I am ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille

Look who has finally managed to score two little bottom teeth. Even a few months back, she'd smile with her tongue over her gums, she is now happily hamming it up for the camera, bearing her tiny little crop of pearly whites. Yes, indeed, she is ready for her closeup. That, and her new little curly-ish head of hair, which blew in the wind when she was on the swing the other day, nearly squeezed a tear out of my eye, thinking it is only a matter of time before Pantene calls us up and asks her to be a spokesperson. The bald patch is almost gone now we will have to confess.

She actually can clap her hands, when spurred on by the Chinese cheer of "Ho Yeh!", she also knows the word for to go out "Gai gai" (literally translated to "street, street"), the word for airplane (because we live within the flight path of planes going to JFK), and tick-tock for clock. We are not sure how many more words she knows but these are the ones we figured out she knows.

And we have seen her go from oh so hating tummy time, to doing her Boomcha dance while standing on Aunty Helen's hands, to not wanting to crawl at all, to mastering the downward dog yogic pose in her crib, to crawling backwards, to actually crawling forwards (Whooo-hoo! Today!!). Hey, maybe I can finally get some help from her with stocking up her formula and diapers!

And of course, she is now so beyond the usual formula and stuff for her meals. She demands fresh baguettes from the city for her itchy little gums and who are we not to comply when it means she can actually give us 20 minutes of quiet when we eat? Sometimes our wonderful Aunty Angela even lops off the ends of her crusty Italian bread from dinner so Roan can have it.
Atkins diet, I don't think so. This girl is the Starch Queen of NYC.

And she has managed to actually like wearing shoes. And like her mom, dad, Aunty J, and Uncle Goober, she is a fan of Crocs! In her case, it is Mocs, 2 for $15 at The Children's Place, courtesy of grandma. Oh, we have come a long way since the days of her crying over her red Converses.

Well, I guess this is why I have been so delinquent in posting. It's like every day I am seeing this different kid who is mastering being a little human bean way too quickly and I am so super fascinated and awed I barely have time to get onto the computer and digest/expound on the coolness of it all. I feel like Darwin witnessing her little attempts at survival in the big wild world.

Manaolo Blahniks or Bust

Well, these are officially the Bean's first pair of "shoes". I don't think I spent as much time deciding on shoes for my feet. But for her, thankfully, I had help from Aunty Ying, who looked for the right size, made sure the box contained both right and left shoe (we didn't want her being traumatized and wearing two left shoes which would have very well happened if left to my own devices), the proper shoe construction (Aunty Y scoffed at the Robeez loafers- flimsy she thought given how expensive it was, true.), practicality factor (Aunty Y suggested to go w/ the velcro straps but me being shallow wanted a happy color and the velcro ones only came in black), and value. But at last we chose the Converse All Stars in Red, for the Bean's first shoe. The cheapee in me was defeated and I did not wait till she was able to walk to get her shoes. Dr. Smith suggested the old Italian tradition of having whoever discovered her first tooth to buy her her first shoes....and told me to pretend to see nothing. Well, in true mommy fashion, I bought them 3 sizes too big, but what the heck, she can wear them for awhile. Now, not only is she wearing a jacket 2 sizes too big, she is now wearing big sneakers that makes her looks like she has clown feet. Ah well, all for the sake of being economical. The times we are living in.















Of course, the Bean wished she had gotten more girly shoes...and threw a bit of a tantrum. Or was it that she was so horrified at her softy little toes being forced into these hard canvas numbers? Well, I guess it is nothing like foot binding, as Aunty Y and I reminisced. True.














Eventually she got over it and is now sort of a fan of her little sneakers. Oh the things we will have to teach her....like tying her shoelaces. Well, who will do that depends strictly on whether she is a lefty or a righty.

The Big Sleep

Saturday marks The Bean's 9th month anniversary. And I just had to dig out the picture of when she was still laying in the bed at NY Presbyterian with all her luggage tags, and hospital issued strait jacket and oversized newborn diapers still on and then one from this morning, with big girl clothes, white frilly socks and binky in place. Big difference...well, clearly her size these days, even as the dr said she was in the 50% in weight (15 lbs 8 oz) and 10% in height (27 1/4")...umm..duh (with us shorties as parents). The other big difference, these days, she prefers to sleep on her side, like some of us grownups. It is strange to see her now struggling to find a comfortable pose to sleep in. Who is this mini person who tosses and turns and looks like she is dreaming of far away lands of endless jars of BeechNut banana puree and a well of eternally available binkies?

