The Experience of Introducing Solids: Any Advice?

So we officially started to give Daniel solids in Portugal. We started with oatmeal cereal and for the first few days, it seemed to go very well (he actually opened his mouth and ate a few teaspoons). Since coming back home, however, it hasn't been too fun... So far, we've given him a taste of carrot, sweet potato, butternut-squash, banana, pear, apple and he doesn't really like anything! :-( We've tried both home-made food as well as shop-bought. He just complains, looks away and even starts to gag! He even started to complain just by seeing the spoon and then when we tried to put on his bib! So we decided to have a few days break, let him just play with his spoon during the day, and yesterday, very casually gave him a small taste of pear and just let it be... (he still didn't like it but at least didn't complain as much). Maybe he's just not ready? It's true that even though he's 6 months, he hasn't really showed much interest in what we are eating like some children do. We're just going to take things really slowly and not force it on him... we figure he'll start eating eventually. I guess we just expected him to just love food and start to eat quickly... but it seems that it will just take time... If you have any encouraging advice to give us, we'd really appreciate it!

Daniel's 6 Months Check-up

Daniel had his 6 months check-up last Friday and he's doing great. He's a very big boy, weighing just over 19 pounds (75th percentile) and is 29 inches long (he's off the chart in height, he's a very tall boy!). It was so funny because his Doctor asked us if he was sitting and we said "not yet" but then when she put him in the sitting position, he did - using his hands for support! At the last check-up he started to suck his toes for the first time in front of the Doctor so he likes to wait to show off to her! :-)

The best thing was that the doctor decided to only give him half his shots after we told her that after his 4 month vaccines, he had a high fever for 3 days and was really unwell (I had to hold him most of the time until he got better). And thank God, he did great after these shots! He had a mild fever a few hours later but it wasn't high enough to bother him. So after being prepared to spend the weekend holding him again, it was a huge blessing that Daniel was well. We'll go back for the remaining shots in a month's time.

Weighing Daniel at 6 months: He's a big boy!

Measuring his head circumference

Waiting for the Doctor...

Sitting up for the Doctor for the first time!

Since his appointment, Daniel has been sitting for longer and longer and I'll post some photos of that soon. Wow, our baby boy is growing up so fast!

P.S. I forgot to write earlier, the Doctor felt that there are some little teeth starting to come out in the middle of Daniel's bottom gum! His gum did look redder than normal yesterday and so it seems like he's officially teething! Very exciting! Maybe that explains why he was a little fussy this morning... Hopefully it will not be too painful!

Visit to the National Arboretum

On Sunday we took Heather to the National Arboretum; it's truly a gem so close to our home! Here are some of the photos of our afternoon there:

Can you see the family under the amazing tree?

At times it feels like you're in a tropical jungle!

Beautiful Herb Garden

Daniel really enjoyed the visit and being in the Baby Bjorn

Extra Photos of Enya's Baptism from Heather's Camera

Family and Friends at the Baptism

They are a special family, we are so blessed to know them!

Mother and Son in the Beautiful Garden of the Restaurant

Enya's Baptism: A Special Day With Our Neighbors

On Saturday, we spent most of the day celebrating baby Enya's baptism (9 months old); the daughter of our Polish neighbors Justyna and Conrad. We felt very honored to be invited, since only their family and closest friends were there. Thanks for including us! The baptisms took place in this beautiful old church in Silver Spring and then afterwards, we had lunch in this old house with a beautiful garden that reminded us so much of England. Here are some pictures of the day:

Enya in her cute dress with her parents

The four of us outside the church (Granny Heather will be with us until mid-October)

Daniel and Jonny had matching clothes for the first time ever!

Beautiful old tree outside the church

Lovely view of the tree which Daniel enjoyed admiring

Daniel peacefully asleep in the car on the way home... Aren't his lips so cute? :-)

Daniel at 6 Months and Enjoying the Park!

Daniel is 6 months old now and we're able to do lots more with him which has been so much fun! Our friends from England, Essi and John with their daughter Ava (12 months old), stayed with us for a couple of days last week and we took our children to the park. Daniel went on the swing for the first time and really enjoyed it! We are now going to the park with him often and enjoying the outdoors as much as possible before it gets cold.

Daniel on the swing for the second time ever!

This was fun to watch: Daniel and Ava together on the swing!

Daniel squealed with delight on the swing!

Swinging next to my son: so much fun and so cute to see the size difference!


Daniel trying out the slide for the first time!

Playing with Ava...

