Blink at your own risk

I’m sure every month I comment on how LLC is now really interacting with the world, increasing her understanding and expressing her desires. I may sound like a broken record, but every month I see her become more of her own person in all of these respects and while I should be used to the rapid development leaps by now, they still never cease to amaze me.

Lately she’s all about movement. After retiring her love of knee walking, LLC lingered with regular paced toddling before developing a penchant for running. And she is quick. All I need to do is take my eyes off her for a brief second, and she’s off in the other direction, picking up stones (what is it with small children and stones?!), giving our cat an overly enthusiastic stroke, clambering towards an unlocked park gate leading to a lake, gnawing a Bounty bar next to the supermarket check-out or befriending some diners at a table down the aisle.

And she loves her freedom and wants to walk. Or run. Most of the time. If I’m walking outside or through a shop with her, she doesn’t mind the stroller ride. But once we stop she gets a bit antsy, and once she’s been let loose, putting her back into the stroller has become a struggle. Seriously, she deserves an Oscar for the performances she puts on before I manage to strap her back in.

I’m not a fan of reigns. I can’t remember seeing as many children in the USA with them as I’ve seen here in the UK, but that could be because I didn’t take notice. I know they serve a purpose, and would do what they say on the tin, but they’re just a little too dog on a leash for me. I’d rather try to teach LLC about potential dangers and that she can’t run off at her every whim, but this will no doubt take time, get tiring and mean I have to kiss goodbye to more leisurely coffees or lunches that I’ve previously enjoyed while she sat happy as can be in her stroller or highchair.

We’ve recently had a mix of visitors with Chris’ parents staying for several days and our dear Aunt T visiting from Holland so I’ve had strength in numbers keeping up with LLC, but I’m expecting this next period to keep me on my toes, literally.

Milestone. Maybe?

I’ve gotten used to people telling me that “LLC looks like a little dolly.” She is still small and relatively light for her age, though now she is filling out a bit.

But LLC has a new party trick that draws attention by the masses, and it’s got nothing to do with her petite physique. It has to do with her knee walking.

Yes, knee walking. As in she speeds around with arms swinging at her sides like a wind up doll pounding the pavement with her knees! They get red and a little sore but she doesn’t mind. Maybe she just enjoys all the attention that she gets by passersby? Maybe it’s her kind way of saving us the dilemma of finding shoes that fit her size 1 feet if she was properly walking?!

I keep thinking I should do a vlog (video blog for non-techies out there) of this to share with my readers who haven’t witnessed her in action already. Unfortunately I’m pretty non-techie myself.

Meanwhile people keep asking if she has learned to walk yet. Ironically, she took her first steps several weeks ago but hasn’t progressed beyond several steps at a time. Most of the time, she prefers knees all the way. So we answer, “Well yes, errr, just a bit, kind of, she’s really do more knee walking....”

We keep trying to encourage her to practice proper walking but she’ll only do it when in the “right mood.” And when this “right mood” does strike, she like to be rewarded every couple of steps by claps. She gets up, toddles, stops and stands, claps and looks to us to clap, and then maybe takes a couple more steps. Or falls. And then starts knee walking. 

Milestone in the making?