Crawling: More than just a way of moving around the house

Most babies begin to crawl between the ages of six – 10 months. At nearly nine months old, Brayden is not quite crawling yet. He’s super close – belly scooting/combat crawling and getting up on his hands and knees to rock back and forth – but not quite able to incorporate movement while up on all fours.  We have been encouraging him to crawl with ongoing praise, moving toys just far enough out of stretchable reach and have even been crawling around on our hands and knees ourselves in hopes that he’ll try to mimic us. It’s hilarious!

Among these antics, we have also been encouraging him to stand – leaning him against a sturdy object (like the couch) and holding his hands while helping him to take steps forward. Maybe he’ll just be one of those babies you hear about skipping the crawling stage and going straight on to walking. That would be great!  Or would it be?...

While talking to a family friend the other day, I was surprised to learn that crawling is a much more crucial milestone for a baby’s development  than I had originally thought. Apparently, crawling relates to other areas of development like eye-hand coordination and even later with reading and writing. Children use binocular vision when crawling, which means they look forward to where they are going and then back down at their hands again. Much later children will use this skill in school, by looking up at the blackboard and then back down at their papers to write something.

From everything I’ve read tummy time is fundamental to the progression of crawling. When a baby is placed on his belly he will instinctively lift his head (which helps develop his neck muscles), push up with his arms (which helps develop his hand, arm and chest muscles) and will push off the floor with his legs (which helps develop his leg and hip muscles).

I’ve also read that not all babies will crawl and even if a baby skips crawling it doesn’t mean he will have later developmental problems. <Sigh>

Just remember, as with everything else baby, they will progress at their own pace and will crawl when they are ready.  As parents, all we can do is continue to encourage them.

Brayden's First Haircut

This weekend, Andrew and I bit the bullet and agreed it was time to take Brayden for his first haircut. Our little boy was born with a healthy amount of strawberry blonde hair.

Brayden at 6 days old.

At around 3 weeks old, his hair began to fall out -- but only on the top of his head. And by 5 weeks he was looking like a very handsome old man.

However, in the weeks/months to follow, his hair grew back. And it grew and grew and grew!

Now, as we approach his ninth month of life, Andrew and I have bit the bullet. We finally took our shaggy haired baby for his first trim. This momentous occasion took place at a local hair salon for small tots. They sat him in a firetruck chair (which hardly phased him) and draped him in the smallest smock I've ever seen.  A-dorable! Brayden sat excitedly as the "stylist" spritzed water onto his head, combed his locks and shaped his sweet head to a much less disheveled look.

As to be expected, in addition to the slue of pictures I took for memory-sake, I also walked out with a clump of Brayden's freshly cut baby hair. Sniff, sniff... But, I must admit, he does look super cute with his fresh new do! 

A glimmer of hope

This morning, after putting Brayden down for his morning nap, I sat down with my cup of coffee and began to read the Toronto Star. My eyes were immediately drawn to the headline: ‘Breakthrough’ therapy rids patients of cancer. With much skepticism, I proceeded to scan Joseph Hall’s article. Upon completion, I found myself feeling very excited about what this reported research was promising and thought that maybe it could actually be a reality for my children to, one day, see the eradication of cancer. 

Essentially, the research involved a novel technique (similar in concept to a vaccine) which transforms blood-borne T-cells into “serial killers” that hunt down and obliterate cancer cells, leaving healthy tissue unharmed. Albeit only conducted on three late-stage leukemia patients, the results are extremely impressive – within three weeks more than two pounds of tumour cells in each patient were blown away. 

Although this post isn’t overtly related to my life as a new mom, this news has left me with a glimmer of hope that there may be children in my lifetime who will not have to know the devastation of cancer.

Maternity must-haves

Finding out you’re expecting is one of the most exciting moments life has to offer.  Being pregnant for 40 weeks, however; you’re bound to experience some unpleasantries such as discomfort, nausea, stretching, and much, much more. A few of my girlfriends have recently announced that they're expecting. Yahoo! As a tribute to them, below are a few things that I leaned on during my pregnancy that I'd like to pass along. Congrats ladies!

Pregnancy app, “What to Expect.com,” is a Free app from Heidi Murkoff, the author of the What to Expect series of books. Track everything you need to know about your pregnancy including week by week updates of your baby’s amazing development  and your fast-growing belly, all at you’re fingertips! My hubby and I would look forward to reading our updates every Friday morning.

