Trip Report and Updates!

As the title suggests, the biggest thing that has happened lately was our wonderful 12-day trip to Canada. We all had a terrific time on this trip!

Daddy and Baby at the ceremony!

Our first stop was Halifax, Nova Scotia, to attend Billy's cousin Laura's wedding. We had a great time at the wedding, got to see a lot of family, and also stayed with our good friends Marc and Colleen, who we hadn't seen in several years. It was great to spend time with them. We also drove up to Antigonish, where Billy's grandparents used to live (they are both now deceased). Some family was there and we took Theodore down to the beach, though we didn't swim. Overall it was a great few days.

Cute faces at Grammy Eileen's house

After Halifax we flew to Ottawa, where we visited with more family and friends, and stayed with Billy's mom. Unfortunately it was during the week so it wasn't as easy to see everyone, but we did end up seeing a lot of people! It also rained while we were here - which Teddy found fascinating! He didn't remember rain, as it only rains in the winter in our part of California, and he was so little then, of course.

Three cousins on the couch!

Then to finish the trip, we flew to Toronto, where we stayed with my parents in Brampton. We got to spend time with my sisters, my grandmother who now lives in Brampton, and also drove to Waterloo to see Billy's brother Michael. In particular, Theodore really enjoyed spending time with his cousins Austin and Alex. He was fascinated by them and loved playing with them at their house one day.

Teddy was wonderful on all the flights. He took good naps and was generally able to be entertained, and almost barely cried - and that's over five flights! He also did quite well with adjusting to the different time zones. What he had some trouble with was stranger anxiety - the poor boy got a bit overwhelmed by all the new people at times. He cried and cried at the ceremony and wasn't that much happier at the reception, though it would come and go. He seemed to need a bit of time to warm up to people, and also preferred to meet people on his own terms, rather than be held and have people come up to him and be in his face. This was a problem on and off during the whole trip, but overall he was pretty happy with all the new things he saw and did. He especially enjoyed seeing relatives he remembered, like Grandma Carole and Granddad Bill, and Auntie Debbie. He also continues to teethe, having a hard time with the two up top he's cutting right now in particular, but thankfully this mostly only bothered him at night - though he had his fingers in his mouth for most of the photos!

He had his eleven-month birthday while he was away, and we're rapidly approaching the one year mark! We will be having a small party at home to celebrate.

Not too many new milestones to mark. We did leave him with my parents for an evening, the first time anyone else but us tried to put him to bed. It went pretty well for a first attempt! Billy and I were lucky enough to get tickets to see Paul McCartney in Toronto, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. Teddy is getting stronger every day, though he is still not yet crawling or walking. He is very content to sit and play and does not seem motivated to move around! We are working hard on providing opportunities to strengthen his upper body and crawl, and he will move in circles, so it's a start. He's also very interested in standing, and loves to climb on me. He also likes a new game of sitting on the bed and flopping himself backwards on the pillows, then pulling himself back to sitting, over and over again. So he's getting there, just a little bit behind.

He is now firmly in love with books, especially ones where he can touch different textures. He loves to turn the pages himself. He is definitely starting to understand a lot of what we say; at night Billy reads him Goodnight Moon and when he gets to the page saying "goodnight kittens" Teddy stops and pats the page! He also will clap on cue. He loves to clap and loves to be praised for his abilities. His fine motor skills are excellent and so it's all a matter of different development in different areas, it seems.

I guess that's enough for now! As always, here are a few photos (most of which were already on Facebook, apologies) and a video.

Photos:


Hanging out in his baby pool this week:

July Happenings

Just wanted to post an update before we leave on our Great Canadian Tour. We leave on Thursday for a wedding in Halifax, then on to Ottawa and Brampton to visit our families. We're really looking forward to it, and I'm sure I'll have lots of stories and photos to post when we get back!

July has been a fun month so far. We had a great visit with Grandma Carole and Granddad Bill. Billy and I got some extra sleep and Teddy really enjoyed spending time with them. As he sees them more he gets much less shy and he loved the extra attention!

