Category Archives: baby development

Reading to C

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I admit that I don’t read to C as often as I would like to.  It’s difficult to find value in reading to a toddler who just wants to turn the pages or loses interest in sitting still after 30 seconds.

The other day I decided to just start reading to him as I was sitting on the floor with him.  I let him go off and play next to me, but I kept on reading.  I watched him and noticed that every 15-30 seconds, he’d look over at me and examine the page of the book.  That’s the sign I needed – now I know that he’s listening even if he’s not sitting in my lap fully engaged in the story.  I guess there is merit in reading to an adventurous toddler, even when you don’t think he’s paying attention. :)

My Baby Gave Up His Bottle

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*sniffle*

C has given up his bottle.

We decided not to wean him off of his nighttime bottle at 12 months, because of all the transition we’ve had in the past two months.  That bottle always seemed to comfort him before bed and I didn’t want to take that comfort away.  He’s 14 months old now and I was planning on weaning him in the next couple weeks after he adjusted to our new home.  I know that it was time and am relieved not to go through a weaning process, but I still find myself grieving the fact that my son isn’t a little baby anymore.

That time just went too quickly!  I miss those moments of holding him in the darkness, breathing in his freshly-bathed scent while he drank his bottle just before bed.  I used those moments to gaze at his sweet features and just soak him in.  It’s sad those moments are now over.

My Sweet Baby C is Now a Toddler

C’s 6-Month Checkup

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After napping for an hour and 45 minutes, C was full of smiles and laughter despite his four immunizations!  He is now 15 lbs, 6 oz (15th percentile) and 26.25 inches long (55th percentile).  The doctor said that he’s growing well and eased my fears about his development (not rolling over back to tummy yet) by reminding us that every baby meets those milestones at a different rate.  We can introduce a second feeding of solids each day whenever we think C is ready.

We just need to go back in another month or so for his flu booster.  Then we’re all set until his 9-month checkup! :)

Buy, Buy, Buy

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I feel like C’s at a stage where I’m buying a bunch of stuff for him again.  Today, I had to buy a snowsuit (which I got a great deal on – thanks TJ Maxx!) and several 9- and 12-month pajamas (it’s only a matter of time before he’s too tall for those 6-month ones!), ordered a food processor/steamer on Amazon for making his baby food, and purchased a Halloween costume.  Okay, so I didn’t NEED to purchase a Halloween costume for him, but he’s going to be so cute in that bumble bee outfit!  :)

I’ll need to find a hat and mittens for him, as well as some shoes that I can slip on him when it’s cold out.  His feet are already too big for my favorite little shoes that I had bought him at Old Navy before he was born.  Any tips on great places to buy infant hats/mittens?

C’s growing so quickly!  The past couple of days he’s been laughing and babbling in his car seat when we’re out on errands.  We have no idea what he’s laughing about in the backseat.  He loves to squeal and laugh.  I think he enjoys hearing his voice.  It’s pretty hilarious.  The older he gets, the more fun he is!

 

Packing Away Baby Clothes

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Earlier this week, I posted about how C has been growing like a weed.  I really thought I could still get two more weeks out of the bigger sleepers and onesies.  No such luck!

I reluctantly packed away all of C’s 3-month onesies and sleepers, along with his newborn and 0-3 month clothes.  It’s so sad to look at those adorable little outfits and fold them up one last time before putting them in a storage bin.  My little boy is getting big!

Hubster and I measured him tonight.  Who knows if they’ll take the time to stretch out his legs at the doctor’s office next week, but by our measurements C is 26 inches long!  That’s the limit of his infant carseat!  I’m glad that I brought back our convertible carseat when I visited my parents this month (they kindly store things for us when we don’t have space!).

On another note, the 6-month sleepers are SO wide on C.  It looks kind of funny.  He is such a skinny baby.  In fact, we noticed today that C has rock hard abs from all of his kicking and squirming.  I’ve never seen a baby that doesn’t have a soft, pudgy belly!  Silly kid. :)

We Have a Teether

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Well, I think little C is teething.  The constant drooling, gumming objects, chewing on his fists, pulling at his ears, rubbing his face, playing with his bottle, tiredness and extra pooping are some pretty good signs.  :-p  We can’t see or feel any teeth coming in, but I guess kids can start teething 1-2 months before a tooth actually breaks through the gums.  Poor little guy.  You can tell he’s pretty uncomfortable sometimes.

When did your kids start teething?

Ginormous baby?

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Some of you may know that two weeks ago, my doctor ordered an ultrasound because Baby C was measuring rather large.  (more about that here) I was terrified (as I have been since I first found out I was pregnant) that I would end up birthing a 10-pound baby.  Vaginally.  The horror!

I was given good news today!!!  He’s actually in the 50th-60th percentile, which means they’re expecting him to be between 7 and 8 pounds.  Upon hearing that news, I think even my vagina let out a sigh of relief.

The bad news is that she didn’t move up my due date, which I was really hoping for.  I can’t imagine being pregnant for another 2 months.  But I’ll take that over having a 10-pound kid, I guess. :)

TV Watching is Detrimental to Babies’ Development

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Many of us already knew that babies should not be exposed to television aimed for adults (maybe you should watch Weeds after baby goes to bed…), but did you also know that even so-called “educational” programs can hinder a child’s development before the age of 2?

A new study found that babies at 14 months of age who watched one hour of television daily had developmental scores that were one-third lower than babies who weren’t watching that much television.  (Here’s an article about it on Yahoo.)  The result of sticking baby in front of the television results in delayed cognitive and language development.  While it may seem like an easy way to occupy baby while you get things done, it is actually very harmful to your baby’s development.  Other studies have linked television watching to increased occurrences of ADD/ADHD, obesity and aggression in young children.

I had been aware of the increased likelihood of ADD/ADHD, but until last night I was unaware of the decrease in cognitive and language development.  This makes me even more glad that I’ll be staying home with our baby at first, so that I can read to him and teach him things.  I know that there will probably be many times that I’ll desperately want to sit him in front of the television so that I can take a break or get some things done around home; but I’m hoping that in those moments I’ll be reminded of these studies.