A friend of mine once said it’s amazing how fast time and money disappear once you have a baby. Sarah and I have found both to be true. But what better investment for time and money than the one they call Keana?
Halloween: There’s nothing scary about a baby. Wait, maybe I mean there’s nothing scarier than a baby? This baby crawling around our living room relies on us for everything. That’s scary. Just about everything she’s learning right now comes from us. That’s scary. When she pulls herself up on the furniture, then balances with one hand while reaching for something completely out of her reach all the while tottering on legs tingling with new muscle sensations. That’s scary. The fact that Keana will some day want to go to some Halloween party- instead of hanging out with us- with teenage boys that are surely stupider and more dangerous than I was when I was their age…that’s scary as hell! But on the surface…no…there’s nothing scary about a baby.
This year Keana was a little Giants player dressed up in her Giants outfit that Kacie gave her. Halloween night we carved pumpkins, made a music video to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, and passed out candy. Not much else you can do on Halloween with a baby that’s not very scary.
Visits: While Papa’s been visiting PA for work, Mama and Baby have had visitors and have been visiting on their own. In November Grandma Jennie came out for a couple days and Sarah and Keana went back to Fresno to visit Sarah’s high school friends Katrina, Mary, and Gina. They also visited with Grandpa Robert and Nana Cin and had blast with all parties in attendance, everywhere. Keana also had her first trip to the bar when we went down to Pescadero and visited with Auntie Sara, Sam, Jack, Sandy, Byron, Mollie, Leiban, and the whole Duarte’s gang. Grandma Linda was also up last week visiting and hopes to make it a semi-regular thing since she’s so close.
Thanksgiving: The real question this year is what DON’T we have to be thankful for? We shared Thanksgiving with family friends at Rhonda and Baptiste’s house in San Jose. Everyone who came to dinner had a customized crown to wear (which was required to eat), so beat that!
Eating: Keana has recently begun sampling the wondrous array of food items on this planet called “vegetables”. So far she’s tried sweet potato, squash, and avocado. She was skeptical at first, and even a little concerned, but has started to enjoy it. Her two front, bottom teeth are coming in nicely and they’re almost halfway up. She teethes pretty intensely at times, grimacing and munching down on many objects with fierce little baby force.
Sleeping: Keana is a great sleeper. She usually takes a couple naps a day and mostly sleeps through the night, waking occasionally to fill her tiny stomach. She has a few rough nights on and off which keep poor Mama- and sometimes Papa- from actually recovering from the busy days, but as a whole, she is a great little sleeper.
Mobility: Keana is now crawling at astonishing speeds. When motivated- for instance in pursuit of the cat- she can really make her way across the room quite quickly. She has also started pulling herself up on furniture and legs, and takes decent steps to advance her position. Keana’s also taking a liking to pointing at objects and where she wants to go. She’s been able to sign for milk and clap for a while, but now she also waves goodbye (and hello!). It’s really enough to make your heart melt; imagine little Keana, standing in her crib, waving goodbye as you’re heading out the door for work!
Christmas: It’s just around the corner and we’ve been busy making Keana’s first Christmas a great one. Last Saturday we went down the street and got a great tree and decorated it Monday night with Tia Iana. Uncle Peter called from Thailand, so in a way, he was there too. She loves playing with the tree and especially loves to point at and touch all the different ornaments. This weekend we’re going to Fresno for a Solstice Party at Nino and Mia’s and having early Christmas with Grandpa Robert and Nana Cin (and hopefully Great Grandma Bev too!). Then on the 20th is the Peterson family Christmas and we’re very excited about seeing Great Uncle Vic, Great Aunt Kristie, and second cousins McKenna, Cassidy, and Riley for the first time. THEN, on the 21st, is Great Grandma and Grandpa Peterson’s 50th wedding anniversary, so we’ll be in Los Altos for that. I think we’ll have our own 4th Annual Christmas Party on the 23rd, Christmas Eve mellow-styles on the 24th, and on the 25th, Grandma Jennie, Grandpa John, Grandma Linda, Grandpa Sam, Uncle Michael, and Tia Iana will be coming over to our house for Christmas Clamb Bake 2005. Soooo… if you want to spend time with us and you’re not on the list, sorry. Please call back soon for 2006 reservations.