In the mornings we like to sit on the deck and watch the birds and squirrels.
Carter really likes being outside. He stares at the trees and looks around at all the sounds. I think he's really going to enjoy the yard when he gets bigger.
Speaking of getting bigger, he weighs 18.5 pounds now! I keep thinking his weight gain is going to taper off, but it hasn't yet. It will when he starts to crawl, I'm sure. In the last few days, he's wanted to do a lot of standing. When you try to pull him into a sitting position, he'll straighten his body out so that you sort of have to pull him all the way up. He can stand like that for a long time, with just enough support to keep him from falling over. He's standing flat-footed (not on his toes), so I'm guessing it's okay to let him stand. Some experts say you shouldn't encourage them to stand before they start pulling up on their own because it can interfere with their development. I'm big on instinctive parenting, though, and my instincts are telling me this is what he is wanting to work on at the moment. :-P
He still hasn't rolled back-to-belly, and I'm starting to wonder if he will before he crawls. Apparently some babies learn to crawl from a sitting position, and only master rolling after the fact. He might be heading that direction. My mom says I never really crawled, just went straight to walking -- so maybe he'll do that instead. We'll find out!
We decided to go ahead and get a convertible car seat for him. (Something we probably should have done in the first place, looking back.) He HATES riding in the car, and it's almost always a painful experience, even if we're just going for a short ride. Having toys or a person sitting back there with him can help, but not always. I saw someone else post about this on one of the parenting groups I follow, and others suggested that the problem might not be riding in the car, but that the car seat itself is uncomfortable. That hadn't occurred to me! I decided to give that a shot and got a Britax seat that goes up to 65 pounds -- so it will last us a long time.
So far, so good. It's been three days, and he hasn't cried in the car at all! He is up higher and can see out the window, which I think he likes, and he's also a lot less restricted. He used to arch his back and whine when we put him in the old seat, but now he immediately reaches for toys and settles in. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this just might have solved our car seat problem!
He is totally capable of sitting up in high chairs and shopping carts now, but I'm finding I still prefer to wear him in the sling. He seems to prefer it too, especially in new or noisy environments. Here we are at a restaurant:
He was just watching the people around us, and perfectly content. When he starts to get sleepy, he'll snuggle down:
I guess it's because his weight increases so gradually, but he doesn't feel too heavy to carry like that yet, not even close. In fact, the sling supports and distributes his weight so well that it makes carrying him everywhere really easy. Sometimes I carry him around the house just in my arms, and I get tired really quickly! People wear toddlers in slings all the time, so I don't see myself stopping any time soon.
He's waking up from his nap now (fell asleep nursing) and is swatting at my arms as I type. Time to go! I hope everyone has a good weekend!
1 comment:
Sam still likes being "worn." Many evenings he'll grab the beco carrier and come up to me saying, "Ride?" And yes, it seems to be a comfort to him when he's in new surroundings. When we went to the Texas Folklife Festival, I thought he would fuss to be let down, but he actually preferred to be in the carrier. (He's starting to get too big for a front carry, though. My chin hits his face. My baby, getting bigger! *weeps*)
The key is to get one that distributes the weight. Slings, mei tais, maya wraps - they're all a million times better than the bjorn-type carrier. You can use them into toddlerhood and beyond.
And you know, Conuly wears two toddlers at once: one in front and one behind!
Another tip, though, for if he gets to a point where he's always wanting to be up and down and up and down - I've found it's LOADS easier to carry Sam riding on my shoulders than to carry him in my arms. When he's on my shoulders, my spine is aligned and bears most of the weight, whereas carrying a baby in your arms throws you off balance.
And I'm glad the new carseat is working out! It's so hard when they're crying and fussing, and there's nothing really you can do about it. Oh, I want to see Carter again! And you, of course. :D
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