Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' - Samuel is a Rollin'

This pic was taken right after Samuel rolled over belly to back!!

We've been suspecting that he could roll over for a couple days now, but we weren't sure since Timothy tends to roll him when he's on the floor for vestibular.

Now, however, it's confirmed--I saw Samuel roll belly to back with my own eyes!!

He was so proud of himself, and when I put him back on his tummy he did it two more times.

Babyzone says that babies might start to roll over at 4 months, and Samuel did it right before he turned two months. We're doing our happy, proud-of-our-baby dance here!!

Samuel's Milestones in Review:

6 weeks: Tracking objects, Social Smile, Pushing up on hands

7 weeks: Rocking on hands and knees

8 weeks: Rolling back to belly

Samuel's Muscles

Look what Samuel can do!!!

He's been doing this since he was 6 weeks old, but I just now got the picture to "prove it." This child is not even two months old yet!!! He pushes up on hands and knees and rocks back and forth like he's getting ready to creep! This is something that most babies can't do until 4-6 months! For having low muscle tone, it's awesome that he's ahead of the game!

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That just goes to show that this program works!!

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And there's more good news regarding Samuel's muscles. Samuel went to the speech therapist today and he weighed 10lbs 9oz--he gained 6oz. in 12 days!! That's just perfect!!

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He didn't choke and gained weight so he actually "graduated" from speech therapy today. We have exercises we need to do with him to strengthen those muscles, but he's exclusively nursing, gainging weight, and has a stronger suck. We couldn't be happier!!

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She said he might need to go back if he misses his speech milestones (due to the low tone) but I'm not sure that's going to happen. Samuel's already smiling and cooing and I think he's going to be okay.

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Actually, I think Samuel's going to be better than okay--I think he's going to thrive!!

Upcoming Review: Smarts from WallCandy Arts

How Smart is Your Baby says: "It will be easier for baby to see, hear, and feel when there is a good deal of contrast in his environment." Black and white (and, later, red) are the best colors to surround an infant with in the first several months.

However, I've lamented before that it's very difficult to find contrasting visual environmental materials for infants. My giant, styrofoam checkerboard took hours to paint and did not end up very professional looking at all!

That's why I'm so thrilled to be reviewing Smarts Bees and Trees from WallCandy Arts! It's a product designed specificallty to provide proper visual stimulation for infants! At the reasonable price of $25, it contains several black and white wall decals. They're professional looking and completely removable without damaging the wall!!

I can't wait to see if they're as easy as the website says. Be looking for my product review soon!

Coming Soon: Review of Little Reader Deluxe Kit

The brillbaby site and forum has been most useful to us in our journey to teach our children on purpose instead of on accident.

When we were doing the Doman reading and math programs with Timothy, we kept thinking "There has to be an easier way to do this!" When you have a little one at home, it's difficult--just feeding, diapering, and bathing the baby takes a lot of time! Adding in sessions of vestibular and incline track and grasping and turning lights on and off in the closet takes away more of your time, as do household chores. What little time we had left was spent writing word cards for the Reading program!

We wrote words on 5 x 7 cardstock with big, fat sharpie markers. We kept a database of words we had done, but we didn't have any way to know how many times we had shown a particular word.

Considering our experiences, a product like Little Reader is absolutely ingenious and a huge timesaver!! With the new Semester 1 and Semester 2 they have, all you have to do each day is press "play" and the reading program is played for your child! You can see a report of how far along you are in the program and how many times your child has seen each word.

I love that, but I still feel like physical cards are important. A baby shouldn't spend all his time watching media!!

That's why I'm absolutely thrilled about my chance to review the brand new Little Reader Deluxe Kit that's just been released! This kit has everything you need to teach your child to read, from flashcards to storybooks! I love the innovative concept of the presentation binder and the flap cards, and it seems like it will be a real timesaver!

If you're interested in the kit, it's currently on sale for $30 off until April 4th.

Developmental Update

David's been working the last two days, and when he spent some time with Samuel today he was amazed at how much he's changed just in 48 hours!

