46 Months

The countdown is on! The girl is two months away from her fourth birthday! Woohooo! [[image:2012-yaya46month-01.jpg:Purple flowers:center:0]] It has been an action-packed month, since Vin’s sister Jo was here for over two weeks. (More on that later) * Mouse over the pictures for captions I won’t go into the details of all the goings-on while Jo was here (stay tuned for that), but it’s been a busy month! Yaya keeps getting bigger and saying funnier things. I just don’t believe she used to be as small as her little brother! Little Miss Pot-pet (chatterbox) will talk your ears off, it’s hard to believe that she didn’t even speak until she was 27 months old! Food status: still no change. What can we say? She does seem healthy enough. Bananas, toast, butter, and lots of whole milk (with a dash of chocolate soy milk) seems to be working for her. She […]

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Rafe’s 4 Month Birthday

Here we are, at the four month mark. He’s just getting so big now! He seems to be just growing up almost too quickly! [[image:2012_0429_rafe14.jpg:I’m droooooling!:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions He went out to dinner with us and was quite sociable – he was passed around the table and was content to be held by everyone. He just quietly sat there and observed us. He did not cry. We were very pleased. He’s also been to Yaya’s soccer matches and was quite content to stay in the carrier, enjoy the fresh air, and watch all the little kids running around. Again, no tears. He had his first trip to the grocery store – he just slept in his car seat the entire time! So far, so good, still a mellow little fellow! The day after his 4-month birthday (since it fell on a Sunday), we went to […]

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45 Months

This cheeky girl is 3 months away from her fourth birthday! [[image:2012-yaya45month-04.jpg:Waaaaa!:center:0]] Amazingly, that is what you get when you ask Yaya to cry! She can’t help smiling while she does it :-). Another month of fun-filled days has passed very quickly! * Mouse over the pictures for captions In a similar vein to last month, Yaya has had a physically active month. Not only does she tear around the house at top speed (why walk when you can run, skip or hop around?), she has played soccer and gone swimming at the pool, and gone outside to do yardwork. Lots of fun physical activities. [[image:2012-yaya45month-10.jpg:Having fun catching and throwing the pink ball:center:0]] She plays all day long, and has a dozen costume changes a day (at least) where she transforms herself into a different character. Previously she could switch roles without a change of clothing, but now that she […]

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Rafe’s 3 Month Birthday

Rafe (a.k.a. Adik) turned 3 months old! His first quarter of the year mark. He has been growing and growing (and maybe getting a little cheeky too!) [[image:2012_0329_rafe11.jpg:Thhptt!:center:0]] He enjoys tummy time and can keep his head upright, looking at things while his little legs kick and push. Perhaps not long before he’s mobile? * Mouse over the pictures for captions Adik is almost fully breastfed at this time. He still gets about 2-3 ounces of formula to supplement the breast milk, and that seems to be working so I suppose we’re in no hurry to change our schedule. Adik flipped from his tummy to his back the day before he turned three months old! It was quite an impressive feat. We think he’s just raring to run around with his big sister. 🙂 He cannot take his eyes off Yaya and will often smile and laugh at her even […]

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44 Months

It has been a busy and activity-filled month for our Yaya! And very quickly she turned 44 months old. She has definitely come a long way from the little baby that we brought home from the hospital. She can even successfully blow her own bubbles! [[image:2012-yaya44month-03.jpg:Mari kita main buih sabun (Let us play bubbles):center:0]] *Mouse over the pictures for additional captions. As mentioned above, it has been an action-packed month for Yaya. She has gone to the pool almost weekly (and we are guaranteed a post-pool nap). Otherwise she seems to be giving up the nap, which really is a big change for us. It’s really a shame for Vin who has to give up that one-two hours of peace and quiet that he used to get daily. But, on the flip side, she falls asleep quickly and easily at night! Give and take I suppose. She is a helpful […]

