These precious smiles that greet me in the morning makes it all SO worthwhile…
All about Hannah
Scrap Credits
Brown Paper Packages paper from Yin Designs
“Cherry Cheesecake” alphas from A work in progress
Sistafriend freebie frame from Flergalicious
Hannah had her 5-month checkup with Dr Jessica back in Penang. She took her 3rd dose of the Pneumococcal vaccine too. Unlike her brother, Hannah laid down quietly on the scales as her weight was being read.
Weight
8.1 kilos. About 98 percentile on the graph :O
Height/Length
Not measured, but sure seems like she has grown longer!
Motor Skills
- Able to roll over at 4.5 months! Ah, the beginning of mobility. She started to roll just on the right side, but now she can do both right and left and then back again! Diaper changes are definitely VERY challenging now!
- Hannah has also started to push forward by lifting her butt and inching her way forward (sometimes backwards!). If she doesn’t succeed in moving forward, she will just move around in circles.
- Head support is quite steady now. She can now sit comfortably in her Bumbo. However, just like her brother, most of the time she will treat the Bumbo as her potty.
- She can be amused by hanging toys for longer periods of time now.
- She can play with and hold on to a toy and eventually suck on it.
- She can hold both her feet at the same time.
- She can sit on her own for a few seconds by bending her body forward and supporting herself with her arms.
- She can raise her chest with arm support while lying on her stomach
Communication and Social Skills
- Giggles a lot.
- Loves to watch her brother and laughs at him. I think she adores Ethan.
- Can more or less respond to her name when called.
- Can recognize faces better now, and is forever looking for Mommy.
- Babbles a lot, and is VERY responsive when spoken to. She smiles and coos.
- Loves to be massaged. She gets a body massage after her evening bath, which includes, hands, legs, chest and tummy and her face too!
- Loves to get her hair combed. Will lie very still and appears to be enjoying every minute of it.
Others
Sleeping through the night more often now, but occassionally still awakes for a feed.
Food and Feeding
She is 100% on Mommy’s milk. Drinks EBM from a toddler sippy cup and refuses the bottle. Milk intake has increased apparently.
Hannah watches us intently when we eat. Looks like she is quite ready for her intake of solids milestone next month!
It must be because of the excessive amount of time he spends with both Hannah and me. Ethan has certainly started to display some form of inevitable sibling rivalry and jealousy.
It all started about a week after we touched down in Penang. Pete had started work then, and I was still in the process of looking for a daycare for Ethan. So meanwhile, both kids would be at home with me 24/7. At first it was all right, although it was quite difficult for me to juggle cooking, cleaning and caring for both kids at the same time.
But then I think Ethan got a bit bored with staying at home all the time. He started his tantrums and his whining. And when I breastfed Hannah, he would say, “No feeding Hannah, Mommy! Let me close it!” and proceed to *help* me “close up” my blouse. On the contrary, when we ask him, “What does Hannah drink then?”, he’ll reply, “Hannah drinks milk!” By the way, he does NOT forbid me to feed Hannah when Pete is around. And he did NOT forbid me to do so when we were in the States.
Also, Hannah is in the drooling stage right now, so whenever Ethan sees her drool, he would say, “No spitting, Hannah!” Sometimes he would use his fist and sort of hit her on the head or the chest. It’s hard to see this happen, and I always try to gently but firmly tell Ethan, “No hitting Hannah, Ethan. It hurts her, okay?”
And when I pick Hannah up, Ethan would ask me to carry him too! He’d ask me to “Put Hannah away, Mommy!” But when I put her down, he will be busy playing with his toys. I try to *entertain* him at home as much as possible with stuff like coloring, water-color painting, and his favorite videos, but Ethan is at that age where he wants to assert his individualism and independence at the same time, hence the “No!”s that abound time and again.
