Kaio's first Christmas

Kaio received SOOOOO many gifts. Aunt Carrie was so generous and bought the cutest outifts and toys. We also got several reading books (including one in portuguese). And because the dollar is so weak, we have been shopping a lot! The prices and quality are great, so we bought cloths for the next year!

Jason and I got a nice 1 hr massage each from Grandma, Grandpa and aunt Donna (Grandma's sister). Which was great to start our holidays in Colorado! We also received tickets to go to a local zoo for their Christmas lights show. It was great! Grandma, Grandpa and Carrie baby sat Kaio and Jason and I had a proper date - we went to the zoo and then had a nice meal at a local restaurant! Grandma has also been taking care of Kaio while Jason and I go shopping!

We have been up to Denver twice. We were unable to go to Denver on Christmas day (we had planned to go and have lunch at Aunt Lou Anne's) but it snowed and the roads were not good to drive (yes, we had a beautiful white Christmas!). We went up to Denver to meet more family on the 26th. On our way up we stopped at the outlets and Kaio behaved really well! We also went up to Denver to meet up with some of our friends at a Mexican restaurant and Kaio was, again, a perfect little baby. The only time he started crying a bit, our friend Carrie held him and was able to sooth him instantly (she is a neonatal nurse!)

Kaio has discovered his hands. He touches everything and grabs things (sometimes he takes his dummy out of his mouth and then starts crying!) He also likes to play with both hands and tries to put his entire hand into his mouth. We have been using bibs daily (not only for feeds) since he is drooling so much. He seems to be growing by the day!

We arrived!

We made it to Colorado! It was an "interesting" trip, but overall very good! It was a day flight so it was nice that our fellow travellers sleep was not that much disturbed by the few cry spells Kaio had. He took several naps (in the crib provided by the airplane as well as in mommy's arms). Both Mommy and Daddy were also able to take naps and eat. Once we got to Chicago we had only 45min to catch the next flight and there are no sign of Kaio's pram. We contacted several people and someone guaranteed they would bring the pram to the gate of our next flight.... well, they didn't! (and at the end our flight was delayed 2 hrs, but we were not able to go back once we went through immigration) It took several phone calls to finally get the pram delivered 3 days later. Luckily they did not misplace the car seat, otherwise we would have a problem to get Kaio from the airport home! Kaio slept the entire flight from Chicago to Denver. He had no problems with pressure on his ears with take off or landing and he was not that interested in the tv on the plane (which I was hoping would keep him entertained!) When we arrived in Denver (around 10pm) He was a bit sleepy but he was so happy to meet grandma and grandpa! On the way home from Denver to Colorado Springs he was really hungry and we had to stop at a gas station to feed him, but he behaved really well on all car trips. Kaio has been a sweetheart and just melting everyone's heart with his 'oohs and aahs', smiles, giggles, etc. Grandma is getting on the floor to get smiles from him everyday and it is cute to see how he is recognizing them! He has been 'talking' a lot! One of the best christmas gifts he got was a similar bouncy chair he has back in London. (the first day I held him a lot and my arms were feeling it!)

Ready to go!?

Tomorrow we are heading out the Colorado. We are packing today and getting everything ready. We are flying out tomorrow at 11am. We are flying business class and are very excited in having some extra leg (aka baby) space.
We went to weigh Kaio today (he was 12 weeks yesterday) and he weighed in at 5.9kg (=12.8lbs). The midwife said he is doing well and right on track for his 'age'.
We are taking 5 passports to travel (that's 1.7 passports per person!)! We don't need his brazilian passport to travel to the US.
Below are some pics of our little one:
1) Trying out a new hair style! He likes it but mommy is not so sure about it!
2) After a 'meal', sitting up right... looking around and burping... he loves it!
3) After a walk with Vinny, in his bear costume.
4) His new hat that keeps his ears warm! His expression says everything - 'Mommy I look silly'
5) Pretty frog... (he is getting a massage and he likes to stare around. My mom gave this beautiful towel!)

Filling the days!

Several people, specially non parents, ask me how I fill my days. Well, when I stop to think about it... how do I fill my days? And how does the day just go by and suddenly I am sitting to have dinner with Jason? Here is a rough 'routine' that we have been following:
- 7ish: Kaio wakes up and Jason gets him. He changes his nappy, puts on his 'day' cloths (warmer then the night cloths) and takes him downstairs to 'play'.
- 7:30 - 8ish - I snooze in bed for another 30min - 1 hr after Kaio wakes up. (this depends upon how hungry Kaio is, how early Jason needs to go to work or how badly I need a shower!)
- 8ish Kaio and I 'eat' our breakfast. I sip on a delicious chai latte Jason makes for me every morning and Kaio has his 'regular' breakfast.
- Between 8:30 and 10 Kaio takes his first nap of the day. If the weather is nice, we go for a 1 hr walk in nearby parks with Vinny. (Kaio goes in the Baby Bjorn). If the weather is not nice, he takes a nap in his playpen.
- 10:30ish - Kaio has his brunch
- 11 - 1230ish we 'play'. He loves to talk to me and responds well when I read my book out loud to him. (he also smiles and giggles)
- 12:30 - 1 pm - second nap. Mostly in his bouncy chair or playpen. If I need to go to the store or run any other errands, he takes a nap in his pram while we are out.
- 1:30pm - Kaio gets his lunch
- 2pm - Kaio is swaddled and I put him in his room for his longest nap of the day.
- 4 pm - most of the times I need to wake him up at 4 since he is in such a deep sleep. We 'play' for a while (sometimes he wakes up in a bad mood and then I need to settle him a bit before he feeds)
- 4:30pm - Kaio get's his afternoon snack
- 5 - 5:45pm - we ;play' or we start preparing dinner or cleaning the house a bit. I hold Kaio in one hand and have my right hand free to do things. He loves to go into the different rooms and look around. He is very curious and sometimes gets bored just sitting in his bouncy chair or laying in his playpen.
- 5:45 - 6:15pm - he takes a nap, just to take of the edge... this is when I start getting everything ready for his bath
-6:30pm - we start his massage, which is followed by a bath. Recently, I started to read for him before his massage. At the moment he doesn't understand anything, but with time I want to make it a habit of having a 'reading moment'
- 7pm - I take him to his room for dinner
This is when my day with Kaio finishes. Jason gives him a bottle at 10:30pm.

1 week to go!

In one week we will be heading to the airport by now! We are excited to go and spend Christmas in Colorado and excited that Kaio will meet his other grandparents and other Hall family members.
It will be an interesting trip. I am sure our little one will do great on the plane, but just to be safe I got some Calpol night. Which is a mild analgesic and makes the baby drowsy. (I had used the normal version for when he had his shots.) One of my friends also said not to stress too much since babies are babies.. they cry. Everyone on that plane was a baby one day and cried.... so, if they give the evil look.. I will give the same one back! I am also interested to see how he will adjust to teh time difference. Between London and Colorado there is a 7hrs difference. Hopefully he will continue sleeping through the night (he is sleeping 6 - 7 hrs in a row!)
The girls night out was a lot of fun! We did try not to talk about the babies. But, no matter the subject we started talking about, we always ended up relating it, in some way, to our little once! It seems Kaio is one of the most smiley baby of all. While the majority of the babies smile 3 - 4 times a day, Kaio seems to be always smiling when we talk to him. And since the majority fo the babies of the group are girls, Kaio is also one of the biggest babies! I was one of the last once to go home. Several moms had to rush home to feed the little one... we, as usual, had a bottle ready for the 10:30pm feed.
Jason has found a new way of making Kaio giggle away. He holds Kaio facing forwards, I come and talk to him, at his level, right in front of Kaio and he giggles, it's absolutely adorable!
The weather here has been great. It freezes during the night, so all the fields are white and frozen, but in the morning the sun comes out. Our morning walks are just great. Beautiful fields and fresh air. (Vinny does not enjoy the cold grass though!)

All cheeks!

