I think Anastasia said her first sentence today. We're on vacation in Quebec City, and as Matt was making breakfast this morning, she said, "Eggs! Plate! Bite."
Does that count as a sentence? It has a subject and a verb...sort of...
Showing posts with label accomplishments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accomplishments. Show all posts
8.24.2009
7.15.2009
words
The other day Matt asked me how many words Anastasia says, and I didn't know. So I've decided to make a list. I'm putting them in three categories: words she only signs, words she only says verbally, and words she both says and signs. I'm counting signs she made up (like pointing to her head) as well as signs I taught her, because I figure, if she consistently uses it to mean the same thing, then that's language, right?
And I'm counting animal sounds as words. She uses them to refer to the animals, so, well, again...that's language in my book. But I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting some animal sounds--she says a lot.
Words She Says Verbally:
* mama, mommy
* dada, daddy
* there
* that
* all right
* uh-oh
* mm-mm!
* bikes (her latest new word)
* back (while patting my back)
* baby
* ice
* rabbit
* moo
* vroom
* wooah wooah wooah (the whispering sound that a butterfly makes, according to Dr. Seuss)
* arf arf
* meow
* roar
* quack quack
* the sound a fish makes (kind of a pop pop pop with her lips)
* Ana (as in her name! Yes, this is a new one!)
Words She Both Says and Signs:
* hi
* bye
* milk
* shoes
* belly button (she actually says "belly" while pointing to her belly button)
* eye
* potty
* no
Words She Signs (or points consistently):
* more
* give me that (we also use that sign for please)
* open the door (by knocking on it)
* finished
* food
* helmet/hat
* head
* hair
* bum
* mouth
* nose
* tongue
* teeth
* hands
* feet
* bear
* helicopter
* elephant
Words She Sings:
* moon. Every time we see the moon, we sing "Mr. Moon," so Anastasia has started doing this too. She sings a few bars whenever she sees it or it's mentioned.
And I'm counting animal sounds as words. She uses them to refer to the animals, so, well, again...that's language in my book. But I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting some animal sounds--she says a lot.
Words She Says Verbally:
* mama, mommy
* dada, daddy
* there
* that
* all right
* uh-oh
* mm-mm!
* bikes (her latest new word)
* back (while patting my back)
* baby
* ice
* rabbit
* moo
* vroom
* wooah wooah wooah (the whispering sound that a butterfly makes, according to Dr. Seuss)
* arf arf
* meow
* roar
* quack quack
* the sound a fish makes (kind of a pop pop pop with her lips)
* Ana (as in her name! Yes, this is a new one!)
Words She Both Says and Signs:
* hi
* bye
* milk
* shoes
* belly button (she actually says "belly" while pointing to her belly button)
* eye
* potty
* no
Words She Signs (or points consistently):
* more
* give me that (we also use that sign for please)
* open the door (by knocking on it)
* finished
* food
* helmet/hat
* head
* hair
* bum
* mouth
* nose
* tongue
* teeth
* hands
* feet
* bear
* helicopter
* elephant
Words She Sings:
* moon. Every time we see the moon, we sing "Mr. Moon," so Anastasia has started doing this too. She sings a few bars whenever she sees it or it's mentioned.
3.27.2009
walking!
ANASTASIA WALKED TODAY!!!!!!!
This morning she was holding my hand and walking, which she's been doing for a while, and I got her to let go of my fingers while encouraging her to keep going. She took three or four steps before she went back to crawling.
Then, later this evening, she was practicing standing. She stood up without holding onto anything for about 45 seconds. I got in front of her and held my hands out toward her, and she walked toward me. She took about ten steps before she crouched down and then sat down.
The first time it happened, I screamed so much that everyone in the house came running. I'm so excited! My baby is walking!!!
This morning she was holding my hand and walking, which she's been doing for a while, and I got her to let go of my fingers while encouraging her to keep going. She took three or four steps before she went back to crawling.
Then, later this evening, she was practicing standing. She stood up without holding onto anything for about 45 seconds. I got in front of her and held my hands out toward her, and she walked toward me. She took about ten steps before she crouched down and then sat down.
The first time it happened, I screamed so much that everyone in the house came running. I'm so excited! My baby is walking!!!
12.04.2008
nine month well visit
On November 26, Anastasia went to the pediatrician for her nine-month visit. I do feel silly sometimes making these visits when I know perfectly well that she's not only well but intelligent, healthy, bright, and well above average. However, it's always nice to get outside confirmation of these things.