Sitting with Grandma Carole!

Teddy has been developing really quickly over the last few weeks. He finally learned how to roll from his back to his belly - previously he'd get to his side and then give up when his arm was in the way! He also started holding a toy in each hand and banging them together to produce new and exciting noises (see the end of the post for a video of this!) He can also place small toys into a modified yogurt container with a hole in the lid.

One of the most fun developments had to do with animals. We go often to the Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose. Last week when we went, Teddy was suddenly very interested in all the animals! He laughed and laughed at them all (even when it was just a lemur taking a bath), and had a wonderful time. It was great to see his excitement, and now leaves us another, easy outing - going to the pet store and giggling at the birds and hamsters, like we did yesterday. :)

He's also becoming much more social. I have a membership at the Y and leave him with the Childwatch while I go work out. He used to either sleep or need to be held the whole time. He still cries when I leave and cries to be picked up when I come back, but the last two visits he has sat and played with toys, the other children, or staff members! I'd been hoping that he would get positive benefits from the Y, and it seems like it is starting to happen.

Our happy boy!

He's still teething, working on one on each side up top, and it's definitely not going so well for him - poor guy. We suffered through almost two weeks of tummy upset that was possibly related. But he's cheerful most of the day and generally a very happy baby. We hope this continues during our travels!

As always, here's a video and photos! Next update will be after we come home!

10 Months Old!

Happy 10 months, Teddy! Time sure is flying!

We've been very busy since I last updated. We had a visit from Teddy's Auntie Diana who lives in London, a short visit from our friends Steve and Krista who are driving around the US in a van!, we puppy-sat for my cousin's dog, and had a visit from our good friend Nigel and his boyfriend Stephane. And now Grandma Carole and Granddad Bill are here! We've gone to the zoo, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and more.

Auntie Diana and TJ!

Teddy has really enjoyed all the visits. He is a very happy baby who loves going places and seeing people. He has several new teeth in up top, and has learned how to clap! He's not crawling but loves to stand as much as he can - so maybe he'll just skip that milestone. He moves all over the place at night in his crib, but just in circles!

Best of all is the news that his iron levels have come up to normal and he is no longer considered anemic. We will continue to supplement him with iron drops, just once a day, but we're thrilled that his levels came up so quickly.

We head to Canada on the 29th, visiting Halifax, Ottawa, and Toronto. Should be a great trip! Hopefully I will update again before we go, but if not, have a great July and August! And here are the obligatory photos and video:

At his first concert! Listening to the Bangles:


Photos!

Nine Months!

Well, nine months and one week old as of today! Theodore is growing up fast.

He had his nine month checkup last week, and weighs 16lbs 10.5 oz. This still has him in the 3rd percentile, but he's gaining steadily and proportional in height and weight, so everyone's happy with that. We did find out he is somewhat anemic, so we have been giving iron supplements. This was something we'd been aware was possible due to the fact he was early and low birthweight, so not a huge surprise and we are working with the doctor to monitor it. Otherwise he is very well, with new teeth pushing all the time and endless enthusiasm and interest in the world around him. No crawling yet, but he'll get there soon!

We've had a fun few weeks since I last updated. Billy and I celebrated our eight year wedding anniversary, and I had my 32nd birthday (I'll be celebrating that with Billy later this month). On birthdays, Teddy has a second cousin, Carson, who lives in California and he turned one at the end of May. We went to his birthday party, which was great fun!

Mom and Teddy at the party

We've also had lots of day visitors, like my friend Lindsay from undergrad and her family. Teddy enjoyed playing with her two lovely girls!

Teddy and Tasha

Other than that, we have been enjoying the warm weather (and our new patio furniture!) and just doing our daily routines. We have lots of guests coming to visit shortly: Auntie Diana comes from the 24th to 30th, Nigel will be here July 1st to 5th, and Grandma Carole and Granddad Bill will be here the 6th to 11th! So we will be happy and busy around here.

As always, a video and pictures!

