the 8th tooth -- what a nightmare

Little Jasper has just cut the 8th tooth though I can't see the actual tooth yet but there is definitely a tiny cut in the gum so I count it as a "tooth". God knows what he bit on or ingested - He had a high temp and had been vomiting day and night since 5 days ago, spent the whole day at the peadeatric emergency but found nothing and was sent home when his temp returned to normal. He hasnt had anything real to eat for 5 days now, basically just living on hydralyte(dehydration liquid). He doesnt seem to be able to keep his food down(not even any types of milk), but biscuits seem ok. I find a straw cup so more much convenient to use than a sippy cup as I don't have to watch him tip the cup. I heard other mothers having a lot of problems weaning their toddlers off the sippy cup, and that the sippy spout isnt doing the teeth any good either. A few mothers I spoke with had breastfed their baby till 8-10 mths out of good intention but when it came to weaning their baby wouldnt take a bottle or cup (just eat solids) and didn't put on weight for more than 6 months. I am grateful I dont have to go through these.

13.5 mths, 7th tooth, walking, crawls on knees

I run through my finger on Jasper's gum and found out he had just cut the 7th tooth, it was a bottom right canine. He eats more than a normal adult would eat(rice, cheese, spinach, broccoli, chicken, toasts, egg, banana...), milk intake has been reduced to ½-1 cup three times a day only, sometimes less. I guess he has just got used to the idea of walking that he walks very often now. The highest count has been 34 steps and I won't bother counting anymore as it is just a matter of time before he can walk with confidence. He has also started to crawl upright on his knees only with both hands off the floor. He can follow simple verbal instructions such as "clap", "wave", "open mouth" etc. Just when i thought maybe he had grown up a little bit and then to my disappointment I found out that a chunk of one of the baby books was bitten off. So maybe he is not quite ready to spend time alone with books.

claps when asked, walked 17 steps

Went to one of the "toddler" classes and spoke with other mothers about their baby walking. In fact some babies go through the transition from crawling to walking pretty quickly ie within a few days or so, while quite a few babies took more than THREE MONTHS from the first step to walking proficiently. It has become more apparent to me Jasper may take months before walking independently. He walked 17 steps yesterday before falling. Also, when I say the word "clap" and "clapping" he claps his hands it happens each time everytime, this has started to happen a few days ago. He can understand words like "milk", "water", "biscuit", "eat" etc these words usually catch his attention. I havent taken any picutures these days but a lot of video clips. Given he is constantly on the move, it is much easier taking video clips and just select a frame or two to turn into a picture. When it comes to bed time he has become quite naughty, he throws all the pillows, beddings and soft toys out of the cot to the floor and then shouts for attention.

walked 4 steps, jasper's singing

9th August 2005 - Jasper hasn't walked since days ago. I took him outside to the community courtyard so he could crawl up and down the slope. I have had a bad cold for over a week, coughing a lot, Jasper's caught it too, first time he got sick since birth, we've picked up the cold from the play group I guess. My friends baby girl who started walking only a few weeks ago had stopped crawling completely, I saw her almost running.

8th August 2005 7:22pm - He seems to be extremely vocal these days singing and saying all sorts of things sometimes lasting 20mins to half an hour. I have been using my digital camera to record them as they are very interesting(i used to keep pet birds!!). He hasn't walked again since 3rd August. I have installed the portable baby-wall today so he wont be able to climb up on the "fence" again.

5th August 2005 5:08pm - Jasper the crawler is 13mths old today. I have recorded jasper's song and put it in the background of this webpage. He seems to be singing a lot, speaking a lot and blowing raspberries again. Doesnt seem to be interested in walking, hasnt walked since 2 days ago.

3rd August 2005 5:50pm - Jasper managed to walk 4 steps on his own and then fell to a crawling position and continued to crawl. He is a crawler still.