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July 25, 2006

Boston

Linna and I just got back from a quick trip to Boston to visit Mika - I mean, Ann and Zack. After hearing about the summer weather there, I was a little worried, but in fact it was in the upper 70's while we were there, and it got to be 107 here in Portland. Glad we missed that.

It was fantastic to meet Mika and see Ann and Zack as parents. They're parents! There's no going back. I loved seeing how they respond to Mika, both when she's fussy and needs something, and when she's happy and they'll do whatever it takes to make her smile. It didn't seem to me that Mika was really very fussy - she seems pretty content. It's a good life. We spent a lot of time around their place, went for lots of walks, did a little packing (they're moving on Friday). We did one real outing, to Walden Pond on Monday morning, which was lovely. I just enjoyed seeing them, hanging out with them and cooking - our usual thing, I guess.

We were all moving at the same pace because of the babies. Almost immediately, Linna and Mika adjusted to the same sort of schedule, so they ended up eating and sleeping at the same time fairly often, which was convenient.

I think Linna gained over a pound when we were there. By the time we left, she'd outgrown a few of the outfits I brought for her to wear, so I left them there for Mika. She also developed this bizarre habit of trying to suck her thumb while nursing. I've noticed that she's a terrible flirt - even if she's grumpy and fussy, if someone new talks to her or looks at her, she'll give them this big smile, and then hide her face coyly on my shoulder.

Mika laughed for the first time while we were there, at Zack singing. So he sang over and over to her. Unfortunately, I had already gone to bed when she laughed, but I did get a good picture of her smiling.

It's funny - when Ethan was Linna's age, I would have been daunted by the idea of traveling alone with a baby, renting a car, braving the Boston roads by myself, and doing all the care for 5 days. But this time around, it seems positively easy to travel with just a baby. Not that it was all smooth sailing - there were some moments on the plane when she just couldn't fall asleep, and was super squirmy. And she had a hard time napping at Ann and Zack's, too, so I took a lot of walks with her. But - that was fine, really. In fact, I feel like I really reconnected with Linna by spending all that time with her again.

Posted by ktingey at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2006

6 months

Linna's six months old today. On Monday we had her 6-month appointment. The official measurements: she's 17 pounds, 7 ounces (80th percentile), 26 1/2 inches long (75th percentile), with a big old head (I don't remember exactly how big, but she's in the 95th percentile for noggins).

Dr. Burton thinks she's doing great and is very social, very engaged with people. She was actually sleepy and a tad grumpy, but for the doctor and nurse she was little miss smiley.

I know I need to post some more pictures so everyone can see her new hair, which doesn't stick straight up anymore, except for an occasional wayward curl. It's growing in over her bald spot, too, so I don't have to try to do the comb-over or anything.

I've started a sleep log for Linna to see if I can get a little better at hitting the first sleepy moment and getting her down for naps more easily. I'll let you know how it goes.

Posted by ktingey at 07:13 PM | Comments (0)

July 09, 2006

Roll over, Rover!

Linna rolled over from her back to her front for the first time yesterday! She repeated the trick once for Jeff this morning. She's been trying hard to roll over from her back to her front (more difficult), so I thought I'd give her more time on her tummy so she could practice that, and she did it!

Yesterday she was more fussy than usual in the evening - she just couldn't go to sleep. I even took her on a long walk in the stroller, which sometimes puts her right to sleep, but no dice. She mostly was quiet, then got fussy towards the end. Then we saw Karla's friend Larkin out watering their plants, so we went over to say hi, and of course Linna was all smiles for him.

Posted by ktingey at 05:36 PM | Comments (0)

July 07, 2006

Hair update

Linna's hair has suddenly decided to lie down in the front. It's for the best, I suppose, as it might be difficult for her to go through life with a natural mohawk. And it's probably just because it's getting longer. But I can't help but feel a little sad about it, and nostalgic for my little girl's stand-up hair.

We had a visit from a community health nurse yesterday (to do a developmental assessment - a free service because Linna was premature). According to her scale, which she says is not that accurate, Linna's around 17 pounds. And 25 1/2 inches long. I guess we'll get the official measurements on Monday at her 6-month appointment.

Have I mentioned how soft Linna's skin is? It's like butter. Especially her tummy. I just have to nuzzle it whenever it's out there. Mmmmm.

Last night they were both nursing and looking at each other, the way they like to do. I did something that made Ethan laugh, and then Linna started laughing too, because she always wants to be in on Ethan's jokes.

Posted by ktingey at 09:50 PM | Comments (0)

July 05, 2006

Yummy

Linna had some rice cereal for the first time on Saturday. She's been eager to try food for a little while, leaning longingly towards my food if she's in my lap, and of course watching Ethan eat. So we set up the little chair-on-a-chair that Ethan used, and mixed her up a little cereal with breastmilk. She loved it. When Ethan first tried it, he spit it out, but she just sucked it up and was very, very happy. So we'll be doing that once a day now. And she'll be six months old next week!

She now has a very distinct "sleepy song," just like Ethan used to. I'd forgotten about the sleepy song. Hers is so cute. It's a surefire cue that she's about to nod off. She just kind of makes these cute little moany sounds, not unhappy, just... sleepy.

Erika was up for the long weekend, and we went shopping with Linna on Saturday. (Shopping! Yay!) Linna slept for about two hours while we were out, which is very unusual for her. She was in her stroller, which I'm just starting to use now that she's a little heavier to carry around. Plus it's hard to try on clothes with a baby on. Anyway, after she woke up I slung her, and she was pretty happy. These days she mostly likes to be facing out, so she can see the world.

Posted by ktingey at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)