Just a quick one that is related to my previous post: A few nights ago we caught Linden with his “Game Face”. Monica and I were at a Japanese eatery for a quick dinner and Linden decide to bust open a can of ass-poo – I know the “ass” is redundant but ass-poo has a nice ring to it.
Check out the strain on his face. The ass-poo is so big that he’s getting all emotional about it! 
The thing about becoming a parent is that your frame of reference changes. What was once important becomes trivial. 5 minutes of peace and quiet becomes heaven. Weird stuff becomes unusually interesting. For example, baby poo. In this instance I’m talking about Linden’s own special brand.
We’ve got Linden on solids now, twice a day. Solids is a misnomer because pureed anything is hardly solid. He eats just about anything and we’ve fed him banana, avocado, spinach, apple, pear, cherry, potato, sweet potato, and a bunch of other stuff too; sometimes in combination! Now that his gut has more complex things to digest, his poo frequency has gone from daily to about once every 3-4 days. That in itself is great because we don’t have to change pooey nappies as often.
However there is always a trade-off. This time it’s in fragrance-factor. Man does his poo stink! It makes flowers wilt, food spoil and curtains fade. So where is the “interesting” part, you rightly ask? Linden has the special talent of converting purees into play-dough (refer to exhibit below). As you can see, this is proof that becoming a parent messes up your frame of reference. I am not the right guy to validate whether her butt looks big in that dress.
I took Linden to the ECC in Chatswood today for his 6 months health check. The nurse went through the usual assessments; hand – eye co-ordination, measurements and oral hygiene now that Linden has a couple of teeth.
So at 6 months, Linden is approximately 6.85kg, 65cm in length, 42.5cm head circumference and a couple of teeth. He is progressing very well in terms of motor skills, exploring his hands, grasping at anything in sight, kicks constantly (Ivan has nicknamed him ‘happy feet’) and very curious of his surroundings. He is one ‘busy’ little boy and is sure to be a handful when he becomes more and more mobile 
Linden and I came back from Perth last Monday night, we were greeted by a big, broad smile on Ivan’s face at the arrival gate. BIG family hug!!!!
Despite the gloomy Perth weather; raining for about 10 days in a row, our spirits were high because we were surrounded by family, ate delicious home cooked meals, relaxing and being pampered by Gong Gong & Por Por (my parents). And yes, Linden took advantage of this every waking moment With the exception of sleeping at night, he was always held in someone’s arms, he even took naps (one too many) in Gong Gong’s arms. My dad just cannot resist holding Linden and did so every opportunity he could
It was raining so much and often hard during the first week, Linden and I stayed indoors, keeping dry and bathing in the warmth of the wood fire. We did manage to go out for dinner a couple of times though. It felt good to back home and especially wonderful for my brother, sister and everyone else to finally meet Linden. He was such a good boy, so open to everyone he met, using their arms as a ‘jolly jumper’ but most of all he enjoyed being the centre of attention, my parents referred to him as the VIP guest
On Sunday, I took Linden over to see his Mah Mah and to meet some of the extended family and Linden’s second cousins – grand uncle Geok Hwee, Anne, Joe, uncle Jon, Cody & Makayla plus their kids – Dylan, Jordan, Noah and Charlotte (who is about 3 weeks younger than Linden). Charlotte, who is nicknamed Charlie is very adorable, she looks at you with these big, beautiful eyes and you can’t help but go all mushy inside. As the only girl and with three older brothers, I can just imagine how spoilt she is and so she deserves to be. It was good to see the three boys, the last time I saw them was at our wedding a couple of years ago, they’ve changed so much, I hardly recognise Noah. He is such a cute little boy and also very talkative indeed.
The weather was still miserable by the second week, there was however a couple of days of sunshine here and there so I took the opportunity to catch up with some friends. I even had a girls night out on the Saturday before we left, it was nice to have dinner and catch up with the girls.
I must admit, the two weeks went by very quickly and as always it was sad to leave and say goodbye 
Have just finished posting Linden’s month 6 pictures. Link is HERE or navigate to the pictures section of The Three Amigos!
I’ve just finished a hot shower after returning home from Japan. It’s been a tremendous 11 or so days; the experience reinforced my fascination with Japan, it’s people and culture. The 48 other participants in the FBC.AU2009 program (Future Business Counterparts Australia 2009) were great companions and some good friendships have developed. I suppose its what happens when you throw a bunch of strangers together in a foreign country with a different language.
We all learned a lot about Japan as a trading partner, the state of politics, economics, business etiquette etc. The whole experienced exposed us to numerous Japanese businessmen and political figures. Industry heavyweights such as the chairman of Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi, as well as political representatives such as the Minister for Foreign Affairs delivered presentations and attended receptions where we got the opportunity to talk with them first-hand. But to get the whole picture of the Japanese psyche, we did not neglect the “play” side of things. We immersed ourselves in karaoke charged with the courage-imbuing properties of sake & shochu; partook in various types of Japanese fare from the traditional (ramen, yakitori), to the unique (raw horse meat – “basashi”), to the modern (MOS Burger).
There was so much more to the trip – more than can be put in words – and I came back missing Japan, yet still inspired to be somehow involved with Japan in the future. For now I’m going to enjoy the comforts of home and my family!
Linden’s first tooth erupted sometime last week. If you look very closely you can see a tiny bit of the tooth on the surface of the right, lower gum. This explains why he has been pulling and rubbing both his ears alot lately and irritable at night. Hopefully now that the tooth has finally come through he will go back to his happy self.
Now that he has a tooth, I have to watch out for him whilst breastfeeding, his gums might suddenly itch and have the impulse to chew at what’s available.. OUCHY
