Come on, baby! Do the Locomotion!

I'll be honest, for a time we were slightly concerned that G2 was falling behind in his physical development. Gross motor skills, like sitting up on his own, pulling to stand, crawling or cruising? These did not come easily or early. As ever, our only other point of reference is his sister, and by 10.5 months, she was taking her first steps. At 10.5 months, he could barely get himself into a seated position on his own.

Let's be clear. He's healthy, happy, inquisitive, and he could pick up a speck of lint off the floor between two fingers faster than you could say, "STOP! DON'T EAT THAT!" But getting from place to place? Not his strong suit.

Well, as they say, be careful what you wish for. Because this kid is trucking and getting into everything.

There was something comforting about sitting him on the floor in the middle of the room and knowing you could get a glass of water and he'd be where you left him when you got back. No longer!

Though he's still not walking on his own, he does have numerous ways of getting around that don't involve begging to be picked up. As I remarked on Facebook a few weeks ago, it's not always elegant.

There's the ever popular drop-to-your-butt-then-zombie-crawl-across-the-floor maneuver.


Or, recently discovered at our hotel in DC, the-round-and-round-we-go.

This went on for some time.

If his tunnel is in play, you can count on the ever-popular recede-into-the-distance gambit.

It helps if he can chase his sister.

Lately, however, it's cruising. Everywhere. All the time. Initially this was limiting for him, because he would only cruise around or along objects. Put him next to the TV console, and he'll move back and forth. Put him next to the refrigerator, and he'll make his way along the cabinets, across the dishwasher, pass the corner cabinet, stop at the stove to turn on a burner, finish at the trashcan, then reverse.

That lasted about three days, and now he drops to the ground, army crawls to the dog bowls, tips them over, then uses the wall to stand back up before he moves into the hallway or living room. Gaps used to  stop him, then he realized that gaps weren't gaps, just an opportunity to find a wall and take the long way around.

Except for spilling the dog's water, that's all sort of charming.

A month ago, I didn't think he'd ever get to the point he's at now. A month from now, he'll be walking freely, and I'll just want him to sit down for a dang minute. And as I dive to insert myself between his finger and the electrical outlet he's managed to yank the cover off of, I'll think about how great a video of our adventures would look if I sped it up by 800% and set it to a Yakety Sax knockoff.