Saturday, December 10, 2011

Bike Ridin'

Casey is getting good on his bike. He has started to figure out the whole pedaling thing. There are times he stays at a complete stop; he just says, "Stuck"... and Daddy "un-sticks" him, by giving him a little boost to provide him with some momentum. He especially likes riding over speed bumps, and has figured out that in order not to get "stuck", he needs some initial approach speed.

Family bike outing

Friday, December 9, 2011

Bed manners

Dear Casey,

I can't say I blame you for leaving your room at 2AM. Clearly, you had enough of Sydney's crying and said, "F$^^& this, I'm going to Mom and Dad's room to sleep".
I absolutely LOVE the fact I got to open my eyes and the first thing I saw was your face, your big brown eyes and your smile. I love the fact that I got to snuggle you, and give you a head massage so you would fall asleep.
However, I would be neglecting my fatherly duties if I didnt take this opportunity to give you some advice. Trust me, this stuff will come in handy in the future, when you share beds with other people besides your mom and dad. (Read: girls)
People don't like to get kicked in the ribs while in bed. Lay straight, with your head toward the top of the bed, and your feet towards the bottom.. diagonal across the whole bed is not an option. Save some room for your co-inhabitants. I can't figure out how little ol you had control of such a large area of the bed, and big ol me was confined to a little sliver of bed, right next to the edge. We'll work on this... I assume (err HOPE) we'll have time and opportunity to practice a lot before you go off and start bed-hopping with "others"

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Parrot

Parrots are famous for being able to mimic human speech. Toddlers aren't far behind. Casey has reached that age where he will repeat stuff he hears. No, he's not dropping f-bombs and cursing like a sailor. Amazingly, the four letter words do not flow out of my mouth when Casey and Sydney are around! But recently, Casey has repeatedly blurted out two phrases over and over again...

1.) "You're driving me bananas!!" -- That one is all Mommy.

And the past couple days, when I come downstairs in the morning, Casey points back upstairs and says,

2.) "Go back to bed!" -- He must have gotten this one from us, when we greet him during his 6am wakeup call visits.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Nai Nai's Special Books

Casey and Sydney have the greatest Nai Nai in the world. You see, she makes special books just for her grand kids. They focus on favorite topics, like trucks and animals. Recently, Casey got to experience the world famous San Diego Zoo, (Big Zoo) and the Wild Animal Park. Subsequently, Casey got a surprise in the mail.. His very own picture book, based on his visits to the zoo and animal park!

Casey opening his surprise.. Check out Sydney's expression!


Casey reading his special animal book!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Morning Wake up call

Last weekend, we converted Casey's crib to a toddler bed. Before that day, I didn't know what that entailed. It's exactly like taking the bars off a jail cell. He is now free to come and go as he pleases. Well, today, at 6 AM, what pleased him was to come into my room and say, (and not quietly) "Daddy, wake up!". He followed with, "You want go downstairs". Notice the lack of a question mark. That's cause it was phrased as a command, not a question. I came back with, "No, Daddy wants to sleep, NOT go downstairs."

Casey reiterated, "Daddy want go downstairs, watch TV"... Hoping to salvage something out of the exchange, I said, "OK. Go downstairs and watch Sportscenter."

He didn't fall for it. He said, "No, My turn. Go downstairs, watch Sesame Street."

Long story short, we both went downstairs, we both watched Sesame Street.

Casey checking out his new bed.


JAILBREAK!!!


Sydney... Wondering, "Why can't I bust out like that?"

Friday, November 11, 2011

Boogers!

I know what you are thinking.. Why am I writing about boogers now? After all, Casey has had boogers essentially since he was born. I've previously written about the clear, runny stuff which leaks into his mouth; about the stringie green ones which can hang and dangle; about the solid green ones which he can pick and flick...

