Outdoors…

Posted by: Sharmila Rajah Post(s) by this blogger

One of the things we love to do together is take a stroller ride to the park nearby. Ayanna loves being outdoors. She’s grown to become very observant of her surroundings. I talk to her at every opportunity. I comment out loud on the things she sees, hears and smells.

 

Loving the sensation

 

Ayanna likes the swing, in particular. Now that she can sit and has stable head control, she gently swings. Most infants seem to enjoy swinging at around 8 or 9 months. We initially began with her on my lap while I gently rocked back and forth just so she could adjust to the sensation.

 

Dressed just right

 

The vitamin missing from breast milk most notably is Vitamin D. So Ayanna gets a dose of it when out and about in the sun. The sun’s intensity is greatest between 10 am and 3 pm. We make our trips early in the morning. Ayanna is clothed in a cotton top, pants and a cap. We stay out for about half an hour.

 

To get or not to get...

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We’ve been skeptical about this. After much deliberation, we finally gave in and now, Ayanna has a walker.

 

Is this walker meant for walking? (sing to the tune of 'These boots are made for walkin...')

 

There has been one too many reports about the walker being the culprit behind thousands of head injuries that require medical treatment (in the US). So naturally, we were doubtful, especially since the manufacture and sale of all mobile walkers have been banned by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Some studies even show that babies trapped in a walker sit, crawl and walk later than babies who don’t. That’s not surprising if you consider that a baby in a walker doesn’t have the opportunity to flex those muscles necessary to practice and master those skills.

 

Friends, however, have informed us otherwise, claiming that their babies loved the walker and have had no developmental delays. Some even say the walker is the reason their babies began walking earlier. After listening to several friends speak about their experiences, we weighed the odds and made our decision.

 

Ayanna relishes her time in the walker. She does not know quite how to get around yet. However, she’s somewhat entertained by the different buttons and accessories on the walker. We stay nearby and supervise her closely for the brief period she’s in it.

 

Keeping herself entertained.

 

Would you put/ Have you put your baby in a walker? What are your thoughts?

Oh no! Not another …

Posted by: Sharmila Rajah Post(s) by this blogger

Ayanna had a busy weekend of weddings and parties.

 

Now she’s come down with yet another cold. The symptoms are present- a runny nose and sneezing. Last night was particularly tough as she was finding it difficult to breathe with a stuffy nose. We used the nasal spray and aspirator to clear her nasal passage.

 

Ahhhhh chew!

 

Though this seems rough on baby’s nose, such frequent mild illnesses won’t do any harm and can actually do some good. How so? Frequent colds boost a baby’s immune system, making your child less susceptible to infections later in life. Frequent colds have no effect on baby’s future development.

 

Nevertheless, it’s going to be a challenging week ahead.

The countdown begins…

Posted by: Sharmila Rajah Post(s) by this blogger

Ayanna turned 9 months last Friday. Just three months left before she turns one. It’s been an exhilarating ride so far and things don’t seem like they’re about to slow down.

 

These days Ayanna is an expert crawler, moving at break-neck speed. She relishes her newfound mobility, which takes her to every nook and cranny once beyond her reach.

 

No dress is about to slow this expert crawler down

 

Just the other day Ayanna attempted to stand while holding onto her musical table. Today while her little fingers were encircling the railings of the banister, she propped herself up to stand. She has also tried to lift her right leg up to elevate herself to a higher landing.

 

Will the real expert crawler ... please stand up!

Snip... Snip ... Snip...

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Ayanna had her first hair cut the other day.

 

Her fringe was long and it was always getting into her eye. So mummy took the liberty of snipping it a bit. I should really stick to my day time (and night time) job of playing mummy. From the rather jagged fringe, I don’t think the outcome turned out as desired.

 

Spot the uneven fringe?

Added protection

Posted by: Sharmila Rajah Post(s) by this blogger

Ayanna recently got her second dosage of the pneumococcal vaccination.

 

As parents we want to protect our little ones as much as we can, especially when it concerns their health and well being. That’s why we opted to give Ayanna both the pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccinations.

