Tikihana

Easter

2009-04-21T19:51:00.004+12:00

Family breakfast on Easter Friday... my two gorgeous boys.

Easter Sunday morning.. the pictures speak for themselves!

First fluffy!

2009-04-21T19:49:00.001+12:00

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-21T19:40:00.002+12:00

The weekend before Easter, our church held the annual community Easter Egg Hunt...

Combined 1st bday party

2009-04-15T15:15:00.003+12:00

We had a big combined 1st birthday party for all the coffee group babies! (14 of them). The party was at Harry's friend Adam's house in Papakura, and it was a gorgeous afternoon.

15 months old today

2009-04-15T14:34:00.003+12:00

"My son is a rock star"

It's been far too long since I've updated Harry's blog, so to make up for it here's lots of photos! Harrison is now 15 months old and is mischief on legs. It seems that the last few weeks he's really exploded with what he's learning and communicating, and in his personality.

At his 15 month plunket check, he weighed 11.82 kg (75th percentile) and measured 87cm tall (above 97th percentile).

Harry's got a number of words and signs (baby sign language) now, here's the record I wrote down in his plunket book...

Words
Car (ca)
Finished (fished)
Dog (doh)
Door (doh)
Mumma
Dadda
No
Woof woof
More (moh)
Gone (goh)
Ball (bah)
Yuck (ck)
Ta
Who's that?
Hiya
Two (he counts 'two two two')
Banana (nana)
Neigh
Yay
Fish

Signs
More
Finished
More please
Hot
Help
Shower
Cat
Dog
Wipe hands
Wipe face
Please
Gone/where?
Eat
Milk
Drink
Fish
Wave bye bye
Blow kisses

Most of his favourite things are reflected in what he says and signs - he absolutely loves animals, including fish and birds, and even went for his first pony ride a couple of weeks ago! He also loves dinosaurs, and is very into posting things (at the moment it's posting pegs into a tiny hole cut into the top of a formula tin) and giving things to people. Yesterday he went back and forth about 50 times passing dvds very carefully between Mummy, Daddy and the shelf!

Harry is having one nap a day, at about midday for about 3 hours. His night time sleeping is a bit hit and miss at the moment as he's been sick with a cold - and because he has his molars coming through. We can see one tip of the top right hand molar, and it's causing a bit of havoc (and lots of dribbling) as it cuts through the gums.

Without further ado, here's lots of photos of our little monkey boy...

Harry found a new hat

Guess who loves fruit!

Being serious

There's been a lot more of this lately... some awesome little tantrums!

And a lot more of this... cheeky boy....

...climbing onto everything.

Harry had a ball at his friend Danika's 5th birthday party - Old Macdonald's Farm came to visit! Here he is patting the dog (doh! woo woo woo)

And patting the pig

He even fed the goat

Harrison's first (and second, he wanted to go on it again) pony ride!

He's signing 'more please' cos we stopped to take a photo. This is the sign for 'please'!

One year ago today...

2009-01-15T11:55:00.002+13:00

...this is what a new daddy posted on this blog.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First of all can I say my wife is the most incredible woman. God truly chose the right woman to have my children!!!

Anyway here are the details

Harrison John Tikihana Kelso

Born 15th of Jan 2008 at 8.14am - Weighing 9lbs 3oz and measuring 56cm.

Here are few early pics - More will be added soon and more details will follow when Liz and Harry come home.

My truly amazing wife and her son

Granny

Grandma

Love to all

Scott-t

Christmas with the Bennetts

2009-01-07T10:59:00.004+13:00

We celebrated Christmas again on the 27th December - this time with Granny, Grandad, Aunty K, Great Grandma Joy and Great Grandma Zilla. Harry had a ball and was very good at being the Christmas fairy delivering presents. He was always very careful in passing the pressies to his Great Grandma's, but obviously Granny, Grandad and Aunty K don't require the same type of care - theirs were often thrown at them!

Here you go Grandma Zilla, this one's for you...

....got it?...

...Delivery successful!

Grandma Joy, here's one for you

Onto using the 'buggy' to deliver pressies to Mumma and Daddy

It was a very serious job.

Opening presents

Oh wow look at all these things

It's a bubba!

Aww, kisses for the baby

Ooo another present, thanks Aunty Delwyn and Uncle Neil!

Story time

A bike!?

Brrmm brmmm brmm

Being very polite and reading the card from Gran & Grandad

Lunch

Christmas with the Kelso whanau

2009-01-07T10:17:00.004+13:00

~Christmas Eve~

Opening a pressie on Christmas Eve, with the help of his big cuzzies Amanda and CJ (it was pjs!)

Talking with Poppa (wearing his new jammies)

Watching Ben the dog with Koro

Bottle before bed with CJ

~Christmas Day~

Christmas morning, opening pressies with Granma...

A musical fantasy light! (aka party on a stick)

Aunty JoJo

Harry playing with some of his new toys

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree

This is what happens to Uncle Scott-t when his nieces are around... beautiful!

With Great Nana

Harry and Mumma
Fire Chief Harry

Just like you Poppa!

Eating Christmas lunch

Not wanting to miss out on any action

It's no wonder Harry's a goof-ball, with cousins like this!

Eating dessert.... why are we all gathered outside?

Something's happening...

Uncle Damian proposing to Aunty JoJo!

The happy couple

Listening carefully

Dinner time

One tired boy and his daddy, ready for bed

~Boxing Day~

The Grandkids - Amanda (11 yrs), Cori-Jo (7 1/2 yrs), Harrison (11 months)

Dancing with Manda and Cori

Crawling around together

Cuddles for Amanda

Big kisses for CJ

Hoodie boy

11 1/2 months old

2009-01-07T10:15:00.000+13:00

Our lil boy seems to be growing up very fast! He has 4 teeth (2 top and 2 bottom), and 2 more top ones coming through.

We went to stay at Scott's dads for Christmas, and had a great time. Harry was thoroughly spoilt and loovvveeed playing with his cousins, Aunty JoJo, Uncle Damien (now officially, yay! Congrats on your engagement guys!), Poppa, Koro, Granma and Great Nana. He was such a good boy and we were so proud. He's so cheeky and full of smiles at the moment, just gorgeous! He thinks the funniest thing in the world at the moment is peekaboo, and he's even said "boo" a couple of times.

Harry getting more and more 'words'. At the moment he says mumma, dadad, bum (!), boo, more, up, yes, no, mmmmmm (means yummy/more) and H (when imitating Granny's sneezes!). He signs finished, eat, more, shower, cat, dog and hot. He loves walking around furniture and walls, and also climbing. He 'walks' a few steps between people, or towards something he really wants (like the tv). He loves walking holding onto someone else's finger for balance, and we don't think it will be too long before he's walking around by himself.

Harrison loves playing outside, and always heads straight for his shell sandpit. He loves scooping the sand. Today he spent about half an hour just climbing in and out of the empty shell while I was dealing with washing.

He's beginning to get really affectionate. In the mornings, we bring him into our bed while he has his morning bottle. He'll crawl over to me and just lay his head on my shoulder and give me big cuddles! It's so sweet. He gives lots of kisses too, and thankfully he rarely bites these days. He went through a stage where he was biting a fair bit when he got excited, so we made a big deal about cheering and clapping when he did "gentle kisses" and now he hardly bites at all.

