The Next Stevie Wonder

Cry It Out II

In mid-October when Uncle Tim stayed downstairs, we tried having Grande sleep in the crib by himself. He cried for over an hour before we finally gave in. Last week, we finally had a break in our reservation schedule. We were able to get him to sleep on his own in the crib although there was definitely crying. Now he's able to sleep on his own in the crib. He still wakes up 2-3 times a night. Sometimes he's hungry so Mama feeds him but usually he can fall asleep after 15 or so of crying. We hope Grande doesn't become dependent on us to go to sleep like Mini.

New Bed for Mini

Not actually a new bed, but we gave Mini our bed because she agreed to sleep in it. So this weekend we went and bought a memory foam king size bed because we figured at some point the two kids would climb into bed with us and a Queen just didn't cut it. We moved our queen into Mini's room, which didn't leave much room for anything else. Anyway, she's been sleeping in it ever since although I've been sleeping with her while we let the smell of the new mattress dissipate. Good-bye car bed.

Rolling and Swinging

Grande is rolling.  During his afternoon nap, he slept on his stomach.  When he woke up, he was on his back.  I thought it was a fluke that he rolled over.  I attributed it to his fussing and crying because of sleep training (yes, we are doing this again).  But today during Mini's bath time, he was rolling all over the place.  Since he has to keep Mini company in the bathroom, there's limited space and he kept trying to eat the portable potty.  Yuk. 

Mini is swinging.  When I picked her up from school today, she was swinging away without any help.  She was so proud and kept shouting to everyone, "Wo hui dang la" (I can swing now).  Then I had to wait another half hour for this excitement to subside and for her to tire of the leg pumping.  Flip side... it'll be an easier time at the playgrounds now.  Now she just needs help getting onto the swing instead of also pushing her.

Ok, I eat cai (vegetables).

Pigs are flying somewhere because Mini is FINALLY eating vegetables, even green ones!  For the past couple days, she has asked for veggies and actually eats them.  And I'm talking real vegetables like gailan and napa cabbage, not just broccoli.  This is unprecedented and worthy of a post.  Hope I'm not jinxing myself now.

Six Month Checkup

Healthy, happy, and growing!  Grande aced his six month checkup. 

Weight - 19lbs 6oz (80% percentile)
Height - 28in (90% percentile)
Head Circumference - 44.9cm (88% percentile)

Scout

Finally...mini can say "Scout". It's been over a year since Mini first started watching Number Land where one of the main characters was a dog named Scout. Not long after, she would talk about "suck" -- and at first, we were like what?? We finally realized she was talking about the dog. About 3 or 4 months ago she was still saying "Suck" although now she was fully aware that she was saying it wrong -- she would laugh as she tried to say it. Well, yesterday, she finally said it and she was so proud. She kept repeating it, even as we were going to bed. Scout, Scout, Scout. :)

Siblings

It's happening... Mini and Grande are becoming siblings.  These days you can see a relationship building between the two.  Whether it's Mini complaining about Grande eating her toys or Grande pulling Mini's hair, it's the beginning of a life-long bond.

Grande adores his big sister and can't get enough of her.  He likes watching her play and gets the giggles when watching her jump around.  Mini makes funny faces at him and he squeals with delight.  He loves following her around and playing hide-and-seek.  Yesterday, he laughed so hard each time Mini stamped his face.  He had no clue what was happening but finished with a face full of red dinosaurs.

Mini plays the big sister and takes care of him.  She's pretty careful around him and has been good about not hurting him during play.  Her main concern is keeping her toys saliva-free and out of Grande's reach.  She's very understanding of Grande's needs and doesn't complain when it's time to nurse him or do a diaper change.

It'll be interesting to see how these two grow together.

Trick or Treat

Happy Wanshengjie!  Mini's been learning about this holiday from her teachers and associates it with witches,skeletons, and pumpkins. Somewhat accurate.  Preschool also had a costume parade but Mini refused to wear her costume.  Some parents thought she was dressed as someone from the 80s, Cyndi Lauper/Madonna style.  But no, that's just her usual look.

At night, we met with Baby CP and parents for trick-or-treating on Belvedere Street.  But before we could go, Papa had to cajole Mini into wearing her costume because she was pretty adamant about not putting it on.   Not sure what he said to convince her but it worked and Mini left the house as a monkey (Curious George to be exact).

And once we got to Belvedere, Mini discovered the true joy of Halloween - CANDY!  She did an awesome job of going to each house and saying "trick or treat" to get pieces of candy.  Thanks to Papa for carrying her on his shoulders for the whole stroll and generous neighbors, Mini amassed a hefty bag of goodies.  She was definitely excited about everything.

I bet next year there will be no hesitation to put on a costume now that she knows it translates to candy.