tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34181898405262358182024-03-12T18:44:48.196-07:00Life with a Bambinochiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-13981651956152996612015-05-10T19:08:00.005-07:002015-05-23T15:05:38.100-07:00At 27 & 28 months...<br />
<ul>
<li>her mommy is getting behind in her posts as Avi is growing up so fast and her mommy can't keep up!</li>
<li>She talks non stop. She has a comment or question about every noise, thing, unusual or common, whether she knows the answer to it or not. "what's that?" "what avi doing?" "mommy driving?"</li>
<li>She uses pronouns! He, she, you, I !</li>
<li>Completely 24/7 potty trained!! After 1.5 months with poop accidents every other day I got so frustrated with her because it seemed like she knew exactly what she was doing...and after that day, it was a breaking point and she hasn't had an accident since. We also stopped night diapers starting April even though she was really ready several weeks earlier. You would think after 12 hours of not peeing, she'd be rushing to the potty in the morning but nope, not with her super-bladder! She usually wants to eat breakfast first and then go pee. </li>
<li>I'm trying to grow out her bangs so that I don't have to worry about trimming them all the time. Its easier now that she let's me tie back her bangs </li>
<li>She likes saying hi to everyone she sees. This does not necessarily mean she's outgoing though because she still gets all shy and clingy initially when we are in certain crowds (like to my aunts house). Her outgoing-ness is quite unpredictable and I can't figure it out yet! She has a school graduation performance coming up in May and all the teachers are raving about what a great dancer she is and how she's really into the singing and dancing but I'm unsure how she's going to be on the big day being in front of an audience of strangers </li>
<li>Her teacher, Ms. Netasha told me her smile is so infectious. "It just makes you happy when you see her smile". That is one of the nicest comments a mom could ever hear. She's also said </li>
<li>Avi is really easy. I.e. Easy to sleep, easy to eat, easy with work time. When Avi comes to school she thinks "yay Avi is here!" Whereas some kids she thinks, "oh...." Her words, not mine!</li>
<li>I would say she's easy too. Minus the tantrums here and there (which aren't that often anymore) and the disobedience (acts like she doesn't hear me) I'm thankful that she's a good eater and isn't too picky, that she sleeps on her own and doesn't wake up til 730/8 and usually just rolls around in her crib til I come get her, and that she now plays on her own well</li>
<li>She can put on her own shoes and occasionally can get on a sock</li>
<li>She can put on pants and underwear if you set it in the right direction for her</li>
<li>I think she is a little OCD and her teacher sees it too. She likes to wash her hands at school a lot. Dirtiness bothers her. I took her to HEB's Easter egg hunt and after much convincing, she let them face paint her but after a few minutes of the paint on her face, she became kinda panicky wanting to "wipe off". I put a play tattoo in her arm and a few hours later she insisted on removing it. She freaked out when she walked in sand at the beach in her flip flops. Open drawers bother her so much, she will walk past one, turn back and shut it. </li>
<li>She is much more in tune with her senses--complains if the water is too hot or too cold, complains of smells being "stinky"</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-71256823322285819352015-04-15T08:43:00.000-07:002015-04-15T08:43:52.848-07:00At 26 months...<br />
<ul>
<li>My baby is practically potty trained (number 1 only) without a whole lot of effort!! *knock on wood*. After having her potty sitting in the bathroom for months unused, she started to be more interested, especially going when I'm also going...whatever works! Then this past weekend she just figured it out. She only wet her diaper after her naps. (She also had to go in the middle of the super bowl Katy Perry half time show...interruptions like that is the reason why I'm not all that eager to potty train). It also helps that she can hold her pee for-EVER which is becoming a problem at school because she refuses to use the potty at school if her teacher takes her and she only wets her diaper either after her nap or sometimes not til 5pm when she absolutely can't hold it anymore. That's 8+ hours without peeing!!! This can't be good for her bladder. I'm also afraid she's going to hold in her poops too because so far she seems more comfortable going in her diaper (one successful poop in potty) and if she won't pee at school there's no way she's going to want to poop there!</li>
<li>*update* starting feb 9th, she's been going to school in underwear...and she's okay with using the potty at school, in fact she actually likes it so much she's asking to go all the time even when she doesn't need to! She's had a few accidents at home but for the most part she is pee-trained but not poop trained (argh) and only wears diapers at night. </li>
<li>After four weeks of crying and resistance in her new class, she finally had a break through. She still pines for "shell tina" (ms. Michelle and ms Katrina) but no crying or screaming!</li>
<li>She's been very resistant to going to bed. Bed time routine is getting drawn out and she cries/whines when I'm about to leave the room.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>She seems to be thriving in her new class. She's repeating a lot of what she learns at home. She can sing most letters of the alphabet song. She's learning some letter sounds. </li>
<li>She's using "I" more often and saying more complex phrases/sentences like "no snack, eat dinner soon" or used the word "yesterday"</li>
