Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tea Time with Mila and Daddy
I finally took out Mila's tea set given to us by our friend Carla! The box said 6-36 months on it, so I had it put away, but seeing how 6 months is just around the corner, I opened it up today! Mila loooves it! She mouths all over it. When Daddy came home from work, he saw us playing tea time and he quickly came and joined in on the fun. Soooooo incredibly sweet! LOVE IT! My favorite is the last picture... Mila teaching Daddy how to drink his tea, haha!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Baby This Week: 25 Weeks Old
Your baby's development is now working in your favor when she's fussy: She's increasingly distractible. Intensely interested in the world around her, her rapidly evolving brain zeroes in on things that are new and different. So when your baby is a little cranky, use his growing interest in novelty to your advantage by making a funny noise, singing a song, gently banging a pot — any change from the norm may snap her out of her grumpy mood.
By the time she's about 6 months old (though sometimes it takes a little longer), your baby's hand control is developed enough that she can rake a small object toward herself. She may not actually grab it, but she can bring it to her.
You can help your baby practice this by placing a toy within her reach and waiting for her bring it close. In another month or so, she'll learn to grab larger toys and start to practice moving objects from one hand to the other.
Let her work with this skill by giving her a small rattle or toy to hold on to. Then help her transfer it to her other hand. Then move it back to the original hand, and so on. When she learns to transfer objects, a whole new world opens up — she now has two hands to have fun with!
Your baby now sees and hears the world almost as well as you do. Her communication skills are expanding rapidly, too, as evidenced by her squeals, bubbling sounds, and operatic octave changes. Her sounds can demonstrate her attitude or response to objects — such as happiness, eagerness, or even satisfaction — with a problem well solved.
At this age, about half of babies babble, repeating one syllable — such as "ba," "ma," "ga," or other consonant-vowel combinations — over and over. A few will even add another syllable or two, making their sounds more complex.
You can encourage your baby by babbling right back at her and by making a game of it ("The sheep says, 'baaa,'" or "The goat says, 'maaa'"). Or, when you hear a syllable you can't identify, just respond enthusiastically with, "Yes, that is a car! See how shiny the red paint is?" Your baby will appreciate your encouraging her by keeping the conversation going.
She'll also appreciate it if you listen as if you understand everything she says and find it extremely interesting. Try simulating a conversation: You listen while she talks, then ask a question and wait for a response!
-BabyCenter.com
By the time she's about 6 months old (though sometimes it takes a little longer), your baby's hand control is developed enough that she can rake a small object toward herself. She may not actually grab it, but she can bring it to her.
You can help your baby practice this by placing a toy within her reach and waiting for her bring it close. In another month or so, she'll learn to grab larger toys and start to practice moving objects from one hand to the other.
Let her work with this skill by giving her a small rattle or toy to hold on to. Then help her transfer it to her other hand. Then move it back to the original hand, and so on. When she learns to transfer objects, a whole new world opens up — she now has two hands to have fun with!
Your baby now sees and hears the world almost as well as you do. Her communication skills are expanding rapidly, too, as evidenced by her squeals, bubbling sounds, and operatic octave changes. Her sounds can demonstrate her attitude or response to objects — such as happiness, eagerness, or even satisfaction — with a problem well solved.
At this age, about half of babies babble, repeating one syllable — such as "ba," "ma," "ga," or other consonant-vowel combinations — over and over. A few will even add another syllable or two, making their sounds more complex.
You can encourage your baby by babbling right back at her and by making a game of it ("The sheep says, 'baaa,'" or "The goat says, 'maaa'"). Or, when you hear a syllable you can't identify, just respond enthusiastically with, "Yes, that is a car! See how shiny the red paint is?" Your baby will appreciate your encouraging her by keeping the conversation going.
She'll also appreciate it if you listen as if you understand everything she says and find it extremely interesting. Try simulating a conversation: You listen while she talks, then ask a question and wait for a response!
-BabyCenter.com
Breastfeeding Rooms in Health Care Law
While reading about a new study on CNN's website about the benefits of feeding a baby breastmilk exclusively until 6 months that I just posted about, I came accross another great article about breastfeeding that I thought I'd share. A new law about breastfeeding in the workplace is in the new health care bill signed by President Obama. According to CNN, "Nursing mothers will now get additional support, thanks to page 1239 of the health care bill that President Obama recently signed into law. It requires employers to provide 'a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.' Only companies with less than 50 employees can claim it's an undue hardship."
