Look What Daniel is Doing at 17 Weeks!

Truly amazing how he is developing so quickly! He couldn't do this last week!

An Answer to Prayer: Child Care Sorted for Daniel!

Granny Heather has had to unfortunately postpone her trip to visit us and help me take care of Daniel as I go back to work on July 7th. She got shingles a few weeks back and is still recuperating - please keep her in your prayers. The plan is that she will now be coming in September. We are praying for your recuperation and eagerly waiting for you dear Heather!

So in the last week we've had to quickly think of an alternative plan of child care and after a couple of options that didn't work out, we got an even better solution: Our Polish neighbor who has a 6 month old girl is going to look after Daniel for 4 hours 4 times a week. We are so relieved, not only do we completely trust our neighbor, Daniel will literally only be one minute away. I'll be able to continue to nurse him and can visit him whenever I want to or need to! Wow, it's a big step for me returning back to work and a little scary - even though it's from home and part time - so please pray for this transition!

Here are some recent photos of Daniel with Enya, my neighbor's adorable little girl and Daniel's new friend:

It's going to be so much fun to see them grow together! Thank you dear Justyna for your willingness to help out!

I Can't Believe I'm 31!

Yesterday was my 31st birthday and my first with Daniel. I have always loved celebrating my birthday but this year, I really did not feel like doing anything - I guess mainly because of the business and exhaustion of having a small baby. But on Friday, we decided that it would be nice to have some friends over to celebrate and though it was very last minute, it ended up being a special day. It was also my dad's last full day with us so it was good to do something special.

The day started with a big surprise: the two "siblings" officially became friends! Buffy for the first time felt comfortable lying next to Daniel and we got some cute pictures:

(Just in case anyone is worried about this, we are very careful to make sure that Buffy and Daniel are never alone together. :-))

It was special for me to take lots of pictures with my most precious gift of the past year: our son Daniel Peter who is 16 weeks today!

When singing happy birthday with friends and blowing out the candles, I wanted to make sure I was holding Daniel! It was fun! But I decided that this would be the last birthday in which the candles would explicitly tell my age. :-) It's just hard to believe I'm 31 and I think it's now time to stop counting!

What was really cute is that Daniel got to sit and hold hands with his friend Ella (2 1/2 years old) whilst her dad read them a book!

Thanks for all those who called, e-mailed and sent cards! Sorry it's still so hard to actually speak to me on the phone. Here is a cute picture I received from Tia Fafa and Tio Juju - a special birthday kiss!

The other big thing that's been happening around here is that we've had to get the external part of our house ready for the housing association's inspection. So my dad and Jonny power-washed and stained our deck and did a great job! I thought my dad had had a lot of practice in painting considering his long years of life but it was the first time he ever did it and he really enjoyed it! Here is a photo of them hard at work:

So my dear Daddy returned back to Brazil today and I'm feeling very sad... We had such a nice time together and it was great to have him around. I miss you already Daddy! Thank you so much for coming and all that you have done for us, we love you! Here are some photos we took this morning... next time you see Daniel again he will be a lot bigger!

Developing Fast: 15 Weeks Old!

Just in the last few days Daniel has been doing some new and exciting things which we definitely want to record! First, he has been holding his head very high during tummy time:

And yesterday, he started to reach for his dangling toy in the baby gym! He doesn't hold on to it yet but is definitely trying! Look at his concentration, so cute!

In the meantime, Daniel has been enjoying hanging out with his Brazilian Grandpa - Vovo Daddy - who is here for another week. Today he wore his special "Grandpa shirt" that his Malaysian Grandpa bought for him.

Here is Daniel a few weeks ago with Grandpa Boon:

And today, with Grandpa Tarcisio.

Jonny has been enjoying following the Euro 2008 football tournament and was pleased to see that Daniel attentively followed the game too - even if it was just for a few seconds! :-)

Photo Shoot of Daniel at 3 Months!

Sweet Smile

Excited baby

John Travolta move!


Am growing fast and even have more hair now!

Daniel is Three Months Old!

Daniel is now officially 3 months old! Since my last blog, we've had wonderful but also challenging times. Here's a quick recap of what has been going on:

1. Daniel had his 2 month shots and really had a hard time. He had fever for five mornings in a row and cried inconsolably for almost an hour the morning of his shots. Thank God for Tylenol since it really helped him - and us - through those days! I'm already dreading the next set of shots at 4 months but hopefully his body will react better next time.

2. Grandpa Boon and Jo-Ann visited us for 6 days all the way from Malaysia and we had a wonderful time with them! They were so generous with us, took us shopping for diapers and clothes and so we are now stocked up for the next few months! Thank you!

3. My sister and dad arrived followed by her fiance for the weekend and we've really been enjoying our time together. My sister returns back to England this Friday but my dad will stay with us until the 23rd. I hadn't seen my dad in 2 years so it's really special to have him around.

4. Daniel had a growth spurt last week which really took a lot out of me. All of the sudden, he started eating every 1 and a half to two hours night and day and by the third day, I was so exhausted and became very emotional. But thank God, he has started sleeping more again at night and Jonny has been giving him a couple of bottles to allow me to sleep more. My sister was also so encouraging during this time, thank you for all your support! I'm feeling much better again, I was really scared that this would last forever - yes, when you are sleep deprived you became irrational! :-) We weighed him on Monday and he gained half a pound in one week which is the most he has gained in one week (except for when he was less than a month old) so now we know for sure it was growth spurt. He is now weighing 12 pounds 8 1/2 ounces (5.6 KG).

5. Daniel is still napping very short naps - about 30 minutes each nap - but I'm just patiently waiting for that to change as he gets older. A few days he surprised us with about a 90 minute nap in the morning so I think his brain is slowly learning to do it. But what has become really obvious now is that he no longer sleeps well in his car seat, stroller, etc. like he used to just a week ago! So this basically means we cannot go out as much anymore during the day so that at least his short naps are as peaceful as possible. Oh well, I'll just have to wait now for him to be able to stay awake a little longer (still averaging about an hour each awake period) and go out with him awake. Or maybe he may just start sleeping again in the car seat? Just never know, everything seems to change every few days...

6. I have been able to extend my maternity leave until July 7th which is wonderful. By then Grandma Heather will be here to take care of Daniel while I work a few hours every morning from the basement. Thank God I'm able to work part-time and from home, I still can't imagine leaving him for too long right now.

7. Jonny is well, working hard and enjoying his son very much. It's so wonderful when he is home because he loves being with Daniel, does a great job and so i get a much needed break. So can't wait for the weekend again!

Will post some photos soon!