This you tube video has been brought to my notice by friends who reacted to my growth chart image.
Its called the mom song and I do believe it summarizes the general experience of mummying...
Look enjoy and remember that I have hardly started (my first born is only one year old).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMhuAtyFCrw
The subtitles are a big help! It is truly hard to summarize a mothers task in just 2 minutes and 55 seconds.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Jonathan's first year growth chart
If there was one good thing I got off the breast feeding instructor in the hospital in which Jonathan was born, its the idea to compile a growth chart for Jonathan in his first year, using a water bottle!
The idea is to take an object and compare your baby to it once a month - and see how the baby grows. The object I chose was a 1.5 liter water bottle, standard and handy. The result is above - 12 images - 12 growth moments in Jonathan's first year! The first picture was taken on Dec. 4, 2007 when Jonathan was but a week old and the last one was taken on Nov. 29, 2008 a day after Jonathan's first birthday!
Back to the breast feeding instructor, I went to hear a lecture about breast feeding because I wanted to learn how to do it right with my first new born baby - What I got was unfortunately an hour of opinionated content about how formula is bad for you, the baby should sleep with the parents in the same room - starting with the hospital bed and so on...
At the end of the lecture I felt bad because I wanted to rest after my cesarean surgery and left Jonathan in the nursery with the nurses for the night, rather than have him by me...but I also got the great idea of the first year growth chart!
The story goes that 20 years ago when the instructor has her children, and she was breast feeding her baby, she has no reference to a good growth rate. The charts provided then (and probably also now) are based on babies that eat formula (or mixed - mother milk and formula). According to the instructor, babies who breast feed grow in a different rate, basically much slower than formula babies - So as she did not have a good reference chart and she wanted to make sure her baby was growing nicely, she decided to compare the baby to an object (she too chose a bottle) and thus she could see that it was indeed growing - gaining weight and becoming taller.
By the way, the instructor assured us that breast feeding babies eventually they catch up, and according to her breast feeding is not only the best food for your baby but the only option! So no worries.
As Jonathan's first year is now over I felt it was appropriate to show my faithful readers the picture of the bottle chart, I am sure you will excuse a proud mother for showing off!The only two question that remain are: if I will continue this, and if so, at what frequency. (Maybe once a year until the age of 20? then his hand will be almost as large as the bottle...ha ha).
The idea is to take an object and compare your baby to it once a month - and see how the baby grows. The object I chose was a 1.5 liter water bottle, standard and handy. The result is above - 12 images - 12 growth moments in Jonathan's first year! The first picture was taken on Dec. 4, 2007 when Jonathan was but a week old and the last one was taken on Nov. 29, 2008 a day after Jonathan's first birthday!
Back to the breast feeding instructor, I went to hear a lecture about breast feeding because I wanted to learn how to do it right with my first new born baby - What I got was unfortunately an hour of opinionated content about how formula is bad for you, the baby should sleep with the parents in the same room - starting with the hospital bed and so on...
At the end of the lecture I felt bad because I wanted to rest after my cesarean surgery and left Jonathan in the nursery with the nurses for the night, rather than have him by me...but I also got the great idea of the first year growth chart!
The story goes that 20 years ago when the instructor has her children, and she was breast feeding her baby, she has no reference to a good growth rate. The charts provided then (and probably also now) are based on babies that eat formula (or mixed - mother milk and formula). According to the instructor, babies who breast feed grow in a different rate, basically much slower than formula babies - So as she did not have a good reference chart and she wanted to make sure her baby was growing nicely, she decided to compare the baby to an object (she too chose a bottle) and thus she could see that it was indeed growing - gaining weight and becoming taller.
By the way, the instructor assured us that breast feeding babies eventually they catch up, and according to her breast feeding is not only the best food for your baby but the only option! So no worries.
As Jonathan's first year is now over I felt it was appropriate to show my faithful readers the picture of the bottle chart, I am sure you will excuse a proud mother for showing off!The only two question that remain are: if I will continue this, and if so, at what frequency. (Maybe once a year until the age of 20? then his hand will be almost as large as the bottle...ha ha).
