My son, the blob

Before having Liam, I’ll admit I didn’t know much about child development. Yes, I knew they didn’t come out of the womb ready to tap-dance, but in terms of what milestones occurred when I was kind of clueless. I knew not to expect the walking and talking for a good year but that was about it. And I’ll also admit that since having Liam, I’ve been kind of surprised by how long things take to happen.

Liam still can’t hold anything in his hand and from what I’ve read, it will probably be another month before he can. I can shake a rattle for him but he can’t do it himself. I originally thought that by now he’d be stacking blocks and squeaking toys and doing all sorts of adorable baby activities. And sitting up? I had no idea it would be a good six months before that happens. I originally thought it might happen around 3. Every day he seems a little more clued in but at times the progress seems agonizingly slow.

Once you start reading about all these milestones, of course, you start to brag when your kid beats them and worry when he’s behind. From what I’ve read, Liam shouldn’t be supporting any of his own weight on his legs until five months. Well, he’s been supporting almost all of it for several weeks now – it seems like it’s only his balance that’s keeping him from walking out the door. He’d rather stand on our laps than do just about anything else. On the flip side, he is also supposed to be able to lift his head to a 90 degree angle when placed on his stomach by the end of this month. Here’s a picture from yesterday showing the extent of his ability in that department – if he can get his nose off the ground to get some air in, he’s lucky. Despite all the advice to give your kid plenty of tummy time when they’re this little, I’ll admit that we don’t. I get thirty seconds of peace and then he’s screaming to be sitting up or standing or generally doing just about anything else. Having said that, he’s got no flathead issues, and he’s good at holding his head up when he’s sitting or standing, so I don’t think I’m doing him any harm by skipping the drama in this department.

Right now I’m reading Jenny McCarthy’s book, “Baby Laughs”. She referred to her son at this age as The Blob since he just kind of lied there (layed there? See, no adult contact anymore, and I can’t even remember how to speak!) in a puddle and didn’t do much. So that’s somewhat reassuring, to know that Liam is not alone. Of course, she also had to get her son a $15,000 helmet to wear when his head did flatten out alarmingly in the back. So maybe Jenny McCarthy shouldn’t be my role model in this department.