In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Liam in NICU;day 8- day 14“, I wrote Liam came to our family about 3 weeks early (36 weeks and 2 days) and he has spent next 3 weeks in NICU.
He was tiny little baby; 18″ tall, weighing 5 lb 6 oz…
Day 225..
Liam is on solid food for 3 weeks plus, and 4th week is mixed meal;getting a little fancier,lol.
Here is Liam’s last night dinner Menu; Udon noodle and Spinach in Dashi soup, Stewed Sea bass in Dashi
Udon noodle and Spinach in Dashi soup, Stewed Sea bass in Dashi..
I like to present the dish like this,and then mix the spinach and Udon noodle dish right in front of him. He gets excited for this and open mouth as wide as he can and he ate them all.On top of that, he drunk all the milk, no drop left.
He eats a lot lately:-) Since the meal amount is getting bigger,I was expecting him to leave milk maybe some but nope, he ate them,drunk them all.
Day 226..
Last night’s dinner for Liam.10 bai gayu (mashed porridge made with ratio of water 10 vs kokuho rose rice 1) with tomato, and sea bass in Konbu Dashi
Liam loved it!
As always, I brought the dish like this and mixed right in front of him and helped him eat:-)
Today, I did not take a picture because it is similar idea to last 2 days meal.
He had Udon Noodle with Konbu Dashi mixed with onion, sea bass soup, and carrot.He was really talkative and seemed to like the soup a lot!
Day 228..
Liam was so talkative for the dinner today.It seems like.. he really likes seafood (flounder in Konbu dashi).
His menu today was spinach, 10 bai gayu (mashed porridge mixed with tofu), and flounder soup.
When it comes to flounder soup time, he slapped his hand onto his food tray as if to say “hurry up” and he sometime squeaked:-)
Feeding babies is such a fun!I am having fun making menu plan and feeding both!
Today, he left about 20ml milk after the solid food because .. probably soup made his tummy feel fuller.
Day 230..
Starting today,Liam will be having 2 solid food meals a day.
He had #1 meal in the morning already and he was so talkative and loved the meal.
I will let him try Broccoli tonight.We will see how he likes it:-)
Micky mouse one is; mashed porridge topped with grated fuji apple. and the other one is onion soup with flounder.
It is official;Liam likes Broccoli:-)
Back home in Japan, first 2 months on solid food, goal is to let the babies to explore the pure taste and texture of the food as many as possible, and you can use the flavoring like konbu dashi lightly but not the strong bold flavor like adults’.
So, I simply boiled it,mashed well (first 2 months,he cannot have stem part,only floral top part.Me and Palette shared the stem part to nom on) and served it.
He opened his mouth wide and ate it like he was eating for long time!
For dinner,he had udon mixed with spinach,carrot soup using homemade vegetable broth, and he had… broccoli for the first time. He ate them all,plus 180 ml milk:-)
Day 232..
He liked this very very much and his legs were up and down hitting the high chair food tray,lol.He liked this breakfast that much.
The white one in the green plate is Milk Pan Gayu (torn white bread is cooked with breast milk and mashed).
Pan means “bread”. Bread edge is cut off and only soft part is used.I mixed it with my breast milk a bit since he cannot have cow’s milk yet. Many moms use powdered formulas to make this but I did not use it.
The menu on this day was tomato soup with sea bass and bread porridge with breast milk:-)
Thoughts on introducing fruits to babies..
When I was introducing how I feed Liam on Social media, some people asked why they do not see much fruits in the menu pictures they see. Wondered why I was not feeding fruits to Liam from the very beginning.
My answer was that,by the time that question came to me, Liam was exposed to Fuji Apple and could eat Fuji Apple, and he was eating it now and then.
I just didn’t post every single meal he ate too..
However, that time, he might have been exposed to less number of fruits I think compared to general American way to feed babies.
I didn’t serve fruits every meal like with the amount of entree,though.It is dessert.I also do not like to introduce bold,strong sweet fruits from the start.I rather would like him to explore other flavor first like vegetables,and get familiar with the taste.
Kids would not have problem liking the fruits because many fruits are naturally sweet. Kids would have more problem getting used to liking vegetable flavor.
That being said that weekends I got such question from friends, he was going to be eating strawberries for the first time.I think typical American baby food advice you find is a bit different from typical Japanese baby food advice/method.I follow Japanese method.
At first month baby food, Japanese moms aim at 50 % carb -40 % vit/mineral- 10 % protein
When I mentioned I would feed strawberries next, I got question saying strawberries would not be good to feed to him because it might cause allergic reaction.
Well,babies in Japan can eat strawberry from the early solid food time.One thing people tell you back home is that, serve the food after heating them up,mash them, smooth out through the kitchen sieve. So, I did cook strawberry,not raw.
I heard that allergen in the strawberries whatever it was called and was causing the possibility of allergy can change.This goes same with apple. .
As long as those fruits are heated,that is ok to give from early solid food time. He is on solid food for 2 months so it will be ok..
I will be cooking strawberry first like I did with apple. Then,give 1 tsp first to make sure it is ok with Liam first. In Japan, babies are not encouraged to eat cereal until much later.It is opposite to the states. Method of how parents introduce the food to the babies will be different too.
That being said, there are some fruits Liam cannot have until much later even if heated..I do not remember what it was.I need to look at print out to name them.I think it was something in line of kiwi, mango etc..Oh, babies in Japan does not get introduced to avocado until later but, in the states,many will be eating it in early solid food time..
By the way, solid food adventures first month goal is to let the babies explore various kinds of food for texture,pure flavor on its own.Then, second month into it, continue letting the babies explore the food flavor and texture but start offering mixing food here and there,providing carb-protein-Vit/Mineral in one meal.
