Sooo, it’s been 9 months since I last updated this blog. That’s ridiculous. Sorry.

Anyway, not much to say. Dasan is basically the same little guy he was 9 months ago…..YEAH RIGHT! Dude has changed, BIG TIME. For lack of a more creative way to catch you up, I borrowed a series of questions recently used on Inside the Actor’s Studio. Amazingly, they are just as appropriate for an 18th month old as they are for the guests on the show....


Q: What is your favorite word?

A: Easy. “Basketball”. For most of Dasan’s life he’s been obsessed with balls. Somewhere around January he started saying “Bassboll”. And then sometime in early May he added the all-important middle syllable. I’d estimate that on any given day, Dasan throws out “basketball” about 50 times. Seldom will you hear it in isolation. Often, we’ll be in transit somewhere and he’ll just zone out in the back seat and start repeating “basketball” over and over. The dude dreams about basketball! AWESOME!

Other Dasan favorites these days are: mama, nana, home, bubbles, rain?, thunder, bird, fish, and swish.



Q: What is your least favorite word?

A: Up until about a month ago, Dasan’s world ended every time we’d say “night-night”. He couldn’t stand that his day was over and he couldn’t play anymore. Fortunately, we established a routine for him, and now, he starts telling us night-night around 7:45. He looks forward to reading and singing in his bedroom before bed, and when we finally put him down, he usually smiles, says night-night and is out. Very nice….while it lasts.



Q: What turns you on?

A:

• Trips to the park – any park, any time, with anybody
• Tickle sessions with Mom
• Bubbles
• Fruits
• Shoes
• Water puddles
• Birds
• Baths

Q: What turns you off?

A:

• Leaving the park
• Vegetables
• Waking up
  

Q: What sound or noise do you love?

A: He’s been making this sound for the past 3 or 4 months. It’s a big mystery to us all. It goes something like butabutabutabutaboo.

He also loves to hear the song “Jesus Loves Me”. He claps anytime you say the words “Jesus loves me”. Think his grandma taught him that one. Very cool.

Q: What sound or noise do you hate?

A: Thunder. Dasan has such a warped perspective on summertime weather. He’s going to grow up believing it’s supposed to storm everyday. Typically, the first thing he does when he goes outside is look up and ask if it’s raining and thundering.

Q: What profession would you like to attempt?

A: Professional basketball or baseball. Dasan has amazing eye-hand coordination and a strong arm, already. Most exciting, it’s becoming clear that Dasan is going to be a lefty. If he’s not throwing two balls at once, he always throws with his left hand. He throws a Frisbee with his left, and even bats left handed. I couldn’t be more pumped about it. Excited for him to inherit my swing. And speaking of swing, we recently tied a baseball to a string and started working on his swing. He nails the ball every time. What’s really funny is when he picks up his bat and runs around attacking any ball that happens to be in his path. He shows no mercy.

Q: What profession would you not like to do?

A: Anything that requires an attention span. As an example, here’s an actual play-by-play of five minuet period of time at the park earlier today:
:00 - :30 -- kicked his soccer ball around the court,
:31 - :45 -- threw his Frisbee to himself several times
:46 – 1:20 -- hugged his mom and enjoyed a drink of water in her lap
1:21 – 2:00 destroyed an ant bed,
2:01 – 2:45 -- threw rocks a tree,
2:46 – 3:00 -- picked a flower and sniffed it
3:01 – 4:00 – tracked down his basketball and asked for help making a lay-up on the 10ft goal a few times.
4:01 – 4:10 – threw the Frisbee again
4:11 – 4:30 – asked for help shooting the Frisbee at the 10ft goal
4:31 – 5:00 – threw his basketball and chased it down several times

Q: What would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

A: Come on in. We’ve got all the bubbles, birds, balls and bananas you can handle.

Dasan's September

*******Happy Birthday Mom!!*******

Dasan’s 9th month has come and gone now and, as you might have guessed, it didn’t lack in excitement or adventure. We’ll begin the story at the end and rewind our way back to the beginning.

