Finishing February

It has been awhile since I posted...sorry about that.  Here are some pictures to finish off February...and to keep my readers happy!!

Ohh, the expressions of Nathanh!  This is him trying to figure out how to get the Cheerios out of his snack trap.  He did figure it out...except it is not the put your hand in and take one out method that I had hoped for.  Instead Nathanh uses his fingers to push back one of the triangle openings and then shakes the container, letting many cheerios fly out around his feet.  He then happily picks them up one at a time from the floor and munches away!

This little knit tiger was a gift from Erwin's Aunt Jeanette.  Nathanh really likes the knit texture and it is all knit with no buttons or anything I need to worry about coming loose and becoming a choking hazard. 

You will notice in ALL climbing the coffee table pictures Nathanh has his soother.  I keep a soother on the coffee table at ALL times so that my table does NOT become a chew toy! 

Trying out his new, bigger jammies...thanks to his cousin Shannon!  I love the moo cows!

Always in a good mood in his high chair!

Exploring the dishwasher!  I don't even worry about him climbing and standing anymore!

This is a little game of chase that we play around the island in the kitchen.  Here Nathanh is trying his hardest to catch me.  I am much more successful now that we play this around the island (where I can stand) rather than around the coffee table (where I had to crawl).

Crawling away...hopefully getting tired out in time for an afternoon nap!

I found Nathanh a new (used) activity table.  He loves it and loves standing to play with it!

It is even good to bang a ring on for extra noise!

Erwin and I figure if we give Nathanh a cloth with some furniture cleaner on it, the coffee table will always be gleaming!

Three

Our little Nathanh slept through the night again!  That makes three times...with many more to come, I am sure!  I was actually quite surprised because Nathanh did not finish his night time bottle last night...which is unheard of for him.  He stirred a bit around 6:00am but went back to sleep and didn't get up until about 8:15am. 

Sleep Update & Swimming

Awhile ago I posted that Nathanh had slept through the night and that I was hopeful that he'd do it again...well here is the update.  The night following his sleeping through the night, I stuck to my guns and did not give Nathanh a bottle when he woke up during the night.  The result was that he kept waking up, thus waking me up and was generally restless all night.  In the end I only got about three hours sleep because he was so restless.  So the next night I figured it made more sense to get up for about 15 minutes to change his diaper and give him his bottle and then have him sleep soundly for the rest of the night.  So that is what I've been doing.  However, last night he once again slept through the night (after a restless patch between 11 and 12 - I think he had tummy troubles).  So my thought is that he will, from time to time, sleep through the night and hopefully over time there will be more nights that he sleeps right through than wakes up.  Really, he is only 8 months old and I don't think it is a big deal that he wakes up for a 4oz bottle.

On Wednesday, Nathanh had his last swimming class for this session...and got his first report card!
Of course, he'll get another one on Saturday for the class he is taking with Erwin - it will be fun to compare! (click on the report card to see a larger image)

I had to chuckle a little bit at the "exit pool using a variety of methods" - he is always in my arms when I climb up the ladder! and the "Runs, jumps, walks or swim changing direction or pace"  - huh - news to me!

Both Erwin and I (Nathanh too, of course!) have enjoyed doing the swimming so we each decided to register for another session.  I'll continue with my Wednesday mornings and Erwin with Saturdays.  Really we just want Nathanh to have fun and have a good experience in the water.  Swimming is also great for bonding and attachment so that is a huge bonus!

Here are some pictures from this week.

Nathanh is climbing everything and getting more and more confident doing it!

A few posts ago I described the "head game" that Nathanh likes to play, tilting his head from side to side and getting others to copy him.  Well here he is trying to get Woody and Buzz to play...it didn't work out so well though!

Okay, you totally can't see it here but there was actually a shadow of Nathanh's head on the floor.  he is playing the "head game" with his shadow...his shadow was much more accommodating than Woody and Buzz!

Pianist in the making???

Two of Nathanh's favourite things...his ball and his cloth!

Play Date and Polar Bears!

