Toddlers develop propensities for certain gestures and movements; my son is currently fond of bending over and putting his hands and head on the floor for several seconds, like someone beginning a somersault. He also enjoys standing and sticking his belly out and pouting. I've already mentioned his habit of spinning in place with one arm extended and his index finger pointing out like a disco dancer.
I know that there's no special rhyme or reason to any of it--yet it must tell me something about my kid, that he likes certain movements and not others. All of it has to do with feeling and getting to know his own body and what it's capable of doing. But what makes him try these particular movements and gestures? It's one of those toddler mysteries that not even a psychologist or a neuroscientist could answer, to my satisfaction at least. The answer lies only in my own toddler's brain--and as he's not talking yet, it will remain there.
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