Gender Reveal: It's A . . .

It's a girl!!

I was in shock! I had a feeling it was a boy, and to find out it was a girl just really threw me!! Loved that we found out this way, and just love the pictures Zach took. Also loved that my sister, baby girl's aunt, was there, at that her cousin Dane was there (pushing around chairs and being ADORABLE). Such a wonderful way to spend my morning - eeee!

Activities for 0 - 3-Month Old Baby

Try to get activity in AFTER diaper and feeding but BEFORE sleep. Follow the Moms on Call schedules, and use the activities to help keep baby awake in between naps. Example:

9 a.m.: Diaper change and feeding
9:30 - 10 a.m.: Activity! Choose from list below
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.: NAP time
12 p.m.: Next diaper change and feeding (followed by activity, nap, etc.)

DO NOT do activities in the middle-of-the-night feedings! Keep these to diaper change, swaddling, feeding, burping, and bedtime. Work to extend the nighttime feeding to 4 – 5 hours around 7/8 weeks.

Indoor
1. Singing: Rock baby and sing lullabies LOVED
2. Swaying: Lie baby on your thighs with feet toward you; sway and talk to baby
3. Pom Pom Play: gather large brightly colored plush toys; get baby’s attention and move toy from side to side letting baby track object with eyes.
4. Infant Massage: use baby lotion; using a milking motion squeeze each arm and leg. Then move from the center of her torso to the sides; gently massage her temples and forehead; talk to her during. LOVED
5. Bath Time: Bathe baby to help keep her alert and bonus, clean! only use soap every other day to avoid skin dry-out.
6. What’s Outside?: Place in infant car seat or bouncer near a window
7. Reading: Have her sit by your side while you read to her LOVED
8. Toy Time: Grab an age-appropriate toy; play with her; get her to track the object with her eyes by slowly moving it back and forth. LOVED; did a lot with glow toys or noise-making toys
9. Noisemakers: Dangle noisemaker toy 12” from baby’s face, or string it across the crib to let her gaze up at it. LOVED; use butterfly or squish toys that sang songs
10. Hankie Wave: Place your baby on her back on a blanket on the floor. Hold a cloth 12 inches over her head. Bring it close to her then lift it further away, and bring it down again. Say her name as you wave the cloth.
11. Babycycle: Lay baby on her back; very gently and slowly move her legs in a bicycling motion all while talking and smiling to encourage her to wiggle her legs without your help. She’ll eventually petal on her own if she likes it! LOVED
12. Activity Mat: Put her on her activity mat and play with her LOVED; had 2 mats - one for upstairs and one for downstairs; hung different toys on them a lot, especially longer ones like links to help her work on reaching
13. Skin to Skin: Try chest to chest and soothe her and talk to her LOVED; me and Austin both did this with her often - next time want to wear Moby more and get the skin to skin shirt.
14. Facial Expressions: prop her on your knees; look into her eyes and say her name; introduce her to facial expressions (a smile, an opened mouth, raised eyebrows, a stuck-out tounge). Then go back to looking at her and saying her name LOVED
15. Who is That?: Hold a mirror up to your baby so she can see her reflection. Point at the baby in the mirror and say her name LOVED
16. Airplane Baby: Support your baby, tummy down, by holding her under her chest and belly with one or both of your arms; swing her gently while singing
17. Tickle-Me Textures: Turn change time into play and learning time by gathering several objects with different textures (swatches of velvet, corduroy, feathers); rub an object across your baby’s skin and watch for her response; look for clues that indicate her preference.
18. Rippling Ribbons: Get a dowel or wooden spoon, and tape ribbons to it. Lay baby on the floor or in a bouncer. Gently wave the ribbon around her face and hands. When she starts kicking, she’s having fun!
19. Tummy Rocks: Roll up a towel or big blanket. Lay your baby on her stomach over the roll so it supports her head, chest, stomach and thighs. Turn her head to the side and very gently rock her from side to side while singing. LOVED
20. Beach Ball Balance: Place baby tummy-down on a slightly deflated small beach ball. Turn her head to one side. While securely holding her, rock her slowly forward and back (or side to side). Talk to her while you do this (she may tire out soon!).

Outdoor (weather permitting; after pediatrician approves)
21. Stroll Out: Take a walk with stroller in neighborhood or mall LOVED; typically fell asleep in stroller
22. Be Productive: Run errands
23. Socialize: Visit friends and neighbors LOVED; always enjoyed new faces and place
24. Tummy Time: DAILY at every single awake time, inside or outside on an activity mat or towel.

