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See, I told you - I really DO NOT like Santa, but I hope he likes me because I need some new toys!
Here's a picture of our gal with her Jiji and Baba at our office Christmas party. She sure has enjoyed all the extra attention and hams it up more than ever (except around Santa).
Well, she slept on it and she still doesn't have too many good things to say about old Saint Nick. Here's her feelings about the jolly old elf one day later . . . . . . .
Well, I think the video pretty much says it all. We even tried some photos with me holding Momochan next to Santa - no go. She has yet to exhibit a fear of strangers, at least not until today. Poor little Momochan!
Our gal is doing just great. Her Jiji and Baba are here and she is in heaven. Now she has the undivided attention of four adults and has been taking every opportunity to ham it up.
Weather here has been great - sunny and in the low 80's during the day, upper 60's at night. For those who "love their seasons" all I can say is I hope you're enjoying the weather you currently have. Me, I'll take the endless summer every time.
Our gal now has eight teeth and can go to town on any foods that get close. Tonight at dinner she was so grabby, reaching for my plate and then momma's plate. She just loves to use those chompers.
Tomorrow our gal is going to see Santa. Hope she's nice and not naughty!
Here's a shot of our gal cruising around the kitchen. She spends about half of her play time vertical looking for something to walk around. She is really quite good and has gained a lot of balance and dexterity. This morning she cruised around half the kitchen and was very, very interested in cabinet doors and drawers. We're not too worried yet because she still needs some help to get over to the danger areas but I can see the day coming (soon) when we're going to have to lash all unstowed gear to the deck and set circle william on all fittings throughout the ship.
Momma is worried she is going to knock on knot on her pretty little noggin while cruisin' around so she knitted Momoka a cute little hat. The little towel secures the knitted noggin proctector onto baby's melon. Works good and just like in the the picture in a previous post - the towel that made Momochan look like Mozart - is all about baby safety.
Gotta love Momma.
The t-shirt says "This is what a Japanese princess looks like". Momoka is our little princess for sure. Sorry for the blurry picture but Momoka wouldn't stand still. We were in a restaurant called "Anna Miller's" on Kamehameha Hwy and it was busy so Momoka had too much people watching going on to stand still. If you're ever in town stop by there and have a slice of macadamia nut pie - tasty.
Aloha. A lot has happened in the ten days since I posted last. The big news is we went to the Doctor for our nine month check-up. Since we have moved we're starting over with a new Doc and Momma and I were a little worried we'd get a dud but Momoka's new Doc is wonderful. No knock against Army medicine but I think the Navy has a better system and, quite frankly, better people - my opinion only. The Doc was so nice and very gentle. As you'd expect Momoka was very interested in getting the stethoscope out of the Doc's ears and into her mouth. Babies.
The check up went great and Momoka is growing and thriving. She remains in the 95th percentile for weight but has caught up considerably in length and is now in the 75 percentile. Momoka still does not crawl but is more interested in walking. The Doc said never fear, she was developing well and told us that some babies just don't crawl. Momoka has always hated to be on her tummy so maybe she'll just go straight to walking. She is already standing and hanging on to and scooting around anything she can get her little hands on. Overall the Doctor's visit was a real plus and Momma and I are glad we've got a great baby Doc for this tour.
Momma found a baby play class and she and Momoka have been going during the week. Momma and I take Momoka on Sunday for a family play date. The class has age specific activities and all kinds of fun toys for babies and small children. The place has been great for all of us. Momma has met some other Japanese moms there and has quickly made friends. Momoka seems to really enjoy the other babies and the activities. Favorite - bubbles. Not so favorite - parachute play. I like the class because I get to spend some time with the family.
Here's some pictures of our gal during a recent Sunday play date . . . . . . . .
Climbing around on the toys is fun Daddy!
One of my favorite activities is to wrestle around with Momoka. She seems to like it (generally) although she can get a little overwhelmed when Daddy doesn't quit when he should. One thing I like to do is turn her upside down (while supporting her head, neck and back). You can always get a grin which means you've got a great shot of those cute little teeth. Speaking of teeth, our gal got a new one for a total of five. Her right top tooth that sits next to her front tooth is now poking out. Five teeth! Armed and dangerous!
Well, I can't believe its been almost a month since I last posted on this page. A lot has happened for sure in that time. When we got here we lived in a hotel for almost a month while we waited for our vehicles and household goods to arrive. Once all our stuff got on island we selected a house on the post I am working at. Nice place, nice back yard, fence, good neighborhood with lots of kids. Our house is newer and is almost the same size as our military house in Virginia. We're still unpacking boxes and probably will be until the holidays get here. Unpacking is a drag but unpacking with a nine month old is almost impossible. Maybe we'll get our house in order in time for our next move. All in all we're in a good place and things are going along great. We're digging the weather and the great scenery and are looking forward to no snow, ice or cold miserable rainy days.
