baby graduate

In less than two weeks, little man has graduated from scooting to crawling, and now to walking on the soles of his feet as he half-crawls and half-walks. The way it's going, he will be walking in no time!

Scoot scoot!

Our young one is now able to get around. And he is fast! The movement is a sort of a scoot which started on his 8-month-old birthday to the day. The world is his oyster now. Look out, family!

Teeth!

Little boy got his first two teeth simultaneously at 7 months old. Yes, that was last month. Go, baby!

"Reading"

Two days ago Anisa "read" a book for the first time by narrating the pictures in it. Until now, she has been using giberish to pretend-read. She also pretended to read in Czech for the first time using the rhythm of the poems in the book she was "reading."

nami, nami banana

Solomon had his first taste of solid food yesterday. It was crushed banana with breast milk. He truly enjoyed it. No digestive problems yet. Hooray!

Blame game

Yesterday marked a milestone. I discovered my daughter drew on our outdoor bench with a pen while I wasn't looking. I told her that's not okay, that she should only draw on paper, which she knows well. In response, she said: "Písi bratr" which in Czech kid language means, "Brother wrote it."

Can you believe it? Already trying to blame her brother and she is not even two yet? We're in for a real adventure ahead.

Smiles

Solomon has started to smile at people. His smiles are no longer indicative of just gas incidents or other digestive moments. He is beginning to interact. Happy day!

Mastering sleep

Sleep is an acquired skill, they say. And we have been coddling our daughter too long, rocking her, consoling her, sleeping by her side just so she goes to sleep and stays asleep. But has this helped? She remains a poor sleeper who wakes up multiple times a night moaning or crying, demanding one of her parents help her fall back asleep.

Well, with the new baby coming in the next few weeks, we have decided to take the leap of finally letting her learn to sleep on her own. Our doula gave us the book, The Sleepeasy Solution, which I have heard about.

Last night was the first night we tried the method. I made a stick figure book describing what our sleep routine is and how it would change now. We read the book several times before starting bedtime. When it was finally time to turn off the lights, Anisa protested. She sounded like the devils in hell were forcing her to walk across a sea of sharp blades. I could see her dad's stomach come up to his throat. But guess what. Her torchure somehow magically stopped after twelve minutes of hysterics. And then it was quiet. She fell asleep on the floor of her room. Yes, she woke up multiple times at night, but only "needed" us to check in with her twice. She actually slept better than her parents.

Now we're trying the same for her nap. She cried for a total of one minute. Not bad at all.

After she quieted down last night, Anisa's dad and I were able to sit in the living room together and talk like two grownups without our time being monopolized by kids. My son and I even had a chance, for the first time in a long while, to play a board game, one of my favorite pastimes ever, without his sister getting her little grabby hands on the pieces.

I am feeling hopeful

Milestones

• At four-months-old, Anisa had her first four teeth.

• At 5-months-old, she started rolling over from her belly to her back.

• At 5.5 months, she tried solid food for the first time. It was banana mixed with breast milk. She liked it, but then her stomach gave her problems. She had trouble digesting solid food for a long time. Sensitive stomach.

• When she was six-months-old, Anisa and her brother, along with Mom and Dad, got to visit Dad's mom, grandma and aunties. A wonderful trip!

• In March 2014 when she was 9-months-old, Anisa started crawling. A short-lived period since...

• At ten-months-old, she learned to walk. No matter how many times she fell, she wasn't going back to crawling. Her brother Jonah didn't start walking unsupported until almost 13 months. He didn't like falling. Different personalities.

• In July 2014 Anisa, along with Mom and brother, visited the Old Country, her mother's homeland, for the first time. The trip was a realization, or confirmation, that the Czech Republic is not ready for a mixed-race child like my daughter. People stared, gossiped, acted as if she could contaminate or sicken their children, and made hurtful comments, calling her "monkey." No, it's not a comfortable place to visit, let alone live.

• At 16 months Anisa stopped nursing.

• In November 2014 she started daycare.