At lunch in Mountain View on the 30th:


Photos:

May updates

Hard to believe it's almost the end of May - time goes fast! Things are well here in California. We had a great visit with Auntie Debbie at the end of April/beginning of May, going touristing in San Francisco, to the zoo, and lots of other little trips in between.

In San Francisco with Auntie Debbie

Teddy has been to four swimming lessons since the beginning of May (unfortunately we had to miss two while I was sick for week). He's really enjoyed himself. The lessons are in an outdoor pool that's heated and only 3 feet deep, so it's a nice calm environment and he likes being in the water. He kicks instinctively when put on his stomach, which is great! We have two more lessons next week before the session wraps up.

He has two bottom teeth fully in now, and one in the front up top is very close to pushing through. He is still sitting well, and is showing an interest in learning to crawl. He likes going on outings, and even went to his first baseball game last week - the minor league team in San Jose.

As always, here's a video and some photos! We got a nice new lens for our DSLR camera, so there's quite a few close-up baby faces this month!

Swing Time:

April Events

April has been a very busy month so far! First we had a visit with our friends Anton and Catherine, who live in Seattle, and then we had a visit from Grammy Eileen and Auntie Catherine. Theodore really enjoyed the company and new faces! Next up is a visit from Auntie Debbie later this week.

Since the last update, Theodore has gotten his second tooth, and started sitting fully unassisted! He loves to sit and play with his toys and look at the world from this new angle. We sit with him or put a pillow by him, but he's very strong and can sit for a long period of time. It's an exciting development!

Sitting pretty!

We've also joined the Y, and I have left Theodore with their child care a few times while I go to the gym. So far he has done great with the ladies there, and they all love him. He's had few caretakers besides us, so it's good for him to get this experience and also play with other babies. Starting in May we will also be taking parent-tot swim classes for a month at the Y. I'm really looking forward to that!

As always, here are some videos and photos!

Sitting:


Jumperoo:


Photos!

Vacations and Updates!

Happy April!  The end of March went by so fast.  Theodore really enjoyed his visit with his Grandma Carole and Granddad Bill.  And he especially liked the trip to Maui we all took!  We were there for five nights and did a big activity every day, along with some relaxing and swimming.  Theodore's highlights were the aquarium (he was fascinated by the fish) and the scenery at some beautiful sights.

Family photo at Iao Valley State Park

The ocean was too rough to take him in (and a bit cold), but he did get splashed once, and we took him in the pool twice, which he (moderately) enjoyed! 

First time in the pool!

He was wonderful on both flights, including taking a long nap after takeoff each time, and adjusted to the three hour time change fairly well.  Since returning he's been sleeping much more fitfully, with multiple wakings and being hard to get down in bed.  However, there's probably a cause - he has a tooth!  One has poked through on the bottom - and boy, if you put your finger in there, it's sharp!  It feels like he's working on another one, so it's possible that's causing some of his current issues (he also seems to be hungry all the time, so may be growth spurting). Thankfully the teeth didn't bother him too much in Maui, even though it had already started!

Other new things are that he continues to eat his way through a variety of solids; he's now also had sweet potato (which he loved), peas, and butternut squash.  He also really likes drinking water from his sippy cup.  I've been enjoying making his food and so far he seems to enjoy eating it!  Today I gave him squash and avocado, and when I put him in his chair the second time he opened his mouth up wide right away.

Also, while Grandma and Granddad were visiting, we took Teddy on his first amusement park ride!  We went to a lovely zoo and park in San Jose where we rode the carousel twice, sitting on one of the bench seats.  Next up, Disneyland!  ;)

First carousel ride!

April is shaping up to be a busy month - we're having visits from our friends Anton and Catherine who live in Seattle, from Grandma Eileen, and from Auntie Debbie!  So if there are no updates until May, you'll know why, but I will try to update in a few weeks if I can.  As always, let's close with some photos and videos!

Laughing, March 20th (sorry for the sideways video):


Captivated by the fish at the aquarium:


Hanging out on the beach in Maui:


And photos, of course!