Surfergeeks

Let’s see how Ryan is doing this month.

By seven months, Ryan…SHOULD be able to:

-feed self a cracker - I’ve given him an arrowroot cookie and he can do pretty well with those.
-razz - yup.
-coo or babble when happy - yup.
-smile often when interacting with you - yup.

…will PROBABLY be able to:

-sit without support - He still can’t do this.
-bear some weight on legs when held upright - yup.
-object if you try to take a toy away - oh yeah, big time.
-work to get a toy that’s out of reach - yup.
-look for dropped object - yup.
-rake with fingers and object and pick it up in fist - yup.
-turn in the direction of a voice - yup.
-babble - yup.
-play peekaboo - not yet.

…may POSSIBLY be able to:

-creep or crawl - yup. The baby gates are back up.
-pass a cube or other object fron hand to the other - yup.
-stand holding on to someone or something - he’s very close. Rob keeps trying to get him to do this. He can do it for maybe a second or less.

…may even be able to:

-pull up to standing position from sitting - no.
-get into a sitting position from stomach - no.
-play patty-cake or wave bye-bye - no.
-walk holding on to furniture - no.
-say “mama” or “dada” - no.

It’s another month and Ryan is a little bit older. The progression seems to be so much faster with him than it was with Alex. It’s probably because I know what to expect this time around.

Well, here’s the update.

By six months, Ryan…SHOULD be able to:

-keep head level with body when pulled to sitting - yes.
-say “ah-goo” - yes.

…will PROBABLY be able to:

-bear some weight on legs when held upright - yes.
-sit without support - not yet. He has a habit of pushing with his legs and rocking which knocks him off balance.
-turn in a direction of a voice - he responds to his name and always looks at Alex when he’s talking.
-razz - yes.

…may POSSIBLY be able to:

-stand holding on to someone or something - no.
-object if you take a toy away - maybe. He does cry when a toy he is playing with falls out of his reach.
-work to get a toy that’s out of reach - yes.
-pass a cube or other object from one hand to the other - yes.
-look for a dropped object - yes.
-rake with fingers a tiny object and pick it up - yes.
-babble - not yet.
-feed self cracker or other finger food - no.

…may even be able to:

-creep or crawl - no.
-pull up to standing position from sitting - he can’t sit yet, so no.
-get into sitting postion from stomach - nope.
-say “mama” or “dada” - nope.

Time for another monthly milestone.

By five months, Ryan…SHOULD be able to:

-hold head steady when upright - yup.
-on stomach, raise chest, supported by arms - he can push up a little bit, but not for very long.
-pay attention to an object as small as a raisin - yup.
-squeal in delight - yes and quite often.
-reach for an object - yup.
-smile spontaneously - yup.
-smile back when you smile - yup.
-grasp a rattle - yup.
-keep head level with body when pulled to sitting - yup.

…will PROBABLY be able to:

-roll over - not yet, but he’s trying.
-bear some weight on legs - yup.
-say “ah-goo” - yup.
-razz - yup.
-turn in the direction of a voice - yup.

…may POSSIBLY be able to:

-sit without support - he’s very close. He can go a few seconds before he topples.

…may even be able to :

-pull up to standing position from sitting - nope.
-stand holding on to something - nope.
-object if you try to take a toy away - nope.
-pass an object from one hand to the other - yup.
-look for dropped object - nope.
-rake with fingers a tiny object and pick it up in fist - nope.
-babble - nope.

Ryan will be two months old on July 11. Here’s how he is doing.

By the end of this month, Ryan … SHOULD be able to:

-smile in response to your smile - yes
-respond to a bell in some way, such as startling, crying, quieting - he startles, a lot, fortunately, it doesn’t wake him too often.

… will PROBABLY be able to:

-vocalize in ways other than crying - he’s started to coo.
-on stomach lift head 45 degrees - yup.

… may even be able to:

-hold head steady when upright - yes, he’s a little wobble, but it’s quite remarkable how good he is at this.
-on stomach, raise chest, supported by arms - not yet.
-roll over - he was doing last month, this month, he prefers to stay on his back.
-grasp a rattle held to backs or tips of fingers - nope
-pay attention to an object as small as a raisin - yup.
-reach for an object - nope.
-say “ah-goo” or similar - nope.

… may POSSIBLY be able to:

-smile spontaneously - yes. It’s so fun to make noises at him, he will start smiling.
-bring both hands together - yup.
-on stomach, lift head 90 degrees - yup.
-laugh out loud - nope.
-squeal in delight - nope.
-follow an object held above face and moved 180 degrees - yup.

So Ryan is one month old now. Taking care of a little baby is definitely easier the second time around. I actually feel like I know what I’m doing this time. So here’s how he is doing.

By the end of this month, Ryan … 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 t a bell in some way, such as startling, crying, quieting - he startles.

… may POSSIBLY be able to:

-lift head 45 degrees when on stomach - yup.
-vocalize in ways other than crying (e.g. cooing) - not yet.
-smile in response to your smile - he smiles, usually when sleeping, but other than that he doesn’t do it otherwise.

… may even be able to:

-lift head 90 degrees when on stomach - not yet, but close.
-hold head steady when upright - he’s close, he can do it for 2-3 seconds at a time.
-bring both hands together - yup.
-smile spontaneously - I guess this relates to the smile above.