Looking up - Week 44

Four days ago, we celebrated Theo's 10th month birth anniversary. Looking back, time flew very quickly, esp. given that at around this time last year, Theo only looked something like this inside Mommy D's womb:



Now, he's our Energizer bunny, always on the move, so full of energy and oozing with insatiable curiosity. If you want to attract his attention, just pretend that you're busy with something in your hands, and very soon, he'll be crawling towards you and grabbing whatever it is that you're holding. If you give it to him, first, he'll examine it from different angles, then he'll bang it on the floor, and eventually, it goes into his mouth for the ultimate, ISO-certified taste test. At this age, babies really want to taste everything, and thus, we have to ensure that whatever enters his mouth is clean and safe.

The words that he often utters are "mama" and "dada", aside from the other incomprehensible utterances. What's funny however is his quite often use of the word "indi" which means "no" in our dialect. Without a doubt, he certainly caught this word from Mommy D who often warns him not to touch something or go somewhere.

By this time, he is showing further his distinct personality. He loves music, esp. those made for children; he prefers certain playthings and has recently shown disinterest in stuffed toys.

In terms of motor skills, he can crawl, climb, stand up without support, sit down slowly without support, and walk while holding the sides of a table or his crib. We are hoping that he'll be able to start walking by himself next month. But if he does, Mommy D and I will probably have more difficulty keeping an eagle eye on him because his movements will be much faster but still not yet fully coordinated. The age of bruises and bumps will probably begin soon, but well, that's one of the caveats in the "instruction manual".

Now at 44 weeks old, Theo is indeed looking up, in all aspects of his physical and social development. While I also help out in many ways, much credit goes to Mommy D. God created mothers so that He'll be there always.

"Pa cute!" - Week 43

Much to our surprise, Theo has recently shown the ability to follow simple requests. When we say "pa cute, pa cute!", he would smile as in the photo above,proudly flashing his (now) eight pearly white teeth while smiling from ear to ear. It's really so cute when he does this, not only because of the way he closes his eyes while smiling but primarily because he can already comprehend what we are asking him to do. In other words, Theo has now become more interactive.

Like an Energizer bunny, he also doesn't seem to tire exploring the apartment. And he isn't even walking yet, just crawling with his arms and legs. He would go to the bedroom and pull open the drawers, then crawl to the fridge and attempt to open the door (but in vain), and then head to the living room and push all of the buttons of the DVD player. By this time, he has considered our apartment as uncharted territory, with only one goal in mind: to uncover its secrets.

Sorry to disappoint you, Theo. The drawers contain only your clothes, the fridge, your milk, and the DVD player, your favorite Disney show. If want something to explore, come with me to the laboratory.

Sex Bomb Fan - Week 42

Although we are thousands of kilometers away from our home country, with the Pacific Ocean in between, we still have access to the latest showbiz crazes, esp. the latest from the Philippines' hottest female dance group, the Sex Bomb Dancers.

Mommy D loves to exercise and dance in front of the television while playing the DVD of the Sex Bomb Dancers. And certainly, Theo would be around, usually sitting on his baby chair and watching the TV as well.

Recently, we have found out that Theo has become an avid fan of the Sex Bomb Dancers. His eyes would be glued on the TV as the dancers gyrate and grind on screen to their signature "Spageti" song. He would actually be so absorbed in the visuals that you would not even see him blink. Sometimes he would be so awed that he would put his hand towards his mouth, as if in disbelief, as you can see from the photo above.

You better believe it, Theo. Welcome to the club!

The Yogurt Monster - Week 41

Without a doubt, Theo is a yogurt monster. If he knows that yogurt's coming, his mouth will be open even if the spoon is a mile away, as you can very well see from the photo above.

Now at 41 weeks old, Theo has been successfully weaned. Although Mommy D still provides her nutrient-rich breast milk once in a while, Theo has already developed the taste for different delicacies, and one of his favorites, aside from yogurt, is vegetable curry. He has also become very fond of pears and has clearly shown his disinterest for apples.

This week, Theo has shown his ability to imitate the "bye-bye" gesture, without the need for us to guide his hands. He has also been spending much time making sounds or vocalizing (the first signs of language development), esp. if there is music in the background, as if he is trying to follow the song. And if we turn on the visualizations of Windows Media Player, he'd be glued to the PC monitor for as long as 30 minutes, carefully studying the undulating shapes that appear in response to the music. If he is interested in something, his attention span is very long, and that's something that we have found amazing recently.

For proper brain development, meaningful and relevant stimulation is important. More than 80% of the brain develops during the first year, and the more the child is stimulated (without being stressed), the more connections the neurons will make, which will hopefully lead to higher intelligence. Certainly, stimuli alone are not enough without the right nutrition, and breast milk is still the best for the growing infant brain.

Theo's First Fever - Week 40

Ever since Theo was born, he has always been very healthy. Up until last Friday, he's only had a cold, which lasted for only about two days. Friday however was when Theo had his first fever. It was at around 7 pm when he started to feel very warm, his temperature rising to around 37.3 degrees C. Mommy D told me that during the day, he was quite fidgety and didn't seem to take much interest in food.

At around 8 pm, his temperature rose further, to as much as 38 degrees. We were starting to become worried because his head and body have already become very warm. Before 10 pm, he was already 38.9 degrees. We decided then that we should bring him to the pediatrician first thing the following morning.

Surprisingly, however, his temperature started to decrease thereafter. By around 11 pm, he and Mommy D were already playing and Theo was already back to his giggly and active self. We all slept before 12 midnight, and by then his body temperature had further decreased to 38 degrees. When we awoke the following morning, he was back to the normal 36.8 degrees C.

Mommy D and I were both surprised at his very resilient immune system and how quickly he recovered. I do not know if this is normal for babies -- to have fevers that last for only a very short time. But nonetheless, we were very glad that probably all of the breastfeeding has begun to pay off. Undoubtedly, because of his mother's breast milk, Theo has developed a strong, if not, powerful immune system. His peers who have been on formula have already taken two to three trips to the hospital, while Theo takes fevers very much in stride.

By Saturday, we were already out in the mall, and Theo was as active and energetic as ever. And speaking about energy, I think Theo has a built-in nuclear reactor. When he's awake, he can't seem to sit still. See previous posts on Theo when he was still in Mommy D's womb and you'll know why.