Obachan and Great Great Aunty Chiyo helped Hana take her bath 

the beach is great 

A rock in the sand 

hana loved Kaupo 

we went to visit Grandpa 

Hana spent a lot of time sleeping  

This my hole.

Hana and Friend
Originally uploaded by Hokulani.

This little girl decided to jump in Hana's hole then she tripped and kocked her in the face with her shovel then decided to throw sand in her face. Hana was a little stunned by the interaction. She did not smile at the girl.

Hana and Sand

Hana and Sand
Originally uploaded by Hokulani.

Where's the water?

the BIG hole

Hana and Daddy in da Hole
Originally uploaded by Hokulani.

Hana and Daddy

Hana and Daddy

Hana and Daddy
Originally uploaded by Hokulani.

Thanks for the ride Daddy

slip and slide

this morning Hana and cousin Shaydie played on the slip and slide. they both had a great time since both of them love water and love each other and love playing outside. Hana loved the little sprinklers that ran down the center of the slide. she tried to catch the water with her hand, and failing that, discovered that she could catch it with her mouth. much tap water was drunk by both girls. i have pictures and will post them as soon as i get my camera home.

cousins

A taste of water on the slip and slide

A cold

Well, Hana woke up with a little cold. She has a drippy nose, and lots of sneezing, one eye is all teary and both are red, and she has a little fever so I gave her tylenol. She slept most of the day. Poor little sweetie. She is in bed now, but is having lots of trouble sleeping because of the congestion and snot running down her face. I think I'll give her some benadryl if she wakes up again. Hopefully that will make her feel better.

first steps!

last night Daddy was helping Hana walk around on the grass at Aunty's house, and he let go of her hands and she took two steps all on her own!!! And then she plopped down. But, it was great. She did it a couple of times, and was very pleased with her self. She demands to be taken walking all the time now. hurray. my little walker!

New things

Hana has learned a few new things. She now makes a crazy tantrum sound that sounds strangely like the one her cousin makes when she is unhappy. And she now gets all whiney when you try to take something out of her hand that she wants to keep. And she will play tug-of-war with you in a most unhappy sort of way. Now of course, these behaviors may be a natural part of growing up, but then again, they may be things she has learned since arriving on Maui and witnessing the bratty behavior of other kids. I have my suspicians.

No walking yet, but the demands to do assisted walking (holding of parent hand style)have increased. And she is getting much faster. It is very possible that she may run first, then walk later.

And did I tell you she can climb up on the coffee table on her own?

MAUI

We are on Maui.
The Plane trip went surprisingly well. We got the bulkhead seat, so Hana had about three feet of space to play around on the floor in front of us. We put down blankets and pillows and a bunch of toys and she had a great time. And when it was time to nap, she climbed up into my lap and drifted off to sleep. She took two big naps, and played and ate and made faces at the people sitting behind us and hardly fussed at all. And when we got to Maui she was all confused because she thought it was time for bed, but the sun was shining brightly and so she woke back up. We kept her up until 8pm Maui time, and then she was pretty much on Maui time. I think she had a little jet lag, but not too much. The first night she woke up scared in her new room, but since then she has been fine.

And she seems to really love all her family here. She plays with her big cousin Shaydie who is 4, and all of her Aunties and Uncles and especially Grandma and Obachan. Every body says Hana is so cute, and such a happy baby. She has been very friendly and lets every one hold her. Also, Hana likes all the animals here. Obachan has a little Pekinese dog names Otis. He barks all the time, but her likes Hana. And Uncle Michael has a big black Lab who also seems to like Hana. He runs by her and gives her a big lick. AAAAHHH. but, she doesn't seem to mind. Good grief.

And, Hana is getting better with her pre-walking. She loves to go outside and walk around holding on to a grown-ups hands. She can't do it on her own yet, but it looks like it could be soon.

And, of course, she loves the food here. Mangos for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yum.

plenty of leg room

Hana enjoyed herself on the air plane

sweetie pie

Clapping

Today after going all over town with visiting relatives, Hana and Mommy took the bus home. Hana was very tired and fussy, and Mommy did her best to sooth her and feed her some supper on the way home. As the bus went along we passed a big fountain. Now earlier in the day we had been looking at the little fountain at the Guggenheim Museum, and Hana had been very interested in that one. As we drove past the big fountain, Hana got all excited and started clapping her hands. And then when we got home, and saw Daddy, she did it again, this time for him. It was very cute. Of course when we tried to get her to do it again, she was not interested. I guess patty-cake will have to wait.