The baby is changing and growing every day. We can't believe that in March we were flying back to DC with this very small little peanut who slept in a bassinet on the airplane. Momoka is growing into that next stage - mobility. She isn't crawling yet but is perfecting her technique at pulling up. Crawling is next, she just can't seem to get the arm and leg motion synchronized but I am sure she will soon. Then it'll be off to the races!
She is still eating well and really enjoys sitting in her big girl high chair and having some chow. We got her this great high chair made by a Euro baby company called Boon. It comes in an assortment of colors - we selected "princess pink" of course. Nice thing is it can be raised and lowered like a barber chair, is on wheels so it is easy to move to clean under and also has a "brake" which grips the floor and holds it in place when baby is onboard. She loves it.
We put Momoka's room together first and she has really enjoyed getting back in her big girl bed and having her stuff around her. While we were living in the hotel Momoka slept in a Graco pack and play. She didn't complain too much but it's obvious by the look on her face in the morning when she wakes up that her crib is much more comfortable. She was such a great little trooper during this move. She took all the change in stride and never really had a big meltdown.
Some other important new things . . . . .
- Quite ambidextrous with her hands and easily passes things from hand to hand. Grips small items between thumb and forefinger.
- Has taken to Baby Einstein videos. Baby Mozart is her favorite. She loves the puppets and especially the green dragon puppet (those who watch, know). There is a part where the dragon puppet sticks out his tongue and goes "blaaaaaah". Never fails to get a smile.
- Has developed some serious skills in navigating her baby car. She hadn't seen the baby car in two months but when dropped in took off going both forward as well as backwards. She is a hazard to mommy and daddy's navigation of the kitchen when she's driving.
- Has a number of new facial expressions and sounds. She is becoming more vocal using different sounds in different situations.
- Seems to be making the sign for milk when drinking milk. Momma has been trying to teach some sign language and milk was the first sign. When you are holding her and she is swigging on a bottle her little hand opens and closes like momma's does. She also does the sign when eating too.
- Is a little angel and such a joy to be around (usually). We love her to pieces. She is such a special little girl.
Here's some action photos from the last month . . . . .
Here's our gal at Genki Sushi. For some reason sticking out her tongue is no longer good enough. She has to make the "Peko chan" tongue. I started feeding her some whole grains of sushi rice during the meal and she loved it. She chewed it well too. Mogu, mogu, mogu Momochan!
Ahhhh, finally back in my big girl bed! You have to look close but you can see her right front top tooth sticking out. Left one is out too. Those four little front teeth are the cutest thing ever! You might also notice Momoka has slimmed down from just last month. Her little legs don't look like she borrowed then from the Michelin man any more.
Here's our gal in her big girl chair waiting for dinner. Her expression seems to be saying "Gee, I hope its something good and not the usual stuff I get". Save me BB - I need some tasty Yo baby and prunes from you!
Shortly after we moved in playing on a pile of packing paper with a sheet on top.
Here's our gal in her ducky bathtub. JJ gave Momochan a little rubber duckie when we were in Houston and she really liked (and continues to like) it. Everytime we see a rubber duck we'll pick it up and squeek it. Always gets a big smile. Momoka never really seemed to like teething rings but she sure has been chewing on the duckies as her two front teeth have come in. At first she wasn't too keen on the duckie bathtub but did like to crawl around on it. She finally started taking a bath in there right before we left the hotel. If you look closely you can see one of her many little duckies in her left hand.
Here's a couple of shots of our gal swimmin' in the pool. The hotel has a really nice pool that butts right up to the beach. Nice little tiki bar too - frozen foo-foo drinks for Momma - YATTA! Momoka likes the pool and is especially interested in the other kids swimming and splashing. She will kick her little legs and splash with her little arms - too cute!
Here she is right after the swim. She is really interested in walking and loves it when you hold her little arms so she can take some steps. She will take 4 or 5 good steps and then look up at you and wait for you to tell her how proud you are of her. After she feels like she's gotten her props she starts walking again. If there is someone else who makes a comment about her walking she lights up like the 4th of July. I am sure she will be quite the little ham in a year or so!
Our other big news is Momoka now has two upper teeth to go with those two lower ones. She has been really fussy in the afternoon with lots of slobber. She also woke up a couple of days ago with a serious case of sweaty head. Two days ago we were rasslin' around on the bed and I turned her upside down. Her mouth opened wide to let out a squeal and there they were - two butter bean sized teeth poking out of her upper gums. Such a big girl!
