We have liftoff! Nolan has accomplished a feat so great, so epic, that I am shaking with pride as I type this. My baby is a crawler.
That’s right folks, the Great Noldini decided that it was finally time to join the ranks of his peers (and, actually, of some babies 2 months younger than him!) and do the previously unthinkable: exert actual effort toward his goal of movement. Yesterday Nolan pushed himself to the limit, battled past his pesty thigh rolls and crawled for the first time. Thank the good Lord.
Now, he is certainly not a graceful crawler. And he is definitely not a walker. Not even close. Ok I’ll be honest, he’s not even a baby who can pick his haunches up an appreciable distance off of the ground. It takes a sharp eye to see that what he is doing is crawling.
But *technically* Nolan is a crawler, and we’re rolling with it. (Please refer to the definition for crawling above, before you watch the video. Nolan is more of a “drag your body close to the ground sort of baby-athlete). Please don’t judge his form too harshly, just let us celebrate.
Oh, and if you’re wondering what it is that Nolan is struggling so mightily for, it’s a Cheerio. That’s right folks, like his mother, Nolan is motivated by food and food alone. We’re setting up good habits and healthy associations now.
Boom. I’m not even going to hope for the meeting of any further developmental milestones until the next calendar year. We’re maxed out over here.
If anyone else has a baby victory they’d like to share, via photo, video or story, please do so. Perhaps we can create a self-help/motivational collection for the infant and toddler set.
Brian, Liz's husband
Congratulations Nolie!! I know it was tough, but hopefully we can all look back at this and laugh in the future when you run the Boston Marathon for a box of Cheerios! We’re proud of you little buddy!
Liz
I’d like to say that the Cheerios were Brian’s idea. He knows how to motivate his family. Foodstuffs.
Brian, Liz's husband
Well I know that cheese is your motivator…it was just a matter of time before I found Nolan’s
Joanne
Does the 6 year old making through breakfast using up only 4 napkins count as a baby victory?! At least she uses them, right? 😉 Yay, Nolan! Look out, mom & dad!
Liz
It’s a total victory Joanne. I still use 4 napkins a meal sometimes! 🙂
Lu-Lu
Yay! Nolie congrats! Crawling will allow you to explore so much more. Liz, this milestone will keep you on your toes, once he gets the hang of it :).
Liz
Yea I probably shouldn’t be celebrating when I have to now exert so much more effort myself to keep up with him….
Emily
Yay, Nolie!!!! Congratulations!!! Jack, Kate and I watched the video together, we were all duly impressed:)
Liz
From Nolan: Thank you, friends! You have inspired me more than you’ll ever know. Watching you run all over your house, blond hair streaming behind you, was truly motivational for me. That, and I like Cheerios.
Jamie
Theo is also lazy with his haunches! He doesn’t quite get the “use your legs” instructions I keep throwing at him. In time! I love that Nolan was moving toward the food. He looks so proud popping that prize into his mouth! Theo’s motivation was getting to my cell phone, which I promotly took from him to use as bait again. 🙂
Liz
Theo and Nolan have always been kindred spirits. Nolan has both the lazy haunches and the passionate love of my cell phone..
Casey F
His struggle is admirable, his fortitude jealousy-inducing. If only I were so motivated by one Cheerio, I’d A. Get a lot more done, and B. Be a lot skinnier. It takes beer, wine, or cheese to get this lady army crawling.
Liz
Ha! Love it. Exactly. I would need an entire buffet and a keg lined up to get these results for myself.
Mer
Congrats Nolan! Using as little energy as possible to get to your destination is a very good strategy… that way, when you get there, you won’t be too tired to eat the Cheerio! What’s that saying? Something about how life is a marathon? Anyways, Kendall’s most recent milestone is doing a “bootie-shake” dance whenever the Target back-to-school commercials come on… For a while I was preferring she’d focus on walking without holding on to objects around her but, for now, the bootie-shake is pretty damn entertaining!
Liz
Kendall sounds like a baby to watch! If she can stand, crawl, AND booty shake she is a Triple Threat! Like J-Lo in diapers.
Rachael Novello
Yay!! It’s about to get crazy for you! As for the Cheerios … I like to refer to them as “baby-crack”… Lucas will do just about about anything to get his hands on some!!
Liz
It’s weird, they don’t seem like they would be all that enticing. I could see if I was laying ice cream cones out on the floor maybe Nolan would want to work for it. But Cheerios? Babies would have thrived in Communist Russia, so basic are their desires!
Katie
Woo hoo! Love the video and the cheerio idea. Nothing like edible reinforcers; I am guilty of pumping my students with way too much sugar! Maris is right there with Nolan, some commando-style stuff lately and only on the soft bed. I think we have smart kids…not gonna work for anything but food and comfort!
Liz
Edible reinforcers – I like it! Sounds better than “food bribes.”
Oh, and Nolan’s always singing the refrain to “She works hard for the money” but I don’t think he knows what that song is about….1. He’s a boy, 2. He doesn’t work hard, and 3. We make barely any money.
LP
Yea, Nolan! The odds were great you would be crawling by age 2. The adults in your life are delighted you chose to make this happen before your 1st birthday. You crawl to the beat of a different drummer, my baby friend. Hold that hairy head up high, now that you have the neck muscles to do so.
Liz
The hair may weigh him down, but his neck holds him up high.