More hidden talent

In light of Mommy B's cartoon yesterday, I had to give more details as to why it was so funny to us. Followers are well aware that Alli is crawling now - mostly belly-crawling like she's storming the beaches at Normandy. She'll sometimes push herself up onto her knees and crawl "normally" for a few inches, but she definitely prefers the pull-and-slide method. She's also discovered that she's strong enough to pull certain items towards her if she's close enough to grab it. Well, add all those talents together and you get our Saturday afternoon.

We put Alli down for her afternoon nap even though she wasn't completely passed out yet. From downstairs we could hear her babbling away as normal before she falls asleep. After about 10-15 minutes, she got quiet - again very normal (and expected) for a napping child. Or so we thought...

I went upstairs to grab a few things and to check on Alli. I peeked my head around her bedroom door to confirm that she had fallen asleep. Not quite. Much to my surprise, she had managed to pull herself up and was standing/leaning on the side of the crib, reaching for a stuffed animal that was on top of her dresser. She was using one arm to hold herself tight against the railing of the crib and was reaching out to grab the stuffed alligator with the other. I couldn't friggin' believe it!

I called down to Mommy B so she could witness this event for herself and to make sure I wasn't imagining it. She tip-toed upstairs and poked her head around the door and saw the same thing I had. We both were in complete shock that she was able to perform such a task on her own. I looked back in and saw that she had successfully grabbed the stuffed alligator but in the process of pulling it towards her, she dropped it on the ground. She then started leaning over the railing of the crib to retrieve her beloved alligator - and that's when I had to intervene. I knew it would be a bad rest of the weekend if she fell out of the crib.

So Mommy B and I both walked into the room and it was like a deer in headlights. Alli looked up and saw us, immediately let go of the railing, and fell back into her crib like a sniper had picked her off from 500 yards. Luckily it was as soft landing, so no bodily damage was done. But you should have seen her face when we picked her up - she was elated with herself. We could just tell that she realized what she could do now, and was sporting that proud smile all parents yearn for.

Mommy B looked at each other and I said, "I guess I know what I'm doing on Father's Day... lowering the crib!" And that's exactly what we did on Sunday morning. While Mommy B played with Alli, I proceeded to lower her crib about 3-4 inches to the middle setting. While I know there's nothing I can do to prevent her from pulling herself up the side, we knew we had to lower the mattress so she wouldn't fall out. Before putting the tools away, we stood Alli up against the side to see if she'd be able to get out. She quickly held herself against the side (just like before) but there's no chance she'll get over and out now. I know it'll only last a few months until I have to lower it to the bottom setting, but I can't imagine putting her down into the crib that far yet!