A$$ over Tea kettle

I have a story to share, but unfortunately I wasn't there to witness it firsthand. Mommy was watching Casey, and she was down in the laundry room, pre-scrubbing poopy-clothes before they were to go in the washer. Casey is up in the living room, one floor up. She hears Casey crying.. Not the normal, soft cry.. but rather a HELP MEEEEE cry... So, Mommy goes up the stairs, and looks for Casey... and cant find him.. But then hears the crying again.. Following the noise, she directs her attention toward the corner of the room.. No Casey, but rather 2 legs/feet and a little butt STICKING IN THE AIR. The legs are thrashing about, trying to attach to something and gain traction. The rest of him is buried upside-down in his toy bin. But wait, it gets better. Upon further inspection, he is basically standing on his head within the toy bin, but his HEAD is stuffed in a round tupperware bowl... Mommy promptly rescues him, WITHOUT taking and pix or videos. I'm not sure I would have been about to resist the temptation to capture that moment for his highlight reel.

The scene of the crime.
The plastic tupperware bowl, only this time, he is right side up, and posing with the bowl perched gently on his head.

Really?

This might be a little off topic, but I just figured something out today. I'm not going to lie, I figured it out by accident. Anyhow, if you click on any of the photos in this blog, it brings up a large version of the photo. So, if any of you feel the urge to look at a photo (may I suggest "Guacamole and bean dip") in hi-res, large format, now you can!

Beta Tester

Talk about a bargain. Hire a model, and get a beta tester too. During his recent photoshoot modeling diapers, Casey evidently decided, "If my likeness is going to be associated with this product, it better be worthy." So, with that, he lives out his Daddy's dream. He drops a load right then and there! Strain, concentration, blood rushing.. You go boy, drop a deuce!


Poopy face professionally captured.


Note the residual redness around the eyebrows, and nose. Clear evidence of the explosion that took place a short time before.


Reportedly, the diaper held up just fine. Perhaps the manufacturer should add a quality control tag entitled, "Tested by Casey".

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving 2009, we decided to head to San Diego, to visit Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye. After a LATE start, we arrived in SD around 1am on Tuesday. Unfortunately, a sick Nai-Nai greeted us at the front door. She must have had something good, because by Friday, both big K.C. and little Casey were sick. Yup, little Casey spent his 1st Thanksgiving on earth puking his guts out. We had a great Thanksgiving meal, little Casey ate turkey for the first time. He was being his regular, jovial self, playing with us and our guests... Then, all of a sudden, he opened his mouth, and unleashed a TORRENT! Picture a mouth about the size of a quarter... with a garden hose just inside it.. Now, fill the garden hose with bright orange liquid, and pressurize to approx. 10,000 PSI. Open the spigot, and stand back.. I can not accurately describe either the volume or the violence of the barf... I know I have pondered a similar dilemma before... If you feed a newborn 4 ounces of liquid, how is it possible that moments later, 5X that amount comes out. Until this moment, my experience has been the 5X amount coming out the rear hatch... Now I know, it can come back out the front too! I can use this episode to augment Casey's vocabulary: Puking, barfing, yakking, tossing cookies, preying to the porcelain god, ralphing, throwing up...

Here is Casey during happier times on Thanksgiving.

Big K.C. and Little Casey together!

Casey seated at the Thanksgiving table, checking out all the food


Casey giving Chee a headbutt

Modeling Career

Recently, Casey got his first modeling job. He was asked to model diapers for a diaper company. Check out their website here: www.cuteybaby.com. I was approached by a professional photographer who was hired to shoot for CuteyBaby. Acting as Casey's agent, I presented Casey's requests:

Private dressing area
46" High Def flat screen TV
DVD player with Baby Einstein videos
2 boxes of Cherrios. (regular, NOT Honey Nut)
3 chew toys. 1 chilled, 1 frozen, 1 room temperature
Assortment of age appropriate toys
1 stuffed dog
1 15 minute nap period per every hour of work

Alas, exactly NONE of Casey's requests were honored. I think he babbled something about firing his dad/agent. Here are a few shots from the photoshoot.



