Thomas' Page 6-9 months
January 14 2007 / 6 months: Thomas got to try his friend's baby swing again, and had lots of fun jumping around in it. He also enjoyed trying out a comfy beanbag chair in a baby-equipment shop. He's now finally had his 5-month vaccinations, the second of three installments against diptheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, polio, and haemophilus influenzae type b. The third installment isn't until he's 1 year old.
For the past several months he's been sleeping in his own crib, but in our room; now we have his bedroom pretty much ready and he'll try sleeping in there once he's over his current cold and not waking up as often in the night. He's now discovered that he can sleep quite well on his stomach, which seems to help keep the fluids from draining down his throat in the night.
Getting his room set up has been quite a project; our second bedroom has been used as an office until now, so first dad had to move all his computer stuff to a new desk in the living room; Thomas was there to help test it out. We then moved our master bedroom to the former office, and moved the baby furniture to our former bedroom at the end of the hall. A nice finishing touch is the wooden letters brought back from Sweden by some friends of ours!
January 22 (around 28 weeks) - This week Thomas tried sitting up in his pram for the first time, harnessed in so he can't wiggle out. He also got to try some new clothes including a bathrobe which Cindy picked up on an impulse shopping spree!
As he gets better at rolling around, he quickly manages to get himself into places he's not supposed to... most of these pictures were taken with Cindy's cell phone, which is one of Thomas' favourite things to try to eat - no wonder he's trying to grab it in the last shot.
He's also trying more and more kinds of food, but his favourite thing is still drinking water from a glass (although sometimes he just makes bizarre noises into the glass and blows bubbles!) The blue sou'wester bib is very practical for keeping him relatively clean, but he always manages to get something in his hair, socks or some other uncovered part.
January 28 (about 6.5 months): Thomas has been sleeping in his own room for a week now, and generally only wakes up once or twice in the night for feeding or comforting. Today we lowered his mattress, as he has started getting a bit too interested in the top of the crib bars. He'll even try to chew them, as he also does with the coffee table in the living room. He can sit for a few seconds unassisted, but generally prefers to try to stand or roll over onto his belly.
Almost 7 months: Thomas' first tooth finally started to poke through on Monday, February 5 2007. He's been a bit fussy and in some discomfort, but otherwise not handling it too badly. He's also starting to get quite chatty, with consonants creeping into the baby babble, and complete disregard for volume control! He can now cover quite a bit of distance by rolling and twisting his way around the floor, and seems to have a bit more control over his direction.
Some pictures of Thomas' room so far:
At 7 months: This week Thomas began to sit unsupported for longer periods, although he seems to prefer to tumble over onto his belly and get on the move. He's been able to push himself backwards for a little while, but now for the first time he's pushing his behind up and managing to pull himself forwards as well, although it's hard work for him. The first time he did it was when mum was emptying the nappy (diaper) bucket into a very interesting yellow and black bag... There are many other interesting things for him to get into now besides his own toys, like the magasine basket and mum's glasses.
It has also been a busy week for outings, and now that he is able to sit up in his pram, there is a whole new world of sensory input: from the buildings going by, to the contents of the shopping basket, to the surroundings in whichever place we stop to eat. He got to try out his new sitting skills in a variety of interesting chairs, first in Illums Bolighus and then in Ikea!
So far Thomas is eating: mashed carrots, potatoes, parsnips, peas, and various fruit, as well as porridges made from rice flour, corn flour, millet or spelt; he's also getting started on oatmeal, which he enjoys as long as it's not too thick. He really enjoys yoghurt and fromage frais, but his favourite thing is still drinking water from a glass - he's getting quite good at it and now spills very little. At this stage he still gets most of his nutrition from formula, but is gradually building up to bigger and more varied solid meals.
Feb 22 / almost 7.5 months: Thomas is more and more on the move, pulling himself forward mostly with his right arm and left elbow, and rolling when he gets tired of that. His second tooth has started to push through, and he's starting to make chewing motions with his food.
He still enjoys his reading material, although we have to move quickly sometimes to make sure he's not literally trying to digest it! At mothergroup this week he had a lot of fun bouncing on a big inflated gym ball. He also went to the movies with his friend from next door, two-month old Safari (a nearby cinema does matinees on Wednesdays for moms and babies, and this week the movie was Dreamgirls, with lots of music to keep him entertained.) Winter has finally really hit Denmark, so we're extra happy we went for the rugged "SUV" pram, which had no trouble plowing through snowdrifts and slush on an outing into town, where Thomas tried on a fetching furry hat.
