Crawling...Finally Crawling

So there has been a debate in our house regarding our nearly one year old and her refusal to crawl.  Rather than the expected, "is our baby girl a bit on the slow side?", the debate was on our desire for her to crawl.

Heather has been in "training mode" for about 3 months, trying to get Ellie to crawl.  I, on the other hand, have been content being able to sit in the recliner and watch Ellie, without having to chase her around the house, without having to baby proof every room and every outlet, without having to worry about what trouble she would get into when she was mobile.  Well, as of this week, she is crawling.

Although, it appears this won't be the case for very long.  She definitely prefers the full out walk...one problem...balance.  How important is balance you ask; well, only important for those kids that don't want to look abused.  Ellison has a tendency to attempt the walk and end up crashing on the ground.  Her forehead has become a routine stop for bruises and marks.  As a result of this lack of stability, I am always fearful, based on my previous experiences, that I will run into a DHS or District Attorney, and get prosecuted for the bruises that are consistently on her head.  I am tempted to find a helmet for her to wear on a consistent basis.

Prior to the disabling heat that we are now experiencing, Ellie and I got to spend some time in the back yard.  After school, we would take off our shoes and examine the grass in the back yard.  One immediate lesson learned was that the grass was more forgiving than the patio when it came to our falls.  Not to mention that the grass tasted better too!

So back to the crawl.  It appears that she is capable, although not terribly interested. Rather, she wants to stand up, walk, and demonstrate her independence.

As a result, she is pulling up on everything.  And as long as she has something to hold on to she can walk pretty well.  She definitely prefers, if available, mommy or daddy's hands, as they make the best crutches.

In fact, we have recently walked into her room, when she was "taking a nap" and we discovered that she was standing full out, jumping up and down, giggling, and loving the rail that allows her to walk the entire length of the crib.  So much for our baby girl being much of a baby anymore.