Beckett loved:

• bath time
• stretching
• skin-on-skin time
• her swing (would try to rotate activity time, bouncer, swing, etc.)
• being read to
• being swaddled
• baby Bach/music - mostly people singing to her
• looking out windows, especially when it's sunny
• light up toys
• batting and kicking hanging toys
• iPad stars games - stars light up and she can hit them with her little hands (towards 3 months)
• piano activity mat - kicks the keys with her feet - adorable (towards 3 months)

Activities for 6-9 Month Old Baby

1. Pushing Game: Lay baby on tummy and let her push against your hands or a rolled-up towel with her feet; don’t push but support feet with hands as baby inches forward each time. LOVED
 2. Surprises Inside: Loosely wrap toys in bright colored paper, put them all in a shopping bag and let baby dig through, unwrap and rediscover things.
3. Shake, Rattle & Roll: Fill a plastic bottle with something that makes noise – try sand, dried beans, rice, pebbles, etc. A good size is a plastic spice bottle – make sure to secure tops with duct tape. LOVED
4. Dumping Delights: Get a wide-mouthed, gallon-sized plastic jar and fill it with measuring cups, plastic bowls, blocks, small plush toys, plastic rings and rattles. Help him fill it and dump it a few times. LOVED
5. Switching Game: Help baby practice using both hands by putting a small toy in one; let her play for a while then hold another toy up toward same hand encouraging her to switch vs. drop it.
6. Play Ball: Roll a medium sized whiffle ball, blown up beach ball or large cloth ball just beyond baby so baby has to move to get it, or roll it directly to her so she can get used to stopping it with her hands.
7. Music Maker: Enhance baby’s listening pleasure by giving her things to shake and rattle while she listens to music or you singing. Gather rattles, squeaky toys and shakers; show her how to use them. LOVED
8. Totally Tubular: Sitters and crawlers enjoy using tubes for sitting support; you can lift and play peek-a-boo with them, too. Can also use the boppy nursing pillow (but can't do peek-a-boo part with it), or a sturdy box like a diaper box (put baby in corner in box for support with toys very supervised) LOVED
9. Clapping Songs: She’s fascinated with hand movement such as clapping, snapping and waving; amplify delight by singing along and clapping with BINGO or This Old Man. LOVED
10. Little Drummer Boy: Entertain baby with bowls and wooden spoons. Show baby how to hit the “drums” to make noise and encourage baby to try. LOVED
11. Fingerpuppet Fun: Slip on a fingerpuppet or two and let puppet bob, dance, kiss, tickle, sing and talk to baby. Try singing a song; baby will reach and love this activity.
12. Magic Scarves: Poke a silky scarve through the end of a cardboard tube and let baby pull it out of the other side; you can also hide it in your fist and play peek-a-boo with it. LOVED
13. Stop the Top: Make a spinning top spin in front of your baby and show baby how to stop it by touching it with your hand. LOVED
14. Busy Boxes: Activity boards with cylinders that whirl, dials that spin, and buttons that squeak provide hours of amusement for babies. Show her how it works then let baby try it. LOVED
15. Roly Poly: Lay baby on back facing you, then gently help her sit and stand as you engage in roly-poly activity; sing roly-poly song (out; in; touch your nose; touch your toes; up to sky; fly, fly, fly). LOVED
16. Sing Songs with Hand Gestures: Definitely do clapping songs (above), but also any gestures you can while singing (e.g., the dish ran away with the spoon could be running fingers from baby’s belly to chin).
17. Where’s the Toy?: Partially hide a favorite plush toy or book under one of her blankets; ask her repeatedly, “where is it?” Help her find it, then later hide it completely and help her find it. LOVED
18. Baby’s Cupboard: Devote a cupboard to your baby with appealing objects like towels, plastic bowels, measuring cups, muffin tins and some of her toys – let her load and unload it “working” in the kitchen. LOVED
19. I’m Gonna Get You: Babies love to be chased and surprised; start crawling slowly after baby murmuring I’m gonna get you; then gently grab baby and say I got you gently tickling, kissing, etc. LOVED; especially when she was a bit older
20. Bottle Roll: Use filled spice bottles (with beans, rice, etc.) to lure baby to move – roll it across the floor so baby will go for it! LOVED

