Thursday, January 31, 2008

And so, it begins...

Last week, my sweet girl, my third child, my last biological baby learned to crawl. While most parents would celebrate this monumental milestone. I cried.


For 11 months I have been able to successfully distract her and discourage her from crawling.


At 9 months old, I noticed her attempt a push-up while on her tummy and ran to her side.


"No, no, no baby girl. No need to exert yourself. Let's say bye-bye to tummy time and hello to sitting-in-one-spot-and-not-moving time." I smiled and sat her next to an abundance of plush toys.


At 10 months old I witnessed my third child attempt to rock back and forth in the push-up position, reaching for a toy. This time, I ran even faster to her side.


"No, no, no Fifi. Would you like a toy? The red rattle? Shake ah, shake ah, shake ah!!! Mama will get it for you. Here you go." I shook my hips and the rattle.


At 11 months old I sat her in our dinning room surrounded by toys and siblings galore and proceeded to make dinner. Jay and Lola created a fort under the table. Laughter filled the house. My hands were smothered with raw chicken and I heard Jay yell.


"I. AM. SOOOOOOO. PROUD. OF. YOU!!!" Jay screams. "Mama. Mama, come and look at this. Fifi is crawling to us."


Unable to rescue her with my chicken infested hands, Fifi crawled the entire length of the room. Smiling.


"Oh, baby girl. Mama is so proud of you!" I said proudly because I was. She was so happy and giggling outloud. Sweet baby giggles.


This weekend, I was yet again unable to discourage her from the next milestone. Standing. She crawled to Lola's kitchen and pulled herself up and let out a huge squeal of delight.

"Mama, is so proud of you!" I told her and smothered her with kisses. She was so happy and again giggling outoud.

I realized how wrong I was to discourage her. To discourage her from happiness essentially. She is so happy to crawl and pull herself up. Most children her age have been crawling for months and are now taking their first steps. She has sat, in one place, never moving for 11 months. I felt like a horrible mother.



However.



Neverthless.


On Monday morning she did this...


And on Tuesday afternoon she did this....

And on Wednesday evening she did this...

And suddenly, I do not feel so bad. Not bad at all.

71classy comments:

Karen MEG said...

Oh, you're in for big trouble ;)!!!
Both my kids showed no interest in walking whatsoever until they were 15 months and 16 months respectively. That was OK by me.
I love the toilet paper shot... priceless!

Keeping It Real said...

Aah, that's precious. Crawling's a great milestone!!!

Next up? Walking and college.

(Saw you at Luna's)

Anonymous said...

LOLOL! Ahh...what sweet memories! The pics were totally adorable!!

Mommy to those Special Ks said...

Awww I get a little sad too, when Keeghan, my youngest and my last, reaches his milestones. So bittersweet. Unfortunately he's in a race to be superbaby and do everything early! LOL I have a feeling my toilet paper days are not far off! LOL

Monica said...

I LOVE that you were trying to keep the little lady down - to preserve her baby-ness... LOL - it's SUCH a 3rd child mentality. Do you remember trying to rush the first child's accomplishments, checking the books monthly on milestones, boasting about #'s of words they said early, how they were SO advanced in this and that, doing everything you could to get them to do blah blah blah. Oh for your sake, I hope she waits to walk until she's 15.

Paul said...

Ah, funny! I'm one that tends to encourage the kids to crawl and walk, always forgetting the downside to all that mobility! I do find myself longing for the days when the kids would just stay put sometimes. :)

lattemommy said...

Hee hee! Such a funny post! And great pictures!

My husband and I said that when Jr. started to show an interest in crawling we were going to push him over so that he wouldn't learn. However, when it all started we just couldn't help ourselves but to help and encourage him. They're just so bloody adorable when they learn something new!

GHD said...

I used to be so stressed about my son's not crawling soon enough.HA! What did I know? I long for the days when he would just sit and play in one place...

By the way, your baby girl is SO darling. You're making me want another one!!!!

GHD said...

I used to be so stressed about my son's not crawling soon enough.HA! What did I know? I long for the days when he would just sit and play in one place...

By the way, your baby girl is SO darling. You're making me want another one!!!!

Laski said...

Hilarious. I was so excited about J learning to crawl. He is almost sitting up on his own and is rolling over. My sis-in-law (she teaches child development!) said NO!!! Don't encourage him--life will drastically change once he is mobile. Really? How bad can it be???

Well.

You certainly know. Maybe J should just chill out and kick back :)

AutoSysGene said...

WTG Fifi. Looks like its time to babyproof again, Mom!

Good luck with that. :)

Monica said...

Oh by the way, do you realize I had a post on 12/21 that was titled the same thing? separated. at. birth. smoochies!

Caroline C. Bingham said...

tragic and beautiful, all in one. My baby is starting to crawl and she just.needs.to.stop.

I need a baby forever, don'chaknow?

Unknown said...

Oh, OHmommy! She's been holding it all in! Look how fast she's up and about, she probably wants to be running about like her bro and sis! How adorable, she is such a doll.

the dragonfly said...

