Birth
Our beautiful
daughter was born in April, A.D.
2005. For my wife and me, at least, her first month was harrowing. She
had lost too much weight within a week of her birth, so we worried
about
feeding her enough. Fortunately, our fears were short lived, and our
baby
girl quickly began to grow.
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One Month
At one month of
age, she was beginning to prosper. Her newborn
grunting gave way to more sophisticated cooing and gurgling. Her
movements
remained uncoordinated, which was an obvious source of frustration for
her. Unfortunately, most of the photography from this period was
exceptionally
poor.
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Two Months
After two
months, our daughter’s life was no longer just about the
basic necessities. With more of her time spent awake, she began to take
an active interest in the world around her. Luckily for me, she also
began to sleep through the night … mostly.
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Three Months
At three
months, she became eager to explore. Her mobility
improved, though not enough to satisfy her. She could now rotate her
body, scoot on her back, and roll onto her side.
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Four Months
Our daughter
had become very active by four months of age. She began
rolling over and was always eager to play. She still couldn’t crawl,
but apparently she decided that she would rather walk, so she also
began to stand up … with a little assistance.
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Five Months
Five months of
age was an exciting time for our daughter. She learned
how to roll at will, could stand with our help for extended periods,
but sitting on her own and crawling still seemed out of reach. She also
started to eat solid food.
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Six Months
As a
six-month-old, she learned to sit and stand on her own.
She also began to babble in earnest, trying such “words” as “mama,”
“dada,” and “baby.” She continued to eschew crawling in favor of trying
to master walking.
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Seven Months
At seven
months, she began to crawl tentatively but still couldn’t
coordinate her
locomotive abilities. Nevertheless, her mischievous personality began
to emerge.
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Eight Months
Something
magical happened the day our daughter reached eight months of
age. Putting the pieces together, she was finally able to combine
crawling, sitting up, and standing. With mobility finally at hand, she
was more than ready to begin exploring her world.
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Nine Months
With crawling
mastered, she temporarily gave up on trying to walk, but
she still managed to stand without support for the first time. She also
spoke her first real word, which was duck.
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10
Months
When her mother
lost one job and started another, we had no choice but
to turn to daycare. This was the beginning of a long period of almost
constant illness.
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11
Months
A few days
before her first birthday, our daughter finally walked.
Months of effort on her part had paid off at last. Unfortunately,
though, trouble was ahead.
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One Year
And what a year
it was! Our daughter adjusted easily to daycare, but
she couldn’t handle the onslaught of germs that came with it quite so
well. I came dangerously close to quiting my job when a chronic ear
infection threatened to damage her hearing. Fortunately, ear-tube
surgery alleviated the problem and kept it under control thereafter.
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Two Years
While her
“terrible twos” began well before her second birthday, our
daughter’s growing size and strength didn’t make the situation any
easier. “Two more minutes” became her favorite delaying tactic. We also
began the frustrating 11-month ordeal that was toilet
training.
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Three Years
Improving communication skills and greater overall independence are
wonderful things, except when they manifest themselves at inappropriate
times or suddenly and “mysteriously” disappear. Such is life with our
three-year-old.
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Four
Years
Preschool has
already begun. Now, so does homework!
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