Christmas 2018

We had a wonderful trip back to the states and a great Christmas surrounded by family and friends. We also made it to Michael's cousin's wedding in Cincinnati, and walked to the Kentucky state line (which was about a 15 minute walk from where we were staying). So, Penelope made it to four US states (VA, MD, OH, and KY) and the District of Columbia in one trip. She really took to a lot of our family and friends, and just beamed the whole time (when she wasn't teething). She now has four teeth, by the way. She is now an expert crawler, and has graduated to working on steps (always with a spotter, of course), and standing up with the help of people or furniture. She loves to wave all the time at everyone, and now loves clapping (a milestone she seemed to hit a little late). She learned to say, "Lala", the nickname for one of her grandmas, and is working on the other extended family nicknames. 

As I type, Mike and Penelope are taking a long, jet-lagged afternoon nap. At some point I will crash, probably when they are just waking up. 

The Packing Has Begun

I am packing in stages. I have completed stage 1 - Penelope's things and Christmas gifts. Travelling for 24 hours with a teething baby, my carry-on is almost entirely full with baby clothes, diapers, wipes, several plastic bags, toys, documents, and various foods and medicines. She has been really picky and messy when eating lately, and has had a tough time at night too, so I am hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. Hopefully everyone sitting around us across the Pacific won't hate us, but if they do, we will likely never see them again. 


I'm looking forward to three weeks of winter. I hope Penelope will get to see her first snow, but that it doesn't affect any of our travel plans! Going home is always a whirlwind of social events, and this time will be even busier because of the holidays and a wedding we will be attending. All I want for Christmas is for things to run relatively smoothly. I hope that's not too much to ask for.

Happy Hanukkah!

Snaggletooth

Penelope has started teething. She has one tooth on the bottom and one on top. They are not directly on top of each other. So all the great sleeping and eating has gone out the window again. Such is the nature of having a baby. She has never been one to suck on a pacifier/"dummy", but we let her do it today - more like chew on one - and she kind of loved it. Maybe that will help in the next few days.

She has developed the ability to shake her head "no". At first, she did it to say she did not want a particular food. Now she will do it even before she tries a food, and sometimes we have to convince her to just taste something (this probably has more to do with teething, since she is in pain). She has also shaken her head "no" it when I've poured water on her head at swimming (we do it to warm up before putting them under), and when I said she was going to take a nap. Anyway, it's interesting to see what situations she uses it in now, because it's a clue into what other words and concepts she understands.

It's a pretty quiet weekend. Our sleep and meals have been out of whack because of our late-night teething parties. Michael has been working on some side projects, we had our regular Saturday morning breakfast sandwiches, and I took Penelope to the farmers market. Peaches and cherries are in season - yum! And I bought some local raw lavender honey - double yum! 

I am mentally preparing for our trip to back to the US for the holidays. I am keeping my expectations low for the long flight, which kind of sucks anyway, with the added bonus of a teething baby. Hopefully those teeth will pop out in the next few days and not be an issue. It's unrealistic to expect a baby to be blissfully happy or sleep for an entire 15 hours, though (plus a layover, then other shorter flight).