Makena Anne

Time for retirement...

2010-08-16T23:27:00.003-10:00

So, the time has come to retire the girl's individual blogs and move on to a joint venture. While it's a little sad to not keep these updated, I think this will allow me to keep posting on a more regular basis. Please click on the image above to visit my new blog!

2nd Birthday celebration!

2010-08-05T22:56:00.005-10:00

thank you to the amazing Holly for these fabulous images, and for hosting makena's birthday party. what a treat to celebrate with family!

Makena Anne: self portrait series

2010-07-11T21:44:00.003-10:00

Birthday Girl

2010-07-10T21:28:00.003-10:00

organic chocolate cupcakes with no frosting (per Nanea's request)

not quite sure what to do with the fire on her cupcake, after me telling her "hot, hot, HOT" many times...

I ended up blowing out the candles after Nanea and I sung Happy Birthday

sprinkles!

She was not in the mood to pose for a birthday photo today, so this is about as good as it got.

time certainly does fly...

Happy 2nd Birthday my sweet Makena Anne!

Makena in a box

2010-06-14T22:22:00.001-10:00

leave it to noa to put his baby in a miller lite box...

Our first puakenikeni lei

2010-05-13T20:56:00.003-10:00

After 7 years and 2 trees, our trees finally bore enough flowers to make a lei. Despite the various stages of bloom, hence the varying colors, I could not resist making a lei. Of course since then, there has not even been close to enough. In a switch of personalities, Makena was very quick to model when Nanea refused (but later reconsidered once her little sis was so willing):

On another note, check out her cool outfit. She is very into picking her own clothes and REFUSES to put on anything she has not chosen herself. This day she opted for Nanea's panties over her diaper, and very warm wool tights. She does however quickly tire of clothing in general and has taken to stripping now butt naked and walking around. Many a time she has popped into wherever I am, from wherever she's been (in the back yard, bathroom, etc.) with nothing but her birthday suit. She's definitely an au-naturel type of girl...

She now pretty much will always pose for a picture once we break out the camera (or cell phone). She will sit right down and give us a big "CHEESE!"

Sittin' on the counter

2010-05-02T23:12:00.002-10:00

Makena really likes to sit on the counter. So much so, that she'll give us a little "cheese" every now and then...

She was not, however, digging the glasses much...

Looks like I got my curly-haired kid. Poor thing. Though, actually her curls are more like nice, soft, big waves and really only gets this curly when it's humid and rainy like today. Her hair is getting pretty light now too. Not as light as Nanea's, but she's got lots of reddish and blondish highlights.

Rockstar in training

2010-04-25T20:25:00.002-10:00

She has a good mentor in her older sister (note the backwards sunglasses on her head. This is also how she wears them over her eyes...).

Mikie's wedding

2010-04-14T09:55:00.002-10:00

I was such a crazed lunatic trying to get everything accomplished, I don't have many family pics. In fact, I don't think we actually took any. Between me running around the whole week, and the frigid temperatures on wedding day, I don't think there are any pics of the 4 of us in our wedding finery. Ah well...we will all get dressed up again one of these days.

Makena was apparently determined to be the star of the wedding, refusing to walk with the other flower girls and instead walking with Tutu and David. She also thought her flower girl pail/basket of petals was a purse and insisted on slinging it over her shoulder.

after walking with Tutu, and standing with me at the altar, she watched as the beautiful bride and my dad walked down the aisle. As they got closer, she took off up the aisle shouting, "Grandpa! Grandpa!" A star she was...

Time for a big girl bed...

2010-04-06T13:16:00.002-10:00

So, Makena has discovered that she can climb out of her crib. She does it with such frequency, it's been hard to get her to go to sleep because she just gets out. We solved her coming out of her room by simply closing the door because she had not yet learned how to open doors (she can do it now...bummer), but last week after I put her down for her nap, I listened as she climbed out and played in her room. She never cried, but I could hear her moving around, playing with toys. After about 20 minutes, it was quiet. I had thought maybe she got back in her crib, so creeped in to see this:

completely crashed out in her rocking chair with baby. She was almost bent in half and looked so uncomfortable I had to pick her up and of course she woke up in the process and there went her nap!

So, we'll be looking into getting her a big bed soon. My baby is no longer a baby...so sad :(!

Makena and her babies

2010-03-19T20:41:00.000-10:00

Makena LOVES her babies. The one to the far left is THE baby. The one that she cannot sleep without, and when she's tired, cranky, hurt, etc., this is what she asks for "beebee." She arranged her babies herself in this picture.

A new hat

2010-03-18T20:36:00.002-10:00

Makena loves "aat" (hats) and if she sees one will always want to put it on. Here she found a plastic toy umbrella top, which she promptly placed on her head and chanted "aaat, aaat, aaat."

Makena eating strawberries

2010-03-18T20:30:00.002-10:00

Makena insists on feeding herself, and always wants a "bork" or "poon" in which to do so. No finger foods for her!

anything in that spoon?

nope, food still in bowl

trying again...

giving up!

No new pics to post...

2010-03-04T20:13:00.002-10:00

I have been slacking in the picture-taking department of late. With Noa being gone so, so much, and having a sick little for pretty much consistently going on 3 months, I am beat, and blogging has definitely been placed on the back burner. However, life certainly moves on.

Makena has had 4 consecutive ear infections since mid-December, so we are now being referred to an ENT to see if she needs ear tubes. However, since we live on an island, there seems to only be 2 pediatric ENTs, so the earliest appointment we could get is MAY 27th. Yes, I did say MAY. Insane? Yes, I think so. She just ended her 4th round of antibiotics last Friday, and already I think her ears are bothering her. She did have a few good days of being happy though. The poor thing is rarely HAPPY, so it's such a treat to see her having fun and well, happy.

Her speech is really starting to take off, and the other day when I knocked something off her dresser and it made a big noise, she looked at me and said, "wha' appened?" complete with a shrug, and then another "wha' appened ma-ma?" She's adorable and sweet and I just wish she didn't hurt all the time!

Makena loves her baby, books, her "maneket" (blanket), her ceecee (sissy = Nanea), "lalu" (nalu), dada and papa. Every morning when I go to wake her up, she asks "where ceecee?" Ceecee's at school, "where dada?" Dada's at work. Dada's flying the airplane. "Where Papa?" Papa's at work? "Where ceecee go?" and so on and so forth. She is also developing a pretty healthy Elmo addiction. Not to the same extent as her big sister, but she is constantly asking for Elmo, "I want Elmo" when she sees my iPhone. A car ride is not complete without Elmo...

