Almost spring

The weather was nice this past weekend, not too many clouds and relatively warm. Kaio is able to follow planes in the sky. When we are outside, he hears the planes and looks up (I have pointed them out a couple of times) and follows the planes flying over our heads. He also has discovered that banging two toys together makes noise! Every time he does it he looks and smiles at me! (he seems very proud of his achievements) He has been sitting very nice, he is able to sit upright, by himself for 30 seconds and then he starts leaning forwards or sideways.
Kaio continues to sleep and eat very well! this week we tried tomatoes, broccoli and blueberries - he ate all of them without a fuss! He is not drinking that much milk anymore. I need to check with the health adviser if that is okay since he seems to have enough after a couple of oz. of milk!

6 months

Yesterday was Kaio's 1/2 birthday!!! I just can't believe he was born 6 months ago! Time really does fly when you are having fun. It's great going out and about with him. He is much more predictable and in a nice routine that I can plan outings around them and make sure he is on track on his daily schedule (of feeding, napping, changing, etc) and he is a happy camper.
Today 10 of the 12 babies from the NCT group (ante natal classes) got together to make foot prints... it was great. The babies also got to 'play' with each other. It was clear that the girls were more social, the 3 boys pretty much looked around and let the girls touch their faces and legs! Kaio seemed to be bigger then the girls but the smallest of the boys! Kaio behaved really well and seemed to enjoy the company of the other babies. I hope he feels the same when we start daycare in 3 weeks.
Below are some more pictures:
1) Kaio loves his jump & go... he does not jump that much in it yet but he loves the toys and looking around while in it!
2) Kaio and I with daffodils... it's supposed to be almost spring!
3) Smiling in his playpen and on his belly! (after he rolled over from laying on his belly - he has mastered this and is able to entertain himself by rolling over and playing with toys at different angles!)
4) Sitting in his bumbo....

Priceless..

Kaio's first Easter was cold!!! We had a very relaxed 4 days weekend..... It was Kaio's first snow experience - he loved looking at the white flocks coming down! We went for a walk in the park with his new hat:

Pictures from Brazil

Here is a link to the picture album Jason put together:

http://www.jasonandannelies.co.uk/Brasil%202008/index.html

Isn't he the cutest ever!!!!

Solids

Kaio is doing great on solids. We have gotten into a nice routine and he is eating 3 solid meals a day, 2 breasfeeds and 1 formula feed:
- 6am - Kaio wakes up and I breastfeed him in our bed - he falls back asleep after 5 - 10 min and I put him back to bed. he then sleeps until 7:30 - 8am. Yesterday morning I left him in bed with us, when he woke at 7:30 he was very shocked in seeing us next to him when he woke up, but after a few seconds he was all smiles! We don't want to make it a habit though.. we'll see if we can resist!
- 9am - expressed or formula milk, yogurt or cottage cheese with some 'baby cereal'. Sometimes I may mix in a banana (especially when using cottage cheese) to sweeten it up a bit
- noon - 3 - 4 oz of a savory meal - I get 2 frozen cubes of meat (chicken or beef) and one of vegetables (carrot, parsnips, spinach, courgette, swede or sweet potato), sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top of it and warm it slightly. He then gets dessert which is normally some yogurt (strawberry, raspberry or apricot) He also takes a few sips of prune juice in a little transition cup.
- 3pm - breastfeed. This will become a formula feed once he starts daycare.
- 6pm - 3 oz of savory meal (just like lunch) followed by a bigger dessert. (1/2 avocado with 1/2 a banana mixed with a bit of cottage cheese or yogurt)
- 8pm - night time formula. I just recently started giving him formula for this feed instead of breasfeed.
In between some meals I also give him a specially 'baggy' with a piece of fresh fruit in it. He sucks and bites on it and gets the juice out. He really likes that.
He is doing really well with eating and tends to eat better at home - less distraction. Around the last oz of his savory meal he starts grunting and making 'poopie' faces. It is hilarious! He is making space inside to eat more... he has been very regular! (average of 5 poops daily!) I love feeding him and he is improving by the day in swallowing.
On thursday I had lunch with some girls from my antenatal class, all babies started solids, but Kaio and I have been much more 'adventurous' in our feeding by trying different flavors and textures while they are still at giving plain carrots or sweet potatoes.

Good bye!

