Independence Day

Today is the Fourth of July, and instead of primarily celebrating our country's independence, I'm celebrating a much smaller yet monumental form of independence. My baby is growing up. She took her first real steps yesterday. She walked from her toy box to me to get a red cardinal that she loves. Uncle Jason was the witness. When Adam got back from Pizza Hut, she showed off her skills for him and Derek. She took five to six steps yesterday, and today she is already walking 10-12 steps. I even think she is trying to run. She also tackled a step yesterday. Since there are no steps in our house for her to practice on, I thought she was about to throw herself down the drop off head first. But, she paused, assessed the situation, and went down the step feet first like she had been dealing with steps her whole life. Do we have a genius on our hands or what?

I'm so proud of her my heart could burst. I love watching her bask in her accomplishment, but my heart is slightly sad. It a few weeks the short-lived, adorable crawling phase will be gone forever--in the blink of an eye. So, every time she takes a step, I'm slowing down to relish each wobble, the glint in her eye, and each hug she gives when she walks, ever so slowly, into my open arms. Before too long, she'll be walking the opposite direction.