The Brothers Blankenship

Challenging

2012-02-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

At 1.5 and 3 years old the most truthful yet diplomatic description of the Brothers Blankenship is challenging. Sibling rivalry is in full swing and they spend much of their time at odds. Bjorn is a builder and Kai is a wrecker. B wants his own space, Kai wants to be in B's business. Bjorn likes to read, Kai likes to tear pages. Areas of agreement include climbing on the furniture, ignoring reasonable requests, making a mess and generally creating mayhem. The upside to all this bad behavior and chaos is that the boys are sleeping better at night which gives us more energy to deal with the shenanigans. In parenting, we are learning, there are always tradeoffs, advances in one area are generally neutralized by declines in other areas.

On the up side, Kai continues to add to his vocabulary. His most frequently used word is "Kai" which he uses almost exclusively in the possessive form to indicate that things he wants actually belong to him. Interestingly there is a positive relationship between his enunciation and the degree to which he wants something. For example, enunciation may be poor when requesting something as mundane as his sipper but will be quite high when claiming his mac and cheese. When prompted he will occasionally mix in some new animal sounds from his expanding repertoire. New sounds include the coyote, owl, snake and pig.

Kai's activities, or Kai-tivity as we like to call it, are the active sort. He likes to jump around, hammer, climb the furniture, take books off shelves, throw, be chased, play tickle, dig sand, etc. That said, he is beginning to show an increased interest in reading to our great pleasure. If we select short books with fun sounds (like animal or heavy equipment noises) he will sit for a few minutes; if the book has all of the above plus touchy-feely parts he may sit an additional minute or two. We enjoy these moments, these short breaks in the Kai-tivity, immensely and hope that we get more of them in the future.

Bjorn had his 3 year check up recently weighing in at 34 lbs. and measuring 3ft-3in. He is full of interesting and challenging questions. Primarily he asks "why" but every so often he mixes in a doosey like "where does happiness come from?" or "where does the sun sleep?" We try to keep up the illusion of being all-knowing but questions like these put us to the test.

Plant, animal or vegetable - they are all worthy of Bjorn's affection. In addition to animal personas he will sometimes take on the persona, or maybe I should say the "plantsona," of a manzanita bush. We had a challenging incident one afternoon when B befriended a whole head of broccoli. I put it on the counter for him to cut and when Kai indicated that "Kai" needed some too I cut him off a little floret. This precipitated a complete meltdown by Bjorn because I had hurt his broccoli friend by removing his limb. The incident resolved with me scotch taping the floret back to the broccoli head and apologizing profusely. It sounds so ridiculous but in the end I had to concede -- if broccoli was a friend, and we don't hurt friends than we shouldn't hurt broccoli. At least this is how I imagine the 3 year old logic might go.

B continues to enjoy being read to but he has recently begun reading to us. It started one night when he read the 3 books in the Rainbow Fish series from start to finish. He was able to recount the plots and quote verbatim at least a portion of the text on every page. This incident was particularly heart warming because it came after a difficult evening that culminated with Kai clubbing me in the face with a tool and Bjorn emptying the contents of my purse and smearing lip stick on his face. Parenting these boys is a full contact sport so we savor the peaceful, sweet moments.

Kai takes a turn in the dragon suite.

B uses baking soda and water to clean his car.

Sitting on the yard waste drumming on the trellis.

Enjoying a sunny but crisp day on the Deschutes.

B pictured with his favorite bush, manzanita, in the background.

Some videos:
1. Musical Mayhem: playing along to Bill Keale's x-mas album (turn up the volume to hear Bill)
2. Monkeys hum and monkeys drum
3. Detailing the car
4. Belly buttons
5. Packing Materials: fun for all ages (we promise Louis was not harmed during the making of this video or during the rest of his visit)
6. Self feeding

4.5 years, cumulative

2011-12-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

Our cumulative parenting experience is now approximately 4.5 years, which equates to B being a scosh over 3 years and Kai logging in at 17 months. It seems safe to say that we've learned a lot, but looking back over our time as parents the best descriptor seems to be humbling; we are humbled by the task, humbled by the responsibility and humbled also by raising such wonderful little people. Being humbled is certainly not a bad thing.

The great thing about B turning 3 is that we now only have 1 toddler in the house and the difference is clear. Not to be misunderstood, we certainly enjoyed B's toddler phase but this 3 year old phase is new and exciting. B is increasingly independent and able and mostly willing, given the proper incentives, to do things like get dressed, feed himself and communicate about his needs and thoughts. The later being extremely interesting. As we've reported before Bjorn is a fascinating conversationalist. He will often pick a topic and request that we discuss it, as in "let's chat about attics." His curiosity with attics comes from reading Samuel Whiskers and the Rolly Polly Pudding by Beatrix Potter where a search is made for a lost kitten in an attic. He also provides very interesting commentary on our world that you can only get from someone so new to it all. For example, one night B asked where the garbage goes after the garbage man picks it up. I gave what I thought was an unbiased description of a landfill and he remarked, "but that stinks up the earth and people will say ickus!" I couldn't have said it better myself.

Kai, now the lone toddler in our home, is charging ahead at full steam. He shows no interest in slimming-down and still sports a very rotund belly despite nearly constant activity. He is about to get his lower fangs which will complete his set of baby teeth minus the molars. This is great and we hope will reduce his penchant for biting, and we're not talking about a little love nip, he has drawn blood on both Eric and I before. Combined with frequent hair-pulling, pinching and hitting it is fair to say that Kai is a rough and tumble guy or as B says a "savage" (a term he learned from a Babar book). Far outweighing these anti-social behaviors are Kai's many charms, including but certainly not limited to his radiant locks, his whistling, his booty-shaking dance moves and his delicious and frequent kisses. To top it all off, he's starting to develop some language skills. His primary words are actually not words but animal sounds. His favorite is the rooster but he can also do cow and fish sounds. As for legitimate English he says "owe" and enjoys using the sympathy owe when Bjorn gets hurt. He doesn't quite have the pronunciation down but he says something close to "hello" and "yeah" and in true toddler fashion can already express the negative but instead of sounding like "no" it comes out more like "nay." Regardless, he makes his meaning quite clear.

Kiddy-Cross, Fall 2011

Dino holds his own through the dust and crowds

Lil' bear cub all tuckered out after the race

B's new skis

Christmas Tree Hunt

B proudly shows off his outside Christmas decorations

Bjorn and Kai hard at work

Bjorn's 3'd birthday at the North Seattle Community Center Toddler Gym with brother Kai, Cousins Satori and Connor and Dad

Bjorn and his Seattle mate, Finley

Christmas time in Seattle

Various video clips

Happy Halloween

2011-11-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

This year Kai graduated from his Baby Bjorn based dragon costume on mom's chest (see below) to a little bear suit but Bjorn was perfectly happy reviving his dragon suit. We were also perfectly happy with the choice because a) it took no effort on our part and b) it was practical, i.e. it was very warm for a very cold Halloween night. Both boys really got into the festivities and of course the candy. We coached Bjorn to say "trick-or-treat roar!" which he would do in a tiny mouse voice when someone answered the door. Kai, his silent but enthusiastic partner, would just sign "more" over and over again and wait for candy to appear.

Last year....

