Week 53 - We survived a year! Long first birthday post

Charlotte had the most eventful of weeks that would make any normal person weak in the knees from the flurry of activity. Charlotte was a champ though - starting with Grandma Kathy's arrival late on the eve of her birthday. Charlotte's birthday (last Thursday the 14th) meant a questionably timed doctor visit (I suppose I never thought about getting shots on one's birthday). Charlotte seems to be developing well on all the major metrics except her pointing skills are non existent (and sweetie same-aged Javier seems to have mastered this). Speaking of pointing, Charlotte seems to have 'forgotten' her sign language skills - the only one she seems to be using with any consistency over the last few days is 'sleep.' She does occasionally feature a 'funny face' for good measure.

Back to the doctor visit - the vital stats are: 10.03 kg (she has lost .24 kg over the last 2 weeks - probably because of all of the walking) and is 75 cm - which means that she is half of my height (and half my weight too! Haha).

I keep forgetting to mention that Charlotte is obsessed with belly buttons - she lifts everyone's shirt just to confirm that we each have one I suppose. Maybe she is doing an inventory of innies and outies in the house... She also is climbing the platform beds in the house.

The night of her birthday we took Charlotte to Al Forno where she dined on chicken rice (brought from home), eggplant and the saltiest pasta with meat sauce she has had to date.

Saturday we had a soiree for Charlotte. She chose her destiny in her hanbok - and she chose to be a scholar. And then for all of the noise and attention from her choice - she cried. It was some kind of adorable.

Here is Charlotte in a pretty blue dress:

Cheeky at her birthday dinner:

Charlotte the cheerleader in the making:

Channeling my inner Martha - desserts for everyone at Charlotte's party. Mini cupcake burgers with sugar cookie fries and pudding and whipped cream shakes. All with a custom burger flag:

Charlotte getting ready in her hanbok:

Ready and hot - the hat lasted for two seconds:

En route to choosing her destiny...

... and she chooses to be a scholar!

"I regret my choice! (just kidding - all the attention and noise was a bit overwhelming I guess)"

Charlotte's amazing chocolate cake - courtesy of Ling:

Charlotte clapping with her cake:

Charlotte samples her 'larger' burger:

Charlotte's first taste of chocolate:

Charlotte in our new weekend park in Telok Kerau - her first time on a swing:

Charlotte had an outdoor 'funny face' bath because her usual bath venue was full of birthday goodies:

Charlotte clapping on cue at her birthday dinner:

Charlotte choosing her destiny (repost from Facebook):

Charlotte's first birthday cake:

Week 52 - Almost One!

Tomorrow is Charlotte's Birthday.  A year ago tonight Matt and I had a decadent meal at Spruce including grown-up mac and cheese and a proper hamburger (though I think grown up as well with caramelized onions).  And then a year ago tomorrow was the craziest day of my life - even more crazy than my wedding day!  I should write a worst case scenario book that they sell at Urban Outfitters, except I hate that store because of what they did to Johnny Cupcakes.

I have not succeeded in weaning Charlotte from visual stimuli while eating.  She knows she has me wrapped around her little finger - providing Elmo and the Bucky song with a grave shake of her head.

Charlotte is now walking all the time.  It was a gradual transition that it blindsided us until I thought about it three days ago.  She also has squeaky shoes that Susan Kuklinski gave her.  Matt has never seen her wear them as I am sure he would throw them out the window - he is fundamentally opposed to squeaky shoes.  I am ok with that because I am a wuss when it comes to smallish shoes.

Charlotte went to her first birthday party - for the twins on Saturday.  She had stranger anxiety again... but luckily it got better and it wasn't an afternoon of sobbing.  The twins came over this morning and the girls played - aside from some snack possessiveness everyone played well.

Here is Charlotte and Daddy (in matching outfits) opening Charlotte's first birthday gift that arrived on Sunday(!):

Charlotte and the twin girls battling for snacks at the girls' party...

...and playing more peaceably at our house this morning...

Here is Charlotte stealthily scrounging for snacks from Kiro:

Charlotte's stranger anxiety manifests even among friends... o dear...

Happy Family:


Charlotte dark (literally) and conniving:

In a Wisconsin cheerleading outfit from Aunts Lindsey and Hillary:

Happy:

Charlotte - readying herself for a day at the beach -with sunglasses and teether in tow!

