Dress me up with your love!

It won't be long and Kai won't let us dress him up in hats or the like. For now, I'm enjoying the fact that he still will. Tee hee!

Kai's Doppelganger?

Last week I met up with a friend of mine, Marrianne and her son Dylan. Dylan is a month younger than Kai. Isn't it funny how much they look alike and how they both look shocked!

Can we bottle this please?

If sometime in your day, the world has got you down, just play this little video. It never fails to make me smile.
Hooray for zurburts!

Here we go!

Kai has reached a couple of milestones this week.

a.) His first tooth has started to emerge on the bottom front of his mouth. Yikes! Watch out for those choppers! When they're bugging him, he is apt to try and crunch down on whatever is nearest, be it a teething toy or your shoulder. He's actually been remarkably cheery for a kid who is cutting teeth

b.) He is now able to sit up on his own, sometimes for as long as a minute! Check out this video!

Thank goodness for the craftiness of others!

For those that know me well, know that poor Kai will have to go a lifetime without much of anything hand made (other than food) by his mom. This blog is about as crafty as this girl gets! :-) In any case, thankfully, other people are craftier than I. Brendt's student knitted Kai this great hat, in Steele Canyon HS cardinal red and navy blue colors, for those chilly football games. She is also working on a matching scarf that has his name on it. Too cute! We'll continue to put silly hats on his head until he realizes that he can yank them off.

Onward Scherpa!

Today we took Kai on his first hike. Always the nature boy, he has been calmed by being out doors since he was days old. If we couldn't figure out why Kai was crying, Grandma Horine would say, "Lets go tell the neighbors," and walk outside and suddenly he would go silent. So today we raced home after work to meet up with our friend Julie and we all headed over to Cowles Mountain to do a quick week day ascent of the local peak.

Kai did pretty well. He fussed after about 40 minutes in because we neglected to "top off" the baby tank. So we sat an enjoyed the view while Kai had a little dinner. As the sun was setting, we moved quickly down the mountain and Kai fell asleep to the rocking pattern of Dad's steps. I think we've got an outdoors man on our hands!

Has it been 5 months?

Today Kai is 5 months old! It has flown by so quickly, but it is amazing to look back at the photos of him, just days old. He's changed so much. Today we went to the zoo with our friends Becky & Claire. Here is Kai in front of the Bonobo Chimp Enclosure. No, Kai isn't walking, but he is standing with a little help from Daddy. He has almost tripled his birth weight and is now weighing in at a burly 17 lbs. 3 oz. and has fully embraced his own voice. Kai now includes a blood curdling screech along with M's, W's, L's, O's and H's to his repertoire of sounds.

Another interesting development, following months of drooling and chewing, is his first little bump of a tooth coming up. It still hasn't emerged, but I'm sure it isn't far off! He'll have a mouth full of chompers before we know it!

Ha ha ha

Here is a clip of some of Kai's first laughs. Clearly, we're all enjoying this good old fashioned fun.

Water Boy!

We're having a great time with this video camera (thank you Rosenbergs!). Here we've caught Kai in his very serious bath time. He loves being in the water, but his face looks like it is almost a job for him!


Michael Phelps, watch out!

I've been waiting for this moment

Call me a freak, I just don't care. This was right up there with snuggling and seeing Kai's smiles as far as things I was looking forward to with my first born. No matter how many times I play this game with Kai, it just never gets old.

No more summer vacation

The past few weeks have brought a flurry of guests. Maybe it is because school is about to go back in session, or maybe it is because San Diego is a wonderful place to be in August.

About a month ago, just before the guests started flowing (or maybe it was between guests, I don't remember anymore) I went back to work. Thankfully work is very flexible with me and I'm working on a low pressure, no travel project, so the transition has gone relatively smoothly and Kai was able to stay home with Brendt (a.k.a. SuperDad!) until just this week. Another wonderful plus is that we love our day care provider for Kai. Colleen is great, doing all the fun things we'd like to do with him if we were home, playing outside, reading books, showing him puzzles, etc. with his new friends Ella (18 months) and Lauren (2 years). He really loves to watch the girls play. Needless to say, it makes life worlds better when you are comfortable and happy with where your child is when you are away

First was a visit from my Aunt Sharon. She is wrapping up her work at the UN and took a week long retreat to the Presentation Retreat in Los Gatos, CA. Since she was in CA, she decided to swing by and get to know Kai. We tried to drag her out to tourist attractions, but she insisted that Kai was the main event. It was really fun to have her here.

