Looking back on Week 24

This week has been a really long one for mommy. Pappa went to Uzhgorod to get some more of Mikael’s paperwork done. He was not gone too long, Sunday till Wednesday, but life is just not the same without pappa. We missed him SOOO much!!
On Sunday night after pappa had left, Mikael was really up set, mommy could not get him to eat or anything. He just kept looking at the door in our room and waiting for pappa to take him (Mikael and pappa usually go on a “night walk” together). Then finally mommy clicked as to what Mikael wanted, so she walked Mikael around the house to show him that pappa was not home. When we got back to our room, Mikael immediately calmed down, ate and fell asleep. It was so sweet!!!
Then today, when Mikael saw pappa he just cracked up laughing and giggling!! We had never seen him laugh so much!!! He loves his pappa so much!!!
Another story… this week we wanted to encourage him to reach out with his hands more and to motivate him to start crawling so we put his toys just beyond his reach when he was on his belly. Well… when he realized that he was not able to reach his toys he grabbed the blanket that they were lying on and pulled it closer, thus bringing the toys closer so that he reached them!!! He is so smart!!! It was so fun to watch!!
Mikael has been learning so much this week---
*Mikael started saying “pa” (WOW!!!!!)
*He is sitting much better by himself; balance and gravity are the only this pulling him down :)
*He started pulling his legs up with his hands when he is on his back- he has discovered the joys of feet and toes :)
*He started sucking on his lower lip (???) Pappa noticed it when he got back from Uzhgorod. (It is strange, mommy is with Mikael everyday and yet she doesn’t always see just how much he is changing/growing/developing.)
*He is much more relaxed with his arms when we do exercises, for a long time he would tense up his arms and we would not do his arm exercises. But this week- they loosened up again I guess.
*He started putting his hand on his head while he nurses, he looks like a really relaxed person :)




Legs up in the air

Where is Mikael's bottom lip?

Blowing- his new sound (from week 23)"pppphhhhhhh"

Mamma and Mikael (What is mamma up to with that strange camera...again???)

Mikael all bundled up in his beloved stroller

Mikael reaching for his toys :)

Looking back on Week 23

Wow, another week!!! Mikael is doing so well!!
This week we went to church!!! Mikael did SO well!!! He loved seeing the many faces, the music and listening to his daddy translate :) He even got a small nap in :) It was Valentine’s Day so he got to go with mommy and daddy to a Pizzeria to celebrate :) It was fun.
A MAJOR thing that happened this week was that on Monday night he slept through the whole night!!!! Yes, you read correctly- he slept through from 8pm right through to 8:40am!!! It was amazing!!! Mommy still woke up at 1am and then again at 3am in a spin and panic- “why is he not crying, is he still breathing?????” Praise the Lord that he has started sleeping through even though it was just Monday night :) It is a start :)
On Tuesday we went to the clinic for his monthly check up. He is growing at an amazing rate!!! He now weighs 9.5kgs (20.90 lb.) and is 74 cm (29.1 in) long!!! He has grown SO much!!!
Mommy also packed away all his 6-9 month clothes this week :( Once again mommy was filled with mixed feelings. But she is so proud of her little Mikael!!!
Pappa left for Kiev on Wednesday night to go to the South African Embassy to hand in Mikael’s birth registration. All went well and he was back the very next day! A VERY fast trip!!!
Elizabeth, mommy’s good friend, and little Hannah, she is around 16 months (mommy will have to get photos of them) came to visit and they brought Mikael their walker!!!! He is not too sure about it yet, but he does not mind it :) It was fun to see how Mikael responded to little Hannah. At first they were both like “who is this small person”, and then by the end they were playing together with Mikael’s hanging toys :) Hannah is older than Mikael but Mikael is MUCH bigger than she is. We handed down one of Mikael’s 6-9 month baby grows!!! It was fun!
This week---
*Mikael is starting to make a new sound; he puts his lips together and then blows through them! :)
*Mikael has been staying awake for about one and a half- two hours in between his day naps, AND he is just passing out in the evenings, fun filled days!!! :)











Mikael on "Uncle Nate"'s lap :)

Mikael enjoying his new walker :)

Mikael in his walker

Smiles away (in his size 9 month clothes)

Mommy and Mikael

Pappa and Mikael reading (Mikael LOVES reading!!!!!)

Mikael and his favourite Mr. Dog

Looking back on Week 22

This week our little one turned five months old! Wow, how time is flying with him!!!!
It was another hard week with tons of gasses, and on top of that Mikael was not feeling well either. Some days he was just really quiet and did not want to play or do his exercises. On Thursday he started coughing a little and sneezing, we will just keep an eye on it.
This week Mikael started making new sounds!!!! Sounds like “oar”, “ahhhhh”, and something sounding like “wow”. :) It is SO fun to hear him “speak” :)
Mikael is drooling like crazy!!! (Maybe his teeth were the cause of him being down this week. We will just keep praying for him, God knows what is going on)
We went to go and visit our friends Kurt and Rochelle this week and had lunch with them. Mikael sat in their high chair and he did SUPER well!!! It was so nice for mommy and daddy to be able to eat all together as well.
Mikael is just so incredible to mommy and daddy, even though he had a hard and long week; he still was super sweet and showered us with tons of giggles and smiles. We are so proud of Mikael!!!

Mikael is sitting

Mikael is SITTING!!!!! Yes, he "officially" sat on the last day of being 5 months old :) It was super exciting!!!!! (He does not get up into a sitting position by himself, but once he is sitting he stays sitting, okay he falls over some :) but it is still SUPER exciting!!! Mamma has put this video on the blog for all to enjoy :)

Looking back on Week 21

This week the snow has been coming and going, one day it is a winter wonderland outside and the next a slush puppy :)
We have had a hard long week with gasses again. But praise the Lord the week is behind us and it is one more week closer to not having gas problems :) Mikael has started going for number two more regularly though, once every two/three days, which has been amazing!!! Praise the Lord!!!
On Thursday mommy and Mikael went to the Odessa Women’s Meeting!!! He LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!!!! All the new faces and all the new things to look at!!! He was in a trance! He did SO well!! He also enjoyed the other “little people” that were there- little Hannah (over a year old) and Sierra (over two years old). He LOVED his time!!!
This week Mikael:
- is in the process of discovering his feet and toes!!!
- started “folding up” when he is sitting to grab on to his toes… AND he does not want it any other way! :) Even when he is sitting on our laps, he thrusts himself forward and grabs on to his toes, guess he likes them A LOT :)
- really started playing more with his toys and our hands :)
- started pulling himself up to a straight up sitting position, usually he was just leaning against us. Well that is just when he is not thrusting himself forward to his toes! :)
- is sitting up with more balance, he can sit all by himself for a few seconds!!!
- grew out of his baby cot on his stroller!!!! (See photos!!!)


Mommy and Mikael- passed out :)

Mamma and Mikael playing together

Mikael playing with his "hanging toys"

Pappa and Mikael

Mikael out grew his cot in his stroller!!! WOW!!!!

Smiles away

Mikael happily playing in bed

Winter Wonderland!