Drenched and not sleeping

Tonight I decided to put Hana to bed a little earlier than usual since she was still tired from yesterday. She ate her supper, took her bath, put on her pajamas, had a story, nursed, brushed her teeth, played on the bed with Mommy, and then into bed. She immediately screamed and cried, but I closed the door hoping that she would just calm down and go to sleep. Crying, crying crying...on and on. I went in to check on her, and she was drenched with sweat. Her hair couldn't have been wetter if she had dumped a bucket over her head. And her jammies were also all wet around the neck. The rest of her body was fine. Not at all sweaty, and no temperature. After 10 minutes of screaming I gave in and took Hana out of bed. I let her play for another 20 minutes in the living room until she seemed tired again. She wanted to nurse again, and she ate a little, and then I put her back in her bed. She went down quietly, an stayed that way for about 15 minutes. Then the screaming started again. Crying crying crying. I went back in. She was soaked again. I stripped off her jammies and put her in a little undershirt. I opened the window more and laid down on my bed with her. We rested there in the dark for half and hour, and now she is back in her crib and quiet. I hope she goes to sleep. I think I'll call her doctor tomorrow and ask about the weird sweaty head thing.

aaaahhhh

aaaahhhh

Big Day

Today Hana and Mommy went to the Israel Day Parade and Concert in the Park. We set up our blanket under a nice big tree in the East Meadow, and had a little picnic and listened to Blue Fringe, our new favorite Israeli pop band. It was lots of fun. We hung out with Hana's little friends Yona & Meira and their Mommy. They were very happy to see Hana, and she was very Happy to see them. After the concert we came home and had a nice bath in the sink, and then went out to dinner with Hana's Great Auntie Franny and Great Uncle Jack, and cousin Talia at Nargila restaurant. Hana really likes the pita there. By the time we got home and into bed it was 11pm. Poor little Hana was very tired. She was a very good girl and hardly fusssed at all considering how sleepy she was.

standing

Hana stood up today for 20 seconds. All by her self. She had pulled herself up by her Daddy, and then reached out to take a toy from him, and then she was just standing there in the middle of the floor holding the toy. Hurray! Super baby!

sleep climbing

Sand

Today we had a playdate with Paige and her Mommy. We went out for lunch at Bagels and co and Hana had here usual, pizza crust. Then we walked over to the play ground, and Paige fell asleep in her stroller. Hana was all excited as we arrived at the playground as usual. She knows exactly what it is by now. And as usual we went right for the swings. Little Hana was bouncing up and down with anticipation as I put her on the swing, but as soon as I pushed her, she began to cry. This had never happened before. I took her out and checked to see if there was something bothering her, and then tried one more time, but she definitely did not want to swing. So we decided to try the slide so the whole playground trip would not be a wash-up. Perhaps it was just that Hana wanted to go on the slide, because as soon as she got there she was super happy. No more crying, no more clinging to Mommy. She slid over and over and then played at the bottom of the slide where the sand is, and then she looked over the edge of the slide to the ground where there is even more sand. And so, Hana sat on the ground, right next to the big sand box where there is plenty of sand spilled all over, and touch the sand to her heart's content. And, Hana found a leaf and then a pebble and gave them to me. They did not belong in the sand. I kept the pebble.

Avocado, sweet potato & pear on baby.

Messy house

Today two big messes happened in our home. One was Daddy starting the renovation of the bathroom by demolishing the old tile, and the other was Hana having dinner.

a whole plum

Happy Memorial Day!

Hanging out in Prospect Park.
(Joey's Bike)

Ouch.

Hana has learned to head butt. She does it to her Daddy, and she did it to me, and she also does it against the wall when she is in her crib and wants to get out. Of course this also makes her cry. I really don't know what to do about this new behavior.

Soap curls 

New Stage

Hana has begun containing things. She started out last week putting little toys into her tupperware, and her books into her little book box, and now she has discovered the laundry hamper. I was taking things out to wash yesterday and I found a little wrestling man. "How odd" I thought, it must have been tangled in the clothes, and off I went to wash the laundry. When I came back, I noticed that there was now a book in the hamper. "Very cute Hana," but books do not go in the laundry. Later I saw her playing with a block, she scooted over to the hamper, pulled herself up to a standing position, reached up, and dropped the block in.
Daddy says maybe she is practicing for the WMBA.

