The First Six Months of Lovely Baby

I intended to post this as a monthly type of deal but it got away from me. So instead, here's a more compact version of baby Hezekiah's first six months on Earth. :)

Weight & Height: At birth, Mister Hez was 8 pounds, 2 ounces and 21 and 1/4 inches long. At his two month checkup, Hezzy weighed 11 pounds, 5 ounces and was 22 and 1/2 inches long. Now at six months, he's around 17 pounds and is around 23 inches long.

Medical Issues: Hezzy has a medical condition that all my boys have had. He will most likely have outpatient surgery between 11 - 16 months. Otherwise, he's been very healthy. He's had one little cold/sinus infection type deal when the seasons changed but it cleared up very quickly.

Sleep: Hez started sleeping "through the night" from around midnight or so until 8 AM around 3 months. Then he started going to bed a little earlier, like around 10 and sleeping until 7-ish. Right now he's waking up around once - twice during the night. He takes either 2 long naps or 3 short(er) naps.

Sizes: Around 2 months he started to edge out of newborn stuff and move into 0-3 month clothes. Around 4 and 1/2 months I started moving him into 3-6 and now at 6 months, he's wearing 6-9 month stuff. So he's stayed pretty much right on target. At about three months, he moved from size one diapers to size twos and has been in them since.

Diet: EBF (exclusively breastfed) but I am looking to start him on some first foods here in the next month or so. We are probably going to do BLW (baby led weaning) like we did with Zac.

Baby Gear Love: My Moby wrap has been great while we're on the go but since he's getting better and has much more of an interest in what's going on around him, we don't use it much anymore. My momma-made meitai and my Ergo carrier work better for the stage he's at now. He's really starting to outgrow the bassinet so we'll be moving him into a crib probably within the next couple weeks. Otherwise I guess I don't really have any "gear."

Milestones/Firsts: He first appeared to be teething on 4/27. He's a drool machine and he's chewing on everything but still no teeth. He started "army crawling" and scooting around 4 months and is now pretty much full blown crawling, albeit very slow and he still gets tripped up on his arms/legs. He can also now push himself up on all fours and practically stand on his head!

Tips For Traveling With a Baby

Your baby sleeps for hours and you have all the time in the world to drive, talk to your travel companion, read a book or sleep…

…Or it can be hell with a baby that is crying as soon as you put him in his car seat and that refuses to sleep. Then you’ll plan to
go by plane the next time or to stay at home for the next five years or so…

You can’t really know in advance what traveling by car with your baby will be like. You can’t be sure that it will be like the last time you tried. Babies grow and change. But you can plan to make the best of the situation.

Below you’ll find tips to make traveling by car with a baby as easy as possible.

Tips for Traveling by Car With a Baby

Safety

Frequent stops

Toys

Easy feeding

Liquid

Shelter from the sun

Safety

Safety first, of course! Make sure you have a good infant car seat
and that you install it correctly.

If you rent a car, ask about air bags, so that you don’t put your baby in a seat with an airbag by accident. And if you don’t bring your own infant car seat, ask about what type they can provide and how old it is. It should never be older than five years.

Also, don’t drive if you are very tired. Take turns with your travel companion if you’re not traveling alone. If you are alone, stop the car and go for a walk if you get sleepy.

Frequent stops

When traveling by car with a baby, plan for frequent stops and realize that the journey is likely to take much longer than if you were traveling without a baby.

Particularly newborn babies should not sit for too many hours in a row in a car seat. It may hurt their backs. So make frequent stops to let your baby stretch out on blanket or in his stroller. Older babies need to get some time to use their bodies for crawling, jumping or whatever they like.

Toys

Bring a lot of toys! Either take away a few favorites a week or two before traveling, or consider buying some new toys.

Easy feeding

If you breastfeed you must stop the car to feed your baby. Even if it can be tempting to pick up your starving baby to feeding him on the highway, don’t!

(Yeah, I know it sounds totally crazy, but with a baby crying at the top of his or her voice, you can get all sorts of desperate ideas!)

If you get very stressed by hearing your infant’s crying, don’t take any chances. Feed him or her slightly ahead of the usual schedule. Or bring formula or baby snacks if your baby is old enough.

It is quite convenient to teach a baby to accept cold food, so that you can feed him on the road. If that doesn’t work, consider buying car bottle warmer that plugs into your car adapter outlet, like this one at Amazon.

You can also bring hot water in thermos.

And don’t forget bringing a baby bib and lots of paper napkins!

Liquid

Bring water for both you and your baby, if your baby is old enough to have started to drink water! Getting dehydrated will only make you sleepy, and might impair milk production if you breastfeed.

Shelter from the sun

Make sure you can protect your baby from sun with some kind of sunshade that you can put on either his car seat or on a window. A hat for your baby may also be good to have available.

For trips to Grandma’s or a world tour, here are a few of our favorite must-haves:

Lotus Travel Crib – carry-on size, easy and quick set up, also a play yard, wide age range, backpack portability.

Maclaren Volo Stroller – lightweight umbrella stroller, ideal for 6 months plus.

White Noise Machine – street noise in New Orleans? Older cousins playing at Grandmas? Not for nap time…

Baby carrier – pick your favorite. Ergo and woven seem most travel friendly, but having one you like is a must.

Baby wash – because the hotel brand mini shampoos won’t do. Our favorite is California Baby.

Beyond that — travel light, don’t over think it, pick up last minute needs on the go…and Bon Voyage, Baby!

Baby Shower Tips

Baby showers can include some really fun and creative ideas that do not have to be expensive or bought from a mall or specialty store. Some of the ideas are easy enough to make yourself and yet will look really good when finished. A very popular baby shower gift is the gift basket and these are great but do not require much in the way of forethought or imagination. If you want to give a gift that will keep on giving and be a conversation piece as well the baby diaper cake is just what you need.

Whenever a baby diaper cake is given it invariably becomes part of the decoration at the shower but that does not mean that they are not practical and useful to the soon-to-be mom. Because they are unique and functional they are always appreciated and will definitely win smiles from everyone in attendance.
Diapers are among the most essential items that a new parent needs an abundance of and the diaper cake takes that into account, presenting them in a fun and creative way. Diapers are expensive and will no doubt be part of the shopping list for a good couple of years so an extra supply is definitely a good idea. Unfortunately diapers are usually not among the items that are given at baby showers since most people do not want to wrap up a pack of disposable diapers to give as a gift. Using them to make a diaper cake is a great way to give an essential item in an attractive and thoughtful way.

Baby diaper cakes are not that expensive to buy either. Although you might be on a budget and cannot afford to give a big expensive gift, the diaper cake is likely to be well within your budget. There are some wonderful designs available from which to choose and all you need to do is a little shopping to find the right one. You might want to try the internet for this as many people make and advertise their cakes online.
Alternatively you might decide that you would like to make the cake yourself and this really is not difficult at all. Anyone can make them and all that will be required of you is a little creativity and some imagination. Even this is not that much to ask if you are among those of us who seem to be imagination challenged! Great ideas can be got just from looking at designs that are posted online. These will surely give you some tips and you will soon find that the sky is the limit. Of course, making your own cake will also cost less than if you buy one already made.

Whether you choose to buy a ready-made cake or you decide to make one yourself you will know that you are giving a gift that keeps on giving long after the baby shower. The new mom to be will be able to use the items attached to the cake as decorations as well as use the diapers that form the tiers of the cake. Using items like baby bottles in the center of the cake is a great idea as these can be filled with other goodies, like sweets, as a surprise when all the diapers have been used.

When it comes to giving a gift at a baby shower you can step out of the mould and give a gift that will make everyone smile and look great as well. Take the time to look around for ready-made cakes or tips to make your own because the birth of a new baby is definitely something that should be celebrated and a personal touch will go a long way.

Food for babies, such as cup, bowl, spoon and fork can be customized to a very special custom baby memory can be set. There are several web sites, shopping centers, kiosks and shops gifts like baby food. Baby Mugs can hand with colors and designs that you want or if you select a field, you can be painted engraved with the name or initials of the child. You can also desired the same information on the spoon and, if necessary.