This is wonderful news for moms and families. It encourages working moms to continue breastfeeding their children for a longer period, which then leads to healthier children and families. I have heard awful stories where women are told to go pump in the bathroom. That's just simply outrageous! When a woman pumps milk, she's preparing a meal for her baby. Would you prepare your child's meal in a public bathroom? Would you prepare your own meal in a public bathroom??! A woman needs privacy and cleanliness above all else. Every woman should be entitled to having a clean, comfortable place to pump milk for her baby.
You can read the full story on CNN's website here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/09/breast.feeding.society/index.html?iref=obnetwork
Here's a short video clip of the report:
This is wonderful news for moms and families. It encourages working moms to continue breastfeeding their children for a longer period, which then leads to healthier children and families. I have heard awful stories where women are told to go pump in the bathroom. That's just simply outrageous! When a woman pumps milk, she's preparing a meal for her baby. Would you prepare your child's meal in a public bathroom? Would you prepare your own meal in a public bathroom??! A woman needs privacy and cleanliness above all else. Every woman should be entitled to having a clean, comfortable place to pump milk for her baby.
You can read the full story on CNN's website here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/09/breast.feeding.society/index.html?iref=obnetwork
Here's a short video clip of the report:
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Exclusive Breastfeeding For First Six Months
I thought this was an interesting article about breastfeeding. Mila is still exclusively breastfed and we plan on holding off giving her anything solids until this weekend, when she's officially 6 months old. I've read much on the topic and I really believe this is what's best for Mila, but I know a few people are surprised to hear that I haven't given her any food or water or juices yet, and I thought this article might help ease any concerns and help others understand our decision. I appreciate everyone's input though! :)
On CNN just last week, they reported another study that supports exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life. The article says that exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months – where a baby is only given breast milk, no formula or solid food or fruit juice or even water – can significantly reduce their baby's risk of serious lung and intestinal infections. While the benefits of breastmilk are known, "they found that babies who were exclusively breastfed for more than four months had a 'significant reduction of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases in infants.' They also found that being breastfed until six months of age seemed to be even more protective and even appeared to reduce the number of infections for the next six months of the child's life."
It's a very interesting article. See the article on CNN's webiste for the full story: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/21/new-study-supports-exclusive-breastfeeding-for-first-six-months/?hpt=Sbin
Here's a short clip of the report on CNN:
On CNN just last week, they reported another study that supports exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life. The article says that exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months – where a baby is only given breast milk, no formula or solid food or fruit juice or even water – can significantly reduce their baby's risk of serious lung and intestinal infections. While the benefits of breastmilk are known, "they found that babies who were exclusively breastfed for more than four months had a 'significant reduction of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases in infants.' They also found that being breastfed until six months of age seemed to be even more protective and even appeared to reduce the number of infections for the next six months of the child's life."
It's a very interesting article. See the article on CNN's webiste for the full story: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/21/new-study-supports-exclusive-breastfeeding-for-first-six-months/?hpt=Sbin
Here's a short clip of the report on CNN:
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Mila Laughing
Mila's been working on her laugh lately, and a few days ago we got a real laugh on camera! It's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard!
Here, Jorge was pulling out the Winnie the Pooh blanket for playtime, and as he was putting it out, Mila burst into giggles as the breeze from the blanket hit her. So cute!!!!
Here, Jorge was pulling out the Winnie the Pooh blanket for playtime, and as he was putting it out, Mila burst into giggles as the breeze from the blanket hit her. So cute!!!!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Baby This Week: 24 Weeks Old
You've got to hand it to your baby — her hand control is definitely improving. You may see her rake objects toward herself and try to pick them up. Most 5-month-olds grasp an object for just a short while and then drop it. Yours will spend a long time doing this over and over if you play along by picking up the objects and handing them back. Your indulging her in this game is also teaching a basic lesson in cause-and-effect — one she'll learn well, to uproarious giggles, before long.
Your baby's getting better at spotting very small objects and tracking things that are moving. At this point, she may be able to recognize an object after seeing only part of it — like her favorite toy peeking out from under a blanket. This will be the basis of little hide-and-seek games you'll be playing in the coming months. She can also follow an object out of her view.