So beginning August, we decided to put Hannah with Ethan’s ex-sitter, Mrs Tan, for about half a day, just to see how she copes. At least I would have about half a day to run some errands and find a daycare for Ethan. I was a little worried about Hannah not taking any milk while away from me, because she does not take to the bottle at all. Well, anyway, after a few days, I decided to start her off on the regular toddler sippy cup and I am happy to say she is drinking well now. Psst….might need to get rid of her bottles soon! 🙂
With Hannah away for half a day, we managed to get Ethan started on halfday daycare at a nearby center. He is currently at the tail-end of his two-week orientation and will begin regular halfday daycare when the new school term starts in September.
That aside, the sibling rivalry still exists and I forsee it will be around for some time still. Lately he has also started to say, “No crying Hannah!” or “No laughing Hannah!”
But at the end of the day, sometimes Ethan surprises me and does loving big-brotherly things like holding Hannah’s hand while he falls asleep. 🙂
A little less than a month ago, we (literally) packed our bags and left our San Jose apartment. I admit that I felt a little sad to leave the place, but honestly, I didn’t have much time to dwell on it because we really had to hurry through all the packing. Coupled with the fact that little Hannah decided to attain her personal milestone of rolling over on that very same day we were to leave, we virtually had to pack while making sure she was safe 🙂
I think Ethan had no real inkling as to what was happening when he said goodbye to his friends at daycare though. He was still all jovial and boisterous.
And with all the rushing, we managed to make it to SFO and checked in about ONE hour before takeoff!
It was also our first time flying with a stroller, and both the stroller and the infant carrier had to be stored separately in the aircraft.
This time we managed to get the front row seats because Hannah was provided with a bassinet. Front row seats means more leg space for us and more running-around space for Ethan!
I couldn’t resist this adorable photo of Hannah fast asleep in the bassinet. When I first put her there, she did not sleep long because (I think) she felt cold. Later on, she fell asleep in my arms and then I put her in the bassinet with her blankie.
And during our short stop in Hong Kong for refuelling, I carried Hannah around in my sling, sans stroller! Check out her rosy cheeks, a result of being exposed to warm weather, I think.
The journey home was a lot easier than we had anticipated. Ethan made himself busy with whatever he could find, and Hannah … well, let’s just say I have mastered the art of changing soiled diapers in turbulent weather! She’s also exclusively breastfed, so no worries about bottles, powder and hot water!
Our little family is safely back home in our home in Penang now. And trying our very best to adapt. 🙂
I have no doubt in my mind that Ethan will miss Gilroy Gardens when we get back home to Malaysia. Almost every weekend, when we ask him where he would like to go, he would exclaim, “I wanna go to Gilroy Gardens!” It’s a good thing we decided to get the season pass (Lotsa Card) so we could enjoy unlimited entries into the theme park.
Well, last weekend, we made our final trip to Gilroy Gardens before we head back to Malaysia. As soon as we turned into the theme park, Ethan said, “I see it Mommy! I see the Gilroy Gardens signboard!” Yup, he was THAT excited. He even started dancing to the music before we entered the theme park.
Because it was our last visit (for a long time anyway) there, it was as if Ethan could feel it too, and he wanted in on as many rides as possible. Normally he would bypass the race car ride, but that day, he insisted on getting in.
And when we were ready to take the choo-choo train ride, Hannah was awake, so for the first time, our little family got on board the train together. There were only a couple of rides that allowed infants on, and the train ride was one of them.
The hot sunny weather was the perfect recipe for a good splashing time in the sun. And that’s exactly what Ethan had. There was this water squirting area where the kids could play in the water, and Ethan had a jolly good time there.
It was a fantastic day at Gilroy Gardens, and for what it’s worth, I think I am gonna miss this place too.
Goodbye Gilroy Gardens! We hope to come back again next time! 🙂
Scrap Credits
Little Corner QP freebie from Cardamome
Happy Go Lucky Number 4 from Shabby Princess Designs
Numb3rs Alphas from Sweet Blossom Designs
HoldEmUps from Tara Dunstan
We took Hannah for her 4-month checkup yesterday, just in time for me to post an update on her milestones (yeah, it’s all part of the plan). 🙂
Weight
7.569 kilos (16lb 11 oz)
Height/Length
64.8cm (all that stretching paid off!)
