Week 30: Nodding

Last week, Daddy and I noticed you would randomly nod while we were playing with you. You keep doing it at different times. A few days ago while Grandma was feeding you, you were nodding again, so we decided to have some fun in the video:

Here are some photos from the last 2 days (week 30):

Aunty Mandy requested some "Lucas love' today. So I took these photos after I asked you to "Smile for Aunty Mandy". What a sweet smile for the camera :)

Week 29: Apple - taste sensation

I fed you pureed apples last night. Your reaction to tasting apples for the first time was so funny! I think the flavours were too intense for you though I think you still liked it as you kept reaching for more.

I mixed the apple with pears today so that the flavours were less intense. Aunty Mandy tasted it and loved it. You really loved it too.

Here are some photos of Daddy reading you your bedtime story last night.

6 month family photos

We took family photos a few weeks ago with the photographer, Leah Kua at Woolwich Docks. She used a traditional film camera to capture the images. The results are lovely. She put up a small gallery on her blog. Here are some of my favourites from that gallery:

The last photo of you sleeping in my arms was one of the very last photos we took. Leah had wanted to take more couple photos of me and Daddy but you had other ideas. I think these photos of you sleeping worked out much better. 

Week 29: You can turn the page!

You've always loved looking at books. Ever since you were a few months old, you loved to sit still while we read books to you. You would look at each page with such interest, it really looked like you were reading! Today, your Grandparents were reading a book to you and noticed you moving your hands as if to turn the page yourself. So I took a video of it. I love this video, it's so adorably cute especially the satisfied smile you gave me at the end of the video.

Here you are with the same book:

Week 29: Mid-week round-up

Each day seems to speed by now that we are nap training. It feels like an endless cycle of eat-play-sleep. You're only supposed to be awake for 2 hours so I watch you closely after 2 hours to catch your sleepy signs. As soon as you yawn or rub your eyes, I whisk you away from your play mat and put you through your nap routine. It feels like an endless cycle of putting you down in your crib, saying good night and walking out then hearing you cry and shriek and having to go back in and comfort you. You seem to know it's nap time and you really try to fight it. Let's hope you will learn soon as I really need time to start packing up the house while you take your naps!

I think I forgot to mention that we bought a house last week. I can't believe I forgot to mention it! For you, the new house will be the only house you know but we actually became a family of 3 in this little 2-br townhouse. All 3 of us have been sleeping in the main bedroom together. It's a little cosy especially after you got too big for the bassinet and we had to get a new crib that would fit the room but I like having you right next to our bed when you're sleeping. I don't randomly get up in the middle of the night to check you anymore but I like being able to reach out and comfort you if I hear you getting up. You've actually done the same and reached out to touch me through the bars to let me know you're awake! It was so cute.

Anyway, all of this background is to explain why I haven't had time to take that many photos or videos this week! I've been busy packing and cleaning up. Still, I do have a few photos from what we've been up.

You started trying pears this week and you love it! Here's a video of Grandma feeding you pureed pears for the first time. I've never seen you lean forward to eat more until you tried pears.

Photos from this week:

Trying pears

"I want to feed myself"

Going out for a walk and watching Grandma talk on her phone

Week 29: Playdate with Ethan

Today we had brunch with Aunty Yvonne and Ethan at a local cafe. Ethan is only older than you by 1 month, so you're both very close in age. We've seen Aunty Yvonne and Ethan a few times now, mainly to watch movies at the cinema, though at the time you were both too young to interact with one another.

Today we put you both in high chairs and watched the 2 of you "playing" for the first time. It was so cute!

Week 29: More gurgling and toes

You did your sing-song gurgling again this morning while doing your new trick of reaching for your toes. Here's a video combining your 2 new skills:

We went for your regular checkup at the baby health clinic today. I found out you've grown 4cm in 3 weeks! We last measured you at the medical centre 3 weeks when we got your immunisations. You're now in the 50th-75th percentile for height. You also weigh 8kg, which surprisingly is only in the 25th-50th percentile. I thought you were chubby for your age but you're actually below average in weight!

I also started nap-training you today. I want to stop the habit of you falling asleep while feeding you, so I'm following the traditional routine of: Sleep-Eat-Play. I made sure I fed you first, then we went downstairs to play. I put on a nursery rhyme CD and sang to you. After you digested a bit, I gave you some tummy time. You've started doing the swivel on your tummy, moving almost 360 degrees as I moved your toys just out of your reach. When you started rubbing your eyes, I took you upstairs, changed your nappy and put you into your sleep sack. I held you while singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (an easy song that everyone knows, so hopefully others will be able to put you to sleep). I turned on the white noise app and put you in your crib while you were still awake, gave you a few pats, sang Twinkle Twinkle again and gave you a kiss on your forehead, saying "Good night sweetie". Then I left the room.

Week 28: Falling asleep on your own (video working now)

You're 6.5 months now and still not sleeping through the night. I got 2 blissful nights where you slept for 8 hours straight when you were 4 months old and I thought you were improving as you only woke up twice a night. At 5 months you regressed and started waking up 3 times a night.

I spoke to the midwife at the health centre and we figured out it was because you would fall asleep after only breastfeeding on one side. I didn't want to wake you up to finish the other side but that meant you would wake up more often. After that, I made you finish both sides and you slept a bit longer.

