summer!!!

well, summer has finally arrived in the pacific northwest! it made an appearance a couple times earlier in the year, but it seems as though now it is here to stay. it's been close to 100 degrees the last two days, and tomorrow is calling for the same. to escape the heat, we decided to take advantage of one of the great things about portland ... it's proximity to the coast .... and took luna on her first beach visit!

we all had a blast!

hope you're enjoying your summer!

5 on 5

tomorrow is cinco de mayo...and, tomorrow, luna will be 5 months old.

she's turning into such a little person - full of personality, expression, and love. i watch her take in the world around her... and i hold her tight..close to me, and i try to hold on to these fleeting moments. the most amazing times are when we look into each other's eyes - and time stands still - i've never had such a connection before, and it takes my breath away. this little being - that febri and i created - our love child.. she's growing up before our very eyes.

at 5 months luna can do lots of things:

*she can sit unaided! - though she usually topples over after a bit.... sometimes she catches herself with her hands... sometimes she face-plants ... she's learning :)

*luna has mastered her grasp - and she uses it for everything - including mama's hair and skin (ouch!)... and, she holds on tight to toys....until we're out in the rain, where she will surely let go :) ~ i'm learning

*she's showing a preference for certain music - a lot she is indifferent to, but certain songs she loves - and she shows us with a big smile... to other songs she promptly pouts and cries to let us know they are NOT her favorites.

*luna is not yet doing the "belly crawl", but she excels at doing 360s when placed on her tummy. it helps that she has a colorful activity mat to hold her interest .... (thanks uncle michael!) she is now more regularly rolling belly to back, and back to belly.

*she has begun thumb sucking ... this is new. up until now she has been a knuckle sucker, but it looks as though she is now preferring her thumb.

*luna is teething - big time. poor baby! i'm waiting to see the first pearly white, but i know it may be some time. we got luna an amber and hazelwood necklace from this website.. it's still too early to tell if it's easing her symptoms, but it sure is pretty on her sweet little neck :) !

luna's favorite things:

*going for neighborhood walks and visiting the neighbor's chickens.

*still LOVES taking baths

*"bubuy bulan" is her favorite song ... it's a sudanese song that papa sings to her...

"aku seorang kapiten" (an indonesian song) is a close second

she also thoroughly enjoys both "twinkle, twinkle little star" and "the itsy bitsy spider" - but i think mostly for the hand motions that i perform with them.

*luna has grown attached to her cloudb gentle giraffe... puts her right to sleep - and she's so cute snuggled up against it.

*luna enjoys stroller time (we finally got our dream ride - the 2010 uppababy vista), but still prefers being worn on mama or papa. we still use the wraps - but we've also started using a beco - and baby, mama, and papa are happy!

our tiny little baby is turning into a little person...changing every day.

here are some recent closeups:

how old?

it's funny how people assume luna is a little boy all the time. it's also funny how many people ask "how old is HE?" even when she is dressed in pink from head to toe (which isn't often). i can pick out the mothers who "have been there" because they're the ones who simply ask "how old?".. leaving out the he/she. for whatever reason, fathers don't seem to learn from experience in this department..? it doesn't bother me that folks think she's a boy... and it certainly doesn't bother luna... but, i do think it's funny. here are some recent photos:

luna in a sweet little onesie made by my friend janessa (fortesdesign.com)

waking up from nap

fast asleep with papaw (my dad)

and at the chinese gardens with mia and papaw

reflections

at almost 19 weeks post-partum, i think i'm finally figuring out how to do it all. some days, most days actually, i manage to not only take good care of luna, but also of myself... and pretty good care of the house as well. i've worked out a system .. wake, breakfast, vacuum, nap, shower, ... i won't bore you with the details, but i will say, i feel pretty good. in fact, i feel like wonder woman .. minus the spandex and arm cuffs.

our little house has quickly become tiny, especially with a visit from mia and papaw (my parents) last week and the addition of a jumper and rocking horse. we've been planning to move into a bigger house for some time, but that move might be a bit farther than we anticipated. more on that later.... but, for now, we're staying put in a too small house - and so, we're grateful for the sunny days that allow us to escape into the outdoors.

today luna and i had the pleasure of taking two nice walks with two amazing women (and one beautiful little baby). the combination of the sunshine, the landscape in bloom, and good conversation with close friends made for a lovely day. it's days like this that i count my blessings. and i am so blessed.

as night falls, i sit in a quiet house with a cup of tea, and a sleeping babe. just waiting in anticipation. ~tomorrow is friday...family day... a day filled with luna AND febri... snuggling, laughing, dancing- together... just the three of us. i look forward to friday all week...

