The Tank Lives

Weston had his nine-month appointment yesterday, and he maintains his reign as The Tank:

Length: 31 inches (>97%)
Weight: 23 lbs 5 oz (90%)
Head: 49 cm (>97%)

The appointment went fine. He received a couple of immunizations, but I had his blue blankie ready, so after a couple of loud, quick cries, he smushed the blanket into his face and cuddled with it and was pretty much okay. Yay. Sad baby = sad mommy.

The pediatrician asked lots and lots of questions about his eating and sleeping and vision and hearing and language skills and mobility. He seems like he's doing well for the most part, but she was a teensy bit concerned that Weston isn't showing any effort or inclination towards crawling or pulling himself up. She said that if he is still having difficulty with these things in another 4-6 weeks, then he may need to come in for a developmental exam, where his motor skills and coordination are tested to see if there's a real problem.

So, immediately, I panicked and did lots of internet research. I learned the following four things:

(1) I usually surround him with toys, which is giving him little motivation to crawl.
(2) Tim and I often let him walk around the apartment holding on to our fingers, also giving him little motivation to explore other methods of locomotion.
(3) Quoth the Wide Wide World of Web: "Experts believe chubbier babies crawl later since it's harder to push up onto all fours and drag their extra body weight." The pediatrician also mentioned this. Haha! Awww, so sad. But makes sense.
(4) Again quoth the Web: "Researchers have found that the Back to Sleep Campaign -- which encourages parents to put their infants to sleep on their back to prevent SIDS -- may be causing delays in crawling." Yep. Weston ALWAYS sleeps on his back, and is extremely averse to being on his tummy. He always rolls over when I put him on his tummy.

So, in light of this update from the doctor, we are now initiating "Operation: Crawl, Baby, Crawl!" in our household. My plan is to get Weston on his tummy at least 10 times a day for at least a few minutes at a time, and to place toys or his blankie in front of him so that he can reach for it and try to get it. I'm also going to get down on the floor with him as much as possible, as well as lay him across my legs or on my chest so that he gets maximum tummy time. That's the plan! Hopefully it works and we can skip the developmental/motor skills exam. Crawl, baby, crawl!!