So, Dasan’s upstairs asleep right now, fighting off his first sickness. The doctor told us today that Dasan has a virus, an ear infection, and Pink Eye. That explains the 102 fever Dasan flirted with last week, the pink puffy eyes he’s had since Friday, and the projectile vomit he showcased over the weekend (if you’ve never witnessed real projectile vomit, it’s pretty unbelievable. I’m telling you, it defies the laws of gravity.). For as under the weather as Dasan is, he’s still in pretty good spirits. He’s usually very active and doesn’t last long in any one position, but because he’s run down, he’s been very content to just lay on Kim or I’s chest, and that is AWESOME! One of the highlights for me this month was this evening when he laid on my chest for an hour while we watched The Rookie (one of the few movies on the short list of “Movies Guys Are Allowed to Cry During.”….not saying I cried or anything…alright, give me a break. I had my 9 month old Nolan Ryan on my chest as I watched a teary-eyed Dennis Quaid proudly tell his 7-year old son he just got called up to the majors over the phone. :o)).

I can’t say we were caught by surprise on Dasan’s illness. That’s because Monday was his first day of school. We were warned that this kind of reaction is typical during the first month or so at school. Dasan’s gotta build up his immune system some time – we’re just thankful Kim’s sister, Rachael, was able to keep him during the days up until last week so he had a chance to get 9 months worth of immune system fortification under his belt.

Prior to Dasan’s first day of school, we took him on a road trip East. We first went to Shreveport, where we spent the day with his great grandma, MeMaw. Dasan loved getting to see her house for the first time. Later in the day we all went out to the Boardwalk in Bossier City where we enjoyed shopping and site seeing together (the Casinos were just across the river). On the way back home we stopped in White House, TX to visit our friends Kate and Justin. Dasan got to see his friend, Brantley, again. He loves being around friends.

Speaking of friends, Dasan got to spend the morning earlier in the month with his friend, Ella (see Month 9 for pictures). She is a knock-out, I can understand why Dasan is smitten with her.

Dasan is becoming more and more curious by the day. He’s taking notice of subtle things going on around him. We had him in the backyard earlier this month and he was enamored with a tiny gnat that was flying around several feet above his head. On walks, his eyes are wide open, soaking everything in. My mom put it best in describing the degree of his curiosity by commenting that it’s as though he’s trying to memorize every nuance of his surroundings at all times. He’s become particularly fascinated with drawer and cabinet handles. And since he’s so mobile now, it’s about that time we child-proof the house.

Dasan has really amped up his babbling. He goes through spells of it. He’ll be curious and quiet for a while, and then all of a sudden, just bust into verse after verse of babble. He hasn’t started throwing English into the mix yet. His favorite string of babble is daadaadaadaadaa (not to be confused with dad, dada, or daddy).

All in all, it was a great month. Can’t wait to see what he comes up with this month. Rest assured, I’ll pass along the highlights this time next month.

Long time no see......

Well, it's been a long time. Sorry the site has been down so long. I lost my hard drive so it's taken me a while to rebuild the site and get it back online via my host provider. The good news is that we have a lot to report. In fact, just before the site went down I drafted the 6-month posting but never got a chance to get it online. Below is a cut/paste of the 6-month posting followed by more recent highlights....enjoy.

"Top 8 Dasan Highlights of April-June

8. Baseball Practice
Dasan has taken a particular interest in balls. He enjoys playing with his little baseball and football. You can imagine this is very exciting for me, in particular.

Now, a lot of folks think Earl started pushing Tiger a little too early when he put that first golf club in Tiger’s hands at age 2. I think Earl waited too long, myself. Just think how good Tiger could be if he had that extra year of practice under his belt. I’m not going to make the same mistake Earl did. Dasan and I have already started baseball practice. We start each practice with partner stretching and then work on ball gripping mechanics. I’m a little concerned about Dasan’s work ethic though - I can’t keep him focused on the 4-seam 3 seconds before he’s trying to eat the ball.

7. Diaper Fun
For the first 2 or 3 months of Dasan’s life, diaper changes were not fun for him because he didn’t enjoy the cool wet wipes we used to clean him up. Somewhere around Month 3 he began to appreciate the interaction that came with a diaper change. He’s develop a fairly robust repertoire of noises and your best bet for hearing a lot of them is to sit in on a diaper change. He loves the fact that you’re face to face so he'll squeal, buzz, laugh and coo from start to finish. It’s really made diaper changes a lot of fun. We hardly even notice the stench that's sure to worsen as he starts eating more solid foods.

6. Deep Thinker
I’m pretty sure when I’m in deep thought I resort to uncontrollably loud breathing. My mouth drops wide open and I begin siphoning air through my perpetually clogged nose. Not my most endearing quality. Dasan is showing early signs that he’s inherited that same disregard for public appearance and bodily function when in deep thought…his, for the moment, is considerably more endearing. When Dasan fixes his concentration on a ceiling fan or a sucker sticking out of his dad’s mouth it’s not uncommon to hear him just start mumbling and cooing, as though he’s spurring himself on to unravel these mysteries. He’ll contort his mouth into a variety of awesome shapes (think Jim Carey) as he stretches his little mind. It’s hypnotizing to watch.