A special thanks to Randy for the photos. Check out his website. www.randyschwartzphoto.com. His title is 'lifestyle photographer'.. whatever that means.. He assures me that people 'in the industry' know what that means. Regardless of what I think about his title, he takes some pretty damn good photos. All of you with children know how difficult it is to shoot photos of young ones.. Well, at this photoshoot, Randy was crawling all over the floor, rubbing himself in doghair, spit-up and whatever else was on that floor. He was making funny noises and gestures; all the while managing to capture the precious moments. So, if any of you want some SPECIAL shots taken, contact him.. Tell him Phil sent you... and also tell him to give you the special 'Phil price'.... and he'll tell you... 'wtf is that price???...' but he'll hook you up anyway...

Casey's World

Here are little glimpses into Casey's world, as it exists now-a-days.

I think there is a saying, 'Like father, like son'... or was it, 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree'


Casey did this all by himself. Mom was in the process of packing, and Casey saw the suitcase open, so he ventured over to it, hopped in, and was entertained by a Costco sized package of diapers. Amazing what captures a kids attention. Babies-R-Us probably wont like this, but the 2 things that have entertained Casey THE MOST, far more than any overpriced toy... ceiling fan and baby wipe package.


Someone, somewhere thought it was a good idea to let Casey and his friend play with Jello, pudding and spaghetti. Reportedly, Mom was able to salvage the onesie!


Casey was appropriately dressed as a monkey for his 1st Halloween.

In the car on the way to his first Halloween party.

At the Green's Halloween party. Poor monkey is trying to raid the candy filled pumpkin, I tried to explain to him that this little monkey couldnt have candy.... Yet...

Colors

The past 9 months have been quite an experience. Its truly amazing how much both parents and baby experience in such a short amount of time. There are tons of little experiences that are priceless; I could literally write for days on end describing them. Alas, I have a day job, so I pick and choose what to share with ya'll.
Here, I return to a familiar theme of this blog... Poop. What amazes me is the variety of poop. Textures, amounts, thickenesses, colors, smells; there are no two identical poops. I've seen bright orange... not like dull rusty orange, I'm talking BRIGHT. I've seen green, red, black and many shades of brown. How is this possible? Is there some correlation between what goes in vs. what comes out? Or is there something more to it? The other day, we (Mom and Dad) had guacamole, chips, beans, rice and enchiladas. Let's be clear about something.. Casey DID NOT eat any of the above. 2 hours later, I was changing Casey's diaper.. See below...

This got me thinking, I probably should have been giving each of Casey's efforts individual names all along. Maybe I'll start now.. This masterpiece is titled 'Guacamole and bean dip', served on a size 4 Kirtland diaper.

Pumpkin Patch

In honor of Halloween, I've decided to create a post of Casey at the local pumpkin patch. He was most fascinated with... the hay on the ground. We held him so he could 'walk' on the hay. Well, he was slipping and sliding all over the place, so he got curious and tried to inspect the hay and figure out why he wasn't gaining proper traction. Nonetheless, we tried to introduce him to pumpkins...

Here he is, trying to figure out what this big round orange thing is...


Posing in his 'I love daddy shirt'


Compare the size of this pumpkin to Casey.

Conversation

Mommy was away enjoying a Mom's Night Out. So, Casey and Daddy had guys night in. I want to share the exchange between father and son. To give some background, it was getting late, about 8:30pm. I was going to give Casey a bottle of milk and put him to bed. So, I heat up the milk, and bring the bottle over to the couch. Casey is on the ground, and he sees Daddy with the bottle... and he fixates on the bottle. I set the bottle down, and pick up Casey and lay him in my lap. I reach behind his head, and get the bottle. He must be hungry, because he attacks this bottle. He finishes about 1/2 the bottle, and I take it from his mouth. (And set it on the table, behind his head) All I wanted to do was quickly burp him. Casey starts crying, and while I pat him on the back, I say, "Its ok baby, burp for Daddy". And he looks at me and wails... He doesnt have the vocabulary to say the words, but the expression and the sounds said it loud and clear.. " Gimme the d^%^$ bottle... F&&^% burping, I want the d*&^ bottle. Stubborn me, I keep trying to burp him. His next expression/cry said, "OK a*^hole, forget you, I'll get the d*&^% bottle myself"; and with this, he turns his head, locates the bottle, and starts twisting and crawling to reach for the bottle. Being such a reasonable guy, I give in, and get the bottle for him, put it in his mouth and let him finish.. He slurped the rest down FAST. Now, the contents are all gone, so I take the bottle from him again. He starts crying, so I tell him, "All done baby, good job". He basically says, "F&$& that, I'm not done, I'm still hungry".