In any case, I'll get to posting pics again soon. After all, Easter is just around the corner, and then a BIG wedding where the girls will be flower girls.

My sweet Makenny...

2010-02-09T21:52:00.000-10:00

eeesh...

2010-02-04T20:02:00.003-10:00

Makena is obsessed with shoes (and her baby and purses/bags, but that's another post). Up until recently her word for shoes was eeesh. She recently started saying shoe, and is talking more and more (coherently) now. She understands pretty much everything, but hasn't talked a lot, or had more gibberish than real words. Gibberish we learned to understand. For example book was always "ga-ga." I think because I always said "book book" or maybe because her first favorite book was Go Dog Go, which I referred to as "go go." It can go either way now. She'll either say "book" or "gaga." She just finally started saying "mama" in December while we were at my parent's (she's been saying dada forever), and is already calling me mommy. It's great that her speech is forming so well, but sad at the same time since it means that she is growing up and becoming a big girl.

On a side note, aren't the shoes above cute? I'm thinking that these may be her (mini) flower girl shoes for Mikie's wedding. And I've found some cute bigger girl ones for Nanea to match. Mikie is being nice and including a probably too young Makena in her wedding. She probably won't walk down the aisle, but she'll be cute in her dress and sparkle shoes!

Look how big I am!

2010-02-02T17:13:00.002-10:00

my hair can go into pig tails now...

...and I'm getting really good at feeding myself. Especially oatmeal, but here I'm eating scrambled eggs and rice:

A visit with the Great-Grandparenrts

2010-01-23T10:02:00.003-10:00

Poppy, Aunty Mikie and Grandma Rose Marie

My handsome Grandpa

The whole gang

Makena's Christmas...

2010-01-22T19:53:00.003-10:00

Makena's favorite present, go figure, was actually one of Nanea's, a small suitcase that we intended for her to use as a carry-on for the airplane. The minute Nanea opened it (and loved it), Makena instantly stopped what she was doing and walked over to the suitcase. A scuffle ensued, and the big sister won. The hilarious thing is that they both went about opening gifts, and the second Nanea dropped the suitcase, Makena RAN to it and claimed it as her own. We ended up talking Nanea into a princess suitcase that Tutu had gotten her. She was reluctant to give it up, if only because it was to her sister, but said "well, I DO like princesses the best..." so, Makena got a suitcase too.

Makena's first trip to Disneyland

2010-01-07T21:01:00.001-10:00

a little lunch

on the carousel

on the Winnie the Pooh ride...this is how Makena was on most rides. No emotion, just complete sensory-overload!

At the malls in California...

2010-01-07T20:48:00.001-10:00

there are double decker (and single) stroller-type contraptions to rent. Not to mention playgrounds and double-decker carousels. Talk about a great way to occupy your kids while shopping, and to bribe them to go in the first place!

Like mother like daughter(s)

2010-01-04T21:54:00.002-10:00

Just like me, for my girls stadium games are all about the stadium food.

Makena enjoying corn on the cobb...

Makena was not so thrilled with Santa...

2010-01-02T10:33:00.001-10:00

Makena

2009-12-03T10:48:00.002-10:00

For those of you that know her, everything about this photo epitomizes who Makena is. Lisa really captured her in this picture. Serious, contemplative, always thinking and processing.

What a difference a year makes!

2009-12-01T19:47:00.003-10:00

Last year we had a hard time getting great photos of Makena for our family photo shoot. She was a mere 5 months old, so could not sit up on her own, and was definitely not a smile-y baby. We only got a few good ones of her, while we had dozens and dozens of Nanea. This year was the complete opposite. Nanea was in no mood for pictures, so there are very few great ones of her. In contrast, out of approx. 130 photos, about 75% were fabulous Makena pics. Here are some of my favorites:

what she does when you ask where the bird is

running!

I like to climb...

2009-11-10T22:06:00.000-10:00

ESPECIALLY up to places that my mom says/thinks is dangerous. I was just standing in the windowsill saying hi to the neighbors. What's so bad about that?

Running & holding & smiling

2009-11-09T21:27:00.007-10:00

The funniest thing about this series is the last one, where upon attempting another shot, she turned away and covered her face.

On a status note, Makena has 3 of 4 molars now. She has 4 top front teeth, and 2 bottom fronts, and now has skipped to the molars. Wonder when the others will come in...

Makena the Monkey

2009-10-31T22:32:00.003-10:00

Makena LOVED dressing up. She was fascinated with her mittens and kept showing everyone. We brought the stroller to push her around while Nanea trick-or-treated, but she insisted on walking, and walked the entire way (with the assistance of Mamama), even picking up some candy even though she wasn't really trick-or-treating. She was a charmer, so people kept giving her stuff.

Too cool...

2009-10-16T12:00:00.000-10:00

Makena rocking the sunglasses

and, she made 15 months old a few days ago. We went to her well baby checkup where she had 3 shots, 1 was the flu shot (not the H1N1), and she screamed, screamed, screamed. But, only because she was being held down. Once she was able to sit up, no more screaming.

She is tracking 60th percentile for height (30 3/4 inches) and about 30th for weight (21.9 lbs). She is definitely slimming down since she started walking. Bye bye chubby cheeks :(.

Makena is turning into a fun, happy girl. She can still be dramatic and grouchy, and most definitely OPINIONATED, but overall lots of fun of late. She just started gymnastics, which she enjoys, and is understanding and speaking better everyday. My favorite thing she does is whenever I say where's dad? where's your shoes? or where's anything, she puts up one hand in a shrug and says "go?" As in "where'd it go?" She's such a cutie-pie that she gets away with a lot.

Poor little bug!

2009-10-05T20:44:00.004-10:00

Double ear infection, low-grade fever, general 24 hour miserable-ness. Poor Makena! And, she won't take medication! I have to hold her down and force her to swallow her antibiotics and motrin for pain. So different from her sister who LOVES medicine. Needless to say, mom is not the favored parent. The minute she sees Noa, she HAS to go to him. Does not want anything to do with me. It's a weird feeling!

Timeout!

2009-10-04T20:41:00.002-10:00

Lately, Nanea has been getting many "timeouts." For us, that means a trip to our stairs where she can't see the tv, and there are no toys. Typically this involves much whining and crying, but the moment I say, "timeout!" she immediately walks to the stairs, from wherever she is, melting into tears and sits there until I say she can get up. Lately, her little sister in show of her support, will wander over and sit there with her. Of course, she doesn't understand this is punishment, and just gets a kick that she is a "big" girl and can sit on the stairs with her big sister. She gets up and down, goes back and forth, all the while big sister is throwing her tantrum. It's so funny, and unfortunately a common occurrence of late, I had to capture it.

