Yesterday, I witnessed the most amazing thing I think I have ever seen. It was both beautiful and frightening. My 1 year old little girl took her first steps.
It felt like a normal day when I woke up. Little did I know that my world would once again be rocked when she took those first few steps. My wife decided to head to the beach for some relaxation and gentle ocean breezes. Me and my little girl stayed home for some much needed daddy-daughter time. She was in a great mood all day and had a blast playing with her toys (I think I may have enjoyed her toys as much as she did).
After lunch we decided to listen to some music...Classics like 'The Cleanup Song', 'The ABCs', and 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider' rolled out of the cd player in her room while we clapped and danced. At one point she tried to make her own itsy bitsy spider. Not quite there yet, but it was a great effort and she was very proud of herself. That new trick should have been my clue that something amazing was cooking in that little brain of hers.
Then I tried to get her to stand on her own, which she was getting pretty good at. I figured if she got good at standing she'd walk that much sooner. No dice, she stodd great and clapped and danced, but not a single step was taken. I wasn't worried because she was obviously getting closer and it was only a matter of time.
That time came just a few hours later when my wife came home from the beach. I wanted to show her our little girl's new spider trick and see if we could get her to dance. I set her up on two feet and she stood for a second with a big grin on her face. My wife then crouched down and said 'Come to mama' and with that the spider trick took second fiddle to the first few steps by our 14 month old.
I was so proud I got her to do a new trick during 'Itsy bitsy Spider', but she was obviously holding her 'A' material for when mommy got home.
I count myself very lucky for my wife and I to have witnessed those steps together. I'm at work all week so my time with her is limited to a few hours each night when I get home...Chances were I'd probably miss those steps. And with my wife gone to the beach all day she could have easily missed them as well.
Could it be that my daughter was waiting for a full audience? Was she being considerate of both of our feelings? I think so...She's a genius after all.
