second bath of the day following a very messy lunch and an incident including a cup of coffee, my clothing, and the couch.
oh man, this baby is hard to keep up with. he was waking every hour for the past two nights, and this morning we noticed two new bottom teeth. he's on the verge of walking. starting two weeks ago leon has been taking 2-3 steps several times a day. physically, he's ready to walk. his balance is solid, but i think that psychologically he's unsure of the benefits of walking. after all, he's an extremely fast crawler and cruiser. and who needs to crawl or cruise when mama can pick you up?
lately, i've been worrying that leon isn't hitting his developmental milestones. we had a playdate with a 12 month old who was a pro at eating 'real' food. blueberries, sippy cup, chicken-apple meatballs, cheese... leon doesn't like his pureed food anymore (mealtime is an awful, epic battle), but he doesn't want to feed himself either. the few things he'll eat with gusto include: tofu, ice cream, and masticated meat. i know that i need to try harder and be less upset when he throws food on the ground, but it's really really difficult for me to see food wasted like this. i grew up in a household that finished dinner by putting a tiny amount of water in the rice bowl to get every last grain. and now with food prices going up, it makes me want to cry when half a jar of food ends up on the floor or in his hair.
i know it's silly, but it also bothers me that he still doesn't clap or wave bye-bye without significant prodding on our part. i think it would help if he spent more time with babies slightly older than him. our mothers' group consists primarily of 2-7 month olds, so i have been trying to find other groups for him to join. i waited too long on music or other activity classes because i wasn't sure we'd still be here in february, and now it's too late to sign up at isis maternity or elsewhere. so, i guess we're going to try the free toddler group at the public library. i know all babies develop at their own pace, but it's ridiculously difficult to not make comparisons no matter how much you try.
the best thing that has happened (aside from the first steps) is his extravagant use of the word 'kitty!' he says it not only when he sees the cats, but also when he sees anything that pleases him. we have shouting matches and play hide and go seek. leon has become a huge fan of blowing a raspberry on my stomach. he will actually lift up my shirt to do this. he's quite the little prankster.
reading from erica kim on Vimeo.
march 2, 2009 from erica kim on Vimeo.
a week and half old leon. such a little nugget (and yes, watching this makes me want to have another baby).
7 comments:
Sadie does the exact same things to the books in our house. I don't know why we haven't had a play date yet, but it's about time!
That reading video is the darn cutest thing. Audrey does this too.
As for classes, I don't know about the US but here the library/free/inexpensive ones are great. all they need are new experiences and social interaction with other babies.
As for milestones, I strongly believe that a child masters different things at different times. When Lucy was 2 she was so agile and quick and nimble, and her friend of the same age waddled around like a duck. Though her friend spoke rather well, and Lucy was barely saying a thing.
I forget which far off place I read about, but babies there are carried around until the age of 1 and they still walk at around the same time as western babies.
oh boy, those are pretty cute videos. I don't have much to say about milestones as our little one has yet to master the uterine kick, but i would imagine that it'll all come together in due time. as an aside does leon like his play mat?
Thanks!
I too worry about developmental milestones and the best is to ask your peridtrician. We have a helpful Harvard Med School Alum in Cambridge who knows how to handle the worries of over-educated Cambridge grad student/parents like me and my husband.
The pedi sent an Early Intervention team of experts to our house to check my daughter's eating at 10 month: clean bill and a lot of information about her milestones. One advice if I may, rely on a peditrician you trust because it gets worse: some kids talk early and some do not and if like me you are the parent of the late talker, it is tough not to wonder.
shelley--
yes, play date, soon!
catherine--
i'm convinced that leon is so focused on walking that he's put other things on the back burner. what makes me sad is that he used to be a great eater, very efficient. what with our sleep problems, at least i could say he was an eater. oh well! all in good time...
jones--
leon used to love his playmat, but now he's so busy crawling that it outlived its usefulness at about month 8. it does work well for living room diaper changes because he likes to look at the toys.
mona--
hah, over-educated cambridge grad student parents! most things don't phase me, but lately i've become concerned about leon's feedings. i wish i knew what he wanted, maybe talking to other moms will help. our pediatrician is ok, she errs on the side of fewer interventions. we'll probably have more questions about talking, if he's late, that is.
i haven't checked in with Leon for so long - i forgot how super fast babies change that first year. He is still as handsome as ever though.
I had a friend who gave birth a few weeks earlier than i did with my first. I constantly compared - i would loose sleep over it worring that Teddy wasn't keeping up. He was behind in certain things for a long time - couldn't drink from a cup, didn't wave, wouldn't eat solids much until around 3 years old and the most worrisome was that he was tested at 2 years of age in the bottom 2% for language. A pediatrician said once that he may be retarded. But he was advanced in somethings too, like Leon he walked at 10 months and he was drawing really clear smily faces and cars at just over 2. He is now in 1st grade and most of his language skills are at or around grade level and the teachers and others have said that he may be eligible for gifted/talented programs in 3rd grade when they start those, for his drawings and complex stories he creates. He is also very good at math and science, and he helps us with directions when driving in less familiar towns. so yes, it is hard not to be concerned, but all kids are definetly different and develop at their own pace.
more on the food thing - both my kids and my sisters biological children all were extremely bad eaters, much worse than Leon. the pediatricians were not too worried about my two, except when it came to getting enough iron.
Regarding your eating worries you may want to check out Ellyn Satter's book "Child of Mine." She discusses at length the l-o-n-g process of introducing and reintroducing foods to toddlers. I am dealing with the same food battles with my son and her book has been a real help, if only in terms of how I deal with his mealtimes.
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