Starting Over Is Not Easy ... Mother Baby Child Blog
I was over 35 when I gave birth to Baby Max. My middle son was 11 years old and my older son had just turned seventeen. It wasn't easy starting over again ... Mother Baby Child is a blog to share parenting experiences, as well as what marriage is like after being a single mom for so many years. Get info on having a baby, raising children, babies, tweens, teens, homeschooling, mom blogs, work at home mom. business marketing, Christian and celebrity moms blog posts.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ~ Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
Mother's Day Art & Craft Idea That Will Touch Her Heart
I found this beautiful art piece cycling around Facebook and then ended up connect with the super creative and artist mom that designed it. Her name is Amy Stone and her website is http://www.MittsPiggysPaws.com. You can see all of the beautiful custom art, as well as
heirloom-quality ceramic pieces (like the one above) created by this Memphis artist. Amy Stone creates one of a kind Baby Hand & Feet Impressions. This particular piece is glazed and fired twice in a large kiln at well over 1000 degrees from low-fire ceramic clay.
You can try to recreate this adorable craft (using the recipe below) to do with your child as a gift for yourself or other special someone. It will not turn out the same as the picture above because that is a professional ceramic art work.
If you prefer to have one just like the picture above or to have a custom art piece created by this artist, Amy Stone, please LIKE her Facebook page - www.facebook.com/MittsPiggysPaws - and contact her by clicking the Message button from that page.
Salt Dough Recipe
1/2 c salt
1/2 c flour
1/4 c water ( give or take )
mix together, roll, press adults hand in first, then child's hand
bake @ 100 degrees for 3 hours
Paint desired colors.
Wouldn't this make a beautiful memoir?
Have a relaxing weekend :) Lea @ Mother Baby Child
Our 21 month old has been sick for 7 days total :(
The nurses said it was the flu, but it seemed like something else because he only vomited when he had a bottle of milk and it was just little bits. I was scared that it was West Nile Virus (we're in Florida) or Meningitis. Aside of running to the store and getting what he needed, we all stayed in bed with him for 72 hours.
His temperature was up and down the first 48 hours; his fevers ranged from 102 to 104.7 degrees in between doses of medicine.
As per the nurses advice, were switching between Advil and Tylenol every couple of hours; putting his overheated and weak body in a tepid bathtub each time his temperature increased and while waiting for the fever medicine to kick in. We did this for 48 hours until his temperature went down to "normal" fever levels and then for 2 more days.
I had to force our poor baby to drink. He would not drink out of a cup, but would take a bottle, so I would squirt a little in his mouth when he cried and that would prompt him to drink a bit each time.
Our baby had diarrhea for days. He did not have a solid bowel movement or meal until today; 7 days later. This may seems normal to you, but our baby went through 2 packs of diapers on the 3rd day. His bottom is still red and sore :(
We had just moved him to size 6 diapers and had to go back to size 5 because of the weight that he lost. His belly was completely flat; his little body swam in the size 6 diapers by the 3rd day.
Although he is my third child and I should understand that children get sick, this was his first real sickness in 21 months and nothing like my other 2 children experienced.
This was his first flu ... In fact, this was his first real sickness in general.
It was a frightening experience and we are so grateful that he is ok.
I cannot believe that I am saying this about our beautiful baby boy, though "it is what it is". Our 17 month old toddler baby bites, pinches and laughs like the Joker from Batman while he is doing it. These bad habits began a few months ago and are starting to slow down, though still exist. It hurts so badly that I cannot help saying "Ouch", "Ow" and "Stop" as he is digging his nails or teeth into my skin. Unfortunately, those responses make him laugh hysterically and get excited enough that our baby bites, pinches and twists my skin more.
He thinks that I am playing with him even though I am not smiling!
The bottom of my arms get so bruised and cut up that it looks like I take martial arts (no joke!!!). His little nails are like knife points that always seems to stab the same exact spots. Meanwhile, I cut those little nails down to the pinks and I can still feel them. I no longer brag about his full set of chompers because he sometimes bites when excited or angry. What really gets me is when he comes over and twists my forearm like he is ringing out a towel. He kind of hangs on them like a kitten, too, as if to avoid my breaking free of his hold, and bites me a few times. The kicker is that most time he says "OW" and laughs while he is doing it (as if he thinks that he is tickling or playing with me).
Here is what I understand about this situation ...
Our baby bites and pinches in play 95% of the time. He thinks that he is tickling and / or wants immediate attention when he starts the bad habits, therefore I stop what I am doing to try to control the painful situation. The other 5% of the time that our baby bites and pinches is because he is either irritated that I am stopping his "tickle" play or he is angry with me. I try not to say "Ouch" or "Ow" when our baby pinches and bites because it encourages him. I have been putting him in the pack n play for a time out when it gets out of hand. I hope this teaches our baby to stop biting and pinching, as well as the fact that the Pack N Play is for "time out" and "quiet time". I also say "No" and "No Ow" to try to teach him that I do not like that type of play, though he is not consistently responsive to my "No". Once I break free of his hold, I change the type of play to something more tactile like blocks or reading books. This works well as long as I am not grabbing something near to me. It takes the little walk across the room to choose a book / get the blocks to calm him down; else he will continue to bite and pinch.
What I don't understand is how to get him to stop biting and pinching for good!
On a positive note ... this "play" that is reserved for us :)
Our baby's cousin came to visit a few weeks ago. They have just a few weeks age difference and we love seeing them interact with one another ... it's so cute! Anyways, my husband and I were trying to keep them apart because I was afraid that he would hurt her. The mother said that "she can hold her own", so we got them together for the day and it ended up being a beautiful experience. He did not bite or pinch her at all. In fact, he shared his books with her and she shared her bubbles with Max.
Have you had the same experience with your baby biting and / or pinching? How did you get it to stop?
It's been a while since I wrote a toddler milestones post, so I am excited to share more than pictures with you. 15 months is truly an incredible age. Although our son is considered a "toddler", he is still such a "baby" to us. He just does not understand nor communicate as well as the Sprout watching toddler that he is becoming. He is still teething, eating baby cereal each morning and exploring all over the house like a little baby; though he surprising us each day with new word, big boy foods, actions and temper tantrums.
This video above shows him trying to explain what he wants. He repeats what I say and tells me that he does not want to go outside nor have a bottle; that he wants a cup. His exact words are "I like it" when I say "cup". At the end of the video, I mistakenly said that I would get his "bah bah", but I meant that I was getting his cup. He ran towards the kitchen anyways. This video is a perfect example of how we try to communicate with one another each day.
Here's what's been going on in our life ...
4 days ago, our 15 month old baby head butted both dad and me in the mouth ...
3 days ago, he went back and forth with his dad (in a "no" battle) and said "all done" hysterically when he had enough of being rebellious and wanted to hug ...