Rollover Activities from 3 – 6 Months That May be Best in 6 – 9 Months: 

21. Friendly Faces: Give baby a book with lots of faces and the many emotions they express; point out people in pictures helps baby begin to connect names with familiar faces (make own by gluing photos
22. Pool Play: Fill up inflatable kiddie pool and let baby splash around; use toys if you want to.
23. Look at Items: Encourage looking at small items. (buttons, magnets); and distant objects (turn ceiling fans on and off, lights on and off, or look out the window). Also, show baby stuff (e.g., egg beaters, spoons, spatulas, books, bottles, record albums, colorful clothing, fruits, vegetables, and so on). Keep a stash of objects beside you and sit with your baby; hold objects a foot from her face and stare at it and say its name. 24. Drop Items: Encourage purposeful release of objects. During a bath, drop toys in water to splash.
25. Closet Journey: show your baby different fabrics, run them along her hand for her to feel them. LOVED
26. Do ‘hand’ and ‘foot’ Crafts: such as the rainbow butterfly footprint artwork.
27. Make Sensory Bags: fill ziplok bags with hair gel and small items (plastic frogs, beads, buttons, etc.) – surround with duct tape and let baby play.
28. Common Scents: get containers of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and things like bananas, lemons, etc. Sit down with baby and pass items under nose; watch reactions and name/describe smells.
29. Outdoor Play: Put a blanket down or pup baby on lap; touch grass, hear sounds, etc. LOVED
30. Water Play: Lay towel on floor and fill a bowl with water. Place baby on lap and let her splash water with hands; use water toy to extend time.
31. Make ‘feely’ boxes: Fill a box with ribbons and let baby touch different textures, or a nature box with leaves, pine cones, etc.
32. Flour Pat: Place a thin later of flour in the bottom of a small, shallow tub; place hand in it.

Beckett Loved: 
coming soon!

