Being Sara

Xander decided last week that he no longer wanted to be carried outside - he wanted to walk on his own. If I attempt to carry him, he screams at the top of his lungs from point A to point B, and flops and wiggles, making it nearly impossible to not drop him.

This tactic was very effective in letting us know that he is a “big boy” and can walk on his own. So, we’ve started letting him walk to and from the car, into day care, into the house, into stores, etc. It takes us more than twice as long to get places, but Xander is having fun…

The only draw back is that Xander is so easily distracted, by a mound of snow, by a puddle, by almost anything he sees on the ground, so it’s a challenge to keep him walking in the right direction. Oh, and of course he thinks he’s way too big to actually hold someone’s hand while he’s walking, so that’s a constant struggle in a parking lot - grabbing his hand only to have him yank it back again. Often I just resort to holding onto his hood - at least I know he’s not going to dart in front of a car, and he gets to have his hands back. It’s all about compromise…

Very soon we are planning on converting Xander’s crib to a toddler bed - our boy is getting so big!!

toddler, parent, parenting, mother, mothers, motherhood, baby boy, growing boy, developmental milestones, walking, first steps, growing up

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I know a few weeks ago I said that Xander had taken his first steps, which is true. But we had a tough time convincing Xander to take anymore steps, and the ones that he did take were incredibly unstable. Then last week he finally got his balance under control and set off across the living room! The first time he did it, I was in the shower, and Zach watched him take 17 steps. Since then he’s toddling all over the place, though when he really wants to get somewhere, he uses crawling as his preferred mode of travel.
I’ve got to say that watching Xander walk is one of the cutest things I’ve seen so far, and he seems so proud of himself. Often he sticks his tongue out, maybe for concentration, or perhaps just excitement, but either way it’s super cute. Now we’re trying to practice in shoes, but that’s a bit slower going, as Xander’s balance still isn’t great yet. At any rate, he officially started walking at 11 months, and I’m sure it won’t be long before we’ll be chasing after the little guy!babies, baby, baby steps, baby walking, development, developmental milestones, first steps, mother, motherhood, mothers, parent, parenting, parents, toddler, toddling, walking

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This last Sunday (the 28th of July) we were visiting Zach’s mother for her birthday. While we were there, Xander finally got up the courage to take a few unassisted steps! We talked him into doing this a few times that day, but I haven’t been able to talk him into it since. He has started using his walker this week - and the smile on his face when he’s motoring around the living room is priceless! Now we’re just wondering how long before Xander starts wobbling along on his own…

baby, babies, parent, parents, parenting, mother, motherhood, baby steps, baby’s first steps, walk, walking

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