Anyway, she was 17.6 lbs, which is 30th percentile for her age; 28 inches tall (67%); and her head was 17.9 inches around (88%). She's already doing pretty much all the milestones from the 6 to 12 month handout the pediatrician gave me: sitting alone, reaching for things she wants, transferring objects between hands, crawling well, pulling herself to standing (not well yet, but that's a 12-month milestone), making noises to show her displeasure or satisfaction (this she does vehemently and constantly), looking for toys or balls that fall out of sight, becoming distressed if a toy is taken away (boy, does she ever!), responding to her name and recognizing our names, pushing toys away when she doesn't want them, playing patty cake, dancing and bouncing to music, and clapping her hands. Some people might disagree whether she's said her first word, but she regularly looks at me and says "Mama" when she wants me...and if that's not talking, I don't know what is. And, of course, she certainly "shows mild to severe anxiety at separation from parent." Make that, "screams in protest at the sight of Mommy's back, even if Mommy is just picking up toys or something and not actually leaving the room." But I don't mind. She has every right to insist on my presence. It won't be long before she'll be all too eager to get away from me. Sigh.
The one thing she hasn't done on the list is wave goodbye. Probably because I've never tried to teach that to her. Yet.
Although, on second thought, I've never tried to teach her any of these things.
When I read that she should "crawl well" by twelve months, I was curious whether her current method of motion qualified as "crawling well," so I asked the pediatrician and put Anastasia on the floor to demonstrate. Naturally, as soon as I put her down, she immediately began crawling away from me, eager to explore a new floor.
"Yes," the pediatrician said patiently, already tired of my unending exclamations about how advanced Anastasia is in every way, "she's definitely crawling."
According to the handout, we do have some exciting new developments to look forward to:
She might try to talk to herself in the mirror. She hasn't done that yet. Then again, she doesn't try to talk to other babies, either...just smiles and reaches for them, which is what she does to her image, too.
She might start offering toys or object to others but want them to be returned. So cute. Her friend Jubilant, who's six months older, does this to me in church all the time, and it never fails to crack me up. I can't wait till Anastasia is doing this one.
Ah. So fun to watch the changes--she really is different every day now. Not long ago she crawled away from me for the first time--it gave me quite a turn. I was in the bathroom (of course; wouldn't that be the way?), and I put her on the floor of the bathroom while I peed--which I always do. But this time, instead of sitting there happily looking for pieces of fuzz to eat as she usually does, Anastasia was no sooner on the floor than she was happily crawling away--out the bathroom door. I was too flabbergasted to be able to get off the toilet quickly.
Luckily Matt was home, so I called for him to come keep an eye on her while I caught up.
But I can understand all the cliches now. It really does seem like yesterday that she couldn't even control her arms, and now she's crawling away from me. Next thing I know she'll be driving and moving out of the house.
At least I'll always have the satisfaction of knowing I took advantage of every moment she did want to be with me and enjoyed it...
Anyway, she was 17.6 lbs, which is 30th percentile for her age; 28 inches tall (67%); and her head was 17.9 inches around (88%). She's already doing pretty much all the milestones from the 6 to 12 month handout the pediatrician gave me: sitting alone, reaching for things she wants, transferring objects between hands, crawling well, pulling herself to standing (not well yet, but that's a 12-month milestone), making noises to show her displeasure or satisfaction (this she does vehemently and constantly), looking for toys or balls that fall out of sight, becoming distressed if a toy is taken away (boy, does she ever!), responding to her name and recognizing our names, pushing toys away when she doesn't want them, playing patty cake, dancing and bouncing to music, and clapping her hands. Some people might disagree whether she's said her first word, but she regularly looks at me and says "Mama" when she wants me...and if that's not talking, I don't know what is. And, of course, she certainly "shows mild to severe anxiety at separation from parent." Make that, "screams in protest at the sight of Mommy's back, even if Mommy is just picking up toys or something and not actually leaving the room." But I don't mind. She has every right to insist on my presence. It won't be long before she'll be all too eager to get away from me. Sigh.
The one thing she hasn't done on the list is wave goodbye. Probably because I've never tried to teach that to her. Yet.
Although, on second thought, I've never tried to teach her any of these things.
When I read that she should "crawl well" by twelve months, I was curious whether her current method of motion qualified as "crawling well," so I asked the pediatrician and put Anastasia on the floor to demonstrate. Naturally, as soon as I put her down, she immediately began crawling away from me, eager to explore a new floor.
"Yes," the pediatrician said patiently, already tired of my unending exclamations about how advanced Anastasia is in every way, "she's definitely crawling."
According to the handout, we do have some exciting new developments to look forward to:
She might try to talk to herself in the mirror. She hasn't done that yet. Then again, she doesn't try to talk to other babies, either...just smiles and reaches for them, which is what she does to her image, too.
She might start offering toys or object to others but want them to be returned. So cute. Her friend Jubilant, who's six months older, does this to me in church all the time, and it never fails to crack me up. I can't wait till Anastasia is doing this one.
Ah. So fun to watch the changes--she really is different every day now. Not long ago she crawled away from me for the first time--it gave me quite a turn. I was in the bathroom (of course; wouldn't that be the way?), and I put her on the floor of the bathroom while I peed--which I always do. But this time, instead of sitting there happily looking for pieces of fuzz to eat as she usually does, Anastasia was no sooner on the floor than she was happily crawling away--out the bathroom door. I was too flabbergasted to be able to get off the toilet quickly.
Luckily Matt was home, so I called for him to come keep an eye on her while I caught up.
