater. Check this out!

Thanksgiving weekend usually marks the start of my ski season, and this year proved no different. If I’d had a bit more forethought, I could have gotten a sitter for Eli for opening weekend, which I heard was gorgeously epic and early as far as opening days go. Nate was out of town for a work retreat, and Eli and I spent a sunny weekend playing around town.

Peek-a-boo!

Saturday morning cartoons!

Toybox/ cartoon-viewing seat

We went to parks, we got up early (ahem, HE got up early and therefore I had to as well) and watched cartoons, and we played and played.

New winter hat and mittens

An order of REI winter gear came in the mail as well, and Eli got really excited for the winter season. He put on all his winter gear and showed off what a good ski-kid he’ll be!

And soon enough, it was Thanksgiving weekend. We spent a wonderful amount of time with both the Ngs and the Kaisers. Bethany and Dan came into town, and we all met up at the Seattle Aquarium—Eli’s new favorite spot.

We had a great time visiting with the extended Mark family at 2nd Thanksgiving Dinner (immediately after 1st Thanksgiving Dinner with the Kaisers), and we ate so much that we literally rolled into a busy weekend of holiday activities.

We went to visit Santa, and Eli got a chance to use all his cold-winter gear cuz (as I mentioned above) we went skiing! Oh, didn’t you realize that Eli and Hazel went skiing as well?  And, in case you didn’t realize this, my niece Hazel ALWAYS skis with a pink tutu.

But before I give you a bunch of pictures of all this fun, check out a video of Eli’s first run in with bubbles, thanks to Bethany and Dan, PoPo (my mom) and GungGung (my dad). I. LOVE. THIS.

And you’ve been so patient, so here’s the pictures of our Thanksgiving Weekend fun!

Turkey Trot champions and cheerers

In anticipation of Santa

Hazel's Christmas dress... and candy cane accessories

Hazel does NOT like Santa, and Eli's not really sure either

Kaiser family Christmas card... Eli's still not sure

Eli in the snow

Eli and Hazel, gettin' ready to shred

Santa? Are you there?

Mrs. MacDonald had a farm. Eli, Eli, Oh! And on that farm we had a cow...

Eli was most thrilled to be a bulldog at school with all the other little kids dressed up. Orrrr not. I think the look on his face speaks, “indifference ” and maybe “boredom.” What do you think?

Our "fierce" bulldog sitting next to his dress-up buddies

Maybe he’s just glad he’s not surrounded by monkeys. I think there were no less than nine monkeys at the Halloween party we attended, which, BTW, was a BLAST! Thanks Pat and Saragh for hosting another great party. These guys know how to get into the Halloween spirit! Check out some of our monkey business (Saragh and Sydney are the witch and the bat):

Leading up to Halloween, we visited the pumpkin farm with Eli’s Grandpa. We picked out a few pumpkins, posed with some cutouts, explored the cornfield and enjoyed the gorgeous, sunny day.

Eli and Grandpa in the corn

Eli, the friendly scarecrow

And then we went home to carve the pumpkins. Eli wasn’t too thrilled with them at first. In fact, he was downright scared! But all’s well that ends well, and in the end, we had a couple of lovely carved pumpkins and a happy kid. I think this is the start of some fun fall traditions, and we’re already thinking about what we’ll be next year. Until then, Happy Halloween!

Eli wasn't thrilled at first.

But after tasting raw pumpkin seeds, he got a little more comfortable. (Was it the taste of raw pumpkin, or was it Mom

Ta da!!!

Oh, and he’s walking like a CHAMP! I’ll have to take some video of his newly acquired strut, but in the meantime, here’s some pictures and stories of our autumn adventures.

Father and son "hike" (Whistler, B.C.)

In early October, Eli and Nate spent a weekend in Portland, and in addition to playing with his cousin Hazel, Eli got to check out the Oregon Zoo. Apparently, everything was a “dog,” since that’s one of the few words Eli can say. Nate would point out the elephants, and Eli would say, “dog!” Nate would point out the lion, and Eli would say, “dog!” You get the picture… and speaking of pictures, I’m sorry to say that I have none Babies and animals are hard to capture together on a iPhone camera.

"I'm having so much fun in Whistler!!!"

"I'll drive, Mom."

I do however, have plenty of pictures and video from our Whistler weekend. We decided that a family weekend away was just the thing, so we packed the truck and headed north. It happened to be Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, which meant nothing to us except Whistler was having an enormous ski swap and sales galore. Yay!

