Mr. Big Stuff

Alex and I are so impressed with Matthew this week and the physical changes he's making. He seems to have discovered his feet and really likes that he can kick things and push things with his feet. We did lots of legs kicks with him, mostly to work on getting gas out of his tummy but it seems to have made his legs strong. We help hold him but he is really determined to stand and even pushes up to stand when starting in a squat position. Alex even puts a box in front of him when he is lying on his back and when weighted down with toys he pushes it with his feet: a baby leg press!

We bought a little toy that has some pads in it that when pressed make noise, like a bit of a foot piano. He really likes to stomp on it. When I tried to put his hands on it he was still kicking his legs in mid air and was mad that he wasn't hearing his music!

He is also getting better head and trunk control. He likes to sit like a big boy and see the things in the room. A few times he held himself in a sit for a very brief few seconds before falling to one side. He has started rolling over from tummy to back. I'll say he is three-fourths able. We position him with his legs and hips down and put him on one shoulder so he is laying sideways. He knows to kick his leg over and push with his arm to flip over. He might never go from back to tummy. He hates to be face down on the mat so I'm not sure he has much motivation...yet. Maybe when we he is ready to be mobile.

Matthew also has discovered himself in the mirror. I sat him in front of it yesterday and he was curious but eventually he started smiling at "that baby in the mirror" and even was talking to himself. It was adorable the first time he did it and I was laughing so hard. I wish I had my camera and that there were other people around to see him with this discovery for the first time. Also in front of the mirror he was kicking his feet and pressing against the mirror and was so proud of himself. He even smiled at himself when he stood there for a while.

Bath time has become even more fun. He kicks up a storm and when we added some toys to the bath last night he kicked those rubber duckies all over the place. Alex put a shampoo bottle in front of him and he very determinedly pushed it with his feet: a bath leg press!