Justin, Nam, Max, and Mina are visiting the Yoshida clan home in Cali for most of May. We are checking email sporadically, but are offline as much as possible. I know that means missing out on gems like the following, but that’s a relatively small sacrifice to make.
Category: Oh, baby!
Dave and Michiko Visited…
…Bearing many gifts, one of which is a Radio Flyer with more bells and whistles than you might believe:
- Padded neoprene cushion on wagon bed
- Front and rear seatback cushions
- Modular drink holders
- Front and rear saddlebags
- Huge wheels with inflatable tires
- Removable sun shade
- Genuine cork grip handle
- Foldable (underneath wagon) handle for easy storage
- Rack and pinion steering (to prevent tipping)
Max and Mina now cruise in more comfort than daddy in his Kujira Crown. Thanks for the gifts, guys!
Songkran Babies
It was a hot Songkran and we spent the whole week at home, playing in our new pool/bath (a big concrete mixing tub made of black plastic).
Max ran all around the neighborhood, naked in the summer heat.
When Max turned 2
The happy birthday song is his favorite thing in the world and he made us sing it many, many times.
Around Mahasarakham: The Cowboy Barber
Today Max turned two and when he fell asleep in the car, we took him to a barber on Srisawat Road famous for dressing like a cowboy (and cutting with shears instead of clippers). Nam held Max on her shoulder as cowboy barber man snipped away. Meanwhile, I was busy inspecting his shop, an older two story townhouse decorated with photos of him posing with other cowboy enthusiThais, Marlboro man swag like ashtrays and posters, a decommissioned muzzleloader, and a photo of Tom Selleck in cowboy attire!
This last detail ensures that daddy will also be going back for a cut there sometime, with camera.
Songkran 2010
Although I went to work on Friday, most people here have the whole week off to celebrate Thai New Year – I’m probably the only blogger in Thailand not posting photos of water fights and drunken merriment, but that’s only because I have a two kids who love playing with water every single day, so it’s not that special… And since I’m in no particular hurry to see people get hurt in horrible traffic accidents in the name of water fight shits and giggles,we mostly stay at home. Bah, humbug.
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Something exciting did happen last weekend, though. Our booming housing development’s manager called us up to let us know she was having a good masseuse come through, so we asked if he could stop by our place. In short – he’s the best we’ve ever experienced, any place, any price. He’s more of an acupressure specialist than a masseuse, but he works magic. He has one of the few claims to fame as a masseuse that means something in my mind – he was recognized for his skills by Thaksin (regardless of what you think of the man or the politician, it’s pretty much given that Mr. T could hire any masseuse in the world so the fact that he chose this guy means something). This guy, seriously, is at least the very best in this province, and we’ve been to the majority of them here, including three different blind parlors/schools (I was convinced for the longest time that blind masseuses weer the best). He diagnosed some preexisting conditions that Nam, Max, and I had just by touching our arms, and he had a very unique style, using arms as localizers and working mostly on the legs. He mostly used his elbows. His massage did not really hurt at all, except when working on high tension points, but the final effect was complete and total relaxation and an enervating high. We are keen on trying it again, if for no other reason than to make sure he really is as good as we think he is.
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Trying to put two little kids to sleep is like playing whack-a-mole, except that you can’t whack them. It’s amazing how they can set each other off crying so you end up with a symphony of tears that makes you want to tear your ears off.
restless night
Last night was pretty hard on all of us: The babies fell asleep waaay too early, meaning they were sure to wake up in the middle of the night and not sleep again until it got light. Then Nam came down with symptoms of food poisoning around midnight and started cramping very badly. She tried to tough it out, but at around two in the morning, she called her sister to come take her to the hospital while I stayed with the babies.
They gave her a muscle relaxant shot and she was instantly better. She was back at home a little after three. Both babies woke up and I fell asleep holding a hysterically grinning Mina on the couch. The rest is a blur, but there were definite times we had to take turns attending a crying baby while the other got some precious sleep. Tonight should be better.
Yes or No?
Emperor Maximus strongly disagrees.
Mina’s passport photo
The vice consul who handled our case thought this was a great passport photo.