2 New Candidates for Best Photo

Earlier today we got 2 photos that have to be entered into the "Best Photo of Callum" competition. You decide.

Here he is crashed out on his playmat with his trumpet rattle still in hand. Perhaps he will be a musician when he grows up.


And here is one that almost defies description. Jen and I had chocolate ice creams (on sticks) for dessert tonight. One of us (no names necessary) thought it might be a good idea to see if the kid liked chocolate ice cream. Which as it turns out he very much seemed too, although the sugar may have been too much for him based on this photo.

you turn me right round...

this just in...

callum rolled over (from his belly to his back) tonight, on his own, for the first time.

we're excited and proud of his accomplishment, but worried since the days of stationary baby are soon over. time to baby proof!

2-Month "Well Baby" Doctor Visit

We took Callum to see his pediatrician today for his 2-Month old "Well Baby" visit - basically a pre-scheduled appointment whether the kid is sick or not.

Our normal pediatrician is on vacation, so we saw a stand-in, who happened to be an Australian - the world is a very small place sometimes.

He did a thorough exam looking for any signs of issues. Basically he gave Callum a clean bill of health apart from his herniated belly-button, which apparently is common and will go away within a year or so.

Today, Callum weighed in at 13lb 12oz (6.237kg) which puts him in the 94th percentile for weight. That means he has put on 4lb 4oz (1.928kg) in 8 weeks. He was also measured at 24.75 inches (62.87cm) which puts him the 93rd percentile for height. That means he has grown 4.25 inches (10.8cm) since he was born. In summary, he is a big kid, but there was little chance that that wasn't going to be the case I suppose.

He also received his first immunizations today. Jen did not have the fortitude to participate, so it was left to me to stand strong and hold the kid while he had three injections. Two jabs in his right thigh and one in the left. In true form he screamed like crazy as soon as the first needle went in, but the nurse was experienced and had all 3 injections done in just a few seconds before he really had time to recover from his first scream. It was a new scream that we had not heard before, so we now know what to listen for if he is in pain any time soon. He was rewarded with a big bottle of breast milk and calmed down within a few minutes and has been unusually quiet for the rest of the day so far.

The doctor mentioned that when he reaches 14lbs, we can begin to consider introducing solid foods. This was a little surprising to us as we had not planned on starting until he was 6 months old. Although, Jen seemed a little relieved at the prospect since his appetite is picking up and she is having a little trouble keeping up with him.

Photos

We've been posting a lot of photos on the blog lately. Now that the Christmas period is over and Mum has gone home, I am thinking that the volume of photos and video will slow down.

Anyway, I wanted to say that if anyone sees a photo they like and want to print it out, please let me know and I will email over the original high resolution version. The ones on the web might be OK in some circumstances, but they are not the originals.

Mum is safely home ... finally

Finally got a call from Mum just a little while ago - much, much later than I was expecting. Apparently her plane was re-routed to Sydney to take on more fuel, so she was a couple hours late into Melbourne and obviously missed her originally scheduled connection to Adelaide. So she had to spend a couple of hours in Melbourne airport before finally getting on a flight home.

I am feeling very sorry for her right now, as I can only imagine how exhausted and physically sore she must be and she did the whole trip solo which only makes those long flights longer. But as I always tell Jen when our own travel plans don't go to plan, you usually get the best stories when things go wrong.

Mum's Last Day

Today was Mum's last day with us here in the US. I just dropped her up at the airport for the lengthy flight home to Adelaide via Melbourne (no direct flights to Adelaide from the US - yet). The airport was the usual Friday night chaos with every spectrum of society represented in the departure area of the international terminal. Mum got checked in with little fuss (apart from the line) and I waited and watched her disappear into the security checkpoint.

Last night we went out for a last dinner at Benihana which is a Japanese teppan grill style restaurant (ie. the chef cooks the food right in front of you on a big hot plate). Great meal as usual and the Sake was pretty good too.

This morning we went down to Laguna Beach again and had a walk around the beach front and up to the top of the cliffs where there are some great views. We had lunch at a French restaurant that looked out on Main beach. All in all a very dignified way to spend a sunny "winter" afternoon in southern California.

Here are some photos form today: http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/LagunaBeach2?authkey=2NaToavVk60

Anyway, so long and bon voyage Mum! Come back soon! No, seriously, come back soon we need the help!! :)

Universal Studios

Today all of us (Jen, Callum, Mum and I) checked off one of the last "must do" items on Mum's to do list - Universal Studios.

On the drive up we passed through the I-110 and I-105 freeway interchange - for my money, the most imposing freeway interchange in the LA area, but only if you are traveling on the 110, it doesn't look as good if you are on the 105. A drive through this interchange tends to reinforce Australian tourists' usual pre-conceived opinion that LA is a concrete jungle.

We arrived early and we picked a great day as it was off season and the middle of the week so there were very few lines at any of the rides and attractions. But, as is usual with theme parks, it still takes the whole day to get through everything and we finally book out of there about 10 minutes after the park officially closed. We then had dinner at Karl Strauss Brewing Company in the City Walk area.

I did have an interesting father-son moment at the park today. Jen and I decided that the Terminator 2 "experience" ride was not appropriate for Callum (loud explosions, smoke, flashing lights etc.). So since I had been on it previously on another visit, Mum and Jen went on it and I hung out with Callum. In a spectacular stroke of luck, right across from the Terminator ride was a tiny little bar made up to look like part of an Irish street scene. So I was able to imbibe a pint of Redhook ESB while I waited for the ladies. So Callum and I shared a beer (on an emotional level only of course) for the first time in a bar. I am sure I got dirty looks from some uptight folks as they walked past and saw me with a beer in one hand and the kid under the other arm. Screw 'em.

Anyway, here are the photos you requested: http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/UniversalStudios?authkey=rayxdZLa270