All hail Kael - #2

All hail Kael
Who today turns two
May your dreams be filled with magical machines
Putting on a show just for you

What a difference a year can make;
From baby to little boy,
From basic to more complicated toys...
Frankly, it's about all the change your parents can take.

Alas, it will only fly by quicker
And there is so much more to come
I really don't want you to get any bigger
Because you already weigh a ton!

You're a big brother now
So you'll have a new playmate in the tub.
The sweet gesture that makes us all go WOW
Is when you decide to give Chloe a hug.

You've also become quite a singer, wouldn't ya know
With a vast repertoire of songs
From Old Mcdonald's e-i-e-i-o
To Frere Jacque's ding-dang-dongs

Machines are the latest passion
From trains, to cars, to dumptrucks
Sprinklers are also in fashion
As is pulling the wagon through the muck

You are such a happy child
That we like to call you "Chucklehead"
And yes, you still tend to be a bit wild
Right before bed.

You do some great animal impersonations:
Dogs, elephants, and owls.
You also do a great pig imitation
That makes all the passerbys howl

A big fan of books
From the lift up the flap kind
To Dr Seuss's catchy hooks,
To whatever is the book du jour at that particular time

You've got two speeds:
Full throttle or full stop.
You're still a pretty easy one to feed
And you love to hop on pop

Kman, you are the axle of our wheel
The shovel to our digger
The love we feel for you is real
And we don't think it could get any bigger!

First Impressions

Though we only stayed in the hospital for a day and a half - in a room rivaling our cozy apt in size - it sure is nice to be home again. I'm exhausted, of course; yet, I'm also so elated and buzzing that I had to sit down to share the miraculous experience while it remains fresh.

I probably should be sleeping given the road that lies ahead - a newborn, a spirited toddler and a recovering mother to take care of - but I couldn't resist a soothing bowl of mate and stealing a quiet moment to myself after these first few hectic days. Just prior to the epidural, when Michele was at the height of her pain), I can sympathize with that one, too. But in the end, isn't that all the more reason to be there, when it's toughest, and to be able to give that moral support when she needs it most?

Luckily, it was easier for Michele this second time around, given that her body had already been through it. However, as Michele reminded me, there is nothing easy about passing something the size of a watermelon through a hole that is half that size or less. There was a moment after about an hour of pushing that I started to be concerned that all the hard work Michele was doing wasn't paying off. But soon afterwards, that little head of dark hair appeared, with each subsequent push revealing a little bit more. And when at last the head, shoulders and rest of the body finally slipped through, my heart dropped and I just couldn't believe my eyes. Again.

At 3.895 kg, Chloe came out bigger than her brother, who is wearing clothing designed for three year-olds when he has not yet even reached two yet. She has very long and elegant hands, suited perhaps to play the piano, as Grandma noted, or to scratch records, as I preferred to observed. That is, if her brother will let her get on the decks (he still doesn't let me!). Her face reminds me so much of Kael as a newborn.

Thankfully, our worst fear has not materialized and we are happy to report there are no signs of colic. I've held her in my arms while she was awake for over an hour and not a peep or a wriggle from her. It's very odd for us. I keep half-expecting to break out screaming any second, and having to dust off the old hair dryer.

We were a little nervous to see how Kael would react when we brought Chloe home for the first time. We had been preparing him by reading him books about being a big brother (which he often requested on his own will) and explaining to him exactly what would happen. And sure enough, he was very curious about his little sister when we brought her in - for about 2 minutes anyways. You see, his little sister came bearing gifts, more specifically in the form a digger, and so his attention was naturally diverted after opening his gift. Since then, he has shown signs of interest here and there - and even gave her a hug this morning. More importantly, he hasn't shown any resentment towards her as far as we can tell.

