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.