A Baby Is Born With Several Reflexes

by: Tony Luck

A Baby's Reflexes..

A baby is born with certain reflexes to protect them during the first few weeks. These reflexes will disappear after a few weeks and be replaced with voluntary movement during baby's development.

Doctors will check these reflexes to ensure his central nervous system is working correctly.

Walking Reflex

If you hold baby in an upright position with his feet touching the floor, his legs will seem to be trying to walk. This reflex will last for about 3-4 weeks, and he won't actually walk until he is around 12 months.

Crawling Reflex

Place baby on his stomach and he will take up a crawling position with his bottom in the air and his legs bent. This lasts for about two months when he will then be able to lie flat.

Search Reflex

Touch baby's cheek with your finger or breast and he will turn towards the source and open his mouth in search of food. This reflex will last for about 12 weeks.

Grasp Reflex

Place your finger in the palm of baby's hand and he will grasp it. This involuntary movement will persist for about 3 months.

Sucking Reflex

Put your (clean) finger in baby's mouth and he will suck on it. This reflex ensures he will be able to feed.

Diving Reflex

If baby is placed in water - either during a water birth or in a swimming pool - his throat will close so that he does not swallow the water. This means that baby will not drown if born in water, and he will also be a natural swimmer. This reflex will last for about 2 months, or longer if you take him swimming.

Babinski's Reflex

Stroke the sole of baby's foot and his big toe will curl up and the other toes will spread out. This lasts for about two years.

About the Author:
Tony Luck who runs a site with advice for moms-to-be and new moms, including the fascinating chinese pregnancy calendar which is supposed to tell you whether the baby you are expecting will be a boy or girl, and a conception chart to tell you when baby is expected.

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150-Million Year Old Baby Bird Fossil/ W Hide Scraper!

by: Steve Montes

I was using my metal detector in the foothills of Tucson, Arizona. As luck would have it, I never find what I am Seeking. As the day started to come to an end. I was walking back to my truck with the metal detector resting on my shoulder.

I caught sight of an unusual looking rock laying on the ground. After picking up the rock I dusted the rock on my pant leg and noticed a fossilized baby bird just off center of the stone. I turned the stone over to reveal more of the bird’s body on the back of the stone.

After showing the bird off to some of my friends, I decided to take the stone to the University of Arizona. I wanted to learn more about what I had found.

My first stop at the U of A was at the American History Museum. I was told to take my stone to the Paleontology Department across the lawn in front of where I was. When I got there I saw a professor in his office. I asked him if I could talk to a Paleontologist. He asked why, so I handed him the stone and preceded to tell him how I had found the stone. His eyes got big with excitement as he examined the stone while we walking down the hallway to another office. Soon theirs were several professor and people looking at the stone in awe over my good fortune. As they talked, I listened.

The rock I found was secondary sedimentary solidified black limestone. Which is not indigenous to this area. I was told the rock could have come from Canada, Montana, Kansas, China, or even from South America.

The baby bird fossil was 150 million years old. This period in time is when birds evolved from reptiles. Another professor pointed out to me other inclusions that were in the stone like plant matter, twigs, and other foreign objects not identifiable to him. A professor stated that there was proof that this rock was found on the top of the ground the impact marks etched into the rock as the rain hit the front of the stone for thousands of years while it lay on top of the ground. The marks were small circular pockets about the size of a pencil eraser grouped together. It was also mentioned that there was once other bones near the chest of the bird that had fallen out over time but the imprint of the bones are still visible. They could not identify the species of bird, as there is nothing on record, to compare it to.

I was asked by one of the professors if I wouldn’t mind waiting for one more professor who was still in class to come see the stone. He stated that this professor was part of their group and they wanted his opinion of the stone.

As he approached, I handed him, the stone. He looked at it for a moment and stated that this stone was an artifact that had been carved by primitive man into a tool used to scrape the flesh away from the hide of game killed for food. It turned out that this mans background is in the field of Archeology. A silence fell on the people gathered we listened to information being given about this rare find.

The archeologist asked one of the professors if he could borrow his microscope to look at the stone more in depth. The group moved down the hall to a small office where we entered. As I stood by his side, he examined the stone and stated that there were glassy areas on the sharp edge around the stone that were not visible to the naked eye. He said that the tendons and ligaments had polished parts of the stone while being used. He also stated that the hide scraper was in mint condition and had hardly been used. He went on to say that most hide scrappers that we see today in museums are small ovals that are badly worn due to their use, and then discarded when they become too small and useless. He also said that he had never seen a slightly used hide scraper before.

He made mention that he wished he knew what group of people had carved the hide scraper. He thought that person who carved the stone might possibly be the first person to be recorded or documented as the first person to be a collector of fossils. He also said that these primitive people were farmers, artists, traders much like the people of today.

He also stated that the position of the bird and the way it was hand carved into a tool to portrayed the bird in such a manner that this item would be considered true fossil art.

After things started to wind down, I felt as several people like me, were in every sense of the word in awe over what this man had to share with us. One of the questions I asked was how much was this unique item I had found worth? The answer was that this artifact with a fossil inside of it had never been seen, documented or recorded anywhere in the world. So because there was nothing to compare it to, this item would be considered priceless.