More great pics from Holly

2009-09-21T21:14:00.002-10:00

still playing catch-up on photos!

Words and updates

2009-09-13T01:47:00.004-10:00

Makena's words:
~Eyeeee (or AYeeee) = HI

~mmmmUCK = milk

~Balloon = "BOon" while throwing her hand up in the air
~What does a dog say? = "WHoo, WHoo"
~"daddy"
~addy = sissy
~BEEbee = baby (as in her baby doll that she is obsessed with)
~UH Ohhhh

~kock, kock = quack, quack

~cah = car (think boston accent)

and FINALLY, "mama"

Makena:
~hates having her diaper changed
~put her in her bed, and she puts herself to sleep. For naps and bedtime.
~has been sleeping through the night again for the past week (hallelujah!!)
~loves to play peek-a-boo
~gives big, open mouth kisses when you say, "kiss kiss"
~blows kisses
~has the best laugh in the world

no baby food, no nursing, no bottle no crawling = no baby = :(

Actually, no bottle from before she was a year old. She was never very interested in it. Makena is a big girl!

Recent pics

2009-09-11T23:50:00.003-10:00

...with Uncle Bill (LOVED Uncle Bill!)

...with cousin Tess (Tess and Sophie were AMAZING with Makena. Tess is a little mommy, and wanted to be wherever Makena was. Holly took a great picture with Tess holding Makena when she was less than a week old (which I can't seem to locate, otherwise I would post it). Holly said that we would take a picture like this every year, but Tess informed us that when Makena is big, she will have to sit NEXT to her, not in her lap :).

having a blast at the pool!

Holly is an amazing budding-professional photographer, so the last 2 shots are from her. Thank you :)!

Cousins

2009-09-10T20:36:00.000-10:00

Sophie, Tess, Nanea & Makena

At the Zoo

2009-09-10T20:27:00.000-10:00

and...

2009-09-04T23:11:00.002-10:00

Makena thoroughly enjoyed the slide too!

these shoes are made for walking...

2009-08-14T22:45:00.003-10:00

Makena is especially thrilled with herself for walking. Though lately, she has been demanding assistance and will not let go of your finger and drags you around wherever he goes. If you can manage to pry your fingers from her grasp, she promptly drops to the ground (wherever she may be), slumps over, head to ground, and proceeds to scream. SCREAM. It's actually kind-of funny. This kid knows how to throw a tantrum. All drama, but oh so cute!

It's a Tutu kind-of day

2009-08-07T22:42:00.004-10:00

No, not Tutu the person, but tutus, like ballet princess tutus. I decided to put Makena in this cute outfit she received for her birthday, and then asked Nanea if she wanted to wear hers today. Never one to miss an opportunity to dress up, she jumped at the chance to not only wear her super fancy tutu, but wear it out of the house to grandma's.

In walking news, Makena actually took her first unassisted steps about 2 weeks ago at the halau. Just 2 or 3, but exciting nonetheless. This morning she increased to 6 or 7 and when Noa picked her up from the babysitter this afternoon they informed him that she was pretty much walking all day. When she got home, she was walking all over the place. Still a bit unsteady, and as she got tired, resorted to crawling, but I think it is safe to say that our crawling days are limited/over. She is also able to crawl up and down the stairs (she's been going up for a long time now, but just mastered down), open and close the back door, to which she promptly goes out to the slide and climbs up so she can throw herself down (did I say THROW? Not so safe). Now, if she would only sleep better...

Makena is REALLY ready to drive

2009-08-03T21:04:00.000-10:00

Makena loves this Dora car. The funniest thing is that she can actually drive it. On the steering wheel is a big red button that you have to push to make the car go (it's battery-operated). Nanea only recently has been able to push it in to make the car go. Once Noa showed Makena the button, she has been able to push it and scoots around the yard. She can't steer, but she has a great time going back and forth (once someone turns her around).

Jet-skiing for Makena

2009-08-02T20:30:00.001-10:00

While Nanea played in the water, Makena played on the grass:

And then she got her shot in the inner-tube. I just love her "what the...?!?!?" expression.

A new favorite game

2009-08-01T20:03:00.003-10:00

Makena will sit forever (ok, well minutes) and play with the back screen door. Open, close, open close. Lately, she has taken to chucking out her baby doll (who she is VERY attached to, but that's a story for another post), closing the door and saying "HE-llo" and opening the door, leaning out and starting the process over again. Of course, it sounds more like, "DAH-daaaa," but her intonation makes us think she must be saying hello. She leans out the upstairs window and does the same thing. Noa was able to capture these great photos of her. We especially got a kick out of the smooshed face ones!

The Invite

2009-07-15T23:53:00.000-10:00

And now for the party pics!

2009-07-15T23:04:00.007-10:00

Since there were SO many pictures, I decided to post them smaller. Click on any photo to get the larger, "full," effect :)!

Sign hung on the entrance to the halau (thanks Alex!!)

Receiving table - each child received a personalized blank notebook with a cupcake fabric crayon roll (made by aunty jo. i made 1/2 of the boy rolls which were not cupcakes...too girly we decided). They also received a snack bag with snacks and a juice box (in large basket to the left of photo)

Pupu (appetizer) table

More arrangements for the pupu table and bar (thanks yvonne!!)

Cupcake balloons hung on both sides of the stage which featured a great 5 piece Hawaiian band, hired at the last minute since our original plan fell through. Thanks so much to Jared for helping us out!

Carnation cupcake centerpieces!

The small fuchsia cups had the cupcake pops in them. Thanks to Kamalei there was lots and lots and lots of cupcake confetti that she punched out for me.

Cupcake Tower - I started it and Kamalei fixed it up and made all the cupcake covers for me. I found them on etsy, but didn't want to buy them. I felt sure I could make them but ran out of time. K took the lead and made them all the night before the party. She actually made the cupcakes for me too since I was bound to be up all night baking along with everything else I had to do. I made homemade buttercream frosting the next morning and she frosted them on site. My mom made the great lime green and white polka dot table cloth (with a fuchsia border!) with fabric that I had bought. Another thing I had intended to do, but would have run out of time. Thanks mom!

We hired the best Balloon shape company for the kids. Balloon Monsoon can make anything. When I asked for a cupcake, I expected a 1 dimensional cupcake. Instead they made this great 3 dimensional balloon cupcake. Fabulous!

