Three Months Ago Today

I want to apologize for not posting about Nora in a while. As most of you are aware, I have been receiving harassing comments through the blog. Because of the comments I actually have been thinking about shutting the blog down. However, today is a huge milestone for us. Nora turns three months told today.

So, three months ago today, Michael and I were at St. Mary's hospital. I had just been through over 29 hours of natural un-medicated labor and had just gotten my epidural. Three hours after the epidural, we had a beautiful daughter, who would not have been here without a lot of medical interventions.

So I am happy to post A Little About Nora at Three Months. :)

Baby Center
I know you!
Even though your baby has been able to recognize you since she was just a few days old, she may now be able to show it. About half of babies this age begin to exhibit an obvious recognition of their parents.

Most likely she'll still smile at strangers, especially when they look her straight in the eye and coo or talk to her. But she's beginning to sort out who's who in his life, and she definitely prefers you, your partner, and a select few over others.

Your baby may quiet down and make eye contact with you, or she may search for you in a room and move his arms in excitement or smile when she finds you. She may even find your scent calming and comforting.

A big spurt is happening in your baby's brain development that coincides with significant behavioral changes. Your baby is more attuned to the outside world and more sensitive to changes in his environment.

The part of the brain that governs hand-eye coordination and allows a baby to recognize objects is developing rapidly now. Her hearing, language, and smell have also become more receptive and active. When your baby hears your voice these days, she may even look directly at you and start gurgling or trying to talk back.

Early language development
Research shows that babies whose parents speak to them extensively have significantly higher IQs and bigger vocabularies when they get older than other children, so interaction is especially important right now. Set a solid foundation by exposing your baby to a variety of words.

Talk about your surroundings when you take her for a walk, and point to and identify objects as you roam the grocery store aisles. Your baby can't repeat these words yet, but she's storing all the information in his rapidly developing memory.

If your home is bilingual, your baby will benefit from hearing both languages spoken regularly. Don't worry if some of his verbal skills seem to lag a bit at first. She'll not only catch up later, but she may also excel in his general language skills.