Shout out to Unkie Joe

Your promised update!

We had the Plunket nurse around last week and learned that Kahurangi is ahead of the game in movements. He can push himself up on his arms, more or less always has his head up without support at all, and can roll over from being on his belly. Apparently this is quite advanced? But we’re still working on the verbal and smiling department. As Chris said, we’re finally getting social smiles. Usually only when he’s completely fed, burped, pooped, farted, and not tired. In any event, it’s pretty cool to know what you’re doing makes him happy. He seems very keen to have his arms wiggled. Who doesn’t love a good arm wiggling? He’s in the 19th percentile for his weight, 19th percentile for weight and 50th for head circumference – so yes he has a fat head.

He’s still eating lots and lots and seems to have one day a week of massive all-day-buffet-all-you-can-eat. I am determined to be a modern mom and will whip out the boob whereever and whenever. Mom spent lots of time trying to cover me and the baby discretely. Screw that! If you haven’t seen a boob before, maybe you should! If it bothers you, then look at the bottom of your shoe – it’s far more disgusting I’m sure. If you get your kicks off of watching breastfeeding, you’ve got real issues and need to get over them. I’ve fed the baby at a dinner table with 12 others, in many restaurants, parks, malls, venues, cars etc. and my crowning glory – in the shoe department at the Warehouse. When Kahu wakes up, I have about 3 minutes to get somewhere to feed him before he cries like he hasn’t been fed in 2 months and is a starving african baby with a large distended tummy and flies in his eyes. Oh yeah, and now he cries real tears – as if to make it all more dramatic.

Speaking of cries, his have changed from him saying “I’m gay” (we told him to wait a few years, just to make sure) to “L A” or “allay” or “a lay”. We think he is giving a shout out to his peeps out in LA and throws his hands up atcha too.

Bubs is quite into music at the moment, and particularly likes my off key singing. He calms down with the songs. I must improve my nursery song repertoire, as I have had to resort to singing about what I’m doing. Hits for today include “Damn the bread is moldy, and I cut that salami too thiiiiiiiiick” and “Boy we got a lotttttttttttttttttt of crappy ads in the mailllll and the electriccccc bill sucks asssssssssssss, and Farmers has a salllllle onnnnnn”. He’s also a fan of Boney M’s “Rasputin” on the radio in he car. I’m afraid to know what that means.

A master of masquerade, Kahu seems to change the way he looks from hour to hour. Not sure if it’s the light or facial muscles developing, but he seems to look very different all the time. Closest family resemblance at the moment? I think definitely his Uncle Joe. Lots of times he’ll flash a look that is just like Joey (and consequently his Grandpa Skipp) as a kid.

Sleeping is still good and he’s pretty fond of mid-morning naps with his mum. Mum likes that too :). He’s quite a snuggler and always ends up much closer to me and facing me than when he started – even taking into account the massive gravitational pull my butt divot creates. I’m a big believer in the whole family nest thing, now that I see/hear that he sleeps much better/longer when he’s next to me or Chris.

So now he’s asleep in his Boppy (actually it’s the generic rip off “Bopster”) which all 30something new parents will know – we call it “the donut”. Due to wake up shortly for a feed n’ spew then off to happily gaze at the airplane mobile from his Aunty Mica while we get to bed outselves.

Me Me Me

It seems we have quite a following of the blog now, and I think it mostly has to do with a need to keep up with the sproglet we affectionately call “bug”, “the bud”, “buddy”, or “buggle” depending on our linguistic inclinations at the time.

But, you’ll have to hear about me first.

I am officially waving the white flag. I have given in to the fact that my life has become bovine. I eat, I sleep, and the baby feeds on my udders – and all with a very dazed look on my face and with little regard for the future beyond the next hour. My defeat has not been gracious and every day until today I still believed with avid affirmations and true determination that I could get our house clean, organized, baby room made, errands done and still have a little time for doing art or something. I didn’t have high expectations or delusions of granduer – just a few things a day would do as I work towards a satisfied, stable and tidy life. So I tip my hat to all of the mothers who have mothered before me. If you managed to have a child and get one load of laundry done a day, you have accomplished more than me. However, I can tell you all about how to make a vegetable cobbler from Martha Stewart show that I watch while feeding the baby. Today, I concede defeat to dirt, timely bill payment and getting anywhere on time. I am humbled by your power.

Alas, I won’t get the sewing done, or the baby room created before he’s 18, but I will have many hours of his sleeping on my shoulder so he won’t wake up and jiggling him around to stop the cries under my belt. Who needs clean laundry when you can wallow in spit up with a cuddled baby?

I’ve discovered Kahurangi likes shopping (YAY!) – or maybe just riding around in his pram in town with the air and the noises much more than hanging out at home, so today we went to get him some pants that actually *fit* (he still has skinny short legs) and to get him a library card. We’ll just have to go shopping more often. Darn!

We’re gearing up for the ankle surgery re-do on Feb 21 and the birth of a cousin around the 23rd. Then later on the arrival of Grandpa Skipp and Uncle Tom on April 1ish. Then bride’s maid in Cat’s wedding on the 5th. Thinking about a naming ceremony around that time. Big days ahead!

Baby monitor overlap

Someone near us must have the same type of baby monitor as we do, or at least one that operates on the same frequency. Its bad enough to hear your own baby crying on the monitor but when you are picking up the neighbours too it gets confusing fast.
Mind you, the neighbours have a wailer .. it makes us appreciate the grunts and small yells Kahurangi makes.

Its a new record

5 days in a row that it hasn’t rained. It threatened to yesterday but didn’t and today is gorgeous blue sky. Kahurangi likes it so much he spent all yesterday afternoon smiling. He’s much happier now the humidity has gone.

I’m not sure what Kahurangi and Laurel are going to be doing today, they went out yesterday to get replcacement quotes for the things that were in the car that we don’t have receipts for. I think they might finish that off today, people are much more willing to take some time and write up a quote when Kahurangi is there smiling at them. I’ll have to get him to do the negotiations at the car dealers, he can headbutt them (he enjoys doing that) if the price isn’t right.