First Christmas

Junior's first Christmas was pretty low-key.  We spent the day together at home.  Mommy and Daddy dressed Junior up in different outfits and went picture-crazy.   

Changing Junior's sleep habits

We're trying something different with Junior's sleeping routine.  We weren't having trouble keeping him asleep, but it was becoming more and more difficult getting him to sleep.  It would take anywhere from 1-1.5 hours to put him down for the night.  We did some reading, and we came to the conclusion that we were putting him to sleep too late.  Apparently most babies naturally want to rest for the night between 6-7, and of course an over-tired baby is more difficult to put to sleep.  So instead of starting to try to put him to sleep at 8 or 8:30, we moved it up to 7-7:30 with a "bedtime routine" starting at 6:30.   We're also trying to avoid holding and bouncing him to sleep as much as possible.   So far we've seen pretty decent improvements.  Last night he went to sleep by 7:30 without too much trouble, and woke up once to eat.  It's only been few days since we started this strategy, so we'll need more time to tell if it's working consistently.  Keep your fingers crossed...

10 weeks old

This has been an eventful week for Junior.  He went with mommy to her work's holiday party.  He got to meet all of her coworkers and even hang out with another buddy.  He's the son of mom's coworker, and he was born just 2 weeks after Junior.  As you can tell by the picture though, Junior is much larger (by about 5 pounds).

The next day he followed mommy to the mall for the first time.  Mommy tried to get a good picture of him with the pretty Christmas tree display, but he wasn't in the mood to smile at the time.  Apparently he doesn't like the mall....like father like son.

We also had company both days this weekend, and Junior was mostly on his best behavior.  He seems to like seeing new faces, as long as mommy is around too.

Hanging out with auntie and the cuz

This weekend Junior went to up to SF and saw his cousin.  He doesn't know how to "play" yet.  All he did was lie down and look around.  Not sure if he even noticed his cousin lying down next to him.  He did play with Auntie for a while though so that mommy could cut daddy's hair.

2 month doctor's appointment

We are a little disappointed that Junior weighed in at only 13 pounds 11 oz.  We were hoping for at least 14 pounds, but he thought the 90th percentile was good enough and didn't want to seem like an overachiever.  He got stuck twice in the thigh for vaccines, which he didn't like at all.  He got over it pretty quickly, and now he has the nice little side effect of sleepiness.

The doc also thinks he is starting to teethe, since he's nibbling on clothes and blowing bubbly drool.  She tried to reassure us that this doesn't mean he'll pop out teeth right away.  It could still be months before the first tooth shows.  We're hoping that's the case, because teeth would complicate breast feeding.

Trial and error in cloth diapering

We decided to use cloth diapers during the day mainly for economical reasons.  When we first started researching this subject, we were surprised that there are so many different kinds of cloth diapers.  All-in-ones, pocket, diaper cover, prefold, flat, contour... and then there are hundreds of brands.

Well, we didn't actually use up all the disposable diapers we received as gifts until after Junior was 7 weeks old.  Since then we've been using cloth diapers, and we actually like it a lot.  We're mainly using flat diapers and diaper covers that our Korean relatives sent to us.  We also bought a handful of all-in-one, pocket, and diaper covers to try them out.  Our favorites are the Korean diapers because they're all cotton and easy to wash.  We've had several leaking accidents, but I'm not sure they are any more frequent than with disposable diapers.  Overall the cloth diapers have contained the messes pretty well considering Junior is now saving up his poops for one big poop a day.

We're still using disposables at night time, because he seems to notice dirty diapers more easily with the cotton diapers.  We'll have to experiment with the fleece-lined diapers for night time.... some day.

2 months old

Junior is 2 months old today.  We did a rough measurement of height and weight at home.  He's roughly 14 pounds and 24 inches long.  We'll see what he measures at the upcoming 2 month doctor's appointment.

This weekend we explored Ikea and the farmers market.  Both times he didn't get to experience too much since he was asleep the entire time.

Today while mommy took a nap, daddy took him outside by just carrying him in his arms.  He was awake the whole time just looking around.

We can see his strength and motor skills getting better little by little.  He loves to play on the playmat that we received as a hand-me-down from his cousin.   We hung colorful toys from the bar, and he's been hitting them with his hands.  He loves tummy time too, at least until he gets tired.  He can lift his head up pretty high, and keep it there for a several minutes.

Last week, we finally gave in and bought a cradle swing off of craigslist.   This thing is a lifesaver.  He loves it!  Daddy calls it "baby crack".