I don’t recall the last time I was in Whistler in the fall, but I think we’ll make a tradition of it. It was GORGEOUS, and we all had so much fun! We even ran into our Vancouver friends, Marc, Ann and their kids Luciano and Nico. As it turned out, we weren’t the only ones with the idea to spend the weekend in Whistler!

Eli really started walking with confidence, and he toddled all around the Whistler playground.

Our hotel comp’d us some tickets to a kids show, and Eli toddled all around the concert hall as well… err, when he wasn’t being bumped by big kids that knocked him down.

He’s gotten so good at walking around, in fact, Eli walked all through the Seattle Aquarium last weekend. It was a rainy day, and rather than staying at home and feeling cooped up (like our chickens), we decided to visit the aquarium. As it turned out, we couldn’t have picked a better way to spend a rainy Saturday morning!

Eli’s just at the right age to take in and absorb the sights. He walked around pointing at various fish tanks and exhibits shouting, “Oooo!” and “Whoa!”

Eli takes it it

"Oooo!"

We’re pretty sure we blew Eli’s mind at the aquarium that day. And we can’t WAIT to go back, which won’t be too difficult, given we bought an annual membership. Seattle Aquarium, anyone?

I can only imagine that shortly, we’ll have memberships to all the kid-friendly places in Seattle: the Aquarium, the Woodland Park Zoo, the Pacific Science Center… What am I missing people? Post your recommendations here!

Well, all I can say is that I’m loving this age. He learns new things every day, and everything is amazing and new.

"Whoa!" (We're pretty sure we blew Eli's mind)

Eli loves spending time in Portland with his cousin, his aunt, and his uncle. Hazel gets a little jealous sometimes, because we all know that she’s a pink princess and therefore deserving of all the attention. I think she might have gotten upset after her mom pushed Eli on the swing instead of her. Eli didn’t seem to notice or care… he was having too much fun!

Why is the pain and suffering of toddlers so funny sometimes?

If the first video hasn’t already convinced you, Eli’s becoming quite the mover and the shaker. He crawls and walks ALL around. I mean ALL AROUND. The playground bark makes it pretty easy to track him…

I thought you might enjoy this as much as I did. As a point of comparison, here’s Eli and Nathan, walking to school:

Soon, we’ll post some video from the past two glorious fall weekends: During first couple of days of October, Eli and Nathan spent some time with the Barkers in Portland. The next weekend, we Kaisers took a field trip up to Whistler. Pictures and video of both weekends are precious. Here’s a preview:

Eli at the Whistler playground.

Eli's perch for the W. Seattle Hi-Yu Parade, july

The days are getting shorter in the Pacific Northwest. I’ll admit it. I’m not ready for fall. Mostly because it’s been an AMAZING summer.

Granted, summer weather only arrived in late-August, but we were lucky enough to travel east of the Cascades a few times to feel the heat (above 80 degrees counts as heat in my mind) and relax at the cabin. And we took a couple plane trips to warm destinations and family reunions… both my side and Nate’s. So, I’ll reiterate, it’s been an AMAZING summer.

We celebrated my grandfather’s 85th birthday in August, even though his actual 85th birthday was yesterday, the 24th of September. It didn’t matter when we celebrated; all the Ngs gathered in Lake Tahoe, and I’ve discovered my new favorite destination. Lake Tahoe is gorgeous, and one of these days soon, I want to see it in the winter.

We're on a boat!

Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe

Happy 85th Birthday, Yeh Yeh!

Our summertime visit wasn’t nearly long enough, but we made the best of it by visiting the beach, eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet (cuz where there’s casinos, there’s buffets), swimming every morning with Eli in the pool, taking nearly the entire fam on a 250 hp pontoon boat around the lake (we could have water skied behind that thing if we hadn’t maxed out on people!), and singing lots of birthday wishes to my grandfather… a month and a half early!

Also in August, Eli had his first camping experience, and I discovered how much my little Pig Pen likes dirt! I had already found out how much he likes sand when we were in Tahoe (playing in it, digging in it, eating it…), but Eli took things to a whole new level at Lake Cushman with the Kaiser sibs and his cousin Hazel. This kid discovered dirt, and dirt + the dog dish + a little bit of water left in the dog’s dish = hours of good times.

Pig Pen aka Eli

dirt + dog dish = good times!

