From Formspring: Hey Molly! What milestones do you and Michael look most forward to celebrating with Owen? Do you find that your perception of time has changed at all? Are you thinking about the future more than ever or are you mostly grounded in the present?
Initially, I answered the question like this:
Cliche as it sounds, time is FLYING. I would say I’m grounded in the present, but the present is ever-changing (if that makes any sense.) Every day I am fascinated when he discovers a new skill or toy…it’s amazing to see a person really grow before your eyes.
I’m most looking forward to his first Christmas, watching him taste food for the first time (although that will be bittersweet for me) and hearing his first real word. He already says “Oooooh WA!”, so maybe it will actually be his name!
And then came this weekend. See, we’ve been waiting for him to roll over. He used to, actually. When he was 2.5 weeks old he would roll from his belly to his back if he got really mad and worked up some momentum. And then he stopped, which didn’t surprise me, since he wasn’t even a month old yet. Since then, we’ve done a lot of tummy time, but he’s just not all that interested in flipping over. He’s done it on occasion, but then looks at me like, “Why should I do this? This is boring!” Instead, he prefers to lie on his back and roll from side to side, playing with his feet but not actually rolling over.
I wasn’t really worried about it, but my mom kept asking if he had rolled again, so I started to think maybe he should be! Maybe he’s developmentally behind! Is something wrong with him?!
I started to agonized over it; doing Google searches and comparing him to other babies his age we’re friendly with. Some were rolling, some weren’t. Ok…
Well, here’s a lesson I had to learn: all kids are different. If your five-month old hasn’t rolled over yet, he can still be one smart cookie. Observe:
Well, no wonder he doesn’t want to roll. Who wants to roll when you can SIT? Do you know what happens when you sit? You can reach things! Like the toys above your play mat, or the place mat at a restaurant (which rips! Do you know paper rips?!), or the fork right off of Mama’s plate. Sitting allows you to discover your world in an entirely different light and JEESH, Mama. Stop trying to make me roll over! I’ll do it when I’m good and ready.
The milestones are coming fast and furious and this one was a game changer. This whole making a human thing? Pretty darn cool.
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December 13, 2010 at 9:35 am
Kim @ Kim and Mikey
I can totally relate to the agonizing over your child’s development. My daughter is 9 months old and shows no interest in crawling. If we try to put her on all fours, she immediately rolls over to her back and promptly pulls herself into a sitted position. I was worried that she was falling behind, until our church nursery worker told us that Joycie loves to be in the walker and follows the older children around. And now she is starting to pull herself up, and will take tentative steps if we hold her hands. Like you said, each child is different, which is what makes the parenting journey all the more interesting.
December 13, 2010 at 10:21 am
Becky
James didn’t roll over for a long time either, but sat around 6 months. He is 9 1/2 months now, and my favorite milestone so far is the cruising. He makes his way all over our apartment by holding on to furniture and the walls. He will go around the corner from the living room to the hallway, and peek back at us. We will say, “Where are you going, James?” and he will shriek and giggle and “run” down the hall (aka cruise as fast as he can). I love it.
You are so right – kids all reach milestones at different times. It’s hard not to worry about it, but when you see your kid doing something ahead of schedule, even if there are other things they can’t do yet, it makes you feel better.
I’m glad you are enjoying motherhood!
December 13, 2010 at 10:38 am
Selly
My son was the same way. All of the other babies in our playgroups were rolling over at 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, and still Theo wasn’t rolling over. Then at 4 1/2 months he started sitting, which was well before any of the other kids. Then he started walking at 9 months! They all eventually meet their milestones, so I don’t know why we all are in such a rush!
December 13, 2010 at 11:14 am
Ashley
Yes, Aaron seems to be a bit behind with talking right now. But I’m not too worried because you can still tell how smart he is. He uses is cause and effect to figure out how things work around the house. Such as buttons on the remote & dvd player, poking daddy in the belly makes him giggle, pitching a fit in the floor makes mommy come and pick me up. LOL! They are all smart cookies! BTW I love your little man’s ears. They are just too cute!
December 13, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Wiz
This sounds just like my son. He rolled over several times when he was around three weeks old and then just stopped. He didnt do it again until he was several months old.
I have always just tried to compare my son to himself. As long as he continues to do more and does not regress then I figure he is moving in the right direction!
What a precious little baby head!
December 13, 2010 at 1:53 pm
emily
I do the same thing if I think Jude isn’t making his milestones then all the sudden he will blow them out of the water!! So I guess we just have to relax a little and just be along for the ride:) Plus I hate when he makes some of the gains because that means he isn’t my little bitty baby anymore but he is soo fun now and four months (other than no sleep) is amazing
December 13, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Molly P
I think this is true even as they get older- kids do things when they want/when they’re ready. I take my almost two year old to toddler gymnastics. For weeks, every time I encouraged her to try to swing on the bar, she’d throw a temper tantrum (bonelessness, wailing). She did plenty of other things, so why was I pushing? I relaxed and within two weeks she walked up to the bar, said “I do it myself,” and did. Over and over for the rest of the class.
It always makes me feel bad when parents get competitive about milestones. My babies have hit some early and others late. All babies learn to roll, crawl, walk, and talk and there’s a wide range of time that’s considered normal development.
December 13, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Alison
When I was a baby, my mother was SO concerned about SIDS that I was never put on my stomach–ever. I don’t know where this “tummy time” thing came from (my friend does it with her son, too.) but my mother was so terrified that I would enjoy flipping onto my stomach that I would do it in my sleep.
I was almost a year old when the photographer at Olan Mills flipped me onto my belly for a photo. And you can literally SEE the shock in my little pudgy face. “Wait…but…I’m on my BELLY! What is this? This is crazy!”
What I’m trying to say? I wasn’t allowed on my belly (by my own doing or not!) until almost a year old–and I turned out fine
December 16, 2010 at 10:56 pm
Anastasia
I just want to comment on that little bum…..because it’s ohhhh so squishy and cute