Right now, Haven is about five and a half months old. It's so crazy to think how much time has passed since she was born. She has made some physical developments, the biggest being her ability to roll over. The health sister (Norwegian assistant for babies and mothers of babies) was always asking at our appointments if she had rolled over yet, and we always answered no. I was starting to wonder if Haven was behind in some way, but the health sister assured us she was not.
Then a few weeks ago, we bought her a baby gym at IKEA to play with while she on the floor and immediately she started rolling over onto her stomach. In fact, she's even rolled over several times to reach me on the floor. We wish she would learn to use her arms better (the whole point of the baby gym) because she could be a crawling fool, although I'll admit the house is not quite ready for a crawler.
She's also getting better in her walker. We gave her a few minutes in her walker every day only because she liked it so much, despite her not being quite old enough to use it. Now she's getting better at scooting herself from room to room, hunting for anything at her level that she can put in her mouth.
Her favorite spots are the kitchen towels hanging from the oven door handle and the strainers and bread bags on the kitchen island shelves. She hasn't quite coordinated the action of putting one foot in front of the other to move about, but that's probably a good thing. We've still got a lot to do around the house before we're ready for that!
She sleeps remarkably little, and still sleeps in bed with us. She just will not sleep for long periods of time during the day and will not retire for the evening unless one of us does too. So she's going to bed around 11:00 every night and waking up shortly after us every morning at about 8:30. She'll stay up for a little bit until she's hungry, then she'll nurse before going back to sleep for maybe an hour. The rest of her naps during the day are usually no longer than 15 minutes, maybe 30 minutes tops. Thomas insists this is my influence since I hate going to bed too.
She also likes to be held all the time. I think part of it is she likes having the vantage point she does when she's being held. She doesn't seem to like to entertain herself very often, but it could be she's not old enough to do that yet. I know I was always perfectly happy entertaining myself for hours on end. Sometimes she cries to be held, only to writhe out of our grasp; we put her down where she promptly screams bloody murder. It's like she wants us to wrestle with her or something. She's a mystery!
She's still very much committed to sucking her thumb. It seems as though that time period after she outgrew her first pacifiers before we bought her some bigger ones was too long. She no longer seems interested in a pacifier. I guess I understand; sucking your thumb does sound more appealing than sucking on plastic. Of course, I was a thumb-sucker myself.
She's gotten much more vocal these past few weeks as well. She makes these strange prolonged grunts that are hard to describe. She takes a breath and releases it slowly, while making a sound in the back of her throat. It's almost like the sound I imagine angry characters are making in comic strips when their brows are furrowed and there are dark clouds over their heads. I wouldn't say she only makes the sound when angry though. It's more of a "pay attention to me!" sound. She also makes the high-pitched sighs that are so characteristic of babies.
She has discovered her lips are great noisemakers and she will blow raspberries and make tons of raspberry-esque sounds with her lips and tongue for long periods of time. One time when I was changing her diaper, I leaned over and blew against her stomach, then she responded by blowing a raspberry in response to the similar sound. How clever our girl is!
Last weekend, we took her to her first swim at the swimming pool in Bærum. She was very good, and seemed to enjoy the water. She even kicked out her feet at the same time with the heels together. She looked like a little frog!! I'm hoping she will grow to love swimming as much as I do.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Sucking Toes
Haven is getting better at controlling her limbs. She loves reaching out to touch our faces and when we pick her up to hold her, she rests her arm on our shoulders and chests.
She discovered her feet before, but it's almost as if she's rediscovered them. Perhaps they're more exciting now that she can reach them.
And put them in her mouth.
She can be found sucking her toes just like she does her fingers. She'll happily spend hours pulling her socks off bit by bit, both with her hands and her mouth.
Speaking of sucking fingers, she still cannot get enough of that. She sucks her thumb almost all day long. Occasionally, she'll cram a couple other fingers in her mouth, always more than one at once. We're convinced if she could fit all the fingers of both hands in her mouth at the same time, she would. In fact, it seems like that might be her goal.
She also still enjoys sucking our fingers too. She grabs at our hands and as soon as she gets ahold of them, into her mouth they go!
She's getting so much stronger. She's great at holding her head up, although not as perfect as she will eventually be at it. She likes helping to pull herself up from a lying down position. And she's still determined to stand up at all costs. We have a walker for her now, but she's not quite old enough to make the most of it. We put her in there for short periods just so she can get the time upright that she so desperately craves.
She discovered her feet before, but it's almost as if she's rediscovered them. Perhaps they're more exciting now that she can reach them.
And put them in her mouth.
She can be found sucking her toes just like she does her fingers. She'll happily spend hours pulling her socks off bit by bit, both with her hands and her mouth.
Speaking of sucking fingers, she still cannot get enough of that. She sucks her thumb almost all day long. Occasionally, she'll cram a couple other fingers in her mouth, always more than one at once. We're convinced if she could fit all the fingers of both hands in her mouth at the same time, she would. In fact, it seems like that might be her goal.
