More of Isaac's Incredible Feats (not feets)

We went to the doctor today, and Mr. Isaac weighed in at 15 pounds and is 27 inches long. As Dr. Ludlow gave him his OMT, I talked about some of the developmental milestones Isaac is reaching, and she was very encouraging, assuring me that, yes, my baby is the only baby to have ever done those things. Okay, maybe she didn't go that far, but she was encouraging and reminded me how even the smallest things can be such a big deal and how quickly we forget them.

Well, thank goodness for my blog. Isaac and I will never forget a moment of his childhood, thanks to his mother's careful documentation. He probably won't care, when he's older, how old he was when he took his first step or made his first sound, and the people reading this probably don't care, either (though I thank you for pacifying me), but I certainly care. Last night, after I wrote the entry about Isaac's amazing acrobatics, I read through all of my pregnancy journal entries, a feeling of nostalgia washing over me as I read. They weren't written that long ago, but already I'd forgotten the magic I felt while writing them. I hadn't forgotten what a miraculous experience being pregnant was; rather, I'd forgotten the detailed emotion embedded in each moment. I'm glad I wrote it down. I wish I'd written more often.

I need to write more often about Isaac. Everyone talks about how quickly babies grow into children. Even I was casually spouting off the other night how, in only a couple of years, Isaac won't be so needy and I'll be my own person again, separate from this little life that clings so desperately to me now. Later, I thought about what I had said. Rather than anticipate the freedom of Isaac's maturity, I was saddened by the fact that, in a few years, he really won't need me as much as he does now. In fact, it probably won't be too long before he wants nothing to do with me, him being so cool and his mom cramping his style and all. So, I no longer look forward to baby-free outings. Sure, I enjoy them when they come along, but I don't crave them. I appreciate every moment Isaac needs me and that I have the privilege of being his mommy.

And I said all of that, really, to say that I'd missed out on writing down some of Isaac's most recent accomplishments. Here's a list:

1. In addition to rolling over, Isaac is also holding his head steady while on his tummy and lifting his shoulders with his arms.

2. He can almost crawl. Okay, not really, but every time I leave him on his tummy and go to a different room, even if only for a minute, by the time I come back, he's either inched his way forward a foot or spun himself in a complete circle. He keeps his forehead on the ground and kicks off with his legs, propelling himself forward inch by inch. More recently, he's begun pushing himself backwards with his arms. I'm out shopping for room-sized tummy time mats.

3. Last week, when he was really learning to hold his head and shoulders up, he'd get up on his left hand and his right elbow, lift his shoulders and look around, then drop his head back to the floor so quickly and suddenly that it landed with a soft thud. It was as though his neck just couldn't handle the strain for very long and would give out after about 30 seconds. He'd lift his head again, then drop it back to the ground with another thud. He'd do this about four or five times before getting tired and cranky.