On the Move

Mango hit a couple milestones this past week.  She started crawling and then just two days later, figured out how to pull herself all the way up.  She took her time with crawling and worked really hard to get up on her hands and knees.  Strawberry and Apple both commando crawled until they were strong enough to get their bellies off the floor, but Mango didn't seem to like doing that.  She rolled if she really had to get somewhere.  She had figured out how to go from laying down to sitting up pretty quickly and so sometimes, she would do this weird, rolling-sitting up combination to get to things.  It was funny.  Then, she figured out how to get up on her hands and knees, but couldn't figure out the hand movements and would just sit there rocking back and forth.  But she finally figured out how to do and and has been getting into all kinds of trouble ever since.  

It's funny too because now she will crawl to wherever I am.  I always knew she was a Momma's girl, but now I realize how attached to me she is.  If she can crawl to me, she will.  I was trying to take a picture of her crawling from the side and put all kinds of tempting things for her to go get, but she would only crawl towards me.  And if I walk out of the room to get something or put something away, I'll meet her coming to find me on the way back.  It's hilarious.  Thank goodness I have Strawberry and Mango to keep her occupied when I have to get things done.  She is still their little dolly and now she is old enough to handle them treating her like one.  

I had taken a couple pictures of her getting herself up partway that I was going to put on here, but by the time I got around to it, she figured out how to get up all the way.  It was so funny because she would get up on one knee and then stick her other leg out straight and then start screaming because she couldn't get any further.  Or if she could find a low enough object, she would be able to get both feet under her, but would be bent over and start screaming because she couldn't stand up.  She was crazy frustrated.  A couple of times, I would look over and she would be standing up holding on to something, but it was always that one of the older girls had taken pity on her and stood her up, and she would just be sitting there clinging for dear life.  She loved it when they did that though.  She loves being on her feet.  I don't think I've had a baby yet who was quite so eager to walk, but still so far from being able to do it.  Both of the other girls were walking already at this age and all of the milestones came pretty easy to them.  But little Mango doesn't give up and would try over and over and over to get herself up until she finally made it.  I'm very proud of her.  The problem is that she doesn't know how to get down once she's up.  So she will sit there being happy for a minute, but then get frustrated again because she wants to do something else.  She is still aways from cruising and so if she wants to move, she either has to fall down or someone has to put her back down on her butt. 

 

It's so funny.  Except at naptime and bedtime.  She'll crawl to the bars and pull herself up and stand there screaming until I come and lay her back down, then she'll pop back up and do it again.  Sigh.  It really makes me appreciate Apple who will say, "Mommy, I'm tired," and then crawl into bed and be asleep 1 minute later.  And Strawberry who will never say that she is tired, but will go to bed when I tell her to.  Of course, on the other hand, Mango gets crazy excited to see me just when I walk into the room, but when I go to pick up the older kids at a friends house, they run and hide and whine.  Each stage has its awesome parts and its frustrating parts, hey?