But I can understand all the cliches now. It really does seem like yesterday that she couldn't even control her arms, and now she's crawling away from me. Next thing I know she'll be driving and moving out of the house.
At least I'll always have the satisfaction of knowing I took advantage of every moment she did want to be with me and enjoyed it...
11.20.2008
Anastasia crawled!
Anastasia crawled this morning. Really crawled on her hands and knees, not belly-scootched like she's been doing for a while. We were in the bathroom. I was going to take a shower, so I put her on the floor with a bunch of toys while I got ready. As usual, when I set her down, she landed on her hands and knees and stayed there for a minute. Usually she rocks that way for a while and then lowers herself to her belly and moves around that way. But today, she sat there very still and serious for a minute, and then she crawled: first one hand, then one knee, and then the other hand, then the other knee. She went about four steps before she lowered herself to her belly to play with a toy. But after weeks of watching her get frustrated as she tried to do this, I was very impressed!
Now, of course, she already seems to have forgotten how she did it, because when she tried again later, she got frustrated again. But of course it's only a matter of time--and a very short time, it looks like--before she's moving all over the place too fast to keep up with. My easy days of babywatching are over. Time to get ready to run after her all over the house.
Other tricks she's learned recently:
* Clapping. Mary and I both occasionally have clapped for her when she did something cool, but she suddenly started imitating it without really much prompting. Now she does it on cue. "Clap your hands!" I'll say, and usually she'll respond by clapping them and giggling, a big grin on her face. Adorable.
* Peek-a-boo. I definitely didn't teach her this, and we only played it a couple of times before she figured it out. I really don't think I'd done it more than once or twice--you know, the whole thing where I put a blanket on her head and say, "Where's Anastasia?" and then whip it off with a triumphant, "There she is!" But after we'd done this a few times, Anastasia started doing it herself. The first time, she used a book. She put it on her head like a hat and looked at me expectantly, with an unmistakable "I'm-playing-a-game-now!" face.
"Where's Anastasia?" I asked agreeably, although I didn't really think she was going to do it. But sure enough, she waited just a minute--with an impressive sense of comedic timing--before whipping the book off her head and grinning at me. "There she is!"
She really is at the best age now. I think I say that all the time, but it's true what a neighbor told me: she just keeps getting better.
Now, of course, she already seems to have forgotten how she did it, because when she tried again later, she got frustrated again. But of course it's only a matter of time--and a very short time, it looks like--before she's moving all over the place too fast to keep up with. My easy days of babywatching are over. Time to get ready to run after her all over the house.
Other tricks she's learned recently:
* Clapping. Mary and I both occasionally have clapped for her when she did something cool, but she suddenly started imitating it without really much prompting. Now she does it on cue. "Clap your hands!" I'll say, and usually she'll respond by clapping them and giggling, a big grin on her face. Adorable.
* Peek-a-boo. I definitely didn't teach her this, and we only played it a couple of times before she figured it out. I really don't think I'd done it more than once or twice--you know, the whole thing where I put a blanket on her head and say, "Where's Anastasia?" and then whip it off with a triumphant, "There she is!" But after we'd done this a few times, Anastasia started doing it herself. The first time, she used a book. She put it on her head like a hat and looked at me expectantly, with an unmistakable "I'm-playing-a-game-now!" face.
"Where's Anastasia?" I asked agreeably, although I didn't really think she was going to do it. But sure enough, she waited just a minute--with an impressive sense of comedic timing--before whipping the book off her head and grinning at me. "There she is!"
She really is at the best age now. I think I say that all the time, but it's true what a neighbor told me: she just keeps getting better.
8.06.2008
babbling, yes, but...is this possible?
Is it possible for a five month old to already be talking?
Most people would probably say no. I would have a month ago. But now...I'm not sure. I think Anastasia might be talking.
The frustrating thing is that it happened so gradually, I don't even know when it started.
It was a couple of days ago...last Saturday, maybe...when she was babbling while Matt was playing with her. She's only just started moving her lips when she babbles--it used to be all "mms" and "aahs," but lately she's started to make consonant sounds as well. So Matt, naturally, started encouraging her to say daddy.
"Dada," he urged, laughing as she cooed at him. "Say, 'dada.' Da-da. Yeah, Da-da."
"Da-da," repeated Anastasia, and laughed.
"Right! Dada!" Matt was thrilled.
"Dada." She giggled again.
"You said dada!"
I couldn't take it anymore. I was supposed to be napping, but I jumped up and ran into the room. Matt turned to me in excitement. "Did you hear that?"
"Yes!" I shrieked. "Did she really say that? She said dada!"
Anastasia smiled. "Begalumana," she agreed.
"Mama," I said to her. "Say, 'mama.'"
She just looked at me and smiled, and reached up her arms to be held.
But later that night, when Matt was getting her ready for bed, she started crying, and her wail took on a definite shape. "Maaaaaaaa-maaaaaaaaaaaa!" she cried. "Maaaaaaaaaaaaa-maaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Was she calling for me? I jumped up and rushed into the room.