She also still enjoys sucking our fingers too. She grabs at our hands and as soon as she gets ahold of them, into her mouth they go!
She's getting so much stronger. She's great at holding her head up, although not as perfect as she will eventually be at it. She likes helping to pull herself up from a lying down position. And she's still determined to stand up at all costs. We have a walker for her now, but she's not quite old enough to make the most of it. We put her in there for short periods just so she can get the time upright that she so desperately craves.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Thar she grows!
Haven weighed in at 6.037 kg (13 lbs 5 oz) today, which is pretty much back on track after her brief stall at 3 months old. Her length was 63 cm (25 in). She'll be 4 months in 8 days, and we're so impressed by her. It seems like she grew a ton while we were in the states for those three weeks in December and January.
First of all, she definitely looks longer. You can see her growth, which is nice. Second, her hair has definitely gotten thicker. The jury is still out on the color. Although I'm guessing she will start out blonde and darken to brunette, as is quite common in my family, there are days where her hair looks downright red! Thomas and I joke that we have a daywalking ginger on our hands.
Her eyes are still light although the color is not a definite blue yet. I think they're more gray than they are blue, but they are definitely not brown and showing no signs of heading in that direction. Thomas' aunt is a midwife and she said if the eyes have not turned brown by now, they are not going to. Sometimes her eyes look blue, but it depends on the light. I suppose she inherits this from me, with my eyes tending to change given certain lighting. Thank goodness for all those recessive blue eyes in my family! Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with brown eyes...
She has been sucking her thumb for quite some time now, having outgrown her old pacifiers. At least, the outgrown pacifier was just a theory of mine. I bought her some new pacifiers that are specifically for her age group, and she seems to be happier with them than the ones she kept spitting out before as she will keep them in her mouth. I also picked up some 6+ months pacifiers to prevent this from happening in the future. Despite tolerating the new pacifiers, she definitely still prefers fingers -- hers or ours. In fact, she enjoys stuffing as many fingers into her mouth as she possibly can!
We're amazed at how smart she is. She strikes us both as someone much older, stuck in the body of an infant. Her limitations continue to frustrate her as she insists on being upright and high up as often as possible, despite being unable to sit up or stand up on her own. She doesn't give up though. Attempting to stand gives her such delight, she grins and giggles whenever we indulge her (which is often considering how fussy she gets if left in typical "baby" positions).
She has really started vocalizing these past few weeks. I think it was due to the trip to Florida, being around my large and loud family. She "talks" loudly and for a long time. Gibberish, of course, but a significant increase in vocalization from before. It's just more of the cute things she does to show us how grown up she is. Or at least as grown up as she THINKS she is.
Probably my favorite thing about her right now is how she's getting so much better at using her hands. She reaches out to touch my face and it just melts my heart. This skill has enabled her to hold onto small objects, which promptly get put in her mouth, of course. Mostly we've given her teethers to play with since we suspect she has teeth bothering her, although she doesn't always quite hit the target. She's poked herself in her eye with her teethers from time to time, but she's still working on the whole "coordination thing."
It's all flying by so incredibly fast, and I feel like I'm doing a terrible job of documenting it. We take thousands of pictures, but it still doesn't feel like enough. I'm trying to get better about shooting video, but I'm sure no matter how much I shoot, I will feel it's inadequate. I don't even want to think about all the creative things I plan to do with the photos and videos. I could bog myself down with those so much that I'd never actually interact with the baby anymore.
Even though she's growing so quickly, I can't help but eagerly look forward to what's ahead -- her hair growing longer, reading to her, taking her clothes shopping, etc. We love our little girl!
First of all, she definitely looks longer. You can see her growth, which is nice. Second, her hair has definitely gotten thicker. The jury is still out on the color. Although I'm guessing she will start out blonde and darken to brunette, as is quite common in my family, there are days where her hair looks downright red! Thomas and I joke that we have a daywalking ginger on our hands.
Her eyes are still light although the color is not a definite blue yet. I think they're more gray than they are blue, but they are definitely not brown and showing no signs of heading in that direction. Thomas' aunt is a midwife and she said if the eyes have not turned brown by now, they are not going to. Sometimes her eyes look blue, but it depends on the light. I suppose she inherits this from me, with my eyes tending to change given certain lighting. Thank goodness for all those recessive blue eyes in my family! Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with brown eyes...
She has been sucking her thumb for quite some time now, having outgrown her old pacifiers. At least, the outgrown pacifier was just a theory of mine. I bought her some new pacifiers that are specifically for her age group, and she seems to be happier with them than the ones she kept spitting out before as she will keep them in her mouth. I also picked up some 6+ months pacifiers to prevent this from happening in the future. Despite tolerating the new pacifiers, she definitely still prefers fingers -- hers or ours. In fact, she enjoys stuffing as many fingers into her mouth as she possibly can!
