Birthday

Miss Sarah is five-months-old today!

I look forward to spending time with her in years to come: teaching her to ride a bike, seeing her off to school the first time, going to see a cartoon movie with her (and sharing popcorn), running around with her in the backyard, and so on.

Watch for new pics on conkin.info soon!

Doctor's Visit

Well, I've been neglecting Sarah's blog here...mainly, I guess, because our routine has been steady and relatively unchanged: wake up, make a bottle, feed, sleep, play, feed, sleep, play, feed, sleep, play, feed, sleep, play. :)

In the play times, we sing, dance, sit in the bouncy chair, lay on the mobile butterfly, go for stroller walks, drive around a bit, or practice "tummy time". This varies depending on our disposition at the time.

Today, though, our schedule changed somewhat since Sarah visited the doctor for her checkup and next round of vaccinations. These cause some yucky, stingy pain, and she's been a little cranky all day. Sarah is, however, a healthy, average girl at almost 15 pounds and 25 inches in length.

She's also right on the developmental track, responding well to sounds, cooing, rolling over, and grabbing for about anything in reach to feel and taste it. I'm glad Sarah is a healthy and happy girl.

Sleep

Not surprisingly, I'm a much better caretaker if I get a good night's sleep. Sarah goes for 9-10 hours, but I often stay up much later messing around and getting some "alone time," thus making it more difficult to operate the next day. "It's just watching a baby," I tell myself as I crave staying up late like I did before. However, "just watching a baby" isn't really enough if I want to actually be present with her. That requires energy, and for an older dad like myself, sleep is definitely recommended. :)

Schedules Revisited

Well, sometimes schedules seem to go out the window. For a time there, Sarah was pretty regular, but these past few days she seems to fight the nap times and has become, uhm, unpredictable. I go through the string of distractions--bouncy chair, swing, butterfly mat, wibble-wobble walker, even Baby Einstein video--but she gets cranky soon. I realized toward the end of the day today that, apart from being hungry, needing a burp, or needing a diaper change, Sarah at times just wants to be held by daddy, up close, and rocked. At-home moms instinctively catch on to this, but it takes us dads, who are like most men and tend over-schedule and analyze, a little longer to see the light.

Birthday

Today is my birthday. An older first-time dad than most at 38 (now 39), I know I bring more maturity, more insight into my daughter's days than, say, a 23-year-old father. Before I was not ready to take care of a child; now I am. And I can think of no better way to spend my birthday than with Sarah by my side.

Speech Development

I got this chart from the American Speech-Hearing Language Association's website

Hearing and Understanding	Talking
Birth-3 Months Startles to loud sounds Quiets or smiles when spoken to Seems to recognize your voice and quiets if crying Increases or decreases sucking behavior in response to sound	Birth-3 Months Makes pleasure sounds (cooing, gooing) Cries differently for different needs Smiles when sees you
4-6 Months Moves eyes in direction of sounds Responds to changes in tone of your voice Notices toys that make sounds Pays attention to music	4-6 Months Babbling sounds more speech-like with many different sounds, including p, b and m Vocalizes excitement and displeasure Makes gurgling sounds when left alone and when playing with you

I've definitely noticed doing all these things. In fact, just today I could have sworn she said "daddy!" but, of course, if was a mix of chance sound and wishful thinking. :)

The Look

We bought a new car recently, and our salesperson said that around Sarah's age his daughter had given him "the look" for the first time. What is the look? Seems most little girls give their daddies this knowing gaze that basically says, "I love you and I know I have you wrapped around my finger."

I'm not sure if Sarah has given me that look (the salesperson said you'd know it if you saw it), but I await it's arrival. :)