Today Nathanh got to see three of his friends from our adoption group (the fourth lives too far away).  We are finally organizing ourselves to get together more regularly so that the babies can really get to know each other.  Nathanh was a perfect host and shared all of his toys with the girls.  He even let mommy leave his side for a few minutes to fix coffee and get some snacks out!  AND he only attempted to pull hair a couple of times... One day, when he has hair to pull, he will understand the pain that he inflicts!  We had a bit of a chat before our guests arrived that he was not to use the girls as holding posts so that he can stand up more easily...boys!

We had a great visit and I do not know where the time went because it seemed that everyone was leaving just minutes after they arrived.  It was actually a couple of hours later.  It had only been two weeks since we last saw each other but the babies had all grown so much...there were new crawlers, new teeth and new foods to talk about.

Showing Sarah his rainstick.

Sarah, Nathanh, Baby, and Abby

In other News...I ran out of pea pure a couple of days ago but I decided that rather than make more Nathanh should move on to just having soft cooked peas.  He is loving the whole experience of feeding himself and is getting better everyday - I only found two peas stuck in his diaper after dinner tonight!

"Huh, how am I going to get that one in my mouth?"

Loves the peas!  You can just see his seventh tooth popping up just to the left of the other two.

I can only imagine how confused Nathanh must be about his feet.  You see we have so many names for them - they seem to be called feet, toes, piggies (this little piggy went to market...) and polar bears.  Yes, polar bears!  He has two pairs of jammies that have polar bears on the feet and every time we put them on we (I) make a big deal about the cute little polar bears on his feet.  Nathanh has even been caught giving the polar bears a little kiss before putting on the jammies.  Anyways if I ask "where are your toes?" or "where are your feet?" he has no understanding of what I mean BUT if I ask him where his polar bears are he knows just where to look.


Nathanh LOVES his polar bears!

Vitamin D

Yesterday, Erwin had a workshop that he had to attend so Nathanh and I got to spend the day together.  We went swimming in the morning and then because it was such a gorgeous day we (I) just had to go for a nice, long walk and soak up some very precious vitamin D!!  There is a trail, close to the Mud Bay walk that I posted earlier, that was just finished last summer.  It was created to link two other regional trails...Mud Bay and Delta Watershed Park...I have been meaning to explore this new section and the new pedestrian / equestrian / bicycle overpass since last summer but had never gotten around to it.  It was great and I look forward to cycling these trails in the summer.  Here are some pictures of our little adventure.  Nathanh also saw horses up close for the first time while we were on our walk...but no photo.

Nathanh always gets quite concerned when I put mittens on his hands...he loves his hands and is not very comfortable when he cannot see them.

In the top right corner you can see part of the new overpass that opened last July so that bikes, horses, and strollers can cross the train tracks safely.  I have to say it was quite the workout to walk up (and down) to it as the path was fairly steep.  The gravel is still new and has not compacted yet so that made it extra hard to get through as well.  Very glad for the 3-wheel drive deluxe stroller!!

Nathanh fast asleep by the end of our walk...actually he slept for most of it.

In Nathanh News...

It has been a busy week around here - hence the lack of posting - not really Nathanh related (not that he doesn't keep us busy!) but just life in general.

Today I received Nathanh's Canadian Citizenship Card.  I was a bit slow in sending in all of the paperwork but I waited until I had his Change of Name Certificate so that I could send along a notarized copy of that and get the Citizenship Card in his Canadian name.  That saves me having to re-apply for for the Citizenship Card if it gets issued in his Vietnamese name.  And any time I can avoid having to do more paperwork and paying more fees for paperwork, I am happy!  Now that I have this I can apply for a SIN card for Nathanh so we can start those RESP contributions.   So, other than his passport all of his identification is now in his Canadian name and I might take the advice of the nice lady at the passport office who suggested that I splurge on the $27 and get his passport renewed now in his Canadian name...still thinking about the benefits of that.

I know some of you have commented to me that you find the Timeline in the sidebar rather interesting and that you were unaware of all of the steps that needed to take place in order to complete an international adoption.  So, I have kept adding to it as more of the paperwork gets completed, for your interest and my memory.

Nathanh turned 8 months old on Monday!  He is growing, changing and learning so much everyday.  Here are some recent highlights...
* He now has seven teeth! 

