and apparently babies actually grow up to 11 cm (average is 2 cm) and up to 1900g per month (average is 750g). By the end of 2nd month they are all as big as an average 6-month old. All the babies are properly potty-trained long before their second birthday. They are also way above average at crawling and making their first steps. It's a contest and every mother is eager to win.Yet it makes me wonder whose babies are average?
Where do they live? Why don't their mothers have Internet or why don't their mothers visit that forum. Well apparently no one enters their kid in a contests where they won't win. I'm afraid I already lost the physical development contest before it even started. Siiri is growing so fast in size that her muscles have a hard time keeping up. A week ago she was no longer able to hold up her head up in stomach position and she was too lazy to try. After much encouraged exercise she lifted (and held) her head again but that's the bare minimum as far as development norms are concerned. In two weeks she's supposed to lift her chest as well and I'm doubtful she'll make it in time. But this just means I won't mention her in any thread about lifting head or chest. For a little while I was actually somewhat sad that Siiri didn't win the growth contest with her 1,3kg and 4cm in the first month. There was only one child who grew as "slowly" as Siiri, all the rest of them were way ahead. I was sad only until I realized that there is something seriously wrong with a baby who grows 11 cm in one month! And a baby who gains almost 2kg in a month must be seriously FAT. Aren't I glad that Siiri is in the upper limit of normal. She's so cute and normal-shaped.
So she lost the growth contest and athletics challenge. At her age, what else is there? Well there's the sleeping contest. She does sleep quite well, but many babies sleep through the night after only one month. There is also eating contest, but curiously that one works the opposite way - the worst eater wins. There are babies out there who literally need to be nursed against their will. Most of Siiri's meals are very peaceful and effortless so she's definitely not among the worst eaters.
Perhaps I should just wait a little. I don't really care if she's the first to walk, I want her to be the first to TALK! Me and Erkki are really trying to talk to her as often as possible. I hope in a few months she'll be able to vocalize "diaper" and "food". She would be able to say a primitive version of those words within a week but she won't understand them any time soon so I won't teach those words yet. She already repeats about 2-3 words as a communication game that we play. She loves saying "Erkki" and giggling when we cheer for her.
Well actually she says Eccchi or achi or cccchi, but for a 2-month old baby it's close enough to count as a word. I taught her to say mommy (in Estonian of course) but curiously she only says it when she wants either food or a diaper changed. Perhaps she does already understand the word! 
But really Erkki was right when he said that what really matters is Siiri 20 years from now. Knowing how to crawl, walk or talk won't get her very far in life. And I'm sure she wouldn't be very happy if she was still gaining 1 kg per month 20 years from now...
No comments:
Post a Comment