The only pics I have of the girls before my battery died. Makena had a great headband from Kamalei, and Nanea had a matching flower clip complete with crystals. Note Makena's pink tutu that we put on her later with her cupcake onesie. I'm hoping that SOMEONE has a photo of that! If I get one, I'll be sure to post it.

It was a fun party and went by too quickly. Food was excellent, fabulous friends and family. Couldn't ask for a better baby luau!

...and that's all folks :)!

The details...

2009-07-14T21:29:00.005-10:00

So, because I am nuts, I started thinking about this party before Makena was born. Yes, I did say BEFORE. I knew I wanted to have a cupcake theme. Initially I had thought I would do hot pink/fuchsia and turquoise, but then I saw this fabric, and immediately decided on lime green instead. This fabric is from one of our linen wholesalers, Wildflower Linen who has gorgeous linens.

Wildflower Linen's citron and fuchsia ribbbon taffeta

Napkin wrapped forks and spoons in a fuchsia basket for the buffet line

Delectable key lime cookies from Cookie Corner Hawaii, with my fuchsia paper wrap and cupcake sticker (that said "Makena's Baby Luau" and the date on it). Eventually all of the cookies were wrapped and then placed on all of the tables.

Chili Pepper Water! Ingredients: hawaiian chili peppers, garlic, vinegar and water. All ingredients are pureed and then brought to a gentle boil. This is a very common condiment at luaus.

Close up of the chili pepper water labels

Tags I made to stick into the centerpieces. The balloons were tied to these to attach them to the centerpiece

Cupcake Pops by Sarandipity Sweets. No, I did not make these. I did attempt it, and it was a disaster. I will try again one of these days!

Credits:

Napkin and cookie wrapper workers: Tiff, Celia and Tutu (& me!)

Labels: Print Your Party (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6663668)

Cupcake pops: Sarandipity Sweets (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7458768)

PYP designs your labels and sends you the pdf so you can print them yourself. I found water resistant 8.5x11 sticker sheets for inkjet printers, so was able to print the chili pepper water labels and cookie labels safely, without having to worry about them running (since they had to be refrigerated). I also printed the round labels on card stock to make the centerpiece tags. A 1.5" round hold punch and 2" scallop punch, and I was in business!

Stay tuned for the party pics :)!

Luau prep

2009-07-13T23:13:00.007-10:00

The day of the luau started off early with prepping, cooking and warming. We started before 8am so that everything would be ready to load up in the cars to head to Bishop Museum by 3pm to start setting up. The party was short (4pm-8pm), since it was a Sunday and many people had to work the next day. We estimate that we had well over 200 people come, and even had some food left over. Noa did a great job figuring out the correct quantities of everything.

Wai waiting for the next task...

Top Chef Espinosa hard at work stirring something

Liko stirring the Kalua Pig...

...and washing the rice pot

Miss Sharyl making the edamame (they were EXCELLENT!)

I was the official poi mixer this year. My wrist and thumb hurt after mixing 50lbs., and filling up 200 bowls (along with Ali`i). We filled and everyone else covered the bowls with the covers, or lids, or whatever they ended up deciding the name was, and stacking them in boxes.

It was a true team effort. Thank you to the Espinosas, Victorinos, Bernards, Masuyamas, Tiff, Benedicts, Kamalei and Allens for being at the house bright and early and helping to cook and prepare all day long!

Happy 1st Birthday Makena!

2009-07-10T22:53:00.004-10:00

checking out her organic, made-from-scratch carrot cake

There is supposed to be frosting, and 2 layers, however I spent the day crazily running errands for the luau and got home super late. By the time I make the cake, she was past bed time (Noa said that she was falling asleep as he was putting her jammies on) and so we had to sing happy birthday with the cake just out of the oven and still warm. In spite of this, she quite enjoyed the singing and candle, and even the little bit of cake she had. Tomorrow she can have the real thing, frosting and all.

Happy Birthday baby girl! We cannot believe that you are already 1! Where on earth did this past year go?

A favored play/sitting spot

2009-07-05T21:23:00.000-10:00

Makena loves to climb onto Nalu's bed and hang out

And yes, that is a dog toy in her mouth. Don't worry, we didn't let her keep chewing on it!

Still popular in our house

2009-07-04T21:17:00.002-10:00

Aunty Mo bought this zebra for Nanea's 1st birthday, and we recently brought it back out for Makena. She loves it, Nanea still loves it. Overall, a big winner!

Luau Prep

2009-07-02T09:36:00.005-10:00

A couple of weeks ago the big luau prep began. We cooked the pig in an imu (see big rock pile/fire/pit below), and cleaned and cooked taro leaves for the squid luau. We are having the "traditional" food that you would see at a modern day Hawaiian luau. After everything was cooked, it was bagged up and frozen until the party next week. Everything else will be cooked/prepared that morning. No caterers for us! Noa and Papa would never hear of it. We have amazing friends that all came out to help us (and continue to help us!). Thanks everyone!

fire starting...a little bigger...there it is! once fire burns down and rocks are flat, the pig goes in! layered with banana leaf and wet burlap to keep the moisture in and cook the pig. 12 hours later, kalua pig!

Celia and Mamama cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. 80 lbs of taro leaves. Thanks Kalawas too! The men tending to the cooking of the taro leaves under the tent. I wasn't much help because of....

a slightly high-maintenance almost 1 year old!

Me and Makena

2009-07-02T09:00:00.000-10:00

Since I have very few pictures of either girl with me, thought I'd post this one that Holly took at the soccer game. Love the Ergo baby carrier!

Future Race Car Driver?

2009-06-25T23:07:00.003-10:00

2009-06-22T22:16:00.003-10:00

...and the 1st Birthday madness has begun. 3 weeks and counting...

Rockstar!

2009-06-18T21:18:00.002-10:00

(in the words of big sis Nanea whenever she herself wears sunglasses)

Pool time for Makena

2009-06-18T21:02:00.003-10:00

Makena LOVED the pool at Holly & Bill's. She got to crawl around and splash and as you can see from the photos below, giving lots of kisses! Thanks again to Holly for the photos!

11 months old, a Birthday Photo Shoot & some "oooohhhs"

2009-06-10T11:44:00.002-10:00

Makena is 11 months old today. Hard to believe that in 1 short month she will be 1! These are some photos I took of her for her birthday invitations (the ones I didn't use). She was quite cooperative, and luckily my little camera did the trick. Noa would have liked her dressed and posed much more traditionally and fancy, but I won out (as usual) when it comes to pictures and invitations.

