Wow, in the blink of an eye JJ is almost 7 months old! Seems like yesterday that we were wishing him a happy half Birthday.
His latest trip to the Doctors went well, he was a little hero getting his jabs, only cried very briefly and once again had no adverse reactions to the multitude of immune responses he must have been developing! He also continues to be (almost) off the charts growth wise. Bubba is in the 99th percentile for height, 84th for weight and his head is catching up to the rest him as its gone from ~ 50th to 81st percentile in the last 2 months! Maybe he's getting a big head from all the compliments? His legs have also grown like crazy as he still fits in the same onesies as he did at 3 months but he grew almost 6 cm in 2 months. Bubba seems to be a very fitting nickname for such a sturdy little guy!
JJ's sleep has also improved, we've gone quite some time now with him waking up only once or twice a night (and a few nights of him sleeping through). Oddly, E and I don't feel anymore rested despite less interrupted sleep. I think all 3 of us are getting what we can before Bubba starts teething...
With the last couple of days turning cooler we've got JJ back to long sleeve onesies, pants and even the odd sweater. He looks like such a little boy in cargoes and a hoodie, it makes me so proud of him and I love carrying him around in the front pack wherever we go. Even better, JJ loves being in the front pack, taking everything in, smiling at everyone and generally making random noises. His favourites are trees and brunettes! He is such a little flirt already. He even has a nice raising his eyebrow and little smile move already. At this rate I won't have to teach him anything about being charming!
I noticed something new about myself as a Dad this weekend. Normally I'm not one for dancing or singing in public. The random motions of a former metal-head combined with my awful voice do not make for a nice experience for anyone close enough to witness it (and I am fully aware of how bad it looks/sounds so tend not to give many people the chance to see it - except at our Wedding when E and I were air guitar/drumming for most of the evening).
However, now that JJ is around I find my willingness to move and even sign out loud (rather than just mouthing the words) has increased. I caught myself actually signing Happy Birthday this weekend (I was at a 1st Birthday Party so that wasn't weird) and we're always singing in the car now (usually Old MacDonald, The Wheels on the Bus or the Zac Brown Band). JJ loves dancing with E to Lady Gaga and I found he's quite happy to bop around with me in my limited way when the White Stripes are on the iPod. I can now see that I am starting my journey down the road to becoming "Embarrassing Dad".
By the time he is old enough to actually feel embarrassed I should be well versed in wearing the wrong clothes, singing aloud to songs I don't know the words to (E will tell you I do that already), getting all the characters in the new TV show/movie/book series/video game wrong and saying things that were only cool like 10 or 20 years ago.
Hopefully he won't mind too much and will still let me:
1) play with his sandbox (we got an awesome one courtesy of Grandma that has a big digger arm and stuff, actually I'll have to fight Grandpa for that one),
2) build a wooden train set (I'll make the coolest biggest track layout ever),
3) play catch in the backyard (I'll have to learn to use a glove as us Brits catch a ball like real men, with our bare hands and when it comes to football, E can show him how to throw a nice spiral)
4) and teach him how to hit a golf ball...
You know, all the essentials.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Happy 1/2 Birthday
JJ entered our world 6 months ago today. I can't believe how fast the time has gone and how much he has changed. That night and day are still very clear in my memory. The first few weeks that followed are a jumbled mess of over-tired recollections.
Right now I'm feeling like I could get the hang of this Fatherhood thing. I've come so far and I know JJ and I have an ever-growing bond. The smile I get when he sees me in the morning or when I get home is priceless. Making (and hearing) Bubba laugh is the single best thing in the World. I just have to raise my eyebrows and say "Boing Boing!" to get a big wide smile. E thinks JJ is so easily amused by me because I look funny (all face and no hair), maybe she is right. To think I didn't feel connected to our little boy at one stage...
Bubba decided to mark his half birthday slightly early by sleeping through the night for the first time on Monday. E and I were shocked, it was very odd to have not had to get out of bed. He had been gradually sleeping for longer stretches since we introduced solids but he managed 11 hours. 11 hours! The night before he did 8 hours and that was the most sleep E had had in one go since before he was born. Of course, last night he woke up twice and didn't really want to go back to sleep at 4:30 am. Maybe he's at the tail end of another growth spurt (the last time we got a few days in a row of solid sleeping was after his 3 month spurt) or maybe he is gradually getting better at sleep. He does go back to sleep on his own fairly well now. Normally he fusses until he rolls onto his side then nods off. It is actually very cute to see him go through the process.