* He is playing a new 'game' with us (and anybody he can hook in at the grocery store, library, Costco, etc.) Nathanh tilts his head to the side and keeps doing this with a big smile until the other person mirrors him.  He seems to have five head positions to copy far left, left, straight, right and far right.  Once he has you hooked he will keep moving his head to another position and wait for you to copy and when you do his smile and laugh keeps you repeating the action over and over!

* He loves the repeating sound he can make when he says "awwww" and continuously claps his hand over his mouth to make the sound change...I think it was Auntie Jennifer who first taught him that one!

* We are attending a baby sign language class (the music and rhythm class, my first choice, was full) on Thursdays.  I am trying to use some of the common signs with him (more, cloth, water, bottle, eat) but it is not expected that he would use any of the signs until he is about ten months...that of course will depend on how much I remember to use them...

Here are some pictures from today.  I have to say, it is getting more and more difficult to get good shots of Nathanh.  He is either on the move and I am watching to make sure a head bonk does not occur or he is so interested in what he is doing / looking at that he will not take the time to look up and smile at mom for a photo!

Nathanh looking in his toy box..."what should I play with next?"

Chewing on the parrot of his animal train.

Nathanh chewing on the camera Nana gave him for Valentine's Day.

Nathanh has discovered that the seat of his Buzz toy opens up and he can put things inside, close it, open it up,  AND take the stuff out again...this is GREAT entertainment!

This is a rainstick that I have had for years, at first Nathanh was afraid of it because he couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from but he is slowly coming around to it.

I bought Nathanh a few little instruments today.  I couldn't resist the clear plastic rainstick.  I thought it would help him to understand and not be afraid of the other one.

His new maraca.

Of course, Froggie (and his string) is still a favourite!  The funny thing is, now that Nathanh can crawl, he will usually crawl to Froggie rather than pull the string.  I am trying to teach him to hold the string and crawl at the same time so that Froggie will follow him...it hasn't happened yet!

Tet Celebrations Finale

On Sunday Nathanh and I headed off to North Vancouver for the final Tet celebration for the year. Erwin had work and other things that he needed to get done so he opted to stay home for the afternoon.  The party was held at the home of another adoptive family.  It was great to get out and see the Vietnamese adoption gang.  We are starting to get to know quite a few people and recognize many more faces.  It was also the first time that I got to meet some of the newest babies.  

The afternoon started off with a martial arts demonstration followed by our own little parade around to many of the neighbourhood houses.  When we went back inside there was wonderful food to eat and much visiting to do.  However, I have to say that I did not get too many shots with my camera, without Erwin there to take Nathanh for awhile.  Here are two of the about ten I took (an all time low for me!)

Happy Birthday!

When I heard Nathanh in the baby monitor this morning, I looked at the clock and then woke Erwin up with the words "Happy Birthday."  Erwin very groggy, more than half asleep, was VERY confused - as it is not his birthday today. 

Erwin had said before (when we were talking about sleep training) that he wanted to have Nathanh sleeping through the night by his (Erwin's) birthday.  I was not in favour of that plan.  Nathanh went from two bottles per night to one bottle on his own, when he was ready and I felt that we should let him do the same with sleeping through the night.  Anyways, Nathanh beat Erwin's clock by about three weeks and slept through the night last night for the very first time!

We put him to bed at 9:00 and he woke up this morning at 8:30.  He had one little cry around 11:00 but that was it!  So now we have put him to bed for the night tonight and I am expecting a repeat performance!  We'll see how that goes...but I am very optimistic!  I'll report back tomorrow!

In other happenings...on Saturdays Nathanh and Erwin go for baby swim lessons.  Erwin said Nathanh was the star of the class today - not afraid to go under water and kicking like crazy! When they got home Nathanh was sleeping so I took him and put him down for a nap.  I didn't think he'd sleep very long because he had a short 45 minute nap before swimming and then slept in the car on the way home.  But he slept and slept.  I finally decided I should wake him up at about 2:45 as he had not even had lunch yet and I didn't think his 5:00 afternoon nap would go very well if he slept any longer.