Glamorpuss:

Week 51 - Building a better Bucky

Bucky is better - all the vitamin shots and TLC paid off and he is fine... for now.  Tonight we have tried out the body harness collar and it went well.


I called the Project Manager of the Park Renovation near our house - they will finish in June and open in July!  We are very happy about this as Charlotte needs her play friends again!  All my photos are of her in her playpen - not nearly as picturesque as the local park at dusk...

Charlotte is progressing along with her signing - today she signed drink, cry, and I think fish.  She also does a 'funny face' and flying kisses, though the flying kisses are similar to thank you which is also similar to hot.  So one gesture can be one of three things.

Speaking of kisses, Charlotte loves to give kisses!  Big sloppy, opened mouth kisses that she dispenses freely.  It is the absolute best!

Here is Charlotte dancing - notice the 'snake' at 18 seconds in:

Charlotte in a grumpy, snackless moment.  We are trying to get her to do 'funny face' and 'flying kiss' and she just wants to sleep.

Here is Charlotte serious in the tub.  Retro eh?

Another retro look achieved by poor light manipulation:

Charlotte winks better than her mother (and does everything better with a snack):

Captain Sweetheart:

Week 50 - Old Man Bucks

Char got the clean bill of health yesterday - great news as there was a 'scared straight' article in the paper yesterday about ear infections and I took Char just to be sure she was a-ok (am I a hypochondriac mother?  Probably).  Her sign language continues to improve - now she is signing wash hands, yes, and bath. 

At the doctor yesterday Charlotte exhibited her strongest signs of stranger anxiety.  She has begun over the last week to cry in new situations with new people.  Sigh.  We thought because she was so smiley she was immune to this.  Oh well.

In an episode of life imitating art (a la Lily from Modern Family), Charlotte has starting started biting.  She is biting my foot and portions of my shoulder that are not particularly fleshy (and this is not particularly pleasant).  This is perhaps the start of Charlotte's less endearing habits - hopefully something we can curtail before she starts biting kids at the playground....

Regarding Bucky - as of yesterday he started to limp rather badly.  We took him to the vet and after a battery of tests and x-rays - it is deemed that he may have a slipped disk.  The situation was rather dire yesterday - as he was in visible pain and would not even sit down.  Today he is better - perhaps the painkillers and steroids help.  We have to give him shots for a week through a valve connected to a vein in his left arm.  He takes it markedly better than I would - I cringe getting blood drawn at the doctor's office (and having a baby is a lot of drawing blood - so I was a squeam boat for many of the doctor's visits).

Ok, on with the countdown...

Here is Charlotte and her daily struggle with dinner:

Here is the sign that we have no clue what it means.  My guess is 'change my wet diaper woman!':

At an ill-fated Havaianas event - Charlotte on the brink of stranger anxiety:

Charlotte wants to bite everything - even Kiro's person leash!

Looking guilty:

 

"How long do I have to sit here before my master lets me go?"

Happy Charlotte:

 

Week 49

Sort of a hodge podge of a week.  The house has come full circle in terms of sickness - I started it, everyone has had it, and now I have it again.  'It' at the moment is a mild ear infection - a throwback from a youth full of similar maladies.  Luckily Charlotte is over hers - though she was a fussy bunny last night.  While sick she also is teething - one on the top and one on the bottom - nothing more fun than a sick baby with teeth erupting.  Seriously, nothing.

Matt and I survived our first night away from the baby.  We went to Bintan for a night and stayed at the Banyan Tree - and we lived to tell about it.  The hotel is nice - I dare say not $500 a night nice (we didn't pay for it) - but was perfect for a short getaway where the best thing going was a long afternoon nap.  This was a long overdue anniversary gift to ourselves - only 4 months after our anniversary date!

I have discovered the joys of 'Ho' dduk!  Ho dduk is a yummy, greasy, yeasty pancake filled with brown sugar and peanuts that for some bizarre reason I have never eaten.  I made this yesterday from a mix.  The yeast was so slow to proof but it did eventually and it felt like I was making an infinite amount (think: the chocolate conveyor belt from I Love Lucy).  Even a hit with Matt.  I will have to make this in Wisconsin this summer. 

Here is Matt and I in Bintan - it was so windy here that our candle couldn't stay lit:

View from our room:

And back in Chartown, here is a repost from FB - Chris, Connor, and Charlotte.  Such a cute pic!

