please mum, no more photos

Um, I've just realized that we have over 500 photos of Jake and friends taken in the first month. Perhaps we need to calm down with the shutter fingers. Who am I kidding?

one month old

It already has been a whole month. Unbelievable. First, how has the time gone by so quickly? Second, it seems like we have been a family of three forever, its hard to imagine life without Jake. He was born weighing 7 lbs 10 oz and was 21 inches long. He is now 10 lbs and 22 inches. I think that the weight to length ratio indicates that he is putting on chubby cheeks and has started to develop creases in chubby arms and legs. As he should be doing. You hate to say it, but he changes everyday and he looks so different even one month later. A milestone for the one month mark: for the first time ever, Jake fits into a sleeper. What does Jake think? "Wheee being one month old is great!"

You can't help but gaze at him and imagine Jake The Little Boy, Jake The Big Boy, Jake The Teenager, Jake The Young Man...well you get the idea. As new parents we hope to give Jake the love and support that he needs to become the best person that he can.

the relatives visit

Saturday we were treated to a visit from the Durena & Hendrickson clan from the mainland. For those of you in BC, you know the royal pain in the butt that it is to make a day trip from the mainland (or Island) to the Island (or mainland) on the ferry, so it was so nice that they took the time to come and meet the newest Hendrickson. Nana Grace bought some fancy cheeses and the like, so there was a great buffet to be eaten all day long. And the Durenas came well prepared with wine and beer to sit all cozied up by the fire and catch up on the all the stories. Jake enjoyed the oooohing and ahhhhhing of his cousins and Aunt and Uncle. Who wouldn't really?

And he heard that his cousin Che has grown to be a tall, athletic teenager. Che is an avid boxer, who is competing this week at the BC Winter Games in Cranbrook. Good luck Che. Kaky has, within one month of moving out west from Montreal, landed a job as Purchasing Manager. Congratulations Kaky.

Jake's cousin Erica has almost completed her degree in Social Work, and has already been recruited to the Children Who Witness Abuse program. She already works at two homeless shelters. We are so proud of you Erica.

And as usual Aunt Debbie and Uncle Andre are busy busy busy. We heard about their Saturday mornings, when the kids are sleeping in and they get time to themselves, Debbie with her crossword and Andre with his football (soccer) channel. Jake received instruction on why Manchester United suck and Arsenal is the team to support.

So lovely to have a visit from family. It was a great opportunity for Nana Grace to see all of her grandchildren in one setting.

happy birthday zoe !

Jake's friend Zoe turned 1 on February 13th. Vanessa made Zoe a fantastic monkey cake; banana cake with chocolate buttercream icing. It was delicious. Vanessa remarked that it was the first time that something she made ended up looking like the picture it was based on. I reckon its a function of being a mom; you start to make birthday cakes and the like for your child and something clicks into place somewhere in the universe for you. I found it interesting that when given the choice of aprons ("Demure Japanese housewife" or "Rowdy Big Carrot"), Vanessa chose Demure Japanese Housewife. Hmmm, interesting. The celebration for Zoe was lovely, and Zoe enjoyed her first taste of cake. Happy Birthday Zoe, we love you and wish you many happy years to come!

nana grace is here

Jake is enjoying time with his Nana Grace. Neil's mom has ventured to the island all the way from London, Ontario. We have been enjoying some good food and some good conversation. It has been interesting to hear about the Hendrickson family history. And it goes without saying that Jake has enjoyed being adored by his Nana. It is certainly nice to be able to spend time with family during these wonderful first weeks.

bath time

It might have taken us some practice runs to get it right, but we finally have a bath time routine down that Jake seems to enjoy. We have set up operation in the kitchen, on the center island where there is lots of room and we can get to him on either side. There is nowhere for the dirt to hide on our baby. Though Jake has started to get his baby chubbiness, so there are now a few creases where you have to be sure to look. We are using a 'Tummy Tub' which is a comfy bucket-like bath tub. Jake can float in a warm cozy bath, with mom or dad supporting his chin. It is also fun to be able to look through the tub and see him floating in it.

He doesn't even cry when we take him out to dry him off. Maybe its because his has this giant fluffy orange towel with hoodie handmade by Karina to keep him warm. It is now the start of the bedtime routine, which is followed by a bedtme story. Jake received alot of books as pressies, and we have already begun what will hopefully be a lifetime of books for him. Yes, admittedly at this stage reading him a story is more for us than for him, but he probably does like to listen to the sound of our voices. And frankly we like any excuse to cuddle and hold him close.

an afternoon with gloria

Our friend Gloria is a professional photographer (Island Expressions Photography). As a welcome pressie for Jake, she generously gave us a photo session for his newborn photos. So last Wednesday (at 11 days old) Jake flashed that smile for the camera (and he flashed a few tears and wails). I learned the hard way why Karin keeps a change of clothes for herself in the car, since Jake relieved himself in all ways possible on either my lap or my shoulder. Gloria is definetly not new to the newborn photo sessions, since the drop cloth in her studio sits overtop a waterproof covering. Smart. If in the future you find yourself in need of a professional photographer, you must contact Gloria.

