The Birthday Party & Granddaddy's Visit

So much to blog about!  We've had a tremendous amount of help visiting, Romeni and Dad, and even with that I still didn't have anytime to post about Reina's birthday party, Kaiya's two month check up, or Granddaddy's visit.

I'll start with Reina's birthday party, since it comes first sequentially.  On Saturday, January 14th we had over Ako, Rana (our Japanese neighbors), Manaka, Miri, and Ichika (our other Japanese neighbors), Joe and Skyla-chan (Kazumi and Kaori's little ones) and Amy and Kimi (Reina's friends from daycare).  I had originally meant for it to be a small party, but then I ran into Amy's parents at the store coincidentally and the other neighbors, so they all got invited.  Reina loved it of course.  Obachan and Hiromi came as well as Granddaddy and Romeni of course, so it was a full house.  I went with a "zoo" or "jungle" theme and it actually turned out pretty good. I bought some masks and sun-glasses and I think the kids really enjoyed them.  Kaiya hung out with Chris the whole time and really was a champ while Reina got all of the attention.


Later that week Kaiya had her 2 month check up.  She was 9lbs 15oz and just under 22inches long.  She took three shots with what I considered little resistance and didn't seem to be bothered by them much (save about an hour in the evening where she whaled the whole time!).  Kaiya has been off and on at night, sometimes sleeping relatively well, with one wake up, and other nights with two wake ups and lots of tossing and turning.  This makes for a rough day at work for Chris and I, but last night she did pretty good so I'm hopeful the trend will continue. Kaiya actually rolled over from her front to her back three time last week, which is much sooner than Reina did.  She still prefers to lay on her back, so I don't get to see her roll too many times, but boy does she get her head up high. Kaiya has also had about three great days in a row, with lots of smiling, wakeful time, rather than fussy, constantly needing to suck on something times.  Chris and I have mastered the getting ready for bed routine, and the last two nights I've been able to bring Kaiya into bed while I read to Reina.  Reina really likes this. She pats Kaiya, tries to hold her hand, and will ask for her to "nap" with her when its time for me to leave. So sweet.

Granddaddy and Romeni left today.  They were a huge help, doing laundry, washing dishes, and cooking meals.  It was nice as Chris and I are so tired after not sleeping well at night and then working all day.  I fear this next week is going to kill me (and don't even remind me that soccer season is right around the corner).  Since the baby-sitters have left, Kaiya will head to daycare next week.  I think finagling two kiddos in the morning is going to be a whole other level of challenge for us, so we'll see if we actually make it to work on time!

Since Reina is now three, she is moving up to the preschool gym class. I'm a bit anxious, since this means she has to listen to a teacher without me, and while she is actually a pretty good listener, she's not always good at trying new things without me nudging her on.  Hopefully when all of the other kids are doing it too, she will give in - peer pressure working at its best, right?  Since Dad was here, I was able to get a few shots with my camera at her last few gym classes (in mommy and me).