Although Makena is not saying words yet, she does say "oooohhhh" whenever she sees something she likes, or when you hand her anything (note first picture). And I mean anything. She is very appreciative :). This morning she did an "uh-oh," which Noa and I thought was really funny, though I can't remember what she reacted to.

She knows daddy, mommy, and Nanea and "sissy." She answers to all the funny nicknames we've given her, "Kenna, Kenny, Kens." Noa said he would never call her "Kenny," but he uses it too.

She is pulling herself up on everything she can, and walking along the furniture. She has finally abandoned her "army crawl," which I appreciate since she is not covered in dog hair all the time now. We think that walking is not far away. She has also discovered that she can go up the stairs. It is her favorite thing to do, and she can go up the entire 2 flights upstairs on her own. She's been doing that for a couple of weeks, so that makes a lot of trips up and down for me, since I follow her up each time (I'm paranoid that she'll fall backwards). The second I look away from her, she's going up the stairs.

Makena is a very sensitive soul. If you raise your voice and give her a stern look, she immediately melts into tears. Only when directed to her. I can be holding her and yelling at her big sister, and she just looks on inquisitively.

Happy Month-day Kenna! She won't be a baby much longer, so I'm going to relish in it while I can!

Fancy Chair Pictures

2009-06-05T23:41:00.003-10:00

Makena had a great time in Virginia, though she never adjusted to the time change. Although she woke up at normal time, 6:30am, she wouldn't take her first nap until early afternoon, and then when it was time for bed, she just thought this was her 2nd nap, so woke up at about 9pm and wouldn't go to sleep until midnight. Needless to say, she was tired!

The plane ride going east was largely uneventful. Although she only slept for 2 hours on each leg (Honolulu-LA, LA to Washington DC), she was pretty easy going, and didn't cry or fuss. The trip home was a whole different story. You know how there is pretty much always a baby that cries for the entire flight? Well, that was us from Washington to LA. Minus 1.5 hours when she slept. So, 3 hours of crying. Actually, crying is mild. It was really more like blood-curdling screaming. For 3 hours. At least Noa was there, but it was awful. Everyone turning to stare at us and all. With lots of "poor thing, her ears must be bothering her," like we weren't trying everything we could to comfort her and stop the chaos. In actuality, we discovered it was not her ears, but most likely her gut, and that she hasn't pooped for a day or two. The pressure on her gut must have been too much to bear. Once she pooped as we were about 20 min from landing, she was much better. Though, she hates poop in her pants, so continued to fuss.

The adjustment back to Hawaii time has been pretty seamless. Sometime in the last 2-3 weeks, Makena has gotten more teeth, so she has 5 now. 3 on top, 2 on the bottom. It makes her miserable, so I'm hoping they come in fast, but thus far they have taken their time coming in.

We are in the rush of baby luau planning. I ordered invitations today, and am slowly getting organized with favors, accessories, centerpieces, etc. Noa is in charge of food (of course), and he and the guys are doing the imu next weekend. It's hard to believe that it is only a month away! It is crazy that she will be 1!! She just still seems like a baby, and 1 is so old! We had a photoshoot for the invites yesterday, so I'll post the rejects soon.

...and WE'RE off!

2009-05-23T10:24:00.003-10:00

Makena and I leave tonight to join Noa and Nanea and the McMullens in Virginia. After a wedding on the North Shore that is (my work). Grandma Kay has saved the day by babysitting on a Saturday (thank you, what would I ever do without the Lau Kongs and Chocks in my life?!?!?). Can you believe we have 3 events today? Yes, 3. And 1 tomorrow. And we had 2 Wednesday. It's been a crazy week.

To get this family out of the house, Hillary's "it takes a village" comes to mind. Since the kennel was full until Sunday due to the holiday weekend, my fabulous friend Tiff will be taking Nalu there on Sunday afternoon. This is in no way convenient since she lives in Honolulu, has to drive to Waikele to pick him up, and then all the way over the other other end of the island in Kahalu`u to the kennel. She is the best. Nalu will be alone from tonight through tomorrow afternoon, so my lovely neighbors will be letting him out in the morning for a bathroom break (in addition to getting our mail, putting our trash out and in general keeping an eye on things while we're gone). And Rico will be coming here, driving us to the airport in Noa's car, keeping his keys, so he can pick us up next week. Because with 2 car seats, 2 adults and and another driver/rider, you have to have a big car to fit everyone. Not to mention Rico is like 7 feet tall (not quite), and can't fit in my car to drive it.

We have the best friends in the world, and are so grateful and blessed to have them in our lives. I'll have the camera, so will hopefully find some time to post photos and blog from Virginia.

Think she dislikes her jammies?

2009-05-21T23:52:00.003-10:00

When I put Makena to bed now-a-days, she is rarely asleep (she used to fall asleep while nursing), and so rolls around and complains, talks, plays for awhile before putting herself to sleep. If she is a in a complaining mood, she pulls the feet of her jammies to pull her feet out of the foot-part. Well, last night she some how managed to completely unbutton one side and has her foot hanging out. I had to get a picture of it, even though I ran the risk of waking her up with the flash. She slept through it, and I let her sleep in peace with her foot hanging out :).

Here doggie, doggie...

2009-05-19T21:44:00.004-10:00

This is how Makena entices Nalu to come near her so that she can touch him. She always shares her food with him, even breaking her crackers in half to give some to him. He is very gentle with her as you can see. Pretty good for a 100 lb dog!

A little comparison

2009-05-19T11:52:00.003-10:00

Nanea & Makena at roughly the same age (9/10 months)

We think they look a lot alike, with the exception of Nanea's massive amounts of hair. She always had tons and tons of hair (still does!).

10 months old

2009-05-11T00:29:00.004-10:00

No pics, but Makena made 10 months old today, on Mother's Day! She has been such a different baby from since our trip to the Big Island 2 weeks ago. She is happy, more independent. Starting to crawl on her knees, and finally got another tooth (just 1 on top). Someone commented on her being a "Hawaiian baby" since while on the Big Island, she was just happy as a clam being outdoors, eating poi, and sleeping under a tree on the grass next to the beach. She is definitely darker than her older sis. I was looking at her legs and feet today, which are quite dark/tan. Everyone says she is Noa, with my eye shape, where Nanea is the opposite.

