Keyboards are Fun: Stargirl loves pounding on computer keyboards, and has already managed to send a few e-mails (with a tiny bit of help from Mom). Seeing that she enjoys hitting the keys, we wisely decided to get her some new toys — now she’s got a little laptop of her own, as well as a musical keyboard.
The Cat Gets Pissy: Our oldest cat, Cougar, isn’t taking well to the baby … or rather the amount of attention we give to the baby, instead of him. And he’s taken to showing his displeasure by peeing wherever he likes in the house (including, this morning, on my computer bag … thankfully my computer wasn’t in it at the time).
Teeth Hurt!: Stargirl started teething at three months, and at around four-and-a-half months cut her first tooth (followed rapidly by her second tooth. They’re the middle two lower teeth and yes, she did get them way early — most babies don’t start teething until around four months, with their first chompers showing up at six months. Then again, my sister and I both started teething at three months, so Stargirl’s clearly benefiting from my genes. Unfortunately teething is a painful experience for all of us — Stargirl physically, Sue and I emotionally. Stargirl’s taken to screaming when she doesn’t know what else to do, and a baby screaming at 10:30 p.m. when all you really want to do is go to sleep is a special kind of hell. But, of course, it’s to be expected.
Night in Crib = Restful Night’s Sleep for Mom & Dad: Stargirl’s transitioned nicely to her crib, and spends the majority of each night (if not all of it), sleeping in her crib. She started doing it occasionally when she turned four months old, and by two weeks ago she was doing it every night. When she started actually cutting teeth we often had to bring her to bed with us so that she could snuggle with Sue and fall asleep, but after nodding off we’re able to put her in her crib for the rest of the night.
“Look Dad — I can roll over!”: Stargirl’s been rolling over — from her belly to her back, and from her back to her belly — since just before she turned four months old, if not a little longer. As a result, she now absolutely refuses to sleep on her back — put her down that way, and she flips herself over onto her stomach in a minute or so.
Now of course, letting a baby sleep on her stomach is one of the cardinal sins of modern parenting, but we talked with our doctor and she was cool with it as long as Stargirl’s able to flip herself over with ease, and hold up her head. And to be honest, it’s not like we could stop her — nothing short of duct tape is going to hold this kid in place. And I doubt that’d work either. On a related note, the doctor expects her to start crawling sooner rather than later, which is in keeping with what Sue and I thought. This kid wants to be mobile.