Oh my! For one thing, those are fantastic pictures, and she is amazingly adorable. :) And wow, she sure is learning things fast, one after the other. Good luck with that! :)

Anonymous said...

Both a blessing and a curse! Fifi is TOO cute...

Caffeine Court said...

Wow-that is one BUSY little girl! Watch out mommy!

Karen said...

Hahaha! You've captured motherhood perfectly.

Jen said...

I feel you pain...we are unsure if we are having anymore little ones. My youngest just turned 1. That milestone has been different with my older 2 knowing I would have at least one more baby...we are jsut not sure now so I want him to say little forever....

Anonymous said...

Ja zaczelm mowic jak mialem 9 miesiecy .I to calymi zadaniami.

Anonymous said...

i do dzisiaj mowie

Unknown said...

I COMPLETELY Understand! Our little one has started cruising along the furniture and pulling herself up on everything. I wanted to delay it for as long as possible. As soon as she started doing it, though, she was ecstatic! She's hysterical to watch but there are some days I just wish she weren't there yet!

The pictures are gorgeous! Amazing talent you've got there!

ConverseMomma said...

Oh. I am right there with ya, sista. Molly is on the move. That means I have two captains of destruction plundering the house at all times. I'm a hilarious disaster.

Please take the challenge on my blog today. I really want to do something empowering for women.
Thanks!

Irene said...

Yeah, I know...with your first you are so eager for them to hit all the milestones. With the last, you want them to slow down...WAY down...

Lisa said...

How cute is she? Seriously - she is one really cute baby!
I hear you on the whole walking/crawling thing. With Goosey I was all about her crawling & walking. I encouraged her, helped her, etc. With Lu I was completely content with her immobility for as long as possible. She crawled at 10 months & walked at 14.
There is something truly wonderful in seeing the pride they have when they learn to crawl/walk....even play in the toilet!!!

Amy said...

Oh fun times ahead!! I tried to stunt my last baby's development too, I was not ready for her to grow up. And she did everything earlier than the others, the little toot! Your Fifi is just PRECIOUS and I LOVE these pictures of her!

Maude Lynn said...

And now, nothing is safe!

Anonymous said...

That's too funny! These kids - walking is sooo overrated. Don't they know that? Ok, I need to invent a rolling mini-crib. Kind of like... hmmm how would you best put it... a cage on wheels! I think I'd make a lot of money. With the toilet paper savings alone, you'd make back your investment in about 3 months.

LunaNik said...

YES!!! Go Fifi, go Fifi, go Fifi!!!!

I just love it when children suddenly discover that not only are they mobile, but that their hands are also amazing tools of destruction.

Um, I should say, I love it when OTHER PEOPLES children make those discoveries...not my own. I like my kids to sit on the couch and watch tv ;)

Adorable pics!!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness.. I am laughing outloud over here.. I was feeling all bad for you and then you throw in those pictures.. I was on the floor!! What a great post.. seriously.. funniest post I read all week!!

Unknown said...

again...DZIADEK WITH THE POLISH COMMENTS...I. CAN'T. STOP. LAUGHING. are you going to respond??
ok, i'm done...on to your blog...Fifi crawling, standing, getting into things? i see in your future...blogs changing from high maintenance Lola to "innocent" Fifi. Best of luck!! And congratulations to Fifi on her big accomplishments! I heart her.

Kat said...

What a sweet post. I know exactly where you are coming from. I wrote something similar about Ben growing up so fast. So bittersweat.
I love those pics! It looks like you are gonna have your hands full, huh?

Anonymous said...

I did the same thing with my son! I so didn't want him to grown and hit those 'milestones' out of What To Expect!

Love your blog, I linked up to it from Amy's Brat Pack. Thanks for the read!!

Stephanie said...

That is hilarious! I think I might do that with this next one....:o) Sounds like a good idea to discourage crawling! HA!

Kash said...

I am totally with Rentamatic and laughed hysterically when I came across the Polish comment! Re: Fifi, You go girl! Re: your comments, seriously, how early must I check in to get some kind of place on the top of your comments page!

Kash said...

Better yet, Dziadek called me this morning asking if I read your blog. I was like "Why?." He was like , "just check it." Ha, now i know why.

Amy said...

LOL!
Well the good news is.... let me think... I know there got to be SOME good news.
Oh, I got it now.
The good news is, she has older siblings to keep her out of trouble.
Right?
Where are those older siblings when you need them?

JustADad said...

For a moment, I was feeling totally guilty about forbidding our son to make any further advancements...

Your latest entry has, of course, reinforced my faith in the importance of issuing such edicts to our children (not that they are followed, but it makes me feel better nonetheless!)...

Priceless...and I want a little kitchen like that one too! ha ha ha!

Have a great day!

Chanin said...

Oh my gosh! So cute! My youngest is getting ready to crawl...any day now...I am so scared, and sad!!

Anonymous said...

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww.

We had that same toilet paper bandit come through our house recently.

She must be stopped.

Anonymous said...

That toilet paper picture is a keeper for sure! My son went from standing assisted to walking, none of this "cruising" stuff from him. Oh no, it happened all at once.

