Tummy time with toys

Leif continues to work diligently at tummy time. He is pretty vocal while on his tummy these days, and unless you check his facial expression, it can be hard to distinguish between the shrieks that seem to mean "This is fun!", others that mean "I'm trying SO hard to push myself up!!", and the ones that mean, "I'm DONE -- get me off my tummy NOW!" (At this point, he has gotten quite good at rolling from his back onto his tummy, but has yet to figure out how to get off his tummy once he is there, so that is his main source of frustration. He used to be able to roll onto his back just by cocking his massive head far to one side and following the weight, but now that the rest of his body has bulked up, this approach no longer works!)

He is finding other ways to entertain himself while stuck on his tummy, though -- picking up toys, kicking his legs, bending his knees, and occasionally scooting around to face a different direction. I guess the silver lining to having almost no motor skills is that just lying on the floor and attempting to move becomes one of the most fun games in the world. Leif's other current favorite minimalist motor skills game is sitting out on the front steps with me holding him under the armpits so he can practice "standing." Holding onto my fingers to stay balanced in a sitting position is a popular one, too (with the fringe benefit of being able to chew on my fingers at the same time).