Weekend Photo - Annika 4 Months Old
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December 17th, 2006
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Annika - 4 Months Old
People always say that time flies, especially when you have children. Annika just turned four months old and it seems like we got back from the hospital the other day. Before we had children we were told that girls are more difficult than boys. Those people sure knew what they were talking about. Our daughter is indeed a picky, moody, high maintenance prima donna. I could sometimes call her a bitch but I guess that would be an inappropriate thing to say as a father. But at four months old she's already an incredibly complicated woman.
She's mostly happy and smiling during the day, especially while being held, but can be moody while trying to sleep. Thankfully she usually sleeps 8 hours in a row during the night. My daughter seems to be very impatient and intelligent. Must sound stupid to say about a little baby, especially since I don't care about it. She's been following people around with her eyes almost from the beginning and seem to be filled with an urgency to get things done. It looks like she wants to get this bullshit baby stage over with and start to read and learn stuff. Of course she can't tell me this but there is something about her that makes me believe she will be eager to learn.
She's also very strong. Her head was solid after a couple of weeks and she's almost able to sit up by herself. And she loves to stand up. I swear she will start walking in record time. She's so happy standing on those chubby legs and she's already able to easily support her weight.
The most remarkable thing is how she always want to see what's going on. She never wants to feel the warm chest of her father or mother (except while eating). She screams if she can't see what's going on. Always looking out in the Baby Björn, never towards the chest. And she hates to lay down in the carriage since she can see nothing but sky. We will seat her normally in the MBUJ this week and I'm sure she will love every minute.
It's ironic that I talk about how smart or strong she is since we're raising her in Sweden. We have zero obsession with percentage charts, constant tests, or fast development of our children. It's simply not what we're about. We believe every child is different and that development can vary wildly and still be normal. Doctors here NEVER mention chart percentages for your child. It's so refreshing, relaxed, and comforting. "Everything looks fine" means exactly that. Your child could still be at the 37% or 70% percentile. It's irrelevant and don't believe anyone that tells you differently (unless you go for high on the chart to the bottom in a week and your baby is miserable)
The same criteria applies to various milestones like crawling, walking or speaking. The range for a normal child here is very broad. We don't look at the expected monthly progress and get worried if we lag by two weeks, like many other countries. As long as a child walks before 18 months we don't worry. After that doctors might take a closer look at the situation. I know parents in other places who freak out if their child is not walking well at 13 months. But they clearly have not understood development in children at all. There are no two children who are the same, something that can be difficult to remember today when people seem obsessed with comparing their own children with others.
OK, she’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. It’s funny to see her in the same pose as Daniel (in your header). You can really see the similarities and differences between them.
She’s absolutely gorgeous - that’s a stunning photo.
The constant pressure to evaluate and compare children, in North American society at least, is hard to escape. It was, in WonderBaby’s early months, the first thing that I was asked by strangers - is she good? By which they meant - is she a crier? does she sleep through the night? Is she fussy? Etc., etc. Now that she is walking, the first thing that I am asked is, how long has she been walking?
All that matters - ALL that matters - is that they are healthy, that they are well. So sad that it is difficult to get this point across.
Holy sweet jebus — what a cute picture! (and kid!) And I’m so glad you brought up charts and graphs — man we hate those. If she’s healthy, we’re happy — elated. I don’t care much if she crawls late or looks a little chubby. I want to hear she’s fine — not compare her endlessly to others. Do you guys have a spare room over there?
She has got to be the cutest baby in the world!!!
Thank God she looks like her mother!
So beautiful! JT says he’s interested.
Annika is so beautiful! Erik would like to know if Annika would be free to be his prom date in 16 years! :o) hee hee. I need to tell Chhimi to take more pics of Erik like that! So cute!
Feb 6th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
[…] Posted on Tuesday 6 February 2007 The two hot Playboy models were smiling at my son who was sitting comfortably in the Baby Björn. He was smiling right back at the two girls and listening to their baby talk while we admired the beautiful Mexican golf course. My son was also staring. Daniel was staring intensely at the huge boobs in front of him. If he would have been a little older I might have had to reprimand him for being such a pervert but my 7-month old assumed he was looking at food. And there was lots of food.The models couldn't figure out the person who was standing in front of them. They had managed to find a father in Mexico who voluntarily walked around with his baby, talked passionately about something called parental leave, changed diapers like a pro, and believed fathers should be more involved in their children's life. What planet was this father from? There is a nice golf course a 20 minute walk from my wife's house in Mexico City and this is where I like to hang out with my son to get some peace and quiet. As I walked on the course with the stroller and my son in the Björn I almost fell over. Walking right past me was a stunning looking girl with huge boobs wearing very little. She smiled at me and Daniel. This was odd, she didn't look like the traditional golf player. I really like the scenery on golf courses, especially in a cement city like Mexico City. Everything looks so peaceful and relaxed. After walking around the almost empty course I stopped by the bar for a couple of beers. Turns out there was some international tournament going on and it had just started. Few players around but I immediately noticed the girls promoting the mineral water. It was one of the girls we had met earlier. Meeting new women with a cute baby in the Björn is not difficult. Especially in Mexico where fathers don't voluntarily hang out alone with their babies. We chatted for while I had a beer or two, gave Daniel a snack, and put him down for a nap in the stroller. The girls looked at me in a funny way and were obviously not used to seeing a father confidently handling a baby. The golf course was thankfully still empty so I had two gorgeous models to myself. Their job was to promote a particular brand of mineral water which they did really well. I was ready to buy loads of water plus some equity in the company. I gave a demo of how a Baby Björn worked and proudly told the girls it was my favorite child accessory. It was weird, I felt like I was demoing the hottest sports car on the market. Who knew baby products were so interesting for young girls without kids? The models were fascinated with me and my son. As he woke up I put on new clothes and laid him down on the fairway next to hole 7 for a change of diapers. This seemed very popular and the girls giggled. I thought to myself, what if life with a toddler always was like this? To constantly receive praise for being a regular father and doing basic everyday things. Wouldn't that be great? The hours passed but I just didn't want to leave. I was relaxing and playing with my son, there was beer, no traffic, and I was talking to stunning women. Life was good but it was time to take my son and get back to real life again. Before we left I promised my son to stop by the golf course again some other time. The odds of meeting the girls again is slim at best but I was willing to give it a try. As a favor to my son of course. In the middle of March we will once again head to Mexico for a month long vacation. The trip includes a couple of weeks at some gorgeous beaches, a few days at a nice hacienda, plus some time in Mexico city. My son is way to old for the Baby Björn but I'm bringing another secret weapon. Our daughter. Who I (very subjectively) think is cute and could help me flirt with some beautiful women on the Mexican golf courses. I need all the help I can get. […]
Feb 8th, 2007 at 9:26 am
[…] Before our second child we talked about a potential third child. Wife was against it but I was ready for more kids. That was alright with me although I have a secret wish for twins after a miscarriage with in 2002. I was sure my wife was even more against kids after pampering our high maintenance Prima Donna for the past 5 months but her position has now reversed. She's ready for more kids while I'm hesitant. What happened? These past five months have been demanding on us and I was sure just mentioning more kids would make her barf. […]
Aug 14th, 2007 at 10:43 am
[…] problem later on. Our first year with two kids has been tough at times, especially with our Prima Donna, but it's now time to reestablish our pre-Annika routine of having a babysitter once a […]