June 25, 2004

Well, our little tot has taken her very own steps. She has been taking steps for a few months now (holding onto our fingers and walking along with us ... and sometimes we would let go and she would keep walking), but this was the first time she actually let go of something on her own and walked to something else. It was while we were in Arizona on June 18th. I was downstairs and Sean had his back turned, but Mom and Grandma (Caelan's grandma Dick and great grandma Dick) watched her let go of their fireplace ledge and walk over to the couch on the other side of the room. The next couple of days she continued to take her own steps here and there. She was still pretty cautious about it. We got back home on Wednesday (it is now Friday), and today she has been walking all over the house (quite well). She walked from the organ bench to the couch, from the living room to the kitchen, from the living room into the hallway... and all on her own. She is getting very balanced. She will be walking normal in just another couple of days at this rate I am sure. She is pretty pleased with herself. It is very fun to watch. She says "Mamma" all the time. I respond every time she says it, and I think she is finally getting the idea that I am "mamma." I love watching her grow up and learn to do new things. Oh, also while we were in Arizona she got really good at climbing the stairs. She has been able to climb up stairs for the past couple of weeks, but she greatly increased her speed and confidence level while we were in Arizona (I guess it was all that practice climbing the stairs from the basement). On Monday she figured out that is she put her foot backward, then she could actually go down the stairs as well. That tickled her little fancy, and she spent the next several minutes going up a few stairs and then down them. She loves stairs. Now that we are home, she loves to go outside and climb our few steps from our walkway. At least I can feel a little more at ease because she has had so much practice -I still like to be right there next to her. Oh, what a big little girl she is becoming.