We're also amused by the variety of positions he wakes up in. He's quite good at doing a 180 degree turn during the night but there really isn't much room to spare when he gets to 90 degrees! Occasionally he wakes up at a right angle to how we put him down and I'm sure it is because he has bumped his head on the crib...
As a little gift I got JJ the classic doorway Jolly Jumper. He has almost outgrown the one on a frame that we were given by a friend. It served him very well but we've only got a single link of chain left. JJ has figured out how to get good air now and use both legs at the same time, rather than riverdancing in it. We've also had to move his exersaucer up a notch. I'm sure we will find out that he is continuing his rapid growth next week when we visit the Doctors. It must all be in his legs though as the onesies that we bought at 3 months still fit!
E and I have made an amazing little guy. He is so happy, expressive, amusing and cute! He's developed and learned so much in his first 6 months. Feeding him is a real treat (especially when he doesn't grab the spoon all the time), and seeing him sit and play with his toys is fantastic. He'll even reach out to grab a dropped toy and be able to correct wobbles! I also love that he is fascinated by his feet and getting them into his mouth, something that I found out I can still do too!
JJ's first 6 months have flown by and were easily the most wonderful, challenging and exhausting months of my life. I have a feeling that the next 6 will be just as good if not better! (but slightly less exhausting I hope...mind you, he will start to crawl/walk so who knows)
Right now I'm feeling like I could get the hang of this Fatherhood thing. I've come so far and I know JJ and I have an ever-growing bond. The smile I get when he sees me in the morning or when I get home is priceless. Making (and hearing) Bubba laugh is the single best thing in the World. I just have to raise my eyebrows and say "Boing Boing!" to get a big wide smile. E thinks JJ is so easily amused by me because I look funny (all face and no hair), maybe she is right. To think I didn't feel connected to our little boy at one stage...
Bubba decided to mark his half birthday slightly early by sleeping through the night for the first time on Monday. E and I were shocked, it was very odd to have not had to get out of bed. He had been gradually sleeping for longer stretches since we introduced solids but he managed 11 hours. 11 hours! The night before he did 8 hours and that was the most sleep E had had in one go since before he was born. Of course, last night he woke up twice and didn't really want to go back to sleep at 4:30 am. Maybe he's at the tail end of another growth spurt (the last time we got a few days in a row of solid sleeping was after his 3 month spurt) or maybe he is gradually getting better at sleep. He does go back to sleep on his own fairly well now. Normally he fusses until he rolls onto his side then nods off. It is actually very cute to see him go through the process.
We're also amused by the variety of positions he wakes up in. He's quite good at doing a 180 degree turn during the night but there really isn't much room to spare when he gets to 90 degrees! Occasionally he wakes up at a right angle to how we put him down and I'm sure it is because he has bumped his head on the crib...
As a little gift I got JJ the classic doorway Jolly Jumper. He has almost outgrown the one on a frame that we were given by a friend. It served him very well but we've only got a single link of chain left. JJ has figured out how to get good air now and use both legs at the same time, rather than riverdancing in it. We've also had to move his exersaucer up a notch. I'm sure we will find out that he is continuing his rapid growth next week when we visit the Doctors. It must all be in his legs though as the onesies that we bought at 3 months still fit!
E and I have made an amazing little guy. He is so happy, expressive, amusing and cute! He's developed and learned so much in his first 6 months. Feeding him is a real treat (especially when he doesn't grab the spoon all the time), and seeing him sit and play with his toys is fantastic. He'll even reach out to grab a dropped toy and be able to correct wobbles! I also love that he is fascinated by his feet and getting them into his mouth, something that I found out I can still do too!
JJ's first 6 months have flown by and were easily the most wonderful, challenging and exhausting months of my life. I have a feeling that the next 6 will be just as good if not better! (but slightly less exhausting I hope...mind you, he will start to crawl/walk so who knows)
Friday, August 5, 2011
Almost 6 months!
