It has been ages since we last updated this website. So so much has happened in our lives in the last 2 months, and it's hard to imagine that it's been so long already! However, we're slowly regaining control over our daily routine, which means this website will also get back to being up to date! Expect rather cryptic entries until mid April, so we can get back on track!
Milestones:
- Eating solids, from a spoon! Well, this is a major milestone. We're so thankful that we waited until now before starting Duvan on solids - he's so ready for it now! More on that below.
- Upper body control. What would be an entry without us telling you how much more Duvan can do with his upper body! One day this week Duvan was sitting back in his stroller. All of a sudden he popped straight up, stretched forward and grabbed something on the tray in front of him! That means he went from a reclining position all the way to sitting up forward.
- It goes without mention, Duvan can now also sit up - he still sways a lot and will fall over if he moves his head around too much, but he's definitely a sitting baby. :)
- Duvan started using his legs to manipulate things. He'll notice something lying close to his feet, and he'll kick very methodically to get it closer to him. He's been doing this for a while now, but it's really only now that we can truely say he's deliberate in his attempts at moving things with his feet. It's very cute to watch the concentration on that face!
- Bathtime has just taken on a whole new dimension. Duvan started giving these high-pitched squeals of joy after bathtime. He must love the way the bathroom echo's because he continues and continues. It's classic to watch him, he'll go completely stiff and closes his eyes, and then screams at the top of his voice, it's all excitement and energy. :) This is also the time when he will talk the most, chatting away non-stop, as if he's having complete conversations with himself. It's adorable.
- Grandma Jacobs taught Duvan this week to pull himself up by holding on to her fingers. He'll be lying on his back, and she holds out her hands to him to grab a hold of her fingers. She then gently works with him to pull him up to a sitting position. He seems so proud of himself, and really enjoys doing it!
- First encounter with dogs. Duvan's first encounter with dogs were at the Van Tonder's house. We had just arrived in Virginia, and the dogs were runnings around us barking up at us. At first everyone was trying to calm down the dogs, until we realized that Duvan was bursting out in laughter everytime a dog would bark at him. At this point we of course started encouraging the dogs to bark :). Duvan was so amused by the dogs, and thought it was the funniest thing that a little toy that size can make so much noise. Everytime a dog would bark, he'd close his eyes as if he got startled, but then burst out with the cutest giggle and then attentively watch the dog. :) This continues for about 2 or 3 days - he really loved their company!
- First real cold. :( Poor little baby, Duvan had his first cold. He coughed himself awake, and just seemed to feel rather miserable for a day or so. Praise the Lord though, because he really fought it well. He was a lot better by the next evening and fine the day after!
- Health! A full month of travel, 5 different countries, and 4 timezones, and all that happened was a silly little cold that left Duvan down for 2 days, and some skin rashes. We're so thankful for a healthy baby. Please pray for his continued health, particularly for his skin, which seems to be prone to rashes. :(
Phew, it's been a busy couple of weeks since we arrived in South Africa! Duvan's had to meet a lot of people that awaited his arrival with great anticipation. He has handled the extra triple measure of attention really well, and has now come to enjoy it quite a lot (causing a little bit of concern to his parents). A memorable moment from day one was when the whole family had gathered in the living room. There were nine new faces in the room. Duvan sat on Dad's lap and started with Oupa Japie right next to him. He then worked his way systematically through the whole room, intently staring at one person after the for 10 seconds or so, before moving on to the next. He appeared intent on working out each person, one at a time.
The biggest challenge to Mom & Dad has been evaluating and fielding all of the concerned questions from grandparents and great-grandma about his antics. For example, when Duvan gets tired, he scratches his head and pulls his ears. This mannerism caused great confusion on the first days though, as everyone thought he definitely had an ear infection, or alternatively has a skin condition that makes his head irritable and could not condone our indifference to these sure signs :). The sudden extra dose of stimulation did make for some tough nap sessions. Mom & Dad didn't care too much though, and helped Duvan go to sleep by joining him for the naps!
Unfortunately, the sleep trouble has extended into the night. It took Duvan a couple of nights to settle down, and the alien new environment means that Duvan has lost the precious skill of self-calming. He really needs us to hold him when he wakes up at night ans has a hard time falling asleep again. He'll muster up all the energy he has in the middle of the night to guard us from putting him down and leaving him alone again. We're sharing a room for now, which also means that if Duvan's not sleeping very tight, a creak from our bed wakes him up and reminds him to call for us. :)
The longer nights and 2 months of seeming endless running means that we're all enjoying the warm comfort of a cosy home. Our parents have made our return very comfortable and spoil us with the best cooking Moms have to offer. We were also blessed with the use of a beautiful hardwood crib that Jan's uncle had made for one of his grandchildren. So we are all very comfortable and enjoying our time off!
Those big brown eyes will win you over in no time at all.
Here Duvan is taking his first bite of solid food. He amazed all of us at how well he did, evidence that he was ready! Grandma had the honor of feeding him first, while Mom & Dad watched and learned from an experienced mother. At first Duvan did not really know why the spoon kept coming back to his mouth (or why it left behind a lump of tickened milk when it left), but he swallowed all that it brought.
Later, he had figured that the spoon brings goodies, and started opening his mouth in anticipation! This simple moment made our hearts swell with pride.
Here he's watching Grandma's coaching.
Increased body control translates into increased capacity for satisfying one's curiosity. A new voice in the room warrants immediate investigation.
One morning Marésa and I finished up in the room while Duvan was taking a nap. We were as quiet as we could possibly be, and spoke in the softest hush that we could possibly produce. Marésa had just whispered in my ear "We need to hurry, Duvan will wake up in 10 minutes...", when we both looked over to the crib and saw two bright brown eyes intently staring at us over the side of the crib. :)) He was lying on his stomach, and arched his back at an impossible angle to see over the side, quietly watching us trying to slip out of the room. It was precious!
All clean and ready to go!
Here Duvan is on the floor, playing with the living room curtain.
Without the luxury of a bath seat for Duvan, we started bathing him in a little plastic tub. This was his first time in the tub, and he had a blast! He sat in it like the ruler of the white palace, chatting away in his newly acquired bathtime chatter.
At the Van Tonder's Duvan also enjoyed the royal treatment befitting a king! (Nope, he didn't really sleep like this :)).
Yan, Maresa and Duvan-
Hi this is Melissa, from Baltimore (Newark). It is so nice to be able to go on your website and get an update of how you're doing. I can't believe how much Duvan is growing in such a short time-your clips could be used in a infant development class.
Your family is deeply missed here in Delaware (& Maryland). I hope to see you guys in the near future.
melissa
Posted by: Melissa Forbes | May 1, 2004 09:10 PM
