Standing Up For Herself

Didn't she just start crawling?

I think crawling gave Camille a little taste of independence, and the confidence to try something even more grand. Sunday, she pulled up to a standing position for the first time by herself.

She'd been working on the technique for a few days, and would get awfully close before those socked feet would slide out from under her (darn hardwood floors!) or she'd get distracted and give up. But Sunday, as she crawled sockless around the living room and foyer, she was finally able to pull up by herself. On my legs, no less.

But that wasn't enough. My legs happened to be propped on our stairs, so she immediately started trying to climb them. One thing at a time please!

Lee got this video as she persisted at the foot of the stairs.

Last night, our poor little angel had a rough night. I think it was due to her ear infections. During one of her wee-hour screaming fits, I opened her door to find her standing in her crib, rattling her bars like a caged animal. If I thought seeing her sitting up in bed was a shocker, this was much worse. And again, she wasn't so keen on lying back down. I felt so sorry for her.

Today, I took down her crib mobile. It had hung over the side of her crib since before she was born. Sometimes, it helped her go to sleep. Other times, she simply enjoyed watching the lion and the leaves twirling around overhead. But last night, as she stood in her crib, I realized she could have jerked it down if she wanted. It was time to retire the mobile.

When I put her to bed a few moments ago and walked out the door, I looked back at her like I always do. I like to see the curve of her little body, relaxed on her mattress, one foot often up on a bumper. It looked a little strange not seeing the mobile hanging overhead. She's so big. I think she'll probably be walking by breakfast, driving by Saturday, and heading off to college the middle of next week. That's why I'll try to eat her up every minute.