On Thursday, July 12th, Johan's cousin, Robin Henry was born. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 6oz -- over a pound bigger than Johan was at birth! Other obvious differences: she has a full head of dark brown hair!
While Johan and Robin coudn't be more different, strangely enough (or perhaps, appropriately enough), Claire's labour and delivery were a mirror of Andrea's: about 26 hours after being induced, with no more progress being made, Claire had a C-section.
While the operation was a bit traumatic, Claire is already up and about and is bonding with her very hungry baby. Daddy Andrew is obviously very much enamoured with his little girl and has found that he is a wonderful burper and a handy diaper changer.
I will miss them all very much when we leave for Holland tomorrow!
Andrea
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Sunday, July 1, 2007
School's out
School is finished and we are ready to enjoy our summer. Although I will still be going in to school to finish off some administrative duties, the extra time with Johan is wonderful. I can't wait for our little trip to Europe.
The month of June has been a hot one and we have taken full advantage, introducing Johan to the natural waters of Kingsmere Lake, Meech Lake and the Gatineau river. Johan seemed to enjoy the experiences. He is usually quiet and quite relaxed in the water, but you wonder if he really likes it. By the end he is usually trying to chew his hand and the last couple of times his smiles have been coming out as we dip him in. We have not dunked him yet, as the waters are still a little cool for his body. As you can imagine, Papa enjoys these times very much.
Our baby is starting to become a little boy. In the last little while we have been amazed at how much he is changing. People tell us, but we are also starting to really notice. He is growing out of clothes at a tremendous rate. It seems that he only wears outfits 2 or 3 times and then they don't fit anymore. His diaper covers come loose by themselves, which has made for a few messy situations. (This was something we didn't want to experience too often, so we purchased some larger ones). He is getting stronger and is now able to use his hands much more effectively to grasp toys and hands. As well, he responds and communicates much more these days. He always has a smile for everyone.
His sleep patterns have returned to sporadic: some nights he sleeps for a long time, but others he wakes around 3 or 4 am for an extended period of time. Some days he has great naps and others he is awake for the entire day. Needless to say, we don't have a routine set yet. We are now trying to wean him from the swaddling wrap, so he will sleep even if he isn't bundled tightly with his arms at his side. (Right now, his "startle" reflex, during which his arms flail, wakes him up if he isn't swaddled). But he now consistently gets out of the swaddle -- when he wakes at night it is usually with his arms up by his face.
We hope that by weaning him from the swaddle, the next thing we can teach him is to fall asleep on his own, as this is a struggle now. Johan indicates when he is tired by a few cries, but unless we pat his bum and rock him, he just gets more cranky until he is all-out wailing. He seems unable to fall asleep on his own.
We wonder how he will react to the plane ride, let's hope he has papa's genes and not mummy's. It will be his 1st big travel and we can't wait for Opa en Oma to see him again. As well, we are very excited about finally meeting Vlinder (Arvid's little girl), Nils (Vincent's little boy) and Lucien (Marie's little boy). That said, any day now, Johan will get a new cousin, as Claire is due today. Lots of little friends to play with.
That's it for now.
The month of June has been a hot one and we have taken full advantage, introducing Johan to the natural waters of Kingsmere Lake, Meech Lake and the Gatineau river. Johan seemed to enjoy the experiences. He is usually quiet and quite relaxed in the water, but you wonder if he really likes it. By the end he is usually trying to chew his hand and the last couple of times his smiles have been coming out as we dip him in. We have not dunked him yet, as the waters are still a little cool for his body. As you can imagine, Papa enjoys these times very much.
Our baby is starting to become a little boy. In the last little while we have been amazed at how much he is changing. People tell us, but we are also starting to really notice. He is growing out of clothes at a tremendous rate. It seems that he only wears outfits 2 or 3 times and then they don't fit anymore. His diaper covers come loose by themselves, which has made for a few messy situations. (This was something we didn't want to experience too often, so we purchased some larger ones). He is getting stronger and is now able to use his hands much more effectively to grasp toys and hands. As well, he responds and communicates much more these days. He always has a smile for everyone.
His sleep patterns have returned to sporadic: some nights he sleeps for a long time, but others he wakes around 3 or 4 am for an extended period of time. Some days he has great naps and others he is awake for the entire day. Needless to say, we don't have a routine set yet. We are now trying to wean him from the swaddling wrap, so he will sleep even if he isn't bundled tightly with his arms at his side. (Right now, his "startle" reflex, during which his arms flail, wakes him up if he isn't swaddled). But he now consistently gets out of the swaddle -- when he wakes at night it is usually with his arms up by his face.
We hope that by weaning him from the swaddle, the next thing we can teach him is to fall asleep on his own, as this is a struggle now. Johan indicates when he is tired by a few cries, but unless we pat his bum and rock him, he just gets more cranky until he is all-out wailing. He seems unable to fall asleep on his own.
We wonder how he will react to the plane ride, let's hope he has papa's genes and not mummy's. It will be his 1st big travel and we can't wait for Opa en Oma to see him again. As well, we are very excited about finally meeting Vlinder (Arvid's little girl), Nils (Vincent's little boy) and Lucien (Marie's little boy). That said, any day now, Johan will get a new cousin, as Claire is due today. Lots of little friends to play with.
That's it for now.
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