Baby’s First Year
Our baby’s first year in Zürich has been the sweetest year for our family. I can’t believe just one year ago we were at Hirslanden Klinik im Park in Zürich Wollishofen welcoming him to our family. It’s as if he has always been a part of our family. And we just can’t imagine it any other way.
A Year In Review
October 8, 2017 at 5:00 I woke up. For the first time with any pregnancy, my water sort of broke. It was not dramatic or chaotic. I was sleeping and just woke up thinking I needed the bathroom. It wasn’t amazing like in the movies where you have to go grab a mop and you’re in the middle of a Target aisle or at work or something horrific.
The whole house was quiet, and besides the possibility of my water breaking, I didn’t notice anything. So I waited until 9:00 and woke up my husband. It was literally our slowest Sunday morning on record. I asked him to call the hospital and ask if I was in labor. I had never been in labor before. With the girls I had to be induced both times. So he called. And the midwife who answered, who ended up delivering our baby, said to come in since it was a full moon and the weather had changed. She had the delivery room waiting for us when we got there at 11:00.
The midwife got me all organized in the delivery room and then told us to go on a walk outside. Oh the Swiss and their fresh air. I knew I couldn’t walk around as I really thought the baby was coming. My husband took the kids for a snack in the hospital and waited while a wonderful neighbor came to pick up the girls.
He was born at 13:00. So quick. The girls came back to the hospital to visit around dinnertime to meet their baby brother. It was wonderful. Read more of his birth story here.
Milestones, or lack thereof
And now our baby is one! He is still crawling. He pulls himself up to stand on any kitchen cabinet, door, hinge, table, or sofa. But he is not standing on his own yet. Or walking. And no teeth. He’s not saying any words. But he says nah nah nah, ma ma ma, and dji dji dji. So he’s basically already fluent in Afrikaans, English, and German. Ha! I figure with three women in the house his feet hardly touch the ground and he definitely can’t get a word in edgewise!
Weaning
So the pediatrician said he should only be getting a maximum of 300ml of dairy a day. Ooops. I had been giving him formula bottles of 150ml six times a day! My first formula baby has been a bit of a learning curve. Yikes. So at one year old, the max is 300ml. So during his twelfth month I have weaned him to three bottles of 150ml per day which means I’ve already cut his dairy in half in just a couple weeks. He doesn’t seem to miss it one bit thank goodness. And he seems a bit less interested in the bottle and a bit more interested in joining us at the table for meals which is fun.
Eating
He eats porridge in the morning (we have tried regular oats, Holle, Hipp, and Nestle porridge. He is currently liking 12+ month Bimbosan Bio Kindermuesli). We feed him whatever we are having for lunch but just a few bites. And for dinner he eats whatever is on the table. He loves the mango Junior Farmer bar from Migros which is new in the last week or two. He also loves apples, cucumbers, broccoli, and any other fruits or vegetables we put out for the kids’ z’vieri (4pm snack).
Sleeping
He has luckily always been an amazing sleeper. He has slept through the night since he was just weeks old (who can remember in the haze of breastfeeding?). But I remember the midwife saying that it was both wonderful and not wonderful that he slept through so early as he was not yet up to birth weight. But anyway, he still loves to sleep. (And Zizzz just sent over the cutest pajamas and sleeping bag for him which he is loving.)
Naps
Naps have gotten tricky. But I have let them slip during the school holidays. So I tried to focus on them a tiny bit this week with putting him down for a 9:30-10:00 nap and then a long 12:30-14:30 lunch nap. When the girls are home for lunch the nap moves to 13:00-15:00. So don’t ring my doorbell from 13:00-15:00. Just walk on in.
Playing
He can sit and play with something undisturbed for what seems like hours. Maybe it’s mere minutes, but he is so content on his own and so quiet. Or maybe he finds me a bit boring. But when he knows his sisters are home, he loves to be with them. And he loves when Hadley plays her ukelele. He loves playing the piano in his own way. And he loves all remotes, controllers, or anything with a plug. His newest thing is his love for books. I still hope to have one child who loves reading like I do.
Being A Baby Brother
Oh goodness he loves his sisters so much. And they love him to bits. And thank goodness! He laughs and gasps and smiles and races after them with his little crawl. He loves surprising them or when they surprise him. Since he hasn’t started destroying their stuff yet, I think he is still in the clear. But once he starts walking, I think all bets are off.
Pediatrician
He just had his one year check up and got two vaccines in his thighs. Poor kiddo cried for a minute but then when we left the doctor he had already stopped crying. Otherwise, he is healthy and hitting all the one year markers. He has another check up at 15 months.
Next Pediatrician Appointment
The next doctor appointment is in January when he is 15 months old.
What’s Next?
So now I think I’ll only update this Baby In Zürich when he either has a pediatrician appointment or a birthday. And I think I’ll create a separate area for keeping up with my low estrogen story and how my hormone replacement therapy is going.
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