20th to 22nd Jan 2014 – Weight

20th Jan 2014

21st Jan 2014

Tried to get Gio to stand, with some measure of success. He even walked a few steps, quickly moving to where he could hold something.

22nd Jan 2014 – Weight

Dropped off my wife at the salon then went with Gio to the clinic for his weigh-in.
As usual, he was sweating in the car seat, so I had unbuttoned his romper and removed his arms from it, leaving him bare-chested. The doctor happened to come out as I was about to get him out of the car. We know each other, so we chatted a little.
“Why have his clothes been removed?” he asked.
“He’s sweating!” I replied.
I carried Gio to the reception.
There was a lady there who had also brought a child.
“Fever, eh?” she said to me.
“No, no, he was just hot.”
The lady behind the counter asked “Why have his clothes been removed?”
When I went into the clinic checkup area itself, the nurse also asked why his clothes had been removed.
Four times, the same question.
Is it really that strange to see a child bare-chested?

Gio weighs 11 kilos. In other words, since 8 weeks ago, he has gained 300 grammes!
You could actually say he has gained 300 grammes in 12 weeks, since he attained 10.7 kilos 12 weeks ago.
You could also say he has gained 500 grammes in 20 weeks.
10kg Aug 7th
10.5 kilos Sep 4th
10.7 kilos Oct 26th
10.7 kilos Nov 27th

My wife later asked me if her efforts to feed him avocado had paid off. I told her that her efforts had helped in Gio’s brain development 🙂

While waiting for my wife to finish at the salon, I went with Gio to look at ride-on cars at Nakumatt.

Back home, we tried some more to get Gio to walk.

 

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Giovanni. Thanks be to God for you. May you have a long, joyful and prosperous life.

Happy birthday, Gio Chronicles as well. 🙂

Thank you, dear readers, for your time and comments.

13th to 19th January 2014

Monday, 13th January 2014

With his lovey

Tuesday, 14th January 2014

Wednesday, 15th January 2014

Thursday, 16th January 2014

My wife instructed the nanny to be taking Gio out to play in the grass.

Friday, 17th January 2014

Saturday, 18th January 2014

Gio can walk fairly well while his hand is held, but he seems afraid to walk on his own. Or maybe he does not know he is supposed to do it by himself.

Sunday, 19th January 2014

Went to church at NPC Karen. My wife went with Gio to the creche there. Apparently it caters for children of various ages. Consequently, there were children running around in there. Gio did not sleep and kept my wife very busy following him up and down. She got very tired.

6th to 12th January 2014 – Food and Sleep

Monday, 6th January 2014

Tuesday, 7th January 2014

Wednesday, 8th January 2014

Gio likes and dances to certain adverts – the Airtel Money, KWS Wee Kamu remix and Guinness. When the Airtel one comes on, he immediately turns or leans  (if his view is being blocked) to see the TV and starts bobbing up and down.

Gio has also learnt not to expect me to feed him from my plate. He comes to where I am seated and slowly moves his hand to touch my food.

Thursday, 9th January 2014

My wife noticed that Gio is sprouting a new tooth on his upper gum. I did not notice it yesterday when I was taking pictures.

Friday, 10th January 2014

Saturday, 11th January 2014

Sunday, 12th January 2014

Gio woke up crying intensely at about 3:45 a.m. Our attempts to calm him down were successful for a while. Then my wife finally got him to breastfeed and he fell asleep again. The whole episode took maybe 30 minutes.

I told my wife that one of the articles I read on the Net about sleep training said, as one of the first things, that the child should be given a lovey (an object he loves).

Went to Church.
Went visiting some of our Marriage Enrichment Group members.

My wife put Gio to bed with a stuffed toy.

1st to 5th January 2014

1st January 2014

Did you get my New Year’s greeting? At least two of you responded. (Though one’s response was to say something like  said “Only one line?”)
—-

Gio pooped in the morning as is usual.
Checked later, nothing.
Again later. Nothing.
Is he constipated?

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Went to the beach by tuktuk.

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For the record, other beaches in Kenya are muuuch cleaner than this.  We were quite shocked at the sight of the water here. (See this). We were told later that the water here is muddied by a river (Sagana?) that empties its water into the ocean near here.

Back by the same tuktuk, Gio hid from the wind blowing into the tuktuk.

2nd January 2014

Put Gio in his high-chair while we swam.

Can you see the tooth?

3rd January 2014

Gio can clap.
He also likes moving things with his feet while he is being held upright.

4th January 2014

5th January 2014

Back by private vehicle.

Journey went well.

Set off at about 7:45 and reached Nairobi around 5:45 p.m. That’s 10 hours. Gio slept, ate, played a bit and so on.

It was not as hot in Malindi as it usually is in Mombasa, so Gio did not have significant heat rash as when he went to Mombasa.

Back home, Gio stood for some seconds, until I exclaimed then he seemed to realise he was standing and reached for support.
Efforts to get him to stand again for the camera were unsuccessful.

Missed Snippet – 10th Dec 2013

I failed to post this earlier. The pics were on my phone, as opposed to my camera.

