Baby Center says...

How your baby's growing:

If your baby is sleeping through the night (five or six hours at a stretch), you're one of the lucky few. Most 10-week-old babies still wake up in the wee hours. But even babies who aren't sleeping through the night at this stage should be sleeping and staying awake for longer intervals rather than cycling back and forth so much. Your baby will probably have two to four long sleep periods and as many as ten hours of awake time in 24 hours.

An interesting note: Whether your baby is a night owl or a morning lark, a long sleeper or short sleeper, that pattern will probably stay the same throughout childhood.

Guess this means Leo is a morning lark who likes to take one long nap and stay up the rest of the day until his early bedtime!

Well, I think all 3 of us had a great time celebrating Vin's 30th! Friday night we went to Joe's Crab Shack and enjoyed DELICIOUS steam pots. Leo sat next to us laughing and smiling the whole time. On Saturday, our friends Rene and Bill took care of Leo while Vinny and I got a couples massage and enjoyed another fantabulous dinner at Rioja.

Leo's new discovery in the past few days is his hands. He can't get enough!

Here are some Baby Center highlights:

Your 2-month-old: Week 1

How your baby's growing:

Your baby can tell the difference between familiar voices and other sounds, and he's becoming a better listener. He can also show you that he's in tune with his environment. Notice how he looks to see where certain noises are coming from.

An ongoing conversation (although seemingly one-sided) can help your baby develop his sense of place. He may even watch your mouth as you talk, fascinated by how it all works. You'll be amazed by his ability to communicate with a growing repertory of coos (musical, vowel-like sounds), smiles, and unique cries to express his different needs.

Leo is 7 weeks old today!

Baby Center says...

Your 7-week-old

How your baby's growing:


Your baby's brain is expanding in size and complexity. It will grow about 5 centimeters during the first three months.

You may notice short periods of time when your newborn is quiet and alert. This is prime time for learning. Use these calm intervals to get better acquainted with your baby — talk to her, sing to her, describe the pictures on the walls. She may not be able to add to your conversation just yet, but she's learning nonetheless.

New textures for her hands to feel and new sights and sounds (all in moderation) are all learning opportunities. Even bath time becomes a laboratory for understanding the world around her.


3 questions about: Hearing


How do I know if my baby can hear well?
"She sleeps through everything!" you might marvel. "But is her hearing all right?" All babies should receive a newborn hearing screen before leaving the hospital, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institutes of Health. (Estimates show that 2 to 3 of every 1,000 babies are born with some degree of hearing loss.) Luckily, most babies are born with excellent hearing. A baby who turns when you enter the room or is beginning to coo and make pre-speech sounds probably hears just fine. You can check your baby's hearing in a simple way: When your baby is awake and alert, stand behind her and clap your hands behind her head. If her hearing is good, she should startle at this loud, sudden noise. Repeat the experiment a couple of times to be sure. A baby with normal hearing may respond to noise by turning her head to find the source of the sound. If your baby doesn't notice you until she can see you, it could be a sign that her hearing is impaired.

What can cause hearing problems?
Some babies are born with hearing difficulties because of a hereditary problem. A family history of deafness can be a red flag. Other causes include exposure to infections such as rubella (German measles) or CMV (cytomegalovirus) in utero, problems during delivery that compromised the supply of oxygen to the baby, meningitis, hypothyroidism, or prematurity. Some birth defects also cause deafness. In some cases, a hearing problem is temporary, caused by a cold, a middle ear infection, or a large buildup of earwax. Or the inner ear could be damaged because of an injury, a tumor, or a virus.

What if there's a problem?
If you have any concerns about your baby's hearing, be sure to tell your baby's doctor, who can examine your baby's ears, run hearing tests, or refer you to an audiologist (hearing specialist) or a pediatric ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor), who can do a more in-depth ear examination.

Early diagnosis is important for hearing problems. Hearing loss that goes untreated can cause your baby to have trouble with learning and language development in the future, but early diagnosis and treatment usually leads to normal development of language skills. Treatment for impaired hearing may include a hearing aid, which can be made to fit even a tiny baby. Later, such children may be candidates for a cochlear implant, a device that uses electrodes to process sound, as well as speech therapy.

Baby Center says...

Our 5 week old

Head's up!

Your baby's neck muscles are getting stronger, which allows her to hold her head up for short periods. She can support it for a few moments while lying on her stomach, for example, and she can probably turn it from side to side. She may be able to hold her head up when she's in a car seat or front carrier.

Okay...not to brag, but Leo could lift his head basically from birth. We like to think it's those extra 9 days baking in Mommy's oven. He's also able to hold it while on his tummy, and turn it from side to side a full 180 degrees. I mean... he's pretty much a superstar.

The first real smiles

Smiling happens at about the same time in all cultures, so get ready for your baby to reward all your loving care with a beaming, toothless, just-for-you smile. This will probably make your heart melt, even if you've just had your worst night yet.

For Ron Heckman, a new father in Piedmont, California, that first smile from his 6-week-old daughter, Hadley, brought tears to his eyes. "It was a lousy day at work," he recalls. "I was sleep-deprived and the commute traffic that day was incredibly thick. When I finally got home and my wife handed me the baby, who looked straight at me and smiled this gorgeous all-gums grin, I remember thinking, 'She knows me' — and nothing else mattered."

Awwww! We have gotten a couple absolutely perfect, just-for-mommy-and-daddy, definitely-not-gas smiles, but we have yet to capture them on film (or, digital memory card). As soon as we do, you better believe we'll post them!

Sound asleep

Your baby may start sleeping longer at night (maybe four to six hours) sometime between 6 weeks and 6 months of age. It's a broad range, and much depends on your baby's development and your behavior.

Most sleep experts suggest putting your baby to bed while she's still awake, but drowsy. This will help her learn to fall asleep on her own, a skill that will come in handy for you both when she wakes in the wee hours of the night. You can help your baby reach that milestone sooner rather than later by establishing healthy sleep habits from the start, such as a bedtime routine with a calming bath, a baby massage, or a bedtime story.

This is our next goal. Leo is still figuring out his bedtime, but it seems to be about 8:00 or so. The past couple nights, he's been literally fighting his droopy eyelids to stay up with us and party! I put him to bed before he was asleep for the first time yesterday, and it worked, until an hour later he woke up hungry. We were up for hours last night because the poor guy had gas. We'll get to a bedtime routine soon, though!

Remember, your baby is an individual

All babies are unique and meet milestones at their own pace. Developmental guidelines simply show what your baby has the potential to accomplish — if not right now, then soon. If your baby was premature, keep in mind that kids born early usually need a bit more time to meet their milestones. If you have any questions at all about your baby's development, ask your healthcare provider.