"Mama?" I asked her. "Did you say mama? Do you want mama?"
She spotted me, and immediately her crying stopped. She smiled up at me.
"Mama! Say 'mama'!" I urged her. "Here's mama!"
"Aaaaaaah," was Anastasia's only answer, which, in this case, definitely meant "I want to go to sleep now."
So what do you think? Is she talking?
Most people would probably say no. I would have a month ago. But now...I'm not sure. I think Anastasia might be talking.
The frustrating thing is that it happened so gradually, I don't even know when it started.
It was a couple of days ago...last Saturday, maybe...when she was babbling while Matt was playing with her. She's only just started moving her lips when she babbles--it used to be all "mms" and "aahs," but lately she's started to make consonant sounds as well. So Matt, naturally, started encouraging her to say daddy.
"Dada," he urged, laughing as she cooed at him. "Say, 'dada.' Da-da. Yeah, Da-da."
"Da-da," repeated Anastasia, and laughed.
"Right! Dada!" Matt was thrilled.
"Dada." She giggled again.
"You said dada!"
I couldn't take it anymore. I was supposed to be napping, but I jumped up and ran into the room. Matt turned to me in excitement. "Did you hear that?"
"Yes!" I shrieked. "Did she really say that? She said dada!"
Anastasia smiled. "Begalumana," she agreed.
"Mama," I said to her. "Say, 'mama.'"
She just looked at me and smiled, and reached up her arms to be held.
But later that night, when Matt was getting her ready for bed, she started crying, and her wail took on a definite shape. "Maaaaaaaa-maaaaaaaaaaaa!" she cried. "Maaaaaaaaaaaaa-maaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Was she calling for me? I jumped up and rushed into the room.
"Mama?" I asked her. "Did you say mama? Do you want mama?"
She spotted me, and immediately her crying stopped. She smiled up at me.
"Mama! Say 'mama'!" I urged her. "Here's mama!"
"Aaaaaaah," was Anastasia's only answer, which, in this case, definitely meant "I want to go to sleep now."
So what do you think? Is she talking?
7.16.2008
baby houdini
I'm just laughing this morning at how active Anastasia is. She will not fall asleep without swaddling, but she can wiggle out of the best swaddle known to man. The other night I wrapped her in Matt's baby blanket so tightly that I even tied a knot to keep it in place. Then I put a swaddle blanket (the kind with velcro to hold it shut) on top of that...but by morning, her arms were out and waving.
Right now she's swaddled for her nap, but she somehow managed to turn over from her back to her stomach. Swaddled. How is that even possible? I have no idea...but I have a picture to prove she did it.
You can see that she's rolled over, because she started out lying on top of the pink blanket.
In other news, she didn't pee in her diaper at all last night. Not once. She woke up every two hours as usual, and at 2:30 am she was very restless, kicking her legs and squirming. It occurred to me that she might want to be changed--I've usually been changing her around 3 or 3:30. She's wiggled so much in that swaddling blanket that it now has a big hole at the bottom, so it was easy to pull it up and take her diaper off, so I did, even though it was a little early. Imagine my amazement when I discovered that her diaper was completely dry. So I held her over the bowl I keep next to the bed, cued her, and sure enough, she peed up a storm.
And then it took her less time than usual to settle back down to sleep.
And when I woke up at 7:00 this morning, she was still dry. Again, of course, she peed a lot. But wow! She's been wearing a new swaddlebees pocket diaper that I bought her on diaperswappers.com (she's starting to grow out of her newborn diapers, finally, so I had to buy some more), and I love it--it's very trim and cute. But I've barely had a chance to test it, because she's hardly peed in it since I started using it yesterday morning. I've been using it like a cover with a flatfold inside it, and I think she's only peed in it three or four times in the last 24 hours. At this rate, I'll never find out whether this diaper actually contains leaks or not.
Right now she's swaddled for her nap, but she somehow managed to turn over from her back to her stomach. Swaddled. How is that even possible? I have no idea...but I have a picture to prove she did it.
You can see that she's rolled over, because she started out lying on top of the pink blanket.
In other news, she didn't pee in her diaper at all last night. Not once. She woke up every two hours as usual, and at 2:30 am she was very restless, kicking her legs and squirming. It occurred to me that she might want to be changed--I've usually been changing her around 3 or 3:30. She's wiggled so much in that swaddling blanket that it now has a big hole at the bottom, so it was easy to pull it up and take her diaper off, so I did, even though it was a little early. Imagine my amazement when I discovered that her diaper was completely dry. So I held her over the bowl I keep next to the bed, cued her, and sure enough, she peed up a storm.
And then it took her less time than usual to settle back down to sleep.
And when I woke up at 7:00 this morning, she was still dry. Again, of course, she peed a lot. But wow! She's been wearing a new swaddlebees pocket diaper that I bought her on diaperswappers.com (she's starting to grow out of her newborn diapers, finally, so I had to buy some more), and I love it--it's very trim and cute. But I've barely had a chance to test it, because she's hardly peed in it since I started using it yesterday morning. I've been using it like a cover with a flatfold inside it, and I think she's only peed in it three or four times in the last 24 hours. At this rate, I'll never find out whether this diaper actually contains leaks or not.
