Jack-boy,
You have been experimenting with walking for more than a month now. You took your first steps two days before your birthday. I put you down, and you just walked away from me -- I was shocked. Since then, you have only walked a bit. You will sometimes walk from one person to another, or take one or two tentative steps away from a piece of furniture you're holding on to. Not much more than that.
Until yesterday, that is. We had friends over yesterday, and I asked you to show them how well you walked. You took a couple of steps. Then a couple more. And then a few more after that. You looked at me, amazed, like you were thinking "Holy crap, mom! Are you seeing this? I'm walking!"
And that was it. You walked laps around the living room. You pushed your push-toys all around. You tested your new skills over and over, all day. I was as excited as you were, I think. It's so funny to see you -- you walk with your arms stretched straight up in the air, like you're holding on to invisible hands. You're still not completely steady, and you haven't figured out yet how to go straight to standing without pulling yourself up, but I know it will happen any day.
As I watched you today, bobbing and weaving around the living room, I was amazed by how big you are, how much of a little boy you are becoming. I can't wait to see everything that's in store for you, Monkey boy. But, as excited as I am, I still felt a twinge of sadness as I watched you walking right out of babyhood and into being a toddler. Luckily, you still often lurch back to my arms to snuggle, looking exactly like my baby. Reminding me you are still my baby. Telling me, in some ways, you always will be.