Here is a video of Charlotte signing 'baby' (also a repost from FB):

And a video of Charlotte walking (she always walks with her hands in the air):

Practicing her yoga moves:

Liberated by her straw cup (which she has deemed unfit for milk drinking):

New hat from Korea (very Pepsi and Shirley isn't it?):

Playing with Daddy:

Ho Dduk frying up:

Matt enjoying Ho dduk:

Recovering and happy:

Week 48 - 11 months old

Charlotte turned 11 months over the last week! That is great news - but she also fell sick (that fever from before). She has her first ear infection (though likely not her last) and is on her first round of antibiotics. She does not seem as sick as she has been before (the wind really got knocked out of her sails while she had roseola). I waited for 2 hours at a doctor's office! I know that is ludicrous but I am shopping for a more local doctor. Dr. Vas is very popular - and she was fantastic with Charlotte so I can see why. But two hours? Next time I want to take her there I will go alone, sign her up, go to the gym, then ask Imee to bring her in an hour later.

By the way - Charlotte was the most energetic (and loudest) at the doctor's. She was so funny - no inside voice! Imee and I laughed.

Charlotte is also quite a clever girl. Last week at the start of her sickness she did not want to take her first nap (a sometimes trend). She pretend gagged (I saw her in the monitor) so Imee rushes up and Charlotte is just bouncing and smiling in her crib. She did this twice in the span of ten minutes - so I just made her stay up after that. She did not mind.

This morning - also at her first nap - I was putting her down and she was fussy. So I asked her what was wrong and then I signed 'hurt' to her. She responded by cupping her ears as they hurt. I gave her some Panadol and she slept for over 2 hours! Man I love sign language.

We gave Charlotte a cup with a straw as I felt as if her existing sippy cup was not ergonomic (all the repetitive head lifting motion). She didn't get it for a couple of days, but then it turned upside down and she saw the water come out of the straw. She immediately sussed out how to drink out of the straw and has been drinking like mad ever since. She is drinking SO much water now - really good now that she is not feeling her best.

Video and Pictures please!

Here is Charlotte laughing at Matt's impression of a Jack-in-the-box:

Here is a funny video of Matt 'watching' the baby (or the back of his eyelids):

Here is Charlotte drinking out of her straw:

Little sweaters drying:

[Blurry] funny face!

TV face (and a relaxed position) while getting her toenails clipped:

In her new toddler tub:

At the park:

Kiro at the park:

Walking (with a snack remnant) at the park:

Week 47

We have been busy.  We went to Hong Kong this weekend, are in the midst of US tax hell, trying to receive a container from China tomorrow and send it plus more to the US on Friday.  Plus Charlotte has just gotten a slight fever starting tonight - yeah, it has been one of those weeks.

Charlotte learned how to sign 'sleep' while in Hong Kong.  So her total signs are nine - mom, dad, dog, eat, milk, more, sleep, airplane, and as of today, grandpa.

Hong Kong was fun - it included Charlotte's first trip to Macau which she was too exhausted (and cold) to enjoy (and it was more or less a bank account closing trip, which is nothing to enjoy).  It was great to see old friends - including Thomas, Em, and Sherry who made the trip to Hong Kong from China and Macau.

I got Charlotte a toothbrush and she likes it a lot.  I probably should have gotten her one 5 months ago but I am not so up on these kinds of milestones.

Let's start with something totally unrelated - here is a picture of a pallet of our tile as it hovers precariously overhead at Matt's office building parking lot.  Two of these pallets are heading to the US:

OK, back to the topic at hand.  Here is Charlotte dancing...

...Not dissimilar to her dancing on her 3rd day of life...

Family photo at Repulse Bay:

Charlotte with Aunt Janice:

Charlotte daydreaming at dusk with daddy:

Charlotte with her new toothbrush.  I have to watch her as she walks around with this in her mouth:

Sporting her "Grandpa Girl" T-shirt with new leg warmers with popsicles on them (you cannot tell here):

The following is a photo series I have called "Sleepful in Macau - Is narcolepsy inherited from the mother?".  The first is at the Oliver's Sandwich shop at Shun Tak Centre in Hong Kong:

Barely awake on her first Jetfoil boat ride over from Hong Kong to Macau:

And finally, out like a light on the ride back from Macau to Hong Kong: