Maple in Crib at 1 week

This week, Maple learned so much that when I see this picture of her as a disoriented, helpless infant, she hardly seems like the same baby.

Three days ago, Maple figured out how to get to a toy that is out of her reach, regarless of if she is on her back or her tummy. If she’s hanging out on her back and sees her stuffed tiger across the way, she figured out that she needs to turn over on her tummy, then creep ever so slowly and with great exertion, over to the tiger. She figured this out, as babies do, all on her own. To me, that is amazing.

The next day, I was playing with her on our bed, doing “sit ups,” during which she grabs my fingers and pulls herself into either a sitting or standing position and usually starts gnawing on my fingers. We were being sort of active, and I realized that she was simply sitting there and not holding onto anything to keep herself upright. Of course, if she gets excited or looks for something, she topples, but this seemed like a big step and she simply “did it.” She wasn’t taught, she just figured it out.

Last night she went to bed at her usual attempted bedtime of 10PM, only to be wide awake ten minutes later. She wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon, so we put her in her little toy saucer thing, where she was all-smiles for an hour straight while she learned how to pivot around and play with each toy. She discovered the piano, which takes her attention off the book, which causes her to get so worked up and excited that she starts to cry, so that was a relief.

Every day of the past five months of her life has been different, and that’s why I feel like the single most important thing a new parent can do is to spend as much time as possible with his or her baby. During the critical first few months, before discipline and “training” and all that social agenda enforcement like “sleeping through the night,” I think the most important development for a baby is an emotional and psychological bond to its parents. A baby who believes that her needs will be met and interacts on all levels with her parents throughout the day is a baby who will have the mental and psychological basis for a happy life.

At least that’s OUR take.