Nightime Routine, Part 1

Here's the first in a two part series of our nightly routines with Hannah. As you can see, this part is torture for all parties involved :)

Election Night!

On November 4th, we got to be a part of history, as Barack Obama become the first African American to win the Presidential Election. Hannah is only 2 years old, so we don't expect her to truly comprehend the magnitude of this event, but we did (and continue to do) our best to talk to her about it. We took her to the voting booth that morning, and let her stay up later than normal to watch the returns coming in. When I picked her up at school that day, the first thing she said to me was "Barack Obama's not here. He's not working. He's on vacation!" Don't ask me where she came up with that one! And everytime she sees him on TV or on a magazine cover, she proudly says "That's Barack Obama!"

This video is important for a few reasons. First off, it's a brief way to memorialize the day for us. Second, when I asked Hannah who was going to be President that night, her answer was "Me!" I'm proud to have taken part in an Election that broke down the barriers for people other than white men to become POTUS. Once and for all, this Election showed that it really is possible for anyone to become President. If Hannah wants to go for it one day, nothing will stand in her way. And last but not least, this video is also interesting because it shows what Hannah is most interested in. Crackers! Boy, does she love munching on crackers. Better than potato chips or hot dogs, I guess. "I want some more crackers daddy. CRACKERS daddy!"

Isn't She Lovely

Here's a slideshow I put together of the first 26 months of Hannah's life, set to a Stevie Wonder song that he wrote about one of his daughters. (Thanks to Universal Records for allowing me to fairly use this piece of content).

November 2008

Just some pictures from November 2008.

October 2008

Just some pictures from October, 2008.

Two!

Hannah turned 2 years old this month. It's absolutely amazing how quickly time has gone by since she was born. I remember when she was barely 7lbs, waking up every 2hrs, and drinking only breast milk and formula. Now, she's a little person. We can have full conversations with her, she knows (well) how to express her needs, and we see different phases of her personality developing every single day. She has a few defining characteristics (besides being cute). One is that she's incredibly talkative--asking me "Did you have a good work today?", telling us to "sit back down", remembering things like "I got a shot at the Dr. and got a bandaid on my leg" weeks after the fact. She's also a very social girl (some who are not her daddy would say flirty), always saying hi to people we pass or meet in public, wanting to come and talk with our friends when they come over, and not liking when she's not included in the action because she has to go to bed. She is also quite demanding. She knows how to express her needs, and knows how to take it up a notch when she doesn't get what she wants. This, I think, is something that all kids learn at a very young age. As she gets older, it will be interesting to watch how these different personality traits evolve.

All in all, things are great and Hannah is thriving. Dealing with a 2yr old can be challenging at times, but the amount of love Maria and I feel for Hannah is immeasurable. She's our sweet boiba, our Louie, our tootsie, our sweetie, and our zeesa.

Hannah's First Day at School

Hannah started at Genentech's brand new daycare/preschool facility yesterday. It was the first change we made in her child care since she was born, so it was a little traumatic all around. Lots of kids flip out when they first leave the house and go to a full-time program, so we were expecting the worse, but Hannah did OK. We both went to drop her off, and when I left, she said "Bye Daddy, love you" without being prompted. And then when Maria left to go to work shortly thereafter, Hannah said "By Mommy, don't forget to smell the flowers!" Keep in mind, Hannah is not even 2 yet. We'd never heard her say that before, so it took us by surprise and was just about the sweetest thing she could say.

She cried on and off throughout the day, as people came and left her classroom, or when the other new kid got upset. She didn't nap, but that's not surprising since she's used to napping in her crib, alone, as opposed to in a room full of kids and toys and teachers. All things considered, she did great. There's tons of things at the center to stimulate her and help her continue developing, and the center's staff seems great. They're trained educators, so they can provide Hannah with things that even Maria and I could not. They play outside, do arts and crafts, sing, and even have an organic kitchen for snacks and lunch. It's kinda like a full-time Summer Camp. I kinda wish I could hang out there all day!

Today was a little better than yesterday. She cried less, napped for an hour, and seemed to have more energy when she got home. I'm sure we're not far away from the point where she'll be throwing a tantrum when we come to pick her up, or when she wants to go on the weekends!

Along with smiling, solid foods, dropping the bottle, talking and walking, this is yet another milestone in Hannah's life. Another little sign that our precious little girl is slowly (quickly?) growing up. Her 2nd birthday this week will be another, as will her first real birthday party on Sunday.

Almost Two!

Hannah is at an amazing stage. It's hard for me to believe that she's going to get cuter, but that's what a friend of mine who has a 3 year old says.

