4 months

Here she is. A happy, healthy and very determined 4-month-old. Kumiko got to spend some quality time with her obachan (grandma in Japanese) around Thanksgiving and in that time her already abundant wardrobe grew by heaps. In 10 days, my mom managed to knit her several sweaters, capelets, and shoes; on top of that she made her a kitty doll and a mobile. Amazing.

I continue to fantasize about sleeping through an entire night. We have been unsuccessful in our attempts to get our daughter to sleep in her crib. Kumiko naps in her stroller by day and snuggles up to her food source all night long.

Two weeeks ago my maternity leave ended and I started to work from home. I'll be working through the end of the year and will officially become a full-time stay-at-home-mom starting January 2007. I can't wait. These last couple of weeks have been interesting. Because my work schedule is dictated by Kumiko's naps, I end up working odd hours -- sometimes early in the morning, sometimes late at night. It's been harder than I expected. I think Kumiko sensed that I have less time available to play and pay attention to her so she suddenly became more demanding. We got a pretty good routine going by the end of the second week though, and it looks as though I'll be able to get my work project done by the end of the year.

Tomorrow, she gets her dreaded 4-month vaccinations. Last time she got her shots, she turned purple and screamed her head off, so I'm preparing myself for the worst. But my goodness, 4 months!! Hard to believe and it seems impossible that I love her more each day, yet I do. Oh yes.