Remember when you started your baby journal? Right, I barely do either – it’s so easy to full behind on chronicling things when you are sleep-deprived plus over the moon about a new baby.

Today, I made a point to pull out the camera and capture moments; not with the still camera, but the video recorder. It’s one of the best ways to ensure you remember this fleeting period, even those simple moments like lying down and kicking those little legs and making those little gurgles.

Veronika was an easy subject of course, happily starring in the little video clips I took.

I recommend keeping these short (I have footage of Travis cooing at this age that goes on for five minutes, and even I get a bit bored!), but definitely hit “record” and you’ll play through the memories so happily years from now.

Other cute moments to consider – tho not posted here on the blog – are bath times, nursing, and those adorable little naps where Veronika grunts in her sleep.

Chances are you spend a lot of time talking to your baby in parentese, but it’s equally important for infants to absorb the sounds of adult language. One great way to do so? Read aloud to your baby in quiet moments, whether nursing or just sitting together in a calm place.

If you feel like you never have time to read the news or a book anymore as a new parent, this is the perfect excuse. The next time you want to do some adult reading, snuggle up and read out loud!

I did this with Travis without any prompting when he was an infant, reading my way through the entire novel Crossing to Safety in out quiet moments (much easier with a first child!). Today, I remembered to do so with Veronika.

We tested out a newspaper article first, but I find it more enjoyable to read from a magazine. Whatever you pick, I recommend something with lots of vocabulary. Simple and elegant prose seems perfect to me – slow, quiet articles and books, rather than those with lots of actions. Although that is only my preference!

Of course, read whatever pleases you – even the latest celebrity gossip would do. Baby won’t care; he or she will just love the sound of your voice. I kept catching her mouth quirking into a little smile, in fact.

Happy reading!

Let’s face it – parents can’t stop kissing their babies! Those adorable faces, those irresistibly chubby cheeks, those tiny hands and feet… And today we added in a little learning to the kisses!

Diaper time is a great moment for this activity, but any time will do, really. As you kiss each part of baby, say, “I love your feet/tummy/cheeks” etc.

Perfect places for kisses: hands, feet, foreheads, eyebrows, ears, noses. And really anywhere! This foot is about to get a kiss of course.

You can also bring stuffed animals into the game. “Giraffe loves your cheeks, Veronika.”

Babies really absorb language when it’s combined with actions in this way – plus they get to feel you’re affection! So get smooching.

Today, it was time for a trip down memory lane – all the way back to one month ago!

Okay, one month wasn’t so long ago, but they don’t call this infant period the “longest shortest time” for nothing. So much happens so quickly for newborns, changing almost daily. And yet the long hours, middle of the night feedings, and sleepless nights can feel endless.

So today, we took a pause to look back on photos. First, I took in Veronika’s old ultrasounds. Hard to imagine that only 10 months ago, she was the size of an apple seed!

Then we took in more recent ultrasounds, when she more closely resembled a human than a part of a fruit. You can also go back and look at photos from soon after birth, remembering that beautiful moment. She’s so new she’s still covered in vernix here!

Travis loved seeing these pictures, and we took time to show them to Veronika too

In addition to reminding us how far we’ve come as a family already, looking at pictures this way will release the feel-good hormone oxytocin – as if you need another excuse to gaze at cute baby pics!.

So take a moment today as a family to look back, and enjoy, and feel your bond deepen.

Veronika is graduating… from baby stretching to baby aerobics, that is! We changed up the exercises a little bit today. By now she’s not so curled up in a ball like a scrunchy newborn, and it’s time to show her other ways her limbs can move.

First, simply hold the hands gently and lift the arms up and down. Cup the feet and do the same with the legs.

While holding the feet up, you can also move the legs apart and then back in together, then lower back to the floor. Veronika seemed surprised by this motion, but also seemed to enjoy it!

Next, lift the hands, and make little circles with the arms. Repeat with the legs, holding the feet gently. As we circled the limbs, I sang Baa Baa Black Sheep to help keep her calm and soothed.

Finally, I pedaled her legs like a bicycle game – I can’t help singing Queen’s Bicycle Race whenever I do this one!

This last is especially good for when Veronika has gas. I also lifted her legs just until her bottom was off the floor, and pushed her knees into the chest, a great way to relieve that troublesome infant gas. Do this just a few times, and you’ll be rewarded by a big baby smile.

The counterpart to tactile stimulation is visual stimulation, and today we took ample time to appreciate Veronika’s playgym!

If you don’t have a mat like this for baby, I highly recommend one. Tactile, visual, a soft resting place when you need to get chores done, a spot for tummy time… What doesn’t a playgym do?

Ours is safari-themed, and still perfect four years after Travis used it. As babies can now see more than just black and white (think bright colors like red, green, and blue) the toys help stimulate the vision.

Each of the safari animals that hang on ours has a different purpose. Rhino plays a little ditty when squeezed.

Giraffe is crinkly, and crocodile rings like a bell.

The turtle doubles as a mirror for baby to see their face.

You can also add other toys inside, but I recommend keeping it simple, so as not to overwhelm baby. Veronika adores lying in hers.

What playgym do you like best? Please share in the comments!