Week 27: Happy CNY

My Dear Beloved Children, 

It is such a joy to see how you two are growing up to be two different little people. However, occasionally, I see similarities. You both like to suck on blankets...

 You both love each other...

 And both of you guys like to knock down block towers. Hannah, is a bit sneaky too. She "pretends" to be playing with sleigh bells.

 And the moment you aren't looking, whack!

 But Hannah overall just really adores Nathan. She will just watch him play and Nathan loves to show off to his little sister.

Sometimes Nathan loves to climb into the crib and play with Hannah when she wakes up from her nap. He plays peek-a-boo and tickles her. It's is just adorable.

When I remember, I like to put Hannah next to a baby doll that we have. I took this a few days ago. Below is a picture from 4 months ago. She was smaller than the baby, now she is just a tad bigger.





Dear Hannah,
This was your first Chinese New Year, we didn't do much, but you turned 6 months old on the official new year and we totally just stayed home and celebrated with some dumplings and noodles. It has also been a pretty cold past few days, so we've just been chilling in the house.

You also had your 6 month check up and everything is going just as it should. You are about 15 pounds, and 26 inches long. You are smiling a lot, but not giggling, or doing any laughing. I'm thinking since you are ahead in other milestones, the laughter will just come later.

You are sitting up unassisted for quite some time.

 You love to play with toys while sitting up.

 We made sure to wear your cool fuzzy Chinese shoes for Chinese New Year.

 You love playing with the rattle given to you by Mrs. Nesby. You love shaking it and putting it in your mouth.

 We have started a few solids. Oatmeal mixed with breastmilk and sweet potato. You also really like strawberries. You also like to chew on baby carrots. I kind of think you are starting to teethe. Your gums are a bit more swollen, but other than that, you aren't terribly fussy yet.

 It's incredible how much you love to explore and play with toys. You love manipulating things and looking at things from different angles.

 You also like to look outside the window at the trees dancing in the wind.

 (Sorry for all these pictures, we've been cooped up for awhile and you guys are just too cute!)

 And you really like bath time...no, you love bath time. Splashing, and playing with toys are your favorite.

Dear Nathan, 

It's been fun hanging out with you at home these past few cold days. Usually we are rushing around, running errands, but we have been spending lots of quality time together. We've worked on fine motor skills by making bracelets. After making a blue one for yourself (blue is your favorite color), you decided that you wanted to make one for your friend Abigail (a mostly pink one because she likes pink.)

 You love playing with play-doh. 45 minutes was the longest time that you've been occupied with the dough. You love to make little babies, and cut things with scissors and cookie cutters.

 You also love playing with rocket launchers. You think they are the silliest things and squeal each time you launch one.

You've also been doing very well with potty training. We've been able to wear undies all day (except for naps). As long as we take you to the potty every 45 minutes, you are good. One day, while you were on the potty, I walked away to do something and when I returned, I found that you had scooted to...

You think it's pretty hilarious to scoot around on your potty. The next step is just being able to tell us when you need to go potty. I think this will take awhile, but I'm happy with our current system. 

You have just gotten over a cold and it seems like you are now getting a new one. Hopefully, this will be the last one of the season. It's tough seeing you cough and sniffle. And it is so difficult for me to keep you away from Hannah when you just want to play with her. 

I've decided to keep Nathan home over the summer and not enroll him in the pre-school. It seems like the days that he does go to school, I don't really get to spend much time with him. Since Hannah will start to become more interactive and playful, I want them to be able to play together for as long as possible. After all, I am staying at home so I can spend time with my children, right? 

The weather is warming up in the next few days, so I expect for us to be playing outside more. 

I love you both much! <3

Mommy

One day short of 6 Months

Dear Hannah, 

Have you been with us for 6 months already? You are no longer the tiny 6 pound baby that we brought home from the hospital, but now a sitting, rolling, and smiling 15 pound baby wearing size 3 diapers! 

 You are still pretty good at flinging socks off of your feet, especially now that you are always wanting to grab at your feet.