Our "little" Bubba is nearly 6 months old. Today is 6 months after his due date and those days of just waiting for the call seem like a dim and distant memory. I can't believe how fast time has gone since he entered our world! I also can't believe how much he has changed and developed.
JJ's latest trick is sitting up on his own. One day he just started doing it. Now he can sit on all kinds of surfaces (the floor, the bed, our laps) and stay stable (he also has great posture). He can even reach around for toys or his feet and not face plant (too often anyways). I think he actually enjoys falling backwards onto the duvet.
His other recently acquired talent is not really wanting to go back to sleep after his feeds at night unless we just kiss him on the head, say night night, pop him in his crib and leave the room. He'll keep himself amused for a while then drop off back to sleep. Its weird but fantastic! If we try to sooth him to sleep or hold him he gets all fidgety... When you check on him he's either flat out on his back or curled up on his side looking really peaceful. To think he can now drop off to sleep on his own is incredible, considering the effort it took to get him to sleep a few months ago!
Solid food is also progressing well. JJ has now experienced rice cereal, chicken, pork, sweet potato, carrots, peas, green beans, peaches, plums and bananas. He hasn't refused any of these flavours but its fair to say he isn't a big fan of peas or green beans yet, maybe he just doesn't like green things... Some days he will really pack it back and I know E is not having to feed him herself as often. This decline in the frequency of breast feeding is also incredible as, once again, JJ used to be almost permanently attached to E! I do think E finds it weird that JJ now gets sustenance from other sources but she takes pride in preparing all of his food. We eat well so why shouldn't our Bubba?
So next week our little guy turns 1/2, maybe we'll get him half a cake or half a card?
JJ's latest trick is sitting up on his own. One day he just started doing it. Now he can sit on all kinds of surfaces (the floor, the bed, our laps) and stay stable (he also has great posture). He can even reach around for toys or his feet and not face plant (too often anyways). I think he actually enjoys falling backwards onto the duvet.
His other recently acquired talent is not really wanting to go back to sleep after his feeds at night unless we just kiss him on the head, say night night, pop him in his crib and leave the room. He'll keep himself amused for a while then drop off back to sleep. Its weird but fantastic! If we try to sooth him to sleep or hold him he gets all fidgety... When you check on him he's either flat out on his back or curled up on his side looking really peaceful. To think he can now drop off to sleep on his own is incredible, considering the effort it took to get him to sleep a few months ago!
Solid food is also progressing well. JJ has now experienced rice cereal, chicken, pork, sweet potato, carrots, peas, green beans, peaches, plums and bananas. He hasn't refused any of these flavours but its fair to say he isn't a big fan of peas or green beans yet, maybe he just doesn't like green things... Some days he will really pack it back and I know E is not having to feed him herself as often. This decline in the frequency of breast feeding is also incredible as, once again, JJ used to be almost permanently attached to E! I do think E finds it weird that JJ now gets sustenance from other sources but she takes pride in preparing all of his food. We eat well so why shouldn't our Bubba?
So next week our little guy turns 1/2, maybe we'll get him half a cake or half a card?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Solids!
Our little Bubba is now just over 5 months old! In that time he has managed to double his birth weight (we're guessing at that but he must be over 18 lbs by now).
He has also recently gone a week without a poop (and boy did he make up for it when he did finally go) and had another decent car ride (to sunny Markham). He still doesn't like being in the car for too long but we did find out how useful a tonneau cover is on a pickup truck for carrying out a diaper change and how nice the new picnic sites at the rebuilt Onroute service centres are (and thankfully they are every 45 mins apart). JJ also slept well in his playpen again (in fact better than in his comfy crib back home).
Bubba's sleep is improving, we're down to two wakings most nights and even one on some occasions. Of course we have a few three and four night wakings thrown in and have found no way to figure out what we'll get.
We've been taking strides to get JJ ready for meal times, letting him play with cups, sippy cups, spoons and having him sit with us at breakfast and dinner. He took to all of this like a natural, we can't put anything near our mouths without him taking notice and reaching for it. It's amazing to watch him grab a bottle or glass and try to drink from it! After watching JJ become more and more curious we had to let him have some "real" food a little earlier than planned. We just couldn't deny him any longer.
