No Strings Attached

Today, after having a five day vacation--followed by two days back at work, I find myself at home yet again. This time, it's under entirely different circumstances. I received a call from Laura informing me that young Thomas had fallen ill and that daycare services would be closed for today.

For the past several months, we've been patiently awaiting Audrey's first steps. She's come close. She's gotten to where she stands up, but only in short increments. Lisa, always the worrier, has been doing research on the internet to figure out if something might be wrong, seeing as how Thomas has been walking for a few months now and he's only a month older than Audrey. I've had to remind her several times that at the age of ten months I took my first step, which was met with disaster. I was so discouraged by this that I didn't even try again until I was 32 months old.

"There's still hope," I remind her.

But what would Audrey roaming around free do to our lifestyle? She'll be into everything. And what about the act of walking unto itself? I still can't get over Thomas' bouncing up to me when I enter their house on a daily basis. I tell Chad and Laura that he looks like a puppet. Or better yet, a little boy who's being held up by an invisible man. Laura laughs at this, despite my seriousness, and Chad has confessed that it creeps him out a bit since Thomas is always sneaking up on him now.

So today Audrey is in her playroom as I stand in the kitchen, on the phone with Mom. As usual, Mom asks if Audrey has started walking yet. I tell her no, but that she seems restless and ready to go. It's at this very moment that Audrey stands up and begins to walk toward me. I couldn't believe my eyes. I express excitement to Mom, which she reciprocates.

It's been an hour since then and now she's walking all over the place. Sure, she falls occasionally, but she lifts herself up again and continues to walk. I guess her confidence is better than mine at that age. I'm thankful that I was around to see it happen. And to prove to myself that there's no strings involved.