Speed Trials

Wow, week 11. On the one hand, I can’t believe my beautiful baby boy is already 2 and a half months old, and then on the other hand, he is still so little and new!

He is really starting to take in the world around him, and he has figured out that if he moves his head from side to side, he can see much more of the world! But what keeps his interest for long periods of time are his Mom and his Dad. He spends a LOT of time staring at us and I see that he watches the movement of my mouth as I talk or sing to him. He also “talks” back to us a lot, and he even “sings” along to some of his favourite songs.

His calf muscles are very strong and he can hold himself up pretty well, but he still has no balance and he needs us to hold him  upright, or else he topples over to the side.

He’s also putting on some real weight now (he was 13lbs at the last weigh in), which is great because those are his energy stores for when he starts to crawl…

One question that’s been on my mind a lot lately is this: When do I move beyond simply ensuring Nico’s survival and start to actually raise him according to our parenting values?

Or have both already begun? Anyway, to end our Nico update I thought I would list out some values that we hold very dear to us, and some values that we never thought we’d promote (but now that he’s here make a lot of sense to us)…

Values that are still holding strong:

Constant contact and responding to all his cries – I will never let Nico “cry it out” alone in his bed. Catering to his every need (at any time of day or night) will actually create a more independent and self-assured person because we’re teaching him to trust. If he knows that we’re there for him in the middle of the night, he won’t feel he “needs” to cry out so much. This is proving to be true, since Nico wakes up quietly, and stares around the room – half the time we’re surprised to find him awake when we go to check on him.

Limit his exposure to TV as much as possible – TV is a major brain suck, and he totally knows if I’m watching TV while holding him (he likes EYE CONTACT!!). And if I turn him around to face the screen, he gets sucked into the TV (I guess because it’s a giant light box) and his eyes get all big. This is not something I’m keen on.

Uninterrupted play – Janet Lansbury has a great article and video on uninterrupted play, and how it leads to a developed attention span, problem solving skills, and independence. Nico doesn’t play with toys yet, but whenever he discovers something (his own hand, something new in the apartment) I give him all the time that he wants to explore and discover it.

Breastmilk is best – No matter how many breastfeeding problems I have, I will strive to continue breastfeeding for 12months+

Expose him to the French Language – I speak to him exclusively in French all day long, and we have both agreed to send him to a French grade school. English is so pervasive, he’ll pick it up no matter what, but we REALLY want him to be bilingual and appreciate his Francophone roots.

Things that have surprised me:

Nico hates his pacifier – I was totally keen on using a pacifier, but he does not like it. It actually does more harm than good (he cries a lot harder when we try to put it in his mouth)

I’m super intrigued by EC and am even considering it – I thought early infant potty training was for cuckoos, because I thought it just meant “no diapers”. After talking to two mothers who do EC, I have discovered it’s much more about communicating with your child and attending to his needs before he goes, instead of right after. (Also, why do we teach our kids to poop in their pants for the first two years of their lives, and then tell them it’s wrong and that they have to change???)

I am a fan of co-sleeping – Again, I thought those who did it were hippies, but now that Nico is here, it really does make the most sense for us. He doesn’t sleep in our bed every night, but he ends up there often. He’s actually been able to fall asleep in our bed, in his bassinet, and in his crib, so we’re just keeping his options open.

Nico only tolerates his Boba Wrap – I had visions of being a baby-wearing mamma, but alas, he much prefers being pushed in a stroller. Now that he’s a bit older and he can hold his head up more and more, he does tolerate the wrap these days, but it’s still not his favourite.