On Sunday, our family went to visit Scott's old mission trainer, James (Elder Russell); his wife, Darlene; and their new baby boy, Hudson. Soren was tired and cranky most of the visit but, near the end, he did something to make us proud.
He took two consecutive steps!
And then, he did it again!
Ever since then, Scott and I have really gotten into the spirit of bribing him to walk.
Scott's favorite trick is to hold marshmallows just out of our boy's reach and make him walk for them. Soren wants the marshmallows so badly, though, that this sometimes causes more problems than steps.
Blinded by his desire, he is suddenly wobbly and inadept, and so sure that he is incapable of reaching a treat just beyond his grasp. It can frustrate him but is very rewarding in the end. Because he always gets it in the end.
I prefer a more subtle method. Even more than eating marshmallows, Soren likes to turn the pages in a book. So when I read to him nowadays, I keep the book at a height more comfortable to a standing baby than a sitting one. He is so enthralled in the story, he stands up with no thought as to whether or not it is possible. Then, I move the book just out of his reach, so he has to step forward to turn the page. It's not a flawless method but the major benefit is he hardly notices when he trips or has to sit down. He just gets right back up again.
But before he will completely replace his lightning-speed crawl, Soren will have to get a little better at walking. We've noticed that Soren favors one foot over the other, taking strong steps with his right and then just barely shuffling his left along.
He'll have to work out that timid left foot before he can really take off.
He took two consecutive steps!
And then, he did it again!
Ever since then, Scott and I have really gotten into the spirit of bribing him to walk.
Scott's favorite trick is to hold marshmallows just out of our boy's reach and make him walk for them. Soren wants the marshmallows so badly, though, that this sometimes causes more problems than steps.
Blinded by his desire, he is suddenly wobbly and inadept, and so sure that he is incapable of reaching a treat just beyond his grasp. It can frustrate him but is very rewarding in the end. Because he always gets it in the end.I prefer a more subtle method. Even more than eating marshmallows, Soren likes to turn the pages in a book. So when I read to him nowadays, I keep the book at a height more comfortable to a standing baby than a sitting one. He is so enthralled in the story, he stands up with no thought as to whether or not it is possible. Then, I move the book just out of his reach, so he has to step forward to turn the page. It's not a flawless method but the major benefit is he hardly notices when he trips or has to sit down. He just gets right back up again.
But before he will completely replace his lightning-speed crawl, Soren will have to get a little better at walking. We've noticed that Soren favors one foot over the other, taking strong steps with his right and then just barely shuffling his left along.
He'll have to work out that timid left foot before he can really take off.
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