<li>She likes strawberries now. </li>
<li>She likes cereal with milk and eats it fairly neatly </li>
<li>She likes to sing " happy birthday Isabella!" Apparently everyday is her classmate Isabella's birthday!</li>
<li>In addition to counting 1-10 she also knows 11,12,13</li>
<li>She can articulate words in songs she's been hearing all two years of her life now. She can sing Twinkle Little Star in its entirety and the Alphabet song up to the part that says "now I know my abcs...". She likes singing Five Little Monkeys. </li>
<li>She loves playing with her cousins Kate and Max and can finally somewhat communicate with Kate. </li>
<li>She enjoys bounce houses now which makes her mommy nervous. </li>
<li>After 7 weeks being in Ms. Netasha's class, she can happily walk into her class. </li>
</ul>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-5696839272183781262015-02-04T09:07:00.000-08:002015-02-04T09:07:00.724-08:00At 25 months...<ul>
<li>So I guess when a toddler turns 2, is when most people stop counting the months cuz for the first time, we completely missed her "month" birthday! It went by for a few days before I realized it. Does this officially make her not a baby anymore? Does this mean I should discontinue these "at __ months" posts? </li>
<li>She moved up to the next class with Ms. Netasha after the winter holidays! She's rolling with the big kids now! The classroom has a potty and a lot of kids in there are potty trained so I'm hoping she will be more interested in using it. She's been showing signs that she's ready--telling me her diaper is wet, not wanting to sit down if she has poop in her diaper, trying to take off her pants, occasionally sitting on the potty for minutes at a time. *update* she successfully peed twice in the potty!!</li>
<li>It's been over a week in Ms. Natasha's class and she still cries dramatically when I drop her off. (But only for a minute says the teacher. The rest of the day she's great)</li>
<li>She's obsessed with acorn, pecans, and sticks (tree branches). She picks them and hangs on to them. She insisted on bringing them to school one day and gets upset if she can't find them. </li>
<li>She can count from 1-10 in English <i>and</i> Vietnamese! How did she learn the vietnamese you ask? Every night when it's bath time, I always make a big hoopla about marching upstairs and I march her upstairs counting "mot, hai, ba...all the way to muoi". It's been going on for a few months now without much response from her but her speech has become a lot better lately so everything she's heard for a long time now is starting to click. She likes to count things, not comprehending that when you count, you're not supposed to count the same thing over and over again until you reach ten. Now if only I can be repetitive about everything else I know in Vietnamese, then she can be Vietnamese proficient! </li>
<li>After months of trying so hard to jump off the ground, we finally have lift off--a whole two inches off the ground!</li>
<li>She really loves to get her groove on. Anytime she hears some catchy music she is up stomping her feet and shaking side to side. </li>
<li>I didn't think she was adept enough to try chopsticks yet but after seeing a video of her friend Audrey do it, I figured I'd let her try and sure enough, she did it surprisingly well!</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-85628975553497965852015-01-06T08:56:00.002-08:002015-01-06T08:56:44.292-08:00At 24 months...<br />
<ul>
<li>she says some broken sentences. "Cat, bite, feet" (a black cat she was smitten with at the nature discovery center tried to bite her and then coincidentally she also got a blister on her foot from her shoe and ever since then, the scab that formed from the blister is where the cat bit her)</li>
<li>I heard her use "I" and "me" once. Otherwise, she still doesn't realize what "you" means and says "mama feed you" when she means for me to feed her. </li>
<li>An update on what she eats now: 5oz 1%milk at each meal, still pack her 3 snacks to schools which sometimes she eats all of it and sometimes not. Vegetables that she likes now is broccoli, cauliflower and zuchini. She loves avocado. </li>
<li>Her Auntie Boogie gave her a doll for her bday and she loves it. She insisted on taking "Baby" to school a couple of times. The baby's pacifier keeps falling out and she gets frustrated when she can't put it back in. </li>
<li>She also enjoys her cutting fruit toy from her Auntie JoJo</li>
<li>We got her a tricycle/bike but it's a little too tall for her so she rides it occasionally on her tippy toes but since it's uncomfortable, doesn't enjoy it for long </li>
<li>She can pretty much feed herself now so during breakfast I can usually get some things done while she's eating. </li>
<li>She can count from 1-10!! It's not consistent but she's done it a few times. She also recognizes the number zero. </li>
<li>She's learning some letter sounds in school. When I say "m-m-m-momma". She says "m-m-m-Avi". She's so hilarious. </li>
<li>Her preference for me over daddy has become very dramatic. While it does make it harder on me (I have to bathe her, feed her, change her, play with her...etc), I do feel bad for Daddy. Sometimes he can't even look at her without her whining "daddy" (in a tattling manner). </li>