Gio was given a ride by a neighbour on his tricycle.

Gio enjoyed it so much that he cried when we got him off the tricycle.

 

28th to 31st Dec 2013 – Swing!, Bus Travel, Protection of Young

Saturday, 28th December 2013 – Swing, Bus Travel Tactics

Gio imitates actions such as head-shaking.

Went for a birthday bash at Under The Radar.
Gio enjoyed swinging and also bouncing a bit in a bouncing castle.

We are to travel by bus tomorrow to Malindi (via Mombasa), a journey of about 598km (about 373 miles) or 11 hours.
There were various ladies at the bash. One of them, a doctor, said when traveling with a young child, she gave the child a dose of Piriton. The child slept through most of the journey. She declined to give a prescription for Gio, since he is still under 1 year of age.

Sunday, 29th December 2013 – To Malindi

The journey to Malindi went reasonably well. No major fuss from Gio.

As we neared Mombasa, he predictably started sweating.

Monday, 30th December 2013 – Just Chilling

31st December 2013 – Protection of Young.

From time to time, wasps would fly into the house we were staying in. I was careful not to provoke them.

Gio was sitting in his high chair. One wasp flew towards Gio and was hovering near him. Knowing Gio, I feared he would attempt to touch it, and the wasp would sting him. I backhanded the hapless insect, sending it flying in a dizzy spiral. Ok, not quite. I did backhand it away. I don’t know if it got dizzy or not.
My wife was very amused that I, who till then seemed scared of wasps, had attacked this one so quickly. Protection of young, dear wife.

Gio nowadays participates in getting dressed – stretches arms and legs etc.

Click for bigger picture of the sweating Gio

Gio did not like being in the pool water.

23rd to 27th Dec 2013 – 11 Months – Whose Food?

Monday, 23rd December 2013 – 11 Months

Gio is 11 months old today.

The main cast 🙂 I hope you can figure out who is who 😀

The nanny left for her Christmas break.

Rash disappearing. Gio did not want to eat his food. My wife showed up with her own plate of food. Gio started whining for her food. She put his bowl on her plate and fed her food from his bowl.

The trick worked. For a while 🙂

Tuesday, 24th Dec 2013

Christmas Day 2013
Gio has learnt that it his his mother who shares her food with him, and not his father.
“He can’t finish for you your food,” my visiting cousin pointed out to me.

Raise your right hand

Thursday, 26th December 2013

Realised that Gio was being confined a bit too much by being kept indoors. Took him outside to the grass. He seemed keen on putting (pieces of) dried leaves in his mouth.

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We went back out in the afternoon. He started showing signs of being tired (which I can’t remember now!). We went back into the house, stayed a short while, I put him on my back and he fell asleep very soon after.

The tooth. And yes, Gio cries sometimes 😀

Friday, 27th December 2013

Went shopping for clothes at Toi market.
Went visiting. Ended up spending the night at our friends’ place.

Yes, still asleep.

16th to 22nd Dec 2013 – Fever, First Tooth, Rash Etc

Monday, 16th December 2013

Temperature still high. Back to hospital. Gio was given fever reliever through his butt.
Doc succeeded in examining his throat. Said he has an infection. Prescribed antibiotic.

Watch out for climbing child

Tuesday, 17th December 2013

Wednesday, 18th December 2013

Thursday, 19th December 2013

Gio has a rash. Probably caused by the antibiotic.
Other than that, he seems recovered and getting back to his usual self. He breastfed today.

Can you see the spots?

Brushed hair 🙂

Friday, 20th December 2013

Rash is more significant. It does not seem to be itching Gio.
Good thing we are about to finish the prescribed period for giving him the medicine.

My dad says Superman once straightened the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Saturday, 21st December 2013

Gio unmoved by his dad’s affections.

Sunday, 22nd December 2013

Went to Church.
To our surprise, Gio was unwilling to be carried by some friends. Then he agreed.

Gio has a tooth emerging! Finally!

Rash is going away.

Went to a friend’s graduation bash. The verdict there was that Gio looks so much like me, and that he got only his complexion from my wife 😀

Went to visit some friends.

Gio was happy to be able to touch the TV – something he does not get to do in our house.

13th to 15th Dec 2013

Hello readers!

Sorry I was not in a position to conveniently post for the past month or so(!). But here we are. I hope you are all well.

13th Dec 2013

Went for holiday lunch at our friends’ place.

14th Dec 2013

15th Dec 2013

My wife padded Gio’s cot.

My wife detected fever in Gio and gave him medicine (Calpol). When she asked me to feel him, I did not think he was significantly warmer than usual. Turned out my wife was right. We went to hospital late at night. His temperature was about 38.8 degrees Celsius (normal is about 36 to 37 degrees). The doctor was unable to examine Gio’s throat for signs of an infection, due to Gio’s lack of co-operation. (I remember I used to totally dislike having my tongue depressed for throat examination). Given alternative fever-reliever. He said we should monitor the situation.

Examination

I guess it’s ok