A Long Awaited Milestone

Ethan just turned 19 months on the 24th of May. A day before Allan's birthday, May 17th, Ethan decided he was finally ready to walk. First he walked in circles from the kitchen to the living room as he chased Sophia. It brought me to tears. My little boy didn't look quite as much like a baby anymore. For the next few days he ventured into other areas. After about 5 days...no more crawling on his knees. I forgot how strange it was to suddenly hear new footsteps. And it took me a while to finally get used to him just showing up next to me unexpectedly.  But I love it. We were ready for him to walk as he's getting so big. It's nice not to have to carry him to and from the car or in the stores. Ha, I wish. 

We were THOSE people who criticized the parents who put their kids on a leash. We have both very quickly agreed we want to purchase one for Ethan. He now hates the stroller and he hates holding my hand and he hates being carried.  And I hate having to wrestle with him in my arms and having to chase him around the store. The stroller is the lesser of the 3 evils right now. 

Anyway, I 'm sad my little dependent man is growing up.  At the same time, all in all, it has become much easier caring for him. My mom and I were talking about how easier it is now for she and dad to care for the kids on Monday while I'm at work. No swaddling, noise machine, nebulizer, gas medicine, bouncing on the bead, jumping through hoops to get him to stop crying or go to sleep. But of course, I loved those days.  I love these days to. I love watching his personality develop and I love watching the relationship between Sophia and him develop.  Every day brings new surprises and it's the most rewarding experience in the world.