This week, you have started to be more aware about the living things around you. You've reached out several times to pet Teddy, and sometimes when other people hold you, you start crying.

You don't have any teeth yet, but I'm in no hurry for you to get them since you really don't need them right now. The foods you've tried so far (not including the foods that we put in your mouth to try to entice Nathan to eat his veggies) include avocado, sweet potato, and yogurt. You seem to really like yogurt.

Nathan tried to feed you last night and ended up accidentally sticking the spoon a bit too far in your throat, causing you to gag a bit, but you seemed ok afterwards.

 Afterwards, Nathan thought that it would be cool for you to eat his finger?

You seem to be a very curious girl who likes to pick up and explore different things. You seem to be getting into more stuff than Nathan did when he was your age. You also have quite an arm. Sometimes while examining something, you will fling it a few feet in front of you. We definitely don't want to be too close if you ever get angry!

One thing I'm a bit concerned about is the amount of giggles that you give off. There are a few moments where you will produce a quiet chuckle or giggle, but I really haven't heard a deep belly laugh. Maybe we are just not that entertaining. Hopefully those giggles will come soon.

Night time sleep has gotten pretty steady. You sleep for about 4 hours at a time at night. The books say you should be sleeping 6-8 hour stretches, but like your brother, you too are taking your sweet time. This is also causing me to become a bit sleep deprived as I often find myself pausing, staring off into space, trying to remember what I was about to do.

Well, other than that, I really have no other complaints. You are pretty much the perfect little baby. I look forward to having more fun with you guys.
***
Dear Nathan,
You are growing up to be quite the big boy. Your language has exploded and you are now speaking English 95% of the time. I still speak to you in Chinese, and you understand me, but I'm hoping that our trip to Taiwan will help you pick up a bit more Chinese before English becomes your dominant language for good.

For Valentine's Day, we all made some chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. You did a pretty good job dipping the giant strawberries in chocolate.

 Those lasted us for about 2 days and ever since then, you will ask for strawberries and chocolate when you wake up in the morning and from your nap. I have to explain to you that we are out and every time, I have to endure your disappointed little face :(

One morning, I was vacuuming and you decided that you wanted to help out. Before this week, you had always been afraid of the vacuum, but you are no longer afraid. You actually did a pretty good job with pushing the heavy machine around the house.

 One cold afternoon we were waiting for Hannah to wake up from her nap. You had suggested that we do some paining. I asked you if you wanted to make a dragon mask and you got pretty excited about it. We talked about symmetry, and different strokes. I added some eyes, you taped down some whiskers, and voila! Dragon. Just in time for Chinese New Years.

 The weather has been crazy recently. One day we will have a beautiful sunny day in the 80's and then the next day, it dips to a gloomy, dark day with temps in the 40's. Today, the weather is getting warmer, but so is the oak pollen count, so we will try to go out as much as possible before mommy has to stay inside.

Your newest favorite phrase is, "Nathan did it!" Not in the way a kid exclaims it after accomplishing something, but you say it to tell us that you did, indeed, do something in the past. Another phrase that you still use a lot is "[Person] doing?" or "That come from?" I'm afraid to introduce the word "why" because I know what that involves with a toddler.

Well, that is about it for now. I love you both so much!

Mommy

Week 25: Sitting up, Rolling Over, Growing Up

Dear Hannah and Nathan,
Slow down! You're growing up too fast. This week Nathan has been super independent in wanting to do things on his own. He will even tell me or Daddy to stay while he goes and does something on his own. A few things he's done this week include, smearing the jelly on his sesame seed butter and jelly sandwich:

Pushing the step stool into the bathroom so he can wash his hands. 

 He's also now strong enough to open the fridge. So new-found strength + step stool = Oh no!

 Nathan really wanted a cake so we made a chocolate zucchini one, one afternoon. He was able to retrieve the ingredients from the pantry all by himself. He told me to stay where I was.