The Pumpkin Patch & Other Fall Fun

2011-10-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Here in Bend the beautiful Indian summer we have been enjoying is coming to an end much to our dismay. Inside, things are mostly crazy and out of control. Outside, we regain a sense of competent parenting, albeit for a short time. Despite our best efforts at child proofing, the house never seems Bjorn and Kai proof. We have stripped our furnishings down to the minimum, the plugs are covered, some cupboards locked, chairs go on the table after meals, the toilet seat and bathroom door are closed, sharps are hidden up high, the shade strings are put up and yet the boys are always angling to get into something. For example, Kai is obsessed with removing the floor vents which by itself is relatively benign but here's how it usually goes down. I'm in the kitchen making breakfast and Kai removes the vent repeatedly. Each time I go over and put the vent back on. By about the fifth time, it takes maximum patience to ignore the cheerios and raisins down the hole, replace the vent, discourage Kai and then rush back to the counter where Bjorn has climbed the drawers to the counter top, is sitting eating butter by the handful and yelling for wake-up juice. All this before the first cup of coffee. Its brutal.

On a more positive note, conversations with Bjorn are truly amazing. They vacillate between the ridiculous: "Kai is Scott, you're big Scott [referring to mom] and I'm Bone;" The silly: "I like to chase dinos and chickens"; The super silly: "Dino needs to wear these chonies;"And, the sublime: "You guys did an awesome job vacuuming the carpet yesterday." No kidding, that last one was a direct quote and quite possibly the best parenting compliment we've ever received. Then there is the poetic. One night while dressing Kai for bed in a red jammy and red socks I remarked, "Kai is looking festive in red." Bjorn, without missing a beat, rejoined, "He's going to be a cardinal in bed." In addition to picking up the language, Bjorn is beginning to pick up on gender stereotypes. This morning while reading about dump trucks in "Diggers and Dumpers," Bjorn commented that he would like to drive that dump truck with dad. I inquired if mom could also drive with him. Bjorn considered for a minute and then said that I could ride in the skip while he and dad drove. His own mother, relegated to rubble heap in the back!

Kai is developing his skills by leaps and bounds. His current favorites are jumping and turning in a circle. He's so thrilled and proud of his new skills; the excitement is contagious. Like Bjorn, he continues to improve his communication. He can now sign "dog," "eat" and "more." In other positive developments, he has almost overcome his serious hair pulling problem. While the tendency around here is to feel inept in the face of parenting two toddlers, we may have actually gotten this one right: we gave B a very short cut, too short to offer a satisfying hair pull we speculate. Maybe its just coincidence, but almost immediately after the cut, the hair pulling all but ceased. 1 parents, 50 toddlers? Who's keeping score anyway? Kai made his mark at the pumpkin patch this year. On our second trip to the patch, Kai caught the eye of a photographer from the local paper. He was the headliner the next day for the "Local" section of the Bend Bulletin.

IN THE PATCH

BY THE RIVER

AT HOME

WITH BIG LOU & FAMILY

IN A BOX

IN THE YARD WASTE

IN THE STROLLER

SELECTED SUMMER FAVORITES
(We misplaced our camera for 3 months and recently recovered it along with some summer fun photos. Below are a few favorites.)

PAULINA LAKE

HUCKLEBERRY HIKE

Forest Drum Circle

Tumalo Revival

2011-10-02T20:52:00.001-07:00

Today we did our 4th annual fall hike up Tumalo Mtn. Each year there is a little more boy to carry "improving" the workout for mom and dad. Next year we may actually have to train to get these boys up the mountain.

Last year with Kai in the wrap.

last year

11 Months and....

2011-07-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

WALKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 + 2.75 = AWESOMExhausting

2011-07-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Kai has arrived at the 1 year mark in style. He sports curly, golden locks, a big smile, 8 teeth, solid walking legs, chunky yet silky thighs and generally a winning attitude. He enjoys sweeping the floors, meeting other toddlers, playing peek-a-boo, wrestling, hair-pulling and biting his brother, milk (of course) and snuggling (he gives the best hug around the neck ever). In addition he has started to communicate in sign. His first sign was "cat" which as Aunt Dharma said makes sense because "he is Leo - the great cat." He also likes to talk about "birds" and being "all done." At 22lbs-1oz and 2ft-5in tall he is a force to be reckoned with.

Bjorn is nearly three and is getting into the groove of being big brother. He has taken his parenting role to new heights, packing up to 4 babies around at a time, making sure they get their naps, keeping the house quite for their rest and so on. In addition to his daddy persona, he frequently adopts other roles such as caterpillar, train, snake and beetle just to name a few. Like any good actor he doesn't just act; he becomes the part. One day I complimented him on his parenting skills and he replied in all seriousness, "I'm not a parent. I'm a daddy." When he is not tied up with child care duties, he enjoys singing (his number 1 all time favorite song is the ABCs), biking, wrestling Kai, swinging and making a good tangle.

Some days it feels like we're barely staying afloat with these guys, but more and more it feels like we're over the hump (if that's really possible). I guess a better way to say it is that some things have gotten a bit easier. For example, we can leave the room sometimes without a guaranteed assault, Bjorn is well on his way to being potty trained and Kai sleeps for longer periods at night. We celebrate these positive achievements even as we brace for the usual as well as the upcoming challenges.

Bjorn's First Crit (There was ice cream at the finish -- a real motivator.)

Bjorn practices safe scooping

A special tangle involving a tripod and a bit of climbing rope.

Who needs toys when we have Tupperware and wooden spoons!

Commute Options Parade -- Bjorn commuted by strider, which he decorated with sparkles and things, Kai commuted by mom-pulled radio flyer wagon also with sparkles.

The Dirty 1/2 -- Bjorn held the Go Dad Go sign and cheered while Kai maned the cow bell. It's still a mystery but somehow we managed to miss Dad's finish. As a consolation we were able to cheer on Stacey and Ann Marie.

Daddy B

nursing elephant while monkey, Furgeson and blue doll rest

packing babies in the red wrap

protecting babies from scantly dressed and curious onlooker

More Good Times

Strawberry Lake -- This was our first family backpacking trip. B hiked the entire mile into the lake carrying his backpack with sleeping bag, water and baby. Taylor and Stacey made the trip complete by bringing a fishing rod, organizing a bug hunt AND, bringing a camera! These photos are courtesy of Stacey. We remembered the wipes, the bottles, the hats, the long johns, the teething biscuits, everything but the camera. (Thanks Stacey!)

1st Birthday -- mom made cupcakes from a box and grandma Gourmez made a two tiered cake. Thank goodness for grandmas!

36th Birthday

La Push, WA

A box arrives...

2011-07-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

Day 1: The lawnmower arrived in a big box on the porch. We unpacked, we constructed and we mowed. It was a family affair and tons of fun. (Thank goodness Kai had his corn cob on hand to help with the setup).

Day 2: We built an airplane out of the box and flew around the house.

Day 3: It became part of a fort. Sorry no pictures.

Day 4: Demolition.

On the road

2011-06-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

The month of May found us on the road more than home. Our travels took us to Oklahoma to visit family, Missouri for a fire conference and the Methow Valley for a wedding and more family. The boys were troopers powering through a 5 hour layover followed by a 2 hour delay on the tarmac in Denver en route to Oklahoma. In other news, Bjorn graduated from his class (see video) and has entered the "why?" phase. Kai has started to take steps and is on strike from baby food; he insists on eating what everyone else is eating and does surprisingly well at it considering he only has 4.5 teeth.

Bjorn "graduates" from the Daisy Class to the Fairies Class

Oklahoma

Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Kerry and us on the OK State campus

Grandma's Garden

Despite Kai's best efforts the girl remained stone-faced and aloof...

trying to fly a kite without much success

diggers, dumpers and a mud fest...

