Audrey Beatrix: First Steps

Today, with absolutely no warning at all, Audrey decided to level up her walking skills.

We were at baby sensory class and she was ignoring the teacher and the group activities for a bit in favour of crawling around investigating things. She pulled herself up to standing holding on to the chairs that line the outside of the room, and was walking along the row one chair at a time when she came to a gap. She reached for the next chair but couldn't quite reach it, so she just... stepped towards it and grabbed on, and continued on her merry little way.

I was absolutely floored, as previously she's resisted all attempts to encourage her to walk. She crawls so well and it's just so much easier for her to get around that way, so she's not had much incentive to walk instead. No one else noticed, as they were all involved in the activity, and I felt that it was a really quiet, emotional moment for me. A moment that was all mine and hers.

We rejoined the other mums and babies and it was a beautiful class, as always. I felt amazed, walking home, by how quickly we've reached this point. I remembered feeling her move inside my belly, and watching this little black and white squiggle dancing on a screen at her ultrasounds. Sometimes it's good to quietly reflect on where you are, and where you've been.

Of course by the time we got to our afternoon group at the library I was all done with quiet reflection and shared the news with great excitement with our friends there!

She did it again at the library - pushing off from one chair to another, much to the excitement of everyone. Only little almost-steps, flinging herself in the right direction mostly, but I could have burst with pride.

In other exciting news, Audrey got to meet her Uncle Bob this weekend!

Uncle Bob lives a long way away, so this was the first time Audrey got to see him. Audrey demonstrated how good she is at sticking her tongue out and waggling it.