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
More Great Moments
On December 8th Jonathan walked the distance of his room towards mommy! He even fell in the middle, got up all alone, balanced and walked again to reach mommy!
In fact you probably would be walking a lot more now (you show the tendency towards it and the confidence too, including standing up all alone – not pulling yourself up) if it were not for the fact that it is unfortunately winter and you must wear socks! Thus you tend to slip more, and your “how to walk” learning process is being slowed down by the weather.
In fact you probably would be walking a lot more now (you show the tendency towards it and the confidence too, including standing up all alone – not pulling yourself up) if it were not for the fact that it is unfortunately winter and you must wear socks! Thus you tend to slip more, and your “how to walk” learning process is being slowed down by the weather.
Major achievements as your first year comes to a close (more great moments):
November 17th at 17:45 Jonathan really walked for the first time!
Your first 3 steps!
Towards your 1st birthday (don't remember the exact date) you started cooperating to a certain song by putting your hands on your head and clapping (corresponding to the words – clap clap your hands,we will drive to Jerusalem, one two three, hands on your head – it rhymes in Hebrew...) You even ask for the song by repeating its movements in advance.
Clapping your hands is a request that mommy sing something!
You have learned that mommy claps to music, so you play some music on your boom box and then turn clapping towards mommy to make sure she is clapping along with you.
Generally you are more and more frustrated as it becomes obvious that your head works faster than you body, and you can't always get what you want. This also unfortunately means that you whine (your complaint) more often...
Your first 3 steps!
Towards your 1st birthday (don't remember the exact date) you started cooperating to a certain song by putting your hands on your head and clapping (corresponding to the words – clap clap your hands,we will drive to Jerusalem, one two three, hands on your head – it rhymes in Hebrew...) You even ask for the song by repeating its movements in advance.
Clapping your hands is a request that mommy sing something!
You have learned that mommy claps to music, so you play some music on your boom box and then turn clapping towards mommy to make sure she is clapping along with you.
Generally you are more and more frustrated as it becomes obvious that your head works faster than you body, and you can't always get what you want. This also unfortunately means that you whine (your complaint) more often...
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Jonathan's Birthday Party
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong! Murphy was working extra hours on the day we decided to celebrate the first year of our first born! Even so, in the end it was a nice party after all...
Yesterday, November 28th, Jonathan was one year old! And today, Saturday November 29th we decided to celebrate by inviting the extended family to a tea party. The day started badly because it turned out that the birthday boy is sick. One of those nasty viruses that simply makes you fall flat on your face! This meant that Jonathan was stuck to me all morning and when not, he was sprawled on the floor, powerless! Not the unusual happy picture of the active little boy! The illness showed its signs yesterday, when he threw up at lunch, but as he was happy and playful after that event, we were hopeful. Saturday, showed us that indeed he did not feel well and our hopes were not answered. The fact that Jonathan required extra mommy love meant I started my preparations for the party late, another thing gone wrong, and yet there was a positive light, as the boy was mostly inactive, I could leave him be, to fall asleep in the living room, and go about my business baking his birthday cake in relative quiet and peace.
The next thing that went wrong was the cake! I wanted to try a baby healthy carrot cake recipe, and ended up with a mushy mixture that refused to bake itself into a cake despite 2.5 hours in the oven! 20 minutes before the guests were supposed to arrive I mixed a new cake and 10 minutes before the official invitation time I pushed it into the oven, relying on the bad habits of my extended family, and their usual lateness...
The second cake seams to bake well and fast, and it was ready in 30 minutes. In an hour I has it covered and decorated, and so only a small portion of my guests knew about the mishap, and they were my close family, so to quote them, they “do not really count” when it comes to etiquette, lucky for me...