8 weeks old

Junior turned 8 weeks old yesterday.  For this special occasion, mommy went to lunch with him at the local cafe.  We enjoyed a leisurely meal of lasagna and salad.  Junior wasn't much of a conversationalist, however.  He slept through the whole meal.

Growth spurt?

We think Junior may be going through another growth spurt the past couple of days.  All of a sudden he seems to look HUGE overnight.  His belly is quite protuberant.  He's eating more frequently, and he's more fussy than normal.  Even though it was a gorgeous sunny 70 degree day, he didn't want to look around at all during the stroller ride.  He wouldn't stop fussing until I covered him completely with the canopy for the perfect sleeping environment.

7 weeks old

We marked this occasion by taking a stroll down to the local Starbucks and getting a decaf latte and pumpkin scone.  Junior was again very well behaved and didn't make a peep of protest.  He seems to really enjoy going outside and getting some fresh air.  He's becoming more and more interactive during his awake moments.  He still doesn't sleep very well during the day, except when he's in the moby or his infant chair when it's rocked.  Thankfully at night time he usually falls asleep without too much effort, and wakes up only every 4-5 hours between feeds.

First social outing

Yesterday Junior made a successful trip to eat dimsum and go grocery shopping with mommy, Grandma Y and her college friend.  We were out for a total of 3 hours, and he was such a good boy the entire time.  It was a terrific idea to feed him early before we left so that he was in a good mood from the start.  He basically slept and was quiet the entire time.  He had to eat in the car just before the drive back home, but that went smoothly.  He even pooped while eating, but I was able to change his diaper in the back seat without any problems.  I think the key is, full tummy = happy Junior.

6 weeks old

We've made it to 6 weeks old already.  He was weighed at the lactation consultant appointment, and he tipped the scale at an amazing 11 pounds 8 ounces.  That's 20 ounces heavier than at his one month appointment eleven days ago.  Just like his mommy and daddy, Junior loves to eat.  He doesn't mess around with his food.  When he's hungry, he wants his food pronto.

He also seems to be smiling a little more now.  He's always showed off a goofy grin just as he's falling asleep, but that was never really purposeful.  Now once in a while, he'll smile at you when he's in a good mood and you engage him.

One month old

Junior turned one month old yesterday, and he marked the occasion by going to the doctor's office for a quick weight check and shot.  To our delight, he weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds 3 ounces.  We knew he had gained a good amount of weight just by looking at his growing belly and chin folds.  All that breastfeeding pain is paying thank goodness.

Happy Halloween

Since Junior's birthday is so close to halloween, he's received several outfits befitting the occasion as gifts.  It just so happens also that one of his favorite hats that he got as a hand-me-down is orange.  I wanted to dress him in one of his halloween onesies today and take him out for his first walk in the stroller.  Unfortunately, he decided to pee on that outfit and on the sofa before the walk could happen.  Oh well.

2 week doctor's appointment

Junior had his 2 week old doctor's visit the other day.  He weighed in at 8 pounds 5 ounces, which is almost a pound above the 7lb 7oz that he weighed when leaving the hospital.  He is definitely looking chunkier in the belly, and his legs are looking less skinny.  He sure is eating a ton, sometimes every hour.  Unfortunately he often wants to eat every hour when mommy and daddy are trying to sleep.  We got permission from his pediatrician to go ahead and wake him up during the day as much as possible.  He seems to be immune to our attempts to wake him however. Not sure how he can sleep through taking off his clothes, foot tapping, spine rubbing and diaper changing.

10 days

 We've been learning things about Junior every day.  We noticed that he makes certain faces for specific reasons.  His poopy face is when he puckers his lips and fixes his gaze.  He scrunches up his nose if something touches its tip while trying to breast feed.  When he gets the hiccups, he'll stay still, open his eyes wide and look up at you with a "oops what did I do?" face.  He usually gets the hiccups if he's eaten too much or, Grandma says, when he's cold.  When he's asleep, he'll get a one-sided smile when he's dreaming about something he likes.  It's pretty darn cute.

Welcoming Junior

A and I welcomed Junior 6 days after his due date.  I had to be induced because my water broke, and 6 hours of walking did nothing to ramp up the contractions.  He was born on October 4th at 9:13 am, about 17 hours after pitocin was started and 1.5 hours of pushing.  A and Grandma K were there to witness the birth.  He weighed in at 7 pounds 15 ounces and 21 inches in length. He has mommy's long fingers and a combination of mommy's long toes and daddy's fat ones.  Already at 1 day old he was lifting his head up off your shoulder to look around when you hold him.  Not sure who he takes after when it comes to his ear piercing screams... probably daddy.

Grandma





Long fingers like mommy



Daddy's first diaper change