Monthly Archives: May 2009

Missed It

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Now that Ewan is getting a bit older and a bit more organized he is able to spend (and enjoy) a little more time on his own, exploring his body and playing around. As a result I get to set him down while I do any number of things on my own. Going to the bathroom alone is nice. It was always challenging to go one-handed and always a bit awkward to go with him while he was in the sling or carrier. So it is a refreshing change of pace to be able to set him down during the majority of my bathroom runs these days.

Another big bonus is being able to make lunch on my own with him playing nearby. It isn’t like I entirely abandon him, I just set him down nearby on the floor and talk and chat at him while he plays around. It’s nice to have two hands even if I am just reheating some pasta.

Anyways, yesterday he was lying around and kicking away while I made my spaghetti for lunch. Once it was finished and ready to eat, I went and had a seat next to him. I flipped him over to his stomach for some tummy time and started to eat. I was talking and playing with him in between bites of pasta. It was fun.

Then, I looked away for a moment to gather another bite and when I looked up my little babe wasn’t on his tummy anymore. He was on his back.

Now, I might have doubted that I had ever put him on his tummy to begin with (especially in my sleep deprived state that day . . . it was a marathon nursing night the night before) except his expression gave it away. It was the first time that he had rolled over and he was as shocked as I was. Shock was quickly replaced by fear and he started to cry.

I scooped him up and told him how cool he was. Then, once he was settled I put him back on his tummy, hoping that I’d get a repeat performance. And, just like with the smiles, there wasn’t a chance that he was going to show me his tricks on cue. He definitely does things when and how he wants to.

But, luckily, later that night he did show Aaron his new trick. It was good to know that it wasn’t a fluke and that our boy can definitely roll from tummy to back now. Way to go Ewan!

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Chasing the Smiles

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The smiles are coming more and more frequently now, but they are still definitely secret. We try, almost every day to capture them, but can’t get a good picture. They are either out of focus, a little too late, poorly lit, or poorly set-up. Anyways, thought you should see some of the outtakes to realize that we are trying. Someday we will have a good smiley baby photo for you. I promise!

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A Whole New Meaning

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Years ago I got this t-shirt. It’s simple, it just says “Bed and Breakfast” with a picture of a sleeping bag and a campfire. I got it back when we were doing a lot of camping and backpacking and it has always brought a smile to my face.

It wasn’t until I was wearing the t-shirt and feeding my son that I realized it has a whole new meaning. I am the bed and breakfast now.

There’s a picture after the jump. Please don’t click if you don’t want to see a picture of me feeding my son.

Continue reading →

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Tummy Time

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Whenever we can, we like to give Ewan tummy time. Sometimes this is once a day, sometimes it is more. For the most part he enjoys it, although towards the end he always gets a bit frustrated (it is quite hard work for him) and needs to be rescued.

In the past two months he has gotten so much stronger. Before he could maybe turn his head once during a tummy time session and it almost seemed as though it happened by accident. Now he can lift his head and move it from side-to-side countless times.

Anyways, why don’t you have a look for yourself.

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Another Check-up

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Last time we went to the doctor I was a bit frustrated by her wanting to fit Ewan into a box. She was very focused on what the “average” was and a little worried that Ewan was below it. Now, if you think about this clearly, if it is an average, surely there has to be some babies above it and below it. They aren’t all going to go right along that middle line.

Well, it turns out that after more than a month working her new job, the doctor has come to realize this as well. Despite the fact that Ewan is gaining at almost exactly the same rate as he was last time, about 22 grams per day, she wasn’t the least bit concerned. He is genki (Japanese for energetic), he is developing well, so there was no reason to be concerned.

Anyways, let’s do a little comparing again.

At birth Ewan weighed 2,960 grams, last month he was 3,370 grams, now he is 4,240 grams.

At birth Ewan was 47 cm tall, last month he was 52.3 cm tall, now he is 57.7 cm tall.

At birth Ewan’s head was 32.5 cm, last month it was 36.5 cm, now it is 39.0 cm.

At birth Ewan’s chest was 32 cm, last month it was 34 cm, now it is 38.8 cm.

With weight gain, he is still on the low end of normal (according to the World Health Organization). He is gaining about 22 grams per day, for a total of about 154 grams per week. Average is 155 to 241 grams per week.

In terms of height, he is still growing a lot faster than normal. The average growth is about 2.5 cm per month, whereas Ewan grew more than 5 cm two months in a row. He is now 10 cm taller than he was when he was born. Wonder if this rate will continue??

The head growth is usually about 1.27 cm per month in the first six months, Ewan’s head increased by 2 cm this month. Pretty good and normal.

All in all we are pleased. Despite our early struggles, we seem to be right on track. The doctor thought that he is already in line with most babies born at the same time as him, which is great!

One of my co-workers daughters had the same due date as me. I delivered a month early, she delivered within 2 days of her due date, and now both of our babies are almost the exact same size. I suspect that our super-huge foreigner baby will quickly surpass her petite Japanese babe, but only time will tell.

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