Arms Control

10 weeks old today!

Spud has made another great stride this week in his continuing quest to transform himself, from a sedentary pink gooball that shrieks and turns milk into poo, into an actual human. He has begun to discover his own limbs. Prior to this week, we were fairly certain that he was unaware that he had a "body", much less limbs. He would grip our fingers in his hands for a moment, but it seemed involuntary. His arms and legs served a single important purpose: to flail around randomly when he was furious or happy.

But lately, he has been pausing to stare quizzically at his hands and feet, as if to ask, "What the hell is this thing?" He has also begun to use his hands and feet to punch and kick at the little toys hanging down from his play mat. He looks at a toy (usually the monkey), aims, and flails with his fist in the toy's general direction. He's not very good at it, and often misses to the great amusement of Daddy. But hey, the first time you went bowling, the ball ended up in the gutter a few times, right? Hand-eye coordination takes a long time to perfect. Only after several years playing Donkey Kong in my teens did I consider myself fully qualified to operate my own limbs.

Sizing up a target:



He's also discovered another wonderful use for hands: the organic anytime no-Mommy-needed on-demand pacifier.