Methow

black bear, Kai and cousin Connor

Home

At work in the water table

Jam session

At the Boat Park with the twins

BEAN BAG

FEEDING TIME

GRADUATION

BOX FUN

PLAYING TUNES

MUD BATH

AT WORK

General Mayhem

2011-04-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

We have heard about the terrible twos, the contrariness, the tantrums, but its not the screaming, thrashing negative Nancy that gets us down. Its the emotional roller coaster that is so draining (and here we thought we got off easy having boys). Overwhelming parental pride turns to nearly uncontrollable shaking anger so quickly and all over a little person we love more than anything in the world - so proud and so crazy all at the same time. One minute Bjorn it thanking me for "this wonderful food you made, Mommy" and the next he's biting his brother for the fourth time that day. It is tough living in a two year old world where all wants are needs, all needs are immediate and logic does not apply. But, aside from the high and lows there are a lot of silly, fun and creative in between moments like the time I made him a phone out of cups and string. After he tired of talking to Santa on the phone, I found him snuggled away inside the closet "pumping my belly" with it. I'm left wondering how we went from phone to breast pump in under five minutes, meanwhile B's moved on to running the leaf blower he's made out of a length of climbing rope, the phone/breast pump and a lot of imagination. The two year old mind works in mysterious ways.

We've focused a lot on Kai's skills over the last few months because they come some quickly in the first year but Bjorn has been working on a few of his own. Notably, he is now a biker striding around the neighborhood and seeking off road opportunities wherever possible. He also continues to improve his parenting skills and has a rotating baby he calls Elgin (incidentally Elgin is also the name of the street we live on). Baby Elgin can be any one of several objects, depending on his mood, the day, the weather, what have you. He might be the orange pillow, the butterfly or the ugly doll but regardless he is cared for lovingly, rocked in the glider, put down to bed in Kai's napper, monitored on the baby monitor, nursed, packed in a baby wrap, etc. On a rare occasion Kai can be the recipient of these paternal feelings.

Kai turns 9 months today, weighing in just shy of 20 pounds! He's got a two speed crawl (high gear is reserved for when he's making a break for the bathroom to fish around in the garbage), loves to stand and shake his booty and drools constantly leading to a red, chapped chin. He likes to eat puffs and work on his pincer and has sprouted the his top middle teeth. The only thing Kai is not excelling at is sleep but nobody is good at everything.

The combination of sleep packaged in 1-2 hour increments and two year old antics contributes to a general feel of insanity at our house but we're hanging on, admittedly by a thin strand sometimes, and trying to make the most of this crazy, wonderful time with two crazy, wonderful boys.

Jess, Shane and Margaretta come for a visit

Kai sporting his hand-knit tuk from Margaretta

At work in the sandbox

At work in the toy basket

Awesome hair days

Crusin' Kai

Bjorn monitors Baby Elgin (monitor on trouser)

EASTER

Making pizza with friends

Kai and B hit the single track at Phil's Trail

B supervising the backyard sod project sans trouser but with head protection

It's official...

2011-03-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

Kai's a mover! Look out Bjorn! He has developed his own unique style which you have to see to really appreciate but it is best described as sort of a lunging inchworm move. It goes like this: get up on hands and knees, push up on toes, launch bum in air, move toes forward on point, rock back and forth, fling body forward, land on chest, repeat. It is very methodical if not very smooth. The important thing is that he is getting where he wants to go.

Kai is like a little moon orbiting around planet Bjorn. Despite the abuse he suffers from his big bro, Kai worships him. Now instead of just swiping at him as he passes by, Kai can get his inchworm going and lunge into Bjorn's situation. He'll do anything to get his hands and mouth on his brother. It is simultaneously very sweet and life threatening.

While there is a lot of rough play, we are also beginning to see some behavior that might qualify as brotherly love. Kai will catch Bjorn's eye and get so stoked that he'll let out a scream of joy followed by a belly laugh. It's contagious. Bjorn just can't resist. He laughs, which encourages Kai to scream and laugh more, which makes Bjorn laugh harder, etc, etc. It is a beautiful cycle. These are the moments you want to bottle up and save for the times you are loosing your mind over the insanity of raising two little dudes.

Packin' for grandma and grandpa's

Grandma's kitchen tools, always a favorite for chewing and art.

B discovers a really awesome climbing tree, just his size.

with great grandma

B boys

Kai discovers aunt Dharma's necklace while Cuz Connor rides along

The fam

Reading in the snuggle bear (aka the papasan)

B's musical renaissance...
One night Bjorn started playing the stapler as if it were a banjo (see the video below). Wishing that we had a real banjo for him and wanting to avoid an unfortunate situation with the stapler, I handcrafted him a banjo from an orange box and some string. As you can see from the picture, its about as cool as any real banjo but with the advantage of being quite durable. The orange box banjo became such a favorite that it was often requested at bed time and there was a terrible melt down the night it was not available because it had gotten sufficiently beat up to be sent out with the recycling. But, soon he discovered the kazoo (see video)...

Half Birthday

2011-02-18T23:44:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce that Kai has made it to his half birthday! He is a stout 18 lbs. and 2 ft. 3 in. tall. In addition to his stylish come-over do, he has sprouted 1 snaggle tooth. Although he can't quite crawl yet, Kai is mobile using his backwards inch worm or sitting forward lunge moves to propel himself around. His toys are old news, all things Bjorn are in and he desperately wants to be in everyone elses business (especially Bjorn's). Kai is no wall flower. Other recent first's for Kai include: food other than boob juice, his first and second full moon xc ski, his first baby sitters (thanks Garr & Lyn!) and his first Sudanese party (welcome home Taylor!).

Snow!

2010-11-22T13:45:00.000-08:00

It has been over two months since our last post and it is hard to know where to begin. The boys continue to grow and amaze us.

Kai continues to charm us with his positive attitude and huge smile. Combine that with his thigh rolls and bum dimples and he is simply irresistible. There is just not enough Kai to love! He enjoys spending most of his time on his belly perhaps in an effort to give his bald spot a chance to recover but more likely to show off his super-cutie-booty.

His favorite pastime is watching Bjorn. If Kai had a list of favorite things, breast milk would be first, but Bjorn would be a very close second. He reserves his biggest smiles for when Bjorn "plays" with him which typically involves some type of mistreatment like rolling on him, hitting his head, pulling his arm, etc. Mom and Dad have accepted their second tier status and we do our best to keep him from being over-loved by big bro.

Kai's manual dexterity improves daily allowing him to more precisely gnaw on whatever toy is within his reach. If toys are scarce he always has his feet, in particular his big toes make a satisfying treat, or someone else's (he will go for any toe within reach even if its not his own). His growing strength affords him new opportunities including using the high chair, the jump up and the back pack. He can even sit up on his own now. At his 4 month checkup (over a month ago) Kai was up to 15 pounds and 24 1/4in tall.

Since our last post Kai's firsts include: cross-country skiing (in the front-pack, of course), meeting Grandma Nona and Grandpa Tim, sitting up, munching on his toes, scooting backward (the reverse inchworm), and various other skills.

When Bjorn is not busy abusing his brother (snuggling him nearly to death), he entertains himself quite well. He has developed a new game that we call "tangle" which as the name implies, involves tangling. He takes one of his beading kit strings or a length of climbing rope and wraps it around his tool bench until it is sufficiently tangled. The trouble with the tangle game is that it is hard to undo. We've had numerous break downs over the tangle game because we either can't untangle or tangle to B's satisfaction because, well, it's a tangle! He has also opened a cafe in the play room - Cafe Goose. Cafe Goose typically serves coffee and tofu in the microwave. It's dee-lish, stop by for a bite! Maybe because the cafe was a success or just because he has an entrepreneurial spirit, Born has decided to be a work-at-home toddler. Several times a day he will announce that it is his "work time" at which point he closes himself in the playroom and "works" in his "area." He is serious about both the "time" and the "area" which is at his tool bench between the book shelf and the couch. He will inform us in a firm and moderately annoyed tone if we inadvertently get in his space that we are not to sit in his area. Work often ends with a diaper change but, a great deal of "work," like tangling, is typically accomplished prior to this.

