As a family we have now reached a happy, exciting and stimulating time in our little girl’s life. Now is the time when the firsts in her short life start coming thick and fast. Probably the most groundbreaking of these is her first steps.
Friday 13 January 2012. This day, unlucky for some, heralded a momentous occasion in our little family. That was the day our mini lady took her first solo steps – and boy oh boy has she enjoyed it ever since. I’m convinced, having witnessed a few wobbly, slightly unsure steps in the days preceding this date, that she made her decision to make a break for full on walking based on the fact that she had a full and encouraging audience that day. In a moment of pure coincidence both sets of grandparents had turned up on our doorstep within minutes of each other and the opportunity was obviously too good for Holly to miss. With all eyes on her and six pairs of hands poised for uproarious applause, she rid herself of all supports and ventured out on her own. With the sound of whoops, hollers and delighted clapping in her ears she came back for encore upon encore until her initial wobbly steps turned into crazed and confident strides right before our eyes. I managed not to cry (much).
Anyway, since discovering her new found freedom Holly has become an entirely different little character. She loves being on the move and will rarely sit down. Now she can reach new heights, scale new obstacles and hunt out new adventures.
With her new found mobility also seems to have come an awe-inspiring stealth the like of which I’ve never seen before. She can cross the room in a second, squeeze herself into the tiniest gap and disappear from view only to reappear in a totally different part of the house with the board book of ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ in hand, ready for a reading session.
Every day, without fail, I find myself with company in the bathroom. No sooner have I stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain closed than I see the door glide silently open and a small shape, blurred by the pattern on the shower curtain, slip deftly into the room. The little shape progresses down the length of the bath, makes a grab for the curtain and pulls it back as fast as lightening to reveal her beaming face in a ‘Peepbo’ style. “Dah!” she calls in delight, bringing to mind an image of a tiny magician revealing the pinnacle of her best trick – Tah dah! And nothing makes her happier at this stage than to drop one or more of her precious soft toys into the shower with Mummy, culminating in an altogether soggy experience for all concerned.
And her new ability to view the world from a higher position is causing a number of challenges for us. Probably the most amusing of these is Holly’s penchant for ‘posting’ small objects in all sorts of unusual hiding places. Up until now I’ve found a two-dimensional orange in the mobile phone pocket of my handbag, a handful of pegs in my coat pocket and a miniature wellington boot tucked very snugly inside my own walking boots.
In this wondrous new stage of parenthood, who knows what other surprises are lurking out there? I, for one, can’t wait to find out.
by Helen Bowman © 2012
Helen Bowman is a freelance writer, editor and proof reader who lives in Whitley Bay and works with small companies, individuals and groups to write, edit and proof read articles, press releases, website copy and all forms of the written word.
Contact her on 07725 196929 or at helen@in-the-detail.co.uk for more information.