Sunrise, Sunset

I have a confession.

While semi-unintentional, I try to thwart my babies' development.

Not on everything, mind you. Just the things that I see as a true sign of their baby-hood, the things I'm not ready to give up.

Still they progress.

Examples, you say?

Nursing. Jane was clearly done with the whole thing at 5 months. She made herself clear. I wasn't ready. I made her go another month.

Or self-feeding. Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about (the semi-unintentional): I keep feeding the baby because I see that, as a baby, they need to rely on me. But still I end up giving them the spoon. And inevitably, they are proficient from the moment I relinquish control.

Other things I push. All things intellectual, like numbers, colors, letters, reading, putting shapes in the correct hole, things such as this.

And here is where my babies excel (I don't mean to brag, but I'm going to). Dr. C told me today, as I worried over Jane's seeming inability to identify her colors with regular consistency, that she is well above her vocabulary and mental benchmarks.

Even Elliot says a few words. And while I refuse to delude myself with the grandeur that a 9-month-old might actually know what he is saying, he was pointing to Puffs when he yelled "num num" at Lane and he does shut his yammering "mamamamamama" when I come into view. Coincidence.

Other arenas of life I push and they just give me a look as if to say: "Yeah. Right, lady."

To what do I refer?

Their motor abilities.

Never fear. Dr. C declared today that Jane is right where she should be, right on track, where before she lagged behind by 4 months in pulling to stand and 5 months behind in walking. As my mom said, she wouldn't go into kindergarten scooting on her bum. No, she'll enter with her preferred method of travel: all-out running.

But Elliot, my darling, is doing exactly what his sister did. No pulling to stand. No cruising. Not even the slightest interest in moving around ... so I informed Dr. C this morning at the check-up.

When we finished with the check-up, my son, who had to that point used his legs to propel himself a grand total of ZERO times, woke up from his nap and promptly got into the crawling position, which is where I found him when I went to retrieve him.

He proceeded to do this several more times throughout the afternoon and even retrieved his toys by moving about with the use of a modified army crawl.

This post check-up display only confirms to me that my children are intentionally feigning the lack-of motor ability stuff. I mean, Jane deftly went to a stand the minute incentive (in the form of chocolate) was presented. And I saw Jane walking when she thought I wasn't looking quite awhile before she showed her secret to the world.

But my chub-a-lubs have another area of excelling: growing. Both show remarkable growth. Jane topping the charts in the 80th and up percentiles and Elliot staying strong in the 60s.

Eat and talk. They must be my children after all.