a typical day

So with Jake being just over two months old, what is a typical like for us? Well, it usually starts around 3:30 a.m. No kidding. This could vary between 2:30 - 4:30 a.m., it all depends on Jake. He usually lets us know when he is hungry. There are the occasional sleeps that are 8 or 10 hours. No kidding. But let's not call these typical. So the day starts with a diaper change (done by dad) and a feed (obviously mom). The feed occurs in the extra bed in the office, so mom and Jake stay warm and mom can get a cat nap in. Then its swaddle Jake, and back to bed for both.

Jake started out sleeping in a bassinet in our bedroom, but for the past week or so he has been sleeping in his crib in his own room. The crib had been a safe place for us to 'park' him while we did short chores, such as put the laundry in, so he was always used to his crib. One evening while being 'parked' Jake fell asleep in his crib and remained asleep for 8 hours. Rule #1: Never wake a sleeping baby. So the transition to the crib had begun.

The second start to the day is somewhere between 6:30 - 8:30 a.m. And surprise, surprise, it begins with a diaper change and a feed. Next up is coffee for mom and dad, followed by more coffee and breakfast.

In the morning Jake heads to the beach for some playtime. The beach is a floor mat, with 'palm tree' arm-like things that arch overhead. We have lots of dangly toys that hang from these arches, and Jake might spend close to an hour, hanging out on his own, and with mom or dad, looking at the toys. At this stage he accidentally bangs them around, but he is still to0 young to know what to grasp for.

An important element of Jake's morning playtime is 'tummy time': supervised time on his tummy. It helps to strengthen his arms (for the future crawling escapades), it strengthens his neck muscles and it gives his head a break from laying on something hard. Babies nowadays spend alot of time in carriers, cribs, chairs etc., and they can develop a flat head. No kidding. A flat spot on their head. So tummy time cancels this out. Jake usually spends time admiring himself....with good reason.

There will be a couple of diaper changes in there, and some more feeding.

Typically there is a nap from 1ish to 4ish, but this doesn't always occur. Sometimes there is lots of holding, singing, rocking, trying to get a yawning Little Dude to have a nap.

Some days will have an afternoon adventure. Mom and Jake go to a Baby Group on Tuesday afternoons to hang out with other moms and babies, and they also go to visit Zeke, Cathryn and Sable on Thursdays. Dad, mom and Jake often go to the library, lunch or walks. Walks are always fun since we have a baby carrier that holds Jake snuggled on the front of our body. It keeps him warm and the rhythm of walking puts him to sleep.

Since afternoon is naptime anyway, Jake usually sleeps in the stroller for these outings. He is not a fan of the carseat, and doesn't necessarily fall asleep in the car, but if you can get that stroller moving he is a happy baby.

After dinner, its bath time followed by a top up feed. Jake is usually asleep by about 8 or 9. And mom and dad might catch up on email (or blogging), read in bed or watch a bit of a movie. This might be the time to be tempted to stay up late doing the chores or the fun stuff that you didn't get to during the day, but it's better to play it safe and get some sleep. So mom and dad are in bed by 10, with a short prayer for one of those special 8 or 10 hour sleeps from Jake.

All in all we are a happy family, already with happy memories and lots of wonderful days ahead.

space blankies

Yesterday the planets were all aligned and somehow there were enough gaps of time when Jake was napping to make him a set of new flannel blankies. What could be better than spaceships and moon units? Nice and large for swaddling. Wrapping you up in my love Little Dude.

Today was a difficult day for mom. Jake had his first set of immunization shots. Dad held him while the nurse gave Jake three needles in the thighs. Mom cried along with Jake. The poor Little Dude had a mild fever today with some fussiness. So we wrapped him up with spaceships and love.

gotta workout man

Its kind of a new first, Jake is now wearing 'outfits' i.e. something other than sleepers. I especially like this Rocky Balboa-esque track suit. Great for pumping iron at the gym. Jake can now benchpress 2 ounces. Getting strong arms for the crawling ahead. Lift some weights, grab some milk, poo some diapers....great workout.

two months old

Jake now weighs just slightly under 12 lbs and he is 22 and half inches. Growing so fast! Some things that he does now at two months:

• smiles alot, which is so much fun to watch
• perceives his environment; he is watching his toys and he follows faces and people
• sleeps in his crib; this is apparently a big step. He just started doing it one day, the time must have been right.
• periodically sleeps for 8-10 hours at nights; not every night but every once in awhile which is a nice treat
• sits upright with a helping hand nearby
• sits in his tummy tub without mom or dad's hand under his chin

At this rate, he'll be borrowing the keys to take the car to the corner store.

well i did dare him

We have this ongoing joke that Jake and I are roommates. Since Jake still wakes up around 3 a.m. to have something to eat (and then likely again around 6 or 7 a.m.) his bassinet is in our bedroom. Neil has been sleeping in the guest room, getting up to help only if its needed. That way at least one of us is getting some sleep, and there is someone rested to make coffee and breakfast in the morning. Anyway, Jake and I are roommates and Neil and the cats are roommates.