2 days ago, he had two lines of POO POO on his cheek when his brother kissed him (yuck) ...
Today, he broke the TV and very upset about it. He is also sticking his finger up his nose non-stop ...
I AM KIND OF WORRIED WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING :(
15 months old baby milestones include:
At 15 months, our baby does display his own sense of humor and interests. He tries to hold conversations with us all day long, though he comes across quite frustrated a lot of the time. Sometimes he tries to speak without opening his mouth at all. Most times, he says one or two syllable words. He surprises us with a sentence here and there, too.
"Dee Dee" has become the universal language :) He says "Dee Dee" for his brother, things he wants that he does not know the name for and sometimes says "Dee Dee" in place of "ma ma" for me. I think that "Dee Dee" is how he says "baby" (that he is calling us baby), but it is hard to know for sure.
He also says "hi", "hello", "I wah ue" (I love you), "all done", "I like at" (I like that), "like it", "ma ma", "da dad", "brayer" (brother), "no", "I di it" (I did), "eat", "gamer" (grandma).
Our baby has started saying his ABCs and numbers. In fact, he gets really excited when TV shows with counting and letters come on (Super Why, Sesame Street). He also loves playing with the foam letters and numbers; alphabet school bus and Our toddler loves reading books.
He still likes to drink from a bottle, though also loves his cup. We spend most of the day trying to find them from our baby's strategic locations around his playroom (what used to be our living room). Yes, he is hiding his bottles and cups all over the place ... they look disgusting and stink when we finally get to the hard to find ones.
Our 15 month old has become a really picky eater. He is not crazy about meat or vegetables anymore. In fact, if it were his choice, he could live off of baby oatmeal, baby fruits, spaghetti and pizza, if I let him. He eats bread, chicken and green beans on occasion; he drinks a lot of water and milk. He is "sometimey" about drinking juice. We feed him all organic foods as much as possible.
Although he displays absolutely no interest in trying to potty train, he has been interested in what is in the diaper for quite some time. The past few months have required two person diaper changes. His poor brother got a mouth full of poop when trying to kiss our baby on the cheek the other day. He thought it was food on the baby's cheek, but it was poop. There was no indication that he had dug in his diaper because he reaches fingers through the sides when he is unable to reach from the top. As you can imagine, the majority of his wardrobe is back to overalls and Onesies / infant bodysuits w/ elastic waste pants at all times.
Our baby has jumped from a size 12 to a size 24 in like a month. He can wears some size 18 to 24 months clothes; his wardrobe is mostly size 24 months. He still wears size 5 shoes.
I am so glad that he did not put a flat screen TV in the living room / play room because our baby broke the TV today. He started by by turning the buttons on and off all of the time. We were proud on one hand, though it became quite disruptive to turn the TV back on when he could not figure it out on his own. We bought another one off Craigslist just in case this phases hasn't ended yet.
At 15 months old, our baby's fine motor skills are impressive. He can turn on his own toys and work the ones that entail more controlled actions. He feeds himself well and can scoop up the crumbs if he chooses to eat them. He climbs like a champ, does puzzles, picks at very small imperfections around the house, does somersaults and laps around the house.
One of my favorite things about our 15 month old baby is that he LOVES to read. My two older children loved to read at that age, but Max really loves his books. As active as he is, there is never a time that he will not sit to read and can sit for hours if you will read to him that long.
All in all, our 15 month old baby is an amazing bundle of energy, intelligence and love. He seeks our affection and approval in almost everything he does; words can't describe how it make us feel to have the privilege of waking up with and putting this sweet child to be every night. I hope that any mother to be - or - new mom finds this post helpful in getting the real 15 months old milestones for their baby.
We haven't taken our baby out to a restaurant in 6 months. 1st because I get all freaked out that he's going to get sick from touching and trying to eat everything he touches. 2nd because there are no organic food restaurants where we live and 3rd because I worry about how the food is cooked ... I was outnumbered this time and ended up giving into my husband and 12 year old! We took the baby to have his 1st Chinese restaurant experience (scrubbed the table and chair with Purell). He loved it and was such a good baby!
Wordless Wednesday pictures of our 14 month old eating his first ice cream cone (well, it was really frozen yogurt). We enjoyed watching him!
Mama, what is this?
Ice cream? I'll just give it a little lick, ok?
Can I use it as a microphone ... "La La La"?
That is what cold is ...? This is a brain freeze?
OK, I'm gonna slow down and use my finger as a spoon :)
I was amazed by how well he did (he is a very active toddler after all). He was open to trying a variety of foods, though did not like and threw the Chinese donut first (both of his brothers always liked them best). This is the first time that he did not throw his plate of food (as he does at home). He actually ate off of a plate for the entire meal. He did make a little mess on the floor and his face, but no food on his clothes. I could not believe it! I was extremely proud that he DID NOT want to get down and run all over the restaurant.
Blue Ivy Carter (Source: helloblueivycarter.tumblr.com)
Beyonce Nurses Baby Blue At Restaurant ... SO WHAT!!! Baby Blue Ivy Was Hungry While She Was Out To Lunch. #Breastfeeding Advocates Proud of Beyonce - Celebrity Mom Plz Be An Example of #Change
I am a somewhat antisocial and private mother in my offline world. I don't like people watching me play outside with my 14 month old. I avoid any outings that might run past 1-2 hours because our baby does not like them. It has been this ways since our baby was 8 to 9 months old. When I nursed during our baby's 1st year, I was cautious about feeding our baby prior to going to the doctors or store. I probably pumped more than the average SAHM because 1) my husband liked to feed the baby as much as I did and 2) I never wanted to leave our baby without milk pumped in case he got hungry when I showered or I had to go somewhere alone (like the doctors). For the most part, our baby nursed every 1 1/2 to 2 hours on the clock, though would sometimes go longer or shorter depending on how active we were that day.
Our toddler still likes to have a bottle or cup on that same hourly schedule. Yes, I let my 14 month old have his bottle ... "so what" ... I take care of his teeth well. I don't believe what the "experts" say ... I don't want our son to stuck in a Freudian Oral Stage). We make choices as parents; we share information and sometimes become positive examples to other moms. I think what happened was a coincidental case of positive influence on Beyonce's part and she could really do something wonderful with it.
I am proud of Beyonce for breastfeeding AND being the mother that she chooses to be! Beyonce, can you "step up to plate" and be even more?
The following video shares the controversial comments about Beyonce breastfeeding in public the other day. My initial reaction was "that's cool" ... then I got REALLY upset at the world!!! I even developed expectation of Beyonce now that I see her as a mother that I can relate to, but I'll explain that later in this blog post ... The point here is why would there be such a big deal about Beyonce nursing her baby? She went out to eat and her baby got hungry, so she fed Blue Ivy, too. What is the big deal? Why are we asking the public to comment on this natural occurrence in her life and why on earth did that man suggest that she should use a public bathroom to nurse her baby ... NO WAY??? That is like pooping in a public bathroom to me ... how gross!!!