Here's some recent photos (taken on Christmas Eve)...

Guess who Harry just spotted home from work...

Daddy! You're home!

Oooo tags

Cuddles

Some of Harry's toys at the moment

Sweet boy

Check out those teeth!

Cheeky

Playing the drums with his favourite toy.. the formula scoop

Exploring

Trying to get his ball that rolled under the couch

And just being cute

Angel boy

2009-01-07T09:52:00.004+13:00

Harry came along to the end of year Girls' Brigade Christmas party... everyone had to dress up as something Christmasy, so we went as angels!

11 months old

2009-01-07T09:39:00.003+13:00

This is what happens when a small boy finds the tinfoil...

Playing with friend Ane

Rockin' horse

At Ollie's 5th birthday party - first taste of jelly!

Playing on the bouncy castle

Not impressed when the big kids came back on and it was time to get off!

Harry and Great Grandma Joy

Home

2008-12-27T18:26:00.004+13:00

It's been far too long since I've updated this blog, things have been very busy in our little family life! End of term was hectic at school with assessments, reports, prizegiving and general end of year stuff. But the biggest thing is that we moved house 5 days before Christmas. We were half-heartedly looking for a house in Auckland to buy, and came across one that seemed just right for us. We saw it on the internet, Scott visited it the next day and that afternoon we made an offer! That offer was accepted (private sale) and we signed the papers a couple of days later. A week after that, it went unconditional, and we moved in 2 weeks later! So it's been whirlwind but totally a God thing as everything just happened so smoothly.

Our new house has a nice big backyard for Harry to play in, and is close to where I grew up in East Auckland. It's close to schools, and has lots of room. Upstairs is 3 bedrooms, lounge, kitchen/dining/laundry, bathroom and separate toilet. At the moment our friend Elmo is still flatting with us until he gets married in March. Downstairs there's a semi self-contained granny flat, with 2 bedrooms (one is more kinda a study/storage room) plus one big area that is the lounge/kitchen/dining. Our friends Greg and Katie are renting downstairs. There's also a single garage, which is great for all the boxes yet to be sorted (we can fit our car in there though, yay). The rest of the house is looking pretty good though, especially considered we only moved in a week ago and went away for a couple of days in the middle of that!

I'll post some photos soon...

Mischief!

2008-11-08T22:56:00.001+13:00

Our Harry is turning into a right curious wee rascal - it's very endearing but also hard work! He loves exploring and getting into everything, and is great fun to be around. It seems that he learns new things every day. He loves to feed himself yoghurt (hasn't quite got the hang of dipping the spoon yet, but will get the spoon into his mouth every time when I pass it to him) and seems very independent at times.

He's very talkative, his favourite sound at the moment being "awwww-wwww", said high pitched at first and then going down - like he's just seen something really interesting. And in fact he makes the sound when he sees something new and interesting! He also says "dadda" and "mumma" and "momo" (Uncle Elmo is going to be Uncle MoMo now I've decided, since Harry said that) but we don't yet know whether he connects those 'sounds' to us.

I was holding him the other day and talking to someone, my boy obviously didn't think I was paying him enough attention cos he ever so gently put his hand on my face and pulled it so I was looking at him! It was so cute. He also yells "aaaahhhhh" or squeals or screams when he thinks he requires more attention!

We're amazed at how much he understands now. He has several books with cats in them, if we say "where's the cat?" he'll point to it, and gets super excited whenever he sees one walk past outside. He loves dogs too, and gets sooo happy seeing Calista or any other dogs. Last night he was patting Calista, and he tends to get a wee bit too excited sometimes, so I said "Just gentle with Calista Harry, touch her paw gently, just stroke her foot". Immediately he looked across at my foot, quickly crawled over and started touching and kissing my foot! "Not my foot Harry, Calista's!".

Harrison's favourite toys at the moment are books with photos of babies/animals, his beehive thing that he presses and the balls pop around inside and make noise, a car/truck jigsaw puzzle, rakau sticks and any type of ball. He also loves just standing or crawling around and 'dancing' to music. He also loves swings!

Harry also gives kisses to things or people he loves lots. Tonight in the bath he was besotted with this plastic net thing, and every time I said "awww kisses", he would bring it gently to his mouth and give it the sweetest wee open-mouthed kiss! Soooo gentle!

So here's some photos....

Getting ready to play Mini Sticks (Uncle Eric will have to come over from Canada to have a game!)

Giving kisses to his musical dino

He's getting better at understanding the dvd player is not a drum... but we still have our moments!!

The intrepid explorer

Check out those curls!

He gravitates towards the broom and likes to 'help' to sweep the kitchen floor

Having a quiet sleepy cuddle with mumma

Crawling up to press his beehive thing (I think it used to belong to CJ when she was a bubba!)

Jiggling on his rocking horse (thanks Rachel!)

Reading with Daddy

Falling asleep in random positions!

Cracking up at 'round and round the garden'.... this is only the anticipation...

"And, tickle you under there!" (this is the face of uncontrollable laughter/squealing)

My blue-eyed boy and his awesome facials

A wee cuddle for Mumma

And a cuddle for Daddy

Enjoying the swing at Chipmunks

And as my Grandad Eric always said, there's nothing in the world as peaceful as a sleeping baby

Painting

2008-11-08T22:55:00.001+13:00

Last weekend, Harrison the artist spent some time creating a work of art....

Now I know Grandma likes pink, so I'll put some on here for her

Hmm let me see, what does it need next?

Some green I think!

Carefully does it...

Excuse me!! Never interrupt an artist at work!

Mmm it tastes weird (good thing it's non-toxic paint!)

And the finished masterpiece....

(yes, both the boy and the paper got painted... it's all about being an artist ya know)

Grandma, Harry's sorry he forgot to give you your painting when you were here the other night! He'll either give it to you next time he sees you or send it in the mail :)

Harry the Aeroplane

2008-11-08T22:54:00.001+13:00

Poser!

2008-11-08T22:48:00.001+13:00

Visiting Granny and Grandad

2008-11-08T22:39:00.002+13:00

Harrison loves visiting Granny, Grandad, Aunty Katherine and Calista the dog. Here's what he got up to last Sunday....

Looking like he'd be more suited to a motorbike, but on the rocking duck that his Mumma and Aunty Katherine used to go on!

Listening to Great Grandma Zilla

Playing with his beloved rakau sticks

And being a punk drummer!

(Watched by the ever-admiring Aunty and Great Grandma)

Being gentle with Calista

His new favourite toy - turns out the cupboard opens! And there's stuff inside! Awesome...

Enjoying the swing outside

Hey! How do I get back up and in there?!

Off to explore...

What have you found, Harry?

A brick wall! Wow!

Now there's a boy who looks like his Daddy!!

Who could resist that little face...

We have a climber...

2008-11-08T21:58:00.000+13:00

This is my Grandma.

2008-11-08T21:49:00.003+13:00

Sometimes we laugh together...

...and sometimes we're just thoughtful.

