Baby Steps

Don't get too excited.  I had great hopes of getting a picture or video of Laurel walking today, but (like Ben the dog) I have missed every time.  I have lots of pictures of her standing, sitting, crawling and creeping, but no actual steps.  Every time I brought out the camera, she would sit down or fall down.  In fact, at one point today, she seemed quite steady and I rushed to get the camera, but she fell and hit her head on a dresser -- poor girl!  This has not deterred her from trying again, for those of you who were worried, but she has managed to elude the camera all day.

It's hard to say how long she has been walking.  She started a couple of weeks ago, I guess, taking one tiny little step -- more of a shuffle than a step really.  And I'd think to myself, "Does that count?".  Then a couple of days later, she do it again and I'd go through the whole shuffle versus step debate again.  I'm still not sure exactly when that very first shuffle / step occurred, or if it even counts, but last Thursday she took 2 little shuffle steps and I decided "This HAS to count!". 

I'm a little undecided whether this news makes me happy or sad.  On the one hand, she seems so proud of herself and we all praise and encourage her.  But on the other hand, there is that little voice in my head that is screaming "Nooooooooooo!", and I even have to fight the occasional urge to push her down (as gently as possible, of course).

But it seems as if there is no going back now, even if I can't seem to get a decent picture of this milestone.  The only thing I got was a picture of the bruise that she got from falling down today -- I promise that I didn't push her!

Look out world, she's a girl on the move and Mama will just have to

deal with it!