</ul>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-18224149093957487282014-11-26T11:15:00.000-08:002014-11-26T11:15:55.667-08:002nd birthday disasterI spent weeks of planning her awesome elmo birthday party and she spent the majority of the party crying. The night started out well. We got some cute pictures of her and she was playing with her cousins. I don't remember exactly when the fussiness started but it just escalated. We ended up spending half the party outside walking with her. I even walked all the way to the nature center to see her favorite bunnies. On the way back she refused to sit in her car or walk so I had to carry 29 lbs and push the car with my hip. Every time we tried to take her back in the house she would cry and scream again. The singing happy birthday and blowing out candle part that I tried to prep her and get her excited about for the last several days was like ripping off a bandaid--did it quick and as painless as possible. It wasn't until some people started leaving and I took her upstairs for a bath to just calm her down and get her away from the chaos that she became more like my sweet baby. We went back downstairs afterwards and she happily opened her presents but we did it oh so slowly to not overwhelm her. So it took a failed birthday party for me to realize she doesn't like crowds and attention. I would never have guessed it considering she likes to say hi to random strangers and strangers are always saying "she's so friendly!" *sigh* I hope this is just a phase.chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-32295923833113770042014-11-26T09:51:00.000-08:002014-11-28T11:42:21.265-08:00At 23 months...<br />
<ul>
<li>I cannot believe I have an almost 2 year old (!?!)</li>
<li>She is saying LOTS of two word phrases such as "daddy car", "more cheese". Everything is "right there" even if it's not. She also said "teddy I love you" once and just this morning randomly said "I love elmo" (elmo wasn't anywhere in sight) but I'm glad she said this because little does she know, her birthday party is going to be elmo-themed!</li>
<li>Had my second parent teacher conference this morning. Her teacher, Ms. Michelle is an amazing teacher and caretaker. Avi loves her so I love her too! Ms. Michelle tells me how wonderful, intelligent, and sweet Avi is. She's mastered everything that's been taught in her Orientation 1 class. I learned that she knows all her shapes including obscure ones like hexagon and pentagon. She may not be able to say the word but she can recognize and match. She, along with Matthew and 4-5 other kids will be moving up to the next class in January!!</li>
<li>Oh a very annoying thing she's been doing is she "beeps" you if you're in her way. Yes, literally, pushes you with her hand and says "beeep!" One time, I wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine so I did a hand in her face "beeeeeep!!" But I realize, I should not encourage this behavior... #beingamatureadult. </li>
<li>She went to Chuck E. Cheeses for the first time for her aunt Justine's 5th birthday. She was so afraid of Chuck E. that we had to sit as far away from the stage as possible. </li>
<li>She was Hello Kitty for Halloween. I was Keroppi and dad was Batdz Maru. Because of her fear of ppl in costumes, I was worried she would think Halloween a huge nightmare. It turned out the night went smoothly. She enjoyed roaming our street and grabbing candy (even though I don't think she knows what candy is yet, and I intend to keep her innocence for as long as possible! There was a close call when she unwrapped a Dum-Dum but I got to it in time). She also liked to push her way into ppl's houses. </li>
<li>She loves animals. </li>
<li>After months and months of trying to get her to say "bird" and thinking it would be her first word, she finally says it instead of just "chirp chirp". She also can say "elephant" instead of "boom boom". </li>
<li>Some conundrum phrases that only a parent could decipher: "dote side" = "it's dark outside", "like it" = "i don't like it"</li>
<li>She loves eggs and will eat 3 eggs scrambled and likely more if we let her for breakfast. </li>
<li>When we go for walks in her red car, she always wants to go to the Nature Center to see thebunnies and turtle. The other option is to go see the train at the dead end of our street. </li>
<li>She refers to intangible things. For example, she may ask for the iPad even if she doesn't see it.</li>
<li>She tries to sing along to songs. I was singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and she sang the "all around the town" part. A few days after her birthday, she kept saying "appie to you". It took me two days to realize she was singing the happy birthday song!</li>
</ul>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-67168463378204997032014-10-23T12:30:00.003-07:002014-10-23T12:30:51.909-07:00At 22 months<br />
<ul>
<li>We went to Greece and left bambino at home with my parents for 9 days! She was perfectly behaved (no surprise) but woke up around 4 or 5 every morning! (Edit: turns out she refused to nap or sleep at night. My mom didn't want to tell me this but I found out from my sister! Every nap time and bedtime was a struggle. She's been fighting with naps lately but surprisingly doesn't get too cranky when she doesn't nap.) We missed her a lot and talked about her everyday. We would imitate words she says and laugh about how silly she sounds. We meant to FaceTime everyday but the time difference made it difficult to arrange. When she saw us again, she stared at us for a good 5 sec before slowly smiling and came to give me a hug. Phew! I thought she didn't recognize us but now I think she was just shocked to see us. After that she was attached to me and didn't want me to leave her side =\ poor baby, I think we traumatized her. I'm not sure if I'll ever do that again--at least not at this age when they don't understand the concept of "I'll be back in a week". Since we've been back, her tantrums have worsened and are a lot more defiant. I feel like I have to walk on egg shells around her because I don't know if my next move or next response will cause madness. I believe this is pay back for leaving her. </li>
<li>She stopped pooping (in her diaper) at school. She saves it all for home. Thanks Avi. Remember this when I'm old and incontinent. </li>