Not to mention Eli absolutely adores his cousin Hazel.

Eli got to spend another 5 whole days with Hazel while at the Kaiser ranch in September. We traveled on the same plane to Texas with Aunt Ailey, but we met up with Aunt Eryn and Hazel at the Houston Airport, and from that point on, we were all travel buddies. Nate’s grandfather turned 80 on September 15th. Unlike my grandfather’s celebration, there are not casinos nor gorgeous lakes in Yoakum, Tx so we spent considerably more time in one place–that would be the ranch, and we at considerably more meat–as in BBQ.

OMG, so much BBQ! And so much cake! And so much happy birthday! We were lucky enough to arrive in Texas just as a cool spell hit and just as the rain drops started to fall. It was the first time in months that Texas saw rain, so everyone was celebrating (not just us, the party-goers)!

Party goers gather, post party

Doesn't this say, "80th birthday"?

Eli and his Great-Grandaddy

Happy 80th, Sydney!

Through all these summertime activities, Eli’s developed into a full-fledged toddler, who can walk (sort of), talks back (mostly in high-pitched squeals and sign language… an odd combination, to say the least), and feeds himself (and his ears, and his hair…) We are really loving having a toddler around the house and watching him grow and change quickly!

So, I guess this is Happy Fall, everyone! To the leaves changing, and to the many changes to come! We’ll try to keep you posted

Eli can "feed" himself!

My dear and wonderful Marissa, happy birthday. I so look forward to all our future years together.

Captain Mars!

“The word: @elikaiser is walking! He hasn’t done so for @nkaiser and I yet, but Eli’s grandparents swear by it!”

And since I didn’t see Eli taking steps, but I was shooting lots of video and lots of pictures, I posted this picture of a very proud Eli:

Eli's proud "walking" face

That was on August 24. It’s now September 11, and Eli chose this day to take a few steps–for real! And I got it on video! Enjoy!

Maybe it was the presence of Allison Koester, visiting from D.C. after moving from Seattle 2 months ago. Or maybe it was the influence of 19 month old Marion Smith, who walked circles around Eli all day yesterday at Grandma and Grandpa Smith’s house.

Eli watches Marion making "soup" in the dog's dish

Either way, he’s walking. It’s exciting and scary, all at the same time.

On my way downtown that morning, I specifically got off a train stop early to take advantage and enjoy it.

I was at some small conference or another a few blocks from the World Trade Center when we felt the room and building around us shake. My immediate thought was that there must have been some type of subway accident, as the amount of energy needed to move the building must have been huge…

It wasn’t until I received an email on my pager from my mother in Seattle that I learned what had actually happened.

I left the conference and walked outside and saw, not the towers (it is really a built up part of town), but rather the burning debris and embers that were slowing falling to the ground. It was all so surreal and beyond my limited understanding that I stood there awestruck for quite a few minutes.

Fortunately, I was able to get home to the Upper West Side before the subway system was shut down and was horrified to see the second tower come down on CNN with the rest of the World.

I lived through a number of things that permanently changed my perspective on life that day and the following few days after:

1. I try never to take family, friends and loved ones for granted.
2. Regardless of how “divided” people say this country has become, it is a huge and complete lie. I saw amazing unity in those days, and I still see it.
3. People are amazing, whether individually or as a group.
4. I love New York City.

One memory that I hope will live with me for the rest of my life is the one where I was walking south on Broadway to Lincoln Center. The news had mentioned that emergency services had set up a blood donation and volunteer area there. That if you could help, please head down there.

I started walking. From 98th St. The closer I got with every passing block the harder it got as the throngs of people kept getting larger and larger. People were coming out of the woodwork to help, to volunteer, and to give blood. We still didn’t know quite what had happened or why, but it didn’t matter. People wanted and needed to help.

It was just one of a number of powerful realizations.

Another, was the horrible, tragic and sorrowfully beautiful memorials. Every park, square, and open space was turned into a living memorial of those that had been lost. Flowers. Candles. The photographs. It was such to wrench the soul. Whole parks began to embody the loss of that day. Trails through the mementoes of loss and love began to form and every single person who gathered and shared in those moments paid silent homage to those that were no longer with us.

New York is not just a city. It is a living, breathing entity of our creation. It can rejoice, it can grow and stagnate, and it can experience pain and loss. It will always hold a special place in my heart and soul.

My family was true to every definition of what it means to be a mother, father, sister, brother.

