Laowai

recent posts

  • No, no, no

    We might regret this soon. I mean we might regret showing excitement and laughing when she says “no”. She listens to the Amy Winehouse song called Rehab and sings along to the “no, no, no” part of the lyrics. 

    “They tried to make me go to rehab I said no no no,
    Yes I’ve been black but when I come back no no no,
     I ain’t got the time, and if my daddy thinks I’m fine,
    They tried to make me go to rehab I won’t go go go.”

    Here she is getting her groove on with daddy. Listen carefully for the “no, no, no”. Sorry the video quality is so crappy.

    Okay – I can’t help myself – I have to post this one too. 

  • BEFORE AND AFTER


  • CINNAMON GIRL

    Hi daddy, I miss you.

    – Bea


  • HONEY JAR

    Bea is napping and I should be cleaning up the huge pile of mess that is left from our trip to Wisconsin this weekend. Instead, I’m noticing the sunshine on this honey jar that mom gave Bea for Christmas.



  • HAPPY FATHER’S DAY, HAPPY DADDY’S DAY

    How can it be Father’s Day number two already?

    You always thought you had to put the brakes on our inevitable march to parenthood. You even seemed to pretend that is wasn’t inevitable. I treasure that old pre-baby life, but if anyone was meant to be a father it’s you. So responsible and deliberate in everything you do – that makes you a father. And now that she is here you kiss and cuddle and elicit giggles like no one else can – and that makes you a daddy. 

    I’m sorry you had to travel today. I’ll make you a feast of a breakfast next weekend.

    We love you very much.
    – k and Bea


  • ONE YEAR AGO


  • ENJOYING

    Enjoying the giddy excitement when Daddy comes home from work. Brian usually gets down on the floor to play with her before he even takes his shoes off. She often wants him to chase her – she makes a coy come get me face. Last night she was especially excited because Brian had been away for a few days. He showed her the funny bonking noise that the measuring cup made when he hit it on his head. Then he was surprised that she wanted to bonk him on the head over and over.



    Enjoying summer outfits and seeing lots of soft pudgy skin.


    Enjoying our patio and the nice weather. It’s almost better than a backyard at this point because she is nicely contained. I fill a galvanized bucket with a few inches of water and she is entertained for a long time.



    Bea’s enjoying multiples of anything. She loves to play with a bunch of rocks on the patio, a bunch of spice jars from the kitchen, or this bunch of milk top thingys that I’ve been collecting. She transfers them from one container to another. It’s almost obsessive behavior.



  • Chicago Blues Festival (Posted by Brian)

    Last weekend was the Chicago Blues Festival. Many years ago before moving to Chicago, I always wanted to plan a trip to Chicago for the Blues Festival. A couple of years back we made it down here with Dave and Kim and kids and I realized it wasn’t the gritty, gravelly-voiced blues I imagined but more of a family affair with over-priced beer and chocolate ice cream tunnel cake. So this year, we thought maybe Bebe would like to join us. She donned her festival gear and practiced her clapping.


      

     

    The festival crowd was not your typical Lincoln Park beauties and had some real mutants. Bea, however, was ready for anything and took some brave and bold walks into the scary masses.


     

    And occasionally had to be retrieved from harm by Mommy. Do you see “harm” in this picture?


     

    When the graham crackers (known as “Kaka”) made their appearance on the scene, Daddy got a little love… which lasted as long as the Kaka lasted.


     

    Then we hit Millennium Park about 5 minutes before the sky opened up and soaked all who remained.


  • Retired (Posted by Brian)


    Reading the title, you might think that this post is about my parents who have been retired for a little more than a year now and are still figuring it out. You might think that I am going to write about how the number of annual visits (two) from them has inexplicably NOT risen, despite having no schedule, no plans and no commitments. You might think this is about how they are perfectly happy to sit and Midland and demand to be visited. But it is not.

    Instead, we focus on the news today that Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has finally retired after his triumphant win in the Super Bowl last year. I honestly hardly know who he is and certainly not enough to write some sort of a tribute to him except that he has one characteristic that reminds me of someone I know. See if you can pick it out.

     

     

  • IT’S SUMMER

    We’ve got our beach tokens and we’ve tested the water… it’s officially summer.