MichMoms Blog

Category: Development

Baby's first words are a joy

I got the first words!

My almost 6-month-old son woke up one day last week with one word on his lips: "Mama." It wasn't just a fleeting thing either. He spent the whole day saying it over and over. We were happy he could finally say a word we can understand.

"Mama, Mama, Mama!" The sweetest words I have ever heard!

Of course, my husband is a bit disappointed he didn't get "Dada" first, but who cares? I won!

While I am thinking of first words, I can't help but tell you this story: My niece, who is 3 now, had the best first words ever. It started as "nanats." We had no idea what she was saying and we used to tell strangers she was fluent in Chinese or something. Over time, it went from "nanats" to "no nuts."

From 1 year to 2, everything was "no nuts!". What did she want for dinner? "No nuts!" What did she want to play with? "No nus!" Where did she want to go? "No nts!"

One day,as we were wrestling her out of the car on a family shopping trip, she grabbed onto her grandfather and screamed "Papa! I said no nuts!" I couldn't help but laugh as my dad nonchalantly put her into the cart and said: "Yeah, we got it. No nuts. Right."

Did your children have a funny first word or words?

Category: Development

Baby's inherited looks continue to mystify

Just when I thought my daughter was beginning to look like me, I saw a friend who looked at her and asked: "Did you have anything to do with making her? Because she is all Daddy."

From the day she was born, everyone has always remarked how much she looks like my husband - and it's true. Aside from sharing the same face shape and mouth, he has these big, gorgeous brown eyes that she has inherited and they are her most distinguishing (and my husband's most) feature. It's totally fine with me, because, hey, I like the way he looks!

But coming from a family that takes pride in our deep-blue Finnish eyes, I was hoping for at least some little physical trait that might belong to my heritage. I know babies can change the way they look quite a lot, so I've been waiting patiently to see how she developed.

A picture decided it: My mother-in-law recently came across one of her own baby pictures and it was like seeing my daughter with dark hair instead of the light-brown locks she currently sports. My daughter is a carbon copy of my mother-in-law as an infant, right down to the mischievous little smile on her face.

But I still think she has my nose.

Category: Development

Mom finds it hard not to compare milestones

I recently dropped off my daughter at the home of a friend from church for playtime with their two young children while Mom was working and Dad attended to some errands. We were greeted by their little daughter, just a month older than mine, running into the living room to meet us.

My daughter started doing the "Army crawl" a couple of months ago and just started crawling on her hands and knees in the last couple of weeks. She's also now quite proficient at pulling herself to a stand on anything and everything and we think walking may not be too far off. But I couldn't help but wonder if my daughter is a little behind in the process.

I know that babies develop skills at their own pace and at her one-year checkup our doctor seemed perfectly fine that she was just beginning to crawl. At that point, we had begun to wonder if she'd skip crawling altogether and just go straight to walking, as my husband apparently did as a child. She walks along quite well with a few walking/pushing toys or with someone holding her fingers, and her cruising skills are top-notch. I should note that we're not pushing to make her more mobile; it's difficult enough trying to keep after our lightning-fast wiggle worm as she slides from room to room!

Plus, my daughter's little friend has a 2-year-old brother to chase after and learn from, so I'm sure that plays a big part of it as well. Even though I've tried to avoid it up to this point, it's hard not to compare notes and wonder if she really is behind in learning to walk, because this other little one has been walking for quite some time now, or if this is still part of a normal process.

How have you coped with comparing your child's milestones to others? Any tips?

Category: Development

Comparing baby milestones a strain on mom

My husband and I went over to a friend's house this past weekend. Althugh our daughters are one day apart and just about the same size, I couldn't help feel a little behind because my friend's daughter was advancing so much faster than ours.

I was amazed to see our friend's daughter was crawling and she could pull herself up and hold her balance for a little while. She was also eating table food and had almost four teeth. My daughter hasn't started crawling yet, but she scoots. So wherever she's trying to go, she gets there, just not as quickly. Because she hasn't gotten herself off of the ground yet, I haven't started giving her any finger foods. I often tease her with soft cheeses and tell her if she can grab it out of my hand she can eat it. She hasn't succeeded in actually getting it into her mouth as of yet.

I used to get e-mails from a parenting Web site that would give the development of a child according to how many weeks old they were, inlcuding a disclaimer saying something like, "All babies are unique and meet milestones at their own pace." Then it would continue by saying the information given was just a guideline and if there was any concern about a child's development, a doctor should be contacted. Of course I know that, but when the differences stared me in the face, it was kind of hard to keep in mind.