the man i love

it's been 3 weeks since febri started school. 3 weeks of adjusting to a new schedule. 3 weeks of going to bed with only luna. i love snuggling with my warm, sweet, angelic little babe.. but honestly, i can't shake the loneliness that exists without febri. i keep thinking it will get easier, but it's always the same... every night ... the gaping hole that febri once filled.

this is, of course, only 4 days a week - but it feels like 10 - the other 3 days we reserve for family time - where we soak up all that is febri,

all that is papa,

all that is the man i love.

in just 11 weeks, he'll be ours again. that is, until summer term begins....

april showers....

daylight savings...is it already time for that? spring is coming, and as it should be, plenty of change is coming with it. febri has decided to go back to school and will be starting classes at the university here at the end of the month. he'll be going to school full time, and also continuing to work full time...it will be challenging for him...and for me....and for our family - even still, i'm so excited for him to embark on this long overdue journey. it does put a halt in our plans to move overseas, but that's only mildly disappointing considering the benefits reaped in staying stateside, and hearing the joy in my parents voices upon learning their grand-daughter would remain across the country rather than half-way around the world. as i envision how my life will be over the next few months, i gain a whole new respect for single mamas .. or mamas of multiples... i mean, i guess you do what you have to do...that's what being a mama is about....mothering.
speaking of mamas - i've been one now for over three months! luna turned 14 weeks old yesterday - and last night, she consciously grasped her first toy and pulled it to her mouth. if only you could have seen feb and i ... such proud parents! luna is also doing other fun things:

~ she loves to talk to herself (and us) in the mirror.
~ she totally gets into mimicking high voices and pouty voices - that's a really fun game!
~ peek-a-boo and story-time are now regular activities
~ she's accepted the pacifier..though not as a sucker - just as a teether..& only while hanging in the wrap (probably her favorite place). she still detests both the bottle and the car seat - but not with as much passion as before
~ she accidentally discovered that she likes drinking bath water - and it's now nearly impossible to keep her head above water during bath-time



we have begun to take luna to various baby gatherings (book babies at the library, song groups, etc) because we feel the exposure and interaction is beneficial to her development. she really seems to enjoy watching the other babes - even releasing the occasional squeal of delight. and, she's growing - right before my very eyes.

spring will bring more changes, as we plan for travel, a wedding, and a crawling baby... and it will also spring newness, beauty, and a fresh perspective.... and so, we welcome it with open arms.

here's squeakin' at you, kid

lots of new-ness around here...which i guess can be expected with a newborn in the house.
this week luna had her first encounter with a stranger who made her cry. we were in whole foods getting rice in the bulk isle. luna was happily taking in the sites from the safety of the sleepy wrap when a woman walked up to us and commented on how beautiful she thinks mixed race babies are ~ luna being no exception. ok, i said thank you - and she asked if she could touch luna on the outside of the wrap...i appreciated her asking. it surprises me how many people will just up and touch a baby...their hands, their cheeks...i know babies are cute, but come on people - what germs are you passing on to my knuckle-sucking little babe? anyway, i told her to go ahead and touch away (she wasn't touching luna after all). but then, she let loose into full on baby talk...calling luna a "yum yum head" and other things just as ridiculous that i can't remember now...finally luna just started screaming, letting the whole grocery store know of her disapproval. febri and i smiled, and calmed luna down - and the lady apologized and went on her way. i don't blame luna...that sort of thing doesn't happen every day. up until now, it has been all smiles for everyone she meets. after that incident though, i braced myself every time someone wanted to say hi to luna, thinking the tears might burst free again...but, they didn't...again - just smiles. my cute babe!

luna got her first teether toy - the infamous sophie giraffe. she loves it! febri and i, not knowing what teether is better than the next, decided to just go with the popular one. we're happy we did - it's so cute to see luna smile and laugh when she sees sophie and hears her squeak. it's torture, though, for poor namaali - lover of squeaky toys. first, we have a baby who gets all the attention ... and now, she gets the new squeaky toys too. but, i have to say - this amazing dog - she has been very respectful of luna's right to also own a squeaky toy. however, we're careful not to leave sophie within doggy reach when we leave the house....







luna also got some new clothes! in case you forgot, we thought luna was a boy while she was still in the womb. we bought clothes that were suitable for a boy...though not the dump truck, doggy, and tool chest kind of boy clothes... just cute 'boy colored' clothes - that could be worn on a girl...just in case. so, luna has been wearing some super cute clothes...only, everyone she meets thinks she's a boy - just because her pants are blue. so...since she's grown out of so many of her boy's apparel line, we bagged up the too-small clothes, and made a trip to the consignment shop. it was SO much fun shopping in the girls section! we found some great bargains - and with the trade in, it all only cost a couple bucks. i'll post pictures of this sweet little girl (sometimes still called a boy) in her new duds soon!

until then, all is well in luna's land.....