We had planned to take a picnic supper to the Yuba River with Cory, David & Eva, for Kit's first birthday party. However, Shell's cold had become an entrenched sinus infection and she felt too tired at the end of a long day to go. So we took the picnic over to David & Cory's and had it by their pool instead. Bill & Laurie, their children Christopher and Matthew, and Laurie's niece were also there, and the adults had a nice visit while watching the kids play in and around the pool. Cory had picked up a baby-cake and an adults' cake, and we sang Happy Birthday (one day early).

We spent the weekend with Kit's Aunt Carol & Uncle Chris in Fresno. It was hot, but we mostly stayed indoors during the day and played in their pool in the late afternoon when it was in the shade. We watched the neighbors' fireworks display on the Fourth, until Kit got upset at all the loud noises and sparks -- then Shell took him inside to watch through the window where he felt safe.

On the 22nd, Shell came down with a sore throat that turned into a bad cold. On the 24th, Kit started having a stuffed up, sniffly nose, too. We were better by the weekend though, and all went to Eva's FIRST birthday party on Saturday, the 28th. It was a HUGE party with lots of family and friends there. We swam in the pool, ate great food, there was a cake for the kids and one for the adults, and we all had a lot of fun - including Kit.

We took a 5-day trip... to Kansas to visit Kit's birthfamily! He had never met his great-grandparents or the cousins from his birthfamily, or his birthmom's new boyfriend, and this was the first time his birth-grandma and grandpa had seen him since birth, or his birthmom since December, so this was a very exciting trip for everyone.

We weren't sure how he'd do with all the plane travel, since it had been 7 months since he'd flown, so we packed lots of toys and books for the flight. We left home Friday at 6:30am, and had a direct flight at 9:45 from Sacramento to Kansas City (3 1/2 hours). It was about 3:15 Central time when we landed and it took at least a half hour for our luggage to arrive at the carousel so it was around 4:30 pm when we got the rental car and started the drive to Wichita (about 3 hours west). We got to the hotel and 'moved in', and Di left to pick up milk, bottled water and diapers at Walmart and some dinner from a Thai restaurant we'd eaten at last year and liked. Then while Di gave Kit some supper, I called Kit's birth-grandma Mary Ann to let her know we were there and settle the details about where and when we were getting together on Saturday. After dinner, we just found pajamas and fell into bed.

(Candlewood Suites are WONDERFUL hotels, by the way. Our 1-bdrm suite had a bathroom, bedroom, and a living room-dining room-kitchen area with plenty of space for Kit to play on clean floors. The kitchen is fully equipped so we didn't have to eat meals in restaurants at all, taking some stress off Kit.)

Saturday after breakfast in our room and a stop at a grocery store, we headed over to Mary Ann's parents' house at 11. This was a "small" get-together, just birth-grandma Mary Ann, her parents Ola and Odus, and Kit's birthmom Becky and her boyfriend Steve, and Mary Ann's partner Skeet who arrived about 5pm after work. We all hugged and talked and watched Kit play... and ate. Tuna salad sandwiches, a hot macaroni and hamburger dish, green beans, chips and dip, strawberry cake with strawberry icing, and sugar cookies, with iced tea--and we were assured this was just a quick lunch, nothing much. Kansas hospitality lacks for nothing, we can tell you!

We had brought a few toys along so there's be familiar things for him, and he also had fun exploring the toy drawer in his great-grandparents' living room. Finally everyone was tired out, and we went back to the hotel about 7pm. We had some Thai leftovers and Kit had a bit of dinner, although he was starting to resist the baby food out of jars. (He's used to most of his food being home-cooked and pureed and frozen in ice cube trays, and the jar stuff doesn't taste quite the same.) He played a while and Di read him stories, and we finally got him settled down for sleep.

Sunday morning we had breakfast and went to Heartland Friends Meeting at 11am, in their new Meetinghouse on the far western edge of Wichita. It's a lovely building and the people are warm and welcoming. Some of the same people were there when we attended Meeting last year, and they were delighted to meet Kit. He was fairly well-behaved in Meeting. Shell took him out of the meeting room after a few wiggly and chatty minutes and we explored the new building -- and found a pond with a splashing fountain to play in (and two goldfish named George and Margaret!) -- but during the second half-hour he sat on someone else's lap or our laps and was very quiet.

