Moving and Shaking

On Monday, August 13th, Mia rolled from her back to her belly for the first time (that we know of). She had been trying to for quite some time and either got stuck half way there or was too hesitant to go all the way. Kurt, Emma, and I all saw her roll and all gave her loud cheers. Emma was the most excited. Mia was pretty proud of herself. On Tuesday, I asked Ms. Virginia at daycare if she'd seen Mia roll, and she said she had, but she couldn't remember which way she rolled (back to tummy or vice versa). Around 3 months, Mia rolled from her tummy to her back consistently for 3 days....then promptly stopped. Currently, it took her a while to gain confidence, I suspect she wasn't a fan of the falling sensation and that's why she wouldn't do it.

On Monday, August 20th, I put Mia on a play mat while I helped Emma with something in another room. When I walked back into the living room, Mia was in the middle of the floor...about 2 full rolls away from where I left her. I exclaimed, "Mia, that's not where I put you!" She responded with the biggest, gummiest, proudest grin you can imagine. It was adorable! We've not broken out the baby gate yet, but we're also careful to leave her on the far side of the living room if we have to step out of the room for anything. 

Mia is trying so hard to get to places. If she were home with us, like Emma was, there is no doubt in my mind, she would be walking between 6 and 7 months just like her sister. Since she's at daycare and sees other kids and doesn't have constant 1 on 1 attention, she's determined to figure out how to crawl. Currently, she scooches herself on her belly...backward. I think this really frustrates her because instead of getting closer and closer to toys, she pushes herself farther away. That said, last week, I saw the beginning of an army crawl and just yesterday, she was able to push herself up onto her knees. She has a long way to go in terms of coordination, but I think she's going to figure out how to move sooner rather than later.

Earlier today, I was holding her in a standing position at her tummy time mat. She was holding on to the arches with her hands and was balanced enough that I was able to let go of her and count to "3 Mississippis" before she started to fall. For quite a while now, when she is in a sitting position, she will hold our hands and push up with her feet into a standing position. She then looks around all proud of herself.

Also this evening, I was helping her practice sitting up. Prior to the past few days, she was still not balancing very well and although she put her arms out to prop herself up, she was still pretty hunched over. Tonight she was in that position, albeit not so hunched over, when she looked up at me, channeled the Hulk, grunted and pulled in her core and sat straight up, her hands no where near the floor. I was amazed! She got tired pretty quickly, but she did a great job!

All this and she's not officially 5 months until tomorrow!