JJ now gets some lovely runny rice cereal and as of last night the delights of pureed chicken! Mmmmmm. Slightly off white unseasoned yummy-ness. At least he can now say "tastes like chicken" (well, he will be able to...) He certainly enjoys his new meal times and devours what we put in front of him (and on his face, under his chin, on the floor etc.). He also likes his little Baby Mum Mum crackers, mmmmm plain rice again! He's even holding his own spoon, although it gets dropped as soon as it is empty and he waits for the next mouth full to arrive.
We're very happy that he has taken to solids so easily and we are excited for introducing new foods and having JJ join us for lots of exciting meals!
He has also recently gone a week without a poop (and boy did he make up for it when he did finally go) and had another decent car ride (to sunny Markham). He still doesn't like being in the car for too long but we did find out how useful a tonneau cover is on a pickup truck for carrying out a diaper change and how nice the new picnic sites at the rebuilt Onroute service centres are (and thankfully they are every 45 mins apart). JJ also slept well in his playpen again (in fact better than in his comfy crib back home).
Bubba's sleep is improving, we're down to two wakings most nights and even one on some occasions. Of course we have a few three and four night wakings thrown in and have found no way to figure out what we'll get.
We've been taking strides to get JJ ready for meal times, letting him play with cups, sippy cups, spoons and having him sit with us at breakfast and dinner. He took to all of this like a natural, we can't put anything near our mouths without him taking notice and reaching for it. It's amazing to watch him grab a bottle or glass and try to drink from it! After watching JJ become more and more curious we had to let him have some "real" food a little earlier than planned. We just couldn't deny him any longer.
JJ now gets some lovely runny rice cereal and as of last night the delights of pureed chicken! Mmmmmm. Slightly off white unseasoned yummy-ness. At least he can now say "tastes like chicken" (well, he will be able to...) He certainly enjoys his new meal times and devours what we put in front of him (and on his face, under his chin, on the floor etc.). He also likes his little Baby Mum Mum crackers, mmmmm plain rice again! He's even holding his own spoon, although it gets dropped as soon as it is empty and he waits for the next mouth full to arrive.
We're very happy that he has taken to solids so easily and we are excited for introducing new foods and having JJ join us for lots of exciting meals!
Friday, June 24, 2011
D is for Daddy
My first father's Day was great!
Had a lovely day with E and JJ. JJ thoughtfully bought me a very nice Elmo Father's Day Card and appropriately, a new coffee maker (an essential kitchen gadget these days) and we had pancakes for breakfast! Got to Skype with JJ's Granny and Grandad, family from the UK and his Uncle and Aunt in Brussels. Shame the postal strike has swallowed up the package we sent to JJ's Grandad, I'm sure it will arrive in due time... As I type our MPs are still "discussing" the situation...
We also got to have some fun in the sun and pool with Grandma and Grandpa and E made the most amazing spare ribs (following Anna and Michael Olsen's dry rub recipe) - these went down very nicely indeed! I even got to dress little JJ in an outfit that almost exactly matched my own (and I had been planning that for weeks in advance, I even ironed my shirt the day before) and he had the courtesy not to poop through it :) Bubba (our new nickname for JJ) is so amazing and I am so proud to be his Dad. I'm also really proud of E and what an amazing job she is doing of caring for JJ. I couldn't wish for a better wife and mother for my son.
The last week or so I've been doing a lot of reflecting on everything that has happened in the past 12 months. It's now a year since we completed our move back to Kingston. The few months following the move were ridiculous and we don't really remember them fondly! But here we are with a cracking "little" baby boy (someone recently called him delicious, I like that), a lovely house and jobs to pay for it all! I am very relieved our leap of faith worked out, for a while it looked like we may have jumped a little too far... In the words of the Zac Brown Band "life is good today" (if a little sleep deprived).
Now we are anxiously awaiting news from Belgium regarding another move back to Kingston that will see JJ being able to spend much more time with his Uncle and Aunt. Fingers crossed!