On day 232, he has acquired the new skill:lick his toe. Babies are so flexible,lol.
Liam’s dinner today (part of).
Menu include…. Flounder with mashed porridge, Broccoli soup and Fuji Apple as dessert
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Liam in NICU;day 8- day 14“, I wrote Liam came to our family about 3 weeks early (36 weeks and 2 days) and he has spent next 3 weeks in NICU.
He was tiny little baby; 18″ tall, weighing 5 lb 6 oz…
Day 212..
I felt like tonz heavier today and I was curious about Liam’s weight so I weighed him.
He was 15.5lb, 40.5cm head circumference, and 63cm tall (although last time we visited Pediatrician, he was measured 66cm tall. Maybe how I measured him might have been different from them.
He is growing:-)
Day 214..
Today, I introduced 7th solid food “Spinach.He liked it.
First spinach served to Liam at day 214..
I usually bring him in high chair when I cook in the kitchen, and every time I pull out the ingredients, I show it to him and tell him what it is.
He listen and sometimes,he wants to touch it so I let him if I got no problem him touching the ingredient.
Day 215..
Liam might be thinking he is a magician. Lately, he picks up the object and pass it to the other hand, study and pause and hand the object back to the original hand he picked the object with and he repeats it.
Before, he picked objects and stared at it holding with both hands and straight into his mouth to nom but its behavior is changing although he still likes to vampire my knuckle (he likes to suck my knuckle and he also chomp.) without careful observation,lol.
And at about 8pm, it started snowing…
Day 216..
He gets very talkative when his solid food time comes.When he has audience of his meal time beside me;the feeder, he gets stare at the audience mode and does not start eating. Funny. Yesterday,he had 4 tsp udon mixed with 4 tsp kelp dashi , 2 tsp carrot, 1 tsp spinach.It is a lot for him but, he finished drinking all the 190ml milk afterwards.A day before,he left about 30ml in the bottle though.
Liam had onion 1 tsp,spinach 2 tsp and udon 5 tsp plus dashi 5 tsp plus 190 ml milk for dinner.I was expected him leaving some milk because his amount of food is increasing but no,he drunk them all.He then moved on to play on the tray with blocks.
He observed me making steak burritos.
Tomorrow, I will be adding new protein source to Liam’s dinner and I have to make porridge too and it will be a bit busy day again:-)
Day 217..
Today, I added new protein source;Fish. It is flounder:-) He looked surprised when he first tasted the fish and took time to taste and then.. ate it. It is mixed with Konbu Dashi (kelp Dashi). Kind of like.. fish soup for a little baby,lol.
Liam’s first protein source: Fish! Flounder..
I was wondering how he would be like on fish because texture is very different from pureed veg.But everything was good so far.
Day 218…
My husband brought a cup of snow for Liam to see.Liam put his hand right in without hesitation and grubbed it to feel.
Day 219…
Liam had another new food;tomato.
Liam’s first tomato..
Liam liked tomato! Now he can eat…. Kokuho rose rice (mashed porridge), Fuji apple, carrot,spinach,onion,flounder,udon noodle,sweet potato, and tomato;-) For dinner, he had tomato, flounder, and udon with Fuji Apple as dessert.
Liam had some more food he could eat as day went by.
At day 222, he tried Tofu for the first time seasoned with Kombu dashi.
Liam’s First Tofu ..
Day 222 , it is snow day, and the road looked icy….
That day, I made roasted pork tenderloin with pepper jelly and veg medley for dinner.
Every time I go to fridge,Liam looks at the fridge and stares at the ingredients that I pull out. So,I ,like to always, explain what I got and tell him a bit about it and then go cooking.
He was so interested in asparagus and apricot preserve jar,lol.
If you like to make the pepper jelly sauce, mix 3 tbs rice vinegar, 3 tbs honey,3 tbs jelly or jam (I like to use apricot for pork),after cooking chopped garlic and jalapeno in evoo.Then, add squeeze of lime juice to that and thicken it up.Depending on your preference,you can add dash of paprika to this,which I do.
This is one of my husband’s fav dish.
Day 224..
Liam is getting strong arms (I think). He can lift up his upper body much higher than he was before (before,he was on elbow on the floor,now on fists here and there).
Last night,he could sit on his own without support for longer:-)
He still cannot move forward or backward and simply spinning on belly (pivoting) but I cannot wait to see him being able to do one other new thing in the future
Day 225..
Liam tried another new food.
Liam’s first sea bass..
According to Japanese e-magazine for parents for babies from newborn to 2 years old, when it comes to fish for the solid food, you would want to introduce the white meat fish such as flounder (Liam has had it before) as first fish.
However, to reduce the possibility of causing the allergy, cod should not be fed at early solid food time; ok at much later process in the solid food phase.
Sole is good fish for Liam, but have not being able to locate the fish.
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Liam in NICU;day 8- day 14“, I wrote Liam came to our family about 3 weeks early (36 weeks and 2 days) and he has spent next 3 weeks in NICU.
He was tiny little baby; 18″ tall, weighing 5 lb 6 oz…
Day 202..
Today,,Liam will be trying his very first solid vegetable;Sweet potato!
very first solid vegetable;Sweet potato..
I have added warm water to mashed sweet potato (unseasoned) and whipped it up.Liam opened his mouth as wide as he can and ate with huge smile along with porridge (mashed).
I gave him one bite porridge,one bite sweet potato and so on and gave him a big dose of his favorite mama’s milk,lol.
This is the consistency how I ended up with.
After he is on sweet potato for a week , gradually increasing the amount of sweet potato.,then introduce next ingredient, For his meal,I cooked only 2 oz and so itty bitty cute amount!