Sail Away, Sail Away

That Grandma Brown is a smart one. Her technique of leaving Roan in a dry bathtub has been a real help when I need to do some baby-free activity like posting a blog, or emailing.

The Bean now sits up contently for 10 minutes at a time and with all her favorite toys on board, she is sailing to all sorts of wonderful destinations...all on a plastic bathtub and on hardwood floors.
Sort of like her dad when he was a wee boy, sailing with the sea scouts on the North Sea. Oh, the adventures she will hopefully have.

Purty please

Purty please with sugar on top.
Post a comment or two. It is just too sad writing stuff and not knowing who has been visiting or checking out The Bean's little world. Of course, this request is not directed at Quick Draw McDraw, Aunty Ying and her not quite so speedy to reply Aunty J but who makes up with more words per line. I didn't know there was a setting to uncheck until now that you can post comments Anonymously or as someone who doesn't have a Gmail account.
We need our audience. ;-)
Thank you.

PS Posted the most pathetic picture of The Bean looking sad.

So Close and Yet So Far....

A picture is worth a thousand words. We baked
some cookies tonight. And well, The Bean thought this is definitely something interesting.

She reaches out and just about snags a cookie
with her lightspeed reflexes.
But much to her sadness, mommy's reach was quicker
and she is denied some very tasty cookies. Needless to
say, she cries and cries and cries till nothing but....
her binky could console her.
Daddy teases her with one cookie, just for her
to hold and taste.



But after one too many crumbs fall onto the floor,
Daddy decides perhaps her green frog gel teether
may be better. But she is not fooled.
He then presents with her favorite remote. And
she decides, well, this isn't half bad.
And she chomps on her remote while the rest of us
gorge ourselves on some tasty chocolate oatmeal cranberry
pecan cookies. Poor little girl.
We'll have some price to pay for inflicting such cruelty on her nibs.

Pucker Up!

A big day in Bean history: she had her first taste if food from the real world, not pre-packaged and pureed with love (not!) from Gerber. She was so fascinated by Grandpa peeling an orange, that he had to give her a segment. She didn't know what to make of it. These days, she plays mostly with her plastic toys, shiny, hard, colorful and smooth that to feel the sticky, plump, mushy, orange is definitely strange. She reached out and withdrew her little hand like the orange was alive and would latch onto her and never let go. After a few timid attempts, she put the orange to her mouth like everything else she does these days, and never looked back. It was a lovely taste sensation, even as it made her little face implode into itself.
She had fun putting the orange on its side and watching it rock on the table and squishing it in her little hand until it became a soggy drippy mess. We almost didn't want to take it away. But the neatness freak in mommy couldn't stand the stickiness it would create. We can't wait to see which next food group will be the recipient of her curiousity.

These Booties Were Made For Walking

The Bean looks alittle like the Sphinx these days while doing her tummy time exercises. She doesn't get much mileage with her technique but she is sure fun to look at, rolling around the floor like some fleshy human Roomba picking up dust with her tongue. Grandpa is not very willing to let her down on the living room floor for fear of all the dirt and contaminants from the "outside world". So, she can only have her fledging attempts at being a biped on the bed or at the yoga mat length of available floor in the little lair. Fingers crossed that even with such limited floor time, she will learn to walk some day. We're not in any rush, since it is such fun watching her roll around on the floor.

However, the Bean finds the waiting unbearable and her wails at times can be heartbreaking. Maybe because she knows mommy is too cheap to buy her any shoes until she can walk. And she is so ready for her first shoes with actual soles.

Me and My Shadow

Well, this post is just a week-ish late. The Bean is officially just a smidge over 8 months old which means she is now officially out of the world longer than she had been in the womb. Pretty mind boggling from when the Dr. first pointed out this little flittering grey speck on the ultrasound and told me that was the baby's heart. I thought it was the computer cursor. At all of just over 4 weeks old, she already had a little working and beating heart that would be ticking along hopefully until she reaches a ripe old age, after a life filled with much adventures (no Bungee jumping, please) and happiness. And now 8 months after her big debut at NY Presbyterian, she is a lovely baby, sitting on our bed, wearing nice cozy pjs, and playing with her toes. I think back on the big trip she has been on these last 16 months, and it is amazing. From a blob to a baby. From sleeping in the dark warm womb, to now, waking up and singing and muttering softly to herself, to her just so happy to see you in the mornings, to Niagara Falls like vomiting spells after she drank her bottle much too quickly, to her playing happily with her LeapFrog muscial table, to her fast asleep w/ Pinky tucked under her arm. It has been an amazing year and 4 months and I am (as her dad) delighted she decided to finally make an appearance after so many years. She showed up at exactly the right time!

