Since I was a baby there have been problems. First off, I never mastered crawling. The best I could do was some kind of mutant crab shuffle, one useless limb dragging to the side. This eventually led to an ogre-like amble, which I still possess today. Graceful I am not.
My hand-eye coordination rivals that of a drunken Ray Charles. Ball sports generally resulted in some kind of physical harm.
- Baseball - Beyond having the most stable batting average of the team (.000), I was only able to catch balls that were no longer in motion. Even the discovery that I needed glasses in the middle of the season made no difference. The new specs just helped to confirm my innate nerdiness. And if this weren't enough, I cannot wear a baseball hat without looking like "Corky" from "Life Goes On." Not the best look.
- Basketball: I tried out for the team my first year of Junior High School. Yes, I'm a masochist. However, I had to drop out when, during a weave drill, I thought I could catch the ball with the end of my pinky finger. I genuinely hate looking down to find that half of one of my fingers is pointing 90 degrees the wrong way.
- Football: I never played on a team, but during 8th grade I was quarterback for my group in PE. For a while we had the best record in the class! With time, though, my nerdiness and lack of coordination were to rear their ugly heads once again. I eventually transferred out of the PE class to take Honors English, but only after destroying my glasses and nearly blinding myself by attempting to make an interception.
Naturally, I have been paranoid that Mimi would be infected with my genes and spend her life falling over while being pummeled by an assortment of base, foot, basket, and tennis balls along with the occasional badminton birdie. Her development in the first year was rather worrisome on this front.
Mimi was late to sit up, turn over, and to crawl. She hated being on her stomach, but rather than turn over, or attempt a military crawl, she would use her words. And by words I mean an insidiously high-pitched scream. Eventually Sumie or I would turn her over or sit her up, just to get a bit of peace. Mimi, knowing she had won, would smile.
Rather than crawl, Mimi would sit on her but and "scoot." She liked having her hands free, I think. This was incredibly cute, but some at daycare were worried that she might not crawl at all. It got us to worrying too.
As with most new parents, though, our worries were unfounded. About two months ago, everything just seemed to click for Mimi. She started standing up on her own, doing barrel rolls across the bed, crawling like a dog on fire, and sprinting across the house with her walker. She's not walking yet, but we're also not worried.
Watching Mimi's motor skills improve so rapidly has helped to provide me with some patience as a parent. Mimi has her own schedule. My job is to provide the input she needs according to that schedule. I imagine it will be the same with learning math and reading and I'm looking forward to learning more from her.
To celebrate Mimi's growing physical skill, here is a little collage video of her different styles of getting around. She's not entirely out of the woods - my genes may still be in there somewhere - but she is making significant strides forward each day. Enjoy!
Steve
2 comments:
"As a land mammal, I'm a complete failure". I laughed out loud at this. You forgot about soccer, which you were pretty good at until you broke your leg tripping over Aaron Anderson. I am also cursed with the inability to wear baseball hats without looking like a pud and I'm afraid that Alder might be, too. What is it about the shape of our heads that distorts baseball caps into dork crowns?
I loved the videos of Mimi. Crawling up stairs already? Impressive. She is so adorable.
What a doll! I remember your crawl Steve. It was more than different, it was bizarre, but it got you where you were going! And you were adorable getting there! Dave used to say you were unique in your approach. Mimi is a star, what a darling video. I loved it.
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