Kaio seems to be aware of everything around him. He follows us when we walk away from him, he looks at objects that are meters away and loves to be carried around the house looking at different things. He is also able to entertain himself for 30 min in his playpen or bouncy chair (it used to be only 5 mins). When we go to say 'hi' while he is 'playing', he opens a big smile when he sees us! It's adorable.
He also had his first 'cryles'. Which is when he is crying, we come in front of him and smile at him, he then stops crying and smiles for 5seconds and then goes back to crying. It is so cute, he doesn't seem to know what expression to have and mixes it up!
Tomorrow I am going to go out with the girls from my antenatal class. (no babies! The daddies are in charge of the babies!) It will be fun and interesting to see whom of us will 'run' home first to check on their baby!
I have been feeling good. I am so in love with this baby and with our new live as a family, it makes me so happy! I have been thinking about the duration of my maternity leave and going back to work. The plan is to stay home until Kaio is 6 months. Then he will be ready to wean, start socializing more with other babies and I will be ready to go back to work. Well, that has always been the plan... However, now that Kaio is becoming much more of a actual 'baby' and he seems to do new things every day, I am afraid I am going to miss out on so much when I am at work. I am still planning to go back to work but maybe negotiate something part time. My current job does not allow a part time position and I still want to feel challenged at work, so.....????? I will have to have an open talk with my supervisor and see what her thoughts are. I will leave that for after we come back from Colorado.
Latest pics from this past weekend:
- Friday afternoon Jason had the afternoon off and we went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde park. It was great (even though Kaio is still a bit to small to appreciate Santa!). We are now facing him forward in the Baby Bjorn, this way he gets to 'check out' the world better. Although he does not like the cold wind in his face!
- Going out for a walk at Wandsworth Common (a local park) - One of the first times he was not crying after we put on his jacket and hat!

He is just perfect!

This past wednesday (two days ago), when Kaio completed 2 1/2 months he surprised us with sleeping through the night for the first time. He went to bed at 7pm, we woke him at 10:15pm for his bottle (at which he barely wakes up, he just downs 130ml of milk) and then he slept until 6:45am!!!! I had to look at two clocks to make sure I was seeing right! Then I rushed to his room to see if everything was okay. (he was smiling and ready for his breakfast). The following night he went to bed at the same time and slept until 5am, and then for another 2 hrs. And last night he slept until 6:45am again!!!! We are so excited and hopeful this will continue!
We also have a pretty nice schedule (of naps, playing and feeding times) during the day, which probably helps him sleep so well at night! (the 'going to bed' routine - massage, bath and a feed - is also very helpful for him to go to bed without making a fuss)
Now I need to start sleeping through the night again. I wake up several times during the night thinking I hear him and it then takes a while before I fell back asleep. I have been sleeping so lightly that every little noise wakes me up.
Kaio is so big now that he is barely fitting in his pram. We will soon have to change the position of the pram to give him more space. He is also getting annoyed just laying in the pram, he wants to look around and see everything when he is awake.
In two weeks we will be at Heathrow on our way to Colorado. We are so excited to visit grandpa and grandma Hall. It will be an interesting to see how Kaio will enjoy his first plane trip!

Temper tantrum, smiles....

Today Kaio had a major (for his size) temper tantrum at the grocery store. He woke up from his nap while I was in line to pay. He looked around, smiled at me and started crying within 2 min from waking up. I gave him his dummy and that worked for 30sec. While I was packing the groceries he started crying very hard.
Several woman asked if he was hungry. He had eaten 30min earlier. So, no he was not. But to avoid having to say - 'no, he is just acting up a bit' I said - 'yes, starving!'. Many people seem to belief that the only reason a baby cries is when he is hungry - well, I can assure that is not the case with Kaio!
I was not able to sooth him and he started to choke on his saliva. Outside the store I took him out of his pram and held and talked to him. After 2 min he was calm. I put him back in his pram and he was back to being a happy baby!
But apart from that, he has been a happy baby. He loves to smile and interact with us.
A couple of recent pictures:
- smiling at daddy - his eyes are starting to become greener
- tummy time - not interested in strengthen his neck muscles, but he loves his fist
- Vinny and Kaio - Vinny definitely knows who Kaio is (sort off), but Kaio has not really knowledged Vinny yet! (on this pic you can also see how the hair at the back of his head is starting the get finer...)

First set of shots!

On Tuesday Kaio had his first shots (or as they call it here - immunizations).
First they did a full check on him. Everything is great. He is right on target with his weight - 5.4kg (=11.9lbs) and has not grown since 2 weeks ago (which makes him now right on the average height for his age, since previously he was bigger). The shots - I have given injections to many animals and some react more then others. Not even with the cutest little puppy did I struggle (with the exception of some 'wild' horses) I can honestly say that seeing that big needle go into Kaio's little cute baby legs (twice!!!) made me tremble and almost made me cry. He cried hard and it was a painful cry. I was able to sooth him by holding him tight against me and he fell asleep in 3 min! He slept all afternoon! When I was feeding him at 6pm he bursted into a painful cry when he was kicking his legs (he does this to help gas exit the 'other end' while he fills his tummy!) and, again, the only way to sooth him was holding him tight against me.
But the next day he was back to his normal self!
Kaio has been doing great. He is 'talking', smiling, following objects, touching and holding things, etc, more and more. He is very alert and it seems harder to get him to take a nap during the day. (it's like he does not want to miss out on anything!) - below is a pic of one of his favorite spots to take a nap - in his bouncy chair looking at his panda and frog before he snoozes off!)
Kaio has discovered his hand/fist. He puts it in his mouth at least a couple of times a day! Today he even spit out his dummy and put his fist in his mouth to sooth himself!

Pub life

This Sunday we went to a typical English pub for a typical Sunday roast! There was a soccer (or as they say here - football) game on TV. Kaio behaved very well and attracted some drunk guys that thought he was cute (waw, thanks!). He was just perfect until the entire pub got super excited about a goal their team had made. Kaio was breastfeeding and started crying because of the loud and sudden noise! I guess with time he will have to get used to that.
We had a very nice weekend and it's great to see how much Jason loves to spend time with Kaio during the weekend (even when he is fussy and crying). Kaio has become much more attentive and can follow objects and people easily. He stares at all kind of shaped and colored objects. He smiles all the time and recognizes our voices. However, he also smiles and does not seem to mind strangers!

8 weeks already!?!

Kaio completed 8 weeks yesterday. I can't belief 2 months have gone by since he was born!
We have settled into a nice routine throughout the day and night.
Even being super busy at work, Jason has been of immense help. In the morning, if Kaio wakes up before 7, Jason grabs him, changes him and takes him downstairs to play. This allows me to sleep in a bit. Jason loves it since Kaio is always in a great mood in the morning. I then take a shower, get my breakfast ready and take Kaio from Jason so he can get ready for work. Unfortunately, most nights, Kaio is already in bed when Jason gets home, however Jason is still giving the 10:30pm bottle and has some time to interact with his son (although Kaio just opens his mouth and downs his bottle without opening his eyes!)
Some interesting 'things' I have learned about Mr. Kaio these last couple of weeks:
- When he cries, instead of talking to him in a crying voice, I started smiling and talking happily to him, this made him stop crying instantly and start smiling (unfortunately it doesn't always work)
- He LOVES his evening routine. Sometimes he is tired and is crying around 6:15, but when I lay him down on his changing mat and put on the massage music, he stops instantly! He hates coming out of his bath and washing his hair.
- He still is eating very fast. (10 - 15min) if I try to 'force' more (by putting him more on the breast), he cries and does not latch on. When he does latch on more then he wanted, he tends to throw uo some milk.
- He is not a good burper. We try to burp him after every feed, sometimes you get him to burp but most of the times he just stares at the wall (when you put him on your shoulder to burp)
- He needs a 2 hr nap around noon, otherwise he gets very cranky and will not sleep the entire afternoon. He will cry until I swaddle him and put him in his bed for the night. (at 6:30pm)
- He hate putting on his coat. No matter how I try it (sitting on my lap, on the changing table, him sleeping, etc) he always gets upset. However, once we put our feet outside the door he stops and loves being outside. He also does not like his hat!
- Vinny has picked up on this and every time I pick up Kaio's jacket and he starts crying, Vinny knows that 50% of the time he is coming along and gets super excited!
- He now can stay in his playpen or vibrating chair for 30 mins... just 'playing' and staring around. (4 weeks ago he would only last 5 min in there)
- He started smiling at strangers (little social bee!). This of course makes anyone's day!
- At 5pm he will nap easily if I put him in his Baby bjorn and do my normal house activities (like making dinner, getting the house a bit organized and cleaned)
- He does not like to have a wet nappy. (however when he poops he seems to be okay in staying a couple of minutes in his dirty nappy!)
- He has several types of cries, there is one cry that just means he is tired and he'll be asleep in a couple of seconds. (I can let him 'cry himself to sleep with this one) Another cry means he is very tired, but he will not cry himself asleep. I will need to bounce his chair or rock him otherwise he will not stop crying. And the other day I heard his 'I am in pain' cry. It was heart breaking. He was laying with his belly on my chest with his head up (this is a new tummy time I have been doing to help him strengthen his neck muscles) suddenly he dropped his head right on my collar bone...
It is so interesting to get to know him better every day! He makes me smile and fills my day with joy!

