sweet new potatoes

Ila, Uncle Paul and Auntie Grace came over for a short impromptu visit earlier this week. She loved my exersacuer and they all think that she can get good exercise and practice standing. She went to the doctors office today and got weighed in at 16lbs! Much more than my measly 13lbs. We had good fun. Unfortunately she could not stay for long!

Mammy and Daddy thought that it was appropiate that I should get started on some yams. I enjoyed kidney beans a lot. More than Daddy really wanted since he does not like beans too much and infact I am not sure I want to admit this, but I dont think I really like yams too much, except those in my family ofcourse!

Now I can get up on my own and stand pretty much anywhere with minimal assistance! And no worries about getting down. I can do that too without a problem.

Well it gave Mammy and Daddy and Auntie Anita quite a scare last week but I think that it was decided that this was not an allergy to the kidney beans that Mammy had me start on. Instead, it was my first viral rash. It was on my legs and arms and face unlike the hives which were just on my face. Mammy says that babies and kids get rashes when they get any kind of virus like a cold or cough but grown-ups dont. I think I caught this one from Mammy. She just had a stuffy nose and was super tired but I got this rash. Luckily it went away the next day and we decided that I didnt have to see a doctor !

Mammy and Daddy are thinking of getting a new camera. They went to Uncle Ron and Auntie Julianne's place to check out their nice camera and had me model for them. Here are some samples of what great things this camera can do. In particular, it can catch me "in action" and get a fantastic zoom on me! There were so many great photos Mammy and Daddy didnt know which ones to pick!

Kau fu Mike gives me a hug each morning before he goes to work. He likes to play with me. He makes me smile.

The title and the picture says it all...

Ok, I'm not quite 6 months, but my doctor's appointment was a few days early for my 6 month check-up. I got my immunization shots again! I also got measured and weighed. By weight I'm at the 10 percentile range, so I'm a little bit skinny...but isn't that ok for girls?! By height I'm still at 50 percentile. That explains why my pants don't fit very well at my waist but fit well by length. My head diameter is on the small side which I take after my Mammy. Here are my particulars: Head circumference 41cm (10-25%), weight 6.12kg (10%), height 65.5cm (50%).

On another note, I am feeding several times a day from a bottle and the rest from Mammy along with a small supplement of solids. I am eating congee, which I like now and don't make funny faces at. Mammy and Daddy need to introduce me slowly to new solids as I am more susceptible to having allergic reactions. The doctor said I should not be eating citrus such as oranges, grapefruit and probably tomato until 1 year since there is some evidence they can trigger allergic reactions as well. On the other hand, I need to ensure I get an iron-rich diet since I can no longer depend solely on Mammy's milk.

My sleeping is going well. I'm still taking naps during the day, especially the morning nap at around 9am. I have finally slept through the night a few times. Three times in the last week and a half I have gone to bed around 8pm and slept until 7am. That means I don't always need my 4am feeding. I can sometimes miss my late afternoon nap. A few days ago my parents took me to the mall for several hours between 4 and 6 and I didn't complain a bit, in fact I rather enjoyed it. When I got home I ate a nice meal and went straight to bed for the night.

I enjoy my baths -especially with Mammy in the tub, splashing water, being outside, looking at the garden, crawling, standing, pretending to walk, sucking my thumb -especially the left one, and playing with my toys on the exersaucer. I'm still rather quiet and don't babble too much unless particularly excited, but I enjoy hearing others talk to me. Well, that's about it for now. It's nappy time....

They knew it wasn't going to be long as I'm a determined little girl. In June I started going through worming motions and would eventually move half a foot or so. By July I was consistently worming about. By August I was on my tummy lifting my head high with my arms and getting on my knees but I didn't quite know how to take steps with my hands so I would plant my face into the carpet each time I kicked with my legs. I'd end up moving forward but not without a mouthful of lint. Well, last week I learned how to move my hands in front of me and I officially began to crawl! Check me out.

