kai's kisses

I'm reminded all of the time about how much I love Kai. I know it may sound corny, especially to those of you who don't have children of your own, but I really have never loved anyone like I love my son. Like when he wakes up for whatever reason in the middle of the night, I'm usually the first to hear him (thanks to my overly sensitive hearing) and help him get himself back to sleep. Or when he barges into our bedroom while I'm sleeping, and says "daddy" and runs out, as if he just wanted to confirm that I was there before he went on his way. Or when I'm leaving for work, how we runs to the front window and stands there and watches me leave, with his little hand on the window. Those are just some of the little things that I now cannot imagine my life without. I love the way he kisses me, with his tongue lapped out over his bottom lip, all wide-mouthed and wet and slimy. It may sound gross, but it's my son, and that's how he kisses me. It's sweet.

He learned the word "tomato" today. It sounds like "toe-toe" when he says it, but I know what he's talking about. He will literally sit and eat every piece of tomato out of a salad if you let him. He loves tomatoes. And he's been eating a ton of veggies lately. If we sauté some greens in plenty of olive oil with some kosher salt, he's all about it. Knock on wood, right?

The therapy is coming along, albeit slowly. The MRI revealed two herniated discs in my neck. They're not fully herniated, or else I'd probably be bed-ridden, but they out of whack nonetheless. I'm lucky to be alive, is how I see it. Hopefully the therapy I'm going through can help me conquer the daily pain. I swear I get a searing headache at the base of my skull about every other day now, it seems. Like tonight after work, I had to sit and stop working for a few minutes just to get through the pain. Thinking about Kai and his sweet full-contact kisses helps me cope.