6.27.2008
teaching herself how to roll over again
So yesterday when I was posting the video of Anastasia rolling over, she was watching it with me. She hadn't rolled over in a couple of weeks, but I figured it was just because she preferred to be on her back right now.
Apparently she'd actually forgotten how to do it...but watching the video reminded her.
When I put her on the floor after watching the video, she immediately rolled over several times in a row. She's done it again every time I've put her on her back today. How clever is she? She reminded herself of her new trick!
Apparently she'd actually forgotten how to do it...but watching the video reminded her.
When I put her on the floor after watching the video, she immediately rolled over several times in a row. She's done it again every time I've put her on her back today. How clever is she? She reminded herself of her new trick!
6.26.2008
my baby is a genius
Anastasia went to the pediatrician on Monday (June 23) for her four-month well baby visit. She weight 13.3 pounds (which is the 43 percentile) and was 25.98 inches long (96 percentile!). Not that it means anything at this stage, but isn't that just gorgeous? She definitely has model potential!
Good thing I'm not one of those moms...at least, I don't think I am...
Of course her development is well ahead of average. When she put her on her stomach to see how she held her head up, the pediatrician said she "looks just like the baby in the picture"--completely ideal. But I don't think Dr. Sells believed me that Anastasia can already roll over from her back to her stomach. "That's a six-month milestone," she said, with an incredulous twist of her lips. "Is she doing it consistently? Is it really on purpose?"
Okay, it's true that Anastasia hasn't done it consistently all the time. When she first learned to do it, she did it every time I put her down for about a week. Then she stopped for a while. Then she did it again a few times, and lately she's stopped again. I think she just prefers to be on her back right now. She has turned over from her stomach to her back once or twice, but that was definitely not intentional, and she hasn't realized that she can do it on purpose yet. But fortunately, I did manage a few weeks ago to catch her rolling to her stomach on tape:
Just tell me that isn't intentional!
Good thing I'm not one of those moms...at least, I don't think I am...
Of course her development is well ahead of average. When she put her on her stomach to see how she held her head up, the pediatrician said she "looks just like the baby in the picture"--completely ideal. But I don't think Dr. Sells believed me that Anastasia can already roll over from her back to her stomach. "That's a six-month milestone," she said, with an incredulous twist of her lips. "Is she doing it consistently? Is it really on purpose?"
Okay, it's true that Anastasia hasn't done it consistently all the time. When she first learned to do it, she did it every time I put her down for about a week. Then she stopped for a while. Then she did it again a few times, and lately she's stopped again. I think she just prefers to be on her back right now. She has turned over from her stomach to her back once or twice, but that was definitely not intentional, and she hasn't realized that she can do it on purpose yet. But fortunately, I did manage a few weeks ago to catch her rolling to her stomach on tape:
Just tell me that isn't intentional!
6.04.2008
cars are a little less evil than they used to be
Tonight we took a quick trip to Whole Foods (for some bread) and Borders (for some books, since man doesn't live by bread alone). Nothing unusual in that, except that ever since Anastasia was born we've avoided driving anywhere whenever possible--even more than we usually avoid driving, I mean--because she hates the car. She screams and arches her back when I put her in the carseat, and she cries most of the time while we're driving. Sometimes she quiets for a little while the car is moving, but every time we stop at a red light, she bursts out again. Sometimes she doesn't cry until after the drive has lasted for longer than ten or fifteen minutes, but usually at the very least she bursts into inconsolable tears just before we arrive wherever we're going.
The much-dreaded drive to and from Virginia last week, however, was not as bad as I'd feared. At least, it improved considerably once I discovered that I could nurse her in the carseat while Matt was driving. She still cried about it, though, and even though we drove every day last week--it just isn't possible to get anywhere from Matt's parents' house without driving--she didn't really get any better about it.
But tonight, we drove to Whole Foods and back--a ten-minute drive each way--without a single cry. Not a single tear. Not even a complaint. Anastasia sat happily in her carseat without fuss when I put her in, no protest at all. She let me buckle her without complaining, and she smiled and cooed at me the whole way there. Even though she was tired on the way back (it was after her 8:00 bedtime), she comforted herself by chewing and sucking on fingers (both hers and mine) and looked up at me with her big eyes and a questioning expression, as if to say, I can go to bed soon, right mommy?--and didn't cry at all.
The much-dreaded drive to and from Virginia last week, however, was not as bad as I'd feared. At least, it improved considerably once I discovered that I could nurse her in the carseat while Matt was driving. She still cried about it, though, and even though we drove every day last week--it just isn't possible to get anywhere from Matt's parents' house without driving--she didn't really get any better about it.