Eh....What's up Doc?

Yes, The Bean is a fan of the pureed foods. In order of preference: Bananas, Pears, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots (she is wearing it on the photo), Applesauce and like her Aunty J, she dislikes Peas. No peaches or prunes yet for her. And the one venture into the food of (half of) her people, rice cereal was met with disapproval. I guess compared to all that other sweet stuff, rice was too boring. She is a pretty good eater and is pretty good about not getting too much on herself, thanks to Aunty Miriam's bib! We can't believe she is now a regular at the dinner table.

It seemed like yesterday she was in her little swing seat, at dog/cat level. It'll be no time before she is wrestling us for the dark meats on the roasted chicken. Sigh!

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot!

Look who's gone for her first ride in the swing. We had first thought she might have been alittle too wee for the swingset, but Roan proved us wrong. At just 8 days shy of her 8th month birthday, she went for her maiden voyage on the bucket swing. It was a rare 60 F degree day in February and we couldn't stay indoors. So off to the park, we went. These are the kind of days you are sort of pleased to be part of the ranks of the unemployed while everyone else is basking under the buzzing white lights of fluorescents, indoors. She had a great time, and treated us to the slightest smile. But strangely enough she was more interested in checking out the other babies on the swingseat next to her. I guess she is a pretty young baby still as after 10 minutes, she tried to stand up on the seat to let us know "Enough, let's blow this clambake!" I am sure in a few months time, she'll want to stay till the moon is out and we would be hard pressed for her to want to ever come indoors ever again.

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes! Knees and Toes!

And for those of you who have Fisher Price's PUPPY!
You can just about hear that song in your head, kind of catchy tune, really! Here's little Roan in her sitting lotus pose. She was busy having her toes for lunch before this picture was snapped. She's still smacking her chops.
Yum. Yum.

Jean Genie

She's officially an American now....at 7 months, she has donned on her first pair of blue jeans. And with BFF, Pinky in hand, what more does a gal need? Not much.

Those easy fit, elasticized waist band, flanneled lined jeans are just right for her. Kind of like those maternity jeans her mom hated giving up.

Can't get more patriotic than this get up...














Brooke Shields, eat your heart out!

Hasta La Vista, Baby

So long Year of the Rat, we'll see you in 12.
No offense to my beloved rats, Roan and her dad, but this year was a pretty rough one and I'm ready to mooo-ve on to the Year of the Ox.

Time really does fly when you have kids or in my case, kid. I was watching the new shows with complete fascination when they had the story about the lady who gave birth to Octuplets. And I thought, wow, crazy! I can't imagine how they will manage since one, Ms. Roan, has completely kept me hopping between the formula and diaper runs, to feeding her her first solids, to the middle of the night wails to now being able to scuttling along on her back with her little flipper legs. There are days I think she can propel herself quicker than we bipeds who can walk upright. I put her down on her bed and within a nanosecond, she has crashed her big head against the bumpers. Thank you, Uncle Richard and Aunty Shirley, for the extra cushy Pottery Barn crib guards. The cheap ones I bought at IKEA would have resulted in her having some nice divets on the top of her skull.

Back to time flying and the light speed metamorphosis of Roan, we can't believe it is practically February, and we are definitely well into the new year. There have been no posts since October because I took my friend, Miriam's advice, and stopped pressuring myself to write this blog, as I had plenty of other stuff to attend to, some wonderful (like delightful visits from our families from the UK- Aunty Morag, Uncle Sam, Cousins Mey, Beinn, and Ella and the flying grandma, Grandma Brown (2 months fresh from her 28 day journey across the Pacific via Alaska, Vladistock, Japan, Korea, China and Hong Kong Her wings were still warm!)


Uncle Sam, Aunty Morag, Mey the Tall, Beinn aka Li Po, Ella aka Sesame Chicken
(the latter 2 have been nicknamed those because of what they ordered for dinner one night,
we were pleased over Beinn's adventurous selection...)


Beinn, Morag, Mey feeding Roan aka Milkmeister, Ella


Aunty Morag and Uncle Sam with Chubola


Daddy with a land-bound Grandma Brown with Roan at Juniper Valley Park



Grandma Brown with Roan just about to settle into a cozy dinner.

