Hopping Mad

We think Kimmie's pretty sweet. I like to say she is spoiled sweet. But she does have her moments. Dad sometimes says she is cute even when she is throwing a tantrum. I would not always say that, but sometimes when she gets so worked up she hops up and down . . . well that is rather funny. When we laugh it kinda disarms her. She doesn't know what to think and often forgets about the tantrum. When she is so mad she hops up and down, we usually ask her if she is "hopping mad."

It also reminds us that it took her a really long time to learn how to hop and actually get both feet off the ground at the same time. (And she does this best when she is mad.) This was not a skill that came easily. Many of the physical developmental skills that are taken for granted with normal children were difficult for Kimmie to master.

When she thinks too long about doing something, she can't get the timing right. Take throwing, for instance, when she is mad, she can throw really well. When she does it spontaneously, she does ok. When she plans it, she just can't get the timing right. She will release the object too late, after the thrust of her arm movement has ended, and the object will simply drop.

Jumping is similar. Sometimes when she is going down stairs she will stop at the last step so she can jump off it. If she jumps fairly quickly, then she is usually ok. But if she stops to think about it, she can't get the timing right. She usually is not able to get both feet off the ground at the same time. She ends up taking an awkward step.

If you ever see her hopping mad . . . remember that it's really an awesome achievement for her.

--Mom