Day care blues

This is my first time at day care with my new caregiver, Candace. Where is Mama? Where is Papa? Why are you leaving me here? Who are these people and where am I? I don't recognize any of this. Hmmm. Did I do something wrong? I better behave myself, I'm not sure I am going to like this.

No worries though. I could tell my parents were sad, but I think I am going to enjoy this. There are lots of other people my size here. There are new toys to play with. They feed me regularly, and the sole menu item is still Mama's milk. I even get diaper checks every hour which are carefully documented as dry, wet, or BM.

After my first day, Candace commented, "Zeke had a great day! He is one of the most happiest babies I've ever met." Shama, the afternoon caregiver agreed, "he was very good boy, didn't cry all day, very unusual." I was glad to go home though. Mama and Papa missed me, they said so. I guess I missed them too.

I am wiped out; day care is exhausting. Nap time for me after a nice bath and warm snack. Night-night.

Checking in with bear

Periodically Papa takes a picture of me playing with my buddy, bear. He's been a good old friend and a nice touchstone to gauge my progress. You see, bear is kind of magical - he doesn't age like I do. Never eats anything, never needs diapers, just hangs out with me whenever I am lonely. Sometimes he gets a little dirty, perhaps some milk or slobber gets on his fur. But Mama gives him a bath and he comes back cleaner than ever. Clever bear.

The thing is, unlike bear, I am growing. You can see the progression from about one month (07-Oct), to two months (19-Nov), and today's picture at about four months. I wonder if all small boys have bears to hang out with. I hope they do; that would be a good World.

Off to bed, I am starting day care tomorrow.

Babyzilla

Almost a third of a year has passed since I was introduced to the World. Mama took me to the pediatrician today to get another round of shots; all the same vaccines as the two-month checkup except Hepatitis B, wah times four. I am going to start attending day care next week, so it is good that I am building a strong immune system. Let's weigh in with my physical measurements; height 27.25" (>95th percentile), weight 17lbs 3oz (90%) and head circumference 43 cm (75%). I am a big baby. Babyzilla if you will, but I'm so damn cute I get away with it. Tokyo should be afraid, very afraid.

Happy New Year

I am not a year old yet, but 2005 has come and gone. According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, I was born in the year of the rooster. Cockle-doodle-doo! Mama and Papa were both born under the sign of the monkey. Eee-eee! 2006 is the year of the dog. Woof-woof. One must be careful though, the Gregorian calendar doesn't align with the Chinese lunar calendar. The Chinese new year begins closer to the end of the month, on the 29th - so maybe I was a bit premature in wishing a happy new year. Either way, 2005 was a year to remember and 2006 will undoubtedly bring many new adventures. I can hardly wait.

p.s. I am not really hiding behind my blanket, I am secretly sucking on it because it feels nice.

Merry Christmas All

It's my first Christmas. I am not sure what that means, but everyone seems to be rushing around. They are buying lots of things, and wrapping them in colorful paper. I hope that someone gets me some holiday milk. That's all that I really need this year, maybe some bigger diapers too.

Mama took me shopping nearly every day this week. She put me in the Baby Björn facing outward so I could help with the shopping. I have been on my best behavior, apparently that's a good thing for Santa. Papa has a week-long vacation from work, yay. It will be like when we first started out. Everyone home, every day. Both parents, me and Zadie, the brown dog. Happy Holidays to everyone, may it be a safe one.

I'm all thumbs

I've been searching for them. They've eluded me for more than three months. But now they're mine. I have finally discovered my thumbs. It just happened yesterday morning. I had been sucking my hands, the knuckles, my index finger, sometimes even the palm. Who knew how enjoyable my thumbs would be? They are always closeby, warm, and just the right size. Dare I say that I love my thumbs? I guess time will tell, but for now they are some of my favorite things. Ahhh.

Warm and comfy

Sometimes when we go outside, we have to wear big clothes. Mama purchased a fuzzy hat and matching mittens to protect me from the elements. Occasionally it gets cold in Northern California - not Montréal cold - but cold by our standards. Here I am with Papa at a charity event staged by some friends for the leukemia and lymphoma society. The event was held at a mock western town, complete with barbeque, saloon and gambling. Papa has his big clothes on too. I was so comfy in my hat and mittens that I fell asleep.

Three months already

This past week I turned three months old. A quarter of a year! Hard to believe. Mama and Papa still marvel about how they are Parents. I hear them. They shouldn't be so concerned, they are both doing just fine.

Notable changes - Mama and Papa measured me for length, but it seems my height has not changed since the two month update. Personally, I think it's due to measurement error. On the other hand, Mama had a girlfriend weigh me with an accurate scale - since our kitchen scale is now woefully underrated. I am definitely over 15lbs. Considering that I started at 7lbs 6oz just a few short months ago, that's better than a 100% return on investment. No solid food yet, but I've been watching Papa eat his cereal in the morning. Mmmmmm.

I am also improving my manual dexterity. Still haven't worked out sucking my thumb, but the backs of my hands are close enough. I can tightly grasp objects like my washcloth or burp towel. I also like to pet my stuffed animals or pretend that I am hiding something in between my hands. TeeHee.

Boing-boing

Add one more item to the circuit gym. The usual workout circuit contains the activity mat, swing, and vibrating chair. Add one bouncy chair to the mix. They are also called doorway jumpers or baby bungees. If you are not familiar with these, it's essentially a spring loaded chair which is suspended by a doorway jamb. My legs are free to poke out of the bottom of the chair and I can bounce freely in my, er, en-lightened state. Yippie. It's like walking on the moon without the spacesuit. Boing-boing.

Good night, sleep tight...

As I've said before, I have been sleeping longer through the night but less during the day. Papa caught me napping here. You can tell it's a daytime nap because I have not been swaddled. That's ok, sometimes it's nice to stretch out like in the picture.

As of today it has been nine days straight that I've gotten a full night of uninterrupted sleep. That's from 11:30pm or so until 7:00am when Mama comes to get me. Eventually I'll drop the 10:30 feeding, aka the "big easy", and sleep right through from 7pm to 7am. I am so considerate of my parents' sleep needs.