January 21, 2003 - Tuesday
There's a big inflatable beachball-like globe hanging from the ceiling in Harry's preschool room that's been there since, I think, early December, although there have always been random crafts hanging throughout the room.. For about as long I've been using it and other objects on a string as a segue for getting Jeremy out of the room (I drop off Harry first in the morning and therefore must take Jeremy the preschool inside, too, and he always finds something to play with during the 5-10 minutes I tend to linger before leaving Harry) and back into the car to go to Mary's house, his baby-sitter. Back when this started, I'd pick Jeremy up and, to avoid his getting too upset about leaving some new plaything behind, I would effectively ram his head into some virtually weightless hanging object like that globe. It would fly away and back and he would think it was the funniest thing, or at least funny enough to redirect his attention. Soon he started holding up his hand to push it, but with the slow motor skills of a toddler, it worked best when he just held his hand rigidly and let me swing his body toward the globe. He'd feel more a part of the pushing and it would be funny.

Now, almost out of nowhere, Jeremy has found his range. Like a boxer, admittedly a rather poor boxer without much experience, he now, from his position in my arm with legs wrapped around my torso, has started taking swats at the beachball globe and hitting it at the right time with surprising regularity. Jeremy's mother has been saying for a while that Jeremy likes balls and throwing and I think she is right and that his facility with this like this is ahead of where they were with Harry.


Comments, Opinions?