little trips

Benjamin is definitely a novice as a walker — definitely a novice, but definitely a walker, too.

Last week's event was extremely exciting, but I wasn't yet ready to call him a walker.

Yes, he did take a dozen steps across Miss Angel's front lawn (9 steps on video), but 2 points kept me from acknowledging the fulfillment of the pediatrician's prediction at the 9-month checkup that Benjamin would be walking before his first birthday:

1. Benjamin seems to do things for Miss Angel and family that he won't readily repeat for his own family (e.g., he took 2 steps for them back when he was only 9 months old!)
2. It seemed to be an important part of Benjamin's early unsupported walking that he not realize he was walking unsupported. As soon as he thought about what he was doing, he'd sit down and start crawling instead.

Today's perambulations overcome both issues. Nathalie stood him at the cabinet, from which she'd seen him walk to the kitchen door earlier this afternoon. She wanted to see if he'd do it again while I was watching.

Not only did he take the few steps between one known source of support and another, but on the next iteration of the same "trick," he stopped midway, thought about things for a moment (while standing), changed his mind, turned around, and walked several steps to his mother instead. It was amazing to watch. I couldn't believe he could change directions so radically, so deliberately, and so competently.

We were cheering him on and he clearly did, in fact, understand what the big deal was.

He goes back and forth between looking very sure footed and wobbling until he falls. I think there will be a lot of crying and bruises over the next month or so, but plenty of joy and accomplishment, too, as he gets used to his own transition from baby to toddler.

- papa