Yesterday, Samuel started pushing up with his hands at a 45-degree angle a lot. If he put him on the floor, he pretty much does that the whole time, supporting his head.

Tonight, Samuel got up on all fours and did some rocking back and forth--and he's only 7 weeks old!!

He's growing up TOO FAST!!

Timothy Tuesday: Kids Say the Darndest

My MOPS group is having a tea & testimony tonight and I have a pink, lacy, ostentatious hat to wear. Timothy looked at the hat and said "Oooh--it's gorgeous! It's a hundred years old!!" It does look like a hat an old lady would wear!

This morning I dressed Samuel in a sleep sack when we took Timothy to preschool. Timothy said "Mommy, why did you make Samuel a mermaid?"

The cable guy is coming today. I told Timothy that and he said, "Then I will catch him in a trap, dump mud on his face on throw him in the lake!!" I was SHOCKED!! We had a long talk about that one....

On the Importance of Routines

Grasp - 10x daily
Babinski - 10x daily
Light Stimulation - 10x daily
Incline Track - 10x daily
Tummy Time - 10x daily
Vestibular - 20x daily

When I read through the criticisms of How Smart is Your Baby from the reviews on Amazon so many parents say something like "It's impossible to get all of these things done in a day--babies sleep too much"

Now that I've been doing How Smart is Your Baby with my second child, I can honestly say in both cases it's totally doable--if you establish routines.

Babies sleep. Babies get their diapers changed. Babies nurse.
Mommies clean. Mommies use the restroom. Mommies eat.

Establish a schedule around those things!!

For example, Samuel nurses every two hours. Before we nurse, I do Babinski and grasp (it takes about one minute). When I switch sides, I burp him and we do Babinski and grasp again. Finally, when he's finished we do it one more time (if he's not a asleep). He only has to nurse 4-5 times and he's already done all his Babinski and grasping for the day (we do keep doing them, though).

Whenever we change his diaper, we first go into the closet and turn the lights on and off for light stimulation. I sing a little song while we do it.

Whenever I make the bed in the morning, I let him crawl in the crawling track.

When he's awake, I rotate out putting him in the incline track & doing vestibular. I make vestibular a game with Timothy--"trot around the house with baby" is done while Timothy and I play tag. We do hhorizontal rotations prone as I sit on the swing while Timothy plays outside. I do have to keep looking at a list with vestibular, but we normally get it all done.

Whenever I need to go to the restroom I put Samuel in an empty baby bathtub we have in there. When I'm finished, I flash through infant stimulation cards.

Another criticism was "There's no time to do normal household activities if you're doing all these exercises" Again--the secret is to establish routines.

Whenever Samuel is in his incline track I cheer him on while I run around and straighten up the playroom.

Right now, Samuel is napping on the floor and I just vacuumed all the bedrooms and threw in a load of laundry.

It's totally possible. Not necessarily easy, but possible.

Developmental Update

At 6 weeks--He's smiling at people!! And he's tracking objects across the room!!!

Samuel Sunday: Our Little Floor Baby

Samuel doesn't crawl nearly as much as Timothy did. Timothy would crawl 30-40 feet in his sleep, but Samuel pretty much stays put.

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We don't know if this is because of his low muscle tone or just his nature, but we want this child moving!!

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Part of it is our fault--Samuel, by nature, is a fussy baby. Timothy hardly ever cried, but Samuel's spent a lot of his first 6 weeks crying up a storm. To counter this, we did anything we could to keep him happy. We vacuumed while wearing a sling. We put him in the swing. We let him sleep snuggled next to us. We held him for hours on end, hungry but too afraid to get up lest we disturb him.

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Finally, we decided last week that that had to end!!

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Samuel was used to sleeping in the bed, but David put him down in the crawling track...and he fell asleep. Neither of us could believe it. He didn't even cry!! I had to keep touching him to make sure he hadn't died because I never would have thought he would be so happy.Since then, he's had naps on his tummy (near us) and he's been perfectly happy. He's sleeping in his crawling track right now!!