5. Hasn’t Met a Stranger Yet
Kim and I love the fact that Dasan is so undiscriminating with his perfect smile. Apart from those periods of the day where he’s hungry or tired, he’ll smile at everybody he meets. It’s apparent that he gets genuinely happy when somebody smiles at him, and you just can’t help but smile when you meet Dasan.


4. Clockwork
Dasan has become a great sleeper. Kim has done an awesome job getting him onto a predictable sleep/wake-up schedule and that has been good for all parties involved. The fact that Dasan gets to sleep between 8 and 8:30 and doesn’t wake up until at least 6 means that Dasan is getting the rest he needs to grow, and Kim and I are getting the uninterrupted sleep we need to function. If you pay close attention to pictures of us during months 1-3 compared to pictures of us during months 4-6 you’ll agree we’re definitely getting more sleep these days.

3. Touchy-Feely
One of Dasan’s favorite things to do these days is reach out and grab our faces. If you hold him within arms’ length of your face it doesn’t take him long to get two fists full of cheek (or lip, nose, or ear – pretty much anything with a handle on it). If he’s feeling particularly touchy-feely he’ll even lean in and give you a “kiss” – but don’t get too excited, he’s more interested in sucking on your face than displaying his undying love for you.

2. Outdoor Enthusiast
Dasan doesn’t cry a whole lot these days. If he’s crying it’s a safe bet he’s either tired or hungry. Dasan’s love for the outdoors becomes most evident during those rare occasions when he just feels like crying. He can be whaling his head off, but the second he steps outside he completely stops crying and just starts soaking in everything around him. We saw this for the first time when we were taking Dasan home from the hospital. He was screaming bloody murder, but as soon as we got him outside he calmed down. We’re in for lots of adventures with Dasan outdoors!

1. 15 Minutes
Sometime around April I was contacted about being in a national Verizon commercial. I was approached because they wanted to focus on Verizon FiOS Internet and TV and had heard that I had a tendency to be hammy and my job at the time was to travel the country giving motivational speeches inspiring our sales force to sell more FiOS. After several interviews and a screen test they decided to go with me. Here’s the cool part. I had talked a lot about Kim and Dasan and actually pointed the director of the shoot to our website to see us in action. My stories and the photo albums inspired the director to focus the ad on my job as it pertains to my family, so Kim and Dasan were asked to participate in the commercial too. A week later we flew to DC for the 2-day shoot. It went awesome. The commercial hit the air (national radio and tv) on heavy rotation beginning in June and ran through early August. We had folks contacting us from all over the country to say they saw us on TV in the airport or while they were working out on the stationary bike. The coolest part of the whole deal is that we have a very cool memento that captures our family when Dasan was so young. If you haven’t seen the commercial, go to our home page and click on “raccoon”."

Since June, Dasan has really taken off.

• Some time around June we started feeding Dasan cereal. He's gotten a little better at this, but early on it was hilarious because he'd wind up with cereal all over his face, even in his hair - especially when i fed him.

• Some time around late June Dasan started scooting around. Imagine a dude in boot camp trying to crawl below the barbed-wire in a training drill. Dasan would pull himself around with his arms and only occassionally wiggle his legs haphazardly.

• Less than 3 weeks ago Dasan finally put it all together and started crawling around with increasing efficiency. It's fun to watch him get around.

• Also in the past 3 or 4 weeks Dasan figured out how to stand up on his own. He still needs a crutch, but can easily pull himself up by the coffee table or a stair. In fact, just yesterday he made his way up 8 stairs completely by himself. It's fun to go into his room in the morning for the first time because, without fail, we'll find him standing up in his crib crying. As soon as we walk in he stops crying and tries to reach out for us. Awesome!!!

• Dasan still isn't talking, per se, but he is forming consonates and really babbling a lot. Kim and Rachel sing Ba-Ba Black Sheep to him a lot, so his favorite babbles begin with "b". It could also have something to do with the fact that he knows "bottle" is a very good thing.

Well now that the site is back up, you can expect more regular postings from us. Be sure to go to the Dasan Blake Hill tab and check out the new pictures from June , July, and August. Enjoy!

