Thomas' Page 3-6 Months
At 13 weeks (3 months): Thomas is still improving his skills at pushing himself up on his belly, and sometimes rolls himself back over onto his back. It works best on the padded number tiles, which have more traction than the activity mats we used to do it on. He discovered and observed the toes on his left foot for a few minutes, but seems to have forgotten them again for the moment. This has been a busy week: we submitted his applications for British citizenship documents and passport to the British embassy, registered him on waiting lists for two day cares, and he got his first round of vaccinations; nevertheless he still found time to help his dad out at the office!
He's very fond of the muslin cloths which we always have handy nearby... well there are worse things to put in one's mouth, especially when it's already milky!
Day care: Both of the institutions on whose waiting lists Thomas is registered have web sites: Svanereden (The Swan's Nest) is very convenient on the way from work, and Blaeksprutten (The Octopus) is a bit out of the way but still only a slight detour, and has a nice big playground including a nature area. Both are "Integrated institutions", meaning they have both day care (vuggestue) and kindergarden (børnehave); this can be an advantage when it's time for the child to move up, around the age of 3. And both are open until 5pm (which is late for Denmark - many close at 4:30, 4 or even earlier!). We registered him online, and once he's 4 months old we can follow his status on the respective waiting lists online as well. He would likely start in May 2007, around the age of 10 months.
At 3 and a half months: Thomas is around 7.7 kilos (just under 17 lb) and approx. 66 cm long. He's fascinated with hands, whether his own or others'. He can grab objects with more and more control, and more often than not, get whatever he's got a hold of into his mouth! He's now got his British passport and birth certificate, and the Canadian ones are being processed. At the mother group sessions, the babies are starting to interact with each other, especially when facing each other during tummy time.
Thomas can now hold his head up for quite a while while lying on his belly, but he hasn't rolled over again lately. He likes to be pulled up by his hands to a sitting position. He has a lot of fun with his new giraffe!
Almost 4 months: We're pretty sure that Thomas is starting to teethe; he's drooling a lot and seems soothed by chewing on a teething toy, his mum's fingers, or anything else that comes to hand. He's also had his first hair trim, just around the ears and back of the head! Now that the weather has gotten cooler, he usually has a hat to go outside, and is tucked into his "combipose" (combination sleeping bag, play mat, and carry cot) inside the pram. The green frog Kaj (pronounced Kai) is a character from a classic Danish children's show (Kaj & Andrea), remembered fondly from most of our friends' childhoods and still on the air today. Thomas is especially attracted to his bulgy eyes, and has "conversations" with him both during tummy time and while learning to sit!
On November 8 we had him weighed & measured at 8.14 kilos (almost 18 lb) and 68 cm.
4 months: He now fits some of his Canadian gear, and celebrates by chewing on his moose! He's also nearly big enough for his cosy set of pajamas, although at the moment he usually sleeps in one of several one-piece bodysuits. Curled up hands and feet are usually signs of hunger, although we're told they can also be an indicator for being in the process of learning something. This week he got to try out one of those baby-walker swings at a friends' house; they're not recommended by health visitors these days, but he sure seemed to enjoy it!
"OK, here's the plan..." Hanging out with Albert and Anton at this week's Danish mothergroup.
Now that he's four months old, we can follow Thomas' progress on the waiting lists for the two day cares. He's currently number 18 for Svanereden and 20 for Blaeksprutten.
His Canadian passport has now arrived; it's good for one year, extendable to 3 once his citizenship papers also come through.
At almost 4½ months, he's now started to master the fine art of blowing raspberries, although so far the main effect is a cute little tongue sticking out and some drooly bubbles!
On Nov 22 the health visitor came by for a routine 4-month visit; the main topic of discussion was starting solid foods (which Wiggler's not quite ready for yet), but she also weighed him (8.6 kg / almost 19 lb) and measured him (69 cm long, 45 cm around the head).
Having resisted the temptation for some time, we finally broke down and bought one of those Bumbo baby seats - very handy and stable for Thomas to be able to sit upright, help in the kitchen, get his hair cut and maybe even be fed, once we get that far. He should start solid foods sometime between now and 6 months, but we'll wait until he shows more interest in it and also uses his upper lip more to get his daily vitamin-D drops off the spoon.
He now spends quite a lot more time on his tummy and sides, and has started showing interest in his little fire engine. Almost as much interest as in the dancing, singing snowmen who recently arrived from England!
At 4½ months: Still no sign of teeth, nor does he seem to be ready for solid foods yet. He can get his toes into his mouth though, and having toes, pacifier, or bottle in his mouth doesn't seem to get in the way of blowing raspberries. He's also a bit more mobile, able to roll over and turn around in his crib.
At almost 5 months: We've tried out a few high chairs in the shops, and finally decided on the "Viking" model. He also got to use his car seat for a little outing with his new friend Vitus, who's about a month younger. He enjoys hanging out with his pal Ole when we drop by the office! In a few days, he will have his 5-month checkup and next installment of vaccinations.
Some more great photos courtesy of our friend Jarek:
At 5 months: We put off the vaccination for now, as Thomas has got a cold and we don't want to put him through the potential side effects of the shot on top of it. But he got his 5-month checkup, where he was weighed at 9 kg (19.8 lb), measured at 66.5 cm and 44.5 cm around the head. No, he hasn't shrunk - it's just notoriously difficult to consistently measure a Wiggler! The doctor also listened to his lungs, looked in his ears and mouth, and generally declared him a strong healthy boy.
Dec 15th (just over 5 months): Today Thomas ate his first food from a spoon: mashed potatoes and carrots! He definitely enjoyed it, and kept grabbing Cindy's arm and pulling the spoon back into his mouth. He's also learning to drink water from a glass. He's a bit surprised by the Christmas card production project!
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Dec 2006 A selection from Thomas' portfolio of Christmas shots
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5½ months - Christmas in UK: Some pictures from our visit to Leicester, England for Christmas 2006. Thomas did very well on his first flights, including the long lineups through airport security; the only part he didn't like was being restricted by the seat belts on the plane. He slept soundly on the long drive from Stanstead Airport (north of London) to Leicester (about 2-3 hours), and found himself falling asleep on the shorter drives during the visit as well. He tried sitting in a couple of high chairs, and enjoyed riding in his sling around town - although his favourite place to sit is still his father's head!
He got reacquainted with his grandmother, and finally got to meet his grandfather and great-grandmother Blankley - much to their delight, as they recognised many Blankley features in him! He wasted no time in getting kitted out in Leicester football team colours. He also met his first cat, Domino - though they didn't make much of an impression on each other. And he rides quite regally in his new red pushchair, a Quinny Buzz which we got a good deal on during the trip; it's a good alternative to the big pram as it can fold up very compactly for travelling. He slept in it for a good part of Christmas dinner at the pub, then woke up in time to enjoy the Christmas cracker activity - still in the company of his giraffe friend.
Almost 6 months: Still no sign of those darn teeth, although all the indications are there including massive drooling and chewing on anything within reach. He's not showing quite as much interest in food at the moment, possibly because of teething pains or possibly the cold symptoms from which the whole family currently suffers. He does like to get his gums into a good book!
We took some pictures of him in action in his Leicester City team outfit, unfortunately he was a bit too fast-moving in some of them but they're still cute even if a bit blurry.
He's now 13th and 15th on the waiting lists for the two day cares.
Updated 7.1.07
