With my daughter’s ever persistent desire to climb the stairs, she will take advantage of any and every opportunity to zip up the stairs. From my perspective it seems like she watches and waits for the barricade to be moved or not in place yet. She is especially on the watch in mornings as the barricade is moved often while people run up to get clothes and toys. When she notices that the furniture or other barricading objects (I often use a large board slid between two stair posts) are out of place, she literally races towards the stairs and … Continue reading →

It kind of snuck up on me. My daughter was growing and changing and learning new things, but she was still toothless. I was pleased. I could wait for the biting and chewing to begin. However, anxious family members were asking me when I thought she would get her first tooth. Of course I replied that I had no idea but that I was hoping it would not be for a while. A while did not last very long. Not long after she reached six months her first bottom tooth broke through without any warning. She was not particularly fussy … Continue reading →

The anticipation among my extended family for my daughter to crawl has been growing in the last few weeks. While I will be pleased when my daughter learns to crawl, I am in no hurry for her to leave her non crawling stage behind especially considering that she is only six months old. My son did not acquire his crawling skill until he was eight months old. Of course all children grow and learn at different rates so I am not expecting that my daughter will necessary learn at the same pace as her brother. In a lot of ways … Continue reading →

It is rather exciting watching my daughter as she experience things for the first time. There always seems to be something new for her to experience and as her first year of life progresses, she is having a good time exploring and experiencing numerous things for the first time. This past week she experienced her first fourth of July. The day began later than normal because we were all exhausted from all the late nights that we had recently experienced. I made celebratory buttermilk pancakes with blueberries and maple syrup. While our daughter is very anxious to eat solids, she … Continue reading →

The more time my daughter spends with her older (three months and four weeks) female cousins, the more she learns by following their example. My daughter seemed to have very little interest in sitting up on her own to play until she had a playdate with her four week older cousin. The two girls sat together interacting with one another for a good twenty minutes before going down unto their tummies. Following her cousin’s example, my daughter began to manipulate the toys differently than she had before our playdate. Within two short days she has mastered the ability to sit … Continue reading →

My daughter is a quick study. She has been developing new skills and abilities at an almost alarming rate; much quicker than her brother did. She has always been an observer of all activity in her sight. I think a big part of her rapid growth is due to the example she receives from the children around her. My son never cared for toys as a baby but his sister loves toys. She likes to watch her big brother playing with all different kinds of toys and follows his example. At barely five months she was grabbing toys and discovering … Continue reading →

When I first gazed into my daughter’s dark blue eyes, her half birthday seemed like it was very far away. Yet, here we are celebrating my daughter reaching the six month milestone. These past six months have gone by so quickly but in those six months we have enjoyed watching our little baby girl grow and develop into the happy and active baby that she is. At six months she is still very much bald with a small patch of dark hair at the nape of her neck. Her hair is slowly growing in and her peach fuzz is developing … Continue reading →

My daughter has entered a new phase of her life in the last few weeks. Gone are the days of sitting in one place, there is a whole new world for her to explore. The transition from immobile to mobile began when my daughter started to insist on laying on the floor. She did not want to be held and she did not want to sit in any kind of chair. At first she was perfectly content to grab on to her toes and put them into her mouth. With several colorful toys in her reach, she started kicking in … Continue reading →

My little guy is 6 months old today! Six months!! To me, it seems like yesterday that he was born, and now, he’s been a part of our family for half a year. This stage is so much fun. As far as mobility, he has mastered rolling over, and loves to bounce his legs. When you hold him on your lap, he just wants to stand up and bounce. This is the stage where the bouncy chair comes in very handy! He can easily get any object into his mouth, and he is quick. So, he has been nicknamed grabby … Continue reading →

At five months my baby girl reacts to various stimuli in her environment with an assortment of facial expressions. Almost anyone can illicit a smiling expression by making a funny face or a interesting sound. She also expresses curiosity, confusion, concern, fear, contentment, joy boredom, excitement, and tiredness. In five months she has learned to use body language quite effectively. If she is tired of her position whether she is sitting in her bumbo, playing on the floor, or sitting reclined in her sleep and play rocker, she has several signals that she is ready for something new. She might … Continue reading →