F is for first steps

It’d been such a long time that Bubby D was happily crawling around, that it kind of took me by surprise when she took her first steps on the Other Half’s birthday, back on Boxing Day last year.

So we watched with bated breath, wondering when the next few steps might come along. Except – they didn’t. And for a couple of months it was like it had never happened. The crawling continued, the taking of steps went no further, and after a day or two I (and the Wee Man, who was amazed that ‘his baby’ was able to stand upright) had gotten over the surprise and was back in my crawling comfort zone.

But then, suddenly it was THE DAY. Bubby D decided that crawling was no longer her preferred means of getting around, stood up, and off she went.

So that was that.

Once again – surprise!

And being that she’d left it 18 months to even consider walking, she became competent at it extremely quickly. Within a week, she was easily negotiating the household clutter, rearranging stuff in previously hard to reach places with a cheeky little grin, and proudly stamping her way around the house following the Wee Man.

In fact, the speed of her walking improved so rapidly that the other day, whilst I was helping the Wee Man get changed for his swimming lesson, she was up on her feet and out of the changing room into the lobby before I could blink.

Which was rather unfortunate, since not only had she recently discovered a love of walking, but also a love of ‘hats’. And at that very moment, her chosen ‘hat’ attire just happened to be the Wee Man’s pants…. 

Luckily for me there was no problem locating her – I just had to follow the trail of laughter which erupted from all the other waiting parents as she gaily made her way through the centre of the room, with a massive beam on her face and the Wee Man’s bright red pirate pants sat on her head at a jaunty angle.

Fetching as her look was, I quickly grabbed her and spirited us back away to the changing rooms, where I made quite sure to lock the door behind me this time! Snatching back his pants, the Wee Man’s reaction was one of both horror and pride – the horror being that’s she’d dared to steal his pants, and the pride because his little baby was clearly a baby no more.

‘She’s not a baby’ he now solemnly declares to everyone he meets. ‘She’s a toddler now. And she’s MY sister. You need to watch out, or she’ll steal your pants’.

So hold on to your hats, everybody. Bubby D is up and running – and she’s enjoying every minute of it.