Milestones part 1

I realized I better start writing this down before I forget completely

Rolled over/sat up - 5 months (I think... I really can't remember.)

Army crawled on this tummy - 8 months

Crawled like a "normal" baby - 11 months

Said hot, up, mama, bacaca (broccoli), PUCKABOO- started at 11 months, continued for about 90 days straight

Asks for Coco - every day starting at about 12 months

Said "Papa" when I pointed to Muslim Dad - April 12

Bear crawled - 13 months

Took a few steps at random - 14 months

By 14 months, he has added to his vocabulary: park, car, down, vakoooom, batoooom, corn, mamoo, oma(r), bath, abar (as in Allahu Akbar), and go

Book Review - Baby 411

In contrast to my earlier review of "What to Expect When You're Expecting", I can't find enough praise for "Baby 411." This book is like having an experienced mom willing to share her secrets and frankly discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly.

For example, lately (like since the Baboo was 3 months old till now) I've been reading everything I can get my hands on relating to How to Get Baby to Sleep. There's 5 methods and most articles objectively present the advantages and disadvantages of each method, leaving it to you, the parent, to figure out which is best for your child.

I guess this is a reasonable approach, but... come on, I've never done this before, and now I'm being asked to choose among 5 doctor-approved methods, all of which are proven to work. Baby 411 condenses the baby sleep information into one chart and then -and this is key - tells you which one to choose. At last. Simple directions.

I think embracing this book is a turning point in my attitude towards parenting: I don't need to be perfect. I don't need to do all the research, ask friends and other parents for advice, check my internet sources, and then implement the correct most up-to-date organic no lead no plastic no TV educational developmentally superior environment for my child. Sure I would if I had unlimited time and energy. But I don't. I just want some sleep.

Of course if that was really true, I would stop reading all these parenting books. But we both know that isn't going to happen.

Book Review - The Boston Childrens' Hospital Guide to Your Child's Growth and Development

We learned to parent "by the book." This drives Muslim Mom's mom (Muslim Nani?) crazy. Muslim Nani tolerates parenting books, but trusts her instincts. Eventually, you'll find the "right" balance of information from books vs. tried and true advice from experienced family members. From time to time I'll post reviews of books and other written material that we've found helpful.

The Boston Childrens' Hospital Guide to Your Child's Growth and Development was our Bible for the first few months of the Baboo's life. The super long name is the only impractical thing about this book; other than that, it is the owner's manual for your new baby. It assumes you know nothing about children (which was definitely the case for us). The chapters are concise and tell you just what you need to know. There's none of the alarmism of the "What to Expect" series - it's just a friendly reference, an owner's manual if you will.

At a time when everything is new, it helps to be on the same page (literally) as your spouse, so that you don't waste time figuring out day-to-day activities. Don't know what a onesie is? No problem, there's a picture. Don't know how to burp a baby - there's diagrams! Easy to read, with a great index and a CPR page that we've bookmarked... just in case. This book has it all.