Had a lovely day with E and JJ. JJ thoughtfully bought me a very nice Elmo Father's Day Card and appropriately, a new coffee maker (an essential kitchen gadget these days) and we had pancakes for breakfast! Got to Skype with JJ's Granny and Grandad, family from the UK and his Uncle and Aunt in Brussels. Shame the postal strike has swallowed up the package we sent to JJ's Grandad, I'm sure it will arrive in due time... As I type our MPs are still "discussing" the situation...
We also got to have some fun in the sun and pool with Grandma and Grandpa and E made the most amazing spare ribs (following Anna and Michael Olsen's dry rub recipe) - these went down very nicely indeed! I even got to dress little JJ in an outfit that almost exactly matched my own (and I had been planning that for weeks in advance, I even ironed my shirt the day before) and he had the courtesy not to poop through it :) Bubba (our new nickname for JJ) is so amazing and I am so proud to be his Dad. I'm also really proud of E and what an amazing job she is doing of caring for JJ. I couldn't wish for a better wife and mother for my son.
The last week or so I've been doing a lot of reflecting on everything that has happened in the past 12 months. It's now a year since we completed our move back to Kingston. The few months following the move were ridiculous and we don't really remember them fondly! But here we are with a cracking "little" baby boy (someone recently called him delicious, I like that), a lovely house and jobs to pay for it all! I am very relieved our leap of faith worked out, for a while it looked like we may have jumped a little too far... In the words of the Zac Brown Band "life is good today" (if a little sleep deprived).
Now we are anxiously awaiting news from Belgium regarding another move back to Kingston that will see JJ being able to spend much more time with his Uncle and Aunt. Fingers crossed!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Firsts
JJ is now just over 4 months old and continuing to thrive. He tips the scales at 17 lbs and is almost 70 cm tall (or as his Grandad puts it; almost 40% of the way to being 6' tall). He's had his latest shots and checkup. He is so strong and stable now. He is also continuing to change at such a fast rate!
We've been able to achieve several firsts in the last month or so:
It is almost exactly a year to the day when we found out little JJ was headed our way and we really were in such a different place. Life has changed so much, we have an entirely new focus, so much has happened. I really could not have been prepared for this but feel like I learn a little more every day about how to be a good Dad (and husband to a new Mum).
It is amazing to see JJ first thing in the morning, when I get home from work or even in the middle of the night and see his big wide smile, little kicks of excitement and usually some accompany noises and drool. The bond I was looking for in the early days (and having trouble with) is absolutely there and nothing (short of the bond I have with E) can match it! The last four months have passed by in a daze. I'm the next four and beyond will pass similarly quickly and he'll be walking and talking before I know it. I hope that I remember as much as possible about this stage in his life, how dependent he is on E and I and how amazing that is.
We've been able to achieve several firsts in the last month or so:
- First milk via a spoon (those of you that know E and I know how important food and dinner time is to us so we're getting JJ ready to start at an early age!)
- First time in the front pack and not the car seat (which he loves as he can see so much and interact with people)
- First experiences in the Exersaucer and Jolly Jumper (again, which he loves, although drool ends up everywhere)
- First visit to the playground (and accompanied slide and swing, I think E enjoyed that part more than JJ)
- First classic thumb sucking (you know, with only the thumb in his mouth and his fingers kind of curled up rather than him trying to shove as many fingers from both hands in his mouth)
- First giggles (although these are hard to earn, E and I must not be very funny)
- First long car ride (see last post)
- First dip in a swimming pool (I think he just thought it was a rather large, not so warm, bath with no bubbles)
It is almost exactly a year to the day when we found out little JJ was headed our way and we really were in such a different place. Life has changed so much, we have an entirely new focus, so much has happened. I really could not have been prepared for this but feel like I learn a little more every day about how to be a good Dad (and husband to a new Mum).
It is amazing to see JJ first thing in the morning, when I get home from work or even in the middle of the night and see his big wide smile, little kicks of excitement and usually some accompany noises and drool. The bond I was looking for in the early days (and having trouble with) is absolutely there and nothing (short of the bond I have with E) can match it! The last four months have passed by in a daze. I'm the next four and beyond will pass similarly quickly and he'll be walking and talking before I know it. I hope that I remember as much as possible about this stage in his life, how dependent he is on E and I and how amazing that is.
About 2 hours...
