8 1/2 months (NZ 1)

We made it to Auckland!

After a nonstop on Delta from Orlando to LAX and another nonstop from LAX to Auckland, we arrived in New Zealand at 6:30am. Thomas was pretty antsy on the domestic leg, but that just meant that he was very tired for the long flight! Apart from it being a very long flight, it was a great ride. For one, we got on! And then we got seats together! And THEN, the cabin crew asked us if we wanted to sit together in the bulkhead so that we could have a bassinet for Thomas!!! Yes, please! And they were all so genuinely friendly and thoughtful. Thomas was able to take a few naps -- as soon as he fell asleep in our arms, we put him in the bassinet for an hour or two until he woke up, and then we could have a rest. I don't think Matthew slept very well, but I must have had a couple of good naps because I got off the airplane feeling pretty good. As we got off the airplane, a couple of people told us that we had such a good baby, and that they barely knew that he was on the flight! Well, that was a relief! Whenever Thomas fusses, I feel like there's a spotlight on us and that everyone around us must be glowering. Good to know that sometimes these things are all in my head!

Jocelyn, Kathryn, Joanna, David and Katie all met us at the airport. We had a cup of coffee at our traditional spot in the airport, and this time had a bit of sushi from the sushi place for breakfast. Yum. It was pleasantly chaotic and Thomas had a great introduction to his cousins, aunties and granny.

The rest of the week was all about getting used to the time change and temperature change! Jocelyn and everyone were so helpful in getting Thomas a huge pile of warm clothes (and baby paraphanelia) since it's the middle of winter here. Jocelyn even knitted him this gorgeous yellow sweater! It's so funny to see Thomas crawling around bundled up as if he's about to climb Mt. Everest. After about four nights, he became acclimated to the time change and stopped waking up in the middle of the night. Hooray!!!

Other things we have been doing: Birthday cake and dinner out with sister Joanna, birthday party for cousin Jasmine, dinner with Matthew's college friends Tony and wife Helen, "afternoon tea" with neighbors Paul, Anna and Alice, walking to "the shops," buying cookies like Tim-Tams (google "how to eat a Tim-Tam" and you'll see why I'm excited about Tim-Tams), dinner with brother Stephen, Monique and Jasmine, visits from dads Murray and Bryan, . . . . Jocelyn has been one great babysitter, sometimes babysitting three kids at once! On one hand life seems very uneventful and boring, but on the other hand, it's been very busy and social! Thomas is getting a lot of socialization, and he really enjoys his cousins. And they seem to enjoy him, too. At the end of the day when he's antsy and tired way before his bedtime, it's a kind of shock to remember what a difference his new, busy, people-oriented life in Auckland is to his quiet life in Orlando! No wonder he gets so tired!

By the way, Thomas' new syllable is da-da! He's crawling and standing with ease, getting greater control over his hands, and getting quite talkative. Still only the two teeth.

Next week: Our adventures in Wellington!

8 months old

Thomas is 8 months old! Hooray.

Mom and Dad have been here for a visit, which was fantastic! They got to see Thomas in action for the first time. They had only seen him 3 weeks before, and at that time, he was just starting to use his arms to push himself around, legs trailing behind. Now, he is crawling, standing and moving while holding onto support, playing hide-and-seek (I hide, he seeks), even pulling himself up to stand using other people's legs. He is so mobile and so curious, you really must watch him all the time. He can hold food and wear it down with his teeth and grab small cut-up pieces and put them into his mouth. He likes Cheerios the best so far, with banana chunks coming in a close second. Michelle has lent me this great book called "The Well-Fed Baby" book and it's got a lot of great ideas for taste combinations. One I wouldn't have imagined is a banana-avocado mash, which Thomas loves! And for those of you who I haven't told, we got the results of the allergy test: he is allergic to milk, eggs and cats. Sorry, Chloe. You're going to have to put up with the vacuum cleaner harassing you a little bit more these days. So I'm trying an experiment where I avoid dairy and eggs for a couple of weeks to see if it makes a difference in his excema (since I’m still breastfeeding). Man, it's hard! Not only do the yummiest things have one or the other in them (chocolate, muffins, pancakes, cookies), but you really have to read the ingredient label closely! Did you know that malted beverages, marshmallows, and mayonnaise all have dairy or eggs? And that lactalbumin and hydrolysalates are milk-based? Fortunately these days most ingredient labels will have a big bold-faced warning: contains eggs, dairy, wheat which makes it much easier. Can't say that it's doing a lot of good, though, since I'm far too susceptible to the occasional cheese or ice cream treat, especially when eating out. And he still breaks out into a rash, even when I keep my diet pure!