I enjoy baby food making!
It looked so complicated at first, but as I read more and know the basic, it seems not so scary to try new thing,lol.
Day 205..
A little shoes gift from Fertility doctor…
He is now 6 months and half old, and loves to roll over and blowing spits and bubbles.And teething,and just started solid food last week or so.
Day 207..
First solid fruits: Fuji Apple;steamed and mashed..
Day 208..
Liam was observing his food is being made in the kitchen.
He chewed his bibs so much that it got soaking wet.Made him hungry that much,lol.
Before I place him near the kitchen,he was playing with his block,banging it against the tray or tossing in the air and it got scared Palette and she went downstairs for cover,lol.
I let Liam lick the spoon after mashing up his food.He was slapping his tummy with open hands.It got approved??
Liam’s first try with onion Day 208 old..
Onion was cooked ,and grated through mesh kitchen sieve.Onion is one of vegetables you can give in the first month of solid food adventure in Japan.
This day, he had.. mashed soupy porridge (10 bai gayu),mashed sweet potato, and mashed onion and finished it off with mashed Fuji Apple;-)
He ate them all!
Day 209…
Liam tried Udon for the first time.Today’s carbohydrate base was this. Just mashed Udon mixed with bit of water. Then, a day before, I made small amount of Konbu Dashi (Dashi made from Kelp), and decided to mix it in right before serving it so it is more like soupier but easier for him to eat it off the spoon:-)He loved it!Of course, no salt added.
Liam first try with Udon..209 days old..
By the way, dashi itself does not have kelp inside. Kelp (kombu) is simply simmered in water and taken out.
Day 211..
I read that taste buds development starts from first solid food time (5-6 months old) and its base (taste buds base) will be build around later months of solid food time (10-11monthsold).
So, in Japan, introducing a lot of texture,color,tastes from the first solid food time (5-6 months old) is considered very important when you start feeding babies solid food.
For me, I had never had Mexican food up until I come over to the states years ago,and I did not get to taste avocado until that time and never had it as a baby.So, it might be the factor for me to get used to the texture and taste. I can eat guacamole from particular restaurant but streaight avocado or guacamole made by other restaurants, I have hard time enjoying them.
That being said, changing the way to cook,different sauce, different seasoning can make different experience and, I used to hate fish as a kid but my mother tried various kinds of fish, various kinds of sauce, various ways to cook them etc.. and it helped me a lot to eat some fish then.
Now growing up, I love salmon or fish and I would say I prefer salmon over steak:-) Big applause to my mother! I am trying to introduce lots of texture,color,taste to Liam to help him eat better. I like he gets excited for the solid food time;-)
I personally chose Japanese method for solid food introduction because we start with fresh food,made fresh with the amount he/she can consume within about in a week, and introducing fresh food each time.
Usually goal is to let the babies to explore the pure taste,texture,color as many as you can but introduce one at a time.
So, it is not flavored. If flavored, often time, dashi made from Kelp (konbu) is recommended .
Liam will be trying out fish next week since it will be 3rd week since he is on solid food.. We should not introduce red meat fish to babies due to possible risk of causing allergic reaction,and babies will get to taste white meat fish first like flounder.I wanted to get sole beside flounder but did not find one.So, he will be getting seabass and flounder next week.
Now, next new vitamin/mineral group food to be introduced to Liam was carrot. I have added a bit of cooled boiled water to loosen up when serving
Liam first try with carrot .. Day 211
He was very very talkative and squeaking as if to say “Yum!” with every couple of bites,lol.It is funny to see him do so and I smiled/laughed at him and he smiled back;-)Feeding time is fun!He had.. Udon loosen up with Konbu dashi, onion,and carrot today for meal and he seemed to like Udon best but he ate it all.
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Liam in NICU;day 8- day 14“, I wrote Liam came to our family about 3 weeks early (36 weeks and 2 days) and he has spent next 3 weeks in NICU.
He was tiny little baby; 18″ tall, weighing 5 lb 6 oz…
Day 186..
Yesterday was Liam’s very first mug training day with the baby mug that can turn into sprout,straw and a cup as the baby grows.My parents got him for the Christmas and tried it for the first time yesterday.
He needed time to figures it out how to hold but he could hold the mug for a few seconds with bit of my support for the bottle angle.
The handle is not straight down but rather set toward a bit so the baby does not need to angle the bottle high as he/she drinks up the milk or juice.I liked the handle but the nipple part was raher softer than the nipple that I use (Chicco’s) and on and off,nipple got sucked strong and shrunk and folded over and Liam could not get milk out some,which made him a bit cranky for a bit.
Maybe with the cup my parents got us, using from sprout stage might be a good because of the nipple issue.
I tried bottle holder from Chicco today with Chicco bottle and it was better for nipple but the handle is not set toward and no secure mechanism that stops the handle gets turn around the bottle,I liked using the chicco bottle for the mug training for sturdier nipple but I would have preferred the handle came with the mug bottle my parents gave us and the mug mechanism my parents’ baby mug which has mechanism, that stops the handle turning around.
Just running around the house holding Liam (cradle style) with made up sound.I pretended like a car and he is a driver and moved him like so.He laughed a lot and giggles and had so much fun but.. I am tired….
Day 187..
He is 6 months old then.He is practicing sitting up.He can hold his body for about maybe 10 or so second when I release my hands from supporting his body (my hand under his arm) and he does not get baby yoga anymore.His neck is stable,can hold head long time.He just roll over crazy now.
