worth celebrating

Maybe this isn't going to sound like something to get so excited about, but I am proud of my little boy. I guess that when things are harder the accomplishment seems greater. When Matt was in the hospital, the first time he was put in a standing position the room went wild. We were screaming and cheering and going nuts. He was breaking a sweat and couldn't take it for very long, but the accomplishment was huge. I get chills just thinking about it. All of the things that he did that we do without even thinking were huge obstacles for him. I was so proud of every little thing, from giving a thumbs up to learning to walk again.

Maybe these accomplishments of Beckham's aren't quite as miraculous, but they are still huge. He has to work really hard to do things that kids half his age do with ease. He has spent a lot of time being frustrated. I have seen him come so far in the recent months and it makes my heart so happy. We celebrated when Kaden hit milestones, like any parent does. With Beckham, it's a whole new level of celebrating and he is taking it in and basking in the praise.

The other night after stories and prayers we were tucking the kids in like we always do. I just moved Beckham into Kaden's room a few weeks ago and they are absolutely loving being in there together. It's adorable to listen to them talk and giggle. I was tucking Kaden in and telling him goodnight and I heard the usual rustling around in Beck's crib. I looked over and he had pulled himself up to his knees. He can get on his knees when the leverage is low, like using a toy basket or something to get to kneeling. He's never reached over his head and used his arms to get to his knees. We started clapping and yelling "GOOD JOB!" over and over. He got so excited he was giddy. He was giggling and smiling and saying "good job" and "yay" over and over.

He decided to go ahead and stand right up to his feet. Then we really went crazy. At 18 months, he pulled himself up completely by himself for the first time. It was a cheering fest. Kaden joined in jumping around and I think I have rarely seen Beckham more happy and excited. He was so proud. He kept yelling and giggling and was just beside himself.

He sat down and stood up a few more times. I think by this point it was a game. He wanted to see the reaction. He was saying "good job" and "yay" even more than we were. I kind of wish there was a live video recording of the craziness and celebration in their room that night. It was absurd and I am sure very entertaining.

He's getting so strong. We can hold his hands, sometimes only one hand, and he will wobbly walk around. He can go further and further the more we do it. I can feel the strength in his arms, which has taken forever to come. He's getting on his hands and knees and will even crawl a tiny bit before he drops to his stomach and does his now-perfected and quite fast army crawl. He is also developing endurance. He used to get so tired and sweaty doing even the littlest things.

I can't help but be so proud of him. Sometimes I worry like a mom and think what if he is always behind? What if other kids leave him out? What if he wants to run and play and it's really hard for him? But then I feel peace and just know that it will all be just fine. Maybe he won't be the fastest runner or the strongest one out there. Maybe sometimes things will be harder for him, but he is a strong-willed little guy and he is going to be just fine. And we are going to continue celebrating his little accomplishments like maniacs.