not far off

I had anticipated that even though Beckham took his first steps, it would still be a while before he was actually walking. He has always been cautious, and it's like his instincts are to walk and he will almost take off, but then his brain chimes in um, this could be dangerous. This could take effort and work...we don't like that, remember? What if you fall down? He's gotten to be a little stinker about walking. If he thinks I might let go of his hand, he will just plop down right then and there, refusing to walk. If he doesn't want to walk and I am trying to get him to, he will bend his knees and lift his legs, refusing to touch the ground. The kid is a bona fide two-year-old.

Lately he's been wanting to walk everywhere (holding my hand, of course). When I carry him, he is literally diving out of my arms (funny how that doesn't seem to scream danger to him) and saying over and over "i wanna walk, wanna walk, wanna walk!". He's really so stable most of the time and I feel like I could easily just let go and he would be off on his own, but he just won't have that.

The other day I was holding his arm while he was standing in his room. He was doing it completely on his own so I let go. He stood there for about 5 seconds, looked around and realized I wasn't holding him anymore, turned and walked about 6 steps to his wall, held the wall and turned around and started screaming at me! It was so hilarious.
The other day Diane, his pt, was here and we were talking about his cautiousness and stubbornness. We were talking about how it might be months before he feels confident to take off on his own. It was like he was listening and decided he was going to show us. That day he walked from fridge to island, from dishwasher to counter, from fridge to living room multiple times. Only about 5 steps at a time, but he did it over and over. He's been doing that for the last few days and each time he seems more confident and happy about it. It's just too adorable, watching him get so excited for himself.

Knowing now that he is okay, that he doesn't have any sort of syndrome or issue of great concern, I can say that I have absolutely enjoyed the fact that he has done all the physical stuff so much later. He's a smart little guy, but he has seemed to stay a baby longer and I've loved it. I'm excited for him to hit milestones, and they seem like such a bigger deal than they normally would, but I am grateful to have had the extra time carrying him around and keeping him safe and small. It won't be long before he is running around and living the life of a crazy little boy. I am excited for that too, but enjoying this time now.

These pictures are so funny. His impish little grin in the first, and in the second he just looks like an old man with a gut and remote in hand.