We will be getting high chair/booster seat soon and then, we are thinking about starting him on solid Japanese way.Since my mother told me through my father’s e-mail that I should not put breast milk in the bottle to train him for the hold,I took off the handle from chicco bottle last night and I tried feeding him as I used to.Liam already got the concept of self feeding/handle holding and his both hands came to the center to support the bottle…even though there were no handles to hold onto..
Day 190..
The bottom 2 gum is somewhat rumpy with slight white-ish gum top.Teeth coming in?? We do know that Liam is very drooly..
He has been grumpy more than before and I offer cold teether but he does not like cold one…a few bites and toss to the side…
I find he likes to chew on bibs,my shoulder (clothe) when being burped, and edge of pacifier and edge of his jacket..
Liam day 190.. Teeth coming in??
Liam has been practicing pivoting but not being able to yet.He can roll over to be on his tummy (he is pro for this) but once on the tummy,he puts his elbow on the floor and sometimes put his arms sides as if airplane while he is rubbing his face on the floor towel and he backs head up with his leg kicking up and down below his knee.
He is so far wearing footie.I wonder if he needs to be in jump suit type of clothe;one suit with foot not covered so he can get a good traction on the floor??Would that give good practice for pivoting-army crawling etc..?
Since he is also practice sitting, I also toying the idea of if I should put him in 2 separate clothe piece;top and bottom.
Day 191..
Just back from eye doctor.. I had outpatient surgery done on one of my eyes and one eye is swollen shut;hard to see things well…
When Liam was at NICU,he did not know how to suck,and struggled with breastfeeding him but he is a pro now.He found the nipple on his own and started sucking;-)
At the eye doc place,he was awake whole time and he was talking,smiling to the doc and our doc talked back to him.
We had some errands to do after the surgery but I got pain in my eye and came straight back to the house.Decided to take it easy.I still got paperwork needs to be done but I will take a break today.
Liam is on his tummy in the gym.Trying to figures out how to pivot .I think he is getting better at mini push up;raising the chest off the floor as days go by but not quite success for the pivoting.
Day 194..
Liam says “Feel like a king in the chair”,lol.
We are thinking about starting him on solid food maybe next week (tomorrow and beyond).
So, I did skype with my parents and my sister just now.My sister gave us a cup which we can make 10 times porridge (rice and water ratio is 1:10) while making our own in the rice cooker so, I had to ask what the number on the cup indicated etc..
I understood it fine and that cup comes with the own plastic spoon and while I was showing to my family to make sure I understood “how to” correctly, Liam stole the spoon and started licking,lol.
He says he is very ready for the step up food:-)
Also, my father said to me that he is thinking about coming over in end of April or so;sometime in April.
I cannot wait to see him and see him holding Liam and interact with him face to face!
My sister’s kids were on the skype too and they were like “so cute!” and they told me they are waiting for us to come over to Japan too.
We will see when we can go back to Japan;-)
Day 195..
Liam has started solid food adventure. Only one bite of Jyu bai gayu ( it is a porridge, much looser than risotto. It is made with ratio water 10 x rice 1) and it is perfect as a starter food for 5-6 moth old babies. Many kids in Japan starts with this 10 bai gayu as their first solid food.
Liam had his very first solid food;mashed porridge called 10 bai gayu:-)He seemed to find it ok to eat it. He is eating only 1 tsp of porridge.Most nutrition comes from breast milk at this stage.
With my way, after making such loose risotto like porridge, I mashed to small bits of rice so I would not see bigger bits of rice.
This porridge is NOT seasoned.Japanese babies tastes seasoned food much later.
Liam with very first solid food..
On the play mat.He pivoted 180 degree this morning for the very very first time!
Day 196..
Day 2 solid food.. I gave Liam the same stuff to yesterday (Jyu bai gayu;mashed porridge”) but today, he was more interested in the milk in the bottle and kept staring at it and did not open his mouth as wide as he was yesterday.
Maybe tomorrow, I am going to bring the bottle after he had his share of solid food.
On the skype, mother said that mashing through the kitchen sieve so the rice would not have bits is good idea, but at first, try giving him more liquid part than bits (itty bitty bits that is smaller than kitchen sieve can catch).
Day 197..
Talked to my parents over skype last night.Mainly, my mother wanted to talk to me on feeding Liam solid food and she gave me a couple of tips and it was helpful.
I sent them his very first solid meal video and she said he seems to be taking the food well for the first day so, I am hoping he will be like that tonight too.
He was quite talkative and talked to my father,and my mother both and my parents talked back to him over the skype.
It was nice moment.
My father also gave me the specific week in April he is thinking of coming and I cannot wait!Finally, my side of family can get to hold their grandson!My mother probably cannot come because she probably has her own issue still,and needs to care for my grandmother.It is a shame but we can come over there later.
Anyway, this morning, Liam pivoted 90 degree:-) Pivoting milestone seems the most difficult milestone for him to achieve so far,but he is trying. I will cheer for his effort and hope he gets better at it.
Palette was right next to me staring at Liam trying to reach for the toy. Seems like she spends more time around me and Liam on the play mat;-)
Palette rolled on his back and making sound to nudge me to pet her belly and ..you know, Corgi has long ears. Liam was looking like thinking “Can I suck her ear?”.I saw his mouth getting a little moving closer to Palette’s ear so,I told Palette to move and she did move all right but ended up taking space right on my lap;right in front of Liam on his tummy.
It snowed last night and we got about 1″ snow so far.First snow for Liam to look at.
By the way,we went to pediatrician today.
He was 14lb 2.5 oz and 66cm tall! Doc said he is catching up with the growth chart finally:-)
Day 200..
Liam in teething bib.Right before lunch;changed that bib to the regular one.He likes to munch on Mr Monkey Pacifier.