As people were leaving, a young lady, still full of excitement, that if she was me, I should take a picture of the hide scraper and put it on the internet, and said that I should put a price of 20 million dollars, being that there is only one of these unique hide scrapers in the world. The chances of finding anything like it again are probably one in a trillion.

To date I am the only one in the world that has found anything like this ever. Owning this rare Jewel is overwhelming and too great for any one person to own, so I would like to share my enthusiasm with you and your friends.

If you need more information about this topic, please call me at area code: 520-749-1105 or e-mail smontes@scientist.com and ask for Steve at Montes Orthopedic 520-512-0228

About The Author

Steve Montes
I am a single man who loves to experiment and creat new products. I have been in my own business for 20 years helping people with there foot problems. I created the first true soft flexiable foot orthotic. I am a Silver and gold smith. I am one of only a few people that makes Tin Can Luminarias, with the same tourch I use for making jewelery I make fine intricate cuts into the can, and when you light the votive inside the can, every time the flame flickers it moves the patterns placed into the can all around to creat a romantic setting. I also created a night light made from a can of tuna. Which shines a large star on your wall when lite. smontes@scientist.com

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17 Ways to Determine if a Beanie Baby is Counterfeit

by: Barry Stein

You should always buy Ty Beanie Babies from reputable dealers or from sellers who you know how to contact. These dealers and sellers should also have many references and/or feedback from other people they have done business with.

Most counterfeit Beanie Babies are easy to spot if you know what to look for. If you don't know what to look for then you will probably have a hard time telling most counterfeit Beanie Babies from authentic Ty Beanie Babies.

Beanie Baby shows are a good place to check out expensive Beanie Babies. Try to handle them if you can. Get to know the feel of the fabric and their overall appearance.

Some counterfeits are excellent reproductions, but regardless of how good the counterfeits look, they usually have many mistakes. It is never just one mistake.

If you are buying expensive Beanie Babies, then you should educate yourself on the counterfeits or at least know where to find the information when you need it.

Here are two websites that have information on counterfeit Beanie Babies along with photographs of many of them:

About Beanies Counterfeit Information http://www.aboutbeanies.com/fakes/index.html

Ms. Janie's Beanies Counterfeit Page http://www.msjanie.com/fakes/fake_page.html

Your other option is to have the Beanie Baby authenticated which is inexpensive to do. You can get your Beanie Babies authenticated at these websites:

http://www.pbbags.com/

http://www.peggyg.com/

Most of the mistakes on the counterfeits can be found on the tags. Become familiar with the different generation hang tags and tush tags or know where to look to find this information.

You can find information and photographs of all the different generation hang tags Ty has produced here: http://www.aboutbeanies.com/tags.html

Below are 17 ways to determine if a Beanie Baby is counterfeit:

1. Many of the counterfeits have spelling errors on the tags, but keep in mind that so do some of the authentic Ty Beanie Babies. So you usually have to look for other mistakes beside just this.

2. Check the tag dates and the addresses to make sure they are correct. Many of the counterfeits have the wrong date on the tush tag.

3. Compare the tags of the suspect Beanie Baby with the tags of another Ty Beanie Baby that you know to be authentic.

4. Is the type on the tags too light or too dark? Is it the right typeface?

5. Compare the tags to an authentic Ty Beanie Baby's tags and determine if the tags are smaller or larger than the authentic tags.

6. Compare the stock color inside the hang tag to another hang tag. Is it too white? Authentic tags have an off-white color.

7. Are the color of the hang tags identical? Or does the red and yellow on the hang tag look muted or too light or too dark? The hang tag should be blue red and not orange red.

8. The yellow star on the hang tag should be a bright sunshine yellow, not a mustard color.

9. Some of the counterfeit Beanie Babies have a yellow star on their hang tag that have points that are too "pointy." The points of authentic hang tag stars are slightly rounded.

10. Check the gold edge on the hang tag. It should have a nice clean line and be a light bright gold color. It shouldn't be brassy.

11. Check the overall size and shape of the Beanie. Some of the counterfeit Ty teddy bears have ears that are either too small or too large or perhaps the legs or arms are too short or are shaped strangely.

12. Is the teddy bear's head too large or overstuffed?

13. Check the eyes to see if they are too close together or too big or too small.

14. Are the eyes a solid color? Some Beanie Baby eyes are a solid color and some are not. Humphrey the camel has solid black eyes but most of the counterfeit Humphrey have eyes that are two-tone.

15. Check the fabric and see if it is rough or if the color is too dark or too light.

16. Does the fabric nap look right? Is the fabric rough, stiff or the wrong color?

17. Most authentic Beanies have nice plush fabric that "flows" in all directions and doesn't get "wrinkly."

One place you should avoid buying expensive Beanie Babies that are not authenticated, is online auctions like eBay. Odds are that if you buy enough of these expensive Beanie Babies that are not authenticated, that you will eventually end up buying some that are counterfeit.

You have permission to use this article on your website or in your newsletter, but you must include the resource box along with an active link for the BarrysBeanies website URL address.

