Philosophical Monday: The Best Laid Plans Ignored
So you know how a lot of parents want their kids to hit all of the milestones early in order to prove that they’re special, to set them ahead of the competitive pack ahead of time? Well, I might have been one of those parents, but then Betty started sitting up. And I realized that every developmental milestone for her was a lot more work for me, which means that if she starts hitting developmental milestones early, then I have to do a lot more work earlier than planned.
I’m not a huge fan of work outside of you know… my actual work. So after three weeks of running down Betty every time she tried to crawl outside, or avail herself of Tulip’s (our dog’s) water, or get into the dog bed with Tulip, a certain chill hit my heart, when she figured out how to stand on wobbly legs.
Yes, I much prefer Betty’s current adventurous personality to the mercurial lump she was as a newborn, but I have to admit that it was nice to be able to put her down or wrap her up in a sling, and know that she’d stay there as I went about my business. Now I have to keep one eye on my computer and one eye on Betty, who will often fake innocent play before breaking into a fast crawl in an attempt to hug Tulip before one of us catch her.
So I started hoping that she’d wait until she was 18 months until she started walking. But then she not only stood up, but also creeping around the coffee table and from person to person on our sectional couch. Mind you, she’s not going out of her way to hug any of us. Just Tulip.
“Please don’t start walking yet,” I tell her, because I’m not ready.
“She’ll probably be walking within two weeks — a month tops,” my MIL informs me in her direct Elaine-Stritchian way.
Sigh. It’s looking like I won’t even get a full year before she starts walking. But I’m not worried, because I’m sure she’ll listen to me about all other subjects. Right?
Right?
mwahaha. go betty.
mwahaha. go betty.
She is too cute in that pic! And I, too, live in fear of the day Annabelle learns to propel herself forward. She's figured out the roll over, so the soldier crawl is in our very near future.
I'm thinking about investing in a playpen — two gates put together that will create a baby safe area where she can move all she wants and get into minimal mischief. Especially since my husband is trying to work from home and care for the little one.
Betty skipped the soldier crawl, thank goodness!Bored? Check out http://www.fierceandnerdy.com
She is too cute in that pic! And I, too, live in fear of the day Annabelle learns to propel herself forward. She's figured out the roll over, so the soldier crawl is in our very near future.
I'm thinking about investing in a playpen — two gates put together that will create a baby safe area where she can move all she wants and get into minimal mischief. Especially since my husband is trying to work from home and care for the little one.
Betty skipped the soldier crawl, thank goodness!
Bored? Check out http://www.fierceandnerdy.com
Connor is exactly one month older than Betty (born May 22) and he just started walking this week. He can still only take 2 or 3 frantic steps before he plops down on the floor, but he's gaining balance and confidence rapidly. I feel like it's only a few weeks before I'll have a new jogging partner.
I think that all the extra work you mentioned comes as a result of all the extra potential danger that accompanies each milestone. I can't beleive how many times this kid hits his head! And his favorite pass time is now clearing the bottom two shelves of every book shelf he encounters. The other day he pulled down a copy of The Yale Shakespeare that almost flattened him. I find something new to baby proof every day.
The upshot is that he really is so much fun even if he is simultaneously exhausting. We literally chase each other around the house when I get home from work. My biggest complaint about my increasingly mobile kid however is that it becomes more and more difficult to take a photo of him that is not a complete blur.
Ben, Sekou was dropping books (almost on his head) too! We ended up having to get these boxes from Ikea that fit inside each of our bookshelves and packed everything on the bottom three selves up. It looks okay and we are hoping that it will keep him from putting a dent in his head with one of my husband's Harry Potter books.
Luckily we only had decorative books on our bottom shelf, thanks to lessons learned from Sekou. But today she managed to bust her lip, when she lost her balance and accidentally bit it, so I'm learning that injury is inevitable no matter how much your childproof.
Connor is exactly one month older than Betty (born May 22) and he just started walking this week. He can still only take 2 or 3 frantic steps before he plops down on the floor, but he's gaining balance and confidence rapidly. I feel like it's only a few weeks before I'll have a new jogging partner.
I think that all the extra work you mentioned comes as a result of all the extra potential danger that accompanies each milestone. I can't beleive how many times this kid hits his head! And his favorite pass time is now clearing the bottom two shelves of every book shelf he encounters. The other day he pulled down a copy of The Yale Shakespeare that almost flattened him. I find something new to baby proof every day.
The upshot is that he really is so much fun even if he is simultaneously exhausting. We literally chase each other around the house when I get home from work. My biggest complaint about my increasingly mobile kid however is that it becomes more and more difficult to take a photo of him that is not a complete blur.
Ben, Sekou was dropping books (almost on his head) too! We ended up having to get these boxes from Ikea that fit inside each of our bookshelves and packed everything on the bottom three selves up. It looks okay and we are hoping that it will keep him from putting a dent in his head with one of my husband's Harry Potter books.
Luckily we only had decorative books on our bottom shelf, thanks to lessons learned from Sekou. But today she managed to bust her lip, when she lost her balance and accidentally bit it, so I'm learning that injury is inevitable no matter how much your childproof.
Go Betty!!!
She could cruise for a while. Ben start cruising at 8 1/2 months old , and we were sure he'ds start walking shortly thereafter. But he continued to cruise until just a few days before his first birthday, when walking commenced. I look at it this way…at least you dont have to bends down as far to pull them from mischief. :)
Thanks for giving my hope, Wendy! Though, I think we need to figure out how to block off the entire family room like you guys did. That was so smart.
Go Betty!!!
She could cruise for a while. Ben start cruising at 8 1/2 months old , and we were sure he'ds start walking shortly thereafter. But he continued to cruise until just a few days before his first birthday, when walking commenced. I look at it this way…at least you dont have to bends down as far to pull them from mischief. :)
Thanks for giving my hope, Wendy! Though, I think we need to figure out how to block off the entire family room like you guys did. That was so smart.
Sekou started to pull himself up around 9 months, but then he did not start walking until about 14 months. Now, he'll be two next month and everything is a full on run! I completely understand your hesitation, I feel like I spend a great deal of time, particularly when we are anywhere outside of our house. It is a lot of working chasing a toddler around (on the up note it is great exercise). And the risk is higher if the kid is not steady on their feet, like Sekou. We get lots of scraps and bruises, but hey the kid is still alive!
I have a feeling that's going to be my mantra soon. If she makes it out of adolescence w/o a concussion, then we've done a more than stellar job.
Sekou started to pull himself up around 9 months, but then he did not start walking until about 14 months. Now, he'll be two next month and everything is a full on run! I completely understand your hesitation, I feel like I spend a great deal of time, particularly when we are anywhere outside of our house. It is a lot of working chasing a toddler around (on the up note it is great exercise). And the risk is higher if the kid is not steady on their feet, like Sekou. We get lots of scraps and bruises, but hey the kid is still alive!
I have a feeling that's going to be my mantra soon. If she makes it out of adolescence w/o a concussion, then we've done a more than stellar job.
Love that picture! Looks like she knows exactly what you're talking about and is enjoying foiling any plans you have.
Thank you, Amy, for saying that. I've also accused her of smirking, but CH thinks I'm being paranoid. Only time will tell…
Love that picture! Looks like she knows exactly what you're talking about and is enjoying foiling any plans you have.
Thank you, Amy, for saying that. I've also accused her of smirking, but CH thinks I'm being paranoid. Only time will tell…