 

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea, vomiting and fever in infants under two. Some 20 percent of infant diarrhoea is caused by the virus, which can stir up 20 messy episodes per day. Rotavirus spreads easily. It is highly infectious and is mainly transmitted by faecal-oral route but can also spread from person to person via infected hands, toys, objects and surfaces. Unfortunately good hygiene alone does not always protect against rotavirus infections.

 

One in every two infants hospitalised for diarrhoea is diagnosed with the infection. We were not going to let Ayanna become part of the statistics. We wanted the protection for her.

 

What would you decide? Would you decide the same?

 

A standing O

Posted by: Sharmila Rajah Post(s) by this blogger

Ayanna has learnt to clap. From merely bringing her clasped fists together, she can now clap with open palms and create a sharp sound. She claps when she’s excited or happy. Or when she sees her reflection in the mirror. 

 

Ayanna’s learning to communicate. She knows we clap when we play games like ‘patty-cake’ and when we sing together. Ayanna knows we clap to celebrate when she shows off a new skill.

 

Ayanna's fine motor skills, muscle control and hand-eye coordination are what make it possible for her to bring her palms together to clap.

 

Clap! Clap! Clap!

 

Happy Mother's Day

Posted by: Sharmila Rajah Post(s) by this blogger

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there!

 

Happy Mother's Day to all from the two of us!

 

It’s my first. I’m rather giddy with delight that I’m celebrating Mother’s Day. It’s surreal. The past 8 months have been fun, hectic, exciting and challenging. I’ve such newfound respect for mothers and all the work they do.

One … Two … Three

Posted by: Sharmila Rajah Post(s) by this blogger

Ready, Get, Set.... Go

Off she goes. Ayanna has begun crawling. A little wobbly on her hand and feet but she’s definitely moving forward. The first crawl was just several steps forward and at a rather slow pace. Two days on, and she’s moving faster and is much steadier.

She began by first lunging forward, followed by creeping, which is pushing herself around on her belly. All these variations of the crawl strengthen the muscles that will soon enable her to walk.

 

Watch how strong I am mummy!

 

Babies tend to start crawling soon after they’ve mastered sitting without support. At this stage babies can hold their heads up to look around and their arms, leg and back muscles are strong enough to keep them from falling on the floor when they get up on their hands and knees.

 

Ayanna has gotten the boost she needs to go mobile. She’s slowly getting proficient at her crawling and has even learnt to move from a crawl position to a sitting position. Then there’s the ‘cross-crawling’ to master, which is the ability to move one arm and the opposite leg together when moving forward. After all the crawling variations are mastered, the only thing between Ayanna and complete mobility is learning to walk.

 

 

It’s begun…

Posted by: Sharmila Rajah Post(s) by this blogger

It was only inevitable that Ayanna would master this skill. Two Fridays ago Ayanna sat up unsupported, after weeks hard at practice lifting her bottom and balancing herself with her arms. Her first two attempts lasted several seconds before she fell back and thumped her head on the carpet. Ouch! Two weeks on; Ayanna is a ‘sitting’ veteran.

 

The sitting veteran of two weeks

 

Sitting marks the beginning of the crawling stage. Ayanna can now get on all fours. She rocks back and forth before pushing off with her knees but only to move backwards. This is one variation of this progression.

 

As she hasn’t mastered the forward crawl, Ayanna tends to roll across the floor to reach a toy or to get to mummy. Now that she’s enjoying her new sitting position, Ayanna seems rather reluctant to crawl or move. She sits for long periods attentively playing with her toys.

 

Loving every moment of her new position

 

Experts urge parents to encourage their little ones to crawl by placing toys just beyond baby’s reach. That’s what we’re doing right now. As for sitting, we encouraged Ayanna to sit in her Bumbo seat, which we’re certain, provided her with the confidence in the position plus it strengthens her back. Constantly seating her down and encouraging her to do so, in spite of her unsteadiness, promoted a positive learning experience.