Meanwhile, Hannah is happily playing with her toy. 

 Hannah really enjoys watching Nathan play. We've been going outside every afternoon. We've blown bubbles, our driveway is filled with chalk drawings, and we've traversed the sidewalks for many afternoon scooter/stroller rides. Sorry folks up north, but the weather has been in the high 70's lately...

But whatever Nathan is doing, Hannah just loves watching him. Sometimes I will see her crane her neck towards Nathan in her carseat so that she can see what Nathan is up to. 

And Nathan still loves his little sister so dearly. He loves to show off to Hannah. 

Recently, a phrase that Nathan likes to use is "perfect." He will do something and then turn around and ask us, "perfect?" I have no idea where he got that from because I don't think I say that to him when he completes something. We've been telling Nathan that things don't have to be perfect all the time.

We are in charge of organizing a fundraiser for a local pregnancy resource center at a church and we kicked of the fundraiser this past Sunday. Nathan did a great job handing out baby bottles for people to take home and put money into. He was so adorable that several people said that he was so cute that they just couldn't refuse. Nathan is definitely not shy when it comes to approaching people. I'm pretty sure we can say Nathan made the fundraiser more successful. 

Hannah has gone through another leap recently. Just in the afternoon after I made my blog post last week, she started to roll over from her back to her tummy. She will pull her legs in towards her tummy and roll over to her side. Then she swings her arm to the floor and that pulls her down to her tummy. Nathan likes to flip her back over and encourage her to do it again. 

Hannah can also sit up for about 10-15 seconds. She gets really excited when she does it and then she topples over. 

Hannah loves to pull herself to standing. She gets the biggest grin on her face after she pulls herself up from sitting. (I'm pulling her a bit as well). She also likes to be tossed in the air. Sometimes when you toss her a bit higher, she gets a startled look on her face, but when you put her feet down, she squirms like she wants more. 

Hannah recently got a cold as well, so we've been sucking her nose with the Nose Frida. Nathan used to scream whenever we would use it on him, but Hannah is happy as a cucumber and will even happily coo while I am sucking her snot out (gross, I know). 

Things are going really well at the Havlir house. I was able to go to a book club meeting a few days ago and Steve was able to go out and sing Karaoke this past weekend. It's going to be an exciting next few weeks because we will have many birthday parties coming up and I know someone who loves parties!
[Nathan: I do, I do!]

Oh, and Nathan has been able to go many mornings and afternoons just wearing undies and no diapers. This afternoon he was able to realize that he had to go and ran to the potty by himself. He's also now preferring to sit on the big potty without his potty seat adapter, which is nice, because now I won't have to lug around a potty seat when we go somewhere (for now).

One thing, Nathan: You have recently started to be very dramatic and will pretend to hurt yourself when you are not getting your way, or when you need more attention. For example, in the most serious case, you made yourself fall down a few stairs when I refused to carry you down the stairs. Or you will fall backwards and hit your head on the back of the sofa and say "Oww!" Sometimes you'll even blame us for something we didn't do. We've been calling you out on it and it seems like you are doing it less. But please, don't cry wolf. In fact, I'm going to find that story and we'll read it together this afternoon.

At home we are working on alphabet letter identification and lacing (fine motor skills). When the weather gets a bit warmer, maybe we'll do some wet and messy things before it starts to get too hot. With Hannah starting to sit up, I feel like things are just going to get more fun!

Love,
Mommy

24 Months Old Sitting Up and big brother undies

Dear Nathan and Hannah,

This week was pretty tame. Ama came to visit for a few days and we went to a Pirate-themed birthday party this past weekend. We totally forgot to take a picture of Nathan, but he looked really cute dressed up like a pirate. 

 Hannah is starting to sit up a bit better. She will sit up on her own for about 5 seconds before flopping over. She is also getting pretty good at grabbing things.

