Little Karl

1. Sat by self with minimal support
2. Rolled over and back
3. Hold my bottle
4. Self-feed some finger foods
5. Imitated many sounds
6. Dragged objects toward self
7. Passed objects from hand to hand
8. Enjoyed simple games, like Peek-A-Boo
9. Started to walk with a walker
10. Enjoyed watching my favorite TV commercials
11. Learned to clap hands and give high five
12. Met new friends like giraffe and panda bear
13. Had my first TV appearance

Today is a lucky day! It only happened once every century where the date has all the 8’s. And on this lucky day, I had my 6th month birthday. What does a 6th month-old baby has to offer? You might ask. Well, I can do lot of stunts already like rolling, walking (with proper support), eating, watching TV, singing songs, talking back, and playing. If you’re lucky enough I could even give you a little kiss.

By the way here’s what to expect for babies of my age:

Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’

Your baby’s stronger neck and arm muscles allow him to practice rolling over toward one side, a milestone that will probably awe and amuse you. Your baby might adopt rolling as his primary mode of ground transportation for a while, or he may skip it altogether and move on to sitting, lunging, and crawling. As long as your baby continues to gain new skills and shows interest in getting around and exploring his environment, don’t worry.

Rolling over can be fun for your baby, but it can also be nerve-racking for you. Keep a hand on your baby during diaper changes, and never leave him unattended on a bed or any other elevated surface.

Your little social butterfly

At this age your baby not only tolerates attention from others, he’ll often initiate it. Though you may soon notice the beginnings of stranger anxiety, your baby will probably still be fairly indiscriminate: Chances are anyone who approaches him with welcoming eyes or a grin delights him and becomes an instant friend. But don’t worry — he still needs and craves lots of love and attention from you.

Your baby is also learning that his behaviors, both the ones you like and the ones you don’t, engage you, so starting now (and for years to come) he’ll do just about anything to get your attention. Right now almost everything he does is endearing, but as he gets older, he’s more likely to get into mischief to provoke a reaction from you. Just don’t forget to give him positive feedback when he’s being good. It’s a great way to start teaching right from wrong.

One thing will become clear: Your baby is beginning to expand his attention-getting repertoire to include more than crying. You may notice him wriggling, making noises, blowing “raspberries,” and so on. Over the next three months, he’ll develop a uniquely personal way of letting you know what he thinks, wants, and needs.

Dressed for success

As your baby starts becoming more active, he’ll appreciate wearing comfy clothes. Opt for soft fabrics that won’t chafe him as he’s moving around. Loose, stretchy, and breathable clothing is also smart as it provides your energetic little one plenty of wiggle room.

Avoid clothes with rough or scratchy seams; long ties, buttons, or bows (could be a choking hazard); and anything else that gets in the way of your baby’s sleeping, crawling, playing, or other regular activities.

- Condensed from BabyCenter.com

For those who have missed my TV appearance via ABS-CBN’s Wonder Mom last Sunday, here’s the video courtesy of Pinoy You Tube. Enjoy watching!

Last Sunday, I was featured on ABS-CBN’s Wonder Mom. It is a 30-minute TV show every weekend at 9:30 am (Philippine time). Hosted by Karen Davila, a known news anchor in the Philippines, the show presents interesting and valuable stories on the greatest people on earth — our Mom. Here’s what my my mom says about the show:

I watched your pilot episode last 05 July and I was so impressed. Finally, a “real” show for mothers by a mother.  The 30-minute episode is very informative, educational, and addictive especially for first-time moms like me. Actually, my husband also enjoyed the show & she even woke me up on Sunday just for me to catch up the part2 ep. I also commended the very rich visual of the show; I know it took a lot of creative juices/hardwork to come up with “scrapbooking theme”, but it was really unique and an eye-candy. Karen Davila is also perfect for the show. I’ve never seen her host an infotainment show before, and I think she did her best on this.
I admit I am a big fan already! We’ve never missed any single episodes since then. I hope you could feature someday on babies learning sports or other educational/entertaining activities for 0-year old baby.

Thanks for brightening my weekends and on helping me be a wonder mom for my Little Karl!

Btw, the little feature had Ms. Davila thanking my mom for the nice review and showing one of my cute pictures taken from this site. She also mentioned how great my mom is for putting this website. Once again, congratulations to Wonder Mom and all the best!

Meet my friend, Jerry. He is a baby giraffe. A giraffe is an animal with a very long neck which makes them the tallest of all land-living animals. He is very playful and he even let me ride on his back for a little walk. It was a one-of-a-kind trip and I had a great time. I met few of his friends too which I will tell on my future post.