The winter arrived!

The last two days we have been 'stuck' at home. The weather has been very typical for England - rain and cold! This made it a bit more difficult to put Kaio to sleep for his naps, since I was just putting him in his pram or Babybjorn and going for a walk if he was fussy to take a nap. But it is helping me to understand him better. He has a small window of time that he is tired but not fussy yet and when he is tired and upset (which makes it harder to put him to bed). If I put him in his bouncy chair (or sometimes his playpen) when he is in the first stage, he plays a bit and falls asleep without complaining, if I miss that 'window of opportunity' he becomes very irritated and more difficult to settle. He also needs a long nap after his 'lunch' and to allow him to sleep more then 30 - 45min he needs to be swaddled and in his crib. If I don't swaddle him, his arms wake him up! It's funny to see him sleep and his arms just waving around, until he hits himself in the head and wakes up crying!
Kaio and I have started to have some nice 'chats'. When he sees me, and is not too tired or hungry, he smiles and I start talking to him, he then 'talks' back. They are the cutest 'oohs' and 'aaahs' ever!!! he does this for several minutes and you can see he responds to my words (if I stop talking he also does!)
Below are some pics of his happy face (although we have not been able to capture the real smile and giggly Kaio). The first one is him smiling at Jason, afterwards he giggled, it made Jason's week!

Citizen of the world!

Last week we obtained the brazilian birth certificate and applied for his passport.
Yesterday we went to the US embassy and he became an American citizen. We also applied for his passport and social security. (this was sooo easy compared to all the 'pain' I have gone through to get my greencard and will go through to get my citizenship!)
Next week I will be going to the Belgium embassy to get his Belgian nationality.
Kaio will have more nationalities than anyone in our families!!! All these passports are necessary to travel and live in the several countries we want to go to. For example, for him to live in the UK with us, he either gets his Belgium nationality or we would have to apply for a visa (which costs around US$800!). To go to Brazil, it's much easier to have a Brazilian passport. Also, for him to become a Belgian I had to get a letter from the Brazilian embassy to say if he was or not a Brazilian. (it's a long story, but Belgium has not made it easy for him to obtain that nationality!) That letter alone would cost the same amount as getting a passport.... so... we got the passport!
Well, later on he can decide if he wants to renew and continue with all these nationalities....
Kaio is now 7 weeks. He is such a adorable baby. The other day he was feeding and staring at me, I smiled and talked to him and he opened a big smile back at me... with his mouth full of milk.. it went all over our cloths!!! He is getting so big and has the biggest cheeks!!! His eyes are starting to be a bit more greener.

Poem (send by grandpa Steve)

Sent straight from heaven up above
Came an angel for me to love
To hold and rock and kiss good night
To wrap my arms around real tight

To cuddle & nurture and watch him play
To kiss his boo-boo's all away
To keep him safe and warm & count all his toes
To hold the tissue for him when he blows his little nose

To laugh at his jokes, to clap as he sings
To tell him all the joy in my life that he brings
To clean up his play dough, to pull his legos apart
To pin up his drawings and tell him it's art

To watch his first day of school on the bus all alone
To fight back the tears as I make my way back home
To applaud real loud when he's in his first play
To help him with his homework at the end of his day

To adore & cherish and watch him grow
To guide and teach him all that I know
To see him through good times & help him through bad
To share in his happiness and cry when he's sad

To hold him close and be by his side
To watch him through life as my heart fills with pride
To help him with decisions, the best that I can
To know that someday he'll be a fine young man

Latest pics

On the weekend Jason has time to update the pictures, so attached is the link to the most recent pictures:

http://www.jasonandannelies.co.uk/Kaio_Oct_Nov/index.html

It includes some older pictures (when my mom was here) and some very recent once (taken this weekend)
I love the 'explosion' picture, the pouty face one and the cutest is him sleeping, smiling (and drooling) on my lap and the one sleeping on Jason's chest.

working on our sleep time 'routine'

Kaio has been a fairly easy during the night. (Mainly thanks to the help of my mom in the early days.) Currently, on a normal day (5 - 6 days a week) we have the following 'routine' (give or take 15min):
- 6pm: I start preparing everything for his bath on the living room dining table while he plays in his playpen
- 6:15pm: I start his massage, with special 'baby massage' music - The duration of the massage depends on Kaio's mood, but recently he has been enjoying his massage a lot and I do it for 15 min to avoid him getting too cold
- 6:30pm: we start his bath. He loves his baths! (just doesn't like his hair being washed) He had gotten into the habit of peeing right as we lowered him in the bath, which made me have to change the water. However, Jason had the brilliant idea of lowering his feet in the water with his diaper on. After 30sec we remove the diaper.. and sure enough, we have a full diaper!
- 6:45finish his bath - - Dress him (he does not like to be taken out of his bath)
- 7pm: Take him to his room and feed him.
- 7:15pm: he goes asleep without fussing and is vast asleep until we wake him at 10pm for his bottle.
During the day he takes several naps, however at around 4pm he becomes fussy (they call it the witch hour, which varies for each baby!). Kaio gets really tired but does not want to sleep. The last couple of days we have either let him fall asleep on us, or have taken him outside (he easily falls asleep in his pram).
This routine has allowed me and Jason to catch up, have dinner and spend some time together.
The only problem with this routine is that he wakes up between 6 and 7 in the morning to start his day. (which on weekends is a bit hard!) My plan this week is to get him to go to bed a bit later so he sleeps longer in the morning and it will allow Jason to see him when he gets home from work (Jason get's home at 7ish, when Kaio is in bed already). We'll see how it goes!

Feelings...

Today I was looking at Kaio sleep and had a melancholic thought! On one side I want him to grow fast. So I can see him discover his hands for the first time, take his first steps, run, say 'mommy' for the first time, etc. On the other hand, I am loving this tiny little baby and want to keep this moment forever!!! When I look at the pictures taken right after he was born - he has gotten so big already. It seems he grows by the day, which is great, but also sad to know he will never again be this small little guy that I can carry with one arm!
He seems to be looking at me more. And it seems to sooth him when he is in his pram and about to cry. I also have noticed that when I smile he has started to smile back some times!! It's adorable!
Today we went to Jason's office to have lunch with him and to show Kaio to his coworkers. He was very well behaved and only started to cry when we were leaving the building! Such a good boy!
Yesterday afternoon I met up with some of the girls I did my ante-natal class with (we have been meeting up every week). It is so nice to see all the little babies growing up. We all met when we had huge bellies and now have all these babies. There is one girl that shares the same birthday as Kaio. It is great to share stories and schedule different activities together! (in two weeks we are going to attempt to go to the 'big scream' - which is a movie theater that allows babies once a week. Should be interesting! You go, expecting to watch little of the movie, but your baby is also allowed to cry without people judging you!)