We took our gal to one of our favorite spots on the island - the Dole Pineapple Plantation. I don't think they grow too much up there anymore but they do have a nice garden, what is billed as the world's largest botanical maze and, of course, a gift shop to squeeze $$$ out of tourists. They also have a snack bar that serves tasty pineapple soft cream. I like the pineapple float. It tastes great and I wanted to share it with Momoka. A bite of the float was going to be her first departure from baby food and into the world of bad for you adult food. We try to be a little strict on diet issues because refined sugar is so bad for kids but we figured one little taste wasn't going to turn Momoka into a junk food junkie. Here's a picture of the float . . . . .
Looks good, huh?
Here's a picture of our gal's face after I put some of this delicious creation on her tongue . . . .
Guess she didn't dig the pineapple float as much as we do. We figured the pineapple juice in the float might have been a little sour and that's what caused the scrunched up yucky face reaction. Aloha Momochan!
She slept much better last night. We got her back into her routine a bit - a walk, then bath, then dinner, then milk and off to sleep. She went to bed around 2045 and awoke a little after 0500. Momma and I woke to the sounds of her happily babbling away in her crib - the best way in the world to wake up! She woke up really happy so we think she might have caught up on her rest a little. She is such a great sport and is a real joy to travel with. Nice shot of Diamonhead in the background - taken with Momma's cell phone. What a great photographer!
Tanjobi Omedito Momochan - you're 8 months old today!
View from the balcony of the hotel via cell camera. We'll get the real cameras into action soon!
Here's our gal taking a little nap in paradise . . . . .
Momma and I are hoping her little clock gets adjusted to Aloha time soon.
Well, we're packed out. We're going to turn in our keys tomorrow and will be flying to Southeast Texas this weekend. It has been a very stressful time for our gal. She hasn't enjoyed the move at all and is not happy with all the changes she's had to endure. She has been really fussy the last few days, her schedule has gone haywire and she isn't happy about any of it. We're hoping that once she gets to my parents house and is able to decompress a bit with Jiji and Baba she'll bounce back to her usual self. My parent's place is quiet and she will be doted on constantly - perfect to take the edge off those baby nerves. Poor little Momochan.
Here's a photo of our gal sitting in a big girl high chair last night. Momma and I don't eat out much because Momma is a great cook but we're at the point with our pack out and move that we'll be eating out a lot. We wanted to see how Momoka would react sitting by herself in a restaurant while we stuffed our pie holes full of chow. She did great. Very patient and entertained herself with toys and by people watching. We probably dallied a bit too long and she got a little skirmy at the end of the meal but that was fine because she was so well behaved. Such a big girl! Sorry for the crummy photo quality - this is from my cell phone.
We bought Momoka this little chair that clamps onto a table. The chair is made by "Phil and Ted" and is called "meetoo". The chair has an aluminum frame and is very sturdy. We're hoping she'll enjoy sitting in this chair because we'll be doing a lot more eating out in the next month as we transition from DC to Hawaii and wait for quarters to become available.
Natto that is. Our gal downed about a tablespoon of natto tonight for dinner. For those unfamiliar with natto it is fermented soybeans and it is pretty good for you. Momma and Pappa like natto on a bowl of rice with a fried egg on top for breakfast - tasty! The problem with natto, as with most fermented things, is that it smells. For some Japanese the smell is just too bad. For Americans its the smell and the stringy slimy texture that keeps them from even tasting the stuff. It's really not something I'd expect a baby to eat. In Japan it is one of the second groups of foods offered to babies because it's a little chunky. Most think natto smells like dirty, sweaty socks. Momoka ate it and seemed to like it, which is good, because as I said natto is very good for you. Nice.
Here's a short momomovie of our gal with quite the tickled funny bone. The full length feature is almost seven minutes of her giggling and squealing. I am not sure what she saw that was so funny (other than daddy's general goofiness). Who knows why babies laugh at the things they do? I am not sure I really care if that question is ever answered as long as they laugh. It is the laughter of someone who is truly innocent and I find, in spite of all the ills of the world (and there are many), it puts me back in touch with my humanity.
Momoka turned 7 months old last Friday - YEA! Sorry the posts have slowed down. We are busy trying to close out our house and are getting ready to move. This has been a tough move and we'll all be glad when we are settled in at our new duty station. These posts will slow even more until the fall when hopefully, by then, we'll be settled in for a while.
