Week 45 (85): Summary

This week, we put Antonio on a schedule. That is not to say that he was not on a schedule before, except that in the past, it was more flexible and we went with the flow: if he skipped one day of the schedule, it was not too much of big deal.

However, Roberto and I felt that it was about time we regained some kind of normalcy in our own lives; you know, things like being able to spend time alone without having baby in between us, being able to walk out of the house without baby wailing to be brought along, and being able to put baby to sleep at the same time every night.

The best way for achieving this was to ply the little one with loads of activities in the day, keep day-time naps short, and repeat the pattern for a few days.

Thus on Monday, we started The Timetable:
Between 7am to 8am: Wipe face and hands after waking.
Until 9.30am: Exploring object shapes, textures and sounds through his many toys.
9.30am: Morning meal - learn how to feed himself with the spoon.
10am: Entertainment - Watch Dora the Explorer.
10.30am: Exercise - learn how to walk and balance himself while walking.
Between 10.30am to 11am: Put him down for his morning nap.
Noon: Wake and more exercise.
1pm: Learning how to take things out from his toy box and put them back again.
2pm: Learning about numbers in different languages or learning how to climb in and out of an empty box.
2.30pm: Tea - munch on a biscuit
3.00pm: Entertainment - Watch Dora the Explorer.
3.30pm: Afternoon nap.
4.30pm: Activity - learn to hold a pencil and draw.
5pm: Exercise again.
5.30pm: Bath time.
6pm: Evening meal - learn how to feed himself with the spoon.

Of course this is not a rigid schedule. Stated times are flexible, and some activities are substituted with simple games (like peek-a-boo, giving baby-fives, and tumbling around in bed) according to Antonio's attention span.

We have also acquired - yet another - new nanny who began working for us on Sunday. This 31-year-old Balinese lady is a mother of two, a nine-year-old boy and a four-year-old daughter.

Being a mother does not necessarily mean you are good with other people's children, but Ketut has amazing patience, a very calm demeanor, and an innate understanding of baby's needs.

She also knows what are the updates that parents want to know. Like: Did baby finish his food today? What did baby eat today? How much water did baby drink? Did baby have huge bowel movements, and if yes, what was the colour? If baby did craft activity, what did baby create?

Simple things like that, which you will not think about until you are a parent yourself. Next step, looking for more activities for Antonio to do.

Week 45 (85): Pictures

Inside his personal 'boat', actually a rattan basket that I had purchased to contain his laundry.

Fast asleep on cushions at Flava Lounge in Ubud. He dropped off to sleep the moment we arrived, then immediately woke when we arrived home. The irony of it!

Week 44 (84): Turning 10 months

Our little bundle turns 10-months tonight, and we have captured some pictures of his last day of being 9-months.

Admiring the scenic view outside our bedroom window, as the sun sets for the evening.

It has been almost two weeks since we moved home, and today is the first day Antonio gets to watch Dora the Explorer again. His look of intense concentration shows that he has missed it!

Week 43 (83): Summary

It has been five nights since we started sleeping in our new home at Ubud. Being here has helped Antonio achieve his next milestone: walking up and down the stairs.

Some time during this week, I decided to introduce him to the stairs, thinking that he would want to climb up on all fours. Instead, he insisted on standing as he placed a foot on each step, with his hands holding tightly on my hands.

Our stairs has 18 to 19 steps, and Antonio climbed every single one on his first attempt! The next day, I helped him to step up seven steps before I introduced the next challenge for Antonio - stepping down the stairs.

To my surprise, he seemed to intuitively know what to do, placing one foot firmly down on the lower step before bringing down his other foot. And each time after he stepped down, he would punctuate the step with an "Oooh!"

Now that he has familiarised himself with this new activity, it will be integrated in to his daily timetable for half an hour in the afternoon.

Week 42 (84): Summary

This was a week of change for everyone in the family, because we moved from Jimbaran to our new home in Ubud on Friday afternoon.

There were some things that we were not coming along, such as the black couch in the living room. So we let Antonio 'stomp' around on it in the evenings leading up to the move (see pictures below).

Then, as there was no mattress in our new home, we had to 'camp out' at The Viceroy Bali for the weekend. This gave Antonio plenty of space to explore and work those limbs' muscles (see pictures below).

As you can probably tell, the little one is very proud of his new ability to stand up and sit back down, so he does it often.

He has also started learning how to hold things with his forefinger and thumb, so he likes to flip pages of a book or a menu (see pictures below).

He is growing so quickly; the little baby is turning in to a toddler!

Week 42 (82): Pictures

Dressed up in a top and shorts from grandma Lillian, Antonio takes a power nap during an afternoon out. (Taken February 02)

Showing off his strong leg muscles. (Taken February 05)

We put on shoes that Antonio received from our Belgian friends Peggy, Patsie and San. (Taken on February 08)

Then he takes some steps in those new shoes! (Taken on February 08)

Antonio deciding what to order for mommy's meal. (Taken on February 08)

Showing off his strong leg muscles again. (Taken on February 08)

Eagerly biting in to a Ferrero Rocher chocolate, not knowing that the wrapping has to be removed before he gets to the sweet deal withing. (Taken February 09)