Big Boy Bed!

During mid-winter break, we made the big switch from Kian's toddler bed in the nursery - which will become a crib again for Sage - to the full-size Big Kids' bed in the guest room. Here, Kian lands a jump on his new bed with transportation-themed bedding and a nifty bed rail, complete with pouches for books,a cup holder, and built-in nightlight that he can control.


With money from his red envelope for Chinese New Year from Gung Gung, we bought a new bookcase for Kian to display his current favorite bedtime stories.


Kian acts silly with laughter on his new town rug.


Dada and Sage think Kian's room is pretty cool, too!

Sage has tummy time

Sage has rolled over a couple of times from tummy to back, but still is most comfortable playing on her back over just rolling from side to side.

Sage is Five Months Old!

Our little girl is getting more and more chubby, and we love every bit of her! She enjoys spending time with Grandma a couple days each week and with Dad every other Friday, while mama is at work. She still visits me once or twice a day for nursing!

Kian gives Sage so much love and is great at making her smile and sometimes laugh! When I bring Sage to Kian's school to pick him up, he is very protective of his baby sister when other kids get close to admire her. We are excited for the day when Sage and Kian can really talk and play with each other, but it's still fun to see them interact with eye contact, smiles, and baby talk!

Kian is Two and a Half Years Old!

Kian has matured and developed so much in the past 6 months, especially in the verbal department. He talks about SO many things and isn't shy about expressing his opinion about everything! Kian uses his imagination, often telling his bear the same things we've told him before. For example, if Bear "falls down" (ie., gets thrown down on the floor by Kian for the sake of role playing), he will lovingly ask in a sympathetic tone, "Oh Bear, are you okaaaay? Did you bump your head? Ohhhhhh..." and then kiss and hug his bear. His teachers say that he is very compassionate with other children, too. There are a set of twins in his class, and when the girl pinched her brother's ear hard enough to make him cry, Kian told the girl, "That really really hurts Jesse. Please don't do that." At home, if he hears Sage cry and I'm in the other room, he will tell her reassuringly, "Sage, your mama is coming."

Somethings we'd like to remember about this stage: Kian loves to sing the ABCs and many other songs, can do his ABC puzzles upside down, enjoys watching "Superwhy" and "Black Hippo Show" (which is a Baby Einstein video called Baby Noah), loves playing "Blanket Game" and "Whoosh!" with dad, likes getting shiny stickers from the toy store and is very generous with them, and enjoys going to "Buhdonalds" (Mcdonald's) with Grandpa for chicken nuggets and fries.

Flowers for Mama

I just had to get a photo of these beautiful, bright green mums that Kian gave me. When he and Ryan were grocery shopping at Costco, Kian saw these flowers and said that he wanted to get them for me. Ryan attempted to steer Kian towards and nice bunch of yellow Gerber daisies, thinking I might like them better, but Kian was insistent. "No, mama will like these flowers!" I was overjoyed by Kian's thoughtfulness and am hopeful that these are the first of many flowers he'll think to give me during my lifetime!

Sage is Four Months Old!

Sage smiles sweetly for mama in the picture above, but when I show her the stuffed snowman "Snowboy" for the second pose (below), she really lets out some laughs and big smiles!

Snowboy is her best friend at the moment... or should I say, "boyfriend"?!

She loves to "shark attack" Snowboy's face, which we find to be pretty darn hilarious. This funny behavior is best shown in a video, so once I can get it to work, I'll upload it.


At Sage's 4 month check-up, we learned that she weighs 15 lb., 3 oz., which is the 80th percentile for baby girls her age, is 24.5" tall, which is 60th percentile for height, and head circumference is a nice 50th %ile.

Sage is still refusing to drink from a bottle, so she visits me once or twice a day at work! I guess this is the reason I haven't really felt much separation anxiety upon returning to work. I only work 2-3 days/week, and I feel fortunate that I can spend the rest of the week with her. She has a mellow and happy personality. Kian continues to shower her with love - giving kisses, making her smile, using her bib to wipe away drool, singing her songs when she is upset, and finding books that he wants her to "read".

Christmas 2010

When Kian was coming down the stairs on Christmas morning, he was expecting Santa to be there...maybe to hand-deliver our gifts. Kian participated in leaving a dairy-free sugar cookie, glass of soy milk, and his own sippy cup of apple juice for Santa the night before, so he was aware that Santa would be visiting. Before he reached the bottom of the stairs Kian said, "Maybe he's not here yet" and wanted to give Santa a hug.


Kian received quite a few books for Christmas this year, and especially enjoys pointing out which Sandra Boynton books he now owns. Pointing to the pictures of the book covers on the back of one book, he states, "I have this one, this one, this one....all of them!" Maisy pop-up/ pull-tab books are also a favorite.


Sage tests out her new toys from Santa. Graspable and brightly colored...what more could she ask for?


Kian is amazed by the stars projected by this turtle night-light. It's supposed to help kids overcome a fear of the dark at nighttime...and provide over-stimulation while they are trying to settle in for bed! Thanks, Santa!


Sage chills out in her swing at Grandma and Grandpa's house, while the rest of us chow down on delicious Italian food for Christmas dinner.