This is the vicious cycle Ollie keeps playing out.
1. crawl as fast as possible to the corner of the coffee.
2. pull-up to a standing position.
3. let go with one hand.
4. swing free hand around like a rodeo cowboy.
5. Fly backwards landing on head 50% of the time, Butt the other 50%
6. Scream and cry.
7. Repeat.
At first I followed him around, prying his death grip from the coffee table and re directing him to a toy. Well, now I'm tired and he needs to learn. So, I let him go through this cycle until finally he wears himself down, usually after 20-minutes of this ridiculousness.
So, what to FTD and I do thinking it will save us from a trip to the ER with a busted head from the coffee table? We buy him one of those Sit-to-Stand learn to walk toys. My friends, don't do this as quickly as we did. Ollie is not ready for it. He has pulled the thing down on him more times than I care to admit to. We have to play with him when he plays with it. The problem is that he needs some sort of sturdy prop to help him stand up. His legs are just not strong enough yet. If said prop weighs less than him, he pulls it down on himself. (Photos Below)
Moving on to Plan B....
In an effort too continue to nurture his need to stand up I pushed to coffee table way away from the couch to let him use the couch as his new "cruising" spot. Which, for those of you who do not know, 'Cruising' is when a baby pulls himself up to the standing position and then walks a few steps holding onto whatever he pulled up on.
Side Note: I had no idea what Ollie was doing was called "Cruising" until my girlfriend asked me if Ollie was cruising yet. I asked if she meant for chicks? I had no idea there was a term for it.
Oliver can now walk from one end of the couch by holding on while he walks. I drive his favorite car down in front of him and he chases it. I really am so proud of him. However, I'm freaking out about how mobile he is at 8-months-old.
For all of you moms reading this thinking, I wish my baby was standing or cruising, be careful what you wish for! Oliver is a terror on two feet! He wants to pull up on everything including the dining table chairs, the floor lamp and even FTD's surround sound speaker stands. No matter how much you think you have baby proofed your house, there is more to be done! Anything on the floor is fair game, the TV stand freaks me out the most. I told FTD we need to mount the TV. The problem is that you cannot mount chairs, and furniture.
So far this stage of learning to walk has been as rewarding as tiring. Oliver will not even sit in his exersaucer now. He has to be free to roam and cause havoc. Gone are the days of taking my eyes off of him for more than 10 seconds. Don't get me wrong, I am so proud of him for reaching these milestones so early. However, it comes at a price, my sanity. Just you wait, for those of you waiting for a walker, you will be checking into the loony bin with me and FTD in no time...
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