1 month

Kai is such a cutie. I can't believe he is already one month old on Tuesday. At his three-week doctor visit he gained almost 2 pounds. 

He eats 3 to 4 ounces every 3 to 4 hours. He is on Similac formula. He smiles sometimes too… I can't always get him to repeat it, but I think it's for real. It's so adorable!

Generally, at least two times a day, Kai has awake periods. Where he will stay awake for 2 to 3 hours. He is so cute! He's alert with his big eyes… Which are seeming to turn brown. He still has lots of brown hair. And it still really long… I hope it doesn't start falling out. In the sun you can see red highlights. It's nice to see Michelle and him!! 

He has started to get a little bit of baby acne.  He still has a red left eye… Which he has had ever since birth. When he was first born both eyes were red. But now just the left. 

He has also started coughing. A really loose cough. I hope it doesn't turn into anything worse. I have had to suck his nose out a couple of times as well. But hopefully the weather warming up will help.

Newborn

Wow!!! What to say...I think I have so much to say that it's actually keeping me from saying anything. 

From the moment of Kai's birth, I have wanted to remember every single detail. I wish every single detail was recorded. But...I've realized that's not possible. So, I will just do a partial post.

Our sweet little Kai was born Feb 18, 2014. He was 7lbs and 19" long. He has so much hair. It's a light brown with red glints. He is more red than he is brown...but not as fair as Kashe.

He has big, bright eyes. When he is awake, he is alert and calm. His big eyes seem to be taking in as much if the world around his as possible. 

Michelle, our birthmom, is my hero. She, like Karissa and Cheyenne, is truly amazing. So stalwart and sure of her decision. She is mature beyond her age of 21. She is frank and too the point. She tells you how it is. She doesn't show a lot of emotion, but keeps it inside. She is kind and sweet, but tells you how it is. I love this!!! I have really wanted to make sure that she feels special and unique in her situations. I don't want her to feel like she has to fit in to the mold of our other birth moms. And she doesn't. She is perfectly unique in her own way. I live her so much!!!!

She banded me at the hospital. So I got to be with Kai for his first bath. He was awake and alert through the entire thing. He was so precious!!! 

Kai continues to be the best baby!!! He is calm and chill. He is seriously so adorable and we love him so much!!! I love cuddling him and kissing his cute little cheeks!

Today we did out first little photo shot with Bluebird. So adorable!!!

Church

Today I got to sit in sharing time with Little Bear's class. During one song they played a game..."all the kids with pink on stand up", etc. at one point it was, "all kids with blue eyes stand up and sing". 

A little while later Koda was picking at his eyes and wining. I asked him what was wrong and I thought he was trying to tell me something was in his eye. So I looked and couldn't see anything. He kept pulling at his eye...finally I understood...he said something like, "take it out, take it out, I want blue eyes". It was kind of funny silly and sad at the same time. He was really trying to take out his eyeball. My little man...hopefully we can get him passed this. :(

My Little Baby Growing Up

Koda is getting so big!!!!! Several times a day he stretches all the way out (on the kitchen table, on the couch, on a mattress, next to me, etc) and says mom "I'm getting bigger". It's so cute how he likes to measure his size. We need to start marking his height on the wall. :-) 

However, my little boy still has remanants of my little baby. Last week I caught him rubbing the edge of his blanket to fall asleep. He's done this ever since he was a baby. He likes the soft minky blankets. And he still sometimes does it. 

I miss my little baby, but get so excited for my grown up boy. 

Little boys

Today while Koda was playing with his cars and trucks...he said, "what the heck". Although this is probably the better alternative...I need to be more careful. I didn't realize I said that, but he must have picked it up somewhere close to home. It was quite funny.

So big!!!

The other night I was putting Kashe to sleep and I heard a motor sound. I came out and koda had dumped his dirty clothes basket in the washer and started a load. It was a little squeaky since there was no water in the basin and it was in the spin cycle. 

He constantly is telling me..."I did it". He likes to do everything himself. Today he had a chair to his closet and he was selecting his shirt to wear. 

I love my little bear growing up. It's so fun!!!

Halloween

The boys had so much fun today. We started off by hitting the offices of Elizabeth's dad and Eric. Then we went to Bart's office. The kids got to go through mini spook alleys (which koda was very nervous about), pop balloons to get candy, and eat lots of sweets!!!!

Koda was a fireman and Kashe was a minion (from Dispicable Me). Renata knitted him a cute minion hat. I got lots of compliments on it!! 

