Monday, June 1, 2009

14 weeks in...

Well, here we are 14 weeks in on this crazy ride called parenthood... I LOVE IT... or should I say WE love it... watching Sebastian grow, change and learn has been the most amazing experience of our lives. Every little thing he does fills us with joy and amazement. He was smiling and laughing at 3 weeks... and I don't mean gas - I mean belly laughs... he has been rolling over from his back to his front - both ways and pushing his head up for 2 weeks now... he loves to play with his toys - grasping things with both hands and inspecting them - and of course mouthing them to death - and he is a drooler - bibs are our friend. He is now showing an interest in what the cat and dog are up to - watching them as they cross the room - when Chiron the beagle walks by he reaches out to run his hand along his fur...

Unfortunately Chiron the beagle has been afflicted with terrible pollen related allergies this season - he gets asthma attacks and his skin is just rife with hot spots and he is itching and slurping incessantly... I do feel terrible for the poor baby - we have tried organic baths in clove and cinnamon shampoo, oatmeal shampoos - and this last week I even resorted to head and shoulders as it says for dry/irritated skin... to no avail. We had him on antihistimines and steroids - to no avail... we are bathing him twice a week as his coat oil is getting out of control due to all the scratching - as the baby has me up around 6 a.m. (on a good day - lol) I did a midweek early a.m. bath last week... and boy does the beagley beagle HATE the water... I took him in a pool once and he made like Jesus and walked the surface back to the steps...

Anyhoo - the point I was making was that Seb sits out on the deck in his bouncer while we bathe the dog - and he finds this one of the highlights of his week - he laughs as chiron shakes and sprays and the spray from the hose finds its way onto him - I wonder if he is aware of Chiron's deep hate of water and laughing at his "brother's" torturous plight of twice weekly baths!

Sebastian, however, LOVES water, baths, swimming in the pool, rain - you name it... he will splash and kick and swing his arms for ages... I let him go under and he holds his breath as they should - this i learned from Swede Heidi - but I must get some good literature and learn how to get him really learning properly...

He is really a chatty little boy - he talks and talks and talks - hardly lets anyone get a word in edgeways... takes after both his grannies I think (and maybe his Mummy).... anyhow - for a while now he has been cooing and gurgleing and making fab vowel noises and something sounding like an mmm... sound... we lay in bed with him just chatting and listening and responding and teaching him the flow of conversation and laughing... when we laugh he laughs with us... we watched Marley and Me last night (almost as good as the book) and whenever we laughed he joined in with a belly laugh of his own...

Unfortunately he still gets up through the night repeatedly - which is normal - but hard when I have to get up and work the next day - but honestly - although I grumble when he first rouses and i stagger through the house to the couch - once we are there and I am feeding him - cuddled with him on the breast - I see how hard this is to give up once they choose to wean... that one on one time only I can share with him - making him strong and healthy... and strong he is - he is already sitting himself up - he will have a 6 pack in the next month.... and he can pull on things - mind you he did that from birth - causing me to tear badly - when he came down the birth canal he grabbed my hoohaw with his hand and did some class A damage...

My dear friend Marc came over from England for a long weekend - while his parents were also here - to meet Sebastian - it was a surprise... and a lovely one. Alex girl insisted on coming round on a week night to see Seb - okay so we got some take out from Shakespeare's and visited... at 8.00 p.m. there was a knock at the door - which Alex girl got rather antsy about... Alex dad got up to answer it and just stood there saying 'oh sh*t' over and over... well since i had assumed it was Jehova's or some such i was getting desperate to know what was going on... he swung the door round and there stood Marcy Marc... he came in and visited - then we all had dinner at his parent's condo the following night - both Alex's, Seb and myself... Saturday was a day at the pool with the baby and Sunday we all had dinner at Carrabas - was lovely to see him and spend some time. He got me some lovely rugby onesie outfits from Next for Seb... he went home Monday - but is back later on in September - CAN'T WAIT! Hopefully with Cameron as we want to meet him! :)

I am on the hunt for a new play mat/baby gym for him - with more to do and see for tummy and back time as he loves the one he has - but it is a bit feeble... suggestions welcome on which ones are sturdy, fun and interesting!

We had great nephew Jamie (2 years old) for a few hours last Sunday while Sarah and Tony went to brunch... he is just such a treasure to spend time with and LOVES Seb... he calls him Bastians and always wants to see him, hold him and 'tickle, tickle Bastians'... we had so much fun and took them over to the park - got some good pics of Uncle Alex and Jamie on the fab equipment at Arlington Park (a walk away from us) - to be uploaded soon - and even met Matthias and Isabel - who had just visited with SwedeHeidi, SwedeDad, Swedegirl and Swedebabe! Small world!

Seb is adjusting well to me being at work - he LOVES spending his days with Granny Reid and Snoopy the toy fox terrier... they have fun and walks and play time and she just loves on him - so does Snoopy - who squeaks and barks as soon as he hears my car in the a.m. On Wednesday's our friend Mai has the baby at our house for the day - so he has a day of Spanish (plus Daddy talking to him in Spanish at home) - and this gives me a break from driving to Mum's, to work, to Mum's at lunch to feed him, to work, and then back to Mum's at the end of the day - not that I am complaining as I know we have free childcare with family and people that love him to bits... and I would drive miles for that as I can't be at home... work are great about me pumping so I can give Mum fresh leche at lunch for his afternoon and at the end of the day for the next a.m.

Here is a selection of pics from April and May - there are more to come of the last couple of weeks - once I finally upload them! Now that I am back at work the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit at a computer - UGH.

Give me the camera...



I love my teddy bookmark!



Mummy and Seb on our first Mother's Day!



Auntie Alex and Seb



Marc came from England just to meet me (and get sun)!



Family pool time at Granny and Grandpa Fleeners...



Mummy and Daddy went out with Marc for some Guiness...



I do love Obama really...


3 comments:

  1. What a cute little dude! Is he really just 14 weeks? It seems he has been here so long already!

    Too funny about meeting the Carllsons at the park! And for baby swimming- awesome- so glad you are doing it. So fun. Try the baby stand thing when in the water where you have them balance on their feet. Start with the baby in the water for support and and lift them up and so they can stand on your one palms up high! The dive reflex stays for 6 months and if not used goes away, but if you use it (as you are) it becomes learned and they retain the abilty to do it. Just trust yourself and play often in the water and you are there! The best baby swim teacher is in the UK- you can learn at home with her videos and books. She is coming from the right place of fun and exploration (not like some that are fear based/ water is super dangerous/keep your kid from drowning approach.) Her name is Francoise Barbira Freedmanstuff and her can be ordered http://www.birthlight.com/public/products/dvdvideo.aspx. Might be able to get them in the USA directly, too. Also, I left a video called 'BathTub Babies' at Rosemary lending library that is good for introducing the baby to water, but does not cover submersion. It is helpful, but super basic!

    You look gorgeous and mother suits you well.
    He is just darling, and sounds very talented, too!!! Of course....

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  2. If you can deal with a visit to Crazy Penny, she was an Olympic-trials-caliber swimmer and taught babies and kids to swim for years. She started teaching me at around his age, probably...it appears to have worked. :-) She can probably give you some good pointers, and maybe a quick lesson or two.

    Thanks for the update...so glad you are enjoying parenthood so much!

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  3. yes - when i visited your mom with seb she said she would teach him - i was going to speak to her about it once she was more fully recovered. Email me and tell me all about Shroom's wedding!

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