Somebody hit my baby’s “On” button …

By Published On: September 28th, 2011

Written by: Mindy September 27 2011 Lately, Chloe has been […]

Written by: Mindy

Lately, Chloe has been all animation and jubilation.

It’s a joy to see, but the change was so sudden that I’m still a little startled. One day, she was contentedly observing the world from my shoulder, smiling sweetly when prompted and moving with slow, sweet baby twitches.

Then all of a sudden a few days ago, it was as if she’d downed her first espresso. And it didn’t come from me—I’ve had about a cup of coffee a day since she was two months old, and that hasn’t changed lately.

Now, when I pick her up, she’s one big baby ball of curiosity and exploration. She doesn’t feel my hair, she yanks it. She doesn’t nuzzle me with her sweet lips; she suctions herself to me with vigor. She doesn’t curl up in my arms; she lets her legs flail around, always moving, as if she just can’t wait to put her feet on the pavement.

I see it when she lies on her belly as well. She’s taken to propping herself up on her hands with her elbows locked. It looks like she’s doing mini-baby push-ups, strengthening herself for the crawling hurdles to come. While on the floor, she bicycles her chubby little legs with such consistency that she ends up pinwheeling across the floor. She may not be able to crawl yet, but she’s definitely already going places.

Naturally, I adore watching her vivaciousness. She’s got a sparkle for life, likely because the world is still such a novelty.

All the same, I’m finding myself worried. It’s silly, but I am. My first baby, Caden, never actually crawled. He was sitting up by five months, but he’d just sit and observe things, calmly. He’s still that way, even at 2 years old.

At first, I was super-worried about what I thought was a problem in Caden’s development. For months, every time we saw our pediatrician, he’d assure me crawling isn’t a milestone and that Caden was just fine. Despite that, my worry continued until I went to a picnic with Caden when he was 10 months old. Another little 10 month old boy was there, and he was crawling. He was crawling so much, in fact, that I don’t think his parents ever got to sit down and eat—it took both of them to keep up with him. That was the first time I realized Caden’s placidness wasn’t so bad.

Ironic then, that I’d be okay if Chloe never crawled … and that I’m pretty sure she’ll be crawling within weeks. I don’t know what I’ll do. Our house isn’t even childproof. I can’t imagine how I’ll keep track of her and still get everything else done.

I’m hoping I figure it out … and quickly. All the same, I don’t think I was ready for her “on” button to be so prominent and to surface so soon.


Editor's note:This is Mindy's last blog with us!We'll miss her, but we'll be excited to share in the Adventures of our next mom blogger (and former Knocked Up blogger), Suzanna!