Adventures living as expats.

Sunday, March 5, 2017

4 Months

This month was full of many firsts - first plane ride, first time to see America, first passport stamp, first time meeting all your relatives, first jet lag, first cold, and first snow sighting.  You traveled like a champ and we are super excited to take a few more trips in the upcoming months.  You've been slowly losing your hair and are almost completely bald on top with another bald spot starting to appear in the back.  Your eyes are still baby blue and this is often the first thing that strangers comment on, especially here in Taiwan.  I love taking you to the park because there are so many people that want to say hi to you and you seem to adore all the attention.  

  • Size: You weigh 16 ½ pounds and are about 25 ½" tall.  Your 3-6 month clothes are getting really snug and I can't help being a little sad about retiring these adorable outfits.
  • Eating: You are so much faster now but becoming more and more easily distracted while nursing.  You often look up at me to get my attention for an extra smile and chat.  You are also mesmerized with anything I'm eating or drinking and can't take your eyes off it.  Our pediatrician gave you the green light to slowly start on the solids which we've been really excited for!
  • Sleep: We all struggled big time with the sleep this month likely caused by a combination of jet lag, teething, a cold, and being overstimulated by all the new activities.  Your nap and bedtime schedule were all over the map during our 3 weeks in America so its not surprising that most nights you woke 2-4 times and also had trouble getting a good nap.   
  • Play: You've begun getting tired of the same toys day in and day out and are sure to let me know when you need to mix things up a bit.  You've also taken a much bigger interest in feeling and exploring different textures and have a few books that are great for this.  We've been going to play group for a few weeks and you love charming the other moms in the group or sleeping through all of the commotion.  
  • Bath:  We've mostly stopped using the baby bath tub and now use your float ring and put you in the big bath tub.  You love to kick around somedays and other days just enjoy relaxing and floating.  

Dad is working hard on the walking practice

First snow sighting!
One of my favorite outfits
First time in a high chair at Grandma and PapPap's house
Happy Hux!
Story time with Elmo and Dad
I LOVE this sleepy face
Baby jet lag is so sad.  We had to try to keep you up during the day so you would be able to sleep at night.
A little bit of Mt Hood love from Tav and Jenny
Stylish outfit for Maya's birthday party
Goof ball


Friday, March 3, 2017

Huxley Meets the Family

Our first trip home to introduce Huxley to the family surpassed all expectations.  Jeff and I hadn't been home in over a year and a half so we were excited for a dose of America and of course overjoyed to show off our amazing baby.  We knew that the 20+ hours of travel with a baby would be tough so we buckled up for anything that would come our way and had bags and bags of diapers, wipes, burp bibs, toys, extra outfits, etc.  Before our flight from Taipei to SFO, we didn't even think to buy extra waters and wow breastfeeding on an airplane for 12 hours can really dehydrate a rookie mom.  Jeff and I took turns sneaking back to the kitchen area to grab the extra 8 oz water bottles.  We won't make that mistake again!  We focused so much on the flights that we didn't think much about baby jet lag and how big of a challenge that would be.  Luckily all of Hux's lost sleep was made up for in extra love and cuddles from family.

Leaving Taichung
Gone are the days of traveling with just a carry on.  On the way back we had 2 additional bags!
Hux is ready for his first plane ride
He managed to sleep a few hours in the bassinet, seems miraculous that he didn't feel claustrophobic
Hux was excited to meet everyone and managed to push past his exhaustion in order to charm his new admirers.  We recruited my parents to baby sit one night and Jeff and I hit the town for our first date in several months.  We arrived home in time to witness the little man polish off the last of 15 ounces of breast milk that we left with Grandma and Pap Pap.  This number doesn't mean much to most people, but it is a LOT for a 3 month baby to eat in just 2 hours.  We were hoping it would translate to a full nights sleep but the jet lag still got the better of us.  While we were in Carson, we also managed to take a trip up to Lake Tahoe and didn't take even a single picture.  I give you my word that it was beautiful.
Meeting Desta and the cousins
Nap time with Cousin Morgan
Cuddles with Great Grandma
Bundled up for the snowy weather
Snow strollin'
First time facing forward in the carrier, Hux was thrilled to take in the view
For our short time in Portland, Jeff found us a great BnB with 2 bedrooms so we could stay together with Grandma G.  She checked out every single children's library book in Salem and took on story time.  He's going to be reading in no time!  We caught up with our friends one night at the delicious Mexican restaurant Xico - yummmm.  We also made it to the employee store where Grammy bought Hux his first pair of air maxes.   They are adorable but getting shoes on a baby requires a lot of patience and is often followed by one falling off within the first 10 minutes.  Jeff also took us all on an outing to eat at some food carts and walk around the park under St. John's bridge.  What a beautiful neighborhood and such a nice ending to our 3 week trip that flew by.  We arrived home exhausted but so glad we made the trip and very happy to be reunited with Oolong.
Reading with Grandma G
Showing off his new kicks
Family outing to St John's bridge
Exhausted but having a blast
Sunrise on our flight out of PDX