Just before Aunt Sharon left, Katie and my mom came to visit. Katie and Brendt were going to a teacher conference (AVID-for those who are in the know) and Mom came out to take care of Kai while they were at the conference. We spent a lot of time ooh-ing and awww-ing over Kai as he cooed, wiggled, and smiled. Who needs entertainment when we have a little one to keep us laughing.

A week or so later Mom came back with her friend Liz. Again, the oohing and ahhing over Kai commenced. They allowed Kai to go to daycare for one (albeit short) day only because it didn't fit into their busy schedule of going to the beach, the wild animal park, and going for walks around the block. Needless to say, we were perfectly happy to pay Colleen to take a week off. Aunt Angie, joined us for a day and took some great photos of Kai, his cousin Maya, and anyone else who happened to be around these two little gems. She has always taken amazing photos, but her recent retirement has allowed for her to learn a little more of the high tech techniques. Here is the link to her photo gallery. http://gallery.me.com/ajreuser/100127

On the weekend, Jim joined us. We all had a great time, pretty much doing nothing. Funny how family can do that. We managed to squeeze in a photo shoot. One with Grandma Carol & Papa Jim. . . One with Mom (me). . .

Kai is making developmental leaps and bounds lately. He is rolling onto his side (seems to be confused about how to get that darned arm out of the way to get to his tummy) and is actually grabbing at toys. Every day brings new joys with this kiddo. Stay tuned for my favorite new trick of his!

Not falling too far from the tree. . . or the grill as it were. . .

Last night while we were watching a TV show about barbecuing ribs, Kai had the most hysterical responses. We know, we know, little ones shouldn't be watching TV, but I think Kai was picking up some tips on how to do up some quality ribs.


Here is a video capture of the comedy.

Who do I look like?

So Kai is ever changing. . . sorry it's been a month since our last post. He's moving around a ton, sleeping 7 hours through the night, cooing, and smiling non-stop. As much as our life changed 3 months and 3 weeks ago, it continues to change as this little guy grows up on us.

I thought it would be fun to see a few baby photos of Brendt and I next to a photo of Kai. At first he looked like a total Brendt clone, but maybe I wasn't just a carrier! :-)

Here is Daddy. . .

Then Mommy. . .

Who Knows! Either way, we're all having a blast!

Take Me Out...

On Sunday, July 13, Kai went to his first of many Padres games. The Kalil Greene "kid's cap" that we got is still a little big, but he'll be sporting it in no time. Dad is looking for ward to summer days spent eating nachos and hot dogs, hoping for a championship season from the Friars. Go Padres!

Hanging with My Homies

We spent the Fourth of July with our friends Tobin and Krissy and their two girls, Kaelyn (2) and Elliana (11mos). It was a quiet evening for our families and we were even joined by our cousin Jason's wife, Kara, as he has been pitching for the baseball team in Tijuana. Kara is expecting Kai's new little cousin in December.

When Nanita Dev and Grandpa Clay returned from visiting friends in central California, we got some pictures done with Brendt's brother's one-year old daughter, Maya. It was tough to get them both pinned down and smiling, but we got a few good shots. Maya will definitely show Kai the ropes in this great big world. She seems to be getting it all figured out with new words and party tricks on a weekly basis.

Even dad and Kai got a shot in their matching duds.

On July 9, our friends Brian and Karina had their twin boys. Karina is a neo-natal nurse at the hospital in which she delivered, so they let the rules about babies in the recovery room slide. Kai got to meet his new buds a couple of days after they were born.

With all of the new editions for our friends and family, Kai will have plenty of homies to play with, and at least a few more on the way. It's awesome to watch the circle get bigger and bigger.

East Side

Last week found us in Weirton, West Virginia, my dad's hometown about 30 minutes outside of Pittsburgh, PA. Kai took his first plane ride and did wonderfully. He behaved just as he does on solid ground, only fusses when he is tired or hungry, so we kept him well fed and snuggled him and he slept most of the way there.

In addition to lots of Papou (my dad) time, my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Jim hosted a little gathering of family who came from in town, Baltimore, and across Ohio to meet little Kai. It was great to catch up with all the family. As you can see from the photo below, catching up involved a little bit o' Ouzo. Sheesh!My cousin Marcie has a little boy Stelliano (yes, very Greek) who is six months old. The boys will no doubt find themselves running around family reunions together like Marcie and I once did. For now they slept side by side.

We've also started taking photos once a month of Kai to document all the changes in his first year. This month we added Papou to the mix too. Notice the family resemblance? No hair and blue eyes. :-)

It's hard to believe he's already 10 weeks old! We're back home for the 4th and enjoying all the beauty and wonderful weather that this town has to offer. Sigh, it was a good trip, but it is good to be home.

