Surfergeeks

So Alex is 4 weeks old today. Yup, our son is now a month old. Because of that it’s time to update on how he compares with normal development.

So by the end of this month SHOULD be able to:

*lift head briefly when on stomach on a flat surface – yup
*focus on a face – yup

…will PROBABLY be able to:

*respond to a bell in some way, such as startling, crying, quieting – we haven’t used a bell, but he does startle to loud sounds. In fact that last thunderstorm scared the shit out of him!
*follow an object moved in an arch about 6 inches above the face to the midline (straight ahead) - he doesn’t seem to. Rob and I both try and he’s only followed our fingers once and we both think it might have been a coincidence.

…may POSSIBLY be able to:

*on stomach, lift head 45 degrees - yup, he’s probably up to about 90 degrees now(see below), but then he’s been jerking his head up for the last couple weeks. While burping, he’s even head butted Daddy a couple times.
*vocalize in ways other than crying (e.g. cooing) – I’m not sure on this. He does have a new “cry” that isn’t really a cry, but it doesn’t fit my definitition of a coo, especially since he’s doing it when he is upset, just as when he cries. But at least he’s got a new way to express himself. Along the same lines, he seems to be trying to make new sounds. There are times he opens his mouth in response to something Rob or I have said to him and it so looks like he is trying to say something back. But then that could be a parent’s imagination.
*follow an object moved in an arch about 6 inches about the face past the midline(straight ahead) – nope, seeing as he’s not doing the easier one yet!
*smile in response to your smile - sigh, not yet. Been trying to get him to do this for quite a while. At least he smiles, but it’s random.

…may even be able to:

*on stomach, lift head 90 degrees – yup, see above.
*bring both hands together - yup, Rob’s got a cute picture of him clasping his hands. Eventually, he should get it posted.
*smile spontaneously – yup and already mentioned.
*laugh out loud – nope and another sigh. I’ve been trying to get him to laugh for a while. Tickling his feet, giving him strawberries, making faces, but no go. Hopefully, he will soon, it’ll be a nice change from the screaming.
*squeal in delight – nope. Still doing nothing but scream it seems.
*follow an object in an arc about 6 inches above the face for 180 degrees (from one side to the other) – covered this one a couple times and it’s still a nope.

So it’s seems Alexander is pretty much just average so far. I’m fine with that, it’s good to see that he seems normal and healthy so far. No one wants their nightmares to come true when it comes to their children.

So next month, I will update his development again. It’ll probably be on the second of the month rather than exactly 8 weeks, it’ll be easier to keep track of when I have to post that way.