Lastly, to those who head into danger whether for duty, job or calling. You are the true heroes of this world. I thank you.

I believe the one taken of my father was sometime around 1960. The one of Eli was taken this evening… Marissa thought the similarity was a bit uncanny.

In a couple of weekends, Eli’s looking forward to spending some time with his cousin, Hazel. They’ve practiced playing together at the cabin and it’s pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

Eli doesn’t mind the car ride. He especially likes it when there’s sun coming through the windows. Eastern Washington is good for that.

A happy kid in his carseat

Where's Uncle Clayton among all those robes?

Congratulations, Graduate! (Eli is asleep in the pack)

Enjoy the cuteness. I sure am.

10-month old Eli is starting to feed himself!

Ups

I can sum this up in one word: Eli. The fact that he’s the light of our lives is pretty obvious, but please indulge me as I elaborate with a few stats. Eli is 10-months old now, and he crawls like a maniac. The kid is FAST. And he really loves being mobile. It affords him an element of independence–he can pretty much go where he wants, when he wants–and he’s having fun trying to get there. We’re on higher alert these days, but even if Eli crawls out of our sight, we can hear the ‘smack-smack’ of his hands on the hardwoods and his heavy breathing–he gets a little breathless when he crawls because he’s so excited about it! It’s hilarious! Just trust me.

Eli figured out how to crawl in earnest way back in March, but he’s just now figuring out how to pull himself up to a standing position. We’re really glad he’s not yet ‘furniture walking,’ but I’m sure that will come soon!

He’s also eating more variety of foods–pretty much whatever we’re eating but in a blended up, mushy format. His favorite foods right now are apples, pears, pancakes, and his long-time staple: sweet potato. He’s still evaluating fried rice and tofu stir-fry, but he enjoyed the chow mein. The other day, he insisted on holding his own spoon. It was a little messy, but so worth it. He’s getting his 7th tooth, and we figure we’d better save up now for orthodontics!

Other ups

After two-and-a-half months abroad, Ailey returned home for a couple of weeks before heading back to Liberia. Yeah, it’s dizzying. My sister-in-law has seen more countries and more rural parts of countries that most of us can imagine. She’s doing field work research and advancing land rights in the developing world. I’m so proud of her! So I’m looking forward to kickin’ it with her tomorrow. We’ve got a happy hour and a girls night planned. Fruity alcoholic drinks and a chick flick are in my near future. This is definitely an up!

And we’re headed to Portland this weekend to kick it with our niece. We’ll get to see Nate’s other sister and her hubby briefly, but mostly we’re chillin’ with the kids in P-town. Another up!

One more awesome thing that I can’t believe I forgot to mention before: I got Lasik!!! After more than a decade of not being able to see without my glasses or contacts, I wake up in the morning and open my eyes to… clarity! My old alarm clock used to be hitting Nate and asking for the time. Today, I just lift my head and look for myself! They corrected my vision from a -9, which is a massive correction of near-sightedness. Now I’m a +2! I [heart] Clearly Lasik in Renton. Even if they have had some drama in that office.

Downs

I’ll go in rough chronological order, since it’s easier to list. Throughout this 2011, we’ve lost a number of friends and family members.

November 2010: Uncle Carl (89) and Eli (4 mos)

• Our neighbor, Gerry Heffernan, passed away with Alzheimer’s earlier this year. His memorial was last weekend, but we weren’t able to attend.
• An inspiration to the Seattle startup community, Tom Music, suddenly lost his battle with lymphoma in mid-April. We honored him with an Irish-style wake and drank lots of beer.
• While we were drinking, Susie was returning from a memorial service in Texas for their relative, Carl Chandler. Carl carried the namesake to Nathan’s middle name, representing the branch of Chandlers that first came to this country. He served in WWII, miraculously making it through the D-Day invasion as a medic in the first wave. Later in his military career, he was given the honor of dancing with England’s Princess Elizabeth, now the Queen. He would have been 90 this year.
• Our old friend and ‘parking landlord’ of the past 5 years, Fred Cloonan, passed away from a sudden heart attack. Fred also served in WWII as a merchant marine, and he continued his service in the navy, fighting in the Korean War as well. We celebrated his memory and his 80th birthday on May 1.
• We learned at Easter that Nathan’s former tennis captain passed away of a sudden heart attack.

