Other Holiday Pics

The last two are the funniest. The giant blur in front of Grandpa is Hana, The Little Girl Who Can't Sit Still. The last one is the famous pout, although I think in this one she is actually just gnawing on her lower lip as part of teething, but it looks like she's pouting.

First Christmas

6-Month Pediatrician Visit

Hana weighed in at 18 lbs 12 oz and was 28 inches long! Her growth has slowed down somewhat (thankfully) but she is still at the top of the curve. She also got some shots, including her seasonal flu shot. They were out of H1N1 so she didn't get that. When she cried, we tried to cheer her up by saying, "Look! You got a Snoopy bandaid!!" She was not impressed. I believe her exact words were, "I don't want a Snoopy bandaid! I want you to stop taking me here and letting them put needles in my legs!"

The pediatrician also said we should (gulp) not feed her anymore in the middle of the night because she doesn't need it and needs to stop getting used to it. So tonight Hana's last nursing was at 6:30 pm and she won't get another until 6 or 6:30 am. We'll see how that goes. She also said (double gulp) that we need to get her in her own room, and that there is no reason why we can't move her downstairs and have us be upstairs. We'll have to see about that one.

We got the green light to move ahead with solids, in whatever form we like. She was very supportive of the idea of Hana eating the same food as us so we don't have to prepare two different meals. So, for example, if we have butternut squash with olive oil and sage, that's what she can have, only pureed. We can add cheese and yogurt at 7 months and meat around 9 months. She said just don't feed her any peanut-encrusted scallops just yet.

Tomorrow we have a trial run of me going to work/Pete being the "manny" (which is apparently the word for a male nanny). I have a work meeting from 10-noon but I'm going to leave the house at 7 am and not come back until about 5:30. We'll see how she does taking the bottle all day and how I do having to pump every few hours. I already know the pumping is going to be ANNOYING.

Latest Updates and Pics

Hana is such a big girl now!! And quite the personality. Never stops moving. Even while nursing, she's flailing. We're lucky we can get her in the car seat at all. She's doing great on the solids - so far, she's had sweet potatoes, apples, butternut squash, bananas, pears, and avocado. The sweet potatoes are her most favorite, apples her least.

Sleeping is going better. We are letting her "cry it out" at bedtime. The first night was the worst - 40 minutes of screaming. Then we had two night of 1 minute and 8 minutes of crying. Tonight was 20 minutes - but it was intermittent and, except for a few minutes, more like loud whining, not heart-breaking wailing. I let her "fuss" through her night wakings and only get up once around 1 or 2 am to feed her, then she sleeps until 5 or 6, I feed her again, and then we usually can get her to sleep another hour or two before she is up for the day. So it's not so bad. It's very hard to leave her to cry in her crib because I know she just wants to be held and comforted. But it's better for all of us if she can learn to get to sleep on her own.

We are getting ready for Hana's first Christmas. She has so many presents under our tree. I don't think I've ever see that many presents, largely thanks to the grandmas and grandpas. This is going to be one spoiled baby!

A Busy Weekend

This weekend, holiday festivities were in full gear. On Saturday we went to dim sum with my moms' group and all the babies and husbands. This morning, we had a reunion with our birth prep class group (pics above). We also paid a visit to none other than...SANTA! Hana sat on Santa's lap and was perfectly content. We even got a little smile out of her. The photographer's photo of her is better. One of these days I'll get it scanned and posted.

The Hair Dryer Dance

"I'm So Cute, I Could Just Eat Myself Up!"

Christmas Preparations

This past weekend, Hana helped us pick out our Christmas tree! We decorated it on Sunday. She especially loved tasting all the ornaments before hanging them on the tree.

Fun at a Diner in Tahoe

We took a 1-day trip to Lake Tahoe yesterday to look at a house my parents are interested in. We stopped at a diner afterward. Hana was all riled up after having been in her car seat for about 4 hours and she wouldn't sit still. Here are some pics and video.

We also started solids this week! So far she has eaten sweet potatoes and apples. Her reaction is not as enthusiastic as it is for getting a bath, but she is definitely curious and pensive when food is placed in her mouth and she does ask for seconds. In fact, she has learned to feed herself after just a few days. We put the food on the spoon, and she grabs it by the handle and puts it in her mouth, sucking the food off the spoon. Amazing. Of course, much of it ends up on her face and other body parts. We know she is done when she begins banging the spoon on the high chair and flinging the food everywhere. Pete has some video, which he will post soon.