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When I was growing
up, I had plans like most people do. I expected
to get married one day and have kids of
my own. As I grew into young adulthood my
perspective began to change. I felt less
connected to family and my desire to have
children disappeared. I’d see my friend’s
kids and for the most part that short interaction
was plenty for me. And just try to get me
to hold a baby. Not a chance. Several years
ago I met a wonderful woman who already
had a child of her own. We fell madly in
love and got married a little over a year
later. I was thrust into the experience
of helping to raise a child. It turned out
to be quite an enlightening time, and as
he was already three years old when we met,
I didn’t have to deal with all the
‘joys’ of taking care of a baby.
My wife and I decided years ago that one
child was enough for our little family unit.
I can’t tell you the relief I felt
knowing a baby was something that was not
a part of our future.
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I was just fine to only hear about the trials
and tribulations of diapers, teething and middle
of the night bottle feeds. Of course, I did have
to put up with all my friends telling me how having
a baby would change my life. They claimed that
if I had a baby I would awaken feelings that I
never thought I would have. Being the sarcastic
kind of guy that I am, I generally told then their
theories were a lot of hooey.
Last year, we got some news that hit like a ton
of bricks. We were pregnant. I had extremely mixed
feelings at first. It was kind of a mix of excitement
and extreme dread. Me? A Father? A Baby??? As
the months passed, the dread started to disappear.
Every day I found my excitement and anticipation
growing as I watched my wife’s tummy growing.
I started looking forward to all the doctor’s
visits, and especially that first sonogram. Then
in August, the dread returned. But this time it
was because complications began to arise and there
was a fear that we would lose the baby. On August
21st, everything came to a head and the doctors
had no choice but to deliver the baby.
When Sarah was born, she was 2 lbs. 15 oz. and
was arguably the smallest baby I had ever seen.
It is now 5 months later and as I’m writing
this I can glance over at what is now a happy,
healthy 12 lb. little girl. And now she is also
arguably the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.
What does this have to so with this particular
DVD review you may ask? I thought it might give
you a little perspective into why I recommend
“The Baby Human” so strongly, as well
as who I recommend it to. First off, my friends
were not full of hooey. My life has changed and
I have feelings for this little girl that I never
thought I’d have. I want to know everything
about her, and I struggle to understand her needs.
Her ability to communicate these needs is still
rather limited, but I know if I could learn to
interpret all of her signals and body language
it would make me a better parent.
When I saw the ads for “The Baby Human”
I knew immediately that this was a DVD set I needed
to review. It turned out to be a three episode
program that was produced for the Discovery Health
Channel and it opened my eyes to the intricacies
of my baby’s world. It brought me down to
her level and allowed me to see things as she
might. From the struggles of turning over for
the first time to those first words, “The
Baby Human” offers a perspective that I
think every new parent needs to see.
This award winning series utilizes the knowledge
of years of research and is very detailed in the
information it shares. And what a revelation it
was when I learned that my little girl’s
seemingly random kicks were actually the signs
of thought patterns emerging that would one day
help her to walk. Watching all three episodes
was the same way, with revelation after revelation
opening doors for me to become a more integral
part of my baby’s development.
Each of the episodes focuses on the steps leading
up to the three biggest struggles. “To Walk”,
“To Think”, and “To Talk.”
The last one was of special interest to me because
I’m seeing these stages in Sarah. Over the
last few weeks she has become more and more vocal
and ‘talks’ to me. And more recently
it almost appears a though she is trying to mimic
my mouth’s movements. (My wife and I are
in a race to see if she’ll say ‘mama’
or ‘dada’ first.)
If you are a new parent, or even planning on being
one, I cannot recommend this series enough. Oh,
and that experience of having a baby? It’s
actually more than I expected it to be. There
are all of the diapers, the middle of the night
feedings, the crying jags and the upcoming teething.
But there are also smiles, burps, cooing and the
way she looks at me when I’m holding her.
It’s like she knows I’m here to take
care of her. Then there are the times she falls
asleep in my arms. And you know, it IS the greatest
experience I’ve ever had and I’m loving
every second of it.
Directed by: Eileen Thalenburg
Extras: Baby Trivia, Common Baby Names and Their
Meanings
Specifications: Widescreen
Studio: BFS Entertainment
Release Date: 2/10/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give The Baby Human an A.
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