6 week check up

Today was Kaio's 6 week check up! He is doing great. Here are the latest stats:
- weight - 4.92kg = 10.85lbs - which is right on the average of boys his age.
- Height - 58cm = 22.8inches - which is above the average of boys his age.
- Head circumference - 38cm = 14.96inches - which is also right on average of boys his age.
He still has that lump on his head, but the Dr. said not to worry and keep an eye on it. If it grows or changes in texture we should go back to the hospital. The lump does not seem to affect him.
I also had a check up and it went fine. (I still need to go back on friday to do some blood work and check on my iron levels.) The Dr. said I can start working out and do everything I did pre-pregnancy. I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight already! Breastfeeding is indeed demanding on our bodies! The Dr. said I need to continue eating well and regularly so Kaio can continue to grow and perform as he has been! (I have no problem in continuing to eat peanut M&M's and ice cream!)
Our street is full of babies.. of all ages! Yesterday we had tea (such an english thing) with one of our neighbors whom has a 2 year old and another baby (both boys). The baby was born on the same day as Kaio. his name is Rafe. Another neighbor also joined us, she has twins (also 2 boys). It was great to get to know them and hopefully start having regular 'play dates'. It's also great to exchange 'baby stories' and hear that some feelings and behaviors are normal (like the occasional urge for a glass of wine at the end of the day, after Kaio has gone to bed, is very normal!!! Even though they have more reason since they both have two children...)

Nice weekend!

This past year, the summer in the UK was terrible. Lot's of rain, cold and very little sun! (which was great since I was pregnant!) However, the fall has been great. Lot's of sun and gorgeous weather! It has been great for me to take Kaio outside and enjoy the beautiful London parks (the colors of autumn are just amazing!)
This weekend it was so nice outside, that we went to explore some parks both days. On saturday we had a nice picnic in Clapham Common and sunday we went hiking in Wimbledon Common and shopping in the village!Kaio likes to go outside. In the morning he loves to com along with me when I let Vinny out. He looks around and seems to enjoy the fresh air! Sometimes he gets really tired but fights to go to bed, so when I take him outside, he falls asleep instantly and wakes up when we come back home!
He is smiling more every day and seems to find his fingers more often to sooth himself! (he still loves the pacifier though!)

All Smiles

(the picture above is not of his smile... we have not been able to capture that on camera yet.. this was just a 'surprise' face he had a couple of days ago!)
Kaio had been smiling while sleeping and in the last couple of days before he has some gas or right before he start crying. However, yesterday evening, I was holding Kaio and Jason came close to Kaio's face and talked to him. Kaio looked right into Jason's face and opened a big smile (and it was not followed by a fart or a cry) It was absolutely adorable!!!!
For the first time Kaio has wet his crib sheets. He tends to have a major 'pee' during the night, which sometimes wets his cloths, but this morning it went all the way through his cloths and onto his sheets. It may be time to switch to a bigger size nappies!!!

We made it!

Today is our second day together, by ourselves! We had fun yesterday and Kaio was a darling!!! We met up with some friends with babies that are around the same age of Kaio. He was the only one that was awake during the entire lunch... and quiet, just looking around! We also went to the grocery store to pick up things for dinner and a nice chocolate cake for daddy, since he has been so helpful and we miss him already!
Kaio is sleeping well during the night, but not so well during the day (he needs to sleep more!). I noticed that he easily falls asleep in my arms (specially after feeding), but the moment I put him down he starts crying. So, today, I am going to let him cry it out in his room. I just tried it for the first time (it's 11am) and he was asleep in 5 min! Overall, I have been trying to put him in his crib when he is drowsy so he can then fall asleep by himself. Which works perfectly after 7pm, but not during the day. I am loving to get to know this little guy better.. he just amazes me every day!!!!
Jason is now feeding Kaio at his 10pm feed and it allows me to go to bed at 8:30 - 9pm (if I didn't get a chance to take a nap during the day!). Our little routine has been working perfectly:
- Kaio feeds, baths and goes to bed before 7pm (Jason gets home around that time) - this happens fairly easily most of the days, since he is so tired by 7pm
- Jason and I have dinner and hang out a bit
- I get ready for bed at around 8:30
- Jason feeds him at 10pm (he does it so silently that I don't even wake up!) - we have a chair in Kaio's room so he does not have to come in our room to feed him and Kaio goes straight into his crib afterwards. We also use dim lights so he does not get fully awake!
- I wake up during the night (mostly at 2 and 5 am) to feed him (also in Kaio's room, so Jason does not wake up)
- Kaio wakes us up to start his day at 6:30 - 7am
- Jason entertains him so I can take a shower, start laundry, take Vinny out and have breakfast (all in 15min!)
- We start our day of fun together... which is somewhat unpredictable, but Kaio feeds every 3 - 4 hrs and in between he either:
- 'plays' in his playpen
- sits in his vibrating chair
- 'plays' with me
- we go for a walk (in the pram or Babybjorn)
- sleeps
- cries
- has his nappy changed
- sucks on his dummy
But whatever it is he does... he is CUTE!!! (he is also cute sleeping...)

Latest pics

1) Happy Kaio in his vibrating chair. He is starting to smile!
2)Almost crying.... with Oma! We miss her!
3)Kaio with a cute bunny outfit and his new red 'shoes'
4)Jason and Kaio. Kaio had a bad hair day and did not want to take any pictures!

Our own little routine!

We are starting to get into our own little family routine... since Oma left we have had to do everything by ourselves (cooking, taking care of Kaio, running errands, etc) I am lucky that Jason took this week off, he has been very helpful!!! Yesterday morning he surprised me with some great white chocolate pancakes for breakfast. He also has been doing several house chores and helping a lot with Kaio (both of them enjoy it and are getting to know each other much better...) It will be another interesting phase once Jason goes back to work on wednesday! For the first time since Kaio was born (he will be 5 weeks!), I will be totally on my own during the day.
Kaio has been doing great at night. Last night we struggled to wake him up at 10:30pm for his last feed of the day (he had gone to bed at 7:30pm and seemed to be ready to sleep much longer!). Jason still managed to bottle feed him 80ml (Kaio had his eyes shut the whole time). He than woke up at 4am!!! (that is 5 hrs of sleep!) At 4am I fed him and put him back in his crib, I feared he was ready to start his day.. but I was very surprised he fell asleep and only woke up at 7am!!! Kaio struggles a bit to fall asleep by himself during the day. We can see he is very tired, but when you lay him in his crib he cries... unfortunately we have been letting him cry himself to sleep (approx. 5 min) in the last couple of days! We want to avoid him getting used in being rocked to sleep!
Before Oma left, she gave Kaio a beautiful playpen. We had to rearrange the furniture in the living room, but now we have a little 'Kaio corner', with his playpen and toys. Since he loves to look outside the window, we put the playpen right by the front window! He seems to really enjoy it and looks around, "plays" with his toys (he looks at them, follows them with his eyes, touches them)and today took his first nap in it!

Oma and Opa left!

Today was a sad day. My mom and dad went back home. We will miss her so much!!!Kaio was a fussy.... It mught be that Oma is gone... or the great carreteiro (a brazilian rice dish that Opa made a bit spice) that we had last night!!!
Oma was such a joy to have around and Kaio was already recognizing her voice and respondingso well to her! At moments like this I miss being close to my family even more. It would be so nice to be able to share all these changes Kaio is going through!
Tonight is the first night without Oma in his room! Oma had been waking up during the night if Kaio started crying, she would look if it was feeding time and if it was not, she would 'entertain' him a bit before feeding (so he get's used to longer time between feeds)! Tonight we will be doing that! I will probably be very sleepy tomorrow!
Here are some more pics of Oma's camera (she took so many nice pictures of him!):
1) Oma and Opa with Kaio at lunch (after we went to Madame Tussaud)
2) Oma, Kaio and I at Kew Gardens
3) Kaio and I at Kew gardens in front of a famous Henry Moore sculpture
4) Jason and Kaio at home

He is becoming a big boy!

