Big Steps

Gwen took about fifteen consecutive, unaccompanied steps yesterday afternoon. In fact, yesterday marked a real turning point with her walking, I think. Up until now her solo steps have been a case of Mom and/or Dad setting up the situation, which often includes physically setting Gwen on her own two feet, then distracting and enticing her to walk towards one of us. It's generally true that if she realizes she's walking, she'll stop, crouch down, and go back to crawling. Yesterday, this wasn't the case. It was as if she finally 'got' the concept of walking, and was practicing it, over and over and over again. At one point, I was laying on the floor and she used my body to pull herself to standing, then took a few steps away from me, crouched back down and crawled back to me, and repeated about a dozen times - getting more and more confident and steady each time. It was just incredible to watch.

I'm hoping to have a little montage of some walking videos to share with you next week, because as of this afternoon I am heading to Victoria to visit my best friend. Yes - I, solo. As in, Gwen is staying here with Dad. _Whoa._ I am nervous about this, but excited too, and I feel the time is right for her to have a weekend without me. Whether I'm ready is another question! I will admit, though, that when I realized I was going away for a weekend and didn't have to pack for Gwen, nor plan my driving times around her nap schedule, I felt absolutely giddy. I haven't felt this carefree in a long, long time!