That is how long JJ is happy for in a car. Toronto is 2.5 hrs away. Yep, pretty much 30 mins of unhappy baby on our first long car ride. It could have been much worse and JJ was a resilient little guy, as soon as we were out of the car and at the hotel he perked up and began charming anyone within sight. he had a good hour or so of sleep at first and then distractions kept him occupied for the next 60 mins but nothing was working for that last half hour. To be fair, he was hungry and it was 8pm at night which is when he is usually nodding off in hid crib.
Once we were at the Hotel our anxiety lowered until we got the room next to two people who must have been hard of hearing (or they just like watching tennis with the volume all the way up and shouting at each other who they think is the best player, Federer or Nadal). We were armed with most of things we use to help get JJ to sleep (or stay asleep) but not a fan, our white noise maker of choice. Despite this, JJ slept pretty well (I can't sat the same for us) in his playpen (which is so much lower than his crib and a bit of a back breaker now he is packing the pounds on). At one point we figured there must be an App for this. There is. It is called White Noise Lite and it is excellent and free. The following night we all drifted off to the sounds of waves lapping on the shore courtesy of my iPhone (and there wasn't any tennis on).
The weekend went really well, we had a fantastic visit with JJ's Great Great Aunt and Uncle (yep, two Greats!) and the Wedding was beautiful. JJ once again charmed everyone he met, including the official photographer who seems to take a lot of pictures of him! The groom's sister had her little boy there too, 1 day younger than JJ and astoundingly a pound heavier! The following day we had a lovely morning walk to get coffee with JJ in his front pack rather than the stroller/car seat combo. He loved it, even the local crazy at Yonge and Bloor that wanted to know all about him didn't phase him. Next was brunch with another group of friends and Jack was on top form (after a very large bowel movement that forced a roadside diaper/outfit change as soon as we arrived at the restaurant). It was really good to see downtown Toronto again, catch up with friends and introduce them to our "little" baby boy. It was also fun to have an excuse to get dressed up a bit.
The trip home was just like the trip to Toronto. I am very thankful we live on the West side of Kingston and get home that bit sooner! At this point I can't fathom a longer trip. Plans to go out East for a holiday this Summer have been rethought and we'll stay close to home. JJ will obviously mature and get more used to travel but I can't even imagine taking him to the UK. It will happen and it will certainly be an adventure but for now we'll stick relatively close to home!
Once we were at the Hotel our anxiety lowered until we got the room next to two people who must have been hard of hearing (or they just like watching tennis with the volume all the way up and shouting at each other who they think is the best player, Federer or Nadal). We were armed with most of things we use to help get JJ to sleep (or stay asleep) but not a fan, our white noise maker of choice. Despite this, JJ slept pretty well (I can't sat the same for us) in his playpen (which is so much lower than his crib and a bit of a back breaker now he is packing the pounds on). At one point we figured there must be an App for this. There is. It is called White Noise Lite and it is excellent and free. The following night we all drifted off to the sounds of waves lapping on the shore courtesy of my iPhone (and there wasn't any tennis on).
The weekend went really well, we had a fantastic visit with JJ's Great Great Aunt and Uncle (yep, two Greats!) and the Wedding was beautiful. JJ once again charmed everyone he met, including the official photographer who seems to take a lot of pictures of him! The groom's sister had her little boy there too, 1 day younger than JJ and astoundingly a pound heavier! The following day we had a lovely morning walk to get coffee with JJ in his front pack rather than the stroller/car seat combo. He loved it, even the local crazy at Yonge and Bloor that wanted to know all about him didn't phase him. Next was brunch with another group of friends and Jack was on top form (after a very large bowel movement that forced a roadside diaper/outfit change as soon as we arrived at the restaurant). It was really good to see downtown Toronto again, catch up with friends and introduce them to our "little" baby boy. It was also fun to have an excuse to get dressed up a bit.
The trip home was just like the trip to Toronto. I am very thankful we live on the West side of Kingston and get home that bit sooner! At this point I can't fathom a longer trip. Plans to go out East for a holiday this Summer have been rethought and we'll stay close to home. JJ will obviously mature and get more used to travel but I can't even imagine taking him to the UK. It will happen and it will certainly be an adventure but for now we'll stick relatively close to home!
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