The next thing to go wrong was that in my haste to change Jonathan diaper before the party, I undressed him in the living room, without having the required equipment (I.e. a new diaper and some tissues to clean him up...) of course the old diaper was full! Of everything that a diaper can be full of. My husband was called in to help save the day by bringing the required tissues and I held the unsatisfied Jon than with feet in the air until his bottom was finally clean. Then having also discovered that I did not bring diaper, my husband went to fetch it, and until that transpired Jonathan managed to pee on the carpet! Really Murphy was sitting up in heaven and having a laugh at my expense.
I finally got Jonathan diapered and the carpet clean and the new cake prepared and the party went well and people enjoyed themselves! We even managed to light the candles and sing Jonathan happy birthday song without any catastrophes! The boy even seems to feel better, and played about with his two cousins (two baby boys about his age...a few weeks older). Things were finally going my way, so I thought...until I wanted to out Jonathan to sleep and he started screaming! Not just crying! He would not take any medicine to lower his fever, showing me that anything oral was a bad idea... and then he threw up in bed! I should have listened to the boy! I should have followed his advise as he showed me with shaking his head that swallowing anything was not a good thing to do...
Lucky that my husband decided to stay home and not go out for a bear with friends. (He said he felt that is the right thing to do with the boy is sick, and this despite the fact that I urged him to go out and enjoy himself!) And so again, our cooperation was the demonstrated again, with my husband preparing a bath (yes with the kettle, as out hot water also did not function the whole day...did I mention Murphy was doing extra hours today?) and I stripped the boy and comforted him. Once Jonathan was in the bath, my husband was in charge of cleaning him up and I was in charge of making up his bad anew (a bit of improvising was required with blankets covering the walls, because his regular bed wall cover was full of puke and thrown in the washing machine!). Nice and clean he drank a bit of fennel tea and finally went to bed! The great day seamed finally over, but no! Murphy is still having fun with me. I am suffering a nasty nausea as I sit and blog the adventures of the day! Jonathan now just work up again, but its looks like a bot more tea and some farting and coughing will eventually bring him to sleep again...He now provides some background noise, whining in bed as I type.
I will probably have to stay home tomorrow, to my boss's chagrin, and a visit to the doctor is on the “menu” for Jonathan after his performance this weekend! Not the best way to start hos second year and still the party went well, the boy is developing nicely and seams to be happy! We have much to be thankful for, and Murphy...he can go make mischief somewhere else!
Yesterday, November 28th, Jonathan was one year old! And today, Saturday November 29th we decided to celebrate by inviting the extended family to a tea party. The day started badly because it turned out that the birthday boy is sick. One of those nasty viruses that simply makes you fall flat on your face! This meant that Jonathan was stuck to me all morning and when not, he was sprawled on the floor, powerless! Not the unusual happy picture of the active little boy! The illness showed its signs yesterday, when he threw up at lunch, but as he was happy and playful after that event, we were hopeful. Saturday, showed us that indeed he did not feel well and our hopes were not answered. The fact that Jonathan required extra mommy love meant I started my preparations for the party late, another thing gone wrong, and yet there was a positive light, as the boy was mostly inactive, I could leave him be, to fall asleep in the living room, and go about my business baking his birthday cake in relative quiet and peace.
The next thing that went wrong was the cake! I wanted to try a baby healthy carrot cake recipe, and ended up with a mushy mixture that refused to bake itself into a cake despite 2.5 hours in the oven! 20 minutes before the guests were supposed to arrive I mixed a new cake and 10 minutes before the official invitation time I pushed it into the oven, relying on the bad habits of my extended family, and their usual lateness...
The second cake seams to bake well and fast, and it was ready in 30 minutes. In an hour I has it covered and decorated, and so only a small portion of my guests knew about the mishap, and they were my close family, so to quote them, they “do not really count” when it comes to etiquette, lucky for me...
The next thing to go wrong was that in my haste to change Jonathan diaper before the party, I undressed him in the living room, without having the required equipment (I.e. a new diaper and some tissues to clean him up...) of course the old diaper was full! Of everything that a diaper can be full of. My husband was called in to help save the day by bringing the required tissues and I held the unsatisfied Jon than with feet in the air until his bottom was finally clean. Then having also discovered that I did not bring diaper, my husband went to fetch it, and until that transpired Jonathan managed to pee on the carpet! Really Murphy was sitting up in heaven and having a laugh at my expense.
