Activities for baby development – 3-6 months old

Development for 3-6 month olds

Baby development is such a strange thing. On the one hand, babies seem like blobs – they can’t do much and it can be so daunting to do activities and have no idea if anything is sinking in. On the other hand, the period from 0-24 months is when babies develop at the fastest rate. Their brains are growing so much every day, and this is when they’re the most like sponges, absorbing all the information. They won’t remember it when they’re older, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t help or apply. I already shared some ideas for 0-3 months, but of course, it’s a continual process.

I love watching Harley develop. Dean and I have had a few instances where we’re sure she wakes up smarter. Her eyes will focus more, her attention span will lengthen or she’ll have some new skill. Now that she’s smiling, I am even more confident about which activities she enjoys and how to engage with her. But with her expanded skills, there’s also room for a bunch for development. Thankfully, I have a ton of activities in my arsenal. Continue Reading

3 Comments Child Development, Parenting

When things got easier

Harley is now four months old. She is smiling, she is learning to roll over, and she is looking more beautiful each day. She is looking particularly beautiful to me today because I got seven hours of sleep in a row. Yup, Harley slept through the night and is looking radiantly gorgeous today, although that could also be because I’m happy and rested.

Not so long ago, I was having a very hard time with her. I was tired, I didn’t know what she wanted, she seemed to cry all the time, Dean was irritated by her – life wasn’t too great. But now Dean and I are having fun with her, I’m falling more in love with her each day, and life seems to be getting better and better. When did that happen? Continue Reading

2 Comments Parenting

The Geeky Mommy Files – Maz Halliday

The Geeky Mommy Files

I love being a geeky mommy and figuring out what that means for me with Harley. It’s a daily journey as I try to learn how to be a mommy, and a geeky mommy at that. However, there are some awesome ladies who are further along on the path and have some really cool ideas that I’m totally going to steal. Welcome to the Geeky Mommy Files, where every Friday, I will be introducing you to one.

Maz is the epitome of cool, alternative mommy. Creative and unique, she has her own take on issues ranging from making your kid environmentally aware to which wines do well on holiday. She is unapologetically herself – a trait I adore and admire. Plus, she has incredibly gorgeous kids! Continue Reading

Comment Interview

Procreating has made me even more pro-choice

I have always been pro-choice. It’s a woman’s body, it’s her right to choose if she wants to fall pregnant or if she choose to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. End of story. I was lucky and careful enough to never experience an unwanted pregnancy, but I have every intention that if I conceived without the desire to have a kid, I’d get an abortion – it was just that simple. Even now, after creating my tiny human, it’s something that I’d do if Dean and I didn’t want another tiny human, either due to timing or money or whatever else.

Harley was incredibly planned. I already talked about how Dean and I changed from saying we never wanted to have kids, to eventually going off the pill and falling pregnant. Having her grow inside me, come into the world and now live every day as my tiny growing person has put me in awe of the miracle of life. But that doesn’t mean my stance on abortion has changed. If anything, it has only made my beliefs stronger. Continue Reading

3 Comments Pregnancy, Rambling

The search for diverse friends

There are so many things that I want to teach Harley, but I know not all of it can come from the words I speak to her or the actions she mimics. Some of it has to be experienced. One of those things that I think is really important for her to learn is that there’s no reason to discriminate against anyone based on their race, religion or sexual orientation. Awesome people and assholes can belong to any grouping – there are simply a range of people out there and you have to get to know them before you can make any conclusions about them; it can’t be done based on stereotypes.

Over the years, I’ve lived in many different countries and had friends from a variety of backgrounds. As a kid, I honestly didn’t even see race, with it needing to be pointed out to me years later that my first crush was on a dark skinned boy, or that I was raised with a different religion to my classmates. I’d like for Harley to also experience that diversity, and my plan to send her to international schools will definitely help with that. However, I also need to make some more diverse friends for our kids to play together before then… but it’s kind of an awkward task. Continue Reading

2 Comments Parenting, South Africa