Massage is a fantastic way to bond with your newborn, and also helps him or her in tangible ways – you’ll stretch out little legs and arms that are used to being curled up, alleviate any dry skin conditions with the oil, and provide warmth and comfort.

This morning, I placed Veronika on a soft blanket on the floor between my legs, wearing only a diaper. Be sure to use an edible vegetable oil, or a specifically formulated baby oil for this purpose.

Starting at the shoulders, rub down the arms and out to the fingers.

Repeat on the legs, rubbing from the hips down to the toes.

You can also gently massage baby’s belly, and turn her over and rub the back.

It’s fun to sing, too, to the tune of a familiar nursery rhyme. As I rubbed her feet for example, I sang, “We’re rubbing Veronika’s feet, we’re rubbing Veronika’s feet, hi ho the derio, we’re rubbing Veronika’s feet.”

You probably spend lots of time staring at your newborn’s face and making little expressions – wide open mouths, silly faces, sticking your tongue out. Adults tend to get silly around babies! But this little activity is almost the reverse of that, and is such a wonderful way to see your baby.

I simply held Veronika on my lap, her head cushioned in my hands, and looked at her gaze, trying to copy what she did with her eyes.

You can make wide eyes when your child’s eyes are wide, or blink when they blink.

Copying expressions is such an important first step toward reading facial cues and teaching emotional intelligence, and you’ll have an adorable time with this one.

As with the Light and Shade game, we love finding new ways to entertain Veronika (and strengthen her eyesight!) in these early days. Big brother Travis particularly enjoyed this version.

We re-purposed an old craft – dancing ribbon wands – for this cute activity, but if you don’t have these already-made, simply tie a few pretty ribbons onto wooden dowels securely. The greater variety of ribbon the better!

Dangle the ribbons where you infant can gaze at them.

It was fun to let her feel the ribbons briefly against her fingertips, too.

Have fun changing the way you move the ribbons: jerky up and down motions first, and then a gentle swing.

Of course, never leave your newborn alone with the ribbons – this is definitely a hands-on game!

I continue to find new things for Veronika to look at in her quiet, alert moments, and a great idea is to place your infant near a window. The play of light and shade will be fascinating.

This works best if you find a window in direct sun. So while the first one was ideal for lying her down, it was unfortunately in shadow at the time.

I held her instead near a window getting direct morning light, and her eyes, well, let up! Look at the picture at the top of this post for the way she smiled!

She seemed to feel wonder at the slats of light across mommy’s skin.

Windows near trees are a great option, too, since the light will change every time the leaves move in the breeze. I remember doing this same activity outside with Travis, lying directly under a tree, which is a great alternative if you are some place warm.

Newborns come out all curled up (hence the reason I call my kids “little squish” at this age!), and one great activity is to help them stretch out their limbs. I recommend waiting until the umbilical stump falls off before doing these moves. Veronika’s came off last night, so this morning, we took a quiet moment to stretch.

I laid her down on a soft blanket, and went through a short routine. First, open the arms wide, then cross in front of the chest.

Next, raise each arm up overhead. Stretch!

Then touch the left hand to the right foot before stretching back out; repeat on the other side.

Finally, cross the ankles and bend the legs up toward the tummy and back out again. You can also do little bicycle circles with the legs.

As we stretched, I sang little songs. Putting on soothing music, like Mozart, would be nice, too. We loved this so much that I plan to do it every morning when we can carve out a moment.

Babies eyes develop much later than their sense of smell (which is finely attuned already in utero!). At birth, they can only focus about 8 to 10 inches away, and are best at seeing sharp contrasts. That’s why babies love black and white.

Veronika goes nuts when I position her in front of a black and white image. She’ll stare transfixed for a good fifteen minutes, an eternity in infant-time.

You can show a graphic image from a book.

Or check your local library for board books deliberately written for this purpose. I highly recommend Black on White and White on Black, both by Tana Hoban. She also makes a fold-out version that’s perfect for tummy time.

Or placed around the bassinet. Either way, let your little one get looking!