Category Archives: Baby development

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Milestones age 1 to 6 months

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According to this chart of milestones from the beloved BabyCenter.com, Ben is above the curve for his age! He’s in the “Advanced Skills” category for 3 months, the “Emerging Skills” category for 4 months, and the “Mastered Skills” category for 5 months.


Child’s Age
Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
1 month Lifts head when lying on tummy
Responds to sound
Stares at faces		 Follows objects briefly with eyes
Vocalizes: oohs and aahs
Can see black-and-white patterns		 Smiles, laughs
Holds head at 45-degree angle
2 months Vocalizes: gurgles and coos
Follows objects across field of vision
Notices his hands
Holds head up for short periods		 Smiles, laughs
Holds head at 45-degree angle
Makes smoother movements		 Holds head steady
Can bear weight on legs
Lifts head and shoulders when lying on tummy (mini-pushup)
3 months Recognizes your face and scent
Holds head steady
Visually tracks moving objects		 Squeals, gurgles, coos
Blows bubbles
Recognizes your voice
Does mini-pushup		 Rolls over, from tummy to back
Turns toward loud sounds
Can bring hands together, bats at toys
4 months Smiles, laughs
Can bear weight on legs
Coos when you talk to him		 Can grasp a toy
Rolls over, from tummy to back		 Imitates sounds: “baba,” “dada”
Cuts first tooth
May be ready for solid foods
5 months Distinguishes between bold colors
Plays with his hands and feet		 Recognizes own name
Turns toward new sounds
Rolls over in both directions		 Sits momentarily without support
Mouths objects
Separation anxiety may begin
6 months Turns toward sounds and voices
Imitates sounds
Rolls over in both directions		 Is ready for solid foods
Sits without support
Mouths objects
Passes objects from hand to hand		 Lunges forward or starts crawling
Jabbers or combines syllables
Drags objects toward himself
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Dr. Seuss day at Target 2/26/11

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On Feb. 26, Target had a little celebration for Dr. Seuss’ birthday where employees read popular books to kids. Since we’ve been regularly reading to Ben, we wanted to go to see what it was like. Ben wore a Dr. Seuss-like prison uniform sleeper outfit, and both my mom and Blake wore Dr. Seuss t-shirts. It was cute and silly.

 

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Cholesterol and breastfeeding

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About a month ago, I went to the doctor for a physical and to see the results of my blood work. The PA (I’ve still never actually met the doc) told me that my cholesterol was really high. She even went so far as to suggest I stop breastfeeding so I can take a cholesterol drug. I said I’d work on exercising more and she said ok and that we’d revisit it in 3 months.

This past week I started wondering if the high cholesterol would have an adverse effect on Ben, like was I messing up his heart? So I did some research…

Not only should I have high cholesterol when nursing, docs really shouldn’t even test during lactation! See this article below. So needlesstosay, I will be finding a more competent physician…

Overview

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance human bodies need. Too much cholesterol in your blood, however, builds-up on artery walls and leads to heart disease and stroke. Breastfeeding babies experience high cholesterol levels while nursing and it is believed cholesterol in breast milk plays an important role in health well beyond the nursing years. Pregnant women also experience a safe and natural rise in cholesterol levels during pregnancy and early lactation.

Significance to Baby

For a baby, cholesterol is a fat critical to brain development. “Breast milk contains a lot of cholesterol, while infant formulas currently contain none,” says Dr. William Sears M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, and author of over 30 childcare books. “Low-in-cholesterol may be good news for adult diets, but not for babies.” Naturally occurring breast milk fats, in fact, are easily and highly absorbable by a baby. While synthetic infant formulas are beginning to include fatty acids, the absorption of these additives is less effective than in breast milk.

Significance to Mother

Women naturally have high cholesterol and overall lipid levels during and after pregnancy. Mothers who breastfeed, however, may see their lipid levels return to a their pre-pregnancy range three times sooner than those who bottle-feed their babies, according to a 1982 study published in the “British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology”. To get an accurate cholesterol reading, a 1989 study in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” suggests women refrain from having their cholesterol checked until after breastfeeding is complete.

Theories

Breastfed babies and breastfeeding mothers seem to fare better than others when it comes to healthy hearts. A 2002 study in “Pediatrics” (the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics) and a 2008 study in “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” both concluded that breastfed infants maintained lower cholesterol levels throughout adulthood. These studies suggest that by consuming cholesterol as infants, breastfed babies’ better-managed cholesterol into adulthood. Additionally, a May 2009 study in “Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology” suggests the longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower her own chances of developing hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) and cardiovascular disease after menopause.

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3 1/2 Months or so…

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Ben’s doing great. He’s growing so fast. He’s staying about the same weight and not quite fitting into most 6 month sized clothes. He’s cute as can be and he’s more and more fun everyday.