Today was the experiment day with Liam;to see if the separate clothe is better for him to move around or one piece footie.
It seemed like sitting better,moving better,but minor problem is what my sister pointed out;the top goes up when you want to pick him up and he gets exposed belly sometimes.
Other than that, it is fine.The bottom is soft denim and 9 months old clothe but he can wear that one with no problem.
After getting the high chair,I started putting him in the chair everyday when I make dinner and put him on the sideline in between kitchen and living room so he can see me cook.I talk to him and showing and explaining the ingredients and he actually listen and stare at the veg etc..
He wanted to hold lemon and red pepper today.
It takes more time for me to finish cooking but,it is fun thing to do with him.
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Liam in NICU;day 8- day 14“, I wrote Liam came to our family about 3 weeks early (36 weeks and 2 days) and he has spent next 3 weeks in NICU.
He was tiny little baby; 18″ tall, weighing 5 lb 6 oz…
Day 170..
Last night,while I was wiping his body after bath time, he flipped over on his own!He now can roll over!
He did that again at pediatrician’s office;we went to get his rash checked out.
He is 13 lb 8 oz now.
After all, she prescribed the mild steroid cream for eczema.We were told to keep the baby lotion applied too.
We were told to put the cream on him 2 times a day for a week and take a break and see if the same things show up. This problem started showing since last Wednesday, and it has been a week.Hope that by letting him wear lighter clothe,lotion,and med (cream) would clear it out.
She thinks combination of drool rash and eczema. Told us to make him drool free as much as possible.He is wearing bibs when he gets to be hold upright.
It was exciting development to witness!
It is so exciting to see how Liam grows and starts being able to do new things!!
Day 171..
Day 172..
Liam’s red spot is gone:-)If you look closer,I can still tell from discoloration (difference is the shade of the skin color) but redness went away and looks smooth and nice.
He is asleep now but this morning,he rolled over by himself twice:-)He does not do that all the time, but when he really wants to get closer to something,it seems to put him more encouragement and he rolls.
Very last one he did last night (he did twice yesterday), he really rolled over whole way;from back to the stomach then weight shifted and roll back to the back:-) He was surprised how it wet for a second but he smiled and maybe it was fun for him.Now we know he is getting to be able to roll over on his own, he has to be under careful supervision more.
In no time, he might be crawling around the house.
It is exciting but at the same time, it will mean that I would need more careful supervision plus stamina than I already have.Buckled up for the new toddler adventure in the near future!
Day 173..
This morning, after feeding Liam, I saw him rolled on his stomach (he was on his back).
I put him on his back in his crib and told him “O-ha-yo-u (Good morning,in Japanese)” and wiped his face,wiped his body,put a bit of cream on the spot where eczema thing was. And then left to wash the washcloth.
When I back,he was on his stomach again.
While raising Liam, I am amazed how much of work is going into one simple task such as reach and grab things, bringing toy to mouth , how we learn to walk etc.. I found it very interesting.
Day 174..
We did skype with my parents last night again. Since new year, my sister family was there.Her husband was out to go get some special goodies from car place for the new year event, but youngest one was at home with my sister and my parents and my grandmother.
So, we could do baby skype; the youngest one of my sister’s kid and Liam met and stared each other,lol.
The youngest kid of my sister kept pointing at Liam and said “:ah,ah,ah” with curious look. With Liam, he was staring back at him talking,sometimes sucking/chewing his bibs.
It was funny.
At the end, when we were about to say “bye-bye”, he open-close hands signaling “bye-bye”, and it was cute!
My parents say that the two really look alike;Liam is Westerner version of my sister’s youngest kid:-)Looking the two to compare,maybe she is right.They may feel like staring at their own mirror,lol.
Liam had smiley moment and my parents were excited to see that face in live too! I really cannot wait to go see them soon because they have not hold him since birth at all because they live so far far away…
Have any of you done baby skype? It is so much fun!
Tonight, Liam is playing with baby gym,batting at the toy,talking,making strange sound and very active..
I noticed that he does not take nap anymore after 5pm feeding until he goes to bed for the night.He is getting older:-)
Day 175..
Today was such a busy day and Liam was so active at home…
He was rolling over and trying so hard to get closer to his new stuffed doggy that is from laughs and learn brand;where babies touches paws or tummy and it makes sound words like “hand” or music like “abcdefghijklmn”.
After that,he had short nap like one hour,woke up for a diaper change.
Then, since then, he was in mood for the baby gym so, he was kicking legs,flapping arms like crazy next to me ( I was inventory counting ) .He must have tired.
He did not sleep until his next feeding comes and time to go see my eye doc.
Once car running, he started sleeping and at the eye doc office, he was sleeping ,snoring away.
The doctor has seen Liam before since birth so he is kind of watching over his growth too and commented he got big:-)
After that, we went to outback steakhouse for dinner and he woke up.
Now, he is busy looking around him,following people with his eyes,entertaining himself,smiling at us across the table when our eyes met:-)
Just around the time to leave, the manager at the restaurant came and commented that he is one happy good boy that likes looking around,smiley,and entertaining himself, not crying away:-) He talked to Liam a bit too.
I think he is getting more curious about his surrounding.
After the dinner, we went to baby store to feed him and he was out.
Now our prince is in the deep sleep for the night…
I heard we might get snow tomorrow about 1″ and grocery store shelf had lots of empty space. 1″ snow seems to make lots of stuff out of stock by the time we go shopping..
Day 178..
He is right now “roll over crazy”. He cannot do weigh shifting from one side to the other to move to the side to get to the toy yet, but can do reaching out to grab the toy if the toy was right in front of him.
Day 179..
Back from Orthopedic doctor for Liam.
