Babies amaze me, they really do. For the past two weeks I could tell that Bella was getting ready to sit up on her own, and I was watching her like a hawk. I wanted to be able to follow the progression. I thought it would be Sitting With Mommy one week, then perhaps a week or two of Sitting But Not Quite Upright and then Sitting But Falling Over and maybe Sitting But Only For Half A Moment before the days of Sitting Up On Her Own. We spotted her a lot while my mom was here. I made sure Bella enjoyed the sensation of falling over, made sure she was padded on all sides or had my legs in triangle formation around her to break her fall. I was getting ready for the next couple of phases, but one morning I sat her upright and she simply continued to sit.



I watched her sway back and forth, arms out and toes wiggling, each appendage suddenly an expert in balance checks although they had never been used that way before. She made no fuss about it and simply continued to play. If she leaned forward, she bobbed back up. If she leaned backward, she caught her balance. If she looked up, she didn't topple over from the effort of concentration. I was flabbergasted, though I suppose there was no reason for it. This has always been her way. One day she seems so far from accomplishing anything, and the next day she's done it.


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I haven't said a whole lot about EC on this blog, probably because there haven't been many revelations of late. Bella generally has no diaper during the day and we just bring her to the bathroom when she tells us she needs to go, or timing suggests she might be ready. Realizing that she would be sitting up soon, we got her a potty made just for tiny little bums. It is absolutely amazing. I think our catches have doubled, and it's mostly because I'm not occupied by holding her over the toilet, my back getting sorer every moment she's not peeing. She enjoys sitting in her new potty playing or having me read to her, so I have infinitely more patience to wait her out. Before, I was constantly lamenting about how I would know she had to go, but I just didn't have the energy to hover over the toilet for 5 minutes while she got her bowel muscles in order. I know kids like to take their time, and this potty is the best answer to my impatience.

Bella enjoying the simultaneous wonders of a spoon and a potty (she sits! on her own!)

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PS. Bella also had her first day of shoes this week and let me tell you she will just have to be a barefoot kiddo. Do not be misled by the giggly face in this photo. She stared at them for a whole minute after we stood her up (after enduring tearful complaints while donning them) and then the rest of the afternoon they became an experiment in percussion as she used them to kick her car seat with a satisfying thump.
Six months without shoes, says Dave. Can you imagine going that long without shoes?

Her whole life, I say. Until today she has lived a life without shoes.