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Rafe’s 2 Month Birthday

Despite the date on this entry, it has been a long time since the boy’s 2 month birthday. It’s been a crazy busy time, but definitely a wonderful, and exhausting time for Vin and me. Just look at this entry as a way to show some cute pictures of Rafe 🙂 [[image:2012_0229_rafe07.jpg:Bright eyed and a little drooly:center:0]] The above really shows off his gray-green eyes and is one of my favorites. *Mouse over pictures for captions Rafe is coming along nicely and quite recovered from his bilirubin difficulties. On this leap-day, he had his 2-month checkup. He measured 24 inches long (90th percentile, surprise!) and was at 50th percentile for weight. He recovered from his 3 jabs, heel poking, and oral vaccine in record time, barely crying at all. And then he got to show off his bandages to Kak Yaya (she had band-aid envy). He was a little feverish […]

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43 Months

So another month has passed. Another fast and hectic one! We are settled in and pretty well adjusted to the new member of our family, and Kak Yaya is doing a great job of being an older sister! [[image:2012_yaya_43months_04.jpg:Mama, look at me!:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for additional captions Yaya is definitely becoming a good big sister. She still loves to pet, touch, hug and kiss her little brother. She even tries to whisper and be quieter while Rafe naps, which is a sweet effort. It’s hard for her to remember though, so Adik usually naps upstairs without her. 😉 She does like to help out, and for her efforts she’s rewarded with different activities. This month she has gotten to go to the playground and the pool (also courtesy of the mild winter we have been having). She also finds all kinds of things to do at home […]

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Rafe’s 1 Month Birthday

And so the boy is a month old! (More than that by now but thank god for backdated blog entries, teehee!) This month has really flown by. Since Adik’s adventures in bilirubin, it has been fairly peaceful for us. Like most newborns, his activities are confined to eating, sleeping, pooping, peeing and crying. He does have a sweet disposition and is definitely far more mellow than Yaya at this age. In fact our challenge is mostly trying to get good pictures of him while he’s awake. Seems like all the pictures I post on Facebook is of him sleeping. Here’s one of him with his eyes open: [[image:2012_0129_rafe02.jpg:Awake on the nursing pillow:center:0]] * Mouse over pictures for captions Adik was completely cleared by his pediatrician about a week after being discharged from Dayton Children’s Hospital, and has been doing well at home with us. We are still supplementing with some […]

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42 Months

It has been a milestone month for everyone! Yaya spent her first month as Kak Yaya (big sister Yaya), and we all had to adjust to having Rafe in our lives. And now the girl is officially three and a half years old! Halfway to four! Craziness right? [[image:2012_yaya_42months_01.jpg:Our beautiful Yaya:center:0]] Note: Mouse over the pictures for additional captions. It has certainly been an eventful month leading up to Yaya’s half birthday. The big thing is of course Rafe’s birth and how that has changed all of our lives. Yaya has been awesome – rolling with the punches and still managing to make the best of everything and having fun. She enjoyed the attention of her cousins and of course Becky while they were here, and now she enjoys playing the role of big sister and interacting with her new little brother: [[image:2012_yaya_42months_02.jpg:Yaya and Adik ride the Papa express!:center:0]] [[image:2012_yaya_42months_05.jpg:Yaya […]

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Rafe’s 1 week birthday

Here’s an excuse for gratuitous baby pictures, Rafe’s 1 week birthday! I’ve included pictures of the boy taken over the past week, including some professionally taken ones that we purchased. 🙂 [[image:2012-0105-rafe01.jpg:Sleeping in his cot at the hospital:center:0]] Note: Mouse over pictures for captions Let’s start with the professionally taken photos. Here’s a subset of them. The company is called Bella Baby and we thought they did an awesome job! [[image:2012-0105-rafe08.jpg:Sucking his fingers:center:0]] [[image:2012-0105-rafe09.jpg:Winky!:center:0]] [[image:2012-0105-rafe10.jpg:Was he posing for GQ or what?:center:0]] [[image:2012-0105-rafe11.jpg:His tiny feet in my hand:center:0]] [[image:2012-0105-rafe12.jpg:Holding Mama’s finger:center:0]] Rafe is such a good baby, much more mellow than his high maintenance sister had been. (When you’re old enough to read, understand and resent this comment, don’t be mad at me Yaya. I am only speaking the truth.) For the first 2-3 months of Yaya’s life, she cried inconsolably for no apparent reason every night, ate in snack-sized portions, […]

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Kak Yaya gets to hold her Adik