3 Months Deep...

So it’s March 26th, 3 months removed from Dasan’s 0th birthday. Last posting, I submitted the following predictions about what was going to happen in Month 3.

PREDICTION: He’s so close to laughing, I think it’s going to happen this month. (75%)

STATUS: Not yet. He’s smiling a ton. Big ol’ smiles…ALL THE TIME. Just hasn’t cracked that first giggle though. Wouldn’t be surprised if he laughs in the next week or two – definitely going to happen in Month 4.

PREDICTION: He’s definitely going to start making noises – other than crying, burping, and tooting (85%)

STATUS: Bull’s Eye!! He really started chatting it up this month. He doesn’t even care who he talks to– he likes to imitate Kim and I, but he’s not discriminating. It’s not uncommon to find him talking to the ceiling fan, his striped pants, or the black and white mobile over his crib.

PREDICTION: He’s going to take an interest in noise-makers like baby rattles (90%)

STATUS: Nope. Close though. Late in the month he found his hands. Sounds weird to say, I know. Prior to this month though, to him the wiggly things at the end of his arms were just that – he had no clue they were his to operate. Late this month he started plugging them in his mouth when he wanted to suck on something. This was a monumental discovery, because now he’s more capable of self-soothing. There have been a couple of occasions where we heard him wake up at night, find his hands and pacify himself back to sleep. NICE!!!

PREDICTION: He’s going to grow out of his current diaper size (70%)

STATUS: Missed this one too. He’s still #1 diapers, but he has grown a ton. He’s almost 13 lbs (as of mid month) and has grown out of several outfits.

PREDICTION: After breaking his arm it heals with bionic strength and he’s going to obliterate the MLB record for the youngest pitcher ever to get an official invite to a Spring Training Camp, but sadly, gets cut after coaches realize he can’t make out the signals from his catcher. (.001%, but let’s not rule it out)

STATUS: Not yet. Still holding out.

In spite of my abismal prediction accuracy, Month 3 was a great one! Early in the month, two different doctors diagnosed Dasan as "colicky", but by the end of the month he seemed to have worked his way through it. The last couple weeks in March Dasan started smiling more, crying less, and importantly, sleeping soundly at night. In fact, he strung together 4 straight days where he slepped all the way through the night. We're optimistic that he'll continue this pattern moving forward.

The highlight of the month for Dasan was probably meeting little Ella Paquette, who's the product of one of our good friends, James and Julie. Ella was born shortly after Dasan down in Houston, so this was their first "date". Check out Month 3 on the Dasan Blake Hill page to see the highlights of the exchange.

Two Months and Counting…

Well, Dasan is one month closer to his first major league appearance for the Rangers. Hard to believe he’s already 2 months old. He used to be so little and helpless, but now he’s…oh come on, who am I kidding – he’s still tiny and completely helpless. A lot has happened though, since the last posting. If you’re in a hurry, here’s the short version: Dasan smiled, cried, met some friends, drank from a bottle, started imitating mouth movements, got a mild ear infection and started working on his pitching mechanics.

If you’re looking for something to do, here’s the long version.

It’s been thrilling to watch Dasan grow. It’s hard to see his physical growth, but you can’t miss some of the cognitive and motor developments he’s made. The greatest is the little smile he pulls out every once in a while. Sometimes when Kim is changing him or playing with him he really gets it going. It’s so heart-warming to see. It’s the beginning of the two-way relationship. We may have just spent the past 4 hours trying to talk him off the ledge but when he whips out that little smile the 4 hours worth of pent up anxiety dissolve in an instant. Near the end of the month he even started imitating us when we’d open our mouth really wide (there’s a great picture of Dasan imitating his Aunt Rachel on the site under Month 2). We can see that he’s trying to imitate the sounds too. I wouldn’t be surprised if by next report he’s invented his own language.

Another highlight this month was Dasan’s first bath in the tub. The first month we used these little towlets (picture giant wet wipes). Beginning this past month we introduced him to the bath tub. He LOVED it. That warm water really soothed him.

He also had his first hang-out session with a couple of his friends. Kim’s good friends, Kate and Holly, brought over their little guys and we got some great pics (see Month 2 on the web site) of them. I think Dasan was just learning that the flailing thing hooked to his shoulder was his at the time, so I’m not sure he was able to fully appreciate the experience, but the pictures are priceless nonetheless.