Well, now he can blow his nose! We can get a tissue, hold it to his nose, and tell him to blow. Tonight, after his shower, he had some stringie green ones protruding from his nostrils. I got a tissue, held it to his nose, and told him to blow. Some came out, but as I wiped, the stringies just expanded and stretched. So, I grabbed another tissue, and had him blow again.. One wipe later, his nose was all clear!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Roadtrip

Recently, we hit another milestone. Family roadtrip! And it doesn't seem like all that long ago I was the one in the back of the car, whining, "Are we there yet? I'm bored. Drive faster" All of a sudden, I'm the adult? Whoa, how exactly did that happen? I dunno. But nonetheless, we packed the minivan, loaded the kids, and set off for No. Cal. The plan was to drive from Los Angeles to Carmel. Normally, its a 5-6 hour drive, but... Apparently, with kids, it takes longer. We had a stop in Santa Barbara, ate some pizza and stretched out our legs. There is a park smack in the middle of Isla Vista, complete with a children's jungle gym. Surprise, surprise. I lived in that town for, well, a long time.. and I never knew there was a kids park. 2.5 hours later, we were back in the van, continuing up north. We finally arrived at our destination, about 10 hours after we departed. The kids did great on the road, with minimal fussing. I was pleasantly surprised. We checked into our hotel. Real nice place, one of the few we could find that had suites, which we needed to house all of us. It was pretty late, and we needed food ASAP. There was one of those 'upscale' markets across the street. There I got food to go, including $9 a pound mac & cheese! Call it what you want, organic, artesian, etc... its still pasta and cheese.. people, please... That said, Casey did ate that stuff like it was crack...

Each morning started with a trip downstairs to the breakfast room. It was sort of like a B&B, with provided breakfast. And each morning, I would prepare a bagel with cream cheese to bring back to the room for Casey. For other meals, we found it much better to bring food back to the room, as opposed to eating out. Kids fared much better that way. And if the kids are doing good, we are all doing good.

A couple of the highlights were the Dennis the Menace children's park. The kids had a blast there. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was a hit. We also rented a giant bicycle that sat 6 adults and 3 children, and pedaled along the waterfront.

Da boys on the giant roller slide at the Dennis the Menace Park, Monterey, CA



Daddy and Casey at the touch pool at the Monterey Bay Aquarium


Daddy and Sydney

New Bike

A big moment in every boys life is when he gets his first bike! Recently, Casey experienced this, and we were there to capture the excitement. Now, if we can just teach him how to ride it…

Thursday, October 27, 2011

This Morning...

We could hear da boys talking to each other in the baby monitor. Sydney has figured out how to pull himself to an upright position in his bed. He faces Casey's bed, and they have conversations. Cute, but wait until you hear what else we heard. Suddenly, the chatter stopped, and we hear their bedroom door open, and as the door is closing, we hear Casey say, "goodnight Sydney". About a second later, from just outside OUR room, we hear Casey say. "Hi guys!"... And he came into our room! We're anxiously awaiting tomorrow morning, to see if this becomes a habit.

Monday, September 26, 2011

The things that entertain...

When I was a kid, I guess I used to go around and say, "I'm bored. What is there to do?" Apparently, one day, my older brother Ed got sick of hearing me. He asked if I wanted to play a fun game called 52-card pickup. Not knowing what it was, and just plainly stoked that my older bro would want to PLAY WITH ME, I agreed. He proceeded to take a deck of playing cards (yup, all 52 of them) and throw them across the room. As he was walking out of the room, over his shoulder, he said, " There you go, pick up the cards"

In this video, you will see that Nai-Nai's game isn't quite as mean-spirited, but when it comes down to it, it's very similar. And Casey really enjoyed playing!

Games with Nai Nai from p wang on Vimeo.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Location, Location, Location

I realize this saying was meant for real estate, but it definitely applies here. Casey's favorite pooping spot was obviously carefully chosen. It clearly affords privacy, while allowing clear line of sight to the TV, where he won't miss a moment; its right in front of a speaker, so he can still hear the TV; its in close proximity to his book, after all, we all need reading material while doing our business!
Yeah, it's near where we park his dump trucks... Insert your own pun here...

Got book and dog, time to take care of business!

Busted! Action shot!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Ice Cream

Casey sure loves his treats. We have been indulging his habit for quite some time now, feeding him chocolate, ice cream, cakes, etc. Recently, we took the next step. We gave him his own ice cream cone. Of course, we took precautions. Stripped him down to his diaper, and locked (just kidding) him outside. He was with one of his best friends, Allison. And they tore into their treats. I took some before/ after pix of the party. The aftermath was far beyond baby wipes. I picked him up and dumped him straight in the shower, where the shower floor was chocolate-brown after a few minutes...


Friday, September 2, 2011

Potty Training

We recently hit a HUGE milestone. Poo-poo in the potty. Of course, I had to capture the moment.


