Esme's infected eczema and diaper rash got better after being out of daycare for 3 days and she was sooooooo ready to go back on Friday! She barely wanted to say goodbye to me once she saw all her little friends. It's nice to know she's so happy there. Now that she's walking she gets to go outside with the big kids in the afternoon and play outside. They have to drag her away though when Allen comes to pick her up and she's not always happy about that.
This weekend Esme had a playdate with her friend Addy and they couldn't get enough of Mr Hippo. As soon as one of them went near the hippo, then the other one had to follow. At least they shared as you can see below :) Esme had fun trying to keep up with Addy who's a year older.
Esme's daycare has been hit with all kinds of bacteria and viruses in the last week and that explains the little rash she has. A total of 8 out of 12 kids have come down with ear infections, roseola, hand-foot-mouth and impetigo in the past week. Regardless of contagiousness, Ms Faye has asked that any child that is ill or has a rash stay home until better so Allen gets to hang out with Esme today. Last weekend I noticed a flare up of one of Esme's eczema spots behind her chubby little thigh but it didnt change with the steroid cream. Then it started to look more bacterial and she got a few small spots on her mouth and butt. We've been applying antibiotic ointment and that seems to help but the rash isn't gone yet. Hopefully it goes away soon though so we can send her back to daycare!
Esme woke up with a clear runny nose last Friday and I thought for sure she was getting another cold. It seemed like time since it's been awhile. When I got home she looked even worse - glassy eyes, flushed cheeks, and she just looked beat so it was an early night to bed. In the morning it was all gone though so I guess it was teething. The runny nose has been off and on since then but she's also drooling a ton and been real fussy so those teeth must really be bugging her. I don't feel any new ones coming in but the lower left lateral incisor is still working its way out.
For the past few weeks we've been working on weaning and it's been going well. Esme's had no problem taking a bottle of my frozen milk in place of a nursing session so on the days we're together she gets at least 2 bottles from me. As of last week we were only nursing in the morning and this weekend I thought I could cut that one out too but that hasn't gone as smoothly as I planned. Yesterday she woke up and was standing in her crib, signing "milk" as soon as I went in to get her. So I took her downstairs and gave her a warm bottle and she did fine. This morning was completely the opposite though. She was standing in her crib again and signing but when I gave her the bottle she went nuts which is so unlike her since she usually wakes up so easily. I tried to calm her down with other things but nursing was the only thing that did it ultimately. So it looks like we'll be working on phasing out this morning feed for the next week or so.
Esme finally got another tooth - her lower left lateral incisor. It broke through on Friday night so that explains all the ear tugging. I was worried it was another ear infection but everytime I checked, nothing! She also had some cranky nights and poor eating last week too so I'm assuming it was the teething. She continues to talk up a storm in her own little language. Sometimes it has the intonations of Mandarin and sometimes it sounds more English. While she's said a handful of words in the past, she still isn't saying anything consistently which is pretty normal for a kiddo learning two languages. She recently learned to sign "eat" when she's hungry so that helps us out a lot.
She's learned how to turn the water on in our bathtub and she loves to try and yell over the sound of the water, louder and louder as she turns the water on more and more. We're just wondering how much more our water bill is gonna go up since she's learned this little trick ;)
The hardest part about coming back from vacation is not seeing Esme all day, everyday. I miss her when I'm at work! Luckily, I enjoy taking her to her daycare and she likes going there too. Now that she's walking, all the older kids run to the door when I drop her off and take her by the hand to lead her into the play area. They talk to her and she even talks back to them! Sometimes she gets so excited and distracted that she forgets to give me a kiss goodbye. She just starts walking away and waves bye-bye to me. Wow, our little girls is growing up!
Allen had to work this weekend so Esme and I enjoyed some mommy-daughter bonding time. On Saturday we went on a playdate with her friends Addy and Jacob. Aunty Marina gave them matching hairdo's because she just couldn't resist. As soon as Esme see's in the mirror that she has pigtails she starts grabbing for them unless we can distract her but if she doesn't see a mirror then she just leaves them alone. We tried to get Jacob and Addy to smile like Esme but no luck. Do you think Esme will ever go through that phase? It's hard to imagine at this point.
Then on Sunday we went to the Seattle Aquarium. It was a quicker visit than I thought cause it was just the two of us and I ended pushing the stroller and carrying Esme cause she was being clingy. She enjoyed looking at the fish, seals, starfish, sea otters, etc but she also just enjoyed looking at the other kids, putting her hands in the water, walking along the Seattle waterfront, and eating sourdough bread from the bakery.
We tried and tried but Esme's the only one smiling. So many pigtails
Esme pointing at the big fish Watching the little fish
Chewing on the sourdough bread crust Video of Esme Walking
We made it back to Washington and it was a better flight than on the way to Hawaii. Esme got an extra long nap before leaving for the airport and was in such a good mood when she woke up that she was dancing in the pack-n-play all by herself when I went in to pick her up. All the commotion from packing up and getting to the airport must have tired her out again cause she slept the entire inter-island flight. Then she was ready to play during our 2+ hour layover on Oahu. Our spinner luggage came in handy as Esme liked to push it around like a walker. Aunty Trisha and Aunty RoAnne were also on our flight and they helped us run Esme around so she'd be tired again for the mainland flight. And it worked! She slept for the beginning of the flight and then when she woke up she enjoyed playing with the window shade and also peek-a-boo with the people behind us. Her ears must have been bothering her cause the last 30 minutes of the flight she screamed and nothing would calm her down. Finally she passed out which was understandable since it was way past her bedtime.
Today she got reacquainted with our house and all her toys here. She was hesitant at first but soon showed that she remembered everything here. She's really babbling a lot more now and says something that resembles "what's that?" She'll point at something and say that over and over. She also says something that sounds like "da-dough" and we've figured that out as thank you. As far as language goes, she's changed so much just during our trip in Hawaii which is amazing to see.
Pre-wedding playtime Family Portrait
Esme practicing her high kicks Cousin Tosh on a mission
Another cute swim outfit Nana and cousin Hunter
Family time Uncle Sterling and Uncle Judd in charge
Goofy cousin Charlie Cousin Malia is actually smiling for the camera
All good things must come to an end so we're headed back to the cold weather in Washington today. Allen and I are crossing our fingers for a better mainland flight than last time. At least it's shorter when we fly this direction so that'll help a little bit. Esme's going to miss her Nana since they seemed to form a little bond while we were here. Esme will just have to wait till August to see here again when Nana comes up to babysit for a week while daycare takes a summer break. Esme will also miss all the animals at Nana's house. There'll be no more cats to chase after, no dogs to feed her leftovers too, and no chickens and fish to watch.
It'll be a whole new experience when we get back to our WA home cause Esme's a real walker now. Before we left she was just taking tentative steps but now she crosses the whole room without any problems. She's also developed a big kid laugh. She loves to throw herself around on the couch and just laugh and laugh.
Our trip is winding down and it's hard to think about leaving. We've been having so much fun with all the family, the animals, and just being able to play outdoors...when it's not raining :) Esme's been covered in bug spray but she's still getting some mosquito bites. Benadryl seems to bring down the swelling when it gets bad but otherwise she's not itching them. Today we'll be celebrating Girls Day and Aunty LeAnne and Uncle Rex's wedding. I was able to find some size 2 (3-6 month) shoes that Esme will be able to walk in and that go with the outfit she'll wear to the wedding.
Playing with the animals Charlie and Allen
Pajama time with cousin Tosh Enjoying the sheepskin rug
Sitting in the sassy seat at Ken's Esme's sweet smile
