Happy Halloween!

Kian didn't have a great time getting into this jack-o-lantern costume, but he stopped fussing for a few minutes so that we could snap this shot!

Happy Halloween from the Chow/Liddell Household!

Getting in the Halloween Spirit

Kian dressed up in his bat t-shirt (one of many cute hand-me-downs from his cousins) so that he could get in the halloween spirit for a couple of pumpkin carving parties this past weekend.

Pictured here from oldest to youngest babies are: Lilly, Kian, Elliot, and twins Ella & Nate (with mommies Chris, Althea, Megan and Karin). The four on the right were born within 16 days of each other!

We never did get Kian into that jack-o-lantern costume that he's sitting on. But hopefully we will on Halloween night when we dress him up to give out candy to neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

Tummy Time

This photo of Kian on his "Boppy 'Entertain Me' Playgym" (thanks Leanne & David!) was taken a couple weeks ago on October 14th.

2 Month Well-Baby Visit

At Kian's 2-month "well-baby doctor's appointment" today, we found out that my estimation/ prediction of his weight (14 lb., 3 oz.) was pretty much accurate! His current weight is 14 lb., 2.5 oz., which puts him in the 93rd percentile!! He is in the 60th% for height at 23 1/4 inches, and 40th% for head circumference. Kian received a few immunization shots, which was no fun at all. Here he is in his baby papasan chair, cashed out from the good cry. Hopefully that infant Tylenol is kicking in.

Yesterday was a happier day. Here are photos from brunch at AmaAma and trying out the new "Babyhawk" carrier....

More photos from Oct. 10th, when he turned 2 months old....

Two Months Old!

Same baby boy, same bear... See how Kian has grown in one month! (The photo above was taken today and the one below is from Sept. 10th)

Kian has his 2-month check-up on Monday, so we'll be sure to post his new stats then. Any predictions on Kian's current weight? My estimation is 14 lb., 3 oz.

He has nearly outgrown the "up to 3 mo." clothing we own. There are several onesies and sleepers that he has only had a chance to wear once! Many of the labels state that the upper weight range is 12.5 lb., which he has definitely surpassed. I know that all babies grow at different rates, but we did not expect for Kian to be the size of a 3 month old at 6 weeks!

During the past month, Kian has begun to offer REAL smiles, often letting out a little giggle in response to something we do that amuses or delights him. When he coos, we imagine that he wants to tell us what's on his mind. Both of these new behaviors melts our hearts and fills us with joy. Last weekend Kian discovered how to bring his hand to his mouth, after many minutes of accidentally stamping his own forehead or missing his face completely. Grandparents, Matt & Gei, great aunt Madeline, cousin Jolina, Papa Ryan, and I were all there to witness his accomplishment, and we even caught it on the camcorder. With this new skill, Kian can "self-soothe"... or perhaps he does it because he enjoys the slight cheesy taste of the milk that has dried on his fist. Either way, we are proud of him.

Sleep At Last!

I've gotten used to being in a constant hazy, sleep-deprived state with Kian waking up every 2-3 hours to eat at night (meaning that I only sleep in 45 min. - 2.5 hour chunks of time...and that's if I'm lucky and do not get woken up by Kian's gas-induced grunts and mid-sleep fussing in between feedings). I've heard from friends that their babies, who are a few months older than Kian, were sleeping through the night, and while I knew that our son would get to that point eventually, it seemed like it would take forever. I've wondered when I'd get to sleep for at least 4 hours straight. Is that too much to ask?!

Well, this morning I feel as if I'm on top of the world because Kian slept for 5 hours straight and so did I!!! He fell asleep after a late night feeding at 11:30 p.m. and the next time I looked at the clock it was about 4:30 a.m.! I pretty much leaped out of bed with joy to go feed him and considered blogging immediately after putting him back down at 5:10 am because I wanted to share the great news with the world....I GOT 5 HOURS OF UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP! Instead, I went back to bed and slept for a couple more hours. Hallelujah! I figured this monumental event deserved its very own post on our blog. Let's hope that the improved sleeping situation is here to stay for awhile!

Kian's "Red Egg & Ginger Party" (traditional Cantonese celebration for babies near their one-month birthday....in our case 2 months) was this past Sunday, and once we get more photos from the event I will post a separate blog entry to describe the celebration.

For now, here are a few pictures of Kian taken within the past week and a half or so....

Growing and Changing

For the past couple of weeks, we have been focusing on the not-so-glamorous side of baby life: acid reflux, cradle cap, and baby acne. Kian took a trip to the doctor's office on September 22nd to get checked out for reflux and had a chance to get back on the scale. In these most recent photos taken today, there is clear evidence that this boy has been eating well! Note the double (triple?) chin.



For those who are interested, the progression of Kian's weigh-ins is as follows: At birth on 8/10/08 he weighed 8 lb.... At his first doctor's visit on 8/14 we saw that he dropped down to 7 lb., 8 oz.... At his 2-week check-up on 8/25 we marveled at a healthy weight increase to 9 lb., 2.5 oz.... and as a 6-week-old on 9/22, we were shocked when the scale read 12 lb., 8 oz.!!



















Here are a couple more pictures (taken on 9/15/08) that show some facial expressions of Kian's that continue to entertain us....