Mason Shoma

I’m not vain or anything. I just like looking at myself. I’m objectively interested in the idea of reflections in a mirror. I like the interaction of my play mat, so that’s why I keep staring at the mirror. So, this is me still checking myself out.

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Okay, I know I’m a big baby, but this is getting ridiculous. I’m growing so fast that we had to pick up some new clothes for me. We decided to go one size up and buy clothes for 6-month-old babies. Here I am, not even 2 months old, with my 6-month-old size rompers nearly bursting at the seams. Look at those snaps holding on for dear life!

Actually, here in Japan the size labels are by length and are “recommended” for a certain age. 50-60cm for newborns, and 70cm for 6-months to 1-year-old babies. But still, I am not 70cm long, and yet my clothes are at their limit. I either have to slim down or force my clothes to stretch out to my size. I think I’ll opt for the second.

It’s been well established that I am a cute baby. There is a no doubt and no argument there. But, the question is, could I be cuter? Perhaps with long hair? Well, we didn’t have any extra long hair just lying about, so we simulated some long hair with a towel. What’s the verdict? Cuter? Less cute? No change?

I’m still a pretty young baby, and that means that I can’t hold my head up very well yet. I’m doing my tummy time to work toward that ability, but at the moment my neck stability is not that reliable. So that means that when I try to hold my head up and am doing well, it doesn’t last for very long. When Mommy or Daddy is holding me on their chest, I like to hold my head up and look around, but at some point my strength gives out and I end up headbutting them. It doesn’t hurt me at all, but it definitely surprises them and can hurt them depending on where I hit them. Ouch!

I’ve been gnawing on my fist a lot recently. At first I was sucking on it, kind of to soothe myself and also to give a not-so-subtle hint to Mommy and Daddy that I’m hungry. But nowadays, more than sucking on it, I kind of gnaw on it. And it is not only when I should be hungry. I’ve also been more fussy than usual and gnawing on my fist helps me settle down a little bit. Daddy read that some babies start teething from 2 months. That sounds a bit early to me, but we’ll look into it.

When I on my play mat, I’m am usually doing one of two things: staring at myself in the mirror or moving my arms and legs. When I say “moving my arms and legs” I don’t mean an arm raise here and casual kick there. I mean that I am constantly moving my arms and legs.

I consume a lot of calories a day and not being able to run, walk, or crawl, there is not much for me to do to burn those calories. So I move a lot on my play mat. I don’t expect to lose any weight, but I’m going to make sure that I put on more muscle than fat. By the time I learn how to crawl, I am going to be so fit that Mommy and Daddy are going to have trouble keeping up with me. I hope they are doing their exercises as well.

Whoopsie. I was in a pretty comfortable position and slid off. Oh well. This is pretty comfy too. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll just stay here for a while.

I was waking from my nap, still a bit groggy, and realized that I was really hungry. So, naturally, I started foraging for food. That’s when I heard Daddy’s voice say, “Wrong breast, buddy.” Oops! Wrong parent.

You’ve seen how active I am on my mat. Most of the time I am quite hyper while exercising on my mat. But that is not always the case. Sometimes I take it easy. I have an almost lazy exercise session.

We went to the park today. It was the first time I was there with Mommy. We were doing research on all the things we can do and play when I get bigger. I can’t wait!

I just think that the park is a bit too sunny for me right now. But someday I’m going to love it.

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I was in the middle of changing my clothes to go out and I was put down on my mat. It is a completely different experience. Not only could I feel the different fabrics on my back, but I felt a lot cooler. The humidity of summer is getting to me. Wearing nothing but diapers felt really good. I think that this should my new clothing standard for home. I promise to dress properly when we go out.

See! All dressed.

Like I mentioned earlier, I just can’t get enough of myself. I just stare at myself in the mirror on my play mat. Daddy tried to video my point of view, but couldn’t quite capture it. But you get the idea.

I’m just checking the other things besides the mirror on my play mat.

I even had some modified tummy time on my play mat.

We had a visit from a city employed midwife today. They visit all newborns’ households on their 50th day since birth to see how they are doing and to answer questions and give advice to the new parents.