Back home, for now

We got back to San Diego late on Sunday night and we'll be in town for about 10 days before heading back east to visit my dad and catch up with the Karno clan.

Nanita Devrah came back to San Diego to spend a few weeks here with Kai and Maya. We went to the beach a few times and enjoyed a very warm SD week. Here is Kai with Nanita in a little beach outfit that cousins Jason & Kara bought for him.

He is growing so much that I don't know that he'll be able to wear it again (note the budda belly sticking out)! Our boy is now a 12 pounder! I need to do some training to continue carrying him around. ;-)

This week Kai's cousin Maya turned 1 year old! Looking at Maya, it is hard to believe how quickly a year has passed. Maya is a vibrant and hysterical little girl with boundless smiles and energy. Here is a photo from her birthday party this week. I think the cake was more fun to squish than to eat.

I'm sure that before we know it, we'll have photos of Kai's first birthday too! Sigh. . .

At Maya's birthday party Kai took his first swim too. Much like bathtime, he is really relaxed in the water.

And the Wilsons too!

On the 2nd half of our trip to AZ, we popped into Tucson to visit the Gideon side of the family and to go to the wedding of our family friends David & Jennifer Martin. We got some fun photos of the clan this weekend.

Here is a photo of 4 generations on the Wilson side of the family at the Martin wedding. . .

Kai was well prepared for his time at the Oro Valley Country Club with his "tea par-tay" outfit . . .

A video of Brendt, his Nana and Mom, Monica shankin' thier groove thing at the end of the take you even get a glimpse of the bride and groom. . .

Nana and three of her great grand children, Kaylee, Maya & Kai. I like to call this Kai's "fight the power photo". . .

Off to AZ!

This week we've traveled to Arizona to enjoy the balmy sunshine of the Sonoran desert. UG! :-) No, we're really here to introduce Kai around and go to a wedding in Tucson.

We got the Mesa clan together to celebrate Brendt's birthday (and Uncle Dave and Cousin Johnny's too). Amid the rucus of our tiny group of 19 or so, we were able to capture a photo of 4 generations of Altendorf's.

Kai, meet Kai

This week we went to the beach with Kai for the first time. As we came down, over the hill towards La Jolla Shores I thought, Kai (Hawaiian for Ocean) meet Kai. The first of many meetings, I'm sure.

My mom was in town and we met up with a few other friends Toby (with daughters Kaelyn and Elliana) and Richard (with son Matteo) at La Jolla Shores. It was a cool day at the beach, but we were able to enjoy a walk and Brendt was able to take his surfboard out for the first time in a year or so. We're hoping to make it a weekly gathering!

Smiles all around!

Grandma Carol returned on Thursday, welcomed by Kai's ever appearing smiles. It has been fun to see Kai's personality emerge. Brendt's last day of school was yesterday and we are looking forward to the next 5.5 weeks of Gidepakis family fun before I head back to work

Here are a few of the little man's smiles. . .

My Life Among Clones

So, I just had to include this photo of Kai and his daddy. They just look so much alike! I tease Brendt that when he coos, "He's so hansome! He's so beautiful!," over Kai that he is really being vain and referring to his own good looks as they really look like twins. I guess I was just the host to this clone. It doesn't look like I really had any genetic contribution to little Kai's appearance. Maybe he'll inherit my long attention span instead. ;-)




Ok! I've been much delinquent at blogging of late. Kai has kept me busy, but we've also had visitors and have traveled too! I've had a little breather this week so I'll be catching up on new photos.
I just love this funny face. . .




































We took a quick weekend trip to Tucson to celebrate cousin Cade's birthday and his fiance Shauna's graduation from pharmacy school. It was a wonderful celebration (as usual, the Wilson's throw great parties!) and we got to meet Shauna's family for a little preview for thier wedding next year. Here is a photo from the party of Brendt, Kai, and uber Nana Teresa (Kai's Great Grandma).



My dad traveled across the country to meet our little man, and my sister joined him here for the week. We got out every day and saw the sites of San Diego including the zoo, Birch Aquarium and the Natural History Museum.

Katie was a huge help, loving up on Kai and taking a midnight shift. I would feed Kai just before going to bed and she would let me sleep an unprecedented 4 hours! Oh for joy! I was even feeling human after a few days.

It was a fun week. I really enjoyed watching Papou (Greek for Grandpa) get to know Kai. He'll get more time with him when we go back East in a few weeks.