Sleeping peacefully just before mommy woke him up!

A slow stretch and one eye cracking open!

CareCard and a Walk

The good news today was that Nathanh's CareCard finally arrived...the bad news is that they spelled our last name incorrectly on it.  So I had to call them and let them know.  Apparently another one will be mailed out in the next 10 days.  The actual number won't change so at least I have that and can start figuring out how to claim all of our medical expenses for Nathanh since we've been home.

It was another gorgeous day here on the west coast so I had to take advantage...so glad I did too because when I checked the weather report this evening it looks like we are in for a Vancouver Special (two weeks of rain!).  Here are a few pictures of our walk in the bog.

Asleep by the end!

3 Months Together

I can't believe that three months ago today we became a family of three...it is even harder to believe that three months and two days ago we had never even met Nathanh!  We didn't do anything special to mark our anniversary of becoming a family but as I see it every moment together is special - so here's how we spent our day.

It started off a bit hectic as I slept through my alarm...it was going off for about 45 minutes before I woke up.  Wednesday's are swimming days so I like to get up before Nathanh and have my coffee and breakfast and then make sure I have everything packed for the pool.  Today I had about 10 minutes to do all of that before Nathanh woke up and I needed to give him his breakfast so he'd have lots of energy for swimming.  It was rushed but we made it! 

At the pool we used the noodles with the babies and Nathanh loved it!  In fact, he loved it so much that we stayed an extra 15 minutes after class so that he could kick away on the noodle!  Once we got out, I was pleading with him not to fall asleep before we got home (I was hopeful for a long nap time...for him, not me).  However he fell asleep about 3 minutes before we pulled into the driveway.  I woke him up right away and whisked him out of the car...I knew he wouldn't sleep very long if he didn't have a bottle.  I managed to get him to have his bottle and I put him down fast asleep...for about two minutes!  He then proceeded to play in his crib, without fussing, for about 40 minutes.  When I finally went and picked him up he was all smiles!

We played a bit and then had lunch.  Nathanh has been eating more normal amounts the last two days...I thought he was eating way too much before...it must have been a little growth spurt.  After lunch we played a bit more and then went grocery shopping.  However, Nathanh fell asleep in the car.  This was not his regular nap time but since he didn't sleep in the morning, his schedule was a bit off.  Well, ever since sleep training I have insisted that we are on my timing, not his, so I woke him up and dragged him grocery shopping anyways!  He was fine after a couple of minutes.  We even ran into someone who I used to work with and Nathanh was all smiles and waving hi.  He has gotten quite good at waving hi and bye - not my doing...it is all Nana!!

When we got home we played some more and then I gave him his afternoon bottle at 4:00 and he fell right asleep.  I was expecting a two hour nap since he hadn't really slept all day, but no, Nathanh only slept for about an hour.  He woke up crying harder than usual and it took awhile to settle him, which is quite unusual for him.  Usually as soon as I pick him up he is all smiles.  Anyways, he seemed to just want to sit quiet and cuddle for about half an hour so that is what we did.  I don't know what was wrong but after that he was back to his non-stop self again.  I am not exaggerating the non-stop part, even my parents have taken to calling him "the Nathanh-ator"!

Now that he is totally mobile and climbing EVERYTHING I had to put him in the playpen while I got dinner ready for Erwin and I.  This was a first...it didn't go too badly!  Then, guess what? - we played some more, hung out, acted silly - until daddy got home.  When I heard Erwin coming up the steps I put Nathanh on the floor where he could see the door.  As soon as he saw Erwin come in he was all smiles and crawled right on over to him.

Erwin commented what a good mood Nathanh was in...true but quite surprising since he was about an hour and a half short on nap time today.  Nathanh played in the exersaucer while Erwin and I ate dinner then it was time to brush teeth - he now has six by the way - and get ready for bed.  I got him dressed  in the same jammies he wore our first night together - I wasn't sure if they would still fit but they did.  The sleeves are no longer rolled up and there isn't much extra toe room but they fit!

After a couple of pictures with daddy, Nathanh had his bottle and is now fast asleep...life is good!