The doctor was happy about how his head is growing and Liam was having so happy milkful of tummy and sleepy, there were no struggles for the doctor to measure his head:-)
I told doctor about sweating and rash he got (we think it was combination of drool and seat;helmet raise more body temp) and asked how other parents are letting their kids wearing clothe material wise, but doctor did not know that answer…
But he said he could make a tiny hole so the heat could escape a little. So, he did some work on his helmet.
I hope it will help. The hole is so tiny so I do not know how much it will help but better than none,I think.
Liam fell asleep in the car seat and slept in his crib a bit but I think he is waking up now. Calling me for.. maybe diaper change!
Day 181..
Just bathed Liam.He really like to ride the whale tub,lol.
He was so happy,smiley and today,for the first time,he played with water on his own,lol.He kicked the water and I think it was fun and he kept kicking the water and watch it splash.
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Liam in NICU;day 8- day 14“, I wrote Liam came to our family about 3 weeks early (36 weeks and 2 days) and he has spent next 3 weeks in NICU.
He was tiny little baby; 18″ tall, weighing 5 lb 6 oz…
Day 163..
It is raining here in VA and no snow.Palette , the Corgi , is disappointed for no snow situation.She loves snow very much.
Liam was just being bathed and, I knew that there were 2 little red dotted spots 2″-3″ above nipple area before,which we thought maybe the edge/bottom of the helmet is rubbing against the skin or something when he sleep looking tad right side, but by today, I noticed more red rough rash around collar bone area;where clothe collar could come contact with, plus one red dotted spot on one of his upper arm.
I have put moisturizing baby lotion cream on it as I have done with his cheeks (his cheeks were red and rough around earl;y Nov but, it cleared out when we put Aveno cream (lotion) for baby on it).
I do not know what is causing it or what it is.I wonder if it is too dry for him at home? Or clothe material is irritating? Or since he is getting more drooly,even if I am wiping drool when I notice it,the drool soaks through the clothe and irritate the skin??? I doubt it was due to detergent;Ivory snow.
He will be seeing pediatrician next month and we will keep an eye on it and let her know about it.
Day 164.. Christmas day…
Our year 2014 was such a great year when it comes to family matter (Liam). When compared his pictures with “now” and “then; day old picture”, I can see how much he has grown.
Liam is now a little over 5 months old.Since he was born about 3 weeks earlier,when it comes to development part, he is about 1 month behind but developing,clearing all the milestone things fine.
Since he is getting bigger, he will be eating solid food in a few months (maybe next month or so) and I was curious how big his mouth was and let him measure his mouth;turned out his mouth is big enough for 1/2tsp measuring spoon but smaller than 1 tsp measuring spoon:-)He actually opened his mouth as I try to measure his mouth size.
After that,he was playing with spoon a bit. He is mentally ready for the solid food I think.Next step is to be able to sit with support without sliding to the side or baby yoga to the front.He can hold his head fine but would need to practice sit well.
I would like to help him eat well.No more “I hate xyz food” topic on our dinner table;that is the rule for my husband and for the visitors.
Anyway, I am thinking that if we could cerebrate the Christmas alternating Japanese way (eat cake&wake up finding the presents right next to the pillow) and American way (present gotten via wish list under the tree and eat feast with family) would be fun.
Back home in Japan,we do not have “I want XYZ for the Christmas” etc.. and presents are usually the secret surprise.When I came over to the states for the first time, I was surprised to find out people were exchanging list of what they want in advance.It is one way to do it, but it was interesting to find out the gift giving culture (Japanese) way and the other way:-)
By the way, I sometime sing to Liam and recently,I sang jingle bell to him and he was flapping his arms and kicking legs in very excited matter and was smiling at the part “hey”. I think he likes the song,especially “hey” part:-)
Liam 164 day old.. first Christmas day..
Day 165..
Back from walkie;Liam in Ergo carrier, and I let him wear his fleece jacket over footie and went out for the quick walk.
He was looking around although he might have not being able to see things well because of the way he was in the Ergo (he looked like right in front of his face when looking to the side was the shoulder strap for me to wear.). I still need to practice to let him be inside better so he can see things better but we saw squirrels running across the street and he had something to see:-)
He liked Ergo ride and by the time we back home, he was happy and wanted to his usual arms flapping,legs kicking but got tired sooner and started yawning.
He then soon went to bed… Zzzzzzz..
He is getting heavy! He weigh 13.5 lb now.. 61 cm tall….
On the day 163 note, I wrote about red rash around collar bone area etc wondering what is causing it but I am getting more certain it might be a drool rash because he is really drooly and yesterday,he was restless after evening feeding and I was holding him face out so we can watch tv together.
He was watching the screen fine but I noticed real soaked wet spot on the area where the rash was..
I did not notice drool soaked clothe when he was in his bed,so it must be coming out after he was on my lap. Maybe holding upright makes his drool travel to chest area and soak the clothe more than he being sleeping in his bed…
What I did then was changing his clothe and wiped the rash area with warm cloth and put the baby lotion on it.
I changed the clothe because leaving the wet spot would not be good idea because ..1, he may catch cold during the sleep and 2, he should be better with dry clothe for the rash things
I thought of putting bib over the clothe while I am awake. I do not think it is practical to change clothe every 30 minutes throughout the day.
Day 166..
Back from Ergo walkie with Liam. This is the second walk today for me. The first one was in the early morning with Palette and this one is with Liam.
Liam likes Ergo ride and for a few minutes,he was snacking the shoulder strap (chewing on the shoulder strap) while enjoying the outside view but then he decided he can look the other way to see things better and he was looking around,narrowed his eyes when the bright light comes through..