Wipes

This morning Hana woke up when Daddy was getting ready for work. When he was all dressed, he picked her up and brought her to me, "surprise Mommy! Its time to get up!" Since it was 7am, and I was still sleepy, I decided to let Hana nurse in bed with me. When she was done I tried to get her to fall asleep next to me, but no luck. She sat up and started to play. She was being very cute, and then she spit up milk all over the bed. Luckily I had her wipes right next to the bed on that little shelf, so I reached over and grabbed one and wiped up the mess. Hana reached out and took the wipe from me. She looked at me and said, "ah?" So I lifted up my hand and asked her if she would like to wipe my hands for me. And she did. The right one, and then the left. And I thanked her, and then she gave me the wipe, and I threw it away.

Later when Hana was ready for her nap, I put her in her crib as usual and went out into the living room. After a few minutes I heard her giggling, and I supposed that she was not tired yet, but was enjoying a little play in her bed. How sweet I thought to myself. As time went on I could tell that she was not sleeping, so I went in to take her out of her bed and there piled up on the floor were more wipes. Sometimes babies are smarter than mommies.

Flop

Hana has a new behavior.
Tonight after her bath when we were on my bed reading books, I noticed that she was flopping all around and laughing. She sits up, looks for a nice soft spot, or a big pillow, and then flops onto it face first. Over and over. Rolling all over the bed, and then all over me. Apparently it is great fun to play on the bed with your Mommy.

Picking out a story to read before bed

Brushing

Hana likes brushing her teeth. We have this little baby tooth brush that is like a rubber finger puppet with soft bristles, and it squeaks when it rubs on her gums, plus she likes the water, so she just giggles the whole time. I was reading that you are also supposed to brush the baby's tongue, if they'll let you, so tonight I tried it, and lo and behold, I said "ah" and stuck out my tongue, and she copied me, and I brushed her tongue, and she giggled more. She thought it was great. She even seemed disappointed when we were all finished, which is a good sign. Hopefully she will look forward to the great joy of brushing her teeth every night before bed. She must get it from her Daddy cause I hated brushing my teeth as a kid.

Sleeping with one hand up

move it

Since I don't have a changing table, I just change Hana's diapers in her crib. I keep the baby wipes on a little shelf near the crib so I can reach over and grab them easily. Now sometimes when Hana is in her crib, and not sleeping, she reaches out through the bars and pushes the wipes onto the floor, and so I know that I will have to move them soon, but I haven't really done anything about it. So yesterday I go into the bedroom to take Hana out of her crib, and there on the floor is a huge pile of wipes, The baby has a big smile on her face, so happy to see Mommy. Apparently it is time to move the wipes.

Cheerios for everyone. 

Playing

Today started out cold and rainy, but it soon cleared up. Anna who is two years old now, stopped by to play with Hana. Anna used to want a baby sister or brother, but now she just would like Hana to be her baby. She asked if Hana could go home with her. It was very sweet. The two girls looked each other over, and played ball, and ate cheerios and drank water out of fancy sippy cups. I watched Anna play with Hana, and thought about what it will be like for Hana when she has a little baby sister or brother to play with. I think that she will make a good big sister. She is a very nice baby.

Then later when I saw that it was sunny outside, I took Hana out for her walk. We went along the river to the big park at 85th street. Hana prefers that park because there are other kids there for her to look at. She loves to watch other kids play. We went on the swings, which was apparently great fun if you can measure fun by laughing and squealing. And then we tried out the little toddler size slide. Hana really enjoyed the slide, and I put her on it over and over. Plus, there was sand on the bottom part of the slide, which is apparently very enjoyable to rub your hands in. And also very dirty. It is a hard transition for a parent to go from making sure every thing your baby touches is clean and sanitized to letting them play in the sand box at the park.

Hana Leah
.

The cutest baby in the world.

sleeper

Hana has taken to napping all the time. This morning she woke up around 7am, nursed, and went back to bed. She got up at 10:30am, played, ate breakfast, nursed and back into bed at 11:30am. I've noticed that even if she sleeps in, she still wants her 11am nap. Plus she wants a 1pm nap and a 3pm nap, sometimes also a 6pm nap. I think she is growing again. Actually I don' t think she is actually sleeping right now, I think she is playing in her crib, but that' s ok. If she wants out she will let me know.

Hana likes to roll around in her sleep.

