This weeks edition of what is Carter doing now?:
Falling off ledges-Carter now knows that when he is at a ledge/edge (e.g. couch, bed, stairs) that he has to turn around in order to get off safely. We still support the drop, because he would be falling a distance larger then his body height. If there is a misstep, could cause breakage. Since our year warranty is almost up, we want to avoid breakage. This means that Carter can go down stairs all by himself. He crawls to the edge, then crawls around and backs up, then crawls down backwards.
Hugs-Carter has his own version of a hug (at least that is what I think he is trying to do) which fits in quite well with his mobile "I have places to go" lifestyle. While playing, he will come very close to you and lie down in front of you with his head in your lap, or at your feet. This technique is also used if he is sad, and overwhelmed with the injustices of being a baby (like if left upstairs while Mom and Dad prepare dinner downstairs).
Stands with a Fist-I guess he doesn't really do the whole Dances with Wolves impression, but he is getting better and better at standing on his own. Last night before his bath he kept pulling himself up on his toy crate, letting go, and waving his arms in the air (like he just don't care). I guess the arm waving helps with balance, but this is a motion Carter enjoys doing as a general playing motion. Often it is done while sitting, and holding two toys and waving them wildly in the air together (see CD Shuffle).
CD Shuffle-We all know that you can buy a kid many expensive toys, and he will love the cheapest and simplest ones. I highly recommend CD's. They are shiny, a bold requirement of any baby. CDs are fairly durable, light to hold, and easy to grab, meeting another set of baby requirements (not always the parents requirements, mind you when it comes to things baby is not supposed to get into). Carter loves CDs. How do I explain how he plays with them? Hmmm...Aunt Jennette could probably do a better job, since she witnessed this, and fell in love with the move right away. Carter will take two CDs and place one under each hand, laying the CDs flat on the floor. He will then crawl with the CDs on the floor in front of him so that they slide with his hand movements. This increases crawling speed (not unlike a curling slider would on ice) and also makes for a very cute bum wiggle from behind.
Grandma Warned Us...-Grandma warned us that our iron railing/banister separating our open concept 2nd floor and main floor would be a problem. However, I think she was concerned about Carter’s head being stuck in between the iron bars. What I didn't consider is Carter's wish to climb through and over the railing. If successful, Carter would have one foot dangling over the overhang, stuck in-between the bars, and the rest of his body on the 2nd floor. I know he wears diapers, but I imagine this could cause some discomfort with his family jewels.
Tante Kirstin Warned Us...-I know what my sister will say when she reads this, but the lesson about cause and effect is such a cool one to learn. Carter loves to play with my reading light in my room. It has a knob on it which will incrementally make the light brighter, and brighter. Carter loves to play with the knob and then look right up at the light. The rules of the light game are that he can only play with the knob. Once the lamp gets moved around, the game stops. Again, our concerns about the end of our one year warranty, and our child braining himself with a lamp we let him play with, weigh deeply on this rule. Also, after publishing this game on his blog, you all know if this does happen to Carter, our negligence will be the cause…therefore we will have to continue to be diligent reinforcing this rule.
Coming Attractions-Carter's first steps...coming soon to a theatre near you.
This is from dinner the other night. Carter really liked his cottage cheese and spaghetti
