Either Dashiell is a larval superhero, or a lot of supposedly knowledgeable people have no freaking idea what they are talking about when telling us what to expect! Our less-than-three-week-old, I’m told, can’t really see, can’t hold up his head, can’t turn himself over, and has little control or strength in his muscles.
There’s one small problem, though. All those things are false. Provably false. Our boy can track a finger or other object within about a foot. He can pull his head forward so well that he headbutts both of us almost every day. He can pull his head backward so strongly that he literally lifts his back off the surface he’s on. Not only can he turn over on a flat surface, the little bugger can do it while swaddled sometimes. He’s also strong enough that while I’m holding his feet to change him, he can do an aerial sit up well enough to lift his head off the changing table for a moment or two.
Had we not been told what to expect, none of this would have come as a surprise. As it is, I’m rapidly beginning to worry that my child will be able to lift my truck and shoot lasers out of his eyes by eighteen months…
Thanks for all the great information, medical professionals et al!
