We Have A Crawler!

Last Friday, Liam officially started crawling!  He's developed his own style (one knee and one foot), so it's half of a bear crawl.  Occasionally he uses both knees if he's not concerned about speed, but apparently this is the best way!  He went from just scooting around a room to doing laps around the island in the kitchen in a matter of days.  I am absolutely loving this new stage!  I can spend hours just chasing him around as he squeals with delight.  Having him be able to follow me from room to room is about the cutest thing ever.  He never likes to be too far from Mommy but has gained a lot of independence as well!

Now, he can choose what he wants to play with instead of me guessing what he may be interested in.  I have his playroom set up so that he has access to everything because it's at his level.  I'm slowly starting to adopt some Montessori ideas into our home and especially his playroom.  (More on this later)  His personality is showing much more as I watch him pull things off the shelves or out of bins and start his own imaginative play.  He also picks out what books he wants me to read with him (unless I have hidden one that we've read a few too many times)!  I recently had to put all our paper books away, because he was just to rough with them.  Liam is all about turning the pages, so he would destroy the paper if given the opportunity.  What can I say, the kid loves his books!

Charlie (our cat) better watch out, 'cause Liam is always after him!  Luckily, Charlie seems to really enjoy Liam and lets him be pretty rough.  We continue to practice "gentle" petting, but that is a work in progress.  I'm beginning to wonder if he thinks the cat's name is Gentle!  We shall see...

As fun as this new stage is, it has already come with its fair share of bumps and bruises.  Liam has absolutely no fear when it comes to moving around and pulling up on everything and anything.  I constantly have my eye on him, but sometimes he still manages to hurt himself.  It breaks my little heart when he starts crying because something hurts.  Nothing a quick nursing session can't fix though! ;-)  The other night, he cut his upper lip and gum on the Zany Zoo (first time there's been blood) and I had a slight freak out!  I thought we were going to be making our 1st trip to the ER for some stitches, but luckily we wiped away the blood and realized he was going to be okay.  Phew!  Being a mom is emotionally tough sometimes!

Enjoy this quick video of Liam on the go!  He's been helping Dad practice his putting: