Take a seat

Alright folks, I haven't been getting much good sleep lately, and I don't get to the computer until well after the window where my creative brain is still functioning lately, so you're getting a weird post today, but I need some answers, so I'm putting it out there. 

Every week, I get a smattering of emails from various services telling me about my toddler's development. I learn all sorts of things to look for, like first words, sudden fears of bathtubs, and such. That's how I knew to smile and nod recently when she started becoming obsessed with getting in and out of furniture. Totally normal new skill apparently, and a pretty cute one in my opinion. 

See, here is Sofia mastering her little rocking chair (and blowing a kiss at the same time):

And here's the afternoon when we went around the porch and she asked me to help her in and out of each and every chair out there, over and over again. As soon as she'd plopped down in one, she was pointing to another. 

Ok, fine. That's all well and good. But I need someone who knows something more about child development to explain to me why exactly she's so obsessed with sitting on things? I'm not talking about getting in and out of furniture anymore. I'm talking about exploring the world with the tool of her bum.  She sees a jacket lying around, the spreads it out on the floor, turns around, backs up, and plops down on it. Maybe she lies back and makes a few jacket-angles, gets back up, and does it again. Here she is one afternoon pulling cookie sheets and racks out of my cabinets so she could sit on those: 

How do little brains work?? It feels like every few weeks her brain must check for updates and receive new directives. "Current mission assignment : find object, sit on said object, repeat." It's not the first mission directive I've witnessed her accept. In the olden days, she had phases where she was doing compulsive crunches day and night for weeks. That eventually lead to sitting up, and rock-hard-baby-abs, which was cool. Even motivated me to do a few more crunches than I would have otherwise (which would have been none). So I'm curious to know what this one is all about. 

For now, I'm just witnessing the sitting-obsession and waiting to see how it plays out. I was doing just that the other night, but got bored, so I decided we needed to do some tumbling together. I started to show her how to do summersaults. She was super into it, eyes all wide. It was a blast. She was laughing, I was laughing, we were having a grand old time. And then when I'd tuckered myself out, I just sprawled out on the floor, laying on my back explaining to her, "Mommy's tired!" when she backed it up and sat right on my face. I no longer find it simply curious, I find it hilarious, and I really want someone to explain what's going on to me!  Any Lobsters out there that can help me out? 

P.S. Hey Emily - remember in college how we named our dorm room, "The Sitting Room" and spent a summer collecting chairs/couches/and making our own pillows? Maybe Sofia just wants to fit in to our club and show me she has superior sitting skilz?!