Celebration pose!

Interval training

Since he was old enough to sit in a stroller, I have been taking Casey along with me when I go jogging. In the beginning, I would just talk to him while I ran (whenever I had enough wind in me to run and talk at the same time). Lately, we've been able to hold conversations as I run. Undoubtedly, the conversations center around the various types of vehicle we see. Big trucks, ambulances, city busses, school busses, fire trucks; he calls them all out.
Recently, we added a twist to the program. It was the first time Casey and I went running together. As in, no stroller. We would alternate between running and walking. (And sometimes, he would sit or lie down on the ground). Then I would say, "Casey run" and he run again. He did great, we reached our destination, where of course, he had energy to spare.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Sorry to interrupt

Every morning, as I leave the house I make it a point to seek out Casey and Sydney for a goodbye kiss. On the occasions I forget, Casey comes running and crying, 'Hug, kiss!' This morning, I come down the stairs and look for Casey. I don't see him, so I call out for him. "Casey, where are you?"

A meek voice came from in between some furniture, "Pooping". I track the voice, and see Casey squatting between the couch and the massage chair. He realizes I am leaving for work, so he cuts his business short, and emerges to give me a hug and a kiss. That accomplished, he promptly returned to his 'spot' and continued doing what he was doing...

Monday, August 8, 2011

Suckers!

Da boys at 2 yrs, 5 months and just plain ol 5 months, respectively!

SD trip in photos

I'm a little behind. I am finally getting around to posting some photos from our visit to SD back in July.

Nai Nai and Casey synchronized going to the "Big Park"

Casey and Nai Nai in his favorite fire truck



Eat smoothie in Ye-Ye's chair


Casey with Nai Nai and Ye Ye

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Look What I Found

A recent conversation between mommy and Casey.

C: Mommy truck in there
Me: There's a truck in there?
C: Yeah!
Me: Where?
C: Up there
Me: What color is it?
C: Black
Me: (laughing) I guess mommy didn't do a good job of hiding it.
Me: I gave him the big black truck with all the little cars in it that he got for his birthday

C: Mommy, there's cars in it!!!
C:  Mommy, want that truck in it!
C: Open it!

The truck he found was a big rig truck that carries little Hotwheels size cars. He got the truck for his birthday but due to living space limitations we thought we would put it away for a while and give it to him later.  He had other ideas when he found it in the storage room off the garage.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Like father, like son

One thing I enjoy is reading an old fashioned newspaper in the morning. I'm not against reading news online, but old school is what I prefer on lazy weekend mornings. Apparently, my oldest son shares my interest.

Piston The Van

Today we went on an adventure. Loaded up the minivan and drove east to visit multiple friends. We met some for lunch, and Casey and Sydney did real well. Over the course of the lunch, Casey managed soak his pants. Not sure how, either spilling water on himself, or overflowing his diaper. In either case, Mommy took him to the back of the minivan and stripped his wet diaper off... And Casey took the opportunity to relieve himself... in the back of the minivan! Mommy saw the flow, and yelled 'Stop'... I guess Casey is getting close to potty training, because he had the control to pinch off the spigot mid-stream. Buck naked, Mommy stood him in the restaurant parking lot... where Casey had the control to turn the spigot back on... full blast. Yup, he peed right there in the parking lot. I'm not talking a few drops, no, he soaked the asphalt.

Here is naked Casey being lifted back into the vehicle, note the wet asphalt... This photo really doesnt do the volume justice, as Mommy's skirt is blocking most of the stained asphalt.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Piston the Toilet

There was recently some confusion at the house. As a family, we were discussing the days events. One highlight was Casey going pee-pee in the potty. Meanwhile, Casey was watching "Cars". For those who don't know the movie, it has animated race cars competing to win the "Piston Cup". So, while we were saying, "Casey, did you pee-pee in the potty?"; his attention was focused on the movie, and he said, "Piston Cup".

"No baby, you pissed in the toilet"

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Road Trip

Look out, the Wang boys are road-trippin'. Casey and Daddy are taking a long weekend trip down the coast to San Diego. Sydney is being left behind, and subjected to horrible CIA interrogation techniques/torture... More on that on HIS personal blog.

