Video Post #7: Bouncing Bar

Here's Zachary at a trip to Brimham Rocks in Yorkshire on Monday. He loves his uncles and aunties.

Zachary's Recent Adventures

Zachary is now 14 weeks old and enjoys getting out and about to see people. Here are a few of the places we've been recently...

This week at the mother and baby group, a lady was leading a noisy activity session for the babies and toddlers. This included a bubble machine which the children loved (Zachary gazed in wonder as the bubbles descended), parachute games in which the children enjoyed lifting their corners to watch the soft toys bounce up and down (Zachary wasn't too sure about the amount of wind generated by the flapping parachute) and playing with musical instruments such as drums and maracas (simply too much stimulation for one afternoon - Zachary fell fast asleep!). 

Shopping with Zachary has its moments; sometimes he's perfectly happy throughout, but on occasions he'll scream until you give in and carry him out of the shop. This week, he was having a good day:

The chocolate biscuit aisle - fortunately Zachary is indifferent about chocolate.

We've also had a few girly get-togethers of late, made not quite so girly by the presence of a certain little boy. These included attending a vintage fair and a craft/GB bake-off night. Zachary is very popular with the ladies!

Zachary being burped by Auntie Sarah at her house in Llantrisant

Sitting happily between Auntie Phobe and Auntie Vickrum for a toastie lunch.

A highlight of this week was visiting Mummy's old colleagues at the hospital to celebrate Mr Whiston's 50th birthday. Zachary enjoyed being passed around the many eager arms.

Miss Hill and Mr Whiston entertaining Zachary

Is Zachary getting tired of Mr Whiston?

This coming week we're looking forward to attending the Hereford Food Festival (lots to see for Zachary and lots to taste for Mummy and Daddy!) and visiting Zachary's grandparents (on Daddy's side) for half term.

Video Post #6: Giggly Boy

Zachary had his first giggle the other day; we think so, anyway - he was tired, so on the verge of crying and laughing. Here's a video of his first giggly moments...

Sleeping 'Through the Night'!

We never thought it would happen, but a few nights ago, Zachary slept for a solid 8 hours! Unfortunately this began at 6.30pm which meant he still awoke in the middle of the night, but it's certainly good progress and we have been very much enjoying having the evenings to ourselves whilst Zachary sleeps in the dark bedroom with the baby monitor on. It appears to have been a one-off, but he is tending to sleep for at least 5-6 hours in the first stint of each evening, which is a huge improvement. 

Zachary sleeps less in the day than he used to but still gets upset in the daytime when he's tired, unsure of the solution to his problem. 

A tired boy; the car journey will surely send him to sleep.

We have been going along to a mother and baby breastfeeding group for quite a few weeks now. This week we had a 'noisy time', in which they brought out boxes full of loud toys such as musical instruments and toys that play music. The room exploded with the loud sounds of toddlers playing. I sat Zachary on my lap facing outwards and he enjoyed watching as I played with all sorts of toys in front of his eyes. After much play, I suddenly realised that Zachary had fallen fast asleep and I wondered how long I had been playing on my own!

Zachary sits comfortably on the sofa and has a yawn...

He begins to doze off...

...Whoops!

Video Post #5: Out on the Town

Zachary has enjoyed getting out and about recently, in particular this recent visit to Cardiff City Centre.

Three Months and Counting...

Zachary is now 3 months old and officially an infant, which they say is the first big milestone in a baby's development. He has been gaining weight well, now weighing almost a stone and certainly has some very chubby cheeks!

Zachary always enjoys car journeys

Zachary can now sit up when his back is supported.  He can also bear a bit of weight in his legs when you hold him up, which is apparently advanced for his age.

 

Zachary sitting up with Auntie Mumz

Zachary is holding his head up well and has recently been out in his baby carrier facing forwards for the first time. He loves looking around at everything that's going on as we walk along, but after a while his eyes get overworked and he falls fast asleep (often Mummy doesn't realise and keeps talking to him).

Zachary in his baby carrier on his first trip facing outwards

Zachary now regularly interacts with his toys, both looking at them (he's particularly interested when they make a noise) and reaching to hit them. He smiles frequently, especially when asked and is intrigued by peek-a-boo.  He is awake for longer periods in the day which makes the day more interesting, but can also make it difficult to get things done around the house - things get done eventually but in lots of stages. The people who told us he'd be sleeping through the night by now were very wrong (will the day ever come?)!

Zachary loves his robot toy although he gets a little freaked out when you twist its head around

A few things we'll be looking out for in the next few weeks:

Giggling - Should be very soon; he has seemed on the verge of doing so several times.

Hand clapping - He has started looking at his hands, but no signs of clapping yet.

Greater recognition of Mummy and Daddy - He seems to recognise us, but we haven't yet noticed him turning towards us consistently when he hears our voices.

Video Post #4: Zachary - The Next Jockey?

Here's Zachary having fun at his Daddy's recent birthday party...

A People Person

Zachary loves seeing people, especially a crowd, and enjoys being passed around to look at all of the different faces. Holding Zachary is more rewarding than ever, as he smiles when you speak to him and chatters away with his cooing voice, sometimes sounding almost as though he is speaking English. He has particularly enjoyed recent birthday parties and events with friends, including attending in sequined fancy dress for a recent Strictly Come Dancing party:

Zachary having fun with the girls (and Daddy) at the Strictly Party

Here is Zachary at Auntie Vickrum's bowling birthday party; this ball is quite a bit heavier than him! Zachary slept for virtually all of the bowling, but very much enjoyed looking at the bright lights of the arcade machines on his way out.

Daddy's bowling ball

Zachary is certainly a crowd pleaser. When holding Zachary, he'll usually do one of three things (unless he's hungry, in which case these are overruled by a frantic cry):

1. Sleep - Particularly in the early weeks of his life, this was his favourite.

Sleeping on Auntie Vickrum

2. Search for food - Whether you're male or female, Zachary will root around to see if any milk is available. This is most likely to occur if his mouth happens to touch you, as this stimulates him. He will launch his head back and forth as if bobbing for apples, sometimes catching you by surprise as he violently swings towards you with a hasty head-butt.

Zachary face planting a poor victim

3. Stare - Zachary is very inquisitive and will stare at you for hours on end. Most of the photos we have of people holding Zachary involve him staring at them.

Zachary wondering why Uncle Nico has a pink cushion

Video Post #3: Boy at Play

For most of his life, when offered a toy to play with, Zachary had made random movements that sometimes made him come into contact with the toy, but hadn't until now learnt how to interact with such objects. Here's a recent video that shows our observation of when he first realised that he could make his toy move all by himself...