Air Guitar

7/24/09 - Christopher plays air guitar, pretty cool! Uncle Greig came over and was playing the guitar to soothe a fussy moment. Well, it worked and in fact it fascinated Christopher so much he didn't go to sleep! It was amazing to watch as you will see, notice Christopher moving his hands, legs, and feet to the music. His hands in particular seem to be making the motions of playing the guitar, copying Greig's motions as he plays. This went on for a while and just goes to show how much babies can absorb and learn even at such a young stage!

Bath Time

Christopher loves bath time. Well, most of the time. He loves it when I pour the warm water over his head when washing his hair. I remember when we first brought him home, we were both a little nervous about bathing this newborn baby of ours because he was so small and seemed so fragile. A few baths later we got the hang of it and since Christopher is getting bigger it's much easier too. It is fun to see him enjoy his bath time and his reactions to the water. So here is a photo of Christopher just out of his bath, his smile was so adorable I just couldn't resist!

First Walks

On July 6th, Christopher took his first walk in the neighborhood. Since then, we have been taking daily walks, sometimes with papa too. Christopher loves walks and the fresh air, he gets so relaxed the walk tends to make him fall asleep. When he's not sleeping he is looking around observing his new surroundings. Today (7/20) we took a walk with Christopher's friend Mya and her mom Jackie. Mya was born in March so she is 4 months old, just 2 months ahead of Christopher. I really liked the walk with a fellow mom and one of our close neighbors. Us moms look forward to getting together more often for walks and sharing thoughts and ideas on raising our kids.

Christopher's New Swing

July 20, 2009, 2 months and 1 week old - Christopher was enjoying his new swing today. The best part about this swing is that it is a high chair too! Here is a video of mom trying to make Christopher laugh and a photo of papa and Christopher. You'll notice that Christopher makes great eye contact with both mom and dad. He is a super happy baby!

Visit with Dr. Tabsh

Christopher and I stepped out on the town today, we went to visit Dr. Tabsh who delivered Christopher. Dr. Tabsh is wonderful and caring and not to mention an excellent doctor. This sweet photo was taken today of Dr. Tabsh, Christopher and I. This is only our second outing together but little by little I am building my confidence. I even figured out how to fold and unfold the stroller and I'm becoming a pro at taking the car seat out of the car, go figure!

Happy Birthday Christopher (2 months old)!

July 13, 2009 - Happy 2 month old birthday Christopher! Christopher weighs 10 pounds, 2 ounces and measures 23 inches long. Compare that to his birth weight and length which was 6 pounds, 11.5 ounces and 19.75 inches long. We can hardly believe that the time has flown by so quickly! Two months ago we were in the hospital having Christopher and here we are now. I remember being so nervous to bring him home, this fragile tiny person that was mine now. One of the NICU nurses told us upon leaving the hospital with Christopher on June 1st (the day he came home) that she gave us 2 weeks and after that we would know our baby better than anyone. Well, she was right and little by little we are gaining confidence as parents. We are totally sleep deprived but it's all worth it. Christopher is very alert and has begun tracking with his eyes. In his second month, his smiles became more purposeful and he began to smile even bigger! I'll be feeding him in the wee hours of the morning and be so tired near tears only to have this beautiful baby boy give me the biggest grin you've ever seen - I truly love these moments.

So this is my first blog and my first blog entry. Our first baby seemed the perfect opportunity to create a site where our friends and family could get periodic updates on our sweet baby boy.

We welcomed the newest addition to our family, Christopher Greig on May 13, 2009 with much love, excitement and anticipation. I was nervous about the birth process and a little scared I must admit but the minute I heard his cry, all of that really did not matter anymore. Derek and I were both filled with emotion and love for our baby, a feeling neither of us will ever forget. Christopher had beautiful coloring, blue eyes, a full head of dark hair, long arms, legs, fingers and toes - he was in a word 'perfect'. He was our little miracle.

During the pregnancy we found out that Christopher had a complication called an omphalocele. We had never heard of this before and we were scared at what might lie ahead. We wanted this baby more than anything and were determined to arm ourselves with as much information as possible. We had an amnio done and were followed very closely by a wonderful team of doctors. Christopher's omphalocele contained his liver and thankfully he had no other issues or complications associated with the 'O' as we call it. During the pregnancy, an online Yahoo group called Mothers of Omphaloceles was an invaluable support system. We cannot imagine what it would have been like to go through everything without the support of this group.

Christopher was expected to spend 4-6 weeks in the NICU but as miracles would have it, he had surgery the very next day after his birth and went home after only 18 days! He is a healthy and happy baby with a fully repaired omphalocele. We are most grateful to the all the doctors and nurses that took care of us and Christopher. Christopher was strong from the very beginning and he was born a fighter.

We affectionately named our blog Christopher the Explorer. Christopher was named after my father and his middle name after our dear friend Greig McRitchie. Christopher Toledo sounded like an explorer (think Christopher Columbus) and since Derek and I love to travel, it was the right name for such a beautiful baby boy. St. Christopher is the patron saint of all travelers so this again was yet another reason we liked the name Christopher. We hope to travel with Christopher, show him the world and give him an appreciation and love for other cultures and countries.

We hope you tune in to updates on Christopher. There will be many exciting adventures and things that Christopher will be discovering! Thanks to everyone for your love and support.

With Gratitude,

Virginia & Derek (proud mama and papa to baby Christopher)