A week of almosts....

So Kien is almost crawling, but not quite. He slithers around on the ground pretty quickly though and can move across our lounge floor like nobody's business.

And we have almost ditched swaddling, but not quite. We no longer tie him down using the miracle wrap. He goes into the Pekemoe and is loosely swaddled with the muslin wrap just to give him the familiar comfort and security. He has only done one night this week where I haven't put the muslin wrap around him - but it was difficult. Can't wait until he no longer needs it. I think he will definitely sleep better without.

We managed to get an appointment with the Auckland Allergy Clinic next week. Here's hoping they find something instead of concluding it is Kien's constitution.

He has been taking a few longer naps these days which is great - but still unpredictable. Jef and I think it may be a combination of all the things we have been trying, but who knows! I think Kien is highly sensitive to whatever is going on with him and around him - whether it be teething, itchy skin, gas, bloating, light, dark, noise etc etc. On top of this I also think there is something in the house he is allergic to which causes his eyes to itch and contributes to the eczema issues. Perhaps he has intolerances to whatever I am consuming, but I am yet to recognise any distinguishable differences since I cut all the stuff out of my diet.

Check out the skills

Today saw Kien pass another significant milestone - sitting. He has been so close for a couple of weeks now, but still toppling over when slightly off balance. Today was different...and check out how big those teeth are.

Sleep training???

What is that exactly? Does anyone in this household know anymore? Months and months of hard work seems to have faded into oblivion and now we are feeding to sleep, feeding every time he wakes up, rocking him to sleep if he won't settle, and taking him to bed if it gets really ugly. That's what happens when you feel desperate!

We really have to get back on track - not that it really ever was anyway, but more so than the current situation. He is 28 weeks old today and I feel like he has us wrapped around his little finger and manipulating us (not that he knows he is doing it, of course!). We have basically allowed it to happen and now we have to undo it. Aarrhhh, more hard work!

Oh boy, I've perfected my recipe for mulled wine...this is dangerous.

Eating like a pro

Kien is now having 3 meals a day after his milk. He LOVES rice cereal and would be quite content with consuming that and nothing else. But he is now just okay with pumpkin and kumara, and I always mix a bit of flaxseed, olive and avocado oil to his food to add some more calories.

So here are the brand new teeth that cut through last week.



Today Auckland turned out absolutely gorgeous weather so we just had to go out. Went to the Winter Gardens and Bastion Point. There was the annual kite flying day there. It was fabulous.

We also went to a little Japanese cafe in Parnell called Renkon and Kien tried some tofu - he liked it a lot and ate 2 cubes (they were only 1cm cubes).

I have enrolled him into daycare for 2 half day sessions on Wednesday and Friday starting next week. The daycare is just across the road! I can't believe we didn't even know of it's existence until last week when we walked through the park on Angelsea Street. Talk about a scotoma! So I checked it out and liked the feel of the place. It isn't flash or anything, but I thought the staff in the baby room were nice and the little ones all seemed happy. I would still love it if Michelle could come once a week to play with Kien; until of course she can't handle it anymore ;-) He is a ball of energy and requires constant attention. It certainly wears me out!

Pearly whites

They have sprouted through - 2 front bottom teeth just cut through. Jef actually discovered it when Kien went to bite his face.

I've been a bit under the weather this week so have had blocked and runny sinuses. Kien also had blocked and runny nose so I thought he had what I had. I've been constantly checking for teeth except for this week!

I took him for his 5 month shots yesterday so he is a tad grizzly today.

He has been eating up a storm. He loves pumpkin and of course the old rice cereal.

I am now hoping he will sleep better now that he is on lots of solids and he has got his teeth finally.

Fun and games

Gosh, we've been trying all sorts of things in an attempt to make Kien feel better. He has developed wicked eczema on his cheeks, neck, shoulders, and behind his ears. It is starting to spread around his eyes too.

We have had 2 sessions with the cranial osteopath; only minor tweaks to be made and the last session will be next week. My friend Naadia also set up a session last week with a kinesiologist. It was a bit like voodoo but she suggested intolerances to wheat, nuts, and foods from the deadly nightshade family (potatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes). So I am officially gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and a whole food group that I love to eat also has been eliminated from my diet. I'm taking supplements galore; zinc (for immunity), vitamin D (so I don't go madder), omega 3 (neurotransmitter activity), tryptoval (helps with my stress level), and some bach flower/rescue remedy concoction. We have switched all of our household products to Eco Store stuff, and only dressing Kien in 100% cotton.

Boy oh boy, the lengths we will go to for our offspring...fun and games!

Kien can almost sit upright unsupported. He leans forward and holds himself up with his arms, but then will fall over to the side when off balance. He can almost crawl now as well. He tucks his knees in while he balances his weight on his head and feet. It is really funny to watch him scoot forward. I remember when he was practicing rolling over before he was 3 months old. He would be in tummy time and would use his head like a pendulum. Unfortunately he would also smack his head pretty hard in the process. A few weeks later he was rolling on his front and back again like a pro. How quickly they develop.

Today Kien has not been well. He has a runny nose and has been coughing. He also chucked up a couple of times; the second time only a few minutes after I changed him into clean clothes. Of course!



The family came and visited us on Sunday. It was good fun although I may have put Kien down for a nap a bit too early so he only managed 16 munutes. His next nap was 25 minutes and we had a really rough night - 3 night wakings of 35 mins, 1 hour 27 mins, and 41 mins spread throughout the night. As if waking me up for 4 feeds wasn't enough times already!!!

I have been taking him to Wriggle and Rhymes at the Grey Lynn library every Tuesday for the last 3 weeks. It is a half hour of interaction with other mothers and babies, singing and movement and noises. He seems to really enjoy it, however he is pretty worn out by the end and falls asleep in the buggy on the way home. We didn't make it this morning because he did a long nap so I could not have walked there in time.

Awake in cot when he should be sleeping

It really has been a couple of rough and arduous weeks. Kien has been rather grizzly during some of his awake time and I've really had to play it by ear with when to feed and when to give him a nap. Night wakings galore as well and can be 1-2hr duration. Our routine is such a mess these days! Not only that I also feel as though all the hard work of sleep training these past few months have gone out the window and he can't even put himself to sleep anymore. I have discovered that jiggling him in the cot and also shh/patting his chest firmly will eventually get him to calm down and go to sleep. However it is like we are right back at the beginning with me having to help him for ~20 mins, sometimes longer - even at night after he has taken a feed.
I guess until we sort out whatever it is that is troubling him I need to be a bit more lenient with the sleep training and the routine in general. The pediatrician last week has prescribed a different type of probiotic to treat yeast in the stomach. She said that a clear symptom for babies suffering this ailment is waking up after 2am and staying awake. Today is day 4 on the new stuff so hopefully it makes a difference soon. She also thinks he is waking because he is hungry (every 2 hours?!?), so I've been feeding him when he wakes. The results are variable. She also says that 4 hours is a long time for him to go between feeds, and since he has a small stomach and actually lost a bit of weight in the last week she advised feeding him more often. So I have been feeding anywhere within 2 1/2 to 4 hours. This has certainly increased his daily consumption totals, but we are no longer doing the 4 hour routine that he has been on since he was 4 months - not sure if it matters anymore :/

We took him to Western Park at the end of our street the other day. We put him in the swing for the first time. He did enjoy that.

In 2 weeks time he is going to be 6 months old and starting back on solids. Perhaps by then the bacteria in his gut will be at a good balance and the food will help with keeping him a bit fuller so he won't wake so often during the night and allowing Jef and I to get some sleep. Studies have shown prolonged sleep deprivation evokes insanity....yip, I can feel it!