The Arrival of Rafiq Charles

The new member of our family has arrived. Vin and I welcomed our son Rafiq Charles Renstrom to the world on December 29, 2011 at 4:35 PM, Eastern Time. He weighed 8 lb 11.2 oz (3.95 kg), and was 20 1/2 inches long. In other words, he was 2 oz heavier but the same length as his sister Yaya was at birth. Here are some pictures of Rafe’s (a.k.a Adik) birth. Note: Mouse over the pictures for captions Like Yaya, Adik would be a caesarean-section, so we arrived at the hospital at 1:30 PM for the pre-op stuff. Yaya would stay with Becky and a whole bunch of Yaya’s Indiana cousins while Vin would stay with me and be there for the birth. We were all ready (including our OBGYN and her surgical team). However there was a delay due to the fact that there was a busy surgical schedule […]

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41 Months

Another impossibly quick month has passed. Don’t ask me where the time went. Despite my best efforts, this entry is quite late and (guiltily) backdated. My excuse: work. I had a lot to accomplish before handing off for maternity which meant that I had to work through the Christmas holidays even! Excitement and nervousness abounds – Yaya’s Adik is scheduled to arrive on December 29th, and we have much to do to be ready! Yaya was stellar throughout this period. She didn’t complain that Mama was always in the office, making me feel all kinds of guilt. But as always, she is an absolute joy for us. [[image:2011_yaya_41months_03.jpg:Got milk?:center:0]] Food status: she has proclaimed mangos to be back as part of her accepted diet. But it has to be “crunchy” – meaning pureed, frozen, and slightly thawed. She still doesn’t like normal mangos – she did surprise me by trying […]

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40 Months

So the girl is now 40 months old! Three and 1/3 years old. This month has totally flown by and it’s definitely been a crazy one! For one thing, we had our first October snowstorm during our last work trip out to New Jersey until after the new baby arrives. It was a fun time, and everyone was so kind to us out there, friends, co-workers, the hotel staff that has become like family to us. We will miss everyone until we get to go back on the road, the traveling troupe + Adik by then :-). But that won’t be for quite a few months, and we’re definitely looking forward to being home for the next few months straight. It will be different, and certainly new for all of us. Yaya has been part of the traveling troupe now since she was 13 months old, and I hope she […]

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39 Months

At 39 months, Yaya is now becoming aware of the seasons changing – the need to wear jackets to go outside, the leaves on the trees turning color and falling off the branches, etc. It’s amazing since last year she really didn’t pay that much attention to these changes. Here she is playing in the leaves. She liked to throw it around and jump around in it, but eventually she did help Papa bag these autumn leaves. [[image:2011_alya39months1.jpg:Throwing leaves around:center:0]] Food status: no change. Potty training score: Yaya 5500, Mama & Papa 400. We had to move her potty chair onto the stage (gradually closer to the bathroom) as she was beginning to just hang out sans underwear on the froggy potty chair in front of the tv for hours on end. With it on the stage now, she only sits on it when she has to go, and for […]

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Weapon and shield

Birthday Cake Transforms Into…

Well, the birthday cake was transformed into digested matter submerged in digestive fluids in our stomachs. However, the box with which the cake was transported was transformed into… …Captain America’s shield, after an unscheduled crafting session. The Nerf gun was the one he bought from Richard Chua’s booth during the Kids’ Fair exhibition earlier this year. I did not take a lot of photos myself, and was unable to transfer files that Atok Irfan had in his camera because of a malfunctioning card reader. The above is one of the few photos I took of Irfan posing as his grandfather takes his photo. Click here to see Irfan playing with the birthday present his grandparents gave him.

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38 Months

So Yaya had her 38 month birthday while we were in New Jersey. Another quick and fun month has gone by, and here is the girl lounging on the bed in the hotel while Papa calls in a delivery dinner order: [[image:2011-0922-yaya1.jpg:No barrettes for once!:center:0]] Food status: no change, although we did discuss when she used to eat more stuff (like plums which used to be her ultimate favorite). And she corrected me (I called plums red and she said they were purple) and she remembered that she ate it from a spoon and Papa stirred it around before he fed them to her. She also talked about mangos and other fruits so maybe if she’s in the mood she might try those fruits again. One day, she’ll eat more stuff. She will, god willing. Potty training status: jeng jeng jeng… Success!!!! She is diaper-free now, except for nap- and […]

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