A woman has the right to breastfeed her baby in any location where she is welcomed, therefore Beyonce has the right to breastfeed her baby girl in public if she pleases and without it being such a huge controversial deal. This unnecessary publicity is why so many celebrities move out of the United States or go into recluse. It irritates me that other countries recognize that breastfeeding is natural, though the USA is still backwards about it. In fact, it is just in recent years that health departments and doctors have been campaigning towards breastfeeding ... way past due!!! On the other hand, celebrity moms need not run from the public eye and to another county; they are in position to become as much of a parental role model, in the United States, as they are in their talents.
I do have an empathy for celebrity moms ...
There have been times when our baby has demanded that I nurse in public; he did not want the bottle because he was tired and wanted to breastfeed. My cousin in law did the same (her baby and Max are just a few weeks apart). Her baby became temperamental about taking pumped milk bottles and refused to take them. Anyways, I wouldn't dare nurse in the middle of a grocery store isle because it would be uncomfortable for the baby and me; not because of other people. We nursed in the car if need be, but I did nurse at the beach and in a restaurant. No one seemed to notice and "so what" if they did. As private as I am, I got over any "stage fright" or apprehension when it came to feeding my baby in public.
Breastfeeding is natural and healthier for our babies - POINT BLANK!!!
As you can imagine, Breastfeeding Advocates are taking this as one for the "home team" ... This is GREAT because if more celebrity moms would advocate nursing, then more mother's would breastfeed throughout future generations. This means less money out of the government's pockets and giving babies a better start because - unless you buy all organic - a baby is going to have plenty of chemicals to eat in their years to come!!!
Although I got a little "ticked" by the media and fans making such a big deal out of Beyonce nursing in public, I am REALLY proud of the decisions Beyonce has made in her life & after the birth of Blue Ivy caused such a hospital ordeal.
Beyonce planned to start a family after she established her career, and that she did!
She spent the first month with baby Blue and having family time.
Beyonce did not sell Blue Ivy's 1st baby pictures. They released them free on Tumblr.
Beyonce did not gain too much during pregnancy and her baby weight started coming right off of her within a month.
Beyonce has chosen to breastfeed her baby girl and is comfortable doing this in public!
2012 is another "day and time" of change in the United States.
We have been through years of negative effects of the war and economical changes ... the 2012 presidential campaign is strong with blasts of #change ... sustainable food groups are educating more aggressively to accomplish even small changes in the foods we chose to the point that grocery stores are increasing their organic food supplies ... the job market is shifting predominant industries and new tax credits given companies to inshore outsource ... the health departments are hiring breastfeeding advocates after generations of shaping bottle feeding norms (bottle feeding baby doll manufacturers are guilty for this too) ...
I think it time that we acknowledge celebrities for GOOD parenting choices and encourage them to help with change as well :) I think that Beyonce is making good parenting choices and our "catching" her breastfeeding in public was a natural fluke that could very well have more than a booty popping impact on young girls in this time of change. Now is the time for breastfeeding organizations to attempt to catch the support of this DREAMGIRL and for Beyonce to "step up to plate" for other non-tangible support of change over the years. This will have a far better impact than becoming a Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers beauty ... It is obviously better than packing up the family and relocating to another country ...
We need more celebrity moms to become advocates of change in the USA!!!
Beyonce, in all due respect, could we get some intentional parenting inspiration from you? So many of us are proud of your accomplishments AND to learn that you are not only breastfeeding, but also comfortable with with your mommy role. On the other hand, the childless Beyonce had been the booty popping inspiration for young girls for almost 2 decades. It would be cool if Beyonce "the mother" could become the diva of motherhood for your fans, too??? I would personally love to witness, Beyonce "the mother", as the celebrity face of breastfeeding and perhaps she could use that talented and fit mommy body to assist Michelle Obama "Lets Move" for kids.
No worries about the scanty costumes and booty shaking subject matter ... if Tory Spelling can become the face of good looks and parenting, and Snoop Dogg can make such substantial non-music industry changes in kids lives, society might just welcome Beyonce "the mother" as a role model for their little girls and obese children!
These are my thoughts on Beyonce nursing in public ... I look forward to comments with what you think! Will you be in shock if Beyonce is caught breastfeeding in public again? Was this appropriate or inappropriate? Would you like to see Beyonce in the role of healthy kid or breastfeeding advocate?
Child Proofing AGAIN | Child Safety for 13 Month Old Toddler
It feels like there is nothing that we can do to keep our 13 month old baby out of mischief! He is just one curious little boy that is usually on the go from 6:30 to 7:30 A.M. until he crashes around 4:00 P.M. He will nap for about an hour and then do it again until around 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. I feel like we are living in total hyper drive right now and there is really not much that we can do about it because our toddler only understands but so much at this age.
Don't get me wrong! It is truly beautiful to watch him exploring new things in his world. I am amazed by how we can literally see the "light bulb going off" when he discovers his own capabilities; his adorably innocent and transparent expressions are how I can see what he is thinking and understanding before he takes off like the Roadrunner to do the next thing. Our 13 month old is not only cute and curious, he is frighteningly smart and stubborn about what he does understand. This makes him an unstoppable opponent these days, therefore we had to childproof our home AGAIN.
It was just one room that needed the "toddler make over" because the rest of the house is off limits and we did childproof months ago when he was learning to crawl. We have given him the entire living room which is really like having two room because it openly connects to my 10 x 10 office (we just do not use the sliding doors). In addition to that opening, he can pretty much see what is going on outside of the living room because it has no doorway (just one wall where the entertainment stand sits) and opens into the kitchen and hallway.
Initial Child Proofing Done Before He Turned One Years Old
We removed just about everything from the living room (no coffee table, end tables and accessories). All that is left in the room is low sitting leather couch on one wall, glider rocking chair, one lamp, entertainment stand w/ older TV, Today's Kids Play Yard, pack n play that holds his bin of toys and a basket of toys w/ my Legmaster to the side of the entertainment stand.
We had to put the childproof caps into all of the electrical sockets when he was around 5-6 months because he started going for them as soon as he began crawling.
We painted because he started licking the walls while using them to stand up. We had only cleaned the walls when we moved in to this home, but felt more comfortable giving the walls a fresh coat of paint "just in case". He eventually stopped licking the walls.
We had to teach him not to eat the door stopper, though did end up switching to the flexible coil door stopper which he has stretched and smashed like crazy. He has finally stopped trying to use it as a teething ring. This coil type of door stopper is flexible, so it never went to the back of his throat like the straight, solid, metal ones.