At least we don't have too much trouble putting you to sleep at night. You start rubbing your eyes around 6.30-7pm and we go through a consistent bedtime routine so that you learn the cues it's time to sleep. You often fall asleep while I am feeding you but I'm trying to stop that so you can learn to self-settle and fall asleep on your own. Slowly you're learning to self-settle. You often have a bit of a whinge before you fall asleep. I recorded your whinging tonight, it was so cute because you learnt a new sound: 'meh meh meh'. You fell asleep a few minutes after I finished recording you.

Here's the audio with photos from this weekend (I've taken the privacy setting off now). The last photo was taken the day before. It was hot that night so we decided to take the sleep sack off. Without the sleep sack, you used your feet to move your body around the crib. When we came back upstairs to see you, we found you had moved 180 degrees in your crib. Daddy had to move you back because he was worried you'd knock your head.

You're getting really flexible and starting to suck your toes! Daddy was horrified when he first saw you do that and promptly took your foot out of your mouth. I thought it was really funny so I took a video and some photos:

Photos:

Week 28: Family reunion

Aunty Kat and Uncle Dan came back on Saturday from HK for a visit. They came to visit and play with you that night. Now that you're a bit older, you can recognise people and you're more wary of people you've only just met. The last time Aunty Kat and Uncle Dan saw you, you were only 1 week old! You took a little while to warm to them. Uncle Dan played with your toys a bit roughly, especially with your precious Sophie toy. You looked like you were getting excited playing with him but then we realised you were upset when you started wailing!  Today you still had not forgiven Uncle Dan and avoided looking at him. It was pretty funny for all of us though probably not so fun for poor Uncle Dan. They will be seeing more of you the next 2 weeks so I'm sure you'll be friends again soon!

We went to the city today for lunch and dessert with the whole family. You looked so cute in your outfit today. Here are some photos:

Sitting in a high chair at the restaurant

With the whole family

With Aunty Kat and Uncle Dan

Week 28: Watching TV and your hairstyle makeover

You love to watch children's shows but I limit how much TV you can watch. I turned on the TV for about 5 mins and then took this video. You started complaining as soon as I turned the TV off, it looked like you were complaining about not having the TV on because you kept looking in the direction of the TV. This video makes me laugh because it seems like you are responding to what I am saying.

Your hair is growing longer, it looks so funny with those few strands at the front. I couldn't resist giving you different hairstyles while we were playing.

"Mama, what did you do to my hair?!"

"This style looks better"

Daddy said the mohawk makes you look chubby....haha

Week 28: Tummy time and avocados

It's funny how you love to stand up all the time but hate lying on your tummy. I've been making you do short bursts of tummy time. You're so efficient, only lifting your head for a bit and then putting it back down again for a rest. Here's a video:

Here you are during your morning nap. You look so sweet.

A little rest during tummy time

I also fed you avocado for the first time today. You gave it a try, I don't think you mind it because you gave me lots of smiles when we finished.

First Father's Day

It was your first Father's Day with Daddy today. It was also the first day of spring though we couldn't go out today because Daddy had the flu. Daddy played with you a little bit while he was in bed.

Happy Grandpa's Day too!

Can't believe I was only 15 weeks pregnant last year when we celebrated Father's Day!

You're becoming such a big boy now, you love to do things yourself. Here you are holding a sippy cup and drinking water:

Week 27: Gurgling video and summer outfit

You started making gurgling sounds this morning, sometimes it sounded like you were singing! You had a lot of fun experimenting with these new sounds.

These are the first photos I've taken of you sitting on the bed. You look so grown up! Daddy said I should spike your hair up instead of parting it to the side.  I must have parted it by accident after I washed your face this morning. Your hair hasn't grown much these past 6 months...I wonder when you'll need your first haircut? :)

Grandma and I took you out for a trip to the city yesterday. The weather is getting warm so we dressed you in these cute short overalls and deck shoes. Check out those chunky legs! haha

Week 27: My boisterous little boy

You wake up at 7am every morning like clockwork. And you're always so full of energy! Here is a video from this morning of you being really loud and boisterous. It's so cute how you still marvel at your little hands in between your giggles and shrieks.

A couple of photos with Daddy cuddling you in the morning before he got ready for work:

Some photos from yesterday morning. You still love to do the happy baby pose whenever you are lying down.

Week 27 milestone: Sitting up by yourself

You sat up all by yourself today! I put lots of blankets and pillow around you, just in case you fell backwards but you stayed upright for a long period of time. I was so proud of you! I think giving you a new toy to play with was a great motivator :)

Week 27 video: Feeding yourself

I've worked out how you will actually eat your solids! You'll finish the sweet potato if you can feed yourself. I tried it with this new contraption and you were giggling and laughing away. Here's the video:

Week 26: Trying papaya and weekly round-up

I was cutting up some papaya this morning and thought I would mash some up for you to try. Here's a video of you trying papaya for the very first time. It was quite funny because after a few mouthfuls, you refused to open you mouth to eat any more! Such a stubborn boy!

What are you feeding me, Daddy?

No more, Daddy!

Here's a round up of photos from this week:

Week 26 photo story: Bubbles

At our baby class on Friday, we were all given a bottle of bubbles to take home. This morning, Daddy decided to blow some bubbles with you, much to your delight.