Russell's School of Seduction

For all the single guys out there, my boy would like to demonstrate how he executes some the basic rules of engagement. His old man wasn't nearly as good at this, but its all the rule of nature that a child will someday exceed the skills of the parent.



Step#1 - Be Excellent
Excellent or at least memorable. Check how Russell is rockin' the mismatched sock deal. That little girl can easily recall Russ from any other dudes at the party as the cool sock guy.

Step#2 - Be Desireless
Nothing stinks more than the stench of desperation. Russell looks slightly aloof and coolly ignores the fact that her eyes are all over him. He's already confident and content and it's her challenge to gain his attention.

Step#3 - Be Gone
Those pursue that what retreats from us. Russell doesn't want to stick around to give up his whole story. By leaving the scene early, he leaves with his cloak of mystery intact. At this point, she knows he's got some cool sock style, he's confident and not needy... he's given her a taste, but wants to leave while she's still hungry.



There you go boys... by this point, she's ready for the 'reconnect'. Russell would have gotten her number but she can't speak yet, and Russell's penmanship is not quite up to his Casanova skills.

Russell-less update :-(

So I can't say much about what Russ has been up to this week. He left for Trinidad on Wednesday to see his Grandpa Ken and his Great Grandma Leontine.


..so i guess this will be a Daddy update...

so last night, still somewhat stunned by the Leafs win over the Red Wings, I found myself at Dan's place playing Guitar Hero. After rocking it with the Yam-man for a few hours, i had it in my mind to bring home my electric guitar at my earliest convenience. So tonight, I'm strumming it with the TV on, and I see if there's anything interesting going on with the Grammy's... at the commercial break, they say Alicia Keys is will be performing live so...being a lonely guy with the Ms. away, I figure I could use a little Alicia 'pick-me-up'.

So I basically turned the volume down and fiddled with my guitar for the next hour or so as I waited for her act.

She looked great as usual (sorry hun) and was singing "No One". Yes its totally been overplayed but she mixes it up a bit live and had John Mayer step in for some added soloing, (Unlike Kanye and the dumb, but slightly catchy, 'Stronger' - They actually muted out the "shit" and "dyke", just like on FM radio, the probably just played the CD they bought at WalMart in the background... what a meathead... I really wished he wouldn't win so he could cry about how much he should have won and would boycott the awards... blah blah blah... ) ... k so back to Keys.. so the song is going and I'm trying to follow the base line to learn the chords. The song is the 4 chords for the entire song except for the bridge. D - A - Bflat - G... so I'm playing along and I realize why that song sounds so good. They're the same chords as "Weekend in Scarborough"! Damn you Alicia for stealing my stuff!!!

Like Father Like Son

I swear i must have drove my parent loony doing this very thing when i was little. My memory is pretty poor but i recall doing this to no end as a baby.


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9 months old today !!!

Just to keep yall informed... and yes, my sleeper has been washed since the photos in the last posting.

Sick week

Sadly, Russell's social calendar had to be cut short this week as he came down with a cold.


Actually, he really cut back on seeing other babies. He still made it both the mall and Ikea for a little shopping. Basically a regular weekend eating, watching a little tv, and hanging out in the old crib.

A few new ones for the new year.

Russell is modeling his new car seat. He was too tall for his old one at about 8 1/2 months. He's also practicing his product endorsement skills here.


Also, he doesn't like to take being left alone lying down. Usually, if he's protesting a nap, this is how we find him.


note to self... consider lowering the mattress.... again.

Post Xmas holiday party

So today, the Kozai's put on a most excellent spread. It was great to see everyone although, it was quite eye-opening to see all those kids.

Russell enjoyed his seat at the head of the kids table... he also looks like he gets a little chatty when he's had a few beers. (wonder where he gets it from?)



Thanks again for all the enthusiastic parents who took photos and promptly posted and/or distributed them.

Heres a few of baby Kai.

So we thought he was napping....

but when we went to check on the little dude, it seems he was just hanging out.






... note to self... Lower crib mattress.

Russell's first Christmas

okay.. so naturally today is all about a bunch of firsts.

First Christmas Present.



First Christmas breakfast with Uncle Timmy, Auntie Deedee, and Uncle Louis.


Mommy clearly enjoyed it as much as Russell.

Christmas Eve

Mom and Dad came over for the traditional Tabata Xmas eve dinner.

Grandma Tabata kitted Russell a new scarf to go with his Maple Leafs sweater... (still need to show that.. trust me it's awesome)



....and Grandpa and Russell modeled their matching sweaters... although Russell wasn't in much of a modeling mood.

Xmas Party

Yea!! we finally hosted a party in the new place. It was a good test to see how child ready the house is. I guess it faired okay. At least no pediatric injuries were reported.

Thanks to everyone who came out to join us during the busy holiday season. Like usual, the day blew past and I hardly got a chance to snap any photos. Thanks to everyone who did, and posted them.

Okay, I did get at least one picture that day.

Christmas Card Photos

Okay... some fast and furious updates cuz we are way behind...

So we decided to do photo cards for Russell's first Christmas, as many of you now know. Here some of the shots we had to choose from.


