Catching your baby reaching a major milestone for the first time can be tricky, as Elisa All learned. "My son, CJ, had never really shown an interest in sitting up on his own until the day I discovered him in the seated position after his afternoon nap when he was nearly 6 months old," she says.

The new milestone came on a day like any other. "He had slept his usual three hours, and I still hadn't heard a peep from him," All says. "Usually I would hear his little voice babbling or cooing or even a whimper or two to let me know he was ready to get up and play."

Curious as to why she hadn't heard anything, All went to check on her baby. "I tiptoed into his room, peered over the side of his crib and – whoa! – I was shocked to see him sitting up in the middle of his crib with the widest, gummiest grin I had ever seen," she says. "He just sat there and smiled at me like the proverbial cat who had eaten the canary. I couldn't believe it! We just stared at each other for a moment, neither one quite believing what was happening. It was quite surreal for me to see this baby – my first – take this leap of a milestone without warning!"

But the game had only just begun. "CJ broke the silence with a thump – right onto his back – and then a peal of laughter," All says. "He had gotten tired of his antics and flopped over, loving every minute of it. I quickly scooped him up, laughed with him and told him how proud I was of his efforts. He and I enjoyed a great afternoon of more sitting up attempts followed by backward flops onto a pillow, and we had a great new feat to show Daddy when he got home from work that night.

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