Congratulations on the bittersweet milestone!

NerdyRedneck Rob said...

OH! Then ending pictures had me crying too! Crying because I was laughing so hard!

I remember mine never did crawl. i was worried since he too was past due to crawl. The pediatricians said not too worry, all was well and children develop at their own pace.

Then he started pulling himself up and standing then he started walking but he never crawled!

ALF said...

I found your site from Melissa over at Hope for the Hopeless - just wanted to say hi!

What a cute kid!

girlymom said...

Oh look at her go! I am not ready for my little one to be doing that~not ready at all!
Great pics~ glad your battery is back up and running! :)

Don Mills Diva said...

I don't blame you one little bit. Graham tried to climb out of his crib last night and I was mortified. I don't care if he's nearly 2 and a half - the crib works for me and I want him in it until he's 18!
PS. Those pictures are too cute!

ConverseMomma said...

I'm back to say that it doesn't have to be your non-existant muffin top. It can be your eye, toes, hair folical, whatever. Ya just gotta show it the love. Okay, no more pressure.

suchsimplepleasures said...

isn't this such a fun stage that kids go through!!! it's my favorite. learning to move around and...tear apart the house, at the same time!! oh...aren't kids the greatest! have fun! it's amazing that every mom on the planet isn't bone skinny, with all the running up and down stairs, bending at the hips to pick up dropped toys etc...
great photos!
xoxo

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for dropping by my blog! Can't wait to hear what Fifi does next!!

Happy Days said...

She is sooo cute!!!
I wish I could keep my babe a babe forever too! It is so much harder when they are crawling/walking. It is also bittersweet, knowing this is probably the last one.

Happy Days said...

She is sooo cute!!!
I wish I could keep my babe a babe forever too! It is so much harder when they are crawling/walking. It is also bittersweet, knowing this is probably the last one.

Momo Fali said...

Uh-Oh!! You're in for it now!

suchsimplepleasures said...

you check my blog to find my 2 and 4 syllable word ramblings about how much i heart you, too!
xoxo

♥♥♥ A- Licious ♥♥♥ said...

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. omg that is just adorable. and i so KNOW how u feel....this was just TOO CUTE!

yr a GREAT MOMMY!

♥♥♥ A- Licious ♥♥♥ said...

and she is just ADORABLE!

Cecily R said...

I totally and completely and whole heartedly understand all of it. All of it. I'm not ready for any of it.

Every one of your pictures are masterful and Fifi is completely adorable.

Laura Marchant said...

Oh my gosh! So true once they start they never stop!

carrie said...

Oh, that post was so adorable.

I too know the bittersweetness of seeing your last "baby" reach milestones. It is so hard.

Time for the toilet latches and baby gates!!! :)

Kellan said...

Oh, she is so cute!!! What a little doll, but you are in for some busy times now! Have fun - see you later. Kellan

Anonymous said...

My Davey (13 mos) is getting himself into predicaments, too. I'll take on of Busydad's rolling cages. Shoot, I'll take four, S, M, L & XL, please!

krissy said...

I know what you mean sista! I cry every single year my baby goes to school!!! It's pathetic!!!

Those pics were adorable and your baby is cute!!!

My 10yr old is driving me to drink right now so I suppose it's time for bed! Yoo-hoo!

MommyTime said...

I love this post and its gorgeous photos. Since she's gone from crawling to this in a few days, I predict she might be climbing the walls pretty soon...watch out. And have fun!

Mary said...

She is ADORABLE! What great pics......you totally captured the moment! When people would tell me "they grow so fast" I never quite got it until we had our little guy! I was always soooo looking forward to his milestones and now they seem like a blur!

Michelle Kemper Brownlow said...

And the saga continues.....I, too, have sad thoughts at each and every milestone that my third, my last, hits...it's so different when you KNOW it's your last!

I guess they would be tortured in school if I never broke the binky habit, right? RIGHT?!

Karen MEG said...

PS, drop by to pick up some bling!

Maria said...

She is so sweet! Maybe it's time for number 4? I have 4! And where did you get that cute stove set?

Anonymous said...

would you like me to put up the gate for the party? haha! At least she didnt fall down the stairs like the monkey did! I am breaking new baby's legs so she doesnt crawl/walk either!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, I think you better watch out! She is quick! LOL I love that you always have the camera on-hand for these awesome photo ops!

Anonymous said...

Yup, its over. No more "blogging" when she is awake! hee hee!!!

Wendi said...

Is this me writing this post or you? I can so relate to everything you said. I stumbled into your blog the other day and have enjoyed it sooo much. I think because now I don't have to wonder if anyone else goes through these things...thanks for sharing!
Wendi

Please visit my blog, "Because I said so!" www.chadandwendihoward.blogspot.com

GoMommy said...

Awesome! You are so excited when the first child learns to walk and when they do...Look Out! She is adorable!

Zoeyjane said...

OMG, you're so funny! I'm linking you! (mine started walking at 9 months. i've not been able to put anything near my waist height since. now, the climbing has really started and i find myself considering gating her into a little enclosure of some sort. that's allowed, right?)

 

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