Kaio is doing great! Today (he is 2 days short of completing 1 month) he weighed in at 4.3kg!!!! He is right on the track with his weight gain. I sometimes get a bit worried since he eats so fast (most of the times he is done feeding after 10 - 15 mins!) But since he is gaining weight really well, he is just super efficient in eating!!!!
Wednesday, Oma will be leaving.. I am a bit nervous in how much harder it will be without her here! But I am glad Jason is taking a week off so we can start getting into our new routine without Oma!
Opa arrived yesterday. He seems to love children and has a very cute way of talking and 'playing' with Kaio. He is also all for letting babies cry (when I was little he would put me in the 'laundry room' to let me cry it out and to allow mom and dad to sleep! I did survive!)
Yesterday, when Opa arrived, we went to the pub to watch the Formula 1 final! Kaio was great! He just sat on my lap and looked around.. and later on he slept!
Jason gave him his first bottle! We are going to try and have Jason give the bottle at 10ish pm (so I can sleep). This way we can also measure how much he is eating. Kaio has settled on a 'routine' of going to bed at 7pm. We have to wake him up at 10pm to feed him, then he sleeps until 2ish, has a feed, immediately falls back to sleep, goes until 5am and then wakes up at 6:30 to start his day!
On friday, Jason and I went to have a nice dinner. Oma babysat Kaio from 6pm until 10:30pm. He was a bit fussy (His tummy was not feeling that great), but they had a great time together. It was great for Jason and I to go out, have a nice meal, a bottle of wine and talk about our gorgeous son!

Adventures....

Since early on I have taken Kaio to several places. Which include:
- Kew Gardens (the Royal botanical gardens) to see an exhibition of Henri Moore (Oma's favorite artist)
- Tate Britain - another museum
- Tate Modern - yet another museum
- Shopping in Chelsea
- Several trips to the park
- Several trips to restaurants, pubs and cafes
- Mall
- Waterloo station to pick up Opa
- Several trips to the Dr. and hospital
- Several trips to the grocery store
Some of these trips have been more adventurous and challenging then others. But on saturday we have a good story! We all went to Chelsea to exchange some of Kaio's cloths (he is getting so big so fast) and we ended the day having a coffee at a department store. Kaio needed a nappy change and Jason offered to go and do it. It was the first time Jason changed his nappy in a 'public' bathroom. Luckily this dept. store had a 'nappy changing room' with all the necessary tools.... After 10 min. I got worried since they were still gone. Then Jason shows up with Kaio wearing new pants, and his old pj's still half on and in a bit of a panic. Kaio had had a 'poop explosion' while Jason was changing his nappy... and a real poop explosion (Jason claims it did not 'stop coming out'). So, as a result, Kaio and his pj's were all pooped. But Jason did a great job and soon everything was resolved. All the joy's of having children!

THANK YOU!

I would like to thank all our friends and family for the beautiful gifts, emails, cards, etc. It is great to know that Kaio already has so many people that are anxious to meet him and care about him!
I also want to give huge and special thanks to Oma Fanny! It would have been difficult without her. She has had so much patience (with me and Kaio) Given me so much advice, cooked amazing meals for us and has been so much fun having around (Jason loved the late night Duvel's and Leffe's with her! And I loved the afternoon cake we had every day!) Kaio will also miss Oma. He recognizes her voice already and I am sure they have build a strong bond! Unfortunately, next week wednesday (the day Kaio becomes 1 month) she will be leaving! Some pics:
1) Jason, Kaio and I. Kaio was10 days old!
2) Kaio in his vibrating chair and with his pacifier... so cute!!!!
3) Kaio loves his baths. He does not like to come out of them.... here he is almost crying!
4) Kaio staring around in the Tate Modern!

More pictures! We can't get enough of him!

Some more pictures:
http://www.jasonandannelies.co.uk/Kaio_1st_Month/index.html

Isn't he a gorgeous looking boy! He is growing by the day, and I can't wait to see how much weight he has put on the next time the health visitor come to weigh him!
More first:
Day 16:
*Kaio was officially registered at the Chelsea Town hall by Jason
*Kaio's first (and probably not the last) visit to the ER. I felt a lump on his had on wednesday and on thursday we went to our local GP. She said to see how the lump progressed by friday (since he was totally fine otherwise). Friday morning the lump was bigger and we decided to go to the ER with him. Two pediatricians looked at it and think it may have been some vessel 'damage' that occurred during labor. They told us to go home and observer it. If it increased in size or gotten softer or if Kaio became lethargic or not feeding well, we should go back! It's monday today and he is fine (the lump may take 6 weeks to go away!)
Day 17:
*Worst 'colic' night! He had cramps that kept him awake. I woke up at 5:30 and was unable to sooth him. He improved by noon. I have decided to completely cut out alcohol (and I thought I only needed to do that during pregnancy) Since his two 'colic' episodes happened the night following a glass of wine and a caipirinha! I also decided to stop drinking milk, since that may also be causing the discomfort in Kaio.
Day 18:
*First visit to the Pub! (probably not the last one either) - we went to have lunch at a pub close to the Tate Modern (museum). While Daddy and Oma enjoyed a pint of Hoegaarden, mommy enjoyed a glass of water and Kaio enjoyed his milk!
*First train and tube ride (it was a bit challenging going up and down the stairs but it turned out to be a great day at the museum!)

2 weeks

Kaio is now 2 weeks! It has gone by so fast! Every day he seems to change a bit and we get to know him better. (like how to console him, what his cries mean, which wipes he prefers, etc) He likes his baths, he enjoys to be held underneath his arm pits and lifted 'up and down' (we all get our arm work outs), he loves going outside in his pram (he always falls right asleep), however he doesn't like to put on his hat or jacket to go outside, too much stimulation during the day (being outside or awake for too long will make him overstimulated and it becomes difficult to settle him at night), there are days he enjoys his tummy time with daddy and massage from mommy, and other days he is not up for it!
More firsts:
- Day 14
*First outside trip with his Baby Bjorn - just like with his pram, he fuzzed to get ready for it, but once outside, he fell asleep!
*First trip with the bus to the museum - we decided to 'spoil' Oma a bit (she deserves it with all her great help) and went with her to the Tate Britain. Kaio behaved really well (he slept pretty much the whole time)
*First feed in public - while at the Tate Britain

Yesterday evening, Oma and I had a caipirinha (made by Jason) and daddy had a glass of wine to celebrate Kaio's 2 week birthday! It was also one of the roughest nights, Kaio woke up at midnight (after a 4 1/2hr sleep) and did not return to a proper sleep due to his tummy! We could hear it rumbling and he would pass gas! Every time he would fall asleep he would be woken up by the pain. The GP thinks it may be too much fennel tea I have been drinking to avoid tummy upset!!!

More pics

Some pics from Oma's camera! They are from Kaio's first days of life... (still in the hospital)

Correction!

We got a bit confused with the weight conversion and Kaio was actually 7.7lbs (3.49kg) at birth!!! Last week, when he was weighed, he regained his birth weight in only one week (normally that takes 2 - 3 weeks to happen) and today (one day before he is 2 weeks) he is at 3.76kg (=8.3lbs). He is doing really well! (I was a bit concerned since I had read in several places that a feed should last around 30 -40min and Kaio is mostly happy after 10 - 15min. But I guess that is what he needs and provides the nutrients and energy he requires!)

2nd weekend at home!