"Thats it, there is no more, see the bottle is empty"
"Well then, make me some more"
I see this is an argument I can't win, so I do the logical thing... I take him upstairs, distract him, and get him settled down and ready for bed.
I can't imagine what our conversations will be like in a few years when he develops the vocabulary to replace the censored words above!

Race

Red alert! Little Casey is fully mobile! I had a moment last week when I realized it was time to child proof. I was on Casey-watch. We were downstairs, in the living room. Casey was on the floor and I was on the couch... and I had to pee! Ever since Casey was born, there has been one constant. If you leave him somewhere, and later come back.... he'll be in the same place as you left him. Umm, not anymore. Knowing this, I put him in the far corner of the room, and took off to the bathroom. For those of you who dont know the layout of Casa Wang, the living room, dining room and kitchen take up the bottom floor of the Casa. There are stairs leading both down to the garage, and up to the bedrooms. Directly in front of the stairs headed down, there is a bathroom.

So, I set Casey in a far corner, and take off for the bathroom. I am standing up, doing my business, and I hear Mommy call out, "Here comes Casey!". Testing my flexibility and control, I attempt to continue aiming the stream while leaning left, and poking my head around the corner to find Casey. (Right about this time, I stop hearing water splashing, and begin hearing porcelain...) Anyhow, Casey is CRAWLING over towards me... and the stairs. The race is on! I re-focus on the task, re-aim to water, and increase the pressure to increase flow volume. Finally, finish, shake twice and zip.. And Casey is literally 1 foot from the top of the stairs! I scoop him up, and reset him to the far corner again...

A few days later, we got the safety gates installed!

Olympics

Casey just celebrated his 8 month birthday yesterday. He is developing his own personality more each day. From what I have seen, he's a pretty active, daring kid. He loves it when daddy throws him straight up in the air.. err, I mean , gently moves him in a vertical direction, in a controlled manner. (See, no need to to alert CPS). He also loves to do plyometric jumping exercises. But, for all I know, this might well be normal behavior for a boy of his age. But Casey takes it a step further. He loves doing back-flips. Who knows, maybe its something he got from his daddy. After all, daddy made an ill-fated attempt to learn back flips... when he was 35 yrs old... Yup, landed flat on my face. Thats when I was told, "gymnastics is something you learn when you are 5 yrs old, not 35!"

Casey just might be competing for a spot on the 2028 Olympic team.. Wait, what am I saying.. He's part Chinese. He can represent Team China in the 2016 Rio Olympics.. He'll be 7 yrs old.. Perfect age for the Chinese gymnastics governing body to claim he is 'of legal age' and produce a birth certificate to back the claim.

In these photos, all we do is support his armpits, and give him something to rotate around. He does the rest; note the perfect landing!

Thinkin' it through

Today, curious Casey figured out how to use the couch to pull himself up to a standing position. He has been studying this task for a few days now; conditioning his fingers to gather the strength to pull himself up... calculating the friction coefficients of the couch upholstry, determining the best angle to pull up from. Today, the calculations were done, and the testing began. He had success! But he didnt really think the whole thing through. Once he was upright, how was he supposed to get back down?.. I mean, standing up is cool and all, but he cant sustain that position forever. Luckily, Daddy witnessed this whole sequence, and rescued him, before he fell from a standing position. Oh crap, as I type, he is attempting this 'standup' manuver via the stereo speaker.. Gotta go..

Prunes?

I just got done feeding Casey. I have to say, he's (we're) getting much better. Or at least more efficient. Far more of the food actually goes into his mouth now, and we are much more focused. Instead of take a bite, look around, suck a thumb, play with the food; its now.. take a bite, stare at daddy with a look that says, 'hurry up with the next spoonful, I'm hungry'

While I was feeding him, I got to thinking... Who recommended that we feed toddlers prunes? Why not just add ex-lax as an ingredient in baby formula... It would kind of achieve the same result.