We also do a lot of drawing, block play and play dough shaping. Bjorn's interests are highlighted in these activities. He typically requests that we draw, build or shape him the following: smoke detector, teepee, fan, vacuum, mixer. Its tough to build a smoke detector out of blocks but B seems satisfied with our efforts!

Meager snow fall makes for mini-snowmen

Increased snow allows for the construction of amazing snow-forts where brothers can bond while discussing future backcountry ski trips

Ready for action

Super Star!

Shredding some pow

Christmas Tree Hunt

The Fam

Planning the face cut

Mom and Kai

Hot coco with Yeti

Junior Chef

Hot buns

Bjorn's 2nd Birthday

Sugar Ray Kai

Bjorn and Kai dining at Cafe Goose

Christmas

Halloween Plus

2010-11-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

Big dragon and mini-dragon made their Halloween debuts this year. Bjorn mastered the dragon roar and had fun at the parties we attended but he didn't quite get the whole trick-or-treating thing. We had to pull him out of several houses because he just walked right in when the door was opened bypassing the treats all together. On a few occasions, Bjorn recited the customary "Trick-or-Treat", then a quick thank you while turning and running to the next house without ever receiving his treat. Maybe he knew we were just going to take his treats at the end of the night anyway. Kai slept peacefully through the evening in the front pack unaware that he was the cutest little creature in the neighborhood.

Kai is now three months old, and as if his charming smile, sweet coo and fabulous good looks weren't enough, he has been working on his other skills: sucking his fist, laughing, rolling and holding toys. He spends a lot of time preoccupied with his mouth. We expect to see teeth sprouting any day now. His list of firsts this month include: the belly laugh, accurately inserting his favorite chew toy (climbing rope) directly into his mouth (see pic) and having his very own play-date with his friends Ella and Owen (4 month old twins).

Bjorn continues to advance his language skills by leaps and bounds. In the last month 2 word phrases have turned into 5 word sentences. And, he has discovered the third person and isn't afraid to use it even though he still can't properly pronounce his own name (sounds more like "Born"). For example he sternly reprimands his brother "Don't kick Bjorn" when Kai's leg accidentally touches him or will tell other toddlers interested in Kai that he is "Bjorn's baby." We often refer to each other as "babe." This has not been lost on Bjorn, as it is not uncommon to hear him say "thanks babe" when we give him is vitamin treat, for example.

Other new adventures for Bjorn include soccer. I must admit that I was luke warm on the idea to begin with. Call me old fashioned but 22 months seemed kind of early for organized sports to me. I should have known that when Eric got B his first soccer ball as soon as he could walk we'd be in soccer practice before long. Five minutes into the first practice however and I was a convert. Bjorn had a BLAST and, in my mind at least, earned the award for most enthusiastic soccer tot!

Enjoy a few moments that we were able to capture over the past month...

Prepping for his fourth b-day, a couple years out

Prepping for some freshies

Prepping some tasty scones (in addition to the traditional shapes, at B's request we made scones in the shape of a vacuum, a snake, a train and underwear).

Bjorn was really hoping to

get to pee in this pumpkin

The Cutest Dragons

Sweet Kai

Giggling

Working on cute

Working on a few teeth

Soccer Mom

Soccer Dad

Fall Fun

2010-10-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

Our adventures in potty training continued this month with Bjorn making good progress on getting himself to the toilet, provided he's buck naked. We have always promoted lots of fresh air for young bottoms, so nakedness is a state he finds himself in often. The latest development is B's new potty positions. He caught his dad one day standing up to pee so naturally that is the way he wants to do it now. He started by standing spread eagle on the seat and peeing near but rarely in the toilet. He's now adapted that position to standing on the floor and trying to aim into the bowl; trouble is he's too short to get over the lip, even with the stool we have encouraged him to use. So, potty time now involves a lot of cleaning up but we are trying to stay positive and reward the initiative. Bjorn also likes to keep things on the positive side and has begun including Kai in his post-potty self-congratulations by forcing him to give a high 5 or knuckles. We're not sure Kai shares his brothers enthusiasm but since he can't control his own arms, he plays along.

On the language front Bjorn has finally begun to work on pronouncing his own name with a little encouragement. Its tough when your parents give you a name with a letter combination that isn't found in the English language. He began saying Kai's name when he was still in-utero. His own name comes out of his mouth more like Born than Bjorn but its a start. He'll have a lifetime of practice.

On the baby front, Kai has added the sweetest cooing to his already charming smile routine. It is absolutely precious, a real winning combination, enough to make even a grinch fawn over him. At his 2 month check up, Kai measured 23.5 and weighed 11 lbs 14 ozs. It may be several months before the boys can really play together but Bjorn is clearly excited about the idea of having his own little playmate. As Kai relaxes in his vibrating chair Bjorn will shower him with an assortment of toys to play with: stuffed animals, beads, string. Kai just sits patiently as his body and chair are covered in these offerings like a living alter. B doesn't seem to realize or care that Kai can't even pick up the toys yet. We're sure he looks forward to the day when he can high 5 his brother without having to pick up his arm for him!

Here's just a smattering of the latest moments...

a year ago at the same tree...

B looking a little nervous just before his first school performance

Kai sporting his brothers "Sun Dudes"

Bjorn at the Volvo's helm

Kai airing it out in front of the fire

The Pumpkin Patch

We went to the patch to get pumpkins and Bjorn found this really awesome blue twine (see in wagon below pumpkins).

a year ago at the patch...

The Fam

Future Crosser spinning in the garage

Alive, Alert, Awake, Enthusiastic.

2010-09-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

September 22, 2010

At about 4.5 weeks sleepy Kai woke up. It is such a pleasure to see his blue eyes and watch his intense gaze as he studies a face or some other object. He will calmly take in the scene and occasionally have a little smile fest with us. His smile starts on one side, broadens to the other and then into an open mouthed grin, precious. Kai is chunking up nicely weighing 10 lbs. 14 ozs. and measuring 22.5 incehs long at his 6 week checkup.

Aside from the evening fussy time, Kai continues to be an easy going guy complaining just a little when he is hungry or needs some help sleeping. The one notable exception to this is driving where he can go from 0 to irate in about 5 seconds when he decides he wants out of the carseat. It is really quite frightening how worked up he can get; he makes it sound as if he is having a true life threatening emergency. Even going a few blocks with him in this state is excruciating. While this behavior encourages us to find alternative transportation, we do hope he can get used to the car soon for essential travel.

Bjorn and Kai at their first cyclo-cross race. Kai was content to go light but Bjorn needed a few tools including the cow bell, the pasta tool, his brother's pacifier and a few choice sticks.

In our last post we wrote about B's potty training which continues with one interesting deveopment - he has discovered the joy of wiping. Here's how it works, B will go #1 in his potty and then grab toilet paper and wipe his clean bottom. He then takes that same wad of paper and walks around the house doing what he calls "clean" which involves polishing the furniture, his toys and just about anything else with his toilet paper (the same piece he wiped himself with). We like to encourage the cleaning aspect of this activity but we'll have to put a swift end to it if it continues when he actually has a dirty bum.

Bjorn affectionately packs red bear in the Baby Bjorn.

Baking fun!

Family of 4

2010-09-10T14:52:00.000-07:00

September 10, 2010

Despite the 9 month gestation period, it seems like parenting 2 little people has taken us by surprise. It's hard to believe we've been at it for over a month now! We thought we had prepared but as far as we can tell the only preparation is doing. That said, we are surviving and some days even thriving.