We had a very nice and relaxing weekend. Kaio's colic from Saturday was all gone by the night and he was feeding and sleeping well again!
A couple of more firsts:
Day 8:
*First trip to the mall, including a stop at Starbucks - he behaved very well, and was only a bit fussy when his nappy was dirty. I changed him and he felt much better again! (and slept)
Day 10:
*First pee and poop in the bath (his second bath) - we waited until Jason was home to give him a second bath, while I was lowering him in the bath, he started peeing and right after that he pooped!!! Here is the video Jason made of it - http://www.jasonandannelies.co.uk/Vids/kaio_bath.html
*First trip to the park with mommy, daddy and Vinny!
*More poop 'explosion' - first time to hit the wall! I was changing his nappy at 3am, after a feed, and while I placed the new nappy under his little behind, he needed some more relief and it projected all over his changing mat and on to the wall next to the changing table!! (I thought it was so cute and funny! He is the only one that can make me laugh like that at 3am!)
Day 11:
*First trip to lunch (in the 'big' world) with mommy, daddy, Oma and Vinny - he behaved very well and pretty much slept the whole time!
*He is starting to accept a pacifier and it helps him calm down. Some times he just needs something to 'help' him back to sleep, and the pacifier is working perfectly for that!
Day 12:
*Kaio stayed at home with Oma while mommy went to the dentist. It felt like decades being away from him, however I was only gone for 2 hrs! (he slept the whole time and was ready for a feed when I got home!)
*Kaio peed on mommy (and everything around) while changing - while I was changing his nappy, I thought how he had not done that yet, well he read my mind and 30sec later he began...

Kaio is becoming much more interactive and likes to observe toys. He now likes some play time! Unfortunately, last night he wanted to do that at 5am, and Oma was prompt to play with him until 6am, when he decided to take a nap again before his 7am feed!
he has been feeding and sleeping well. We have abandoned any book or real/set routine, however he is pretty regular in waking up 3 - 4 hrs after his last feed.

He is getting strong!

Kaio is getting stronger by the day! He tilts his head when he lays on his belly and manages to keep it high for several seconds! He also grasps strongly to our fingers!
This night he had some colic. It was really hard to hear him cry and not being able to help him. He woke up every 2 hrs and then cried all morning. Oma took him outside with the pram and he was better... I was a bit nervous since I did not know how to help my son and had not slept well at all, Jason jumped in and was super dad and husband, allowing me to take a nap and taking care of the little guy!
Oma has been unbelievable. She has made gourmet meals, helped so much with Kaio and is just great to hang out with! it will be very hard when she leaves at the end of the month (she'll deserve to go back to Brazil and get some good nights of sleep!)
We had out first 'outing' as a family:Jason, Kaio, Vinny and I went to the park and enjoyed a nice autumn afternoon!
Now I am keeping my fingers crossed for a better night, without colic!

More firsts....

Isn't he GORGEOUS!?!! This may sound cheesy - but being a mommy is the best thing in the whole world!!!! Kaio is such a joy and we can't get enough of him. Jason is also loving every second of it!!!! (unfortunately he has to work all day, but he makes sure to get some 'chest' time in the morning and 1/2hrs before Kaio goes to bed at night! He is looking forward to the weekend, as are we, to spend the whole day with his son!)
Yesterday was Kaio's first week birthday! (Oma promised him a cake, but all he got was mommy's milk!) He had a bunch of 'firsts':
Day 7:
*First trip outside with his beautiful pram - we went to the GP and a walk in the park with Vinny and Oma - he behaved really well - he slept the whole trip!
*First visit to the GP - she said he was doing great and his heart and lungs sounded perfect!
*First bath - he loved it. He just sat in the bath and stared around... he cried when we took him out!
*First pee on mommy - I was giving him a massage and at the end, while I was bend over to massage his face, I suddenly felt my shoulder getting wet and it took me a couple of seconds to realize what it was! (I better get used to it!)
*First poop while having the nappy changed - he had farted and pooped during a feed, so I went to change his diaper, and when he was all naked he pooped more and it projected all over the changing mattress! (I could swear he had a little smile on his face!)

Baby Kaio!!!!

Tomorrow Kaio will be 1 week!!! He is a strong and healthy little boy. Today we had a visit from the midwife to check on me and him. Besides the recommendation for me to eat more red meat (to improve my hemoglobin levels), everything is fine (blood pressure, sutures, etc). Kaio is also doing great. He looks less jaundice and is close to his birth weight (3.4kg). She said he looks great and is reacting great to the feeding. She took some blood to run some tests for several disease (sickle cell disorder, hyperthyroid, cystic fibrosis, etc).
Today his umbilical cord fell and tonight we will attempt his first bath.... I'll let you know how that goes (he sometimes loves being naked and sometimes he cries a lot when I am changing his nappy!)
Another couple of firsts:
Day 5:
*He smiled while awake today - Jason was holding and talking to him and then I got close and also talked to him and he smiled (like he was happy to have me and daddy close by!)
*He managed to eat, sleep and poop all at once!!!! (his farts/poops are loud and strong.... but I think it is absolutely adorable!)
Day 6:
*His umbilical cord fell off!
*He slept 5 hours straight. (during the night). He has been a bit difficult to put to sleep at night, but once he is asleep he is out for a while.

Kaio's first album...

Here are a couple of pictures from Kaio's first days:

http://www.jasonandannelies.co.uk/Kaio_First_Week/index.html

Isn't he absolutely ADORABLE!!?!!

4th day!

Today is Kaio's 4th day!!!
He has been a joy! Speaking of joy: we looked up the meaning of Caio, which is the Brazilian version of his name, and it means joy, happy and content.
He is an alert little guy that does everything a normal baby does - sleep, eat, cry, fill nappy's and have some play time! He is very cute and makes all kind of faces while sleeping and crying.
He is absolutely beautiful (not that I am biased)! He has very dark hair and lots of it. He has very symmetric eyes (they currently are dark blue/greenish), cute little ears with a bit of baby hair on them and he has a beautiful little and perfect nose! He has strong little arms (he seems to have strong and puffy shoulders!) anyways, I could go on and on about this perfect little man!
The first two days of his life, he pretty much slept, ate and cried. On his third day, when we went home, he had a couple of other firsts:
- Day 3:
*First smile (while sleeping)
*First hick ups, followed by a "scruncthy" face which resulted in:
*First stinky poop (he had passed mecomium before this)
*Active alert time - he sat on our laps (with the support of our legs) and just looked around, listened to our voices and moved his arms and legs around!
*Terrible gas and strong loud farts!
- Day 4:
*First 1 hr alone with daddy, while mommy and oma went shopping
*First massage given by mommy - this relaxed him and made him stretch out his legs and arms and the tummy massage resulted in:
*First poop explosion (it leaked from his diaper into his cloths!)
The nights are still a work in progress! He has a irregular timing and seems to be sleeping more during the day (today we had to wake him after 3 hrs, and it was difficult to keep him awake) It seems that last night he had a lot of gas and it kept oma awake, but she took advantage of it and took him in bed with her and cuddled! (it's very tempting not to take him with you into bed every day!)
Jason has been holding him skin-to-skin after his morning feed. He puts Kaio, naked, on his chest (chest to tummy) and they have some baby-daddy time. Both seem to enjoy it!
Breastfeeding is going well. My milk 'came in' (after 2 - 3 days of colostrum) and it is definitely filling Kaio's needs.

Labor story....

