Felix is 23 weeks or 5 months and 1 week!

Time is flying and I don't know where my little baby has gone.

Felix is now sitting up in his highchair, albeit slightly floppy.

He rolls his water bottle around and occasionally I will give him some banana to taste. I can feed him little amounts of mashed nana or I give him little pieces to try and chew. He is not really picking food up himself yet. But he will hold a stick of carrot and nibble on it if I give it to him. He his grabbing at things ferociously and his grip is so strong. All this has intensified in the last few weeks. He is not rolling very voluntarily but he is holding himself up strongly on his tummy.

 

 

This is Felix just yesterday in pyjamas for the first time. He is a big boy!

And here he is today on his playmat, only just started getting into it recently, when I lowered the toys.

Here he is looking very pensive with MorMor.

 

It was at Aunty Ju's where he went in a highchair for the first time...

 

 

And he had a sleep in Fredi's cot....

 

 

And a laugh with Aunty Ju...

 

 

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and we went to Aunty Ju's for a yummy brekky of eggs Benny. Then Felix stayed with Aunty Ju and the cuzzies while I went out for a couple of hours for the first time.

When mummy got back from her makeup birthday session at Ballantynes Felix got a big feed with a made-up mummy...

 

 

 Then we went to pops and Lala's for lunch and Felix got more laughs in for the day...

 

I am trying to work out his personality. He laughs and smiles a lot but he can also be very pensive and serious and I think he looks very wise...

Geez wayne he is definitely growing out of his capsule carseat...

I might have to start calling him the marshmallow man...

He sleeps in fairyland...

 

 

And sometimes we have special adventures to places like the Botanical gardens where we discover peace and tranquillity and with Spring on its way we also discover daffodils and cherry blossoms...

Felix Tane McVeigh is tangata whenua, in more ways than one and I think he likes the mamaku ferns and the koru will always speak to him I reckon.... NEW LIFE. He has a given a new and very special life to his mummy too.

 

I wonder if he knows that...

 

MorMor will always hold a special place in his heart, as will he in hers. And just look at those cuzzies... now that is Love.

 

This is love too.... and a very tired boy.

He is always up for an adventure more than he is for sleep though...

We had some visitors last week; Leneke and her beautiful girls, Charlotte and Katie.

MorMor and Felix sit and share, a moment of togetherness.

                                         Felix contemplating his life ahead

                                                                 MorMor reflecting.

ps. Here is a great shot of Felix with his plunket buddies a few weeks ago...spot the breastmilk belly!

 

Cute... all looking slightly drunk...

 

Felix is 19 weeks!!!

So, phew.... I feel like I have just exited a tunnel Christchurch craziness through a fog called newborn madness. And I am still alive, and I might even say kicking, despite the aching shoulders and pain stricken back and sleep deprivation. Did I say deprivation?

Yes, Felix has been waking 3 times a night for more milk for the past 5 weeks. Yes, just after he'd managed a 7 hour stint and just as he got sick and spent the night in A & E and mummy got mastitis for the 3rd time.

They say Intuition favours a well stocked mind so I did my research and they call it a 4 month sleep regression. I heard it is because the frontal lobe is developing and lots of brain activity is happening and often babies find it hard to put themselves back to sleep when they come out of a sleep cycle. But hey, some say growth spurt, others say teething.

I also say he was sick and probably wanted more comfort and fluid and my milk supply was limited due to a terrible bout of mastitis. Maybe he got into the habit of waking more often. Or maybe because he is in the 95th% percentile for weight he has just been more hungry. Maybe he is ready for solids. Maybe maybe maybe. Baby. I am learning to go with the flow.

La Leche League say feed him when he wakes, Plunket says soothe him in other ways if it has been less than 2 hours and the Parent Centre, do whatever works. Do whatever works!

I feed him, usually. I don't think he needs to cry much when I can try and meet his needs. A little grizzle, however, when he is going off to sleep, I can handle. MAybe I will need to try other techniques but for now, it's fine. Last night he went down at 7, woke at 11.30am, then 3.30am and then 7.20am.

We have just been in Auckland for 2 weeks too so it is just now I am home to our current abode, after almost 3 weeks at mums and 2 weeks in Auckland. He is starting to sleep more already. Or maybe it's because he is in his own room again. Whatever.

I love him sooooooooooo much!

JAnine from Plunket came yesterday. Felix weighs 8.39kgs and is 66cm long. Sweet.
He is doing really well and is now in the 91st% for weight and the 75th% I think for height.

In the last couple of weeks he has started pulling my hair and grabbing for things. He can roll from front to back but doesn't do it often. Although I need to give him more opportunities.

He loves his jolly jumper!

And he laughs and smiles heaps!


Auckland was wonderful.... we stayed with Din Amazing Parker from July 16 to July 31. Unfortunately I deleted the photos by mistake but we saw Amy, Victoria, Iris, Lucy, Nicki, Alyssa, Karly, Belinda, Darryl, Karl and other people during our stay. Din was magical and looked after us so well. I will never ever be able to thank her enough. She cooked me delicious meals and hosted me and Felix with grace, and kindness and generosity and love and joy. I love her so much.

We went our for yum cha and to seamart for fish n chips, walked down tamaki drive and went out west to Huia for a burger with Iris. Had lunches and coffees with people and went to bed early and woke lots at night. The joys. I love motherhood!