An Update on my SIX month old!

It's been 6 months already?! seriously, where did all the time go. 

I feel like I just had a newborn, like yesterday...

but now, weighing in at 14lbs 11oz, Kaiyu is doing all sorts of non-newborn-like stuff.

Let's take a look, shall we?

He spends a good part of his day on the floor.

exploring,

reaching,

scooting,

and crawling.

here's a little out-take.

I like when he tips over. it's my favorite.

He can also sit by himself for a good while, with no support.

He has started to eat solids.

his first taste of real, human food...

Okinawan sweet potato.

Hence, the purple mess.

 Kai Kai also loves applesauce (he can eat a whole container in one sitting) and rice porridge.

He loves playing with his big brother. 

copying his screams, kicking with excitement, and laughing...lots and lots of laughing....

I just love watching these two.

He has brought such joy and love into our home, and has melted our hearts completely.

We love you little Kai Kai.

Happy 6 month birthday.

xoxo

Happy feet.

Our baby Kai Kai turned 4 months last week.

Kai has grown so much in the last month.

Not only has he mastered the art of rolling over...

but he is has started to wiggle and scooch little by little.

He reacts to facial expressions.

He loves peekaboo. especially when big bro Noa does it.

He has become quite the screech{scream}er.

Otherwise, he is the happiest, smiliest little peanut.

After discovering his hands, he has now found his feet.

It's just so adorable to watch him grab his feet and roll around.

We all love him sooo so very much. 

Not for the faint of heart.

Yesterday was probably one of the happiest AND saddest day of my little Noa's life.

Happy: he turned another year older and is now 2!!

Happy: we had an amazing birthday party with close family and friends.

Happy: he got lots and lots of gifts from everybody!

Happy: he got to eat all the sweets his little heart desired (a rare occasion)

Happy: he got to video chad (via google+) with his jiji and baba, his cousin, and some of his aunts and uncles scattered all over the world...

....so why the sadness....?

Sad: he went from baby to boy. he is growing up waay too fast.

Sad: he probably won't remember the party that I put so much time and effort into....lol (it was well worth it!)

SAD: we said goodbye to his beautiful, soft, shiny, luscious....

baby curls.

apologies to those of you who voted "no" to cutting his hair.....
just fyi, we have been debating this issue for over a year, so it was in no ways an easy decision....I fought it all the way down to the last second.

because I knew that it would never grow back like this....

Chad gave me an ultimatum. It's either we cut it now, or we wait til his 3rd birthday to cut it. I knew that this (the length it is here) was the absolute longest that I wanted him to have...and couldn't imagine letting it get any longer and harder to manage. I made one of the hardest decisions of my mommy-life to part with his lovely locks. 

It might not look like it in these photos, but I was crying...my heart was breaking every second.

and then

finally.

No turning back now...

So I cut. 

 and I cut.

 and I CUT.

until.....

...there was no baby anymore...

just a little boy, ready to take on the world....

Noa's long curly hair had become such a big part of him...and his character...I am still trying to get used to this look (don't get me wrong, I like it. it is still cute. just a different kind of cute.)

Loves...

No matter  how long or short your hair is, Mommy will still love you just the same. And you will always be my Noa.

A "little late" Birthday Tribute.

I finally got a minute to do a little mini photo shoot with Kai for his 3-month.

I wanted to share a few of the photos, along with some of his latest developments:

At 3 months, baby Kai Kai:

*can lift and hold his head up really well.

*can do mini-push-ups while on his tummy.

*smiles and even giggles sometimes.

*is able to sit up with assistance.

*can bear a little weight on his legs.

*loves being held. hates being left alone.

*has found his thumb.

*can blow bubbles.

*is so ticklish!

Now on to the good stuff. enjoy his sweet little face.

Love LoVe LOVE this little angel!

for more photos from his photo shoot, go to my photog or click here.

An "Almost" Birthday Tribute.

My big boy Noa is turning 2 this week!!! Whoa, I know.

Since I have a crazy weekend coming up, I thought I would write a little pre-birthday birthday post before things get too hectic and I forget to recognize such a huge milestone in my baby's life. {Don't worry, there will be a birthday party post later :D...probably much much later}

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SO much has happened in the past year in this little guy's life. He has accomplished A LOT. 

