Hawaii Part Two - Pool Time

The first full day in Hawaii we decided to introduce Leah to the Pacific Ocean.  The place where we stayed had a private lagoon, where the water was really calm and clear and the sand was clean.  It was almost like swimming in a swimming pool and the water would have been perfect if it wasn't so darn cold! 

We began the process of lathering up.  With such a white baby, I took the idea of sunscreen very seriously.  This meant that we sometimes spent more time putting sunscreen on Leah, than Leah spent in the water. 

First we tried the ocean.  

Chubby Baby!

Dip the toes in

It's cold!

Below are two video clips of Leah's first swim in the Ocean.  It was really windy our entire trip so the noises you hear are wind, not thunder.







She wasn't completely convinced, so we ditched the ocean and hit the pool.  The pools were heated just a little which made the water temperature perfect.

There's a smile

Wait, just kidding, back to frowning.

She didn't last long in the pool either and was quickly back on dry land for the afternoon.  

We did try swimming another day and it went a little better, although she still wasn't sure that this was a fun way to spend the afternoon.

As of 8 months, Leah prefers to be on land.

Hawaii Part One - Getting There

I want to apologize in advance for making this my own personal photo album.  But hey, it's my blog, so I guess I can do whatever I want.  Plus this is how I'm chronicling Leah's first year of life.  So beware of many many pictures to come.  

We left for Hawaii around 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.  BA and I had been up until 2 a.m. the night before packing.  And then Leah did her usual 5:30 a.m. wake-up call, but this time, we had to get up anyway.  Leah was a champ on the flight.  She mostly played on our laps, smiled at the people sitting behind us, walked the aisles with Dad, ate, and took naps.  We bought her a seat, partly because it's safer, and partly because we needed the space.  We were on the plane almost six hours (!!!) but she barely cried at all, mostly due to the fact that she could nap in her own car seat.  The minute we saw an eye-rub, we'd plop her down, pull the sun-shade, and she'd be out like a light.  I'm convinced she actually slept better on the plane than she did at the condo in Hawaii.  Just goes to show that she prefers jet engine ambient noise, not the rainforest, to fall asleep to. 

Making friends on the flight.

Yay, we've arrived on Oahu.

The long flight was worth it, because we arrived to this ... 

Ko Olina Marriott Beach Club

This past week, Leah has started to have this look ... where she's thinking about something her tongue hangs out a little. It's an inherited trait.  Her mom does it, her mom's dad does it, and her mom's grandmother did it.  It's pretty cute, if you ask me. 

Her hair also went wild in Hawaii because of all the humidity.  You will see many curly-hair pictures in the days to come.   Just notice the difference in this picture, versus the one right above on the plane. 



Gotta have my shades. 

8 Month Hula Skirt

Remember back before Peanut arrived, we took a poll among family members ... would I be having (a) Swim Trunks, or (b) a Hula Skirt?  The Hula Skirt won, obviously, and we finally made that trip to Hawaii we'd been dreaming about for over a year.  Because we did so much and took so many pictures, I'll have publish a couple of posts on Hawaii.  But I wanted to make sure I got the 8 month post up first.  Look for lots of photos from the rest of the trip in the coming days.

On the first full-day in Hawaii, Leah turned 8 months.  BA stuck with his tradition and got her a cake.  There wasn't a single pineapple upside-down cake at the grocery story (would you believe that!) so he just bought a white cake and chopped off the top of a pineapple for decoration. 

Aloha!

The above picture was the ONLY picture in this series where Leah was smiling.  She actually spent a good deal of the trip sick (croup cough that just got worse) and we ended up spending half a day going to a pediatrician in Honolulu, only to find out there was nothing we could do.  As usual, the Peanut exhibited no symptoms at all while at our $150 impromptu doctor's appointment.  This is classic Leah.  Screams all night, coughs up a lung, throws up her formula, refuses her formula, we go to the doctor, and she smiles like nothing is wrong.  Not a sniffle, not a cough, not even a runny nose.  The doctor looked at her and actually said, "well, she's the picture of health." 