We have been home for 30 hrs already and Kaio is 3 1/2 days old! It has been such a wonderful and amazing couple of days. First I wanted to start with sharing our 'birth story':
After my water broke on Tuesday morning, I had a 2nd check up at the hospital (the first one was at 5:30am - at which the send us home. And the second one at 6pm) I had started getting mild and irregular contractions and they monitored the baby's heartbeat, since everything was normal and the contractions were still irregular they send us home again. When we got home the contractions started picking up and becoming more regular. We waited at home, I took a nice long bath (Jason and mom took a nap) and at around 11pm my contraction were at every 3 - 5 min lasting 45 - 60sec. I was ready to go to the hospital! Getting there at midnight, they checked my contractions and the baby heartbeat and decided to 'allow' us to stay (I wouldn't have gone home if they had told us to do so, since at this point, the contractions started to hurt!) They send us to a room with another woman in labor and I started using the different positions to help ease the pain. I used gas&air - which made me feel funny and I started to talk between my contractions again (I guess I was able to entertain Jason and mom since it makes you act a bit 'drunk'!) We then went to a big nice birthing pool where we stayed for another hour. I could not handle it anymore, the contractions were every 2 - 3 min and very painful. I begged for an epidural! Unfortunately I only was dilated 3 cm and the midwife wanted me to wait longer... I couldn't, I was not coping well with the pain. (even with all the great help from Jason and my mom! It was hard for them to see me in pain as well!) We were send to a delivery room and the anesthetist was called. It seemed to take forever for him to arrive and when he finally did and administered the epidural I was in heaven!!! (around 4am) I can not imagine delivering a baby without it! We were all able to take a nap in the room. At 7:30 the midwife checked how much I was dilated (since I had previously only dilated 2 cm in 4 hrs, I was afraid we still had some waiting to do) but to everyone's surprise, Kaio's head was coming through the cervix! At 8am the midwifes changed shift and two young midwifes were going to help from now. We got all "prepped" to start 'pushing'. I was not feeling anything so they monitored my contractions and explained how they would tell me when to push and how to do this. Right before we started they said they would have to call a Dr. to use a ventous or forceps after 1 1/2 hrs of unsuccessful pushing. I definitely did not want that, so after 3 pushes I was able to touch the tip of his head and after another couple he was out!!! They immediately put him on my chest. I can't describe how that felt!!! Kaio started crying immediately (he scored 9/10 on the Apgar test) and I was just overwhelmed with emotions and happiness. Jason saw the birth and was also speechless, he was able to cut Kaio's umbilical cord! Mom was happy to finally find out the gender of the baby and his name! Kaio latched on the breast immediately and was feeding 10 min after birth!!! After 30 min they took Kaio to have him weighed and measured up, it was then that I realized that the midwifes were panicking a bit and several Dr.'s had come in and out of the room and they all looked a bit worried. I looked down are there was a lot of blood (I thought at first it was the placenta, but I had not 'delivered' it yet) A Dr. came in and said I had no external tears but there were tears internally and she was going to stitch them. After 45min of stitching they were finished. I was starting to feel very light headed and tired... I was very pale and weak. I lost 2lts of blood! They send of my blood to check on the hemoglobin levels to see if I needed a transfusion. Luckily I was on the borderline and I was able to opt for not having a transfusion!
We spend that day in the delivery room under observation... It was great having Jason and my mom there and enjoying Kaio's first hours! He is absolutely perfect and beautiful. He is very well behaved and has a good set of lungs!!!! (which he knows how to use well!)
A correction - Kaio's birth weight was 3.49kg (not 3.44kg).

It's a ... It's a ...

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

Kaio Bernard Hall (first name rhymes with "eye oh") was born yesterday, September 26, 2007, at 9:07 AM GMT. He weighs 3.44 KG (just over 7 pounds) and is 56 cm long (just over 22 inches)! I think he has Annelies' nose and my mouth :)

He is such a cutie and we're unbelievably thrilled with the new addition to our family! He has very strong lungs and a very pleasant disposition (especially after a feeding).

Kaio and Annelies are still recovering in the hospital, but we're hoping to take them both home tonight. Annelies was absolutely amazing during labour and birth. I am so proud of her and know she is going to make a wonderful mother to our new baby boy!

Certainly lots of pictures to come in the future, but here's a teaser of what's to come...

Water broke!!!!!

Last night, Sept. 24th, after we had a nice dinner (my mom made a Belgian dish), I went to bed hoping the baby would arrive soon! (I also mentioned it several times throughout the day!) Deep in side I was thinking that our baby would arrive on the 3rd or 4th of October, after they induce me. During the night I kept waking up to go to the toilet. Normally I go 4 -5 times a night and last night I was on my 7th trip and I said to my self not to drink that much before I go to bed... at 4:45am I woke up with a gush of water... I ran to the bathroom, thinking my bladder completely 'lost it'... I decided to wake Jason since I thought that maybe my water had broken! He looked at the water on the bed sheets and I told him to smell it (since amniotic fluid should have a sweet smell or definitely not smell like urine) and indeed, it was amniotic fluid! I was not feeling any contractions, pain or discomfort! We called the hospital and they said - "come to the hospital". At 5:30, Jason, my mom and I grabbed all the bags and went to the hospital. When we got there they said - "oh, I think I forgot to mention you were not yet supposed to bring everything since you will probably have to go home!" To my astonishment, the only midwife I did not like throughout all my pregnancy check ups was there and assigned to me!!!! Seriously, this was not starting well.... but luckily, she was fine, monitored the baby for 1/2hr and said to go home!
I have to call them this afternoon to come in again and check on the baby and this would have to be done every 12 hrs until labor actually kicks in (contractions start) if that does not happen naturally, they will induce me in 48hrs! I feel fine, a bit of lower back pain and cramping, but feeling ready and prepared for what is coming!
We are super excited.... the baby can be born any minute/hour now.... and, no longer then 48 hrs from now, we will have our little one in our arms!!!!!

Mom in town... with many ideas and suggestions!

My mom arrived yesterday evening (Sept. 23rd)! (she had fun in her first english cab ride from Waterloo station to our home!) She brought us several more gifts.
By the time I went to bed yesterday evening my contractions and cramps were pretty much gone! I went to bed hoping labor would pick up again during the night, but instead i had a very peaceful and tranquil 9 hr sleep!
Today, monday, Sept. 24th we went to a midwife appt. everything seemed fine (baby's position, movement, heartbeat, etc) While at the labor ward we heard a woman in labor... pretty scary and loud screaming! But I am ready to go through that... I just want to meet my baby! (NOW!)
I have been getting very sweet emails and text messages from our friends and family asking about the arrival of our little one.. but unfortunately, I have no news...
My mom has been giving us several suggestions, such as having a playpen in the living room, having a table in the bathroom to put the bath on, the need of different washing cloths, etc... well, I have challenged her on the ROI of all the items!!!
Here is a picture of us measuring the crib followed by pictures of the paintings I made this weekend:

Start of labor?

On Saturday, September 22nd around 11pm I started feeling some painful cramps on my mid to lower left side, they were constant. I was able to fall asleep but was woken again around 2am with pain, this went on and off until 7am this morning (sleeping 2 -3 hrs, waking up with cramps). I also started having some contractions (which are not regular, so probably are the Braxton Hicks once) Throughout the day I have been feeling intense lower back pain and 'period like' cramps. We called the midwifes at 2:30am to give us advice and she said it was probably the start of labor, however it could still take several hours/days before the actual labor kicks in! We are excited (and tired) and it's a sign that our baby will soon be among us! I can't wait to post the announcement of our little boy/girl! (I just wish it would go a bit faster!)
My mom is arriving today at 7:30pm and I am looking forward to having her with me, specially if it will still take a couple of days and Jason is at work!

Past due date!

Friday, September 21st came and went and nothing happened! (as I suspected!) I met up with Jason for lunch and had some spicy chicken wings (spicy food is supposed to 'help' start labor) and for dinner I made some spicy curry (and had some wine)... well, it did not start labor but it sure did clear our sinuses!
When we started decorating the nursery, I have been willing to paint or make something that would remind me of this special moment... well, I got inspired by one of the girls of the antenatal classes and decided to buy some acrylic paint, brushes and canvasses. I picked some 'cartoon' looking frogs and made two paintings and a third canvas will have our baby's name and his/her foot and hand prints. It has been very relaxing and fun doing them. I am not a very artistic person, but they look cute!

Almost - Due date!

Tomorrow is my official 'due date'. However, there is not much activity or indication that the baby will be punctual! I guess it's a good way to test my patience!
Today I met up with some of the girls that I were at our ante natal classes. From the 12 women, 3 have had babies (all girls!) and only one is overdue! I am the next one on the list (in due date order).... let's hope I also will be the next one to have the baby. One of the girls brought her baby girl to the afternoon tea. Georgina is adorable... she slept the whole time! We all held her and she just slept right through it! Another girl who had her baby earlier this week, recommended eating spicy curry and champagne.. so tomorrow we are having spicy Indian food over a glass (or two) of champagne!
Overall, all 3 'new moms' said they had an amazing experience at the hospital with the midwifes and attention given, that makes me feel good and even more relieved!
Today I did some more walking... I must have walked around 4 miles and I feel great! Vinny is loving all the long walks to the park!