This evening we went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood with Jack and Graham. That little threesome could hardly wait. They were running door to door. At first Kashe kept up, but eventually he went more of a normal pace. 

What a great time! The kids were bouncing off the walls tonight...and I don't know that they got more than a few bites of normal food today. The joys of Halloween! 

Tonight while I was laying in bed with koda, while he fell asleep...he was rubbing the minky blanket, my thoughts were taken back. When he was a baby, he used to do this to fall asleep. My little boy is so grown up. I am so excited for him, but I also miss my baby. 

This is Kashe blinking. For some reason he has been blinking a lot this past week. I wonder if it had something to do with the song, "Do as I'm Doing"...we sang this a couple weeks ago...and we did blinking. Ever since then, Kashe seems to deliberately blink. It's so funny!!!

I love these cuties!! 

Happy Birthday Koda Bear

On Saturday we had a bday party for koda. It was a lot of fun!!! 

Koda has been crossing off the days on the calendar until his party. That morning we decorated in yellow and red for a firan Sam birthday. The boys were both so helpful and wanted to climb the ladder and hand me balloons to hang. 

For the party the boys wore their fireman costumes. It was fun to see everyone and enjoy spending time with family.

Grandma Mercier was their, Scott & Emily , Marisa and Tyson, Great-Grandma Darling, Grandma & Grandpa Gordon, Chey & Sterling (I think that's his name...sorry), Grandma Bench & Stormy, Grandpa Marks, Karissa & Kevin, Shareen & Nathan. It was a lot of fun!!!! 

Koda was all smiles. Kashe was wanting the party for himself, so that was a little hard. But he got some consolation gifts...so cute!!! 

I took pics, but they are on my other camera. I will have to post some later. 

Kashe is a cutie!

Tonight Karissa, Kevin, and Kevin's mom came to visit. It was so great to see them!!!! Kashe called Kevin's mom "grandma". It was so funny. 

And on that note...Bart took the kids shopping today. There was an older lady at the store and they kept passing her. Each time he would say grandma. The lady replied, "I am a grandma, but not yor grandma". Then Kashe said to her, "my grandma". 

To all older women...Kashe might call you grandma. He loves grandma's. Don't worry, it doesn't mean your old. :-)

Disney World 2011

What a trip!!! We had so much fun. I'm still sad vacation is over, but happy to be back. Koda loved every minute...at least mostly. He had a hard time around naps and while waiting in lines. We were so sad to leave Kashe behind, but I'm sure he was happier to stay, then be strolled around in the sweltering/humid heat. Thank you so much Mom, Aunt Natalie, and the Allred's for watching Kashe! He loved all the attention :)


Day 1- Travel to Orlando

Our flight left just after 7am. It was soooo early. Natalie picked us all up just after 5. Then, we were off. Koda had no idea what was coming. Once we got to the airport, checked in our bags, and strolled through airport security (which was a feat in itself), we headed to the gate. Koda had seen airplanes before, but never this close. He loved it. I think he loved the fact that he got to eat candy and chew gum during every take off and landing. I wanted to make sure his ears didn't hurt too much.


Once we landed in Dever we met up with Jamie, Jeff, & the kids, and Marilynn & Steve. It was so exciting. Matthew, Ashley, & Brandon still had no idea where we were going...they didn't find that out until we met Marilynn and Steve at their gate. It was so exciting! Jamie caught it all on tape.


Then we were off. It was a brutal flight! Koda didn't have a seat of his own and could only sit on our laps. So, with a full flight and busy little Koda the 4 hour flight was a little challenging. He normally loves watching movies, but he had a hard time wearing the headphones so that he could hear the movies.


After we landed in Orlando, FL, we caught a shuttle to our hotel - The Wyndam (located just outside Downtown Disney). It was perfect! The rooms were okay and it was a very close walk to Downtown Disney. The hotel pool was awesome. One more perk was that we got to catch a free (sort of free) shuttle each day to any of the parks.

That night we were worn out!! We walked Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island. There was a lot of nightlife excitement. Koda fell asleep in the stroller. It was beautiful and nice and warm.

Day 2- Animal Kingdom

What an amazing place!! We were the first ones of our group to arrive. Koda was so excited, but had a hard time waiting for the park to open. First, we had to pick up Jamie's wheelchair. Unfortunately, she still couldn't do much walking and was in a boot. It was so sad, but she always had a positive attitude about the whole thing. At least we didn't have to wait in all the lines. We got to go right to the front on some, it was great!