Activities for 3-6 Month Old Baby

1. Stretching Out: Lay baby on back and gently stretch arms above head then down again; bring one arm up while drawing the other down; bring one arm up while stretching opposite leg down. LOVED
2. Swat the Toy: Attach a small plush toy or teething ring to a brightly colored ribbon; dangle toy in front of baby and move it from side to side; praise her for reaching out to it. Tap baby's hand with a toy to encourage reaching. LOVED
 3. Target Practice: When baby is on back, hold up a pie tin and praise baby when kicking feet make contact. LOVED
4. Peekaboo Games: Hold a blanket in front of your face or your baby’s face then whisk it off calling ‘Peekaboo.’ LOVED
 5. Babbling with Baby: When baby says “aaah”, listen, nod and say “aaah” in return; repeat back, and then begin making sounds longer or adding sounds (turn bah! Into baaaaaah! OR turn ooh into oooh-wah). LOVED
6. Tummy Bolster: Roll up a towel (secure ends with rubber bands if needed); slip towel under arms and chest while baby lies on tummy; bolster helps to raise neck and shoulders LOVED
7. Friendly Faces: Give baby a book with lots of faces and the many emotions they express; point out people in pictures helps baby begin to connect names with familiar faces (make own by gluing photos to cardstock and put in sheet protectors).
8. Mirror Play: Now that baby can lift head while on tummy, prop mirror up in front of baby so they can see themselves. LOVED
9. Tummy Talk: Place baby on tummy and lie in front of her smiling and making faces; make eye contact and talk to baby.
10. Pinwheel Magic: Blow on pinwheel to show baby blur of colors; don’t let baby touch it. she wanted to touch it - didn't love!
11. Tick-Tock: Hold baby under arms and keep head upright; have baby facing toward you or away and gently sway in the air singing tick-tock.
12. Just Out of Reach: Place objects (brightly colored balls, plush toys, etc.) just out of reach encouraging rolling, stretching; if baby gets frustrated hand him the toy and praise his efforts.
13. Belly Roll: Gently roll a beach ball across his tummy, arms and legs helping baby become aware of body.
14. Kitchen Fun: Get a set of plastic measuring cups and spoons as they’re easy to grasp and have interesting surfaces; place in hand and encourage baby to hold them
15. Way High: Lie on your back and “fly” with baby, keeping a steady grip on torso and movements gentle (can place baby on shins, too). LOVED
16. Baby’s First Books: Use small, square board books and let baby gum, swat and grab them; make sure they’re colorful and have minimum text; point at objects and speak to them (e.g., “See the duck?”). LOVED
17. Eyes, Nose, Mouth & Toes: With baby on back, touch her face and say face; then place her hand on your face and repeat “face.” Repeat with eyes, nose, mouth, chin, etc. letting her feel her own body and yours. LOVED
18. What’s Squeaking?: Hold squeaky toys in front of baby; squeeze first one and then the other, encouraging baby to grab at toys.
19. Bubbles for Baby: Buy bubble-blowing toys and blow different sized bubbles for baby to be fascinated by. Show baby how to swat them. seemed too advanced for her?
20. Big Bouncing Ball: Get a punchball or beach ball (on string) and hold over baby to let them swat it with hands, kick with feet and grab.
21. Jack in the Box: Once she learns that a toy comes out every time anticipation and excitement; helps with object performance.
22. Rocking on a beach ball: place your baby on the ball tummy down and support her while rolling back and forth and side to side. You can sing or talk at the same time.
23. Kicking a ball: Sit with legs open and lay baby down on floor on back; hold beach ball and let baby kick and roll it with feet.
 24. Oil leg rub: put vegetable oil on your baby’s inner thighs and while holding her/him by the ankles, gently rub baby’s inner thighs together (back and forth).
25. Pool Play: Fill up inflatable kiddie pool and let baby splash around; use toys if you want to.
26. Leg support crawl: When on tummy, place palms to baby’s feet so baby can push off and move forward.
27. Infant massage: Focus on cheeks with hands, and use lotion on arms and legs. LOVED
28. Sing Songs: Babies love to hear adult voices, sing songs and try to get baby involved. (see 50 songs) LOVED
29. Baby Stand: Gently hold baby up to a standing position to strengthen baby’s legs LOVED
30. Look at Items: Encourage looking at small items. (buttons, magnets); and distant objects (turn ceiling fans on and off, lights on and off, or look out the window). Also, show baby stuff (e.g., egg beaters, spoons, spatulas, books, bottles, record albums, colorful clothing, fruits, vegetables, and so on). Keep a stash of objects beside you and sit with your baby; hold objects a foot from her face and stare at it and say its name. 31. Drop Items: Encourage purposeful release of objects. During a bath, drop toys in water to splash.
32. Closet Journey: show your baby different fabrics, run them along her hand for her to feel them. LOVED
33. Do ‘hand’ and ‘foot’ Crafts: such as the rainbow butterfly footprint artwork. too advanced - more fun for mom!
34. Make Sensory Bags: fill ziplok bags with hair gel and small items (plastic frogs, beads, buttons, etc.) – surround with duct tape and let baby play. too advanced - more fun for mom!
35. Common Scents: get containers of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and things like bananas, lemons, etc. Sit down with baby and pass items under nose; watch reactions and name/describe smells.
36. High Contrast Cards: Using index cards, draw designs with a black marker; add colors like red and blue later. LOVED; iPad apps have high contrast, too
37. Outdoor Play: Put a blanket down or pup baby on lap; touch grass, hear sounds, etc. LOVED
38. Water Play: Lay towel on floor and fill a bowl with water. Place baby on lap and let her splash water with hands; use water toy to extend time. LOVED
39. Make ‘feely’ boxes: Fill a box with ribbons and let baby touch different textures, or a nature box with leaves, pine cones, etc.  too advanced - tried to just eat everything
40. Flour Pat: Place a thin later of flour in the bottom of a small, shallow tub; place hand in it. messy!

Beckett Loved:

• singing - especially the wheels on the bus
• Her activity chair - she sat in it a lot during the activities above, or just on the counter while I cooked and talked to her
• teethers, especially sophie the giraffe; mostly sucking on her thumb though
• toys that crinkled, like her butterfly
• mirrors
• tummy bolster/liking tummy time much more than before
• stroller rides
• trying to stand (in your lap!)
• sitting up (assisted)
• walkers (her car and the one at the gym)
• bouncing - in your lap or in jumperoo
• flying with dad
• peekaboo
• alphabet links
• laying on a blanket outside listening to birds
• eating solids in her bouncer chair
• wrist and ankle rattles
• seeing and trying to pet Reuben & Remy
• seeing and touching new faces

Flying with 10-Month-Old Beckett: Tips to Keep in Mind

Her first flight from Atlanta to Denver; December 2013 at 10 months old

I compiled these after asking multiple mamas who frequently fly with their babies as well as online sources, blogs, etc.

