Posted by Mandy | Posted in baby boy | Posted on 31-01-2012
I suppose I should make these things monthly updates instead of weekly since we’ve hit the point where no one except mommies count in weeks anymore. However, I do have to say the little guy has developed a lot of new skills since the 12-week update! I’m pretty impressed. All right, where to start…
Sleep: Sleep’s still going well. We hit a new record of 9 1/2 hours last night, actually! Mommy on the other hand is hitting sleep regression. SIDS anxiety is getting to me. Regardless; he sleeps anywhere from 7 – 9 1/2 hours at night, then is up for 2 hours, then takes a nap, then is up another 2 – 2 1/2 hours, then takes another nap and then might be up for the remainder of the day or take another (short) nap around 5pm. Pretty predictable, right? Love it. Hope it keeps up. *knock on wood* The last awake stretch can last 5-7 hours and is sometimes exhausting (he gets cranky when he’s tired), but since daddy is around for it, we share the task of cheering him up.
Physical Skills: Something I’ve been getting a little worried about is finally a non-issue! Little man is starting to get mobile. Tummy time (on the playmet!) is suddenly not torturous anymore, and he’s actually interested in the pictures on the mat. Since he’s been completely hating tummy time that didn’t take place on my tummy until about 2 days ago, that’s a pretty huge step. I know that his neck muscles have been getting better since he’s been keeping his head up like a champ on my tummy, but the fact that he doesn’t mind doing it on his mat now is very reassuring.
He hasn’t done a full tummy-to-back roll yet, but he’s very close to it. Last time I helped him do it I barely touched him, so hopefully we’re getting close there. When he’s on his back on me or the couch, he rolls over to his tummy with ease. He does roll from his back to his side on a completely flat surface, but hasn’t rolled over all the way on flat ground yet.
He also always has his legs way up in the air. He’s been starting to touch his own feet, but he doesn’t pull them into his mouth yet or anything. Still, I think he’s starting to get interested in them and realize they’re part of him.
He grabs and holds toys like a champ. I’m always late in getting out the camera, but this illustrates it pretty well:
And yes, there’s tons of toys and blankets in his crib since I only have him in it to play right now. I’m kinda trying to get him used to it… maybe we’ll try a nap in there soon.
Mental Development: He’s definitely making leaps here. He’s interested in *everything*. Daddy and I top the list, but all his toys and teddies aren’t far behind. If you put a toy in front of him, he’ll carefully touch it, then try to hold it, then try to put it in his mouth. He’s also starting to figure out some “if-then” sequences. As example, we have a Baby Einstein music box toy. When you push the big button on it, it’ll start playing music or change the tune. For a few days, I showed him how it works by taking his hand and pushing the button with it. Now, he does it himself. He doesn’t always succeed since the button takes quite a bit of force to push and you need to push in the very middle of it, but he knows what it does and how to do it.
He still talks literally all day long. When he wakes up from a nap, he babbles. When he eats, he babbles (and gives himself hiccups by doing it). When I (or anyone else) talks to him, he talks back. I did a video chat with my parents the other day, and for the entire half hour the boy would not shut up. He also pushed his music box 4 times and held Sophie all by himself for minutes. Of course, they were thrilled. I swear he knows when people are watching. Our neighbors stopped by the other day and he smiled at them, rolled over twice and talked. Little show off.
Other than that.. well, absolutely everything still goes into his mouth. His favorite thing to have in his mouth is his fist. He’ll settle for a few fingers too if the whole fist won’t fit.
He’s still very amiable on the whole. When he cries, I can usually calm him down within a minute. *knock on wood* We get smiles, squeals, laughs a-plenty every day and it makes my heart melt. The last three months, without a doubt, have been the best of my life.
