Dear Hannah,
You are definitely becoming more alert during the day. You definitely like being carried around in the baby carrier. When we go to the store, I carry you around and you pretty much drift in and out of sleep.
Your desire to suck on your fingers has grown and so I tried giving you the sophie giraffe. You took to it and started sucking on the legs just like your brother did.
When you are awake, you babble all the time. It seems like you are more talkative than Nathan was when he was your age.
Here's a brief video of you talking away. I have better videos, but the file is too big to post on this site.
We've been trying to get you back to an 8 pm bedtime and it seems like the past few days have been successful. You have a mild cold, so maybe that's why you've been sleeping in a bit in the mornings, but for the most part, you will sleep from 8-7:30 with 1 dream feed around 10:30 and then wake up once around 3. Pretty good.
***
Dear Nathan,
Your imagination is getting pretty good. We were having pancakes the other day and you held up a piece of pancake and said "train." Indeed, it kind of looked like a train.
Later on in the week, while playing with Daddy, you were taking your Thomas train around the playroom and saying "That's me" when Thomas would "find" himself. For example, here Thomas found himself on the cover of a book.
Then he found himself on your toothpaste tube.
And your scooter..
And the floor puzzle.
You have been getting over a cold this week, and luckily it has been a pretty mild one. You seem to have symptoms for 2-3 days and then you got better. I guess your immune system is now stronger.
This week, your best friend came over to play. You were so excited that they were coming that you shrieked as you ran to greet them. Abigail wanted to hold baby Hannah, so together you guys held her for a picture. Sooo cute.
Since Daddy took off this week, you guys have had some good bonding moments together, including playing Kerble space program. After playing it for the first time, it was all you would talk about. Suddenly "spaceship," "moon," "crash," and "alien" became part of your vocabulary. While eating, you would bring it up and babble about what you remember from when you guys first played.
I think it's pretty cool that you get to be exposed to the idea of the moon being a place that you can fly to. Up until I was way older, the moon was just a thing in the sky that I shouldn't point to. My parents told me that if you pointed at the moon, your ear would be sliced off. This idea, along with many ideas from Chinese folklore made no sense, but I wasn't going to risk my ear and even today, I hesitate a bit before pointing to the moon.
You are becoming more adventurous as "try?" has become a huge part of your vocabulary. When we tell you that you can't do something, you immediately will ask us "try?" If it's harmless, we usually let you try, but there have been a few times like when you wanted to use scissors, where we had to be firm and say, "No." Oh, you even wanted to "try" a few leaves from a salad! Yay!
Well, Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I sure am thankful for 2 happy and healthy children. Even though I don't have too much time to myself, I have to remind myself that these early moments are truly precious and will pass by before I know it.
Better go help Daddy clean up the house for company. Until next week!
I can't believe how quickly these 3 months have flown by! You are 3 months old today. Your milestones include gaining control of your hands. It seems like you are now able to use your hands to push things out of the way. You are getting better at sitting upright. In fact, you are able to sit up in a little baby chair.
You still love looking at mobiles and the toys hanging from your activity center. Sometimes you will lay there for 20 or more minutes, just looking and babbling to yourself.
Daddy put up the Christmas tree this weekend and you really like to look at the lights as well.
At night, sometimes Nathan helps give you a bath. You love to splash around with your legs. Since the weather has gotten colder, you are not a big fan of getting out of the bath.
Your sleep schedule has gotten out of whack, but suddenly you are back to sleeping for 3-4 hour stretches at night and your afternoon naps are not that great anymore. This makes you super tired at night and probably why you are not sleeping as well as you used to.
According to the Wii you are about 12 pounds and you are 4 inches longer than when we first took you home. Wow.
***
Dear Nathan,
Or shall I call you the luchadore! You've gotta stop hugging people and then surprising them by pulling them down to the ground! This weekend we were at Costco and you walked over to another little boy to give him a hug. Now, this was just some random boy that we don't know. Yes, you are hugging strangers. Not good. Anyways, after you hugged this boy for a few seconds you twisted your body and wrestled the poor boy to the ground. I was mortified. Luckily, it didn't offend the other mom too much as she responded, "He has older brothers." You are simply playing too rough. Let's try to be more gentle huh?
On a positive note, you ate peas! YOU ATE PEAS! (And we didn't have to put it in a smoothie). Like every meal, we put veggies on your plate. The other night, we asked you to try the peas. You peeled the snow pea open and ate the peas inside. Then, you said, "Yum" I couldn't believe my eyes and ears, but you were eating something green besides okra. I got so excited that I started snapping pictures of this momentous event.
He's so happy, he could be the poster child for the pea industry!