First we went to the Safari ride. On this safari we got to board a big oversized jeep. Then we proceeded to go on a real safari. We saw giraffs, crocs, hippos, and all sorts of other animals. Disney does an amazing job at hiding the electric fences. It makes you feel like you are truly out in the wild. Koda loved it. He was pretty quite on the trip, but was wide-eyed. Then we went to a little petting zoo. Koda got to pet the sheep. He loved it! We then went to watch Nemo (I think). It was a play. Koda wasn't so excited about it and didn't want to sit down.

While Koda slept in the stroller, Bart and I rode the Everest ride. What an awesome rollercoaster! I don't want to spoil the surprise...but I definitely wasn't expecting the little twist this coaster threw in. Loved it! Next, we went to try the water rapids ride. Jamie stayed back with Koda. There was hardly a line, so the kids were running to the front. Next thing we knew, Brandon was sitting on the cement crying. He had smacked right in to one of the line poles. He split his head right open and was gushing blood. It all was pretty dramatic...Jeff had to run back to the entrance of the ride with blood pouring all over. Poor little Brandon. Jamie and Jeff took him to the ER. He had to get 4 or 5 stiches. He was so brave. Disney even gave him his own stuffed animal.

The day ended with rain. We went back to the hotel and went swimming. The rain couldn't keep us down. It was a lot of fun. I especially liked the hot tub! Koda loved the kids play area. It was full of all kinds of fountains. He got braver and braver getting wet. He could have played there all day. Whenever he is having fun, he never wants to stop. So, needless to say...we left the pool with a tempertantrum.

What a great day!


Day 3- Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom her we come! This park has always been my favorite! It truly is a magical place. Koda got to ride his first monarail. 

When we first entered the park, we b-lined it straight for Mickey. It was early and so the lines were still short. We still had to wait probably 15 minutes to see Mickey. Koda wasn't so sure he liked Mickey in person. He was definitely a little nervous. He managed to take a photo, but Mickey and Minnie had to be on opposite sides of Koda. Too funny. 

Then we hopped on over to Aladdin's Flying Carpet ride. Jamie & Jeff went off to get their boys done up as pirates. Next, we went to the Jungle Ride and Pirates of the Caribbean. Koda did great, as long as he was sitting on our laps. He didn't even seem to mind the big drop off. 

On Jungle Cruise- looking out the boat

Today nap time was so hot. Luckily Jamie had bought us a spray fan at target. I fanned Koda and ate a popsicle while Koda slept. 

Koda enjoyed watching the 3-D movies. He even kept his glasses on most of the time. He wasn't even scared. Next, we were off to Splash Mountain. I love this ride when I get to wear a rain poncho. I just don't like getting wet. Especially in the humidity of Florida. It's not fun being sticky and wet in hot weather. Bart and I and the Wursten's traded off for Splash Mountain. After the ride Koda did his little number 2. However, this was actually a blow out #2. It was bad!!! And today we didn't have a change of clothes for him. So, we had to buy him new clothes that were way too big for him. It was brutal!

I was so proud of Koda being so brave on all the rides. He even went to the Haunted Mansion. He did great! It was a magical day. He even braved the heat (even though he also accompanied that with mild tantrums :) )

Day 4- Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios was a blast! It's funny how we can look back on pictures and see how fun it was, but forget the things that weren't so desirable. Like the heat and humidity. It was soooo hot! The build up of humidity finally broke loose in the late afternoon and downpoured. What a storm. 


Koda had 2 favorite places at this park:

• 1st it would have to be the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playground. Walking through the playground made you feel like you were a tiny bug, since everything was so huge. There were fun slides and water fountains. Koda liked climbing the cargo nets. At the very top it was like a hot humid sauna...but Koda didn't seem to mind. He ran everywhere.  

• 2nd it would have to be the Playhouse Disney show. Koda loves watching Playhouse Disney!!! At this show he was able to see Mickey, Little Einstein's, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Handy Manny. Koda was so excited. He was dancing all over the place. It was so cute! As a parent there is nothing better than seeing your little one so happy. It's hard to describe how happy it made me and Bart feel (and that is an understatement!). During this moment, I wished there was some way to capture it and keep this memory bottled up forever. It was bliss. Koda was so cute!

That evening we went on the Buzz Lightyear ride. It's set up like target practice at the fair. It was in 3-D. It was so much fun. Koda really enjoyed it to, even though he didn't keep his 3-D glasses on. Right after this ride, we ran back to catch the start of the Fantasmic Show. It was set on the water, with fireworks, music, lazers, and Disney characters. It was an awesome show (and it was only slightly drizzling). 

