Baby This Week: 46 Weeks

Your baby may now be able to bend over to pick up objects or play with toys. Now that's balance! For you, it's also a babyproofing wake-up call. Keep hazardous items in locked cabinets or move them to higher ground. Consider keeping one or two low cabinets full of baby-safe objects such as toys, board books, and stacking plastic storage containers. They'll help quench your little one's curiosity while offering practice in taking objects out and putting them back in.

Wordlike sounds are now spilling out of your baby, and he's able to use some of them meaningfully. As his brain continues to develop, so does his ability to reason and speak.

Encourage your baby's interest in language and his understanding of two-way communication by being an avid listener and responding to his sounds. To polish his memory skills, play games like patty-cake and peekaboo.

Words and wordlike sounds are now spilling out of your baby, and he's able to use them meaningfully. As his brain continues to develop, so does his ability to reason and speak.

Encourage his interest in language and his understanding of two-way communication by being an avid listener and responding to his sounds. To polish his memory skills, play games like patty-cake and peek-a-boo.

At this age, your baby can probably imitate word sounds and inflections. He may be able to follow simple one-step directions, such as "Please bring me the ball" or "Pick up the spoon." Help him learn by separating multistep commands into easy-to-follow single steps, reinforcing them with gestures.

Remember to cherish this brief but remarkable period when your baby's communication skills are emerging: They're perhaps his most important skill!

- BabyCenter.com

Mila's First Christmas Tree

We set up the Christmas tree today, thanks to help from my mom and Cathy who came over to help keep Mila entertained. Daddy set up the tree and Mommy made Chocolate Chip Banana Bread for the annual Bake December! Yum!

Reading Time with Blanca

Blanca came over for some playtime with Mila! Mila loves reading Elmo and Dora books!

Thanksgiving Part II

Every year, Jorge and I have a little Thanksgiving at our house with my mom, my dad, Blanca, Cathy, Cindy and Justin. As usual, Blanca made a delicious Thanksgiving meal!!

Mila's First Thanksgiving

Today we drove to Miami to visit my family for Thanksgiving... food was delicious as always!!

Mila's New Shoes

We got Mila some new shoes! These are ADORABLE! They're called "Wee Squeak" and when she walks, they squeak! (Of course, the squeak comes out when we get tired of it... haha!)

Here's a little clip of her walking...

Baby This Week: 45 Weeks

You may see your baby start to take more of an interest in other babies. For the most part, babies this age parallel play, staying happily engrossed in their own activities alongside one another, but without really interacting. This is normal -- focusing on their own abilities and needs is how babies develop. Over time, though, you'll notice your baby stealing glances at fellow babies and perhaps crawling over to try to use the same toy.

Your baby now understands simple instructions, although you may still be ignored when you say "no." (To help the word carry a little more weight, use it sparingly, for setting important limits.)

Even though your baby may not always remember tomorrow what you've said today, it's not too soon to set certain boundaries and start teaching some important distinctions, like right from wrong and safe from unsafe.

Your baby may now assert herself among her siblings and begin to engage in parallel play — contentedly playing alongside (but not with) another baby. Informal baby playdates can be a great way to encourage your little one to develop social skills. Just remember that babies this age are still too young to understand the idea of making friends.

Think of these playdates as helping your baby build a foundation for learning how to interact with others. And she may get new play ideas from these first buddies. A bonus: You'll have some help and support from the other babies' parents.

Your baby now understands simple instructions, though she may purposely choose to ignore you when you say "no." (To help the word carry a little more weight, use it sparingly, for setting important limits.)

Even though your baby may not always remember tomorrow what you've said today, it's not too soon to set certain boundaries and start teaching her some important distinctions, like right from wrong and safe from unsafe.

Use your best judgment as a guideline. You're not being mean if you don't let her devour a second cupcake, for example — you're setting a healthy limit. If she pulls the cat's tail, move her hand, look her in the eye, and say, "No, that hurts the cat." Then guide your baby's hand to pet the animal gently.

Her desire to explore is stronger than her desire to listen to your warnings, so it's up to you to protect and teach her. What seems to be defiance is just her natural curiosity to see how the world works.

- BabyCenter.com

Your Children Are Not Your Children

After a wonderful conversation with my good friend Gaby about motherhood and how important it is to teach children independence, and how the greatest gift you can give your child is that to be self reliant and confident, she sent me this email with this wonderful quote. I read this a long time ago in a book when I was young... I remember reading it from a child's perspective and showing my mom as if to show her that she needed to let go...  Now reading this again from a mom perspective, it makes me see things differently. So beautiful... so inspiring and bittersweet. 

Thanks for the reminder Gaby. :)

On Children 

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

- Kahlil Gibran 

Playdate

Mila and I got together with our mommy and baby friends! Heike has a playroom in her building. How cute is this???!

A mini-piano!

... a mini chair

...and even a mini roadster!

Baby This Week: 44 Weeks

Your baby's ability to vocalize is improving, and he may say his first word any time now. When he does, repeat it softly and clearly so she can learn the correct pronunciation. (Bear in mind that many babies won't utter an intelligible peep for several more months, and that's normal, too.) First words don't always have precise definitions, by the way. "Dog" may mean anything with four legs, and "ba-ba" could signify bottle, teddy bear, bye-bye — or all three.

Only a few weeks shy of his first birthday, your baby's no longer a helpless infant who can't do anything without you. He still needs plenty of care and support, but his growing independence — evident in his solo standing, stooping, and squatting — is becoming apparent.

Your baby may walk while gripping your hand, and he'll hold out his arm or leg to help you dress him. At mealtimes, he may be able to grip a cup and drink from it independently (though some children may not do this for a few more months) and hand-feed himself an entire meal.

Once your baby's able to drink from a cup by himself, you may need to start ducking, because he's just as likely to toss it when he's finished as to put it down gently.

Your baby will also purposely drop objects for someone, probably you, to pick up. If you get tired of this dropping game, take away the object for a few minutes and try to distract your baby with something just as enticing, such as a fun game of peek-a-boo.

- BabyCenter.com

At the Park

The weather was GLORIOUS today! So Jorge and I took Mila for some playtime in the park. :)

Class with Grandma & Great-Grandma

My mom and my grandmother joined us for our baby class today! My mom is so funny - she did not hold back - she danced with Mila, she played with Mila on the trampoline, she even went through the tunnel with Mila!! So fun!

Baby This Week: 43 Weeks

Your baby is mastering motor control — both "gross" (or large) motor skills, like crawling and standing, and "fine" motor skills, such as picking up objects between forefinger and thumb. It's especially important to keep choking hazards out of reach when your baby has these new pickup skills (and still likes exploring things with mouth and tongue). Coins, buttons, small toy parts, and food that falls to the ground are all potential problems. Consider vacuuming more often at this stage.

At this age, your baby can sit confidently and may even walk while holding onto furniture, possibly letting go momentarily and standing without support. She'll take steps when held in a walking position and may attempt to scoop up a toy while she's standing, too.

Those magical first steps toward independence — and lots more exercise for you! — are just around the corner, if they haven't arrived already. Most babies take their first steps sometime around 12 months, but some start much earlier. If yours isn't walking yet, don't worry — it's still early. Some babies wait until they're 18 months old to make that move.

- BabyCenter.com

Playdate

Today Mila and I went to our friend Heather's house and met up with some other girls for a playdate with the babies. We tried taking some pictures of them, but as soon as I put Mila down, she'd get up and chase me down!