I'm still on cloud nine at the moment. I'm doing what I can to keep our place somewhat neat and make sure that everyone is fed etc. But the real hero is Michele. She is such a trooper that it continually amazes me. Through the pain and sleeplessness, she continues to show nothing but selflessness rather than selfishness. She is a constant reminder of what Love is and I am very thankful that I am able to share the joy of parenthood with such a wonderful partner.

As my good friend Dave told me after Kael was born, "Now you know why mother's day is way, WAY more important than father's day."

Surprise!

“Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age.”

If Craig wasn`t thinking of his upcoming landmark birthday yet, he sure is now. The surprise party, when successfully pulled off, remains a winner; the celebratee is surrounded by loved ones when they least expect it. And given that Craig`s official 40th is not until September, he cannot be faulted for not suspecting it.

The whole episode was particularly amusing because of Craig`s attitude as we drove out to Scott Jonction, a town south of Quebec City about halfway to Maine, where most of the family on Maman`s side were awaiting. He spent a good portion of the ride whining about why on earth Mom would choose a restaurant out in the boonies when there are about 1000 nice restaurants in Quebec City! `Guess Mom is getting a little loopy as she ages`, I replied, giggling to myself whle shooting a knowing glance at Michele.

And sure enough, once we got there, we were overwhelmed with greetings from the amazing Tetu side of the family. I was so excited to see them - and with good reason. Ils sont formidables! It was pandemonium at first, all the adults doing la bise, hugging and talking over one another while the children screamed with joy while running around (``Y en a de la marmonne icitte`` said mononcle Reno). It felt so refreshing to be back in a culture that is so openly affectionate again.

Of course Kael was a major point of interest, as most of my quebecois family were meeting him for the first time, but he was far from the only child. All of my other cousins, except for one, are now unmarried with children. It`s true; there are five couples in total who have children and none of them are married. Michele and I are the odd couple out here!

But the night belonged to Craig, of course. They had balloons, a card signed by all, plus another impromptu violent birthday card created by six year-olds Leo and Youri (who don`t speak the same language!), candles in crepes smothered in maple butter rather than a cake, and some great pictures from trips of the countryside in Montmagny where we used to spend our summer vacations as kids. Those pictures of us riding the tractor or playing sports out in the great expanse of the `front yard` brought back fantastic memories.

It may not have been the raging party many 40th celebrations turn out to be, but I`m sure Craig was happy with the fine company of the Tetu family.Plus, he`ll get his rager come September. Whenever we are all together we are never short on laughter and merriment. Grandmaman Berthe actually said it best when she told me, after telling a surprisingly dirty joke at dinner, `I came into this world laughing and that`s how I`m going to leave it, too. Laughter is the music of the soul`

Amen, grandmaman.

Trip out to middle east - of Canada, that is

Once you have high speed connection, boy you can never go back. It`s taken me about a half hour to log in here, but I`ve finally made it. It feels like I`ve reached the summit of Mt Patience! I really thought the view would be better...

Nous voici in beautiful Quebec City. We expected nothing less than a hellish flight on Saturday and we were`t disappointed. Kael is not known for his sitting in one place prowess; he`s a mover and a shaker - at all times - therefore the prospect of spending hours on a plane without moving had us plenty worried. At least he had recovered from his feverish bout with tonsilitis the day before leaving.

As with most VAN-YYZ flights, there wasn`t an empty seat in the (sky)house. We managed to keep the little monkey at bay with stories and snacks for the first half of the four flight, but it was at that point that the real struggle began. KAEL NEEDS TO MOVE. I can`t put it any simpler than that.

To make matters worse, the Kman is in a real cling-to-mommy-or-else-she-might-disappear phase,so sitting with Papa only incited screams of torture. So poor Michele, with early third trimester belly roundish and full with Kael`s little sister, has to try to deal with a wriggly, squirmy toddler pushing with full force into the seat in front of him (how the man didn`t turn around once in annoyance is still a wonder to me)directly into her belly. With good reason, mommy was on the verge of losing it, and much to her credit, she didn`t.