We bought a pack of floor pads (found in the exercise department of Walmart for $20) to avoid any more head and tooth injuries. He was extremely accident prone when learning to sit up, crawl and walk. He chipped his front tooth just after it first came in. It is a slant that still looks OK, but he sometimes pokes his tongue with it :( These gym mats helped a bunch and we ended up getting a 2nd pack when he was learning to walk. They are not as colorful as the baby / child mats, though they are durable and have enough cushion for small knees and to break impact during falls. They are larger than the baby mats, so less cleaning time. * We did have to take the trim from around the edges because he was pealing the strips up to chew them and he has bit off a few of the block edges, but stopped that obsession around 12 months. These mats are a "must have" if you have tile or wood floors.
(Best baby floor - Get them @ Walmart for $20 in the exercise department)
Toddler Childproofing Needs (13 Months)
#1 - Turned the couch around and use it to block the open wall ...
As I mentioned above, we turned his favorite couch around (the love seat) so that he'll stop climbing it. He almost flipped over the back of it one day, so this was necessary. It also worked out that the couch was wide enough to block the opening between the living room and office entry way. We also had to sew the hole he picked in the back of the couch after we turned it around.
#2 - One room opposed to using the play yard or pack n play to contain him.
As I mentioned above, he now has the whole living room opposed to just the space of a play yard or pack n play. We have the love seat blocking him in to the living room, though I can see what he is doing at the times that we are not in the actual living room with him. I just have to slide it over to open the area up and combine the two rooms (which I need to do sometimes, so that he can walk back and forth to give his hugs and check out what we are doing :)
#3 - Turned the Today's Kids Play Yard into a gate
Last week, my husband drilled the Today's Kid Play Yard to the walls because he kept breaking loose when we had it wedged between the couch (on one side) and the entertainment center (on the other side). It is no longer a hexigon, but one long panel that makes a semi circle, straight or edged panel depending upon how the baby pushes on it. Now that the play yard is drilled to the wall, he cannot leave the room on his own and we use one panel as a door or just step over it. I would like to mention that this Today's Kids Play Yard is one of the best yard sale purchases we made. It has heavy plastic panels that permit you to combine more than one set to make a larger play area. This is what we were going to do if drilling to the wall did not work, but it did :)
#4 - We needed to baby proof the entertainment center again.
We had already cleaned out the drawers of the entertainment center, but our baby started opening them and excessively shaking the doors (that close in the TV). It has finally gotten to the point that we needed to take the knobs and both doors off the entertainment center. We also had to put our baby's books in the cabinet area because he is still trying to chew on them and rip pages. This works out well because he will stand over there to let us know that he wants to read his books. We also have an older tube TV in the entertainment stand because I am less worried about HD quality than I am his safety. This TV is heavy enough that he cannot shake it down (as he does try to lift and shake the entertainment center) and he does hit on the TV when he gets hyped up, so I am glad we left it in the living room.
#5 - Blocking the electric sockets AGAIN ...
We have had white safety plugs in all of the wall sockets since he started crawling, but they are almost useless at 13 months old. He can pull the safety plugs out of the socket, so we had t position all furniture to block those safety plugs. It gives piece of mind, but we still have to watch because he tries pushing the couch out of his way to get to the plugs on the one wall :(
Blue Ivy Carter (Source: helloblueivycarter.tumblr.com)
Jay-Z and Beyonce Posted Blue Ivy's Baby Pictures
Awe, I just happened to stumble upon pictures of Blue Ivy while checking my Twitter this evening. I have been waiting for Jay-Z and Beyonce to post their baby's pictures since I wrote my last blog post to announce that Blue Ivy Carter was born on January 7, 2012.
Isn't she beautiful?
Blue Ivy is such an adorable little baby girl. Her eyes remind me of Taraji P. Henson, but she has Beyonce's skin tone and chin. i love her head full of dark, silky, hair ... She's just as precious as I imagined that she would be!
What I love most is that Jay-Z and Beyonce tastefully posted their baby's pictures on their own and without receiving payment for them. They were accompanied by a note that said "We welcome you to share in our joy. Thank you for respecting our privacy during this Beautiful time in our lives. The Carter Family". Jay-Z and Beyonce are one of the few celebrities that did not receive payment for their baby's 1st pictures.
BTW - If you noticed, I have not put "Carter" near the little girl's name. I'm not sure if it will happen or not, but Jay-Z and Beyonce are trying to have their baby's name Trademarked in case they want to release a line of products in her name. Last thing I need is to forget to (TM) the name on my blog and get caught up in a trademark dispute ... On the other hand, this little diva's pictures are already all over the Internet ... people put them to videos, too.
As per my previous post about Blue Ivy's birth, I just want to extend one more CONGRATS to Jay-Z and Beyonce on your sweet baby girl. You have certainly been blessed all the way around. I look forward to seeing how life is for The Carter's in years to come.
Your Baby Can Read - Week 2 - 1/23/2012 to 1/29/2012
I am now reporting our son's second week using Your Baby Can Read. He just turned 13 months old and has been using this early reading system for 9 days as of 1/29/2012 (he only watched the video and used the sliding word cards for two days on the first week). I will post these reviews on Tuesdays, so that I can share the information during "Teach Me Tuesdays" when I have the time. If you missed my first blog post and video, you can read my last report / review on the Your Baby Can Read - Week 1 Review page. Here is the 2nd week report and video based on his using the sliding word cards and watching the video 5 days.
END OF WEEK 1 SUMMARY & WEEK 2 RESULTS
On Monday, January 23, 2012, I made a 1st Week Video of our baby's previous weeks results. He said "Hey Baby" and sang "Clean Up" while fidgeting, though did "clap" on demand by the end of the video. That was a summary of the 1st week's progress and started our second week with results to improve upon. WEEK 2 RESULTS- Your Baby Can Read has helped add "cat" and "dog" to his vocabulary. He also growls when he sees a picture of a tiger and perks up when he sees an elephant. Our baby will sometimes lifts his arms when I say "arms up" (which we have been teaching him since he was a few months old, but he would not do it until this week) and he has started clapping on demand a lot more now. He already knew how to say "hi" and "hello", but now he says "hi" whenever we come in the door or a room. He does not always wave when saying "hi", though sometimes when he wants our immediate attention.
WEEK 2 YOUR BABY CAN READ VIDEO OF OUR BABY
VIDEO NOTES: If you listed closely, he replies "a dog" to my first attempt and I totally missed it because I was trying to have him say "cat" in this video. He says "a dog" once when he had the yellow toy to his mouth (as if he thinks them in order" and then he repeats cat several times; one time saying "a cat" because when we ask "what is that" (when reading an animal book) the reply would be "that is A cat" opposed to "what does this word say" where the reply is "cat". I mistakenly called Caillou's cat "Rosie" instead of Gilbert. He still went to the TV to see, though typically will touch the TV screen when I ask "Where's Calious's cat Gilbert". Either way, "cat" is a word that he says all day long and gets excited to see in books or when we do the sliding word cards.
