Happy 1/6th birthday Nico

Nico is 2 months old today (well 2 months and 1 day if you wanted to get all technical on me).

I have found that my body clock isn't forever stuck on Lunch Hour and has finally started to move along and developed a motherly instinct. Yes ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I am finding this baby cute!

At 2 months he is quite a bit more interactive than he was as a newborn. And while this is something that is a given to most people, I as a 1st time mum didn't quite know that.

How do we know he's not a retard? Well we don't. But we have got some milestones to check against:

• Mastered skills (most babies can do) at 0 month:
  - Can focus on objects 25cm (for the miscreants who still use the imperial system, that's 10 inches) away. Check.
  - Prefers to look at faces and high contrast patterns. We didn't quite give him a choice of things to look at and ask him to rate them in order of preference...
  - Is alert for 1 out of every 10 hours. Check. And no more caffeine for me.
  - Has strong reflexes. Check.

• Mastered skills (most babies can do) at 1 month:
  - Lifts head when lying on tummy. Check.
  - Responds to sound and voices. Check.
  - Stares at faces. Check. He stares so much sometimes I wonder whether I have a bit of lettuce stuck between my teeth.
  - Has begun to unfurl hands and relax muscles. Check.
  - Can briefly hold objects. Check. If you count Mummy's fingers, T-shirt, hair or glasses.
  - Enjoys visual stimulation. Check. A cot mobile is a fantastic buy for anyone with the attention span of a goldfish.
  - Starts to associate crying with need-fulfillment. Ohhh yes. Check.
• Emerging skills (half of kids can do) at 1 month:
  - Can see black and white patterns. Hmm. How am I supposed to know? Ask him if he sees Loki our Dalmatian or Naliah our black & white cat?

• Mastered skills at 2 months:
  - Vocalises oohs and aahs, gurgles and coos. Check.
  - Follows objects across field of vision. Check.
  - Notices his hands. Don't know. How do I know? Will he be staring at them? Will he look all surprised when he sees them? Will he poke them to make sure they're his?
  - Holds head up for short periods. Check. Generally long enough to dribble on his mat.
  - Bring both hands together. Nope. That being said, Nico has no need so far to either clap or pray.
  - Know difference between parents and strangers. Don't know, I haven't quite asked him to point out.
• Emerging skills (half of kids can do) at 2 months:
  - Smiles, laughs. This is another grey area for me. He certainly smiles and chuckles in his sleep and sometimes when he's awake, however this appears to be involuntary facial movements. I think I see a hint of a smile sometimes, but it could be wishful thinking as well. Either way, he really is cute when he does it.
  - Holds head at 45-degree angle. Check.
  - Makes smoother movements. Nope. His movements are still a bit jerky particularly when I make a sudden movement when he's asleep in my arms. And they're generally accompanied by a HolySh*tYou'dBetterNotDropMe look on his face.
• Advanced skills (a few kids can do) at 2 months:
  - Holds head steady. He does every so often, but only when he is carried over the shoulder.
  - Pushes down with legs when placed on surface. Check.
  - Lifts head and shoulders when lying on tummy and does mini-push ups. I've seen him do it on occasions.

First Christmas

Nico had his very first Christmas yesterday, and although he is too young to realise it, he was absolutely spoilt in the way of presents.

We had Christmas Eve dinner at Oma place as we do almost every year, and the table was magnificent, as always. As soon as we arrived, Ji-Hye snatched Nico (well OK. Bas dumped him in her arms) and retreated to the lounge, leaving Mum and Dad free to enjoy a drink or two. Holding Nico was also beneficial to Ji-Hye's English. She learnt the word 'fart'.

Throughout the entire evening, he behaved like an angel (i.e. slept), crying only once to remind me that it was close to his 9pm snack. He slept on a bed right next to the kitchen and dining room, and didn't seem bothered at all by the noise going around him. Here's to hoping this lasts till he's 14.

Presents. I have never brought so much loot home from a Christmas before. He got:

• A pillow & matching Teddy
• A soft stuffed lion
• His first baby toothbrush
• A dummy
• A pack of bodysuits (ack... One reads 'Addicted to diapers')
• A set of overalls, matching hat (fits my head!!!) and matching booties
• A cuddle rag
• His first soft book and noisy toy (not the last noisy toy I assume)
• A 'Merry Christmas Nicolas' quilt
• A T-shirt
• A set of bodysuit, matching hat and matching booties
• A Giggle & Go vehicle set
• A wind-up bath & floor

More pics

Meeting Ba Ngoai for the first time

Bath times are normally quiet and happy - unless I forget to feed him (Nico that is, not Bas) beforehand.

Then Ong Ngoai arrived for his share of cuddles

Tummy time - normally not butt-naked unless Sheryn the Plunket Nurse needs to record Nico's length.

Everyone hands up or the Teddy gets it!

Oma catching up from seeing her grandson only five times in total

10 things I can't do without

Today Nico is 1 month, 1 week old and 1 day old, and over 3.4kg.

Byron's asked what would make a useful/practical present for a baby shower gift, so I thought I might as well list here stuff that I've been using so far.

In no particular order:

1. 
   Breast shells. These are plastic and silicone cups, put inside the bra and used to pick up excess milk while breastfeeding (I think used only by mothers who produce a lot of milk, not everyone will need them). I can leak up to 5ml of milk per feed. What a waste. I found out the hard way that I tended to leak just before and during feeding time. Took me some time to figure out why my hospital gown was wet, as I couldn't recall having drooled on it.






2. Nursing pillow. Just a U-shaped pillow that I put around my waist and use to lie Nico on while breastfeeding. Really good to prevent RSI on both wrist and back. Later on, it can be used to prop him on it . Can also be used to whack Daddy with when he snores too loudly.






3. Muslin squares and cloth nappies. We've got about 24 cloth nappies and 12 muslin squares. They've become ubiquitous items in our household, used for protecting stuff against various liquids that can ooze out of a newborn. The Indian cloth nappies are nice and thick and the muslin squares are a bit lighter and somewhat softer.



4. Sleeping bags! Love them! Great to change a nappy without having to negotiate all these clippy buttons, particularly at 3am when my fingers are less than nimble and my puffy eyes less than sharp. I mean why on earth would I need 13 buttons on a baby suit? The less fancy ones are available at any baby clothes store. We also got the Go Go Bags for night time and winter.


5. Nursing bracelet. Because sleep deprivation, baby brain remnants and the learning curve are all taking their tolls on my memory and I need to keep track when Nico was last fed, and on which side.
   
   
   
6. Breast pads. Because the mind has no control over dairy matter, and come feeding time, milk will find its way out onto bras and sometimes T-shirts. I got some cotton ones, but come to think of it they are pretty easy to make out of any absorbent fabric. If only I knew how.
   


7. A sling. Perfect when going out and about, they're a neat way to carry Nico around and still be able to handle stuff. We have got two, one Nature's Sway and one Little Kiwi Babysling.














8. Baby's first 100 days. Because I'm a noob of a mum. This book goes through all sorts of really useful info and has given me the best burping technique to date. And it doesn't involve pulling anyone's finger. Can be obtained from the Landscape Rd Plunket.
   
   
   
   
9. A nightlamp. When disturbing the breadwinner's sleep is not an option, my salt crystal lamp provides a nice ambient glow at night time so I can keep an eye on Nico when he stirs in his sleep, give him a feed and change his nappy.
   








10. 
    Some form of entertainment. Books, iPod, laptop etc are required during these feeds. Or else...