bootcamp pays off

months ago i mentioned we are on a strict "tummy time bootcamp" schedule. well the bootcamp continues and we are starting to see the results in miss em's progress. she still has a tough time resisting the "twist" and pushing up properly. what does this mean exactly? one of her challenges is controlling high muscle tone that takes over and causes her to go into what's called an "asymmetric tonic neck reflex" or "atnr". this is a nasty primitive reflex that is involuntary. most babies that are developing typically naturally lose this reflex after a few months. em still has it and it's triggered at the most inopportune times. it looks like she is pushing up, but really, the reflex is doing the work causing her muscles to stiffen and she has no control over it. it does not help her increase her neck and trunk strength. it is bad. it is our nemesis. but she's getting better at learning to control it and getting out of it. and then she is able to actually use her muscles and push up for real. here's a video showing her ability to fight her way out of the dreaded atnr and do a proper tummy time push up. she works very hard for this. bless her little heart. as always, she's on her own developmental schedule and we are thankful for any progress. oh, and the fact that she is on her tummy for any length of time without screaming is also huge progress. now can we get a collective "hooray!" please?