I felt that my daughter was moving along as she should at 8 months - until I saw my friend's "super baby." Up until then I compared her progress to that of my son when he was her age. I can't remember what age he reached every milestone, but I do know he was walking a few weeks shy if his first birthday and only had two bottom teeth by then.

There's a saying about kids who develop so quickly - that they are "moving out of the way" for the next baby. My family said that about my son and little did I know they were right. However, because my daughter will be the last child for us, there's no rush for her and she knows it. Kids grow up fast and I don't want to find myself so worried about what my daughter isn't doing yet that I miss what's happening now. It's so funny to see how excited she gets over her favorite toy or to see her toothless grin when she laughs at her brother's "performances."

This time next year everything will change. I'll have two kids running in different directions. My daughter will be a toddler and my son will be 4 years old going on 45. So I won't rush her. I'll wait until she's ready and enjoy my baby girl while I can.

Category: Development

Baby milestones are flying by

My daughter just reached 8 months old, and already it feels sometimes like it's going by so fast.

After getting her first tooth last week, it seems she wanted to waste no time and went ahead and sprouted her second one this week, right next to the first one. She's also gotten quite adept at picking up food with her thumb and index finger (that "pincer" grasp the baby books are always talking about at this stage). And when we place her on her belly, she looks like she's trying to swim the breaststroke on the carpet. I can't imagine crawling is too far off.

For so long, I would be so excited to get her to the next milestone: trying solid foods, sitting unassisted and the like, and it seemed like there was a lot of time in between reaching each one. I've tried to avoid the whole "is my child's development behind?" worrying you hear so much about and just let her develop at her own pace. Still, let's face it, it's just plain exciting to see babies learn new things. (Not to mention the priceless, giant grin they get when they figure something out for the first time!) So, I'd eagerly anticipate her next new skill.

Now, after feeling for so long like these milestones would never come, it feels like they're all coming at once, and before I know it, I'll be sending her off to college. OK, I'm exaggerating, but you moms of older kids are probably thinking, "Yep, that's pretty much it!" I think I'm one of those weird moms who is looking forward to seeing her child as a toddler and school-age child, to see her learning and enjoying all sorts of new things - and also being able to communicate it with me. I'm so interested to know what's going through her mind sometimes. At the same time, I'm also enjoying every minute of this beautiful time of babyhood and don't want to rush it, so I keep yo-yo'ing back and forth between being excited to see her grow and learn, and being nostalgic (already) for the tiny baby stage.

Moms of experience, this is pretty normal, right? Other than taking lots of photos and video, do you have any tips for making the most of your kids' childhoods?

Category: Development

Son's peach fuzz is gone and with it another milestone

This morning, my husband asked me if I took his "good" razor. Nooooooooo, why? It's missing. You know what that means. No. 1 son shaved for the first time!

I took a look at his 14-year-old face a few minutes later and saw a clean upper lip. Well, really, the peach fuzz was mostly accumulating at the corners of his mouth.

So I asked him if he'd shaved and he said yes because it was getting gross looking. He did look better.

But, I asked, didn't you want to ask Dad for some advice on it? Shouldn't you have asked to borrow his razor first?

I think our guy is a little private about these kinds of things - and I want to share and know everything. Ack! It drives me crazy and it's hard to hold back.

When my other mom friends and I talk about our kids' physical development (it seems most of us have boys) some are so sure of what is going on and others, like me, have to guess. So, sometimes I just flat out ask: Do you have hair under your arms? Is there hair growing on your privates? Is there anything you want to talk about? Moooooooooooooooooom!

In the meantime, I keep them well-stocked with deodorant and body wash. Now I'll have to add shaving cream and a razor to my shopping list.

If you have a good growing up story to share, click on "comment" above.

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Category: Development

Smiles are so much fun

I get monthly e-mails on baby developmental stages from babycenter.com. The most recent on my 6-month-old's development said "the lengths you'll go to make your baby laugh can be surprising. This month, for instance, you might find yourself quacking like a duck and barking like a dog. Why? Many 6-month-olds love turn-taking games, especially those that involve sounds and language. Try letting your baby go first, and then mimic the sounds she makes."

That one was right on. I spend hours trying to come up with different ways to make Madeleine giggle, especially because the giggles come in such surprising ways. The dog is a popular trigger, so is a silly dance move in front of her. Recently, she went into a fit of giggles when my mom reached to get a tree branch off the garage. (So my mom promptly shook the tree branch at her about 30 more times to hear giggles over and over.) Who knew a tree branch could be so funny? But I'll say one thing: I sure do smile every time I see a tree branch these days and when I hear those little giggles in my head.