On the way to home, we were stopped by a lady and she did chitchat with me. He really is a chick magnet,lol. People seem to want to talk to him.
After the Ergo ride,he enjoyed conversation time with me as well as off the wash cloth game (put the wash cloth over his eyes and he reach and grab to off from his face). But then he noticed that he could cheat if he moved his face side to side and he cheated the game a little but he had fun smiling big.
He is now out. He is holding his favorite pacifier;wubbanub with puppy, around puppy’s leg area. Palette is checking out nibbles in the kitchen.
Our dinner menu today is meat sauce spaghetti Japanese style; the sauce got nutmeg,thyme,soy sauce, chicken consomme cubes,bay leaf etc.. It is a little different from meat sauce for spaghetti here in the states.
Day 167..
Last night, I checked his red rash spot around neck and I was shocked to see how red it became;it was like cooked lobster shell color (mean red)..
That morning,I put Aquaphor on smooth surface area with pinkish spot and rough spot baby lotion. The spot that I put the Aquaphor got worsen the spot that I put the cream on it while it was less red and better the day before yesterday with baby lotion..
So, I decided to stick with baby lotion, and keep an eye on it and try taking pictures so I can compare side by side to determine any new spot or redness etc..
The spot that I did not put the Aquaphor on and put baby lotion on got less pink and it became hard to spot if I did not know where it was located at.
I will keep him on lotion for about a week and see if it helps.
The picture was taken after bath time today so, it is redder than it was pre bath time but it was redder much more last night before I said “no” to Aquaphor and put the baby lotion on it before bed. By the morning, it was a little better than last night I think but it still is there..
I looked at Aveeno baby lotion I was putting.It specifically says irritated skin and for eczema.Maybe,that is why, the spot above the nipple got much better while neck line where I put Aquaphor did not get better.
When I did skype with my parents last night, my mother has suggested to let him wear the good absorbent undershirts clothe cotton 100% my sister gave him when I was a pregnant. So, I am trying that in case the clothe only over the naked body had problem soaking up the drool/sweat plus I think having undershirts might also good to protect the skin from drool dropped on to the clothe although now he wears bibs when he is upright position on laps.
Liam Day 167 old.. rash…
Liam says “Thank you for the undershirt” to his Japanese aunt (my younger sister)…
It is the undershirt my sister sent me when I was still a pregnant. Liam was too small to wear this when he was born,but now it is in good size!
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Liam in NICU;day 8- day 14“, I wrote Liam came to our family about 3 weeks early (36 weeks and 2 days) and he has spent next 3 weeks in NICU.
He was tiny little baby; 18″ tall, weighing 5 lb 6 oz…
Day 159..
The new one he is practicing along with roll over is reach and grab toy near him while he is on tummy;moving to the side by bearing the weight one side to the other.I also practice with me in place of toy. When I call him “O-i-de (come over in Japanese)”,he makes great effort to come closer to me and it makes me feel great that he thinks I am the important person in his eyes.
Liam loved i-na-i i-nai- ba (Peak a boo) using my red monkey blanket this morning after bath & Milk time.
He was so smiley with the game,I wanted to capture his huge smile but I have not being able to capture the moment with the video yet since he does not smile as much or he simply stares at the camera as if what is this thing right in front of me even though I place my face right next to the camera..
Too bad… Maybe someday…
Liam Day 159.. Smile of the day..This is what keeps me smiling every day:-)
Day 161..
My parents in Japan sent him presents plus some kitchen gadget to make solid food for Liam in the future,and amulet for his health.
He is inspecting his Christmas gifts a little early.
He loved them all!
Then, just now, another ding dong door bell and his aunt&uncle in USA got him big Christmas present!
What a day for him!
Liam Day 161 days old.. inspecting Christmas present from Japan..
For us, the best Christmas gift in 2014 was Liam, who we thought would be impossible to have one:-) He will be loved very very much not just by us but also by others surrounding him.
Today is rainy and chilly..
When we needed to go errand, Liam wore fleece racoon footie with Racoon knitted hat.
At the grocery store, my husband was carrying him in ergo and, Liam had such a fun looking around interesting new person,new stuff in the store.
While he was on the bench with his daddy, and I was in the line of cashier to checkout,some people stopped by and talked to them.
I know there is a saying “a puppy is a chick magnet” but I think,in our case, “Liam is the chick magnet” for my husband,lol.
He seems to get lots of attention when we go out to shop etc..
At the baby store, some staff notices us from pregnancy time and they are kind of watching over his growth as well, and they talk to us and comment like “Wow, he got big”, ” he got more hair now” etc..
Maybe he is too cute to pass by without talking to him,lol.
Day 162..
I weighed, and measured Liam’s height.
He is now 13.5 lb,and head size is 39cm. Height remaining the same to the last month;61cm (about 2″).
He is not getting taller than last month but gaining weight..
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Liam in NICU;day 8- day 14“, I wrote Liam came to our family about 3 weeks early (36 weeks and 2 days) and he has spent next 3 weeks in NICU.
He was tiny little baby; 18″ tall, weighing 5 lb 6 oz…
Day 155..
Just today,I have found the great breastfeeding track sheet from the bump website.You may want to check it out to keep track of your baby’s feeding.
He looves mama’s milk and when he senses it is time to burp,he gets really mad;his face flashes like crab, and cry out loud to message across. When he knows he is now being able to continue drinking mama’s milk,he stop and becomes so focused for the feeding. Sometimes,he talks to me while drinking.I found it interesting.
Day 156..
I think Liam keep me being creative each day because sometime, same thing works to make him smiles but sometimes,he think it not so funny and I need to create the funnier things to do for him.
