Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Kavaun's first ball game
August 5, 2010
We went to a Tiger game together. I will try to post pictures soon. It was hot. We had front row seats behind the visiting dugout. Mark Kotsay of the Chicago White Sox gave Kavaun a game ball at the end of the 6th inning and then went on to hit the game winning hit to win in extra innings.
My plan is to pull Kavaun from school one day per year for his entire educational career to go to a ball game. This was the first and I hope to string together a lifetime of games and maemories.
Great time!
Nick
I use Facebook to post most of our pictures and updates...
We went to a Tiger game together. I will try to post pictures soon. It was hot. We had front row seats behind the visiting dugout. Mark Kotsay of the Chicago White Sox gave Kavaun a game ball at the end of the 6th inning and then went on to hit the game winning hit to win in extra innings.
My plan is to pull Kavaun from school one day per year for his entire educational career to go to a ball game. This was the first and I hope to string together a lifetime of games and maemories.
Great time!
Nick
I use Facebook to post most of our pictures and updates...
Lucky ba ba
I am one lucky baba.
I get to stay home wth my son nearly everyday for 10-12 weeks in the summer. We hang out in our pajamas all day sometimes. Sometimes we go for walks to the park or we read together. Other days we feed the ducks or travel somewhere - maybe the splash park or Ionia to see family. But, everyday we have a clean slate. A new adventure could mean a trip to the grocery store or a drive to a local subdivision to look for deer in the nearby woods.
Some days can be pretty blah. It is easy to get lost in an hour of PBS with the Sesame Street gang or to wonder why I feel a sense of releif when Kavaun lays down for hs nap. Once in a while I feel like I am not productive enough. Truthfully, I tend to feel that way when I am low on sleep staring at our mess of books and toys and we do not get outside in the morning. Some very easy "rules" have helped me maintain a helathier outlook though. For starters, I try to get outside with Kavaun once before his afternoon nap and hopefully after too. I put the music station on the TV after I get a small dose of Sports Center or the news. I soak up and appreciate Kavaun's independent time (some days he is more independent than others like today), but a day without games, giggling and tickling is a day wasted.
Staying home has helped me appreciate my independent time. Beata is a supportive and wonderful mom and wife. She has fallen into the role of doing most of the baths and putting Kavaun to bed while we split dinner duty. I have slacked on dinner duty lately. Beata also encourages me to do the things I am passionate about - namely photography and travel. I have a 4-day trup to DC scheduled this week and I spent three days enjoying a photography workshop in Holland, Michigan. It was incredible. And yes, I needed it to re-charge. I spent three nights in Ionia staying up past 3 a.m. each night visiting with Uncle Dan and catching up wth family. I absolutely loved it. My mom got some valuable KK time too and I got to visit with her as well.
---
I have slowed down on picture taking, but still have many more photos than the average person. I REALLY NEED TO ORGANIZE all of these pictures and stay up to speed on that aspect of my photography. I am okay, but if I am not careful it becomes an orgnizational nightmare.
---
Kavaun's gibberish is absolutely adorable and even though I know the window is closing on it since he will be talking in sentences soon, I am excited to hear him speak in sentences. We have a lot of fun discovering his new words and teaching him new words. Yes, I did teach him to say "Hot Mama" to Beata but he also knows "KK" (cah -cah), "Over there! (o'er dhare), "No more" (no mo), Night Night (naht-naht) and Num Num for food and his pacifier. These are the most common phrases along with Fill (elephant in Farsi), Goal (flower), and Mo for Elmo. "Oh no" is today's favorite phrase and almost all cars became "Big Car" after he saw a truck and aptly called it a big car. Noe semis, buses and even little cars are big cars. He very proudly says "bub bye num num" when he puts his pacifier in the crib upon waking. Or he will say "night night" to "woof woof" his dog (sound more like "wuhv wuh")
My favorite is "ba ba" and the adorable tone Kavaun uses when he says it. If I am downstairs and I shut a door or start up the stairs, Kavaun will say, "ba ba" and I can hear his smile. I love it everytime.