You may also notice that she'll reach for a block (or another object) on a table if you hold him close to it, and once she's got one, she may just go after a second.
Earlier your baby learned to distinguish between similar bold colors. Now, she's beginning to sort out subtle differences in pastels. Reading books about colors or playing with colored blocks is a great way to learn about the color palette.
When your baby starts fussing at the supermarket, you may be able to distract her — not for enough time to knock everything off your shopping list, but a few minutes goes a long way these days. Try engaging her with funny faces or a round of "the Itsy-Bitsy Spider."
Clapping your hands, giving her something to hold and mouth, or pointing out new objects in the aisles might work, too. But, remember: For some sensitive babies, the sights, sounds, smells, and overly friendly folks found in stores can be too much.
Your baby's ability to interact with you, others, and her surroundings is growing daily. At this stage, she may start playing little games as she begins to understand that simple actions have results. she may drop objects just to watch you pick them up or to see how and where they fall.
Once she understands that letting go of something is as much fun as picking it up, your baby's world will become more interesting — and yours a good deal messier. Tiring as it sounds, you'd better get used to it. In a few weeks, this will be accompanied by your baby's fits of giggles.
Before long, you'll probably notice the noise level increasing, not only because of your baby's babble but also because she'll find out how much fun it is to bang objects together. Banging, shaking, and mouthing are all ways your baby conducts her experiments on the world.
- BabyCenter.com
Your baby's getting better at spotting very small objects and tracking things that are moving. At this point, she may be able to recognize an object after seeing only part of it — like her favorite toy peeking out from under a blanket. This will be the basis of little hide-and-seek games you'll be playing in the coming months. She can also follow an object out of her view.
You may also notice that she'll reach for a block (or another object) on a table if you hold him close to it, and once she's got one, she may just go after a second.
Earlier your baby learned to distinguish between similar bold colors. Now, she's beginning to sort out subtle differences in pastels. Reading books about colors or playing with colored blocks is a great way to learn about the color palette.
When your baby starts fussing at the supermarket, you may be able to distract her — not for enough time to knock everything off your shopping list, but a few minutes goes a long way these days. Try engaging her with funny faces or a round of "the Itsy-Bitsy Spider."
Clapping your hands, giving her something to hold and mouth, or pointing out new objects in the aisles might work, too. But, remember: For some sensitive babies, the sights, sounds, smells, and overly friendly folks found in stores can be too much.
Your baby's ability to interact with you, others, and her surroundings is growing daily. At this stage, she may start playing little games as she begins to understand that simple actions have results. she may drop objects just to watch you pick them up or to see how and where they fall.
Once she understands that letting go of something is as much fun as picking it up, your baby's world will become more interesting — and yours a good deal messier. Tiring as it sounds, you'd better get used to it. In a few weeks, this will be accompanied by your baby's fits of giggles.
Before long, you'll probably notice the noise level increasing, not only because of your baby's babble but also because she'll find out how much fun it is to bang objects together. Banging, shaking, and mouthing are all ways your baby conducts her experiments on the world.
- BabyCenter.com
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Father's Day to my Dad!
Today we had a little get together at our place to celebrate Father's Day with my Dad and to celebrate Cathy's birthday. Cindy and Justin came over and Cindy made spectacular Key Lime Pie -- soooo good! It was so nice to see everyone!
Happy first Grandfather's Day to my Dad! We love you!! :)
Happy first Grandfather's Day to my Dad! We love you!! :)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Happy First Father's Day to Jorge!
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! A special happy first Father's Day to my wonderful husband Jorge. You are an amazing, wonderful, loving father to Mila and such a supportive, encouraging, thoughtful husband to me... I love seeing how much she brings out the goofy, playful side of you. Seeing you two together just melts my heart! I love you now more than ever... Thank you for all you do for us! WE LOVE YOU!
Today we celebrated Jorge's first Father's Day, just Mila and I with Daddy. We had a make-up class pending for Mila's Mommy and Me class, so I scheduled it for today so Jorge could go and participate. Saturdays are usually family days and lots of other dads go too. It was so great for him to be a part of class!!
