2 month activities with Luke

Luke is much more alert these days.  His eyes are bright with wonder and he loves looking around at his world!  Luke spends about an hour to an hour and a half awake in between his feedings and naps.  During this time I try and 'play' with him as much as possible.  I spend Luke's nap time looking for fun things to do with him while he's awake.  Here are some of the activities Luke and I do together:

• I continue to talk, talk, talk to him about everything using names to identify people instead of pronouns.  And yes, I do talk in that high pitched sing song voice, labeled by some psychologists as 'parentese'.  John Medina, author of Brain Rules for Baby, says that 'parentese' is good for the brain because the language is slowed down, thus making it easier for the baby to understand.  It also makes the vowels more distinct and the exaggeration helps the baby hear words in distinct entities and discriminate between them.  The high pitch can help a baby imitate the characteristics of speech.  So...bring on the talking!
• He is getting more interested in books, so I read to him while he sits in the bouncy chair we borrowed from Miss Amelia.  He still loves The Very Busy Spider, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar...all by Eric Carle.  Maybe it's just because I like them so much that he gets to hear them so often.
• I sing to him often.  Some of my favorites are: He's got the whole world in his hands, Twinkle, Twinkle, and Five Little Monkeys (I make that story into a song, kind of).  Luke always smiles when I sing Five Little Monkeys.
• He gets time to lay inside his gym and play.  He loves to look at the little animals that are hanging from it; his favorite is the monkey.  He has grabbed the rings a few times and his face just lights up with wonder when he does this.
• I dangle items from a string for him to track and try and grab.  Some of the items I dangle include plastic measuring spoons and rings.  He will track these items, but isn't too interested in them just yet.
• I use different fabrics for him to touch and feel and explore.  My goal is to collect more so as he gets older he will have fabric swatches to use in his play.
• We practice rolling over on a blanket on the floor.  I roll him back and forth, while saying 'let's roooooooll over'.  I love it, but Luke isn't convinced, yet.

soft felt

watching the spoon

practicing rolling over

our basket of play things

Luke seems like he is getting so very big with each passing day and I am trying to live in the moment as much as possible and enjoy every smile, kick, and coo.

Sources:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_lets-play-weekly-activities-for-your-babys-first-year_1501475.bc#articlesection3

Medina, J. (2010). Brain rules for baby: how to raise a smart and happy child from zero to five. Seattle, WA: Pear Press.