About The Author:
Barry Stein has been a Beanie Baby dealer since 1997. You can visit his website at http://BarrysBeanies.com/, where he sells Beanie Babies retail and wholesale.

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8 Simple Tips for Taking Great Baby Photos

by: Criss White

Taking pictures of your new baby is a great way to preserve life long memories.
Baby pictures can also make great postcards, keepsakes, or baby shower gifts.
Here are some simple tips to get great baby pictures:

1) Avoid bright light - Babies are especially sensitive to bright light including
harsh sunlight and flash photography. If possible, try to take photos during
the day when flash photography is not necessary. You can also use lamps to create
lighting.

2) Take pictures from different distances - Try to take pictures from different
distances. Most people like to take close-up pictures, but pictures that are
too close can be blurry and out of focus. By taking several pictures from different
distances, you can keep the ones that are the best.

3) Be aware of your baby's mood - Try not to start a photo session when your
baby is cranky or crying. If your baby is in a bad mood, then wait awhile until
he or she is better rested or calmed. You will get better pictures when your
baby is in good spirits.

4) Use a high quality camera and film - This tip may seem simple, but is worth
saying. Using high quality cameras and film can make a big difference in the
quality of the photo, especially if you are creating photo gifts or favors.

5) Get rid of any distractions - Make sure there are not too many distractions
when taking pictures. Anything that moves or makes noise, like the TV, should
be turned off is possible. Having too many people around can also be distracting
for the baby.

6) Take multiple shots - Taking different shots is a good idea for any type
of photography, particularly if you are making photo gifts. Sometimes it is
hard to tell if a shot will turn out good until it is actually produced, so
get those extra shots just in case.

7) Background - Make sure that there is not too much distracting stuff in the
background. The focus should be on the baby, so plain backgrounds usually work
best.

8) Other people - Try taking pictures of the baby with other people as well,
including you. A baby will interact with other people and these interactions
captured on film can make great keepsakes.

About the Author - Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and
new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites. For baby shower picture frames,
go to Baby Picture
Frames - Favors (http://www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/pictureframes.htm) and
Unique Baby Shower Favors
(http://www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/unique.htm). Note: If you find this article
useful, you may reprint it on your website, e-zine, or in your newsletter as
long as the credits above remain in tact and the hyperlinks stay active.

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4 Tips for Taking Great Baby Pictures - Even If You're No

by: Alexis Dawes

When my daughter Layla was born I had a hard time putting the camera down. And apparently I wasn't the only one. The cashier at the photo developing shop told me that new parents comprised a fairly sizable chunk of their business.

We can't help it! Babies are such beautiful creatures that you want to capture every new movement and every fleeting smile that comes along. (Even if that smile is attached to a smelly gas bubble!)

However the problem many parents have is that their lack of good photography skills can translate into pictures that are too dark, too bright, blurry, out of focus, uncentered, and so on. Perhaps this describes you.

If so, don't sweat it. These problems are easily fixable. An album full of mishaps can quickly be transformed by following these 4 tips...

1) When taking pictures of babies lying on their backs, stand directly over them and shoot straight down.

I used to take a solid color baby blanket and place it on the floor in a bright, sun filled room. When I was ready to take a picture I would put Layla on the blanket, and adjust it around her, making sure not to put her directly in the sunlight. Then I'd get on my knees right over her, aim straight down and snap away.

This technique will allow you to center the camera properly and you'll get some great close-up shots. The natural sunlight will often give you just enough light so your picture isn't too dark or too bright.

2) Capture a range of emotions.

Smiling babies are cute. But so are crying babies and pouting babies and messy babies and sleeping babies.

Be sure to take pictures of your little one in all phases of his or her emotion filled life. You'll be amazed at how truly beautiful they are in non-traditional picture taking situations.

3) Make bath time picture time.

While there are some babies who don't like water, most love it. They often become very expressive in the bath tub - laughing, cooing and splashing. So bath time often becomes a great opportunity to capture a few precious shots of your little one.

I've personally used the bathtub to document how Layla has changed over her 2+ years. Every couple of months I take a few close-up pictures of her in the bathtub. Then I take the best one and place it in a special section in the photo album.

It's truly amazing to see how her face changes so dramatically with each new picture.

4) If you use a disposable camera, choose a good one.

I purchased 3 dirt cheap disposable cameras before I had Layla. When we brought her home these were the ones we used for the first week of photo taking.

Boy was I disappointed! The pictures developed horribly. And as a new mommy with hormones still raging, you know how sad this made me. Those cuddly little moments can never be relived again.

I learned a good lesson though. You get what you pay for.

Now my disposable camera of choice is the Kodak Max HQ. It's one of the more pricey disposable cameras. However the quality is fantastic in comparison to other disposables I've used.

You can usually buy them inexpensively on eBay. Popular retailers like Target and Wal-Mart also run sales on them quite frequently.

Alexis Dawes is a real mom (not a professional photographer) who runs the Photograph-Your-Baby.com web site. Check out her free 20+ page tutorial that teaches parents how to take better pictures of their little one (http://www.Photograph-Your-Baby.com).

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