On The Move!

Yay, buddy!

Aden is officially crawling!

It took several weeks for Aden to figure out how to coordinate the movement of his hands and knees in one rhythmic crawling motion. Then, all of a sudden, something clicked this week and he finally figured it out.

Wouldn't you know the thing that finally lured him to forward movement was one of Tory's plastic bracelets? An "off-limits" object he knows she doesn't want him to have. (And, obviously shouldn't have due to its beads and elastic band.) Looks like Big Sister will have to learn to pick up her toys now Little Brother is on the move. That should go over well ... [Mother rolls eyes at the thought of YEARS of future squabbling over toys taking place between her kids.]

I don't know why I'm so gosh-darn excited for this crawling milestone. Crawling means I've got to be on my A-game. All the time. Aden is going to be into everything. Every household item becomes a potential hazard: lamp cords, dog food, dress-up jewelry. And, the list goes on .... All that aside, Aden crawling makes me happy because it means he's growing into an engaging member of our family. As much as I love the newborn/infant stage, I absolutely enjoy having a smiling, interactive, playful toddler even more so. It's fun to see a child's inner personality shining through in this way.

And truthfully, Aden has been mobile for a few weeks now. His preferred mode of transportation has been to sit, lunge forward, do some sort of a half-turn, sit, lunge forward, half-turn ... repeat. His movements weren't quick, but it got him from place to place. Now Aden's learned the real crawling technique, it's off to the races. He isn't speedy yet, but he will be soon.

Of course, I couldn't help myself and looked up Tory's first crawling moves in my archives to compare. I know it's like comparing apples to oranges because all kids are different, but I find it fascinating to see the method by which each child learned to crawl as it reflects their individual personalities. Tory's mobility came in a matter of minutes: one day she lunged forward, reached with full gusto and never looked back. Aden was slow and steady for weeks; a series of analyzation, attempts, and reflection. His personality is much less aggressive, not as wild with energy as Tory. It'll be interesting to see the ways this changes over the years.

Crawling! You did it, buddy!