As I sit here in our hurricane swept iving room Kavaun is alternating between reading his books and climbing into the box that he tipped over in order to have easy access to a few dozen books. We often marvel at how one little person can create so much joy and havoc smultaneously. We often refer to him as Hurricane Kavaun as he sweeps through the house. So lucky are we to get swept up in his daily hurricane flooding with his curiosity, energy and exctement to "do".
---
Yes, my boy dances. Thank God because now Beata has someone to dance with to get her fix. In fact, Kavaun loves dancing and like most 22-month old boys he goes into these jump up and down convulsions and he screams, giggles and winds up like a toy before taking off sprinting, hoppin and skippng through the house full tilt. I enjoy this energy and on most days I really do appreciate it.
---
Kavaun's animal toys and stuffed animals talk to each other and ride on his toy cars together. Sometimes they fly through the air, get lectured sternly and get hugs from our little boy. Kavaun has his way of doing things and his sensitive yet strong personality shines through most of his actions. He is pensive but also aventurous. He has a look that is serious to go with his fun and happy demeanor. Our boy has opinions and most the time he is going to make sure you know what those opinions are. He is like my mother in that sense, maybe me too. Beata's sister and aunt have a similar quality. The genetic kleidoscope that is Kavaun has it's own unique beauty.
---
I love giving Kavaun horsey rides through the house and having him kiss me over each shoulder for "fuel" so I can go. Beata has her own version of this game too. We love it. The best is when we will lay down on the floor together and leave just enough space between us for Kavaun to squeeze in. He slides in between us smiling and turns to each of us with a HUGE smile as we begin to tell him a story. We cuddle. We laugh. We admire Kavaun and one another. Three minutes (usually only lasts a couple minutes though) doing this completely fills my heart. These are things that can get forgotten if we are not careful to record and remember.
---
I often joke with Beata that Kavaun only gets "boo boos" or injurie when she is around to kiss them. This is pretty true and I love watching her bring a smile to his face by kissing his "pretend" boo boos. They both love it. The window on this may last a while, but I will draw the line when Kavaun get involved in organized sports.
---
Last night while I was up working on graduate work well into the morning Kavaun woke up screaming around 3 a.m. I think he knew I needed to hold him and I enjoyed every second of it. He was so clingy and rested his head on my shoulder to sleep for about 10 minutes before I returned him to his crib. Just 6 hours earlier I had watched Beata holding him after his bath. She was enjoying the moment, I could tell.
These are the moments when strung together make me realize how lucky we are to have Kavaun in our lives and ho much joy it brings me to ensure he also feels lucky to have us. Honestly, I fall in love with him over and over again everyday - even the days when we stay in our pjs until 4 p.m.
Thank you God,
N
I get to stay home wth my son nearly everyday for 10-12 weeks in the summer. We hang out in our pajamas all day sometimes. Sometimes we go for walks to the park or we read together. Other days we feed the ducks or travel somewhere - maybe the splash park or Ionia to see family. But, everyday we have a clean slate. A new adventure could mean a trip to the grocery store or a drive to a local subdivision to look for deer in the nearby woods.
Some days can be pretty blah. It is easy to get lost in an hour of PBS with the Sesame Street gang or to wonder why I feel a sense of releif when Kavaun lays down for hs nap. Once in a while I feel like I am not productive enough. Truthfully, I tend to feel that way when I am low on sleep staring at our mess of books and toys and we do not get outside in the morning. Some very easy "rules" have helped me maintain a helathier outlook though. For starters, I try to get outside with Kavaun once before his afternoon nap and hopefully after too. I put the music station on the TV after I get a small dose of Sports Center or the news. I soak up and appreciate Kavaun's independent time (some days he is more independent than others like today), but a day without games, giggling and tickling is a day wasted.
Staying home has helped me appreciate my independent time. Beata is a supportive and wonderful mom and wife. She has fallen into the role of doing most of the baths and putting Kavaun to bed while we split dinner duty. I have slacked on dinner duty lately. Beata also encourages me to do the things I am passionate about - namely photography and travel. I have a 4-day trup to DC scheduled this week and I spent three days enjoying a photography workshop in Holland, Michigan. It was incredible. And yes, I needed it to re-charge. I spent three nights in Ionia staying up past 3 a.m. each night visiting with Uncle Dan and catching up wth family. I absolutely loved it. My mom got some valuable KK time too and I got to visit with her as well.
