I'm on borrowed time. Like a tiger waiting to pounce, Miss E is biding her time, patiently lingering until my back is turned so she can make her move. I am about to face life with a mobile baby.
She's done it in breakneck speed. It was only three weeks ago that she started rolling over, but almost as soon as she'd accomplished that, she focused all her efforts on moving with purpose. When she started to get herself up on her hands and knees and rock forwards and backwards I knew we didn't have long left until she was off.
But it's still taken me by surprise. She'd perfected backwards crawling (getting stuck under the sofa a few times - I laughed, she didn't!), and then today she suddenly mastered a forward movement. It's not pretty, it's somewhere between a proper crawl, a commano crawl, and an ape-like amble, but she pulls and drags herself bit by bit until she's where she wants to be.
And I have to own up, I was caught out twice on Monday when I wasn't watching properly and she took a couple of tumbles. The first off the sofa (it's pretty low so nothing too dramatic), but then she rolled off our bed (again I was very lucky and she was absolutely fine, just shocked and alarmed). She's just so quick and I'm too easily distracted.
I need to change my habits, become more watchful, be more cautious. And we have to work fast to provide a safe area for her to play in. We've moved the dining table into the kitchen so the dining area can become a playspace, and at the weekend we'll get to work making it as babyproof as we can. Something I read recommends getting down low for a baby's eye view so you can see the hazards for yourself - I'm thinking this could make an interesting vlog!
