~*Baby Spotlight*~ - Monday, August 4, 2003

Mommieto2Girls wrote: Today's featured baby is Daniel "DansMom".

Daniel was born 11/25/02. He will be 9 months old on the 25th.

The proud parents are Tracy and George.

Please ask all questions here!!!!

ps- Daniel was born 1 day before his EDD.

Mommieto2Girls replied: What are Daniel's stats NOW and at BIRTH?

Is he crawling, walking?

Is he bf or ff?

mckayleesmom replied: whats his favorite toy?

does he have a binky?

whats his newest accomplishment?

what makes him smile?

mckayleesmom replied: does he have any siblings?

is he a mommys boy or a daddys boy?

DansMom replied:
Daniel was 8 lbs even and 21 inches long at birth. He is now about 19 pounds and he's really long---maybe 27 inches? I haven't measured him in a while. He will be long and lean like his dad.

Daniel started crawling July 17.

Daniel is BF.

His favorite toy right now is a walker/wagon we just bought which holds blocks and he can pull himself up to standing with it or just roll it around.

He will chew on a binky when he's teething, as he will chew on anything, but he doesn't use a binky in the normal way. He just never seemed to understand what it was for---just as well!

His newest accomplishments are crawling, cruising and waving bye-bye. I'm starting to use some signs (like "more" and "kitty") to see if he will pick them up and use them.

What makes him smile? He likes to play "you chase me, then I chase you". When it's his turn to be chased, he will crawl as fast as he can and look over his shoulder. When he sees mom or dad close on his heels he laughs and sqeals. It's so fun!

Daniel has no siblings, but two very close cousins who live nearby (Johnny age 5, and Maya age 2 months).

I would say that Daniel is a momma's boy, because I'm the one he wants when he has a choice. But he's very close to SAHD too, and quickly recovers when I leave in the morning for work, because dad is so much fun.

ediep replied: What is Dan's room like?
Does he like to take a bath?
What is his favorite food?

amynicole21 replied: Has Dan been on a vacation yet?

Has he spent the night away from you and DH?

How does he do in the car?

What is he like at bedtime... cranky or does he go down easily?

DansMom replied:
His room is decorated with primary colors (blue/red/yellow), with a space theme (moons, stars, planets, galaxies). His crib is white (a hand-me-down), but the rest of his furniture is light maple, and when we move to a big-boy bed we'll buy something maple to match the rest. He has a foam alphabet rug where the letters are removable (he doesn't know this yet!) and which has the added benefit of cushioning should he fall. He has a thousand stuffed animals.

Daniel loves bathtime and any time in the water. He doesn't even mind getting water on his face, he just blinks and keeps playing. He likes going into a pool or the lake with his flotation device and mommy or daddy hovering over him. He splashes and kicks and never wants to get out of the water. DH can swim without rest for 45 minutes, and FIL was a semi-pro swimmer, so it must be in the genes (not from my side, though!).

Daniel's favorite food is mommy's milk. He really hasn't taken to solids eagerly, but this last week he has started to enjoy cheerios, banana pieces and strawberry pieces as finger foods. He wants to feed himself, and doesn't like a spoon coming toward him, so finger foods have been preferred.

Daniel has not been on any long trips or vacations yet. My family keeps coming from Maine to see him, so we haven't been back there. We're planning a trip to Maine in October.

He has not spent a night away from us. I've been to a movie only once! Since I work full-time, I want to spend my free time with him pretty much exclusively, and I'm loathe to part with him even when my family and friends offer to babysit! He did spend parts of the night away from me while my sister was in labor with Maya. I made a few trips to the hospital overnight, but he slept through those absences and DH was with him.

Lately he resists getting into his car seat (he makes himself rigid so that you can't bend him!!!). Once the car is moving he settles down and either babbles with a toy or makes cranky noises before falling asleep.

He falls asleep easily with me because I nurse him to sleep. DH does not have such an easy time---I hear that daytime naps are a bit of a project!

