“How did she get into the kitchen, she was just in the living room?” This is a question I ponder a few times every day. The answer is always the same: walking changes everything.
When she was crawling everywhere and pulling herself up using the counters and furniture, I was curious how much walking would actually change anything. She is already going all over the house and getting into things. Certainly, walking would be no different. My friend gracefully held in his laugh when I offered my theory.
The truth is, walkers are a whole new breed. How? For starters, when she would crawl to the kitchen, I had enough time to sip my coffee and then leisurely make my way there to cut her off from getting into stuff. Now, she leaps tall buildings in a single bound. If you look away for a moment, you hear the dog bowl being dumped on the floor.
Not only are these agile little gazelles faster, they have freed up brain power to process other fun stuff. She is no longer concentrating solely on left foot, right foot; it is no longer a challenge. She can use these precious reserves to figure out how to open the dishwasher or what shocking new discovery lies within the trash can.
The last great benefit of walking, as if speed and boosted curiosity weren’t enough, is strength and confidence. Because her legs have gained much more strength due to constant laps around the house, there is a huge confidence boost. This self-esteem is the leading cause of attempted furniture scaling. As of now she can climb onto our low profile office couch and just about onto the coffee table and ottomans. Unlock rock climbing; she doesn’t have a harness. Daddy is the harness.
All in all, this sounds like a bunch of complaining, I am actually stoked about her walking. She chases me for a game similar to tag and she loves to explore the yard with me. This is just to serve as a warning, with each new perk comes these new responsibilities.