We're amazed at how smart she is. She strikes us both as someone much older, stuck in the body of an infant. Her limitations continue to frustrate her as she insists on being upright and high up as often as possible, despite being unable to sit up or stand up on her own. She doesn't give up though. Attempting to stand gives her such delight, she grins and giggles whenever we indulge her (which is often considering how fussy she gets if left in typical "baby" positions).
She has really started vocalizing these past few weeks. I think it was due to the trip to Florida, being around my large and loud family. She "talks" loudly and for a long time. Gibberish, of course, but a significant increase in vocalization from before. It's just more of the cute things she does to show us how grown up she is. Or at least as grown up as she THINKS she is.
Probably my favorite thing about her right now is how she's getting so much better at using her hands. She reaches out to touch my face and it just melts my heart. This skill has enabled her to hold onto small objects, which promptly get put in her mouth, of course. Mostly we've given her teethers to play with since we suspect she has teeth bothering her, although she doesn't always quite hit the target. She's poked herself in her eye with her teethers from time to time, but she's still working on the whole "coordination thing."
It's all flying by so incredibly fast, and I feel like I'm doing a terrible job of documenting it. We take thousands of pictures, but it still doesn't feel like enough. I'm trying to get better about shooting video, but I'm sure no matter how much I shoot, I will feel it's inadequate. I don't even want to think about all the creative things I plan to do with the photos and videos. I could bog myself down with those so much that I'd never actually interact with the baby anymore.
Even though she's growing so quickly, I can't help but eagerly look forward to what's ahead -- her hair growing longer, reading to her, taking her clothes shopping, etc. We love our little girl!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Like a weed
Yesterday was the first time I went to put an outfit on Haven only to decide it was probably too small for her. I went through her clothes and pulled out a few more outfits that she'll probably never wear again.
NEVER WEAR AGAIN.
Wow, I can't believe how fast she's growing. It seems like forever ago that she was born, but it also seems like she's only been small for a super short time. I guess that's how it works.
NEVER WEAR AGAIN.
Wow, I can't believe how fast she's growing. It seems like forever ago that she was born, but it also seems like she's only been small for a super short time. I guess that's how it works.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Somebody is ready to grow up
Haven has turned the drool faucet on! She was a drool-free baby up until a week or so ago. Then she started gnawing on her fingers and hands and the drool came along too. I know this is a kind of "pre-teething," and it's making me dread the eventual teeth. I don't want her to be in pain! Not to mention the fact that she's a breastfed baby, so breasts and teeth.... Ouch!
She also has been cooing a lot, and it might be the sweetest sound I've ever heard. One of her coos in particular just melts me. I've been trying to capture it on video, but she remains camera-shy. I've gotten a snippet here and there on tape, but it doesn't do justice for the long periods of time she goes on and on trying to talk.
She's in such a rush to grow up and she's only 2 months old! She's been trying to sit up and stand up for at least two weeks now, but her body just isn't cooperating. I think she's tired of being on her back; she wants to be upright with the adults. I can't say that I blame her.
She also has been cooing a lot, and it might be the sweetest sound I've ever heard. One of her coos in particular just melts me. I've been trying to capture it on video, but she remains camera-shy. I've gotten a snippet here and there on tape, but it doesn't do justice for the long periods of time she goes on and on trying to talk.
She's in such a rush to grow up and she's only 2 months old! She's been trying to sit up and stand up for at least two weeks now, but her body just isn't cooperating. I think she's tired of being on her back; she wants to be upright with the adults. I can't say that I blame her.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Smiles and Strength
I think we can finally say that Haven's smiles are reflections of us smiling at her. Well, most of the time anyway. Before, her smiles were almost involuntary, but now she will smile back at you if you smile at her. We're not at 100% reliability on that, but we will be.
She is also desperate to pull herself up and stand up. She hates lying down and you can see her face and neck muscles tense up as she tries to sit up. When we hold her in a reclining position and hold onto her hands, she will use her arms to pull herself to a sitting up position. Her arms aren't strong enough to pull herself up reliably, but it's only a matter of time at the rate she's going!
She is also desperate to pull herself up and stand up. She hates lying down and you can see her face and neck muscles tense up as she tries to sit up. When we hold her in a reclining position and hold onto her hands, she will use her arms to pull herself to a sitting up position. Her arms aren't strong enough to pull herself up reliably, but it's only a matter of time at the rate she's going!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A show of hands
It looks like the baby is starting to get control of her arms and discover her hands. These past few days, her arm movements have been more deliberate, less flail. Thomas and I have noticed this particularly when we're near her and her arm movements appear to be attempts to touch us. We're looking forward to the day she actually reaches for us.
Also, she has discovered her hands. She clasps her hands together and it almost looks like she's wringing them. Sometimes when she's playing with her hands together, it looks like she's a villain who's plotting. I must find time to capture that look.
Also, she has discovered her hands. She clasps her hands together and it almost looks like she's wringing them. Sometimes when she's playing with her hands together, it looks like she's a villain who's plotting. I must find time to capture that look.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
