3 weeks vs 7 months

Last night, we discovered a few new skills! While she's on here belly, she can push herself up into a sitting position!!! It's funny! By the time she is upright, her short chubby legs are positioned wide open like she's doing the splits!! She can also return back to her hands and knees AND chase after the cat!! For the first time, we saw her effortlessly squirm(not 100% crawling yet) up to Carmine and tried to pet him. Uh oh!! In three attempts, she tried reaching out for his face but he ended up running away. I think it freaked him out to realize that she can move!!! And, she is now heavier than him! She's sitting at ~18 lbs. Kitty Carmine is 14 lbs. Here are a few images comparing her size at 3 weeks vs 7 months.

I am growing!!!!

Sophia is getting praises at school for being the "greeter". As her teachers walk into the classroom, she tends to "say hi" by showering them with her ear to ear smile and her high pitch squeals! Back in September, at 3 months old, she was the youngest baby in her class . Now, a set of twins and Sophia are the oldest babies in a classroom of nine chubby infants. Actually, there is a cute boy who is the oldest kiddo. But, it's obvious that Sophia, Jordan & Jayden (twins) are the reigning queens :p Poor baby Chandler. He's too nice!

These days we never have to worry about her not getting enough exercise. Her three teachers mentioned she's a quick one. After being placed on the playmat, within a blink of an eye, she's squirmed off !!! Hear comes trouble!!!

Sophia and Hunter

Here is a cute series of Sophia hanging out with her girlfriend Hunter.

Yummy to My Tummy!

After 6 months, we started Sophia out slow with cereal. I am very grateful and proud that I have been able to nurse for this long. It does make it inconvenient and restricts my schedule at times, but I know it will pay off in the long run. For the countless benefits and precious 1 on 1 time, my goal is to continue nursing as close to 1 year as possible. We are still going strong. Whew! Soon after Christmas, Sophia was very ready to sample cereal of all sorts. Recently, I have been making her organic pureed vegetables. She has thoroughly enjoyed sweet potatoes, carrots, and peas! Next week, we will sample butternut squash!! Checkout how excited she was in this gallery.

Chinese New Year 2008

Sophia is 7.5 months! She can sit, she is sampling veggies, saying "Da-da"..no signs of Ma-ma!!!! She can't fully crawl but she can squirm amazingly fast to get to where she needs to go! It's time for us to get on our hands and knees. If it looks fun to us..it will probably look interesting for her to get into. We are very relieved that our family made it home from their fun trip in Thailand and Vietnam. Sophia received several beautiful Vietnamese gowns from Aunt Le and Aunt Cindy. Earlier this month, my Uncle Mau and Aunt Terri hosted a local Dallas family gathering to celebrate Chinese New Year. Before the family gathering, we took a series of pictures. Sophia is thankful that her Great Uncle Mau hosted her very first Chinese New Year celebration. Enjoy the pictures!

Favorite Friend

Sophia got this cute outfit from Aunt Cindy. Last month, I caught her relaxing in her crib while wrestling with her favorite toy. She still loves this sheep she got from Nana Cooper.

Christmas Vacation '08 in Wichita

Simon and I always look forward to our Christmas vacation. It's our chance to have two weeks off to catch up with family, extended family, & friends. Two weeks of relaxation! The memories we cherish the most are the conversations and time spent with our loveds ones. View gallery to see what we were up to.

Christmas Morning 2008 - First Christmas!

Sophia's first Christmas was spent in Wichita. It was her second road trip and she did really well. Unfortunately, from Thanksgiving and through Christmas, our little Cooper clan was sharing a wealth of winter colds. Lovely daycare!! While we were in Wichita the temperature was in the teens and single digits at night. However, it was surprisingly warm after Christmas day. On Christmas morning, we opened presents at Nana Cooper's and enjoyed yummy prime rib. It was heaven! Many mornings, Sophia was kind enough to let us sleep in until 9 am. She knew we were on vacation! :p Sophia spent part of the vacation at Nana Coopers, hung out with Uncle Kevin and visited her great grandparents - Van's Grandparents. The Trans were missed. The older we get, the more we appreciate having family. Family will always be around. That is why we want to have kids. My sisters and Parents were traveling with Toan's family (Cindy's fiancee) to Thailand and Vietnam.

Christmas '08 Dallas Brunch

This past Christmas was Sophia's first Christmas! Simon and I feel very fortunate to have such a healthy and happy baby. We couldn't have asked for a better gift. Over Christmas, my sisters, brother-in-law Toan and his parents, including my parents took a tour to Thailand and Vietnam. The Trans sisters decided to have an early Christmas brunch and gift exchange before their big tour. We thoroughly enjoyed Lawry's Prime Rib for brunch. Afterwards, we had yummy cheesecake and coffee in the comfort of our own home. Click to enter gallery.

Cute Hat

Today, we walked around the Stonebriar Mall and couldn't resist this cute hat! It was also on sale! Can't beat that! She loves it!

Hanging out with Family

Here are memorable moments of Sophia while she was having a great time in Wichita over the Thanksgiving holiday. We were on vacation for a week. She was all smiles and thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone! Below is Aunt Le and Sophia. Sophia loves to make sounds with her lips! Click to enter gallery.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

It was a very eventful Thanksgiving in 2008. We brought Sophia home for the first time. Aunt Cindy and Uncle Toan got engaged. Our friend Angela had her first baby shower. Simon's Aunt Dorothy celebrated her 90th birthday! Also, we reconnected with old college friends and Simon celebrated his 34th birthday! Edna, Nana Cooper, made yummy lamb shanks for dinner. My mom and I found a to die for ice cream cake just for Simon!

All Giggles and Smiles

Her smile makes us melt!!! Here is a mix of favorites during the first 5.5 months.

First Road Trip! Thanksgiving 2008 Tran Family

Sophia's very first road trip was to Wichita to visit the family over Thanksgiving. It was her very first time to meet many of the our extended relatives. She did really well in the car- both ways! After a late afternoon feeding, we hit the road and she slept straight through the 5.5 hours drive!! We arrived into town a few days before the festivities. Surprisingly, upon arrival at 1 am she woke up and played with Hoa Ma (Grandma Tran) and Hoa Con (Grandpa Tran) before crashing again!!! Below is my Grandma (our Mom's mom). Sophia's Great Grandmother in her early 80s. We go home for her home cookin!!! Click to enter the gallery.