I finally got Jonathan diapered and the carpet clean and the new cake prepared and the party went well and people enjoyed themselves! We even managed to light the candles and sing Jonathan happy birthday song without any catastrophes! The boy even seems to feel better, and played about with his two cousins (two baby boys about his age...a few weeks older). Things were finally going my way, so I thought...until I wanted to out Jonathan to sleep and he started screaming! Not just crying! He would not take any medicine to lower his fever, showing me that anything oral was a bad idea... and then he threw up in bed! I should have listened to the boy! I should have followed his advise as he showed me with shaking his head that swallowing anything was not a good thing to do...
Lucky that my husband decided to stay home and not go out for a bear with friends. (He said he felt that is the right thing to do with the boy is sick, and this despite the fact that I urged him to go out and enjoy himself!) And so again, our cooperation was the demonstrated again, with my husband preparing a bath (yes with the kettle, as out hot water also did not function the whole day...did I mention Murphy was doing extra hours today?) and I stripped the boy and comforted him. Once Jonathan was in the bath, my husband was in charge of cleaning him up and I was in charge of making up his bad anew (a bit of improvising was required with blankets covering the walls, because his regular bed wall cover was full of puke and thrown in the washing machine!). Nice and clean he drank a bit of fennel tea and finally went to bed! The great day seamed finally over, but no! Murphy is still having fun with me. I am suffering a nasty nausea as I sit and blog the adventures of the day! Jonathan now just work up again, but its looks like a bot more tea and some farting and coughing will eventually bring him to sleep again...He now provides some background noise, whining in bed as I type.
I will probably have to stay home tomorrow, to my boss's chagrin, and a visit to the doctor is on the “menu” for Jonathan after his performance this weekend! Not the best way to start hos second year and still the party went well, the boy is developing nicely and seams to be happy! We have much to be thankful for, and Murphy...he can go make mischief somewhere else!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
According to baby books...
When Jonathan was born, my older sister gave me some first time parents books, and I took to reading one of them rather often. I found the book very helpful, if sometimes naïve (what baby drinks from a glass and can sit to eat with the family before the first year is over...) and sometimes I just think the book is not connected to reality....
The development doctor said Jonathan was a by the book baby, I just do not think I can be a by the book mom.
What I really love about such books is the idea that a mother has to have endless time... combined with a rosy picture of what education should be all about... that is everything should be explained, the baby mus always set the pace and a mother should never raise her voice...They expect you to have time to explain everything to your child, especially when you baby did something wrong you need to start a long lecture and show your little one the way to true correctness. How do they imagine I explain to my boy concepts that he cannot even grasp? They write that the baby does not understand these concepts and then expect me to take time to explain anyway! (What baby can grasp the concept of ownership – well they understand that the world is theirs! Period!) I really think a lecture is not always useful, not to mention that I really do not have time for this SH__T...,Actually, Jonathan also has not time... he is already gone to investigate other things and has long forgotten what he did wrong, or where the sin took place.
When it comes to nutrition I think the book writers really went over the bend, their recommendation:1300 calories per day for a baby! And wait until you see the food lists...
According to the book (WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FIRST YEAR BY Arlene Eisenberg, Heidy E. Mukoff E., and Sandee E. Hathaway) a baby should consume 4 “portions” of protein, 2 vitamin c portions, 4 calcium portions, 2 portions green or yellow vegetables, 2 portions fruit, 5 portions carbs (the good kind of course) 1 portion iron enriched food and 7 portions fat. Yes I know that you can mix) more than one ingredient n foods, so that the baby does not need to consume the total sum of 27 “portions” (each 25 gr) but still this seams a lot of food! Oh, did I mention that 4-6 cups of liquid must also be drunk a day? With all due respect I think this is really too much. The only explanation I might hazard for the quantities they mention is that the book was originally written in America (people in the USA are on average larger than in Israel, and I mean the healthy ones, not those who are overweight).