Kai has been growing like a champ, nursing with gusto and packing on the pounds. At his 2 week check-up he weighed in at 8 lbs. 4 ozs. He continues to be an easy going dude whose only demand is to nurse when he's hungry. Mom is happy to oblige. He has been hitting the birthday party circuit attending 2 parties in his first 2 weeks. He really lived it up between naps and feedings - he's the life of the party!

Bjorn's interest in his little brother has been growing. He offers his assistance several times a day by saying "help, help" and grabbing Kai around the waist in an attempt to drag him out of our arms, usually when he's feeding or sleeping. Needless to say this is a huge help. When we do find an appropriate time for B's "help," he'll hold Kai on his lap for about 5 seconds before abruply pushing him off. If his baby care skills leave something to be desired, at least we can say he has been practicing. Today we found him secretly mothering one of his stuffed bears. He snuck out to the deck with the bear, sat in his chair with the bear lying over his shoulder and was gently patting its back as if to burp the bear. It was a tender but fleeting moment, again lasting no more than 5 seconds.

While B may not be as much help as he thinks on the baby front, he is beginning to help himself on the potty front. We've had the potty around for months and have yet to be able to entice any significant level of interest, so we have opted to implement a reward program. Trouble is there aren't too many rewards you can give a toddler. The best reward would probably be food, from an incentive standpoint, but we didn't want to do that so we settled on stickers. Surprisingly, this has been a pretty good motivator. We've been seriously working on potty training for about a week now and B has been doing super, averaging 5 stars (pees) a day on the toilet - YEAH! We are now his official potty cheerleaders.

Bjorn continues to expand his vocabulary on a daily basis. Our favorite recent addition to his vocabulary is the word "rubble" which we think is a great word in its own right and very proper coming from a 20 month old. In addition to his single word communication, he has begun to put together some simple sentances all revolving around the game of chasce such as "I get," "Get you" and "Catch you."

Without further ado, here are a few photos depicting the past month's goings-on. Enjoy!

An auspicious moment where Kai was caught awake

Catching zzz's in the sling

Bjorn sporting his new tuke hand crafted by cousin Satori

Mom & Kai

The usual

Bjorn, Kai & cousin Sha-boopty (aka Connor),
or simply Boop, as Bjorn refers to him

Bjorn & Connor riding/sleeping in style

Ko & her boys

The Brothers Blankenship

Snuggling with dad

Bjorn & dad lunching at Cabot Lake

Already an adventurous hiker
Mt. Jefferson Wilderness

"No, the trail is this way.
Trust me, I have nearly 20 months of hiking experience"

"Why are we stopping? Giddy-up!"

"If you insist on lolly-gagging, dad, I will be forced to motivate you"

At the trail head

Bjorn inspecting a rotten stump on the Deschutes River Trail

At the slough near Dillon Falls

Catching up on a little Sir Ed Abbey

Desert Solitaire

Creative play with the sun balloon

On the job in the play station

Introducing Kai

2010-08-17T15:02:00.001-07:00

Kai Emerson Blankenship arrived in the world on August 6th at 7am and immediately began trying to donkey-kick from Mom's belly up to his milk supply. With a little help he latched right on and since then has remained quite peaceful as long as he gets his milkshake when he wants it. Kai weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz. and measured 20.75 in. long.

We don't want to dwell on comparisons but Kai has so far distinguished himself from his big brother on several accounts. First, Bjorn appeared after a dignified, swift and relatively painless (I even thought that at the time) 2 hour labor; Kai arrived after 15 hours of labor. Second, Kai's a sleeper. Bjorn spent much more time awake than the "average" baby and Kai is on the opposite end of the sleep spectrum. Let's hope it stays that way. Differences aside, they both arrived sporting a significant head of hair and extraordinary good looks. We are so proud.

We were lucky to have Grandma Betsy and Cousin Satori down from Seattle to help and ease Bjorn's transition. Its tough to have to share his coveted spot at the center of our universe but B has taken it in stride for the most part. The frustration he does display is aimed mostly at us. He is quite gentle with his brother, giving him kisses and reminding us to change his diaper.

The Weigh-in

It was an exhausting labor for dad

Bjorn meets his little brother

Grandma Betsy

Cousin Satori

Mom, fully recovered and looking ready to do it again

Uncorking of the KaI.P.A.

Kori snacking with her boys

Cat-nap at Elk Lake

Sleeping, again. What Kai seems to do best

Kaj's sang. It's about a Danish frog named Kaj (the Danish spelling). Parts of this video were blurred to protect the innocent.

1.5 yrs

2010-06-15T04:06:00.000-07:00

Bjorn 1.5 years

It has been a while since we last had an opportunity to share some of the moments of Bjorn's constantly evolving life. Since we last posted, Kori's belly has grown round and protuberant in an effort to accommodate Bjorn's little brother. Our second little dude is scheduled to arrive somewhere around the 10th of August, adding another Leo to the family. Kori has been feeling surprisingly well during the last 1/2 of the pregnancy and #2 has been quite active. Only 1 month to go! Bjorn has no idea what he's in for (poor guy)!

It is nearly impossible to summarize all that Bjorn has accomplished since our last post but probably his most noteworthy achievement is his language development. Around 14 months B cut back on his signing in favor of speaking, trouble was he didn't speaking English yet. He babbled on in Bjorn speaking in full sentences with proper inflection and sometimes entire paragraphs. It was a real shame we couldn't understand. By 16 months (April) he had a couple of English words. His favorite was "uh-oh" but his interpretation of the word was a little broader than normal and included preemptively uh-oh-ing when he was about to drop something. His other word at that time was "bye-bye." By May he was in the middle of a language explosion with new words coming daily:

5/3 yes
5/4 hi
5/5 no
5/13 hot!
5/16 up
5/20 apple
5/21 hop
5/22 shoe, Babar (as in the elephant), pot, bowl
5/29 daddy, mommy, hi daddy (1st 2 word phrase)
6/1 sharp
6/7 hat, eye
6/10 sure
6/11 bug, pop, home
6/13 boat, honk, sit
6/16 ball
6/18 bottle

After mid-June the words were coming so fast we couldn't keep up the list. In typical contrarian toddler fashion his most frequently used word is "no" but "daddy" (pronounced da-dee, emphasis on the second syllable) is a close second and outweighs his use of mommy by at least 20 to 1. B has also become an authority on all things sharp (that is probably his third most often used word) and spends a good chunk of each day point out all the sharp things he sees. The mom's choice award among Bjorn's vocabulary goes to "choot," a contraction between "choo" (as in choo-choo) and "toot" (as in toot-toot). Through all the English Bjorn, to our delight, continues to speak in his own language which we still don't understand but we love the sound of it!

Below is a random sample of the adventures of Bjorn over the past 1/2 year.

Kickin' it in the highchair

Feeding the ducks at Drake Park

X-mas tree hunting

Playing in the beans and rice table which we temporarily acquired from the Zangers. This is a water table which they converted into an indoor toy for the winter by filling it with beans and rice. Bjorn loved playing with it until it moved into our house at which point it lost most of its appeal.

Dish Helper

Bjorn's First Haircut

before

during

after

Procession of the Species Parade (Earth Day)

Easter in Seattle

Going free in the backyard

New Sand Box

Going to the park

Tumalo Falls Hike

Sippin' juice, seekin' shade

Spring on the Deschutes (sporting his beautiful hand knit sweater from JK)

Feeling studious

Smith Rocks Hike

Lunch with da-dee and Mataya

All tuckered out

Tree climbing and other backyard fun

High Desert Museum

With bear...

Sisters Rodeo

Canoeing at Tumalo Reservior

Thinking about the potty

Happy Da Dee's Day!

art and artist

Children's Museum, Seattle Center

Seward Park, Seattle

On the swings with Grandpa Mike, Aunt Annie and Cousin Conner

Camping at Elk Lake

Bjorn and Mataya. After this camping trip Bjorn started saying Mataya - his first proper noun if you don't include fictional characters like Babar.