One from the mall.. Russell exploded into tears seconds after this shot was taken.



One very conservative one... not Christmasy enough if you ask me but did allow Russell to retain some dignity.


...and of course the one we picked. I know he wouldn't want this photo to materialize until well after high school. But by the time he's in University, it can only help his 'cuteness' factor with the ladies.

Catching up ... again

Well with the holiday upon us, we've been quite busy for updates. We went to pick out our Christmas tree with Russell. Honestly, even all decorated and lit up, I don't think he's all that impressed. He's much more enamored with the empty cardboard boxes.



Russell had another vaccination shot this week too. To be honest, Julianne really keeps track of which one it is more than I do. But he did get weighed again. Latest official weight is 19lbs 1 oz.

We also did a long overdue cleaning of his room. In his closet I found a new toy he's really taken a liking to. My old PS/2 keyboard. What do you think of his new cubicle. I guess its a long road to the corner office.

Our Designated Driver

in keeping with the auto theme of the last post.


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back to normal??

So today, we finally did the big move. The hardwood has all been replaced, so has the trim and the main floor was repainted so Louis came by to help move the TV, Loveseat, and a few other items back upstairs.

Not a lot of stuff to move but more than i could move by myself. We started around 11 and between playing with Russell and the odd water break we finished around 12.

We had lunch, played more with Russ, watched Ratatouille, a little football, and finally, Louis got his jacket and returned to his car to find.....



.... well, that and a note from some lady who slammed into the parked car about 3 hrs earlier. The rest of the night was filing police reports, going to the collision reporting center, then getting some food for Louis, along with a generous portion of booze. He was well liquored when i dropped him off. We'll see how this all pans out, but I can't fault Louis on this one. Nothing like when he beached the whale.

Halloween !!!

October 31st has come and gone... probably one of the biggest days of the year in the Beaches. We were bi-polar in our priorities, first it was Russell's first Halloween, but also, our first Halloween in the new house. We had no idea how many kids we'd get, how much candy to buy, or if we were going to take Russell door to door.

We got a few kids before 7pm but Woodbine was pretty quiet so we decided to take Russell to visit some of our friends in the neighborhood. As soon as we walked through the alley, and out on to Boardwalk Ave, the street was packed with kids and parents alike. There was a big display (at least 3 houses worth) on Boardwalk that looked pretty cool.


We made our way over to my friend Dave's place on Sarah Ashbridge. He was perched on his porch with a glass of vino in hand dolling out the sweets with the other. Looked like a pretty nice gig and gave daddy ideas for next year.

Next stop was Julie's friend Angela on Winner's Circle. Carys was actually taking her pre-sleep snack so it was a quick visit.

Russell was again, very popular with the ladies in his pumpkin outfit and received lots of attention. Funny it seemed like we took a lot of pictures at the time, but there seems like less to choose from than usual. Anyways, here's how we'll remember our pumpkin from Halloween 2007.

6 Months !!!

Well, as far behind as I've become, I can't miss Russell's 6th month birthday.

Russell recently has begun to start his day with Rice cereal. They call it 'solid' food but its really more runny then the breast milk he's used to. He's also gotten pretty good with maneuvering his own bottle. Today, Julianne changed his diaper while he held and drank his own bottle. I don't know if this is a good habit to get into because those dudes that take a drink into the men's room with them really creep me out.


Russell also tried out his new 'muff' for his stroller. All ready to be cozy warm when Mommy or Daddy is freezing in the months to come.



Russell even had a party to attend... sadly, it wasn't for him. His cousin Alexi had his 2nd birthday party on Sunday, and wasn't above sharing his balloons.



Lastly, Russell is now getting his first tooth! Mommy is frantically looking for some all natural, organic dental floss.


Happy 6 Months Russell !!

wow... fell way behind again...

he're a token photo to keep us up to date.


Today we took advantage of the unseasonably summery day. Met one of Russell's Mommy Fitness friends, Samantha. Samantha is a natural blond with blue eyes. I guess the boy has good taste. We also met Samantha's parents, Erin and Andy.

Deep in the heart of Texas

Sorry, no Russell update today. Today was my first full day of Callidus training in Austin Texas. For all my fellow weight loss competitors, I thought you'd all be interested on how my diet went today.

Breakfast - plain croissant & black coffee
mid morning snack - training provided breakfast burrito and diet coke
Lunch - BBQ Brisket... awsome BBQ.. Rudy's BBQ Awsome place... you simply order meat by weight, and they give you bread and fixin's and sauce and stuff. Tomorrow, I'll skip the bread... it's a total Atkinsfest.
Dinner - Chicken fried steak...cuz real Chicken fried steak is beef not chicken !!! ...and 2 pints of draft... pints were $2 each !!!

no late nite snacks planned yet.

Post #100 !!! - Guy Humour

Tonight, Julianne went out for Nikki's wedding rehearsal and dinner. I found a new way to entertain Russell.... of course it should be obvious... get a few guys drinking beer and belching, you have a pretty rewarding evening. I'n never forget sitting around the cottage, with Rick Raciopal describing the different kinds of bowel movements, and being in tears laughing the whole time. This is a promising sign of things to come.


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