Most recently and most poignantly for me, my grandmother went on to heaven on May 9. She passed, surrounded by her eight kids and many of her grandkids. I gave a eulogy on Saturday, but I think it’s still sinking in… She was such an awesome woman. I’ll post the eulogy in a separate message. And this is why I’m especially sad these days. It’s a bit cumulative, but I really miss my PoPo.

Eli and his "Tai Po," Christmas 2010

He didn’t eat much of anything at all, and he didn’t keep much of that down. So last night, Nate went out and bought Pedialyte (which I’m calling Gatorade for babies), and we deliberated about what to do next. Eli was banned from daycare, so we called my mother-in-law. (My own folks have helped out and watched a sick Eli on numerous occasions in the past. We just thought we’d see if Susie was available this time.)

… And she WAS! Sort of. So we all agreed that I would take Eli to work with me, and Susie would pick him up after her doctor’s appointment.

In the meantime, Eli had a marvelous time at my office, napping on Amy’s lap.

Now, he’s playing at Grandma’s.

I’m wondering if his “sick day” was just a ploy to play with cute girls…

ZONKED. No really. Another coworker came by to see what all the heavy breathing was about

I don't think Amy minded...

Having fun at Grandma's

Hazel's pretty pink ski boots

Since our small Kaiser clan is still getting the hang of packing up for a ski weekend, we were a few hours off our desired arrival time and completely missed the pizza dinner. Miraculously, Hazel was still awake to greet us at 10 p.m., and stayed awake staring and sometimes crying as Unc Nate, Aunt Ailey, Uncle Ritchie, and her dad drank beers into the late evening. Eryn managed to sleep thanks to earplugs and an eye mask, and I never really woke up from the car ride thanks to some powerful muscle relaxers. (Just my luck, the very morning we planned to leave for White Pass Ski Weekend, my back went into spasms. This is the first re-occurrence of back pain since before I was pregnant… Sigh. I REALLY didn’t miss it.)

We all managed to wake up in the morning somewhat rested (despite the fact that Eli woke up and cried several times throughout the night), and we hit the ground running with a hearty breakfast and a lot of ski and baby gear… and some baby ski gear.

Hazel and the stickers

Eli and the stickers

I learned what being a “lodge mom” is all about, and I even managed to get a little work done. The conditions were meh, so I didn’t miss much except for maybe a beer in the ski yurt. What I got to enjoy instead was some really precious time with Eli and Hazel, and I don’t regret not skiing. Eli is enamored with his big cousin Hazel, and Hazel shared her toys, her books, and her stickers with Eli.

Hazel also had a big milestone that day: she skied for the first time without anyone holding her. Brian said he almost shed a tear, right there on the magic carpet. We were all very proud.

But the most precious moment of the weekend had to have been that evening. We were all back at the lodge chilling, relaxing and getting dinner ready, while the kids played around. We decided to set Eli next to his aunt and his cousin and this cuteness ensued. I LOVE this video!

Oh, and in case you haven’t had enough, here’s some more:

"Baby E-ii, I love you!"

Eli thinks his cousin is SO cool

Happiest kids ever

I can’t, so I’ll have to leave you with some pictures from the slopes.

Bomber Cliffs are RAD!

Backcountry gals

Fist bump. Blow it up!

Checkin' out the ridge

Yeaahhhh!!!

Oh, and since we didn’t all ski and I don’t have pictures of two of our awesome bad-ass girls, I’ll share a few quotes from the weekend.

• “Follow the Chumstick Highway to Beaver Valley.” (I kid you not, these were part of the directions to get to our lodge. Given that two of our crew are middle school teachers who’s minds will ALWAYS go there, we had endless giggles about these directions.)
• “You MUST try the ramp!”
• “I want a dog named ‘Meat.’”
• “I’ve skinned a moose before.”
• “I have a list for that too.”
• Andreas Keller – Where you can eat a pickle with a knife!

• “Let’s all hike the Ridge!”
• “Are you texting?” “No, I’m writing down all the funny things you say!”

Check out the ramp that Jess and Colleen built!

Jess on the ramp

This is a fabulous German restaurant

Nighttime in fake Bavaria

Eli and his daycare buddy

Sadly, Eli’s week turned sour again when another tooth started to come in. He’s not enjoying this one bit. We’ve taken to keeping teething toys in the fridge, rubbing Baby Ora-gel on Eli’s gums at regular intervals, and giving him Tylenol to ease the pain.

