1.30.2002



ok...ok...with all the hubbub surrounding the birth of hana's lil bro, perhaps we have all temporarily forgotten one important point: this is still HANA'S world!!! so in that spirit, and without further adieu...we present the queen herself! first pic: our always (well, most always) beaming hana...second pic: hana loves her videos!...third pic: hana's dreaded scaaaaarrry face!

1.26.2002

although perhaps not entirely evident from this shot, markus IS enjoying his new customized blue blanket from grandpa & grandma louchheim immensely!!! THANKS SO MUCH!!!

1.24.2002


hana got to spend the day with grandma today as markus was back at the doctor to check his jaundice and weight gain (all systems checked out A-OK). she went to harold henry park and had a great time playing in the sand!




although we always need to watch hana when she tries to help with markus' diaper changing, etc. (don't want her to accidentally twack that soft spot on the baby's head!), all in all, she is really being a sweet big sister so far! she kisses and pets the little guy all the time just like a new puppy!

1.23.2002


baby markus started pooping today...what a relief! this means that mommy is giving him enough milk now to flush out the plumbing and get the little guy back to his birth weight (he had dropped about a pound up until today...but the doctor told us that that is pretty normal...whew!) since his uncle tsuyoshi in japan is a 6' 1" 180 lb. former pro baseball player, we think little markus has a chance to be a real meaty young lad...he sure is off to a good start!

1.21.2002





more pics of hana's little bro...we got him with his eyes open!!! bottom pic is of little "baby kaito" (as hana refers to him) in his normal, post-feeding state.





a few more shots of hana's new baby brother, markus. these shots brought to you by special request from hana and markus' wonderful grandpa & grandma-in law, hal & carol louchheim...HI out there! hope you enjoy the pics!!!









hana's new baby brother, MARKUS KAITO, was born this past friday, january 18, at 6:46AM...hana's mommy awoke to pain down under in the middle of the night, at which point hana was rudely transported to grandpa & grandma's house and abandoned as mommy and poppy rushed off to the hospital. there, mommy was told that it was TOO LATE to have anesthesia!! but being the tough gal that she is, she just grit her teeth and, without uttering a peep (in japanese, this is the admirable trait known as "GAMAN"), popped out the little guy in about 10 minutes. markus is healthy and, as far as we can tell, happy, albeit a bit cranky at times. he was 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 20.5 inches long. at first, we thought he looked just like hana when she was first born, but after the dust settled, now we suspect that he may look a bit more like mommy...he seems to be more "pointy" overall, with smaller cheeks and a more serious expression...but it just may be a little early to tell! good luck, MARKUS!

1.15.2002









hana has been letting us know when she wants to do #1 for some time now, and that has really reduced the amount of diapers we've been going through...but today, for the first time, she let us know about #2 as well! what progress! hana has been engrossed in the videos that her grandpa bought her for xmas (one of those 1-800 numbers that peddle things on tv late at night)...they feature little kids singing popular children's songs like "incy wincy spider" etc., and she just loves them! hana food note: typical day's meal = breakfast>scrambled eggs, toast & cereal...lunch>little bits of turkey sandwich...dinner>tofu, broccoli, rice & corn...all washed down by gallons and gallons of milk and apple juice, with a late night chaser of vanilla ice cream or manju. the bottom pic is of hana and her remote control dog, "yuki." hana hung the wire around her neck and started saying "mama's laundry music! mama's laundry music" (in japanese)...at first, we didn't have a clue as to what she meant...then it dawned on us that she was referring to her mommy's MP3 walkman player that she wears when she goes to the laundry room downstairs! what an imagination!

1.12.2002

hana's little brother markus is due any day now...and the wait is becoming excruciating! where are you, little guy?! we think that we have narrowed markus' middle name down to the japanese boys name KAITO. markus kaito. nice ring to it. here is a pic of hana's new "sofa" that matches her hello kitty table and elmo chair with the pink and red theme quite well...but we need to start getting in some boy's colors into the playroom pretty quickly!!!