Friday night, Casey and Daddy took off and Casey asked for "Thomas Choo-choo movie in mini-van car". Accordingly, I put a Thomas the Train movie into the rear entertainment system in the minivan. Turns out, he hardly watched the movie; we were too busy conversing. The main topic of conversation was vehicles... you know, busses, trucks, etc. We (and by we, I mean Casey) were naming virtually every type of vehicle "we" saw. Fire truck, fuel truck, mail truck, big truck, Jeep, police car. Then we discussed what each vehicle says... "What does the fire truck say?" "Whoo-whoo". "What does the police car say?" "Whoo-whoo". "What does the train say?" "Choo-choo". "What does the big truck say?".... long pause... "Beep-beep!" At some point, (well into San Diego county), he realized Thomas choo-choo movie was over. So he asked for Bob the Builder. We got to SD past 10 PM, he was so excited to see Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye. They got him sufficiently riled up, then said, "OK, bedtime"... Casey and I shared my old childhood bedroom, and we both fell asleep rather quickly.

Speaking of quickly, 6:30AM Saturday came awfully quickly too. That's when Casey woke me up, repeatedly saying, "Nai-Nai". After about the 50th time repeating that at increasingly high volumes, Nai-Nai came out to play. We took Casey to the 'big park', which he remembered from his previous visit. He ran and climbed and ran some more. After a quick stop home, and a shower, we went to Soup-Plantation for lunch. Here, Casey loaded up on Mac & Cheese... Until he saw me eating a muffin. He looked and pointed and said, "Cupcake!" So, I got him one. Which he gnawed on... until Nai-Nai brought him an ice cream cone. At that point, Casey dropped that 'cupcake' like a bad habit, and attacked the ice cream cone.

After lunch was nap time. After a three hour nap, we went on an 'adventure' to Fry's. In the evening, I asked Casey if he wanted to go for a walk. He said, "Yeah, Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye come too." So we had a family outing to the local mall, and walked around. More like Casey ran around, and Nai-Nai chased him.

Back home, we did the normal bed time routine, and Casey went down without much fight. What does tomorrow have in store for us?

Fast Food Nation

Last week, Casey achieved another milestone of sorts. While some of his cousins were visiting, we had a family dinner consisting solely of In & Out Burger. It was a pretty simple menu... Burgers and Fries. Obviously, everyone had their own burgers, each done with individual condiments. Casey was no exception. We set a burger in front of him, cut in into four smaller pieces. After that, we didn't pay much attention, but at some point, we looked at his plate... and there wasn't much burger left. So, naturally, we bribed him with some fries. "Eat some burger, and we'll give you a few fries" It must have worked, because Casey ate a whole burger, by himself!

I don't imagine this feat set some kind of record. After all, this is America, and I see families with young children who appear to ONLY eat fast food.. constantly... But, for a 2 yr, 5 month old kid with low to average body fat, I find this feat rather impressive.

Now lets see how old he is when he chows his first Double-double.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Happy Father's Day

We had a nice Father's Day celebration all weekend, with a family day at the beach. WAY down the beach, Casey spotted a dump truck. At his request, Daddy and Casey hiked all the way down the beach to get a close look at the dump truck. Turns out, it was his lucky day. A tractor pulled up and was emptying its load into the dump truck. And the supervisor was in a 'Blue Truck'. Casey kept repeating three phrases.. "Dump truck, tractor, and blue truck".. When I asked him if he was ready to walk back, he replied, "Not yet". So we sat in the sand and watched the trucks some more. In the background of the photos, if you look CLOSELY, you can see the yellow dump truck off in the distance.

Casey and Daddy also got their feet wet in the ocean.


Considering its been unseasonably cold lately, we decided to sit and watch the ocean instead...

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Escape from Alcatraz

We all knew this day would come. Casey has figured out how to climb out of his crib. I was able to catch it on film. He notices me with the video camera, and pauses to say, "Daddy picture". At one point, he announces his intention by saying, "out". When he is safely on the ground, he tells the camera, "Did it".. We still have child locks on his bedroom door, so he can't get far. Breaking out of his cell, but not the entire facility. So, I guess this isn't a full blown escape.

Escape from Alcatraz from p wang on Vimeo.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Prelude to potty training?