Poor, poor teething kid

Somehow, I managed to avoid the cold last week. I’m popping Airborne and Vitamin C like they’re candy, and I hope that does the trick! I’ve got a big weekend next weekend, and I’ve GOT to be well for it… me and the ladies are off to 2011 Girls Ski Weekend! We’ve rented a house in Leavenworth and there’s 9 of us total. I can’t WAIT!!! And I expect my legs may fall off from all the skiing I’ll be doing

Fingers crossed that I’ll stay well through the week and the weekend!

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with some happier pictures of Eli (cuz that’s what you want to see, isn’t it?):

Just hangin' out

Eli's bus commute to daycare

The Kaiser boys say, "Happy New Year!" from the cabin

We celebrated New Year’s Eve along with rest of the East Coast, and were in bed by 10:30 p.m. Then on New Year’s Day we dropped Eli off at mountain daycare and continued a long tradition: we hit the slopes.

It was GORGEOUS!!! The sun was shining, the snow was great, and you could see at least four different mountain peaks in the distance. Did I tell you it was gorgeous?

We love Mission Ridge Ski Resort! And the lines… well, they were nonexistent, which is part of the reason why we love Mission Ridge!

So, HAPPY 2011! Here’s to another great year!

Eli's first Christmas

In the month of December, we went to Hawaii, Eli tried solid foods and made a sometimes-transition to formula, we celebrated Christmas with the Kaisers (a week before real Christmas), we celebrated Christmas Eve at Auntie Terry and Uncle Benson’s house, we hosted Christmas Day at our house, and then we snuck off to the Kaiser cabin to be antisocial for New Years Eve.

Eli's Hawaii outfit

Waikiki Beach is awesome

Our cowboy got a horsey for Christmas

... and a Chariot!

Ready for the snow!

Happy New Year's Eve!

It’s now January, and according to Eli’s 6-month check up (about a week ago), he’s in the 98th percentile for height, the 50th percentile for weight, and the 50th percentile for head circumference. We have a tall kid!

He’s enjoying the new, neat adventure of eating solid foods and drinking from a sippy cup.

And he’s started sitting up (almost) on his own. We didn’t know it, but Eli was days away from cutting his first tooth during the filming of this video. Now looking back, it makes perfect sense.

Is it raising an infant? Is it balancing raising an infant with our responsibility-laden jobs? Is it that we’d rather see folks in person and don’t care to write about the folks we see in person? Maybe it’s all of the above. But we certainly don’t have a good excuse. We’re in front of our computers or our iPhones ALL. THE. TIME.

So here’s my commitment–call it a New Year’s Resolution if you like–I’ll work to share some tidbit at least once a week. Even if it’s small or half-baked or just a picture with a caption. This is just as much for me as it is for you (you three people who might read this). Eli is growing SO QUICKLY that I’m afraid I’ll forget these precious moments. This will be my way of charting our lives.

Eli's a world-class traveler now. (November 2010 on the plane headed home from Texas.)

Now for the gratuitous Eli picture… can you believe that the most recent photo I have on my work computer is from November?!? (I can’t believe it’s the middle of January…)

We visited Hawaii at the beginning of December.

Here’s a picture of Eli on the way over:

When does this flight end?

Regardless, we had a great time. Saw friends and family and enjoyed the sun and the waves. I really enjoyed hearing the newscasters telling everyone to bundle up as it was going to be in the low 70′s during the morning. The ended the broadcast by looking at one-another and saying “Brrrrrrr”

70 degrees? This place is P A R A D I S E

Eli Likey

Eli enjoyed pool time!

A Hawaiian Christmas:

Meeting Chris and Tanya’s newborn, Zack:

BFFs Forever.

Can’t Beat an Island Sunset

Heading over the Pali Highway

Not a bad view from the top of the world!

Surrounded by Beaches

When do we head back?

Boots and Hat at the Ready: Texas Bound

We saw family, had dinner with friends, went two-stepping (poorly) and enjoyed a lot of what makes the Lone Star State what it is. Once we landed in Texas we were off and running on what would become a 1,007 mile odyssey from Houston to Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Blanco, Seguine, Yoakum, Victoria and back to Houston. Eli was fortunate to meet cousins (some once removed, others twice, and a few that were even more than that), friends, aunts, uncles, great aunts and his great grandfather.