So much growing, so much learning, and SO much loving.

{From 1 to 2...}

From baby to toddler.

From barely speed-walking, to RUNNING full speed. (and skipping, of course.)

From being able to say just a few words, to speaking in full sentences, and learning new words and phrases every second. {in two languages, might I add...} Having real CONVERSATIONS with us.

From eating soft, mushy baby food, to eating pretty much everything that we eat and put on his plate.

From having short fuzzy baby hair, to long shiny curly locks. (which we still are debating whether or not to chop off)

From having a few teeth on top, a few on bottom, to having full grown baby teeth (minus the very back molars)

A few more accomplishments of this amazing little boy:

He talks to Mommy in Japanese, while talking to Daddy and his family in English.

He puts 2-5 words together to make sentences. Asks for things, tells you things...has a conversation with himself.

He loves songs, especially gesture songs - twinkle twinkle, popcorn popping, wheels on the bus, head/shoulders, and a few Japanese songs - とんとんとんとん、パン屋さん，糸まきまき、げんこつ山のタヌキ....etc.

He can remember names and call people by them.

He has mastered the iPhone/iPod touch, our cell phones, laptops and TV.

He is so loving and caring toward Kai...and his "baby," a little tiger stuffed animal.

He can "Tahitian" dance...with his knees....haha

He jumps, dances, does "gymnastics"........he's a ball of energy....energy I don't have...

He is so fun, so active....and he has really developed a personality to match.

{wheels on the bus, and if you're happy and you know it...}

I fall more and more in love with this little boy. I can't believe how fast he has grown.

NOA ~

My little one... Watching you grow and learn has brought me the greatest joy.

and I am so so proud of you.  Your smile and your laugh, your kisses and hugs....I can't help but smile and be happy. YOU brighten up the gloomiest of days!

Keep being you. Grow up strong.

Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

xoxoXOxoxox

Our Ocean...

Wow, it's been a while since my last post....

but that's only because I've been enjoying my time with Noa, Chad, Chad's family...

and this chunky monkey

 

We finally decided on a kanji for Kaiyu's name.

海裕

 

meaning abundant ocean.We thought it was very fitting for him.

I can't believe he is 2 months already!

well, 2 months and 11 days, to be exact.

We had his 2-month wellness checkup today.

and Kaiyu is...

12 pounds 5 ounces

23.5 inches

yup he's a chunk...gained a full 2 pounds since his last appointment.

Kai is so much fun...

He coos and gives us lots of social smiles and laughs.
His back and legs are so strong, it seems like he wants to stand up or crawl already.
Noa loves him to death. I often find him just laying next to Kai on the bed, holding his hand or stroking his head.

We are so lucky to have this little guy in our family.
We love you little Kai Kai.



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Not really a side note, but I want to mention our other little guy........
Since, at the time Noa was born, we couldn't decide on fitting kanji characters for his name, we chose to give him some now....and they suit him perfectly.

希明

....meaning, bright hope.

"Amen."

Wasn't General Conference this year wonderful?!?

The last session (Sunday Afternoon) was my favorite, and the talks were exactly what I needed to hear. I am so grateful for living prophets and leaders who guide us through these tough times. I can't imagine going through life without knowing that there is a loving Heavenly Father, who wants us to succeed in life. And that through trials and tribulations we are able to grow and progress, become a better person, and become more like Christ. I know that I am FAR from perfect, but it is so comforting to know that if I do the best that I can do, the Lord will take care of the rest, and I can always rely on Him to be there for me. Always.

{If you would like to know more about our beliefs, click here, or if you would like to listen to any of the General Conference talks, go here.}

I am so thankful that I am able to raise Noa in this Gospel. I can't imagine my life without it. And I don't even want to think about raising a family in this world without it. 

One of Noa's latest accomplishments have been prayer. We started having family prayer during meals and at night before putting Noa to bed. The three of us. Just short and sweet, but I wanted to make it a habit in our growing family to always have family prayer time. 

