Otso's 4th Month

Summary
Otso has become a joy. He smiles readily and likes to interact with people. He is generally low maintenance.

Events
23.1 first successful acceptance of milk from a bottle (breast milk) - and lumi was the one who did it!
29.1 trip to US, meeting Troy and Des and the cousins for the first time
2.2 lumi's birthday party
8.2 flight to Atlanta, meeting Grandma for the first time
17.2 Georgia Aquarium
18.2 flight to Florida, meeting Grandpa and Mama Dollie for the first time

Play / Development
He likes rattles and can sometimes hold one in his hand and shake it. He also likes his playmat, provided someone else is helping him. He smiles a lot. He seems to easily hold his head up, and the nurse said he is "strong". He is enjoying his time with the cousins in Indy. He was great on the plane and barely cried. The flight attendant on the long flight complimented me on my kids' great behavior.
Samari and him seemed to have a cute connection.

Eating
Otso is still eating efficiently. One tricky thing is that he sucks on his hands when he is sleepy, not when he is hungry.
He refuses bottles and pacifiers.

Sleeping
He is now ready for a regular bedtime schedule, instead of just napping until we go to bed. We are definitely working out the kinks for this.
He still doesn't like to be put down on his back by himself. Fortunately, we were able to borrow a bouncy chair in both Indy and Atlanta so he could nap during the day.

Health
He had a stuffy nose after the long plane trip.

Stats
At doctor appointment 27.1, he was 7.18 kg, 63 cm, head 41.4 cm

Lumi's 36th Month

Summary
It has been a good month. Her tantrums are intense, but they seem less frequent. Our hope is that she is feeling more settled now about both moving to Norway and getting a little brother.

Events
5.1 visit at the Setala house
6.1 flight back to Stavanger
11.1 first time trying out the backpack carrier
20.1 going to play at Gemma's house for the first time
26.1 Clemence's birthday party
29.1 flight to Indy with äiti and otso
1.2 Indianapolis Children's Museum
2.2 Super Bowl party and birthday party

Food
She is getting a *tiny* bit better at trying new foods. On 6.1, Kimmo convinced her to try a mango at the grocery store and she loved it.
She is drinking mostly juice, although on 17.1 she decided to have warm milk at breakfast time and then drank a couple cups of it. Milk seems to be making a comeback.

Language
On 23.1 she contradicted me with "yeah, but [whatever reason]".
Her grammar is getting more complex. However, we are seeing some mixing of English and Finnish lately, and it's often hilarious. 
in Finnish:
"tällä on kaksi hamppia / humppia" - (kameli)
"laitetaan knaiffit tänne" (when loading the dishwasher)
in English
"when it snows, we have to "heit" snowballs!"

Learning
Counting in English up to 10 is still a challenge for her, and she frequently skips 5 and 6.
But she is starting to count on her own. For example, she knows that the little cloths we use as kitchen rags go in the 3rd drawer, so we see her counting "yksi, kaksi, kolme" to find the drawer.
On that note, she is starting to participate more in chores around the house. She helps to set the table, to put away clean laundry, and occasionally (when we have the patience) to load the dishwasher.

Toys, Games, what have you
She really liked playing with her cousins in Finland, running and bouncing. She is playing with dolls and stuffed animals a lot lately, and not so narrowly focused on legos (though she still loves them). She enjoys the play kitchens at other people's houses.

Health
While making chocolate mousse, Lumi touched the hot burner on the stove. It wasn't bad, but it was her first burn experience. We hope that it was just bad enough to teach the lesson about not touching the stove.

Stats
On 27.1, she measured 12.4 kg and 91 cm

Cousin love!