Saturday, July 10, 2004
Come on, baby, do the locomotion....
When people ask how old Boo is and I tell them that he's almost 9 months, they invariably ask if he's crawling. My standard response has been to say with a laugh, "No, and I'm not giving him the chance to learn because my life gets a lot harder once he's mobile." I say this in jest, of course, but I know that what makes something funny is the kernel of truth that lies within it.
What a difference it makes to be the second child! With Max, Lee and I did everything we could to help him get moving. Like professional coaches, we encouraged, practiced, instructed and cheered. Inspired by Montessori methods, I installed a mirror at ground level in his room so that Max could watch himself experiment with crawling. I'm unable now to remember when Max first crawled, and there's so much variation among children that it's not even a developmental milestone that pediatricians track. As I write this, I'm aware of the hubris of thinking that our efforts could have accelerated Max's normal progression. But back then, you probably couldn't have convinced me otherwise.
In contrast, more for my own convenience than for his containment, Reed has spent much of the last three months in the play saucer, bouncy seat, stroller or clothes basket. (Thanks go to my friend, Dorothy, for this last suggestion, which enables me to easily carry the baby from room to room, together with a few toys that stay within his reach.) But I'm aware that subconsciously, I may have wanted to keep him stationary for as long as possible.
Nevertheless, Boo is now mobile, and he appears to be tackling locomotion with his own unique style. He can propel himself in three distinct ways: spinning in circles like a well-trained reining horse, pushing himself backwards (sometimes winding up underneath the furniture) and "scooting."
I didn't actually notice that Boo could scoot; I deduced it. Boo can sit and entertain himself now for long periods of time, with ramrod straight posture that a dancer would envy. One day I noticed that he was still sitting up, but several feet away from where I'd deposited him. What was notable about this was that Boo can't yet get himself into a sitting position from a prone one, so I knew that he didn't "drop and roll" and then reposition himself vertically.
I hypothesized that he must have scooted on his seat until he'd reached his destination, and then to test my theory, I watched. His movement is so gradual that it's almost imperceptible, but sure enough, he inches forward on his bottom, maintaining his elegant posture all the while. Today a tiny scoot, soon a small step, and perhaps one day, a giant leap....
What a difference it makes to be the second child! With Max, Lee and I did everything we could to help him get moving. Like professional coaches, we encouraged, practiced, instructed and cheered. Inspired by Montessori methods, I installed a mirror at ground level in his room so that Max could watch himself experiment with crawling. I'm unable now to remember when Max first crawled, and there's so much variation among children that it's not even a developmental milestone that pediatricians track. As I write this, I'm aware of the hubris of thinking that our efforts could have accelerated Max's normal progression. But back then, you probably couldn't have convinced me otherwise.
In contrast, more for my own convenience than for his containment, Reed has spent much of the last three months in the play saucer, bouncy seat, stroller or clothes basket. (Thanks go to my friend, Dorothy, for this last suggestion, which enables me to easily carry the baby from room to room, together with a few toys that stay within his reach.) But I'm aware that subconsciously, I may have wanted to keep him stationary for as long as possible.
Nevertheless, Boo is now mobile, and he appears to be tackling locomotion with his own unique style. He can propel himself in three distinct ways: spinning in circles like a well-trained reining horse, pushing himself backwards (sometimes winding up underneath the furniture) and "scooting."
I didn't actually notice that Boo could scoot; I deduced it. Boo can sit and entertain himself now for long periods of time, with ramrod straight posture that a dancer would envy. One day I noticed that he was still sitting up, but several feet away from where I'd deposited him. What was notable about this was that Boo can't yet get himself into a sitting position from a prone one, so I knew that he didn't "drop and roll" and then reposition himself vertically.
I hypothesized that he must have scooted on his seat until he'd reached his destination, and then to test my theory, I watched. His movement is so gradual that it's almost imperceptible, but sure enough, he inches forward on his bottom, maintaining his elegant posture all the while. Today a tiny scoot, soon a small step, and perhaps one day, a giant leap....
1 Comments:
My thought on reading this is that he's doing the "Boot Scoot Boogy"... with a different meaning (I think) of "boot" than in the song. I can't wait to see him. And I'll bet our cats will be fascinated by him.
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