SLIDING WORD CARDS & COMPREHENSION
I have noticed that our baby REALLY enjoys the sliding word cards. He looks at the words as intently as he does the pictures. He sometimes laughs in anticipation of a picture being shown and / or gets really excited. In fact, he seems more excited to have us understand him on the few things he says more than anything. If he catches us look at him, he will say one of his new works and the say "clap" while clapping (as if to say YEAH!). It is really cute and encouraging; therefore, I am anxious to see what his vocabulary and enthusiasm for learning will be like in a few more weeks because even his focus while reading and playing on he mat, with me, has improved. For example, he sat and stacked rings on his own the other day. He never slowed down enough to do that before. He also opens and closes the animals on his Playskool Busy Basics: Busy Poppin' Pals. He was not doing this a week ago. * I am not saying that Your Baby Can Read definitely made these improvements in him; MAYBE it did help stimulate his understanding / comprehension (logic).
As I mentioned last week, our baby does better at watching the Your Baby Can Read video when he is sitting in his high chair and when I am not participating during that time. I did test this again one day. He started out well by watching the video while sitting on his boppy pillow. He eventually stood up and started walking around the room, though sat there for about 1/2 of the video. While walking around the room, he did turn to watch Your Baby Can Read at certain points in the video. He turned to watch the 2 songs and he watched the portion where Your Baby Can Read asks the baby to choice between two words to determine which is the correct word.
Want to try this program with your infant or toddler? Visit this Your Baby Can Read page to learn more!
Let's compare notes! Are you finding Your Baby Can read useful for your child? Do you have a blog post or video to share with us? Please feel free to add the link and let us know what you think of Your Baby Can Read!
Watch 1st Week Video Towards The Middle Of This Blog Post
I am embarrassed to say that I am addicted to infomercials and do watch the commercials between shows. I'm not as bad as my mother who buys from the TV, but I have been more than grateful for the Swivel Sweeper, Chopper and other great As Seen On TV products that she has bought me over the years :) My personal favorites are the Baby Bullet, Wen, Bare Minerals and Your Baby Can Read commercials. The funny thing is that our baby watches commercials on Sprout, too. He will "stop short" to watch the ones he likes and ignores me until they are done. Here I was thinking that the companies were advertising the Baby Bullet and the lunch packs to me, but my little guy likes them, too.
I supposed this is a case of Like mother, Like son ... LOL.
Anyways, I have been addicted to the Your Baby Can Read infomercial for years - YES YEARS!!! It started way before I met my husband and had our baby. I was amazed when I first watched the infomercial one 2:00 a.m. and the excitement has followed me all the way up to when I made my husband watch the infomercial when I was pregnant, and to this day. I began stalking their website when I was about 6 months pregnant. My husband did not get hooked on the Your Baby Can Read commercials until after our baby was born. He has been rather adamant about our buying it for months now. I have not agreed about buying it until now.
I have finally given into my curiosity and bought the Your Baby Can Read system. I feel as though we have a need for it.
I've had reservations about buying Your Baby Can Read until now. I was worried about wasting money. I also worried about rushing our baby into learning "sight words" too soon. He is just learning his ABCs ... Now that our baby has turned 1 year old and gets excited over counting, singing the ABCs, reading books, as well as watching certain educational shows like Super Why, Moose & Zee, Zoboomafoo etc., I decided that it was time to get started with Your Baby Can Read for these reasons:
1) Our one year old baby is starting to talk and he says more than the standard "Mama", "Dada", "Hi". Our 1 year old baby says "Clap", "Hey Baby", "Duck" "Quack", "All Done", "That", "This", "1, 2, 3" and sings "Clean Up, Clean Up" if I stop singing the Barney "Clean Up" song while picking up his toys. He might say more words, but this is all that we have understood and our baby has validated with excitement if we repeat him correctly.
2) Our baby is starting to get frustrated that we do not always understand him. He screamed "Mama Eat" the other day after he had been saying it and I did not understand. It was an extremely loud "EEEEEEEEEEE-AAAAAA-T" that finally got my attention and then his laughing hysterically and running to his gate, so that I could pick him up, that confirmed that he wanted to eat ... WOW was it dramatic and I felt so sorry for not understanding him!
3) He sits to watch his favorite shows. As a new walker, our baby runs laps most of the day, but he does sit down on the mat when certain shows catch his attention or I have just turned the TV on for him. I am in hopes that skills learned from Your Baby Can Read will help him understand more of what he is watching.
4) Our baby talks to himself all day long. It is SO CUTE, but I obviously only undertsand a few words he is saying.
5) He gets excited when I count for him; he sits so that I can set up the alphabet blocks and then goes over them 3 times before wanting to play; he loves to learn and is trying to say his numbers and letters.
The only thing that our baby does consistently is come to me for a diaper change when he poops. He does this on demand every time. I find it hard to believe that he can say all of these words / 2 word phrases and dislikes a poopy diaper so much that he understands to get his diaper changed, though he has stopped doing the other things I ask on demand. I know that he understand what I ask because he has said or done these things when I have asked at other times ... For this reason, I swear that my baby has been ignoring me and have turned to Your Baby Can Read thinking that it can help!
Here are a few examples of how I know our baby is ignoring us: 1) he used to clap on demand, now he claps at random times that he feels like it, 2) he used to touch his ear whenever I said ear and now he just looks at me like I am crazy 3) he used to lift his arms when I asked him to, so that I can put the high chair try on. He stopped lifting his arms on demand, too. He is starting to ignore when we call his name or when I ask him to pick something up. THE BIGGIE is that he has started having temper tantrums when he wants something and no one in our family understands what he is saying. He is also starting to have temper tantrums when we say "NO" ... (Can you believe this? He is already getting mad when we say no?). I decided to buy Your Baby Can Read and get it started now, so that I can add the Signing Times program along with it.
I am going to post weekly videos and / or notes on how the Your Baby Can Read system works for our baby Max.
YOUR BABY CAN READ - WEEK #1 - BABY IS 1 YEAR 3 WEEKS OLD
Purchase Day & Notes - I bought the Your Baby Can Read Volume 1 on Friday, January 20, 2012. Volume 1 came with came with the 1st Multi-Sensory DVD, 6 Sliding Word Cards, 1 Wipe-Clean Word Car and 1 Erasable, Non-Toxic Pen.
Day #1 - I sat our baby in his high chair and turned on the DVD. He remained engaged with the program through the whole lesson and was positive about doing the Sliding Word Cards with me; we did them twice, he smiled, though did not repeat anything with me (not even the clapping which is one of his favorite games to play with me).
