Monday, November 12, 2007

They Make It Look So Easy...

Sometimes it's hard to be a baby. Watching Sam struggle to do the things we adults take for granted helps me forgive her for her occassional whine/cry fest. It's not easy being her! As I sit comfortably on the couch, I know I could easily get up, walk to the fridge and get some food. I know I could sit up straight without any danger of toppling over. I know I can walk, run, hop or jump to get anything I need. But Samara can't. Here are a few of the things that Sam struggles to do:

1.) Crawling: this is a struggle everyday. She can push up on her arms, albeit with grunts and noises of discomfort, and she can scoot around on her stomach, but the actual act of crawling on all fours still alludes her. I feel for her since it would be so much easier to just crawl instead of belly flopping again and again onto the hard wood floor and dragging herself around with her arms. My poor sweet girl would do so much better if she could just crawl. But she can't. Not yet.

2.) Pulling up: I think there is no sadder sight than poor Sam trying so hard to pull up on something. If it is just above her eye level, she can crawl onto her knees and push her way up an object. But any higher? She grunts and rolls off, grunts and rolls off until she has had enough and starts to cry. I know she will learn how to do it, that she needs to build the upper body strength, but it is so sad to watch her try and try and not be able to meet her goal.

3.) Sitting up: She is perfectly capable of being seated and of getting to a scooting position from a seated one. But she cannot muster the strength to get from scooting to sitting. She tries. And falls. And tries. And falls. My poor baby. I know she will get it eventually, but it is hard to watch the process.

It was 29 years ago when I mastered all of these skills. Now they all seem to easy, it is hard to believe there was a time when I could not do them. One of the most difficult parts of it all is not being able to help her. She has to learn it all on her own. I know it is all part of the process, but a part of me wants to always be there to pull her up. I guess ignoring that desire so she can learn is all part of being a parent.

1 comment:

Kristi said...

Wait until she begins to walk. Then you're really going to feel sorry for her as she face-plants 57 times a day.

It's very hard to watch them struggle without helping them. But at the same time, this is how they learn. Think of it this way, if she doesn't do anything on her own, you'll end up spoon-feeding a ten-year-old. ;)