Hiatus

2010-04-26T15:48:00.001-07:00

Hello All!

We apologize for the lack of activity here over the past few months. Eric has been rather busy with school and work, and Kori has had her hands full with another "project". We anticipate that we'll be updating the blog with a ton of photos and stories involving the past 6 months or so of Bjorn's life here toward the end of May, after Eric wraps up his Master of Public Health.
We also have other exciting news to share....Stay tuned.

1 year

2009-12-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

One year... and what an amazing year it has been. If Bjorn has done a lot of growing, and he certainly has, Eric and I have too. Parenthood has changed us for the better but how could we not evolve with such an wonderful little bear cub boy in our lives.

Bjorn reaches the 1 year milestone with 8.5 teeth in his mouth, a full head of hair, super walking skills, a keen interest in books (he just recently started selecting books on his own and bringing them to us to read - we love it), a love of water play, an expanded appetite, much improved sleeping skills (he's slept through the night several times now) and best of all a very positive, sunny disposition.

Bjorn has added several new cool skills to his ever expanding skill set. As you will see on the video below he is an awesome mower. He also added two new words to his sign vocabulary this month - "all done" and "cat" (inspired by Taylor and Stacey's cat Onyx). This brings him to three signs total (he also knows "dog"). His other new skill, jumping, is a work in progress. He has the concept of a knee bend followed by moving his body upward. He just hasn't quite managed to put any air between him and the ground yet, but we're sure he'll be catching air soon.

Before Thanksgiving we had an excellent family ski day at Meissner Sno Park. The weather was sunny and the snow was perfect

B enjoyed the scenery but also got a little rest, lulled to sleep by the precise and rhythmic swooshing of dad's classic skills

B had his fun in the snow after the skiing was done

Grandma and Grandpa Buford gave Bjorn a mower for Thanksgiving and he has really put it to good use around the house. Note: he prefers mowing, and most other activities, without his trousers on as shown here

B serves as Grandpa Mike's apprentice (or maybe supervisor) while the two took on a challenging landscaping project in Seattle. Since it was Thanksgiving, Bjorn chose a holiday appropriate tool (the turkey baster) to direct Grandpa's activities

"No, Grandpa. The very heavy stone needs to be moved over here."

Bjorn loves on his cowbell and gives thanks for its outstanding performance earlier that day
at Cyclocross Nationals. Friends Jess and Phil concur that Bjorn's cowbell solos were the highlight of the event

Powering up with his celery stick, Bjorn prepares to brave the harsh Bend environs sporting his new snowsuit

BIRTHDAY PRESENTS

Bjorn received a Radio Flyer wagon for his first birthday. He oversaw its construction making sure that dad followed the instructions and got it together safely.

Bjorn, exceedingly proud of his new all-terrain wagon

BIRTHDAY PARTY

The winter solstice was not the tranquil snowy day we enjoyed last year. It was frigid but dry. We kept it warm inside and out with a birthday celebration at Bend Brewing Company

Amigos Sam, Emmitt & Bjorn all pile into the Flyer to cruise for chicks at the pub

Rather than making a wish, Bjorn seemed more interested in impressing folks by extinguishing his one candle with his bare hand

He then promptly destroyed his birthday cupcake while simultaneously sporting
his King Bjorn crown

Bjorn mows it up!

11 Months

2009-12-15T20:41:00.000-08:00

Bjorn hit his 11 month milestone with flying colors. Most notably in the last month he has become a full fledged walker. In addition to his physical prowess he sports a very cheerful and positive attitude. Its a real winning combination (take it from an unbiased source).

The walking happened literally overnight. One day he was taking 2-4 steps before crashing and burning and the next he was walking across the room and down the hall. He almost immediately gave up crawling although for his first few weeks of walking it would have been a much faster and more efficient mode of transport. Clearly B had decided he was a walker, and so, he walked!

The last month has been a busy one. B had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Buford, did his first 5k run, visited Lake Tahoe, played at the park, hit library story time and of course did a whole lot of walking.

A self portrait of Dad and B overlooking Lake Tahoe. The boys toured while mom worked.

Enjoying the nature...

B gears up for cyclo cross nationals.

B completed his first running race on Halloween. We did the Run Like Hell 5k with Stacey sporting an 80s theme. B wore his Depeche Mode onsie and rocked out to the boom box tunes on the back of his stroller.

Enjoying the leaves in Drake Park on a sunny fall afternoon.

Bjorn continues to enjoy helping in the kitchen armed with a sturdy wooden spoon, as shown here, or a trusty wire whisk.

Shoes are another favorite toy and putting things in shoes a favorite game.

Bjorn is enchanted by musical instruments. He thinks our playing is a big hit despite our lack of practice. I think it is safe to say he is our biggest fan - of course the feeling is mutual. If only we could retain that rock star status into his teenage years!

This is one of B's new skills - getting into the papasan - and a favorite game. We don't trust him to get out without crashing so the game is that he sneaks into the papasan and strikes a very casual pose while he waits for us to discover him and come running to the rescue. As we run he gets all excited, bounces up and down and laughs until we get there to spot his dismount. Its good clean family fun!

10 Months

2009-10-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

We are closing in on the 1 year mark and Big B's big personality is really beginning to shine. If we had to define him in three words, we might say intense, energetic and curious. B is a rather intense child. He doesn't just get happy or excited he gets totally stoked, and you can feel his exuberance radiate throughout the room. On the other hand when he gets upset because he can't have something he wants, for example, it can be a real crisis. Although this can be trying, it is fun to see him develop and communicate his desires.

B is nothing if not energetic. From the minute he gets up, it is non-stop action. By the end of the day, I often find myself laying on floor with B crawling over my head, pulling my hair and biting me (this is a sign of affection, we call a bear kiss). By the time we finally get him to bed at night we are way beyond tired.

B is increasingly curious and uses his new mobility and strength to investigate things. He makes a daily, sometimes 2 or 3 times daily, inspection of all the drawers in the kitchen at or below his level emptying the contents and strewing them around the house. Although this might sound like a cleaning burden, we gave up tidiness months ago so our main concerns are for safety and fun. Besides, B grows weary of traditional toys rather quickly, so the kitchen items are often his most prized possessions. We consider his time spent in the kitchen to be life skills training - like learning to pour water (see picture below).

New skills in the last month include clapping, which Bjorn does often and enthusiastically, pointing (this goes with the whole desires thing, point to what he wants), sliding, he goes face first down the baby slide (and loves it), and sleeping. The sleeping milestone-- 6 hours of continuous sleep, 2 nights in a row-- is nothing short of a miracle for us. This is an enormous improvement over the average 2 hour stretches he's done for the last 9.5 months.

B sporting his duck robe after bathtime.

B n' dad share an apple.

B on the big toy.

This harvest season we enjoyed our 1st annual trip to the pumpkin patch. It was big fun with animals to pet, toys to play with and some pretty good bluegrass to top it all off. Did we mention there was a rather sizable pumpkin patch for romping? B was enthralled with the pumpkins. We brought 1 mini pumpkin home and B carries it around the house with him, bites it and plays with it.

Last weekend we did a short hike up Tumalo Peak with Stacey and Yetti. It was a beautiful crisp fall day and we were rewarded with the fabulous views from the top.

Staying hydrated on the summit.

This is what we mean when we say B gets totally stoked. Clearly B shares our love of the mountains and the trees.

Big Walker!

