Walking, Talking, and Stacking, Oh My!

What a huge day it has been...  You've been standing and walking with our hands holding yours for a few weeks.  Today something shifted in you and you took off.  Over and over again you pulled off of whatever you were holding onto and took steps towards me.  So thrilling!  I could see in your eyes that you knew you were onto something big.  You were so excited and I was so crazy thrilled for you.  I know it is nothing compared to what is to come but there is this strange, uncomfortable and yet excited feeling when I see you at the park staring down the big kids doing all sorts of things you want to do but can't just yet manage.  I know the struggle is how you'll grow but it's hard to watch you... wanting to do something you can't yet do.  Well, today, that distance between desire and ability started to dissolve.  Well, at least when it comes to walking!

Other developments:  We got you a set of blocks many months ago and your primary interest in them was to bang them together to see what sort of sound they'll make.  You would occasionally knock down a tower that I build but you move on pretty quickly.  I've been wondering when you would stack blocks, having read that ability comes at a certain developmental point.  Today you did it!  You carefully placed one block on top of another.  Mommy is so excited!  This was not the end of your block-related skill-building either.  Your blocks of different shapes that fit through the top of the box they're kept in held your interest for a while today.  And for the first time you tried to put them through the top.  And you did it!  Here's a video:

You are also communicating much more effectively these days.  We're seeing a lot of pointing and you're imitating words all day!  You're getting really good at trying to say "doggie" and now you're making the "bok bok" sound we say when we're looking at a picture of chickens or even the real thing. A house a block over has chickens in their front yard and it's become part of our routing to walk by and say hello.  You are a master of sound effects actually...  you click and dong and breath through your nose loudly imitating mommy smelling something.  You smelled my mint plant today and I think you really get that you're smelling!

But today, as wonderful as it was, also illustrated what Matt and I have been learning about being parents:  the highs are so crazy high but the lows are soooo low.  Not low as in horrible but low because we're exhausted and emotional and you're also at times tired and emotional and frustrated.  And there's just no break and sometimes we could really use one!

Upcoming:  Preschool starts next month!  Capitol Hill Cooperative Preschool.  You have no idea what's coming but mommy is so darn excited!  We'll go Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for an hour and a half.  You are so eager to explore and learn and interact with other kids that I'm hoping it will be a fun experience.  That will be back in our old neighborhood and our friends Cecile and Isaac will be there too.  But today I signed us up for a couple classes at the community center just a couple blocks from our house, Ravenna-Eckstein.  We'll have a World Music class starting in September for a few weeks and then in November we'll start a mom and toddler dance class.  Ha!  I though November would give you a chance to start walking but clearly I didn't need to worry!