* Note: Hannah’s pediatrician commented that Hannah is growing beautifully 🙂
Motor Skills
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Our little supported sitter is making more and more attempts to roll over. If I place her on her back at an angle, she can roll her body over. Won’t be long now!
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Lifts head 90 degrees when lying on tummy or does a little push up sometimes.
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Making “rasberry” sounds with her lips.
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Grasping objects within her reach with incredible strength: mobile toys, toys given to her by her brother, my shirt, my hair, my fingers.
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Can “bear weight” on both legs when we hold her to a standing position.
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Salivating has increased.
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Brings many objects to her mouth, including our hands!
Communication and Social Skills
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Lots of repetitive sounds, high-pitched squeals and adorable giggles and sounds are made now.
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Very sociable, smiles a lot when spoken to.
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Looks at us very intently.
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Beginning some separation anxiety. As I am the one who is always with her, she sometimes cries out when she doesn’t see me. Sometimes she would be happily playing but will cry out when she sees me! 😛
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Ticklish.
Others
Sleeping through the night more often now, but occassionally still awakes for a feed.
Food and Feeding
She is 100% on Mommy’s milk. Less regurgitation, but of course, needs to be burped after every feed (otherwise she complains). Hannah is not at all on the bottle, and we are contemplating moving her to the cup right away when she is six months, probably. We’ll see.
With Hannah spending all her time with Mommy, isn’t it a given that I would be busy taking pictures of my little angel? I cherish every minute I spend with her, whether it is breastfeeding her, bathing her, changing her, playing with her or simply just watching her sleep. There is something very angelic about watching a baby sleeping; with Hannah, I love seeing her sleeping position with both hands to her sides: so peaceful, so calm 🙂
Oh, and of course, I absolutely LURVE the smell of her head and her hair…and her SKIN! Intoxicatingly heavenly…and dare I say, strong enough to drive away the worries and stress of the day!
Hannah loves her tummy time; being rolled over from her back to her front, and then trying to inch her way forward. She’s very good, and is able to *adjust* her hand position in order not to let it be “stuck” when rolling over. Of course she can’t roll over herself yet, and needs to be supervised.
We bring Hannah out on days I go out, but I suspect she loves it better and finds comfort at home. The thing is, Hannah cannot stand heat at all! It’s summer now and way, way hot! Just a little rise in the temperature and she will be perspiring! And since she cannot *tell* us yet, she will wail and cry, all the way back home (if we are in the car): persistent, heart-wrenching cries that will not stop until we push her stroller back safely in the confines of our home and then turn the air-conditioning on.
But she does look adorable sitting in her infant car seat, no?
Oh, and apart from just sleeping and reclining in her infant-toddler rocker, Hannah can also sit quite comfortably in the Bumbo now! Of course, her big brother would then want to sit in it too! LOL
We made a 4-hour-or-so drive northeast to South Lake Tahoe for a one-night holiday last week. Pete had taken the week off from work, and the decision to travel there was kinda impulsive. We knew it would be our last vacation to somewhere in the States before we headed back to Malaysia next month, yet it would be our very first trip together as a family of four.
Thankfully, I managed to secure a hotel room at the last minute at a whopping 40% discount, and even better, it came with a king-sized bed with the famous Tempur-Pedic® mattress, which was absolute heaven for our weary bodies. Unfortunately the hotel did not provide a crib for Hannah, so we had to bring her infant-toddler rocker for her to sleep on.
So how was our holiday?
Well, to tell you the truth, despite the rather long journey, and having to make a few pit stops for when Hannah needed a feed, or for when Ethan had to go to the potty, or errmm…for when Mommy had to go potty, I think we did pretty well. Took us slightly longer than usual to get to our destination, but it was definitely very worth it. Of course, we were entertained along the way by the usual chatters and singing from our very willing Mr Bulat (when he wasn’t asleep).
