It's Coming...
It's kind of like hearing thunder in the distance, low and rumbly. You know a storm is coming. You're not sure when it will descend upon your house, or how much damage it will inflict. But, it's a coming... and you know it.
We are waiting for MissM to start walking. It's imminent. Any day now, she is going to take a few steps, then toddle about unsteadily for a few days, then she'll get the hang of it, 'cause DANG she catches on quick, and then it's ALL OVER. Don't get me wrong, she's quite quick now. She mastered crawling in a very short amount of time. Granted, she waited until she was almost 8 months old to try it, but once she started, it was go-time!
But right now, I feel like we're still in the calm before the storm. I feel like I should be roaming the house looking for ways to baby-proof more things. But I've learned that careful and close observation of MissM will alert you quite readily to anything you've neglected to baby-proof. She can find an open outlet, an errant object on the floor that is not baby-friendly, or a crumb that the vaccuum missed in seconds flat. It's amazing. So, I just watch her, and grab things as she discovers them, or redirect her long enough to cover the outlet or hide the offending object.
She does understand the word "no". We use it frequently when she tries to crawl up on the fireplace hearth. She'll pull up to stand at the edge, then she'll turn around to see if she has an audience (which she always does). She'll play for awhile, then she'll start to sneak one knee up to climb up on the hearth. And we'll say, "noooo MissM, no climbing on the fireplace, you could hurt yourself." She pulls the knee back down. About 30 seconds later, she tries the other knee. Repeat admonition. She pulls the other knee back down. Half the time she just gives up and goes to play elsewhere, but the other half of the time, she goes ahead and crawls up on the hearth, at which point, one of us goes over and picks her up and puts her back on the floor facing the other direction. It's quite the little drama, and you think it would get old. But apparently babies LOVE repetition. So I've been told. Ha.
Honestly, I will miss it when she stops crawling. My little baby is almost a year, and she's getting so big! OK, I'm going to go watch her sleep for awhile before going to bed. Shut up. You other mothers have done it, too. I know you have.
We are waiting for MissM to start walking. It's imminent. Any day now, she is going to take a few steps, then toddle about unsteadily for a few days, then she'll get the hang of it, 'cause DANG she catches on quick, and then it's ALL OVER. Don't get me wrong, she's quite quick now. She mastered crawling in a very short amount of time. Granted, she waited until she was almost 8 months old to try it, but once she started, it was go-time!
But right now, I feel like we're still in the calm before the storm. I feel like I should be roaming the house looking for ways to baby-proof more things. But I've learned that careful and close observation of MissM will alert you quite readily to anything you've neglected to baby-proof. She can find an open outlet, an errant object on the floor that is not baby-friendly, or a crumb that the vaccuum missed in seconds flat. It's amazing. So, I just watch her, and grab things as she discovers them, or redirect her long enough to cover the outlet or hide the offending object.
She does understand the word "no". We use it frequently when she tries to crawl up on the fireplace hearth. She'll pull up to stand at the edge, then she'll turn around to see if she has an audience (which she always does). She'll play for awhile, then she'll start to sneak one knee up to climb up on the hearth. And we'll say, "noooo MissM, no climbing on the fireplace, you could hurt yourself." She pulls the knee back down. About 30 seconds later, she tries the other knee. Repeat admonition. She pulls the other knee back down. Half the time she just gives up and goes to play elsewhere, but the other half of the time, she goes ahead and crawls up on the hearth, at which point, one of us goes over and picks her up and puts her back on the floor facing the other direction. It's quite the little drama, and you think it would get old. But apparently babies LOVE repetition. So I've been told. Ha.
Honestly, I will miss it when she stops crawling. My little baby is almost a year, and she's getting so big! OK, I'm going to go watch her sleep for awhile before going to bed. Shut up. You other mothers have done it, too. I know you have.
posted by Tacey at
11:14 PM
3 Comments:
GUILTY! I do it!! We are on the verge of crawling in our house, we are up on all fours, rocking back and forth and then we will attempt this leap thing...I think Syd thinks she is a frog.... We did the "baby proofing" last weekend, and I am amazed at how much dog hair can attach to the face when she is scooting on the floor. It makes me feel like the worst mother in the world...look dirty white trash baby!!! I keep threatning Syd with tying her to a brick when she starts to crawl. Hey it builds upper body strenght!!!
By
TL, at 8/25/2005 8:46 AM
Now that I'm a seasoned mother (read: past both of these stages that you've both mentioned) I can say this: babyproof all you want.. they'll find things. I did the diligent thing and put plus in the outlets, cabinet locks and everything. Ellie found the things I didn't. The best baby proofing is a watchful eye. Let her learn "no" and let her know you mean it. Seriously... now that El is older, I have taken the zip ties off the cupboards and she doesn't even attempt to enter.
I agree with you both though... you wait with great anticipation for the next stage... scooting, crawling, walking, running, dancing, etc. Then when they're there, you wish you had it back to the way it was. Sigh.
I look at my baby girl (2 years and almost 8 months) every night as she's stretched out going to sleep in my arms and I think: where did the time go and what happened to the baby girl who I could fit easily into my two hands?
OK. Now I'm crying. Later.
By
Anonymous, at 8/26/2005 2:57 PM
You made me cry too Jen.
By
TL, at 8/30/2005 9:11 AM
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