Goal: Raise my children to be intelligent, compassionate, responsible, successful, and unique
As Caleb incessantly covered his face with a burpcloth this morning while I thought to myself he’s crazy!, I decided to read through the “The Sixth Month” chapter of What to Expect the First Year just to check on what’s “normal” and to find tips for this month. To my delight, I read that “[g]ames of peekabo delight” (345). He likes to pull the burpcloth off of his face and giggle as I say, “There he is!”, so I’d say we’re playing a modified version of the classic. Perfectly normal, right? The only minor issue is that sometimes, he leaves the blanket on his face for a long time and kicks wildly, making it appear that he’s struggling. Don’t worry—I pull the burpcloth off for him and remind him that we’re playing!
As for What to Expect the First Year, here are some other delightful tidbits from my reading:
- “The passion for exploration continues, and extends to your face, which baby will pull at as if it were a favorite toy” (345)—that explains Caleb thinking my nose is a bowling ball!
- Note to self: “Some babies can pick up small and possibly dangerous objects with their fists—so be careful not to leave such things within reach” (346)…later that same page: “keep all dangerous objects out of baby’s reach”…and I guess I’ll be “baby-proofing” the house while I’m home!
- This paragraph made me think of teaching English, too—I’ll keep this in mind for my return to the classroom: “Encourage a love of learning. Though teaching specific facts and concepts to your child is important, equally important is teaching how to learn and imparting a love of learning. Remember that learning is always more effective when it’s interactive and when it’s fun” (369).
We got some good playing/learning time in this afternoon. Caleb is now able to sit up for long periods of time without support (though I’d be lying if I said he doesn’t tip over fairly often!). He sat up and played with toys for about 45 minutes but now is down for his afternoon nap, giving me an opportunity to put up this post. Daddy Daycare—so far, so good…
