Happy Memorial Day

Esme, Allen and I enjoyed a nice long holiday weekend catching up after our first full week back to work and daycare. Esme's talking a lot more, all by herself and not just when we're talking with her. Sometimes in the morning we can hear her on the monitor, just talking to herself in her crib. She's also pulling her legs up towards her body when she's lying on her back and pretty soon she'll have her feet in her mouth. Yum! Once in awhile we'll catch her sticking her tongue out too.

Esme-Bean's first trip to Sequim Bay

New Friends

Esme & Addy

Esme & the Patoc's

Switcheroo with Ranelle & Micah

We Survived!

We made it through our first week! Esme transitioned to Faye's house with no problems. She takes long naps even with all the other kids around, she takes bottles from anyone, and she seems to be happy there. I drop her off in the morning and of course, the first morning was super hard. I cried the entire drive to work but it's since gotten better. Then Allen picks her up in the afternoon so they have a little bonding time before I get home. She also caught and got over her first cold this week. I think she caught it either in Hawaii or from the plane ride cause she developed some cough and congestion over the weekend before going to daycare. Luckily she never had a runny nose and she was able to nurse or bottle feed without problems. We tried elevating her mattress but she'd end up wiggling herself upside down so that her head was on the low end of the bed so we stopped doing that and just kept the humidifier running overnight. Now she's much better and hopefully a little stronger :)

Jiggle bean

This is our exciting Friday night :)

Daycare day 1

Esme went to Faye's for the first time today.  She did great (more or less slept the whole time).  Momma missed her tons, but she toughed it out through the day.  I picked her up at 4, which was earlier than anyone else.  She was in the middle of a nap (I felt bad waking her up).  But she's a trooper... came home and shared some laughs with Dad before Mom came home.  So far so good... we'll keep you updated :)

Back to Work

So my maternity leave is over and I go back to work tomorrow :( Esme will be going to Faye's Bilingual Daycare which is an in-home daycare that's less than a mile from our house and she'll be learning to speak Mandarin there. You can check out the website at www.fayesdaycare.com if you're interested. Being home with her for the past 3 months has been amazing and I wish it hadn't gone so fast. I'm trying not to think about how hard it's going to be to leave her at Faye's house tomorrow morning because everytime I do I get teary eyed. I'm going to be a mess! Luckily I only work 4 days a week and have Tuesdays off so it'll be an easier transition this week for both of us. I've started prepping dinner meals for this week just so that I can spend as much time with her as possible after getting home from work. I'll let you know how it goes but will probably only be posting about once or twice a week now.

Trying out her Johnny-Jump-Up

Esme Exercise

Just within the context of our home I can tell how much Esme has changed since we've been in Hawaii. She's gotten a little bigger and really fills out her bouncer and swing. She's also gotten stronger and now pushes with her legs when she's in the bouncer so she scoots herself down...but hopefully not out! She likes to straighten her legs when you hold her up in front of you and then she does lunges side to side. When one leg gets tired the knee buckles so she lunges to the other side and then it straightens and the other buckles. It's pretty cute. She can track faster objects instead of just losing them out of her line of sight. Even her peripheral vision is getting stronger. Tummy time is lasting longer with less fussing and she's grabbing at objects placed in front of her. Allen was shocked to see the differences in her. Her sleep is also back to normal. While we were in Hawaii she was waking up 1-2 times at night. I blame the coqui frogs! However now she's back to sleeping through the night. We're just working on making her bedtime a little earlier every night so we don't keep her up too late when I go back to work next week and she starts daycare.

3 Trips in 3 Months

Esme is such a trooper! She made it through another plane trip with no issues. She was more awake than previous flights but she still was on her best behavior - she smiled the whole time! It's strange cause on a normal day we really have to work to get her to smile but when we fly she smiles all day long. And everyone loves to see her little head poking out of the Moby wrap. One man came up to us at the airport and told us we got the "Cutest Baby of the Day" award :) Esme is just the best travel partner! In the end, I was the one who got sick. Oh well. We'll take a break from all the flying next month and then it's another trip to Hawaii in July.

Esme's Ocean Adventure

Esme finally got in the ocean today! I think she purposely postponed her afternoon nap just so she wouldn't miss her last chance to go for a swim. She was a little surprised at first when I dipped her feet in but then she had no complaints. After playing in the water she had no problem taking her nap under the shade of a coconut tree and this evening she was wiped out. She even looks a little sun kissed but don't worry, she was lathered in sunscreen the whole time. All in all it was a great way to end our trip to Hawaii and my maternity leave. We head back to Seattle tomorrow and then I got back to work next week :(

Ocean Sounds

Esme has been mesmerized by the sounds of the ocean and the crashing waves on the shore since we've been here. She could just stare out into the water for hours. Maybe it's because back in Washington she gets lulled to sleep every night by the sound of the ocean or the rain via her Sleep Sheep (a white noise machine stuffed inside a plush sheep). Who knows! Hopefully it also means we have another water-baby on our hands :) We'll get to test that theory out again when we come back to Hawaii in July.

