Pearl van Zoest

For a few seconds, she stood alone (unsupported). :-)

Yay! Pearl is pulling up to stand and she wants to walk around. She has been pulling up to stand about two weeks ago, but more recently she holds onto our hands and walk around the room. Sometimes we can see the eagerness in her face as she watched Jasmine and I run around the room. She most likely just want to do everything her sister is doing... such as giving out high five. She's growing well. In 7 more days, Pearl turns 7 months old!

Pearl is 5 months and 3 weeks old. She is also starting to crawl. It all began last week when we found her in her crib up on all four. And today, she is moving backward on all four.

(This image gallery is located at Jasmine.vanZoest.com)

Pearl at 3 months old weighs 13 pounds and 8 ounces. She is 61 cm long (24 inches). She got two immunization shots at her 3 month appointment. The nurse did a more thorough check-up and said she is strong for her age as she is able to hold her head at 45 degrees. She is also capable to holding her head in place without support when she sits upright.

In other development, Pearl is interested in exploring her hands and feet. When wearing the garden bug rattles, Pearl loves to kick her feet and swipe at her hands. She giggles out-loud and coos to it. She is also capable of grabbing her pacifiers or other objects that is close-by and put them in her mouth. She can also hold her bottle for a few seconds on her own as she does this when she tries to correct our holding of the bottle during feeding.

Overall, she is growing on her growth chart between the 50 % and 85% percentiles, and appears to be happy too.

In this series are images of Pearl and her sister spending time together; enjoying Valentine's day.

May each day of your New Year be lit with good luck and good fortune. Wishing you happiness and success! Happy Chinese New Year.

Below is the 2008 forecast for the Pig in Earth Rat year:

Ratings

68% (11 favorable and 1 unfavorable month) Major improvement is likely to be in store for you this year. It's ironic that the environment is likely to be more unsettling, while simultaneously providing more opportunities for success. A mental adjustment is required to maximize your potential. Although the Pig tends to look to the future, even to retirement, your focus should be squarely on the present. The future is now. Be alert for favorable situations and make the most of them.

Career

Be wary of changes on the job this year. As you are likely to see increased success, your best bet on the job is to stay focused on the projects you have been working on and make sure you drive them to completion. When you begin new projects, be sure to get the support of your co-workers and management. They will be instrumental to your success on the job. You will find that the work environment is more comfortable this year and that the people around you will appreciate your experience and talent.

Relationships

Family time will be precious this year. You will find yourself wanting to do more with your significant other, and patch up any conflicts created last year. Your social life will be active and fun, whether you are hanging out on the single front or relaxing with your loved one. The single Pig will find plenty of opportunities during the Year of the Earth Rat. If you are single, set aside a little more time for your social life and accept a few more offers to go out. You may find that love is in the air -- along with a new career connection or two.

Health

Changes in your life may be a bit unsettling for you. The pace of the year also poses some risk to your health and well-being. Be sure to avoid any risky physical activity as this is probably not the year to attempt your first mountain climb or deep-sea dive. You should take a slow, cautious approach to your daily life. Your general energy level will be positive this year and you should have no problem maintaining your health.

Wealth

The second half of the Year of the Rat should be much better for you than the first. Exercise caution with your spending and make it a point to think twice about any potential purchases. You will be best served to maintain a budget this year and stick to it. You could have real problems with money if you are not careful and become tempted by the slick sales person type with offers that are not sound.

by Chinese Zodiac

Pearl had a mini check-up today and the docter said she is growing to his expectation. She currently weighs 13 lbs and 2 ounces. She is standing 23 inches tall. She has a 3 Month WBV (Well-Baby Visit) and vaccination on the 15th of February with the Consultatiebureau.

This series contains a mini set of pictures taken last week. Tomorrow we will be celebrating Chinese New Year which will certainly produce some new shots to post.

Pearl has an appointment this 6th of February. For now she appears to be growing and developing well. She recognizes us. Pearl loves looking at Jasmine play and smiles at her all the times. She is also able to lift her head up to 45 degrees....

Note: Post will get edited later
I'm too tired to be writing this at the moment -- it's 3am in the morning -- got to go to sleep

Two months old Pearl weights 11 lbs and 5 oz. She is standing 23 inches tall and has a head circumference of 15 and 1/3 inches. At last week's well-baby visits and according to the Dutch standardized growth chart these results put Pearl in the 50th percentile for weight, height, and head circumference. They also examined her behavior and gave her two immunization shots. She screamed really loud and was very upset with the nurse. Because of her reaction to the shots and the fact she passed her general examination, the Dr. said she is healthy.

Overall Pearl is doing well and is extremely friendly. When we visited Pier and Satoko over the weekend. Pearl smiled and coo at Pier. And when she sat on my lap, she started to smile immediately. I didn't have to initiate any smiles. She appears to be happy and loves making bubbles. I was not able to capture any of it onto the camera as the flash on the camera distracts her.

As for us, we are happy too especially because Pearl is allowing us to get more sleep at night. We can sleep about 5 and half hours before having to wake up for a feeding.

Pearl is quite funny and lovely lately. She is cooing, squeaking and making all sort of throaty sounds -- such as "nee" (no in Dutch) when she is protesting mom from wiping her butt with cold wipes. I am sure it is just random noise... And once in a while she'll also starts to laugh out loud, following with a couple smiles too. She brings so much joy to the family and is such a great addition. Jasmine loves playing with her and taking care of her too.

Overall Pearl is doing well. She has grown some more and is up to 87 cm, 23 inches. She is also almost 2 months old, and probably weights 11 pounds. Pearl and Jasmine have a check-up on the 11th of January. We will know more about Pearl's growth then.

In this series is a small selection of the images over the holidays. We couldn't take too many as Jasmine didn't want their pictures to be taken so she kept on turning the camera off. We hope to get more pictures of Pearl later.

Yesterday, Pearl laid asleep on Mamas' arms dreaming sweet dreams, when all of a sudden she burst out into laughter. It was a big surprise to see her laugh because this is the first time, I have seen and heard a laughing newborn. It is nice to know, Pearl, you can find life humoring considering the challenges you are facing.

For your development progress, we notice that you are capable of supporting your head very well. Her Papa lifts her up in the air without worrying about her head. She seems to be able to hold it up firmly. Although, it was frightening for me to witness, her head did not flop towards the floor. I hope no harm came from the rough play. :-)

Otherwise, Pearl likes to sleep, eat, and have her nappy changed. If she is done drinking her milk before the bottle goes empty, she will knock the milk bottle out of your hand. It is very unexpected, but effective at letting me know that she had enough milk.

This gallery series contains pictures of her relaxing at home with us and of her wearing her Saint Nicholas gifts... We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your gifts.

Thank you Dirk and Ardy for the cute cow shirt. Jasmine absolutely loves it on Pearl.

Thank you family Haverkamp, for the adorable shirt and sweater.

Thank you Opa for your generous gift, we were able to buy a baby sling. Insofar, we have made frequent use of it.