November 30, 1999 (3 months, 9 days) Hua Mei turns 100 days old and is officially given her name which had been a carefully kept secret. It means "China USA" to symbolize the value of the two nations' cooperative efforts in helping these extremely endangered animals. It also translates as "Magnificent Beautiful." A special ceremony was held on December 1 which was attended by An Wenbin, Consul General of the People's Republic of China. Meanwhile, Hua Mei has tried to take her first steps.

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December 8, 1999 (3 months, 17 days) "Say Ahhh." Hua Mei gets regular checkups and medical attention. She weighs over 12 pounds and is frequently seen playing with Bai Yun.

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December 15, 1999 (3 months, 24 days) Hua Mei continues to grow and has been gaining over half a pound each week.

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December 29, 1999 (4 months, 8 days) Hua Mei has started walking and exploring the area right outside the birthing den. Bai Yun has begun carrying her to other areas of the panda exhibit. She weighs 16 pounds and is over 2 feet long.

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January 5, 2000 (4 months, 16 days) Hua Mei is getting so big, it's becoming a little hard to carry her to her checkups (compare this picture with September 4). She goes outside the birthing den all by herself.

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January 12, 2000 (4 months, 23 days) Hua Mei pretends to chew on bamboo like she's seen her mother do, but she's still to little for solid food.

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January 14, 2000 (4 months, 25 days) Hua Mei poses for a family photo with proud mama, Bai Yun (compare this picture with August 21). She went to the outdoor area of the panda exhibit for the first time today. She found her way there from the birthing den all by herself, looking for Bai Yun who was sleeping there.

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January 19, 2000 (almost 5 months) Hua Mei spends a lot of time outdoors exploring, napping, playing, and trying to climb the trees. But she still stays close to Bai Yun. She has grown 15 teeth, weighs 19 pounds and is 35 inches long.

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January 26, 2000 (5 months, 5 days) Hua Mei continues to enjoy the outdoors and follows Bai Yun around. During her checkup, the keepers gave her a burlap sack to play with. She weighs over 20 pounds.

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February 11, 2000 (5 months, 21 days) Hua Mei goes on exhibit, and visitors can see her in person instead of just on the Pandacam. She likes to climb on the logs and is so active that the veterinarians find it hard to examine her.

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