Mother's day was spent with the girls at the Espinosa's. Their home is our home-away-from home since we spend many holidays there, especially when Noa is away. We are so thankful for them. The day was mostly grouchy girls for some reason, but Makena is possibly cutting her 4th tooth, and Nanea was just bored today with too many adults, and no kids.

Happy 10 month-day Makena!

First airplane ride!

2009-05-03T22:25:00.007-10:00

Makena and I took a day-trip to Hilo yesterday. We were lucky to have no one next to us so we had 2 seats to ourselves. Here she is looking really tired since I woke her up at 5:30am and stuck her in the car to go straight to the airport. No wardrobe change obviously since she is still in her jammies (I did change her diaper however once we got to the airport). She was so tired, she actually ended up sleeping for the flight.

Makena was the star of the airplane on the ride home. Waving, smiling, laughing at everyone. I had several people stop on their way off the plane to tell me what a beautiful child she was. I hope our flight to Virginia at the end of the month is similar!!

Last but not least, here is proof that it does snow in Hawaii. Snow on the top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Took this as we were flying over just before landing. It was a gorgeous day in Hilo!

Papa and Makena

2009-04-26T21:32:00.003-10:00

Papa and Mamama came over today to watch the girls while I worked. Lucky for me, but even luckier for the girls that they got to spend quality time with their Papa and Mamama. Makena LOVED Papa, even reaching for him while she was sitting on the floor with me. Makena doesn't like anyone, and rarely goes to anyone but me. She even fell asleep in Papa's lap this afternoon after fussing with Mamama trying to get her to take a nap.

Thank you Pili and Makalapua for saving me today :)!!

Princess Makena

2009-04-23T22:19:00.003-10:00

Nanea thought it would be great to put her dress-up Dora "true" Princess crown on Makena. Makena hardly noticed it on her head and was happy to pose for Nanea's pictures.

Makena at 9 months

2009-04-22T19:13:00.002-10:00

We finally made it to Makena's 9 month appointment, almost 2 weeks late, so I guess it was her 9.5 month appointment. She weighs 19.9lbs (60th percentile), and is 28.5 inches tall (75th percentile). She is tracking slightly bigger and shorter than Nanea at the same age, but some of that may account for going to the appointment late.

We have begin the craziness of planning a baby luau. The location is booked and we are starting to think about all the details. Save the date for July 12th. Noa and Papa are cooking all the food again (with a little help from our friends...), so it will be a feast!

9 month update...sort-of

2009-04-15T20:32:00.003-10:00

Well, 9 months have come and gone (10th), and yes, I almost missed it, hence no update. It doesn't help that our doc appointment was postponed due to a vacation (his) and so I have no updates until next week.

Makena is much improved temperment-wise. She is much happier now that she is more mobile. She loves to stand up. She needs assistance, but sometimes can manage to pull herself up. She is easy to put to bed most of the time. Tonight she was wide awake and I put her down, kissed her goodnight and walked out. I heard her "talking" and complaining a bit, but she put herself to bed. She is getting used to "strangers" which is making it easier for me. Not so mommy-centric. For the most part, she will not go to others, but on occasion, she will reach for someone else (this morning, she reached out for grandma to take her from me).

Just as Noa was about to leave, she finally decided that she liked him (his words, not mine). She would swat at his back whenever near him and give him the biggest tooth-less grins when he looked at her. We will have to skype so she doesn't forget who he is while he is gone.

I have pictures, but am too tired/lazy to hook up the camera to upload. Will do it soon...

Peek...aren't you curious?

2009-04-04T21:45:00.005-10:00

We received a few pieces from the children's clothing company, Peek...aren't you curious from our lovely friends Carol and Joe, when Makena was born. The owner is a good friend of Carol's, and not only are the clothes just adorable, the gift packaging was really fantastic! Super cute and comfy tanks and adorable bloomers. I could not wait until Makena was big enough to fit into them and finally she is. Hooray!

Makena likes it too! And the bloomers hide her michelin-baby rolly poly thighs :)!

Makena is...

2009-03-31T21:43:00.002-10:00

sleeping through the night again, phew!

still army crawling, but can do so while holding something in her hand. talent!

can now drink from a sippy cup successfully. I was wondering if this would ever happen since prior to today she just chewed on the sippy cup and spit out whatever water that was in her mouth. today she drank tons and tons of water and held the cup at the same time.

still only has 2 bottom teeth. all this teething, but no teeth.

The best feeling in the world...

2009-03-25T20:37:00.002-10:00

...coming home from a long day of work and walking through the door and having Makena smile the biggest smile in the world upon seeing me, and immediately start to army-crawl her way to me.

Sharing

2009-03-23T19:44:00.003-10:00

Makena seems to be learning the fine art of sharing. Tonight we were sitting at the table, and I was having her practice picking up "puffs" from my hand to eat. She would take a bite, then put it in her mouth. As she did this, I would over-exaggerate chewing so that she would hopefully mimic me. After a few times, she put the puff to her mouth, and then changed her mind and reached out and put it to my mouth.

At bedtime tonight when I put her down in her crib, I handed her pacifier to her and she took it with a big smile and started to put it to her mouth. I was hanging over her crib saying goodnight, and she smiled and reached out to offer me her pacifier. She is so, so CUTE!

Frozen Bluberries!

2009-03-22T21:03:00.002-10:00

I'm not sure the taste was such a success, but the frozen-ness certainly was!

Check out Nanea's blog for her encounter with frozen blueberries.

Hi Minnie!

2009-03-22T20:59:00.003-10:00

Makena will pretty much let me put anything in her hair/on her head, and not pull it out/off. She is super fun in that sense. I don't know if that she is too young to realize it at this point, but it makes for great pictures! Isn't she sweet??

Head Butts

2009-03-18T22:10:00.002-10:00

As you can tell, I've been taking a lot of video lately...

A beautiful gift

2009-03-16T09:57:00.000-10:00

My uber-talented friend Maggie sent this amazing "mobile" for Makena soon after she was born (yes, I know I'm very late in posting photos!!). I say "mobile" in parentheses because this does not even come close to describing what this is. It is so non-kid mobile-y and beautiful, it doesn't seem right to label it as a mobile. But, I can't think of any other word at the moment (lack of sleep with a still non-sleeping Makena!).

She created this from real branches and hand (?) sewn fabric birds. I told her that she needs to sell these, and she'd make a fortune! She contacted me while I was still pregnant to ask me if I had a theme, or color scheme for the new baby's room, so I sent her photos of the crib bedding I had chosen. When I received the gift, the colors of the birds matched the bedding exactly. Amazing!

