Milestones

In the mother's room at church today, I was chatting with several moms, each of whom had a baby in her lap. Lexi was sitting on the floor at our feet, and one mom commented on how much she had grown and changed just recently. It's true! I'm sure that Lexi will be crawling before long...in spite of my protests.

For almost two months now, Lexi has been a super solid sitter. Now she can pivot while she sits, using her hands to change her position and thus more easily access the toys she wants. She can gracefully move from sitting on her bum to sprawling on her belly. She can roll across the room, rock on her hands and knees, and very nearly right herself when prostrate. (That's my very favorite baby skill!)

The trouble is, I don't really want her to crawl. I can't quite imagine surviving two very mobile, very high-maintenance children at once. I keep Lexi in the jumper, in the Exersaucer, and on her bum as much as possible. I'll admit to limiting her tummy time -- I don't want her to practice! But even I can see that my interference won't prevent the inevitable for too much longer. My little girl wants to move!

Lexi is making progress on other fronts, as well. She recently decided that spoon-type foods are acceptable. We are expanding her diet to include applesauce, bananas, orange and green vegetables, biter biscuits, and fruit puffs. She doesn't care too much for sippy cups, but we're very happy about the progress with the spoon!

This week I introduced a little sleep training. "Crying it out" certainly isn't my favorite thing, but since Lexi abruptly abandoned the pacifier about two weeks ago and rarely falls asleep in my arms or after nursing, I felt it was time for her to learn to sleep on her own. (I usually fall victim to sleep-deprived insanity around eight months, so we're right on schedule!) Lexi has been the least resistant of all our kids to this training method, so I am pleased. Perhaps a full night of sleep is on the horizon. I'm ready!