Topher and I have been taking Simon out for hikes in his stroller since we’re having one of the mildest winters on record. He seems to enjoy them, especially now that he’s more upright and can look around. I think the fresh air is good for him and it gives him adorable pink cheeks. The only luxury baby item we bought is our Phil & Teds stroller and we have no buyer’s remorse. It’s fantastic - big wheels, light weight, and I can turn it 360 degrees using one hand.
There’s a debate going on about whether Simon will be right or left handed. Topher says he uses his left hand more often to reach for things and Ross says his left hand has a much stronger grip than his right, so they’re voting lefty. My mom think because he sucks his right thumb (we’re trying to get a picture of that!) that he’s probably a righty. Christopher and I are both right handed but both grandmas are lefties so it could go either way.
Christopher is exposing Simon to lots of music lately. We play everything from classical to southern rock to emo for him. He seems to like it when we dance with him to the music and he really likes it when we sing to him. Uncle Neil got him a toy piano for Christmas and he loves bashing out a few notes on it. Neil said he asked the sales guy at Toys R Us for the noisiest toy that would annoy me the most. He’s so thoughtful.
Simon’s first Christmas was wonderful. We went to London first for four days, then back to Milton for Boxing Day with Christopher’s moms side of the family, and then headed up to Fenelon Falls for three days. The grandparents loved being able to spend so much time with him and Simon had a great time with them too. He handled all the driving and new faces really well. A few meltdowns here and there but that’s to be expected.
Simon has become very attached to Monkey, a stuffed animal given to him by our friends Mike and Sherry. He hugs him, chews on him and smiles every time we bring him out. Too bad his parents aren’t more creative - you think we could have come up with a better name for a stuffed monkey than Monkey.
He’s also started laughing which is so much fun. When we were in Fenelon Falls Gramma got him laughing by playing airplane with him and last night he thought my hiccups were hilarious.
My sister in law Laura is due in about two weeks. I can’t wait to meet her baby boy! I told her to try to have him in the daytime so we can be there. She said she would do her best. Our friends Carolyn and Glenn who live in Australia are also due at the end of January.
One more tidbit - Simon had his three month doctor appointment on Wednesday and weighed in at 16 lbs 12 oz! He’s gained 7 pounds since birth.
-Leila
As promised, here’s our first family photo. We’re very happy Simon’s smiling in it.
Simon may be a Christmas cutie, but he’s also ready to rock.
Awesome photo courtesy of Topher’s sister Laura.
Merry Christmas everyone! Lots of love from our little family.
-Leila
Lately Simon has his tongue out contantly. It’s pretty cute but also kind of weird. My brother Neil says he’s the next Gene Simmons.
We had our first family portraits done at The Real Canadian Superstore last weekend. I’ll scan and post one of the pictures soon, but in the meantime here are some photos taken that night of Simon with Gramma and Woody (Topher’s vote for his dad’s grandpa name).
-Leila
Simon’s over his cold now. It ended up getting worse so we took him to emergency a few weeks ago just to make sure it wasn’t something more serious. The doctor diagnosed him with bronchiolitis and said there was nothing to do but let it run its course. It was hard to see him so miserable but he’s back to his old smiling self.
Our cats have finally adjusted to having a baby around. It was mostly the crying that really freaked them out but they’re used to it now. However, Newton is a little jealous of Simon. Sometimes at night he tries to get in between me and Simon when we’re cuddling as if to say “Hey man, I was here first.” Milo and Simon are good buddies though.
Everyone knows that for every great picture there are a bunch of really bad ones. Here’s the proof.
His Native American name is No Neck Many Chins
Sunny day = Scrunched face
And the worst by far…
- Leila
Simon had his last appointment with our primary midwife Katheljine last week. He’s still growing like a weed - almost 15 lbs at two months! Christopher and I were both sad to say goodbye. Our experience with all of our midwives (we had three and one student) was so positive and rewarding. We had fantastic care and they always took the time to answer our questions. Anyone who knows Christopher knows he always has lots of questions! I would encourage any pregnant woman to seek out a midwife.
Simon’s been chatting up a storm lately, mostly on his change table. His current favourites are “unnn gah” and “haii”. It almost sounds like he’s saying hi!
Simon’s still dealing with gas pain. Apparently it often gets a lot better around three months so only one month to go (fingers crossed). On top of that I gave him my cold and now he’s got a cough. Poor little guy.
Simon is always working on his skills of observation. Anytime he finds himself in a new room or with new people he studies intently.