March 6 - almost 8 months: Thomas now has 2 prominent teeth, and more apparently on the way. Unfortunately we haven't managed to get any photos yet with the teeth clearly visible, but we will! He's finally starting to eat slightly lumpier foods, and had his first fish today: some cod blended with mashed potatoes.
He's getting much better at sitting, although he still prefers to roll over and get on the move. He's not quite crawling yet, nor pulling himself up onto furniture, although Bagpuss the pink and white cat is quite tempting... He's still fond of being carried in the sling, especially if he can face forward and keep an eye on all activities; quite often we'll take a little ride down in the elevator to check the mail, then up to the rooftop to have a look around the city.
A mysterious package arrived this week for him, with some more Leicester City football (soccer) gear... apparently in celebration of a certain victory over Coventry City! Luckily Thomas has his plush Ikea ball to practice with.
March 21 - 8-8.5 months: Thomas currently weighs a little over 10 kg (about 22,4 lb) and measures somewhere around 72 cm (28 inches) long.
At 8 months the health visitor came to see Thomas again, and performed a series of sensory tests known as the BOEL test. He was in fine form and reacted with great energy to each step, including grabbing and biting a little red baton and turning his head to find the source of a ringing bell. We also discussed:
In general she pronounced him a fine, strong, healthy boy and won't be back for a next visit until he's a year and a half old.
Thomas is also getting very quick at creeping around, although he still looks like a wounded cowboy the way he drags one leg! We really have to work to keep up with him, as he naturally finds all the "forbidden" areas (plants, computer, wires...) the most fascinating. We've come quite far with the babyproofing but there will always be tempations, like the wheels of the pram or any windowsills / doorways. He tries hard to push his behind up, almost as if to stand, although his legs just aren't strong enough yet.
Thomas is definitely getting more mischievous, and complains noisily when pulled away from his intended destination. He still enjoys his books, mostly to chew on, but he can actually turn the thick cardboard pages of his baby books. He also has lots of other nice toys, but has recently discovered his penguin piggy bank, which was provided by Danske Bank when we opened an account for him. With a bit of change in it, it makes a very interesting rattle!
We had some beautiful weather in Copenhagen last week, so we got him a baseball cap to keep the sun out of his eyes, and took a little excursion to the roof to enjoy it.
And finally - today's mail included a letter from a day care centre, offering Thomas a spot from May 15th - two weeks before Cindy starts work. This will give us plenty of time for him to adjust gradually, and increase the time there day by day.
March 22: The weather turned wintery again yesterday, but Thomas still wanted to sit up in his pram, so he sat in the back and looked out through the screen in the rain cover - he was quite happy with that solution. Today he went to Babyswimming for the third time, first time with his dad and with some of our other friends, including little Carla and a bouncy penguin.
April 1: This week we tried out the latest big purchase, a bike trailer / stroller / babyjogger from a Canadian company called Chariot. The weather has once again been cooperative, but we have only tried short jaunts so far as we get used to it. On one outing we bumped into our friend Lone, Anton's mom from the Danish mothergroup; on another, we got to see the local pedestrian/cycle bridge rotating closed after it had opened to let a boat through.
We also got a tour of the daycare where he'll be starting in mid-May; it's quite a big one, with three groups of 12 kids between about 6 months to three years; the same institution also has a kindergarden (3-5 years) and a "sparetime club" (after-school care), which he will more or less automatically be able to go to now that he is in their system. They even keep a binder with photos of / artwork by each child, which follows them throughout their time there. We were told that there will be a few other boys about his age starting around the same time in his group (the Sea Lions), so he should have ample opportunities to make friends.
Thomas' upper front teeth seem to be on their way; he's chewing vigourously on everything he can get into his mouth, including the green center of the number 6 from his foam puzzle pieces, and a bamboo woven placemat. He's also somewhat under the weather, as he is generating so much phlegm that it's draining down his throat in the night and sometimes giving him trouble breathing; today he didn't keep much food down, which may force us to postpone our current project of trying to break the night feed habits.
Almost 9 months: On a short jaunt to Leicester over Easter, Thomas got to sit in a variety of airport and supermarket trolleys, carseats, and buggies; he's not fond of being strapped in anywhere, but is as prone to falling asleep in moving vehicles as his mother. He had a good romp with his grandad, and is getting more and more up on all fours, pushing himself up to sit, and even attempting to stand. He also got reacquainted with Domino the cat, who was kind enough to share his customary space on the bed for the purposes of a much-needed nappy change. And his granny Lynda bought him his first pair of proper shoes at the Clarks concession in Mothercare, where he got his feet measured and photo taken...
Updated 15.4.07