3-Months Progress Check

by Julia 12/27/2006 5:59:02 PM

Matthew and I have been noticing so much development and progress in Natasha's behaviour that I wanted to cross-check it against the typical developmental milestones of a 3-month old baby and see if she's on track:

Green font - Natasha has accomplished this milestone
Orange font - Natasha is beginning to accompish this milestone
Red font - Natasha has not yet accomplished this milestone

Most babies should be able to . . .

  • Hold up head at 45 degree angle while on stomach
  • Hold head steady when upright
  • Laugh and smile
  • Recognize your face
  • Open and shut hands
  • Kick legs

Some babies will probably be able to . . .

  • Recognize your voice
  • Hold up head at 90 degree angle while on stomach
  • Bring both hands together
  • Squeal and coo in delight
  • Do small mini pushups

Some babies could possibly be able to . . .

  • Bear weight on both legs
  • Bat at toys
  • Reach for toys and objects
  • Roll over
  • Turn to familiar voices
  • Make a razzing sound

My conclusion, based on the above, is that Natasha is generally on track - in fact, she is a bit ahead than the average baby which is great. We can't wait for her to develop more and more abilities and capabilities, but at the same time it is shocking how quickly time flies past us.

Digg It!DZone It!StumbleUponTechnoratiRedditDel.icio.usNewsVineFurlBlinkList

Be the first to rate this post

  • Currently 0/5 Stars.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

A Holiday Update

by Julia 12/22/2006 8:33:13 PM
Natashka under her first treeee!!

Today Natasha and I attended my office's Christmas Party at one of my colleague's house. Being on maternity leave for over four months already, it was nice to see my co-workers once again and to enjoy some adult conversation; it was rather fun and a nice way to spend a Friday afternoon prior to the holiday season.

Earlier today I was slightly hesitant and considered skipping this event due to two main reasons: the main one was a matter of transporting Natasha to the party, and the second being rainy, cold, and windy weather outside. Taking a stroller was out of the question as I anticipated too many steps/staircases along the way, so instead I chose to take my brand new Prémaxx sling which I purchased five days ago from the Baby Safety Superstore. The whole idea made me nervous as I wasn't sure how Natasha would handle being in this baby-bag through a twenty minute bus ride, a three-station subway ride, and an additional ten minute walk in the horrid weather mentioned above. To my surprise, Natasha was quite content through this whole trip to and from - she curiously observed all her surroundings, grabbed several stares from random strangers, and didn't even make a peep. Wow, how good is our baby?? She made me really proud at how well behaved she was. I must also note that the sling is extremely comfortable allowing the infant to rest in a fetal position, most natural to a small baby. Unlike the Snugli carrier, at which a baby under four months must face the parent, the Prémaxx sling permits the baby to observe and view everything around her. It also distributes the baby's weight equally which makes it very comfortable for the carrying parent. I highly recommend this item for any new or expecting family.

On a slightly different note, Matthew is officially off for Christmas and is not due back at work until the 27th of December, following which he's got a few additional days for New Year's. Our Christmas tree is all ready and decorated although it's missing a top which one of us smashed last year. We have once again went with a blue/silver theme, same as last year, although the plan was to have a different theme for each Christmas. This plan collapsed and died once we realized that buying a whole new set of Christmas ornaments was simply not a priority when you have a newborn at home - diapers and formula are. Ooops. But regardless, the tree looks fantastic and Natasha enjoys observing it once it's all lit up and sparkling. Yay, her very first tree!

This weekend, on the 24th, the three of us are heading to Matthew's brother's place to enjoy a Christmas dinner and some fun festivities with the family. Should be great, and Christmas Day we will probably spend at home, just enjoying this time as a new family.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!!

Digg It!DZone It!StumbleUponTechnoratiRedditDel.icio.usNewsVineFurlBlinkList

Be the first to rate this post

  • Currently 0/5 Stars.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Baby Clothes Dilemma

by Julia 12/1/2006 3:28:21 PM
Red strawberry baby... so red

I've been noticing a weird trend among the baby clothes Natasha is currently wearing. For an odd reason, her little baby shirts, onsies, and body suites range anywhere from 3mos, to 6mos, to 9mos, and even to 18mos. Now, Natasha is 2mos old, so my question is: is she an incredibly huge baby or are there no standards out there for designing fitting baby clothes? I think we can rule out option no.1 since our baby is actually below average size and weight for a baby her age, so what's going on? And this isn't shrunk-in-the-washer clothes either, but brand new store bought items. Now, why is this a concern to me? Well, before Natasha was born, we received a lot of clothes from our relatives (both new and used), and I've taken the time to sort through the items and pack away anything with a label indicating 6mos and up. I mean, why keep these items in her dresser when she won't need them for a long while? But now, however, I am noticing that all items around 3mos and below no longer fit the baby, and it's time for me to go through the boxes and take out all the bigger stuff. Oy, Natasha! In this speed, in a few months the poor baby won't have much to wear. So yes, I really wish that baby clothes were more consistent to make new moms' lives much easier.

Aside from the above, however, I really enjoy dressing Natasha up in different outfits. And she has A LOT of them, in many different colours, designs, sizes, and so on. It somewhat reminds me of my childhood and how much I enjoyed dressing up my Barbie dolls and sewing/purchasing new outfits for them. Natasha IS a lot like a (baby) doll and she looks cute in absolutely anything. This, however, has turned Matthew and I entirely picture-crazy - it's almost a compulsion now to snap a photo of the baby in ANY outfit she hasn't worn before (or has, it doesn't even matter!). Do all new parents become photo-crazy?? Our Flickr account is overloaded with new photographs almost every single day, each one is cuter than the previous one, and each one must be shared with the entire world! Oh, and of course we must print them all to have the hard-copies in case of some unexpected Internet/computer crash that will make them all disappear! (okay... maybe I am going to far, but is that the case?) But looking into the future, I would also like to have the opportunity to sit down with my daughter one day, look at all those old photographs and recall the special moments portrayed through them. I used to enjoy sharing these moments with my own family, and I hope she will as well.

Aside from this we are just awaiting the holiday season.

Julia

Digg It!DZone It!StumbleUponTechnoratiRedditDel.icio.usNewsVineFurlBlinkList

Be the first to rate this post

  • Currently 0/5 Stars.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5


AUTHOR

  • profileI am Julia, 24, a stay-at-home mommy to two beautiful girls, Natasha (born Sept '06) and Veronika (born Apr '08), and wife to Matthew, 27, who developed this wonderful website for me.


Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker Lilypie 3rd Birthday Ticker



ShoutMix chat widget

Calendar

<<  December 2008  >>
MoTuWeThFrSaSu
24252627282930
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930311234

View posts in large calendar


Sign in