Mama
Max can say Mama and Dada now, and he seems to understand what they mean. He’ll crawl up to me going “dadadadadadadada” and then crawl back to George saying “mamamamamamama.”
Max and Emily
A few weeks ago we finally got to hang out with our friends Junko and Jason and their baby girl, Emily. It was the first time we’d seen them since Emily was born and we had been wanting to get together for a while. The reason it took almost 3 months to see each other was because Max got sick, then I got sick, then we were off to Hong Kong so the timing really sucked. We didn’t want to expose our germs to the baby either, but we finally saw each other for a lovely lunch. Max was fascinated by Emily – wanting to touch her and kept smiling at her. Max also kept smiling a lot at Junko. It was pretty adorable. Here are some photos of the outing:
Max’s First Meal
I’ve been anxious to give Max something other than milk or formula for a while now, but George and our doctor wanted to wait until he was 6 months old. I did sneak a grain of rice and later a tiny piece of bread into his mouth, but for the most part they got their way. Lately Max has been very curious about our food and drink, so last night George finally relented – time for rice cereal!
George made the cereal very runny, the idea being that his little stomach couldn’t handle too much at first. I tried a bit on my finger and thought it tasted awfully sweet. “That’s made with breast milk you know,” George informed me. Ah.
Anyway, what did Max think? At first he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with food entering his mouth via something other than a nipple. Mostly it dribbled out while he tried his usual sucking motion. Still, some made its way to the back of his mouth and he got a little taste.
He loved it! It was like a light went on in his head and he suddenly realized what this strange substance in the bowl was for. He was very excited and immediately wanted more.
Unsatisfied with the speed of our spooning, he took matters into his own hands. He grabbed the bowl, gnawing at the edge.
It took a bit of convincing, but he stopped sucking on the bowl long enough to try the spoon again. Of course, he maintained a firm grip on the bowl just in case.
This kid clearly likes rice cereal.
I’d say he got about 20% into his mouth, and the rest was on his clothes, hands, high chair, and on the floor. Still, a promising start!
The full gallery is here.
4 Month Check-up
Max is already just over 4.5 months! Where does the time go? He had his check-up the week I returned back to work. Our doctor said he was doing really well and that we were lucky he was sleeping through the night. Since then, he hasn’t been sleeping as solidly as before. He’s waking up once around midnight to have a little snack. Probably a growth spurt and probably because it’s been so damn hot that he’s uncomfortable.
His stats: height 26″ (90th percentile), weight 15 lbs. 6 oz. (75th percentile), and the circumference of his head – average (I don’t remember the exact number). He did really well again with his shots. He was a little shocked when the needles went in and he let out a loud scream, but as soon as Brad picked him up, he was fine. He’s such a good baby. We are very lucky.
He’s been grabbing his feet a lot and pulling them to his mouth; his legs are not quite long enough for his toes to fit in his mouth, but we know he’ll soon be chomping on them – just like everything else. He doesn’t have teeth yet but there sure is a lot of drool and gnawing on things – especially Brad’s fingers. He’s also been babbling a lot more, and although he has no words yet, he’ll have a “conversation” with you. It’s so cute and adorable.
He spends his days at home with his nanny, Jenny. She likes to dance with him, read to him (in English and Spanish), and lets him explore lots of different toys. Everyday I get a new story of what they did. They are getting along very well with each other. Max smiles when he sees her, and Jenny gives him lots of hugs when she sees him. I’m glad that he’s social and gets along with anyone, but I am fearful that he might be confused about who his mother is. Then he lays his head in the crook of my neck, smiles when he hears my voice, and looks at me, and I’m reminded he knows I’m his mummy.
Whew!
I managed it! My first day back at work after 4 months of maternity leave. The best part about today? Coming home to this:
As soon as he saw me, he gave me a huge smile. It was amazing. I love this baby!
Laughing!
Last weekend I was driving home from Oregon in our new family car, and Max was at home with George. She was blowing on his feet, and out of nowhere he started laughing! I wish I was there to see it, but at least she caught it on video. I’m still waiting to see it in person.
Oh, and here’s our new car!
My 4 best friends
People told me while I was pregnant that getting a baby to nap is one of the hardest things to do. Some days Max will fall asleep after eating in my arms and I can lay him down in his bassinet and he’ll nap very well. Other days, he’ll show signs of sleepiness – rubbing his eyes, yawning and fussing a bit, but he’ll just fight it and get cranky until I bring out the big guns. Introducing my 4 best friends: Mr. Car, Mr. Vacuum, Mr. Stroller, and Mr. Swing. (They’re all Mr. since Max is a boy!).
The car is the easiest, but not so eco-friendly. Getting him in the stroller and walking around the neighborhood is also easy. But on days when it’s just too hot to go out in the afternoon, I have to put him in the swing to help him fall asleep. Most of the time he will, but then there are times that he’s just too exhausted and that’s when I have to bring out the vacuum cleaner. Well – up until a few days ago when I realized I might wear out my Dyson! I downloaded this MP3 and although it doesn’t sound much like a vacuum, it seems to do the trick. I have to crank it up pretty loud before he’s calm and he sleeps very well with it in the background. I gradually turn it down every few minutes until it’s just a soft hum otherwise I’d go nuts.
Hopefully he’ll grow out of the phase soon and just fall asleep in his crib, but I’ll do anything right now to get him to nap. He’s 3.5 months now and weighs about 15 pounds – double his birth weight! Here are a few recent photos from my phone:
Cute Baby
Just wanted to upload a few very cute pictures of Max.
He doesn’t have any teeth yet, but it’s a really adorable outfit from Kimberly.
Max and I go for walks almost every day and each time I put him in the stroller he gives me this look. The worried look doesn’t last long – he’s usually passed out within minutes of going outside. It’s amazing he can sleep through all the traffic noises and bumps on the side walk.
Max will be 11 weeks on Sunday! I can’t believe how fast time flies. I’m enjoying every single moment I have with him since I’ll be back at work at the end of August. I’ve started my search for a nanny – someone who can come to our home and look after him 5 days a week. If anyone has any leads, please let me know.
2 Month Check-up
Max had his 2 month check-up last week. His stats: height 24″ (90th percentile), weight 12 lbs. 11 oz. (75th percentile), and the circumference of his head 15″ (average).
He had his 2nd round of shots (first round was at UCLA when he was born) and I cried more than he did. Apart from an upset tummy in the afternoon, he coped really well.
It’s amazing to think only 2 months ago I could carry him with one arm! He’s becoming more interactive and smiling and cooing more everyday. He’s discovering his hands and realizing they belong to him.
I installed the wordpress app on my phone, so I’m hoping to post more updates and photos soon.