We'll be doing a bit of traveling after Brendt is done with school. First we'll be going to Mesa for a few days to show off Kai to my Mom's side of the family and then we go to Tucson for a family wedding. Then a week later we'll be heading to my dad's home town of Wierton, W. Va. (30 min. from Pittsburgh) to introduce Kai to the Greek Clan. It's going to be a fun summer.

Oh, and Kai is now up to 10 pounds and smiled for the first time yesterday! Hooray!

A 7 Pounder!

Today Kai weighed in at 7lbs! He's still a little guy, but we're happy that he is putting on weight and just in time for his due date (May 9).

On Sunday we had some photos taken of Kai by Susie Sincock. She provided us a sneak peak of some of the photos we'll be getting in 2 weeks. Here are a couple of shots, there are 5 photos of Kai on Susie's blog too http://www.susiesincock.typepad.com/catchlight_news/

Still want more photos?

We're uploading photos to our shutterfly site. If you want 100 photos of Kai or so, you can find them at www.kaigideon.shutterfly.com I'm sure that the photos will be multiplying like bunnies! :-)

Our birth story

I can't believe it's been almost(only?) 2 weeks since Kai joined our lives! It's take me a while to resurface on email and blogging, but hopefully we'll find time to get photos and messages out to you all. Here is a new photo of our family, one of many to come

Here is Kai's Birth Story. . .

My water broke shortly after 1am on Monday morning. I wasn't really having strong contractions, but as I was Strep B positive and needed to get some antibiotics into my system, we got showered and made our way to the hospital. My mom and sister has left San Diego to return to Arizona at 1pm on Sunday, only to have to turn around and drive back only 7 hours later. Kai's funny sense of humor was already showing itself.
Becky, our doula, joined us at the hospital around 2:30a.m. and we started working through some contractions. Brendt and I had been preparing for the childbirth using a meditation technique called Hypnobabies. The goal of Hypnobabies is to prepare all involved in the birth with positive birth images and help manage pain through meditation, visualization and breathing. When the contractions started coming, I focused inward and started to use the meditation CDs to get through each wave.
Mom and Katie arrived at the hospital at about 6am and Devrah arrived at 9am.
I made it to about 6 cm. dilated by 9am, using the meditation tracks that we had prepared with, but when it came time to go into transition, the meditation tracks just didn't serve me in the moment that I needed it. I tossed my iPod aside and Becky and Brendt started to coach me through each contraction. Kai's head was very low (-3) so I really had the urge to push. The nurse sent in the doctor to check me and he said that he would come back again to check me in an hour. At that moment I started feeling pretty exhausted and didn't feel like I could get to the end without an epidural. After some talking with Brendt and Becky we decided to push through the next 1/2 hour and see how far it got me. Becky provided me the verbal focus I needed while Katie rubbed my back and Brendt helped me to focus my breathing. It really was a team effort. I had two great nurses, both named Tara, that were very encouraging. When Tara checked me again I had dilated to 9 cm. At that point I knew that I could make it through to the end. I stood up and said, "Ok, lets do this,". We got through the last cm in about a 1/2 an hour and then it came time to push. Because of Kai's low position, I only had to push for 20 minutes. Judging from the sore throat I had later that day, I must have really been screaming, but after 9 hours of labor, our child born at 6 lbs. 3 oz. measuring 18.5 inches. We had been waiting to find out the gender, so Brendt said, almost in a whisper, "It's a boy,". After about an hour of bonding time with our son, we decided to name him Kai Victor Gideon. Kai was a name I read in "Eat, Pray, Love" and we later came to find out that it means Ocean in Hawaiian, Keeper of the Keys/Earth in Welch and Scandinavian, and Unbreakable in Burmese. Victor is my dad's name.
We stayed in the hospital for two days, though neither Kai or I really had any pain or complications. It was more a precautionary measure per the pediatrician to assure that Kai wasn't affected by the Strep B. Thankfully Kai has been a great eater and is already packing on the O-Zs. He was back up to his birth weight a week after he was born and is already up 4 oz. at 9 days old!
We're getting to know Kai, his beautiful face and sweet eyes. He has been keeping us up every few hours or so, through the night, but we're getting into a groove and we'll all be getting more sleep soon. Brendt goes back to work on Monday for 5 weeks before summer vacation. I have 3 months off, so we're looking forward to having June and July to spend together.

