Another piece of the puzzle

Madeline started pushing up months ago. Then came the squirmy legs and the swimming motions. Along the way there were rollovers - first tummy-to-back and more recently back-to-tummy. This week, for the first time, I've seen Madeline actually push her hips off the ground with her legs, making a bridge-type formation. She hasn't gotten her chest and hips up at the same time, though.

Madeline, ever curious, will now struggle and reach for objects placed nearby when she's on her tummy. Through her increasing squirminess she's actually moving herself along. I can put her on the floor and in a matter of minutes she'll be a foot or two away from her original position, and often at 90 degree difference. Sometimes we'll go to get her from her crib after a nap, only to find she's now sideways at the foot of her bed.

These are all pieces of the puzzle that will eventually be Madeline's full mobility. She's showing an accelerated interest in things beyond her immediate proximity, and once she masters these basic motions and capabilities, she'll be unstoppable.