Sometimes Grandma lets me bite her finger...

...and sometimes I let her bite mine!

Sometimes I play with her necklace...

...and sometimes we just have snuggles.

Butterfly Creek

2008-11-08T17:46:00.006+13:00

A couple of weeks ago, Harrison went to Butterfly Creek. There were so many exciting things to see! He had a great day, though was quite tired before he had a sleep (hence the dummy in some photos!).

He looked at the butterflies (what's on your head Harry?!)...

...some fish...

...and a rabbit.

Harry checked out the spring lambs

And he even got to 'hold' a guinea pig!

What was he so excited about in this photo? Yep, a dog...

He loved going on the train...

...playing on the lil playground with his friend Natalie...

...and even going on the tramp!

9 months old

2008-10-23T09:28:00.003+13:00

Harry's favourite things to do at the moment:
> Roll his toy cars along the ground
> Crawl over to the box with kumara/potatoes and try to take them out
> Investigate the highchair and buggy
> Wave hello/byebye/goodnight
> Eat pasta, kiwifruit, yoghurt, orange, tinned peaches, ham, weetbix
> Put one arm up in the air when he's finished his meal
> Rock back and forth when we sing "row row row your boat"
> Push the buttons on his musical dino and dance to the music
> Lower himself gently to the ground when he wants to get down from standing
> Chase balls around the lounge
> Bang on drums/table/chair/his leg
> Give high fives
> Play in the bath
> Clap hands and jiggle when listening to music
> Pull all the clean folded laundry off the chair
> Listen to stories - pointing at pictures and turning the pages
> Chase Calista the dog

And here's some recent photos!....

Off exploring (he has a secret passageway behind the chairs)

Reading

Helping Daddy with the gardening

Helping Mumma with the washing

Trying to escape

Being a goof ball (and yes he's a dribble monster)

At Chipmunks Playland

Daredevil child - he loves the swing

One tired boy

Still trying to escape!

Oh I know these people.....

...it's Aunty Jo, Uncle Damien, Amanda and Cori-Jo!!!

Check out those muscles... bigger than popeye

Bath time

Aww what a pretty girl!!

Ready for bed in his big boy jammies

War wounds

2008-10-09T21:27:00.003+13:00

See those lines on the right side of his forehead (left in the photo)? This photo was taken yesterday...

See the nice swollen line smack bang in the middle of his forehead? This photo was taken today...

Harrison is discovering that he can pull himself up onto lots of things! Sometimes he stands, sometimes he goes on his knees, sometimes he does something inbetween the two. Sometimes he lands properly on his bum, other time he falls forward and bangs his head on whatever he was leaning on... ouch! He's learning though, and a quick cuddle from mummy or daddy and some distraction usually make for a happy boy again.

Here's some of the things he likes pulling himself up on.....

The chair

The window ledge

The computer table (very closely supervised by mummy, not quite baby-proofed yet!)

The dining room table (love the Kelso frown)

The TV cabinet

And the highchair

In other news... Harry found a favourite new toy tonight. An empty Mustela bottle. He discovered it on the side of the bath and wouldn't let go of it! He was very unimpressed when Mummy tried to tidy it away, and his face resembled something like this:

But of course, as soon as he got it back again, he was back to happy Harry again. Just like this:

So here are some photos of Harry with his new love, the empty Mustela bottle with no lid....

(These photos were taken after his bath tonight. Aren't his big boy jammies so cute!)

Bad hair day!

2008-10-07T22:01:00.000+13:00

Here is my boy after his bath tonight...

Ooo, look at what I discovered!

2008-10-07T20:18:00.002+13:00

Adventures with Harry

2008-10-06T15:58:00.004+13:00

Smiley boy

I love Daddy's phone!

Guess who pulls himself to stand in his cot at any opportunity

My boy looking like such a boy, playing with his toy dinosaur (this is the dinosaur he used to be terrified of but we did 'exposure therapy' and now they're friends!)

Playing the bongo drum (this is his fave new way of sitting, on his knees)

Hmm this photo looks like it needs some awesome caption but it hasn't come to me yet

Crawling action

Playing with his tools

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go

Real builders are supposed to have their shirt off aren't they?!

Peekaboo!

Now if I just had my tools with me, I could take out this screw here, tighten up that bit there, yep that would work....

Crawling, Clapping, Calista

2008-10-03T15:34:00.003+13:00

Here's a little video of Harry crawling around at Granny and Grandad's... he spent the afternoon following Calista the dog around! She seems to see him as the annoying little brother type ;)

8 1/2 months old

2008-10-03T15:20:00.004+13:00

Our little guy is growing up fast and is at such a precious age right now! Harrison is learning lots and is a very curious wee boy. He loves other kids and babies, though I have to watch him carefully cos he doesn't understand the meaning of "gentle" yet. He amazes me with his ball skills.... picking up his big blue ball with one hand, and using his small ball to play "catch" across the table with Katie - and actually rolling the ball right back to her with one hand! He loves giving high 5's to anyone who asks, and joins in laughing if anyone else is. He's at the age where he loves copying everything... arms up, sniffing, saying dada, and crawling around.

Harry is still cautious when he's first in a new place, and when meeting new people or seeing people he hasn't seen in a while (especially if he's tired) - but soon warms up and is his usual show-off self! He manages to squeeze himself into the smallest places and we really have to watch him carefully now.

One of his favourite toys at the moment is a bright dinosaur that plays music (she'll be comin round the mountain!) when the button is pressed. Harry will press it and then 'dance', jiggling about and getting exited. It's super cute. He's also just learnt to clap his hands, and seems very proud of himself!

We also had our first scared moment. Harry found a realistic looking dinosaur that winds up and it's legs move (the old-school type). So I wound it up so he could see it go, and he was petrified of it! Poor lil guy.

Scott has been busy this week helping teenagers make short films, so Harry and I have gone to visit most evenings for dinner and to hang out. Harrison's enjoyed having lots of new people to play with, and has coped very well with the late nights. One night we were sitting around with a few guitars/ukuleles and singing, and Harry joined in by clapping and 'dancing', and crawling up to people to try to steal their ukulele! He always loves his daddy playing him the guitar and letting him have a go too, so I think he was pretty stoked to see a Harry-sized guitar!

Anyway here's some photos from the last couple of weeks...

Playing with a toy that used to be Daddy's when he was a lil baby

Examining his new toothbrush

Showing off his cute new nappy! Awww...

...and crawling away while I was trying to take photos.

Hanging out with Grandma - hey look someone's ringing me! Who is it?....

It's my big cousin! Hi CJ!

Getting super excited about Calista the dog

Having a quiet moment together

Calista went away, Harry followed

My sleeping boy!

Sandpit fun

2008-10-03T14:56:00.003+13:00

On a visit to Granny and Grandad's in the weekend, Harry was surprised with a little sandpit to play in. He was suitably impressed! He liked picking up the sand and pouring it out of the containers.

Gonna pick up some of this here sand...

...and put it right in there...

...and tip it out!

Hmmm, grainy

Sandy boy

Hi Aunty K!

OK that was fun, time to hop out now though I think!

