I was all set to buy an exersaucer off Craigslist and mentioned it to my mom. She said “Oh wait!”. A friend of hers, Michelle, was kind enough to pass on her exersaucer that her kids no longer needed. So we got it here on Saturday, and Kale was pretty excited about it right away. One of the toys was a bit scary for him, but three days later and he is playing with all the attachments and jumping up and down and thoroughly enjoying himself. Mooki hates to admit she is fascinated too:
He’s also discovered a fun new noise, that just started today – the raspberry.
This weekend also marked another milestone. Ross and I went out for the first time without Kale. His Gran came by and babysat for us, and we went to Horizons Restaurant at the top of Burnaby Mountain for lunch. It was foggy, but the restaurant was above the layer so it was really gorgeous and sunny up there and everywhere we looked there was a blanket of fog over the rest of the view. It was completely surreal to go anywhere as a couple without Kale – with his constant noises and squeaks and groans and heavy breathing. I missed him, but I freely admit I really enjoyed a few hours of adult conversation. He was, apparently, rather well behaved and slept for quite a while and then enjoyed some banana with his Gran.
Today Kale goes for his 6 month growth and shots appointment – this will be the last scheduled one between now and one year old. I hate these appointments but I am curious as to what Kale weighs and how much he’s grown. Some friends came over last week with their 6 week old baby and I am still stunned at how much Kale has changed since he was born. For that matter, I am stunned at how much we have all changed.
Posted by Jen | Under Daily, Jen, Kale
Thursday Nov 6, 2008
I’ve been so excited the last few days about all sorts of stuff, that I have hardly had time to sit down and write an entry.
First – yay that Obama has been elected. I’m not American, and while I can’t share the excitement of having voted for him, I CAN share the excitement that I think most of the world thinks right now – finally, here’s a guy that might make the US of A LIKABLE. Its funny that my fuddy-duddy stiff Canadian Prime Minister now seems like the lame one when you compare the two.
Second – Kale has now figured out the whole flipping over from his back to his tummy. Of course, once he gets there with his arms awkwardly underneath him, he gets rather irate and I have to rescue him from the WOE and MISERY that is his life. And he has not yet figured out how to put 2 (the flipping from front to back) and 2 (the flipping from back to front) together to equal 4 (a full roll). Either way, my life as I know it is freakin’ OVER.
Third, I was given a swing by a friend of mine (hi Terra!) and while we haven’t even put batteries in the thing, Kale likes it. Ross and I wondered if he would, since he seems to enjoy his bouncy chair based on what HE can do to make IT do something, and his Jolly Jumper, again, based on what HE does to affect movement. The swing is more of a sit and relax sort of ride, kinda like the ferris wheel, where you just take it all in and chill. Here is a movie of him in the swing for the first time ever - its really short.
Today Kale and I joined our friends Shauna (the mom) and Bonnie (the baby) and went for a walk to the health unit to weigh the kids. Why we elected to do that in the pouring piss I have no idea. But, for those of you following the boy’s weight progress, he is 14.1 pounds. Actually, he was 14.4 pounds, but they ask that you leave on the diaper and I also left on a shirt, so they tell you to take off 3 oz for a cloth diaper and a shirt. So 14.1 pounds he is. That means since September 29, Kale has gained 1.1 pounds, or (if my math is correct) about a 3.3 ounces a week in the last five weeks. Is that right? If that’s right, that’s dead on average for weight gain.
Finally, some Kale pictures because I know that’s all you really want. I was trying to get some pictures of Kale in his awesome diapers to send to the ladies at Cloth Diapers Eh for their brag page, but he’s so squirmy these days that I took seven photos trying to get a clear shot of him NOT squirming and then gave up. Here is a mosaic I made using the new version of Picasa (sweet!) with the best shot in the middle:
I decided to make bread from scratch the other day because I happened to read the actual ingredients list of the bread Ross brought home from the grocery and OMG - gross. So I made my own. Kale helped from the carrier. I am being told that he looks less like me these days as his face changes.
Finally, here is a shot of him wearing one of his many, many cute outfits that was a gift. It says “what happens in my crib, stays in my crib” and its a rare photo of him SMILING:
Posted by Jen | Under Daily
Wednesday Oct 22, 2008
Kale’s worst enemy right now is his own hands. Whether he is nursing, sleeping, or just hanging out, his hands have to creep up in there and mess stuff up. He scratched himself good yesterday while we were out on a walk, and he’s started doing this thing lately when he is nursing where his hands need to be involved and he pulls my breast out of his own mouth and then gets irate. I have to hold down his hands now when nursing, which sometimes spells “OH MY GOD YOU ARE SO MEAN!” and other times he doesn’t care. We also have to tuck in his hand when its sleeping time – or else it creeps up into his face and pokes about in his mouth or eyes and then the sleeping? Well, that gets postponed, and anyone with an infant knows they just can’t postpone sleep when they are tired without a ground zero meltdown.
His hands are constantly moving, and constantly cold from being chewed and sucked on pretty much ALL. THE. TIME. They have a mind of their own. And are sort of flexing and shimmying always. It is almost impossible to get them to be still to trim his little nails, and it takes both Ross and I to do it in two separate shifts. He detests being swaddled – I guess when it was so hot in the summer I stopped swaddling him and now that he’s grown he absolutely hates it. Ah well, this will pass as he continues to grow and develop. Right now though? Ugh, annoying.
Anyway, we introduced Kale to his latest best friend this past weekend, a best friend that both Ross and I apparently shared when we were his age – the Jolly Jumper. Kale seems to be like a grade 8 girl with a new best friend every week. First, it was the wood toys on his bouncy chair, then it was his sucky, then his thumb (which appears to be the longest friendship he has had), and now, the Jolly Jumper. His new best friend is here on loan from my friend Sandy, who is storing it for a friend, and what better use of a Jolly Jumper than to entertain a 3 month old? Huzzah.
I realize that Kale isn’t exactly…. mobile, so YES, I know that a 3 month old is BORING as all get out to everyone except his parents and family. Which, along with some friends (both internet and in the flesh alike) is who this blog is aimed at. Kale not moving much yet is desperately boring, trust me, I KNOW. I watch him all day and I agree, there is only so much he can do and 8 hours of suck chew cry feed grin poop is pretty damn boring.
So, here’s another movie with a soundtrack, and I want to say – Gillian and Clive – the entire time I was taking movies of Kale all I could think of was Kanye West and the soundtrack you guys used for your Ash vs the Jolly Jumper movie. Hella funny, man, hella funny. Any hoo, here is our version. Those of you only here for my dog, well, Mooki makes her video debut and ZOMG – she is actually moving and alert and everything! Consider yourself blessed.
This one is less about Kale and more a poke at myself. Watch this movie I was taking of us and Kale a few days ago. In the background you can hear me giggling and at times I wasn’t able to hold the camera steady. I reminded myself a lot of that dog – Muttley – the one who would snicker at Dastardley on the Hanna Barbera cartoons.
I should have been busy today when Kale was napping making a sock critter I have been asked to make, but instead I put together this movie for you. Kale discovered yesterday that the Bouncy Chair, previously thought to be only a place to sit in, can actually be MOVED by his actions, and that the toys that dangle? He can MOVE THOSE TOO! He sat in that thing for 45 minutes going nuts. I promise the movie isn’t that long – its about 3 minutes and from various angles and features a soundtrack and everything! (Dude, I am so sad.) Kale then promptly had a great big melt down and needed a serious nap. Anyway, if it gets boring, skip to about 1:56 where there is bonus baby spit up footage. Because when in doubt, watching a baby spit up is just fabulous.
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