Well, Daddy has removed all the bee hives around the house and the hives on my face have long since past. Unfortunately, we confirmed some not so great news today from the doctor. I went to see an alergist to have some tests performed on me. At first it was no big deal, Mammy rolled up my sleeve and a nice lady dabbed some liquid on my forearm. Mammy held my arm out for about 5 minutes with this liquid drop on my skin. Nothing happened! But then the "nice" lady did the test again, only this time she pricked me with a needle twice then put drops on it!! How dare she!? See the photo, which was taken a few hours later. Well within minutes the spots on my little arm started to swell red and everyone was saying that I showed positive for an alergic reaction. My alergy: cows milk! Boo Hooo! Even though I've never had it, I've seen adults eat this thing called ice-cream with such amusement that I'm beginning to think I'm missing out on something good. Looks like I may never get to try. I'm told there is an 80% chance I'll grow out of the milk alergy by the time I'm 4-6 years old. In the meantime, I'm to AVOID any contact whatsoever to milk and dairy products. My parents picked up an Epi pen today from the pharmacy. It can help me if I react badly in the future. It cost $110 for a single use. I understand that can buy a lot of diapers. Boo hoo....

Thanks to various aunties and uncles, I have many stuffed toys. I take much comfort in having them around and holding them when I sleep. Daddy says that one of the teddy bears always feel moist since I give it many sloppy kisses each time I go to bed. Now that I can stand, I often grab the toys that are hanging off the top of my crib and pull them in with me. Daddy took some pictures of me while I was sleeping this morning. I was using a stuffed toy as a pillow. He thinks I'm adorable; who am I to argue?!

Now that I have an exersaucer I will be letting go of my bouncer. Besides, I get bored quickly just sitting there. Mammy & Daddy think it is too dangerous for me since they can't keep me seated properly even with the harness tightly around my hips. You see me investigating the integrity of the spring mechanism to make sure it is safe for the next little one to use.

Today was a good day! Auntie Ruby and uncle Aleix were in town and came to visit us. We went out for lunch on a patio. It was a sunny day and we all enjoyed ourselves. After lunch I took a nap while Mammy and Daddy went out to get me a surprise. Uncle Mike was at home to take care of me in case I woke up. Well, when I got up there was a shiny new toy waiting for me. Daddy was putting the finishing touches on my new exersaucer! It has many settings and allows me to stand on my feet while I play with toys located around the saucer. Daddy actually took most of the toys off except for two. I played with one at Auntie Cathy's house in Vancouver and was quite overwhelmed by all the toys. Daddy wanted to ease me in without over-stimulating me. Now I can practice standing on my own two feet without someone holding on to me.

Some people are susceptible to falling and not be able to get back up; well, I've got the opposite problem. Now that I've mastered standing in my crib I do it all the time. Problem is....I can't get back down! So, I stand there and cry until my Mammy or Daddy come help me back down. I'll do this a dozen times when I'm supposed to be going to bed. I think Mammy and Daddy are getting a little annoyed by my new habit. Daddy caught me crying after the 10th time. I finally fell asleep after doing this a few more times.

It sure felt great to make it all the way to the top!!

Learning to drink from a cup

Recently I've been learning how to sip water from a cup. It's a very grown up thing to do. They don't actually let me drink much as I'm just getting used to the sensation. I enjoy trying new things, though I don't really like water very much. Can I get a soda?!

Mammy promised that one day her and I will climb some peaks together...maybe even Everest. I thought I would start training. Here I am practicing on a very difficult climb. To you it may look like a sofa...but to little 'ol me...it's a daunting and challenging peak! In the photos I'm assessing my hand holds and looking at the prize that awaits me at the top. What a view!

Check out the video of me climbing to the very peak...with some help from Auntie Anita of course!

Uncle Mike arrived last night from Vancouver while I was sleeping. He will be visiting for one month! I hope he finds the cot comfortable. This first evening the family cooperated in making a great dinner. Uncle Mike made oyster mushroom risotto with rosemary and Mammy made the salad. Daddy did up the steaks (beef tenderloin and striploin). They tried to put me to bed but no way was I going to miss out on the action and food. Everything was delish! Well it sure seemed like they liked it since their plate was all clean. But none for me. Even Sebas got a piece of the striploin! So I cried long and hard enough that they brought me down from my crib even though it was past my bedtime. Uncle Mike made funny sounds that made me laugh! Uncle Mike recently came back from Costa Rica from surfing for 2 weeks. I hope that he can bring me next time! Here is recent oil painting of his likely inspired by his recent trip!