So we went back to the condo and started steam showers, during the day and over-night.  Luckily Hawaii is humid so there was no need for a humidifier, we just slept with the balcony door open.  And we tried to get her to nap but she would have none of it.  She hated the pack-n-play they brought in for her crib.  She would scream and cry and flail her legs up and down on the pad.  So in order to get her to sleep someone would usually have to load her in the stroller and take a walk. 

Because of our impromptu visit to the doctor we got an accurate weight and height for Leah.

Weight:  17 pounds, 8 ounces (38%)
Height:  27.5 inches (60%)

And our biggest milestone for this month so far (only crawling has the potential to surpass this one) Leah learned how to clap!  We'd been trying to get her to do it for a few weeks, but it wasn't until her Nana clapped for her that Leah decided it was time to try it out.  And she loves it!

Happy 8 months to my little Hula Skirt!

My Gift

Ever since Leah was born, BA wanted to get me something to celebrate her birth.  I wanted something that I could wear almost everyday - something I could wear to the office, or to the gym.  I took my time searching.  BA wanted to buy something for me months ago, but I could never really figure out what I wanted.  Until I saw this necklace ...

I think it's perfect for me.  It's simple, but not boring.  It's understated, but doesn't blend in.  I am so happy with this necklace.  Thank you BA!

But honestly, let's face it ... this little gem was my real gift.

Thanks to Aunt Haley for the adorable red dress.

Pictures Galore!

I've been a little lax on blogging recently.  So to make up for my lack of posts, here's one that should help satisfy any Leah-deficiency you may currently have.

She's eying her bottle and she knows it's being withheld.  "Somebody's gonna pay for this!"

... and Mommy loves you!

This next series shows you what happens when Dad is left alone to entertain Leah.  I was cleaning the house and I had all the windows open.  It was a really windy day and kind of chilly, so BA decided Leah needed to layer-up.

We take afternoon walks ...

Peanut helps with the chores ...

"Haha, Mom and Dad thought it would be funny to put me in the middle of the clean clothes."

"Okay, seriously guys.  This is not funny anymore.  I told you I don't want to fold clothes!"

And winding down at the end of the day ...

 Leah is the perfect baby.  Until 6:30 p.m.  Then she loses it.

And this is my favorite sight to see lately.  My baby, peaceful, asleep, in her crib. 

Air Crawl

Leah has been working on her crawling lately.  She doesn't have it down on land yet, but she's mastered it in the air.





Such a proud Peanut.

BA's Corner: Ghost Dad and the Single Mom

Leah is absolutely enamored with Mommy these days. I don’t even exist. It doesn’t bother me too much…I think it’s great that AA is getting so much affection from her. It’s just funny how obvious it is.

When we were at the Reagan Museum 2 weeks ago, we all sat down for a nice, casual lunch. Leah was in her stroller between us, and she stared at AA the whole time. When AA got up to use the restroom, Leah followed her with her eyes until she couldn’t see her anymore. I warned Leah before AA left that she’d be “all alone” while Mommy was in the bathroom. When she couldn’t see AA anymore, she stared at the family in the next booth. None of that family turned to look at Leah, but she was content to stare at them for several minutes until Mommy made it back (and she was no longer alone).

When I picked her up from daycare this week, Leah seemed confused. All of a sudden, she had been lifted in the air, put in her car seat, and driven home. Mommy was nowhere to be found, so there was no logical explanation for it. Must have been a ghost.

Today, we sat Leah on the bed while AA was doing some things. I walked in and crouched down, about 3 inches right in front of her face. Leah continued to stare at AA. When AA left the room, Leah stared at the door until she returned. At one point, AA got behind me so Leah couldn’t see her. Leah looked all over the room, scanning it with her eyes in search of Mommy. When AA popped her head up, Leah whipped her head around, completely skipped my face, and looked straight at AA. Over and over again.

She also likes to pull her head forward when she’s in her car seat lately. Many times she’s looking for a good shoulder strap to munch on. Maybe she's looking for her single mom. But mostly I think she's just curious and doesn't want to miss anything going by. She’s actually been falling asleep in that position - her body is tilted back, but she tilts her head forward. And it takes a little muscle to get her head back against the back of the seat. I have no idea why she’s decided that’s more comfortable than just resting her head back.