And just like that, nothing in the neighbourhood is safe

Was it only a week and a half ago that we were completely flabbergasted that Sophie was starting to pull herself along the ground on her tummy? It seems she has been saving up milestones...

So I was walking her around as is her wont - me bending awkwardly over, holding her hands and her crying "Mush! Forward" as we go in circles around the kitchen. and around and around and around. I had my standard contraption of a pair of teething rings for each hand, so I didn't do damage to my spine. And here's me the engineer thinking "There's got to be a way to automate this process..."

Sophie's Grandma Gerhard had bought her a walker/scooter thing, and we had tried it a month or two ago, and while Sophie liked to hold on to it, when it moved forward it got out of control and she fell to the floor. Well, I figured it was still too early to try that again, so I am running through scenarios in my head (A-frame structures, harness/stabilizer contraptions - I could post the sketches if there is demand) when I figure why not just try that scooter thing again, and I can build my new design on how that one works.

So we put it in front of her and she grabbed on to it and tentatively started to move. The first couple of passes were stressful (for us, not for her) but then we started to relax and broke out the camera...



Her excursions are limited by the short distance from one wall to the next (not so much with the turning radius yet) so we tried it outdoors. The grass was a failure - too much resistance. She tried pushing forward, got nowhere, then turned to look at me as if to say "what gives?" Then we put her on the deck, to more success, but I had to be vigilant what with the sharp drop-offs on all sides and the 700 degree barbecue in one corner.

So we figured the next thing to try (not today) would be to put her out on the front street. Not too much traffic there, so it should be ok, and if she gets to be able to steer we will be able to send her for the mail soon enough!


Another video of the walker-assisted walking. sorry it's sideways...