Maggie is an amazing artist and designer and makes custom stationary for her company, Uncommon Envelope. Also check her out at Etsy. For those of you that have not discovered Etsy, it is a site for people to see their hand-made wares. I love Etsy :)!

Moving and Shaking (& throwing)!

2009-03-14T20:57:00.004-10:00

Makena is really moving now! Mostly she likes to chase down Nanea. In the past day or so, she has gotten to the point where she is over the whole army crawl-thing, so will just scream until someone picks her up. I think that she has found this to be quite effective. And this after all my effort to vacuum and scrub down my floors Cinderella-style so she wouldn't be a dirty mess after cruising around. Ah well...

Makena throws pretty well. Actually she can chuck things across the room. This is a little sample of this when she tosses the bag. She has chucked her pacifier that I am constantly sticking into her mouth right out of her crib and across her room.

Already learning bad habits...

2009-03-11T21:55:00.003-10:00

Poor Nalu already has another little girl who will use him as their preferred seating...

8 months old today

2009-03-10T16:41:00.003-10:00

Well, 8 months old and we seem to be moving backwards!

Makena is still a chubby, chubby baby, though is tracking the same as her big sis, just has more chubs. She is a sweet baby, but oh so FUSSY! She likes to have company at all times. The one thing I could rely on is her sleeping from 5:30pm to about 7am. Straight through since 9 weeks old. That is what has saved my sanity since she is not a napper and needs lots of attention.

So, the last couple of weeks, she has been waking up in the middle of the night. Once, and sometimes even twice. I think it started with teething (those pesky top 2 are just taking their time!), and then she had a cold along with everyone else in our house. That coupled with not wanting to have her wake my mom, and even Noa when I knew he had to work, I went against all my rules and went in to nurse her back to quiet/sleep. So, now she's used to it. Mom left yesterday, but my dad arrived last night so I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I think I may have to just make everyone suffer for a day or 2 and offer lots of coffee so I can get her back to schedule. Sleep deprivation is killing me and making me brain-dead.

On a positive note, we have been getting into a better daytime nap routine the last few days, so she naps for about 30 min at 10am, and an hour and a half to 2 hours between 1 and 1:30pm. In spite of my success with "sleep training" Nanea, I have been severely lacking in setting up a day time routine with Makena. And, everyone with kids knows that a sleep deprived child makes them sleep LESS! Go figure.

Makena is just the sweetest, cutest baby. When she's fussing/crying/screaming and you go to get her, she just lights up the room with her smile, and how could you not want to snuggle such an adorable rolly-poly baby :)?

Happy 8-month day Makena!

Moving about and army crawling

2009-03-09T22:54:00.005-10:00

Makena will be crawling very soon. She can pretty much navigate the entire living room by scooting, and rocking back and forth on her sides. She has ceased rolling to get to her location of choice since she kept banging her head doing that. Of course a mobile baby means having to keep the floors clean. Nalu seems to shed his weight in hair daily, so there is a lot of vacuuming going on in our house. To which Nanea plugs her ears and shouts "too loud, too loud!!!" Mostly because it interrupts whatever show she is trying to watch.

Nanea getting in on the action

Lunch at Restaurants

2009-03-09T22:47:00.002-10:00

Makena is good at sitting up now, so can sit in a high chair at restaurants now. Good for mommy and Nanea who love to lunch out. She is entertained with a straw for just long enough for me to shovel my food in my mouth.

Makena waving "buh-bye"

2009-02-26T21:48:00.003-10:00

Makena playing

2009-02-16T22:11:00.004-10:00

A rare moment of Makena happily playing on her own...

why oh why do my videos always post 2 pictures? if anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it :)!

7 months old

2009-02-10T21:59:00.005-10:00

Today Makena is 7 months old. I can hardly believe it; the time has gone so quickly! She is eating lots and lots of baby food. Squash seems to be a favorite. She is also really scooting herself around. I set her in one spot, and 30 seconds later, she is in a completely different spot. This is different for me since Nanea didn't really do this. She was a very determined crawl-er, and would only move to get something specific. Makena has a fascination with remote controls. Not sure what it is, but she loves them. She also wants to put everything in her mouth. Another thing Nanea didn't really do. We have to really watch her now that she's more mobile.

Here are some pictures from a little photo-shoot this afternoon while big sis was napping. Makena woke up SO happy from her nap, and was quite the little model for my photos. She was really thrilled to be sitting up on her own on the couch and was all smiles for the pictures. If you look closely, I'm finally able to put a little, teeny bow in her hair. Hooray!

ok, all done!

Getting to be a big girl

2009-02-03T20:49:00.001-10:00

holding her bottle on her own (we were never able to get Nanea to do this!)

and sitting up all on her own!

First beach trip and 6 month checkup

2009-02-01T21:45:00.003-10:00

Noa could not wait until Makena turned 6 months old so she could wear sunscreen and go to the beach. We thought that after her 6 month checkup and all the trauma of 4 shots (!) in her poor little legs, a nice sunny day and calm ocean would be a good distraction. No chance of a picture of Makena with Dr. Lance, but all is well with her. She is 17.4 pounds and 27.5 inches long. She is tracking at 60th percentile for weight, and 95th for height.

didn't like the water all that much. too cold i think!

Scootin' along

2009-01-31T13:26:00.004-10:00

The other day Makena and I had a short time to ourselves as Nanea took a nap, so I put her on her tummy and spread out some toys, and she had a great time reaching for them and tossing them around. She even began to scoot herself ever so slightly to reach some. I think we will have a mover and shaker pretty soon!

A seat for Makena

2009-01-25T23:05:00.001-10:00

Now that we're well into solids (eating bananas at the moment), it was time to move Makena to a real seat. So, here she is, happy as can be, sitting at the table. It is actually the one place I can leave her for a few minutes and get things done. Nanea has been moved to a "real" chair (see her blog for a new post on her new seat), and all is well for the first meal tonight with each girl in her respective new seats. We'll see how it goes! You never know what tomorrow may bring...

This is how I sleep...

2009-01-25T22:06:00.002-10:00

Makena does not like to nap. This is most often how we resort to trying to get her to nap because she is SO exhausted she won't stop fussing/crying/screaming. Put her in the baby bjorn, walk around, do some squats or heel raises, and she's out cold for 20-30 minutes. MIght as well get a workout out of it...

Thanks for my cool new hat Aunty Mikie!

