He crawls!
Matthew learned how to crawl a few days ago. And he's gotten scarily good at it, very quickly!
What amazes both Rich and me is how much it's changed him. We figured that learning a major motor skill like that would pave the way for cognitive advances, but it's pretty cool to watch it happen. He's more vocal, more adventurous, and more willing to play by himself without us hovering over him. He's noticed electrical cords and fans and other dangerous things (so we hover anyway). He likes batting a ball back and forth with one of us. And he's gotten obsessive about dropping his stacking rings on the hardwood floor and watching them "spin down" with a satisfying rattle. Clearly he understands cause-and-effect now.
Emotionally, he's suddenly become much calmer. He still gets awful screaming fits once in a while, but not as often as he did before he could crawl. I'm sure he was just frustrated at not being able to move.
The other day, he bounced energetically in his bouncer for the ENTIRE TIME that we ate dinner with a friend. We didn't intend to park him there for the whole meal -- it was supposed to be for just a few minutes, while one of us ate a little bit. But no. He bounced, bounced, bounced, bounced, and had a great time!
Meanwhile, it's time we put up some baby gates. We've been remiss...
What amazes both Rich and me is how much it's changed him. We figured that learning a major motor skill like that would pave the way for cognitive advances, but it's pretty cool to watch it happen. He's more vocal, more adventurous, and more willing to play by himself without us hovering over him. He's noticed electrical cords and fans and other dangerous things (so we hover anyway). He likes batting a ball back and forth with one of us. And he's gotten obsessive about dropping his stacking rings on the hardwood floor and watching them "spin down" with a satisfying rattle. Clearly he understands cause-and-effect now.
Emotionally, he's suddenly become much calmer. He still gets awful screaming fits once in a while, but not as often as he did before he could crawl. I'm sure he was just frustrated at not being able to move.
The other day, he bounced energetically in his bouncer for the ENTIRE TIME that we ate dinner with a friend. We didn't intend to park him there for the whole meal -- it was supposed to be for just a few minutes, while one of us ate a little bit. But no. He bounced, bounced, bounced, bounced, and had a great time!
Meanwhile, it's time we put up some baby gates. We've been remiss...