puff and huff

For 19 weeks now, Puff has made a great impact on our lives. This weekend saw a return to form that allowed me to take him out to a cafe in the morning while his Mum had a much needed sleep in. Because of the sunny weather, though, he had a chance to try out his sunglasses and the big stroller.

We see a lot more smiles these days, but also the occasional serious face (his old screensaver face from weeks gone by).

As much as we’ve been trying to improve the amount of time we spend with him, and time we spend reading, he remains fascinated by the television. Here we see him distracted from his sitting up activities to see what’s on the box.

The rolling over is becoming more and more complex. We have yet to catch him rolling from front to back, but a few times his Mum has found him lying face up after a sleep – proof that he knows how to do it, but is too shy to share the information.

This week was the first time he rolled over while waiting for his bath to start: this triggered a brief happy mood in an otherwise unhappy boy, and there was time to grab a quick photo of a smiling Puff.

This week was also the week where we’ve decided to try out the next size up of nappies: he’s moving from infant to crawler. As you can see, he hasn’t mastered the crawling yet, but he’s certainly trying it!

We’ve bought him a portable cot, but have yet to try sleeping – that will be something for this coming week.

Firsts for the week:
* rolling both ways (but secretly)
* trying to sing along to the CDs we play in the car
* new year (which he slept through, after being awake for an 11:30pm feed)

This week had a couple of major milestones: Puff’s first Christmas, and turning 4 months old.

Puff continues to sleep quite a bit: we’re getting better at reading his tired signs, and as a result, we see him in a good mood more often.

As part of his first Christmas, we had a Christmas eve party at a friend’s house. Here he is wearing his first paper hat from a Christmas cracker.

The playmat continues to be a favourite place for him to spend time. His neck control keeps getting better, and he’s just starting to threaten to roll from his front to his back (having already mastered the opposite, and incorporated it into his life).

As he continues to grow, and only just fits in the bassinet stroller any more, we decided to try setting up the bigger stroller: at the moment, he looks tiny in it, but it’s a bit sad as we think that one day he’ll even outgrow it!

First for the week:
* turning four months old, and getting his four-month immunisation
* christmas
* sleeping for a couple of hours at his grandparents’ house
* sitting in the big stroller
* meeting the T’s and the M’s
* visiting another side of the family for the first time

The biggest change in the last week has been learning to roll. Mum came in to see him in his cot, and was surprised to see that he was on his belly, not on his back. Later that night, when it was time for his bath, Dad saw him roll! It was at the same time exciting, and a bit sad. Our little dragon is growing up pretty fast.

It was only a couple of days later that he started to incorporate rolling into his crying: when he’s upset now, if he’s lying (or sitting) down, he’ll try and roll – it’s a bit of a wrestling match sometimes.

We managed to get a photo of the angle that he lies in his cot:

This has changed a bit more: with all the rolling at night, he was escaping from the blanket that was keeping him warm, and so was waking up when he was getting cold. To fix this, we’ve bought a “grow bag” – like a pillowcase with arm and neck holes that he can be zipped into: this means that no matter where he rolls, he still has a good body temperature.

With the grow bag, he’s also been sleeping more often, and for longer, even during the day, which has been great. We look for tired signs (yawning, hands shaking), and can then whisk him off to bed: he will now (generally) lie down in his cot, and be asleep in a few minutes, if we get the timing right.

When he’s playing, he is showing more interest in toys: he’s even getting better with his favourite book:

He’s also started to show more interest in his feet: not sure if he realises they’re his, though

We were also running quite late getting Christmas cards out this year, so Mum finally took the Christmas photo that we used in cards: here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the setup for the shot.

Firsts for the week:
* sleeping in the grow bag
* rolling from back to front
* deliberately playing with toys – and his feet
* mum’s work Christmas party
* cruising all around the cot

This week puff has moved from the bassinet into his cot. This has gone really smoothly, although we were a bit concerned to see him tilt his head back when he’s wrapped up. Kel has since learned from mothers’ group that this is normal, and a precursor to rolling.

With Christmas coming, the hat and shoes that his aunty Chan made him seemed like a good outfit choice, at least for a quick photo.

Puff is getting increasingly happy to spend time playing by himself – usually with his favourite toy (the butterfly). He makes some speech sounds to himself, and is getting more and more control with his arms – he can reach and take a toy that he’s decided to be interested in.

The hardest part at the moment is telling when the first signs of tiredness are, and getting him straight to bed when we notice them.