---
I have slowed down on picture taking, but still have many more photos than the average person. I REALLY NEED TO ORGANIZE all of these pictures and stay up to speed on that aspect of my photography. I am okay, but if I am not careful it becomes an orgnizational nightmare.
---
Kavaun's gibberish is absolutely adorable and even though I know the window is closing on it since he will be talking in sentences soon, I am excited to hear him speak in sentences. We have a lot of fun discovering his new words and teaching him new words. Yes, I did teach him to say "Hot Mama" to Beata but he also knows "KK" (cah -cah), "Over there! (o'er dhare), "No more" (no mo), Night Night (naht-naht) and Num Num for food and his pacifier. These are the most common phrases along with Fill (elephant in Farsi), Goal (flower), and Mo for Elmo. "Oh no" is today's favorite phrase and almost all cars became "Big Car" after he saw a truck and aptly called it a big car. Noe semis, buses and even little cars are big cars. He very proudly says "bub bye num num" when he puts his pacifier in the crib upon waking. Or he will say "night night" to "woof woof" his dog (sound more like "wuhv wuh")
My favorite is "ba ba" and the adorable tone Kavaun uses when he says it. If I am downstairs and I shut a door or start up the stairs, Kavaun will say, "ba ba" and I can hear his smile. I love it everytime.
As I sit here in our hurricane swept iving room Kavaun is alternating between reading his books and climbing into the box that he tipped over in order to have easy access to a few dozen books. We often marvel at how one little person can create so much joy and havoc smultaneously. We often refer to him as Hurricane Kavaun as he sweeps through the house. So lucky are we to get swept up in his daily hurricane flooding with his curiosity, energy and exctement to "do".
---
Yes, my boy dances. Thank God because now Beata has someone to dance with to get her fix. In fact, Kavaun loves dancing and like most 22-month old boys he goes into these jump up and down convulsions and he screams, giggles and winds up like a toy before taking off sprinting, hoppin and skippng through the house full tilt. I enjoy this energy and on most days I really do appreciate it.
---
Kavaun's animal toys and stuffed animals talk to each other and ride on his toy cars together. Sometimes they fly through the air, get lectured sternly and get hugs from our little boy. Kavaun has his way of doing things and his sensitive yet strong personality shines through most of his actions. He is pensive but also aventurous. He has a look that is serious to go with his fun and happy demeanor. Our boy has opinions and most the time he is going to make sure you know what those opinions are. He is like my mother in that sense, maybe me too. Beata's sister and aunt have a similar quality. The genetic kleidoscope that is Kavaun has it's own unique beauty.
---
I love giving Kavaun horsey rides through the house and having him kiss me over each shoulder for "fuel" so I can go. Beata has her own version of this game too. We love it. The best is when we will lay down on the floor together and leave just enough space between us for Kavaun to squeeze in. He slides in between us smiling and turns to each of us with a HUGE smile as we begin to tell him a story. We cuddle. We laugh. We admire Kavaun and one another. Three minutes (usually only lasts a couple minutes though) doing this completely fills my heart. These are things that can get forgotten if we are not careful to record and remember.
---
I often joke with Beata that Kavaun only gets "boo boos" or injurie when she is around to kiss them. This is pretty true and I love watching her bring a smile to his face by kissing his "pretend" boo boos. They both love it. The window on this may last a while, but I will draw the line when Kavaun get involved in organized sports.
---
Last night while I was up working on graduate work well into the morning Kavaun woke up screaming around 3 a.m. I think he knew I needed to hold him and I enjoyed every second of it. He was so clingy and rested his head on my shoulder to sleep for about 10 minutes before I returned him to his crib. Just 6 hours earlier I had watched Beata holding him after his bath. She was enjoying the moment, I could tell.
These are the moments when strung together make me realize how lucky we are to have Kavaun in our lives and ho much joy it brings me to ensure he also feels lucky to have us. Honestly, I fall in love with him over and over again everyday - even the days when we stay in our pjs until 4 p.m.
Thank you God,
N
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