Can’t quite do up the button on your favourite jeans or skirt anymore? The Bella Band is a must-have during the first few months of pregnancy. This bando-like waistband enables you to still wear your regular pants even when they've become too snug to do up the button. You grow, girl! 

Lollipops are a yummy way to help alleviate mild nausea. For friends who experience the extreme nausea that pregnancy has to offer, talk to your doctor about Diclectin – a combination of vitamin B6 and an antihistamine.  

Let’s face it, gaining weight and feeling big is a fact of being pregnant. To help feel better about your changing body invest in some good maternity clothes. Looking good will help you feel better and embrace your pregnant bod.

To keep stretch marks at a minimum, apply a belly oil such as Motherlove or Bio Oil thoughout your entire pregnancy and even afterwards. These smell lovely, even for the queasy momma! Bonus, applying belly oil allows you a few minutes in the day to admire your bump and bond with your developing baby.

Getting a massage while pregnant is a good way to reduce stress and labour pain. In fact, studies have shown that pregnancy massage can improve a woman’s mood, ease pain, decrease depression and anxiety and, reduce the risk of complications.  Find a RMT who specializes in prenatal massage then lie back, relax and enjoy. I saw Sarah Barton, RMT, at 360 Healthcare once a week!

Pretty soon after finding out you’re preggers, sleep will never be the same. For some reason, getting comfortable in bed is next to impossible, never mind the middle of the night wakings to pee.  Ugh.  One thing I found to help get comfy in bed was the Snoogle.  Andrew picked one up for me at Babies R Us. Look out husbands, this very well might be the only thing she’ll want to snuggle up to for the next few months. 

As you might know by now, my experience with breastfeeding did not start off on a very positive note.  Among other things, milk supply was a key contributor to my issues.  Only after struggling to nurse Brayden for a couple months did I finally learn about Mother’s Milk tea, which promotes healthy lactation and is traditionally used to increase breast milk production. Most health food stores carry it. I will definitely be drinking lots of this tea in the final weeks of my next pregnancy.

Is your child car seat safe of toxic chemicals?

My SIL just sent me a link to a news report concerning dangerous chemicals found in children's car seats. The article, posted by CTV Calgary.ca, is below.

A research report on toxic chemicals in children's car seats was released by the Ecology Center on Wednesday and found over half contained toxic chemicals.

Over 150, 2011 model car seats were tested for bromine, chlorine, lead, and other heavy metals and allergens.

While some seats were found to be virtually free of the most dangerous chemicals, over 60 percent contained at least one of the chemicals tested for.

The substances have been linked to allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, and cancer in children.

The reports says that babies are the most vulnerable because their bodies are still developing and they spend a lot of time in their car seats.

Most Toxic 2011 Car Seats:
Infant Seat: Graco Snugride 35 in Edgemont Red/Black & Graco SnugRide 30 in Asprey
Convertible Seat: Britax Marathon 70 in Jet Set & Britax Marathon in Platinum
Booster Seat: Recaro Pro Booster in Blue Opal & Recaro ProSPORT Toddler in Mist

Least Toxic 2011 Car Seats:
Infant Seat: Chicco KeyFit 30 in Limonata, Graco Snugride 35 in Laguna Bay & Combi Shuttle 33 in Cranberry Noche
Convertible Carseat: Graco Comfort Sport in Caleo, Graco MyRide 65 in Chandler and Streamer, Safety 1st OnSide Air in Clearwater, and Graco Nautilus Elite 3-in-1 in Gabe
Booster Seat: Graco Turbo Booster in Anders

To read the full news release, visit the Healthy Stuff website.

A blessed day

On Sunday, we had Brayden baptized. The beautiful ceremony took place at our neighbourhood church, St. Isaac Jogues, and was followed by a lunch reception in our backyard where we celebrated with family. Brayden’s auntie Meg and uncle Justin were named his Godparents and auntie Christina was the appointed photographer for the day. Below are just a few pictures captured of this very blessed day.

Gift from grandma and grandpa

 

Brayden's outfit - Gift from his Godparents

Aunie Meg and uncle Justin dressing Brayden before the ceremony. (It's a tradition)

Brayden's turn!

 

The adorable cake (Frostings by Judy) and bombonieres