Grandma Anita and Aunt Carrie left today. Kaio loved having them stay with us. He love grandma's "mooshes" and tall Aunt Carrie holding him (he got a better view then being helf by mommy....)
Yesteday Grandma Anita treated us to a High tea. We ate for 2 hrs and Kaio behaved really well. We were at a nice hotel that had an aquarium and Kaio loved looking at the fish and the beautiful flower arrangements.
Kaio is now eating 3 solid meals a day:
- Breakfast at 8am - mommy's milk + cereal
- Lunch - noon - four ounces of pureed veggies and meat (ever day it is a mixture) followed by a little pot of yogurt
- dinner - 6pm - 3 ounces of pureed veggies and 4 ounces of fruit (his latest favourite - avocado with banana)
He is still being breasfed 3 times a day on top of his solids.
This week I changed the day I am going back to work - I am taking an additional 2 weeks off. I am really thorn about returning to work. I really want to but I don't want to miss any minute of Kaio's live! He is growing and changing so fast. I want to be next to him when he crawls for the first time, I want to be there to sooth him when he cries, I want to be there when he discoveres a new toy or learns a new 'trick'. But I also want to continue my career.

Weight check

Today we went to check Kaio's weight. He is now 24 weeks. He weighed in at 7.02kg (=15.5lbs). It's less then 0.5kg gain since his last check, 5 weeks ago. The health advisor said it was normal since we started solids. Because we are only starting very basic solids, the calorie compensation for the breast milk is not sufficient (he reduced the breast milk intake and has not been able to compensate with the new food)/ She did advice me to start on more proteins (yogurt, meats, etc) to start increasing the calorie intake. But overall he is doing really well; he is happy, hitting the developmental milestones, etc. so no needs to worry.
We met up with some of the moms and babies we met at our ante natal class. It was great. Kaio was looking around, checking everyone out, playing with different toys.... when I laid him on the floor with another baby he tried to grab her shirt and interact with her, when other babies would cry or make other noises, he would stare at them... it was adorable. I also gave him his afternoon fruit and everyone was impressed with the quantity and speed he ate!
I took a bath with Kaio tonight (me and him in the big bath). At first he did not seem very sure about it (after our first experience in the big bath, where I, accidentally, made him swallow some water) but after splashing some water and playing with him he was all smiles and loved it!!! It was great!

New pics

We have been so busy lately and I finally got around in downloading some pictures from Brazil and Kaio eating his 'meals'.
1) Kaio with his 'transition' cup. He holds it really well and manages to get it to his mouth alone!!!
2) Kaio in his high chair eating prune puree, one of his favorite!
3) "What are you looking at?! It's not my fault mommy can't aim it right in my mouth!"
4) Kaio's 1st pool experience....
5) Happy family in Brazil
6) Oma and Opa with kaio
7) Mommy and Kaio with the beautiful flowers

Family in town

Yesterday Grandma Anita and Aunt Carrie arrived. Kaio was all smiles when he saw them. We spent the afternoon showing off his new abilities (playing with toys, rolling over, making all kind of noises and eating solids) I gave him his first banana meal. He loved it!!! It was actually the first time he cried for more and I had to rush to the kitchen to make another plate of food... (which he also finished very promptly) Grandma and Carrie were very impressed!
Kaio is now sleeping very well for 5 days in a row (fingers crossed it is here to stay) He goes to bed at 8pm and only wakes up between 5 -6 am for a 10min feed and he then sleeps until 7:30 - 8am!!!! It's been so nice for us to sleep and he is also in such a great mood after a good night of sleep.
Introducing solids has been fun and exciting! (he is now on 2 meals a day) He has been accepting it really well and the food goes in really well (apart from the spinach and with a big preference for sweets) but it comes out (on the other end) quiet smelly and with a different consistency! All the joys of a growing little baby!!! (can't wait to get him potty trained!) I have also started giving him a prune 'tea' to avoid constipation. I have introduced it in a bottle that has a different top on it to help him with the transition to a cup. He loves to suck on it and holds it really well.

Another growth spurt

We arrived well in the UK. Kaio did very well throughout our 24hr journey home. He had to sleep on the floor of the bulkhead aisle since the two only baby cots on board were given to a set of twins coming from Australia. Daddy made a comfy bed (he used 7 blankets and 6 pillows to make a 'nest' for Kaio) and he slept really well.
The first night back at home, Kaio was a bit disoriented and woke up several times throughout the night. But yesterday, the second night at home, he slept from 8:30pm until 7:30am without waking up at all!!!!! He woke up well rested and with huge smiles for mommy and daddy. He has also been sleeping more throughout the day and eating a lot. It must be another growth spurt.
Vinny arrived today and Kaio follows him all over. He smiles when Vinny comes close and smells his hands and face. It is very cute to see how Kaio is responding much more to Vinny then 3 weeks ago!
Yesterday we bought a food processor to make Kaio's meals. This morning I made his first 'puree' with it. I boiled potatoes, parsnips and carrots. After I pureed it, I added some rice cereal and Kaio ate 150ml. I also have been giving him a bot of water with a splash of apple juice, so he gets used to drinking water out the bottle/cup.
Today I went by the nursery and started making the arrangements for him to start on April 1st. It is going to be very hard for me not to be with him every day, all day. But I am confident that the nursery will be great for him!