As many of you know, I am into my 2nd Trimester now! 5 Months so far and 4 months more to go before we meet our baby boy. Very very excited!  I have been doing a ton of research on everything since I am a FTM on everything from Elimination Communication or the difference between a sleep sack and a swaddle! It is all very confusing and overwhelming but I am getting the hang of it. My cousin said there is so much new baby tech since he had his first kid 8 years ago, now that he is expecting his third. So as I grow and as the blog grows, I will be helping other FTM and FTD out there by using HEYDOYOU Bitty as a resource to explain a lot of the research I have found. I hope you find it useful!

Some of the most interesting things I found during my research is how much you can do for your baby prenatally. You don’t have to wait til the baby is of a certain age or actually be BORN before you implement these fun things below. On one hand, 9 months feels like forever but I must admit these 5 months have gone by pretty fast!

First things first.

Music is very important for your fetus, your baby and your toddler! As a mom, listen to a lot of music and singing is top of my priority list. This toy was invented by a 4 year old and his dad. Check it out: The Magical Musical Thingy-Majigger, a new toy that reintroduces traditional, hands-on sensory activities and creates an opportunity for children to be more imaginative and inventive during playtime.  Select how many pieces and color combinations you’d like to use, and connect them together. Then, twist and turn the creations into all sorts of Magical Musical Thingy-Majiggers. All the pieces can rotate 360 degrees, allowing your imagination to run free with countless shapes and designs! You can also experiment and play with the different shapes you create and the sounds produced!

Reading: So many people have told me to read aloud. Everything and anything so the baby knows my voice and learns language. Since the baby can hear now at 20 weeks old, I have been looking for things to read everywhere I go. Last night, I read Alan C Fox’s new book to baby. BENJI AND THE GIANT KITE, is all about Focuses On Perseverence, Dreams, and Letting Go. Good life lessons for the baby right?  This book tells the enchanting story of a young boy who learns that possessing something is not quite as meaningful as letting it go. Benji adores kites. All kinds of kites – big or small, plain or fancy, square or diamond- shaped. He loves flying them at the beach, watching them float high in the sky. One day Benji sees a giant orange kite at the toy store. He wants it more than anything else – ever. But his mom explains that he’ll need to earn the money to buy the kite. So Benji buckles down and weeds the garden for the next two weeks – the vegetables in the morning and the flowers in the afternoon. It seems like he’ll never be done. Finally the special day arrives, and Benji’s mom hands him the giant orange kite of his dreams. At the beach, Benji lets his kite soar higher and higher with every gust of wind. He watches it rise above the people, the hotdog stand, and even the houses beyond. Soon the kite becomes a distant speck in the sky. Benji is thrilled. But when it’s time to pull the kite down and head back home, Benji can’t bear to do it. He wants to set the kite free to fulfill its destiny among the clouds. Benji lets the twine go and the kite disappears into the sunset sky. The kite may still be up there yet.