will he ever cease to amaze me?

I suppose not. In the end, Nathaniel's very existence is magical. So...on to a three and a half month old check-in. The boy can hold his head up...of course not all the time, and not for that long at that, but he's doing it. For awhile he really rebelled against the whole "tummy-time" idea. Everytime he was put on his belly, his immediate response would be to suck on his fist and start crying a few minutes later. I decided not to worry about it, figuring that he's in-arms most of his day, which necessitated some form of head/neck control and that eventually it would all come together. Well, lo and behold, it worked! Now, Nate just loves being put on his stomach and showing how strong he is and how he can lift himself up on his arms, look all around and even scooch forward a few inches with some well-timed kicks and hand pulls. Amazing!

A few weeks ago, I finished a book called "The Continuum Concept" and in it the author said some pretty interesting (and I thought great) things about parenting. One of the things that she said that I know I will have a very hard time with is that for a child growing up in a natural continuum, he or she should not be exhuberantly praised for doing things that come naturally and are expected of them at that age (ie, lifting up one's head at 3 months old). That this praise will lead them to believe it's something special, not something that they should do and that this may lead them to be overly dependent on praise and acklowledgement of natural and normal tasks. Thus, a child who is raised in this way ends up becoming less independent over the long haul than a child who is gently supported and guided but not cheered on for "normal" tasks.

Of course the book says this all a bit differently, I'm sure I'm skewing it way out of proportion. The truth is, I really liked the book and agreed with it alot. But of course, at 3 1/2 months, when my miraculous first born does something as monumental as lifting his head and scooching forward,I have to get up and cheer. I am a first time mom after all :)