Closer to Walking

If you are a regular here, you have probably heard me talk about my son's desire to start walking.  It is all he really wants to do these days, that is, besides play with mulch in the garden, try to eat rocks, and scramble after our animals as fast as he can.  This past week brought a few milestones in his quest to become a true biped.  Due to his addiction to grabbing an adults fingers and pulling himself up so he can walk around, his balance and strength are on the up and up.  Perhaps the first most amazing thing he did at a little over eight and a half months of age is climb all the way up our stairs to the second floor.  He did it mainly on his own, the only help he received being my wife's hands placed on the stairs so he had something to grip as he made his way slowly to the top.  The look of perseverence on his face is truly amazing to watch, his tongue occasionally being stuck through his lips in determination and his whole focus being directed to the task at hand.  The only time his focus wavers is when he notices something cool that he hadn't seen before, such as the objects on top of some display shelves near our stairs that you can see through the spindles on your way up or down.  Other than that, he goes for the goal.  That determination and curiosity are two traits that I hope he holds on to for the rest of his life.  I would prefer curiosity to be a mainstay over determination if I had to choose between the two, but both are infinitely valuable in my mind as we make our way through life. 

Climbing the stairs was not his only big achievement this past week.  In addition to climbing the stairs, he also attempted standing on his own.  He did this by first pulling himself up using our one of our couches as an aid.  After attaining the standing position and holding himself away from the couch a few inches, he took both hands off the couch, wobbled a little bit, and then went kaboom onto his but.  His standing didn't last long, but I am sure it is the first of many attempts till he gets it down.  Just the fact that he is attempting to stand on his own shows his determination to make himself mobile, or at least a standing stationary figure.  It will probably be a little longer before he finally gets his full balance together and figures out how to walk on his own.  Regardless of how long it takes, I love watching him advance day by day towards a fully mobile baby.  Then he will be truly tiring to watch.  As it is, we can't take our eyes off of him for one second as he crawls very quickly and will go towards whatever fascinates him the most.  But such is life, I love watching him, even if it is draining due to the necessity of maintaining one's focus on an active little baby.  Perhaps the coolest thing to watch right now, in addition to the attempt at standing, is to watch our son shuffle along while holding on to something.  He will pull himself up and shimmy along till he doesn't have anything to hold onto, then he drops to the floor and moves on.  Craziness.

I am looking forward to our son being able to walk, probably just due to the fact that I will be able to hold his hand as we amble along somewhere, but I am also preparing myself for the extra attention necessary.  But I will deal with all of that when we get there and not a moment sooner.  For now, I will simply enjoy watching him learn, grow, and become more amazing every day.   I can't wait for tomorrow as we will be heading to Vermont for another weekend camping trip.  At least this time we know how his routine goes in the woods and will be prepared for it unlike last time.  Also, we will be leaving earlier so we shouldn't be interfering with his bed time or anything else related to that.  Perhaps the biggest part I can't wait for is the time away from work, a little relaxation, and the great outdoors.  We already have our next project in mind for Vermont, however this weekend all we will be doing is planning for it, chopping some wood, and relaxing.  No big projects will be started, but, the project that will commence some time in July will be an awning to keep the rain off our heads and to allow us to cook and eat under.  Trust me, it won't be anything fancy, just a frame, probably 15x15 capable of draping a tarp over.  Currently we have an enormous tarp that protects us, but it usually only lasts a few trips before ripping and needing to be replaced.  But enough about all that, on to the day at hand and all that it entails.  Going to be a long one, but it will be good.