Celebrating My Baby’s Milestones

I first heard Yanthy say a two-word phrase more than a month ago when he imitated me and said “my baby.” Around a week ago, he was able to say “ice cream.” This morning, my husband and I heard him use a two-word phrase again when he said “car key.” We were both delighted. He said it so clearly! And he kept saying it while holding our car key in his hand and going around the bedroom.

Last Friday, he had another milestone. He nodded his head for the first time to say yes. It’s been quite a while that Yanthy has been shaking his head to both say yes and no. I remember when I would ask him if he wants more biscuit and he would shake his head and smile. But he would reach for my hand to ask for another one. So, I understood that he means yes. Then, he learned to say “eat.” This time, Yanthy would say eat instead of saying yes when I ask him if he wants to eat some more. I’ve been teaching him to nod to say yes in the past months every time I feed him. I nod my head and say yes then I shake my head and say no to help him distinguish between the two. I did the same thing last Friday when I was feeding him bread sticks and he surprised me when he suddenly nodded after I asked him if he wants more. At last! My efforts paid off. I believe that this new milestone is a big development in my son’s communication skills. With this new learning, we would be able to understand him better. It excites me even more to communicate with him.

Yanthy is really growing fast. Noticing developments in his language skills is just one of them. Lately, we noticed that Yanthy does a lot of pretend play also. I first noticed this when he was still confined in his crib most of the time. I would see him playing on his own as if flying an airplane. Now, I would see him pretend that he’s talking to someone on the phone, reading, eating, drinking, bathing, driving and of course flying an airplane. It’s so much fun watching him do these things.

Yanthy has also shown interest in writing and drawing. He likes to practice using a pencil and writing on paper. I’ve been teaching him how to write his name, trace his toys, his hands and feet on paper and he has been imitating me since the first time I showed him how. He grabs my pen whenever he sees me write. Sometimes, he takes the initiative to get a paper and pen on his own from our study area. He doesn’t know yet how to write his name or draw geometric shapes but at least he can already draw lines and he’s getting better in holding a pen. I simply encourage him and praise him whatever his doodle looks like. At this point, it’s more important for me that he’s interested to learn how to write and draw and that he’s having fun learning. I’m sure he’ll learn soon.

There are also other things that Yanthy can already do now. He can already solve 2 to 3 piece puzzles. He can jump in place without falling. He can climb up the slide and slide down it on his own. He can drink from his glass on his own. He has been successful in going to his potty once. He can say his nickname (Yanthy) although not yet very clearly. He can brush his teeth with some supervision. He can build a tower of six cups. He knows how to wash and dry his hands. He knows how to scrub himself when taking a bath. He can remember some of the actions for the nursery rhymes like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Little Teapot. He can finish his 10-piece shape sorter without asking any help from me or his Dad. He can identify the owners of pieces of clothing, like one time he pointed to his Dad’s shirt and said Daddy. Another time, he pointed to my jacket and said Mommy. That really impressed me because I hardly wear that jacket so I was wondering how he remembered that it was mine. He can now climb stairs on his own although he’s still slow and we stay close to him just in case he slips to prevent a fall. These are just some of his milestones and I can’t help but be proud of my baby’s accomplishments. I guess every Mom or parent is like that. We’re eager to see our baby’s development and we celebrate even the littlest accomplishments.

I know that Yanthy still has a lot to learn and that he will continue to amaze me as I watch him learn new things. I on my part also have a lot to learn as a parent and I’m excited to learn new skills as well to grow to be a better Mom to my son. In the meantime, let me close this sharing by saying “Cheers! To Yanthy and to all that he has achieved so far.”