Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Rory had his four-month check-up this week. He is fairly average in height and weight, but his head circumference is rather large. Developmentally, he is generally on track. I have been keeping track of the “milestones” to be certain he was doing everything a four month old should be doing. I had a lengthy list of questions since this would be my last visit to the doctor with Rory before going back to work full-time. Overall, I was proud of the little guy and was figuring his appointment would go pretty smoothly.

The pediatrician did have a few things for Rory to work on, however. First, Rory’s upper-body strength is not quite where it should be. The doctor explained that a weak upper-body can lead to delays in gross motor development, such as rolling over and crawling. He was not overly concerned, but encouraged us to give Rory as much floor time and tummy time as possible to strengthen his shoulders and core.

Second, in response to my questions on how to eliminate early morning feedings, we discussed the importance of getting Rory to fall asleep on his own. We agreed to focus on that aspect of Rory’s sleep before worrying too much about the late night/early morning wakings. I polled our doctor for his views on progressive waiting—a method in which the parents wait for gradually increasing intervals before intervening in the baby’s attempts to fall asleep on their own. I had been considering using this approach for a while, but wanted to get his doctor’s okay before doing so. Luckily, the doctor was on board.

I left the doctor’s office feeling pretty good about Rory’s growth and progress. However, I couldn’t help but wonder whether there was something more I could have been doing over the past few months to help his strength and sleep habits. As a result, I felt a little more disappointed in myself than I had expected I might. I knew there was no reason to feel that way. I reminded myself that no parent gets everything completely “right” 100-percent of the time.

Rather than remain frustrated, I promised to do everything I could to work on helping Rory improve. We have had lots of tummy time each day this week. We are making a concerted effort at naptime and bedtime to get Rory to fall asleep on his own. We are making slow progress, but at least I can rest assured knowing we are doing everything in our power to set the little guy up for success.

From Friday Mom – Erin:
“Rory grasped his first toy this past weekend. His dad was actually the first to see it. My husband was waving a new bunny rattle in front of Rory’s face. Rory reached out, grabbed the bunny by the ear, and pulled the rattle towards his mouth. A few seconds later, he rolled himself onto his side and laughed with excitement. My husband grinned from ear to ear and called me over to witness these milestones.

From a purely academic standpoint, I realize that infant motor development is an incremental process. Rory is right on pace for his age. But I keep waiting for Rory start grasping at every toy within reach. I find myself waving numerous toys in front of him in hopes that he will repeat his grasping actions with increased frequency. He has done it again a few times—including grabbing his bottle during a feeding last night—yet his actions remain a bit inconsistent. He’s pretty good at batting at toys on his toy bars and play mat, but he is still in the early stages of pulling things toward himself.

I know that Rory’s developmental pace is perfectly normal, but I can’t help but feel impatient sometimes. I am excited by his daily growth and development, and am anxious to see what motor skills he hones next. In the meantime, I will try to temper my impatience by enjoying these final days of not having to worry about how recently I sanitized the toy he is about to put in his mouth.

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Not too long ago, I was reading about the baby milestones I should expect to see Haley achieve in the next few months. This is exactly the kind of thing you tell yourself you’re not going to do. We all know that children develop at different rates and, aside from rare severe delays, it really doesn’t matter when they reach these markers. They will do so at their own paces. However, being a mom isn’t always about being rational. You worry about how you’re kid is doing and wonder if she is “normal”.

One of the milestones that struck me was about talking. Around this age, children say a couple of words and soon, they adopt “no” as their favorite. Haley will say “mama” and “dada”, babble, and make her needs known. But I never thought of her as very chatty. Since Haley seemed to be somewhat ahead of the curve in terms of physical ability, I expected that she’d be a little behind it verbally. It was hard for me to imagine her saying the word “no” a lot, like it was no big deal. All of that changed last week. In the last few days, I have heard her say “dow”(for down), “yeah”, “nah” for no, “myow” (when she sees a cat), and “Eh-mo” (meaning Elmo), in addition to her old standby— “du” for duck.

This is not to say that Haley has mastered the art of conversation—far from it. A few days ago, we attended a party at my friend’s house. Haley was so different from the crazy girl she usually is—she was mute and stared silently at everyone. She would not utter a word and would physically push away anyone who tried to touch her. It takes a while for her to warm up to people, and I didn’t do her any favors by taking her out to socialize right smack in the middle of naptime. I’m sure soon enough she will feel comfortable enough to speak to outsiders, too—faster than I might expect.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!