The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block 2-Book Bundle pdfdrive com

The Surprising Truth: The Differences Between
Four-Day-Old and Four-Month-Old Babies
After the first month, I wanted some recognition that my
twin girls could distinguish me from the woman down the
block. When Audrey was two months old, she peed on me,
then suddenly smiled. I know it sounds crazy but I was
ecstatic!
Debra, mother of Audrey and Sophia

---

Debra, mother of Audrey and Sophia
When I teach prenatal classes I often ask the parents-to-be to describe
the differences between four-day-old and four-month-old babies. Those
without much baby experience usually answer that a four-month-old is
like a newborn, except bigger and more alert.
In fact, there are gigantic differences between these two ages. As
extraordinary as newborns are, their ability to interact with the world is
extremely limited. While a four-day-old can’t even coo or turn around to
see who’s speaking, a four-month-old’s delicious smile and glowing eyes
reach out like a personal invitation to join her on her amazing life
journey.
As noted earlier, baby horses depend on brawn for their survival, so
their developed bodies are as big as they can possibly be when they pop
out of their mothers’ wombs. By contrast, our babies’ survival depends
on their brains. For that reason, at birth, their heads are as big as they
could possibly be and not get stuck. Then amazingly, during the first
three months, a baby’s brain balloons an additional twenty percent in
size. Accompanying that growth is an explosive advance in her brain’s
speed, organization, and complexity. No wonder parents notice their
babies suddenly “wake up” as the fourth trimester draws to a close.
Our ancient relatives realized how immature their babies were at
birth. Over the centuries, they discovered that the most effective way of

---

caring for newborns during the early months of infancy was by imitating
their previous home—the uterus!