Food

I gave Hana little chicken pieces and tiny rice balls for dinner. She seemed to really like them. She has taken to spitting food at me if she finds it unpleasurable. Mainly baby food that is good for spitting. She prefers tiny bite size pieces so she can feed her self. Although she does still allow me to feed her cereal in the morning if I put bits of banana in it. She likes to have chunks in her food.

Little feet

Baby's got a new pair of shoes

Cutie Hana

Hana is very cute. Some times she is naughty, like when she pulls the cat's fur, or tries to eat little bits of rubbish she finds, or chews on books, but most of the time she is just so sweet and nice. I love her so much. Today we went on a nice walk down 2nd Avenue. All the old folks love Hana because she smiles at them. One old man told me that I should have more kids because I did a good job making a cute baby. Now that's a compliment.

Hana feeds herself

So fast

Little Hana is growing up very fast. She has started cruising furniture in addition to speed crawling all over the house. She understands when you call her to come with you to the next room, or tell her not to touch something. She can feed herself solid foods, and if you are close she will try to feed you too. It is very cute to get a cheerio from a tiny slobbery hand. She also had her first baby sitter the other day, and was totally fine. Mommy was the only one who was stressed out. My little girl is getting so big.

Pickles.

Hana went to Nargila Grill for Auntie's Graduation Party

Fat lip

This morning while Hana was standing up and holding onto a wooden chair, she lost her balance and fell down and bumped her lip on the edge of the chair. She of course screamed and cried, and blood gushed out, and Mommy rushed to her aid and cleaned it up. Then her little tiny lip swelled up, giving her a fat lip. Poor little sweetie, she looks like she's been in a fist fight.

Hana in a box

Sweet Hana

Today we went shopping at COSTCO and Brachs kosher supermarket out in Lawrence which is just past JFK air port. The drive takes about and hour and 15 minutes which works out great because Hana can get a good nap on the way there, and be all nice and happy for grocer shopping. Plus she loves shopping carts. We got tons of stuff at much better prices than you can find in Manhattan, and then we drove home, allowing for another excellent nap.

When we got home we had some lunch, and then went out for a walk along the river and then stopped by the playground to go on the swings. Hana seems to enjoy the swings more and more each time we go. She is changing so much.

Hana spends her days pulling herself up on every thing she can find, including me if I am standing near her. And she is doing a little cruising, but mostly if she wants to move, she sits down and crawls over and then stands up again at the new spot. She is still doing her little coo-coo style crawl. She has also started blowing spit bubbles which is apparently a great way to entertain yourself when you are a little baby.

I think she has moved past the putting every tiny thing directly into her mouth stage. The other day she was doing it constantly and I almost lost my mind, but then after tasting the dust bunny, she started to pick things up and look at me first so I had a chance to take the rubbish out of her had before she ate it. Not that I can catch her every time, but I have definitely stopped her from eating quite a few tiny little pieces of rubbish that she found laying around the house.

She also has a new interest in books. I let her play with her board books now and she keeps them out of her mouth for the most part. We have been reading every night for a while now, but she finally seems to be enjoying it. She can sit still long enough for me to actually get thorough an entire book. Sometimes even two or three books. Of course I have to let her hold one book while I read the other one, but that seems fair. She likes to turn the pages and see how the thing works. Her favorite books to hold are the tiny little board books with pictures of babies. But the book that she seems to enjoy looking at on her own has pictures of animals on each page.

Getting tall 

Happy Mother's Day!

Eating

Hana really enjoys eating. And like many children her age, Cheerios are her favorite food. But she will eat just about anything you give her. We tried egg yolk yesterday, and we used the food mill to squash up oatmeal for breakfast with some banana. And for supper we had rice with spinach and carrot. A good balanced diet. And this morning she tried her first dust bunny. She didn't like it, and thankfully, allowed me to remove it from her tongue before she swallowed. Yuck-o dude.

Washington Square Park swings

My first Cheerios! 

9 month check up

Today we went to visit the doctor for Hana's 9 month check up.
Hana is now
22 pounds 2 oz
29.5 inches tall
and
super cute

The Doctor said that Hana can now try all kinds of different foods. The only things she can't have are peanuts, shell fish and honey. So we are all ready to go. We came right home and have some Cheerios. Hana loved them. She had a great time picking them up and shoving them in her mouth.
Tonight I'm going to give her some chicken for her dinner. And tomorrow some egg yoke for her lunch. Table scraps here we come.