Kai Victor Gideon Has Arrived

It has been a wild ride since my water broke at 1a.m. on Monday, but the long and short of it is that Kai Victor Gideon was born on Monday, April 21 at 10:56 a.m. after 9 hours of labor, at 18 1/2 inches long and 6 lbs. 3 oz. Labor went really well with our family and team in suport. It was a very focused time, but truely a joy.

Brendt is getting over a little stomach bug, but other than that everyone is doing well. Kai and I will be heading home from the hospital tomorrow.

Here are a few of our favorite phots of him. You can imagine that there are quite a few already. Family photo and more detail of the fun event to follow.

Here is a photo of our birthtime team within the hour after Kai is Born. From L to R, our Doula Becky, Auntie Katie, Kai's Mom, The Super Star- Kai, Grandma Carol, Nanita Devrah and, Big Daddy GideonBrendt (a.k.a. SuperDad) and KaiMom (wow! that's me!) and Kai

Things to do while waiting

Mom & Katie took a spontaneous trip to San Diego with the hopes that the little start would make an appearance this weekend. We did some walking and I went to yoga. Mainly we just hung out around the house. Here are a few videos of things that you can do to pass the time while waiting for a child's birth. . .

Ok, so my exercise/birthing ball was being abused, but everyone was having a good laugh out of it. :-)


Mom and Katie went home this afternoon without any interesting developments. They are fully ready to turn right back around and come back if things start moving again. Brendt's mom is also packed and ready to depart Tucson on a moment's notice. I, in the mean time, am making plans this week. Sitting and waiting might just make me go insane!

Full Term!

Hooray! Today the baby is considered to be full term. That means that although every day to 40 (or 41) makes life easier on baby in the first months, this little one is considered fully baked and ready to take on life in the outside world. Yesterday I went to the doctor and I've dilated to 2cm. and am 50% effaced. This could mean that I could deliver in 2 days or 2 weeks.

Total uncertainty is still the name of the game, and likely will be for some time. In the mean time, I'm feeling like the major tasks are done and things are in place. Today I got to hang out with my friend Tobin and his girls Kaelyn and Eliana. It was another beautiful day in San Diego, so Kaelyn played in her sandbox and we all enjoyed the weather. This weekend Brendt and I are going to keep the plans to a minimum to let Brendt prepare his lesson plans and grade papers just in case this little one shows up.

My mom and sister have their bags packed and are ready to hit the road to San Diego whenever I call. :-) In other words, the stage is set, the actors are prepared, we're all just awaiting the star's arrival.

Tick tock. . . any time now.

The Home Life

I'm on maternity leave, now through baby's birthday and then 3 months after. I've been adjusting to a different pace, trying to rest and relax. :-) As most of you know, I don't sit still very well, but I'm trying not to push it.


I finished my "seated" to do list just in time for my mom to come and visit for a few days. Luckily she, her boundless energy, almost finished my "other" to do list in the first night she was here. More than anything it was nice just to have her around and to have someone to help the workday hours pass by a little more pleasingly. Not that the Westie's aren't grand company, but their conversation skills are a little lacking.


This week my "to do" list has expanded to items a little lower on the priority list including submitting insurance receipts and cleaning out the junk drawer. :-) Who knows what I'll be doing (alphabetizing the spice cabinet) by the time May 9th rolls around.



Here is a photo of me a few days ago at 36 weeks.

Friday I'll be 37 weeks, which is considered a full term pregnancy. The doctor said that after that I'm all clear to comence jumping jacks. Ok, my words, not his, but I can pretty much do whatever as baby will be in good shape to join us on the outside. I was folding wee little baby socks today and just thinking about how great it is going to be to actually get my hands on those tiny toes.

Parenthood put to the test

This weekend our friends threw us a grand coed shower, complete with Greek & Mexican food (appropriate for the Gidepakis), a keg, a dozen kids under 7, and the ultimate test of parenthood. Katie put together a relay race that tested the team's ability to diaper, feed, entertain and transport children. Enjoy the spectacle. This was hysterical. I give extra points to Lee who upon his win of the relay race, spiked the baby (used as a baton). :-)

We managed to keep it pretty coed friendly but when it came time to open the gifts, the men filed out of the room one by one, driven by the ever present cooing. Poor guys. Who can blame them. Brendt rallied though and managed to find a stellar use for the "My Breast Friend" breastfeeding pillow, and now beer carrier.

Here is a photo of our niece Maya with her party duds on. She was helping us child proof our living room and looking especially cute while doing so. I don't understand who pays adults to child proof their homes. I mean, just invite 12 of your friends kids over and you'll learn quite quickly what needs to be moved or locked away.