As he gets more interested in his environment (and for weeks now, he’s been looking around when carried, trying to take everything in), it’s possible to take photos of him where he’s not just staring at the camera: he’ll happily track other things, like his rattle.

Perhaps as a precursor to longer road-trips, we went from Grind in Cronulla to Stanwell Tops. Though not interested in the view, and not a fan of the wind, it was good to know that he could handle some slightly longer travel.

Firsts for the week

– first time sleeping in his cot

– first trip to Sunday School (which he slept through)

– first trip to Stanwell Tops (cried most of the way home)

– meeting Ben and Laura and Annalise (Eliana was asleep)

– meeting Alison

– mothers’ group Christmas party

– first birthday party (for Rachel and Cora)

– meeting Cathy

Another week, another blog post. Puff continues to be more and more interested in toys, and the talking is picking up and getting more and more intense – he’ll even lie down on his mat by himself and talk to himself for up to 15 minutes!

With playing with toys has come increased co-ordination: he can reach and grab toys, hold them up to his face, even hide behind them (though he doesn’t understand the game of peek-a-boo yet – not for lack of dad trying!)

He’s wearing a bib most of his waking hours, due to pretty constant drooling.

He spends time either in the bouncer (which is now angled up for a more upright sitting experience) or on the play mat, with its various activities. The batteries are now in the flower: when you tap it, it plays music: Puff has figured out how to trigger it, either with his hand, or with the rattle.

His favourite toy, though, is this butterfly:
it’s a combination rattle, toy to chew on, and has crinkly wings that keep his interest.

It’s also worth capturing another of his looks.

We took him to Parramatta Westfield this weekend, for a taste of Christmas shopping with a stroller: it’s painfully slow at times, and there are various trips to the parents’ room every couple of hours, but it’s do-able.

Firsts for the week
– First trip to Parramatta

– First trip out for lunch with the mothers’ group (Puff slept through, giving a bit of a false impression to the other mums)

– First lunch at the Lindt shop with mum’s work friends

– Watched his first Christmas tree be assembled

This week – the first blog post since Puff turned 3 months old – has been a bit quieter than other weeks. Mum and Dad are starting to get used to life with a baby, and then Puff changes the rules by altering a sleeping pattern, or by having an unhappy day.

I should mention one parenting moment from this week. Puff was unsettled, and we’ve been trying to get him to sleep while staying in bed. So I put my hand on his chest – our relative sizes mean that my hand pretty well covers all of his chest – and he stopped crying, and grabbed one of my fingers with his little hand, and then a different finger. If any moment could, by itself, make up for the inconveniences that go with looking after a baby, it was that moment. I don’t do it justice with my description, but I want to remember that moment.

Mum managed a trip into her old work, where Puff had the chance to try out a headset.

His interest in toys continues to grow (as long as he’s not too tired): he can pick up and hold toys that are placed obviously in his reach, though he still looks confused when he hits himself in the head with a toy.

If you’ve wondered what it looks like when Mum talks on the phone, then wonder no more: this was a call from Saturday lunchtime.

Mum almost missed the call, though, as Dad took Puff for a long walk in the stroller – not the most photogenic of events, but there was one image that captured it.

Puff is also getting more interested in books: it doesn’t hurt that he has books that are pretty well suited to his age range!

More interesting has been his first attempts to talk – these started (at least for a long sequence of attempts) at his grandparents house, and he has kept them going for a few days – even on the phone (to the grand-dragon). He will cheerfully sit, making sounds that are definitely not crying (though I wouldn’t even begin to try and spell the sounds… they’re more grunts than words at this stage)

Firsts for the week
– james and mel visited; shared his bedroom with a girl!

– visit from uncle Jonathan and aunty Sarah

– attempts to talk

– attempts at playing with a book by himself

– needing a bib on a regular basis… the drooling seems to have started in a big way.

Another week has gone by, and for the first time, we don’t have photos of the things we’ve been up to: perhaps we’re getting more used to having Puff around?

We’re starting to see him be too big for 000 clothes, and are slowly phasing in the 00 clothes. This is making us realise that he won’t be tiny for long, which is sad, but inevitable.

Puff’s screensaver face continues to be the worried look.

What was a mild interest in toys last week has become a little more of an interest: he can now play with toys for a minute or two without dropping them.

On his tummy, his neck is still getting stronger. If he isn’t too tired, he can hold his neck with a good deal of strength Mum has taken to the “flying baby” idea, where he is held flat, face down, and has the chance to keep his head up and look around. This is a regular way to see him smile.

