By Darlene Zagata
You've waited nine long months, endured the
pain and discomfort of labor and delivered your beautiful bundle
of joy. Now the fun starts. Each day is a new exciting adventure
filled with memories to last a lifetime. It is definitely the year
of firsts as many new parents have come to call the first year of
their child's life. You will see the miraculous developments
that take place as this little being changes and grows. You'll
change mountains of diapers and fill countless bottles. As your
child grows he will view even the smallest things with the same
sense of awe that you view your little miracle.
Your
first month will probably be spent bonding with your new infant.
Before you know it your child will start to be fascinated with his
fingers and everything around him. He will gaze into your face and
you will gaze lovingly into his. You will love how he grasps hold
of your finger with his tiny hand. Before long he will learn to
focus intently on you and objects within his view.
By the time your baby is two to three months old
you will delight in his smiles. He will make sounds and react to
the sounds you make as well. By the time he is four months old,
he'll be trying to raise up and holding his head up with a
fair amount of strength. He now recognizes faces and is beginning
to develop hand-eye coordination. By the end of the fourth month
or so, he rolls over or at least attempts to do so, and may be able
to sit up with some support.
Remember that each child is different and may develop
abilities at varying times along the developmental schedule. Some
children crawl or walk earlier than others so there's no need
to panic if a friend's baby rolls over before your child does.
During the fifth month your little one may start
teething. Once again, depending on the child, this may occur earlier
or even later. In the sixth month your baby will begin to grab and
hold objects. He may begin to drink from a cup at this time. At
seven months of age, he will be eating more foods and feeding himself
small foodstuffs such as crackers. In the eighth month, expect to
see your child sitting without support and attempting to crawl.
At nine months, he may try to feed himself with
a spoon. At ten months your baby may pull himself to a standing
position and take a few steps with your help. Around eleven months
he will be more responsive to words such as no. He is also becoming
more curious and will want to explore his surroundings more. By
twelve months he may be walking without any help.
 With
all these momentous events happening throughout the first year of
your baby's life, you'll want to be prepared to capture
them all. Get a baby book if you don't already have one so
that you can record all the special moments in your child's
life. These are really great to have and they are wonderful keepsakes.
Both you and your child will enjoy being able to look back on these
childhood events. When your child grows older he will appreciate
that you took the time to preserve a part of his life in such a
special way.
Keep plenty of film on hand or use a digital camera
or camcorder to record your child's firsts steps, first words,
smiles and yes, even cries. Time really does fly and your little
one won't be little for long. Before you know it you'll
be planning for the first birthday party. Of course, there will
still be plenty of firsts to look forward to beyond the first year.
There's the first haircut and first lost tooth; you know you'll
want to keep a lock of hair and maybe the tooth too. Then there's
the first day of school and the first date. Well, that's a
long way off yet. Anyway, you get the point. You and your child
have a lifetime of firsts to celebrate. Make the most of them.
Article written by Darlene Zagata.
All opinions expressed are that of the writer.
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