<li>She is imitating words really well and pronouncing words that she used to mispronounce a lot better. (She actually says "more" instead of "neh", "watuh" instead of "wa- wa", "milk" instead of "nelk")</li>
<li>Every now and then she'll throw out a phrase like "green ball" or "right there"</li>
<li>She only wants daddy in the morning (which would be great for me if only Daddy was still home when she wakes up). However in the evening she flips and only wants mommy. She screams and cries if daddy even looks like he might be taking her upstairs for a bath. </li>
<li>She feeds herself fairly well now and dinner time seems to go a lot more smoothly</li>
<li>She plays well by herself. I was able to do dinner prepping for over an hour without her requiring much attention! </li>
<li>She plays with Violet, Panda, and Tigger all the time --puts them to sleep, puts them in her high chair or sitting on the window sill, holds Violet pats her soothingly like she's a baby</li>
</ul>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-60374901943771178312014-09-21T18:35:00.000-07:002014-09-21T18:35:08.206-07:00At 21 months...<br />
<ul>
<li>She knows her colors very well! Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, and pink!</li>
<li>She can feed herself with a spoon/ fork fairly well but doesn't like to use it all the time. </li>
<li>She recognizes "circle" and "triangle", and "heart"</li>
<li>Her tantrums are back, with a vengeance :/</li>
<li>She climbs up the stairs well</li>
<li>She LOVES grapes--morning, day, and night</li>
<li>She loves saying "hi" and "bye-bye" to everyone probably because she likes the response she gets</li>
<li>She's been extra clingy. Day care drop offs some days have been quite tearful. </li>
<li>She counts "two, three, four". Can't seem to get her to say "one"!</li>
<li>She enjoys playing with her kitchen and stuffed animals (esp her pink Ralph Lauren bear and stuffed dog Violet)</li>
<li>I've experimented with time outs with her a few times before and it was met with a lot of crying however lately when I threaten " do you want time out?!" She says " yes". Ok...."go over there and look at the wall". She walks over to the wall, sits down and plays. Fail!</li>
<li>She hits and kicks me a lot because she thinks it's funny and if I get mad she thinks it's even funnier =/</li>
<li>I'm thinking she would love a baby doll to play with at this age. She would also love a tricycle. </li>
<li>She's loves Elmo (discovered him on her Pampers diapers Sesame Street characters)</li>
<li>She also loves Hello Kitty ("kee-dee") because she has three hello kitty tshirts handed down from cousin Kate </li>
<li>She enjoys watching her "Patty Shukla" videos on my iPhone and iPad. She also knows how to use the touch screen to choose the different videos. </li>
<li>She can open doors (noooo!!)</li>
</ul>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-76890819751903306052014-09-02T19:12:00.000-07:002014-09-21T18:39:55.045-07:00At 20 months...<br />
<ul>
<li>She can say a few phrases! First phrase: "sit down"</li>
<li>She's starting to be more interested in using a spoon/fork to feed herself and getting better at getting the food into her mouth</li>
<li>bought her a potty, thinking about starting potty training but so far struggling with keeping her sitting on the toilet. Most of the time she announces her poop after it's already done. </li>
<li>She can say her name! </li>
<li>She is interested in playing pretend with her stuffed animals i.e. Turn them tummy side down and pat them to sleep, brushing their teeth, or take them to the bath</li>
<li>She can imitate a lot of words</li>
<li>She kinda knows her colors. Sometimes she is spot on and other times, completely off. </li>
<li>The last <strike>four</strike> five days have been tantrum free (major ones at least). I hope this means she's turned a new leaf!!</li>
<li>I feel like she's becoming less baby-like, more kid-like. Baby is growing up too fast!! </li>
<li>Went to Flemings for a prime rib steak dinner and she was so loud that the manager asked us to keep the baby quiet. How do you quiet a baby that's being loud because she's happy?!?</li>
<li>Says "nak-now" for "yogurt"...(kinda sounds like "not now")</li>
<li>She got an infection from a mosquito bite on her face. It spread to her eye area. She had to take Clindamycin 9ml, three times a day for 10 days!! It was awful for her and for me. I shortened it to 7 days, two times a day. </li>
</ul>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-149079391638271842014-08-05T19:20:00.001-07:002014-08-05T19:20:30.794-07:00At 19 months...<br />
<ul>
<li>She is using her words more often! (like, "sit", "down", "cheerios")</li>
<li>Please now finally sounds like "peas" instead of "buh", and Yes is actually "yes" instead of "da"</li>
<li>Her kisses are more traditional kisses. (No more open mouthed "buhs")</li>
<li>She can give hugs</li>
<li>She is difficult taking out to restaurants because she won't sit in her high chair for long and wants to wander everywhere</li>
<li>She is getting pickier with what she eats--likely because all the other kids at school get junk for snacks</li>
<li>She averages about 5 tantrums every morning getting ready for school </li>
<li>We're trying to get her to use a spoon but usually ends up banging the spoon and using her other hand to eat</li>
</ul>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-77784847686667662482014-06-28T09:51:00.000-07:002014-06-28T09:51:46.744-07:00At 18 months...<ul>
<li>She likes to lay down blankets/towels/fabric and lie down on it as if she's going to sleep</li>
<li>Ironically, when it really comes down to bedtime, she's starting to resist--sometimes screaming as Dad takes her upstairs for a bath</li>
