Happy 4 Months!

How time flies... isn't that how I start each birthday entry?  Well, it's still true.  In just the last month Nina has started smiling on a regular basis, putting fingers in her mouth all the time, gripping toys, and sleeping around eight hours every night.  We love everything about her, but nothing brings more joy than to see her face light up with a huge grin when she sees us.

Four-Month Check Up

There she is: 5.75 kg or 12.7 pounds! Dr. Lin said she looks great - she wouldn't have guessed Nina was a preemie. Nina was a champ for her shots again (although watching her nearly suffocate on a big scream was not fun for Mommy) and had a super snuggle at home.

Big Smiles

Now we get frequent smiles from Nina, especially in the morning or when she just starts to play. Unfortunately she also likes to stare at the back of the phone so we have to sneak pics from the side, but it's clear she is one happy baby.

Sunday Brunch

We love to go out on Sundays, and while Mommy and Daddy enjoy waffles and omelets, Nina only gets milk - not that she's disappointed or anything. And we like to ride the metro too!

Dancing with Daddy

I hope Nina loves Daddy's singing voice because he sure loves to serenade her. This was a cute little father-daughter dance they had in the kitchen.

Sweet Baby

Nina always looks sweetest when she is asleep, but doesn't that frowny face just melt your heart?

Story Time

Apparently Nina likes to "stand up" every now and then, so Ali found a comfortable way to let Nina stand up to "read" a story. We have a copy of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" in Mandarin - a perfect book for Nina to start learning Chinese!

Curious Nina

One of Nina's favorite places is her monkey bouncy chair. She gets very excited when the monkeys spin around, and seems to realize that if she waves her arm when we tie a rag to the monkey and put it in her hand, she can make it shake on her own. I just missed her smile, but you can tell she is intrigued.

More Fun at the Park

Nina loves the outdoors and is always active, so the slide was a big hit. Naturally, she still needs some supervision for her playtime.

Bath Time

Nina quickly outgrew the kitchen sink, even in Shanghai, so now she is in the big bath tub.  She loves it!  She has plenty of room to kick and squirm, and even if she is getting hungry she calms right down in the warm water.  Of course that means when bath time is finished she howls for her milk, but that's another story...