She's like a little person now, able to express herself with words, and if you keep it simple, converse. She gets shy around people she doesn't know, but generally, she's got the gift of gab--talking up a storm, learning new words and phrases all the time, singing, and even bossing us around.

She has a few favorite phrases these days. One is "not yet." She says this frequently when we ask her to do something she might not be inclined to do, primarily sleep. It's mostly whiny, and often accompanied by some fake crying. Another of her favorites is to yell out a command, and after a pause, follow it with a "please." "Mommy SIT DOWN...please."

I think I've mentioned before how young kids learn to manipulate their parents--even non-verbally. Hannah is at her best when she's working us to not go to sleep, either for a nap, or at night. First, she'll ask for her water. I picked up on that pretty quickly, and bring it upstairs with us after dinner. Then, she wants the music on. Sometimes lullabies, sometimes Phish, sometimes Steve Wonder. I figure this is OK too, since it doesn't really keep her up. She might also ask to read--Cat in the Hat, Curious George, or one of her other books. I typically oblige here as well.

The kicker is "Daddy, Hold Me" or "Daddy, Hold You." For a while, I was resisting this, because this was just pure manipulation. But at some point, I realized that even though she was trying to stay up as late as she can, she wouldn't be little enough to ask or want me to hold her forever. So no matter how tired I am, or how hungry I am, our nightly routine now includes a few minutes of cuddling time on her rocking chair. Sometimes I'll just rock her, but others, we'll play games that involve me kissing her and making her giggle, or pointing out each other's nose, ears, eyes, etc. Whatever it is, I'm going to cherish every minute of it. I never imagined how much love I would feel for my daughter. It's an amazing feeling.

Vacation!

Well maybe it wasn't a completely "real" vacation since we were staying with my mom, but it was as close as we've come since Hannah was born. Nevertheless, we just got back from spending a week in San Diego. I think we could all get used to extended vacations.

Hannah's favorite activity of the trip was going to the beach. So much so that when we would get there, her whole body would flex with excitement and she'd start screaming/laughing with anticipation. She was absolutely fearless, and were it not for her fearful parents, she'd be swimming her way to China by now. We also went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, where Hannah's favorite activity was playing with ice from the water we brought, and riding the carousel. I'm not sure she even knew there were any animals there. We also went to a Water Park near my mom's that she loved, had some great meals, and enjoyed the slower pace of life down there.

More Giggles McGoo

How can we resist?

Some of the Joys of Childhood

One of the amazing things about raising a child is getting to see and explore familiar aspects of life all over again, through their eyes. Here're a few pics of some of the things that Hannah's been enjoying lately: me blowing bubbles with gum, eating ice cream, and running around while I spray her with the hose. These things make her so happy that I just want to keep doing them over and over again. And of course, her constant refrain of "Again! Again! Again!" helps the cause.

Out and About

As Hannah gets older and a little more capable of missing a nap here and there, we're gradually getting our freedom back, and it's great. June was a fun month, especially because we got to see Maya, Erez, and beautiful Lia, who's about 6 months older than Hannah. We met them at a place called Pixie Woods in Stockton, CA. Stockton is a complete dump, but the Pixie Woods were a lot of fun. A great place for kids with rides, fountains, playgrounds, etc. for a very reasonable price. Hannah had her first Merry Go Round ride here, and she absolutely loved it. She also discovered a passion for getting herself soaking wet, and she now insists I spray her with the hose almost every day when I come home from work!

Really, We're Not Such Bad Parents

Anyone who knows my sense of humor will appreciate this video. And I promise you, we're not such bad parents, and we're not training our sweet little girl to have a potty mouth. But I just couldn't resist. Enjoy this (edited) video from late May/early June 2008.

Hannah and Zoe

Hannah took her first plane flight last weekend when we went to Los Angeles to see Jake, Yaling, and Zoe. The girls were definitely aware of each other, but for the post part, Hannah did her own thing and Zoe watched her and crawled around trying to catch up to Hannah. It was cute to watch, and I'm sure the girls will love playing with each other as they get older.

Hannah did great on the flight and liked takeoff, landing, and what little turbulence we felt the best. She looked out the window, but mostly wanted to spill her juice on the tray and then wipe it up with a napkin. For some strange reason, she likes cleaning up.

The weather in LA was great, and we took a great walk from Redondo Beach to Manhattan Beach, and back. Being in unfamiliar surroundings, Hannah didn't sleep that well, but she did great on our trip and had a good time.

Balloonie!