My parents had invited us to join them on this trip to see everyone under the auspices of making the “Night at Old Pearl City: dance at Turner Hall.” We were promised lots of Polka and Texas two-stepping, and we were not let down! Marissa and I had a great time and enjoyed every minute of the dance, though our feet are a bit worse for wear… (I simply can’t dance).

For a run down of the itinerary:

Tuesday, Nov 16th: Fly into Houston. We were looking forward to seeing Jap and Louise Lott and we ended up staying with their daughter Cindy and her husband Mark. It was 80-degrees in Houston and beautiful clear skies.

In good hands!

At some point I will share stories about Jap and Louise. A few years ago they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary and are simply an amazing and inspirational couple. He was a fighter pilot in WWII in the Pacific and generally quite the hell raiser. They are kin through my Grandpa who grew up in Yoakum, Texas (my parents are both from the same small town).

Wednesday: We are off to Kerrville to see my Aunt Sharon. She is my mother’s sister and was amazing with Eli. Simply put, it is the highlight of my trip to spend time with Aunt Sharon.

Eli meets Aunt Sharon

Thursday: Off to Fredericksburg, which was the “vacation” of this vacation. It is a beautiful town that was originally settled by Germans and retains a lot of the history and offers delicious German food. It is quite the tourist area now. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go into the Nimitz Museum. We will definitely take Eli in the near future.

Friday: Fredericksburg to Yoakum by way of Blanco and Seguin… The joke during the trip was that if we had 7 minutes of free time my mother was certain to call some distant relative and let them know we would be visit’n (correct spelling).

We stopped by to see my second-cousin-once-removed Carl in Blanco and his 46 cats. Carl was part of the initial wave of US soldiers to land on the beaches at Normandy. After the war, he was an executive with the Red Cross and worked all over the world. Side note, their daughter was born in Korea and they actually had Texas soil underneath the birthing table so that she could be born a Texan. Marissa and I did the same thing with Eli, but didn’t know that we were following in other’s footsteps.

I have met Carl before and thoroughly enjoyed seeing him again. While his health is failing, he was gracious, funny and whip smart and seemed to take quite a liking to Eli. Eli also took quite a liking to Carl and his cats.

Then it was off to dinner in Seguin at a huge colosseum built to the mastery and worship of the almighty catfish! (Sadly, catfish is the only thing I am allergic to so I didn’t have any.) The onion rings were great and the beer was cold and delicious. We were also able to introduce Eli to my cousin Benji, his wife Phoebe and their daughter Bentley who is a week and half older than Eli.

Cold and refreshing: Shiner Bock: D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s

Then we were off to Yoakum.

Saturday: Trip into Victoria to see my Mom’s side of the family:

Aunt Linda, cousins Meredith, Wendy, Jake and their respective kids and friends for amazing BBQ. Marissa and I went for the sampler plate which included ~4 lbs of meat and a pickle (as I recall).

Saturday Night: DANCE TIME

The whole family started to arrive, my sister and brother-in-law Ailey and Ritchie Hughes, Aunt Kay, Uncle Mike, cousins Rachel, Jen, Josh, Courtney, Tommy, Aunt Corliss and Uncle Owen. The list goes on and on and on. It is simply too much fun seeing everyone.

Eli knows his Aunt Ailey!

We drank, we danced, we caught up, we admired Eli. Eli actually got to go to the dance, though he ended up sleeping under the table… (is that in the parenting books?)

Cousins Jen and Josh: Pearl Beer: $0.50 / can: Just the right price.

Sunday: We had an early Thanksgiving at my Cousin Courtney’s place and Eli got to meet their six horses, five or so dogs, and ~20 cattle. Needless to say he was thrilled!

They prepared an amazing spread and it was fantastic getting to sit down and enjoy the time with everyone.

Monday: Back to Seattle (via Houston)

The flight was interesting to say the least.

2 hour mechanical delay in Houston

4 hour flight – no problems

1.5 hour delay as the jetway was broken and they couldn’t move it to the plane

1.5 hour delay as the tow comes to get us, which then gets stuck in the snow

45 minute delay as no one made it to work and there wasn’t anyone to operate the working jetway

45 minute delay waiting for luggage

A patient and easy going kid… PRICELESS

The happiest people on the plane!

—————–

It was an amazing trip and we had a great time. However, it wouldn’t have been possible without my folks. They were great, watched Eli, put together the trip, and just made sure it happened. It was awesome. Thanks Mom and Dad!