An Evening at S.antana R.ow

Len took all of us out for dinner to one of our favorite restaurants - S.I.N.O

6 Months 2 Weeks

1st Teeth - 6 Months 1 Week

Yes, plural! My mom's dream was to notice Klaudia's first tooth, and she was REALLY happy when she noticed two of them! K has two little choppers sticking out of her lower gums. So cute!

Final Exams

The summer session is finally over. It was a great semester but extremely busy. Here are my little helpers working on correcting the finals.

Klaudia's Nicknames

All of the following are always used in a very loving way:

English:

• Pumpkin
  
• Pork Chop
• Sweatie Pie
• Pale Face (Len's latest favorite)
• Piglet
• Michelin Baby
  

Polish:

• Jaskoleczka
• Zabka
• Ogonek
• Ogon (when she is in trouble)
• Zygowinka (after the last throw-up)
• Zasraniec (obvious)
• Kukuleczka
• Klauduszek
• Szczygielek (adopted from my sister's baby)
  

Klaudia's Solids - Overview

Each of the following was given for at least 4 days in a row and was mixed with the breast milk.

1. Avocado (started at 5 months 2 weeks)
2. Sweet potato
3. Banana
4. Back to avocado (K wasn't pooping, doctor recommended stopping bananas, going back to avocados) For some reason avocado wasn't agreeing with K's stomach; she threw up 3 times; we'll try it again in about a month. We took a break from solids for a week.
   
5. Brown rice with bananas (K wasn't too crazy about rice with milk, but after adding bananas to the mixture, she loved it)

A 6-Month Check-Up

Our pediatrician was not available for our 6-month appointment, so we went with a very nice practitioner Nancy. She was nice because she was perfectly OK with our decision of not giving K any vaccines as of now.
After all the important measurements (K dropped down to the 75th percentile lengthwise, maintained the 90th percentile weightwise, and managed to get her head off the chart - We've Got a Genius!), Nancy suggested that we stop the solids! We won't but it was good to hear that if we miss a day or two (it's just so much easier to do the breastfeeding only), K will be just fine.








Are we there yet?

Caught after pulling her mobile down.
















One mobile down, tons more to go.

Our Daughter's First Word Was...

... IKEA.
She went there once, but I guess she loved it.
6 months 3 days

A Turning Point at 6 Months

For the very first time, Klaudia has turned from her back to her belly all by herself today. She got from her stomach to her back a couple of times a while back, and today while in her little jungle, she tried to reach for a mirror and ended up on her stomach.

I wasn't surprised that I was NOT there when it happened. I miss most of her little milestones. But this time Len missed it, too. The phrase 'she'll be in college before we know it' is becoming so true.

So, who witnessed our pumpkin's acrobatics? My parents. And I'm very happy they did. I am so grateful that they are with us this summer. They've been doing such an incredible job taking care of K that I don't know if Len and I will ever be able to pay them back.

Lost in Translation

At the Chinese Restaurant.

My dad: Co to jest?
Me: Len, what is this?
Len: Peppered beef.
Me to dad: Pieprzona wolowina.

Intro to Solid Food - 5 1/2 Months

I really wanted to wait until K was 6 months to introduce her to solid foods. I read that it's the best time to do so since all the enzymes in the baby's stomach are then well developed. However, when looking at "signs" of when the baby is ready for solids, K passed all of them way before she was 5 months. Here are the signs:
1. She weighs at least 13-15 lbs (I can't remember when she weighed 13 lbs)
2. She weighs twice as much as her birth weight (No problem with that)
3. She can sit with support (Yes!)
4. She has control over her head and neck muscles (Finally!)
5. She can bring an object in her hand directly to her mouth (Yes! And, if it's an empty bottle she will put the 'drinking' end to her mouth, like if she knew exactly how to do it)
6. She shows interest in others eating around her (That's becoming a problem. She doesn't show just interest; it's more like hunger, jealousy, aggression)
7. She becomes fussy in the middle of the night, whereas before she slept through with no problem (That's a great description of what's exactly happening at night)

Right when K was 5.5 months, we decided it was time to do solids. I figured if she were born on her due date, she would be 6 months by now.

