14 Weeks and the Month of Milestones

Bearing Weight on Her Legs & More Laughing

So after her amazing laughing episode in February, Klair went on a laughing strike. We tried absolutely everything we could to try and elicit a laughing response, but to no avail. We were very silly, yet she remained unimpressed. She would occasionally humor us with a "heh" but that was the extent of her laughing for several weeks. On Friday the 8th she finally laughed again. I was sitting on the rocking chair, holding her in my lap facing me. I lifted her up and she stood, bearing weight on her legs for the first time. Naturally I reacted in surprise, and made a big deal out of this new achievement. I said (or squealed rather, it was pretty high pitched) "you're standing!" She immediately busted up in proud, excited laughter. This in turn made me laugh, and we just sat and laughed with each other for awhile. Sam had taken the day off because his company gives them a birthday day off and he had to work on his. He was downstairs at the time working on his music, so I yelled for him to come up and he caught the tail end of her laughter. It was so beautiful. I cried again.

Over that weekend she has been practiced her skills of bearing weight on her legs. She loves to do it now whenever she can. Her legs are so strong. During the week she laughed several times for me. She laughed when I had her sitting on my belly while lying down. I would pop up and say boo and she would crack up. I also had her in my lap at one point facing me. She was resting on my legs and she kicked me in the chin, I reacted and pretended that my head flew backward, and she thought this was hilarious. She kept kicking me after this. So mischievous. With as much as she likes to stand and work out those legs I won't be able to let her do that trick for long.

Paying Attention to Rosie

A few days ago she really noticed Rosie for the first time too. I was in the shower, and had her in her cradle right next to the shower. She was completely content and then randomly decided to start fussing. Before I could get to her, Rosie hurried over and started licking Klair. I usually make Rosie stop doing this, but I noticed that Klair was smiling and just staring at the animal licking her hand. Once Klair was happy again, Rosie walked away (I suppose she assumed her job was done) and Klair started crying again. This time Rosie brought Klair her favorite toy (a blue leash that was a failed attempt at getting Harvey to go outside on a leash and has since turned into a favorite chew toy) and dropped it on top of Klair in an effort to make her happy. Klair once again was enamored by Rosie. I have the sweetest dog ever, and it was so fun to see Klair really pay attention to the pup.

Tummy Time
 
Also, we've been doing the tummy time thing more often lately. I didn't do it much for her first few months of life because well... I'm weak. And a terrible mother. I simply hated knowing that I was inflicting discomfort on her and making her cry... and then I read how important tummy time is. And now I realize I'm an even more horrible mother for not doing tummy time more often. Thus, I've been gritting my teeth and putting her on her belly as much as I can stand (which still isn't much). When I do this I get face to face with her and try and encourage her, which lasts for about 30 seconds before she starts fussing. Then it's me making all the crazy noises, sounds, and voices I can think of while dangling toys in front of her to keep her from turning her fussing into an all out cry-fest. We're up to about 3-4 minutes at time a few times a day. I read an article that said she should be up to an hour a day at this age. I'm a failure.

Luckily though I think even this small amount of tummy time is paying off. She is getting stronger and I'm hopeful she'll master "mini-pushups" within the next month or so to be on schedule with other babies whose mothers were more diligent than I have been.

New Toys and Emerging Skills
 
We bought her a Bumbo. Now, before you start judging me because they were in the news lately for recalls, ours does have a seat belt and we don't put her on elevated surfaces. We just use it on the ground while she is supervised and buckled in. Our intent is to help her to strengthen her muscles and to encourage sitting up. I think it's helping. She'll sit up for awhile, and then slowly start to slump down as she gets tired. It's so adorable. I should probably capture it on video.

I also bought her a little gym play mat with dangling toys. At first she just fussed because she could see the toys but didn't have the hand-eye coordination to actually touch them. After just a few days she mastered the ability and she is now grabbing onto them like a champ. It's so fun to see her face light up when she is able to reach her goal and grasp onto the toys. Even the simplest tasks are made amazing when she accomplishes them.

3 Month Blues

In other news I think she is also going through a 3-month fussy stage. I read on Babycenter that fussiness peaks around 3 months and Klair is definitely following suit. I'm hopeful that she'll continue to follow the pattern of other children and return to her happier self after this 3 month period. Don't get me wrong, she is still a very happy, smiley, wonderful baby. It's just so much easier to set her off and make her mad or sad these days. Sometimes I'm not even sure what set her off. She can go from a big old grin to the saddest pouty face ever in the blink of an eye...almost like a light switch being turned "on" and "off." She's already such a girl. If this is a prelude of things to come, I'm in trouble. She's also extremely clingy. And, while I enjoy the fact that she loves me so much, it can be exhausting when she won't let me put her down...ever. Oh the joys of motherhood. I'm just glad to know you can't possibly spoil a baby under 6 months.

Oh and speaking of 6 months, she is officially wearing 6 month clothing now. She's actually in between sizes at the moment, but a lot of her 3 month stuff is getting too small while the 6 month stuff is fitting better (albeit it's a little big but I'd rather her wear stuff that is a little big rather than a little too snug). I can't believe how quickly my baby girl is growing!

Ultimately, I love parenting! I adore Klair so much that sometimes I fail to comprehend it. It's such an intense sensation, and it has introduced me to a version of myself that I never knew existed. I love that little girl more than life itself. She has already taught me so much. She is literally an angel from heaven who has helped me so much, and I can only hope to repay the favor by being a good mother to her.