His Little Hands Stole My Heart...Now His Little Feet Have Ran Off With It!

I can't even believe it...it seems to be happening so fast! As of last week, March, 4th, 2010, our baby is a toddler!!! 

He's been getting braver and braver as the weeks have gone on with his cruising! Sometimes even venturing to let go of the table, chair or person he was holding onto and just standing there for several seconds looking accomplished. I had a feeling it wouldn't be long before our little man took his first steps. Still, it came as a surprise when it happened!

Michael and I, like so many generations of parents before us, had started sitting apart from each other and encouraging Parker to try to make it to one or the other of us. Usually he would stand there for a few seconds and then lunge towards us with nothing but his arms out and faith that he would be caught. If we were far enough apart that he didn't even want to attempt the lunge, he would simply drop down to his hands and knees and crawl our way. 

Last Thursday though, to our immense shock and pleasure, he didn't lunge or drop down to crawl. Instead he took 3 or 4 toddling, wobbily little steps before toppling into waiting arms! Of course, after recovering from our surprise, there was much kissing and hugging and clapping and cheering!!! (And, in my case, crying. After all, I am Mommy and this is my little baby who is now walking!) Again and again he would take several steps from Mommy to Daddy or Daddy to Mommy and then grin so big as we clapped and cheered! (And cried.) He even reached out to brush a few tears off of Mommy's cheeks...which just made me cry harder, but I made sure to smile and clap for him so he would know I was alright. 

Of course, in the excitement, neither of us first time parents thought about grabbing the camera, but we got a few tired steps on video later that night. It has all happened so fast! It hasn't even been a week since those first toddles and already he is happily striding across the length of full rooms to get to something he wants, (though if he wants to get there fast he will still drop down and crawl) and he is carrying toys around as little companions on his adventures. 

I can not believe that we have a toddler! It seems that only yesterday I was pregnant...only last night I was bringing home a beautiful little newborn...and just this morning I was cheering over his new found ability to roll over!!! Now I am watching him let go of his toy table and walk over to me to give me kisses! Not to mention brushing his teeth, (after I get done doing them he takes the brush himself and spends several minutes brushing himself!) talking to us non stop, and trying every single kind of food he can get his hands on! I am spending evenings after he goes to bed planning his first birthday parties (he's getting one in Idaho and one in Ohio when we go home for our visit this Summer) and baby proofing things I never even thought of! 

We are so very blessed!!! I could never thank God enough for our son! I just wish time wasn't going by quite so fast...

Thank you for reading!