And due to the capacity of passengers, there was rarely a moment when the aisles were free to roam. As soon as they did, we didn`t waste any time getting out there in a hurry to take advantage. Upon return after our short foray, there wasn`t far to go before the path was blocked, I wound up donating my seat to Kael and spent the better part of an hour standing, frequently having to contort my body in obscure positions in order to allow passengers and flight attendants passage.

Speaking of which, I must state for the record that there was not one `skyhag`on this Air Canada flight: all of the flight attendants were accomodating and pleasant. There`s hope yet!

But that tolerable situation soon came to a shaky end when we hit turbulence and I was forced to sit down. Kael was now worse than ever, in extreme struggle mode due to fatigue and lack of afternoon nap. There was no escape for Mommy or kid. It ended taking about 40 minutes before he finally struggled himself right to exhausted sleep. As Murphy`s Law dictates, we touched down in Toronto a mere 20 minutes later.

Once boarded on our connector flight to YQC, Michele declared loud enough for everyone on the enire plane to hear, ''I am never traveling with a child again!'' The good news was that the hour-long flight was not full, so the little guy would have his own seat.

This made a world of difference as he sat contently next to Papa for almost the entire ride. Well ok, he didn`t actually sit the whole time, but he was good. He spent most of the time violently opening and closing the shutter, climbing up and down on the seat, and flirting with an older couple sitting opposite. Most importantly, he was given enough space to be independent. As we learn more and more about his temperment, fiercely spirited and independent are his main strengths - and our main challenges.

We touched down into Quebec sain et sauf much to the relief of Grandmaman and Armand, who were anxiously awaiting to pick us up.

Travelling with a toddler is never easy, but I`m quite sure not it is doubly hard with a boy as active as Kael. In fact, I saw another boy who must have about the same age sitting quietly on his Daddy`s lap for pretty much the entire flight. Just luck of the draw I guess. And when they`re too young for Nintendo or movie watching, all you can do is endure as best you can, knowing you won`t have to do it again for another two weeks on the return trip home.

A Huge Fan of Fans

Ah, to be 18 again - 18 months, that is. I have been living vicariously through the eyes of my not-so-wee toddler lately and I tell ya, it`s one helluva ride. Peaks and valleys. Thankfully, the peaks nowadays are far more common than the valleys at this point.

It remains a constant source of amazement to Michele and I that such a spirited child is a product of our genes. It`s pretty strong evidence that we are all born with a certain nature; old souls reborn into this world to learn the lessons we need in order to be free.

`Chuckles` or `Chuckelhead`, as Kael is often referred to these days, is finding life positively thrilling now that he has mastered a few basic tricks such as eating with utensils and opening and shutting, well, anything that will open and shut. Those initial months of colic sure seem like a lifetime away at this point. He loves to laugh and play, a direct influence of spending his days with his Mom, whose sense of humour has a depth which continually surprises me.

Momma's boy


About a month ago, he also began to enter a cling-to-mommy phase. Only Mommy will do. Not Papa, not grandma or grandmaman - ONLY Mommy. The problem with that is that mommy is 7 months pregnant with Kael`s sister and not really in the mood to constantly lug the weighty little guy around. It seems that his brain has developed to the point where he realizes that he is a separate entity on this planet and the thought of a world without Mama strikes fear in his young mind. It can be frustrating for both Michele and I because on the one hand, she can't handle it physically, and on the other, my sensitive nature doesn't enjoy the constant rejection.

Speaking of weighty, the kid weighs a friggin ton! He is bigger and heavier than the majority of two year-olds we have encountered thus far, and even outweighed and was taller than my cousin's three year-old. Along with the stocky Black male genes, it might have a little to do with his healthy eating habits as well. We`re very lucky that he ingests almost anything we feed him - including olives, brussel sprouts and asparagus. Hell, he eats a more varied diet than my fourty year-old brother!