As you can see Gloria did a fantastic job, and created wonderful treasures for us. Jake is growing quickly and he changes everyday, so it is nice to have these photos from the few first days. The days when he tucked himself up into a potato and snuggled easily on your tummy. The days of quiet eye gazing as Jake discovers the world around him. The days when he was small enough for his Dad to carry on one arm. The days are going by quickly, and as we leave one stage behind another wonderful stage takes its place. But I'm so glad to have lasting memories of the very first few days.

gung hay fat choy !

Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the Year of the Rat. Last Saturday, we attended Maria and Neil's annual Lunar New Year celebration. Neil is in charge of the wonderful chinese buffet dinner that they host each year, and this year there were dishes such as dry ribs, spring rolls, stuffed and fried wontons, chicken wings, garlic beans. The list goes on and on. All made by Neil and his recruits. It is a potluck too, with some fabulous dishes brought by guests, such as Rob and Vanessa's spicy crab legs. Neil (Hendrickson) made breaded squid. Yum. It was Jake's first party and he had such a good time he passed out. For his first party, Jake was dressed by his dad (who thinks that his sense of style gives him a leadership role in the fashion world), hence the to his knees brown socks with raccoons wore akin to leiderhoisen. Stylish indeed. Mom has since tried to take over on the outfit selections. It was a nice time to visit with Malcolm and Sarah, and Jonathon was there preparing beverages (like lychee martinis) for everyone.

Jake was born in the Year of the Pig. The traits of those born in the Year of the Pig are intellectually curious, honest and tolerant. They can be relied upon for their loyalty and often make true friends for life. Sounds like a nice guy to me. His mom was born in the Year of the Monkey, and his dad was born in the Year of the Sheep.

Happy New Year Jake, with good fortune for the year to come!

things that we have done

Well yes, having a newborn can be tiring. But even with the exhaustion it still has been fun. Jake is still only about 11 days old, but we have been out and about and we have been receiving visitors. We really have been able to do quite a bit. We have:

• had a nurse visit at the health unit. She concurred that he is the cutest baby ever.
• had a breastfeeding clinic visit. Four nurses concurred that he is the cutest baby ever.
• had an exam with Dr. Chan. He said that he was perfect. The three ladies at registration, and the four patients waiting in the waiting room all thought that he was exceptionally cute.
  
• we went for Pain du Chocolate and Lattes with Nan at the Parisian cafe. The waitress thought that he was the cutest baby ever.
• our friend Gloria (Island Expressions Photography) took Jake's newborn photos as her shower pressie to us. Such a great time. Gloria thought that he was a very cute baby.
• Neil and Jackie and Jake went to Delicado's for lunch. We'll see how Jake likes the spicy Mexican rollups later. Neil and Jackie stared at the cutest baby ever while eating.
• Sandy and Louisa came over to visit the cutest baby ever and brought muffins and donuts.
  
• Dick came over for BBQ rib dinner. He even thought that Jake was pretty good looking.
• Cathryn and Zeke came over for lunch. Zeke and Jake are some pretty cute babies.
• Karin and Griffin also came over for lunch. It was where cute met cute.
• Rob, Vanessa and Zoe have been over for a couple of visits. Cutest girl baby meets cutest boy baby.
  
• Mom, Dad, Nan and Jake went to the Beamish's for lamb dinner. Ann cooed again about how cute Jake was.
• Karen, Brian, Aldon and Elvin all stopped by for a visit and gave Jake the cutest dinosaur cutlery, sippy cup and dish set.
  
• we all went to Maria and Neil's for a Lunar New Year buffet dinner. Great time! Jonathon concurred that he was pretty cute...for a baby!
• tonight was Vietnamese dinner at our favorite Pho restaurant. It was Nan's first taste of Vietnamese cuisine, and she liked it very much. Mainly because she was eating beside the cutest baby ever.
  

Phew! That's an awful lot of stuff that we did in a week and a half. Jake in his carseat and 'Going Out Jacket and Hat' (knit by mom for Zoe and lent back to us) is becoming a very common sight.

so sue me

Yeah, yeah, yeah. First time parents take too many photos of their baby. So sue me. Jake is just sooooooo cute that I can't resist. Just be glad that I have selected only 6 of the dozens of photos that we have already taken this first week. The first week by the way has gone by so quickly. And it seems like already he is changing so much. Which really warrants more photo taking.

little dude and his nan

Jackie's mom arrived on Wednesday, January 30th to meet her grandson and to help the new parents with the day to day chores of living. All three of us travelled out to the airport to meet her, and it was so very exciting to have Little Dude waiting for Nan. It has been fantastic having her help out and as you can see by the photos, Nan is in love with Jake. And right back at you Nan, since Jake loves to be held by her and he looks her way when he hears her voice. Yes I would say its been love at first sight for both.

And so far its also been a great chance for us to visit with Yolande too. Jackie and Nan took Jake to his breastfeeding clinic appointment. Then the three amigos headed out to the Parisian cafe for some tasty pastries and delicious coffee. The waitress did confirm that Little Dude was one of the cutest babies she had seen. But she does work on tips. Neil and Nan have had good times together cooking and going for walks.

It sure has been great having her here. We love you Nan.