happy holidays :)

This holiday season has been a wonderful time so far! It's been a little wet...but we also had over a week of beautiful white snow, and it was so much fun to see how Sasha reacted to the glow of the winter wonderland :)

The last time I actually wrote an update was close to 2 months ago now...and boy oh boy, does a lot ever happen in the life of a baby in that time!

So instead of giving the update in story mode, I'll keep it concise. On the health front she has now had her second round of immunization shots which she barely reacted to, and the third set are scheduled for early January. Our pediatrician is still thrilled with Sasha's development, which is good news. For weight and length she is in the 97th percentile for her age at 21 lbs and 28 inches long (mind you that was a couple of weeks ago...and we just had to upscale to the next diaper size - already size 4!!)

The not so good news was that she could be on antibiotics for up to two years as we wait for her to outgrow the reflux problem with her kidneys. Her reflux is about as bad as it gets apparently, so there is little chance of her outgrowing it within her 1st year. Since she is at easy risk for infections she will need the antibiotics to reduce her chances...'cuz another urine or kidney infection could require surgery to correct it. So for now, she is super happy & healthy and we remain positive.

January 23rd we will spend the day at Children's hospital where two tests she had done while in hospital will be redone. Our follow up with the urology specialist will be right after the tests so he'll be able to let us know how much progress she's making and if any major damage has occurred. She will also be radioactive baby for a couple of days again...maybe she'll end up with a super power ;)

As for the rest of life, I'll let the pictures tell the tale. Here are the highlights:

- Sasha has been sitting up all by herself for a couple of weeks now. She's so close to crawling...working hard to move a few inches forward at this point before she decides rolling there is easier for the moment. She's pulling herself to standing while holding hands, and likes to practice walking too
- check out the smiling pic where you can see her bottom teeth! her third tooth up top is on it's way...
- checkin' out the winter wonderland with me on the deck and on a walk with daddy
- center of attention with Aunty Karli and her cousins Sarah and Elise...and again with Granpa and Granma Liz
- on the lap of her brother in a pic with her cousins Cheyenne and Keyanon, and on the lap of Aunty Julie who's expecting in a couple of months (yeah!)
- below are pics of Sasha with her buddies Merlin and Charlie, and also a pic of her new friend Melody (it was amazing to watch Melody and try to imagine Sasha at 15 months next year at the folk fest!)
- not at all a fussy eater, below are pics of her first teething cookie and sucking a lime! I thought she would pucker up and refuse it...but after a quick grimace she put it back in her mouth for more!
- sacked out with daddy on the couch, and trying on his glasses for a look at a blurry world ;)
- she attended her 1st Music with Marnie show (we love our friend Marnie! and if you have kids you must check out her shows, or CD's...even better if you're in Vancouver...both! www.musicwithmarnie.com) at a Kids Around the World event.
And if I haven't told you about Kids Around the World yet...shame on me! please please visit www.kidsaroundtheworld.ca and "Come See the World in Our City" (I'll include more info on this developing children's museum in a future post)

And to end on a positive note for the year (next update will be in 2007!)...
the free hug campaign continues to spread across the globe (there are now videos from many countries!) and it really warms my heart to see it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l53QBX6TxyU

please follow the link and see the power and the beauty of a hug (and I really love the part when the students all pile on the bus to hug the driver and passengers!)

be part of the revolution and hug someone new today!

Happy holidays...and cheers to days full of wonder in the new year. Thank you for your positive energy in the first year of Sasha's life with us!

peace to you and yours
Kathy, Mark, Che and Sasha
:)