OK, what's been going on with our little gal? Well, it's like somebody flipped a switch. She never showed any interest in rolling over but now it's her main mode of transportation. She mastered the back to tummy and then just a few days later started rolling over from tummy to back. This past weekend she went half way across the living room just rolling. When lying on her back she also scoots along by digging in her heels and pushing off with her little legs. She has started squirming more when in your lap. She is bending at the waist and turning her head trying different positions to see how things look from different angles. Her balance has improved greatly (and most surprisingly) while sitting. She can now sit upright for minutes at a time without weebling and wabbling and will play with toys with both hands in the seated position. This is amazing to me because just a week ago her gyro was pretty unstable and she would roll to one side or the other pretty quick. She is also standing unassisted at the coffee table and plays with toys. She can't pull herself up yet but if you place her in the standing position beside the table she can stand there for a more than a few minutes. She will also go from the seated to standing position if you give her fingers to hold onto and help get her moving. We have been putting her feet on top of ours and walking her around a bit but walking is still too challenging for her right now. Hey, walking is challenging for me too.
She has expanded her menu. She has added broccoli, cabbage and tofu to all her old favorites. Momma has been putting tofu in the food processor, whirling it around a bit and then feeding it to her either straight or mixed with vegetables. She seems to enjoy the texture of tofu a lot. Night before last she ate white fish, tofu, cabbage mixed with okayu and broccoli mixed with okayu. She obviously has a Japanese tongue. Because of their texture, the fish and tofu cause her to "chew" and she does a great job chewing up her food. She is opening her mouth as the spoon gets close to her pie hole. She doesn't waste a bite. New food that's just ok - sweet potatoes. Go figure.
Her two front lower teeth continue their rise. Her first tooth is really poking up out of the gum now. The second tooth is still right at the surface. She is chewing on everything that gets close to her mouth and, of course, is a little bucket of baby slobber.
She continues to grow like a weed and has started to trim down a little. Now that she is scooting around and rolling over her little pudgy tummy and legs are getting trimmer. Momma weighed her recently and she is now 9 kilograms (19.8 lbs). She hasn't put on much weight since her six month check up although her appetite remains very strong. Movin' and groovin' burns off calories!
She is still enjoying her jumper, baby car and also terror chair. Her favorite toys are a little stuffed pony and the roundy roundy zoo toy that I described in an earlier post. Momma had the bright idea of putting Momoka in terror chair and setting her music toy in front of her. Great idea and she enjoys sitting and pounding on the music toy with her little mitts. She enjoys a good story - "Pat the Bunny" and "Tickle the Pig" are short enough and have enough colors to keep her attention from beginning to end. "Good Night Moon" has been a favorite on the reading list for a while now.
Lastly, her little face is starting to change from tiny infant to big baby. She is making new faces and new noises. She is blowing some soggy raspberries (finally, all my training efforts have paid off!). Her vowel sounds are now getting mixed in with some consonants. Got a "ba" and a "boo" out of her already this week.
Here's our gal rockin' out with her music toy. Fear factor of terror chair has been reduced to zero.
Quiet please! Can't you see I'm composing a masterpiece here?
OK, here's another "how'd that happen?" picture. At nap time or at night we start her off at the opposite end of the bed with her feet close to the footboard because she scoots around so much while she is sleeping. She recently woke up at 0430, which is very unusual, and Momma rushed in to see if everything was alright. Momma found her at the top of her bed with her noggin in the corner. Momma determined she awoke because she must have bumped her head in the corner and it woke her up. Such a squirmy worm! You can tell that she is really growing and that her little legs are getting longer and trimmer. What a big girl!
Well, if having shots, running a fever and being constipated wasn't bad enough it looks like our gal has also cut her second lower tooth. The first tooth has fully erupted and that thing feels as sharp as a Ginsu knife. The second tooth is just about to pop through the gum. 
I'm fevery, both my legs hurt from where I got poked three times with needles, I can't poop even though I have eaten a truckload of prunes and now my head hurts because of a new tooth. When's that sunshine and lollypop fairy supposed to drop by?
Yesterday was our second round of shots. We were a little behind because of all the stuff that has been going on this summer. This round of shots was, for some reason, worse than the last round as far as fever and crankiness are concerned. Our gal woke up last night at 0200 with a high fever and had a very difficult time resting after that. When she woke up this morning at 0915 and after we had some milk she sat in a tub of semi-warm water and took some tylenol. The tub seemed to help with the fever. She went back to sleep at 1115 after having some more milk and some diluted prune juice and is still asleep as of 1445. She is so cranky, much more so than the last time we had shots. My wife and I feel so sorry for her. She has also been a little constipated the last two weeks and the prunes, apples and prune and apple juice she's been getting don't seem to be working too well so that is probably making things even worse for our little gal. I've got to wake up early Monday and try to make a same day appointment for her to see the Doc but from what I understand they don't really do too much for baby constipation. We have been blessed as Momoka has been so healthy, especially considering we've dragged her around with us whenever I go TDY and the crazy winter we had in the mid-Atlantic region.
