Tue 4 Apr 2006
We love being parents to Liam more and more each day. He continues to surprise and delight us with his ever emerging personality. Gone is the redness of his newborn skin; his skin is now a pale chickeny colour, so I have started to call him chicken chop.Overall, I still think he's pretty laid back, and is happy most of the time. In the past couple of weeks, his development seems to have surged: all of a sudden he has become quite a talker, starting out cooing, and now actively gurgling with me every day. In the evening he talks earnestly of his big day, his back resting on Jon's legs and looking into Jon's face. I have attached a toy, which contains a mirror, among other things, to one side of his cot. Encouraged by the smiling face staring back at him, he sometimes wakes me in the mornings by talking to himself in the cot until I get up. And another recent observation is during 'tummy time' on the rug (to build his neck and back muscles). He now manages easily to hold his head up in the prone position, and can, just, commando crawl toward my voice and a toy. By the end of 5 minutes, though, he's pretty exhausted and a frustrated grizzle tells me that he's had enough. Recently, Liam's helped us to realise just how much he enjoys his evening bath. Observing him beforehand as we undress him on the change table, he gives us wide, eager eyes; sticks his tongue out, and waves his arms and legs madly as if splashing in the bath. And he has also discovered the thrill of new textures in his mouth. His fist is frequently in his mouth, making loud sucking noises, and he'll try to suck on my hand when I hold him upright to burp after a feed. But he hasn't quite got the hang of holding on to toys and bringing them up to his mouth. The saga of managing his food intolerances continues. I've been keeping a food diary with the aim of identifying - and then avoiding - foods to which he is sensitive. I'm pretty sure one of the culprits is one or more of the additives in chocolate, so regrettably have had to eliminate chocolate from my diet for the foreseeable future. At its worst, he's had a couple of bouts of bright red blood specks in his poo, which we suspect may be caused by anal fissures (tears) as he strains, due to a severely irritated gut. Poor love - I have planned to return to the paediatrician, who I think might refer me to a paediatric allergist. At 6 months of age, if it hasn't resolved, it may require some skin prick tests to identify the food/s he is allergic to. 
We are all very well. At this stage, we plan to drive to Canberra for Easter; not quite sure where we'll stay yet, but will let you know. Finally, here are some photos. There are so many I want to include - I might do it over two emails. Lots of love Jon, Tam and Liam xxx
