Topples over his back

For the past so many weeks, he has been incessantly struggling to turn over his tummy. While he turns his head to his left, lifts right side of his torso and crosses right leg over the left, he's trying hard to overpower his left hand that stands in his way. It looks as if his right half is engaged in a duel with his left half as he first grunts in anger and then cries in despair. A little nudge and he topples over. And then starts another battle - that of getting back on the back! This time he tries to master gravity taking his hands' support to lift his head and chest over ground as if doing mini push-ups. This exercise used to end with him crying with anger or sucking his fist as he surrendered with dejection. His whole body trembled after the rather tiring joust.

Yesterday as we put him on his tummy and were watching him perform the ritual, he hoisted his head and chest well above the floor and voila! toppled over his back! He lay calm and composed as his lips broke into a shy smile. It was a smile of satisfaction, pride and victory.

We cheered and patted him on his achievement and made him repeat the routine lest he should forget it and guess to also convince us that it was not a one off fluke!