These Days

Here we are at the 2-month juncture. At Daniela's check-up on June 18, she weighed in at 11lbs 1oz (50th percentile) and measured 23 inches in length (75th percentile). Growing well, if the chubby cheeks was an indication. She recognizes us now and would smile when she sees us. She also started vocalizing, which is amazing. She's also been sleeping really well, 5 hours stretch at night. A very easygoing baby. Neil is almost 7 so I've forgotten how fascinating and fun this stage is. It's a privilege to be entrusted with this little human.=) Kuya Neil is great with Ela. I hope and pray that they will be each other's best friend.

Before this month ends, a quick post about my birthday 11 days ago. We went to the YMCA in the morning because Neil had swim class and I joined the TurboKick class for the first time. I've missed moving and sweating that much. It felt really good despite all the muscle aches that followed.=) It was also Daniela's 2nd month and she was scheduled for a visit to the doctor for 2 shots. We intentionally did not plan to eat out because we don't know how she would be after the shots. It turned out to be the right decision because she was cranky and fussy the whole day, crying uncontrollably. No amount of carrying and cuddling could appease her. She finally quieted down late at night after a dose of Tylenol. Although we did not go out, a few friends dropped by the apartment and brought dessert.=) It was a simple celebration but I was not wanting more. It might be a product of getting older but there are just a lot to appreciate and be thankful for at this time of my life. ...

These are the books I read in April and May, thanks to the local library. I tackled 2 award-winning heavyweights - The Luminaries (2013 Man Booker Prize) and The Goldfinch (2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction). Both of these took a while to get into but if you keep at it for the first 100 pages or so, the rest becomes easy. The challenge I had with The Luminaries was the number of main characters, keeping track of who's who and who did what, and switching between present and past in the narrative. The Goldfinch was more straightforward, but just as thrilling. It felt like an achievement when everything finally made sense at the end. I picked up The Book of Lost Things at the library because of the cover. I liked the typography and design, which evokes mystery. The story reminded me of the movie Pan's Labyrinth, otherworldly and dark. I chose Kitchen just because I have not read a Banana Yoshimoto book before. This did not disappoint. #9. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton ...