Walking and Baby Proofing Our Home

When will my baby start walking?  That was a question that I had a few months ago.  Seeing him cruise along the furniture and the walls was pretty impressive.  Then seeing him let go and trying to balance was awesome.  But then when he took his first step - our jaws just fell to the ground. 

My dad warned me.  He said to give Little Mochi two weeks to learn how to walk after he took his first step.

Today, I will officially say that he is walking on his own.  He even knows how to push himself up.  He wouldn’t know how to fall when he loses his balance two weeks ago.  However, he now can fall and laugh about it. 

He walked all over the house today.  Literally all over the house.  Granted that our place is small (1000 sq ft), but it is still impressive that he can walk from one room to the next.  And it all happened so fast.  It all happened today.  Little Mochi seems so happy to be mobile, to be independent.

Initially, I was so happy because I don’t have to hold his hand everytime he wants to go across the room.  I just let him walk there by himself while I am at my computer.  But then I realized that he was crawling under the tables and into the cabinets!  Arg.  So I still have to follow him.  I’d have to admit that I haven’t baby proofed our place yet.  I just didn’t feel the need to since he spends most of his day at my mom’s.  And when he’s at my mom’s, there’s always someone there to play with him or watch him. 

I talked to my cousin who has a 2 year old son.  She said that the baby proofing gadgets didn’t work.  Her son eventually learned to work around them or break them.  So it really wasn’t worth the money or effort in installing them.  Especially the ones that hold the toilet bowl down.  I guess I won’t be baby proofing our place.

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First (Ten) Baby Steps

I saw the most amazing thing last night. Little Mochi took his first few steps on his own. He has gotten so comfortable with pulling himself up and letting go and standing on his own now. It’s a matter of taking his first few steps. He has always looked for something to hold on to when he wants to get from point A to point B. However, last night, he stood on those chubby little legs, looked up at me, smiled, clapped his hands, and slowly picked up his right foot. Realizing that he’s walking, he looked down and cautiously took another step toward me.

It’s a little rocky now. One small step at a time. He smiles while he walks. It’s probably because he realizes that he’s doing it on his own. Perhaps he realizes that he’s now a “free” boy. How cute!

He’ll take 3 steps or so, but then extends his hands for my hands. He stands there until I put my hands in front of his. To encourage him to take a few more steps on his own, I keep my hands in front of him. I move forward as he moves forward, reaching for my hand. He took nearly 10 steps this way. How sudden. Two nights ago, he needed to hold on to something. Last night, he walks on his own. I bet tonight, he’ll be running around.

Oh great. As he gains more independence, I lose mine. I now have to keep both of my eyes on him as I know he’ll be walking, running very shortly, into little corners of the house. As if he doesn’t go through the cabinets already!

He’s no longer my little baby. He’s like…a little boy now! I realized last night that I really need to hold on to every moment that I spend with Little Mochi. It won’t be long until I can no longer hold him…or kiss him…or toss him in the air just so I can hear his giggles.

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Finally, He’s Teething

At 11 months, I finally see those swollen gums.  I thought babies were supposed to have a mouth-ful of teeth by now!  But Little Mochi is only beginning to show his bottom two.

On Saturday (Jun 14), we noticed that his head was a little warm.  Took his temperature and it was 100.4 degrees.  Wow.  I quickly drove to Walgreen’s and purchased the cherry-flavored Tylenol for infants.  Didn’t really know how much to give him so we based it on the dosage from last time he was sick.  0.4 ml last time.  So let’s try somewhere between 0.6 ml to 0.8 ml.  It should work, right?

Of course, he’s got runny stool as well.  Just the other day, he was constipated.  Suddenly, he’s got runny stool.  What is going on?

Monday, he’s still got a fever.  We’ve been able to control it with the Tylenol and a cold cloth on his head.  It’s been a few days and his fever is still there, although it’s on and off.  So I decided to call the pediatrician.

Ha!  Guess what?  Little Mochi weighs 22.5 pounds now.  He’s still cute, chubby Little Mochi, but he hasn’t gained much weight in the last few months!  I guess they stop growing once they reach a certain month.  But because he’s now 22.5 pounds, the 0.6 ml of Tylenol was too little.  Much too little.  Doc said to give him 1.2 ml.

Ay ya!  No wonder he fever doesn’t go away!!! 

The Doc checked for infection.  None.  So he either has a small cold, or the fever and runny stool is caused by the teething.  I’ve heard that teething symptoms include runny stools and fevers.  And that they are normal for a teething baby because his body is going through so many changes.

The only reason why I think he’s running a fever because of his teething is because he now constantly wants his pacifier so he can chew on it.  And he won’t let it up.  Especially at night.  I used to be able to pull it out after he falls asleep.  Now, he’ll wake up and cry for it.  He’ll also burst out crying for no reason at all sometimes.

Hopefully, this stage will pass soon because he doesn’t sleep much.  That means I don’t sleep much.  And a mom who doesn’t sleep much?  Well, I’m sure you know how they get…

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When Does an Infant Start Teething?

Some start at 4 months.  Others start at 6 months.  Little Mochi is almost 11 months now and has no teeth still!  At one point, I thought I saw a little one spot on his lower gums.  Thought a small tooth was going to blossom but it has been two weeks and haven’t seen anything come out of his gums yet. 

So when will Little Mochi actually grow a tooth? It seems as if Little Mochi has been teething the last 6 months!  My cousin’s kid, who is only 2 weeks older than Little Mochi already has this bottom teeth!

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Mom and the Sick Baby

I usually get along with my mother. But I never really appreciated the things she has done for me. At least not until recently. Having my mom be there for me for nearly 30 years of my life now, it’s just one of those things that you get comfortable with. Perhaps a little too comfortable to a point where you end up taking her presence for granted.

It wasn’t until I had my son did I come to appreciate all the little things she did for me. Not only is she the best baby sitter for Little Mochi, but she goes the extra mile in taking care of my husband and I as well.

After work, I would drop by her house to pick Little Mochi up. 3 or 4 days of the week, she will have dinner packed for me and my hubby so that I wouldn’t have to worry about when I got home. It’s hectic being a full time working mother! It’s even more hectic when you have two full time working parents! And as any busy parent would agree, finding time to cook a nice meal for two is hard to come by. So those dinners are definitely much appreciated!

Actually, that’s not what I am most appreciative about. Little Mochi has been sick this past week and a half. I don’t know if a nanny, a hired nanny, would have noticed as soon as my mother would have that Little Mochi has the sniffles. Maybe the nanny might have noticed. But would she have cared as much as my mother? She might have simply wetted a washcloth, wiped Little Mochi’s nose, and sit him in front of the TV the rest of the day. She might tell me that he has the sniffles as she is handing him over to me when I come home from work. But who knows?

Even if I trusted the nanny, I’d still be calling her from work every other hour every day of the week to check up on Little Mochi! I don’t even think about calling my mom to check up on her during the day!

My mom has been great. With Little Mochi being so young, I don’t think I would trust anyone else to watch after him, especially when he’s sick. My mom has taken great care to make sure she gives him his cough medicine on time, feeds him when he’s hungry, and changes his diapers as soon as they become dirty.

Most importantly, she gives him the love any baby needs - meaning she doesn’t just let him sit in front of the TV while she does her things around the house. She’ll play with him, talk to him, sing to him, dance with him. All those things that are necessary for growth and development.

So, thank you, Mom for being a great mom and grandmother.

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Checklist Before Checking In

For you: 

For Daddy:

For Baby:

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Two Thumbs Down for the Pediatrician’s Receptionist!

It was 3:20 pm on Friday, Jan 11. I received a call from the receptionist at the pediatrician’s office. She said that I had an appointment for Little Mochi’s 6 month immunization shots at 3 pm that day.

As far as I can remember, I tried to make an appointment for that, but she had told me it was booked. So I was certain that I made the appointment for Jan 25th instead. At the time, I had specifically asked the receptionist if it would be too late.

She said they wouldn’t schedule any appointments for immunization shots that late. “If the doctor said to come back in one month, we schedule it for one month later.”

To make a long story short, I asked if I could bring Little Mochi in right away (she said it was ok). I looked for my old appointment card, stuffed it in my pocket and left the house. I was right. The appointment was in fact on the 25th.

On my way there, I kept thinking of ways to tell her “I told you so” without being a bitch. As soon as I pulled up to the parking lot, I figured it out.

I brought Little Mochi into the office. They gave him his checkup. And as soon as I walked out to make my next appointment, I handed her my old card and kindly said: “Can you please cancel this appointment since we came in today.”

She told me that she had already canceled it. Well then! An apology for the misunderstanding would have been nice!

Perhaps she owes the pediatrician an apology since I have decided that Friday’s visit would be my last as I am finding another pediatrician.

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How to Find a Good Nanny

It was 5 am yesterday. I was actually on my way out for work when I received a phone call from my mom.

“Hello?”

I hear a weak voice on the other end. “I’m not feeling too well. I think I have the stomach flu.”

Great, I think to myself.

You see, my mom is our babysitter. My husband just started work - this would be his 2nd week of work. So he drops Little Mochi off at my mom’s and takes off to work. When I get off, I head straight to my mom ’s house to pick him up. Except today, we had to break that routine.  My mom has the stomach flu.  She obviously can’t take care of the baby for a few days.  So here I am, at home, taking a sick day from work to take care of Little Mochi.  Not that it’s a bad thing.  I would much prefer to stay at home and take care of him.  Trust me!  ;-)

It just got me thinking about how having the right nanny is crucial. I’ve just been blessed with my mom being close and her being young and energetic enough to take care of a 6 month old!

Nannies4hire.com

 

 

I know many of you aren’t as lucky as I am.  But with due diligence, I’m sure you can find a great nanny.  Here are some tips on how to find a great nanny.

 

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Does Your Baby Spit Up Frequently?

Feeding can sometimes get frustrating, and having a baby that spits up often does not make it any easier.  Here are 9 tips for reducing Spit Up:

  1. Try to create calm feeding environment, without distractions if possible.  Having the TV on may over-excite your little one. 
  2. Try to avoid overfeeding your baby.  Give your baby small amounts at a time.
  3. Burp your baby half way through the feeding.  If he’s ok with burping after every two or three ounces, then do so.  Our Little Mochi cries when we try to pull the nipple out. 
  4. If your baby is crying when it’s time for feeding, try to calm him down first.  A crying baby is more likely to gulp air.
  5. Try to get one really good burp at the end of the feeding.
  6. Keep your baby upright during and after the feeding.  If you need to place him down right away, use a baby pillow to prop his head up a little.  I usually place Little Mochi on a Boppy for a few minutes.
  7. Try not to engage in any active play or bouncing immediately after the feeding.  I try to wait at least 1/2 an hour.
  8. Make sure the nipple is the proper size.  Nipples with holes that are big will make the formula flow too fast.  This can cause the baby to spit up.
  9. Ask your pediatrician, but you can try to add a little bit of rice cereal in the formula to thicken it a bit.  Just make sure it’s not too thick.  I have used the Gerber Rice Cereal.
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When Does a Baby Roll Over?

I’m not an expert on infant development or anything, but aren’t they supposed to be able to roll over by now? Little Mochi is four months old, and he hasn’t even learned to roll over yet. My cousin’s baby started to roll over last month and he’s only 2 weeks older than Little Mochi. Strange. I’ve been told it’s because he is so chubby that all the baby fat gets in the way of him rolling over.

In a way, it’s great because I don’t have to worry about him rolling over in the middle of the night and hurting himself or rolling off the bed when I turn my head for one second. But is he developing ok? The pediatrician didn’t seem to make much of deal about it. But if you’re a first time parent, you know exactly what I mean. I’m paranoid and overprotective. I am constantly worrying about his development.

If he hasn’t learned to roll over yet, then when will he begin to learn? He doesn’t even try to roll over. I would assist him by pushing him to the side, but he simply turns right back on to his back! Should I be worried? Or is it really just the baby fat? And if it is the baby fat, does that mean all his other milestones will be shifted to the right?

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