Day #2 - I sat our baby on my lap to watch Your Baby Can Read. I started interacting with it as the video said to say or do things. This kind of irritated our baby, so I will not interact with it from now on. Additionally, our baby did fidget a lot today and wanted to walk around a bit. I will not hold him while watching Your Baby Can Read. I will put him in the high chair from now on. I did watch our baby touching his nose at that portion of the video. He did it one time and very quickly ... This HUGE because I have been trying to get him to do this for over a week. He liked doing the flash cards.
Week #1 facts & opinion(s) of Your Baby Can Read:
Your Baby Can Read is not as animated as I expected. It is rather cut and dry words, animals and clips of children providing examples in comparison to what my baby is used to from watching Super Why or Sesame Street. I can see this being a problem for older babies that are used to more animated and technological learning (like V-Tech). My baby was OK with watching Your Baby Can Read and doing the Sliding Word & Picture Cards so long as he was sitting away from me and in a containing chair (high chair). For these reasons, I would RECOMMEND preparing a child to sit and watch these DVDs before they become mobile (the Volume 1 box says as early as 3 months). You can do this by sitting your baby on your lap to watch Sprout for about an hour each day or buy Your Baby Can Read and get started at 3 months. If I had to do again, I would have started our baby around 6 months opposed to a year old.
WEEK 1 RESULTS WERE POSITIVE
- Our baby touched his nose on the second day / 2nd time watching the DVD.
- He started clapping on demand again.
- He pays attention to the video; especially the animals and "which word"portion.
- He sit for and enjoys the sliding word card more than I expected.
if you want to try this program with your infant or toddler? Visit this Your Baby Can Read page to learn more!
It's your turn to share! Did you find this blog post useful? Are my notes similar to yours? Have you tried Your Baby Can Read? Let us know!
OK, I know this is Wordless Wednesday and a picture should say it all, but I have to share just a few words ... "I conquered" ... "I defeated" ... "I wore the baby out to the point that he put himself to sleep" - WOO HOO!!! I am so excited to share this picture because he has NOT been sleeping as much as I think that he should (two short naps and maybe up at night one time). Our baby was on a fantastic schedule, but teething has taken over ... again. We have tried everything; even the pacifier is in his pack n play. He hasn't taken a pacifier since he was about 3 months, but likes gumming on this one sometimes. Now, if I could get him to put himself to sleep at night ... :)
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1) If he is really tired, he will fall asleep on his own at nap time.
2) If his TV shows are not on and his brother is playing a game or it is quiet, he will sit and play with his toys for hours. He talks to them (says "Hi", babbles, sings).
3) So long as we are in sight view, He will play in his matted play yard for hours.
4) He started saying brother more clearly.
5) Fine motor skills are much more developed. He is picking things up more quickly when using just his pointer and thumb; he is not dropping an 8 ounce bottle or cup as much as he used to fumble them; he can grab my jewelry and hair much more easier than in previous months :)
6) Non verbal communication has become more clear as well. He is shaking his head yes and no; making faces when frustrated instead of blank crying; he does not look as confused in general
9 months old is such an incredible age. I am praising God for blessing me with 3 sons and for not having to be a single mother this time around.
Nine month old babies are so active and personable that you would think they are toddlers, but they are not. At 9 months old, these babies are still infants with developmental needs that keep them our sweet, cuddly, little babies for months longer. I thank God because it is so hard to watch them grow up so quickly. We so enjoyed our baby's 8th month, but this blog post is to share some of the developmental milestones that our baby had during his 9th month; I am posting this information for other moms to use as a guide, as well as in comparison to the 9 month baby milestones that the baby experts give us. I have included our daily schedule in hope this will be helpful.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. ~ Matthew 18:10
Max did Yoga with Nina (Sprout's Goodnight Show) The highlight of this 9th month occurred on October 5th, 2011 when our 9 month old baby lifted his arms for the yoga stretch with Nina (on Sprout's Goodnight Show). He did it twice when she instructed and we could not believe it! I made such a "whoop-ti-do" that our baby crawled to me, right afterwards, and excitedly stood up so that I could put him in my lap. I think that he was proud of himself, too, but maybe he was proud of me for noticing - LOL. It is so exciting to know that he understands what to do when he watches that stretching / yoga segment. I really struggle with his watching TV, but know that it helps with certain things as well.
Babbling / Repeating / Talking
Would you believe that our 9 month old baby started talking to me this month He tugged his ear and said eeeeaaaaaaah a few times. My heart melted while realizing that he was talking to me. It took a few second before I realized that he was on a roll. He clumbsily touched his face and said "eyes" and "nose". It was mushy but I knew this was what he was saying because the exaggerated tone was just like when I teach him these things, therefore I touched his nose and said "Noooose" and touched my eye and said "Eye" ... He got extremely excited and kissed me as if he was rewarding me for understanding what he was talking about.
On October 14th, our 9 month old baby said "hello" on prompt at the harvest fest at our church. It was so cute because he looked down shyly and said it just once. He is not much on saying "hello" or "hi" when we ask him to; just when he wants, therefore this was a big deal for us.
Our baby starting singing to himself at 9 months and it was the sweetest sound that I've ever heard in my life because I love to sing (my other two boys did not do this) ... Max has a very raspy / horse voice. He sang "OOOOOOOOOOOOOh, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh". It had different tones. He made facial expressions and sometimes rocked his body back and forth as he sang. Sometimes, he shoke his head and started laughing while singing. It was almost as if he was laughing as he caught himself singing because he would stop after the head shaking part. It was so innocent and instinctive that I would stop doing anything that I was doing to watch him sing and dance.
Watching / Noticing More Things & Sense Of Humor
Our baby found his belly button on 9/9/2011. The funny thing is that he found mine a few days earlier while we were laying in bed (we had just finished nursing). He giggled both times (probably because of my reaction). It was too cute :)
He laughs and growls at his own fart (we call them toots).
He loves Moose and Zee puzzles / matching games on Nick Jr. He has certain shows that he watches and likes a lot. This 9th month, he started getting cranky (sometimes growling) if we talked during his shows.
We had to child proof a few months ago, but this month he started going for things like dirt in a crack on the ground, we patched a piece of the wall for painting and he noticed (I caught him standing at the wall picking it with his finger) and if I forgot to sweep the tile, he would spot /try to pick up anything. He swooped quickly as if he were playing Jacks.
Physical Development
Max stood for the first time - without holding on to anything - on October 16. He is walking with the aid of furniture, legs and his walker, but has not starting walking yet (as of 10/31/2011). It looks like it will be soon.
In addition to lifting his arms during Yoga time, he will sometimes lift his arms for "UP" when he wants us to pick him up from the high chair, crib or play area. We are trying to teach him to do this w/out fussing / crying, too.
He waved "Hi" on prompt, but ignores us about this too. (I think we got on his nerves).
On October 17, he started clapping on his own (without us telling him to) - saying "glaaa glaaa" (clap clap) - when he does it.
