Turning the corner

Ever since Baby B took her first steps a couple weeks ago, she’s been practicing some each day, but we usually had to initiate it by standing her up and telling her to walk. She would take maybe five or six steps, then drop to her knees and continue on her way crawling. We just kept practicing every night with her, and we knew that they were encouraging her at daycare, too.

Something clicked with Baby B overnight on Friday night, and she woke up Saturday morning and almost immediately began using walking as her primary form of mobility, crossing the length of the house more times than I can remember. Sometimes she’d still drop to her knees–always controlled and deliberate–but she’d get herself right back up again and continue, which isn’t something she would have done before. At first she was still kind of careful with it, walking like a Baby Frankenstein Monster and unable to navigate corners, changes in flooring, or obstacles on the floor very well.

So it was fantastic to see just how much improvement she made during our time home over the weekend. By the end, she was turning corners like a pro, stooping to pick up her toys mid-walk, carrying BIG toys with her (at one point, she had two big toys–one in each hand), and stepping over or around things in her way on the floor. In fact, she improved so much that she was even walking while in her sleep sack at night, which seriously limits the range of motion of her legs. In an instant, we watched our baby girl turn into a genuine toddler, not just based on age but also toddling ability. I almost don’t even recognize her sometimes when she’s walking across the house, always a few steps ahead of me and eager to get where she’s going. She looks so proud of herself–and she should be! I know I am.