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Even though he doesn't crawl much in his sleep, Doman is about giving the opportunity and the right environment and we're doing that. Environment and opportunity--those are the keys!

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And while he might not crawl in his crawling track, we do the incline track 10 times a day. That's 60 feet that he crawls while awake, so I'm sure he'll get the hang of this crawling thing eventually. I have to keep reminding myself that he's only 6 weeks old, but the truth of the matter is that I know, beyond a doubt, that crawling is essential and grows the brain and I want to get him there as soon as possible!!

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I'll keep you updated on his crawling progress at night. We built the enormous crawling track around our bed and I'll feel so great when he can crawl from one end to the other. Until then, we just keep giving him the opportunity :-)

Product Review: K'Nex from Toys and Games Online

A few weeks ago, I told you we'd soon be receiving a product from review from CSN Stores. The product arrived two weeks ago, but with our flood I haven't been able to let you all know how much fun we've had!

The Product: K'Nex Classroom Set

The Price: $51.13

Timothy was so excited when these arrived in the mail!! They come in a large green tub with easy-to-follow directions to make different kinds of "critters" with big eyes. The directions are visual, not written, so even the youngest of children should be able to follow them. However, Timothy was completely not intersted in making critters.

The first two days after we got them, Timothy was only interested in making guns. He made all sorts of different guns--a long gun, a "double gun," a rifle. He couldn't quite figure out how to do anything else. After a few days, though, he started making robots some of the K'Nex, and they are really cute little guys!!

Overall, I'm thrilled to have this set. $50 is a large price to pay for this, and even though it's the "classroom set" I'm not sure that a large amount of children could share the pieces and still be able to create whatever they want.

However, this product is excellent. It encourages creativity and fine motor skills at the same time. We want to encoruage Timothy's fine motor skills so that he can learn to write soon, and this product does just that! I also like that it comes in a neat storage tub so we don't have pieces all over the house. We've been playing with it everyday for the past two weeks and it hasn't become old yet, so I know it will be a toy that will last a long time!!

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY

...from our silly little leprechaun!!

Sticks & Traps & Pirates & Such

Timothy always had his own interests and agendas, and often these interests really crack us up!!

Timothy saw a movie about a little boy stranded on an island. Pirates were chasing him so he made traps out of sticks to catch them.

Several weeks ago, Timothy decided he would start to make traps of his own. He gathers some sticks and strategically places them in a pile. He takes great care in the placing of each of the sticks. He'll make several traps a day.

He has now brought his fascination with traps indoors, and I'm constantly finding sticks in the house. And he remembers which sticks he had. He'll come up and say "Mom, I'm looking for my stick." I'll find one and he'll say "Not that stick, the other stick that's like a gun"

I'm sure before long he'll be making REAL traps that we have to watch out for, so for now I should just get used to sticks ALL in my house! *sigh*

Wordless Wednesday

Samuel Sunday

The biggest news coming out of our household is that Samuel has thrush (and me, too). He had been unlatching and crying while he was eating, but when I called the speech therapist she said it must be because he's choking. Two days later, he was crying and I saw some white sores under his tongue.

So now we're both on a medicine (his first prescription) and we're having to spend our day boiling pacifiers. Anytime one falls out of his mouth, we have to boil it for 20 minutes. Luckily we have two that we can rotate, but it sure makes our lives even more complicated!! (Actually, we did have 3 pacifiers but I let the water evaporate while one was boiling and it burned)

Samuel is becoming so much happier on his tummy for short periods of time. The exciting thing is what he just did this morning--he pushed up with his hands and supported his head at a 45-degree angle!! That was exciting for a 5 week old!

We raised his crawling track so that he crawl down more quickly and he did so much better. Babies can crawl from birth if given the right environment!

We took "stimulate the startle reflex" completely off his checklist because he was getting startled enough in our environment. Timothy bangs on the piano and plays with his pop gun and I empty the dishwasher and make noise and he evokes the correct response with these environmental noises (that occur all too often) so we didn't see the need to try to do one more thing on top of the full checklist we're already doing.

Samuel's vision is also getting so much better. He can track objects and he'll look at you purposefully. I love that he's seeing me now!!