Afterward, we went home and played with Mila in the afternoon. It was a nice little cozy day for all of us to spend together.
I updated Jorge's little photo book of Mila that he keeps at work and Mila and I made him a card. It came out so cute!
Today we celebrated Jorge's first Father's Day, just Mila and I with Daddy. We had a make-up class pending for Mila's Mommy and Me class, so I scheduled it for today so Jorge could go and participate. Saturdays are usually family days and lots of other dads go too. It was so great for him to be a part of class!!
Afterward, we went home and played with Mila in the afternoon. It was a nice little cozy day for all of us to spend together.
I updated Jorge's little photo book of Mila that he keeps at work and Mila and I made him a card. It came out so cute!
The "Jumbo Daddy" reference is to one of Mila's favorite toys, that we've named "Jumbo Dumbo" and since then, Jorge has become Jumbo Daddy, LOL! What a lovely first Father's Day!
Monkey Mitt
My friend Spencer, a speech therapist, always recommends the best toys! She has this awesome Monkey Mitt that she uses with her daughter and I loooved it! It's a fuzzy mitt that has velcro fingers so you can add toys that come off for different songs. This looked like so much fun! So I went out and bought a few sets for Mila. I bought monkeys, ducks and farm animals for 3 songs to sing to her. She loves it! Although she really wants to grab the toys off the mitt, so I have to keep an eye on her, LOL!
Here's the song, "Five Little Monkeys":
There's another one that has ducks. I remember learning this song when I was in kindergarten! It's called "Five Little Ducks" and it goes like this: (the last verse always makes me laugh!)
I also bought her one more Monkey Mitt set, for the song "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly." This one is so fun to sing!
Here's the song, "Five Little Monkeys":
"Five Little Monkeys"
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
So Momma called the doctor and the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!
Four little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
So Momma called the doctor and the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!
Three little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
So Momma called the doctor and the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!
Two little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
So Momma called the doctor and the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!
One little monkey jumping on the bed
He fell off and bumped his head
So Momma called the doctor and the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!
No little monkeys jumping on the bed
None fell off and bumped his head
So Momma called the doctor and the doctor said
Put those monkeys back in bed!
There's another one that has ducks. I remember learning this song when I was in kindergarten! It's called "Five Little Ducks" and it goes like this: (the last verse always makes me laugh!)
"Five Little Ducks"
Five little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack, quack."
And four little ducks came running back.
Four little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack, quack."
And three little ducks came running back.
Three little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack, quack."
And two little ducks came running back.
Two little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack, quack."
And one little duck came running back.
One little duck
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said
"Quack, quack, quack, quack."
And no little ducks came running back.
No little ducks
went out to play
Over the hills and far away
Papa duck said,
"QUACK!.... QUACK!... QUACK!"
And five little ducks came running back!
I also bought her one more Monkey Mitt set, for the song "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly." This one is so fun to sing!
"There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly"
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird.
How absurd to swallow a bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a cat.
Imagine that, she swallowed a cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a dog.
My what a hog, to swallow a dog.
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.
She swallowed the cat, to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.
I guess she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a cow.
I don't know how she swallowed a cow.
She swallowed the cow to catch the dog.
She swallowed the dog, to catch the cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly
I guess she'll die.
I know an old lady who swallowed a horse...
She's fat of course!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Aunt CC
Aunt Cindy came by to visit today! You really enjoy her visits, as does Mommy. She's moving away for medical school at the end of the year and boy will we miss her! But she'll be back in no time! Until then, we have to see her often!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Teething
Teething has officially begun. Mila's been really fussy lately, so fussy that we had to give her acetaminophen infant drops over the weekend. Poor thing! I can see her bottom gum is all swollen and even a white dot where an incisor would be. A tooth possibly?? I've only gotten a few glimpses -- she doesn't let me get a good look. Ugh, I hope they come out quickly, I hate seeing her so uncomfortable!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Abuelito Visit
My dad stopped by to visit. He is so sweet with Mila! He's so in love with her... can you tell?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Mila's Second Time at the Beach
This weekend, Mila woke up early so we figured we'd go down to the beach before it got too hot. We got there around 9am and it was a bit cloudy, so it was perfect. Unfortunately, the clouds turned into rain so we had to leave after about half an hour, but it was fine because Mila wasn't really enjoying herself. The water was coming in kinda rough and I think it scared her a little. We'll have to go again when it's a bit calmer.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Mila Just Woken Up
I put Mila down for a nap in her crib and an hour later I heard her stirring through the monitor
. I clicked on the video and here's what I saw:
She was looking right into the camera as if she knew I could see her! Hahahaha! Oh, Mila! You crack me up!!