 Nathan can now go through the whole day (except during sleep time) in undies. The only times that he will have an accident is when we forget to take him to the bathroom every 30-40 minutes or so. He's done this for 2 days now. We even braved going out sans diaper these two days. Nathan still won't tell us that he needs to go, but he will go when we put him on the potty and he almost always insists on wearing undies now. Even when we put him in diapers, he will want to wear undies over the diapers.

Funny thing happened the other day while we were watching the super bowl. We were all sitting in the living room watching the game when Nathan asks if he could go inside the TV and play football. We explained to him that he can't go inside the TV and even if he could, it would be a bit too dangerous. A few moments later, he rolls his scooter and helmet over to the living room and start to put on his helmet. Daddy and I both looked at each other, puzzled over why Nathan was putting on his helmet. Did he want to go outside to play? Suddenly, it hit both of us and we realized that Nathan wanted to be like the helmet-wear-football players.

 Nathan is a very gentle big brother and Hannah continues to just admire Nathan so much. For the most part, they play separately, but there are some sweet moments like this occasionally.

 Hannah is proud because she is reading just like her big brother is. Notice how well she is sitting up?

 And then at some point, Nathan wants his own book. Soon each kid is content reading their own book until...

 We've been working with Nathan on sharing toys and what to say when other kids take his toys away. We don't like it when Nathan simply whines and screams and cries when he wants a toy, or when one gets taken away from him. He is starting to be more mindful to use his words, but we are far from where we would like him to be.

One of Hannah's favorite times of the day is bath time. She loves to splash around in the tub and suck water from her washcloth.

 Afterwards, we dry off, get a massage, and get our jammies on. Hannah likes to suck on her toes during this time.

 Sleep update: Hannah is sleeping from about 8-8, waking up for a dreamfeed around 10:30, again at 3ish and then again at 6 or 7. When I put her down to sleep she is awake and will be able to fall asleep on her own if she is in her crib. If we are out and I lay her down somewhere, I have to pat her a bit and she will fall asleep. The only times she fights sleep is when I wake her up from a car nap, which causes her to become overtired, but with an older brother, sometimes that is inevitable.

Hannah is liking the jumpy chair. She likes it when I bounce her up and down. I can get some good belly laughs when I do that. She also likes to be lifted up in the air. Hannah is just such a sweet baby with a wonderfully calm disposition. How did I become so blessed to have such wonderful children?

So I've decided to take you two to Taiwan in a couple of months to visit family. It's the perfect time because I'll have Ama to help out with the flight there. Hannah is able to sit in a bassinet in the plane and flies "free" (10% of airfare + taxes). Nathan's language is budding and could use the extra exposure to Mandarin.

I think the total travel time is going to be just around 24 hours. First, we travel from Austin to San Francisco on a 4 hour flight with a 3.5 hour layover; perfect for a relaxed lunch and enough time for Nathan to run around. Then we board the plane for a 14 hour flight to Taipei. Right now Nathan, Hannah and I are sitting together in a bulkhead row, and Ama is sitting 4 rows behind us. (She will be traveling with us from San Francisco to Taiwan, but will be returning earlier than we will.) I wish we could've gotten her a seat next to us, but this will have to do. I've been doing lots of research on flying internationally alone with a toddler and a baby and can't seem to find a blogger who has done so, so perhaps I will have to make a post about it after the crazy trip is over. I am pretty sure the flights will be miserable, but I will try to stay calm throughout it because I know that in the end, this family time will be worth it. (Not to mention all the yummy food that Taiwan is known for). I will be sure to take lots of pictures to document our trip. I have about 2.5 months to prepare for the trip and I know it will be here in a blink of an eye.

We are planning on bringing a nicer umbrella stroller, 2 wheeled suitcases (to check), one small carry on bag, diaper bag, ergo baby carrier, and maybe the pack-and-play (checking). We will pretty much be using public transportation (yes, Nathan, that includes lots of trains) while we are there so we won't be bringing any carseats. If you are reading this and have any tips for traveling with multiples or traveling long flights, please pass them along. This mama wants to be as prepared as possible.

Until next week.

Love,
Mommy