I've been listening to the news lately, and 2 recent topics of discussion have been the 'cash for clunkers' program and the $8000 credit for home buyers... Anytime I come across topics like this, the first thing I do, is find out who is most vocal in support of the proposals... For example, car dealers loved cash for clunkers.. and real estate agent are all for the home buyer credit.... Why?? Simple.. They stand to gain the most.

So, following this logic, I'm betting it isnt some pediatric association that first recommended prunes.. It had to be Pampers, Huggies, Kirkland etc... Makers of diapers!! Think about it, who stand to gain the most from babies constantly pooping...


Here's a photo of a happy Casey being fed. No, it aint prunes.

Teething

My poor little Casey is now teething. As a result, he soothes himself by sucking on things... Lots of things, anything... Seriously, we have bought him 'chew toys'.. I know his nickname is 'Pup Jr.', but chew toys? Whats next, a flea collar?


Casey sucking his thumb. This occurs often, especially in between mouthfuls of food. The pattern usually goes, spoonful of 'solids', thumb... spoonful of 'solids', thumb. Repeat.
Forget the thumb, Casey got ahold of Mommy's chin.
Casey gettin practice for a "Coyote Ugly" girl. You know, 'Do I wake her up, or do I chew an arm off and bail....'
Casey sucking on Daddy's finger. I hope that finger is clean...

Like Father, Like Son

Well, from day one, there was no doubt that Casey was mine. When I first saw his head pop out, it was like I was looking in a mirror. Almost 40 yrs apart, lots of things have changed... Bouncers have improved, rug styles have changed, diaper technology has improved. But check out the photos, one cerca 1969-70, the other 2009!


PSW as a baby cerca 1970. Kinda reminds me of a restraint system that might be found in a mental institution. Hmm, maybe there are some things I dont know about my childhood... Note the color of the carpet.. I wonder if that color was chosen on purpose, if I spit up, or threw up, it likely would have matched the carpet color.

Casey as a baby in Sept, 2009. Much more colorful. I wonder how much money was spent on marketing, focus groups and psychiatrists over the last 40 yrs to come to the conclusion that blue with green accents is a great improvement over the mental institution bland of 1969. And about the carpets, light tan here, not gonna camouflage spit up, throw up or poop stains at all!

Haircut

6.5 months, its about time for a haircut. Especially for our little long-hair Casey. Lucky kid, his Auntie Ana is a professional... But, I figured 'how hard could this be?' I'm just gonna take a rice bowl, turn it upside down on top of his head, and cut around it. Simple huh? Well, the first thing I didnt count on was constant movement. We sat him in a bumbo seat, and broke out the scissors. I quickly learned if we give him something to put in his mouth, his attention would be diverted, giving us a chance to cut. Oh yeah, but first, 'we' put his hair up, in a.. I dont know. Just up.. See the photos.. I cant really explain it. Anyway, about 30 seconds into this endeavor, I was wishing we had the services of Ana the professional. I could just picture poking an eye out with the scissors. That would be bad. Alas, no such disaster.. Just a haircut, maybe a little TOO short, but, hey, it'll grow.
Before


What are those things in your hand?


I'm speechless..

Hey, I can see, there's no hair in my eyes!!

Cousins

Last weekend, Uncle Ed brought Chantal and Elena to SD to meet little Casey. Weekend highlights included a family Wii tournament, beach day with the girls and a sunset family stroll. A great weekend with family.


Tally

Goo
Three cousins


Impromptu family portrait on the stairs

Casey leanin' like a cholo

Grubbing

Greetings to all. Welcome to the my latest blog post. This one will cover my recent experience of feeding Casey. He just turned 6 months old, and according to the research, that means its about time to start feeding him 'solids'. Let me start by clearing up a misnomer. There is nothing solid about 'Solids'. It isnt solid when it goes in, it sure as hell isnt solid when it comes out. Why they call it solids is beyond me. Anyhow, my first experience feeding Casey 'solids' went something like this...