He can fold his arms around his chest and bow his head when we tell him that it's "amen time." He comes and sits on the floor with us and sits still for most of the prayer. The best part (in my opinion) is at the very end of the prayer when we say amen, he always smiles and yells out "Amen!" which sounds more like AH-mehn. 

It was the cutest thing though, when after hearing each Conference talk, when the speaker would close with an amen, Noa would look at the tv and repeat "Amen!" 

He is just becoming the biggest talker, or should I say jabberer(?). He speaks in "sentences"  =  mixes up words I can actually understand with total non-sense, but I'm sure its making perfect sense in his little mind. I am a bit disappointed to say that his language sounds a little more English than Japanese...but he's learning...and I am not giving up.

His new words have been:

*Thank you! - "en-tyuu" - he's always been able to bow to express gratitude, but one day out of the blue he started saying thank you after someone did something for him that he liked.

*Bye-Bye - "buh-bye" - he doesn't wave much anymore, but he sure likes saying it!

*iPhone - "ai-phonn" - yup....

*Shoot! - "shyutt" - NO. not the bad kind you're thinking about. You probably thought we were horrible parents for teaching him such a word...but Chad has been watching a lot of basketball lately (March Madness I guess?) and remember the basketball hoop we got him for Christmas...well. everytime Noa sees a ball, a hoop, or anyone playing basketball, that is what he says.

*Rain - "a-me" (Japanese for rain) - he feels the rain and recognizes it right away.

*Juice - "jee-sh" - he loves his juice. All thanks to his daddy...

*Cracker - "ta-ckur" - yeah, a little hard to understand.

*Spoon - "poon" - what he calls all utensils...forks too...
*NOA! - He can finally say his name now! before, he was only able to say "No" and "Ah" but never together. He can also repeat 'my, name, is, Noa'
*One (year old) - "issai" (Japanese for 1-yr old) - when you ask him how old he is he puts his pointer finger up and says "issai!" Who knows if he understands what it means though...
*Dance - he likes to show off his moves. especially when there is music on
*Jump! - "bump" - I have no idea why it's bump, but thats what he says every time he bounces up and down.
*Hawaii - "A-wai"
*Aloha! - "Oh-ha!" - he's working on his shaka (hang loose) sign

It's so fun to watch him grow and develop each and every day.

 I LOVE my little samurai boy!! 

{photo from a heritage shoot Chad and I planned for his photography class...more pictures will be posted soon! Sorry, it was just the most recent picture I had of him...}

Birthdays and Updates

Yesterday was my birthday....

I am now past my Quarter of a CENTURY mark!

...boy do I feel old....

but the day was perfect, spent with the two people I love and care about the most!

These two....

I just love 'em!!

We went into "town" [AKA Honolulu].

We ate....

Went shopping.......

{Koi fish at the mall}

got lost in the city...

(not so fun)

Ate some more....

and had a Blast!

It was a fabulous day :D

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On another birthday note, my little boy turned 18 months on Monday!

Officially, a year and a half.

Nursery-going age.

And definitely not a baby anymore.

Noa's latest developments and new tricks:

His weight - still small - 22.5 lbs

＊He runs super fast!

＊He can say "buh-bye" instead of just waving [AND says "see ya!" - didn't ever teach him that...]

＊He can go get a diaper when you ask him to, and throws it away in the trash when you are done

＊He says "done!" when finished doing/eating something

＊He is getting pickier and more demanding, and he knows exactly what he wants

＊He can throw a ball and "shoot" a basketball

＊He can say surfboard - sounds more like "Po-bord" - and can "paddle" on Daddy's board

＊When he sees pictures of things he knows, he calls it out: example - fish, cars, surfboard, beach...

＊He "tickles" you

＊いたいのいたいの飛んでけ！ [when he gets hurt, he does this thing where he throws the ouchy away...so cute! It also lets him forget the pain :D]

＊He says "mine" but I'm not sure if he knows what it means...

 ＊He can fake cry -  usually when he doesn't get something he wants

It's so fun to see him grow and develop new skills!

He will always be a little baby to me tho!!

Love you baby!! xoxo Mommy

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＊PS a little shout out to ALL the February birthdays out there＊

especially to.....

My sister - Yoko, my dad, and my mom!!!!

Love you and miss you tons!