Climb every mountain... 
Elliott really does not like to be on her tummy. And why would she, since she can play with toys and see the whole room when she's sitting up? But this morning she tumbled onto her tummy and decided to take advantage of her position to frantically kick her legs like she's swimming! (Hence the blurry feet.) She also does "baby push-ups" sometimes. She's trying hard to get somewhere.
Also trying hard is Abbey at tumbling class. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures- I've got my hands full helping Abbey while baby-carrying Elliott. She is doing well learning all the "moves" as she calls them, but it's really hard for her to relax and focus at the same time with all the other kids around. So that makes it hard to do things like forward rolls. She often freezes up. The class is too big and a little wild, in my opinion, but it's all that's available right now.
Every week as she tries to overcome her anxieties of being part of the group, I try to overcome my frustrations with her, and just be supportive, but without babying her. It's tough sometimes, especially since we go through some version of this in just about every social situation. For example, the other day we ran into a friend in the store and when I stopped for a moment to say hello, Abbey wouldn't speak to them, and was clinging to my leg and crying because the friend's little boy wanted to tell her about his Halloween costume. Do I pick her up, or does that reinforce in her mind that other kids are scary? Do I ignore her anxiety, or is that mean? Do I try and force her to talk to people, when it makes everyone feel awkward? Understanding this part of Abbey's personality is one of the biggest challenges I have faced as a mommy. So I say a prayer for both of us and remember this, one of the most encouraging Bible verses I have found: So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. (Galatians 6:9, NLT)
And we all keep trying.
1 comment:
Hey Bethany,
Madeline takes a ballet class the the Natatorium that is very small and well structured---I think it begins at age 3? Maybe you can look into it.
Also, your comment about Abby reminded me of Megan when she was little. She is shy by personality and she is still very quiet. However, I have had to teach her over the years the difference between being shy and being rude. We taught her to atleast say hello and leave it at that. :) Maybe your Abby tends to be shy----and that's okay, not everyone are talkers but she can learn to say "hello" and still be herself----the way God designed her.
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