One Small Step....

Grace took a long time to warm up to crawling.  There was a period of time when she just didn't seem interested in it.  Sitting here in this one place all day is just fine, thank you very much.  But once she fully comprehended the components to make it happen, she became a full-fledged crawler pretty quickly.  And now she's so speedy with her crawling that we always have to keep one eye on her for fear of losing track of her, which is hard to do in a New York apartment!  Another way to alway know where she is - she is not a quiet crawler, with her feet and knees pounding the hardwoods, and a little grunt with each stride. 

The same timeline has been true for pre-walking activities.  Her crawl is so effective at getting her into trouble from point A to point B that she hasn't felt a need to attempt anything more.  

That all changed a couple of months ago when she began to pull to stand.   But it took a forklift to pry one of her feet off the ground.  She finally got the courage to move her feet side to side and started cruising 2 or 3 weeks ago when we bribed her presented her with some yogurt snacks strategically scattered on the couch cushions.  And just yesterday, during her physical therapy session, she took one unsupported step.  I, of course, missed it on video.  But it was a single foot forward followed by a lunge onto her PT.  It wasn't repeated, but it was a clear sign that she's getting more confident on her feet.  Cue the hormonal last-weeks-of-pregnancy crying.

Today, we received a new push toy in the mail that motivates by playing music in response to being pushed.  This was made for Grace, as music is her number one motivator (after food).  Darren sat her behind it, turned it on, and this is what happened:

She's got a ways to go, but the Gracer is on the move!  

Go Speed Gracer Go!!