Dental hygiene is important

2008-10-03T14:46:00.002+13:00

(Excuse the boy's grubby face - it was just after dinner and before a shower, so we hadn't bothered to wash it properly!)

Hey look it's me, in the mirror!

Brushing teeth together

Am I doing it right mum?

Brush brush brush....

...brush brush brush...

...and spit, and rinse!

Fathers' Day

2008-10-03T14:24:00.003+13:00

So it's a bit late, but here's some photos of the boys on Fathers' Day. Harry got his Daddy, Grandad, and Poppa a cool mug with photos of him/them on it (though the delivery on Poppa's one got messed up, so hope it's arrived now!).

I got Harrison up in the morning and when I took him into his Daddy to give him his first present (a little book), Harry was grinning and waving it about, and looking so proud! The two of them then spent a while in bed with Scott reading to his boy, and Harry talking lots. It was really sweet.

We have a crawler!!

2008-10-01T14:36:00.004+13:00

Harry did his first few crawling 'steps' on Friday night, aged 8 1/2 months, while Mummy, Daddy, Greg, Katie and Elmo were watching. 5 days later, he's crawling like a pro! So there is hope for the boy who's parents never crawled as babies, and chose to bum shuffle instead.

Video to come...

Time to baby proof

2008-10-01T14:33:00.001+13:00

This is what I found at 7.15 last Thursday morning when I went to investigate why the baby monitor was beeping.... (ignore the morning hair and snotty nose!)

And this is where the monitor used to be (it now has a new home far away from reaching hands!!)

Photos!

2008-10-01T14:23:00.004+13:00

Sorry for the absence, things have been busy! Here's a selection of photos from the last few weeks.... Harrison at 8 months old....

Posing in the bath

Harry absolutely *loves* his books, and takes them off his shelf one by one and 'reads' them. So cute.

He's also very into his musical mat

Harry thinks he's a big boy and only wants to feed himself at the moment

This was what Harry did for a while before crawling - he'd reach out to grab toys but keep his right leg tucked under. He could get it out but then he'd just flop into his belly again!

Hey mum, take a photo of my big foot! (haha I think this photo is hilarious, and really captures my wee boy's personality)

Choosing toys

Being a poser again...

...and again

Reading again (this is another one of my favourite photos)

And this is my boys on Father's Day with the photo mug Harry gave his daddy

Harry daycare

2008-09-07T19:34:00.002+12:00

Grandad reading Harrison a story (complete with sound effects!)

Bath time with Aunty K

Harry playing trains with Daddy...

Harry's lost interest, Daddy's still playing...

No Harry, Daddy's still playing!

Happy boy

2008-09-07T19:27:00.003+12:00

These photos were taking while singing/bouncing along to The Grand Old Duke of York... Harry loves it! The necklace he's wearing, despite making him look like a cool lil surfer dude, is not for looks - it's an amber teething necklace, natural properties get absorbed through the skin making teething less painful and less dribbly. It must be doing something cos he no longer needs to wear a dribble bib 24/7. If you look closely you can see his two tiny bottom teeth!

A message from Harry

2008-08-23T14:20:00.003+12:00

tttttttt v vc b b y bvy bnync cssssssssssre rd vbv n zxC XAÅSA.
Z QX, NSC V
wbgf cvtaq n c v2 c bh bv

Here comes the tooth

2008-08-23T10:47:00.003+12:00

Harrison John Tikihana Kelso

2008-08-22T08:11:00.005+12:00

He sat up by himself!

2008-08-20T11:17:00.002+12:00

The boy was having his morning nap...

I heard him stir and start 'talking' to himself - this isn't unusual, and he often goes back to sleep if I leave him in bed. So I left him to see if he would go back to sleep. After a while, all was quiet, so I peeped in the door to check on him. This is what I found...

Harry had sat up all by himself!

Harrison's been sitting without toppling since about 6 months (when we put him in the sitting position) - but this is the first time he's sat up all by himself.

And in other news - Harry's first tooth is coming through! In the usual finger check of the gums this morning, it felt a bit bumpy. Sure enough, on closer inspection I could see a couple of small white bits of tooth beginning to break through the gums. It's his bottom left tooth, and the right one doesn't seem far off either.

I love my blocks and dumptruck...

2008-08-20T10:43:00.003+12:00

7 months old

2008-08-16T17:17:00.003+12:00

Harrison was 7 months old yesterday, and he celebrated by having his first proper cold. He was not a happy chappy with a runny nose and a cough. We had a few rough nights with the poor little mite not being able to sleep because he was so stuffed up. Thankfully he seems to be getting back into his normal sleep patterns now that he's on the mend! All that's left is a (very cute) husky voice. Yes, my son has lost his voice. He tries to squeal, and all that comes out is air and a tiny, very high pitched squeak!

Harry has 2 sleeps a day now, usually at least one of them is 1 1/2 hours long. He goes to bed at 7pm, occassionally wakes up at about 6am but then is resettled until 'wakeup time' at 7.30am.

He loves just chilling out and playing with his toys, and so far rolling is his mode of transport. There has been a bit of kicking and pulling up one leg action, but he hasn't got up on his hands and knees yet. Although he also kicks his legs while he's sitting, so who knows, he may end up a bum-shuffler like both his parents!

Here's some pictures from the last couple of weeks....

Harry - the keen observer.

Here's some of that rolling/kicking action

"The boys" watching the news - it must have been serious....

...thankfully there was some light-hearted relief in there somewhere!

I've said it many times before and I'll say it again. Like father, like son.

Harry loves playing with his ball - thankfully he seems to have inherited his dad's motor skills, not his mum's!

Reaching over to grab his toys

Getting ready to go for a shower - Daddy helping Harry to do baby sign language for 'shower' (he gets really excited whenever we do it!)

And being a clown, blowing raspberries in the jolly jumper

More adventures from 'sleep' time

2008-08-16T17:13:00.001+12:00

Harry was supposed to be sleeping, when I heard a strange squeaking noise coming from his room... he'd figured out that if he rubbed his hand on his cot it made an awesome sound!

Sqqquuueeaaakkk

Hey. why is my dummy on the floor?

Oh hi Mum!

Kai

2008-08-16T16:49:00.005+12:00

Harry now enjoys eating 3 meals a day, plus snacks. For breakfast he usually has 1/2 a banana (or some mashed pear) + formula and baby cereal - and maybe some marmite on toast if Mum's game for the mess! For lunch it's veges (kumara/pumpkin and greens), and for dinner kumara/potato and meat (so far he's had beef and chicken). The lucky boy also gets dessert - fruit, custard, or banana baby rice. For snacks he likes apple, banana, marmite sandwiches and cruskits. He also loves his new sipper bottle, and will drink water out if it all by himself.

My boy knows what the highchair means!

Mmmm cruskit..

Smooshed cruskit, the best kind.

*Ahh* so refreshing

Bath time...

2008-08-16T16:41:00.003+12:00

...at Granny, Grandad and Aunty Katherine's!

(check out how much of a 'Clement' Harrison looks in the last photo!)

Hey look, it's Shrek...

2008-08-16T16:33:00.002+12:00

Give us your best Ogre look please Harry!

We went swimming!

