Something wonderful: The Moro reflex. I love this as it is such a cool piece of our evolutionary history. Primates evolved in the trees and it is a pretty recent change in our locomotory history that moved us out of 'em. Falling out of trees is the biggest cause of death for most primate babies. So, there is pretty intense selection for babies who instinctively do something to help mom grab them easily when they start to fall. Flailing your arms and legs straight out stiffly would seriously increase the odds that you could be caught as it provides lots of things to grab. M is so freaking cute when she does this. She gets this really serious look on her face too like, "are you going to catch me?!". I always hold her arms tightly, get really close and reassure her that I will always catch her and would never let her fall out of the tree...
Something sucky: I can't seem to wash that sour milk smell out of our clothes and blankets -- my regular laundering technique doesn't do it (cold water, dreft). So, everything smells like sour milk. Not my favorite scent, in fact I find it pretty yucky. Any advice?
Something sort of philosophical: When baby world gets crazy and you are getting really frustrated and approaching the edge or losing it, start laughing (even if you don't mean it). The hormones that come with laughing really help to dissipate the anxiety. I find that I end up sincerely laughing at myself and the crazy situation. (bonus: if dh thinks i am not freaking out it keeps him from freaking out, which can be really ugly)
Interesting thoughts on the Moro reflex-- what I've been thinking about is how, now that P is a little stronger, she clings to me when I hold her up against my chest. This also seems like a great instinct... except for the 5% of the time when she decides to fling herself straight backwards!! What's up with that maladaptive behavior? I also wonder what the evolutionary basis of the fencing reflex is. P ALWAYS did this for the first couple of months. I think it is to keep from getting squished or suffocated by a parent while asleep? What do you think? And P never did the step reflex, which was mildly alarming at the time.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about laundry-- I've been doing warm water with arm&hammer no fragrance/dye/etc. detergent, and soaking all my loads of about an hour before agitation kicks in.
I'll try the laughing! :)
That's so cool that you're observing M's reflexes...right now I'm reading "Inside of a Dog" and it's fascinating to learn about why dogs do what they do. Sorry about the yucky sour milk smell! :-(
ReplyDeleteLove,
Maddy
Funny thing about the Moro reflex ... it's driving ME nuts, because N does it in her sleep and wakes herself up. I worry that we will be swaddling her into the college years. *boggle*
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't use Dreft ... just All Free & Clear ... seems to work for us (even with cold water)!
I hate dreft - i just use tide free&clear and it seems to work fine. or maybe i'm walking around smelling like sour milk, and i just don't notice anymore. hard to tell. :)
ReplyDeleteand i love watching all the developmental stuff, the reflexes, the losing of reflexes, the little steps she makes. its the psychologist in me, i love to watch my child development class come to life! i can't wait to test her for object permanence, and conservation.