We’ve also started reading to him from a little soft-toy book. After a few run-throughs, he seems to be happy to play with the book himself. A good sign of things to come?

Unfortunately, the sleeping through the night that he’s been teasing us with has faded: some nights he’ll have long sleeps, but other nights he’ll wake up on a regular basis… sometimes every few hours.

Firsts for this week:

– first trip to dad’s new office

– first dinner party at home

– first hong kong DVD

– first baby shower attended

– first time growing out of a 000 outfit

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Twelve weeks old meant another trip to the paediatrician: and a clean bill of health again. Lots more events this week.

Puff continues to work on his neck strength whenever he can, and he’s able to keep his head propped up pretty well (except when he’s tired). This leads to some awkward moments when people try and hold him: they’re not always expecting him to suddenly throw his head or body.

Most interesting this week has been Puff’s starting to take an interest in toys. While riding in the car, he’s managed to kick his toy duck a few times, with the resulting quacking making his parents smile. He’s also started to be interested in his toy rings, and his butterfly. If you sit him up when he’s playing, he tends to look at the toys very intently.

On Thursday Puff had another clinic appointment, where he was weighed and measured.

On Thursday night, we had a friend visit, so we went out for dinner: we tried to have Puff sleep in the stroller, but he needed to be walked around in the sling for a while to calm down.

Friday night was Puff’s first trip to a Sushi Train: He was quite interested in the train part, but is still a bit too young for sushi.

Sunday marked another trip to Grind in Cronulla, where we bumped into another friend, and Puff managed to pull some cute faces.

Firsts for the week:
– train ride into the city

– sushi train

– time interested in toys

– time kicking the duck in the car

– trip to Dad’s new work

– overnight visitor

– sleep over 8 hours (which make the nights where he doesn’t want to sleep even harder to bear)

This week marked the first time where I started to feel sad at how quickly Puff is growing up – it won’t be long now, I think, and he will no longer stay where we put him… any day now, and he’ll be grown up and moving out of the house.

But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself.

This week has seen Puff smiling more predictably.

In tummy time (where you let the baby try and move around on a mat), he’s started to work harder at holding his head up and trying to crawl.

We managed a trip all the way across town to Berowra for a great lunch with David and Nikki – it was even back into the ergo carrier for a walk around the streets.

Increasingly, when we have our night routine (bath, put all the bath things away, feed, bed), puff will sleep through for 6 or 7 hours. This has been a great relief for both mum and dad.

If you’re wanting to see Puff smile, one of the most likely places is the change table: there’s something about the routine that makes him break out in a grin (as long as he’s well enough rested).

Even though it says “3 months and up”, we’ve been trying out the playmat that kel’s workmates gave us. He’s still too young to like the toys too much, though he’ll track the movement as they bounce around.

He’s still wearing 000 clothes at the moment, but these fluffy pants are 00: there’s a certain amount of convenience to this pair of clothes that keep his feet warm.

And the firsts for the week:

* first trip to Berowra
* first visit to mother’s group
* first nappy that leaked out on dad
* first time making it all the way through bible study (though there was a lot of complaining)
* first week sleeping through the night more often than not
* first day spent with longer daytime sleeps

Another week has rolled by already, and has brought with it a couple of nights with long sleeps – last night, he even slept over 7 hours! Each night we wonder what he’ll get up to next, but we seemed to have figured out that a bath late at night will lead to a long sleep through until morning, which has been great.

The presents are still coming in. From his great grandmother, this dragon arrived: he still hasn’t quite figured out toys yet, but managed to find time to pose for a photo:

Another surprise gift was this, from Puff’s friend Leonidas:

We spent some time with product placement too this week: here’s puff with an iPhone:

and here he is with dad at the Genius Bar of the Apple retail store in Sydney.

We managed to fit in a couple of things to celebrate mum’s birthday, too – there was a lunch of Japanese food on Saturday, and on Friday a high tea at Leura, with puff resting in Dad’s lap (it was getting a bit hot in the carrier)

Firsts for this week:
* first seven plus hour sleep
* first trip to the blue mountains
* first high tea
* first trip to Sydney, visiting Mum’s workmates
* first trip to Happy Chef
* first trip to the Apple Retail Store, the Lindt Shop, and Haighs Chocolates
* first meeting with friends from Canberra
* met Great Aunty, and had dinner at her house (and interrupted some HSC studying)
* lasted all the way through bible study (mostly in the sling)