My daughter, Morgan, was 8 months old when she started saying her first word: ‘dada.’ My husband may have “won,” but seeing how happy it made him and knowing how proud we were eased the pain of losing. After all, ‘dada’ is much easier to pronounce than ‘mama.’

As much as my husband loved hearing his child say ‘dada,’ he knew she called everything ‘dada.’ It was all she could say, which made it a bit less meaningful. Even still, he didn’t waste a second bragging about our baby’s first word.

I was feeling a bit down, but hopeful, when a mere week later, she looked up at me during a diaper change and said ‘mama.’ The excitement of hearing those two syllables took over my body, and tears began to flow while my smile continued to widen.

I could tell it was more difficult for her to say, but she continued with her new word. It took curling both lips over her toothless gums to pronounce it correctly. She would drag out the second ‘ma’ to pronounce as “mamaaa-aaa,” in almost a whining/singing tone. But it was the most beautiful sound I ever heard.

After that day, it took weeks to hear ‘mama’ again, while ‘dada’ was bountiful. Yet in the rare occurrences that ‘mama’ was spoken, it was only while I was around and was directed at me. On the other hand, ‘dada’ referred to books, food, bath time: just name it.

At 13 months, Morgan’s personal dictionary has been filled with a few more first words, including hi, yes, yuck, and up. And with each new word, I always feel a sense of pride in knowing her language is developing, and she’s reaching this important baby milestone. However, I will always remember her identifying me as that ‘mama’ she’s been hearing about, and saying my name in the most loving way possible.

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

My daughter Paloma’s first hours on earth were obviously filled with a lot of baby milestones. First breath, first cry, first feeding.

But I never anticipated that her first hand-grasp would come less than an hour after she was born.

Yet, when the nurse went to listen to her heartbeat, Paloma reached out and grabbed onto the stethoscope with her baby hand, refusing to let go. The nurse was surprised not only at our new baby’s hand-eye coordination, but at the strength of Paloma’s grasp. Turns out, her first baby milestones were coming fast and swift!

The nurse went on to tell us that Paloma’s firm grip -- one of the first steps in her long list of growing baby developments -- was a sign of her intelligence. Looking back, I’m guessing she probably says that about every newborn, but at that moment, my husband and I absolutely believed her. Whatever nice thing someone says about your baby right after she’s born, you are 100 percent the proud parent.

But for me, that hand-grasp was more than just a baby milestone; it’s a moment I remember, because it really showed Paloma’s personality -- a personality that, as a mother, I had already experienced. Even in utero, I felt that she was a really feisty baby. She was very stubborn and very aware of what she wanted. Her strong baby hand grabbing the stethoscope was the perfect illustration of that: Paloma was not just going to lie there helplessly while someone put a cold, metal stethoscope on her chest. She stopped it. Even though she was brand new to this world, I remember thinking “of course Paloma would do that.” I had this experience of knowing her before I ever met her, which was so special, and meant more to me than anything that had to do with baby development.

In theory, I suppose it could have just been a reflex or a fluke. But I don’t think that was the case. Paloma continued to demonstrate her strong grasp -- and oh so many more baby milestones -- from day one. Once my husband and I saw her grab the stethoscope, we’d hold out our fingers for her baby hand to squeeze. It’s not quite holding hands, but it was a wonderful way for us to bond with our baby right from the start.

Photo by Aditya Romansa on Unsplash

How long should a baby sleep in mommy and daddy’s room after coming home from the hospital? There really is no set answer, because it’s a personal preference based on  your baby’s development and what works for each family. For our family, my daughter slept in our room for three weeks until we decided it was time to put her beautiful new crib to use in her own baby room.

We knew we were ready for this big baby milestone; we were ready to stop tiptoeing around our new baby, and to stop being afraid of waking our daughter when we turn in. While we knew it was the right decision for us, I began to miss her and worry about her incessantly, even though  the baby room was just a few feet away).

To help ease the worry that came with this transition, we put together an away-from-baby survival kit. The kit included:

·         Video monitor with audio Many moms find an audio monitor adequate, but there is something reassuring about seeing your baby in the crib while she is peacefully asleep.

·         Sleep sack This helped to keep her warm and ensure her safety in the crib. Our little one never enjoyed being swaddled, as she preferred her arms to be free.

·         Comfortable glider Since I couldn’t just grab my baby next to me and bring her into bed for nighttime feedings, we invested in a glider where I could comfortably sit in her room while feeding her. It was enjoyable for me, and I was able to rock her back to sleep.

I remember the first time we achieved this baby milestone. We put her to bed in her crib, which made her look even tinier, and immediately turned on the monitor. There sat my husband and I, for what seemed like an eternity, staring at our little one laying in her crib. I knew we had done everything right to ensure her safety, but as a new mom, I couldn’t help but worry.