The 'solid' was a small jar of sweet potatoes. Supposedly, they make different sizes of jars, which correspond to the age of the child. As the kid gets older, you buy bigger jars. Why cant adult portions be like that? The older you get, the bigger steak you get served... That could work. Ok, back on track. These sweet potatoes are BRIGHT orange. Its my understanding that part of the reason to introduce 'solids' at this age is to aid the growth of the digestive system. Well, if that part of the goal, I say this first experience failed. About a day after I shoveled this stuff into his face/mouth, Casey blasted out the exact same stuff... Same color, same consistency... but get this... about twice the volume came out! Exactly how does this happen? He ate a couple of ounces, max... and about a pound and a half came out the other end... Amazing.

Anyways, back to the feeding. We sit him in the high chair, put a bib on him, and get a rag ready. I get a small spoon full, and aim for his mouth. Let me just say this was an inefficient process. First off, I'm trying to hit a moving target; he kept moving his mouth. So, sometimes I hit cheek, other times I missed completely. The next challenge is keeping what I do get in his mouth from from oozing out. Let me put it this way, out of that small jar, a portion I completely missed with. This stuff ended up on his face, on the bib, on the high chair tray. Of the portion that got in his mouth, some of it oozed back out, and seeped down his chin. Whatever was left over he presumably actually swallowed.

That wasn't the only inefficiency either. This sloppy process took much longer than I expected. I would try to aim a portion in his mouth. Then he would dodge my efforts for a while. Then he would opt for his thumb, and suck on that for awhile. Then, he would cry. I actually began timing it so when his mouth opened to cry, I'd get the spoon in there! Is that bad???

Open letter to my son:

Dear Casey,

Right now, you and your mom are at your Grandma's house. And Daddy is home all alone. (No, I didnt do anything to piss your mommy off) I cant believe you would think that. Actually, most people who know me probably thought the same thing... Anyhow, you are there because some work is getting done to our house, and they are using some chemicals. We dont want you to breathe anything bad, so we thought it was best if you stayed away for a few days. I know that cow manure smell out there in Chino isnt exactly pleasant, but at least it isnt potentially harmful to you.

While you are gone, I have realized something... In your short 5+ month life, you have succeeded in doing something that no one or nothing as been able to ever do... Replace beach volleyball. You see, I was at the beach virtually all day today; and the only reason I stayed as long as I did is because you weren't at home waiting for me. Once upon a time, a long day at the beach would have been a personal paradise for me. But today, I realized that without you around, there is a hole in my day/ life. Dont get me wrong, I still enjoy a nice beach day, but something feels a little empty. Mommy has been calling me, trying to get you to talk to me on the phone. You are too young to understand the whole concept, but when you guys are on the phone line, I can close my eyes and picture you. I can picture your face, your expressions.

Realize that even though you're not here with me, I think about you constantly. I think about the last time I saw you and how you smiled and laughed when I was playing with you. I goto bed thinking about you, and you are the first thought in my mind when I wake up. I will continue to think of you, and look at photos of you even as they bring tears of joy to my eyes.

Enjoy your time with your extended family out there, and I'll see you when you get home. Daddy misses you!

Holiday Weekend

The July 4th weekend started out eventful. On July 3rd, PJ celebrated his 5 month birthday by rolling from stomach to back. He caught on pretty fast, and figured out that if he rolled continously in one direction, he could be mobile, and find lots of interesting stuff to get into.

On the 4th, PJ stayed away from the madness that is the beach scene. Instead, he went to Wilson Park, where he enjoyed festivities including live bands, food court and lots and lots of people. In the evening, Pj went to bed.. and we nervously waited for the fireworks to start. The City of Torrance puts on a HUGE fireworks show each 4th at Wilson Park, which is right down the street. At 9PM sharp, the fireworks start, and we watched PJ on the baby monitor... He slept thru the whole thing! Back in May, there was a 4.7 earthquake who's epicenter was a few miles away.. Pj slept thru that whole episode too. I'm kinda wondering exactly what can disturb this kid when he sleeps.

Pix at the City of Torrance 4th of July celebration.

5 Month Birthday and a Milestone

July 3rd marked Casey's 5 month birthday. He decided to start it out with a solution to a drooly dilemma that he has had since early June. He started the morning by rolling from his belly to his back.

