Letting Go

I remember when I first saw you pull yourself up to standing position. You were using Hippo, which was braced up against the wall at the time. I was shocked and excited for you. You chose to do most of this learning process on the things that were not "stable"....your exersaucer, push toy, and activity gym. Suddenly, you were standing all the time. You were so proud of yourself. That's when you started experimenting....

First, you would stand up and then try to sit back down. Very slowly and carefully you would grip the side of the coffee table, stick your little butt out further and further and then buckle your knees until you landed safely on the floor. Interestingly, you seemed to believe that using your mouth while holding onto the table somehow helped you get up and down! And so you had mastered getting up and getting back down.

It was then that you wanted to go after things too far out of your reach. This one was learned on the Exersaucer. You just had to reach the mirror on the other side. You stretched your arm out as far as it would go but settled on something closer to hold onto as your body started to lean and slide. But then to compensate the lean, you moved your foot just a little bit. AHA! You can move! In the blink of an eye, you had learned to shift yourself slowly around the exersaucer, inch by inch. And just as suddenly, you were taking bigger steps as you moved around the coffee table later in the week.

You are certainly not wasting any time learning these concepts. Just as you master one maneuver, you are on to the next and I have hardly realized it. The other day I noticed that you were standing and holding on (precariously) with ONE HAND to the bench and waving your other around in the air! But it doesn't stop there! Next thing I know, you are releasing one hand to reach for something else to move from one to the other - sofa to table, table to exersaucer.

And here is the most amazing part! One day, I came to pick you up as you were standing there and, anticipating me scooping you up, you......let.......go. It was only for a milli-second but you did! You let go! Completely trusting that I was about to get you and you wouldn't fall. To say that I was amazed doesn't even explain it. But it does foreshadow the falls that are coming. I'm sure that even as I come to grips with this notion, you are already working on letting go and standing all alone. I may be surprised again this weekend!