I found myself looking forward to hearing her “I’m hungry!” cries, knowing I could spend that time with her. I also found myself sneaking into the baby room, holding my ear up to her face in the dark, listening to her breathing.

Our first night was a success, and with each night in her room, I became less and less worried. My husband and I were able to get back some semblance of normalcy and reconnect on our positive feelings about being new parents.

Photo by Ádám Szabó on Unsplash

When my daughter, Morgan, turned 7 days old, I noticed that we’ve reached a big baby development milestone-- her umbilical cord stump fell off. Until then, we gave her washcloth baths to avoid getting that area wet.

Under the instruction of her doctor, we knew once her cord fell off that it was safe to give her a tub bath, so I started preparing my baby bath time toolkit. It included:

• Towel with hoodie to keep her cozy and cute from head to toe
   
• Gentle baby shampoo and wash for that irresistible clean baby smell
   
• Washcloth to get inside her fingers, behind the ears, under the neck and in her many folds
   
• Diaper for immediate coverage, as “accidents” were a regular occurrence

When the time finally arrived, we took off her diaper and laid her in her baby bath seat, where she could be comfortable and supported. Although we knew she was ready for this baby development milestone, there was still a lot to do to keep her safe. To prevent her from becoming cold, we placed a warm washcloth on her belly. I quickly -- but gently -- washed her head to toe while my husband documented the experience. It was certainly a sprint, as I was terrified of her uncontrollable bowels.

Of course we made sure there was still enough time for belly kisses and bath time tunes.

For a baby who was solely capable of lying like a blob all day, I was surprised at the level of grime she had accumulated. This came at the perfect time, since our little one was in desperate need of a bath!

Surprisingly, Morgan loved the water from the minute we put her on her baby bath seat. She seemed to enjoy the gentle massage of the washcloth, and I enjoyed staring in awe at this perfect little person we had welcomed into our lives a week ago.

Once the cleaning mission was accomplished, my husband held his arms with the towel while I lifted Morgan out of the tub. Little did I realize how slippery a wet and wiggly newborn is. Her body felt as though she was given a butter bath, but all 7 pounds of her couldn’t escape my loving hold.

As we wrapped her up and dried her off, I knew we had rocked this baby development milestone, and that our bath time future would involve playful giggles, water kicks, and rubber toys. But for now, belly kisses would do just fine.

Photo by Henley Design Studio on Unsplash

The first year is filled with so many baby development "firsts" -- rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, and talking, to name a few. And then there are the other baby milestones parents treasure -- first tooth, first haircut, maybe even a first trip in an airplane. I tried to stash all of these memories in my mind when my twin sons were infants.

However, I find that the older my boys get, the harder it is to recall some of these important baby milestones. That’s why I’m thankful the twins’ grandmother made a baby photography collage that highlights their month-by-month baby development during their first year. Here are some other great ways to document a new baby’s first year.       

First year calendars: These calendars typically come with special stickers to help you keep track of baby milestones like crawling and walking, as well as your new baby’s first tooth and haircut.

Baby books: Keepsake journals have been around since you and I were infants. But now, you can use online photography sites to create personalized books specific to the events in your little one’s life, like the first trip to the zoo. If you are really crafty, scrapbooking is a beautiful way to preserve baby milestones, too.

Shadow boxes: You can always tape a lock of your little love’s hair into his baby book, but if you’re looking for something a little different, try a shadow box, an enclosed glass-front case that shows off mementos, while keeping them safe. Include the lock of hair, pictures taken during the first haircut, and before and after photos in the 3-D display. Shadow boxes are also a great way to display your new baby’s first photo, his hospital identification band, and the outfit he wore home from the hospital.

Handprint and footprint mementos: Many parents make impressions of their newborn's hands and feet with ink, paint, or plaster. Visit a local do-it-yourself pottery store to capture your little one's prints on plates, mugs, and more. Carry this tradition forward by making the same impressions at around 6 months (or when your new baby starts to crawl) and at around 1 year (when she starts to walk). You can display these keepsakes together to show how much your baby grew during her first year.

Pictures and videos: Smartphones -- with their camera and video capabilities -- have made it so much easier to capture the moments when your new baby reaches a milestone. But if your phone is lost, stolen, or damaged, those moments can be gone in an instant. Make sure you back up photos and videos to your computer at least once a month or use an online photography service.

When you are busy with diaper changes and feedings, it can be hard to find the energy and time to get creative and find ways to document baby milestones. But I promise you won’t regret preserving these precious moments before they become fuzzy memories!

Photo by Troy T on Unsplash