<li>She fell sitting on the third step of the stairs, hit her right cheek on a step and gave herself a black eye and a small chipped tooth (#E)</li>
<li>Her vocabulary is blooming...too many words to list. However, she's still not utilizing her words very often. </li>
<li>She finally says mama all the time!</li>
<li>She likes to point us out in pictures and say mama or daddy</li>
<li>Tantrums, tantrums, and more tantrums!</li>
<li>She likes sitting in my lap...turns her back towards me and backs in and plops herself down :)</li>
<li>She gets very jealous if I hold another baby, or even pay any attention to another baby!</li>
<li>She doesn't play nice...9 out of 10 times she will approach another kid and hit them on the head or touch their face or push herself in their way to play with what they're playing ( I notice this from taking her to the children's museum but teachers at school say she plays okay). </li>
</ul>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-2773675290078057562014-06-02T09:55:00.001-07:002014-06-02T09:55:13.517-07:00The "terrible twos"--is this it?I think two months ago I was saying, she's started her "terrible twos". The tantrums and meltdowns for no apparent reason. Two months later, add her refusing to sit in a shopping cart because she wants to get out and explore or push the shopping cart herself. This means she doesn't like sitting in anything confining i.e. high chair, car seat, stroller because she wants to get out to explore. For my birthday, we went out to eat and before entrees came out, we had to pack it to go as she was screaming to go out and explore. This must be the terrible twos. I'm sure next month I'll be saying, no, now this is the terrible twos. This is a normal pattern, no?chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-71831057811646653292014-05-21T13:23:00.000-07:002014-05-21T13:23:05.542-07:0017 monthsAt 17 months...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>She is starting to imitate words better. "Tuk" for truck, "ma" for Max, "buh" for bus </li>
<li>Throws tantrums i.e. Lies down screaming, banging head on ground (but oh so slowly and carefully)</li>
<li>Likes to wipe things like the floor or hers or your mouth</li>
<li>Likes walking around outside and lets go of my hand more often now</li>
<li>Can say "no" but for the most part just shakes her head </li>
<li>Says "da" for yes ( I think bc I say yea? a lot )</li>
<li>Transitioning to one nap a day</li>
<li>Can say "bah!-boh" for bubbles </li>
<li>Went to uncle Hai and aunt Maisie's wedding and did great!</li>
<li>Threw up for the first time, after the wedding, all over mommy. Had a little too much fun...(and she was sick). </li>
<li>Can stay up much later. Bedtime is now 8/830</li>
<li>Can say "má-tewww" for Matthew, her long time nursery class buddy</li>
<li>Can say "téd-deee" for Teddy and "dá-dee" for daddy</li>
</ul>
<div>
Her vocabulary has grown so much this whole 17th month! We've had a lot of those, did she just imitate that word almost perfectly?? Apparently she knows the names of all her classmates and teachers (identify, not verbally). Her teachers keep saying how smart she is but I hesitate to play into all the accolades. I don't want to have exceeding expectations and then have her fall short of them. Is that wrong??! I've always believed in aiming just average, that way if you exceed that, you'll feel better about yourself. I know it contradicts every motivational speaker out there, but it's a motto that's worked out pretty well for myself. </div>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-7698748024911382052014-05-21T10:26:00.000-07:002014-05-21T10:26:01.734-07:00PoopShe pooped!!--in the toilet! It's funny how one can get so excited about something that normally would be so gross. When it is coming from your baby, it's worth celebrating! I wasn't really planning on any potty training but since it seemed like all my friends babies were starting already, I decided to try it this morning. I'm not sure if she was as excited about it as I was. When it occurred, her expression was an, omg, what just happened??<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIkWWqsvUR4/U3zMpJwg9OI/AAAAAAAAC6k/TMg_-2o9DsI/s1600/imageedit_5_9954466801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIkWWqsvUR4/U3zMpJwg9OI/AAAAAAAAC6k/TMg_-2o9DsI/s1600/imageedit_5_9954466801.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Look what I did!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-48821494594815439322014-04-15T08:38:00.000-07:002014-04-17T12:35:44.922-07:00Almost 17 monthsAt almost 17 months....<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>She says 'buh' for please, 'na' for milk, 'nana' for banana</li>
<li>She can point to the correct places when asked, "where are your ears, nose, mouth"</li>
<li>She makes sounds "bzz" for bees, "bok bok" for chicken, "vvvv" for car</li>
<li>She loves to try to brush her hair or your hair</li>
<li>She sometimes is cooperative when I try to brush her teeth and other times it's struggle</li>
<li>She likes to hold the phone on the side of her head (not at the ear) and say gibberish </li>
<li>She loves her shoes and is obsessed with going outside. I usually have to hang out with her a little bit outside before she will go in her car seat. </li>
<li>She likes to hold my hand to walk around outside </li>
<li>She likes to smell flowers</li>
<li>She also likes to pull the petals off the rose bushes in the front yard </li>
<li>She loves to run (walk fast) towards me with a huge smile when I pick her up from school </li>
<li>She had her first ear infection at 16 months. We didn't know she had one and it festered for so long that it wasn't til it burst and started to smell that we realized something was wrong. Poor baby!!</li>
<li>She talks a lot of gibberish </li>