1. Flight Time: Try to ‘take off’ just before a prime nap time (like 1 p.m. if baby naps 1 - 3 p.m. each day).
2. Documentation: Bring birth certificate just in case for proof of age. Also, notify the airline in advance so they can mark your boarding pass as ‘infant in arms.’ Some don’t allow you to do this online, and you have to call.
3. Dealing with Cabin Pressure: Bring a small bottle to feed baby milk during take off – this can relieve ear pressure. Also, have bottle or pacifier ready during descent – 30 minute before you actually land.
4. Entertainment: Bring 3 - 4 favorite or new toys or books on flight. (consider B. fun keys). Have a blanket accessible at airport so baby can play in safe, clean area. Have iPad/iPhone with baby apps.
5. Checking Baby Stuff. It’s free to check pack and plays, car seats, strollers, etc. Check the pack & play (with blanket or sleep sack tucked in there!) & car seat base at ticketing, but gate check the stroller and car seat – and bring a baby carrier through as well.  Make sure to request tags for gate checked items (likely they will be pink). Bring infant seat if you can (much easier than convertible seats as convertibles are bigger and don’t snap nicely into a stroller). Bring your infant seat to the airplane on the off chance that you get a free seat. If the flight is full, check it at the gate. IF you choose to check your car seat at ticketing, you will likely claim it in the “oversized luggage” area.
6. Seating: Try to get a row to ourselves (a two-person row). Also, try to get a bulkhead seat – you can call the airline or ask the gate agent day of. The back of the plane is the loudest and the back row is the most private (and you’re near flight attendants and the restroom should it be needed), but sitting at the front is nice, too, as you exit the plane quicker.
7. Time Change: Don’t do anything, but if you’re concerned start adjusting a few days before you leave.
8. Boarding: Most airports have a special lane for families traveling with children. Even if you’re bringing car seat/stroller to gate, go through security with baby in carrier so your arms are free to deal with your gear. Collapse stroller and place it and the car seat on the belt. Wear shoes that slip off easily. On the other side slip your shoes on and put stroller/car seat back together while wearing baby. Wear baby in carrier down jetway and leave car seat and stroller collapsed at the bottom of the jetway TAGGED with gate-check tags for each item that you’re not carrying on.
9. Feeding Baby: You can carry on fluids breastmilk, formula, juice, etc. – NO WATER. You can also bring “a reasonable amount” of pureed baby food. You’ll need to pull them out and place them in their own bin, preferably in their own baggie. Buy bottled water when you get through security to make bottles (or bring a camel bak and fill it up at the airport – you CANNOT make a bottle with airplane faucet water as it isn’t safe for drinking.) You CAN ask the flight attendant to fill your bottle with hot water to mix with the powder – they usually have access to it for making tea). For solid food, use a pouch. Bring a bib and consider finger foods like carrots, celery, cheese, apples, biscuits from a baggie.
10. Changing Baby’s Diapers: Have diaper changing kit (pad, wipes, diapers, creams and disposable bags) on the ready. Change diaper right before you board and right after you exit to (hopefully) avoid an in-flight change. Easiest place is in a row of empty seats, but this isn’t always an option. Ask flight attendant for a changing table on board. If there isn’t one, use the toilet lid or sink area, your lap, or the jump seat if offered.
11. Diaper Bag: diaper changing station (diapers, wipes, pad, paste, bags); extra change of clothes; spit up cloth; extra hand wipes; any medicine (ibuprofen/syringe); baby jacket; blanket; toys; 4 pacis/one on clip; birth certificate; formula/bottles/nipples; pureed food pouch; ice packs for thermal bag; baby food/bib (also extra formula and diapers in case bags are delayed). Also, iPhone, iPad or Kindle.
12. Pack & Play: see if condo/place where you’re staying can reserve one for you. If not, fly with it, check it early on and it flies for free.
13. On the other Side: Bring a portable high chair, preferably a fabric one that folds up easily. Same with jumperoo, activity table, etc. – bring a fold-up one if you’d like to. Bring a canvas bag of small toys for her to play with. Consider white noise app on iPad to avoid bringing sound machine. Warm bottles in water (no bottle warmer) and no humidifier. Bring frozen pre-made pouches in checked bag (NOT carry-on). Can get bananas, avocados, string cheese, etc. when we arrive for finger foods.