Casey has recently taken in interest in peeing. More specifically, he has taken an interest in watching daddy pee. He comes over, all curious, get his head right close to the splashing water, and says, 'Daddy pee'. I assume this is the first step in preparing to potty train. So, I indulge him, and talk him through process. Coincidentally, Mommy apparently didn't flush very well, and left a little floater... So, I was teaching Casey to focus on the object, and aim at it, and let it flow. If the target moves, you 'chase' it with your stream. Clearly, I don't know the first thing about potty training, but my thought is that, if I make it fun, make a game out of it, he might be more apt to learn. I'll keep you posted on potty training, PSW style.

Growin up and learning

Casey and I went for a long walk. His newest thing is running. He loves to run. He will also say, "Daddy run". That's when I have to run with him. So, more accurately, I should say, we went for a long walk/run. We were pretty far from home, maybe approximately one mile out, when I noticed Casey had a huge, green booger in/hanging from one nostril. I decided it could wait until we got home. Well, on the walk/run home, Casey had other ideas. Suddenly, he ran over to me, and thrust his index finger in my face... On it, there was a giant, green booger! Why is this noteworthy you ask? Well, to me, it represented a 'milestone'. This is the first time he has been able to handle his business by himself. To me, this momentous occasion represented improved eye/hand coordination, body awareness and dexterity.
So, what was I to do when he presented his booger to me? I taught him how to flick it! It took us/him a couple of flicks, but we succeed in flinging it... Oh little man, Daddy has so much to teach you, and its gonna be a blast!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Real time updates today

We're going to try something new today. Actually, we're gonna try a lot of new things today. First off, Daddy is going to TRY to take care of both Casey and Sydney... by myself. If/when I have time, I'll pop in here and give a brief update on how things are going. Brief being the key word. I think it's gonna get a little crazy around here. Did I mention Sydney is SICK, and having trouble breathing?

Since this day covers both Xue Xian and Bing Xian, I'm going to do a dual post to both their blogs..

My day started at 7AM, when Mom handed Sydney to me. Of course, he was crying... hard... more like wailing. At least Mom gave me a hint, and said he is ready for nap. OK. Time for test #1. Put Sydney to sleep. Oh, I got this. I held him, gave him a head massage; and he fell asleep! I put him in his crib, and... then actually stayed asleep.

Quick trip downstairs for some breakfast. Casey wants 'Daddy- juice' (OJ).. halfway thru breakfast, Casey wants to play pinball. So, we play a couple of games of Fishtales.

8:12AM... Casey is watching Sesame Street, Sydney is still sleeping. Daddy is doing OK so far...

8:24AM... Sign its gonna be a rough day.. I couldn't even relax and enjoy my morning dump... Sydney is starting to fuss in the other room...

9:33AM.. 2 diapers changed, one infant fed.. time to hit the beach.

1:10PM Home, eating lunch. Actually, Sydney is done eating, Casey is alternating between playing with a bottle top, and eating his sandwich.

We got to the beach, and we werent there more than 5 minutes, when a lady comes over, holding her 2 yr. old daughter, and introduces her to Casey. Dude, you are a stud! I dont think ANY mother has ever introduced their daughter to me! Both mother and daughter were real nice, they offered to share their beach toys. Sydney was very calm during his initial visit to the beach. He stayed in his car carrier, and just chilled.

Casey was his normal, friend-making self. Lots of people played with him, and gave him lots of attention. Then, Casey comes up to me and says, "poop". No problem, I brought a diaper bag... 'cept when I look in the bag, there's no baby wipes. Nice, diaper bag, with no baby wipes... Helpful... But Daddy is resourceful.. I hit up Casey's new friends, the mother and daugher, and 'borrowed' some of their wipes. Good thing I did too, cause when I opened Casey's diaper... I found the mother of all dumps. The stuff was oozing out the sides, it was sneaking up the back, toward his spine, the sheer volume of the stuff was a sight to behold. I got it all cleaned up, return the (unused) wipes with a heartfelt thanks... and our beach day continued.

Sydney's day wasn't too shabby either. It seems like he is somewhat of a babe magnet too. Steph and Joanne held him, and chatted with him. Oh, and I should mention they were wearing bikini's.. Why is this important, you ask? Cause by this time, Sydney was getting hungry. As Steph said, I'm gonna hold your head high, up by the shoulders, so you don't get tempted to try to latch on... Ohhh, so close to the pot of gold, but yet so far...

That's ok, it was about time to get home, and get everyone lunch...