Coconut Trees

I attempted to take Esme swimming again today but she opted to nap out under the coconut tree for most of the afternoon. I even moved her from her carseat to the blanket and she stayed asleep. I think she was enjoying the nice cool breeze in the shade. Luckily the mosquitos don't seem to like her so she's not getting bitten up but she does have a little heat rash after being here for a week.

Cooling off

Napping in paradise

Sorry, I can't figure out how to rotate this pic

Esme-Bean and Hunter-Pie

Esme finally got to meet her cousin Hunter. My brother Judd and his wife Johnessa had their son the day after Esme was born and we've been so excited to get them together! We had a lot of catching up to do and soooooooooooo many stories to share and compare also.

Aunty Zoë and Hunter

Toshie Boy

Switching it up - Zoë, Hunter, Esme and Judd

"Does this chair make me look fat?"

A New Normal

Sticky and sweaty seem to be Esme's new norm but at least it's better than when we first got here. I attempted to take her in the water yesterday but she slept most of the afternoon and missed out. Maybe I'll try again this week. Other than that, we've been enjoying a lot of family and friend time as you can see!

Aunty Amy and cousin Malia

Nana and Tosh feeding the fish

Hanging out on the lanai with the cool breeze

Meeting Uncle Loren, Kai, and Aunty Kathy

It's A Slow Adjustment

Each day seems to be getting better and better for Esme. I left her in just a diaper for most of the day and that definitely helped. Then I took her for an air-conditioned car ride to pick Nana up from work and she took a 3+ hour nap! I'm hoping the nap along with staying up till about 8:30pm tonight will help her sleep through the nite. Prior to this she's been falling asleep around 6pm Hawaii time which is just about her bed time in Seattle. We also had a family get together this evening and she stayed awake for the whole event. That's another first for her since she usually sleeps during parties.

Cousin Tosh enjoying Esme's soft blanket

It's a rough life being cute :)

Uncle Richard put Esme to sleep

Hilo Rain

Yesterday was only slightly better for Esme. It rained in the morning which helped to cool everything off and also provide some white noise for her to fall asleep to. She got in a good one hour morning nap at least. Then I took her to Hilo Hospital to visit with some of my old co-workers and she liked the change of scenery AND the air conditioning :) She's still been hot and sticky so I just gave her a tepid bath before bed last night and maybe that helped cause she only woke up once last night. Since we've been here she's been waking up twice which is not like her. On a more exciting note, Esme got to meet her cousin Tosh last night and then Uncle Sterling got her to laugh like never before. I tried to catch it on video but I was too slow.

Cruisin on the couch

Nana - the manual fan

Cousin Toshie Boy aka Bam-Bam

Esme and Uncle Sterling

Gotta Love Humidity

Poor little Esme's having a hard time adjusting to the weather in Hilo. She's been hot and sweaty all day which makes for a fussy baby. Then there's all the new noises she's having to get used to. She was serenaded to sleep last night by the coqui frogs but today the dogs barking, roosters crowing, cars driving by the house, and other Hawaii sounds kept startling her and waking her up from her naps. I don't think she got in one nap over 30 minutes. She's been in a diaper for most of the day and it's a good thing she likes baths cause she's going to end up getting one every night we're here if she keeps this up. Otherwise in Washington she only gets a bath every few days cause her skin gets so dried out. It's always something!

Esme's new wardrobe - just a diaper

Talking to Nana

Home Sweet Hawaii

Another flight survived! This was the first time that we didn't have an extra seat next to us but we survived none-the-less. Esme was on her best behavior again and slept most of the way. She occasionally woke up to eat, talk, and smile at the other passengers. The hardest part for Esme so far has been the adjustment to the weather here in Hawaii. She's been hot/sticky/clammy ever since we set foot in Hilo. I think the travel also wore her out cause she was in bed early tonight after a lukewarm bath. She's most likely still on west coast time so that might mean she'll be up early too. Yikes!

It's Nana time!

