The Bub in the Belly

Earlier this evening, Max was babysitting Ryan and I took my eyes off them for five seconds to pick up the remote control. When I looked up, Max had run up the stairs and Ryan was making his way up after Max. I crept up behind Ryan and watched him. I didn't say anything and I tried to be as quiet as possible because I didn't want to break his focus - but he wasn't having any difficulty at all and so I had enough faith in his prowess to step away for another two seconds to grab my camera. He made it up the whole flight of stairs without breaking a sweat.

Looks like Ryan's been ready for some time now, we just haven't given him the opportunity to show off his skills. He is heavily supervised around the house, he is never left alone, we love to hold him and carry him. So, other than when he's in our bedroom (which is also his bedroom), he isn't let loose very often. Increasingly, I have noticed that he does want to move about, crawl around, pull himself to a standing position, explore and find out more about his surroundings, so recently I have consciously been giving him a lot more crawling time when he's downstairs (that's when Max gets to help with the babysitting).

Richard and I don't track Ryan's physical milestones very closely. We can't remember exactly when he started flipping over, when he started crawling, when he got his first tooth, when he started picking things up with a pincer grip, when he first said "Mama" and "Papa", when he started standing up, etc. Those details are a blur to us. What we know is that he'll be walking and talking and have all his teeth by the time he's three. Or five. Or eight. It's all good.

I was recently reading a post on Florinda's blog where she'd quoted some information from Dr Sears about babies starting to walk and how the temperament of babies affects when and how they approach their physical milestones.

"Babies with easier temperaments often approach major developmental milestones more cautiously. Since crawling is speedier than walking anyway, confirmed crawlers are content to zip around on the floor like miniature racecars and show no interest in joining the tall and busy world. Late walkers are more likely to be content to entertain themselves with seeing and fingering fun than with motor accomplishments. A late walker goes through the crawl-cruise-stand-walk sequence slowly and cautiously, calculating each step and progressing at his own comfortable rate. When he does finally walk, he walks well. The early walker, on the contrary, may be the impulsive, motor-driven baby who has raced through each motor milestone before parents could get their camera ready. While there is no definite profile of early walkers, they tend to be high-need babies who early on left the lap stage and squirmed out of infant seats. Body type may also affect the age of walking. Lean babies tend to walk earlier. Early and impulsive walkers are often more accident-prone than their more cautious walking mates."

I don't know yet if Ryan is going to be a late walker but he has certainly approached his physical milestones with a lot of care and consideration. He takes his time to observe carefully how something is done, and when he finally attempts it, he executes it with perfection, as if it's second nature. For all his crawling around, cruising and climbing about on and over the couch, the bed, the stairs, etc., he has never tripped or fallen. Each hand and foot is expertly placed in the best position and we didn't have to teach him a thing.

In the same way, each new toy or item that he comes across is given a detailed examination before it is either saved or tossed. He assesses each new face before wholeheartedly issuing his infectious grin. Each new situation is thoroughly considered before he participates with full vigour.

I guess that means I'd better get myself ready for those first steps, because when they happen, they're going to be fast and furious.