After Meeting, we headed over to Ola and Odus' house at 1 pm, this time for the Big Event: Kit's birthday celebration (exactly one month early). In addition to everyone who had been there on Saturday, he also met his birthmom's cousins: Lori, her husband Casey, and their 3-yr old daughter Lauren; and Matt, his 4-yr old daughter Kaitlyn, and his girlfriend Leah. It was a good thing we'd been there the day before, because this was beginning to be a little overwhelming for Kit. He watched his second-cousins and seemed pretty fascinated by them, but couldn't really play with them because they were running around. And everyone wanted to hold him but he wasn't sure he wanted anyone but Di and Shell to hold him because there were so many people there he'd never seen before. We had a huge feast this time: tortilla chips with hot cheese dip, a ham and a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, peach cobbler, and a white cake with white icing and candles for the birthday part. Matt, Leah and Kaitlyn left fairly early, since it was father's day and they had other places to visit. Then we opened Kit's birthday presents: tons of cute clothes, some toys and books, and a quilt of nursery rhymes which was a joint gift from Mary Ann (the fabric) and her sister Susan (the quilt-making), Susan is Lori and Matt's mother, and now lives in Arizona with her husband Greg. Lori, Casey and Lauren left after a bit for her father's, and the rest of us visited until about 8 or so. After a final round of picture taking, and Kit finally let his birthmom, grandma and great-grandma hold him for pictures, we took our leave for this trip.

Back at the hotel, Kit fell asleep pretty quickly--he was completely worn out. Di and Shell packed everything up for an early departure the next morning and followed him to bed. Monday morning we got up at 5 and after a quick breakfast, we loaded up the car and headed for Kansas City, Missouri. Kit stayed asleep through this, waking up for the gas station stop so we found a pretty neighborhood to park in and feed him his breakfast, and then he played and slept until we arrived at our friend Roberta's house in Grain Valley (just outside Kansas City) about 11am. We spent the day with her, touring her house and garden, having ice cream at Clinton's Old-Fashioned Soda Fountain and touring the Truman home in Independence (Kit slept through it). Back at Roberta's, Kit played with his new (soft!) Matchbox fire engine and little cars from Roberta, and chased the cat around crawling under the big loom in the living room. Meanwhile Roberta cooked us dinner: steaks (we were in Kansas City, after all!) grilled outdoors, roasted potatoes, sliced tomato and cucumber salad, homemade onion relish, bread and butter, and wine. Well, she also made mint juleps to begin with. Di decided to just have the wine since she would be driving later and we happen to know how Roberta mixes drinks. :-) Shell however, enjoyed her first mint julep immensely. We left Roberta's about 9pm and headed to the hotel near the airport where we had reservations.

Unfortunately, they had no nonsmoking rooms available when we arrived (around 9:45pm), so they put us on the smoking floor. In addition to the stench of stale smoke, the room was dirty and run-down. All 4 rooms they showed us were. We DO NOT recommend staying at a Main Stay America. Ever. Sleep in your car first. We endured it as best we could and finished cramming all the gifts Kit had received into suitcases and packing our carry-on bags with baby food and entertainment for the long trip home the next day. About midnight we fell into bed and to sleep, under the blanket with the cigarette burn in it.

And it was a very long day coming home on Tuesday. We got up about 8:30 and left the awful hotel as quickly as we could, which was unfortunately not until about 10am. We returned the rental car and got to the airport about 11, checked our bags and found a Starbucks for a late breakfast. Our flight left at 12:50pm for Phoenix (2 1/2 hour flight) and we had an hour layover there. Then flew to Sacramento (2 hour flight plus a 1/2 hour delay before takeoff), retrieved our luggage, and Di went to get the car to pick Shell, Kit and luggage up. We stopped on the way home for dinner (miso soup, sunomono and sushi - Yum!), and got in about 8:30pm (10:30 Central time). We'd been traveling for over 12 hours when we finally got Kit home -- and he was already fast asleep so we just carried him straight in to bed.

Kit was a real trouper through the whole 5-day trip. He didn't cry or fuss on any of the flights, and we got lots of compliments on what a good little traveler he is from our relieved fellow passengers. :-)

Ben, a 14 yr old Friend from our Meeting is out of school for the summer. Hurray! When he's not at baseball camp or on vacation with his family, he'll be watching Kit for a couple of hours at a time so Shell can get things done that are hard to do with Kit. We tried it out this week from 9-11am on Monday and Tuesday and Shell got the tomatoes' raised bed cleaned up and planted, the soaker hose arranged and the timer set up for the summer, cleared bindweed from the area where the pumpkins and squash will go, and repotted the pumpkins and squash into larger pots so they'll hold until we get back from Kansas since there wasn't enough time to turn the soil and get them in the ground. Whew. Kit had fun playing with Ben both days, and didn't even miss me until he saw me when I came back in the house.

