Brandon Loves Books

Our little guy loves books. I have him sit on our bed with us and he usually notices the book on my night table on the side. He'll crawl over there excitedly to grab it. I get book for him to read as a bedtime story and established that routine. Babies can't understand what the pictures mean yet, but they all love looking at color pictures.

Brandon's first McDonalds

It wasn't expected where we were going for lunch, but we ended up at McDonalds eating burgers and fries. Originally was driving to North Vancouver to the Capilano Mall. But because of traffic on the Second Narrows Bridge, we decided to turn off the exit on Hastings St. prior to the tunnel.

So at McDonalds, daddy gave him a few bites of fries and just a taste of his quarter pounder burger. He actually didn't eat any. We just let him lick the burger. It was really cute. Of course, we fed Brandon his baby food and cereal. After lunch, we went to a nearby park for a brief moment on the swings just for Brandon.



Also, it was supposed to be a day for Brandon to go swimming at Watermania with my sis and her husband (my brother-in-law). I didn't have a ride so they were supposed to pick us up while my hubby is out for his hockey game. My brother-in-law called me last minute that they slept late and wanted to sleep in. I was mad about it as I had everything packed and ready to go... and got all excited about it.

Instead of going to the pool in the afternoon, I decided to tag along with my hubby to his hockey game and walk over to the mall nearby. Brandon and I did not watch the entire game. We spent most of the time at Richmond Centre Mall. There wasn't anything interesting, so I didn't buy or spend anything. I usually spend or buy stuff when I'm not in a good mood.

Brandon's New Car

It was a nice weekend we had and the weather was very hot. We didn't go to Toys-R-Us this time, but we went to Zellers and Walmart to look at kids stuff. At Walmart, we saw the Step 2 Push Around Buggy in red color. This is similar to the Step 2 Whisper Ride Buggy, but I think it is a little bit smaller and better pricing. So then I decided to purchase it since it was a better price and looks nicer than the bright orange one.

Slept through the night

Latest photo:

Nothing too much has happened, but I am happy to share that Brandon slept 12 hours through the night (without being nursed back to sleep) for the first time. Though, he still keeps rolling around on the bed and trying to rub his face/chest occasionally. He still wears no-scratch mitts.

He's been eating regularly and seems to be eating a little bit more lately. And he seems to be getting heavier, as I noticed when I carry him. He's growing :) He loves snacking on Mum-Mum rice crackers. It's like he's addicted. He can finally hold and eat the whole piece; unlike before I put in a feeder mesh for him.

I have not seen the one with the carrot flavor at the stores. I'd like to have him try that one if I do ever find it.

Preparing to be a "Work at home Mom"

It is very sad to say that I will not be working f/t after my maternity leave is due in late August. I just found out that I am still on the wait list for the child care placement. The earliest availability is about a year since my application, so it would be around May 2010 next year.

I won't be able to go back to work because nobody is able to look after Brandon. If I knew my own parents (especially my dad) would tell me they won't babysit, I would've applied for child care in the first place. My dad doesn't have the patience and he is a very tempered man.

I guess my choice is to try and make money while at home and become a Work-at-home Mom. What does one do? This I will have to start finding resources and maybe try to squeeze in my time to create artwork to sell. It's not enough for my living, but it'll have to do for now. Our dream of owning our own place has drifted further away. Even worst... a very tight budget if we do ever want to travel.

A good thing for Brandon is that he gets to have mommy (me) around to look after him and my quality time with him.

Crawling at 9 months

Every baby have their own milestones development rates. Our little Brandon has started crawling lots just at the age of under 9-months. It starts by balancing on his hands and knees. It's so amazing that he's learned so much now.

Some photos to share... I want to thank Patrick Louie (my brother-in-law) for taking these shots:

Starting at this time, I will become a very busy mom, watching his every move to make sure he doesn't get hurt. It's time to baby-proof the house. Since Brandon started crawling, my life have become much busier.

First Haircut

We've finally gave Brandon his haircut yesterday after dinner. His hair was getting too long and made it look fluffy. This would be his first real haircut. The last time was just trimming off the few extra long strands only. Here are his before and after pics:

Watermania

It was Brandon's first time playing/swimming in the pool and experiencing the wavepool. At first he was scared, but he soon got used to it and started to have fun. We only stayed in the most shallow part. I was also glad the the hubby joined in the pool, but we didn't stay long because of his eczema (same with Brandon). Too bad I didn't get to take pictures, even though I did bring my camera. Will share photos next time.

Don't forget to get the free admission coupon in the baby-guide.ca magazine. It's good till the end of the year.

Cross-Border Road Trip

It was Canada Day and the hubby had no work since it is a holiday. We decided to do a road trip cross border to Bellingham for shopping. It was Brandon's first road trip and he didn't really fuss at all. I bought Converse baby shoes and got a deal for $24US (with tax included). It's still pricey for me because of the brand name, but I bought it for a friend's request.

Here is Brandon in his carseat waiting at the border-crossing.

Oh yeah, and Happy July 4th Independence Day to my fellow American friends.