The next day, we tried edamame and you devoured them like they were gummy bears!
That evening, I was hopeful that you would try asparagus. No such luck. Oh well. Peas, I'll take it.
Since it has been so cold outside, we have been playing indoors a lot. Sometimes we try to play games that involve Hannah. Grocery store is one of them. You push Hannah around the store.
Stop for some samples...that day it was strawberry ice cream.
And then check out. You even had Hannah help put the groceries on the counter just like you help me at the store.
Naps and bedtime is getting more difficult as you find ways to stall. But when you do finally do down, you take a good 2 hour nap.
A few days ago, you announced that you needed to go pee pee. So after you went, I put you in undies and you didn't have an accident. The next night, you did pretty good until about 15 minutes before dinner. We will continue to follow your cues.
Your problem solving skills are blossoming along with your desire to be more independent. Here you are, helping me to turn on the lights as I was busy nursing Hannah.
You are learning to become a better big brother. For the most part, you are helpful and kind. Like when Hannah is playing on her activity mat and you will help her turn the music back on once it stops.
The only times that I've notice you be rough with her are when you don't want her to do something. For example, if she is sitting next to you and you want her to go away, you will hit her. I just realized this and we had a talk about using words instead of hitting, so we'll see how well that message resonates with you.
Aunt Momo came to meet Hannah this weekend and brought you a few little gifts. Among one of them is a football. You really like it, I guess that's what we get for raising you in Texas.
I haven't written too much about your eating habits lately because they haven't changed much. You continue to try most things, but if it's green, you tend not to try it. You have learned to describe foods that are sweet, salty and spicy (which you often use to describe foods you don't really like too). You love popcorn. One of the first things you say to me every day after your nap is "Popcorn?"
You are talking a lot more. This week you are up to using 2-3 and even sometimes 4 word phrases in both chinese and english. In fact, it's pretty cool when you translate something that we say in english into chinese (or vice-versa). Reading is now a bit different because in the past you would only be able to point to something that we say out to you, but now you are pointing out things and identifying them. Sometimes you even make connections between what is in the book and things in real life. That is pretty cool.
A few weeks ago, I gave you a bath and you showed me how you like to slide down the slanted wall of the bathtub (which really isn't that tall) and across the bathtub floor baseball-style. You splash a lot and have lots of fun doing it. I don't remember ever having that much fun during bath time. Usually Daddy gives you your bath, but occasionally, I like to give you a bath just to see what new things you are doing in there. You surprise me each and every time.
A few days ago, I came across pictures of daddy when he was a kid. We sat down and looked through them and realized that from your nose and up, you look just like daddy when he was a kid. Just thought I'd mention it because that's kind of cool.
***
Dear Hannah,
You are just getting cuter and cuter each week. Well, I'm going to start the letter off with some great news: you don't have to wear your brace anymore. In fact, the doctor said that everything looks so good that we can even swaddle you and treat you just like a normal baby.
As a result, your nighttime sleep has improved. You are now consistently sleeping for 5+ hours (which according to some books is "sleeping through the night"), waking up to nurse for 15 minutes, and sleep for 3+ hour stretches afterwards. You generally fall asleep around 8:00 pm and wake up for the day around 8:30 am . As far as naps go, the morning naps are still a bit sporadic, but in the afternoons, I can count on a 3 hour nap from about 1 or 2 until 4ish. In fact, on Saturday, I was able to go shopping at a craft fair sans children. It was kind of nice.
You are so much more alert than you have ever been and you've started to coo a lot more. You coo when we talk to you and you coo when you are by playing by yourself.
You are just way more aware of your surroundings. Last night I gave you your bath in our bathroom. As soon as I put you down, your eyes were drawn to your reflection in the mirror and they were fixated there pretty much the whole time. It was so cute I had to take a picture.
On most days, things go really well. Both of you are happy and content. I've come to accept and come to peace with things that used to be slightly frustrating. For example, a normal 5-10 minute walk to the mailbox will now take about 30-45 minutes if Nathan is walking and not in his stroller. Nathan now wants ice in his water. Always.
But there have been days where both kids just need my undivided attention. When this happens, it's usually me trying coax Nathan out of a tantrum with a hungry baby latched onto me. And to add on to the stress, in the back of my mind I am reminded that the house is a mess and dinner still needs to be prepped. To get through days like those, I just have to stop, breathe, pray for patience, and breathe again. Eventually one of the kids stop crying or fussing and the other one quickly follows. Either that, or its nap time, 10 minutes early!