On the advice of other moms we decided to introduce the bottle a couple of weeks ago. Christopher’s been giving Simon a bottle of breastmilk every other day and my mom gave him one last week when I was visiting. I’ve been told that babies who are breastfed exclusively often won’t take a bottle if you don’t introduce it within the first couple of months. This way I can go out for dinner with friends or even go on a date with Christopher.
It’s often assumed that moms are the ones who do the nurturing but Christopher’s intincts are as good or even better than mine in some cases. I was just trying to put Simon down for the night and he quickly got upset and started crying. Even the almighty boob wouldn’t soothe him. Topher came in, took Simon into his arms and started rocking him. Simon settled down and Topher suggested we put him on my lap and give him his soother. Then he started stroking Simon’s forehead while humming gently. Simon’s eyes started to close and I could feel his body relax. Within minutes he was asleep. Simon’s lucky to have such a great dad.
Since pictures are what most people want (hi Laura!), here are a few from last week and today.
Nana Lisa and Simon (in his carrier) out for a walk in London’s Springbank park.
Last Wednesday I got together with the other moms from our prenatal class so we could meet each other’s babies and chat. Starting from the top left and going clockwise: Avery (the only girl!), Simon, Michael and Graham. Notice how Michael is quietly giving Graham the finger.
Cuddling with Simon. I love when he snuggles into me, lets out a sigh and falls asleep.
My boys. Simon likes to make sure we’re still there by touching us when he’s sleeping.
And last but not least, our smiling baby! We borrowed this swing from my co-worker Carey. He loves it.
Simon had his first appointment with our family doctor today. He weighed in at 13 lbs 15 oz (that’s one ounce away from 14 lbs) and he’ll be six weeks tomorrow. There are babies in the classes I’m taking that are 5 months old and weigh 15 pounds, so Simon’s definitely at the top of the growth curve.
I’m taking Simon to the movies tomorrow. We’re meeting Kerri and her baby Ben there, as well as two other moms I’ve met at the Early Years Centre and their babies. The theatre in Milton has has a great program called Movies for Mommies. Every two weeks there’s a show in the afternoon just for moms and babies. They turn the volume down a little and turn the lights up a bit and no one cares if your kid cries because everyone in the theatre has a baby too. I really miss going to the movies so it should be fun.
We didn’t take Simon out trick or treating since he is only a month old but we still wanted to dress him up for his first Halloween. The plan was to put him in his bunny costume and show him off while we handed out candy but he spent the whole time either asleep or feeding.
Simon’s going through a fussy phase in the evenings now, mostly because he’s gassy. It takes a while for a baby’s digestive system to mature so gas can be painful for them. On top of that he’s got a case of baby acne. Our cute little angel has turned into a cranky, zitty screamer at night.
On a brighter note, Simon has started to smile. Christopher and I are pretty confident they are real smiles and not just random muscle movements since he’s doing it every day now. As soon as we capture one on film we’ll post a picture.
I’ve started taking Simon to the Ontario Early Years Centre in Milton. We went to a weekly program for new parents this Tuesday where I met another new mom named Kerri and her son Ben. We started chatting and discovered that we both like to go hiking on the Bruce Trail and at all the conservation areas around Milton so we made plans and took the boys to Hilton Falls today. It was a lot of fun and also good for my sanity to get out of the house. It’s also nice to talk to another new mom about all the huge changes a baby brings.
Simon and I are starting two classes at the Early Years Centre this Monday as well. We’re taking Mom and Baby Fitness and Infant Massage. I know, I know. I’m a massage therapist - shouldn’t I know how to massage my baby? I do, but like I said, anything that gets me out of the house and lets me interact with other adults is a good thing. Plus the woman who teaches the class specializes in infant massage so I’m sure I’ll learn something new.
Simon met some of the ladies in my life at his baby shower last weekend. Everyone was so generous - I could barely fit all the clothes, toys, books and blankets in my car. Simon was a great baby and didn’t seem to mind being passed around like a hot potato.
Huge thanks to my mom for hosting such a great shower. The food was fantastic and everyone had a great time, especially me!
Simon isn’t having any trouble packing on the pounds. At our midwife appointment yesterday he weighed in at 12 pounds 3 ounces. He was 9 pounds 11 ounces at birth and dropped to 9 pounds 4 ounces on day three, so that means he’s gained almost 3 pounds in 3 weeks. What a chub.
-Leila