Let’s just let the pictures tell the story…
Here’s Ethan enjoying the sunset at the recreation park by the lake. Our little boy kept whining that he wanted to “go home” but he seemed very happy when we stopped by the lakeside after dinner! LOL
A picture I took of Pete and the kids. It was supposed to be just Pete and Hannah, but Ethan wanted in on the photo too, as you can see!
Before we left for home, we drove to indulge in the scenic view of Lake Tahoe. Here’s a family picture taken with the picturesque Emerald Bay in the background. Hannah was asleep…or so we thought!
She promptly awoke, I guess cuz she wanted to take in the spectacular view too! She was all smiles, so we did what every smart parent would have done!
And then of course here we have Ethan wanting to leave the scenic spot because he insisted he had to go to the Men’s to wash his hands!
Oh yeah…I won’t forget pictures of the breathtaking view.
It’s summer now, so there’s no more snow where we were. The temperature was also way warmer than I had anticipated. I had packed a considerable amount of warm clothing, only to have them occupy luggage space instead!
This was the closest Ethan got to seeing snow:
Not bad for a 2-day-1 night vacation eh?
Scrap Credits
Ho Happy Day QP freebie from Nolaé
Earthy Crunchy Alpha from Color With Caryn Designs
Weight
Let’s just say she is growing well and getting chubbier by the day. I did notice, however, that her waistline has decreased a tad, because I have had to tighten the snaps on her cloth diapers a notch. She’ll be going for her 4-month checkup early next month, so we’ll get an official weight reading then.
Height/Length
Again, we’ll get her measured for length next month, although I must say that Hannah has been doing a lot of stretching!
Motor Skills
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Hannah’s coordination skills have improved a lot, and she can now finger, touch and play with her toys hung over her head. Sometimes she would even “talk” to them!
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She loves her tummy time, and being able to look around when on her front. I have also been allowing her some exercise time, closely supervising her rolling back and forth on a flat and soft surface like the bed.
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She has started salivating a little, and sometimes blowing raspberries.
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Her head support is also getting stronger by the day, although she still wobbles her head a little when we put her in the Bumbo, so we still have to supervise her.
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Very good at kicking and struggling.
Communication and Social Skills
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Eye contact and focus is now better, and you know, I just love looking and talking to her, looking at her big brown eyes!
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Hannah is becoming very sociable, and will smile almost immediately when we talk to her, or sing to her.
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She will giggle sometimes too, and laugh out loud when I tickle her.
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She will turn in the direction her name is called.
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She will sometimes open her arms wide when she senses I am about to pick her up in my arms.
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She likes to make a cooing “rrrrr” sound when I speak to her, as if in reply to what I say.
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And, as is apparent in our family gene pool, she is one persistent baby, with loud and heart-wrenching cries when she needs attention.
Others
Being a light sleeper, Hannah will stir from her sleep at the slightest sound. But immediately when I carry her in my arms, she will fall back to sleep. Once, her Daddy managed to calm her down by holding her hands away from her face when she woke up and she slept on for 4 hours straight! We are trying this method now 🙂
Food and Feeding
She is 100% on Mommy’s milk. Still regurgitating off and on, but hopefully it will be a thing of the past soon.
We received Hannah’s birth registration form (Borang W) and her Emergency Travel Document from the Malaysian Consulate in LA today. The Borang W is just like the Malaysian Birth Certificate, except that it is issued to those who are born outside of Malaysia to parents who are Malaysian citizens.
The Emergency Travel Document is brown book that looks something like our Malaysian international passport. However it is valid only for 9 months from date of issue and can only be used for one-way travel. We’ll need to get Hannah a new Malaysian international passport when we get back to Malaysia.
What this means is that after our two-month wait, we can finally book Hannah’s ticket for home! By the way, still lovin’ that passport photo of Hannah’s 🙂