As the weather started to turn, we started to venture out more. Hannah went to her first baseball game the day before Mother's Day and loved it. Especially the garlic fries. The Giants beat the Phillies, but she knows where her loyalties lie.

Hannah loves whenever we take her to one of the parks or playgrounds nearby, but getting her to leave is always a chore. "Again!" Again!"Again!" It's hard to resist her wishes (demands), but doing the slide for the 20th time can be a little exhausting.

At the end of the month, we took Hannah to the Foster City Arts and Wine Festival. She loved seeing all the people and the carnival rides, and we got hours and hours of enjoyment out of the balloon she got

Hannah's vocabulary continued to expand rapidly around this time, and she even started speaking in complete sentences. Watching and listening to her absorb the world around her is truly wondrous.

Pool's Cool

We had a busy but fun weekend with Hannah. On Saturday, I took her to music class, which she enjoyed, although she was being shy at the beginning. And then we had lunch with Shannon and Ali at our favorite Indian place. Hannah had a tummy ache for most of the weekend, but she was a trooper.

Today we went out to breakfast with Amy, I took Hannah for a bike ride (remember, bicycle is her favorite word and activity), and then we went swimming. We had her in swimming classes last August, but when we got in the pool, it was clear she didn't remember. Once I started playing peekaboo and splashing around in the water, she warmed up a bit and started to have fun. So in the span of a few minutes, we went from "no more, no more" to not wanting to get out of the pool. We had a great time though, and she looked so cute in her new bathing suit.

Giggles McGoo

From early in Hannah's life, she was ticklish on her upper torso, underneath her arms. One of the first times she laughed was as a result of tickling her in this area. And as you can see in the video, I have a mean streak in me. Her laugh is so cute that I just can't help it. She seems to enjoy it too :)

ABCDEFG...

18 months old. Unbelievable. What was a tiny little girl, waking up every two hours, unable to eat solid foods, unable to move, and unsure of the world around her had become a full fledged little person. I keep saying this, but it's amazing how quickly kids grow up. The time just whizzes by and they learn so much, and change so quickly.

I took Hannah to the Dr's for her 18 month old checkup. Her height and weight were still in the 25th percentile, and her noggin was still in the 90th:) The Dr. told me that most 18 month olds can only say about 20 words. Hannah must've picked up the talkative gene from her mom, because by our estimation, she was well over 100 words around this time. It was literally at least one new word a day, and all we had to do was tell her something once, and she would remember it.

Here's a sampling of Hannah's words from around this time: Mommy, Daddy, Hannah, Nana, Baba, Dede, Baby, Sleeping, Night-Night, Bath, Yoghurt, Humus, Broccoli, Apple, Orange, Juice, Strawberry, Carrot, Markovka (carrot in Russian), Yes, No, See Ya, Hi, Bye, OK, All-right, No More, All Done, Shoes, Boots, Cars, Airplanes, Socks, Pants, Shirt, Jacket, Bicycle (one of her favorites), Music, Teletubbies, Water, Coffee, Wash, Hot, Cold, Belly, Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes, Feet, Hands, Mouth, Eyes, Ears, Duck, Bird, Dog, Cat, Train, Brush, Letters, Light, Book, Milk, Trash, Amy, Kathryn, Maya, Big Girl, Good Girl, Cheese, and many more.

And much to our amazement, she broke out the ABC song this month, from end-to-end, all on her own. It was one of the cutest things we've ever heard.

Hannah weighed 20lbs 10oz, was 30.5 inches long, and her head measured 48.25cm.

Terrible Twos Already?

Just like no one tells you that the first three months are rough, or that breast feeding can be very challenging, no one tells you that the terrible twos start before age 2! Now don't get me wrong, I would never use the word terrible to describe Hannah, as she's a delight. But we now understand what people mean when they say their kids are in their terrible twos.

For Hannah, that means learning how to use the word "no" (Hannah, can I have a kiss? No!), and a stronger personality. It's actually quite funny. When she gets upset, her entire body tenses up and she whines or screams. Two seconds later, it's over and she's on to something else, but staying patient during the outburst is an artform.

Even though she's entered a new phase of her self expression, as you can see from the pictures, she's still an amazing little girl who inspires us to love in ways that we previously couldn't imagine. She's out sweet boiba. Our Louie. Our Zeesa Punim. Our Hannah.

Like Whippets they Dance (1/08)

Hannah has loved music her entire life, and now that we finally have a video camera, we can actually record some of her memories. Of course, recording means work uploading and editing, but I guess that's better than splicing 8mm film together :)