Bareback Rider

9 Months

2009-09-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Bjorn passed the 9 month mark on the autumnal equinox (it is pretty rad to mark his age milestones with major celestial events). His accomplishments in the past 9 months are amazing, nothing unusual for a 9 month old, but outstanding nonetheless. He is a competent sitter, crawler, solid-food eater, pincer-grasper, stander-up'er (with support) and dog signer. At the Doctor's office last week, he weighed in at 20 pounds 9 ounces and measured nearly 2.5 feet tall (29 inches to be exact).

A recent development that we find very gratifying is that Bjorn is showing more interest in books. His favorites are the ones with pictures of babies. If he is tired he will sit and listen to stories of all kinds but if not, we are limited strictly to board books without pop-ups or flaps. Bjorn is an active participant in all activities and will get his helping hands involved in the reading. He crumples and chews the pages, tears off moving parts or flaps and causes a general ruckus. This is just how he rolls. Holding a certain reverence for books ourselves, this behavior is difficult to abide and because Bjorn is rarely feeling mellow enough for big-kid books we mostly adhere to a strategy of avoidance and stick with the solid and trusty board books.

We have two major firsts to report this month: first haircut and first steps. Because Bjorn came into the world with a good crop of hair, which he never lost unlike many babies, he has some pretty long locks. We did a little trim to keep his bangs out of his eyes, but our overall hair plan at this point can be characterized as laissez faire. As for the first steps, he has only had 2 but he is working hard at more. He is routinely letting go of whatever he crawls up on to test his balance. He can stand unsupported for a few seconds and then ends up on his behind. When he took his steps he had just let go of his little table with both arms extended overhead (raise the roof style) he bounced on his toes for a couple of seconds breathing heavily and rapidly in and out of his nose as if getting himself sufficiently stoked for his next big move - the 2 steps. Of course, a large roar went up from the crowd in support of these big moves. We think that walking video clips may appear on the blog soon...stay tuned.

Gardener's Helper

Bjorn Speaks (sign language)

2009-09-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

Today Bjorn signed his first word - dog. We've been working on a handful of signs for several months now - hungry, drink, more, cat - but dogs are a hit with Bjorn and so it is not surprising that this would be his first sign. I think he actually made the sign a week ago but he was so discrete that it was difficult to say whether it was intentional or not. This weekend our friend Karen was visiting with her dog Ruby. Needless to say this thrilled Bjorn who would follow her at top speed on hands and knees all around the house. We had lots of opportunities to show B the dog sign over the weekend and during his Sunday breakfast he finally signed it himself.

Ruby, the dog who inspired the communication, watches B boulder.

Shortly after the signing incident we saw some new wildlife in Drake Park, Sasquatch. We'll be working on that sign next.

Over the Rainbow, literally

2009-09-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

We did a soggy but super hike to pick huckleberries a couple of weekends ago. Bjorn was a super-trooper (as expected), riding in his pack all bundled up in the warm jacket he inherited from cousin Sam. His perseverance paid off and we ended up seeing a rainbow in the valley below us.

As you can probably see from the pics, fall arrived while we were in HI. Now instead of sleeping in his diaper, B gets into his little red gnome suit (see picture below).

Toys are child's play and B is totally over them. He's traded in rattles for car keys, teething rings for sunglasses, stuffed animals for guitars, blocks for tupperware. You can see a few pictures of his new playthings below.

B was enchanted by friend Terri's guitar playing and her microphone case.

Bjorn phone home.

B entertains himself with water in ice cube trays.

While we were on vacation in HI Bjorn was hard at work on 4 new teeth (no rest for the weary). This brings him to a total of 6 chompers, increasing his chewing power 3-fold. The most exciting addition, from a parent's perspective, to his eating repertoire is tofu. He eats cubes of it as a snack and loves it!

It's never too early to start working on the climbing skills.

A beautiful day at Smith Rocks.

Months 6 - 8

2009-09-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, we have a great deal of catching up to do. We've been quite busy since our last update, which was Bjorn's half-birthday. Between then and now, we have probably seen the most changes in our little dude- something new everyday, literally. In general, Bjorn has gone from crawling commando style, to a full-on all fours crawling sprint, to climbing up on anything taller than he is, to brief periods of standing unassisted. We have also seen our greatest number of close-calls, bumps and bruises. All a part of growing up, I suppose. We have taken close to 1000 photos, just since our last post, so cut us a little slack if it seem like what we have narrowed down to still seem like a lot. Sit back, relax and enjoy this brief moment in Bjorn's life.

Bjorn's first camping trip in mid July. Crooked River, OR.
What can I say, the dude doesn't like clothes.

Hiking on the Deschutes River Trail, Mid-July

Hanging with the boys, Sam & Emmitt

Chatting it up with friend Nora

Camping at Walton Lake, OR

First tupperware party

Crawling is hard work
(may not be safe for work)

Hardwood floors are, well, hard
We call this "downward bear" a slight
variation on downward dog

Packing for Kaua'i

Bun-voyage

Kaua'i

Our arrival in Lihu'e

Uncle Willis: the bad influence, off to a bad start
first day at the beach, for crying out loud

Hiking the Hanakapi'ai trail,
toward the Na Pali Coast

In search of a "secret" beach.
I'm not actually pointing at it.
It remained a secret

A somewhat private, not so secret beach that was pretty cool. Bjorn ate tons of sand on this trip. I kept reassuring Ko that it would be okay- birds need rocks in their gizzard, or is it gullet, to digest their food.
Bjorn had no digestion problems during our stay on Kaua'i

Kicking it with Mr. Slinky at one of the Po'ipu outrigger clubs while mom and dad snorkeled a bit

Cousin Sam quietly reflecting on his longboard-based snorkeling adventure

Enjoying one of the many waterfalls.
I believe this one was up the Wailua

Stylin at the Marriott pool with Auntie Naomi
(thx aunt Annie & uncle Thomas Vigsoooo)

Bjorn checking to see if anyone's looking.
Ready to get his pre-funk on just prior to Cody's b-day bash

Checking out some specimens at the
National Tropical Botanical Gardens

Bushwhacking through some tall shrubbery to reach the falls

At the falls.
We figured we'd let Bjorn wait til our next visit to take the plunge

Feverishly searching for my dropped wedding band, whilst trying not to go over the falls.
I somehow recovered the jewelry

The head of Waimea Canyon,
looking down onto the Na Pali Coast

Nothing but good times with mom

Hiking the Waimea Canyon Rim. I personally like this canyon better than the Grand. Waimea means "red water", and the red dirt that makes this red water was very slick following the morning rains, making this hike one of the most treacherous on earth...or at least in this area of the park.
We narrowly escaped with our LIVES!

The ever-photogenic B and his ma enjoying some downtime in Waimea Canyon

Getting set to hike Nounou Mt., aka Sleeping Giant.
Did I mention that Bjorn's photogenic?

The next handful of photos are of one of our favorite areas on the island.
Naturally, I have forgotten its name.
East of Po'ipu, anyhow

The Buford O'hana
Naomi, Willis, Jr-Boy, Sam-Sam & Merrick

The next Tiger Woods, yall

Michael Phelps?

Soakin up some rays at Tunnels Beach

Coolin it off in the shade with mom

Feeding frenzy. Shaka!

Overlooking the Taro fields,
and the only shot of Kori and I

Winding it down at Keiki beach.
One of our last days

Loving the camera...and this shrub

...and this tea tree

Bjorn, the great Chameleon hunter
(look bottom right)

Thanks for viewing!

1/2 Birthday

2009-07-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

As usual we are a little late in making our post - Bjorn's 1/2 birthday was a couple weeks ago. We celebrated with Aunt Dharma and her posse with a hike to Rattlesnake Ridge and attending the Fremont Solstice Parade in Seattle.

