Time for sitting, scooting, and babbling! Your baby's brain is off and running for sure now. Also her physical development should be coming along nicely…so you will notice a bit more independence…trying to scoot and crawl, sitting up by herself without assistance…that's big for a baby. That's like saying "hey, hey world here I am!"

How are you feeling? You could be on top of the world, or you could be willing a bit sad or maybe even depressed. It's important to really pay attention to how you are feeling and don't be ashamed if you feel depressed. So many folks wanna say, "well what do you have to be sad about you have a new baby" but remember your body might still be grieving…you could still be really stressed, not to mention maybe even having to consider going back to work…that's a hard one for many parents.

For the depression or sadness, talk to a friend, especially your spouse if you are married. You might even seek out a life coach to help give you some direction. The key is to communicate and be open. Don't hold your feelings in.

Regarding childcare, that's a sticky issue. Try to be as sensitive as possible to what will be ideal for your baby and obviously fit within your budget. If you have a good relationship with your parents and one of them is not employed or is retired it would be ideal to recruit their assistance for childcare. Perhaps otherwise you can switch up your work schedule…a number of companies will now permit new parents to work from home. If you must do the daycare route try to choose one that is warm and inviting, doesn't mind you popping in, and has a very low staff to child ratio…don't be afraid to advocate your baby getting the best possible.

Hopefully you are neither sad or depressed and don't have to leave your baby just yet. At this stage you are gonna have start learning to follow your baby's lead a little bit more, trusting that development can come naturally and easily. Don't be discouraged if your baby isn't developing in some areas, they will come. All children develop a little differently. An excellent source of information is http://www.askdrsears.com William and Martha Sears are pioneers in sensitive baby raising, attachment parenting, and many other issues that new parents face.

I'll try to help the best I can, but oftentimes even us experts need to refer to an expert!

B.