Sandy Feet

Growing up

This week marked a few changes which really highlights how much our son is getting bigger. We moved the cot position down because CJ is now able to stand up and stay standing for a very long time! I have wanted Allan to move the cot for some time now, and after one particularly sleepless night (where I kept fearing I’d hear a loud thud only to find CJ had fallen head first out of the cot and broken his neck), Allan finally did the job. So, now Caleb is down low and he hasn’t yet figured out how to pull himself up holding the side bars. But he still manages to stay awake for a long time during nap-time discovering every little centimetre of his bed.

This got me thinking about when he first moved from his bassinet into the cot.

He went from this on the first day home (now being used by another newborn baby):

To this:

And at last, to this:

We have also started to bathe CJ in the big bath. Still in his baby bath, but gradually getting him used to being in the bathroom as opposed to the side of the kitchen sink. Again, it got me thinking about how far he’s come in these past 7 months.

From this (on first night home):

To this where he is happily sitting up:

To this, where he is trying to stand up:

I have a few more comparison photos – I really love to look back and see how far we’ve all come. It’s such a reminder of God’s care and provision for us. So, here is my little trip down memory lane for tonight.

CPC Mum’s Group first met at Rhodes in CJ’s Week 9. We meet up pretty regularly, the most recent being on Tuesday, again at Rhodes.

CJ’s different modes of car transport:

And how much he has come in his physical body movements:

From lying in a bouncer,

to lying still on the play gym,

to sitting on a merry-go-round (with me holding onto his overall straps!),

to almost standing up!

These are just a few of many remarkable advances that this little boy has gone through since he was born. I have enjoyed this little trip  down memory lane. Wonder what he’ll be like in 7 more months!

Blowing Raspberries

This video of CJ discovering his lips makes me laugh every time I watch it!

What a beautiful day

On Monday we went down to Kangaroo Valley stopping at Kiama. I love getting out of Sydney. Only a few short hours drive and it feels like a completely different world – slower pace, fresher air, smiley-er people, greener pastures, more relaxed conversations. Caleb was really good in the car, sleeping most of the time or just looking out the window and listening to us chat away about life, family, memories and dreams. The more relaxed we are, the more he relaxes.

As usual, Allan took his equipment and we got some good shots. The first photo looks like me and then the next like Allan with only a slight facial expression change. CJ is a good mix of us, I think!

7 months already

I thank our Lord Jesus for Caleb because He has taught me to treasure the small things like smiles and giggling.

God has enabled Caleb to continue growing and developing physically. He can now “crawl” and manages to get himself into the squashiest of places!

God has given Caleb a sense of adventure and desire to explore and discover what’s beyond his bedroom door.

God has also healed my body from 40+ weeks of bearing this baby, to the point where my back is no longer bothering me.

There have been many, many moments of gratitude as I look back and see how much CJ has changed and developed and brought an immensely satisfying joy. As we continue on this journey of parenthood, I keep praying that we can model godliness and a living faith in Jesus to CJ and that one day he will love and serve Him.

I was that lady…

Today

I was that lady who had the screaming child in the pram.

I was that lady who stood in line at Woolies waiting to pay for milk with an inconsolable boy.

I was that lady trying to look calm as everyone else stared at my screeching baby.

I was that lady who was asked to pay at another register to speed me and my howler through more quickly.

I was that lady sitting on a bench holding her baby for 15 mins before attempting to put him back in the pram, only to have him scream again.

I was that lady who ended up carrying her 10kg baby, wheeling an empty pram and lugging the shopping back to the car.

I was that lady….

Our 6 month old

Having a 6 month-old is lots of fun. CJ is now really confident sitting up and can also move backwards and forwards on his tummy. We can see more and more of his personality coming out – he is quite cheeky and likes to give these silly grins which show he knows exactly what is going on. It takes a little time for him to warm up to new people and it’s like he’s sizing them up first before he starts to smile or interact. He’s an observer. He sticks everything into his mouth. He tends to sleep pretty soundly  - from about 6pm until 5am. He loves his bath time and it’s much easier now that he can sit alone. He rolls around ALOT so changing his nappy is very challenging and I don’t enjoy having to discipline him.

God’s gift of Caleb is so well timed. Sometimes, when everything else in life seems out of control and fruitless, it is just so comforting playing with CJ or giving him a bath or watching him sleep. It brings much peace to our hearts.

The duck is his new dummy!

First time at eating pear by himself.

It was pretty messy but he loved the independence. Babies are messy little creatures!

First time on a bush walk with Daddy – and he had to tweet it (grrrr….!!)

Soon into the walk, CJ was sound asleep.

We enjoyed the view.

