tranphamily.com

Watch Amanda crawl for the first time.

We received a call from daycare last Friday, telling us that we had to take Amanda home because she had a fever of 101 degrees.  We took her to the pediatrician, who informed us that Amanda may have a virus or a cold and that we will find out in the next day or two when the symptoms develop.  Well, the symptoms developed on Saturday, and Amanda began to cough, her nose started to run, became stuffy and her fever continued to persist.  She could not eat, sleep and overall, was in a foul mood.  Aside from the UTI, this is the first time that Amanda has gotten sick.  She's miserable.  We're miserable.  Lets hope she gets better soon. 

Many firsts for Amanda.  First Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first flu shot and her first two teeth. That's right, Amanda is teething.  All those things you have heard about a teething baby is true.  She does indeed cry a lot, and yes, we have not slept much.  Fact is, we haven't slept much since Amanda was born.  Amanda is what you would call a curious child.  She does not like to sleep, she does not like to eat, she does not like to cooperate with her parents.  She likes to talk, she likes to play and she likes to do things her way.

My parents stayed with us over the Christmas break and witnessed first hand the torture Trinh and I endure each night.  They were sympathetic, but then would say something like, "Marcus (Amanda's cousin) was such a good baby; he always slept through the night."  This, of course, is what we have heard of other children as well.  Our friends would brag about how their children slept through the night from day 1.  I guess we're not as fortunate.  However, at the same time, not many of our friends get to spend as much time with their children as us.  How many of them wake up at 3 am to play with their kids?  Trinh and I do it all the time.  At 3 am, at 4am, at 5am...we spend lots of quality time with Amanda throughout the night.

Anyways, from all of us at the TranPhamily, we would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season.  May 2009 bring you much happiness, health and fortune.  I am Vietnamese so I had to include the fortune part.  Everyone knows that money brings forth health and happiness.  For Trinh and I, we would like all those things listed above plus some uninterrupted sleep.  Is that too much to ask?

Before Trinh went back to work, the Tran Phamily decided to take a vacation to Honolulu, Hawaii.  This was Amanda's first trip and we weren't quite sure how she would react on the flight.  For the most part, she was pretty good especially when she was sleeping.  Unfortunately however, it was during this trip that Amanda first learned how to scream.  Oh boy could she scream!  I am sure the other passengers were peeved when she kicked and screamed, but how could you get mad at this little cutie?

In Hawaii, we stayed in the heart of Waikiki, which was great because the beach was literally a block away.  We layed out everyday, and Amanda took her first swim in the ocean.  As you can see from some of the pics, Amanda did not like the water all that much.  She preferred instead to sunbathe on the beach.  Nothing better than a nap in the shade of Waikiki beach.

We also spent a day in the North Shore at the Turtle Bay Resort.  At the end of the day, we went to the world famous Matsumoto's for some shaved ice (actually, we went to Aoki's, next door to Matsumoto's, which all the locals said was better). 

Hawaii was great and we can't wait to go back in the near future.    

Amanda has been in daycare for one month, which also means that I've been back at work for one month. I've read that infants get separation anxiety when they start daycare.  Not my Amanda.  The first day we dropped her off was much more difficult for us than for her.  She didn't even give us a second look as we left the center.  There was not a tear in sight!  I looked for it and all I saw was the back of her head.  She was too anxious to get to know her new friends and surroundings.  I guess it's a good thing that she's not too attached. 

Coming back to work after a 5 month hiatus has not been easy.  All day I kept thinking about Manda and was worried for her.  I called the center a few times a day and visited her once every day that first week.  The caregivers said that she does not like to sleep.  Tell us something we don't know!  Just like at home, we also have a hard time getting her to nap.  She barely takes 2 naps during the day.  At night, she sleeps close to 8 hrs, but wakes up quite often sometimes every hour. 

We are slowly adjusting to her new schedule.

Amanda is 13 lbs 15 oz and is right on track with her growth. She can flip over without a problem and is now struggling to crawl. She lifts up her head and feet but has yet to understand how to use the two together to move her body. I think it will take a few more weeks until she is able to do so. At least for now Andy and I will not have to think about putting up gates throughout the house.

This is also the last week for me with Amanda before I go back to work. sigh... It has been an awesome experience. One that I will never forget. Seeing Amanda grow up so quickly has been absolutely rewarding.

Amanda will start daycare next week. I'm fortunate that it's just right downstairs in my building at work. Andy and I were so nervous over the summer with the daycare situation. The place we signed up at was a lottery and we didn't have a second plan. Thank goodness it worked out for us! I brought her to the daycare a few days this past month to get her used to the place. I can tell already she will have alot of fun. There are 6 babies including her and all they do is eat, sleep, play, and poop. I hope she likes it there.

Amanda is now three and half months old. Andy and I are having so much fun with her. She is talking like crazy and is so vibrant. What we are having trouble with is her sleep. Amanda wakes up roughly 6-8 times a night. If we’re lucky, we get her to sleep around 9 -10ish, and then she's up every 3 hours until 4am. At which point, she’s up every hour. I’m troubled as to why her sleep is so erratic. I hear some parents talk about their baby sleeping through the night. I envy those parents.  Is there a magical spell they use?  If so, please clue us in on your secret! We’re going through a process of elimination right now. We are currently refraining from giving her the bottle. Maybe she’s allergic to the milk which was causing her to have excema. Or maybe she is going through growing pains. Regardless, we are praying for just one decent night of sleep.

At Amanda’s three month checkup, she weighed 12 lbs 13 oz, and is 25.5 inches long. She’s right on track with her growth. Amanda has also reached a number of milestones. She can lift up her head, roll over, and sucks her thumb. She is developing lots of personality. Especially in the morning, Amanda likes to throw tantrums by howling and screaming for about 30 minutes at least. Just like daddy, she does not like to sleep and is certainly not a morning person.

Look at her growth. She is now 12 lbs. 5 ounces, and I swear, at times I feel like she wants to start walking. Her legs are that strong. Plus, she is starting to laugh and talk a lot, which is a joy for us to see. I will post videos of her talking one of these days. Maybe one of you can decipher what she's saying. Her favorite word is "graw", which I interpret to mean "Daddy"

.

Amanda had her VCUG a few weeks ago to see if she has any reflux in her bladder. This procedure is routine in all cases of infants having urinary tract infections. We are happy to report that the test came out negative and there was no sign of reflux. We hope she continues to be a healthy (and presumably happy) baby girl.

Sorry, but I don't have much time to write a blog entry.  For those who are interested, I have posted new pictures of Amanda to the Picture Gallery located at the top.  The new pics are in the latest folder of August 15th.  She is cuter and cuter by the minute.

Amanda visited her grandparents and cousins this past weekend in Sacramento. She enjoyed the hot summer weather and spent time with her many aunties and uncles. She especially had lots of fun playing with her cousins Evan and Maddie.