<li>She understands the majority of what I say to her</li>
<li>She's been sleeping and waking up later (8pm - 630/745 am)!</li>
<li>She loves to eat bananas. She eats them every morning and sometimes for lunch and dinner too! Sometimes I think she's a monkey because she also persistently makes a sound that resembles a monkey when she wants something.</li>
<li>She is very impatient especially when it comes to being fed </li>
<li>She finally moved up to the toddler class at her school! (April 7 official first full day) She cried a lot the first week when I dropped her off in the classroom but today I handed her over to the lead teacher and she held her arms out willingly!</li>
<li>She enjoys the Children's Musuem and discovered how fun a slide can be</li>
<li>She likes to say "uh-ooh" , just for fun</li>
<li>She experienced her first snow in Colorado. She liked the actual snow but didn't like walking in it...too unstable for a new walker I suppose. She enjoyed sledding too!</li>
<li>She had her first allergic reaction to what we still don't know but she broke out in a rash and her hands, feet, and face swelled up over the course of 2 days. It occurred on the day we left Colorado. </li>
</ul>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-83050778425794480422014-04-14T12:08:00.001-07:002014-06-02T09:56:31.525-07:00Post bdayIt's been 2 months since my last post and for babies development that's like 2 years! After 6 months of trying to get A to sign, one week after her first birthday it finally clicked! She can sign for "more" and eventually signed for "milk", and "all done". <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>At 14 months she finally took her first few steps. She's very cautious and prefers to just sit down and crawl</li>
<li>Her first official word by 14 months is dog. She can point to a dog and say "dog" (dah!) and when asked what sound does the dog make, she's says "woof woof" (heh heh). Technically her first word was probably "dada" but "dog" is more unbiased. (Why won't she say mama?!? She prefers my arms over anyone else's anytime but she refuses to say mama!!)</li>
<li>Started to get her first primary molars</li>
</ul>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-72307711234642340272013-11-22T06:05:00.001-08:002013-11-22T06:05:09.328-08:00One More Day!!Bambino's first birthday and party day is in one day!! I know she's excited. I can see it in her eyes...and screams... All the decor I've been busy planning and making are starting to materialize (in other words, house is a mess). I will post about the entire party, including decor, cake, DIYs (note to self: need to take lots of pics to document!), but not til after I have a breather after the party is over. <br />
<br />
My friend's baby is 6 weeks older than Avi, but she can say so many words already. It's not that I need Avi to be caught up but I just think it'd be so much nicer than trying to decipher which screams mean what. So when my friend said she "made" her baby talk, it dawned on me that I just need to "make" Avi talk with some tough love. First mission, the word "more", as in "more" Cheerios. After trying to refrain from giving her more of her beloved Cheerios unless she said something along the lines of "mm-mm", she started saying, "mm-mm"!! It worked after only one eating session! Now I just have to keep working at it so that she can be consistent. In the meantime, still lots of screaming and banging hands. <br />
<br />
Side note, I think my bambino is the cutest baby ever with the most squishable cheeks. They are so soft and bouncy to kiss! I don't think I'm biased at all...lol!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tab1UBvgfl4/Uo9kTj55LqI/AAAAAAAACSg/OEqhazX6PNk/s1600/photo-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tab1UBvgfl4/Uo9kTj55LqI/AAAAAAAACSg/OEqhazX6PNk/s320/photo-9.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-89829346572681049582013-11-07T13:40:00.001-08:002013-11-08T10:46:36.947-08:00She's growing up fast!I haven't updated in awhile because I've been busy planning for Avi's big "1"!! A party that was supposed to be small, of course never ends up small when it involves my family. Since my last post, Avi had another eye infection that started just 2 days after she finished her first course of oral antibiotics. It took a week and a half and changing antibiotic ointment and drops twice before it resolved which I'm thinking, it probably would've just resolved on its own. <br />
Things Avi can do now: She can cruise a little bit but prefers to grab a hold of me and walk. She says "dada" a lot and "mama" sometimes, more often when she's upset. Yesterday, I called the hubs with the speaker on and told her it was dada and she enthusiastically said "Dadadada!!" Even though she can't say what she wants yet, I can tell she understands when I say "milk", "water", "more", "Teddy", and "let's go to school". She just recently can "blow a kiss" which looks more like hand to and from chin while saying "vah!" Just this morning I was singing, "Miss mary mack mack mack, all dressed in black black black, with silver buttons buttons buttons, all down her back back back" while putting on her new big girl coat and she sang along "buh buh buh". It's amazing to see how much information she's absorbing!<br />
She dressed as a monkey for her first halloween! I thought the costume fit her energy, constantly climbing and moving all over the place! I may be biased but I think she must be the cutest monkey ever!!<br />
After the last screaming session at Fu Fu's a few months ago, we kinda shied away from eating out with her. But now that we have a better rhythm with her eating and sleeping, we started exploring eating out for dinner with her again. Albeit, the timing has to be right and eating out is not like it used to be. It's tricky trying to ration out her food so that she doesn't run out before we get to eat. <br />
