Lena Walks
Sep. 20th, 2015 09:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamsharkI hadn't remembered how fuzzy a milestone "learning to walk" really is. Lena learned to crawl more or less instantaneously on June 15, when she finally figured out how to move forward instead of just rocking futilely on her hands and knees. Walking is an order of magnitude more complicated.
If you go by "took first steps without holding onto anything" that was 2-3 weeks ago, right before turning 10 months. But she never really got anywhere - just took a step or two or three, started swaying backwards and forwards in increasingly large arcs, then collapsed onto her bottom or knees.
Now she's regularly staggering 2-3 feet in a more or less forward direction, frequently arriving at her destination before falling over. I saw it myself in today's Skype session. One big improvement from last week is that she actually conceives of a destination and launches herself towards it rather than just taking practice steps in some random direction. In fact, she can carefully turn herself in tiny little side steps until she is facing in the direction she wants to go before setting out. She is also able (sometimes) to regain her balance after she starts to sway backwards and forwards.
Still not really FUNCTIONAL walking. If she just wants to get someplace in a hurry, crawling is still the locomotion of choice. Right now walking is more of a hobby, but one that she practices obsessively.
Also notable is a distinctly cocky attitude. At this stage, she really would be advised to keep both hands out to the sides for balance. But no, she keeps setting out on her journeys with one hand holding a chew toy to her mouth, or stopping midway to try to pick something up from the floor. Very ambitious. She usually falls when she tries either of these moves. But she's getting really good at bouncing back up again, so I guess she doesn't care.
[ETA] This just in! Amazing walking video here. She wasn't walking nearly this far 8 hours ago when we Skyped. I think she's got it!
If you go by "took first steps without holding onto anything" that was 2-3 weeks ago, right before turning 10 months. But she never really got anywhere - just took a step or two or three, started swaying backwards and forwards in increasingly large arcs, then collapsed onto her bottom or knees.
Now she's regularly staggering 2-3 feet in a more or less forward direction, frequently arriving at her destination before falling over. I saw it myself in today's Skype session. One big improvement from last week is that she actually conceives of a destination and launches herself towards it rather than just taking practice steps in some random direction. In fact, she can carefully turn herself in tiny little side steps until she is facing in the direction she wants to go before setting out. She is also able (sometimes) to regain her balance after she starts to sway backwards and forwards.
Still not really FUNCTIONAL walking. If she just wants to get someplace in a hurry, crawling is still the locomotion of choice. Right now walking is more of a hobby, but one that she practices obsessively.
Also notable is a distinctly cocky attitude. At this stage, she really would be advised to keep both hands out to the sides for balance. But no, she keeps setting out on her journeys with one hand holding a chew toy to her mouth, or stopping midway to try to pick something up from the floor. Very ambitious. She usually falls when she tries either of these moves. But she's getting really good at bouncing back up again, so I guess she doesn't care.
[ETA] This just in! Amazing walking video here. She wasn't walking nearly this far 8 hours ago when we Skyped. I think she's got it!
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Date: 2015-09-21 04:09 am (UTC)Such an excellent grand child you have, there.
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Date: 2015-09-21 05:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-21 07:06 pm (UTC)Maybe I could invent a slightly moving platform for home use to replicate the phenomenon.
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Date: 2015-09-21 09:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-22 12:55 am (UTC)P.