But tonight, we drove to Whole Foods and back--a ten-minute drive each way--without a single cry. Not a single tear. Not even a complaint. Anastasia sat happily in her carseat without fuss when I put her in, no protest at all. She let me buckle her without complaining, and she smiled and cooed at me the whole way there. Even though she was tired on the way back (it was after her 8:00 bedtime), she comforted herself by chewing and sucking on fingers (both hers and mine) and looked up at me with her big eyes and a questioning expression, as if to say, I can go to bed soon, right mommy?--and didn't cry at all.
5.26.2008
what a difference three months make
We spent Memorial Day weekend with Matt's parents in Virginia for the traditional Baker family reunion on Saturday the 24th. Saturday was a significant day for several reasons, most importantly because it was Anastasia's three-month birthday. But I little dreamed how significant it would actually be.
We spent Friday night at Matt's parents' house with his brother Jeff and Jeff's wife Heidi, along with their two children, Isaac and Olivia. Olivia was born two days before Anastasia, so we were excited to introduce the cousins to each other! -- more excited, probably, than they were. Although we did manage to get some video footage of them smiling at each other.
Saturday morning, as we were all getting ourselves and the babies ready to go out to the cabin where the reunion would be, Matt decided to put Anastasia under a little toy of Olivia's. It's a mobile that sits on the ground with dangling toys, music, and flashing lights--exactly the kind of toy I never want to own. But Matt thought it would be fun to see how Anastasia reacted to it, so he put her on her back under the mobile while I was about to go get dressed. I stopped to see what she would do.
She didn't seem particularly interested in it, but she didn't mind it, either. She lay there cooing and looking at Matt, ignoring the flashing lights and the toys. Then she rolled on her side, maybe to get away from the lights, or maybe to get closer to Matt. She's been rolling onto her side from her back for quite a while, so none of us thought anything of it. But then, after just a minute on her side, she kept going--all the way to her stomach!
Those of you who aren't parents might not understand why this is a big deal, but rolling over is a big developmental milestone. Naturally, Anastasia is very young to be achieving this--most babies don't roll over until they're four months. But I never could have predicted exactly how exciting this would be for me. "Oh my gosh!" I shouted. "She rolled over! She rolled over! I can't believe it! She rolled all the way over! Anastasia, you're so clever!"
Matt and Jeff were a little startled by my shouting. To tell the truth, I was a little startled myself. "Uh, is it really that big a deal?" Matt asked uncertainly.
"It's a huge deal! This is an important developmental milestone!" I appealed to Jeff, since he's been a father now for almost two years. "Jeff, tell him what a big deal it is!"
"Uh, it's kinda like graduating college, or getting married," Jeff agreed obligingly.
"I see." Matt looked down at Anastasia, who was starting to cry because she couldn't get her arm out from under her.
"Heidi!" I shouted up the stairs. Maybe this was something only another mother could understand.
Heidi was appropriately excited for Anastasia and me, but by the end of the week, I don't think anyone could quite appreciate just how significant the accomplishment had been. Because that was only the beginning. Over the course of the week, Anastasia gradually started staying awake for longer periods--and sleeping for longer naps. Instead of being awake for an hour and then sleeping for an hour constantly throughout the day, she started having a two-hour period in the afternoon when she was awake--and more surprising, happy. Then she took a two-hour nap in the late afternoon. She also started going to sleep more easily at night, and I was able to leave her once she was asleep and hang out downstairs for two hours (from 9 to 11) before she woke up to eat again.
She also amazed me by going holding her pee for longer stretches--especially at night. One morning I got up at 4:30 am, thinking her restlessness was because she needed to go to the bathroom, to discover she had a completely dry diaper. And the first morning after we got back, she was still dry when I changed her at 8 am. It's not a pattern yet, but I'm hoping that soon we'll be able to go diaper-free at night with a towel for back-up!
On Friday she laughed for the first time--not the infant shriek she's been doing for a while, but a real, rolling, gurgling laugh. Olivia's first laugh was also this week, three days earlier, so Heidi and I got to enjoy that together. But the strangest part about that was that Anastasia's first laugh was in the car, and she hates the car. Heidi, Jeff, Olivia, Anastasia and I were going shopping, and I sat in back with the babies to try to keep Anastasia happy. I was desperately playing with her to stave off crying: "Where's your nose? Boop! There's your nose! Where's your chin? Chin! Chinny-chin-chin!" It was tickling her chin that elicited the laugh: a chuckling, cooing, rolling laugh such as only a baby can give.
But perhaps the most exciting accomplishment of all was that she started reaching for things. As Matt put it, she discovered her hands at last! It's hard to pinpoint exactly when this happened, as it's a gradual process from flailing arms and reflex grabbing to actually reaching out and picking something up. However, it was Wednesday when I left her on the floor for a minute to go get something and came back to find her holding my sunglasses, which had been lying on the floor next to her, in her hand. Reflex? Maybe. But they are bright pink, a color she definitely enjoys looking at. At any rate, by the time we were driving home, I felt like I had a different baby than the one I'd brought on the trip up. She spent an hour sitting in her carseat happily playing with a few brightly colored tissue papers from a present her great-grandparents gave her. I folded them into a kind of mobile and held them in front of her, and she batted at them and fingered them with great interest. She also enjoyed playing with a beanie baby crab from her great-aunt: I held it so the legs dangled down, and she batted at them and pulled them into her mouth. She's turning into a real baby at last!
