Growing Up

Charlotte,

You are growing up more and more each and every day.  Some day's your progress isn't noticeable and then some days -- like today -- your progress amazes me! 

You've been scooching around on your belly since the beginning of December.  You get around fine and can move quickly.  You pivot yourself around on your belly when you need to switch directions and you can even carry something around with you as long as its small.  A week or two ago you started being able to pull yourself over my legs when I was trying to prevent you from getting one of Luca's toys or from getting off of the rug.  It wasn't a huge distance but it was a big deal!

Then a few days ago you figured out that you could basically crawl on top of the table part of your activity table so we put it up on its legs and have been standing you up to play with it.  You also got to where you could pull yourself up to the seat portion of your little pink chair.  You still can't do anything other than sit on your knees in front of it (at least you couldn't before naptime!) but you can pull yourself into a sitting position.

Yesterday was a big day because you figured out (consistently) how to get yourself from a sitting position back onto your tummy.  Previously you would try to get down but would end up falling a little bit and would start crying.  But yesterday you figured it out and, even though it still takes you a little bit of time, you've gotten good at getting into the position that you want to be in.

This weekend we moved your crib mattress down.  We haven't been saying that we needed to for a while, but you weren't able to pull up really until this weekend and that still wasn't very far up.  But we moved it down and I'm thankful that we did!

I put you down this afternoon for your nap.  You were whimpering a little bit which is totally normal and then maybe 10 minutes after I put you down you started crying.  It wasn't screaming or anything but its unusual for you to start crying when you've sounded fine so I went to check the video monitor.  And to my surprise what did I find?!?! A little girl standing up on her legs in the corner of the bed!! I guess we asked for it since yesterday we started standing you in front of your activity table and maybe you figured out that you could stand up but I was shocked!  I sprinted upstairs and wish I'd taken the camera but I was too scared at that point.  I ran in to your room and you just smiled at me.  I think you were crying because you had gotten yourself up there and didn't know how to get down. 

You looked like such a big girl standing there like that!  When we stand you at your little activity table one of us is always right behind you with our arms on the side of the table to catch you in case you fall, but there you were, standing by yourself, having gotten yourself into that position, and without our arms to catch you!  I know that soon you'll be able to do so much more all by yourself but this seems like a really big step!  But please, can you at least give me a little warning before you do something big like that again?!?! I think I took 10 years off of my life because I was so scared to see you like that this afternoon!!

love Mommy