The highlights of the month far outweigh Dasan’s incessant crying. The crying just comes with the territory. We did feel like he was crying more than he should be so we took him into the doctor today. As it turns out, he has an ear infection, so we’re optimistic that once we kick the ear infection he’ll feel a lot better and sleep a little better too.

I mentioned in the last posting that Kim is an awesome mom. It hasn’t taken me long to realize that’s a gross understatement (although if you ask her she’ll humbly tell you otherwise). She has masterfully adjusted to motherhood. She’s a savvy mom – wisely navigating us through the gauntlet of decisions new parents are faced with. She’s developing a connection with Dasan that is touching to watch. It’s amazing to see the way her touch calms him.

Having our family in town has been the biggest blessing! I shutter to think of how the past two months would have gone without the unwavering support from our family. We’re getting such great encouragement and advice from the whole family. It’s neat to see their eyes light up when little Dasan comes over.

Can’t wait to update you again a month from now. I’ll leave you with a few predictions for what my next report may hold with along with the Vegas odds on each. I’d love for you to share your own predictions for Dasan’s 3rd month with the rest of the world on this blog.

* He’s so close to laughing, I think it’s going to happen this month. (75%)
* He’s definitely going to start making noises – other than crying, burping, and tooting (85%)
* He’s going to take an interest in noise-makers like baby rattles (90%)
* He’s going to grow out of his current diaper size (70%)
* After breaking his arm it heals with bionic strength and he’s going to obliterate the MLB record for the youngest pitcher ever to get an official invite to a Spring Training Camp, but sadly, gets cut after coaches realize he can’t make out the signals from his catcher. (.001%, but let’s not rule it out)

Developments since Week 1

There are some developments to report on the Dasan front since his 1-week birthday. The big news is he lost his umbilical cord stump and I'm proud to report he was left with an "inny". I tried to use his stump as a quarter in a vending machine, but it didn't work so I guess we'll just stick it in a scrap book.

Dasan's also developed several faces over the past few days. He's mastered the bitter beer face. He pulls this one out when he's about to have gas or is uncomfortable with how he's being held. Then there's The Bird. This one is my favorite. You have to catch him when he's hungry but not fussy (very small window!). To get the full impact of the look I hold him upright against my chest. He puckers his lips (imagine him trying to suck in a long piece of spagetti), widens his big blue eyes and starts bobbing and weaving, hoping he'll fortune into the jackpot. It's hilarious. Another good one is The Wilber - which is really more of a sound than a face. Sometimes used in conjunction with The Bird, Dasan pulls out all the stops by snorting in sets of three(just like Wilber the Pig probably did).

Dasan is a pretty happy little dude, but from time to time he launches into a squeek session (euphamism for wailing like a lonely cat in heat). We've come up with some fun ways to calm him down by trial and error. Kim found that singing "The Sound of Music" songs to him works well. As luck would have it, Dasan enjoys my guitar. The three songs he requests the most are "Possom Kingdom" by the Toadies, "Every Move I Make" (praise song), and "We Love You This Much" by Ryan Hill. He also has taken a late-night liking to my iTunes collection. Counting Crows, James Blunt, Better Than Ezra, and Son Volt seem to relax him. Between Kim's broadway serenades and my rock and praise music there's no doubt Dasan will have an eclectic taste in music. Beyond music, seems like a sure-fire chill pill for Dasan is fresh air. He was squeeking and sqawking this afternoon and we took him outside and he immediately mellowed out. I'm excited that he's inherited our enthusiasm for the outdoors! Good times ahead!!

1-Week Birthday

Dasan was a week old yesterday @ 10:48 pm - it was the best week of our lives. We had a ton of fun hanging out wih Dasan. He's so entertaining, even when he's sleeping. It's been fun to introduce him to all of our friends and family who've stopped by. Kim's enjoying nursing him and telling him stories. I look forward to reading and singing to him. I think his favorite story so far has been "If I Ran the Zoo" by Dr. Seuss. I think his favorite line was, "I'll hunt in the Jungles of Hippo-no-Hungus and bring back a flock of wild Bippo-no-Bungus! The Bippo-no-Bungus from Hippo-no-Hungus are better than those down in Dipp-no-Dungus and smarter than those out in Nippo-no-Nungus. And that's why I'll catch'em in Hippo-no-Hungus." He smiled (and farted) when I read that tongue twister to him. We're making our way through all of Dr. Seuss's stories. The Cat in the Hat is on deck. Can't wait to read him that one!

It's been awesome to watch Kim work out her motherly muscles. She's a natural! She is an AWESOME mom - Dasan's blessed!