Houston, we have liftoff!

You are mobile. In a remarkable feat of endurance, determination and sheer core strength you've managed to lift your 24 pound caboose off the ground and get your legs underneath you. It hasn't been easy, and it still isn't graceful, but there's nothing else to call it but crawling. I was happy with the sitting thing, I'm learning to live with the crawling.

Our next door neighbor, Daniel, is one month older than you and has been crawling since he was about five months old, even before he was able to sit. He has a four year old brother who is light-of-foot so keeping up with him was prime motivation. I've watched his mother chase two kids across the front lawn for months now and smirked as we sat motionless on the dog's blanket, taking in a little vitamin D and discussing pretty flowers, kitty cats and the construction trucks that go by in and endless procession.

For the past two mornings we've kept Daniel for an hour or two while his mom and dad pack up their house (alas, they are moving). I've declared I will never open a daycare center. I also think he is a bad influence. Keeping up with Daniel while trying to keep an eye on you is nearly impossible. Mobility speeds are not the only difference. Your table manners, it turns out, are quite refined. Daniel takes a handful of cereal and shoves it in the general direction of his mouth. Whatever makes it in is swallowed without chewing. You, my little lady, pick up one "o" at a time with your thumb and forefinger and delicately place it in the front of your mouth where your teeth ( have I mentioned emerging dos chiclet?) slowly grind the cereal to a mushy pulp. Then you clap your hands together to sign that you would like more, please. Peanut, smart pup that she is, set up camp underneath Daniel. The bounty distracted Peanut from the fact that Daniel was raiding her dog bowl. I had to extract two pieces of kibble from his mouth (which I might add was hard a steel trap to open and full of razor sharp teeth) while he screamed in bloody protest. You have never attempted to eat dog food.

This morning when Daniel's mom came to pick him up you crawled from the living room to the front door. See what I mean? That Daniel's a bad influence. Then you were so worn out by your active morning that you had a complete melt-down, followed by a nap. All that's to say that crawling around may have caused us to miss swimming. I'm sure you agree, it may not be worth it.