Trying out "The Alligator"

So many new things, how fun!

Some new things Daniel has been doing:

- In the last few weeks, Daniel has been grabbing toys and other objects with both hands, switches from hand to hand and holds them for a long time. He loves to stretch out his hands to grab things and likes to examine his toys in great detail.

- He has recently started to play with toys during bath time which has been fun to watch. He also loves to splash the water and doesn't seem to mind his face getting wet!

- He can sit for a few seconds on his own with his arms supporting him but still tends to flop to one side.

- He is turning a lot on the floor and has woken up completely on the other side of the crib in the morning. He turns around by turning on his side over and over again.

- He loves holding and playing with balls! Jonny is hopeful that this will lead to a great love of football! :-)

We're Back From Europe: Check-out the Slideshow!

We're back home after almost 3 weeks away in Europe. We had such a wonderful time - so many special moments with family and friends! We thank God that everything went so well! Daniel, who turned 6 months during our trip, did wonderfully and proved to be a very adaptable little boy! We are amazed at how well he did; he did not suffer any jet lag on the way there (it was a little harder on the way back, but he still did better than us), slept well in 3 different cots and just took all of the novelty in his stride. Thank you Lord for answering our prayers! Once again You are teaching me that I shouldn't worry so much and trust You more!

We first went straight to Eastbourne in the south of England to attend Abbie's wedding. It was great to see Jonny's English family again and introduce Daniel to all of them. The wedding was on a beautiful sunny day - a true gift from God since it apparently had not been as nice in months - and we got to witness the beautiful commitment of a special young couple. We are so excited about their marriage and look forward to following their new life together in the months and years to come!

We then went to London to prepare and participate in my dear sister's wedding to tio Juju! Wow, they are now husband and wife and we are so excited for them! Congratulations again! It was a very special and intimate wedding and everything turned out just as they had hoped. They are now honeymooning in Brazil and we can't wait to hear how they are doing!

After a busy week in London doing lots of wedding stuff and then spending time with friends and family, we traveled to Portugal for 5 days. We had such a nice time enjoying my mother's wonderful hospitality and enjoying our walks by the sea.

So now we are back home and trying to readjust to our normal routine and work life. Jonny's mother is visiting us for the next month so it's nice that we are not alone again. Daniel is back with Azad for 2 days a week so that he doesn't forget her while Heather is visiting.

We have over 400 photos of our trip and so I thought it would be best to just put up a slideshow - I'm continually amazed by technology! :-) So check it out if you have time and enjoy! The photos are not all in the right order of events since they are from several different cameras!

Happy Birthday Papai!

Dear Darls/Papai,

Today we thank God for your birth 31 years ago and for making you so special. We love you so much and feel so blessed that we are so intimately related to you; me as your wife and Daniel as your son - we really could not ask for a better husband and father! Thank you Lord for creating Jonny and giving him to us!

May God continue to bless you in this new year of your life and may you be guided by Him more and more to fulfill His perfect purposes.

We are looking forward to celebrating your birthday with our families during our upcoming trip!

With all our love,
Wife and Babes

***

A summary of Jonny's 31st Birthday...

Our day started with Jonny putting Daniel on his tummy before we left for work and he used his arms a lot more this morning which was fun to see! He also enjoyed looking at the mirror - see the third picture below:

In Jonny's lab, there is a tradition for the last person to have a birthday to make a cake for the next person. So Jonny's research assistant, Yu, made this beautiful Chinese sponge cake (which Jonny also loves to make but cannot decorate as well :-))

Jonny and Yu with Beautiful Birthday Cake

Finally a photo of us together - it's been a while!

After work we picked up Daniel who continues to thrive with Azad. It is also wonderful to reunite with him each time we pick him up and he's always so happy to see us. He's now sound asleep and has no idea that at this time tomorrow, we will be at the airport... We're really hoping that this trip will not be too hard on him... but we are so excited and can't wait to see many of our loved ones reading this blog again.

***

And here is an extra photo...

We love this close-up of Daniel taken this past Sunday, it is very him

Getting Ready to Cross the Atlantic!

Only 6 days left until we travel to England! We've been busy getting things ready for our trip and are getting more and more excited! First, we will participate in Jonny's cousin's wedding in the south of England and then in my dear sister's wedding in London! Can't wait, we are soooo excited! We will finally be able to introduce Daniel to his grandmother Heather, the extended English and Brazilian families and lots of friends!

