My baby is suddenly so grown up!

This week, I suddenly felt like Ezra suddenly grown so much bigger.

He seems to occupy his cot more. The blanket seemed so small. The jumperoo seat is less spacious. He has moved on to using M-sized diapers. His feet sticks out from the pram quite a bit, I have to be careful about where I go. And when he suddenly arches his back and screams, I can't seem to contain him in the sling and has some trouble not dropping him.

He hates spinach, ok with pumpkin and loves pears. He doesn't seem to like his cereal much anymore, after his unable-to-poop episode. I'm really hoping the pear will help him with softening his stools a little.

In 2 weeks, he will be 7 months old. Wow.... I've got to start planning his birthday party already!

Btw, his cheek seems to be chubbier and he seems heavier too! He is growing up too fast!

Of food and poop

So Ezra is 6 months old... time to start on the solids... it's a whole new set of worries, research, testings and successes. 

I've gone through breastmilk feeding (including expressing, bottles, storage, etc), then sleeping and sicknesses (including vaccinations), now semi-solids.

So far, i've tried cereals mixed with breastmilk, which he liked and takes about 4 tablespoons each time. He loves bananas too. He did ok with the sweet potato on the first try. He finished some pumpkin today. Gave him some applesauce but i think it was a little sour for his taste, he was grimacing away, hah! And he kinda hated the porridge with fish... I think that had a little fishy taste which he didn't like, anyway, it did look a bit gooey after blending. 

I've got some pears and spinach in the fridge, all ready to go! I'm kinda getting the hang of it all, it only takes me about 10 minutes to cut up whatever it is and plonk it in the wok to steam. Then 10 minutes later, I come back and scrap the flesh into a cup and blend it until smooth. Then out them into cubes for freezing. 

Now the POOP... it has been soooooo stinky and sticky... just these 2 days! The usual soft stool has thickened and he seemed to have some trouble passing them out. On Monday, I saw him "gek" until his face was all red. It was a funny sight, but I can imagine the strange discomfort he is feeling cos breastmilk-fed baby poop is really nice and soft... and not stinky! Today, he pooped 3 times in about 8 hours... which falls into the diarrhea category in my opinion. I gave him some of the meds from the PD, which worked very well so far, so I hope this problem goes away. And he is developing a diaper-like rash... I wonder if it's a sign of allergy or it's diaper rash due to the change in poop consistency. 

Well... if things aren't looking better tomorrow, we'll be off to the GP.

He seems to be a little fussier today, maybe I didn't try to make him laugh as much, and maybe because it was so darn hot. At least he is asleep now... gives me some R&R time :)

6 months old today

6 months ago at this time, I was screaming my head off. About 30 minutes later, Ezra is born.

It is all still very surreal. When I was delivering him, the experience was so new I didn't know what to think. I wasn't even fully prepared yet. I knew I would freak out to be on a drip, but when the time came, I wasn't hysterical. And I always knew I would dislike staying in the hospital, but it wasn't half as bad. I was so nervous about having the drip needle removed, but it was over in a second and didn't even hurt as much as I would imagine it to be.

I thought I'm all ready to care for him, bathe, feed, change... but when the time came, I was a little less apt. By the time the confinement lady left, I was all worried that I wouldn't be able to care for him well, but the last 5 months have passed without much major episodes.

I am thankful to God because I knew He was the one that helped me along and made Ezra to be a good boy. He knows how much I could handle. He kept me sane so I wouldn't let the depression take over me completely. I would not have been able to do this alone.

Ezra is 6 months old, he is still underweight, still wearing clothes for 0-3 month olds. He still hasn't increased his milk intake and sometimes still fusses during his feeds. He has taken to solids pretty well. He likes bananas, sweet potatos and cereal because they are sweet. He doesn't like porridge with fish as much, but we shall try to accustom him to food without the natural sweet tastes. Oh, and he takes to people very well. He can be passed from person to person at church and not whimper. Problem is he has been making loud noises during service lately so I can't be in the main hall unless he is sleeping. I need to find a way to hear the sermon!

I am very glad to have reached the first milestone in his life. It is a milestone for me too because I would have to strategize what to do with him at every stage - food he eats, things he learns. He has started to crawl without the help of his head. I expect him to attempt walking by the time he is 9 months.

My milk supply has decreased because I only pump twice a day. Nowadays, I find myself lazy to pump! But I am glad I have given him breastmilk for the last 6 months and probably 2 more to go before I change over to formular for convenience sake when we travel to Bangkok. Oh! I can't wait for a vacation! It would be a treat for me to get away from my room for a while! :P