Feeling her oats

Yesterday, the first day after her one-month anniversary at home, was a bit of a cleaning day for me. QQ was feeling pretty happy and content, so I put her on the floor of her nursery while I did some picking up and diaper-pail-disposal.

I could see by her face that she was feeling adventurous, however. This is her "excited face" that says she's ready to rock'n'roll. And, well, you just can't pass up an opportunity for advancement with this one. When she's ready, she's ready, and you've got to seize the moment.

So I had to leave the diaper pail to its own devices for the time being. I thought I'd set the QQ on her feet with the crib rails to hold onto, and just see what she decided to do with herself. She's got a strong grip and her balance is becoming more confident. She no longer needs to have my hands behind her in order to stay upright.
Here she is having a private chat with her favorite hedgehog puppet.

I could see that she was in an exploratory mood, and sure enough, it wasn't long before she started stretching her boundaries.

It was amazing...I could actually feel in that moment that she was ready to make a big move.
I could see that look on her face that said, "OK, I'm going for it."
There is, my friends, no moss growing on this rolling stone. No sooner is she even halfway comfortable at one level but she's ready to move on up to the next.
I mean, I know that it's a common thing. Babies learn to stand or to walk or to talk every day, every minute, somewhere on this planet. But, I mean, this is my first time, so you've got to cut me some slack if I'm a little starry-eyed and overawed. The thing is, I could actually see the thought process. I could see her look at her hands, and decide when she could let go with one of them. I could see her eyes widen a little and her eyebrows jump just a tad the first few times she did it, like she was scaring herself just a bit. But the determination was much stronger than the apprehension, and within moments her intense focus moved from her hands to her feet.

I could see her look at her feet, make a decision, shift one of them back ward and forward a few times experimentally. I could see her lift it and shake it around a bit, just to see what kind of balance she had.

When I held out a finger to her, she immediately grasped it in her fist and took the opportunity to branch out in a different direction. Within moments she had let go of the crib altogether, and then next thing I knew (here's where the "man-on-the-moon" moment kicks in) she looked at me, and took a deliberate step toward me. I swear, it felt like someone had just pumped me full of helium...I almost levitated with joy! And then...amazement and astonishment!... she took a second one. I know. I know. She's not the only child to ever figure out how to walk. But to me, this was rocket science. Pure, unadulterated miracle.
I cried, people. I actually cried. She must have thought she'd just won the Kentucky Derby from my reaction!
Of course...I didn't get a picture of the first step. I had to put the camera down long enough to support her and make sure her triumph didn't turn into disaster. But that's OK. It's a moment just for us, and I'll remember it for the rest of my natural-born days.

Yup. Just standing around. Ain't no big thang!