2009-01-24T22:00:00.004-10:00

and yes, it has been cold enough to wear one here lately. With temps at night in the high 50s, low 60s (brrrr for Hawaii), Makena has been wearing 2 pairs of jammies (1 fleece over 1 thermal) AND a hat. One night I had to turn on the AC in her room to warm it up since it's set at 76 degrees. I don't think houses in Hawaii have heaters. That may sound crazy to some of you but that's pretty much freezing here for us sun-all-year-round-75-degree-weather people.

Daddy and Makena

2009-01-24T21:59:00.000-10:00

Hair Clippies!!

2009-01-24T00:01:00.002-10:00

My good friend who is blogging over at "Lemon" Roberts about her pregnancy and new arrival, baby girl Naomi, recently did a similar post about the dos and dont's of hair accessories for your little girl. I had been meaning to post about my favorite hair clips for awhile, but procrastination is my middle name. So, her post has inspired me.

I am definitely not a girlie-girl, and those that know me know that my girls aren't particularly girlie either. But, when it comes to hair clips, there are some that I can't resist. Holly actually got me into bows, since her girls were never without when they were little (6 year old Tess is now refusing). So, here are my favorites:

My Cakies - these are a little on the larger side, so probably best for toddlers. She makes crowns too, which are super cool. We may be getting one for a birthday party soon...

Nettie Pete - these clips and rubber bands are a relatively new find for me, and are my most favorite thus far. They are made from buttons and vintage fabrics, and if you see something in a clip, but would rather have a rubber band, they will custom make it for you at no extra charge.

The next 2 are clips are ones that I have not ordered yet, but are on my "coveting list." The first, Ella Bella Bows are very similar to my formerly favorite bow-maker, The Pink Bow, who has disappeared from cyberspace. They can be made with a non-slip padding, which I HIGHLY recommend for little baby hair. The ones I had never fell out of Nanea's hair, and she wore them from about 5 months old.

Wren Handmade - super cute fabric flowers

I found all of these on etsy.com. It's one of my favorite places to find just about anything. There are many talented people out there making things.

One of my other faves, which is not pictures above is giddy giddy (see Lemon's blog or click on hyperlink). I own quite a few of these clips!

Makena is just about getting enough hair for a bow. Maybe in a few weeks. Can't wait! We actually, well I actually, just gave her a trim today. She had these really long strands on both sides of her head and I couldn't take any more. Of course cutting a 6 month old's hair is no easy feat, so I must admit, it is a bit short on one side. But, since it's pretty crooked in the back any way, it sort of blends nicely when it's brushed.

6 months old!

2009-01-11T09:17:00.003-10:00

We are late getting to the doctor this time, so I'll have stats for both girls Fri. Gone are the days when I could make my appointments a few days before. Our pediatrician has gotten too popular. I am braving a joint appointment...with shots for both. Fun, fun, fun!

Today those pesky 2 bottom teeth poked through Makena's gums. So, she has teeth! I'm not sure when they made their official appearance, could have been before, but I didn't see them (or really feel them) until today, her 6 month-day.

First "real" food

2009-01-07T07:11:00.002-10:00

testing out the rice cereal...

likes it!

After a few days, we're ready to try oatmeal...I just haven't had time to get to the store, so she's still just eating rice cereal. I have discovered that she really likes it best when mixed with breast milk, and will eat quite a lot. Not so much when mixed with formula or water. Guess it's just what she's used to. Now with Whole Foods here, there are so many great choices for baby food, so I'm excited to get started!

Family photo shoot - Part 3

2008-12-30T12:57:00.005-10:00

Makena's shoot:

a preview of poor Makena's future of torturing by her big sister

a sweet one with daddy

5 months old!

2008-12-11T08:52:00.002-10:00

well, officially it was yesterday, and yes this picture was actually taken yesterday.

It's hard to believe that Makena is already 5 months old! Time really does fly. She is still a really sweet baby. She has startled herself by rolling over from her back to her stomach when she's rocking back and forth from her back to her side. So, no more leaving her unattended on the bed since we officially have a rolling baby now.

Depending on who you ask (which side of the family), she is either all-Allen, or all-Benedict in the looks department. It will be interesting to see how her features develop. The word is still out on her hair. I think it will be wavy at least, but Noa is convinced it will be straight. One think for certain is that she definitely looks different from Nanea, but they have the same great smile. She is a super-duper cutie!

Tickles anyone?

2008-12-05T20:31:00.002-10:00

This is probably Makena's happiest time of the day, bath time. We play as we're waiting for the tub to fill up. She is extremely ticklish on her sides, but only without clothes. We definitely don't get this reaction when we tickle her when she's dressed.

Hooray for pictures!

2008-12-05T20:08:00.003-10:00

Today as I wrapped and boxed up some presents to ship, Makena was happy to sit across from me and watch:

trying to get them to pose together and both smile is pretty much impossible. Here they seem to be zoning out on something just over my shoulder...

Mommy and Me

2008-12-02T14:38:00.002-10:00

At Thanksgiving this year, everyone commented on how "fat" Makena is. It's definitely all in the cheeks...well, a little in the thighs too.

**disclaimer: I don't always look this tired. Makeup is a beautiful thing. Too bad I wasn't wearing any this day. Or most days to be honest. Note to self, put makeup on every day!

4 months old

2008-11-13T21:52:00.002-10:00

This photo is pretty indicative of Makena's personality. She is a serious baby, taking everything in and very observant. She does smile, and it is a gift, but I definitely wouldn't call her a smiley-happy baby. Every morning when I go into her room to get her she give me crazy smiles and kicks like crazy. She is not fussy, just content. I think she is an old soul, something I have been known to be called.

We had her 4 month check up today, and she did so well. She cried through the whole exam when Dr. Lance checked her out, but hardly a peep when she got her 4 (!!) shots. Nanea and I were very proud of her :). Makena is in the 75th percentile for weight (14 lbs, 10 oz) and height (25 inches), and 25th percentile for head circumference. Once again, almost identical to Nanea's stats at the same age. Makena weighs slightly more, but Nanea's head was slightly bigger. Exact same height. Looks like I'll have 2 tall girls. Taller than me at least.

Bebe Pod

2008-11-07T21:00:00.003-10:00

We just tried the bebe pod this week. Makena likes it a lot. Nanea helps and pushes her back to an upright position when she eventually leans over to one side or another. Makena loves to see everything and is very alert and aware of her surroundings. She HATES the pack -n- play, but loves hanging out on the floor since she can look around and check things out. She continues to be a really good baby and oh so sweet. Don't you just want to eat those cheeks :)?