Now if only I could catch some of these brilliant accomplishments on video...
We spent Friday night at Matt's parents' house with his brother Jeff and Jeff's wife Heidi, along with their two children, Isaac and Olivia. Olivia was born two days before Anastasia, so we were excited to introduce the cousins to each other! -- more excited, probably, than they were. Although we did manage to get some video footage of them smiling at each other.
Saturday morning, as we were all getting ourselves and the babies ready to go out to the cabin where the reunion would be, Matt decided to put Anastasia under a little toy of Olivia's. It's a mobile that sits on the ground with dangling toys, music, and flashing lights--exactly the kind of toy I never want to own. But Matt thought it would be fun to see how Anastasia reacted to it, so he put her on her back under the mobile while I was about to go get dressed. I stopped to see what she would do.
She didn't seem particularly interested in it, but she didn't mind it, either. She lay there cooing and looking at Matt, ignoring the flashing lights and the toys. Then she rolled on her side, maybe to get away from the lights, or maybe to get closer to Matt. She's been rolling onto her side from her back for quite a while, so none of us thought anything of it. But then, after just a minute on her side, she kept going--all the way to her stomach!
Those of you who aren't parents might not understand why this is a big deal, but rolling over is a big developmental milestone. Naturally, Anastasia is very young to be achieving this--most babies don't roll over until they're four months. But I never could have predicted exactly how exciting this would be for me. "Oh my gosh!" I shouted. "She rolled over! She rolled over! I can't believe it! She rolled all the way over! Anastasia, you're so clever!"
Matt and Jeff were a little startled by my shouting. To tell the truth, I was a little startled myself. "Uh, is it really that big a deal?" Matt asked uncertainly.
"It's a huge deal! This is an important developmental milestone!" I appealed to Jeff, since he's been a father now for almost two years. "Jeff, tell him what a big deal it is!"
"Uh, it's kinda like graduating college, or getting married," Jeff agreed obligingly.
"I see." Matt looked down at Anastasia, who was starting to cry because she couldn't get her arm out from under her.
"Heidi!" I shouted up the stairs. Maybe this was something only another mother could understand.
Heidi was appropriately excited for Anastasia and me, but by the end of the week, I don't think anyone could quite appreciate just how significant the accomplishment had been. Because that was only the beginning. Over the course of the week, Anastasia gradually started staying awake for longer periods--and sleeping for longer naps. Instead of being awake for an hour and then sleeping for an hour constantly throughout the day, she started having a two-hour period in the afternoon when she was awake--and more surprising, happy. Then she took a two-hour nap in the late afternoon. She also started going to sleep more easily at night, and I was able to leave her once she was asleep and hang out downstairs for two hours (from 9 to 11) before she woke up to eat again.
She also amazed me by going holding her pee for longer stretches--especially at night. One morning I got up at 4:30 am, thinking her restlessness was because she needed to go to the bathroom, to discover she had a completely dry diaper. And the first morning after we got back, she was still dry when I changed her at 8 am. It's not a pattern yet, but I'm hoping that soon we'll be able to go diaper-free at night with a towel for back-up!
On Friday she laughed for the first time--not the infant shriek she's been doing for a while, but a real, rolling, gurgling laugh. Olivia's first laugh was also this week, three days earlier, so Heidi and I got to enjoy that together. But the strangest part about that was that Anastasia's first laugh was in the car, and she hates the car. Heidi, Jeff, Olivia, Anastasia and I were going shopping, and I sat in back with the babies to try to keep Anastasia happy. I was desperately playing with her to stave off crying: "Where's your nose? Boop! There's your nose! Where's your chin? Chin! Chinny-chin-chin!" It was tickling her chin that elicited the laugh: a chuckling, cooing, rolling laugh such as only a baby can give.
But perhaps the most exciting accomplishment of all was that she started reaching for things. As Matt put it, she discovered her hands at last! It's hard to pinpoint exactly when this happened, as it's a gradual process from flailing arms and reflex grabbing to actually reaching out and picking something up. However, it was Wednesday when I left her on the floor for a minute to go get something and came back to find her holding my sunglasses, which had been lying on the floor next to her, in her hand. Reflex? Maybe. But they are bright pink, a color she definitely enjoys looking at. At any rate, by the time we were driving home, I felt like I had a different baby than the one I'd brought on the trip up. She spent an hour sitting in her carseat happily playing with a few brightly colored tissue papers from a present her great-grandparents gave her. I folded them into a kind of mobile and held them in front of her, and she batted at them and fingered them with great interest. She also enjoyed playing with a beanie baby crab from her great-aunt: I held it so the legs dangled down, and she batted at them and pulled them into her mouth. She's turning into a real baby at last!
Now if only I could catch some of these brilliant accomplishments on video...
5.20.2008
routines
Last night Anastasia slept two three-hour stretches and only woke up once (at 2:20) between 11:00 pm and 5:45 am. I feel SO good this morning! Two long stretches of sleep...