Back in June he learned to roll from his back to his belly. (see previous post http://wangxuexian.blogspot.com/2009/06/pitch-yaw-and-roll.html ) Once he got on his belly he would play and hold his head up high. Unfortunately, when his head got heavy it would drop down suddenly....basically, he would face plant into his play mat. He would start sucking on his hands or the mat itself and the crying would begin. By the time we would get to him there would be a nice puddle of drool....mind you a puddle of drool only takes seconds to create.

Along with this new milestone he also learned that when he was on his belly and his head got heavy he could actually turn it to the side and rest his head on the mat...no more faceplants...even when he got tired.

Below is a video of Casey's wonderful rolling skills. Way to go Casey!!!



Of course now he is mobile and it hasn't taken him long at all to figure out that if he keeps rolling to the same side he can get anywhere in the living room....unless he gets stuck....

Time to baby proof!!!

Solids?

Between 4 and 6 months is the standard time most infants start eating solids. Usually this means Rice cereal then gradually introducing pureed vegetables and fruits. Well, Tia Natal had other ideas.

On our last two visits to Avo and Avao's house Tia Natal decided to introduce Casey to some of the sweeter things in life...chocolate and ice cream. Now, I didn't see Casey try his first, small, piece of chocolate but I knew something was up when I came into the room and both Tia Natal and Avao were giggling up a storm. According to my sister and mom Casey repeatedly and rapidly pushed his tongue in and out of his mouth...a sign that he really liked the chocolate!

On another visit Tia Natal fed Casey some chocolate syrup and ice cream. This time I caught it all on video. Tia Natal tried to wipe away the evidence but the chocolate stains on his onesie are lasting proof of her corruption attempts.

At one point I tried to get Casey's attention but he only had eyes for the spoon holding his second serving.

Looks like Casey's a chocolate lover like mommy!

Free Reign

Casey is about 4.5 months old.. That means, I've been a father for... 4.5 months. and I got some thoughts about this experience. Wanna hear em?

All I gotta say is that being a newborn is a pretty good deal.. Kid, you dont know how good you have it. Enjoy it now, because at some point, it all gets taken away...

Check it out Casey: Right now, we all encourage you to burp. You get cheered and congratulated when you burp; the louder, the better. I cant burp in public, I get an earful about "thats inappropriate." Anytime you get stomach pains, we encourage you to fart. We even do 'fart-exercises' with your legs. Exactly when was the last time someone encouraged me to fart?

And Casey, the things you do to us..
Casey- You spit up on us. Think about it, when is the last time someone threw up on any of you? A bar in college? Some random drunk idiot at a club? And what was your response? Dirty look, choice words, or bar fight? Yet, Casey regurgatates his meal on me, and I calmly take a burp rag and wipe it up.
Casey- You slobber on us. Again, when is the last time you had someone slobber on any of you? Some drunken-fest makeout session back in college? At very least, thats probably the last time you kissed that person.
Casey- You pee and poop on us. I ask... When is the last time.... ah, nevermind. If your answer is something other than 'NEVER' I dont wanna know. Thats some kinky sexual deviance there.

Casey- You do all this to me, and I dont even get mad at you. And then you smile, and I melt. I'm glad you are too young to understand this right now, but you got all the leverage... you got free reign to do whatever you please, all you gotta do is smile, and I'm putty in your hands.

To sum this up, life at 4.5 months rocks. You get get to slobber, throw up, pee and poop on people, and they dont get mad. You are encouraged to burp and fart. You get free reign to do all this! Dude, what more is there to life? Forget "I wanna be a toys-r-us kid". Its more like, "I wanna be a 4.5 month old kid"!

Common Theme

Here are some photos from the past weekend. See if you can figure out a common theme.. I'll give you a hint; the theme I'm thinking ISNT slobber. But, Casey does have some talent in that area. Check out the photo where he is controlling a column of slobber that reaching his belly. I know, 'cause I was directly underneath him!

So, did you get the theme? Father's Day! Happy Father's Day Ye-Ye. I hope you enjoyed your son and grandson visiting for the weekend!