We’ve started a new exercise at our Monday Morning playgroup – standing. I don’t mean the standing that happens in the stander but proper standing, on his legs – not strapped in. It takes two people to support him and he’s always leaning against something (because head and core and legs is too much to think in one go) but you GUYS!
His feet are on the floor! His legs are straight (either with the help of us or gaiters) and he’s upright!! I’m glad this is a thing we’re working on. It feels like a step forwards. Its delightful to see how tall (!) Mikaere is, and it’s not hard to take that leap of imagination and think on what things could have been like if (there’s always that if and it’s a dangerous path to spend too much time on, but I let myself daydream for a moment or two).
I don’t know if we’ll ever get to unsupported standing, Mikaere needs a lot of encouragement (read: hands on his knees or leg gaiters and lots of cheering and big fusses) to straighten his legs. We currently have a floor baby – that’s his happy place, lying down on the floor. Where he can kick and wriggle and have some movement – the floor is where he does it. We always set up a safe space for him to wriggle, lugging about mats and baby blankets for him to lie on.
The idea that the world might be more accessible to an upright Mikaere, that standing is one of the (many) requirements of walking… standing is one of those gateway milestones for the hopes of a special needs Mama, obviously.
He’s not standing unsupported by any way, shape or form, but for a five minutes on a Monday morning Mikaere stands outside his standing frame. He’s standing, weight moving through his hips and legs and little wriggly feet. I’ll take it, absolutely.
