My GF Ellie (Elizabeth)

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Last Thursday I finally got to see Ellie again at the Mommy and Baby Fitness. Ellie is six months old. I don't mind the age difference! :D

Ellie sat in her carseat for the entire class and played with her feet. She likes to kick her shoes off and suck on her toes. I wonder what that's like - I don't think I've discovered my feet yet. Ellie also has a great giggle.

I slept for 20 minutes of the class and then decided to give Mommy a hard time. Ha ha ha!

Here's Ellie, what a great smile!




Just the two of us here...

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Out and about on Main St, Vancouver

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Yesterday we walked to Main Street, which we do often. There are a couple of record stores that Linds likes to shop at (he's still on his record album kick), and there are lots of stores for me to choose from to check out.

My first stop was Beansprouts, a baby clothing store that sells both new and like-new consignment items. I picked up a pre-loved vest jacket and a sweater for Connor. The store has a nice sitting area to breastfeed and a change table in the washroom, so that was handy as we needed to do both!

My next store was Front & Company, sells new and consignment clothing for women and men. They were having a loonie sale on accessories - They had a fire over the summer and I believe these were some of the salvageable items. I picked up 4 knit hats and a cute credit card holder all for $1 each! What a steal!

Linds of course picked up a few record albums.

We had Connor in the Peg Perego pramette, but after we were in Beansprouts, he was fussing. So I carried him face-forward in the Baby Bjorn. By the time I got to the tea house, he fell asleep without a fuss. What a cutie pie, if I do say so as the mommy of the babe!

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Baby wearing

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Linds finally tried using the Hotsling to carry Connor. It's known as "baby wearing". Below is a pics of Linds wearing baby Connor this weekend, aren't they cute! Connor is 3 weeks, 2 days old in the photos (Nov. 8/08).

I have a few different carriers. The first one that I bought was a Hotsling. I use it when I want a quick way of wearing Connor around the house. This method is not totally hands-free - the sling doesn't hold Connor by itself. I could place him into it like a 'cradle' way but Connor doesn't like it. This sling cost me $50.

I also have the Baby Bjorn, which is just the best carrier, I have to say. I have an older model for $20 from a Craigslister, it works great - this carrier retails for $118. I have a Safety 1st carrier that I received as part of a "$30 baby boy clothes lot", and Connor cannot even fit into it, not sure if I am doing something wrong there. I also paid almost full price for a Belle carrier (retails $89.95+), because I was looking for a lighter weight carrier and places some of the support on the hips. The Belle one is nice looking (lots of press on celebrities using it) and comfortable but not that easy/quick to put on. The Baby Bjorn is in two pieces which makes it convenient to put on or take off.

I was searching for another carrier that could be used as a backpack style, and just purchased one online. The Baby Trekker can be used backpack style as well as forward facing and for nursing too. I got it from GoneShopping.ca, they have it for $109 - which is less than the $150 the Baby Trekker website sells it for.

A lot of money spent on carriers, but I think it is worth the investment - it is so nice for both the baby and the wearer to be so close and comfortable. Plus I can recoup some costs by reselling them when I am done with them.

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Some moments from the past weeks

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It sure has been busy! Last week we went to Oakridge Mall with Gung Gung and Po Po. I was a good boy at the mall, I didn't cry or make any fuss. I smiled and laughed a lot, and Po Po was so happy zipping me around the mall. We bumped into her friend Wah Jeh and I smiled and cooed at her and Po Po was so proud. Here are a couple of pics we took at the mall while Po Po fed me at the food court.





I can now sit up in my bassinet! In the mornings Mommy will sit me up in the bassinet and I kind of play with the piggy and the cow. Here's a mini video of me in the bassinet.

There was one morning when Daddy was playing with me and I was smiling and laughing with him. So he tried to take some pics of me laughing but by then I didn't feel like smiling anymore, ha ha.



Auntie Teresa came to visit me, here we are. She has twin girls, Addison and Avery, that are 11 months old now. They are my girlfriends :D



And here I am in my car seat, I am a bit better in it now, the last time I rode in it I fell asleep within 5 minutes and slept the whole time!

zzzzz

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Baby brain development

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Wow, haven't posted in a while. Been busy moving Connor's stuff out from our bedroom into his own room, trying to start Christmas shopping, my friend Jeff visited a couple weeks ago during the weekend, and the past two Mondays I drove Connor and I out to Steveston to visit Amy and walk around the area, which is very beautiful (the dykes).

Connor is now 3 months and almost 3 weeks old! He now tries to hold things like his toys and his milk bottle. He can't actually hold the stuff but he kind of tries.

I've been reading a book about how babies' minds grow. It's a very interesting book. A couple of interesting things of note, babies are not yet able to regulate their temperature that well (contrary to what I had been told or read before), especially in extreme heat and cold. To warm themselves up, they will move their bodies by kicking their legs and waving their arms. To cool down they will spread their arms and legs out to dissipate the heat. I've seen Connor do this lots of times! Also the body's ventricular system, which controls the sense of balance, can help to improve motor skills faster. The ventricular system is responsible for the Moro reflex and the tonic neck reflex/fencer's pose in babies, here's a pic of Connor doing that when he was about 12 days old (I haven't looked at his hold photos in a while, wow he looks so different.)

The book noted a controlled study of babies that were spun in an adult's lap on a swivel chair 16 times a day showed quicker development of their motor skills - so the more movement, change in balance that you provide baby with could be helpful. Also neat, if you twirl a few times and then stop, your eyes will keep on moving from side to side because while spinning, the eyes are trying to compensate for the movement and provide a still picture, and when you stop abruptly it still tries to compensate for a while. In babies the same will occur, but the eyes will move faster. So I spun Connor around yesterday and yes, his eyes did that! It was neat to see that.

We also learned last week that Connor shall be having a baby boy cousin! My brother Andrew and wife Cindy are due in March. Very exciting!

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