By now your little one is laughing, smiling and becoming more aware of the world around him or her. Your baby is nearly halfway to being a toddler, and the level of engagement is increased. You will see much more movement as inching along turns to full-fledged crawling, and if you have one of those vintage farm animal sound games, pull the string and watch as your bundle of joy delights in trying to mimic the sounds heard.

Because we all want to keep track of development, a good yardstick for measuring typical developmental milestones at this age includes the following:

• Mobility: Babies start becoming mobile in the 6 to 9 month period, starting with scooting, then sitting on their own, and eventually crawling.

• Verbal: Gentle coos turn to babbles and imitations.

• Social/emotional: Peeking out from behind a blanket or other object may become a favorite pastime somewhere around 6 to 7 months.

• Fine motor skills: Your baby will start grasping, reaching and picking up objects, so keeps those small items out of reach because most end up in the mouth.

For many parents, this is the time most look forward to because bits and pieces of those little personalities start showing. This is also when most babies start moving around and exploring, so be careful to keep harmful objects out of the way and out of reach. And when your peg-leg crawler wears out the knees in their favorite footed pajamas, turn them into a cute romper for the summer!

Don’t worry if scooting doesn’t progress to crawling right away, or if your floor isn’t clean enough to eat off of. Just enjoy the progress, and unless you see significantly delayed activities, sit back and try to relax. Walking, running, and tantrums are just around the corner.

Remember, every baby develops at their own pace and the above are just general guides. It’s a safe bet the over/under on these milestones is a month or two. If you are concerned, tap the endless resources available to you by reaching out to your pediatrician, friends, other moms, and maybe even your own mother.

Gretchen Latham is a mother of one and lives and writes in Oklahoma City.