Di was away for 4 nights, at Microsoft's TechEd in Dallas. We picked her up at the airport and Kit was SO excited when he saw her coming down the escalator. He wouldn't let go of her for a while afterwards, as if afraid she'd disappear again.

First day at the 'beach'! We headed to the Yuba River for a picnic with David and Cory and their daughter Eva. Kit and Eva had fun getting sand all over themselves, and Kit really enjoyed watching a bigger girl (3 years old) and her mom making sand structures and a tiny canal. She was very kind about letting him knock everything over and dig in the canal.

Today was Shell's birthday and Mother's Day. We went to the Sacramento Zoo with Ken and Janet and their twin daughters, Lauren and Nicole, and then back to K&J's for a quick supper and a birthday cake which Di had transported from Nevada City. Lots of fun was had by all, and Kit really enjoyed playing with all the big girls' toys (they're about 17 months old).

He pulled himself to his feet ALL BY HIMSELF today! I left him sitting down playing with his toys in the living room in the safe area we've fenced off with a baby gate, and came back a few minutes later to find him standing up and holding onto the gate. He continued to try it all day long, with everything... couch, the wooden footstool, me. He's worn himself out with the hard work, but he's completely thrilled about it.

ADOPTION DAY!
Today was our court hearing for finalization of the adoption. About 35 of our family and friends were there with us in court, and then we all went to brunch at the South Pine Cafe in Nevada City to celebrate. Kit received lots of cards and gifts (although it wasn't supposed to be a presents-occasion!)
He wore a fancy dress-up outfit to court--dark green cordury pants with a 'faux-fly', a white polo shirt, a soft white knit Peter Rabbit sweater with a hood, and his first real shoes: dark blue-green leather sandals courtesy of his Auntie Jeanie and Uncle Doug. (Pictures will be posted eventually.)

Kit's eating lots of solid foods by now: oatmeal, rice cereal, banana, applesauce, pears, sweet potato, peas, green beans, tofu, avocado, and carrots. Soon to come: Winter squash and peaches!
We're negotiating with him who gets to control the spoon however... mealtimes are getting messier by the day!

Kit woke up about 3:30am on Wed and about 4:30am last night. I hope this isn't going to be a long spell of interrupted nights! At least Di was home last night - she changed him & warmed up the supplement while I became conscious enough to get up to feed him. Then he wouldn't go back down so I put him in bed with us so Di & I could sleep even if he wouldn't. He settled down then and nursed & slept off & on until I gave up around 8am. At least it allowed Di to sleep until the alarm went off at 7, since he wasn't fussing & crying. I found she'd tucked us in all cozy when she got up, and she'd made coffee for me & heated up the Cinnabons she brought home yesterday from the 'Big City'. It's SO nice to have her back home!!
He loves his bunny-blanket. He fell asleep (the first time) last night hugging it & occasionally scrubbing the fleece side across his face. Took the rattle off first--it's pretty noisy & I wanted him to GO TO SLEEP. Unfortunately, it didn't help at 5-ish this morning when I was trying to put him back in his bed. He hugged it to him & kept on fussing & flailing around.

Today we have to unpack Di, do tons of laundry, & repack all 3 of us for a road-trip to Bullhead City, Arizona. We're going to see Di's older brother, her mom, possibly her father & stepmother, and Di's going to do some research for a mystery she's writing. Also have to prep the laptop to go with us so we can check email, I can start work on a new website job, & Di can write (& take care of work, if she's needed.) And we have to vacuum the house & make the guest bed up for the house&petsitter who'll be staying here in our absence to take care of Mocha, Mysti & the hummingbirds. I suppose I should go get started!

Today was a Mom's Group meeting and Shell had another chance to weigh Kit. He's 12lbs at 14 weeks and 2 days old. Cory and Eva came for the first time and then we did errands together afterwards so one mom could stay with the babies in the car while the other one ran in to the store or bank. It was a LOT easier that way. We also made a visit to the 'new baby store' to buy them bunny-blankets: tiny blankets with one fleece side and one satiny side, a soft bunny-head sewn to the fleece side near a corner and 2 Velcro loops to attach a round rattle (included) and a pacifier or other toy. They had exactly one pink and one blue one left, so we wiped out their supply.
He slept through until about 7am--a much more normal night.

Kit and Shell went to the Mom's Group today. He was weighed again and he's up to 10lbs 12ozs, at 11 weeks and 2 days of age.

Aug. 4, 2002

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