Meanwhile, enjoy our photo together!

Meet my new friend. He’s also a baby like me and he seems to love me too. His name is Geoffrey, a giant panda which can be found in China. He has a black-and-white coat. His fur is soft, hairy and very cuddly. Sadly, I learned that my poor buddy is now considered an endangered species. I hope I could do something to help him.

Dad and Mom said it is good for me to meet all sorts of animals because they’re fun to be with.  And sometimes, they can be a people’s best friend.

Mom had a little success introducing me to solids since she followed 10 Simple yet Effective Tips which assure yummy-licious feeding time. I hope it will also help your mom the way it help mine:

1.  When your baby reaches his fourth month, you can test whether he is ready for “new foods”. Do this by putting a teaspoon to baby’s lips. If he tends to close his lips or push the teaspoon away, then your baby is not ready yet. Never force him to eat.
2. Introduce the new food to your baby before breastfeeding or bottlefeeding him.
3. An ideal starter food is a single-food ingredient such as cereal mixed with breastmilk or follow-on formula
4. Offer only half a teaspoon of food at a time. Feed him less than the recommended amount, gradually increasing it until it reaches the amount suited to your baby’s need
5. The best way to make him try new food again is the day follwoing his first trial
6. Once the child has acquired a taste for the new food, give it to him fairly often and after breastfeeding or bottlefeeding
7. Introduce one new food at a time. Never start on two new foods at once
8. Give your baby water between feedings. Water helps regulate waste removal and other body functions
9. Offer variety in each meal
10. Express delight in feeding your baby. Do not show dislike for the food you are giving him

1. Ding-dong sound - Everyone who knew me knows that the easy way to make me smile is to say that magic word, “Ding-dong”, in your most unique ways. You can simply add it in any sentence, and it will be a sure hit to me (ex., Here’s your milk Little Karl, ding-dong!).
2. Incey-wincey spider song with action - Want to get my attention? Just sing Incey-Wincey along with hand action,and we’re instant playmates. Watch out and keep it a little slow though because I am imitating your moves.
3. Knorr commercial - I don’t know what’s with this jingle, but everytime I heard that “makulay ang buhay sa sinabawang kulay” I can’t keep my eyes off our TV. I guess because it’s so sing-able and dance-able.
4. Yummy Baby food - When it’s eating time, do not disturb me. Lolo and lola had a great time feeding me because I am very matakaw raw. My favorites so far are “rice cereal” and “mashed potato”. They are so yummy!
5. My walker - I am learning to walk now. And it’s really good to move from places to places. I love so much this thing that you can leave me there for hours without getting bored.

1. Smiled, giggled, and laughed a lot
2. Could bear weight on legs
3. Explored objects with mouth
4. Loved to suck my fingers, and sometimes tried the whole hand
5. Played with my hands and feet
6. Rolled over (usually stomach to back)
7. Started to sit with support
8. Babbled and amused myself with noises
9. Recognized a bottle or breast
10. Hold my bottle
11. Knew my name and looked back when being called
12. Loved baby biscuits so much
13. Loved to play peek-a-boo
14. Could sit with enough support
15. Had my first carabao ride
16. I became a Christian!

I am now five-month old. Just when thought last month was the greatest, I am so wrong. But then, I can surely say this month will be more exciting than the previous. Why not, when I can already interact with people around me, when people fondly call me by my name, when I learn the concept of “hug”, and when I smile and laugh so easily. Above all, this month is a playtime month for me. I hope you’re here to be my playing buddy!

Anyways, here’s what to expect for babies of my age:

Your baby now realizes where sounds come from, and he’ll turn quickly toward a new one. One of the easiest ways to engage him is to jingle a set of keys. Wind chimes are great attention-getters, too.

Your baby may now be able to recognize his own name and understand that you’re speaking to him when you say it. You may notice that your little one turns his head when you call him or talk about him with others.

If you want to engage and entertain your baby, all you need to do is talk to him. At this age, babies don’t learn language from the television or radio, so turn them off and use real dialogue instead. A growing range of emotions

Your baby can’t express his emotions in the same complex way that you can. Although he can let you know in clear ways when he’s angry, bored, or happy, his ability to show love and humor are just developing.

Your baby also shows a strong attachment to you by raising his arms when he wants to be picked up and by crying when you leave the room. He may also give you hugs and kisses.

And he’s beginning to get the joke — he’ll laugh at funny expressions and try to make you laugh, too. Keep the laughter flowing with your silly faces!

- Condensed from BabyCenter.com