2008-08-03T15:14:00.003+12:00

This afternoon, Daddy took Harry swimming for the first time. He seemed to enjoy it! Mummy was happy to watch and take photos ;) Here's some photos of our adventure:

Trying on his togs at home...

Oh yeah we're gonna go swimming!!

Hey look Mum, I can do the haka! Tenei te tangata puhuru huru...

My boy being a clown

Practising his swimming moves in his size 1 togs

Aw posing nicely, now there's one for the grandmas...

At the pools...

Wow. Check out that huge bathtub.

Whoa, look at all the children playing.

(The photos above show Harry with his usual facial expression whenever we're somewhere new... he just takes everything in, and looks slightly overwhelmed at times! His face is exactly the same in those 2 photos hehe).

Weeeeeee!

Good swimming Harrison

Kick kick kick

Just lounging back

Aww Daddy and Harry

Hello!

All dressed and warm again, ready to go home.

Must have been hard work!

Why the All Blacks won last night...

2008-08-03T15:11:00.002+12:00

Cheeky boy

2008-08-03T15:06:00.001+12:00

Mama don't 'low no guitar playin' round here

2008-08-03T14:34:00.003+12:00

Yes guitar master, I will watch and learn...

How's this dad? Have I got the rhythm right?

I loooove rock and rollll

Finally he lets me play it by myself!

Ba da ba ba ba da ba... oh yeah...

He was happily playing in his cot...

2008-08-03T14:31:00.002+12:00

...while I put a load of washing on downstairs.

He had some toys to wave around, and his dummy and muzzie were up the top of the cot out of the way.

When I came upstairs, it was unusually quiet. No squeals of delight or babbling, no crackly jingly toys... as I entered his room, I could hear a soft snoring sound. This is what I found...

6 1/2 months old...

2008-07-31T11:53:00.002+12:00

He's getting into everything!

2008-07-31T11:49:00.002+12:00

Excuse the blurriness and the really bad quality of the photos, by the time I got the camera working properly the boy had had enough and wanted up (as you can see by the last photo!). Harry had been playing nicely on the floor, when he decided to roll over to the bookshelf and investigate the games that *had* been neatly stacked on the bottom shelf...

Sleep?! Yeah right..

2008-07-31T11:43:00.002+12:00

Yay, now I finally see everything so well! I don't know why Mumma insisted on putting me to sleep down the bottom of the cot on my back... I only needed a short sleep anyway...

Uh oh. Snapped. Hi Mum.

Oh Daddy's here too, hi Dad!

See how good my cot is for playing in!

OK Dad, it's time to get me up now please...

Mumma time

2008-07-31T11:40:00.001+12:00

Having a laugh together...

Daddy time

2008-07-31T11:34:00.002+12:00

A dad and his boy having fun together...

Happy Birthday Aunty Jo!

2008-07-28T21:03:00.003+12:00

Lots of love, smiles, cuddles and kisses from your boy Harry
xxxxxx

Granny time

2008-07-20T09:39:00.000+12:00

Sleeping...

2008-07-20T09:38:00.002+12:00

...holding on for dear life...

Stuck!

2008-07-20T09:33:00.000+12:00

Happy 1/2 year Birthday!

2008-07-15T17:04:00.002+12:00

6 months old today!!

Harry enjoys putting everything in his mouth...

...reading...

...eating...

...looking at himself in the mirror...

...sleeping cuddling his muzzie...

...looking at whatever is happening around him...

...playing in water...

...and giving big, sloppy, open-mouthed kisses!

A crying boy...

2008-07-15T17:03:00.000+12:00

Cousins

2008-07-15T16:57:00.003+12:00

Last school holidays our niece Amanda came to stay with us and these holidays it was Cori-Jo's turn. Harry has had lots of fun hanging out with C.J. ...

Special...

2008-07-14T20:09:00.003+12:00

I made this little visual presentation to be played at Harrison's dedication...

Harry's dedication: the story in photos

2008-07-14T11:33:00.003+12:00

Thankyou so much to all our friends and family who were a part of Harry's special day... I don't think we managed to get photos of all of you, but we were so glad you could share it with us.

Nearly 6 months old!

2008-07-09T15:33:00.004+12:00

It is hard to believe that in less than a weeks time, my boy will be 6 months old. He is growing and learning so much! The photo above is Harrison with one of his fave toys, his pickup truck. It's actually a bath toy, but he loves playing with it in his exersaucer or on the mat. He pushes it around, chews it, sucks it and waves it in the air. He is getting more and more mobile - we can't just leave him on the floor anymore as he rolls everywhere! He does like being able to reach his toys when he wants them, but now we have to be careful about what we leave on the floor (he particularly likes paper).

With being more mobile, Harry went through a bit of strife for a while in his cot. When he was supposed to be sleeping, he was rolling about and I would often find him crying, stuck up the top of his cot sideways and on his tummy! (He sleeps down the bottom of the cot on his back, and not sideways). Needless to say we now tuck him in very tight (just like Grandma Zilla used to) with a sheet across, and he finds it more difficult to get out. The clever little monkey also learnt how to turn his mobile on with his feet, most times if I leave him for a few minutes after he's woken up I'll walk in to his mobile playing!

Harrison is also really good at sitting now - he's been sitting for a couple of weeks, but not for long periods of time. Just over the last week he can sit for 5 - 10 mins at a time without toppling over, though we make sure there are pillows or someone there to catch him if he does take a tumble.

Harry is in a really good little routine, with 3 sleeps a day (1 hour - 1 1/2 hours at a time) and going to bed at 7pm. He sometimes wakes a couple of times in the night, but thankfully now goes back to sleep easily again when we put the dummy in. He's very good to his mummy - for my first few days of work, he slept through every night!

It was good going to work, but very tiring. Teaching is a busy job and particularly going into a class half way through the year will be a bit of a challenge, but the kids are great. On the plus side, I was too busy to be worrying about my boy! Harry was in very capable hands, staying with his Daddy on the Monday and his Aunty Katherine on the Tuesday and Wednesday. I was very excited when I came home on Tuesday to see a little folder for Harrison, with some photo stories of what he'd been doing and a painting he'd done that day! It was very cool. It's great to have a sister who's an early childhood teacher! It's currently school holidays so I'll go in a few days, and then back to usual in a couple of weeks. I think Harry enjoys spending time with other people, and I know that I certainly cherish the time I have with him more.

Music man

2008-07-09T15:17:00.002+12:00

Harry loves shakers and drums of all kinds, so I decided to make a couple out of things we had around the house. The drum is an old yoghurt container with rice in it (so it's a shaker too, clever!), and duct tape around it to keep the lid on and so it looks pretty. I did the same with an old plastic medicine bottle. Check out the boy making some music....

I can beat on my drum and blow raspberries at the same time (beatboxer already maybe?!)

Tasty..

I can shake my shaker

Happy birthday Grandad!

2008-06-24T08:32:00.000+12:00

Happy birthday Grandad!

Ohh look at that cake... mmm it looks so good...

Can I have some Grandad?? Please?

Story time

One hand for me, and one for you

More please!

2008-06-23T14:50:00.000+12:00

Playing

2008-06-23T14:48:00.001+12:00

Hello!