Helpless Hosts,Bullied Into Babysiting

　　I’ve never had a baby, but I imagine the worst part about doing so would be having to take care of it. They’re so loud and expensive and drooly and gross. I’m not interested.
　　Wouldn’t it be magnificent if I could just drop my baby in someone else’s care and never really have to worry about it again? I would be happy knowing my genes were passed on, and I’d be even happier because I didn’t have to get vomited on in the process.
　　Well, a species of bird shares my genius idea — the Great Spotted Cuckoo basically bullies the European Magpie into taking care of its young, and the magpie just lets the cuckoo do it like the pathetic weakling it is.
　　It’s all because of the cuckoo’s majesty and power.
　　Cuckoos choose magpies that they think will be good parents. They scour an area and choose the largest magpie nests. The magpies that can build the biggest nests generally have the most resources, which means they probably have the biggest territories. And birds with the biggest territories are probably the biggest and the strongest, which makes them high quality, as we all know. High quality birds make high quality parents. So the cuckoos choose the best ones then lay their eggs in the magpie nests and fly off to let the magpie take care of it.
　　You see, even though the magpie can tell the difference between its own eggs and the cuckoos eggs, it still usually sits on it and feeds the chick because if a magpie tries to strike back and throws the egg out of its nest, the cuckoo gets understandably upset.
　　“That was my baby, yo,” it says in bird language.
　　And then it rounds up its cuckoo buddies and together they wreak havoc on the magpie nest and destroy the magpie eggs.That does kind of seem like a lot of effort when the cuckoo could instead be eating or laying more eggs or resting or playing Halo and trying to outcompete its roommates.
　　So why does the cuckoo bother harassing the magpie?Well, the magpie needs to learn its place. And it works.Magpies that just accept it and raise the cuckoos’ young actually do better in the long run than magpies that try to fight back and throw the cuckoos’ eggs out of their nests.After the cuckoos ruin the magpie’s life, the magpie builds another nest and is way more likely to just give up and raise the cuckoo’s young the next time, so it wasted all that energy. And no matter what, the cuckoo gets its chick raised.And really, the cuckoos are essentially setting an example for all the other magpies who think they’re tough.

God Bless Your Baby

　　Congratulations
　　to the Montgomery Family
　　on the Birth of Chris
　　God bless your precious baby
　　who has come to you today
　　and guide those footsteps tenderly
　　along their future way...
　　Inside Verse:
　　God grant your child
　　may grow in grace,
　　in Christian faith and love...
　　God fill your home
　　with many joys
　　And blessings from above.

Can baby be too clean?

When it comes to small babies, the message is clear - cleanliness is best. But as your child grows, you can worry less about her picking up food from the floor or the dog slobbering over her. There's a theory that living in a spotless environment may not always the best thing for your child.
How are dirt and allergies linked?

From the 1970s to the 1990s, there was a leap in the number of children with allergies, particularly in developed countries like the UK.One study found that the rise might be due to falling family sizes and cleaner homes. Both these factors stopped young children being exposed to as many germs as children in previous generations.This, in turn, may have given children's still-developing immune systems less practice at fighting off intruders. But because the immune system still wanted to be used, it became primed to see harmless substances, such as dust and pollen, as dangerous invaders. This, according to the theory, led to increases in allergies andasthma.
Is there any proof?
The link between hygiene and allergies seems to be backed up by a range of research studies:Children who grow up on a farm are less likely to develop asthma and other allergies.Children who grow up on a farm and whose mums were also living on a farm when they were pregnant, have even greater protection against asthma, hay fever and eczema.Early exposure to other children seems to have a protective effect. Babies who have one or two older siblings, or who attended nursery from a very young age, have a lower risk of asthma.Children run less risk of becoming sensitive to some allergens if there is acat or dog in the house when they are a baby. Having a dog around the house protects your baby from becoming sensitised to pollen. A cat offers protection from becoming sensitised to house dust mites.Preschoolers who have often had nose or throat infections are less likely to develop asthma.Farm animals, pets, siblings and children at nurseries all have one rather unpleasant factor in common. That factor is contact with trace amounts of endotoxin, a fancy word for poo. It's possible that any decrease in asthma and allergies as a child grows is actually down to the contact she has had with bacteria. Poo is loaded with them.
Isn't my baby too young to cope with germs?
It depends how old your baby is. While your baby's only a few weeks old, her immune system isn't mature, so it's best to be extra careful about cleanliness. For example, ask visitors to wash their hands before they hold your newborn.
By the time your baby is a couple of months old, you won't need to be as vigilant. As your baby grows, her immune system strengthens. Her immune system is most likely to be influenced during the first few years of her life.
Are allergies still on the rise?
The factor, or combination of factors, that caused the rise of asthma and allergy-related problems in the UK may now have passed. The rates of asthma, eczema and hay fever in young children appear to have stabilised over the past decade in developed countries like ours.
However, rates for these problems are still on the increase in developing countries.The hygiene theory could explain some of the rise and fall in worldwide allergy rates, but it is not the only explanation.Some say it is down to the use of medicines such as paracetamol. Others put it down to changes in our diet. They point to a lack of vitamin D, as well as to changes in the friendly bacteria that colonise our guts.
No single theory has yet been proved correct, so until then, don't stress too much about the bugs your baby may be picking up at nursery or from your family pet. You never know, they may actually do her good in the long run.