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February & Four Months… In Numbers!

16 Weeks and Three Days
16 Weeks and Three Days

On February 12, Mark is turning four months. The tiny little thing we brought back from the Civic Hospital on October 12, 2012 morphed into a cute little boy. Mark doesn’t look like a newborn anymore but a baby with his own personality, quirks, likes and dislikes. He is much more fun than during the first couple of months—ahem, much louder and less sleepy too.

Feng and I are doing okay, most days. Yes, we are tired and life with a baby can be very intense with plenty of “get me out of there!” moments but Mark is smiling and apparently enjoying us so… I guess we are doing something right.

This winter is pretty cold even by Canadian standards and it makes daily life a bit more difficult. I can’t really take Mark for a walk outside when it’s -30°C, no matter how “Canadian” this baby is. And it’s a pain to dress in layers every time we step out of the house.

I think January and February should not exist, period. Let’s rebel!

Meanwhile, after month one, month two, and month three, here is month four… in numbers!

Number of “Manneken Piss” moments: Three, including a funny one before his bath. I was holding him naked in front of the bathroom mirror, laughing at the way he was discovering his own reflection when he decided to pee everywhere. Ah well, my fault—it was bath time, anyway!

Number of movies watched: Dozens of French comedies, Hollywood dramas and thrillers and a few indies. We also watched Django Unchained, the latest Tarantino movie. I just hope Mark’s first word won’t be “nigger” or “fuck”…

Number of toys bought: Two brand new toys, including a cuddly elephant (on sale at Chapters) and a “crazy cow” (on sale at Winners) I hooked onto the car seat to keep him busy. Mark is starting to grab objects and enjoy rattles but I don’t want to buy too many toys—no need to.

Number of pyjamas that are too small: Four. I keep on retiring 0-3 month clothes, he grew a lot in the past few weeks apparently. We tried to measure him with one of these free IKEA paper measuring tapes (not an easy task, he moves a lot!) and he should be around 65-centimeter tall (he was 45-centimetre tall when he was born).

Number of fingers Mark plays with on a daily basis: 30. No, we don’t have a thirty-finger baby but I’m including my fingers and Feng’s since he keeps on trying to suck our thumbs and pinkies. This is why I wash my hands a hundred times a day, and why my skin is so dry!

Number of times we left Mark alone with his grand-parents: Twice. I bet my in-laws had a good night’s sleep after that, an hour alone with Mark can be intense! We are trying to “teach” my in-laws to take care of him and to teach Mark to go with other people a bit, but it’s not easy—he screams when mommy or daddy is not around.

Number of times Mark laughs at my (lame) jokes: Pretty much every time, no matter how silly my jokes are. This kid is easily pleased! That said, I hope he doesn’t understand everything we say—gosh, I really hope he doesn’t.

Number of new baby skills mastered: Putting his fingers (and entire first, somehow!) in his mouth; holding his bottle when he feels the milk doesn’t go down fast enough; grabbing objects (and his pants leg); rolling from sitting; putting my fingers in his mouth; playing with toys hung above his head; doing mini push-ups on his belly; moving his neck without support… All these little things we, grownups, take for granted!

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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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