If I could just...reach...across....nearly....

...got it!

Mmmmm

5 months old

2008-06-16T16:53:00.002+12:00

Well our boy was 5 months old on Sunday. I never understood it when parents said their kids were growing up too fast, but now I do!! In saying that though, each new stage is so precious and exciting as we see Harry grow and develop. As you can see he is a happy wee thing, and likes sharing his cute smile with people he meets.

Yesterday morning we stayed inside watching the rain, Harry sat in his exersaucer mesmorised, watching the raindrops trickle down the glass. He had a little play in the washing basket, then we headed out to visit the classroom I'll be teaching in. Harrison was his usual charming self and enjoyed meeting all the kids! He even fell asleep in the sling.

Watching the rain

Just chillin'

Ooo look, a toy

Today Harry had his 5 month Plunket check, and everything is hunky dory. He also had his immunisations - he was very brave and only cried a little bit, and this was soon fixed with mumma cuddles! Harry's teeth have been moving around a lot under his gums - he's mega dribbly, often gets rosy red cheeks, and chews on anything he can get his hands on.

Here are his latest stats:

Weight: 7.96kg
Height: 70.5cm
Head: 44.5cm

Harry is in the 75th percentile for weight and head circumference, and in the 97th percentile for height (although we can't say we're surprised). We decided that with all this cold weather and clothes taking so much longer to dry, he needed a new jersey - so we got him a styley hoodie (size 6-9months!) from the Farmers sale. I think it really suits him.

A tired boy sick of Mumma trying to take photos of him in his cool hoodie

One of Harry's fave games to play - he puts my finger in his mouth, then his fingers in my mouth... can keep him entertained for a long time!

Harry still absolutely LOVES his showers, and reaches out to touch the water with his hand. He saw daddy move the black thing on the showerhead around to change the flow of the water, so lately he's been reaching out to touch that and trying to move it too. He's also not adverse to sticking his tongue out under the warm water and having a good old drink!

"Where's Harry?!"

And here's a last little photo to leave you with... Harry said this is especially for his Aunty Jo, Uncle Damian, Amanda and Cori-Jo, and his Poppa and Koro --- he can't wait to see you all again and sends lots of love, cuddles and smiles down to Tokoroa.

Friends

2008-06-16T16:35:00.002+12:00

Harrison (5 months) with his friend Emily (7 months).

Harry: Hello
Emily: Hi, nice to meet you

H: Nice to meet you too... you're pretty, can I have a kiss?

E: Mum he's trying to kiss me! What do I do?!
H: Pffawft I'm not sure about the taste of these fingers

H: Right, that's it.... I'm going for your arm then
E: Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

E: Well let me get a good look at you... gosh you are a little cutie!! Look at those cheeks! Coodgy coodgy coo!
H: Huh? Women! Don't know what they want!

E: Come here then, give us a cuddle

Awwwwwww

NB: Creative license has been used, actual storyline and words spoken by babies may have differed to what is described above.

This morning's antics

2008-06-12T12:02:00.004+12:00

Mmm, homemade rusk

Into the gob...

...and the ear (?!)

Look Mum, no hands!

Here, do you want some?

---------------------------------------------

And after being cleaned up, Harry was sitting in his bebepod chair whilst Mum was finding some clean clothes.... everything used to be stacked neatly on the change table...

---------------------------------------------

OK so I've got those cloth nappies off, now for these disposable jobs

Gosh Mum and Dad will appreciate me sorting all this stuff out for them

Hey! Why did she take the plastic bag away! Far out, it's not as though it was dangerous or anything!

Right, on to those tissues next I think

Better test this one to make sure it's safe

Good, that's the last of them

Muuuummmmmaa! I've done all this work for you and now I'm tired! And I'm stuck!

Playground time

2008-06-10T19:49:00.004+12:00

This afternoon we all got rugged up and went for a family walk to the playground. Harry got to go in a swing and down a slide for the first time! He was very curious, looking around at everything, and was a bit unsure about the swing at first but then got into it.

Hello up there

Uh I'm not so sure about this thing when it moves like this...

Hey this is actually quite cool

Dribble monster!

Weee!

Ok, I'm ready. Lets do this thing. It's now or never.

Coming in to land

And landing take 2 (different location)

Time to go home now....

...that was great.

Waddles the Duck

2008-06-10T19:45:00.001+12:00

Harry with his mate Waddles

Uh oh

It wasn't me... honest!

Here it is!

2008-06-10T18:51:00.003+12:00

It has been far too long since my last post... we have been very busy! Harry is nearly 5 months old now and changing so much all the time. As I type this, he is sitting quietly on my lap looking around at everything... he especially likes looking at the bright lights on the screen and watching my fingers move. He's now playing with the mouse and moving it around... computer pro already I think (although it could be the fact that he now grabs everything and that the mouse has a bright red light to entice him....!). He just clicked the buttons on the mouse and managed to open two new browser windows, and now he's flipping the mouse around and rolling it over. OK, time for daddy duty I think.....

So with the boy safely downstairs distracted with pumpkin, I can update properly. As I was saying, things have been busy over the last couple of months. I went back to work part-time, at Kip McGraths - tutoring 3 sessions a week (Tuesday afternoon and Saturday morning). With the price of everything these days it was really a necessity, and it was great cos Scott could look after Harry while I was working. It was working really well and I was enjoying it. However, I had to give notice there last week.... I got a phone-call while we were away up North (more on that later) from Ellerslie School. They had a part-time position available, and would I like it? If I wanted it, it was mine! So after much thought and prayer (and discussions with family re: Childcare etc) I decided I would accept it. I'll be working 2 1/2 days a week in a Year 7/8 classroom. It was in the plan to do this next January, but job-sharing positions aren't too easy to find in teaching and this one practically landed in my lap, so I thought I'd go for it. I figured it would be hard now, or it would be hard in 6 months time... so it's just a little earlier than expected! Hopefully Scott will be able to look after Harry on Mondays, Granny (my mum) on Tuesdays and our friend Katie on Wednesday mornings.

We spent a week away with Katie and Greg up in Dargaville, staying with Scott's mum in Te Kopuru. Harry loved spending time with his Grand-mama and although we totally overtook her house, I think she loved having lots of time with him too (and being able to show her grandson off at work!). We went up there as 1914media to run a film programme with six 14 year olds from Dargaville High. They made a short film and it is amazing. It will be up on the website sometime after the screening, so you'll be able to have a peek at it then.

Harry loves his solids and eats pumpkin, kumara, pear and baby rice (but he only really likes baby rice if it's mixed with pumpkin). Scott and I have been busy in the kitchen cooking up and mashing/pureeing big batches to freeze. Harrison is a hungry boy and just loves a good feed (of both varieties). He is even known to say "mmmm" when he's eating something particularly yummy.

OK, time for the piccies..... starting off with the first time Harry ate solids...

Right I'm ready Mum, give me my food now please!

Oooo that looks good...

Pfft, I can do this myself!

Aaaaahhhhhhhhh

Harry has been for a number of walks in his stroller, and even went for a walk with Uncle Elmo and Aunty Becci! I was very brave and didn't worry too much for the 20mins they were away!