We have many new accomplishments to report this month. First, that tooth we warned you about in the previous update turned into two. Bjorn now has a toothy grin with the center-bottom teeth in place. Second, he is now able to sit up on his own and he is working hard on crawling. He can hold himself up on all fours and rock back and forth for a few seconds but locomotion is still only done by rolling or kicking on his belly. Third, with a little practice he has learned to love his jump-up (we knew he would). To add to his list of lifetime firsts, B did his first hike at Tumalo Falls, attended his first wedding in Leavenworth, was taken care of by his first babysitters (Grandma Betsy, Aunt Dharma and Aunt Annie), visited the zoo, took his first shower and learned to swing. And, for the annals of age inappropriate baby products, Bjorn received his first bike, a Skuut pedal-less bike that Eric was so excited about he couldn't wait to buy it. We hear that some babies walk before they crawl. Maybe B will bike before he walks!

Food has become part of the regular routine and a fun way to ease Bjorn's teething pain. A cool carrot or a fresh apple wedge was a real favorite until Grandma Betsy introduced him to her fresh baked biscotti. Now he's a big fan of the baked treats. Aunt Dharma got him back on the healthier side by offering him watermelon rind, an instant hit.

Our friend Ann Marie got it right when she said "everything is more fun with a baby!" We just continue to have more and more fun as Bjorn grows and changes. We could have never imagined the challenges we were in for or the miracles we would witness 6 months ago when Bjorn arrived in the world on a snowy Solstice day. If you haven't seen him in a day or two, you've inevitably missed something wonderful.

JUMP UP THEN & NOW

News Flash - INCOMING TOOTH!

2009-06-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

Big news - Bjorn has sprouted his first tooth. Eric was the one who discovered it and I was so proud when he showed me the top of the tooth poking through the gums that I started to cry. B is just getting so big and I'm exceedingly proud of all his accomplishments, even those that are biologically driven and beyond his control. I should have known that a fresh tooth was on its way when he started grabbing my head and gnawing on my lower jaw last week. We can definitely chalk it up to naive first time parenting but the guy has been completely preoccupied with his mouth for over 2 months so it didn't seem particularly odd to have him chew on my face. He explores everything with his mouth, why not my face! I'm so excited for his snaggle toothed smile I can hardly wait for it to start showing. Expect pictures when it emerges fully in all of its glory. For now, here's a really precious shot of him, probably working on that tooth in his sleep.

Sitting High & Jumping Up

2009-05-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

This week Bjorn received two key pieces of equipment adding to his ever growing gear stash - a high chair and a johnny jump up. The former was immediately well received. He seemed to intuitively grasp the advantages this new high sitting position would afford him including a better location for kitchen surveillance. B is accustomed to monitoring kitchen activities from a seat on the floor and while that seat has the advantage of a vibration function (always a plus) it doesn't allow him to see much. The high chair is a hit.

Initially, the johnny jump up was not so well received. In fact to our surprise there was a little fussing involved in the trial run. However, Bjorn is a baby of action and we think he will find self-propelled movement to be a ton of fun once he figures out exactly how it works. Rest assured mom and dad will continue to push the jump up (some fun just isn't optional).

Cinco Meses

2009-05-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

This week Bjorn is all about rolling. He did his first belly to back roll around month 2 but then gave it up. Around 3 months he decided that he wanted to do the back to belly roll so he practiced that for a couple of weeks, mastered it and then gave it up. Now, at 5 months he's resurrected both rolls and performs them with such skill you would have thought he was born rolling. It is really impressive!

In other recent developments, B has discovered his feet. He loves to hold on to them, especially when we try to change his diaper. So, now in addition to competing with the roll action on the changing table we have to compete with the feet-in-mouth. It is a veritable diapering rodeo and good times are had by all!

On his list of firsts this month, B attended his first symphony concert where he listened to Beethoven's Prometheus Overture and a Prokofiev piano concerto. The pianist was amazing - we hope B was inspired (we think he has the hands of a great piano player). He also had his first "solid" food - really watery rice cereal. As Aunt Dharma says "Bjorn is tres selective" and still prefers his delicious and nutritious breast milk over anything else.

If the piano thing dosn't work out, Bjorn's performance on the rattle indicates a strong apptitude for the tamborine or maybe even the cowbell. We could use more cowbell in our lives.

Monkey's tail is a close second to breast milk.

4 mo. Checkup

2009-04-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

We can't believe that we have already come this far, but indeed we have. The pediatrician has confirmed it- Bjorn is already four months old. During his appointment, B weighed in at a modest 15.5lbs while measuring a towering 2' 2", which is already nearly half the height of his mother. In general, he's shaping up to be tall and lean for his age, however, we certainly would not mind a few more chunk-a-licious thigh rolls and ham hocks (all the more Bear to love!). In all honesty, long and lean is probably the desired lifelong trend.

This week, Bjorn made is first of many trips to the Oregon coast and the beach, staying in a cozy cottage overlooking the Pacific. We checked in on the sleepy little beach town of Newport, OR, where B was able to visit the wharf, inspect various sea-going vessels down at the docks, breathe in the typical fishing community odors and hang out with some of the local inhabitants- a very festive and lively gaggle of Harbor Seals.

On the way home, we stopped in for a brief visit with friends Ange & Adam in Corvallis. Ange and Adam are currently looking into relocating to Missoula, MT, which would only add to our tally of friends there, demanding more frequent visits to the funnest little town in western Montana.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

Life after the 4th trimester

2009-03-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

Bedouin Bear

I'm quite fond of the "4th Trimester" analogy and feel as if we have just emerged from it. Bjorn has become a little person in the last few weeks with all sorts of new interests and skills. He is becoming increasingly interactive but also more independent. He continues to chat it up when someone is listening (or not) and will spend quite a bit of time playing by himself with his toys.

Being 3 months old is hard work but Bjorn takes a work smarter not harder approach. For example, he has learned that he can opt out of the heavy head lifting during tummy time and simply rest his mouth on his fist and gnaw away simultaneously avoiding the work and relieving the pain of his itchy teething gums. This has probably delayed his ability to complete the belly to back roll intentionally (he's been doing it accidentally for a while now) but I reward intelligence and let him opt out when he feels like it. He'll get the belly to back roll eventually. This is not to say that he is not a hard worker. He has been diligently working on the back to belly roll which he clearly finds more fun. Again, taking the smart not harder approach he practices this move on the changing table where he can grab the side rails to get some serious leverage achieveing about a 3/4 roll. If I didn't intervene he would probably have the changing table roll down. He has managed this roll on the floor a couple of times.

We've had a few new 1st's since the last post. B had his 1st real laugh yesterday. He has a big, beautiful smile that he charms us with regularly but his laugh is really the cutest! We hope to hear a lot more of it in the future. He also had his 1st boys night when I went to a symphony rehearsal. I was sort of stressed out about the whole thing, not that I haven't left him before but I'd never left him at night (his fussiest time of day) or for such a long period of time (rehearsal was 3 hours). Needless to say everyone survived and I've had to admit to myself that I'm not as indispensable as I'd like to think I am. Dad and Bear did just fine without me.

B continues to grow like a weed. I took a very refreshing 2 hour nap with him this afternoon and I swear he was bigger when we woke up then when we laid down! I'm not joking here - this kind of thing has happened before. When I was about 37 weeks pregnant with him I gained a pound during the course of a visit to my midwife (she might need to have their scale looked at). We don't have a scale at home to confirm it, but I think he is probably pushing 15lbs.

Grandma Mez comes for a visit.

Snuggle time with Aunt Stacey.

B enjoys dad's guitar playing (or at least pretends that he does).

Bear and the Bees

I like to ride my bicycle (or at least dad does).