He's started reflexively smiling which is fun, too.

We also started doing swimming with him whenever Daddy's home. He absolutely loves it!! He's certainly a little "water baby" and I think swimming will really help with his respiration.

So thrush, swimming, and better development on his tummy. That's what new with Mr. Samuel!

Incline Track

We absolutely love our crawling track around the bed! However, it isn't very lightweight and there's no way we can make it an inclined track.

With Samuel's low muscle tone, he really has problems crawling. He can move a few inches, but that's it. We needed a crawling track that we could keep in the playroom at an incline until he can figure out crawling on a flat surface.

$25 of lumber and a few hours later we had THIS thing of beauty. We love it!! I love the black and white stimulation cards (that I got from the brillbaby website) and I love that it's slick going down to make it easier on him. We have it just barely at an incline of a few inches so that Samuel still has to work. In one minute he made it about 4 of the 6 feet of the track!

Crawling is important. Crawling develops the brain and helps the child move for the very first time. We're set on allowing Samuel to have every opportunity to crawl, crawl, crawl and develop his brain!

Wordless Wednesday

Developmental Milestones for an Infant...or "Look what I Can Do!"

I found a list of developmental milestones for the first three months. Samuel seems to be doing great!! The bolded items are the things he can do right now!

By the end of month one a baby typically:
•Lifts head for short periods of time
•Moves head from side to side
•Prefers the human face to other shapes
•Makes jerky, arm movements
•Brings hands to face
•Has strong reflex movements (some)
•Can focus on items 8 to 12 inches away
•May turn towards familiar sounds or voices
•Responds to loud sounds
•Blinks at bright lights


By the end of month two a baby typically:
•Smiles (reflexively)
•Tracks objects with his eyes
•Makes noises other than crying


By the end of month three a baby typically:
•Raises head and chest when put on tummy
•Lifts head up 45 degrees
•Kicks and straightens legs when on back
•Open and shuts hands
•Pushes down with legs when placed on a hard surface
•Reaches for dangling objects
•Grasps and shakes hand toys
•Tracks moving objects (somewhat)
•Begins to imitate sounds
•Recognizes familiar objects and people, even at a distance
•Begins to develop a social smile
•Begins to develop hand-eye coordination
•Brings both hands together
•Interested in circular and spiral patterns
•Kicks legs energetically
•Holds head up with control

Our Mini-Vacation

Early Sunday morning, David and I were in bed listening to the sound of the rain. After a few minutes, however, we realized that sound wasn't rain. Our hot water heater was pouring out all over our house--down our hall, into the office, all in the entryway.

At first we thought we could handle things on our own. We spent hours with the steam cleaner and shop vac, pulling gallons of water out of the carpet. At the end of the day, though, the carpet was still drenched and it became increasingly obvious that it would have to be replaced.

Our insurance company had to bring in 8 giant fans, a dehumidifer, and spray so that mold wouldn't form. The smell of the spray, though, made Samuel start wheezing, so we were relocated to a hotel until Wednesday.

So, now we're on a mini-vacation! Timothy enjoyed swimming in the indoor pool. He loves the hotel breakfast and is excited to visit the Children's Museum today. Samuel's been pretty good, too. He's spent most of his time in a sling or bouncy chair (no way he's getting put down on hotel carpet!).

Samuel was evaluated today by three people from Early Childhood Intervention.

The final verdict:

Yes, he does have low muscle tone, but it's not terrible. In fact, many parents wouldn't even notice it, they said. On a scale of 1 to 10, it's like a 7.

Some kids just need more time and exercise, and some kids will miss milestones and need therapy. We won't really know which one he is unless/until he misses milestones.

That made me feel relieved, knowing that they had seen muscle tone much worse.

ALSO--

Chronologically, he's 4 weeks old. However, he has the cognitive and social skills of an 8 week old (according to their developmental profile they did). That was nice to know--he's a full month ahead in those areas!!

Anyway, we're continuing with speech therapy, monitoring his weight loss, doing the swallow study, giving him as much exercise as possible--and then we'll just see what happens!

