Milk does a mind good

A few people have asked me when I will begin to wean Jonas.

The answer is that I really don't know when. I'm hoping that he won't be nursing longer than he is 18 months old, but there is no rush at this moment.

Babies that are breastfed for longer than six months are less likely to develop mental health problems in childhood, new research shows. So far Jonas and I are on the right track.

I am glad that I made the decision to nurse my little man, especially if it will help him mentally. I was reading how infant psychotherapy is on the rise. Many parents are seeking therapists to help with their baby's mental health.

This sounds so scary to me. I would hate for my Jonas to have any mental problems growing up, let alone as a baby. If continuing to breastfeed for longer than six months is what I have to do to help in some way, then that is what I shall do.

"The team at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth found that breastfed children had particularly lower rates of delinquent, aggressive and anti-social behavior, and overall were less depressed, anxious or withdrawn."

The American Academy of Pediatrics is a strong advocate for breastfeeding and they state the many great things that a mother's milk can do for her baby.

They say breastfeeding:

has been associated with slightly enhanced performance on tests of cognitive development

decreases the incidence or severity of conditions such as diarrhea, ear infections and bacterial meningitis

may offer protection against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diabetes, obesity and asthma among others

I have read that it is important to begin weaning when Jonas and I are both ready. Of course I am just waiting for him to give me signs of his readiness, but I am not rushing him at all. Whenever my gordo is ready, then that is when I will be.

For now, I'll just continue to boost his brain power with my magical breast milk.

Reading is fun!

When Jonas was in my belly, I remember thinking about all the good books I was going to read to him.

I read about all the benefits reading can have on a child, especially a baby. Of course I knew most of this without having to look it up, but it still boosted my motivation to want to read to him every night.

Those thoughts of reading every night lasted for about a week. Reality set in and I realized that I would have to be wonder woman to read to him night after night. Sometimes I am so tired or have so much homework that it is hard to fit a book in. But I do read to him as much as I can.

Jonas has proven to be quite the bookworm, which I am very proud of. When we are in the living room playing, Jonas will grab one of his books, and leaf through it, page by page. He'll stop, touch the fur on the cats tail or flap the birds wings ( they stick out) from one of his favorite touch-and-feel books, "Whose tail, Peter Rabbit?"

When he finishes looking through the book, he'll start over, gently turning the page with his chubby little fingers. If he should miss a page, well, he goes back and tries to turn it once again, sometimes closing it up or accidentally starting over.

I could watch him do this for hours. Of course he doesn't sit there for hours, but I soak in as much as I can of my little man for those 10 or 15 minutes he sits quietly enjoying his book.

The benefits of reading are endless:

Reading will help build your child's vocabulary

Stimulate his imagination

Improve his communication skills

I have noticed that when I read to him, he actually stops what he is doing and listens to what I'm saying. He may not fully comprehend what I am reading, but he is listening. I also think reading has a lot to do with him saying so many new words. Well, I like to call them words.


He is just so smart. I'm in awe of my little munchkin!

He already has his little library of good books, which I know will grow with every passing year. I will continue to read to my sweet baby as long as I can, and as long as he'll let me.

Teething, the root of all evil, maybe?

I was reading about teething because Jonas has been very irritable lately. He came down with a fever on Saturday and has not been his cheerfull self since. I spoke to my mom about it, and she said it was because of his teething that he had the high temperature.

I began to wonder.

I've been reading a lot of different information. Some say a low grade fever will erupt and others say fevers are not associated with teething.

We took him to the doctor and it turned out that he had some type of viral infection. The doc said to give him some motrin or tylenol to make the fever go down, but nothing too bad to worry about.

But, guess what else happened? He cut his first two teeth this week. He has one bottom central incisor and a top central incisor. My little baby is growing up so fast!

On babycenter they have a list of symptoms babies may exhibit while teething.

• Drooling (which can lead to a facial rash)
• Gum swelling and sensitivity
• Irritability or fussiness
• Biting behavior
• Refusing food
• Sleep problems

He had all these symptoms, all week, but after his fever finally went away on Monday, something else happened. I put him to bed at 7 that night. I kept waiting for him to wake up and he didn't wake up until 3 a.m. to nurse. He fell back to sleep and awoke at 6:45.

That's 8 hours of non-interrupted sleep for my boy. I think his teething was causing his restless sleep.

Scratch that idea! He just woke up, after 3 hours of sleep. I have to go tend to my little monkey.