Backwards Baby

Jack is crawling...backwards that is. We can't explain it and we definitely didn't teach him to do it that way, but that is his preferred mode of mobility these days. He starts in sitting position, slowly leans forward, pushes his legs underneath his body, and rocks on all fours. Once he is warmed up backwards he goes. He travels backwards from one end of the playroom to the next. I try to entice him with his favorite toys in hopes of him coming forward, but instead of making his way towards the toys he ends up farther away. Occasionally that includes being smooshed up against a wall or door or any other decoys that are in his path. However, wherever he lands, he rolls his body up into sitting position and starts all over again. He squeals with delight when he looks up to see his progress....which is usually only about 5-6 feet from his starting position. Clay and I have both encouraged him to move forward by placing his arms and legs in the proper form, but NO, Jack wants to do it his way. So, that's exactly what we are going to let him do. Jack has added a few more talents to his bag of tricks since discovering mobility. Some of which include...crawling in his crib, sitting straight up in his crib to welcome the morning, pulling up and standing in his crib (this one gave Mommy a little fright), and crawling (backwards) to the dog bowls and dumping them over (twice). Yea, I know, I should have learned my lesson the first time with that one. Though, Clay and I are delighted with this semi-milestone (I'm not convinced it's the real thing yet), there have been a few draw backs. The most upsetting one...naps! Naps have now turned into gymnastics practice. From outside Jack's door, I can hear whole-hearted belly laughs, banging, plopping, and crashing. When I watch him on the video monitor, I can see crawling, squirming, standing, and climbing. Jack uses the first half hour or more to perfect his new skills. After finally wearing himself out, he falls asleep for the remainder of nap time, only to wake groggy and unrested from his half nap. None the less, we eat and are back to the playroom floor for more moving and shaking. Hopefully, the novelty of mobility will wear off soon and naps will resume as normally scheduled...wishful thinking, huh?