That being said, so far, diaper change song (simply I use his sound of u-u-u and make the note and sing for him),and piano keyboard play on him (do-re-mi-fa-so-ra-ti-do from head to toe or vice versa and tickle when do) work all the time though.
The sound I used to make like motor boat was such a hit before but these days,it is hit or miss.
Today’s new thing that made him smile so big was that,I hold him cradle style and stepping forward a little fast with sound “teko-teko-teko (it is the sound in Japanese to describe walking sound)” about a couple of steps and then itty bitty jump forward by saying “po” and he made such a big smile.
I find that taking care of little one sometimes can make you exercise without noticing by yourself,lol. I maybe got more muscle in arms and legs,lol.
Day 158..
Liam and I have been practicing roll over. When his hands gets stuck,in the past, he could not figure it out what he needed to do to be able to bring his hands before him.
Now, he is slowly but starting to understand and figuring it out by himself what he needs to do to bring his stuck arms before him.
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Liam in NICU;day 8- day 14“, I wrote Liam came to our family about 3 weeks early (36 weeks and 2 days) and he has spent next 3 weeks in NICU.
He was tiny little baby; 18″ tall, weighing 5 lb 6 oz…
Day 148..
Liam has been doing exercise on his tummy on the floor,on the ball etc.. since..3 months ago daily.
I do let him exercise without the helmet but if I wanted to,I could do exercise with helmet.
The pacifier was made in Italy and, the tip is breast like and soft and it says it support oral development.The ring part is easy to hold for him and it fit to his mouth and I liked it a lot.
Liam day 149..enjoying pacifier time..
Day 151..
I did skype with rest of my side of family in Japan and since my sister was visiting my parents, we could talk over the skype too.
I heard my mother is going to do MRI today to see if the doctor could find something out of ordinary that might cause symptom she got. I hope the doctor would find something soon because my mother really loves to go to aerobics which she had been going for last 15 years and baking class so badly.
My mother,my grandmother,my father,my sister, and her kids all loved seeing Liam and thought his helmet is cool,lol.But they were surprised he was calm in it.
Our prince (Liam) is talking behind me non stop…
After a while, he went to bed wit his thumb in his pacifier…..
Liam is a smart boy!Lol…
He likes to suck his thumb but he also like to suck his puppy pacifier at the same time! This,is the solution for that problem:-)
Liam Day 151 Liam went to bed with his thumb in his pacifier…
Day 152..
Liam had milk time after bath time and he was so in good mood,talkative,active,and giggly…
Today,he was so into piano game I made up; pretend him as my piano.then, I say do,re,mi fa,so ra,shi do while I move my hand over his body.
Now and then, I simply do like “do-re-mi-fa-so-ra-, ra-,ra, shi (although in English speaking countries,it looks like typed as “ti”)…. do” and when the “do” part comes,I tickle him;bottom of foot sometimes, sometimes cheeks, and he smiles so bad. I sometime hear him vocalizing when he smile (not sure if I could say it was giggle but..).
It is funny I could tell he understood “do” means he gets to be tickled and he gets face like “oh,it is coming!”
I had a great play time with him.
Day 153..
We found very cute bear coat! I loved it a lot!
Day 154..
Tummy massage after every milk time really regulated his digestion schedule and,we could expect it coming on certain days,lol.
Do you do tummy massage to your babies? If not, you should.
Infant Tummy Massage
Babies digestive system works clock wise motion. Babies’ uncomfortable side tend to be left hand side;12’oclock to 6 o’clock side…
1. Head touch; with your left hand side, cup his head and with right hand give him circle motion touch on his head, to calm him
2. With your right hand, place to the cross your baby ‘s tummy. Slide hands on his tummy to the groin. Repeat with your other hand (like a water wheel),a few times
3. Place your thumbs on the center so your hands come to their side of the body.Then, slide out to the waist, a few times
4. Imagine the clock. With your left hand, gently slide your hand from 7 o’clock to 7 o’clock clock wise (big circle) ,a few times
5. With your right hand, gently give pressure and slide your hand from 12 o’clock to the 6 o’clock clockwise, a few times
6. Alternate 7 o’clock to 7 o’clock motion with 12 o’clock to 6’ oclock motion, a few times
7. With your right hand,write the Japanese Hiragana letter の;From 12 o’clock to 7 o’clock and 7 o’clock to 7 o’clock a few times
8 Hold baby’s ankle and gently bounce to relax his tummy, a few times
9. Hold onto his ankle and take his knee and, very gently push baby’s legs against his belly, hold 5 seconds. Release the leg.
10. Bounce the leg again and repeat. Can do up to 6 times with leg bend motion.
Dogs give love to wide variety of spices; from birds, cats, elephant,tiger and more.
Watching such great friendship of dogs would melt your heart.
Recently, I came across youtube video of Dachshund “Abby” from exotic Animal Park in Winwood, OK.
I thought it very cute and thought I would share the video with you.
Unlikely couple :Dachshund “Abby” and Lion “Bonedigger”..
According to the daily dish website, both came to the refuge when both were young. “While Bonedigger, a Barbary lion, gets along with all four of the dachshunds, it’s really Abby who has stolen his heart”, the caretaker says.
Zookeepers think they were somewhere between six to nine weeks old when they were first introduced.
Despite the size of the body, they do get along very well.
Dog’s unlikely friendship is not that uncommon. I became curious why such bond can happen.
According to wideopenpets website, Professor Gordon Burghardt of the University of Tennessee thinks “Interspecies bonds are more common among younger animals, among stressed individuals who may learn to depend on each other for comfort, and among those living in captivity”
In captivity like at zoo, animals choose their friends from who’s around, and they might seek out friendship in the pen, whether or not it’s a member of the same species.