He loves to sing and dance (rock back and forth on his own). All 3 of us (mom, dad, brother) clapped and danced with Maxwell. It was great. While dancing, he clapped when we clapped and bounced his bottom on the floor and rocked to the music. Unlike saying "hello", he will clap upon request sometimes because he loves music and dancing so much.
At 9 months, he spends even longer periods of time in his walker and has excellent back up, side and forward control. He has an awesome 3 point turn at this age :)
He fought us each time we changed his diaper. He has actually been doing this for months, but we started giving him his tooth brush so that he does not take off like before. He started grabbing his private area every time I changed his diaper. I was as non challant as possible but he would growl and / or laugh when I asked him to move his hand so I could close the diaper. This was not a lot of fun when he had a poopy diaper :(
He sat nicely in his playpen / pack n play and matted play area. Every once in a while, he throws a fit to get out, but can lay alone for over an hour sometimes.
Food / Eating / Drinking
Our 9 month baby has stopped eating green beans (he even refused them even when mixed with some chopped up french cut green beans). That is one baby food down. On the contrary, he has developed a HUGE appetite for spaghetti, crackers, water in a sippy cup and just about everything he can get his hands on around the house. He tried to use his spoon at 9 months, though still preferred that we feed him. He does still nurse (mostly first thing in the morning, if he wakes at night and once or twice a day if he gets really cranky and digs my shirt), but he likes Soy formula and drinks water in his sippy cup.
Daytime Schedule / Night time Schedule
Since he finally started sleeping through the night, a decent schedule was developed by 9 months. He sometimes gets up for a bottle or to nurse around 4 or 5:00 a.m. but could sleep through the night until around 7:00am if I put him to bed around 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.
Our typical daily schedule:
Get up between 6:30 and 8:00 (typically around 7:00 a.m.).
He likes to watch Baby Einstein (Disney Channel) or The Sunny Side Up Show on the Channel. He likes Barney if we start later. He sometimes wants a bottle at this time if he did not want to nurse as soon as he woke up; other times he just wants to relax alone and watch this show.
After this time he is ready to eat and start playing. He has usually pooped just before or right after breakfast). He plays hard for hours. He plays well alone and with us. He is extremely physical during this time, therefore he uses the walker, crawls out of his pack and play or matted play area, walks along furniture and I sometimes walk him outside.
He is ready for a nap between 11:00 a.m and 12:00pm (usually after Sesame Street on PBS and / or Sprout). He typically wants rocked to sleep.
He gets up between 1:00pm and 2:00pm, and is very pleasant.
He likes to play or watch TV again before he eats. This is not long because he is usually ready to eat lunch soon after waking up.
After lunch, we will play for hours. He reads with me for short periods of time, he is very physical, so he uses his walker and likes crawling, walking along furniture and sitting to play with electronic toys. Max enjoys walks in his stroller or just sitting outside and watching cars.
He usually naps again between 3:45 p.m. and 5:30pm. This is usually not a long nap (about an hour; sometimes two hours). Diaper change again.
He is ready to eat and play again. I keep him up until 10:00pm - 11:00pm (sometimes 9:30pm), so that we have a better possibility that he will sleep through the night. I found that it helps if I take a bottle to bed. He will sometimes take that instead of wanting to nurse again (anywhere between 3:35 and 5:00pm). He will go back to sleep and is up for the day around 7:00 a.m.
OK, so there you have it. This was what our baby did at 9 months old.
At 9 months old, our baby was an energetic bundle of joy that kept us busy daily. Although my husband and I work from home, my husband picked up a temporary job to supplement our income, so that I was not stressed about the holidays and needing to increase work. With our 9 month baby being so active, I was not able to take on any more clients these past few months; just retain and maintain the accounts that I had. This was great for my existing clients because they got all of my extra work time. I knew that it would be like this because I've had children before, therefore I did eliminate some inconsistent accounts a few months ago. Yet, I really appreciate that my husband wanted to make sure that we would not struggle during Christmas, New Year and Tax season because we will travel to see family / friends during these times. It is likely they will visit us, too. I never had this type of support or potential for a "cushion" when I was a single mother, therefore I work my business diligently during the times that Max is napping and / or playing well alone, as well as when my husband is home from work.
I praise God for making all things possible that I never could have imagined nor believed that I wanted in life (a husband, another baby, living in a new state, homeschooling, etc). I hope that you enjoyed this blog post and that it is helpful to moms that are looking forward to their 9 months baby milestones. Please feel free to share your experiences and comment below :)
All I can say is "Thank you, Barbara Walters" for the awesome interview with Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. It's about time! Alyssa Milano, Tori Spelling, Christina Applegate and other Over 35 celebrity moms did not wait this long to let us see their little angels ... I know that celebrity moms are just as protective of their children as we are (probably more), but #DemBabies are 6 months now and, aside of my beautiful Baby Max (big smile), the Carey-Cannon twins) are some of the cutest babies I've seen this year. I am thinking that Mariah probably wanted to take off some of the baby weight first because this is exactly what I would want to do, too. Anyways, here's the 20/20 interview with Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, Roc, Roe and Barbara Walters. Mariah Carey shares how difficult it was to lose their first baby by miscarriage and then the challenges of getting pregnant through fertility hormone therapy and then staying pregnant with twins because it was hard on her body. Lets face it, pregnant with twins at 41 years old is not the norm nor easy on a body, but the Lord continues to bless Mariah Carey abundantly; this time with a boy and girl baby twins. Praise God!!! It is just incredible and so exciting to see how the celebrity couple are enjoying their twin babies:
Wait! It gets better ... Nich Cannon and Mariah Carey launched a website of the babies - http://www.dembabies.com and it has a ton of adorable pictures of Mariah Carey's twins. Check it out! I could not put on this site because the publish rights are for sale and funds contributed to Fresh Air Fund's Camp Mariah that helps inner city kids explore career / educational options while in a fun filled camp environment. It looks like a really nice program.
Congrats again to Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon on #dembabies. Your twins are adorable. I look forward to watching how they develop and what talents they will share with the world.
Beyond the refuge of my little life, is a family that is mourning the loss of their child because of negligence, lack of empathy and honor. 2 year old Wang Yue / YueYue died today. Her poor little body to weak to fight; her brain dead from the traumatic incident of being run over by 2 vehicles and left for dead by 18 people that were afraid to help the child.
Afraid to help a child .. WHY ???
Her body laid there until one compassionate old woman stepped up and did what was right for that child. My heart is so burdened and my thoughts are far beyond my daily activities as all I can think about how devastated her mother and father must feel exactly at those times that I am thinking of this situation.
I watched the video and my heart broke. I hugged my little baby and wondered why the Chinese people live in such fear that they will not help an innocent child ... a toddler ... someone's baby girl abused and left out in the street?
I cried. I prayed. I blogged.
Others cried. Others prayed. Others blogged.