2:56PM.. Casey is showered and taking a nap. Sydney has a clean diaper and is taking a nap. Sydney and Daddy fell asleep on the couch. He was successfully transferred to his crib.

5:31PM.. Casey is STILL sleeping. Sydney didn't sleep for long at all. But I fed him another bottle, and now, he's asleep again...

8:40PM. and now its Sydney's turn to hibernate. He's been asleep since the last update. In the meantime, Casey woke up, we went to the park. Sydney just slept in his car carrier, and big brother pushed him around the complex in the stroller.
Mommy got home, and Casey's down for the night.

Looks like we survived the day, no casualties!!!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Git-choo

Today, I came home from work, and saw Casey lounging on the couch. Suddenly, he gets up off the couch, and starts walking around the living room and dining room saying 'git-choo'... I realized he wanted to play chase. When I chase him around the room, I say, 'get-you'... 'Daddy's gonna get-you'. We do a few laps around the dining room table, Casey had a HUGE grin on his face, he kept saying 'git-choo'... Suddenly, he stops and says, "Casey fart"!!!! Game over.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

What would you do?

Here's the scene. I took Casey to the park. We walked, and I didn't bring anything with me, 'cept him. I don't pack two suitcases full of stuff everytime I leave the house with him. So, he's playing at the park, having a great time. I look at his nose, and there is snot coming out of one nostril. Not clear, runny-nose snot, but rather green snot. And not a hard, solid green booger, where you can pinch between two fingers and pull out and flick.. No, this was green, stringy, liquidly and would expand and contract depending on his breathing. Everytime he would inhale, he would suck it up a little, and everytime he would breathe out, it would droop and hang. Now, remember, I didn't bring wipees, or tissues with me. I got nothing but my hands and my clothes, (and his clothes). So, what would you do? Cut playtime short, and take him home? Ignore it and let him keep playing? Or wipe it with your hand, and then try to clean your hand in the grass? Use your clothes? HIS clothes?

OK, now what if I told you the green, stringy, liquidly snot was drooping further and further down his lip until it touched his mouth? This is where I drew the line. It didnt seem to bother him while it was dangling, but I couldn't have it get to his mouth. That would just be irresponsible. So, I dove in there with my hand and wiped it off... only, it kept coming out. Sort of like that magic trick where you pull the hankerchef, only to have it connected to another, and another, and another... I about soaked one hand, so I switched to the other hand.. and his booger/snot had some elasticity. It was stretchin' and drippin' and kept coming. Finally, with both my hands virtually saturated, I got it contained back up within his nostrils... Playtime at the park continues!!!

So, tell me, what would you have done?

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Daddy Naked

A few observations about kids. First, they can develop a vocabulary seemingly overnight. Parents often are comparing their kids' progress against other kids... "Little Mikey has been walking for months, why isn't my kid"... Well, within his small group of friends, Casey was on the slow end of the talkers.. But, suddenly, he is making up for lost time. At first, he would say one word here and there. Within the last few weeks, he has taken the next step, and began stringing words together.

In the summertime, when its hot outside, we would leave Casey in his just his diaper right after a diaper change. We would call him, 'diaper boy'... and when we get him out of the bath, we call him, 'naked baby'...

It appears he has stored all this information, and now with his increased vocabulary, he has decided to utilize all his skills. After diaper changes, sometimes he will now say, 'diaper boy'.. So, we leave him to run around in his diaper for awhile. He as also taken to saying, 'Casey naked'... IE: he doesn't want any clothes on... Well, the other night, as I was getting ready to change him and read him bedtime stories, he says, 'Casey naked'... Then, he follows with 'Daddy naked'.... Huh? 'Daddy naked!!!' If any of you have tried to reason with a two year old, you KNOW what happened next.. I'll spare you the visual.

The next day, as Daddy was sitting on the couch watching basketball, Casey comes over and says, 'Daddy naked'. I got a choice, miss 1/2 the game trying to reason with a two year old, or comply and watch the game in peace... There was a blanket and a pillow on the couch to keep me warm, so you can figure what option I chose. Only Casey grabs the pillow and says, 'mine'... At least he 'let me' share the blanket with him...

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Snow Day

Pix from Casey's time in the snow...





