At our nine-month pediatrician visit a few weeks ago, Dr. Zullo asked me if Reilly had learned to knock two blocks together. Now, I know from our daycare progress report that this is a major milestone for a nine-month-old. In fact, if your child can’t knock two blocks together, this failure is to be demarcated in a bold and highlighted box at the bottom of the sheet, a box accompanied by other behavioral bad omens such as “Rocks incessantly” and “Avoids eye contact.”
Not wanting to get a check in that foreboding box, I did what every parent would do. I lied.
I said, “Well, she does slap her hands on the table sometimes.”
To which Dr. Zullo said, “But does she clap her hands together?”
Pause.
“Oh, you mean together! Of course. Yes. I misunderstood. Next question.”
Since that day, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the knocking of the blocks. Today, I was rewarded. This afternoon after I picked up Reilly from daycare, we set up on the carpet at home and started playing. (I should mention that the den is now a thing of the past. Reilly will not be contained.) I chose two of Reilly’s stacking rings, and started clapping them together. In response, Reilly picked up the two rings I had placed before her, and clapped together her rings, leaning her head back and swaying around like Stevie Wonder. We clapped back and forth like this until Reilly got bored and crawled away, skidding her rings across the floor.
Not wanting to let her escape, I swept her up into the air and let out a whoo!—a victory cry in lieu of applause.
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