Week 22

Dear Zayde,

This week was big in the steady march toward freedom.  And by freedom, I mean the ability to move from one place to another without the assistance of an adult.  Currently, I am confined to reside in the arms of someone much bigger than myself or in one of my many sitting apparati (car seat, Bumbo, Exersaucer, swing, stroller, etc.)  My personal goal is to break free of these contraptions and to move about the world as I see fit.

The first step isn't a step at all, but rather the practice of sitting up.  I've been "sitting up with assistance" for quite some time, but no one ever got an award for doing something "with assistance."  This week Mommy finally mustered the courage to let go and let me balance on my own.  The results have been mixed.  Sometimes I can stay upright for close to a minute, a situation that seems to be aided when I am thoroughly distracted by someone talking to me or Grandma's dog playing with toys that look far too much like mine.  Sometimes I topple right over.  Does this mean that I have I learned how to sit up?  Perhaps.  For now we shall declare it a "developing skill."

I've also just begun to learn how to stand up on my feet.  Yes, I need Mommy to hold my hands.  Yes, I tend to sit down with a bit of a thud on my (thankfully, diapered) tushie after only a few moments.  I choose not to focus on these limitations and instead to keep my eye on the prize, that distant horizon that will soon be my stomping ground.

Mommy and Daddy are also helping me learn how to fly.  They raise me high above their heads and chant, "Super Baby!"  This can only mean that at some later date, I am meant to gain the ability to soar through the air.  Something tells me that will be far more exciting than crawling.

This week I learned that all this movement I love to exhibit has earned me the nickname, "wiggle worm."  I'm not sure how to feel about that.  Worms are those slimy invertebrates that litter the sidewalk after it rains, right?  Surely Mommy, Bubbi, and everyone else who calls me this do not intend to liken my adorable squirming to the antics of such a lowly creature.  They must be referring to some other definition of the word.

Yesterday, while we were lounging together outside by the water, I'll bet you thought I learned to wave.  The truth is that I've known how to wave for weeks, but no one ever waved to me, so I had no reason to wave back.  Thank you for being the only family member friendly enough to wave to me.  By the look of delighted surprise on your face, it was obvious that you felt nicely rewarded for your effort.

All this movement has made me extraordinarily tired.  Rather than take a nap to assuage my fatigue, I shall now cry and scream for a while to let the universe know just how upsetting it is to be sleepy.

Woe is me,
Zelda