Daddy Time

Recently, I took a week off work to spend time at home, and to celebrate the arrival of Casey's 'baby brother'. As it turns out, i didnt spend too much time at home. Casey and daddy had an action packed, adventurous week. Each day, we sought out a different activity. One day was a beach day. Casey played in the sand, climbed up and down a coaches bench, and played with lots and lots of volleyballs. We also attended his 'Parenting the toddler' class. Usually, mommy takes him to this class once a week, but this week, daddy got to see what it was all about. Daddy didnt know all the songs, but we did the best we could. We also got to play at the park during recess and got rained on during our walk home.

Another day, we went to an indoor playground. This place had a giant ball pit and a huge climbing structure; a great rainy day retreat. Alas, on this day, it was indeed raining, so lots of people had the same idea... The place was crowded! Casey loved the ball pit; this is news because the last time he saw one (about 2 months ago), he didnt want anything to do with the ball pit. He (we) also spend a lot of time in the climbing structure. I was pretty worn out from playing in the structure. Evidently, so was Casey, cause after two solid hours of playing, we ate some lunch, took a shower, and he slept 15 straight hours!

As the week continued, we went to the Santa Ana zoo. We arrived a little before they opened, so we had some time to kill. Luckily, Casey noticed a 'tunnel' just down the street... Knowing how much he loves tunnels, I asked him if he wanted to go in the tunnel.. He enthusiastically replied "yes!"... and we proceeded to drive thru the tunnel multiple times. When the zoo finally opened, we toured the place; Casey's favorite was the monkeys...

We finished off the week with an epic snow day. After we dropped mommy and Sydney off at grandmas house, Casey and I headed for the mountains... where a snowstorm greeted us. We pulled over, and enjoyed our white, winter wonderland. Casey didnt want too much to do with the sled, he preferred throwing snowballs at daddy, and tilting his head skyward, trying to catch snow in his mouth... On a couple of occasions, Casey did say, "Casey wheeee".... Which meant he wanted to try the sled. We did a couple of mini runs together; I think he has mixed feelings, he likes it, but at the same time, he's a little afraid of it...

All in all, we had an eventful week together, creating lots of memories and having lots of daddy/son time!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Nai-Nai, Ye-Ye visit

Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye came to visit! And boy did Casey like it. In anticipation of the visit, he kept saying 'Nai-Nai'... When he woke up in the morning, the FIRST words out of his mouth was 'Nai-Nai'. It was great visit. Casey had us all playing ball in the living room. Ye-Ye got his old bones down on the floor and helped Casey construct his racetrack, and even played cars with him! We had a great family meal at Sizzler, and Nai-Nai spoiled Casey with Ice Cream! And to top it off, we got a rare photograph of both Casey and his baby brother.

Nai-Nai with her two grandsons!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Happy Birthday Casey

Casey officially turned 2 years old today. And talk about a birthday surprise...

SURPRISE

In light of that surprise, (and considering the fact that we have had birthday celebrations for the last 2 weeks) tonight was a low key recognition of his actual 2nd birthday. We had a Sesame Street cupcake, and put two whole candles on it.

I digress. Anytime we serve him food, we test it with our fingers/ lips to see if its hot.. If it is hot, we blow on it. At the beginning, Casey didnt understand this concept; when he was hungry, he wanted to eat... right then. We had to explain to him, 'its hot', and he would see us blowing on the food... It got to the point where he would look at food, and say, 'hot' and start blowing on it...

Back to the story... with this in mind... picture what happens when I bring out the cupcake with two lit candles on it... I say, 'blow' So, he does what he sees us do all the time, and what he does all the time... puts his face right up to the hot 'food' and blows...

Monday, January 31, 2011

Casey's 2nd Bday (Celebration)

Last weekend, we celebrated Casey's 2nd bday. Yes, it was a little premature, but with his little brother's due date two days after his actual bday, we thought we'd celebrate early. It was an action packed weekend, and Casey came through like a champ. We started Sat. at the park, and the monthly train rides. These days, Casey loves trains (in his language: choo-choo's), and trucks (tuck).. all kinds of trucks... tow trucks, fire trucks, bulldozers, etc.. ( I cant do all of them in his language, sorry)


Action shot on the slide


Mommy and Casey

This was his 2nd time on the steam train. We had quite a wait in a line.. and he did fine. Guess he didn't inherit the impatient gene from his daddy.