After filling three pages with instructions regarding to such portions and healthy nutrition and its importance for your baby from day 1, they write a sentence like “your baby's appetite should lead you” (the baby pace thing again...) and then tell you that if your baby eats/ drinks orange juice, cereal with a banana, pumpkin cake, milk, melon, pancakes, bread with cheese and apple juice (what baby giant consumed all that in one day?), you can be sure he has consumed the correct amount of portions and if he drinks enough water and get vitamin additives you are all set. Well all I can say to that is that my older sisters children have helped her discover that ice cream is food! (you know, milk has protein in it, ice cream has fat and sugar - i.e. carbs in it...so the three building blocks of nutrition are all to be found in ice cream...).
Another issue the book mentions is entertainment. A baby that sees only his/her home and the supermarket is bound to be a bored child, they say. The recommend museums and galleries! As great crawling spaces and assure you that the baby will enjoy the paintings! At first they recommend that you take your child with you on errands, that the supermarket I an adventure for a 3 months baby (and practical for mommy), but when the same baby is one year old the supermarket is no longer enough! Thank god they still recommend the mall! Suggesting that window shopping is still interesting enough, and there is space for walking practice. I have been looking for a winter solution – in summer I always took Jonathan with me on short trips to the supermarket and the mall and took care of errands in his company, but the colder days are approaching and I will need some in house entertainment for him to liven up his routine, like the book says, babies need verity. I found a playing place for him and I hope to pop over there once a week with him.
Still, when I watch Jonathan in play I learn that a simple nylon bag can afford him hours of entertainment, not to mention a spoon! Or my house keys! When one sees the simple means which he so enjoys, one really can relax and stop thinking of spending endless amounts of money. I admit that a few weeks back he seams bored with his play things, and I replaced some of them to make his toy arsenal more suitable for a baby his age, and now all is well. All I am saying is that one must not go too far! The book authors just wants the ideal situation for your child and they tend to recommend the extra. Sometimes this extra bot makes me feel guilty...but then I look at Jonathan, see that he is happy and the guilt flies out the window.
I guess one had to take the recommendations of this book, like many other things in life, in the right proportion. After all I can only be the best mom that I can be! Give to the best of my ability. And I think that's not too bad...All in all, I think Jonathan has a pretty cool mom! And looking at his smile when he comes to hug me and get a dose of mommy pampering in between his continuous “explore the house” tours I think he would agree.
Jonathan in the toy drawer
Just like his mommy...
The development doctor said Jonathan was a by the book baby, I just do not think I can be a by the book mom.
What I really love about such books is the idea that a mother has to have endless time... combined with a rosy picture of what education should be all about... that is everything should be explained, the baby mus always set the pace and a mother should never raise her voice...They expect you to have time to explain everything to your child, especially when you baby did something wrong you need to start a long lecture and show your little one the way to true correctness. How do they imagine I explain to my boy concepts that he cannot even grasp? They write that the baby does not understand these concepts and then expect me to take time to explain anyway! (What baby can grasp the concept of ownership – well they understand that the world is theirs! Period!) I really think a lecture is not always useful, not to mention that I really do not have time for this SH__T...,Actually, Jonathan also has not time... he is already gone to investigate other things and has long forgotten what he did wrong, or where the sin took place.
When it comes to nutrition I think the book writers really went over the bend, their recommendation:1300 calories per day for a baby! And wait until you see the food lists...
According to the book (WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FIRST YEAR BY Arlene Eisenberg, Heidy E. Mukoff E., and Sandee E. Hathaway) a baby should consume 4 “portions” of protein, 2 vitamin c portions, 4 calcium portions, 2 portions green or yellow vegetables, 2 portions fruit, 5 portions carbs (the good kind of course) 1 portion iron enriched food and 7 portions fat. Yes I know that you can mix) more than one ingredient n foods, so that the baby does not need to consume the total sum of 27 “portions” (each 25 gr) but still this seams a lot of food! Oh, did I mention that 4-6 cups of liquid must also be drunk a day? With all due respect I think this is really too much. The only explanation I might hazard for the quantities they mention is that the book was originally written in America (people in the USA are on average larger than in Israel, and I mean the healthy ones, not those who are overweight).
