Bigger and better adventures

As another blogging mother I know said recently, there’s an advantage in being lazy. By the time you eventually write a post, there is so much more news to put into it!

Well, since the excitement of Talia sitting by herself a few days before Christmas, we’ve had all kinds of excitement.

• the sitting just gets better and better
• she can now say da da (dai dai)
• she has been in a swimming pool for the first time
• she is grasping objects with both hands
• she held a bottle by herself for a time while drinking from it
• she is using one object to hit another object (usually the formula tin, which makes a good drum)
• she has discovered her lower legs and reaches down to hold her shin/ankle
• her shrieking volume has increased (ouch)
• and now, she can roll over from front to back!

At last, a way to avoid the dreaded tummy time - roll straight over onto your back!! I think she would have done it sooner if she had figured out how to move her arm out of the way. Daddyfeatures showed her how to do it 2 days ago and now she remembers the trick and puts it into practice.

We are officially declaring the last two weeks as “wonder weeks”. So much change in such a short time, it is just fantastic to watch Talia’s development happening before our eyes.

Happy new year everyone - 2008 is going to be just amazing.

Following a recommendation from the hospital physiotherapists, we have been putting more time into helping Talia sit. I started by sitting her up in a sturdy cardboard box, and more recently bought her a second-hand Bumbo seat, from where she can watch me hanging out laundry or pottering in the kitchen. I wedge her between cushions, toys and my legs, so that she can sit up and play without any fear of hurting herself when her balance fails and she pitches sideways or backwards. Or occasionally forewards, her head curving in a slow and graceful arc which ends as she kisses the carpet.

Up until last night, Talia always needed the support of an adult finger in her hand, or a leg behind the small of her back. Then, we noticed that she seemed to be leaning forward almost confidently, and we moved back, leaving space behind her. And she stayed sitting! She played with her toys, waved her arms around and generally behaved like someone who has been sitting for months, not minutes.

My husband and I were as excited as if Christmas had come already. I grabbed my camera and took a dozen or so photos - most of which were blurred due to Talia waving her arms or moving her head. Maybe she was doing a happy dance too!

Today, December 20, Talia is exactly nine months old, six months corrected. Halfway through one of the most amazing developmental years of her life, and we are as proud as parents can be.

This post (6 month update) was also placed on the main LAP blog, following on from Talia’s 5 month update, 4.5 month update and 3 month update.