There is sooo much to think about and prepare when traveling with an almost 6 month old! Long gone are the days when I could pack a couple of hours before our flight! And we are really wondering how Daniel is going to cope with the long flight and jet lag... I think it will be interesting to say the least! He has finally been sleeping through the night quite consistently and now we are going to interrupt his body clock! Oh well, it will be worth it!

After England, we will be going to Portugal for 6 days. My mother is so excited about taking Daniel for a walk along the beach - she's been talking about this since I was pregnant! So it's going to be very special.

Our little boy is growing up so fast and is already weighing 17 pounds (almost 8 kilos)! He continues to be obsessed by his feet and sucking his toes. In the last week he has done some new things like: grabbing and holding his bottle on his own; clearly stretching out his arm towards things he wants (like me or his bottle); he turned from his back, to his side to his tummy once; and has been blowing bubbles with his saliva - quite messy! :-) What has been really fun recently is taking him for walks in the stroller. He really enjoys it now (about a month ago he really did not and I had to quickly rush home!) and loves to look at the trees! I can actually stop walking for a few minutes and he just keeps peacefully looking at the nature around him. I think he gets that from his dad!

After we get back from Europe, we will start to introduce solids. I can't believe he will soon be starting this new journey! If any of you reading this blog have a specific book you recommend about introducing solids, please let me know. I'm actually getting excited about this and seeing how he will react to each new and exciting flavor!

Anyway, here are some photos I took of Daniel yesterday (5 and a half months old) outside on our deck - he loved looking at the trees and feeling the breeze (August this year has been just perfect - not too hot!):

So cute holding his hands together!

My heart melts each time he smiles!

Daniel enjoying looking at the trees...

Daniel at 5 Months and Showing Signs of "Independence"

We can't believe Daniel is already 5 months old! We've been enjoying him more and more as he has been doing more things and becoming more aware of the world around him. Yesterday was my "day off" with him and we had fun, though by the end of the day I was completely wiped out - it's so much harder being with him all day than working outside the home! :-) I have so much respect for full-time mothers with multiple children, how do they do it!?

Here are some recent photos of Daniel and his new found love: his feet!

Daniel is an energetic little boy!

He loves to hold his feet with both hands and tries to eat them!

Look at his concentration and how he folds in half!


He does these new things as if he's always done them, so matter of fact!

He is thriving staying with Azad 3-4 days a week, thank God it's working really well. He naps sooo much better there than at home. The other day he slept there for 3 hours and at home it's rarely more than 30 minutes!? The main difference is that there he sleeps in the same room as other children (usually with one other, sometimes up to 3 depending on the day). It just seems weird that he would sleep better with more people around... I don't know, it's so strange! He's always happy when we pick him up and now we leave him there completely at peace.

One big thing that's happened in the last few days that has been difficult for me to accept is that he has started to prefer the bottle over nursing. Only a month ago he did not like the bottle! He still nurses but quickly gets impatient even though he is hungry... When I realized this this past weekend and we tested it by giving him a bottle which he quickly consumed, I was devastated... I had had all these dreams about nursing him until he was about 1. But I guess that with the bottle he can eat much faster and so it's much less work for him. Apparently this is quite common for babies who have several bottles a day. Oh well, I'm starting to accept this transition though I still have not given up on nursing just in case he learns to enjoy them both... My little boy is growing up so fast! But as Jonny likes to remind me, our goal as parents is to bring him up to be independent, so I guess I'm already seeing signs of that happening. It just seems too soon! Oh well, I'm thankful that at least I have been able to nurse him for 5 months and I will always cherish that experience.

On a more lighthearted note, we had a funny experience on Tuesday night with Daniel pooping in the bathtub. Since he was only a few weeks old, we have been bathing with him every night and we cherish our bath times with him. But on this particular night, Daniel decided to poop during bath, and oh, how he pooped! This night it was my particular turn to bath with him. I was holding him upright playing with him a little and suddenly I saw some poop floating around me. I said "Jonny, we've got a problem here!" He then pooped AGAIN and AGAIN! In between the first and third poop our door bell rang and Jonny went to answer the door. After the third poop when I realized that the quantities were vast and it was all around us and starting to stick to our bodies, I started calling for Jonny and shouting "HELP!" I could not get out of the bath because I was holding Daniel and trying to keep his hands down because there was poop on his hands and he was trying to put his hands in his mouth! When Jonny returned, he was shocked to see that we were literally surrounded by poop! Jonny said "I can't believe this little boy can produce so much!" "Yes, he can, and what timing!" :-)