After filling three pages with instructions regarding to such portions and healthy nutrition and its importance for your baby from day 1, they write a sentence like “your baby's appetite should lead you” (the baby pace thing again...) and then tell you that if your baby eats/ drinks orange juice, cereal with a banana, pumpkin cake, milk, melon, pancakes, bread with cheese and apple juice (what baby giant consumed all that in one day?), you can be sure he has consumed the correct amount of portions and if he drinks enough water and get vitamin additives you are all set. Well all I can say to that is that my older sisters children have helped her discover that ice cream is food! (you know, milk has protein in it, ice cream has fat and sugar - i.e. carbs in it...so the three building blocks of nutrition are all to be found in ice cream...).
Another issue the book mentions is entertainment. A baby that sees only his/her home and the supermarket is bound to be a bored child, they say. The recommend museums and galleries! As great crawling spaces and assure you that the baby will enjoy the paintings! At first they recommend that you take your child with you on errands, that the supermarket I an adventure for a 3 months baby (and practical for mommy), but when the same baby is one year old the supermarket is no longer enough! Thank god they still recommend the mall! Suggesting that window shopping is still interesting enough, and there is space for walking practice. I have been looking for a winter solution – in summer I always took Jonathan with me on short trips to the supermarket and the mall and took care of errands in his company, but the colder days are approaching and I will need some in house entertainment for him to liven up his routine, like the book says, babies need verity. I found a playing place for him and I hope to pop over there once a week with him.
Still, when I watch Jonathan in play I learn that a simple nylon bag can afford him hours of entertainment, not to mention a spoon! Or my house keys! When one sees the simple means which he so enjoys, one really can relax and stop thinking of spending endless amounts of money. I admit that a few weeks back he seams bored with his play things, and I replaced some of them to make his toy arsenal more suitable for a baby his age, and now all is well. All I am saying is that one must not go too far! The book authors just wants the ideal situation for your child and they tend to recommend the extra. Sometimes this extra bot makes me feel guilty...but then I look at Jonathan, see that he is happy and the guilt flies out the window.
I guess one had to take the recommendations of this book, like many other things in life, in the right proportion. After all I can only be the best mom that I can be! Give to the best of my ability. And I think that's not too bad...All in all, I think Jonathan has a pretty cool mom! And looking at his smile when he comes to hug me and get a dose of mommy pampering in between his continuous “explore the house” tours I think he would agree.
Jonathan in the toy drawer
Just like his mommy...
Monday, November 17, 2008
First Steps
I was discussing Jonathan's early progress and history with chair walking with his kindergarten teacher, who said his first steps are a short time away, and she was right! On the very day of the above mentioned discussion, on November 17th at 17:45 Jonathan really walked for the first time!
The development doctor said Jonathan was “110% by the book”, but I read some baby books an sometimes I think he is “the book in the opposite direction”. For example, he seams happy enough to come to the kindergarten and shows no disinclination to be separated from his mommy in the mornings, but when I come to pick him up in the afternoon he truly complains about having to leave and go home! My concern is that as he sees more of the kindergarten teachers than he does of me (most of his at home hours are spent in sleep...at night) he is actually indeed suffering the first signs of the separation fear that babies go through between the age of 12 to 16 months (as mentioned in the book), but that his main contact person is not his mommy, but his care taker. If this is the case, then Jonathan is by the book alright! Only that the book's assumption that mom is the most important person is his life is just mistaken.
And yet as I write these words, Jonathan is constantly claiming my attention to himself, and I must stop! Suddenly I am important again and he is behaving by the book, seeking to share in my activity – but not really letting me get on with it!