I have a feeling her schedule might start to change soon, so I should remember what it's been while she was a newborn. Usually she goes to bed at 8:00 and wakes every two hours to eat, at 10, 12, 2, 4, and 6. At 6 or 6:30 she would want to be awake for a while and play, but I'm always far too tired, so either I lie there and watch her coo and giggle, wishing I had the energy to play with her, or I wake Matt up and let him bond with her. At 8 she nurses back to sleep until 10. Then she's awake for about an hour and nurses back to sleep around 11:30. She takes a longer nap then, till around 2 or 2:30. She wakes up to eat; then she plays until 3:30 or 4, when she gets fussy and tired. Usually I lie down with her to nap until Matt gets home around 6. Then he plays with her until I put her to bed.
She pees every twenty minutes when she's awake in the morning but only every hour in the afternoon, and right when she wakes up.
And now that we've only just gotten comfortable with that schedule, it looks like things will be changing. The past couple of days she's been staying awake longer and waking up sooner, and I think she might be spreading out her eating a little bit too during the day. And her bathroom patterns are definitely changing, although I haven't figured out the new patterns yet, and I'm keeping her completely diaper-free during the day until I do.
Maybe she's about to hit a developmental milestone; I've heard these kind of changes can be a prelude for that.
I have a feeling her schedule might start to change soon, so I should remember what it's been while she was a newborn. Usually she goes to bed at 8:00 and wakes every two hours to eat, at 10, 12, 2, 4, and 6. At 6 or 6:30 she would want to be awake for a while and play, but I'm always far too tired, so either I lie there and watch her coo and giggle, wishing I had the energy to play with her, or I wake Matt up and let him bond with her. At 8 she nurses back to sleep until 10. Then she's awake for about an hour and nurses back to sleep around 11:30. She takes a longer nap then, till around 2 or 2:30. She wakes up to eat; then she plays until 3:30 or 4, when she gets fussy and tired. Usually I lie down with her to nap until Matt gets home around 6. Then he plays with her until I put her to bed.
She pees every twenty minutes when she's awake in the morning but only every hour in the afternoon, and right when she wakes up.
And now that we've only just gotten comfortable with that schedule, it looks like things will be changing. The past couple of days she's been staying awake longer and waking up sooner, and I think she might be spreading out her eating a little bit too during the day. And her bathroom patterns are definitely changing, although I haven't figured out the new patterns yet, and I'm keeping her completely diaper-free during the day until I do.
Maybe she's about to hit a developmental milestone; I've heard these kind of changes can be a prelude for that.
5.08.2008
anastasia so far
Anastasia is nine weeks and four days old today. Her accomplishments so far:
And her newest accomplishment today: turning her body around while on her tummy! I put her on a blanket on the floor today as usual so she could practice movements that lead toward crawling. This is something that she wants to do pretty much every day. Usually she just holds her head up and wiggles her arms and legs. It's clear that she wants to crawl, but of course she can't do that yet. However, today as she was wiggling her feet and knees against the floor, she somehow managed to pivot her body around! Her head stayed in basically the same face as the rest of her body pivoted around it. I have no idea how she accomplished this. But I am impressed! Mary and Pamela Showalter were there to see it as well. She went a full 180 degrees before she got frustrated and wanted to be picked up.
She may not be interested in toys yet, but she does love to play...
- smiling a lot! -- especially for Daddy
- laughing
- rolling from her back to her side when she's next to me on the bed (I think the soft surface helps. She can also wiggle up next to me to get her mouth on my boob.)
- cooing and babbling (I love this!)
- sort of putting herself on a schedule (awake for about an hour, then eat and sleep, except at night, when she wakes every two hours but only to eat)
- peeing and pooping in the toilet more than half the time. This is as much my accomplishment as hers, I guess. But still.
- holding her head up and turning it to the side while on her tummy
- holding her head up with only a little wobbling when she's sitting up
- looking people in the eyes and imitating facial expressions
- responding to voices and studying people's faces
- "walking" with much of her weight on her legs as you hold her arms or body
- "jumping" off your lap: she crouches down and pushes off, and we fly her into the air
- staring at patterns and lights with great fascination
- "beat boxing" with daddy (she waves her arms or stomps her feet in rhythm, although it's probably just coincidence)
- nursing round the clock!
And her newest accomplishment today: turning her body around while on her tummy! I put her on a blanket on the floor today as usual so she could practice movements that lead toward crawling. This is something that she wants to do pretty much every day. Usually she just holds her head up and wiggles her arms and legs. It's clear that she wants to crawl, but of course she can't do that yet. However, today as she was wiggling her feet and knees against the floor, she somehow managed to pivot her body around! Her head stayed in basically the same face as the rest of her body pivoted around it. I have no idea how she accomplished this. But I am impressed! Mary and Pamela Showalter were there to see it as well. She went a full 180 degrees before she got frustrated and wanted to be picked up.
She may not be interested in toys yet, but she does love to play...
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