Tuesday, August 16, 2011

You Scream, I Scream

Gwennie hit a milestone last night. And while that is very exciting (for us, anyways), her reaction to every one else's reaction is really the most notable.

So there I was, laying on the floor, rolling a tennis ball under my shoulders when Gwen crawled to my side. I braced myself. Recently I've become little more than a human speed bump for her as she cruises across the carpet. She placed her chunky little hands on my belly. I watched, and waited. But to my surprise, she didn't launch herself over my torso. Instead she brought herself to a squat and then slowly let go of me and stood herself up. Her knees straightened out, she raised her arms over her head. It looked like a stance of triumph but was probably closer to curiosity about what would happen if she also did that.

Anyways, there she stood. Toes curled slightly into the carpet. She teetered slightly for the first several seconds but her feet remained steadfast on the floor, bearing the weight of her body. I know this happens for every kid. It happened for my last two, but man, I never cease to be awestruck when Gwennie comes upon these milestones.

She looked around the room, still standing and looking a little more steady. I didn't want to alarm her, so I didn't react as enthusiastically as I wanted to. However, her older sisters were in the room and they were very outwardly enthusiastic. They screamed, they clapped, they cheered like rabid fans, "Gwennie's standing on her own! Gwennie's standing on her own!"

With my eyes fixed on Gwennie's face, I tried to quell the pep rally. Her silent content changed to confusion when she noticed her sisters' boisterous celebration. As they continued, confusion became concern which finally turned into panic.

That's when it happened, the notable reaction to her sisters' well-meaning reaction:

There Gwennie stood. Her fair skin took on the "I'm-Seriously-Freaked-Out-Here" Fuchsia hue. A fearful wail tumbled out of her. She leaned into me and began clawing at my neck the way she does when she needs comfort.

I held her, shushed her, soothed her while explaining to Allie and Sofia why their over-zealous excitement scared the bejabbers out of her.

But you know? Her histrionic fall out makes this milestone reached SOOOOO much more memorable. Don't you think?

1 comment:

  1. Dang! Leave it to the older ones to NOT read the cues and freak the little ones out. I hope she is still willing to stand, without getting scared! Go, Gwennie!*whispering cheer*

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