First time playing pass-the-parcel (at Mellie’s 3rd). The paper was much more interesting than the parcel!

With Goong Goong:

And to end, the Mar Women:

We are family

Over the long weekend we got to see our families which was a lovely treat for CJ. He is doted on by aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. I was quite anxious about leaving him for the first time while we attended a wedding reception. However my sister and her family did a great job. CJ slept for the first three hours but then woke up and realised that he was in a different bed, house and with different carers. So he cried but apparently didn’t make too much of a fuss. In the end he watched TV with his uncle and was rather guilty looking when we got back at about 11pm. I felt like a completely neurotic, highly-strung mother getting loads of people to pray for him to be settled and checking my mobile every few minutes to see if there were any SMS’. But in the end, God enabled it to be a fairly enjoyable night for all of us.

Here are some photos of CJ and his family:

Yi Ma (First Aunt) loves CJ and he loves her:

This is Yi Yee Ma which means Second Aunt in Cantonese. We’re not very Chinese in most respects except when it comes to names.

And here is Cousin Jenna who is 10 years old and the leader of the Mar pack.

Cousin Mellie is no longer the baby of the family. It is so funny to hear an almost 3 year old say, “Soo cute” when she sees CJ. She herself, is “soo cute”!

Happy Families

The day will come when Caleb will be up the tree with Cousins Natey and Samuel (and the girls) and Yi Yee Cheung but until then he has to put up with being down the bottom in Por Por’s arms:

Yi Cheung (1st Uncle) liked making funny faces with CJ:

CJ loved spending time with the Lims on Saturday night – apparently watched “Iron Chef” so I’m now expecting some egg-plant dishes from him!

We were celebrating Mellie and my birthdays – both turning 3 (mine times 11!).

Over to visit the Mao’s. Here is Dai Ba Ba (Uncle Ray):

Cousin Cathy is really great with CJ – she wants to be a paediatrician so getting in some good practice now.

Caleb experienced his first “merry-go-round” on the Lazy Susan! Cheap thrills – for us

What a blessing to have loving, fun, caring family around us.

Caleb’s first haircut 14th Sept, Week 24

Well, it was about time we cut off some of CJ’s luscious locks especially after someone said he looked like a girl. So, he went from this:

To this:

I think Allan did a really good job considering Caleb was squirming around and rubbing the wet bits of hair into his face. I held on tightly and Allan snipped quickly. Admittedly, there are uneven, jagged bits but overall he managed to get a good style that doesn’t resemble a bowl!

Here is the aftermath. There was quite a lot of hair on the ground. Okay, we used kitchen scissors – but we washed them!!

Caleb looks really cute now that he has a little fringe and I don’t have to curl the hair around his ears.

What’s been happening

Caleb is nearly 6 months old and in the past few weeks I can really see him developing physically, socially and emotionally. From starting to eat solids, to playing more independently, to sitting up (sort of) and being more aware of who’s who – he really is becoming a boy with his own personality.

Having learnt to roll around from tummy to back and vice versa, he is now able to manouvere himself around the room. If I happen to leave him on his own for a short time, inevitably he’ll end up somewhere else – usually under the couch or exploring something. Recently, Caleb has decided to roll over in his cot when he wakes up. It’s a little scary to see his arm or leg protruding through the cot but he doesn’t seem too fussed.

He loves it when his Dad takes time to play “rough” with him. As a mum who only has sisters, playing rough games doesn’t come naturally to me. But Allan is great at “throwing” CJ around and is rewarded with loads of giggles.

Caleb gave Allan an Ergo Baby for his Father’s Day gift. Allan was keen to get a backpack so that he could take Caleb hiking but I reasoned him into using the Ergo as I hear it has loads more usage. Allan figured out how to put Caleb in the back this morning – with minimal fuss.

Caleb has had quite a lot of eczema on his face over this month which can be stressful to look at, especially when he scratches his face until it bleeds and gets everywhere. But I am learning that stressing out isn’t helping anyone. I’m trying to keep things in perspective and recognise this is just part of growing up and being aware that there are far worse things that he could have. Sometimes I feel that it’s too trivial to ask for prayer regarding his face, but I also know that God knows about these small, seemingly insignificant details in my life and does care.

I am enjoying sharing these small trials with other mums and receiving support and encouragement as we muddle along with tending to our young. We went to visit a new bub from mum’s group and it made me realise how big Caleb is and was (he never was as small as this little baby):

Life is going well and I love being a mum to CJ. It does get tiring and I am sometimes less than patient when it’s the third time of getting up at night to put the dummy back in, but overall I love this stage of life and wouldn’t want it any other way.