Waiting in line


Waving to Mommy from the train

Sat. afternoon, was his PARTY! His uncle Ed and fam flew in for the festivities. Cousin Elena and Casey were best playmates! Great party, lots of trucks and cars for gifts.. Casey blew out his candles, and drove his cars on the ice cream cake, creating some impressive skid marks on the frosting!




Blowing out the candles

Sunday was a day trip to SD, to visit Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye. We took the opportunity to shoot some photos, and was able to get Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye will all their grandkids to date... His cousins Elena and Chantal tried to teach him to stuff grapes in his mouth and smush them.. Something about payback.. I have no idea what that's all about (wink,wink)

Cousins



Nai Nai and Ye Ye with their grandkids

Monday, January 24, 2011

Big Boy Haircut

We decided to take a risk, and see how Casey would do while getting a haircut at a professional outlet. (Not one geared for kids) You know, a big boy haircut. I dont know how smart this is, considering this was his reaction at his last haircut.. and this was at a place specifically geared towards kids.



That was then, this is now. The night before, I asked him, "Casey, do you want to get a haircut?" His response, 'yeah'..
Ok, that is encouraging.

So, the big day comes, and we schedule an appointment. That's important, cause it cuts down on the wait time. If Casey has the patience level of his dad, a 30 minute wait would have spelled disaster/ meltdown. We got seated, and they had me sit in the chair, and Casey sit on my lap. One problem, Casey didn't want to wear the apron. Ok, so we both are gonna be covered with hair. Small sacrifice. Then the hairdresser came up with a brilliant idea. Do you want a lollipop? I said, "yeah, 2.. one for daddy"... Apparently, we had an audience, cause my comment drew laughs from the entire waiting room. I'm thinking, your all laughing now, but you're gonna be cursing us in a few minutes if he melts down and screams and cries...

Now, daddy and Casey are sucking on lollipops, and the cutting begins... Casey sits perfectly still, and quiet... Ok, this is going better than imagined. Until... Casey takes his lollipop out of his mouth to rest his jaw.. It gets covered with loose hair. Thankfully, they offer him another one. Hmmm, come to think of it, they didn't offer me another one... Frickin age discrimination...

The rest of the haircut goes off without a hitch... No crying, no fussing, no squirming, just a lot of lollipop sucking.. By the end of it, we were both covered in hair.. We went straight home, dropped both our clothes in the laundry basket and marched straight to the shower!

New addition

Looks like we have a new addition.... To the list of followers of this blog. (What did you think I was referring to? ;)

Casey will often ask for "Casey agua" or "Casey beep-beep"... That means we fire up the computer, and show him the corresponding videos.

Casey beep-beep

Casey Agua

I get the joy of watching his facial expressions as he watches himself on the screen. Amazing how he can be so expressive, even though he doesn't have the vocabulary to convey his feelings and thoughts.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Routines

I have heard kids are big on routines. Well, Casey and I have a standard one I'd like to share. It's kinda random, and don't really know how it started. But he digs it, and that's whats important. Every night, as we head upstairs to get ready for bed, Casey climbs 2 or 3 stairs... and sits down. I sit 1 or 2 stairs below him, and start saying, 'beep, beep, beep' while I rotate my torso backwards, closing in on him. He lets me 'smush' him, until he uses his arms and legs to push me away... at which point I take an exaggerated fling forward and do it again... After a few iterations, I ask him if he wants to race... and we both get on all fours, and crawl up the remainder of the stairs...

I don't know how long this tradition is going to last, but I enjoy it almost as much as he does, and will look back on these days fondly when he 'outgrows' it...

Untitled from p wang on Vimeo.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Special Delivery

Tonight, I just learned something new. We 'subscribe' to a diaper delivery service. As in, at specific intervals, a batch of diapers shows up at the front door. Brilliant... Cept... How do they know how many diapers to deliver when? Did we fill out some form? Is there a baseline formula to predict how many poops a specific baby will take during a specific interval of time? Or did we keep count and record each one, and order based off that? Are there different levels of service, a la netflix? If my baby suddenly becomes more regular, can we up the frequency? Alternatively, if he gets stopped up, can we reduce the number of diapers that get delivered, so we dont have a massive back-up? (of diapers.. i mean) By default, if we are in this specific situation, there already is a massive back-up.. Ah, nevermind.