He also seems to have a developed a keen social sense. Although one cannot expect babies Jonathan's age to play with one another, his kindergarten teacher says he is a member of a constant trio – I have also seen him at play with these two other children, and although they are not truly playing with each other, it is clear that they know the others are there, they react to one another , chase each other about the room and clearly enjoy the company! Jonathan has shown his social sense also in the repeated wish to share food! When I or my husband are eating, he will come to claim his share in the activity/ plate! He does not seem to be shocked when there are lots of people around and he repeated the “feed me” action in a family birthday party, choosing to share my older sister's food (no wonder, she was eating delicious spaghetti bolonese).
He is growing so fast! Who can believe that he has tripped his weight in the last year? (from 3.3 Kg to 10!) Who can believe that the first year is almost over? Only yesterday I was writing an email to a friend in the UK that he already needs to be followed around the house because he is crawling well and pushing chairs to his hearts content (only to be found nibbling on toilet paper in the loo...or sitting inside his toy drawer, playing with its contents quietly – just like his mommy did when she was his age) as a response to her concern regarding having to watch over a walking baby. After all Jonathan's first birthday is fast approaching! Jonathan is showing progress in the fact that he already stands alone and has recently also taken to walking holding an adults hands too. Only this afternoon Jonathan's kindergarten teacher mentioned that his first steps are a matter of a short time, since he controls the action of walking so well when dragging a chair about. She said it must come soon because to the walking control one can add the fact that he already stands so well! The woman has the talent of prophecy...I say this because today it happened! It was short, but still it was the real thing! This evening Jonathan walked 3 steps all alone! Yeppee!
And as I write these words, he is doing it again! 2 steps this time...
The development doctor said Jonathan was “110% by the book”, but I read some baby books an sometimes I think he is “the book in the opposite direction”. For example, he seams happy enough to come to the kindergarten and shows no disinclination to be separated from his mommy in the mornings, but when I come to pick him up in the afternoon he truly complains about having to leave and go home! My concern is that as he sees more of the kindergarten teachers than he does of me (most of his at home hours are spent in sleep...at night) he is actually indeed suffering the first signs of the separation fear that babies go through between the age of 12 to 16 months (as mentioned in the book), but that his main contact person is not his mommy, but his care taker. If this is the case, then Jonathan is by the book alright! Only that the book's assumption that mom is the most important person is his life is just mistaken.
And yet as I write these words, Jonathan is constantly claiming my attention to himself, and I must stop! Suddenly I am important again and he is behaving by the book, seeking to share in my activity – but not really letting me get on with it!
He also seems to have a developed a keen social sense. Although one cannot expect babies Jonathan's age to play with one another, his kindergarten teacher says he is a member of a constant trio – I have also seen him at play with these two other children, and although they are not truly playing with each other, it is clear that they know the others are there, they react to one another , chase each other about the room and clearly enjoy the company! Jonathan has shown his social sense also in the repeated wish to share food! When I or my husband are eating, he will come to claim his share in the activity/ plate! He does not seem to be shocked when there are lots of people around and he repeated the “feed me” action in a family birthday party, choosing to share my older sister's food (no wonder, she was eating delicious spaghetti bolonese).
He is growing so fast! Who can believe that he has tripped his weight in the last year? (from 3.3 Kg to 10!) Who can believe that the first year is almost over? Only yesterday I was writing an email to a friend in the UK that he already needs to be followed around the house because he is crawling well and pushing chairs to his hearts content (only to be found nibbling on toilet paper in the loo...or sitting inside his toy drawer, playing with its contents quietly – just like his mommy did when she was his age) as a response to her concern regarding having to watch over a walking baby. After all Jonathan's first birthday is fast approaching! Jonathan is showing progress in the fact that he already stands alone and has recently also taken to walking holding an adults hands too. Only this afternoon Jonathan's kindergarten teacher mentioned that his first steps are a matter of a short time, since he controls the action of walking so well when dragging a chair about. She said it must come soon because to the walking control one can add the fact that he already stands so well! The woman has the talent of prophecy...I say this because today it happened! It was short, but still it was the real thing! This evening Jonathan walked 3 steps all alone! Yeppee!
And as I write these words, he is doing it again! 2 steps this time...
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