I chews you!

Jasmine has been teething for a few months now but it's always amazing to actually see the two cute little teeth when she smiles. We were always enamoured with her toothless smile, but the two-toothed smile is just as great. She has a very captivating smile.

Although teething seems to bother her a bit, she seems to be handling it quite well with the chew toys. More excitingly, it's a great honour when she chooses you as her chew toy. I chews, chews, chews you!

Up and atom!

Exciting news this week as it's the first time Jasmine pulled herself up to a wobbly standing pose! She really likes standing up and we've done a bit of training but she always had help getting up. Next, figuring out how to get to the sitting position.

One great item we managed to find is one of those wheeled walkers. They are unfortunately not sold in Canada as there have been incidents involving these things and stairs, which means parents aren't responsible enough to watch their own children. With just a little sense it's perfectly safe and Jasmine will love it once she figures out how to walk forward. Just last week there was the viral video interview on BBC where the guy's kids wander into his room while on air. The second kid was walking in on one of the wheeled walkers. Without that the video wouldn't have been quite as hilarious. Granted it was in Korea and his home probably didn't have stairs, but it could still have things that the walker could knock over.

As a segue to the next point, Jasmine is getting to the stage where she is constantly reaching for things and pulling them. She isn't crawling around yet but it could happen any time, so now is the time to start thinking about tying down things that should not be moving. Luckily there are only a couple things that are potentially dangerous so I think I have that covered. Keeping an eye out for sales on nuts and bolts.

Hot or not?

After being a parent for a few months and looking at tons of baby gear, I have a pretty good idea of what's great and what's great only if you have extra dust to collect. Of course some things can come in handy but overall these are really parent gear more than baby gear. I'm only including the things that we have at home. These are some of my choices, in no particular order:

Hot

• Bumbo seat - for a baby that has a bit of head control, it really helps keeping the body upright. It looks like it could be uncomfortable but I think babies like it because they can sit like the grown ups.
• Jumping station - Aside from the toys connected, the ability to exercise the legs is great. Baby definitely needs head control but it looks like it helps develop torso and leg control as well. 
• Newborn mittens - prevents scratching the face. 
• Sleep sack - No more worrying about baby getting cold overnight, and it's cute. If there was an adult version...
• Baby carrier - Wearing baby frees up both hands to do things and lets sore arms rest. Keeping baby close is also great and keeps both of us warm.
• Snot sucker - Imagine your nose was stuffed and couldn't blow your nose. Now imagine mommy or daddy coming to your rescue with the snot sucker. 

Not

• Bassinet - Only used once in a while, I would say she probably didn't like it because it blocked her view.
• Pacifier - not entirely a flub, but it's not absolutely required. Baby will figure out something else to do. There is some discussion that it harms a baby's growing mouth.
• Infant swing - only useful while the baby is stuck in one position and not all infants like the swing motion.

While a lot of these help the parent more than the baby, the baby's preference will steer choices more than anything. After all, a baby that hates some gear will be an unhappy baby no matter how much you might like the design and features (oh, all those extra pockets). I'll be sure to review some more gear in upcoming posts.

Heading on up!

It's always amazing how much can change in such a short time. It seems like Jasmine only began sitting comfortably on her own not too long ago (it was actually almost 3 months ago). Soon after that she wanted to try standing. When I put my hands near her feet while she's sitting, she would pick up my hand and prompt me to pull her up. Amazing.

Just the other day she was holding herself standing on the activity mat. Mommy mentioned that it was about 2 minutes of standing before plopping down (there was plenty of time to grab a camera). Two minutes! It has only been a couple days since that time but she hasn't held herself up again yet. She does love standing up though, even if her feet aren't quite in the correct orientation or in a good starting position.

A little less recently, her teeth began showing. The bottom two teeth were causing her a bit of pain and had a little trouble sleeping. Her teeth have emerged quickly and I would say they are about 25% out. When she smiles you can see them standing proudly.

Sleep patterns have changed too. It's no wonder - teething, standing, understanding the world, all at the same time. She is growing so fast and furiously. She's not slowing down for anyone. Sometimes I wish that she could be the little ball of heat again, but I wouldn't give up anything if it meant changing how healthy and strong she is now. I can't wait until the day I am chasing her around the supermarket or hearing her run to the door to greet me as I return home from work.