Hong Kong Chronicles: The Final Episode

Made in Hong Kong, Born in the USA

It'll be a quickie, because I'm exhausted. Our son, Kai Despard Ratner, has arrived! He's the best souvenir we brought back from Asia, and we are madly in love with our little guy. He's six days old as I type this.

So here's the (condensed) version. Truthfully there is no way to summarize it, but those of you who've been through know what I mean, and you other folks are creative types, so you'll have to imagine. We went to Monterey to the Blues Festival, because my blues-loving wife wanted our Bean to hear BB King inutero. She got her wish, but barely. The festival was dynamite -- Keb Mo, Susan Tedeschi, Blind Boys of Alabama, Taj Mahal, and of course BB. We danced, ate delicious Cajun and soul food, and drew a few gawks of amazement and comments like "is that thing coming TODAY?!"

Bean decided to take the hint. He's a huge BB King fan, so he started making his way to the outside world that morning around 2 AM, after hearing BB's show. Thus began the odyssey of labor. It started on June 30, and lasted an astonishing 57 hours. No, I'm not kidding, or exaggerating. Even the OB described it as "off the charts." It was a slow, sometimes very painful time, and it eventually ended in a Ceasarian when it was judged that Bean needed some help getting here. We had wanted to deliver naturally, but the goal -- healthy mom, healthy baby -- is all that really matters, and we got there. I got to tell Allison the gender, cut the cord, and give Kai his first bath. We were lucky that Barbara, Allison's mom and by an amazing coincidence my good friend, was there with us to help. She's an integral part of Team Kai, and I don't know how we would have done it without her.

The details:

Kai Despard Ratner
8 lbs., 7 oz.
Brn July 2, 2008, at 10:28 AM
21 inches
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Indescribable -- is it blond? brown? red? Jury is out.
Fingers: 10
Toes: 10
Eyebrows and Eyelashes: Not much to speak of
Favorite Food: Come on, you know this one

Kai trivia: Kai's name was "Kye," a variant of the same name, for the first 8 or 9 hours of his life. Then we caucused, and "Kai" won out. Kai means forest in Gaelic (we're both part Irish) and ocean in Hawaiian (where we were married). It's used in China (where project Kai began) and Japan (our last big trip before coming home) as well. It couldn't fit better, and plus we just like the sound of it.

The first 2 or 3 days in the hospital, we were exhausted, and Kai seemed to starving as Allison's milk was still coming in. We questioned our ability and our sanity. I was sleeping on a bed made out of baling wire and tissue paper, Allison just had major surgery, and our little guy was losing weight, too fast -- yikes. Thank God, the next couple of days were an improvement, as Kai's weight loss started to slow,and eventually to start turning around. Now the little champ is nursing like a superstar, piling up personal bests each day. Here are some glamor shots of the little cutie in the hospital, California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.

Heading home from the hospital with Kai was one of the most beautiful and emotional moments of our lives. now we're back at home, still tired, but starting to develop a little bit of rhythm, and just gobbling up our little guy. We could just stare at him for hours -- he's actually quite mellow now that he's got his yummies, although of course, it's just the calm before the storm, but that's OK with us. As Allison and I often tell each other -- "Hehe, we're on an adventure!"

I'm going to put the wraps on the Hong Kong Chronicles, to devote my energies full-time to diapering, my new passion. Besides, we do live in San Francisco now. But Hong Kong will always be a part of us, and who knows, maybe we'll go back one day, with Kai.

Thanks for staying with us, through two years of posts, and all the fish pictures. Let me know how you're doing, and don't be shy about dropping off those casseroles. Allison, Kai and I hope to see you all, soon, in S.F., or another port of call.
This is your grateful Hong Kong correspondent, signing off.