Acknowledgments
ne thing that I've learned in the last year is that writing a book is a collaborative effort. It is an honor and a pleasure to thank the following people for all of their help.
First, thank you Jill Stern, for just about everything. Your creative contributions, expressions, and ideas have helped to make this book more than I ever could have made it alone. I would also like to thank your husband Dave and your two children Maddy and Caleb.
I am similarly indebted to Allison Dickens, the best editor a writer could wish for and one of the nicest people I know and to her editorial assistant, Ingrid Powell. Thank you both for all of your hard work.
Anthony Ziccardi, my good friend, you had the foresight to believe in me. If one person could take the credit for making this project a reality, it would have to be you. With all of my heart and soul, I thank you for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime.
Nancy Miller, my editor in chief, the Captain of my Ship, thank you, too, for believing in me.
Shona McCarthy, Alexandra Krijgsman, Benjamin Dreyer, and Lisa Feuer, the behind-the-scenes people, thank you for your tireless work on this project.
The credit for the fantastic cover of this book is owed solely to Derek Walls and Gene Mydlowski. Thank you both for a job well done.
To Jesseca Salky (publicity and marketing), thank you for helping to make Dookie & Dottie household names.
Thank you, Nora Korn, my dear friend whom I've known forever.
Besides these wonderful people who helped to make this book a reality, I am equally indebted to the people who exceeded all of my expectations in their work product. First on the list is Roger Carpenter. Thank you for designing my first video cover, which helped tremendously in getting the ball to roll.
Thank you, Tom Estey, the best publicist in the world, for all of your help.
Greg Williams and Steve Sherman, thank you for bringing Dookie and Dottie to life.
Tony Mora, thanks for all of the great illustrations and your animation.
There could, of course, be no book without a publisher. Words cannot express my gratitude to Random House and Ballantine Books for offering me the unique opportunity to share my ideas and experiences with the world.
Gina Centrello, thank you so much for the honor and privilege of working with you and Random House to publish this amazing book.
Finally, I would like to thank my husband Richard, who has been a tremendous help to me and a wonderful father to our two daughters, Samantha and Lara. I couldn't have written this book without you.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Getting to Know You:
Birth through Four Weeks
Chapter Three
Meet the Real Me:
Two through Three Months
Chapter Four
An Eager Participant:
Four through Six Months
Chapter Five
Get Up and Go:
Seven through Nine Months
Chapter Six
First Steps:
Ten through Twelve Months
Chapter Seven
The Great Communicator:
Thirteen through Eighteen Months
Chapter Eight
Me Do This:
Nineteen through Twenty-four Months
Chapter Nine
The Preschool Years:
Two Years and Beyond
Appendix
Introduction
ou may not know me, but we share the same thing: We are parents who want the best for our children. That's why I started my company, the Baby Prodigy Company, and why I am writing this book. I want the best for my children and I want to help other parents, grandparents, and caregivers give their children the best.
Before my daughter Samantha was born, my husband and I, like all new parents, went out of our way to try to make sure we were prepared for her arrival. We bought a new crib, had her room decorated, and purchased tons of newborn-baby clothes and a slew of toys. We thought we were totally ready, but nothing could have prepared us for what was to come.
When the day finally arrived for us to go home from the hospital, I excitedly took out the brand-new outfit my mother-in-law had bought especially for Samantha to wear home. We tried it on her, and to our surprise, it was way too big. I remember my husband running to the hospital gift shop searching for somethinganythingthat would fit our new daughter. In the end, we had to take her home in her hospital undershirt and wrapped up in two blankets.
I learned an important lesson that day, and I want to pass it on to you: Your baby doesn't need expensive outfits or fancy toys to be happy and stimulated. What she does need is something very ordinary: your love and attention. So save your energy and money and don't shop for what you think your baby needs.
In the chapters ahead, I share with you the practical techniques that will allow you to provide your baby with exactly what she needs to be smarter and happier. And by the way, when I packed my bag to go to the hospital and have my second daughter, I brought a simple cotton one-sie, size newborn, purchased at a local superstore. It fit like a charm, and for the first few months of her life, our second daughter, Lara, wore mostly those wonderful, practical onesies.
Upon arriving home with Samantha, my husband and I settled in to adjusting to being new parents. Unfortunately, both our families lived 3,000 miles away. In the first few weeks, before anyone came to visit us, we had no extra help, only each other. I have to admit: I was completely unprepared.
I hadn't read that much about what to expect in the first few months of a baby's life. I didn't realize how tired I would be, hadn't thought about what waking up three or four times a night to feed and change Samantha would do to my sleep cycle. After the first week at home, my husband and I were so tired we could barely keep our eyes open during the day.
Samantha was a fussy baby. She cried all the time, and all she wanted was to be held. Even if she fell asleep in my arms, the moment I tried to put her down in her bassinet, she opened her eyes and began to wail. She seemed to be so calm and relaxed when she was being held, so we cuddled her and passed her back and forth, taking turns holding her. But my efforts to keep Samantha from crying took their toll. I had no time for myself. My confidence was low, I was tired, and I was hardly enjoying being a parent. In fact, every time Samantha cried, I thought it was because I was doing something wrong.