. I clicked on the video and here's what I saw:
She was looking right into the camera as if she knew I could see her! Hahahaha! Oh, Mila! You crack me up!!
Baby This Week: 23 Weeks Old
Have you noticed how your baby turns to you when you speak? Those expressions of attentiveness are really gratifying after the many hard hours of baby care you've logged. A relationship that seemed rather one-sided for so long is beginning to blossom into something truly interactive. Don't be surprised if, more and more often, you feel like dropping everything just to get down on the floor and have fun with your baby.
Your baby may start showing signs of one of her first major emotional milestones — stranger anxiety. She may become clingy and anxious around new (and even familiar) people and may cry if a stranger suddenly approaches her.
Keep this in mind when you're around people she doesn't know, and try not to be embarrassed when she cries in someone else's arms — just take her back and calm her down by holding her yourself. Tell your friends and family to approach your little one with slow, gentle movements.
A case of stranger anxiety doesn't mean you have to avoid new faces. Your baby will benefit from being around people other than you and your partner. Just remember that she needs your patience and understanding to get through this very important stage of development.
Your baby's probably showing more signs that she's ready for solids — from a weaker tongue-thrust reflex (when your baby pushes out her tongue when something is placed on it) to a keener interest in the foods you and others are eating. But don't be in a rush to give your baby solid food. Discuss when to introduce solid food with your baby's healthcare provider.
Your baby's digestive system may not be ready for solids, and she might not be able control her chewing and swallowing muscles. (Don't worry: That will all come in a few weeks.) Giving your baby solid foods too early can raise her risk of developing food allergies, too. Common allergies include citrus, egg whites, peanut butter, wheat, shellfish, and cow's milk.
Use family mealtime to socialize with your baby. She'll enjoy watching you eat, and she may even eat more herself as a result. In another month or so, she'll be better able to sit up by herself and grasp small objects, too, adding to her dinner table skills.
Your baby may now be able to get into a sitting position from lying on her stomach by pushing up on her arms. If she's sitting independently, stay nearby for support — even if you provide pillows to cushion a possible fall. Your baby may have mastered the sitting skill, but she still might lose interest in being upright and topple over.
-BabyCenter.com
Your baby may start showing signs of one of her first major emotional milestones — stranger anxiety. She may become clingy and anxious around new (and even familiar) people and may cry if a stranger suddenly approaches her.
Keep this in mind when you're around people she doesn't know, and try not to be embarrassed when she cries in someone else's arms — just take her back and calm her down by holding her yourself. Tell your friends and family to approach your little one with slow, gentle movements.
A case of stranger anxiety doesn't mean you have to avoid new faces. Your baby will benefit from being around people other than you and your partner. Just remember that she needs your patience and understanding to get through this very important stage of development.
Your baby's probably showing more signs that she's ready for solids — from a weaker tongue-thrust reflex (when your baby pushes out her tongue when something is placed on it) to a keener interest in the foods you and others are eating. But don't be in a rush to give your baby solid food. Discuss when to introduce solid food with your baby's healthcare provider.
Your baby's digestive system may not be ready for solids, and she might not be able control her chewing and swallowing muscles. (Don't worry: That will all come in a few weeks.) Giving your baby solid foods too early can raise her risk of developing food allergies, too. Common allergies include citrus, egg whites, peanut butter, wheat, shellfish, and cow's milk.
Use family mealtime to socialize with your baby. She'll enjoy watching you eat, and she may even eat more herself as a result. In another month or so, she'll be better able to sit up by herself and grasp small objects, too, adding to her dinner table skills.
Your baby may now be able to get into a sitting position from lying on her stomach by pushing up on her arms. If she's sitting independently, stay nearby for support — even if you provide pillows to cushion a possible fall. Your baby may have mastered the sitting skill, but she still might lose interest in being upright and topple over.
-BabyCenter.com
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