It’s been a while since I’ve updated, so here goes… There’s lot to report, so we’ll see what I can get around to. One thing that will be obvious from the pictures in this post is that Alana’s hair is getting pretty long. I don’t think we want it outrageously long, but a uniform length that is easier to put in a pony tail will be good.

Potty training is going OK… Alana only wears a diaper when sleeping, but also insists on wearing a diaper to poop (same as her cousin Ella did). Not too many accidents during the day, so that’s coming along well.

Alana isn’t afraid of bugs. I teach her which bugs are “nice.” She knows she can pick up rolly-polies, and that butterflies and earthworms don’t bite. She was surprised when I told her that she shouldn’t touch bees. She was also a little freaked out by a big (dying) cicada we saw on the sidewalk, but very interested in it. She’s interested in spiders too (but a little creeped out by them).

One thing that worries me a little is her problem with mosquito bites. She seems to get bitten A LOT. It makes me wonder if she doesn’t have the same “allergy to bug bites” (or whatever it was) I had when I was little. Mom, please give me some info on this… what ages was I affected the worst by that? Did it start this early? (The other possibility is that there are just that many mosquitoes around…)

Alana continues to be sassy, but mostly good, although she sometimes hurts her mommy’s feelings by saying things like, “I don’t want Mommy.” She’s learning to be nicer and not lash out verbally when she doesn’t get her way.

The new nanny (filling in for Aida for 3-4 months) is quite good; we really like her. She’s 50+, named Sally. She’s a bit more patient, slow, and methodical, compared to Aida. I worry she’s a little too much of a softie when dealing with Alana, and I’ve had to give her a bit of feedback on being tougher with Alana, letting her cry when she cries for stupid reasons, etc. So far so good, though.

Alana has slowed down at Chinese character acquisition, hovering at around 100 characters. She just kind of lost enthusiasm for it, although still fairly interested. The “character craze” was followed by a “number craze.” Although she could count pretty well, I realized she wasn’t good at recognizing isolated numbers, and the teens, especially, confused her. So I made some flashcards, and SS’s mom and/or her nanny practice them with her pretty much daily, so now she’s pretty good with 1-30 (English and Chinese).

Currently her favorite thing to watch on TV is the Ice Age movies, which she calls “the elephants.” She also likes watching me play Spelunky on PS3, and as a result has learned phrases like “the red Indian guy,” “the green Mariachi,” and “the yellow Cyclops” (referring to the characters you can choose). When I play Spelunky, she has started asking “WHY?” a lot. (Oh, man, it has begun already…)

Her: What happened to the yellow cyclops?

Me: He fell in the hole.

Her: Why?

Me: Because he wasn’t careful enough.

Her: Why?

Me: Because he didn’t listen to his daddy, who told him to be more careful.

Her: Why?

Me: I guess he’s just not too smart.

Her: Oh.

Alana knows “cyclops” not just because of Spelunky, but also because there’s a cyclops on one of the stories in the book that Aunt Amy gave Alana.

OK, that’s it for now. More pictures!