Well, that's about it for this week. I love you both so much, but each in different, but indescribable ways. Until next week,
You sure are a joyful girl. From the moment you first wake up in the morning, you are full of sweet, sweet smiles. You smile just about at anyone who talks to you.
Unfortunately, you, like your brother, are also super drooly. You blow lots of spit bubbles and my shoulder is almost always soaking wet after you've been hanging out on it. Oh well, I have drooly babies.
This weekend was a special weekend for you because you got baptized. Grandma got you a pretty dress and great grandma got you a pretty bracelet.
You were so calm during the baptism, fussed for a split second when the water first hit your head, but then you were calm afterwards as Pastor sprinkled water on your head.
One day this week, you slept for a 6 hour stretch. That was nice. Very nice. But on most nights, you will sleep for at most 5 hours during your first stretch after bedtime (which is about 8). I've dropped the dream feed since you are sleeping for longer stretches. Nighttime feedings are not too bad either. They run about 20 minutes and then you are out like a log and will sleep for about 3 hours.
You are truly a bundle of joy and I look forward to seeing how you will develop into an amazing woman.
***
Dear Nathan,
This week has been another exciting one. Your vocabulary continues to grow and each day you are talking more and more. It seems like you are making up for all those moments in your first few months of life when you were unable to speak. You've been pointing to things, wanting to know the name for them. For example, this morning, you pointed to a toy toaster and looked at me. Once I told you "toaster," you repeated it and then walked away.
On Thursday, you had a Halloween party at school. Everyone showed up in their costumes and walked in a parade to show off their cool attire.
You did a good job of not whacking anyone with your light saber. There were a lot of princesses.
On Friday, the whole family dressed up once more to go trick-or-treating. We hit up a few of our neighbors' houses and then camped out in our driveway to pass out candy.
You also did a great job of handing out candy to all of your "friends." One of the candies we handed out were gummy bears, and since you love gummy bears, you wanted to eat more but we would tell you, "No more." Then you would remind us that there were plenty more gummy bears in the basket by walking over to it, picking up a pack, pointing to it, and saying "eat."
After we explained that the gummy bears were for your friends, you were really understanding and stopped asking. You would vigilantly be on the lookout for more kids and when you saw some approaching, you would get super excited, grab a piece of candy and run towards them.
At 8 o'clock, you said "home" and so we called it a night and thus ended your second year of trick-or-treating.
The next day grandma and grandpa came to visit. We all went downtown to check out the Formula 1 fan festival. They had a few activities for kids, like a balance bike track for younger kids and some trampolines and big bubbles for the older ones.
You really liked looking at all the cars, and you particularly liked watching the skateboarders on the ramp. Today I found you imitating the skateboarders. You did this:
and then you said "skateboard" with this approval-seeking expression on your face. I couldn't help it but to say, "Cool, what a great idea."
The next day, we went to the wildflower center and you had lots of fun playing in the sand pit and on the tree swings.
On Monday, we decided to drive to New Braunfels to visit their children's museum. Before we left, we had to get dressed. I thought this was a cute look on you.
You do a great job of reminding me to give Hannah her Vitamin D drops everyday. In the picture above, that's what you are holding in your hand.
At the museum, you liked playing with the train set, of course. While you probably would've stayed and played at the trains for the whole time, we got you to try the other activities as well.
Daylight savings time started this past weekend and you have adjusted to this very well. I don't look forward to the "spring forward" time when we need to try to get you to start sleeping earlier. I think it's way easier to get you to sleep later, although I don't think you are waking up later just yet.
You are still playing a bit rough, although I think there is an improvement. You only had to go to "time out" once yesterday at school. I really hope you are not one of those kids that make the teacher grumble when you walk in the door. I just hope that you become a caring person and not a bully.
Potty training has gone pretty well. You are now back to telling us when you need to go poo poo before you need to go. The gummy bear treat is pretty effective as well, especially when you tack on this song...
You absolutely LOVE this song. You will watch it on the potty, dance to it, and even hold off on eating your gummy bear until the song is over (we sometimes have to remind you to eat it). Maybe I'll try finding you some yellow undies like the gummy bear.
We have started a tradition of dancing to this song after dinner. It's actually a lot of fun. I enjoy dancing to it and Hannah loves to watch us all dance.
I'm very proud of you this week for being more gentle to Hannah. I can only remember one time where you were a bit rough with her. Now if you would only do the same with your friends at school. Don't hit them and be too rough when playing. I appreciate the fact that you will tell me what you did to deserve a time-out at school, but I really would like it if you didn't do things that cause you to go to time out. Be gentle, ok?
Well, that is it for now. Tomorrow, Hannah goes in to get an x-ray and we will see if she will need to wear her brace any longer.
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