Portland, here we come!

Once a year, the surgery program sends me to a conference. This year, it was in Portland, so after weeks and weeks of begging, Noah's grandparents in Oregon finally agreed that maybe they would tolerate watching him for a short period of time. Well, maybe that's not exactly how it played out, but the end result was Daddy and baby on a plane to Oregon.

Noah did very well on the way out there. He's a handful, and he's definitely more active than when Libby took him out west in December. It was such a good arm work-out, juggling him back and forth and struggling to keep him from grabbing the person seated next to us, that my arms were sore for two days afterwards!

Our welcoming crew included Uncle Roger from California!

We made it, luggage and all. My suitcase weighed 50lbs. Without exaggeration, about 25lbs of that was frozen breast milk and ice. It all made it intact... PHEW! Without it, it would've been a bit stressful.

First thing's first. After a long morning and afternoon of planes and airports, a little nap was in order, followed by some exercise! Grandma Asai had been looking for an excuse to go play on the swings at the local park for quite some time, and Noah was eager to oblige.

At first, I think Grandma had more fun than baby...

And then even Uncle Roger started playing, leaving no one to push Noah!

But finally we realized the error of our ways, paid the baby the

attention he deserves, and he was a happy camper, once again!

The trip was a great chance for Noah and his grandparents to get to know one another. At first, he was a bit hesitant, and he may even have cried once or twice. But over the long weekend, both grandparents got chances to play with him, feed him, hold him, walk with him, and yes... even have some EARLY morning baby duty...

I don't wanna sleep in the crib, Grandma! Your lap is more comfortable!

It was Portland's annual Rose Festival when we went. It was interesting to see all the people downtown and to see the excitement and activity in the city while I was going to the conference. Noah didn't really get to see too much, but it was probably for the best. You know, in Portland, people can be pretty "progressive." And apparently part of the way they define that on the west coast is by riding around on bicycles in a large group... naked.

I felt really bad as I walked past this scene, because there was this Asian man, walking with his 10-year-old son, in disbelief at the sight before us. He obviously had no clue what to do... point and laugh? Cover his son's eyes? Use it as an opportunity to teach his child about the birds and the bees? The son solved the dilemma for the man, though, when he excitedly asked, "Dad, can I pose in a picture with them?" So, he stood on the sidewalk as his father took a picture with a bunch of naked people in the background.

The other sad part of the experience was the very obese woman with the group, wearing nothing but a little tutu. She was struggling to keep up, and just after she rode past me, decided it was too much, and she got off to walk her bike, thus ending any hope that she might ever catch up and rejoin the group. Shortly, the other riders were out of sight and rather than being a member of a big group doing something weird, she suddenly transformed into one weird, large, naked lady walking her bike down the street.

But I digress... back to our star!

Noah loved spending time with the Asais. He got to visit with lots of his Portland Posse. Of course they showered him with attention and gifts, and as we all know, Noah loves an audience, so he ate up every second of it.

One of the highlights for Noah, though, was probably his interactions with Rosie, the family dog. This was the first time he had any sort of regular interactions with a canine friend. "Friend" is a relatively loose term, though. Noah took exceptional interest in the dog. Rosie was happy that (for now) she's still faster than Noah.

Noah showed off all his new skills to his grandparents. He clapped for them. He babbled. He crawled all over. He stood. He walked (with help, of course). He showed off his six teeth for Grandpa Dentist. He ate lots of solid foods. He smiled. He giggled. He was an all-around excellent entertainer.

That was all very hard work. It's hard to please everyone all the time. In fact, there's a cliché that says you can't do it, but Noah did the impossible. It came with a price, though. And by the end, a quick trip to the farmer's market before heading to the airport... well, let's just say Noah probably doesn't remember much of it...

Did that last post say he's crawling?!?!

Yes, it did. But really, what's more important? Crawling or a Tiger's game. Good to know we're on the same page.

May 27, Noah finally figured it out... only, at first, he didn't know he figured it out. He finally started making forward progress, aside from just lunging for things. He'd been doing that for awhile, sprawling out on the floor for any object which met his fancy (which 98% of the time was one of our cell phones). But Friday, he lunged... and lunged... and lunged... and lunged... and then, he was on the other side of the room! Poor Noah, though, apparently didn't remember where he started because he didn't quite realize he could make such advances.

For the next day, he continued to crawl, one lunge at a time, as long as we kept his goal (i.e. cell phone) JUST out of his reach. If we tried putting it on the floor on the other side of the room, he'd just cry, thinking he couldn't make it all the way. But if we led him, like with a carrot-on-a-string, he'd go as far as we'd let him.

That didn't last long. The video below is from May 30. He's basically mobile now. If he sees something he wants, he goes for it. He pulls himself to standing without thinking twice about it. He switches from crawling to sitting and back again like a pro (unless he's on a slippery floor... then he just ends up crawling backward instead of sitting again).




He's started taking steps, too, with our support. We don't often even have to coax him by making him lean really far one way until he picks up a foot. We just hold his hands, and if he's not where he wants to be, he'll slowly start stepping in that direction.

Time to install the baby gates.