So we ham it up with some college roommate like chat....things like "What did you get on that Poli Sci test?"; "What are you and your roommate doing after Psych class?" and my favorite "I think that my roommate might have a drinking problem." We talk about eating Kraft Dinner for dinner, or going out for wings and beer.

So the other day I was sitting in the dining room, and Neil was changing Jake's diaper. Once a day we try to give Jake some free bum time....to air dry off his bum and keep diaper rash away. I heard Neil running down the hallway with a cheerful glee of "Wahoooooooo Wahooooo ". I knew that nude Jake would be making an appearance. Well he did, along with his nude dad yelling as they ran through the dining room "We're streaking through the quad !". As Neil was doing the circuit in our house I dared him to run around in the backyard....

Which he did. Trust me he did. And just to even out the embarrassment factor (as if Neil would be embarrassed by this story or the posted photo), I have to admit that I have no photo of them in the backyard because I laughed so hard I peed myself. Yes peed myself. Followed by a bath and a load of laundry....in the dorm's laundry room.

pee pee tee-pees

Thanks to Nana Ann for the pee pee tee-pees. These are cute little, washable, cones to put on Jake's wee wee when changing his diaper. Soft and fuzzy on the inside. The inaugural run did have a pee pee, but the tee-pee worked and prevented dad from getting squirted in the eye. Great gift.

who am i ?

Wee little fingers


Wee little toes


Sweet little mouth


Cute button nose


Small ears to hear


Blue eyes to see


Bitty bum to poo


All these parts make me !

odds and ends

Here's a posting that's got lots of little bits of this and that of things that we have been doing.

Jake received his first pieces of mail, which naturally were from the government. His birth certificate arrived to prove that he really exists. This was followed shortly by his SIN card, which means that he is now able to go out and get himself a job. I'm sure he'll be hearing this when he is a teenager and asking for some help to buy a car or what not. Might as well start them early.

Jake's mom was disappointed with the fit and style of many of the newborn toques. So to rectify the situation quickly knitted him up one in between (and sometimes during) some bouts of nursing. They nicely match his little, thumbless, mittens.

We had a day trip to Victoria, which might have been a bit too much for all of us to handle. Jake got nursed at Serious Coffee, at the Rebar Restaurant and at Willie's Cafe. It made for a long, and kind of stressful day. So we did learn our lesson early.....don't try to do too much. And nursing in public is not much fun, even with the 'Peanut Shell' nursing cover that gives you privacy. The 'Peanut Shell' is like an apron that you throw over top of the peanut. It has an opening at the neckline that let's you keep an eye on the little one. Still....

Jake and his dad were patient enough to let mum get her haircut. Its amazing how routine errands or elements of your pre-baby life, now take quite the amount of co-ordination. First, it does require some planning ahead to brush teeth, change underwear and get dressed....all in between diaper changes, burping (the baby) and feeding. Then there is the getting Jake into the car seat, packing the diaper bag...all done in between diaper changes, burping (the baby) and feeding. With some luck, Jake falls asleep in the car, which makes the errand easier to fulfill since there is no need for a diaper change, burping (the baby) or feeding. For this errand, there was a coffee shop associated with the hair salon, and Jake remained asleep.

Most days are spent at home. A good rule to follow is: when the baby is sleeping, you should sleep to. And that's what we try to do, but admittedly it is hard. Napping during the day isn't as easy as it would seem when you are up at night, exhausted, thinking "I'll just catch up on the sleep during the day". Usually, Jake sleeps from 1ish in the afternoon, for a couple of hours. And its kind of nice to be able to get one chore done a day. But we do often catch a quick cat nap, as do the cats.

Jake is starting to be able to hold his head up for longer periods of time. And he is more alert everyday. He spends quite a bit of time examining faces, lights and colours. He now likes to sit in his vibrating chair, enjoying the motion and watching the toys that mum and dad parade in front of him for his amusement. Here Jake is in his chair with his blankie that his mum knit for him.

Speaking of chairs, we were treated to being able to buy a very special high chair for Jake. Nana Grace and his Nana Ann (Beamish) had given us the resources to purchase a Tripp Trapp chair. When Jake is 6 months and being to eat solid foods, the chair starts as a high chair for him. As he grows, we can lower the seat, and Jake as a toddler can sit right up to the table with us in a chair that he can get up and down on his own. And he'll be able to use it all the way into his teens. We got a vibrant blue to make it special for Jake.

And many thanks to all of our friends and family who have sent us congratulations and well wishes. It so nice to know that Jake is well loved by all, and its great to hear from everyone.

Jake agrees.