Another day of awesomeness

Kien had one adventure packed day today. This morning while I was trying to get a bit more sleep the boys went to Sentinel beach. Apparently Kien enjoyed himself immensely; giving doggy treats to some lady's nice dog that he patted, and dipping his feet in the water.

After breakfast I took Kien to the park where he got to pat another friendly dog. He giggled while I pushed him on the swing, and I put him down the slide a few times. He can now go down the small slide just by me holding his hands. He will soon be able to go down all on his own.

After lunch and a very long nap we went to the supermarket, and then we took him to the Domain to see the geese and ducks. He was very interested in eating sticks he found on the ground. We then went to Kohimarama beach, and Jef took him for a splash.

Merry xmas, happy birthday, and happy new year!

Wow, it's been a pretty eventful week indeed. I've been feeling a little overwhelmed with so much going on (although I didn't actually think I was until I pondered on it a little), and have been a bit lethargic and grumpy. Oh Kien, when will you ever actually sleep through the night to give your parents a break?!?

I made some scones with strawberry jam and cream in the morning, and took them to Dad's for a christmas bbq lunch. Co Le, Chu Lu and Ti was there, as well as Mimi, Vincent and Vivian. We ate yummy eye fillet steak, grilled prawns, and lamb cutlets. I made sure not to overeat so that I didn't feel rotten - I'm glad I listened to myself.

We tried putting Kien down for a nap in the stroller in the afternoon but he was just too perky and awake. We decided to head over to Mum and Rod's, and hoped he would fall asleep on the way - which he did. So we went for a little drive to the Drury off-ramp so he would get at least half an hour to sleep. He woke up after half an hour anyway, typical!

Xmas afternoon was fun at Mum and Rod's. Kien enjoyed grabbing at Sasha while she barked at him insistently. That dog can sure yap! She is cute though.

On Wednesday we had Kien's birthday at Western Park. I was so grateful for Mum, Rod and Chris showing up early and helping out with the setup. Everything was laid back and easy going until 1pm when we had to get everything down to the park in an hour. I went out to Dad's at 11am after putting Kien down for a nap. Dad had made some spring rolls and chicken wings, Co Le had made some Vietnamese jelly, and I also had to get the folding table. So I did the trip in under an hour, and still managed to have a quick bite to eat at the shop.

We had a good turnout of friends and family with lots of presents for Kien. He really is such a lucky little boy. Linda made him this lovely birthday cake. All the children gathered around to help Kien blow out the candle after we sang to him.

On new years day we drove up to Dargaville to the farm to have lunch with some of the Cole clan. Jef has lots of fond memories of his childhood spent on that farm (although the old farmhouse has now been sold). Kien got to pat some chickens, cats, and a dog that he tried climbing on. He likes animals, especially dogs. We stopped by the beach on our way home. We definitely need to do more trips away from home now that Kien is older and more aware of his surroundings.

Wow, we made it a year already - it has been hard but so worth the effort. We love our little boy so much! Can't wait to take him out on the yacht. I can't wait to actually get on the yacht for the first time. I paddled out there on the kayak on 30th Dec and had a look up close. I didn't get on it though - I wanted to but the sea was rough and the wind was blowing quite heavily. Something else to look forward to, yay!

This time last year....

The sun was shining and we had already been at Birthcare on the monitoring machine. I went for a walk to try and get the contractions to become more regular.

Flash forward to today and Kien is in lots of pain with his teeth. We are really hoping they will pop through soon because he is suffering something chronic! He has been crying all the time, and has already had three naps today. I've given him every remedy possible; paracetamol, bonjela, teething powder, frozen facecloth to chew on...nothing is working.

Lets hope tomorrow he will be distracted enough not to feel the pain too much!

Having fun

It is so amazing that in such a short time Kien has become so much more interactive. Here is a clip from 3 weeks ago of Kien having fun...just so innocent.

The other day we took him up to Ponsonby Rd to play under the Telecom Xmas tree. He had a blast zooming around on the beanbags.

The following morning I found some bean bag filler in his nappy - it really surprised me how quickly things pass through his system!

Unfortunately we haven't resolved the vomiting situation. The Dr at Starship was not concerned with his vomiting at all because he was putting on weight. She thinks it is reflux but has suggested cutting back on the losec since it doesn't seem to be helping. It really is so frustrating! We will have a followup appointment in a couple of months time.

Musician in the making

Kien loves to bang things! Here's some cool rhythms he laid down in the weekend.

Finger food fun (?!?)

The dietician keeps pushing me to give Kien finger food so he can feed himself; for his development and to get used to textures etc. That's all well and good, but when he throws up everything afterwards this whole phase gets a bit old, fast!

So despite not wanting to get a highchair I ended up getting a highchair. But the good thing is that 1) it's one of the old fashioned wooden variety, 2) Kien enjoys being in it, and 3) it's really easy to clean. I did try to feed him from his booster seat at the coffee table but it wasn't a very successful experience. Here was the first and only attempt:


Kien likes to stuff everything I give him into his mouth, and then attempts to swallow it all at once - or hold it in his mouth for ages. No wonder he has a hard time getting it down.Not sure how to stop him from doing this. I've tried giving only a little bit at a time but he just gets bored!

I'm so glad we have an appointment with Starship tomorrow. Here's hoping they find out why he is vomiting all the time.

Back at work

This is my second week back at work and judging from this morning's flusterings I really need to work out a routine so I can get to work at a reasonable time. Kien has been refusing to eat his breakfast, so I have to stuff his medicine (losec) down his throat and pack the remainder so the girls at daycare can feed him his breakie at morning tea. I still have to prepare all his food for the day, and when I wasn't working it was just a leisurely exercise, but now it is a mad rush.

I just need to find my feet again and get more organised.