He's a Growing Boy

It's been a couple of weeks since Craig's Dad posted anything new here but that doesn't mean the boy has not been making excellent progress in life.

Every new born baby in Taiwan is given a little booklet by the hospital. In it is kept a record of the doctor's findings at each regular check-up and which innoculations the baby has received and other health information for the baby's parents.

As I mentioned before, when Craig was born he weighed 3.2kgs and was 48.5cms tall. That put him in the tenth percentile for both weight and height. That means he was very much on the small side as 90 percent of children born in Taiwan were bigger than him according to statistics from the national government's Department of Health.

At his first month check-up, Craig was 4.3kgs and 53.2cms. This was a big move up the comparative scale because he was now placed in the 25th percentile for both categories.

However impressive that was, he was far from finished, and Craig has continued to race ahead in the growth stakes. At his second month check-up Craig was 6.0kgs and 57cms. According to his little booklet, Craig is now ranked in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th for height!!

Previously, Craig's Dad had teased his Mum by saying that it's very strange that the more Craig drinks milk from his Taiwanese mother, the more he looks like a white boy! However, Craig's Dad thinks it's hard to tease a 5ft 2in (158cm) mum about having a child who is taller than most of his peers.

Koala Craig

Craig seems to like sleeping on his Dad's chest. His Mum thinks that he likes it because he can feel/hear his Dad's heartbeat. His Dad thinks it's because Craig likes the body-warmth.



Both versions probably have a bit of truth to them but, whatever the reason, he's become quite good at making himself comfortable there. The weather in Taipei has been quite cold and wet recently. So, there's been no chance to take him out for an evening walk in the pram. He's been spending all day every day at home and there's no better way to end the day than to fall asleep on Dad's chest.

Craig Comparison Test

It seems that every Taiwanese person that comes to visit Craig and his family wants to talk about one topic: Which parent does Craig most resemble? It's the only topic worth talking about for some people. So, first we have a couple of pictures of our little family. Sorry about the picture quality.




Now, we have pictures of Craig's parents when they were babies. First, his Mum.



Then, Craig's Dad. (This picture replaced a previous one at the request of Craig's Mum because she thought it looks more like the baby boy in question.

So, the question is, who does Craig resemble the most? Please use the comments button to give us your opinions.

Visit to McCafe

Even though the weather was a little bit cool, Craig's parents took Craig out for a walk after Craig's Dad arrived home from work the other night. There is a McDonalds not far away from Craig's home and it has a cafe part on the side with some outdoor seats. Craig's Mum and Dad both like to sit outdoors rather than in air-conditioning and Craig failed to tell his parents what he preferred, so he was laid down outdoors on a spare seat.

Craig seemed comfortable and didn't fall asleep! Every other time his parents have taken him out his first reaction is to drop off and ignore the world but not this time.

The cat on a table next to Craig and his parents feeding on leftovers left by previous customers made Craig's parents a little worried. Worse than that, it didn't like being chased away.

When they arrived home Craig was tired. His Dad fed him and then Craig fell asleep face down on his Dad's chest. Unfortunately, Craig's Dad was wearing a wooly jumper that had vertical lines of stitching that left some marks on Craig's face. Then, Craig's Dad was mean and took a picture quickly before the marks went away.

Blue Grandma's Jacket

When Craig was about two weeks old, a package arrived from Australia for him. It contained a nice hand-knitted matinee jacket made by his Blue Grandma (aka Craig's Australian Grandmother). It really impressed some of his elderly Taiwanese relatives. Younger people here have never even considered the possibility of making their own clothes but some of the older folk did similar things when they were young.

Unfortunately, the jacket is already a snug fit. Craig's parents felt they should wait until the weather was cooler before putting it on him but we have had the warmest winter for many years. Cool weather didn't arrive until Craig was two weeks old and he had already grown a bit. Craig's Uncle Jim predicted Craig might grow up to be a rugby player back when he was in the womb. Craig was developing nicely at that stage and since his birth he has put on plenty of weight and height (or should I say length).

At birth he was 3.2kgs and 36 cms. At his one month check-up he was 4.3kgs and had grown 6cms since saying "Hello" to the world. He's doing well.

Pics from Craig's first month

Craig has had a relatively uneventful first month. He has spent some time getting to know his extended family, like his Taiwanese Grandfather.

He scratched himself when he was about two weeks old. It was his very first injury! Although it is almost certain that he will have many more in years to come his parents are hoping there will be no serious ones.





Craig's Dad has taken turns at feeding him. His Mum doesn't get much time to rest some days but if she can save some milk up in the fridge his Dad can let her rest when he gets home after work.





Craig is pretty good at keeping his parents busy. So they like it when he is asleep.




Mother's milk must be very good for babies. It's been very, very good for Craig. His cheeks have grown noticeably chubbier and he has just generally spent a lot of time sleeping.









Craig has often been awake at very inconvenient hours, though. It's very rare for him to sleep between 1am and 4am.

Sometimes, his parents wrap him in one of his mother's sarongs but he doesn't seem to mind. It's been a good life, so far.

One Month Anniversary

As happens in Taiwan, Craig's Mum was kept indoors for one month after giving birth. So, Craig's Dad thought it would be a good idea to get her outside in the fresh air as soon as possible once the month was finished.

Luckily, it was a beautiful sunny day and there were seats outdoors at our local Starbucks. Although it was windy the sun was nice and warm which meant Craig had no trouble falling asleep. Brunch in the sun was a really nice way for Craig's Mum to celebrate Craig's one month birthday.

Fish Head Soup

During Craig's first few weeks of life he became the subject for photographs many times. Some close up to try and get the colour of his eyes (which didn't work) and some with his Socceroos teddy bear because his Dad wanted to show how tiny he is. (Craig's Dad is like that.)

The other picture is the very special breakfast that Craig's Taiwanese Grandmother often made for Craig's Mum, Fish Head Soup. Craig's Mum had to eat this all the time. I don't know if it made Craig's milk taste funny but Craig never complained about it, so it must have been OK.