Before.....

....and after.

And more recently, all rugged up ready to go for a walk with Mummy. He fell asleep not long after I took this photo and I can tell why, it looked sooo cosy and comfy in there.

Harry met his Great Great Aunty Win for the first time, and was amazed with all her little toys that sung and danced and played music...

Spot the baby (playing Hide and Seek with Daddy!)

Having some quiet time 'reading'

Guess who's found his feet!

Wow check out that ring Grandma... everything is just so interesting!

What's that up there? Wiggly fingers... far out that's amazing...

Poser!

And lastly... it's not a very good photo cos it's all blurry, but I just had to share it cos it's a typical Harry look! This was taken about 2 hours ago...

2008-05-07T14:56:00.002+12:00

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
[Psalm 4: 8]

Rolling with Harry

2008-05-06T22:05:00.000+12:00

Giggles

2008-04-30T21:19:00.002+12:00

15 weeks old

2008-04-29T14:39:00.005+12:00

Our Harry at 3 1/2 months - he's a very happy wee guy, grinning at everyone and laughing away when something takes his fancy. His smiles are tricky to get on camera now, cos whenever he sees a camera he just stares at it very intently! He likes cuddles (especially when he's tired), but he also likes just chilling out by himself. He loves being in his exersaucer (courtesy of TradeMe) and spinning himself around in it. He also loves sitting up and being able to see everything, and playing with Daddy. One of his favourite things is listening to singing and music... there's one song that is guaranteed to stop Harrison crying every time!!

Harry has just had his 3 month growth spurt - well, hopefully it's finished now. Growth spurt = very regular feeding = tired mummy. For a while there (pre growth spurt), Harrison was sleeping 11 hours at night... we're optimistically looking forward to that pattern returning!

Our 10 year old niece Amanda came to stay with us for a few days, and it was great having her around. She helped out with Harry lots and he just loved hanging out with his big cousin!! Just between you and me, Amanda has started a blog.... check it out here. You can read there what we got up to while she was staying!

Harry also went to his first kids birthday party - his friend Ane (Sita's daughter) had her first birthday party. He was very well behaved, and after a bit of socialising spent the rest of the time asleep in the sling. Even the loud rumblings of the Tongan men's singing voices failed to disturb him!

So enough of the news, here's some eye candy for you:

My boys.. aren't they cute!! I just love how Harry is naturally holding his hands!

Harry is starting to become more mobile. During floor time, he started off like this....

And finished up like this! Then that afternoon, he turned a complete 360 degrees.

Harrison wearing a jersey his mum used to wear when she was a baby (except I was 7 months old when it fit me, not 3 months!!)

One tired snuggly boy

Harrison's first visit to a pub.. he looks a little overwhelmed!! (Happy birthday Aunty K)

Fast asleep cuddling his muzzie (in the pub no less)

Chilling out in his sling, nice and cosy next to Mumma

Refreshingly Ginger

Playing along to the music

Having fun with cuzzie Amanda

Granny time

Concentrating very hard while reaching out to grab his toy

Check out Harry's cute hat, knitted by his Granny... a very quizzical look on my boy's face!

Just 'laxing

Warm towel cuddles!

Daddy getting his boy ready for bed

Bliss....

What, my baby is 3 months old already?!

2008-04-17T08:11:00.004+12:00

Weight: 7.16kg
Head: 43cm
Length: 68cm
Getting to hang out with our lil man: Priceless

This week we had our 3 month visit with Mrs Plunket, and I'm glad to say that Harrison is going well. He's very much into putting anything and everything into his mouth at the moment, and laughed properly for the first time on his 3 month birthday! He loved it when Daddy bounced him up and down on his chest, and was really cracking up. So cute.

Honestly Mum, I don't know why you insist on making me look so silly.

Waaaaaaaaaaaa!

Wow, so many things to look at... and hit... and kick.... this is awesome!

Thanks for my card Grandad.... mmm tasty cardboard....

Why hello there Mr Monkey

Hanging out with Aunty K, eating my hands, life is good...

Hmm this aunty of mine seems like she's got something important to say, so I'd better listen carefully....

Oop, there's the camera! Pose, and a silly face. Raaaa!

Joy

2008-04-08T13:09:00.002+12:00

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
[Psalm 5:11]

12 weeks old today

2008-04-08T12:08:00.005+12:00

My two boys, in shirts Scott's mum bought them from Raro before Harrison was born. Aren't they cute!

Seeing as Harry loves standing and sitting so much, I decided to try him in his jolly jumper for a couple of minutes... he absolutely loved it! He was spinning himself around and towards the end was start to bounce himself slightly. As you can see, the arms were flapping madly and there was a look of determination on my boy's face!

Like father, like son?

This game is called "kick daddy in the face" (it is played quite regularly!)

Harry got to sleep in his cool new portacot when we went to Te Kopuru for the weekend

Spot the baby in the Grandma's girly bed

My big boy sitting up in his stroller, watching Grandma baking muffins in the kitchen....

...and 'singing' along to music on the radio

Harrison and his Granny, wearing his styley new jersey knitted by the Granny herself!

Playing with his friends Mr Elephant and Mr Caterpillar

Our little tigger

2008-04-02T22:36:00.001+13:00

Me and my tired wee boy

2008-04-02T20:37:00.002+13:00

i Poo'd

2008-04-01T13:19:00.007+13:00

Hey Aunty Karen

Thanks for my cool t-shirt all the way from Canada. I love it.. yah!

Uh oh......

...yep... i Poo'd.

Grandma time

2008-04-01T13:07:00.004+13:00

Weeeeeee!
Oh Grandma, you're so silly

OK I've had enough of that now!!!

Oh that's better, a nice quiet story....

What happened next Grandma??

11 weeks old

2008-04-01T12:34:00.004+13:00

My goodness this last 11 weeks has gone fast!! We can't believe how much Harrison is growing and changing each day. I look back on photos from when he was newborn and think just how teeny he was then! He really is a joy to be around and such a cool little dude. He's recently discovered his hands, and will suck his left fist - always his left one and always with his thumb tucked in. Harry is getting really good at tummy time, and lifts his head up high. He rolled front to back 3 times this morning, though gave himself a bit of a fright!

He's in cloth nappies full-time now (even when we go out) which is excellent - saves loads of money and heaps better for the environment. And they look oh so cute!

I thought we'd gotten past the stage where it was gonna happen, but as you'll notice in the photos, Harry's lovely wee hair is falling out... Not much of that mohawk left now!! Good thing it'll grow back soon.

And the big news - Harry is sleeping through the night. The first time he slept 10pm til 7am which was a bit of a shock, and now we generally get 8 hours sleep overnight. Here's hoping it lasts!!

Easter dress-ups

2008-04-01T12:15:00.002+13:00

Who says 10 weeks old is too young for chocolate?! And it's mine, all mine...

What's that, you want me to smile?? Yeah, I love this Easter thing!

Dress-ups with Daddy

Oh Dadda, you're so silly!

Easter trip

2008-04-01T11:48:00.003+13:00

Sorry for the delay in updating the blog!! I have now found a quicker way of adding photos, so hopefully now I'll add them more often. So here's photos galore!