Day 5- Epcot

Today the Wursten's and Bone's were off to the beach. We stayed and went to Epcot. The beach would have been fun, but Koda hates riding in the car for long periods of time. So, we avoided the car-ride-breakdown and went to Epcot. 


It's been awhile since Bart and I were last there. They had some pretty cool new updates. Koda loved the big aquarium. It was fully equipped with sharks, dolphins, stingrays, and numerous fish. Koda loved running around and going right up to the big glass windows. 

On the Dinosaur ride we were just getting started and then it broke down. That was hard for Koda to sit still until we could get off the ride. Overall, Epcot was good at the beginning, but then after that there weren't a lot of rides for Koda to ride on. There was a lot of shopping offered, but it was kind of a slow afternoon. We left early and went to Downtown Disney. 


On the way back to our hotel, which is very close to Downtown Disney, we got lost. We got off one bus and were supposed to wait to transfer to another bus...but I didn't want to wait. And it looked like Downtown Disney wasn't very far away. However, I was wrong. We walked and walked and walked and walked! We eventually made it after burning all our calories from the previous 4 days. haha. 

At Downtown Disney, if you ever visit, you have to try Earl of Sandwich. They have the best hot sandwiches ever and at a very reasonable price. Koda loved the Merry-Go-Round, Train Ride, and the Dancing Music Concert for kids. He danced his little heart out. It was so cute! 

Day 6- Magic Kingdom Round 2

Being Pirates

Blankie + Binkie, brings comfort anywhere!

This day kind of enmeshed in the other Magic Kingdom day! I don't remember a lot. Koda loved pirates! And LOVED the Buzz Lightyear toy we bought at the end of the day. It was too cute! In the store Koda went up to Bart and showed him the toy. Bart then said, "We have to ask Mommy." Koda came over to me and showed me the toy. When I said yes, Koda did a little jig. He was soooo happy (mind you, he still isn't really talking, but we understood exactly what he wanted, and he communicated exactly how happy he was when we said yes. It's amazing how much you can understand without talking.)

The castle, as always, was beautiful. Oh yeah, I almost forgot...on this day Ashley got done up as a princess. And I mean completely done up. She sat in a big beautiful chair, while staff waited on her. She got to wear a beautiful Mermaid outfit. It definitely came with a price tag, but Ashley sure had her day!

Day 7- Blizzard Beach 

Waiting for the bus to Blizzard Beach

This water park was incredible!!! I wish that we had had 2 days at this park. It was the water park of all water parks. The lazy river was huge, the wave pool was so relaxing, and the kids play areas were so much fun. Koda was so brave and went down tube slides all by himself. 


There was one tube slide that seated 6. Koda was pretty nervous on this one. He had to sit beside us and not in our laps, he had a hard time with this. The first time up to the top we took the stairs to get on, but when we went for round 2, we wanted to ride the ski lift to the top. Koda did not like this at all. He was terrified. He screamed the whole way up the ski lift. It would have been so much better if he would have been able to ride on our laps. Koda was hysterical. So, when we got to the top he had a hard time calming down. When he was almost calm we went to get on the 6 person tube ride again, and he would have none of it. He screamed and temper-tantrumed so loud. He must have been terrified. When he was sitting down off to the side, he threw his head back on the ground and hit it. That only added to the scene. I walked Koda all the way back down. Poor little guy. This all happened right around his nap time. So, that probably added to it. He feel asleep in his stroller still sobbing. What an afternoon. 

After his nap, he was all of a sudden scared of everything. Even the slides he had previously gone down with no fear. The tube slide scarred him. :( So sad. I'm sure he will get over it. At least I hope so. 

Day 8- Home


Going home from vacation is always sad and depressing. I was sad to leave and go back to life! Even though I missed Kashew-nut terribly. The flight home was brutal. We left our hotel around 7:30am and didn't arrive home until 11pm. What a long day! We had two lay-overs and plane changes. And for some reason I had the migraine of all migraines. It made me so sick. I was basically back in the plane bathrooms for a straight hour. I felt awful. Once I was able to get my headache to subside, I felt much better. Meanwhile, Koda was really giving Bart a hard time. And Bart was sandwiched in     to the 2 window seats. The poor woman on the isle seat! I felt so bad for her. I hope we didn't bother her too much! 


It was such a fun vacation! And it was so wonderful to go with the Wursten's and Bone's! We loved it. We already can't wait to go again. This time with Kashe!