Anyway, no more teeth yet. He's really having a hard time falling asleep these days, so there's a lot of crying and chewing and drooling and frozen things and Orajel and Motrin. I'm tired at the end of the whole putting him down for a nap/bedtime process!

Matthew is back and we are going to go to New Zealand on Sunday! Yay! Starting today, there will be 3 days of planning and thinking and shopping and weeding of stuff from our luggage. We're looking forward to seeing Jocelyn and everyone else over there! I'm afraid we will descend on her house like a baby twister, scattering baby stuff all over the place. We'll stay for about 3 weeks, and our only plan is a trip to Wellington to see everyone down there. Lots of people to visit! Thank you to my work for letting me have so much leave of absence. YAY! I plan to continue updates from New Zealand, so be prepared for photos!

7 3/4 months old

Matthew has been away for a week now, and within that week, Thomas has learned how to crawl! He can cross a small room now (especially if Chloe is on the other side-- his eyes will fix on her, he'll get a big grin and maybe a delighted "hmmm-hmmmmmm" and zoom in and grab). He's getting so good these days, when I'm halfway through changing his diaper or clothes, Thomas rolls over onto his tummy and just crawls away. Sometimes I just watch his little hindquarters chugging like a little steam engine off into the distance, wondering what I am going to do when he really starts to move! It's all about distracting him with one hand while buttoning/zipping/diapering with the other hand! Also this morning, I walked in to get him up from his nap, and he had pulled himself to standing! What a shock! Especially since I'd left the rail down! But he was okay, thank goodness. Just tired from trying to figure out how to get down, I think. He can stand for a little over 10 minutes at a time these days.

He hasn't been sleeping or eating as well as usual, and today I could see in his mouth the little blisters that precede teeth. It's the ones on either side of the ones he has already, so he may get four in a row on the bottom before he gets any on top! He was in rare form at my friend Rose's house on Saturday, charming the pants off all the other people there with his smiles and his trying to crawl over people's legs. Thursday, four of us girls had take-away at my house and tomorrow is another get-together at my friend Suzette's house! Suzette always throws great parties, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Mom and Dad are still in San Antonio and they've just finished their dancing, but Dad has picked up a bit of a bug so they will stay there another night. Then they will wend their way here, eventually, taking in the sights along the way, as a couple of retired people who have all the time in the world to enjoy themselves can!

Oh yes! And the results of the allergy tests are back: Thomas is allergic to eggs, dairy and cats. Uh-oh.

7 3/4 months old

Allergic to milk, eggs, cat

lying down - sitting up by himself

seems to understand "all done" sign

Photos of trip to Wisconsin

7 1/2 months old

Thomas and I are doing fine. Matthew has just left for another 2-week Toledo-Guadalajara run, and I am officially on Leave again! Because of the crazy price of fuel, the company decided to offer 3-month leave of absences with benefits to people so as to conserve costs and avoid laying people off. So Matthew and I are planning a trip to New Zealand! Not really looking forward to the 12-hour LAX-Auckland flight, but thankfully we have already flown with Thomas a few times so we have a little experience under our belts already with the wiggly one. Also not really looking forward to the next couple of weeks with just Thomas and me, but it's a great opportunity to start planning gatherings with friends that we never seem to fit in otherwise. AND, we're looking forward to a visit from Mom and Dad in the future, after they conclude their dancing in Texas! More on that later!

Thomas is learning how to crawl! He can crawl a few steps forward at a time and looks delighted at his progress. Now is really REALLY the time to do all that baby-proofing that I've been meaning to do for so long! He's also getting a lot steadier and able to keep his balance better when we stand him up and put his hands on an ottoman or ledge. He beams and chuckles. Matthew has also been taking him for rides around the house on his shoulders, being very careful about doorways! And he's getting a lot more interactive and giggly with games like peek-a-boo, airplane and "this little piggy." We're lucky to have such a happy little guy. Except when ... he cries because [insert hypothesis here]. Usually at bedtime/naptime, or for the past few days at 4 or 5 in the morning, and the running hypothesis these days is teething. Thank goodness I don't have to get up and go to a job!