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Yup, Little Miss is 5 months old!  These little people change so fast and so quickly that it’s hard to track all the changes.  She is most definitely packing on the pounds and can take down a 6oz bottle before bedtime and will get up only once during the night for more.  

We converted the bugaboo basinet to the seat today and it works mighty fine.  The basinet was a little restrictive in that she had to be lying down the whole trip.  Now she can be sitting straight up or be reclined as far back as being flat.  She is a people watcher like her parents.

I looked into swimming lessons for her and it looks like they start for kids as early as 6months old.  The January lessons are what i’m looked at and will probably sign up soon.  Any experiences out there with introduction into water?

Looking back at a post from a few months ago I realized that I was going to look into safety around the house for kids and post some info.  I have not done anything on that yet but I will.

Whoozit!?  Who is the Whoozit?  The Whoozit is a must have for newborns to toddlers.  The one that we have specifically is the Tizoo plush Whoozit.  Peanut loves it and we carry it every where we go as the toy of choice.  It appeals to all your babies senses and is portable, washable and virtually indestructible.  I highly recommend this toy to parents.  Best of all it is inexpensive and there are several versions depending on what function you are looking for.  You need one like you need diapers.

So, our little peanut is 19wks old as of today.  Weighing in at a chunky monkey 14lbs has her in the 75th percentile for her age.  She is average in growth all around except for her noodle which is on the small side of the scale but we are not too worried about that.  We are seeing more and more gummy smiles every day and she is starting to discover her loud voice producing mostly squeals.  As new parents we are always excited for the next development but we also enjoy the quiet, immobile child and realize how good we have it.  However, the first roll-over is imminent and will spark the mobile stage.  We can’t wait!  

Such a big little person she is.  On the edge of so many developmental milestones such as rolling, sitting, laughing, talking in her own language.  No where near walking but she certainly likes doing squats.  She has a pretty good sleep/feed schedule for such a young age.  We are not sure if it is us, being good parents, or her being a good child.  The question now is “who is in charge?”  

She may only be 4 months old but she knows how to get her way when she wants to.  There is the “watch me play” cry and the “I want milk now” cry.  Then we have the “wrap me tight or my head will explode” cry.  My personal favorite is the big fat lip that shows up when she doesn’t get her way, followed by the meeehhh.  At the end of the day I think we have a good understanding of what is expected of each other.  Neither one of us is actually in charge, we just work together to find a happy balance. 

Most days are fairly predictable and pass without any great alteration.  And the changes are so small from day to day that we don’t realize how fast she is actually growing.  We are excited for her to roll but that means she is one step closer to being mobile.  Maybe I should start child proofing the house now.  More to come on how to effectively make your home safe for the little one.    

As of 8:24pm Monday evening Peanut has started into her giggle phase and I can tell already that it’s going to be very entertaining.  Up until this point she has been smiling big and having some very breathy coos.  Peanut is about 3 1/2 months old now.

Some of the other milestones to reach around this time are rolling over, better head control, mini push-ups, holding things with a purpose, drooling uncontrollably, recognizing mom and dad.  Peanut seems to be on track as a ‘normal’ baby should be.

I’m still working on the dads group organized play time.  It is going to take a while to get things set up but since Peanut is not at the play age I’ve still got some time.  I have dedicated a section on the main page for this purpose as a category/posts.  I may change this to a static page link depending on ease of use. 

Visit back often to see the progress.        

She’s a big newborn infant girl now!  Since we don’t have a regular family doc we are still visiting the pediatrician that we saw in the hospital.  As you know yesterday was my first day without mom being around during the day so it was only Peanut and I to see the doc.  The changes have been on schedule and she falls in the 75th percentile for height and weight.  Her chublies weigh in at a delicious 13lbs.  Height…well I don’t remember but it is average.  She is starting to grab at things and hold on to them.  Drool comes in ounces and smiles in bucket loads.  It won’t be long before she has her drivers license and is off to Harvard!  She will of course have to pay for Harvard herself with the money she earns from her paper route.

Having her grow so fast right in front of us is amazing.  I think I will try her in the Bumbo in the next week or two.  Her head control is dynamite.  Come to think of it I should go check on her now.  She is entertaining herself on the activity mat.     

So far the summer with Peanut has not been what we thought it was going to be.  You can’t really go out to enjoy the heat because baby may get too hot.  You can’t be in the sun because baby will get sunburnt (6 months is when you can apply sun screen.)  You need to be careful about bugs and wind and feeding times.  With all that said we still prefer to have a little one during the summer months and not the winter months. 

Our home gets pretty hot during the peek summer months.  Yesterday was over 32 celcius and in the house it was about 29!  Needless to say we were cooking and we moved our sleeping arrangements to the basement.  These are the times we wish we had air conditioning.  By the end of the summer we should be able to get out and enjoy the summer/fall with the little as she will be about 5 months in the beginning of September.

The peanut has her 3 month check up with the doc on Monday.  We will find out just how much her chublies weigh.  She was 12lbs a few weeks ago but her thighs and forearms have developed a few new wrinkles.  I guess we’ll also find out how she is doing for milestone development compaired to the average little ones.  I will be going to this appointment without mom so we’ll see how it goes.  

Mom is heading back to work this coming Monday so it will be up to me to entertain the peanut during the daytime.  So begins my true stay at home dad adventure.  Stay tuned for the latest ‘issues’ and happenings.  I’m sure there will be no shortage of stories to tell in the weeks  days to come.

I will also be making an effort to start SAHD groups through my web site.  Starting will local groups and hopefully developing a network of dads across Canada.  A great example of this is on the RebelDads website for the US.  

Enjoy the summer!   

This being my first father’s day it’s pretty exciting.  It’s a good day to relax and have breakfast in bed.  At least this is what I plan to do.  There are plenty of events going on in most cities but mostly for dad’s with ’kids’ that are a little older.  When you have a newborn or infant there are not many things you can do together.  Other than hanging out on the couch smiling at each other.  It will be a few years before Father’s Day really becomes exciting.  Until then the walks and laying on the activity mat will do just fine.

Have a great day dad’s.  

I want to take this moment to congratulate The B and T on the birth of there little one.  Can’t wait to meet her.  Enjoy your time together and make sure you check my site for helpful tips.  B, you should be an author on the site and post your own stories.

See you guys soon.