simply sadie at 4 months

We still can't find the cable for the camera, but we bought a nifty little memory stick reader that does the trick. I'm starting to sort through our (by now) 400 photos of the last couple of months. It's a little mind-numbing, so I'll just start with something simple and post some more later. Several more photos like this are at my Flickr page.



Here is what you get at 4 months. Peaceful fun.

Video of Sadie at 4 months.

no photos yet

We've lost the cable to our camera, so the 394 photos that are currently on the memory card will have to wait to be uploaded. It's too bad, because there are some pretty cute ones of big old Sadie, who is so tubby and solid now. Her wrists are so fat that they overflow onto her dainty little hands. She sits right up (and promptly falls right over) with such a straight back, grabbing at anything in sight. She is only 4 months old but is feeling so much older to me. She honestly seems to be ready to eat solid food, something I never would have done with the other two kids. But she's just so . . . hungry. I fed her some mashed banana twice this week and she devoured it.

My favorite thing about Sadie is that she is deeply interested in absolutely everything. She loves to be carried around the house on my left hip as I try to get things done, and she very intently observes every detail. If I look at her, or we pass by a mirror, she smiles with her whole body, kicking her legs and flailing her arms.

My other favorite thing about Sadie is how she watches the kids. They run, dance, wrestle around her while she sits up and watches them with a surprised smile on her face, seemingly saying, "well, now this is turning out to be fun after all!"

Meanwhile, the other two provide their own forms of entertainment. One day we were standing in the kitchen and I announced that we had to get ready to go to gymnastics. Ada, in her typical exuberant, hard-of-hearing way, bounced up and down and shouted, "YAY!!!! WE GO TO GYMNASTICS!!!! JONAS, WE GO TO GYMNASTICS!!!!"

Jonas, who was standing 3 inches from her and who has amazingly sensitive hearing, slouched over with a grumpy look and said, "I know, Ada. And anyways, you must like exclamation points or something." He's a little sensitive, but he's so literate about it.

Another day, I was sitting on the couch with Sadie while Jonas was playing with his yo-yo next to us. As he casually tossed his yo-yo up and down, he said, "Do you know what country I want to go to the most?"

I couldn't imagine.

"Brazil. Mom, to get to Brazil from Taiwan, all you have to do is first go to Russia, then over to Pompeii, then down to Africa, then across the ocean to Brazil."

That's all you have to do.

Ada wants what Jonas is getting. Jonas got it in his head that he had to have a pair of Puma's. So he used his red envelope money from Chinese New Year on a pair of white and gold (!) Puma's. (which are great because now he is forced to tie his shoes everyday) Ada had to have the same thing, so now she has (velcro-closure) Puma's in pink.

And tonight, I asked him where he wants to spend his 150NT (US$5) that he got from Grandma and Grandpa for Valentine's Day. Without missing a beat, he said he wanted to buy some of those swimming gloves that are webbed like a duck's foot. Okay, we haven't been seriously swimming in 6 months and I have no idea where he ever saw those or even how they popped into his head, but...okay. Then I asked Ada what she wants to buy with her money. She said, "a duck!"

December in our house

Sadie is 10 weeks old and she is a big smiler!





She's gaining a lot of weight, but I think most of it is in her cheeks.



In other news, Jonas found a beetle by the garden up the alley. He brought it home and it ate some spinach. It got cuddled a lot. Then we let it go in the yard.



We also went to the beach on a balmy December day.

Grandma and Grandpa G's visit

We had a fun visit here with my parents for the last 2 weeks. We all miss Grandma and Grandpa G very much! Here are a few shots from their time here (as usual, there are more photos at my Flickr account, just click on any of these photos to get there):

Jonas doing magic tricks after dinner:


Sadie smiling with Grandma G:


Grandpa G enjoying Ada and Sadie:


A lot of books were read these 2 weeks:


Sadie snuggled up in Grandma G's arms at the park:


Jonas and Ada cracking each other up at the park:


Jonas drinking Aquarius after soccer practice:


Sadie at Jonas' soccer practice:


Sadie at 7 weeks:


The only family photo we've ever managed where everybody is at least looking at the camera happened to be taken in the food court at Taipei 101:

this morning

Today the kids and I walked to school. It's a nice 20 minute walk in the mornings.

Outside our house (on left).


We saw this funky bug.


And a pretty blue garage door.


At school, Jonas is supposed to walk Ada up to her class. He does it sometimes. His classroom is right next to hers.


After dropping them off, I went to 7-11 to pay the phone bill.


Then I went to the Wellcome for some groceries.


I love the soy sauce aisle. After 5 years here, I am still overwhelmed by it.


Aisle one of the instant noodles (ramen):


Aisle two of the instant noodles:


Aisle three of the instant noodles:


Aisle four of the instant noodles (and instant other stuff that you add water to):


Special display 1 of the instant noodles:


Special display 2 of the instant noodles:


And finally, really, really fresh fish:

halloween week

This week, we went trick-or-treating around Tienmu with our Dutch neighbors. The kids had almost as much fun as the Dutch neighbors! Sadie came along, too, but she didn't dress up (as much as we would have LOVED to dress her up as a whoopie cushion).



The kids also had a big Halloween party at school, complete with dressing up and trick-or-treating. I was amazed at how involved it got at their school. I was hoping their lunch menu would reflect the holiday festivities, but then again, something like brain soup might be just another typical lunch there. Just kidding!

In other news, Sadie is getting noticeably fatter, and we are all adoring her. P and I were talking about how different her infanthood is from Jonas' because she has so much more activity around her, and so many more people in the immediate family to give her attention. He said, "it's like she is not just her parents' baby, she's everyone's baby."







Poor Ada has been waking up way too early every day this week. I think Sadie wants to nurse her knee here:



One day on our way to school, Jonas told me that this is his favorite face of Sadie's. She does it a lot:



Sadie is obviously her own girl and is starting to look different from Ada as a newborn. But I thought this photo comparison was interesting:

Sadie, 3 weeks:



Ada, 3 days:



Even though she can't smile yet, it's easy to tell when she is happy. We are having a contest to see who can make Sadie smile first. Here's her pre-smile:



I have posted several more photos at my flickr account. Click any of the pictures above to get there.

sadie after one week

Sadie opens her eyes now and exercises.


She fits in preemie clothes quite nicely, even though she was 7lbs at birth. The pocket on her pj's here is so small that I can't fit my index finger in it.

She has nice fingers, if I do say so myself.


New hats made by Yaya arrived in the mail this week. One day, it will be hard to believe she could fit in this teensie hat:


Ada ventured closer to the baby this week:


Ada also looked very cute while eating apples:

an introduction

Introducing Sadie Gatewood Brown:



Born October 8, 2007 at 10:10pm, at HsinJuang Waterbirth Clinic, weighing 3.1 kilos. She came 2 days after the typhoon, just like Ada came 2 days after a typhoon!

Sadie, the day she got her name, 5 days old:


She looks so much like Ada did at birth. Ada at 4 days old (before she got HER name!):


Here's me at birth. Similarities include hair and fingers, but I'm not sure of what else:


This picture cracks me up, I love the missing tooth and the scrunched up face:


A few more photos at my flickr page, just click on any of the above photos to get there. I haven't taken many pictures yet, but will post more as soon as I can!

Typhoons and babies

In the Pacific region, there is an old wives' tale that typhoons bring on labor.

Here is the typhoon tracker from the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau (click on typhoon -> typhoon news on the left):



That means that the typhoon is due to travel right through Taipei on Saturday night and Sunday. Today is Friday. Wonder if it will do anything? Ada was born two days after a typhoon passed through Taipei.