This morning I was playing with Will in the living room, and I told him, "Will, if you roll over onto your stomach, I'll let you eat rice cereal tonight!" Now, I said what I said mostly in silliness. I don't know if he understands what we're saying just yet. But I felt that perhaps bribery was in order because he's been rolling from stomach to back for a couple months now. But he hates his tummy so he has no motivation to roll from back to stomach. I've been feeling like it's just never going to happen.
A few minutes later, I realized something important had just happened: I'd made my first promise to my son (aside from the unspoken contract all parents make to take care of their children). And even if he can't understand what I'm saying, I decided that I needed to be prepared to meet that promise to fulfill his trust and my obligation. A small promise, but it really made me stop and think about the precedent I'll be setting for him. So when I was grocery shopping today, I bought baby spoons, a sippy cup, and rice cereal just in case.
I came home, put away my groceries, and played with Will while Chris was doing his homework on the couch nearby. I reiterated my promise to Will. And what do you think happened? Yep, the little turkey just rolled right over onto his tummy from his back! I was so excited I screamed and clapped and generally made a big fuss about it. I don't know why it made me so excited, but I've just been in the best mood since then. My little guy is growing up and becoming more independent and I'm just SO excited for him!
So, eating grown-up food meant pulling out all the stops. I immediately unpacked the high chair (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and set him in it. He seemed to take to it. By this time it was dinner time, and so I took Will and his high chair into the kitchen with me while I cooked. And I tell you what, we had so much fun! He was closer to eye level and so he could see what was going on and he was having fun and I was having fun. I'd given him some toys to play with and of course they ended up repeatedly on the kitchen floor, but I was just so excited I didn't mind having to pick them up over and over again. I'm sure that even by tomorrow this trick will be old (Idea: Attach his toys to the high chair with the plastic links that go with Mr. Octopus). But today, for the first time, there were toys on my kitchen floor, and I loved every minute of it.
So Chris and I ate our dinner (well, our first helpings, anyway), then decided it was Will's turn. I've said quite enough. I'll let the pics do the rest of the talking:
It was a hit! He kept grabbing the spoon, which isn't altogether surprising. What was surprising was that the split second I turned my head to smile at my handsome husband, Will grabbed the bowl and dumped half the contents on the tray, as you see. I'm not sure how much he actually ate but he did pretty well.
He's sitting up pretty well. It's amazing what a difference just a week makes. Just last week he was wobbling all over and face planting frequently. But today he's pretty much got it down. He falls backward still sometimes, but he's starting to support himself on the sides. Today, for the first time, he supported himself up on all fours for a few seconds--then promptly lunged at a toy and face planted. But it was still very exciting. All in all, a big day of milestones for Will.
In other exciting news, my parents came for a visit. It was great to have them stay with us and I miss them already. Love you guys!
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