God's wisdom puts me at a loss for words when I understand that this is just one example of how people - all over the world - neglect their social responsibilities - spiritual responsibilities - humanitarian responsibilities - all of the time.
The "lack of morals in modern society" that the Chinese people feel they've lost, because of fear, is not far from where the United States and other countries have been for years as well. The difference is that they were noted for their Chinese honor code where our morale fiber has never meant much to the rest of the world.
Will we all ever get beyond this shame?
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37 (NIV)
In Motherly Love, Mother Baby Child
This blog post was inspired by Five Minute Friday: Beyond
Moms, this blog post is dedicated to prayer for the family of Yueyue (Wang Yue). She is the 2 year old baby, that was hit by a van and truck on October 15, 2011 in Guangzhou Foshan China. Both of the drivers and 18 pedestrians left this toddler to die on the street (well, one pulled her out of the street towards the trash). Unfortunately, her mother was doing laundry in the building and did not get to child until well after these horrible incident occurs. Alas, the 19th person was the one to save Yueyue life. It was an elderly trash collector named Chen Yianmei that came to her aid. Ms. Yianmei could only cry as she explained Yueyue's condition when she found her. This 2 year old is in now in a deep coma and on life support in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.
WATCH THIS VIDEO FROM CNC CHINA NEWS
If you are having a hard time understanding the Chinese video, try this YouTube video.
18 people passed this poor little girl on the busy street in Foshan City and did NOTHING to help her. The 3 that stand out the most to me are the following:
1) Man stopped his motorcycle to look at her and drove off without helping.
2) Mother walks past with her child and does not do a thing.
3) Woman from the store pulls the fractured toddler out of the street and leaves her.
It is just heart breaking to watch this poor child brutalized like this, though we need to understand and take note of why these Chinese citizens did not help her. As explained by CNC China video, the Chinese public wanted to know why there was no "empathy from the passersby" and about the "lack of morals in modern society". Many explained that they are due to the many cases where they were accused of hurting elderly people when they were really trying to help them. Some people state that they have “lost their faith in human nature” because of such situations.
What happened to the 2 drivers that hit the little girl?
The truck driver (2nd vehicle) was arrested, but they could not get the license plate number of the van (1st driver) from the surveillance video. The police asked witnesses to help, so this prompted the van driver to call Yueyue’s father and say that he would not turn himself in to the police, but would give the parents money. The driver also explained that his plans were to leave his wife and children, go into hiding for the rest of his life and make less money from jobs out of the city. He was finally arrested yesterday, October 17, 2011.
UPDATE 10/21 - PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS POOR CHILD'S FAMILY. SHE DID NOT SURVIVE AND WE ALL GRIEVE THEIR LOSS.
Most 9 month old babies can sit well; developed balance.
Most 9 month old babies can crawl well; stand by holding onto furniture or your leg; some babies start to walk by this age.
Some drink from cups and can feed themselves finger foods and use a spoon with help. They are eating more solid foods at this time; maybe refusing baby foods that are too fine (have no texture or chunks).
They can hold toys and move them from hand to hand.
Likes to play games with you like peak-a-boo, and might let you read to him / her.
9 month old babies can pick up small things (food, toys, etc) with pointer and thumb.
They love music and "dance" to it. NOTE: Our 9 months old baby rocks back and forth to the background music on his Super Why tv show even if it is slight because the characters are speaking. He sings with music and we sometimes hear him singing on his own ("aaaaaaaaaaaa, oooooooooooo").
Smiles and responds to his / her name. Recognizes family and friends; may shy or be afraid of strangers.
It is common for 9 months babies to have teeth or experience teething during this time.
Babbles (makes nose with mouth as if talking) and repeat sounds. NOTE: Don't feel bad if your baby does not repeat! We thought that our baby Max was underdeveloped in this area until one day we were out in public and told him to say hello to a friend. He put his head down and said "hello", but would not say it again when asked. In fact, he repeats when he feels like it, therefore it might be the same with your baby at 9 months old.
Did I comment on your blog this week? Did it mention that I've linked your blog to this Wordless Wednesday post? I had so much fun hopping and meeting moms, that I decided to create a BLOG HOP page for everyone to use. I have added your Wordless Wednesday banners / buttons to this page: http://motherbabychild.blogspot.com/p/blog-hop.html - Please make sure to grab my button, so that you can share this blog, too.
I Can't Believe It ... Our Baby Is 6 Months Old ... 6 Month Milestones
Where does the time go? It seems like I gave birth to Baby Max just a month ago, but today marks his 6 months "almost birthday" and I am just in awe over our incredible little baby.
1) He showers us with kisses all day long.
2) He has been eating food for months now.
3) He rolls all over the place while playing on his floor mat.
4) He has just about figured out how to get his bottom up to crawl / starting to crawl.
5) Max can walk a 60 foot porch BACKWARDS in his little walker and he did this 3 times.
6) If I feed him a bite of peas after giving him a bite of apples, he will spit them out at me.
7) He goes crazy after he makes a #2 and then fights us the whole time we change his diaper.
8) He sleeps about 10 minutes when I want him to take a nap, but konks out completely when I do not want him to nap.
9) He has become a textbook case for "separation anxiety", so I dare not leave him alone too long at all.
10) He also started nursing roughly and pulling my hair and laughing.
Our baby still throws up all of the time, but it is getting better. I breastfeed mostly, but do use soy formula when we are out and about. It was worse when I used regular formula. I watch what I eat (reduced dairy, no spicy foods, etc) and it seems to help, but the doctor says this has nothing to do with it. That it's just reflux because of the stomach muscles.
I want him to stay 6 months forever ...
Here is a complete list of 6 months old baby milestones:
Babies are starting using receptive language at around 6 months. This means that they start associating words with objects. Your baby might point to things when asked.
Your baby still needs and loves physical contact with you. Although not newborns, 6 month old babies are still changing and learning so much. Your physical love is comforting to them and maybe even needed more this month.
50% of babies are babbling one syllable sounds / word over and over again. For example, "ba ba ba ba" or "da da da da". The repetition helps them learn, plus it gets attention!
Two more details about what our baby is like at 6 months old:
It sounds like Max can already say "Hi" and "I love you". It is so cute to hear him say "Hello" to Elmo, Caillou and his brother. I love having a 6 month old; they are so cute and start to understand more each day.
Our baby has also developed quite a little temper. He kicks his feet and suishes up his face when he is upset. I know that part is that he is frustrated with not being able to communicate with us, but sometimes it is because he wants picked up (after we have already held him for a while) or a toy that we have in out hands. We are thinking that this is the age to start catching and redirecting those bad habits, so that he is not "spoiled". Regardless of his little temper, I still love having a 6 month old baby. He is just one precious little boy and we are so grateful to have been blessed with such a loving and incredible new addition to our family.
