Apparently the seventh month is the one where babies decide that the only thing they are interested in doing is pulling themselves up on things and falling down. Even as I write this, I am having to leap away from the computer at frequent intervals and rescue Adeia from some new peril. The couch, the bed, dining room chairs, the bookshelf (a note from Susan: This morning Adeia fell down so many times in succession that Kristin, who was downstairs, thought I was doing Tae Bo.) Now, before you go and call DCFS, we are doing our best to make sure that our daughter doesn’t injure herself. But she’s just so darn cute! You should see the way she smiles and giggles when she succeeds in pulling herself up on some new piece of furniture. How could we deprive her of such joy and accomplishment?
At the moment, she is only able to pull herself up to a standing position. That doesn’t alarm me – there’s only so far you can fall when you measure a whopping foot and some change. What concerns me is when I see her straining to pull herself up further. When I came home this afternoon, Susan had Addie gated into a hallway with some toys while she caught up on some cleaning. I had only been watching her for a few minutes when she grabbed onto the gate and used it to stand up. After turning back and smiling – she had to make sure I was watching her – she stuck one of her toes into a gap in the gate’s plastic netting and grabbed the wooden crossbar at the top with all ten tiny fingers. I watched in amusement as the just-now-developing muscles in her soft little arms began to twitch and shake as she strained to lift herself off the ground. Of course I had to call Susan over to watch before I took her down. So cute. Yet I couldn’t help but have a nagging feeling that this might be a sign of things to come…
For the time being, I think that this is the cutest new development since giggling. What’s next, walking?
Addie is doing just what you did and you have the hard granite-like spot on the back of your skull to prove it. Copper liked to climb too, but you always took it to the next level and higher. We were certain you’d end up with a concussion, yet you never did.
I remember the time I was watching Paige and Jaime, and Jaime tried to climb the big book case, flute clutched in one hand, blankie on the floor to pad her fall.
She didn’t get far, but she tried!
I like the Addie pictures. She is soooo cute.
Further proof that Kayl and Addie are bound to be friends. Kayl would consider any day without climbing as a day wasted…much to the wrecked nerves of the parents.
His new trick – use the mouth to hold the toy so that both hands are free to climb. Very efficient.
Kayle is pretty much an action hero.
Popular consensus here at work is: we like the banana peel picture the best.
(I secretly like the one where she has the barrette in her hair best.)
How does one house contain so much children cuteness?
Aww, Addie is such a cutie patootie!
Jennifer – its all in the genes.
I think it’s cause she smiles so much.
hmm… it says here you were up at 1:48 am, when all good citizens are in bed. You’d better explain yourself, Shaffer.
Refe? Please do NOT forget that you got your genes from me, well, er, and your mother as well.