Heavenly sunshine

I haven't mentioned it until now because I didn't want to get anyone upset, but it's becoming increasingly obvious that Samuel is part reptile.

Yes--this child will only nap in direct sunlight (which is unfortunate because we only get direct sunlight through our windows in the afternoon).

Yesterday he was screaming and unhappy until I took him outside so that Timothy could ride his bike. An hour later, Timothy was ready to go in but Samuel was still sound asleep in his portable playpen!!

Swallow Study

We went back to the speech therapist today. Samuel has not gained any weight since last Wednesday, and he was down 1.5 ounces in two days. No wonder I dressed him in some pants that were 0-3 months and when I picked him up they fell right off!! He's over 1 month now but still in newborn clothes.

He still chokes and they're worried about aspiration, so we're getting a referral to have a swallow study done. I'll express some milk that they'll mix with barium. A nurse will feed him while they do X-rays to see exactly what's happening with his esophogus as he drinks. It will give us a clearer picture of what's going on in there.

We're putting him on the floor (Doman's perfect environment for kids) for several hours throughout the day. If we give him support by placing our hands behind his feet, he can crawl the 7 feet from one end of the crawling track to the corner. On his own without the support he only crawls a couple of inches. At least he's trying, though. Any attempt is going to make his muscles stronger and stronger!!

Kids Say the Darndest Things...

Today Timothy got a plate of waffles, blueberries, and strawberries. He ate everything but the blueberries and then suspiciously asked me "Are these poisoned? Because some berries are poison and will kill you."

Fine Motor Skills: My Upcoming Review of CSN Stores

I'm looking forward to reviewing a product from CSN Stores. If you're like me and you've never heard of them before, let me fill you in. They have everything from toddler beds to toys to office supplies.

What I really like about this merchant from my initial browsing is that they offer a wide variety of toys that provide sensory and motor stimulation. I'm sure if you look yourself you'll find more than I did, but here are some of the toys I loved.

For tactile stimulation:
Teachable touchables texture squares
Tactile bars touch toy
Jumbo tactile boards

For gross motor for infants:
Baby Play Mat with sound
Climb and play baby toy
Horizontal mirror

There are so many great products that it was difficult for me to choose. They have a wide variety of toys that encourage movement and creativity--all things we value in a toy!!

Ultimately, however, I wanted something that would encourage Timothy's fine motor development. He's started writing and drawing more and not just scribbling, but I want him to improve on that. Plus, he'll be starting violin lessons soon and he'll need good fine motor control. The K'Nex building set promised to allow him creativity and strengthen the muscles in his hands at the same time! I just know he's going to love it and I can't wait to see what he thinks up!

When you're shopping, consider CSNstores.com. I've found their prices to be reasonable and I love that they have a generous return policy.

Be looking for my review of the K'Nex building set soon!

Wordless Wednesday

Resemblance?

Samuel

Timothy

BABINSKI reflex

Today we went to visit a friend who has a foster home for medically fragile children. She's a nurse and she's worked with so many different children with different abilities that we knew sh'es be honest with us about Samuel.

It was nice to have her look me in the eye and say "It's not the end of the world."

Yes, his muscle tone is low in both his mouth and his right foot. She did a Babinski on his left foot and he responded perfectly, but on his right foot he took several seconds before his toes curled in. Weird that we never noticed that before.

She told us that basically he's lazy and the only way to strengthen those muscles will be to exercise them, which is what everyone has been telling us all along.

The great news is that Samuel seems to have the ability to move, much more so than other failure to thrive babies she's seen. Today Samuel crawled a foot to get to his daddy. I realize that a foot isn't much, but a foot is something. It's movement.

He's in his crawling track right now and he's getting used to tummy time slowly but surely. I also notice that he can nurse much faster now. However, he still aspirates and chokes a great deal--even when he's on the breast! I never heard of a child choking while nursing. We may have to do a "swallow study" if it doesn't get better.

I'm so glad we had the crawling track built before he was born--he needs to move and exercise and it allows him to do so!