Nice package from Grandma and grandpa Hall

Yesterday we received a box full of 'goodies' for the baby from grandma Anita and grandpa Steve! With all the cute frog stuff they send, the 'frog shelf' is now full! Anita also knitted a nice blanket (It is pink and blue and very nice!) THANK YOU!!!!

Busy!

My second day of maternity leave is running to it's end! I have kept myself very busy!
Day 1 - Yesterday I met up with Melissa and we did a bunch of touristy things. Melissa felt the baby kick and kept talking to my belly the whole day! She is so cute! In the evening I took care of Jason (who has a cold)

Day 2 - I woke up at 3 am and could not sleep (my back was hurting, probably due to all the walking I did yesterday) I went downstairs (did not want to wake up Jason) and read a book. Jason came looking for me at 6 (I was asleep on the couch over my book and with Vinny on my feet). I had another GP appointment today. It went well. The baby's heart beat and position was good, my urine and blood pressure was also within the norms! She said there isn't much else to do then wait! I took Vinny to the park and had lunch in the sun (the weather has been beautiful). In the afternoon I did some gardening in the front yard (it still looks like a jungle, but a bit more in control and now I can at least pass the pram through the gate and front door!) I caught up with some emails and worked on the 'announcement' list! I finished the day with cleaning up a bit, organizing the baby's room and cooking a nice meal for dinner! (Beef Bourguigonne!)

Hopefully I will keep myself entertained (busy) like this until the baby arrives!

E-mail from grandma Anita:

Had Chinese for dinner last night and fortune cookie insert said
"GOOD NEWS OF LONG-AWAITED EVENT WILL ARRIVE SOON."
We're ready and I know you guys are ready... a bag packed, phone number for taxi- cuz I'm sure you are not going to take the bus or train!!! The room is ready and soooo pretty, the cupboards are cleaned, the crib is ready.
Soooooooooo, What 'ja waiting for, eh????
Have you had that talk yet with Vinny?

We are indeed ready as well! We have 'talked' to Vinny and he is ready for his sister/brother to arrive! We are just waiting for the little one to decide to come and enjoy the outside world with us!

Yet another friend in town...

One of my best friends from Brazil is in town for 4 days. Yesterday we met up with Melissa, her mother and sister for dinner. It was so nice to see her and hopefully I get to spend some more time with her tomorrow! She brought a cute pair of Brazilian colored baby Havaianas (popular sandals from Brazil)! Melissa has been very curious to know the gender of our baby. Since may, when I had my shower in Brazil, she has tried to trick me in telling her! And yesterday Jason got a fair bit of pressure as well! However, she is certain it is a girl and talks to 'Sofia Josephine' in my belly!
Her sister, Melina, is in her last year of medical school. When I told her about the amount of woman in Britain that opt for the 'natural' birth she was very surprised! (specially because I told her that the woman want the natural birth and it is not due to a lack of epidurals of 'drugs' available to them!) She worked for several months in a brazilian birthing unit in a poor neighborhood where there were no anesthesiologists (i.e. no epidurals or other forms of pain killers) and she highly recommended for me not to go down the route of 'natural' birth and go for the epidural... well, yet again, she did not need to convince me!!!!
My mother arrived in Belgium today. She is planning to stay there for a week before coming to stay with us! (I have convinced her that our baby will be late so there is not reason for her to come earlier... also, because they finished building a house in Belgium and she needs to furnish it!)
I am feeling great. I have been sleeping well and being able to walk and 'function normally' without getting tired. My belly has definitely dropped a bit. Last night I had some Braxton Hicks contractions (fake or practice contractions) last night and I thought - 'this is it'.. but then I fell asleep and the next thing I know, I woke up in the morning and no baby yet!

Last day of work!

Today was my last day of work. It feels great but also a bit bizarre. It is going to be strange not going to work on monday. Several people came to my desk to wish me luck and make me feel good also. They were all very surprised in how great I looked in being only 1 week from my due date (as if they were expecting I should be falling apart of something...)
My coworkers got me a beautiful card, several cute outfits for the baby, a cute lion teddy bear and a gift certificate to Mothercare!
I will miss my coworkers! We have a great time and I enjoy our work environment! Well, at least I will be back in 6 months!

More friends in town

This week we had two good friends in town. Tom, whom I met in LA, 6 years ago when I had just moved there and Steven, a friend I have known since I was 13 and lived in Belgium. Tom was on his way to Italy for a well deserved holiday and to celebrate his 46th birthday. I took the day off and hanged out with him. He was very sweet and even said he had never seen such a petite pregnant woman! (he lived in LA, so he surely has....). Tom gave us a beautiful blanket for our little one! In the evening the 4 of us went to dinner. We had Indian.. (yes, curries!!!) I had the second spiciest dish on the menu... so far, I can confirm that, so far, the spicy curry myth (that it will help start labor) is truly a myth! (as is the pineapple myth!) It was great to hang out with our friends and have one of our last 'pre-baby' meals with them!

How am I actually feeling? What am I feeling?

When people see me, they know I don't have much longer time before my due date and they always ask me:
"how are you feeling?" (with a painful face, expecting I am feeling that way).
I reply:
"I am feeling great" (they look very surprised...)
Then they ask:
"what are you feeling? Are you nervous?" (another painful face tweak)
I respond:
"I am excited, I can't wait to meet our little one..." (they -another surprised face!)

Well, I am indeed super excited and I am really looking forward to being a mother and to building a family with Jason! I know it will not be easy, but I am sure it is so worth it! I have always wanted to be a mom -since I was little and saw my younger brother and sister as babies. Jason and I waited a couple of years and actually hinted to some people we might not ever be parents... I think we were just a bit afraid of a big change in our lives! (which it will be) But I am 100% sure that we are ready for this and that it will be great!
I think at the moment, my biggest fear is the health of our baby! (they don't do that many test here in the UK) I want him/her to be born healthy and thrive in life! I have no doubt we will do everything we can to make his/her life wonderful as I have no doubt we will do our best in being parents! And I know there will be moments that we make mistakes (we are humans) but I know that we will be a happy family!
Well, this is my last week of work. I am curious to see how easily I will 'switch off'. After the baby arrives, I know I'll have my hands full.. but until I go into labor....

Late summer cleaning!

This weekend we did some relaxing and even slept in until 8:30 on sunday! We also cleaned the entire house... a good late summer cleaning. It feels good to get everything ready for the baby. It's not that we lived in a 'pig hole', but we cleaned the cupboards, organized the conservatory (where we store our books, camping gears and other items) as well as waxing some of the wooden furniture... Some may call it the 'nesting' period (right before the baby arrives...), however I just wanted to do it this weekend, since next weekend we have some friends in town and the weekend after that our baby might be taking the majority of our time!
We also went to a friend's house warming party on Saturday evening. There was a guy, who's girlfriend is 7 months pregnant, and he seemed a bit petrified... Jason was great in giving him advice and I also told him about how I think about pregnancy, birth and children (=there is only that much that is under our control... for the rest we just have to wait and see! Of course, you want to be as prepared and informed as possible, but there are certain things we just can't control and we should not stress about it!)
Today, Sunday, we went to the park. Jason enjoyed roller blading and I strolled around with Vinny. It will not be long before I can take our baby around in his/her pram. And in no time Jason will be teaching him/her to bike, roller blade, etc... I can take advantage of that and also learn with them!
Jason satisfied another craving this weekend. He made some 'Texas style nachos' (that is what we had for dinner!) It's a double layered nacho dish with chips, salsa, ground beef, cheese and finished up with guacamole. I love that fact he worked at a Mexican restaurant when he was younger... he knows how to make good Mexican dishes!
I am feeling great (my tooth is still not 100% but the antibiotics are helping) and the baby has been kicking like usual!