This week at school, she already started transitioning to the next class! Every morning at 9, she (and her buddy Matthew who is 1 wk younger than her) goes to the next class for about an hour to sit in on their "lesson". Such a strange concept to me considering she can't walk yet and can barely sit still for a minute. Today Ms. Le tells me, in vietnamese, "Her voice is <i>so</i> loud! Her parents speak so nice and softly, but she is <i>so</i> loud!" Yes, Ms. Le, we've noticed =)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g9f2zxEdfhw/Un0xdT6Nc4I/AAAAAAAACR4/FeG6Akn2BuM/s1600/photo-7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g9f2zxEdfhw/Un0xdT6Nc4I/AAAAAAAACR4/FeG6Akn2BuM/s320/photo-7.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N4SlKrJE0H4/Un0xfFL81PI/AAAAAAAACSA/o27pwfL_SUA/s1600/photo-8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N4SlKrJE0H4/Un0xfFL81PI/AAAAAAAACSA/o27pwfL_SUA/s320/photo-8.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-88438890366402556602013-10-07T13:24:00.001-07:002013-10-07T13:24:40.896-07:00FirstsNot all "firsts" are good firsts. Avi baby got her first eye infection this week in her right eye. The same eye that has had the clogged duct that I've been hoping would unclog as she got bigger but it hasn't unclogged and probably made her more prone to getting the infection. I guess surgery will be inevitable...we'll have to see at her 12 month check up. The good thing is her eye doesn't seem to bother her at all but maybe her runny nose and cough is cuz she's been waking up an hour earlier than she usually does (6am instead of 7am). Once she feels better, a little sleep training refresher may be needed. <br />
Some positive firsts: she can pull up to standing with ease now. She can also go from crawling to sitting position. I caught her unsuccessfully trying to climb to standing in her crib so hubs lowered the crib to the final lowest setting. She's attending her first birthday party this weekend. Her friend Audrey is turning 1!<br />
Still waiting for her to say "mama" ...<br />
<br />
**Update: She can pull up to standing in her crib easily now and I see why those teething rails are necessary...little chipmunk! =)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vm-FA3tFey8/Uk3DPjTSWOI/AAAAAAAACRI/ge5Tq7H_2CQ/s1600/photo-6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vm-FA3tFey8/Uk3DPjTSWOI/AAAAAAAACRI/ge5Tq7H_2CQ/s320/photo-6.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Still in good spirits even with an eye infection and a cold</i></div>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-29198120731989661472013-09-23T09:36:00.000-07:002013-09-23T10:23:01.198-07:00If You're Happy and You Know It...Bambino finally learned how to clap! She does it very enthusiastically, a lot of times randomly, when she's happy, hungry, and even when she's frustrated. The most surefire way to get her to clap is of course to start singing, "If you're happy and you know it...". She'll drop what she's doing and start clapping. As hubs eagerly pointed out, "just like Pavlov's dog!"...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwRZLtUVCLWmq83osJUi_sZUehzyA2K6pBEgXB-7dCzakgK5Yg-OZKP9CwMPdMoiasjqXfMgwWhf0dcGIIB9g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nRp3y6meaBI/UkBtnoXrkLI/AAAAAAAACQw/EEDQY9zrWqM/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nRp3y6meaBI/UkBtnoXrkLI/AAAAAAAACQw/EEDQY9zrWqM/s320/photo-5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Happy 10 months to my ball of sunshine!</i></div>
<br />
<br />chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-30816507723173480822013-09-17T20:29:00.000-07:002013-09-17T20:29:15.706-07:00They Grow Up So FastPicked up the Bambino from daycare after not seeing her for 4 days and she was elated to see me! She still remembers me...Phew! After just 4 days, she's noticeably changed so much already. Her hair looks longer (bald spot just almost covered!), she's babbling new sounds, <i>and</i> she was able to pull herself up to standing with very little support from me. Sigh....they grow up so fast... I don't know if I want to leave her again next month when we go to Wisconsin/ Chicago for a wedding. What if she starts walking?!chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-59439854525961003392013-09-17T10:06:00.003-07:002013-09-17T10:06:39.232-07:00Bambino-lessFirst trip without the bambino!! It was a big deal in multiple ways. I don't think we thought through the logistics of leaving a baby somewhere other than home (i.e. how much crap we'd have to bring over to grandparents' home) and also since I'm still breastfeeding, how often I'd have to still pump while vacationing. Also, leaving a baby at such a young age (9.5 months), we could've missed a monumental milestone!! Overall though, I think everything went fairly smoothly. I think my parents has her figured out now so that next time (in just another month!) it will be easy peasy...or as easy peasy as caring for an infant can be. Although we missed the bambino a lot during our trip, I'm really not sure how we would've been able to do anything if we had brought her. Sorry Avi, but until you tone down your screaming and be a little more chill sitting and sleeping in your stroller, we can't take you on trips! (that is, until Mar 2014 when we go to Colorado for your auntie's wedding) We got back from SF late last night so we weren't able to pick up Avi. Grandma (Ba`) took her to daycare this morning so we still haven't seen her yet. I can't wait to see you bambino! I hope you still recognize me!