Mommieto2Girls replied: What kind of bath toys does Daniel play with?

What kind of diapers and wipes do you use?

What type of meds do you use? for fevers, teething......

What kind of baby products do you use? as in bathing, shampoo, lotion, powder.....

Mommieto2Girls replied: Has Daniel ever woke up with night terrors yet?

Does Daniel have any fuzzy members of the family?

Was he calm or active in the womb? Is he the same now?

Do you have some favorite pictures of Daniel? can you post a few?

DansMom replied:
Daniel's bathtoys include rubber duckies (lots of them!) and foam numbers/letters of the alphabet. He also likes to play with the plastic cup that I use for rinsing.

I use Pampers diapers and wipes.

For teething I have used baby Orajel a couple of times, but mostly I've been successful just given him cold teething rings from the fridge for that (he's only got two teeth so far). He's never had a fever (can you believe it?), but I have Children's Tylenol on hand for that. I also have to carry around Benedryl wherever we go, because he has had a milk allergy reaction that was pretty intense and instantaneous after only a tiny taste of ice cream. Since he was born, he's had only two mild colds and one bout of vomiting that lasted about two hours and subsided. We don't know what caused the vomiting, but there was no fever with it. I also used a non-steroid cream made by California Baby company for his dermatitis/eczema when he had those problems. I don't really use lotions or powders yet.

Daniel has had night terror about four times. He can't wake up completely but cries as if he's very upset or frightened. We had difficulty either waking him up or getting him to calm down. It was very bizarre!

I use California Baby body wash, Desitin diaper rash cream (he hasn't had much need for it though).

We have two cats, Juniper and Pilar. Juniper, who was the standoffish loner in the past, took a great interest in the new baby right away. We often find her sleeping on his changing table or on top of his shelf of clothes or even in his playpen. She follows him around everywhere but stays just out of reach. She gets anxious when he cries and circles around my legs as if she wants to help. It's hilarious.

Daniel was active in the womb most of the time, and he's quite active now! He does not like to be contained or restrained in any way. He never enjoyed being wrapped up tightly in his receiving blanket like other infants. He doesn't like being put into the stroller or the highchair or the carseat, although he's fine once he's in. Funny little guy.

I'll post a few favorite photos of Daniel as a separate post.

ediep replied: How did you choose his name?
Did you know you were having a boy?

DansMom replied:
Daniel was the only boy's name we could agree on. George has a good friend named Daniel, and I've always liked the name. My top choice was Jesse and George made a pitch for Dante. Daniel was my suggestion. We chose a virtue name (Justice) as his middle name---we wanted something unusual to balance out the fact that we chose a first name from the top ten of 2002!

We found out very early that we were having a boy, because, being over 35, I was offered the CVS procedure that they can do even before Amniocentesis can be done.

I was unable to attach photos even though they are jpeg files. I had the same problem trying to change my avatar the other day. If I can figure this out before the end of the day, I'll post some photos!

MommyToAshley replied: Who do you think he looks like?

Does he say any words yet? babble?

What does he do that makes you laugh?

What does he do that he is not supposed to do?

What has been your favorite age so far? why?

DansMom replied:
He looks like me and especially like my dad, but with my husband's fair hair and blue eyes.

He says mama! And he babbles like the dickens.

When he makes raspberries it makes me laugh---what a hoot! He's a real comedian.

In the kitchen, he goes straight for the catfood every time. He's not supposed to do that!

My favorite age is right now, 8 to 9 months, because he has become so active and is trying to communicate. For example, he is starting to wave bye-bye and clap his hands. Also, because he is starting to pay attention to the pictures in books when I talk about them. I love to read to children, but it was frustrating when all he wanted to do was chew on the books!

DansMom replied: Here are the pictures (I'll post them in three separate postings). Because it is 10 pm, I'm not sure anyone will see these!

DansMom replied: Water baby

DansMom replied: I can crawl!

DansMom replied:
Bathtime!

Mommieto2Girls replied: Awweee, great pictures, he is a cutie.