We started with avocados. I mashed them and combined with breast milk. Klaudia LOVED it. Then we switched to bananas. She liked those, too, although she wasn't as crazy about them as she was with the avocados.

Everything seemed to be going fine until we realized that all that food was going in, but nothing was coming out. Today is 7 days since K last ... pooped. I heard that it does happen at the beginning but decided to call the doc just to check. I was asked to bring her in right away. I told the nurse, K seems to be doing just fine and I'm the one bothered by her lack of bowel movement, but I was asked to come anyway.

K was checked and told to be fine. I got some ideas from the doc on how to improve K's digestion, but didn't have much time to think about the options because K decided to shower us with a surprise and tonight produced what we've all been waiting for. Man, did that thing stink!?!

Here is my dad teasing K with a piece of apple.

















Here she is tasting avocado for the very first time in her life. We were a bit unprepared - no high chair, no plastic spoon or bib. We survived.
K swallowed her food as if she had done it before. I'm sure she had dreamed about this day forever.

Sleeping Progress

5 months 2 weeks - for the last few weeks K has been waking up twice at night. First time is always at 1.30am - that's when either I or Len will get up and calm her down with a pacifier; she falls asleep within a couple of minutes. The second time, usually at 3.30 - that's when I nurse her; it still takes about 45 minutes for her to eat, but once she finishes, she falls back asleep - no crying, fussing, nothing. She stays asleep until 7 or 8 am. It's a huge improvement from the last sleeping update.

A Hairy Deal

While pregnant I read that the expectant woman's hair is supposed to "blossom" during pregnancy due to the hormonal changes. The usual daily loss of hair was supposed to stop, and I was about to see what I would look with the best hair in my life. I was really looking forward to this part of my pregnancy.

Somewhere during those special 9 months I did notice that when brushing, none of my hair was coming out; the look of it, however, never improved.

After having K, I knew I had to lose all the extra hair; I was just hoping it wouldn't happen in one day. It didn't. It took about a month, but it clogged our shower drain 3 times within 4 weeks (usually it doesn't happen more than once a year).

The hair loss did affect the look. I kept telling Len that in a couple of weeks if my hair doesn't stop coming out, I'll fit in with my little family. He didn't think it was funny; neither did I.

I decided to go to the hairdresser and get help. "We need to cut it" is what I heard. "I trust you", I whispered, and off she went. While working away, my hairdresser mentioned a few times the new haircut she had for me, and how great I'm going to look in it with my natural curls.
The work she was doing took a bit longer than expected. There were 2 other customers waiting for her, and I could tell she was getting a bit impatient with what she was doing. I, on the other hand, was tired to the point that NOTHING bothered me.

Right before the end, when she was drying my hair, we both noticed that there were NO curls in it. Very nervously she started putting different products in eliciting the curls, but nothing seemed to wake them up. With the time running out and two ladies waiting for my hairdresser impatiently, she started changing my "cute-to-be" haircut. She decided that my hair doesn't curl due to the hormonal changes. After a few more cuts here and there, tons of straightening-my-hair products, I was done.

To keep it short, I did NOT like what I saw in the mirror. I was too tired to complain, but didn't have to. My hairdresser knew better and offered to "fix" my hair on some other day, whenever I was available.

That was 3 weeks ago, and I still can't find my ... availability. The hair does not curl but seems to wave on its good days.

Len took my new haircut like a man. I did call him beforehand and warned him and begged not to laugh. He didn't. And, I'm thankful for that.

4th of July

For the holiday we all went to San Francisco. It was our first overnight trip with K. It took us forever to get out of the house. Next time (in August we're going to Tahoe for a week) I have to remember to make a list of what to pack. It took hours to get everything together, pack the car, and yet we forgot to take Len's sweatshirt with us (the forecast said high 63 F in SF).
Chilling with daddy at the hotel.




















Waiting for shrimps at the Bu.bba Gum.p in SF.













Getting ready for fireworks and warming up at the postcard store.









Waiting for everyone else to get ready to walk in the city (and watching a bit of TV with grandma).

Language Development

Klaudia's favorite word nowadays is: Ada. Sometimes she is able to say Dada which came after Ma which basically means Mama.