Showing off her neck straining skills to Aunty Amy

Tummy time with cousin Charlie

Esme the Jet-Setter

I've barely unpacked everything from our California trip and now we're taking off for Hawaii tomorrow. This time it'll be Esme, my great-uncle Richard, and myself flying to Hilo for the last of my maternity leave. Allen has to stay home this time and work :( We'll be sure to take plenty of pictures to share with him and of course, all our blog followers! If anyone's in Hilo lets get together!

Happy Mother's Day

I've been pleasantly surprised by the random Mother's Day wishes from strangers as we made our way from wine country to Oakland and back to Seattle today. The best gift yet was that Esme surprised me with a sleep-in special this morning. I put her bed at 9pm last night after the wedding and she didn't wake up till 8am. I was shocked! We thought she'd be our alarm clock for the wedding guests farewell brunch at our hotel but we were wrong. Luckily we didn't miss it and some of the grandmothers among the group offered to hold her so Allen and I were able to eat without interruption.

Since we didn't leave California till this evening Esme got to meet her "Awnty Bee," one of my best friends who lives in San Francisco. It was short but sweet and Esme was awake for most of the time. That's impressive for her these days!

Esme and "Awnty Bee." Esme forgot her sunglasses :)

Esme reached her limit and was ready for a nap :)

Talking to dad during the flight.

Oh sooooooooooo cute!

Esme's First Wedding

What a day! The sun was out nice and early so we walked to downtown Healdsburg, strolled through the main square and surrounding shops, visited the local farmers market, and then decided to hit the hills to tour a local winery. We went to the Francis Ford Coppola Winery which also had a large collection of his movie memorabilia. Esme enjoyed the fresh air, sun and being able to wear some of her summery clothes that she NEVER gets to wear in Washington. Ha ha! Then this afternoon the wedding was at the Trentadue Winery nearby. Fun was had by all and Esme made it through her first wedding without a peep but once the band started playing, Esme and I headed back to the hotel cause it was a little too loud for her. Dad got to stay and enjoy the 80's cover band :)

eating breakfast at the hotel

Francis Ford Coppola Winery

Cyclops - the third headlight!

Alex & Rob get married on the grand lawn

our one attempt at a family photo

Weekend in Wine Country

Early this morning we left Seattle for Healdsburg, CA (part of Sonoma County) for a wedding. This time it was Allen, Esme and I so getting through the airport was a lot easier. We were even able to bring her carseat on the plane so that she could be buckled up too. We made a quick trip to Saratoga to see Allen's family before heading out to Healdsburg so Esme got to meet her other great grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousins.

Apparently no one brings their baby to wine country cause Esme has been the talk of the town since we've gotten here. We strolled around the main square this evening and people were coming up to us constantly to ask about her and coo at her. She's been nice and alert most of the time cause she got in a lot of sleeping on the drive up here :) Wedding is tomorrow afternoon at a winery but hopefully we'll be able to explore some more in the morning.

meeting great grandma Shih

lucky little girl

Esme, Aunt Nancy and cousin Cynthia

it was sooooooooo windy

the touristy picture we had to take :)

Deep In Thought

We usually put Esme in the bouncer and place it near the dining table while we eat dinner. She stares at the mobile or just looks around but last night she must have been pooped cause she fell asleep. We think she must have been deep in thought :)

Esme's First Graduation

Today Esme graduated from the " little snugglers" parent-baby class for 0-3 month infants that we've been attending every Wednesday. Next week we'll be in Hawaii at this time and when we get back she'll be able to join the 3-6 month group. We've made some friends in the class and hopefully we'll see them in the other group also. The topic today was about what Mother's Day means to the new mom. Some moms hadn't even thought about it and others had elaborate plans of what they wanted on their first Mother's Day. Some ideas included breakfast in bed, a nap, dad to do all the household chores, a Mariner's game, going out to brunch or dinner, whale watching, and many more. There was one dad in the group and he feels much better informed on what he should do for his wife on Sunday. Ha ha! We'll actually be in Sonoma County, CA for a wedding so we'll see what the day brings for us :)

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The rain is back so it's a good thing we took advantage of the nice weather this past weekend. Here's some pics from our little outing to Gasworks Park in Seattle. We're looking forward to our trip to California this weekend cause the weather is supposed to be in the 70's and 80's!

Busting at the seams

Yesterday I was getting Esme dressed and was barely able to button up the outfit I was putting her in. I decided it's time to go through her clothes and pull out the outfits that she's outgrown. She's sort of in that inbetween stage where some 0-3 month clothes still fit and some are now too small. Then 3 month clothes are a little roomy and 3-6 is still too big. I'm sure it won't be long till she fits them perfectly though. Also we're about to transition her from size 1 to size 2 diapers due to the increase in blowouts recently :)

Does this outfit make me look fat?