What is this, Mommy?

Yesterday was a big day for Hannah. It was the first time she ever touched grass. I know, she is 9 1/2 months old and has never been in grass--it seems weird. But, there is no grass around our apartment complex and no grass at the playground. Most of the buildings are built on hills, so there isn't a lot of flat, open grassy spaces on base. Off base is a concrete jungle until you get a couple miles out and then it is all farmland and rice fields. I did realize yesterday that there is about a half an acre between the on-base hotel (billeting for my military friends) and the chapel. It is so against my play-by-the-rules nature to veer off of the sidewalks to play in the grass. The sidewalks are there to keep you OFF the grass.

At first, for about thirty seconds, she had fun checking out the grass, pulling on it, etc. It only took her that long to decide she didn't like it and she sat there and looked at me for about five minutes. Any time I tried to put her in a crawling position she would whine, so in an effort to help her behave, I didn't try to put her in a crawling position.

I take comfort that this is not unusual. I had friends who lived in China for a year, and their daughter didn't touch grass until her first birthday. She screamed for a couple of weeks when they would but her in their yard in the states! Maybe I've caught the problem in time. We'll have to go play at the chapel!