Walkin' Girl

Tessa is beginning to walk. My daughter will soon be unstoppable. And I will soon drink more. So it's a win-win. Seriously though, it's pretty cool after the past few weeks of stop-start stuff.

I'd mentioned here before how she'd walk a few feet from Mommy to Daddy, but that was all she;d do for a while, and she generally chose not to. Most of the time she'd try to walk, fall on her butt, and decide that the whole enterprise is over rated. After all, she's faster crawling, it doesn't hurt because she doesn't fall, and besides the dog moves around on four legs and he's super-fast. so I understand her thinking, but it seemed as though she just stopped trying after a while.

Then, we partied.

Last Thursday, Parents As Teachers (an organization run by our school district to help kids get a leg up at home) threw a birthday party for all the babies/toddlers Tessa's age. Basically, there were about fifteen, maybe twenty kids about 11 months or so playing alongside each other and their parents at different stations. Anyway, Tessa was enjoying the toys and the attention of pretty much everyone (she's a ham once she gets going). Then she noticed a boy walking across the room and getting some oohs and ahhs for his achievement. She got a telling look on her face, looked at me and said, "Dubada deda, naanoo, noona, duuba dennoo. Dubba." Which, of course translates into "Screw that kid, he ain't the only one who can walk up in here. Check this."

And, without holding my hand or anything, began walking around the room station to station, toy to toy. Since then, she's been walking a lot every day. She still holds hands when she needs to and uses the couch or wall for support from time to time. But she's getting better day by day, and like I said, she'll be unstoppable soon. So, thanks random advanced kid.

The downside to all of this is that she can get into more trouble from here on out. Also, as my wife would say, she can reach everything. That's a slight exaggeration, but not inaccurate. Yesterday she even climbed up on the step stool. She hasn't figured out exactly what it's for yet, but that's only a matter of time. Still, it's a small price to pay for Tessa's mobility, and my little girl growing up.

Thanks for indulging me on all this proud parent stuff. Next time I'll return to my normal bullshit.