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3 months!

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He’s just over three months now. He’s definitely grown into himself. And he’s definitely teething! He’s drooling everywhere, chewing on everything, and you can kinda see the teeth coming. He’s starting to grow out of 3 month clothes but most 6 month clothes are too big, so his in a transition stage (just like mommy and her clothes!).

Milestones to date:

  • He’s holding his head up perfect, as well as his entire upper body. {
  • He rolls over from his stomach to his back.
  • He’s putting a lot of weight on his feet; in fact, he’s enjoying trying to stand more than anything.
  • He’s working on sitting up; he’s done the “tripod” thing where he leans forward while sitting and supports himself with his hands.
  • He can play by himself.
  • He responds to moving objects and sounds.
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12 Weeks

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We’re all doing good here. Ben’s getting bigger and bigger – he’s now over 13 pounds. And he’s getting very expressive, laughing a lot and babbling. More and more fun really! He sleeps pretty good at night, but it depends on the night – some nights he can be really pukey or cranky.

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Ben got his shots

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On Monday, Ben had his two month check up and got his shots.

  • Weight: 11 lbs. 9 oz. (just below the 50th percentile)
  • Length: 24.5″ (98th percentile)

He handled the shots well. He was more angered by the nurse’s cold hands!

He’s definitely getting big, chubby in some places. He’s finally enjoying his swing. We checked out a bunch of Baby Einstein (and similar type) movies and music to stimulate him – they’re lame but he’s enjoying ’em.

This week he started spending a few days a week with Grandma while Blake and I are working. He’s gonna be so spoiled. 🙂

Growth chart

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8 weeks (& catching up on 7 weeks)

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Ben is 8 weeks old today. He’s growing like a weed. He’s still pretty slender but very long. He’s fitting into most 3-month-sized stuff now, but also some 6 months and amazingly a 9-month-sized sleeper!

Last week, my dad was in town from Virginia and Ben got to meet Grandpa Tim.

Other things of note:

  • His hair is growing back in.
  • He’s smiling and laughing more. He’s enjoying his Baby Einstein Under the Sea thing and also these 2 Baby Einstein VHS’s my boss gave us (thanks!). Blake’s been singing the alphabet to him which he seems to really get a kick out of.
  • He’s been eating like crazy!

I’m back at work now full-time, started last week. It’s been nuts with the 10 hours days then coming home and squeezing in whatever possible while feeding him and getting to bed by 9 to start it all over again. Blake’s been with him all day last week and this week, until he starts school/work next week during which time Ben will be with Grandma Lauren 3 days a week.

I also started my Spring semester of grad school yesterday. I was planning on taking 2 classes but dropped one almost immediately upon reading the syllabus (maybe next semester!).

Ben has a doctor’s appointment on Monday where he’ll get his first round of immunizations, which I hate but it’s gotta be done.

We decided against using gDiapers once he grows out of the small size. They’re great and all but a bit more expensive that traditional disposables and kind of a hassle. I found a great deal on these corn-based biodegradable disposable diapers so we’ll give those a try for the next size.

We’re still figuring it all out as we go. Until next time… 🙂

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6 weeks

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The poster we have above the changing table

Most of these photos take place on the changing table. We have a poster of Homer Simpson above the changing table that he loves to stare at. He used to fuss and cry but now he smiles and laughs and actually enjoys diaper changes. Naked Homers have the same effect on me too.

Ben’s still going bald which is fun. Blake’s mom says Ben’s looking more and more like Blake’s birth father because of this.

I’ve been leaving him home with Daddy for 5+ hours a few days this week while I go in to work so they both get used to me not being around when I go back to work full time on Monday. Blake’s been great so far.

Ben’s been eating nonstop, which makes me feel like a milking machine most days, especially when I’ve had to go out to the car for 15 minutes at work a couple times this week to awkwardly pump. (I bought my pump especially for the car adapter as an alternative to pumping in the bathroom at work.) As odd as it is, it has to be done so I can store milk for when Blake or his mom are watching him while I’m working, or so someone can babysit while Blake and I have a date night like this weekend (so looking forward to that!).

So far I think we’re doing good. We’re getting the hang of this baby stuff. Since we’ve hit 6 weeks, I’ve started putting more effort into exercising. I love my Wii and Biggest Loser game. I exercised throughout my pregnancy but it’s amazing how weak my abs are now and how stiff I am from a month and a half of sedentary days. I have about 20 pounds to lose to get back to my pre-preggo weight. I can tell my back is already stronger from lugging around my progressively bigger and bigger bundle of joy – seriously, he’s still looks thin but he’s so long! His newborn size stuff still fits around but when you go to snap between the legs, for example, no go. We’re breaking into the 3 month sized stuff now, of which we still have tons (thanks everyone!).