Slews of birthdays which spanned October till January-yours, truly, Ying, Janet, Goober, Dad and Grampy, Roan's first Halloween, Voted in the historic elections, the Thanksgiving holidays, the Christmas holiday, the tree trimming, the tree untrimming, the birthday decorations up, the blowing up of balloons and birthday decoration down, watched the historic inauguration ....ya'll know the drill) and some less fun (like loads of drs visits for mom, runs to BJs to buy baby/household provisions) cleaning the house and attending to the extensive grounds....ok, not the 2 strips of lawn out front and 5' semi circular planting does take work, going back to work and then subsequently being laid off a mere 3 days later, learning to file unemployment, updating one's resume, trying to think of how to get a job in this god awful economy, meeting w/ my outplacement"counselor"- I feel like Dexter and how he had to have a "buddy" when he was going through his fake drug addiction, I have to meet w/ Colette and work with her about "launching" the new me and not a makeover in sight.... so all and all...I need to eat my Wheaties but have decided on Nick Malgieri's low fat banana bread with full fat chocolate chips. No wonder I am fortified enough to write this blog.)

Well, so that brings us up to date as to why it's been only 3 months since my last post, at this rate, Roan will have all of 90 blog entries between her birth and when she flies off to college.
Sort of not acceptable, because she is such a fun little gal, I need to document her progress...I am at awe over this baby business. Still. 7 months in and she has not ceased to fascinate me...

I can't believe she actually does meet those little critical developmental stages as outlined by those baby books (not that that makes Roan an exceptional or normal child, she just is a human being, wow). Like, when I was a kid, and watched the xray film of a person eating and drinking and you can see the food getting chewed, to it going down the throat, to going into the stomach, and I thought, neh, my body doesn't do that. Striving to maintain our own sense of individuality and not be part of the biological hoarde.

Since I wrote in October, her big milestones/realizations are (in no particular order and some documented and some not...sadly):

-She can pretty much sit up on her own (but when she leans over to one side, it's TIMBER!!!! and I have to pick her back up).

-She can play happily on her own. Some mornings we hear her babbling away to herself and BFFs, Pinky or Millie...and admiring herself in the mirror.

-She can actually turn over now, she lies oh so casually on her side, like those 1940's pinup gals and then flops over on either her back or stomach (eeewww..tummy time, the much detested tummy time)and then is immobile for a good long time until she realizes she can turn herself around. Talk about the look of empowerment on her face.

-She is like Isaac Newton and wants to test whether gravity is a constant or a variable, by always dropping her bleating moo cow or her binky or Frankie the firefly on the floor. Grampy is always freaking out when she does bec. then she promptly puts the toys back in her mouth and he is muttering, the salt (from the outside.....as it is winter out, the cats- fur and litter tracking paws....etc. etc.). So now, I tie everything she plays with to her highchair as a safety feature. Although The Times noted that perhaps alittle dirt only builds up the immune system. In which case, Roan, should be the Hercules of the Immunity Community.

-That she makes a very cute pumpkin. Thank you, Aunty Angela, for that cute outfit.


-That sleeping in, is a very good thing.


That tummy time isn't too bad as it results in killer biceps.



That with killer biceps, she looks good in tropical prints.
Thank you, Mrs. Won, for that cute number.



-She's put on her first skirt ever on Christmas and then second one ever on Chinese New Year's.
And she likes wearing tights, wierdly enough, even as it is worn over bunchy diapers that are sometimes clean and sometimes, well...... Perhaps a whalebone corset is in her future?
And that she looks good in Santa hats....



Better than a Santa hat, she looks damn good in a tiara.



And that no one looks good in passport photos.



-She's learned pearls make her look old.


And that you are never too young to exercise your civic responsibility,
as mommy held her little hand as we pulled the lever for PRESIDENT Obama!!




That once you've exercised your right to vote, you should work out
your chubby legs in a good hour of bouncy seat mania.



And that no one likes a sweaty smelly baby, and that baths, as
traumatic as they are, must be taken.
.


Well, when you are 7 months, those are about all the accomplishments/realizations one can be proud of. As fun as she was at 3 months, nothing beats how she can totally recognize people these days and is so happy to give you the most beautiful smile first thing in the morning. I think Grampy needs to go to BabySmiles Anonymous these days. He is perfectly addicted to her smiles as am I, and her dad, Aunty J and Grandma.




Okay, a big one for the road.

And an understated one to leave you yearning for more!

And with that, I sign off and wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!!