matching tracksuits

Like most--probably all--parents, we have a mobile hanging over our little girl's crib. In keeping with the rest of the decor, it's a Pooh Bear themed mobile, with Pooh, Tigger, Pigglet, and Eeyore swirling around, looking down at usually-smiling L.

But that's very passive--lying there, watching Pooh and friends turn circles over your head.

Taking an idea from Baby Minds by Susan Goodwyn by Linda Acredolo (Amazon), we made it a more engaging--and thus, more educational--activity. All it took was the addition of a long piece of fabric loosely tied to L's left leg, with the other end end attached to the mobile. And voila!

It didn't take long for L to figure it out:

motion of leg = mobile mobile = very happy little girl

And with increased happiness came increased motion, until everything was a blur.

Now that she's got it, we'll change it, attaching it perhaps to her right arm--it will get her used to "real" life...

At first she mastered control of her eyes. About the same time, she worked on controlling her head. The Girl has more or less mastered those skills.

Next come the hands. That's a little tricker -- they still fly around like she's a hyperactive orchestra conductor. But then, in calm moments, she surprises us all and holds her bottle.

A developing child goes through so many “firsts” in that initial year that it’s easy to forget about some of them.

Take for example the first time L grabbed something other than a someone’s finger.

A parent’s finger is warm and I suppose somewhat inviting to be — conducive to being, at least — held. A plush toy? Not exactly soft, but warm I suppose. Perhaps this just means the end of a short era of preferring Tata’s finger to just about anything else?

Another big development is the ability to sit.

It’s a long way from sitting with supports to sitting alone. But like everything else has to this point, I expect the one to melt into the other unexpectedly.