On his Papa's side, he has inherited my penchant for exploration. Whenever we bring him somewhere new, you can be sure that he will be fearlessly checking every nook and cranny of the place within minutes. His great curiosity is an admirable characteristic - unless you happen to be the one in charge of supervising him. Then, it`s a hell of a lot of work. If it is quiet for more than 20 seconds, we suddenly find ourselves panic-stricken and one of us bounds out of our seats to find him before the wailing begins. I feel like I have grown a spring in my butt because every time I sit down, I`m pretty much back up within a milli-second to tend to the boy. It's safe to say there are no dull moments when the Kman is awake.

Despite his insatiable curiosity and tendency to venture off into unknown territories we`d rather not have him explore, he does listen extremely well. When we say no, he not only understands, he more often than not obeys, too. The exception to the rule is when we are out in a park and he is walking on his own. During these occasions, when he want to go straight, he turns around and goes back. When we say turn left, he goes right. And so on. Perhaps it is a prelude to the upcoming terrible twos we have to look forward to.

One certainty is that the kid knows what he wants (again proof that personality is not necessarily hereditary). I can`t even count the times that I have tried to entice him into a game or play with a certain toy, only for the Kman to turn the other way or walk away completely uninterested, not even acknowledging my effort. It`s as if he is saying, `Are you trying to tell me what I like? Pa-sha!

I dig baby talk`

His only comprehensible words so far are `duck` and `that`. He has said `Flea`, Dada and a few random other words, but not often enough to qualify as part of his vocab yet. `That` is the most often heard because he wants to know what everything is without having to say it. Whenever he picks anything up off his plate, or turns to the next page of the book, he points to various things to ask us what they are - even though he already knows. And he always asks both of hisparents to make sure he is getting the correct answer because he`s meticulous. And thorough. Sometimes I say something different just to see his reaction, and sure enough he`ll pause, then keep asking me until he gets the answer he was seeking all along. He may be a wild monkey-boy, but he`s no dummy. He also enjoys telling stories in the form of babble. To think that one day all that stuff is going to come out in words we can understand is a thought that generally keeps me awake at night.

New Edition

It`s hard to believe that it won`t be all about the Kman soon. I can`t see how he is going to share the spotlight, but, like Flea, he'll have to learn. Let's hope that it doesn't take as long as Flea though, as she remains stubbornly opposed to Kael's presence. The way he clings to Mommy now could be a sign that he subconsciously knows what's coming. Either way, no matter how much warning we give him, the addition of his sister to the mix is sure to be a real shocker.

Seeing another cousin`s tiny six-week old baby the other day was a reminder of what is fast approaching in our household. It was exciting and a bit scary at the same time. Just as Kael is starting to become a self-assured toddler, we will again be starting the process again from scratch with a spaghetti-necked, helpless infant. The tar poops, the swaddling, the sleep-deprived nights etc. It`ll be easier because we are more confident in our ways, but it will very difficult if the Kman decides not to cooperate.

We are not counting on it, but we are definitely praying for a calmer temperament from our second one. Another winter with a colicky baby is unthinkable. I suppose if that is the outcome, then we`ll have to deal with it, but it would be about as unfair as Bill Gates buying a lottery ticket for fun and winning the jackpot. The fact that our situation is less stressful (ie we have job, furnished shelter, and we are re-acclimatized to Canada) is assuring should stress have any influence on causing colic.

Finally, I will try to spare all the cliches associated with the joys of parenthood, as you have undoubtedly heard them all many times over. Suffice it to say that they are all true. What maybe isn`t always repeated is the relentless amount of work it takes to do it right. As someone said to me before Kael was born,'being a parent is both the best - and hardest - thing you will ever do in life.'

The more I experience through Kael, the more that comment rings true.

Remembering Anne

I just learned that a lovely soul just passed on to the next life.

Anne, anyone that ever met you knows that you were irreplaceably one-of-a-kind.

I sincerely hope you meet all your beloved cat friends again wherever your soul is journeying to right now.

C'etait un plaisir de te faire connaissance.