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRUJSPMR4v8/UjiLCglQftI/AAAAAAAACQY/TJq-Bb7lK8w/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRUJSPMR4v8/UjiLCglQftI/AAAAAAAACQY/TJq-Bb7lK8w/s320/photo-4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i> Just a few necessities for 4 days at grandparents' house. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The</i> <i>back seat had to be put down and Avi is not in the car. </i></div>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-2071756767972355502013-09-08T19:57:00.000-07:002013-09-08T19:57:53.131-07:00Clinging on...Lately Avi's been exceptionally clingy to me. Like Hubs has been having to pry her off me, esp when she's cranky. When I sit down to play with her, she just wants to climb on me and have me hold her. All this attention is flattering but makes it difficult for me to do anything! Sometimes I have to hide from her so that she can continue to play and I can go do what I need to do.<br />
When we went to look at daycares for the bambino, we saw some kids sleeping with their butt way up in the air and we thought that was the funniest (and strangest) sleep position ever. Who knew, now Avi has taken a liking to that position too!! How can one fall asleep like that?!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w0cDl7iu4ww/Ui040-FjvcI/AAAAAAAACQA/9eVwmaESETM/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w0cDl7iu4ww/Ui040-FjvcI/AAAAAAAACQA/9eVwmaESETM/s320/photo-3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-62599291108341516092013-08-28T13:38:00.000-07:002013-11-08T11:01:38.410-08:00Milestones in a nutshellI just want to recall all her milestones that I can think of in this post instead of writing several separate posts. Let's see...<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>9 months: saying "da-da-da" indiscrminately</li>
<li>almost 9 months: fairly good with pincer grip, imitate waving "hi"</li>
<li>almost 8 months: saying first consonant sound "bap-bap-bap"</li>
<li>started to sit around 6 months but not steady until about 7.5 months</li>
<li>Crawling at 7.5 months (July 7th) </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx5Ouj7iHD-RlI7PyP_Jn7ZyKw_DIzp-AeQv4z8KGlL8GcbdeTBNGnZ6yd6n9LeNnvQbFM9KlPh074BswqYUg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>5.5 months 1st tooth! (lower incisor)</li>
<li>4.5 months discovered her thumb while in Boston (her first plane trip!) and never looked back at her pacifier again...seeing braces in her future =\</li>
<li>Rolled over at 4 months and 1 week, just as her pediatrician predicted at her 4 month check up!</li>
<li>First day at Montessori Learning Institute Feb 11 with Ms. Le. Avi and I handled it pretty well when she was dropped off but when I came to pick her up she was wailing sitting alone in her swing. I didn't feel so great about that. </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MbqpycIWd9A/UgkgJDSFzVI/AAAAAAAACNk/vREpGAbkU3Q/s1600/IMG_0280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MbqpycIWd9A/UgkgJDSFzVI/AAAAAAAACNk/vREpGAbkU3Q/s320/IMG_0280.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Look! She had a double chin and hardly any hair!!</div>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Had her first bottle at 3 weeks old and had no problems. Little did we know, she decided she liked it straight from the source A LOT more. Struggled with the bottle i.e. hours of tears and screaming every time until a couple of weeks into daycare when she realized she had no other choice. Even then, she was unpredictable about whether or not she would take the bottle. Hence, we were never able to have Daddy help with night feedings...lucky him! Finally by 7 months, she started to love the bottle...reaching with eager eyes every time she sees it. </li>
<li>Laugh out loud by 3 months</li>
<li>First professional photo shoot at 8 days old with Jayka Photography. It took almost 4 hours including feeding and getting her into poses. She was quite the fidgety one so it wasn't easy getting her into certain poses. Did I mention it was also a nude photo shoot?? She managed to poop on our blanket during one of the poses. </li>
</ul>
</div>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418189840526235818.post-73711601809942851472013-08-19T19:33:00.000-07:002013-08-27T15:08:27.004-07:00Hi Avi!I've been saying "Hi Avi!" very enthusiastically and waving my hand like a total dork for the past few days because I realized she's able to mimic me now! She's not quite as adept as I am. Her waves, her give-me-fives, and her hand smacking on the table look pretty similar but I promise you her responses are not coincidental!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxT9inQhkkslJj4UMkXeGylL6fq2MJXiByRt4PALJKuXK2xRwJg7TAwLX719vtBkOu0T8kOZ1NlBLu7siM4' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
An update on the sleep training: She's just as sporadic as she was when our sleep train goal was 9 hours. She did 10 hours w/o a sound, then 11 hours w/o a sound, and then took a few steps back and woke up after 9 hours and every hour after that. She likes to vary it to keep us on our toes. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We plan to go to SF for a wedding in September and our plan was to take her with us. However, she's been especially difficult to take out lately and very stubborn about sticking to her bedtime (7pm). Last weekend we went to eat for lunch. We didn't time it well and it ended up being close to naptime. Boy was that a mistake. After a lot of loud screaming and people staring, we had to have get our order to-go and hubby had to take her outside while I waited for our food to be packed up. In addition to this, SF is 2 hours behind...do the math...she will start getting cranky around 3 pm...blegh. </div>
chiqabananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845704945919588637noreply@blogger.com0