As a first impression, the midwife was very surprised by my size. I think she subtly double checked to make sure that she was here to check on a 50-day-old baby, not a 100-day-old baby. The first thing she did was check my measurements.

	June 29th 50 Days Old	June 11th 1 Month Old	May 10th Birth	Increase since 1-month check up
Weight	6220 g (13.71 lbs)	5210 g (11.49 lbs)	3926 (8.65 lbs)	1010 g (2.23 lbs)
Length		58.5 cm (23.03 in)	51.5 cm (20.27 in)	N/A
Abdominal Circumference	42.8 cm (16.85 in)	41 cm (16.14 in)	36.5 cm (14.37 in)	1.8 cm (0.70 in)
Head Circumference	40 cm (15.75 in)	39 cm (15.35 in)	38 cm (13.96 in)	1 cm (0.39 in)

Once again, it is official: I am a big baby. I gained more than a kilogram in 18 days. That is a 51.6 g per day weight increase since my 1-month checkup. I’m not overeating, or anything. I eat the recommended 8 to 10 times a day and my nursing sessions are usually 20 minutes long. That’s pretty standard. And yet I’m growing very quickly. Like I said before, Mommy must have some pretty nutritious breast milk or I must be a very good eater. (I suspect both are true).

Once the midwife got over the size of me she asked some routine questions about how we are doing and based on our answers she confirmed that we are doing really well. My feeding habits are good. Our daily routine is good. Her one concern was about Mommy’s nutrition. Considering how much I eat, she wanted to make sure that Mommy was getting enough nutrients herself, since I’m sucking the bulk of it out of her. Food-wise, she does well. She has a good appetite and Daddy cooks up a some pretty impressive spreads. The one thing that she has to work on is her hydration. The midwife suggested she drink a lot more water, especially when nursing. I’m on it. When I nurse, I make such succulent sucking sounds it should make anyone want to have a sip of a drink.

The midwife gave me a looking over and said that I looked to be very healthy, (which might have been code for “big”). I responded properly to physical stimulation: followed things with my eyes, gripped when something was placed in my hand, etc..

When asked about any concerns, Mommy and Daddy mentioned that I had a few crying fits here and there. The midwife reassured us that crying fits are very common. I’m a baby after all. As for advice about what to do, the things she mentioned are things we are doing now: changing the environment, taking me outside, just relaxing, etc..

Mommy mentioned how I tend to calm down and sleep easier in Daddy’s arms. The midwife noted that considering my size, she was not surprised. She also mentioned that Daddy had a perfect carrying form. She said that the way he tucked my legs in while holding me close replicated what I felt in Mommy’s tummy, which is why I can relax so well. She said bearing the weight is difficult for someone of Mommy’s stature, but if Daddy can do it, why not just let him do it. She is a wise woman.

So, all in all it was a very nice visit and we found out that we are doing great. We had some questions answered and received some good advice. But the main thing is that we are trusting our instincts and doing well. Yay, us!

50 days old and doing fine! 50 days? Does this mean I’m middle aged? Wow! That came quickly.

I’m really digging my new play mat. It is quite entertaining. I haven’t quite mastered grabbing on to things and feeling the different textures and materials. But I have mastered staring at my handsome face in the mirror. At times that is all I do. I can’t get enough of myself.

Overall, the play mat is quite stimulating and exciting. It also gives me a lot of space to flail my arms and legs, which as you know I love to do.

Riding in the car is usually very comfortable for me and I am lulled to sleep by the vibrations of the car. But sometimes I am not in a good mood and have to endure the car ride until we get to our destination because there is no way for Mommy or Daddy to pick me up. So, before a ride I usually have to brace myself for the possible trauma of the car ride, or get comfortable for a nice sleep.

I ran out of things to do. I slept, I cried, I nursed, I peed, I pooped, I hiccuped, I smiled, I stared off into the distance, and I flailed my arms and legs. What else is there to do for a baby? Bored.

I have been smiling a lot more lately. Sometimes it is very random and I smile when Mommy or Daddy talks to me. Sometimes I just smile for no reason. But I have figured this camera thing out and realize that I’m supposed to smile when it is pointed at me, (which, let’s be honest, is practically all the time in this household). So, when I know it is picture time, I try to flash a big smile!