We went away over Easter - first to attend our friends Nadia & Jeremy's wedding in Tauranga and stay with friends Matt & Roxy (Matt was one of Scott's old flatmates and groomsman at our wedding).

Harry and Matt

Chilling out with Roxy

Harrison and I all dressed up for the wedding

Us and the gorgeous bride (Harry was unimpressed by this stage!!)

It wasn't long after this that Harry decided he would go on a "nursing strike" and refused to feed! This was quite frustrating and upsetting for all involved, but thanks to a phonecall to Plunketline, a bit of patience and a lot of prayer, he slowly got back on track. Very unusual for our big boy who was a big eater, and thankfully he's back to normal now.

Then we headed to Maungakino to stay with Scott's dad, Harry's Poppa. Harry got to meet his Great Nana for the first time, she was stoked to see him and he loved meeting her too.

Harrison and Great Nana Kelso

Smiling at Aunty Jo

Nana and her 3 great-grandchildren

Everyone toasting Harry

Harry is a very popular young man!

Look at that smitten look on Dadda's face... *sigh*

Harrison and Poppa

2 months old

2008-03-16T21:52:00.000+13:00

Yes, I am 2 months old already. At the moment I spend a lot of time looking around at everything, especially my mobile and books. I also love lying on my play mat and hitting the toys above me (my faves are the star and the flying elephant). I 'talk' lots, and when Dad gets home from work I make sure I update him on everything me and Mum have been up to that day! Mumma and Dadda say they love my cute cooing and all the smiles I give them. I also love listening to music and doing the actions with Mum, or when Daddy zerbits on my puku! And my all time favourite thing is when Dadda holds my hands so I can stand up tall.

I sleep in my own room all the time now, in my big cot. Mum has to take my mobile down at sleep time cos otherwise I'll just look at my friends instead of going to sleep! I go to bed at about 7pm and wake up for the day at 7am - I have a 'dream feed' (when I'm asleep) at about 10pm and wake up once in the night, usually at about 3am.

I visited the friendly plunket nurse Wendy at 8 weeks old, and I weighed in at 6.4kg and measured 65cm long. She thinks I'm very big and strong!

Here's some photos from the last couple of weeks:

Oi Dad! You're all prickly!
(this is one of Mumma's favourite photos)

Check out my cool new outfit (thanks Julie), it keeps me so cosy and warm!

Snuggling into my Grandma

Play time with Dadda

Meeting my friend Ane (11 months) and her mum Sita

Hanging out with Granny

Granny and Mumma dressed me up in a dress for a photo. I was not impressed, I'm far too boyish to be wearing an outfit like that. Apparently it's the family Christening gown that my Great Grandma Joy made for my Grandad, and Mum wore it too. Mum fitted it when she was 4 1/2 months old, and I am 7 weeks old in this photo and it was too small for me! It was very tight at the sleeves and the top button couldn't do up at the back.

Having snuggles with Mumma at the end of a long day

Giganta baby - me with some of my friends from coffee group... Max (3 weeks), Ursula (5 weeks) and Me (7 weeks).

Like father, like son

2008-03-16T21:48:00.003+13:00

7 weeks old

2008-03-04T09:28:00.004+13:00

Here are some photos from the last week...

I had some smiles for my Great Grandma Zilla

But not before I poked out my tongue at her... here it comes...

...bluh!

Mum put me to have a sleep in my big cot. She wants me to start getting used to it cos soon I won't fit in my basinette anymore!

It was very comfy. When I'm awake, I love looking at my friends on the mobile.

I went for my 6 week check up and immunisations. I weighed in at a mighty 5.96kg and measured 63cm in length! The jabs went ok, I only cried for a bit and then was ok when I had a big cuddle from mumma. Later in the day I got pretty upset, but good old Pamol soon got me feeling better. This photo is of me telling mum to stop taking photos of me! I was tired after my big outing and all she wanted to do was take photos... typical!

Ah that's better. I'm holding my Wellchild (aka Plunket) book - see my cool as cover? Granny made it for me. It's got a fireman on it, just like my Poppa.

Grandad and Aunty K came to visit - so did Granny, but Mum forget to get photos... stay tuned next week!

This is me having a bath last night. I love going in the big bath cos I can stretch right out and splash about. I just lie back on my wee bath lounger thing. Sometimes I kick off from the end of the bath and go sliding!

Harry | Standing Tall

2008-03-01T19:48:00.003+13:00

I took mum and dad by surprise when, with a little help from the oldman, I stood up!

6 weeks old today

2008-02-26T16:23:00.001+13:00

Smiling with my Great Grandma Joy!

Modelling the Chicago Bulls gear Dad got me from America before I was born.

Dadda cam | the many faces of Harrison Kelso

2008-02-24T20:57:00.005+13:00

I love my cloth nappies!

2008-02-24T20:48:00.002+13:00

Hey good lookin'

2008-02-24T17:36:00.011+13:00

Hi everyone! Boy have I been busy. Yesterday I went for my first little road trip - we drove to Hamilton and I met lots more of my family. Before we left, Dadda dressed me up in styley gears.

I got to meet my Poppa (I get my big hands and chubby cheeks from him!!)and chill out with Aunty Kelly
and Aunty Anna.

I had cuddles with my Aunty Jo (who was all dressed up for the 70s party)
and Uncle Damian.

This is me and my Koro. He was speaking lots of te reo to me and I listened very carefully!
My big cousins Amanda and CJ couldn't wait to hang out with me again - I was a lot heavier than last time they held me on the day I was born!

Here is my Grandma and her two boys. I thought Dad was a bit big to still be sitting on her lap, but they didn't seem to think so!

Look at how big I am getting!

2008-02-22T13:09:00.002+13:00

I am now 5 1/2 weeks old and Mum and Dad say I am growing soooo fast! I had my first visit from the friendly plunket nurse on Monday. I don't know what's with these ladies coming to see me and taking my kit off - Mumma says it's so they can weigh me but I think they just wanna see my muscles! Anyway so I weighed 5.6kg and everyone was very impressed.

I've been quite the socialite lately, going out with Mum to coffee group and parents centre where I get to hang out with my little friends. Mum and Dad took me to my first bbq on Monday night - Uncle Luke and Aunty Laura left to go overseas for a while, so I was glad I got to have big cuddles with them before they left. Then on Tuesday evening we went to Girls' Brigade. I don't know why (seeing I'm such a boyish boy) but I did hear Mum say something about being an 'honourary member' along with Dadda and the Kerr men!

Mum was very excited about a phone call she got last week... apparently she entered a photo of me into a competition, and I made it into the top 20! They then had to look at the shortlist and choose the top 6 - I didn't make it through to that stage, but everyone thinks it's pretty cool I got that far.

The photo up the top was taken today - about an hour ago. Granny knitted me this cool cardi before I was even born, but up until now it's been too hot to wear it. It's so cosy - thanks Granny!

Thanks for checking out my blog and don't forget to leave a comment... that way I can always remember who visited my blog to read about me. Click where it says 'comments' at the bottom right hand corner of this entry and say hi!

Love Harry

xxxxxxx