Daddy did something incredible and isolated a problem with the inverter for the broken LCD monitor, which enabled the broken component to be replaced by an unlicensed professional working out of an unventilated solder trap of a storefront.
Here is a snapshot of daddy’s progress before Max came over to assault with a cup of yogurt:
Category: Oh, baby!
Biggest Fall Yet
Yesterday, when we were walking back from seeing the only horse in the area (name: Happy), Max stepped on a piece of wood, lost his balance, and fell forward onto the street. I saw the moment of impact and saw him turn his head and arch his back at the last minute (good boy!) but when I picked him up, his mouth was filled with blood. Nam handed me a cloth diaper (which we only use as baby rags now) and I was able to clean up some blood and determine that he’d cut open his bottom lip with his tooth. He was crying a bit, but kind of stopped in shock as he tasted that sour metallic taste for the first time. The pungent smell of it made my heart race, too. We walked home quickly and cleaned him up in the shower. It’s swelled up a bit today, but it should be OK. He doesn’t seem to feel it.
I just can’t get his expression out of my mind, that moment when he looked at me not knowing what was happening, in pain but not really sure what was wrong. I’m pretty sure, in that moment, I could have, say, lifted a bus, or fought off a bear to help him. And Nam, who I saw brought to tears when he first started moving around and getting little boo boos, was totally solid.
So, any bears feel like screwing around with us?
Rain no come
We did everything in our powers to make the rain come today: Washed both cars, watered the garden and lawn, and even washed the old motorbike. It never came, though. Usually just washing one car this time of year is enough to make it rain on the spot. We stop trying to keep the cars clean during this 2 or 3 month period, because it’s impossible to keep it that way for more than a day, usually.
Oh well, Max had fun all day and is sleeping now.
Pink Magic Window
My dad sent my sister’s favorite old toy in a care package. I wanted to look it up on the net but I couldn’t think of what it might be called or even how to describe it. Luckily, the product name was molded into the clear plastic case in very small raised lettering, “MAGIC WINDOW.” Behold our glow-in-the-dark model Wham-o Magic Window:
Of course I had to take some shots in the dark:
And then I had a moment of inspiration, but had only one window to take long exposures without waking baby or mommy:
I am taking very special care of this new/old toy. I don’t know where or when my sister got it, but it was probably made in 1974 or 1975.
FYI, it’s currently worth about $80 to $100 on eBay.
Ambulating terror
I mentioned that Max is walking, right?
Up until last week he was still apprehensive about walking without a support of some sort and wouldn’t stand up by himself from a sitting position… A couple days ago he totally disappeared from our view for the first time and the few seconds it took to find him (he went to play with the surge protector in his room) were filled with sheer terror and what-ifs.
He walks over to the kitchen a lot and likes to open cupboards, even though he’s already got his hand caught a few times. He likes to explore the refrigerator. He is naturally attracted to fans, outlets, and all of my electronic stuff. He’s so strong it seems that he broke a large calculator with his bare hands (if he didn’t tear the lcd panel off, I don’t know who did).
It’s time to upgrade the kiddie barriers.
Home Alone with Max
The nanny took the day off today and mommy had a meeting from the afternoon, so MAx and daddy stayed home and played all day. The highlight if the day was letting Max eat yogurt by himself on the front porch and then hosing it off afterward.
It’s been rainy recently but in between storms the sky can be quite dramatic. Here’s a couple shots from not too long ago:
Max is almost walking by himself
Although in this photo, he’s just omnomnomnom.
Mommy and I sit on the floor a few feet apart and make him walk alone back and fourth, and he does that just fine… But he’s not quite comfortable walking instead of crawling yet. Friends tell me that any spare time I’ve enjoyed while the baby’s awake will no longer exist after he learns to walk.
It’s Mango Season
Around these parts, mango season comes at the hottest time of the year. This year, luckily, we have been blessed with rain almost every week, which brings down the temperature and gives everybody a nice respite from the dry heat. The first five months or so when I first came, it didn’t really rain at all, so it’s been nice having a cooler hot season last year and an even cooler one this year.
Back to mangoes, though – everybody seems to have mango trees growing in their yard and a single mature tree can produce perhaps hundreds of fruit every season. So visitors over the past few weeks have kept our fruit baskets overflowing with all different varieties and flavors of mangoes. Combined with the fruit on one of our banana trees ripening a couple weeks ago, Max and family have been enjoying a truly bountiful harvest.
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Natchan’s mom plating a particularly delicious variety of mango, “oklong,” from her trees at home, with Nam.
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One of my favorite sights in the whole world – a pile of fruit ready to be devoured!
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Max is just like daddy – he loves getting his hands dirty eating the pits.
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This afternoon while Max slept, it rained again and I sat on the porch with a pocketknife, a plastic bucket, and a few dozen mangoes. I started peeling them one by one and sucking all of the flesh off the pits. Before long, the bucket was filled with pits and skins and sweet mango juice was dribbling down my arms. About the closest sensation I can think of back home is eating fresh peaches: Sweet, sticky fun. The only difference is that mangoes grow all over the place here – it’s one of the most common fruits grown in people’s yards. Thank god for that.
After I could eat no more, I planted the pits outside our fence to begin a new cycle.